80(sun) “Spinning Bottle”

The explosion of ambient cassette music continues to be a place for new artists and ideas to take shape and 80(sun), the solo project of Canadian Jonathan Scherk, is another worthwhile contributor to the burgeoning scene. “Spinning Bottle” is a six-minute excerpt from 80(sun)’s new cassette EP, Noam, comprised of two long sides of continuous music (side A clocks in at 26:47, side B at 17:15). The track has considerably less hiss than you would expect from an ambient cassette jam (possibly because it was originally recorded on a reel-to-reel deck); instead it is an expansively serene piece in which small, tumbling percussion gives way to distant vocals which then give way to gigantic chords, leaving you enveloped in a constantly expanding world of ambient magic. You can download the entire Noam EP for free over at 80(sun)’s Bandcamp or head over to the Red Cat Records online shop to pick up one of the 100 limited run cassettes. Either way, we suggest taking a deep breath before embarking into 80(sun)’s ambient landscapes or you might get caught unprepared for what he has to offer.

Spinning Bottle

Numark V7 DJ Controller

The ever-evolving landscape of DJ hardware seems to be experiencing something of a surge, with companies like Denon and NI releasing new flagship DJ controllers. Now Numark has its own digital turntable solution at the ready: The V7 (MSRP: $499), itself a successor to last year’s NS-7. Combining the physicality of vinyl with the utility of digital formats, Numark has produced a very solid entry. Essentially, the V7 is like a streamlined version of Serato Scratch, thanks to the metal casing, the impressively high torque, and the incorporation of real vinyl “records” and slipmats on the platter. You can either use one or two units, paired with a mixer. On its own, a single V7 can control both “turntables” virtually, whereas two decks mimic a traditional set-up. The rubberized buttons and knobs are backlit, and control all the essentials: pitch, transport commands, loop points, FX, and music-library navigation. The control is precise and intuitive, and the included Serato ITCH software works flawlessly (once you import or “prepare” all of your music files for it). Not having to worry about needle skips is definitely nice, but it does result in a slight lack of physical control. To compensate, like the NS-7 before it, the V7 uses Strip Search—essentially a touchstrip at the top of the unit that lets you scroll through songs. It’s a smart concept and is generally well executed, but navigating files seems a bit haphazard. Still, Numark has produced what is easily one of the finest digital turntables to date, and for those unconcerned with size and weight, it will be tough to beat.

Adam Bozzetto “I Want To Be With Two”

Adam Bozzetto may be Australian, but this track is completely drenched in funky, French house flavor. After the customary dance intro, Bozzetto playfully glitches and filters a disco sample (complete with female vocals) for a few bars, then the bass drops and we’re off. For the next five minutes he skillfully takes us through the sample, cutting and rearranging it into a few different catchy loops while keeping the dance floor in mind at all times. Bozzetto manages to make the tune pop and groove without using the aggressive compression and over-the-topness often employed by the banger-minded producers of modern French house, creating a vibe that’s more light and fun rather than in-your-face and shamelessly clubby. You can find “I Want To Be With You” nestled in with three other similarly funky disco-house gems on his recently released Distro Nox EP.

I Want To Be With Two

Video: Playmode “Is This Enough?”

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Ridiculous, vintage art films are much more entertaining when they are cut up into a three-and-a-half-minute music video set to an infectious house track. Case in point: Playmode‘s video for “Is This Enough?” from his EP, Remember When, released earlier this year on the Exploited Records imprint. The track, from the secretive producer whose identity is yet to be revealed, features classic piano stabs, soulful filtered female vocals, tuned toms, and plenty of bounce, allowing us to answer the question: Yes, it is enough. In fact, it’s just right.

Magick Mountain “One for My Ego (Holy Other Remix)”

Here, we have the second part of a remix swap between two talented champions of the enchanted electronic arts, New York’s Magick Mountain (pictured above) and Swedish/English outfit Holy Other, who have tackled each other’s work for the betterment of your daily listening. About a month ago, Holy Other’s “Yr Love” was reformatted to Magick Mountain’s liking, and now that producer’s wispy “One for My Ego” track gets a new look from the other side of the exchange. This new version of “Ego” vibrates with a languishing mood from the start, and sounds like it emanates from a hollowed-out cave on the face of the moon. Not once does Holy Other introduce the more jubilant nature of the song’s original source, burrowing deeper still into whatever dark place the music was born. (via FACT)

One For My Ego (Holy Other Remix)

Night Slugs Releases First Official Jam City EP

Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990‘s Night Slugs label is barely a year old but already has an impressive number of solid releases to its name, and we can now add to that list the first official release from the UK’s Jam City, the Magic Drops EP. The three-track EP is the newest original material we’ve heard from the London-based producer since his excellent “Ecstasy Refix” track dropped earlier this year. Night Slugs has made a preview of the EP available at the top of its newly revamped website that should satisfy all you bass fiends out there, but you can also get your hands on the 12″ over at Boomkat. Check the tracklist and stream of “Ectasy Refix” below.

