The Pacific Northwest seems to be ripe with a new crop of solo electronic producers lately. Take Portland’s Tara Swenson, who makes music under the name Magic Pink, for example. She has a collection of free songs, entitled //TapeMix\ (artwork above), that is freshly available on her Bandcamp, on which you’ll find “New Black Spring.” For this particular cut, Swenson shows a slightly aggressive edge to her lo-fi/ambient/electro, bedroom-born productions. A pounding kick-snare and distorted acid synth drive the track from the onset, ushering us into Magic Pink’s murky, solemn world. In the background we hear layers of vocals that sit beneath the noisy, chaotic mess, which continues to fill with more heavy-hitting programmed drums and over-driven electronics, existing somewhere between witch house-esque beats and ethereal dream-pop. //TapeMix\ is Swenson’s first excursion under the Magic Pink moniker, and a promising one at that.
Few UK funky producers have held the attention of the always-forwarding-looking music community both here and across the pond like the north London production team that is Ill Blu. The crew has delivered a captivating mixture of both high-profile and free bootleg releases, including last year’s Hyperdub release, Bellion, as well as one of the best of (too) many Aaliyah refixes to have emerged over the last two years. On February 14, your lover will be happy to know that Glasgow’s supremely consistent Numbers label will release Ill Blu’s “Meltdown” alongside the tracks “Overdose” and “Chelt.” But before you introduce your baby to the get-low sounds of Ill Blu, snag their version of “Rock the Boat” and ensure that your Valentine’s Day will be full of punny overdoses.
About nine years into its ongoing production career, Spanish duo Audiofly just dropped its fourth release of tech-y house music for Berlin’s Get Physical imprint, a brand-new single entitled “Fela.” The digital-only release is a precursor to the DJ/production pair’s long-awaited debut full-length, Follow My Liebe, and also features two remixes from Davide Squillace and the illustrious Tiefschwarz. You can purchase the three tracks only on Beatport, here, and have a peak at the artwork below.
The third effort from San Francisco’s Surefire Sound label comes from two of today’s most engaging North American producers working in the nebulous realm of “bass music.” Atlanta’s self-proclaimed Boss of the South, Distal, collaborated with Vancouver, BC’s HxdB (Hexadecibel) and fellow Atlanta producer Mayhem for an EP that further exemplifies why the other side of the Atlantic may have a greater voice in 2011. Out today, Distal & HxdB’s “Typewriter VIP” and Distal & Mayhem’s “Frozen Barnacles” make up the core of this release, while this original of “Typewriter Tune” will no doubt pique your interest in getting the full package. Here Distal and HxdB crafted some of the more intricate and lush percussion among the UK bass familiars with a dizzying array of claps, triangles, and cymbals on constant rotation and synths that slip and slide with natural ease. There is also something wonderfully playful about this track—typewriter clicks and all—that could be completely engaging and fun on the dancefloor with out being overly distracting; a noteworthy feat in its own right.
UK’s grime scene has been subject to a creative resurgence recently, in no small part thanks to the work of Elijah & Skilliam‘s Butterz imprint. Now Sonic Router has sat down with one of Butterz’s newest signees, Royal T, on the heels of his recently released Orangeade EP to pick his brain and get him to share some thoughts on the past, present, and future of grime. During the course of the interview, the young producer shares some insights into his process, reflects on past tracks, and describes his work space (a.k.a. his bedroom). You’ll also find Royal T’s “Special Stage Mix” at the bottom of the interview for your streaming/downloading pleasure. To read the interview and hear the mix, head to the Sonic Router site.
Reggae has a lot of icons—but probably only one who’s white, British, and looks like “a dentist or an accountant” (his words, not ours). The legendary selector David “Ram Jam” Rodigan worked his way through record shops and school dances before making it to Radio London in 1978, where he co-hosted Reggae Rockers—and really hasn’t looked back since. Besides keeping it fiery in the dancehall (seriously, YouTube the guy), and holding down a Sunday-night slot on London’s all-dance station, Kiss 100, Rodigan was recently tapped to contribute installment number 54 of Fabric’s venerated FabricLive mix series. We got the 59-year-old father of two to tell us about his many nicknames and untouchable dance moves.
