Roska‘s Kicks and Snares imprint has been busy in 2011, and the releases keep on coming, the next being The Rainforest EP (pictured above) from swiftly rising UK producer Champion. The three-track EP, which is slated to drop on December 5, is characterized by sturdy rhythms and trademark UK funky percussion that at times drifts into garage territory. Full of tribal drums, classic dancehall samples, rainforest ambiance, and chest-rattling basslines, The Rainforest is a steamy excursion through upfront UK sounds. The complete tracklist and an audio preview of the EP are below.
1. Rainforest 2. Selecta 3. War Dance
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There’s something really wonderful about two brothers working together to make music. San Francisco’s Roche (a.k.a. Ben Winans) is an artist we’ve featured multiple times on XLR8R, but his big brother Bret (a.k.a. CB Radio) makes quality beats of his own out in Brooklyn. Why it took this long for the Winans boys (pictured above, sometime in the ’90s) to properly collaborate remains a mystery, but “Rayne,” created under the moniker Samuel Max, is a wonderful start. A house tune of the most relaxed variety, the song skates along mellow, clap-punctuated percussion while cooly rolling out breezy synth melodies and a plucky bassline. Yes, it’s a little Balearic and more than a little retro, but it’s all tastefully done and thoroughly enjoyable. Mama Winans should be proud.
There is an abundance of paths that can lead two people to collaborate creatively—sometimes it’s by a chance meeting, sometimes it stems from a gradual sharing of ideas, and, in some cases, it can even be part of a calculated plan. With Karenn, the collective endeavor of Londoners Pariah (a.k.a. Arthur Cayzer, pictured left) and Blawan (a.k.a. Jamie Roberts, pictured right), the drive to collaborate is equal parts a genuine admiration for each other’s work and a joint desire to reach into much deeper sonic territory.
Despite casually discussing working on a project together for years, Karenn was officially born when both producers were separately tapped to contribute remixes to West Norwood Cassette Library‘s “Get Lifted” 12″ earlier this year. The two saw it as an opportunity to give their collaborative inklings a test run, and the resulting remix is one of the deepest, most stirring tracks either have penned to date. The rework is truly a joint undertaking, insofar that you can hear pieces of each producer’s style in the track. The drawn-out, somber soundscapes and looping organ blips would certainly not be out of place on Pariah’s Safehouses EP, and the thick, rolling drums share the same almost-evil sound as the otherworldly percussion which marked Blawan’s debut single for Hessle, his subsequent releases on R&S, and even the white-label sensation “Getting Me Down.” But the “Get Lifted” remix was just an experiment, a starting point for the two, who actually have much loftier goals than simply finding the points at which their separate sounds meet.
“Get Lifted” (Karenn Remix)
Honestly, a simple combination of Pariah’s R&B-infused UK post-whatever productions and Blawan’s heavy-handed rollers doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all. In fact, it would almost make too much sense, as one can’t help but see the many parallels in each artist’s recent rise to notoriety, with both Pariah and Blawan emerging from splinters of the prolific UK bass scene and being tapped by the unparalleled R&S imprint early on. But that is decidedly not what the purpose of Karenn is, as Cayzer explains, “We’re not trying to make this project sound like a collaboration. It’s supposed to be something different, that’s why there’s a different name for it.” This different sound has yet to be heard in full, with nothing more than two radio rips of Karenn tracks appearing on YouTube in recent months. One of those tunes, “Chaste Down” (formerly referred to as “Untitled”), has been announced as the a-side to pair’s forthcoming debut EP. Like “Chaste Down,” the other two tracks which comprise the EP are said to be DJ/club-oriented, revolving around the 120 BPM range and described by the pair as “heavy,” “tracky,” and even “industrial sounding.” Notes Cayzer, “We’ve both ended up pretty much just playing house and techno in our sets, and I think the focus here is more four-to-the-floor music.”
“Chaste Down”
“Chaste Down” came early in the collaborative effort and set the tone for the rest of their output. “Once we made that,” says Roberts, “the box had been ticked, we knew where we wanted to take it.” Listening to the track, with its larger-than-life set of drums, array of machine-born textural effects, and deep, unrelenting groove, it is clear Karenn’s focus is on the dancefloor—albeit an alien one. The forthcoming EP is set to be a vinyl-only release, a hand-stamped 12″ that will not only mark the debut of original Karenn material but also serve as the inaugural release for Pariah and Blawan’s newly minted imprint, Works the Long Nights. When asked about the choice to do an exclusively vinyl release, Roberts responds, “That’s what the purpose of the tracks are, [to play out]. They’re not something you’d buy on MP3 and put on your iPod.” And he’s right, as a listen to the EP on earbuds or even decent headphones would not do the gargantuan sonics of the duo’s productions proper justice.