Tracklist:
A1 – Magic Drops
B1 – Scene Girl
B2 – 2 Hot

Robag Wruhme to Release New Mix Album on Kompakt

The prolific German DJ/producer known as Robag Wruhme (a.k.a. Gabor Schablitzki, half of Wighnomy Brothers) is about make another addition to his extensive discography. Next year, Kompakt will release Wuppdeckmischmampflow, a brand-new mix album which is, as the press release states, “a very intimate, wonderful piece of music that Robag needed to share with us.” The release is said to have 14 tracks, but many of those tracks seem to be made up of two or more tunes, likely blended together in a most loving fashion. Included on Wuppdeckmischmampflow are songs from the likes of Four Tet, Moderat, Ricardo Villalobos, Claro Intelecto, Audion, Tiefschwarz, and Wruhme himself, among many others. You can check out the cover art and full track list before the mix drops on January 17, below.

01 Danny Norbury : Speak, Memory
02 Guillaume & the Coutu Dumonts : Odyssee – Trentemøller : Chameleon – Robag Smapelschatull
03 Ricardo Villalobos : Dexter – Robag Wruhme : Freggelswuff – Robag Smapelschatull
04 Tiefschwarz feat. Seth Troxler : Trust (Audion Remix) – Ricardo Villalobos : Dexter
05 Kollektiv Turmstrasse : Dead Room – Tiefschwarz feat. Seth Troxler : Trust (Audion RMX) – Ricardo Villalobos : Dexter – Robag Smapelschatull
06 Château Flight : Cosmic Race – Robag Smapelschatull
07 Moderat : Rusty Nails – Robag Smapelschatull
08 Claro Intelecto : Hunt You Down – MRI : Acid
09 WhoMadeWho : Keep Me in my Plane (DJ Koze Hudson River Dub) – Claro Intelecto : Hunt You Down – Robag Smapelschatull
10 Four Tet : Angel Echoes – Robag Smapelschatull
11 Voom Voom : Best Friend (Henrik Schwarz Mix) – Robag Smapelschatull
12 Robag Wruhme : Robellada
13 Ian Simmonds : Kon1 (Krause Duo RMX)
14 Zwanie Jonson : Sweater Day / Shelter – Robag Smapelschatull

Epstein “Seite campanas de la Serenidad (Prefuse 73 Remix)”

This year has seen a lot of output from Roberto Lange (a.k.a. Epstein) including a complete re-release of his back catalog (thanks to Asthmatic Kitty), an Epstein LP, and an EP from his project with sound/visual artist David Ellis, Helado Negro. But Lange isn’t finished just yet; he’s got one more release to squeeze in before 2010 comes to a close: a collection of remixes from Prefuse 73 and JayTram, from which this hazy, bubbling remix of “Seite campanas de la Serenidad” is taken. However, don’t expect the intricate drum programming and head-nodding you may have come to expect from the glitch-hop pioneer here, as Prefuse 73 instead explores his ambient side by turning Epstein’s track into a bath of slow noise where chopped vocals and lush pads seem to spin in all directions. The remix record, featuring six more remixes from Prefuse and six from JayTram, will be available for a “pay-what-you-want” price on Epstein’s Bandcamp on December 13. And make sure to check out the frantic visual mayhem that is Epstein’s video for “Arrival To New York” (from his LP When Man is Full He Falls Asleep) after the jump.

Epstein73_SeitecampanasdelaSerenidad

Natalie Storm Heading to US This Month

You may have already seen our post about the XLR8R-sponsored anniversary party for San Francisco’s Tormenta Tropical club night, but that is only one stateside event at which the lovely and talented dancehall MC Natalie Storm will be dropping her rapid-fire verses live and in person. Along with tour DJ Max Glazer and her brand-new mixtape Songs 2 F#@K and Fight To (available tomorrow, pictured above), Storm will take the US by, um, storm, starting tomorrow night at a secret location in NYC. They’ll remain in the metropolis for a string of gigs until they catch a flight out to SF for the Tormenta Tropical party on December 11. So, if you live in either of those cities, you should check out the details of her upcoming shows below.

12/03 – NYC, Scion Event @ Secret Location (invite only)
12/06 – NYC, Rice & Peas @ Sway
12/09 – NYC, Brand New Machine NYC @ Happy Ending
12/10 – Brooklyn, Flashing Lights @ Public Assembly
12/11 – San Francisco, Tormenta Tropical Three-Year Anniversary @ Elbo Room

Nicolas Jaar Announces Debut LP

New York’s twenty-year-old techno/house prodigy (and recent Bubblin’ featuree), Nicolas Jaar, has officially announced the release of his debut LP, Space Is Only Noise. Jaar’s mix of the melancholy, the percussive, the melodic, and the danceable has had us intrigued ever since the 2008 release, The Student EP, and his consistent output of tracks and remixes for the past few years have only served to build up the anticipation for his debut long-player. Space Is Only Noise is slated for release February 14 of next year on the Circus Company imprint. Give a listen to his excellent remix of Azari and III‘s “Into the Night” that we posted last week, and check out the artwork and tracklist below.

Tracklist:
01. Etre
02. Colomb
03. Sunflower
04. Too Many Kids Finding Rain in the Sand
05. Keep Me There
06. I Got A Woman
07. Problems with the Sun
08. Space is Only Noise if You Can See
09. Specters of the Future
10. Almost Fell
11. Balance Her In Between Your Eyes
12. Trace
13. Variations
14. ^tre

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