Berlin’s veteran melodic techno producer and sometimes-actor Paul Kalkbrenner has announced that he will release his fifth album to date, Icke Wieder, this June. The forthcoming LP (to be released via Kalkbrenner’s own label in the US and the Rough Trade imprint everywhere else) marks the German producer’s first full-length release since his widely heralded soundtrack for the 2008 film Berlin Calling, which not only featured the musical stylings of Kalkbrenner but also served as his acting debut. With a history of productions spanning the better part of the last two decades, most notably for Ellen Allien’s BPitch Control imprint, Kalkbrenner still seems to be nowhere near slowing down, further evidenced by the fact that he has a slew of festival dates lined up to coincide with the release of his newest LP, including performances at Sonar, Melt!, Exit, and Detroit’s Movement Festival. You can check the artwork and tracklist for Icke Wieder below.
Tracklist: 01. Böxig Leise 02. Gutes Nitzwerk 03. Jestrüpp 04. Schnakeln 05. Kleines Bubu 06. Des Stabes Reuse 07. Sagte Der Bär 08. Kruppzeug 09. Schmökelung 10. Der Breuzen
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Clearly it’s not all sunshine and beach parties down in the SoCal metropolis from which the beat scene sprouted. Yes, we’ve got another LA beatsmith of sorts on our hands in Chaz Lewis, who has delivered this menacing, dark journey through the land of heavy boom-bap under his ELOS alias. Staying true to the “gangster” for which the “g” in g-funk stands for, Lewis implements a simple kick-and-clap pattern, on top of which he throws harrowing side-chains and ungodly bass sounds that beg for the kind of stoic, slow-motion head nod often found in the grimiest of rap videos. A slippery, Transylvania-esque synth melody tops off the affair, making it one of the most deliciously evil beats in recent memory to come from the Low End camp. You can find “DunDeals” on ELOS’ forthcoming debut EP, Flying Sky Fortress (artwork above), which is slated for release April 26.
LA-based jack of all trades Pop Levi sent over this fresh mix of “rare-funk shit” from his personal collection, which he just posted on the website for his World Empire, Inc. label. Over an hour long, the handcrafted DJ set contains classic gems from artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Galaxy, The Velvet Angels, West Coast Crew, J.J. Fad, Chaka, Pop Levi himself, and many others. You can check out the artwork and tracklist for Levi’s Interfunk Express mix below, and download the whole thing for free here.
Kiss Kiss – Lumumba My Love Is Alive – Chaka Khan Vibe Alive – Herbie Hancock Sexy Style – Galaxy Hot Groove – World Empire, Inc. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker – Prince Unread Fantasy – Pop Levi The Gossip Song – Lipps, Inc. Scratch Medley – George Clinton Tender Young Flesh – Bunny Holiday Okay, Okay Already – World Empire, Inc. Is It Love? – J.J. Fad Unity – Afrika Bambaataa & James Brown Your Love – The Velvet Angels Naked & Nude – World Empire, Inc. Isaac Hayes – Ike’s Rap VIII Jealousy – West Coast Crew Sucker Love – Pop Levi Big Neck Police – Lee Perry Mash It The Youth Man, Mash It – Musical Youth Darkroom – Paulo Backbone (In It) – World Empire, Inc. I Am Love – Womack & Womack Slow Gun Earring – World Empire, Inc. (I’m A Fish And You’re A) Water Sign – Parliament
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Copenhagen dance-rock trio WhoMadeWho has finished prepping the third album of its seven-year-long career, which it will release on April 26 via Kompakt. Knee Deep features nine songs from the outfit, including the lead single “Every Minute Alone.” You can listen to that song, and check out the artwork and tracklist for Knee Deep, below.
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1. There’s An Answer 2. Every Minute Alone 3. Musketeer 4. All That I Am 5. Nothing Has Changed 6. Two Feet Off Ground 7. Checkers 8. We’re Alive, It’s A Miracle 9. 555
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There’s not a ton of information floating around about Doctor Jeep—we know that his real name is Andre Lira and he’s a Boston resident currently attending Northeastern University—but that doesn’t lessen the potential enjoyment of “Level II.” Fueled by rapidly rolling snares and a flurry of drum-machine beats, the song touches on vintage house—the chopped diva vocals certainly help with that—but also features enough negative space and swirly sonics to fit nicely alongside many of his fellow forward-thinking bass-music contemporaries. We’re hoping the rest of the Aztec EP is similarly on point when it drops in June. (via Cluster Mag)
Love ’em or hate ’em, the endearingly brash post-rock hooligans of Scotland’s veteran instrumental export, Mogwai, are an inspiration for aspiring and seasoned musicians around the globe. The five-piece has more or less maintained its core roster since the release of its monolithic debut album, Young Team, which has always lent the band’s cinematic music a tight-knit sense of kinship. Fourteen years, seven studio albums, two film soundtracks, and one live DVD later, Mogwai is still a brotherhood, something which remains glowingly apparent in the 10 eclectic compositions that make up its latest LP, the excellently titled Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. We got a chance to catch up with Barry Burns as he and the rest of the clan geared up for another world tour, and the multi-instrumentalist let us in on the band’s top five favorite beers, how much he loves Frank Black, and why one should never order “The Mogwai” at the pub.
What can you see and hear when standing outside of your recording studio, Castle of Doom? The last time we were there recording the album, we saw yellow police tape and many police officers as there had been (another) murder in Glasgow. You can usually hear the sound of a building site. It really is in a horrible area.
