Night Slugs label head Alex Sushon (a.k.a. Bok Bok) is finally ready to drop his long-awaited Night Slugs debut. The Southside EP includes five club-ready tracks that represent Bok Bok’s unique South London hybrid-house sound. Check out his recent BBC Radio 1 mix on the Benji B show here, and be sure to grab this highly anticipated release when it drops May 31.
1. Charisma Theme
2. Hyperpass
3. Reminder
4. Silo Pass
5. Look (dub)
UK funky/house stalwarts Ben Westbeech (a.k.a. Breach, pictured above) and Tesfa Williams (a.k.a. T. Williams) have teamed up to produce PTN‘s latest release. Out June 20, this limited-quantity, vinyl-only single features “2 BobNote,” a squelchy, acid-driven number, and the anticipated T. Williams remix of Breach’s “Fatherless,” both of which you can preview below. Sure to be a must-have for UK funky lovers, you’d best grab this one quick.
Here, Solar Bears and Young Montana? (pictured above), two oddly similar artists from across the pond (Ireland and England, to be exact), mash together their shared love of shimmering melodies, intricate aural textures, and inventive rhythmic work on this remix that effectively highlights all three areas of interest. The young English producer (who, incidentally, just dropped his debut LP, Limerance, via Alpha Pup) applies a few herky-jerky beats and some woozy synth tones to the thick, crackling atmospheres of the Dublin duo’s “Dream Valley,” which altogether yields a sound that floats somewhere in the company of Warp roster favorites like Flying Lotus, Boards of Canada, and Bibio. “Dream Valley (Young Montana? Remix)” is upbeat yet languid, clear-eyed yet psychedelic, fresh yet familiar, and, most importantly, highly enjoyable. We certainly wouldn’t mind more of these remixes from the pair in the future.
Dream Valley (Young Montana_ Rework)
Dream Valley (Young Montana_ Rework)
From a forthcoming remix record for the slow-burning “Light of Love” by Portland vintage-house ensemble The Miracles Club, which will drop next week via Cut Copy‘s own Cutters imprint, this fresh version of the 2010 jam was crafted by the aforementioned Australian dance-pop band as the release’s opening track. The first three quarters of “Light of Love (Cut Copy Re-Vision)” sounds more or less like a pumped up version of the original track, but once the dense, shimmering wash of synth melodies starts to dissipate towards the end, you can make out the subtle percussion rhythms and basslines that Cut Copy added into its mix. Even still, the whole remix remains equally reminiscent of each outfit’s classically inspired approach to buoyant dance music. You can check out more info on the forthcoming 12″ over on the Cutters website, here. (via Pitchfork)
After having spent the past few months digesting the wild psychedelia of the latest full-length LP by Brooklyn art-rock ensemble Gang Gang Dance, the awe-inspiring Eye Contact, and after XLR8R scribe Walter Wasacz delved deeper into the band’s background for this lovely feature article, we’ve decided to take a trip back into Gang Gang Dance’s earlier work, and make a list of our top five favorite tunes from those past albums. This is by no means a definitive list, but merely our own personal favorites from the genre-defying collective’s repertoire. Feel free to list your own favorites in the comments below.
5. “God’s Money V” (from God’s Money, The Social Registry 2007)
4. “Blue Nile” (from Saint Dymphna, The Social Registry 2008)
3. “Nomad for Love (Cannibal)” (from God’s Money, The Social Registry 2007)
2. “Egowar” (from God’s Money, The Social Registry 2007)
1. “House Jam” (from Saint Dymphna, The Social Registry 2008)
Makers of a wide variety of musical gear, but perhaps best known for its extensive software emulations of classic synthesizers, Arturia, have teamed up with the Bob Moog Foundation to create a multimedia box set in Dr. Moog’s (pictured above) honor called Dr. Bob’s Collector Pack. The set will include Arturia’s Minimoog-V and Moog Modular-V (V2.0) software instruments along with a DVD copy of Hans Fjellestad’s excellent Moog documentary (chronicling the life and achievements of Bob Moog and his company) as well as a book of previously unpublished bits of writing from the godfather of modern synthesizers, entitled Bob Moog’s Private Archives. And just to sweeten the deal for those truly nerdy synth geeks out there, they’ve even thrown in an official Bob Moog Foundation pin. The box set is limited to 1000 editions available worldwide, with the profits being donated to the Bob Moog Foundation, an organization which was founded to continue the legendary gear designer’s legacy after his passing in 2005. And not that this has anything to do with the box set, but we’d be letting you down if we didn’t pass this news along—Arturia is raffling off an original 1975 Minimoog (yes, that’s the one that everyone wants) over on its Facebook page. Good luck and make sure to peep the trailer for the aforementioned Moog documentary below.
