Malin Genie will deliver his debut album, Anthropomorphic Sympathy, via his own Malin Genie Music imprint in September.
The Dutch artist’s output both alone and as part of the Mandar trio has seen him gain worldwide recognition as a purveyor of raw and emotive house. This particular release stems from a period of extended isolation, having “created a place where I would isolate myself socially, having no interactions other than with a selection of instruments,” he explains. It follows last year’s Altrica Bloom EP.
Across the album, Genie collates a collection of cuts encompassing his broad range of influences, from ambient-tinged tracks like “For Edmond Bellamy,” “Singularity,” “Korwar,” and “Lived II Time,” and hazy house cuts like “You” and “Sopine,” through to more dynamic electronica in “-*-,” “November Subitizing,” and “Anthropomorphic Sympathy.” There’s also a nod to more minimal aesthetics on “Dimlove.”
Anthropomorphic Sympathy LP lands on September 6, with “Empathy Master” streaming below.
Point Blank has released an in-depth first-look video of Native Instruments’ Massive X.
Announced almost a year ago, the new synth was built by the same team who built the original Massive over a decade ago and arrives as a free download via Native Access for owners of Komplete 12—Point Blank are also giving away Komplete 12 and either Ableton or Logic (£1,000/$1,350 worth of software) to anyone who signs up to any of their online diploma or higher education courses.
In the video, Point Blank’s Module Leader for Sound Design, Chris Carter, details some of the synth’s stand-out features, including two wavetable oscillators with 170 wavetables to choose from, three additional syncable oscillators, the synth’s modulation modes, and the completely new routing engine, which allows users to route any input to output as well as route audio to and from multiple components.
You can watch the video in full via the player below, with more on Point Blank and its courses here.
In support of XLR8R+ and independent music, we’re compiling 10 of our favorite Discogs gems into an easy-to-digest list each month; all submissions come from independent labels. You’ll perhaps know some but you’re unlikely to know them all—but these are some of the tracks that are on repeat week after week in the XLR8R offices.
XLR8R+ is a monthly subscription service to complement the main XLR8R site. By subscribing, you’re helping to allow us to continue doing what we’ve been doing for over 25 years: finding, curating, and serving the best electronic music out there, without paid influence. Each month, we share three unreleased tracks from three different artists that we feel are pushing the scene forward in inspiring ways. These tracks will be available for download in high-quality WAV format for the duration of one month, alongside a range of other content. Join our movement to keep independent journalism alive. You can find information on the latest edition of here.XLR8R+ 012 is a Dutch special curated by Tom Trago and features tracks by Deniro, Tracey, and Darling, and a sample pack and track by Trago himself.
Swayzak is made up of London duo James S. Taylor and David Brown, who pioneered a tech-house sound back in the late ’90s. They first released “Speedboat” in 1997 on their self-titled label, and it then featured on their debut LP, Snowboarding in Argentina, a year later with its hypnotizing intro and bouncy synths, it’s a sure-fire floor-filler.
Remarkably little is known about KG beat, not even the names behind the alias. The only EP to their name, Breathing Engine, was released on LA-based label Quake Records in 1995, and it included “The Spies Are Among Us.” With a moody opening and intense, clanging piano chords, it sounds like it’s going to be a dark and brooding journey, but as it moves along, you gradually feel a house beat coming through before the bass drops and it becomes an all-out weird groover.
MF Doom (a.k.a Daniel Dumile Thompson) was born in London but moved to Long Island, New York as a child. He’s known for his distinct flow over trippy jazzed-out beats and his “super villain” stage persona. This is the original Dead Bent 12-inch version released on Fondle ‘Em in 1997, and it differs slightly from its namesake on MF Doom’s debut album, Operation: Doomsday, released two years later with a slower tempo and rawer sound. MF Doom will go down as one of the legends of hip-hop and this track is one of his finest.
Reynier Hooft van Huijsduijnen, better known as Deniro, is one of the Netherlands’ many highly skilled yet relatively unknown artists. His style is deeply rooted in timeless Detroit techno, and “Atavism” is very much on that vibe. It landed in 2014 on the EP of the same name.
Download an exclusive Deniro track by subscribing to XLR8R+ here, with the snippet below.
25th Frame is made up of David Kemmoun and Thierry Tarrius. “Will You Meet Me” was released on the Percolator EP with a host of eclectic tracks and various remixes spanning hardcore, trance, acid, garage, and house. This Garage House Mix was an unusual release on Crash Records because the label is known for its releases on the heavier side of techno. With its 1993 time-stamp, garage chords, and catchy sample, it feels way ahead of the curve.
Metro were an LA-based duo made up of Mike Knapp and Xpando. In 1994, they released “Here For The Love,” an old-school acid track with a wicked groove.
