Vibezin Drops Exclusive Free Mix For XLR8R

Today sees the digital release of Vibezin‘s newest EP, From the Crates, for Martin “Blackdown” Clark‘s Keysound imprint, and the London-based producer has sent over an exclusive mix of original tunes to mark the occasion. As we reported earlier this month, Vibezin’s three-track EP finds him exploring his vast, dusty record crates in order to craft an EP that owes as much to “garage’s magpie-like approach to fragments of great records past” as it does to “dubstep’s reverence of weighty sub-bass”—a concept Vibezin greatly expands on for this 40-plus minute “production showcase” mix. Comprised of 17 original tracks, virtually all strains of UK bass are partially touched on as the mix progresses, held together by the Londoner’s penchant for dirty, deep bass and unrelentingly funky drums. Surprisingly, the only EP cut to be found is the part-old-school-island-house, part-methodical-half-time-banger “Hot 4 U,” which appears just before the skillfully blended showcase comes to a close. You can download Vibezin’s exclusive mix for XLR8Rhere, and check the complete tracklist below.

Tracklist:
01 A Little Higher
02 Temptation
03 I Can’t Do It Alone
04 Lover’s Hideout
05 Work It
06 I’ll Make You Hot
07 The Sweetest
08 Blacker Than Thou
09 Crazy
10 The One
11 Illusions
12 Deeper
13 Pressure Point
14 Ultra Funk
15 Get Fucked Up
16 Hot 4 U
17 Show Me

Video: Grouper “I Saw a Ray”

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As if a double-album release from Portland ambient/noise artist Grouper wasn’t enough heady material for us to feast on this year, Liz Harris has just unveiled what is apparently the first part of an “album-length series of videos adapted from/inspired by A I A.” Entitled “I Saw a Ray,” the piece was directed by Weston Currie with production help from a small crew, and introduces us to a bleak world where hope seems to constantly elude its whithered inhabitants. We look forward to seeing where the rest of this enigmatic series goes. (via Gorilla vs. Bear)

Lee Foss Launches New Podcast Series, Plays Fabric Next Month

The prolific, multifaceted house producer/DJ Lee Foss has yet another endeavor to add to the extensive list with his newly launched podcast series Modern Amusement. Not one to indulge in fly-by-night concepts, Foss doesn’t appear to be taking this podcast series lightly, as he delivers a two-hour mix that touches on everything from Balearic and summer-tinged sounds to those with a more futuristic sheen—even sprinkling some classic-sounding house tracks throughout the inaugural podcast. Furthermore, Foss has even conceptualized the origins of the mix, claiming it comes from a future Lee Foss who labelled the disc “Lee Foss Live @ Hot Natured Party Saturn 2082.” Although the LA-and-London-based DJ has not provided a tracklist of any nature, his future self was kind enough to describe the playlist as a “classics set from the early 2000s.” In preparation for the Hot Natured (a.k.a Foss and Jamie Jones) takeover of Fabric’s Room Three next month, Foss discusses his musical history, his current place in the house/techno world, and the mix’s origins in the interview accompanying the podcast over on Fabric’s blog. You can also stream/download the podcast below.

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Bubblin’ Up: Jam City

Night Slugs’ newest cook boils up a sweet mix of grime and house elements.

You might say London producer Jack Latham—at least musically speaking—is an old soul. The 20-year-old’s instrumental tracks made under the alias Jam City co-opt the snarling low-end of grime while implementing textural overtones gleaned from a studious appreciation of old house music. “I was too young and too isolated to get into any places where these sounds were being played,” Latham says of his formative years in the dance music scene. “Because I didn’t have a club environment to absorb these sounds, I think I had to create my own narrative around them… Instrumental grime became a way to re-imagine my surroundings.”

“Magic Drops”

In fact, Latham came to making beats, as many producers do, from rough-and-tumble London hardcore punk scene. “There’s definitely energy, awkward angles, and sharp edges that I was later to find in grime,” he says. That hardcore ethos hardly remains, though; instead, Jam City’s push-pull productions suggest that he’s a pretty peaceful and erudite guy. The machinations of “Magic Drops,” from his debut Night Slugs EP of the same name, come off like the diagetic rumblings of a spaceship, but layered behind the battle-station sirens and factory engines is a fluttering set of ethereal synth chords that signal a fantasy for the viewers at home. “I like tracks that when they drop, it feels like the floor has given way beneath your feet,” he says before adding, “I always want to try and add vortexes in my music and in my DJ sets. They’re just as important as a big, fat Dutch-house drop.”

Another recent fascination of Latham’s is South African house. “I loved how minimal and dark some of it is,” he says. “It took me a while to figure out how to DJ with it. They’re like rhythm tracks sometimes, and I really like that.”

“2 Hot”

Fittingly, Latham was snatched up by Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990’s Night Slugs label (featured here), which will release Jam City’s next EP imminently, and in the fall will roll out his debut full-length.

It’s hard to imagine that Latham’s still too young to down a pint in the States, but he maintains the poise to wax philosophical about his competing muses. “What people forget about grime is that it was originally made for the clubs,” he informs. “But, at its peak, nothing was sonically out of bounds with grime, which I think is why it’s such a constant reference point to me. It’s good to just try and keep that approach.”

The Magic Drops EP is out now on Night Slugs.

