Deep in the middle of LA beatsmith Ras G‘s forthcoming space opus, entitled Down 2 Earth (check the details here), you’ll find this slow-swinging blip of a tune. For the most part, “Black Dusty Radio” lives up to its name with warbling, distorted transistor sounds, but a good chunk of the track is also dedicated to a smooth, cosmic groove that we wouldn’t mind throwing on repeat during our next hazy afternoon laze-about. We’ll be ready for the rest of Ras G’s LP when Ramp drops it on July 25.
Despite being somewhat of a catch-all genre descriptor, the term “dub” does evoke a certain aesthetic sense, which may explain why the work of CHLLNGR has been so easily lobbed into the category. Sure, there is an undeniable element of dub to his craft—it may even be the most prevalent underlying theme—but with the release of his debut full-length, it appears the Copenhagen-based producer is at least finding pockets of unexplored territory within the genre, if not taking strides to move beyond it.
The one obvious insight into CHLLNGR’s style that can be gleaned from the handful of tracks and remixes that preceded the release of Haven is that the man has a comprehensive understanding of rhythm. The full scope of this ability comes into focus throughout the course of the LP, as CHLLNGR skillfully piles polyrhythmic layers or, when appropriate, holds back, leaving only enough sparse, skittering noises as necessary. But the prize in Haven‘s percussive contributions is not just in the rhythms that result; it’s also found in the natural ebb and flow with which they are weaved in and around each song, becoming almost trance-inducing via the simultaneously fluid and exact manner they are presented.
With his penchant for intricate percussion as the base, CHLLNGR sets out to explore the possibilities of combining ghostly, at times chilling, song structures with the sort of modern R&B that the UK post-dubstep world has been tinkering with as of late. The album’s first two tracks, “May 3” and “Ask For” (the latter of which received a remix from Cubic Zirconia a while back), serve as hints toward the R&B infusion to come, incorporating chopped-and-pitched vocal samples into their pseudo-dubstep cores. With the following track, “The End,” guest vocalist Aku is enlisted to provide layers of somber vocals and the soulful undercurrents of Haven become more substantial.
Even with songs like “Sundown” and “Dusty,” both of which feature guest vocalists and a more traditional song structure, Haven is still very much a record focused on production, and this is its strongest suit. The alternately icy and blissful atmospheres that CHLLNGR manages to conjure are incredibly powerful and vivid, as on the title track (which we’ve already said is akin to the “aural equivalent of entering an ice cathedral”) or the swirling majesty of “Dark Darkness” (which also happens to prominently showcase CHLLNGR’s unobscured voice). Occasionally, an understated melody will rise to the forefront of a given track, becoming a perfect storm of sorts and filling a spot you didn’t realize was empty until the very moment it found the proper place in which to exist.
Of course, there are a few lulls to be heard on Haven (as in songs like “Someone” or “At Last,” that begin with good ideas but never form into anything more substantial), but they are all easily overshadowed by the fascinating convergence of influences that comprise the album’s 10 tracks, making it an extremely promising debut and a uniquely assertive statement in its own right.
We’ve known about it for some time, and now producer Kieran Hebden (a.k.a. Four Tet) has finally shared the details of his upcoming Fabriclive release. The mix album will drop on September 19, and will feature 27 tunes from the likes of Floating Points, Manitoba (a.k.a. Dan Snaith, now Caribou), Ricardo Villalobos, friend/collaborator Burial, Crazy Bald Heads, Youngstar, the DJ/producer himself, and many others. On Fabriclive 59, Hebden says, “This mix is not about my DJing. It’s about London and Fabric and nights out and my take on all that. The memories and the influences. I used old and new music, I used recordings of Fabric, and I made new tracks of my own for it. I hope people play it fucking loud and lose their minds in it and remember or imagine what it’s all about.” That sounds like a fine idea to us. Check out the full tracklist for Four Tet’s mix below.
1. Intro
2. Michael Redolfi – Immersion Partielle [INA-GRM]
3. Crazy Bald Heads – First Born [On-Tick]
4. Persian – Feel Da Vibe [Same People]
5. KH – 101112 [unreleased]
6. Youngstar (Musical Mob) – Pulse X [Inspired Sounds]
7. Crazy Bald Heads – First Born (Four Tet Remix) [unreleased]
8. Floating Points – Sais (dub) [Eglo]
9. Apple – Mr Bean [Appsolute]
10. Manitoba – Webers [Leaf]
11. Big Bird – Flav (Urban Myths Remix) [Nice n Ripe]
12. Genius – Waiting [Kronik]
13. Four Tet – Fabric [unreleased]
14. David Borden – The Continuing Story of Counterpoint Part Nine [David Borden]
15. STL – Dark Energy [Something]
16. Percussions – Percussions One [unreleased]
17. C++ – Angie’s Fucked [Music For Freaks]
18. Burial – Street Halo [Hyperdub]
19. KMA – Cape Fear [KMA]
20. WK7 – Higher Power [Power House]
21. Ricardo Villalobos – Sieso [Cadenza]
22. Four Tet – Pyramid [Text]
23. Red Rack ‘em – How I Program [Bergerac]
24. Active Minds – Hobson’s Choice (Tune For Da Man Dem) [white]
25. Armando Gallop & Steve Poindexter – Blackholes [Muzique]
26. Outro
27. Four Tet – Locked [Text]
Last month we tipped you to the imminent release of “Can’t Let Go” by Peach Melba, a duo comprised of Amy Douglas and John “Juan” MacLean. With the digital release out now, and a vinyl pressing due to hit shops July 26, the duo has offered up the “Dub of Dub” remix as an introduction. While “Can’t Let Go” in its original incarnation resurrects the deep sound of ’90s Detroit house (think Chez Damier), the “Dub of Dub” takes an entirely different approach by way of Basic Channel and some seriously cavernous dub-techno. Drenched in reverb, white noise, and echo, “Can’t Let Go (Dub of Dub)” rides a precisely quantized rhythm through an immense-but-solitary aquatic environment all while still retaining an early-morning dancefloor sensibility. Here’s one to play when the sun’s coming up but the party’s still going strong. (Via Pitchfork)
Can’t Let Go (Dub of Dub)
The Decibel Festival, probably the wildest time you can have in Seattle, has been slowly unveiling the line-up for 2011, and has just released a slew of its main headliners. The city-spanning event boasts a growing roster that now includes the likes of Julio Bashmore, Moby, Martyn, Zomby, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Egyptrixx, Kyle Hall, Bok Bok, Girl Unit, Mike Huckaby, Mountains, oOoOO, Deniz Kurtel, and Kate Simko. As if that wasn’t enough, the festival will also mark the US debut of Amon Tobin’s (pictured above) ISAM live show—which received a nice blurb from us in our Mutek Wrap-Up. Decibel runs from September 28 to October 2, and advance tickets can be purchased via Bookr.