XLR8R: How’d you get the nickname Ram Jam? David Rodigan: It was because I repeatedly played an instrumental by Jackie Mittoo called “Ram Jam,” and so my friends started to call me Ram Jam Rodigan. I also had a records shack in a street market where I sold vinyl back in the ’70s and it was called Ram Jam’s Record Shack.
What’s all this “‘Sir’ David Rodigan” business about? The ‘Sir’ tag has nothing whatsoever to do with me. Promoters just keep putting it on fliers.
What’s your favorite Jamaican delicacy? Ackee and saltfish with fried dumplings for breakfast.
Your dance moves are legendary. Can you teach us one? Dance moves… haha. I can’t teach them because I don’t know what they are. I just move to the music as I feel it. No dance move I do is planned or rehearsed. I just have to dance when I am playing music; I have always done it.
So how did a white kid from the UK infiltrate Kingston’s reggae scene? Did you encounter much resistance at first? I have never experienced any prejuduce in Kingston. I went there for the first time in 1979 and met people and just kept going back. I had to go because I loved the music so much.
Who’s got the bassiest soundsystem of all time? Sir Coxsone Sound UK, back in the ’80s.
What other jobs have you held in your time besides selector? I worked as an actor in theater in the ’70s.
Some of his aforementioned dance moves. Epic.
Have you got any kids? If so, do you ever embarrass them with impromptu sound clashes in the living room? Yes, I have two sons, aged 25 and 20, and no, I try not to embarrass them. I try to keep the clash thing out of home life as my wife starts yawning!
What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you on stage? Every selector’s nightmare scenario is when you play a brand-new dubplate at a crucial point in a clash and it’s a lead balloon—no forward from the crowd, and worse still if the boos kick in!
In your history as a DJ and radio broadcaster, who’s been your favorite interview? Prince Buster in 1984. He was Jamaica’s first big international star in the early ’60s who not only recorded his own songs but produced other artists. He was a powerful force as a young independent producer and artist who formed his own label. He is a fantastic storyteller, and the interview on Capital Radio is still spoken of with reverence by reggae fans in England, as he revealed so much of the early history behind the birth of ska… his clashes with Derrick Morgan, his clashes with Duke Reid and Coxsone, his Voice of the People Sound System, how he had to tough it out to make it.
What’s the most important thing to remember when you’re on the mic at the dancehall? To speak clearly and relate to the music you are playing.
If all else fails, what do you do? If you have nothing constructive or interesting to say, then keep quiet and let the music breathe.
What’s the last thing you do before you go to sleep each night? I read one of the Psalms of King David.
David Rodigan’s FabricLive 54 is available now on Fabric.
When one thinks of 17-year-olds living in Orange County, it’s easy to conjure up a host of generalizations based on that suburban haven—or hell, depending on which side of the county line you fall. But when it comes to the disarming Zeadron Del Gomez bedroom project, those expectations will be swiftly dispensed. A couple weeks back, Del Gomez (a.k.a. Jack Heffron) released a free, full-length record titled Hold My Hand? No through the online magazine Rebel. Compiling his best 11 tracks over a five-month production period, Heffron crafted a remarkably varied record that explores mostly the dark, unnerving sides of UK garage, house, and dubstep. What’s most intriguing about Heffron’s record is that it threads these inextricably tied sounds into something that nods to the past while uniquely expounding on their potential, an accomplishment reminiscent of Zomby’s encyclopedic Where Were U In ’92?. UK garage is at work on this particular track, though the patience that is exemplified here is as precocious as Heffron himself, taking two of the seven minutes to set an ominous stage before a machine-like half-stepping groove enters alongside gun cocking, lonely dub piano chords and a wan maternal voice.