The New York-based label UNO definitely hit the ground running with the release of its brilliantly spaced-out and disco-fied debut single, “Future,” by Eddie Mars. Staying strong, UNO is back with another heavy hitter, “Lay It Down,” the US label debut of Montreal-based sensation Jacques Greene. As a way of whetting our appetites, we’ve been slipped the Nacho Lovers remix to share with you. Nacho Lovers tastefully retain the acid bassline and overall vibe of the original track while still giving the song their trademark deep treatment. The rhythmic emphasis is shifted from snare to kick, a full-stop organ is added to the mix, and completing the transformation is a synthesized sax riff ripped wholesale from 1992. “Lay It Down” is out next week, so give the remix a listen now and be sure to pick up the single when it becomes available from your favorite retailer.
Dominik Eulberg doesn’t exactly win originality points for being a German techno producer with a penchant for lush melodies and an impeccable attention to detail, but his unabashed love for ornithology and time spent working as a German national park ranger certainly sets him apart from the crowd. Eulberg’s been melding techno with nature sounds since 2003, an effort that continues on his latest full-length, Diorama, on Traum. Each song on Diorama was inspired by a different natural wonder, a unique list that includes water, ants, and glow worms. When he’s not making music or exploring the wilderness, Eulberg also maintains a busy DJ schedule, so we asked him to tell us about some of his favorite tunes at the moment.
Gabriel Ananda “Smash” (Basmati)
I value Gabriel not only as a human being, but also as a fantastic musician. In a distinctive manner, he manages to combine melodies that lacerate the heart with organic beats and unpredictable arrangements. Because he records most of his tracks live, they unfurl a brutal energy. “Smash” has been heavily shaking up dancefloors in my set for a year now. It is music which really wakes you up.
Coma “Playground Altona” (Kompakt)
The Cologne guys of Coma are people I have always liked, but with their new record they have really surprised me. There are really smart arrangements that display a love for detail alongside sophisticated melodies, creating a wonderful feeling of blessedness. “Playground Altona” is a perfect closing track for the coming open-air season.
Averos “Tom (Jesse Somfay Remix)” (Farver)
I have been fan of Jesse’s intelligent and lucid music for a long time now. Few people are able to create and depict such a wonderful primal feeling in a musical way, a feeling which slumbers deep inside all of us. He is determined and takes all of the time needed until the atmosphere has penetrated our spine and bones.
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins “John Taylor’s Month Away” (Double Six)
For me, Jon Hopkins is one of the greatest discoveries of the last few years. Finally, there is a producer who can really compose and record his music in a refined way. His new album, Diamond Mine, shows another facet of his abilities, offering moving and comforting music that lays a warm blanket around one’s heart.
Last month, XLR8R reported on the soon-to-be-released remix compilation from London’s Deep Teknologi label, simply titled Deep Teknologi The Remixes. With its release on the immediate horizon, we have here a teaser in the form of veteran UK rave DJ Zander Hardy‘s remix of T.Williams‘ “In The Deep.” Hardy takes the original’s minimal bass-bump and busies it up with skittering hi-hats, wooshing toms, a synth line reminiscent of ’80s b-boy electro, and a stop-start kick drum that injects the song with more than its share of pregnant pauses. Give it a listen below and look out for Deep Teknologi The Remixes on May 23.
Benjamin John Power, one half of noise duo Fuck Buttons, recently announced that he’s going it alone, at least for now, under the moniker Blanck Mass. The Londoner’s self-titled album, slated to appear on Mogwai’s Rock Action label on June 21, is “loosely themed around cerebral hypoxia and the beautiful complexity of the natural world,” so sayeth Blanck Mass‘ press release. Expect much analog synthesis and guitar noise, if “Land Disasters” (which you can stream below) is any indication.
“I do like the fact that this album represents a pretty clear image of myself,” says Power, “that which I am aware of and that which might be controlled by some other type of subconscious guidance.” We’ll see how that translates sonically when Blanck Mass is out in June, but for now, peep the tracklist and check out “Land Disasters” below.
Tracklist
1) Sifted Gold
2) Sundowner
3) Chernobyl
4) Raw Deal
5) Sub Serious
6) Land Disasters
7) Icke’s Struggle
8) Fuckers
9) What You Know
10) Weakling Filter