Dreadsquad & Lady Chann “Island Lovin’ (Kush Arora Remix)”

Poland-based duo Marek Bogdanski (who heads the Superfly Studio imprint) and Lukasz Rodziewicz (a.k.a Dreadsquad) have teamed up with Lady Chann, a name synonymous with dancehall party vibes, for the recently released “Island Lovin'” single. Along with the original tune, the record comes with a host of remixes—including this one from San Francisco’s Kush Arora, who transforms the tropical feel-good vibe of “Island Lovin'” into a dark, pumping excursion through the disparate territories of dirty dancehall and skittering house. Where as Dreadsquad’s initial production is the kind of soca party jam you’d expect to hear during the more sunlit hours of the day, Kush Arora’s take is most surely a late-night, twirling-lights, got-a-few-drinks-in-you kind of endeavor, one which comes complete with ominous bass, minor-chord piano stabs, and a fair share of relentless percussion.

Island Lovin’ (Kush Arora Remix)

Blanck Mass Blanck Mass

Benjamin John Power, whose primary outlet is psych-house duo Fuck Buttons, has struck out on his own as Blanck Mass, a moniker the artist seems to take deeply to heart on his first-ever solo release, a 10-track, self-titled LP. This hour-long offering of drifty, practically formless synth music is indeed quite massive, and sometimes lacking in any distinctive qualities.

That’s not to say Power’s album is unlikable or subpar in any way, shape, or form. In fact, it’s often the lush, faceless soundscapes—tracks like “Chernobyl” and “Sub Serious”—that prove to be the most rewarding, as the subtleties of each composition allow for deeper immersion by the listener; your mind is given the opportunity to fill in the blanks, so to speak. And yes, fans of Fuck Buttons will find plenty to love on Blanck Mass. Though all of the record’s songs are completely beatless, “Sundowner,” “Raw Deal,” and “Land Disasters” all recall the immense, distorted melodies of some of our favorites from Tarot Sport and Street Horrrsing.

Blanck Mass‘ scope is patently panoramic, its instrumentation is dense with layers of spacey tones and gritty noise, and each of its productions hum with a deep luminescence often lost in much of today’s crop of instrumental synth music auteurs. But while Power exhibits his range in mood and melody on this self-titled debut, one can’t help but wonder how much the album could have benefited from even the smallest touch of the rhythms that give his other outfit its vibrant energy.

Holy Other “Touch (Cupp Cave Remix)”

A slew of remixes for Holy Other‘s (pictured above) downtrodden R&B cut “Touch” hit the internet at the end of last week in conjunction with the physical release of that mysterious producer’s With U EP for Tri Angle. So, we guess that would make those downloadable freebies just about middle-aged in internet years, which is actually fitting; the reworked productions need just a bit more time to grow on you than the darkly infectious original tune. Belgian tunesmith Cupp Cave‘s interpretation is a fine example. The woozy lurch of “Touch (Cupp Cave Remix)” is just about as engagingly mesmerizing as it gets, but it’s the subtleties that simmer below the analog hiss and slowly bubble up from underneath the surface that require a handful of spins to fully appreciate. You can grab more remixes from the likes of Matthewdavid and Blood Diamonds over on Pitchfork.

Touch (Cupp Cave Remix)

Seclusiasis to Drop Free Mixtape This Weekend

Street-bass kingpins Dev79 (pictured above) and Starkey just announced the imminent digital release of Street Bass Bootlegs, the latest in their long-running mixtape series. Following the release of last year’s Street Bass Anthems Vol. 4, the Seclusiasis label dons have decided to split the series in two, with Street Bass Bootlegs representing all of their favorite bootlegs and white labels, and the forthcoming Street Bass Anthems Vol. 5 (out in August) continuing in the usual vein of the series. The first Bootlegs offering boasts 18 cuts from producers the likes of BD1982, 6Blocc, Knight Riderz, Starkey, and Dev79, and drops this weekend (no specific date was given). Look for it on the Seclusiasis website as a free download.

Ras G to Drop New LP Via Ramp Next Month

Blunted space cadet and prolific beatmaker Ras G has announced his next full-length album of interstellar noise and cosmic hip-hop will be touching down on Earth next month via UK imprint Ramp. Appropriately called Down 2 Earth, Ras G’s new LP will feature 21 tracks with such priceless titles as “(((Shrooms))),” “I Love The 90s Hip Hop,” and “Crush On A Earthling,” and is said to “bring back his signature speaker popping, space-flecked instrumental hip-hop.” Ramp will drop the record on July 25, but you can check out the artwork and tracklist for Down 2 Earth now, below.

1. D2E Intro
2. Hey Baby!!!!
3. Diiirrrtttty
4. (((Shrooms)))
5. I Love The 90s Hip Hop
6. Crenshaw Bus
7. One 4 DB – I SEE
8. That`s Fly
9. Filth Factor ’98
10. Leave!!!!!!!
11. Bobby Speak
12. Black Dusty Radio
13. 40 Bus
14. 303 Vs Tell-Lie-Vision
15. Peace (Saalaam)
16. Change
17. Crush On A Earthling
18. Interlude
19. Fatcat
20. Interlude
21. Harlem Negus

Boiler Room to Broadcast R&S Showcase with Space Dimension Controller, The Chain, Vondelpark, and More

The freshly one-year-old online UK bass music hub, Boiler Room, has announced that it will broadcast live a showcase of artists from the virtually unparalleled, forward-thinking R&S label tomorrow, June 18. The event, to be broadcast from 8pm-11pm GMT, will feature sets from R&S acts Space Dimension Controller (pictured above), The Chain, and Vondelpark (who will be performing live), along with some up-and-comers from the imprint’s extended family, including UK producer Klaus and recent James Blake tourmates Cloud Boat. We’re not sure how they’ll manage to fit a line-up of that caliber into a mere three hours, but the Boiler Room has done it before, and will probably do it again. When the time comes, you’ll find the live stream here. Until then, you can check the flier below and make sure that your calendar is clear for tomorrow night.

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