Despite the high levels of anticipation that surround the debut Karenn EP, both Pariah and Blawan are quick to say that this release does not define their collaboration, but is instead an early chapter in an ongoing partnership that has plans to release a series of 12″s over the next few months, including a second EP that’s already coming together and is described by the pair as, “a bit faster, more kind of old-school techno” à la ’90s New York. For now, Karenn is less a conceptual project and more a mutual exploration of deep, dark sounds, with an eye always fixed on the club. “We don’t worry about if it’s sounding too much like ourselves,” says Roberts. “If we come up with a good track together and it feels right, we do it. It’s more about us just writing tracks together.” Considering the incredible breadth of talent already displayed by both producers in their still-young careers, it would be unwise to ask them to do any different.
With his latest album, Chinoiseries Pt 2, all set for release next month on All City, French hip-hop and boogie maestro Onra (a.k.a. Arnaud Bernard), has been kind enough to provide us with a free sample from the new record. “A New Dynasty” is a deceptively dense piece of instrumental hip-hop, one that begins with scratchy vinyl ambiance and a woman speaking Chinese before dropping into some classic, synth-laden boom-bap, complete with funk drums and interwoven flourishes of Asian melody.
Justice is not afraid of kitsch; in fact, the duo practically depends on it. Ed Banger-reared French electro-house darlings Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay are renowned for the re-appropriation of ’80s hair metal and Jackson 5-style pop that littered their debut LP, †. That mix of bombastic aggression and ebullient dance music proved to be a widely enjoyed cocktail back in 2007, and, truth be told, could probably be updated a touch to bode fairly well in 2011. But Justice has not taken the easy route on its sophomore effort, Audio, Video, Disco, instead setting its gaze on the indulgent realm of early-’70s prog rock. Apparently, the choice was a poor one, as the album is a watered-down pastiche of that dubious genre at best, and just flat-out laughable at worst.
As Pitchfork contributor Ian Cohen comedically tweeted earlier this month, there isn’t much that’s good about Audio, Video, Disco. Opening track “Horsepower,” with its gnarled bass tone and thudding rhythms, might give off the impression that Justice is embarking on a second round of †, but that notion is quickly ushered away by the second tune, lead single “Civilization” (you might remember our brief review of the cut). This song perfectly encapsulates what is wrong with Augé’s and de Rosnay’s new approach: Unlike recent era-referencing albums like M83’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming or Ford & Lopatin’s Channel Presure, Audio is mostly devoid of any kind of sincerity or new ideas. It honestly sounds like the producers recorded a prime-time session off the local classic-rock station, ran it through chorus and distortion pedals, and sent it off to the label—smirking all the while. (And that’s not to mention that “Civilization” almost certainly samples the synths from “Baba O’Reily,” which is adding a bit of insult to injury when coupled with Justice’s Photoshopped homage to The Who’s iconic album cover.)
But it’s ultimately “New Lands,” a tinny pastiche of Eagles-esque dad rock, that takes Audio down the path of no return. The kitsch levels of its AM radio-ready chorus—complete with multiple-harmony vocal hooks and choppy guitar riffs—reach critical mass, as does its half-baked, Blue Öyster Cult-jam-session breakdown. During the record’s first half, tracks like “Ohio” and “On’n’On” toy with the same motifs (although with hints of Led Zeppelin in the mix), but manage to retain sparse elements of the Justice we knew and loved. And yet, the processed guitar tones are thin and generic, the bass is void of any frequency approaching the sub range, the drums might as well be Fruity Loops presets, and all vocal sounds are fuzzy with superimposed hiss. Just about anything remotely compelling could be easily categorized as well-traveled Daft Punk territory. It would appear that Justice’s schtick on Audio, Video, Disco largely involved soullessly regurgitating the sounds of rock and roll’s past into faux dance music. Fingers crossed that they skip over psych rock next time.
Seattle-based electronic explorer Parsod (a.k.a. Dale Parsons) recently dropped a new, five-song EP, Manifold (pictured above), which he’s offering at a “pay-what-you-want” price via Bandcamp. Although that undoubtedly means that most of the cheapskates out there will grab it for free, tunes like “Hive” are certainly worthy of a hard-earned dollar or two. Constructed with a loose skeleton of unobtrusive 808 drum sounds, it’s a midtempo number with a vaguely ’90s and pleasantly psychedelic feel. The real strength of the track lies in its chime-like synth notes and the bubbling acid sounds that percolate over its four-plus minutes.
The latest edition of the Oki-ni mix series comes courtesy of LA-based producer Low Limit, who also constitutes one-half of Lazer Sword (pictured above), alongside Lando Kal. Moving seamlessly through a diverse array tracks from contemporaries like Martyn, Zomby, Actress, and Gold Panda, the selection is primarily uptempo, which is somewhat of a different look for a producer that has come to be more associated with the hip-hop side of bass music. Low Limit explains that this mix, which he’s calling WEIRDHIGH and created while on a train in Denmark, is meant to showcase the the more bizarre and experimental side of house. Go here to read more about the mix, or simply give it a listen in the player below.
