Well, it’s good to know that at least one member of the techno world has an excellent sense of humor. Recently, DJ/producer Seth Troxler talked with French music hub The Drone, joking continuously about the seriousness of the techno scene, people’s reinvigorated interest in Detroit, and the magical properties of Gold Bond, among other things. It’s an entertaining and hilarious interview, if nothing else, even when Troxler attempts a wacky Johnny Depp-as-Hunter S. Thompson impersonation. Check it out up top.
DJ Rashad & DJ Earl “2 Bottles of Goose”
This coming Thursday at San Francisco’s Public Works club, two lovers of hyperactive dance tunes, DJ Sega and DJ Rashad (pictured above), will overtake the venue’s brand-new soundsystem with a smash of bass, beats, and re-appropriated vocal samples. Preceding that hotly tipped performance comes this collaborative track from DJ Rashad & DJ Earl, “2 Bottles of Goose.” The Chicago-based footworkers hook up a typically solid production, matching syncopated hi-hats and claps with stuttering kick patterns, mind-numbing low-end, and a fresh wash of sinister synth melodies every so often. Rashad and Earl aren’t necessarily treading uncharted territory on “2 Bottles,” at least not within their own realms of Chicago-born dance music (represented well on XLR8R by an excellent podcast and in-depth feature), but suffice it to say, the track is another reminder why the juke/footwork scene remains interesting and innovative in the general scheme of club-ready sonics.
Podcast 172: Lil Silva
London producer Lil Silva may be young, but he’s already made a mark on the UK music scene. He’s been championed by Marcus Nasty, his Night Skanker EP on Night Slugs added to the label’s already impressive talent roster, and the guy just keeps pushing forward. His production combines a high-energy take on grime and UK funky with a knowledge of American house that results in some seriously potent tunes. Now, as Lil Silva gets ready to release a new EP, Patience, next month on the freshly minted Good Years label, he’s stepped up and joined the ranks of the XLR8R podcast series. Strap in while Lil Silva blasts through a number of speaker-rattling selections, including several of his own remixes and unreleased productions, along with ear-pleasing tracks from fellow UK bass aficionados DVA, Redlight, MJ Cole, and more.
01 Macabre Unit “It’s All About” (Unreleased)
02 Breach “Fatherless (Doc Daneeka MRR SNRZZ Remix)” (PTN)
03 Kenny Dope presents The Bucketheads “The Bomb (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)” (Positiva)
04 Redlight “Next Hype” (Digital Soundboy)
05 702 “You Don’t Know (acapella)”
06 Bingo Players “When I Dip” (Bingo Players)
07 DJ Gregory “Klappa” (Defected)
08 Lil Silva “Shutter”
09 Yolanda Be Cool “We No Speak Americano (Lil Silva Refix)”
10 DVA “Step 2 Funk” (Hyperdub)
11 Lil Silva “Patience” (Good Years)
12 MJ Cole ft Wiley “The Drop” (Prolific Recordings)
13 Fugative “Bad Girl (Lil Silva Dub)” (Ministry of Sound)
14 Seiji “Weed Killer” (Phonica)
15 Lil Silva “Don’t Mess Around”
16 Macabre Unit “Take Time”
17 DVA feat. Fatima “Just Vybe (Soule:Power Mix)” (Hyperdub)
18 Lil Silva “Risk that Sh**”
19 Redlight “Box of Secrets”
20 Lil Silva “Cheese & Bun”
21 Mark Ronson & the Business INTL. “The Bike Song (Lil Silva Remix)” (Columbia)
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Pale Sketcher Jesu: Pale Sketches Demixed
Listening to the career trajectory of Justin K. Broadrick gives one the feeling that he has mellowed significantly with age—how else could the man who helped bring Godflesh and Techno Animal to the world be creating trip-hop-infused ambient soundscapes? While the sonic palette of Pale Sketcher may be completely divorced from the dark, industrial metal of his former projects, Broadrick’s precision and technical expertise still shine through on this slab of ‘demixed’ tracks from his Jesu project’s last album.
Initiated as a side-project to explore the more electronic side of Jesu, Pale Sketches Demixed brims with crystalline highs, chunky percussion, and a sense of longing that recall Richard D. James’ more sentimental moments. Each track from the Jesu album is elevated to a higher plain of meaning—on “The Playgrounds Are Empty (Slumber Mix),” Broadrick brings the original’s vocals up from murky depths, delays guitar lines into gauzy dreams, and places lovely synth drones beneath it all. Thus, while the producer’s lyrics are still recognizable as bleak, there is a hope beneath the despair that is equally heartening to the Godflesh fan and the newcomer to Broadrick’s music. Indeed, a track like “Supple Hope (2009 Mix)” contains shades of the heavily delayed vocals of Broadrick’s past while inhabiting a sound that has more in common with electronic downtempo than the claustrophobic blast beats of more industrial outfits. Paired alongside tracks like the Kraftwerkian “Dummy (Bahnhoff Version),” Broadrick displays his ability to craft music that embraces listeners as effectively as his former projects alienated them.
