He wowed us with Butter in 2009, and now he’s about to do it again as Hudson Mohawke (the UK beatmaker known to his mam as Ross Birchard) just announced he’ll be releasing a new EP on Warp, entitled Satin Panthers, on August 2. The first track to surface from that five-song EP, “Thunder Bay,” is available to stream now (you can download it if you pre-order the record), so check it out, along with the artwork for Hud Mo’s new release, below.
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Hailing from Olympia, Washington, Ghost Feet is a pair of musicmakers who have come together under the banner of handmade electronics and cinematic soundscapes. The duo’s debut EP, Wires and Chords, was just unveiled via Portland’s Dropping Gems imprint, and is currently available as a free download or limited-edition cassette tape. Here, we have one of the four original tracks available on that release, possibly its most understated. Ghost Feet coalesces spacious field recordings, lilting synth tones, reverb-soaked guitar plucks, and crunchy rhythms into the tarnished shimmer that is “Bog”—always looking toward the stars, though never quite reaching them. If the wide scope of Mogwai’s melodies and the intimate sounds of Morr Music’s alumni appeal to your ears, we’d suggest you snag the Wires and Chords EP.
Twenty-three-year-old otherworldly hip-hop producer Michael Volpe makes beats for fun, but actually spends most of his waking hours interning full-time at a local hospital. Yet that hasn’t stopped the bedroom auteur from previously lending his eerily melodic and charmingly lo-fi creations to high-profile MCs such as Lil B and Soulja Boy. On the strength of a free, self-released instrumental mixtape—not to mention a litany of other online giveaways from the prolific beatmaker—Volpe has been added to the Tri Angle artist stable. The label will drop the Rainforest EP, Clams Casino’s first official release, on June 27.
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Combining the most sought-after features of its existing digital DJ controllers and mixers into one unit, Numark has aimed to build a comprehensive four-channel controller for DJs of all sorts with its newest product, the NS6 ($999). With the specifically developed Serato Itch software to accompany the unit, the NS6 comes equipped with the ability to utilize four digital decks from the controller, all with individual controls, including five instantly savable cue points, enhanced looping features, individual FX paths, and all the usual tools one needs to craft a body-movin’ mix such as pitch control, key lock, EQ, etc. With two non-motorized deck controllers (which operate at an impressive 3,600 ticks-per-rotation resolution), Numark’s proprietary Strip Search functionality, on-board FX, cue point, and loop controls, and the ability to select and load your digital audio tracks to the respective decks from the unit, it’s clear the aim of the NS6 is to get the DJ’s focus off the keyboard and mouse, and, instead, into the mix. And to keep it super-versatile, Numark has even gone as far as to make each of the four channels found on the mixer portion of the NS6 usable with analog devices via four phono/line inputs and two microphone inputs on the back of the unit, allowing the user to seamlessly plug in a turntable, CD player, or mic. It’s safe to say that Numark’s newest foray into the world of DJ controllers has way too many features to cover in one glossing-over, so head to the NS6 microsite to get the full specs and details.
It looks like Dutch party-starter Munchi is well on his way to a full recovery from his recent brush with illness, as he just yesterday dropped a free EP via Mad Decent‘s blog. The hot-footed “Mamajuana” is one of the six jams offered on the young DJ/producer’s Rotterdam Juke EP, and finds him infusing the breakneck beats of footwork with some jittery bachata guitar riffs and other more explosive sound effects. As Munchi himself puts it, “The whole track feels drunk to be honest, but not in a bad way though.” You can grab the rest of Munchi’s free musical offering here.
Following closely after the release of their Let Me Count the Ways record for Ghostly‘s Spectral Sound sister label, the multinational tech-house duo Benoit & Sergio will drop another 12″ on the longstanding DFA imprint. The “Principles” b/w “Everybody” record will drop on June 20, and is said to “explore underground pop sensibilities in the context of the big-room dancefloor.” Before we’re made privy to those particular sounds, you can take a look at the simple label artwork for Benoit & Sergio’s release and stream a snippet of its a-side, below.
Ah, May… traditionally considered in northerly climates to be the gateway by which summer is accessed. The spring rains die down and are replaced by constant sunshine, beaches, BBQs, outdoor parties, and lazy days in the park. Err, actually none of that happens in San Francisco, so really we’re just going off imagination here. More realistically, it rains through May and into August, but that doesn’t really get us down, considering we mostly hang out indoors listening to music anyways. That being the case, the real event that marks the transition of May into June is the publication of this monthly retrospective list of our most downloaded MP3s. And, by all accounts, May was a pretty good month for tunes—we chilled out with Lucky Paul and Gang Colors, tapped our toes to the Nacho Lovers’ deep house remix of Jacques Greene, and recoiled in horror at Samiyam’s (pictured above) creepy baby photo. Come, join us! Peruse the list below, download, enjoy, and relive the magic of May’s most popular MP3s.
Portland synth-pop duo Soft Metals soften up their analog-rich sound for this dreamy number, which is nabbed from of a forthcoming LP that producer Ian Hicks and singer Patricia Hall will soon release via Brooklyn’s Captured Tracks. Hall’s airy croon floats in the midst of a dense bed of silky electronics, just above a simple and driving rhythm—drawing the listener deeper into the mix with its quietly alluring tones. “Psychic Driving” is part Chromatics/Glass Candy, part early-’80s Kraftwerk, part My Bloody Valentine, and all good. The rest of Soft Metals’ self-titled record will be available on July 19. (via Altered Zones)
Ripped from the b-side of dOP‘s forthcoming record, the three-track Your Sex EP, “Half Naked” is another fine example of the French trio’s brand of deeply subtle and playfully coy techno sound. Percolating electronics and analog percussive sounds bounce and flutter about in the mix while fragments of whispered vocal melodies slide in and out of the track, seemingly at random. If you crank the volume and allow this one to envelop your head space, you’ll likely find yourself transfixed by its quiet nuances and airy disposition. We expect to find more of these finely crafted sounds on dOP’s new 12″ when it drops on June 20 via Supplement Facts.
From the outfit that brought you the propulsive, Latin-tinged psych-disco of “The City Never Sleeps,”Gavin Russom and Viva Ruiz (a.k.a. The Crystal Ark), comes a brand-new single released on NYC dance music giant DFA. According to the label, the “Touch” record is The Crystal Ark’s first to feature its full band, which will also be performing live on June 17 in New York (details here). Before then and before the new 12″ drops (the release is available digitally now), you can stream the infectious a-side and its instrumental b-side below.
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