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Two film-makers, who collectively call themselves Beaver & Beaver and split their time between Brussels and Beirut, have put together this wonderfully shot short film for the song “Polimetria” by Belgian producer Richard Colvaen. The mystical, quasi-sci-fi tale of romance is told quite effectively with the use of handcrafted special effects and a free-form approach to production. As the directors told us, “The entire ‘meeting’ scene, which is almost half of the video, was shot on green screen without a clear idea of what to do with it. We told Richard [Colvaen] we’ll do ‘cool’ things, and he just trusted us.” Looks like everything panned out totally fine. The split 7″ that the jittery “Polimetria” tune is featured on, which also features a selection from Russian producer DZA, will drop on November 14 via Vlek. In the meantime, stream the entire release below.
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Bubblin’ Up UK producer Eliphino is getting ready to drop his second EP, More Than Me, on October 31 via Somethinksounds, but precedes that release with a freebie download of the digital exclusive “No More.” A different version of the EP’s title track, the shuffling tune remains patently somber throughout, but the young producer effectively pumps up the energy with a bit of vocal-sample juggling and bouncing dance beats.
As a city, Amsterdam is an almost overwhelming convergence of the old and the new, the familiar and the foreign. Pristine modern architecture and rustic brick buildings occupy virtually the same space amongst Amsterdam’s cobblestone streets, where a flurry of international pedestrians, scooters, bikers, and motorists somehow manage to shuffle their way through the city day in and day out. In this spirit, the 2011 Amsterdam Dance Event (also known simply as ADE) lineup is completely appropriate, even with its jaw-dropping numbers—boasting over 700 DJs and producers from around the world performing at over 200 events in well above 50 different venues. Truthfully, ADE is not a 100% XLR8R-friendly event, but even a smaller percentage of the aforementioned “700 DJs and producers” proved to be plenty to take in.
Day 1
Pangaea and Ben UFO
Despite there being a number of kick-off events and “official” ADE opening parties to get things in motion for the first night of the annual gathering (now in its 16th year), anyone hungry for forward-thinking bass was bound to find themselves circling around Melkweg for the Planet-E 20th Anniversary showcase. Boasting a lineup that was as strong as it was far-reaching, the three young lads behind the Hessle Audio imprint—Pangaea, Ben UFO, and Pearson Sound—started the night off strong with over two and a half hours of UK-leaning sounds. Armed with two laptops and some combination of turntables and CDJs (the stage was quite high off the ground, making it hard to see exactly what they were using), the trio of tastemakers pushed and pulled on each other’s styles, but never lost momentum. Ben UFO supplied the more dance-worthy/house-leaning tracks, Pangaea kept things dark and gritty, and Pearson Sound brought his noted penchant for maddeningly propulsive tracks that would push the audience over the edge from “dance party” into altogether “freak the fuck out” mode.
Meanwhile, in just the other room, Motor City Drum Ensemble was putting together a set of soulful offerings, beginning with some retro-tinged funk and disco tunes before eventually moving into deeper, Detroit-indebted territory. The German DJ/producer took his time moving from one track to another, mixing his selections with patience and control and making the transitions between tracks almost indistinguishable if you weren’t paying attention or found yourself lost in the warm sounds emanating from the speakers.
Motor City Drum Ensemble
Kyle Hall
Following MCDE on the very same decks was like-minded producer/DJ Kyle Hall, who unraveled a set of percussive, synth-heavy tunes, which were a little more forceful than what I’ve come to expect from the face of new Detroit. Perhaps because MCDE had set the tone, Hall quickly jumped into his heavy set of Midwest-approved house and techno, allowing the occasional piano riff and R&B-indebted vocal track to peak above the brooding mix, only to sink back into the heavy, undulating low-end below, which, of course, we couldn’t resist.
Fellow Detroit resident Kenny Larkin had just begun his live PA set when I made my way to Melkweg’s bigger dance hall. Sitting behind a laptop and a few choice pieces of equipment, Larkin proved he deserved the reputation that comes with his legendary status, presenting fresh interpretations of his productions (both new and old) to the delight of the completely packed dancefloor. In classic Detroit-veteran fashion, Larkin made excellent use of frequency control, coyly taking the bass out of tracks so that you didn’t notice how far it was gone until it came crashing back in, compelling the audience to dance even harder to keep up. And as a special treat for the younger folk in the crowd (of which there were a lot, myself included), Larkin reworked his seminal “You Are” tune, a track which I’m sure many of us had never heard before coming direct from the man who crafted it.