Rough Trade to Release Synth Wave 10 Comp
Esteemed record store and label Rough Trade will continue their collections of genre-specific releases with Synth Wave 10, a compilation of contemporary new wave that spans Fever Ray to Cold Cave. Out November 22, the compilation focuses on the increasingly divergent sounds that make up today’s new wave genre, from the nu-disco of Glass Candy to the noisy electro sounds of Crystal Castles. Check out a tracklist, the album art, and previews of a few tracks below, and pre-order the compilation here. (via Resident Advisor)
01. Ye Olde Maids – Cocoa Cherubs
02. Crystal Castles – Empathy
03. Fever Ray – Stranger than Kindness
04. Blank Dogs – Heat and Depression
05. 2vm – Ponika
06. Led Er Est – Scissors
07. Terror Bird – Shadows in the Halls
08. Zola Jesus – Night
09. Washed Out – New Theory
10. Cosmetics – Black Leather Gloves
11. Desire – Don’t Call
12. Cold Cave – I.C.D.K.
13. Soft Metals – The Cold World Melts
14. Void Vision – In 20 Years
15. Xeno & Oaklander – Preuss
16. Factory Floor – Lying
17. S.C.U.M – Ocean of White
18. Design a Wave – Remedy
19. Grimes – Avi
20. Le Syndicat Electronique – On Strike
Machinedrum “Let It (Machinedrum Remix)”
A good while after Brooklyn-based producer Travis Stewart (a.k.a. Machinedrum) released his Want to 1 2? album, a cut from that record, “Let It,” was treated to its own small release—complete with an instrumental, acapella, and remixes from the likes of Lazer Sword and The Glitch Mob’s edIT. Though not on the Let It EP (out now on Innovative Leisure), this exclusive version of Machinedrum’s track—remixed by the artist himself—is a perfect example of the sub-busting beat work and glimmering synth sounds found on that record. Stewart reformats his glitched-out original into another kind of bouncing club tune: a sleeker, deeper, and darker track better fit for a late-night comedown than peak-hour revelry. It’s that kind of versatility that “Let It” offers which makes the song so ripe for multiple versions, even from the original producer.
Selebrities “When I Look At You”
The music of Brooklyn-based trio Selebrities has as much future-funk growl as someone like Space Dimension Controller and yet plainly lurking in the background is are the hollow guitars of Joy Division and New Order. Out later this month is the follow-up to Selebrities’ debut EP, Ladies Man Effect (a conceit as much as it is a title), a 7″ titled “We’ve Been Foolish” that features the b-side we have here, “When I Look At You.” Singer Maria Usbeck sounds like she’s whispering from an ’80s-era downtown New York alley while the Grandmaster Flash classic “The Message” is blowing in from the Bronx up north.
Night Slugs to Release First Compilation Album
L-Vis 1990‘s and Bok Bok‘s collaborative imprint, Night Slugs, is nearing its first birthday, and the label heads are preparing the release of Allstars Vol. 1, the first compilation album from the burgeoning bass music label. The 13-track offering is comprised of a handful of choice tracks from Night Slugs 12″s, including Mosca’s “Square One,” Kingdom’s “Bust Broke,” and Girl Unit’s “Wut,” as well as some unreleased numbers from Optimum, an L-Vis and T.Williams collaboration, and more. Night Slugs will drop Allstars Vol. 1 on November 29, which will be available on both CD and digital formats. You can check out the cover and tracklist below. (via FACT)
1. Mosca – Square One VIP
2. Lil Silva – Golds 2 Get
3. Girl Unit – IRL (Bok Bok Remix)
4. Kingdom – Bust Broke
5. L-Vis 1990 & T. Williams – Stand Up
6. Jam City – Arpjam
7. Lil Silva – Seasons
8. Egyptrixx – Liberation Front
9. Bok Bok & Cubic Zirconia – Reclash Dub
10. Optimum – Broken Embrace
11. Jacques Greene – (Baby I Don’t Know) What You Want
12. Velour – Booty Slammer
13. Girl Unit – Wut
Ciara “Deuces (Nguzunguzu Remix)”
“Deuces” is originally a Chris Brown track, but when Ciara recently remixed it, she may have bested Brown in both swagger and content. Produced by Kevin McCall, a mostly unheard-of producer, “Deuces” is one of the more memorable R&B productions of 2010, carefully layered with patient and tender synths, riding snaps and a delightfully broken female vocal sample. These elements aren’t only ripe for rap and R&B’s finest to hop on (the official Chris Brown remix features six grade-A rappers), but L.A. duo Nguzunguzu chucked up their own deuces with a remix that chops Baltimore club’s best percussion into something that is wholly their own. The result is a late-night, bar-closing goodbye that hits with enough bass and stutter that it may actually confuse your desire to leave. Check out the mysterious Ciara-loving Tumblr blog from which this track was culled for another remix by Dubbel Dutch.
Nosaj Thing to Tour with Jogger, Toro Y Moi This Month
LA-based maestro of cavernous synth- and beatscapes Nosaj Thing (pictured above) is set to follow up his recently released remix record, Drift Remixes, with a quick tour across the West Coast through November. Dubbed The November Tour, the traveling showcase also features artists Toro Y Moi and Jogger, all three of which will be debuting their visual shows in the US. The whole thing kicks off this Wednesday in La Jolla, CA, and takes a little over a week to end up in Denver, CO, on November 20. Tickets to any of the shows are available for pre-sale through Nosaj Thing’s website here. You can check out the list of dates and a short video of the kind of visuals you can expect from Nosaj Thing’s performance, below.
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Nov. 10 The Loft – La Jolla, CA
Nov. 11 El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 12 Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA
Nov. 13 The Red Fox Tavern – Eureka, CA
Nov. 15 Holocene – Portland, OR
Nov. 16 Neumos – Seattle, WA
Nov. 17 Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
Nov. 19 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
Nov. 20 Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