Mogwai has been an institution in the instrumental/post-rock scene since the mid-’90s, surviving well into the digital revolution. When did you first become the victim of album leaks and illegal downloading? I honestly can’t remember, but I think it was probably Rock Action, as people seemed to know the songs when we played a concert [before] the album was out.
If there was a drink called “The Mogwai,” what would be in it? Vomit, tea, and whiskey. No straws.
Give us three of Mogwai’s musical idols. Michael Rother, John McKeown, Wullie Rogan.
Your discography only boasts one remix album. When can we expect Kicking a Dead Pig Vol. 2? Not really sure we’ll do another one, but who can say?
If you were ever to allow your albums to be pilfered for use in a television series, what would the show have to be about? The complete annihilation of all religion. Is that too much? Eeeeeeek.
Any thoughts on Mogwai’s imitators? It’s kind of flattering as much as it is pointless. A lot of bands need a starting point, and as long as they go on to do something original, then it’s totally fine by us.
In the press release for your latest record, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will., you say the title is “ned-inspired.” What exactly is a “ned”? The etymology of the word is a bit unknown, but it is possibly an abbreviation for Non-Educated Delinquent. A west-of-Scotland teenage troublemaker, bored [with] nothing to do in the streets other than piss people off with their stupid behavior.
We already know that “Blur Are Shite.” Tell us who else are shite. No, no—we love everybody these days. We try not to bash people anymore. It’s old behavior. A bit like a ned.
Who’s the creep on the cover of Come On Die Young? That would be our bass player Dominic. Or Demonic, in this case.
At this point in its history, Mogwai seems to have done everything. Name three goals you still hope to achieve before the band is through. Franchise the band so we can stay at home with our families and let impostors play our concerts for us. Play a concert with Funkadelic. Do a soundtrack for another film.
The title for Hardcore‘s last song, “You’re Lionel Richie,” is a quote from an inebriated encounter with the legendary musician. What other celebrities have you drunkenly approached? Frank Black. But I was, in the end, too shy to speak to him. I love him.
Before settling on Mogwai, what other band names were tossed around? I think that was the first and last suggestion. At least until something better came along.
Top five favorite beers. Go! Zirndorfer, Sierra Nevada, Rothaus, Midnight Sun, and 80 Shilling.
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. is out now on Sub Pop.
The march of the digital DJ solutions continues. Denon‘s DN MC-6000 (MSRP: $949) goes for the all-in-one approach, built for the club with its steel chassis and rackmountability. It’s designed to work with Traktor and Virtual DJ, and while it’s not as tightly integrated with either software as NI’s S4 is with Traktor, it’s a somewhat more versatile unit. The mixer can take external sources (up to four, line/phono) and mix them without a computer connected. It’s festooned with a slew of buttons and knobs (perhaps too many, in fact), including eight hot-cue/sampler buttons, and a host of outputs like balanced XLR, along with unbalanced and booth outputs. It can handle audio and/or video with its switchable crossfader, and has a number of effects built in as well. Those looking for an adaptable, high-end controller won’t be disappointed with this reasonably portable, club-ready set-up.
Released today by magazine-cum-label Rebel, “Skipping Puddles” is the brand-new single by a fresh producer from San Jose, CA, named Abel. His airy tune is paired with some equally soulful remixes by Essex beatmaker Lapalux (who just dropped his own EP on Pictures Music) and Brooklyn’s Obey City to fill out the digital release, one of which we’re offering here. Though all three tracks are excellent in their own ways, this rework by Lapalux stood out with its deft applications of the sampled vocal hook (the sadly sung “Girl, I’ve been watching you” is twisted into a number of forms), its dense, glittering atmosphere, and its potpourri of R&B-inspired synth riffs. It sounds sort of like a couple of our favorite Brainfeeder producers (like, say, Matthewdavid and Teebs) and some of our favorite post-dubsteppers (Mount Kimbie and early James Blake) were forced to collaborate on a three-minute flurry of musical ideas and genre experiments, which would be awesome. You can grab the rest of the Skipping Puddles EP (picutred above) for free here.
Well, looky here: Seems like two of the UK’s best-known patrons of club-ready bass music, Jamie xx (pictured above) and Oneman, just performed a co-headlining set at last Friday’s FACT and Young Turks party at Boiler Room, and (lucky for us) they recorded it. Below, you can stream and download the massive FACT Mix 239 (it’s over an hour and a half long), which includes eclectic tunes from the likes of Boddika, Joy Orbison, Ruff Sqwad, Girl Unit, DJ Zinc, Shed, and Armand Van Helden, among many others. Apparently, the venue’s website has live footage from the dance party. You can check that out here.
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On May 17, the illustrious DFA label will release the brand-new LP from Germany’s dramatic, leftfield electro-pop artist Planningtorock, W. The album’s first single, “Doorway” (pictured above), will drop prior to that on April 28, and features remixes from the likes of Mt. Sims and Brooklyn dark-pop alchemists Creep, whose work is featured here. As one might expect from Lauren Flax and Lauren Dillard, the duo has dragged “Doorway” further into the depths of reverb-heavy electronics, but also highlights the rework with brighter touches of melody from string instruments and other sparkling sounds sampled from Planningtorock’s original track. In the end, Creep’s remix actually sounds less ominous than its predecessor, which is quite refreshing to hear from one of the earliest proponents of witch house. (via FADER)