Tom Trago has been a central figure in the Dutch electronic music scene for the best part of 15 years—a DJ, producer, live performer, and label owner. His sound is a mixture of Detroit, electro-pop, house, and disco. “Shutters” was released in 2011 on Rush Hour Recordings and is a deeper-than-deep disco-indebted house tune.
Check out Trago’s exclusive track with XLR8R on the latest edition of XLR8R+ below, and download it, alongside an exclusive sample pack, by subscribing here.
UK duo Matt Dunning and Matt Jackson make up Subtech. With a deep house and techno sound, they released a host of great tracks, but “Experience Music” was our pick, and not just because it’s been doing the rounds recently. It’s a record as perfect for a day party as it is for a dark room at 4 a.m.
Gavin Cheung (a.ka Nookie) is one of the unsung heroes of jungle and drum & bass. A veteran of the scene, some of his ’90s cuts remain anthems to his day. “Celebrate Life” is the B side of the Only You EP, and a lesser-known gem compared to the A-side, “Only You,” which is one of Nookie’s most celebrated works. There’s something about the arrangement of “Celebrate Life” that makes you want to listen again and again. Opening with Asian-style horns and piano drops, once the sample hits, you know it’s going to be one that stays in your memory for some time.
Mark Lewis and Alex Swift began making music in Bristol, UK in the late 1980s. Although only their second release as Language, the In The Lab EP, from which “Tranquility Bass” is one of the most memorable, is a timeless UK house gem. Some 27 years later, the duo have recently collaborated again on some new material, including remixes of tracks from In The Lab.
stranno stranno. neobjatno is a rare production outing for the Russian artist, coming after 2018’s TRP ADE 2018 PT2, also via her own трип (pronounced “trip”)label.It will be the label’s 25th release, following PTU’s Am I Who I Am album debut.
We can expect three stripped-back techno tracks.
stranno stranno. neobjatno EP is out July 22 on vinyl and digital, with the video for “I Want You” streaming below.
Toothbrush / Booth Thrust is the Austrian producer’s second appearance on Flying Lotus’ label, following last year’s The Nature of Imitation album. It’s made of two tracks, “previously unreleased classics,” made between 2012 and ‘ 13.
Johnson originally shared “Toothbrush” with a handful of DJ friends, and it was subsequently rinsed by Rustie, Mark Pritchard, and Modeselektor; while an early incomplete demo of “Booth Thrust” was posted on his Soundcloud profile.
“These two songs play a really important role in my live shows,” Johnson says. “Even though they’re older, I’ve never gotten bored of playing them out and always feel inspired to try out new things when improvising over them. I thought it would make sense to let go of them because people had to basically come to my shows to hear them in full.”
The quirky pitchy sound on “Toothbrush” was found on an old MiniDisc, a throwback to his early live shows. “Before I could afford a laptop, I used to perform with two MiniDisc players and a keyboard that I’d connect to the DJ mixer,” he explains. “This release is a nod to that time, where I was still doing things very intuitively and with limited means. It’s funny to revisit older music because, similar to seeing a picture of yourself from the past, there is something inherently alien about it. You know that you made it but have troubles remembering the process or intention. Your own past can become a source of inspiration.”
The release comes on limited edition orange vinyl with cover artwork from Joseph Durnan.
Tracklisting
A. Toothbrush
B. Booth Thrust
Toothbrush / “Booth Thrust 12″ and digital is out via Brainfeeder on August 2, with “Toothbrush” streaming below.
XLR8R is offering XLR8R+ subscribers free passes to the upcoming edition of The Peacock Society Festival taking place in Paris from this coming weekend from Friday, July 5, until Sunday, July 7.
Since 2013, The Peacock Society has been a staple in the Parisian dance music scene and this year they have their biggest lineup yet. The Black Madonna, Denis Sulta, Bjarki, Bicep, Derrick May, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Robert Hood, Hunee, Honey Dijon, Mount Kimbie, Helena Hauff B2B DJ Stingray, Jon Hopkins, Octavian, Daphni, and more are all set to play. See the full lineup here.
We’ve partnered with the event to offer XLR8Rplus subscribers a free guestlist passes to the whole weekend event. The face value of tickets is currently €44, so this is an offer not to be missed. Passes are limited and will be allocated to those who sign up first.
For those who haven’t yet, SUBSCRIBE HERE and email your full name, subscription confirmation page, and “The Peacock Festival” to [email protected] to claim your free event pass. For those current subscribers, simply email your full name and “Peacock Festival.”
The 12th edition of XLR8R+ is here, a Dutch special curated by Tom Trago and featuring tracks from Deniro, Tracey, and Darling. Listen to the snippets below.