Dirtybird head honcho Claude VonStroke sat down with the good folks at Intruders TV recently to discuss the inner workings of his imprint and his musical past and future, including the forthcoming release of a new remix LP, Makeovers. You can watch the 10-plus minute interview above, and make sure to be on the lookout for the release of Makeovers, which is slated to hit the streets July 27.
This deep, soulful slice of blissful house comes to us from Los Angeles-based producer Urulu, who is set to release his sophomore EP, Goodbyes (artwork above), tomorrow via the Pet Food imprint. And just in time for the summer it seems, as “Been Here Before” sounds like just the right tempo for any number of warm and/or moonlit situations the coming months may bring. Maybe the laid-back bassline and crisp chords are perfect for a lazy afternoon pool party, or maybe the percolating percussion and soulful vocal samples have “late night dance bonanza” written all over them. Really, we could even see this track fitting nicely into an aimless late-night/early-morning-style road trip if the situation should arise. Either way, we’re willing to endure a little trial and error to figure out exactly where “Been Here Before” is best fit, ’cause something tells us the payoff is sure to be worth it.
On this video for gritty R&B crooner How to Dress Well‘s “Decisions,” artist Tom Krell talks a bit about the creation of his beautiful Love Remains LP, and how it compares to the forthcoming Just Once EP, which features orchestral versions of three of its songs along with one new track. He also does a live performance of EP cut “Decisions.” Accompanied by a small collection of string players and a percussionist, Krell belts out his spectral pop tune in San Francisco’s Different Fur Studios while filmmakers Yours Truly (who are also behind the label releasing How to Dress Well’s EP, Love Letters Ink) capture the moving sounds. Look for the Just Once EP to drop on July 21.
The New York duo of Praveen Sharma and Travis Stewart (whose Machinedrum project was just featured in XLR8R), Sepalcure, recently announced it will release an EP of remixes this August via Hotflush. The record will feature versions of tracks from the pair’s Love Pressure EP by producers Lando Kal, Daedelus, Jimmy Edgar (pictured above), XI, and FaltyDL. Before Love Pressure Remixed drops on August 15, you can check out its artwork and tracklist below.
01. Love Pressure (XI Remix)
02. Love Pressure (FaltyDL Remix)
03. Every Day Of My Life (Jimmy Edgar Remix)
04. Down (Daedelus Remix)
05. Love Pressure (Lando Kal Remix) [Digital only]
A flurry of festival news has come through the pipeline this week with a host of locations throughout the world tapping an incredible amount of talented artists for their summertime parties.
Beginning with a new festival on the Eastern beaches of Spain (more specifically, the Narejos beach in the city of Los Alcázares, Murcia) is the Electromar Festival. Spanning only two days, Electromar has quite the line-up with names like Moby, Delorean, and Ellen Allien slated to put in work on Friday, July 30 and the likes of 2manydjs, Marco Corola, and Popof adorning the schedule the following day. With music going from seven in the evening ’til sun-up the next morning, this one is bound to be a dance party of epic proportions. And did we mention it’s all going down on a picturesque beach in Spain? Just checking. (A complete list of performers can be found here.)
For those who might find themselves in the more Northeastern regions of Europe come August, the Ukrainian city of Crimea will be hosting the Kazantip Festival (a scene from last year’s version shown above), a month-long endeavor with events going down in 14 different locations. The festival, which runs from July 30 to August 21, has secured acts such as Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villalobos, M.A.N.D.Y, dOP, Aeroplane, Audiofly, Deadbeat, and many, many more (check the full calendar here).
And finally, Pennsylvania’s own city of industry, Pittsburgh, will showcase a slew of forward-thinking artists during the VIA Music Music and New Media Festival. With headliners Four Tet, Battles, Zombi, and Toy Selectah along with artists such as FaltyDL, Kingdom, Laurel Halo, Light Asylum, Blondes, Dam-Funk, and Tim Sweeney coming as part of only the first round of line-up announcements, it’s hard to imagine what else the good folks at VIA might have in store when they get around to unveiling the rest of the roster. The festival, which kicks off October 5, will begin its first round of ticket sales starting next week, July 20. To get more information and to keep up as names are added to the bill, we suggest you keep an eye on VIA’s site throughout the coming weeks.