Kenny Larkin
Martin von Oswald, Carl Craig, and Francesco Tristano
Although the original bill in the ADE program featured only the name Carl Craig, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the likes of Moritz von Oswald and Francesco Tristano were to accompany the Planet-E boss on stage. Moritz von Oswald commanded the most space on stage, floating between a Moog Voyager on his left and a grand piano on his right (both of which ran through some spacey processors), while Craig and Tristano used a combination of laptops and hardware to sculpt their sonic contributions. The trio took the crowd through what seemed to be an entirely improvised set, going back and forth between meandering fields of abstraction and thumping, intelligent techno.
Caribou
I finished my night with a final DJ set by Canadian producer Dan Snaith (a.k.a. Caribou), and although I should have known not to worry, I wasn’t exactly sure how the multi-instrumentalist was going to be able to translate his penchant for dense—at times psychedelic—productions to the late-night club atmosphere. But after only a few minutes behind the decks, which Snaith used to filter and tweak through a manic edit of his own tune “Sun,” it was clear that the man was more than capable of cultivating the proper vibes for his time slot. While the room began to fill with a never-ending supply of fog, Snaith dropped edit after edit of his own material (from both Caribou’s and Daphne’s catalogs), and even managed to sneak in a few appropriate tracks, most notably bringing in Joy Oribson’s “Elipsis” from a wall of textured noise so that you weren’t quite sure what you were hearing until the first “We just used to like…”
Day 2
Rebolledo
Thursday night found me stretching my legs a bit more in an attempt to navigate through the many showcases ADE had in store, but I began again at Melkweg, this time upstairs in the beautifully designed Rabozaal Hall where the Kompakt showcase would be taking place all night. When I arrived, our most recent podcast contributor, Rebolledo, was warming up the crowd with a DJ set of slippery techno, with touches of funk, Latin rhythms, and brief moments of intriguing weirdness wedged between its steady kick drums.
Kompakt staple Matias Aguayo was next on the bill, and the native Chilean delivered an invigorating performance that found the producer/DJ utilizing a laptop, CDJs, and more gear to effortlessly build a collection of rhythmically irresistible beats. With microphone in hand and a beaming smile on his face, Aguayo directed and lured the crowd with a generous helping of his own voice, as he sang, shouted, and even whistled into the mic.
Matias Aguayo
LBS
I shuffled out of the showcase (with plans to return later on), and headed to the once-orante theater-turned-techno club Paradiso to catch French techno veteran Laurent Garnier‘s newest collaborative performance project, LBS. Joined by frequent collaborators Benjamin Rippert and Scan X, LBS moved the absolutely packed, two-story venue with elongated pieces of anthemic, improvised techno. The atmosphere was absolutely electric. It seemed that every time the trio pulled back the four-on-the-floor kick drum for the occasional moment of mounting anticipation, the droves of techno heads would explode with elation when the performers finally brought back the thumping, rolling techno in full force.
But as much as Garnier and company’s colossal set tried to keep me (not to mention the impossibility of making my way through a crowd that large), there was yet another Midwest legened in town for ADE who I had to see, Frankie Knuckles. The surroundings were much cozier than the Paradiso, with a dancefloor that could maybe hold 50 or 60 people (although my guess is there were considerably more than that), giving Knuckles’ set a focused, intimate feel. The Chicago native represented the homeland of proper house behind two CDJs, dropping some of the funkiest, feel-good tracks that I’ve heard at the festival so far, and the crowd reacted exactly as they should have—smiling, clapping along, and dancing their asses off.
Frankie Knuckles
John Tejada
I finally returned to the Kompakt showcase (after a failed attempt to see Maya Jane Coles, whose showcase had reached capacity long before my arrival—I think it’s safe to say it was probably great) just in time to catch the last half of a live PA performance from Los Angeles producer/DJ John Tejada. The recent Kompakt signee sculpted pieces of bouncing, melodic techno behind his chosen array of gear, from which no shortage of gliding bass, popping bells, and detailed micro-sounds kept the crowd moving.
Michael Mayer and Tobias Thomas
For the last endeavor of my night, I stuck around to see a back-to-back set between Kompakt label head Michael Mayer and long-time DJ/occasional producer Tobias Thomas. The pair’s all-vinyl set began with a bit of a slow start, with both DJs taking some time to gauge the audience and get comfortable behind the decks, but once they locked in, it was worth the wait. There’s a reason Mayer’s label has garnered such a solid reputation. The man (along with his co-label heads) has great taste, and his selections throughout the night only solidified this fact, as he and Thomas dropped track after track of lush, sophisticated techno, most of which I had never before heard. But what better place to have two of Cologne’s finest share the bounty of their musical explorations than a modern, European-designed performance space with a cold Heineken in hand?
Check back on Monday for Part 2 of our Amsterdam Dance Event wrap-up.