Volume Massimo follows 2017’s Avanti and commences “directly from that point.” It combines Cortini’s “fondness for melody with the rigour of experimental practice.????????”
Beginning with “Amore Amaro,” the album is said to journey into a meditative process that gently twists time and memory in its wake with a deftly arranged ensemble of synthesizers saturated with sonic artefacts. Guitar motifs are used to punctuate the shimmering landscapes.
Outside of his solo material and as keyboard player for Nine Inch Nails, Cortini has worked with Merzbow and Lawrence English, and also releases as SONOIO.
Tracklisting
01. Amore Amaro
02. Let Go
03. Amaro Amore
04. Batticuore
05. Momenti
06. La Storia
07. Sabbia
08. Dormi
Volume Massimo LP lands on September 27, with “Amore Amaro” streaming below.
This time they’ve kept it strictly deep dubstep with three 150bpm, system-ready tunes. Opener “License Dub” starts with a rasta vocal and turns into a bass-heavy banger. The title-track takes a smooth drone build into a bassline that will make the hair on your neck standup. Finally, outro track “Mudaf***a” has a hip-hop feel and takes you into a sub-heavy dub-reggae bassline with sparse growls.
In support of the EP, out now, we’re offering “License Dub” as one of today’s free downloads. Grab it now via the WeTransfer button below, or here for EU readers.
Up first is Upperground Orchestra, the hybrid jazz band of Rabih Beaini and his fellow musicians Tommaso Cappellato (drums), Piero Bittolo Bon (woodwinds / electronics), and Alvise Seggi (Bass / Oud). Euganea, a five-track album recorded during the Musica Veneta residency, follows 2012’s The Eupen Takes and is said to merge deep roots of original fusion (tape music, electronics and synths, processing) with the free spiritual jazz sound of Upperground Orchestra.
Then comes Stefan Fraunberger‘s Quellgeister#3. The album is the third instalment of the series by the Austrian artist, and a piece of archaeological sonic research recorded on a deteriorating organ discovered in a Saxon church in Transylvania, Romania.
In November, the label will release AMA from MA. The Japanese artist comes from Tokyo’s hip-hop scene but has evolved into more experimental beat-making. He blends ritualistic ancient Japanese lyrics and vocal methods, and the result is alienating, weird, and haunting but at the same time fascinating and futuristic.
Finally, trumpet player Sabine Ercklentz, pianist Andrea Neumann, and Mieko Suzuki on electronics and turntables, will release a debut, self-titled record as Contagious.
The four albums will hit the shops in October and November 2019, but early copies will be available at a label showcase at Berghain, taking place on October 10 and 11, where the artists will be performing alongside other artists set to release on Morphine or collaborate with the label in the near future.
Morphine launched in Italy in 2005, and has since released music from the likes of Metasplice, Madteo, Hieroglyphic Being, and Container.
Euganea and Quellgeister#3-Bussd will land on October 7 and 21 respectively. AMA and Contagious are due out November 4 and 18. Meanwhile, you can stream clips of each release below.
Manu Delago will release his new album, Circadian, this September.
The album, set for release via One Little Indian Records, takes the listener through the cycle of sleep stages, emulating REM, light sleep, deep sleep, and an abrupt awakening. It begins in the late afternoon, moving into sunset and night time, and through to the morning.
Delago was inspired by the concept after touring with Björk, Ólafur Arnalds, The Cinematic Orchestra, and Anoushka Shankar.
“Before I made this album, I had a phase of very intense touring with multiple trips to five different continents, without a break for several months,“ Delago says. “It literally felt like touring with four bands simultaneously, and in my dreams the music and crews started to commingle. I found it interesting how my brain was trying to digest all these experiences during sleep hours. In fact, during REM sleep the brain is very creative. In that stressful touring period, I started to consciously appreciate sleep and how much it contributes to mastering any challenge.”
Sonically, it see the Austrian musician depart from his electronic-leaning work by incorporating percussive instruments found on those worldwide tours—from places such as Vietnam, Russia, Turkey, and Indonesia—aiming to create an electronic-inspired album in an acoustic form.
“I wanted to incorporate elements of the electronic music that influences me; I used clarinets and accordion like warm analog synthesizers, and added strings and trombone to give it an orchestral but yet very intimate character,“ Delago explains.
Last year, Delago released Parasol Peak, an awe-inspiring short film and album project, also on One Little Indian.
Tracklistings
01. Circadian
02. The Silent Flight of the Owl
03. Uranus
04. The Moment I’m Still Awake
05. Delta Sleep (Live at 4:33am)
06. Draem
07. Zeitgeber
08. Delta Sleep (prototype)
Circadian LP lands September 13, with more information coming soon. Meanwhile, you can stream “The Silent Flight Of The Owl” below.