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Brooklyn’s Light Asylum has delivered an incredible video for its ’80s club-anthem throwback, “Dark Allies,” courtesy of video artist and photographer Grant Worth. The track’s intensity fits perfectly with the video thanks to a passionate performance form Light Asylum’s front-woman Shannon Funchess, along with a half-naked Virgin Mary-esque figure and tons of overlaying glowsticks. Throw in some expert editing and it all makes for quite a visually stunning affair for a track that definitely deserves a thrilling video accompaniment. (via Altered Zones)
If this MP3 is any indication, then Daniel Steinberg‘s debut album, Shut Up, is all about having fun. “Calling Deep” opens with a percussive bang full of cowbell, shakers, chopped-up vocals, and a deep bassline. The Berlin-based producer then employs a calmly confident narrator throughout the track who attempts to make us feel at ease while Steinberg skillfully chops and filters funky guitars and Latin piano until he’s ready to drop us back into the deep house groove. Although this is Steinberg’s first album as an artist, he’s actually been producing tracks for the better part of the last 15 years, emerging out of the minimal, stripped-down heyday of Berlin’s scene with his own unique style of Latin- and world-influenced house. And of course, always with a deep bassline. Shut Up is out today and can be purchased here.
New Orleans’ own originator of “swamp tech” and inventor of the Drum Buddy, Quintron, has never been one shy of trying new ideas. Case in point, his forthcoming LP for Memphis’ Goner imprint was entirely made over a three-month residency inside the New Orleans Museum of Modern Art. Over this period, Quintron showed up everyday to create tunes for the LP as part of an open art exhibit (photo above) where he spent most of his time generally ignoring any viewers of the exhibit (unless he needed some extra claps or backing vocals) in order to create thousands of hours of material. The LP, of which the best material was selected from this output, is entitled Sucre Du Sauvage (or “Sugar of the Savages”) and is comprised of two parts, the first being more traditional Quintron tunes along the lines of his signature “swamp tech” style, and the second being more abstract compositions dominated by the field recordings that were gathered from around the museum during his time there. Sucre Du Sauvage is set to be released April 12 and Quintron, along with frequent collaborator Miss Pussycat, will be taking his extremely energetic show around the US with a string of dates planned for the coming months (including Mardi Gras parades in his hometown of NOLA), which you can check out below following the album art and tracklist.
Tracklist: 1. Ring The Alarm 2. Face Down in the Gutter 3. New Years Night (Boogie Children) 4. Kicked Out of Zolar X 5. Banana Beat 6. Sucre Du Sauvage 7. All Night Right of Way 8. Spirit Hair 9. Elevator 10. Deer in the Clouds 11. Bells 12. Train Ride 13. Jazz Bar 14. Morning
Tour Dates: Mon, Feb 21 – Mobile, AL @ Alabama Music Box Tues, Feb 22 – Tallahassee @ Engine Room Wed, Feb 23 – Orlando, FL @ Backbooth Thurs, Feb 24 – Miami, FL @ GRAND CENTRAL Fri, Feb 25 – Bruise Cruise (from Miami to Nassau Bahamas and back, hopefully) Fri, Feb 25 – Special Bruise Cruise Nassau show @ Senor Frogs Sat, Mar 5 – New Orleans, LA – Mardis Gras @ SPELLCASTER MARITIME BALL Mon, Mar 7 – New Orleans, LA – Mardis Gras @ One Eyed Jacks – annual Lundi Gras show
9th Ward Marching Band (100 piece band directed by Quintron and Miss Pussycat) Parade Schedule: Fri, Mar 4 – Krewe De E’tat – 6pm roll time, uptown route Sat, Mar 5 – Spellcaster to Siberia Parade – 2pm (time subject to change) roll time, exact route secret until roll time Mon, Mar 7 – Krewe of Proteus – 5 or 6pm roll time, uptown route
