We posted a remix of J-Wow‘s “Spark” tune by French producer Canblaster at the end of last month, and now we have this premiere for a re-work of that song’s accompanying b-side, “Fogo.” This production comes from J-Wow’s fellow Lisbon-based kuduro patron Diamond Bass (pictured above), and bounces with a similarly dark swagger, though a bit more sparsely orchestrated and heavier with low-end. Lone percussive sounds are littered throughout Diamond Bass’ track, rarely occupying your head space all at once, and off in the distance, bass frequencies continually drop—each time claiming the life of a subwoofer somewhere in the world. Make sure to snag the rest of J-Wow’s Spark EP when it’s released in full on October 19.
We love a lot of labels, as well we should, but one imprint we’ve got a certain affinity for is Germany’s Diynamic. If that excellent podcast they did for us last year wasn’t enough reason for our gushing, this funky house number dropping via Diynamic on October 25 should do the trick. “Cash the Chord” is lifted off of German DJ/producer H.O.S.H.‘s debut album, Connecting the Dots, and is a solid tune built on a rubbery bassline, a steady dance beat, and a large helping of orchestral melodies. If the remaining nine cuts on Dots keep up the same quality of club-friendly production, we’ll certainly have even more reasons to be enamored with the Hamburg-based dance music hub.
One of the surprisingly original performances we saw at this year’s Decibel Festival came on our first night in Seattle from UK producer and recent Ghostly label signee Gold Panda. The following day, we were able sit down with the music maker, who prefers to simply be called Derwin, and have a chat about the influences that color his debut album, Lucky Shiner, what he’d do with a $5000 recording budget, his favorite kinds of tea, and why he’s already planning his next record.
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Remember those bad-ass cut scenes full of slick 3D graphics that began popping up in mid-’90s computer games? The ones that took twice as long to load than actually play? Yeah, those aesthetics practically define a good part of our geekdom from that era, so we’re beyond pleased to see them resurrected here for Gatekeeper‘s video for their “Chains” tune. The Brooklyn- and Chicago-based outfit’s motorik proto-industrial production is adorned with dark computer imagery courtesy of its friends and collaborators in the Thunder Horse production team, who kind of hit the (nine inch) nail on the head for this one. This piece for “Chains” precedes the release of Gatekeeper’s first installment of a six-part series, a six-song EP entitled Giza. You can check out the artwork and tracklist for that release before the Merok label drops it on December 13, below.
Let’s be honest: We’re still reeling a bit from the one-two punch delivered by the CMYK and Klavierwerke EPs that UK prodigy James Blake dropped this year, and it seems the multi-talented producer won’t be letting up on us any time soon. Coming on November 8 via the elusive Atlas imprint, “Limit to Your Love” is the first single to leak from Blake’s as-yet-untitled debut full-length scheduled to drop in early 2011. The song is a cover of a song off of Feist’s The Reminder album, but still retains all the trademarks of a full-fledged Blake production—skillful piano work, soulful vocal delivery, and plenty of speaker-thumping bass. A video for the tune has already surfaced from director Martin de Thurah, which you can watch below.
Of all the figures in the post-dubstep diaspora, few have been as instrumental as Bok Bok. As most readers of XLR8R probably know, the London-based producer/DJ is also the co-founder of the Night Slugs imprint, which has quickly established itself at the top of the heap when it comes to the forward-thinking house and bass music that continues to spring forth from the UK’s long-running hardcore continuum. His place in the canon of UK dance music aside, it’s worth mentioning that Bok Bok (a.k.a. Alex Sushon) is also a highly skilled DJ who is just as likely to pull out a classic house or grime tune as he is a futuristic dubplate. As such, we’ve been hounding him for the past year to put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast, and he’s come through in fine style, littering his mix with unheard gems from Night Slugs brethren (Girl Unit, Jam City, Optimum), fellow UK heavy hitters (Geeneus, Ikonika, Untold, Terror Danjah), and a few unexpected jams that still go down smooth—after all, it’s hard to argue with kwaito, Dam-Funk, or Azari & III in any mix.
01 DJ Gazzeto “Cruel 22” 02 Egyptrixx “Liberation Front” (Night Slugs) 03 FaltyDL “St. Marks (Cosmin TRG Remix)” (Rush Hour) 04 Royal P “Between Us” 05 S-X x Ramadanman “Woo Glut” 06 Jam City “Magic Drops” (Night Slugs) 07 Geeneus “Unknown” 08 Untold “Come Follow We” 09 Lil Silva “Patience” 10 Ikonika “Sea Synth” (Hum & Buzz) 11 Fis-T x Wookie “Down On My Night Hunter (Martelo Edit)” 12 D1 “ET” 13 Girl Unit “IRL (Bok Bok Remix)” (Night Slugs) 14 Terror Danjah “Minimal Dub” (Hyperdub) 15 Jam City “Aqua Box” (Night Slugs) 16 Optimum “Broken Embrace” (Night Slugs) 17 Slimzee vs. Geeneus “Log Off” (Dumpvalve) 18 Azari & III “Indigo Dub” (Turbo) 19 Cubic Zirconia feat. Dam-Funk “I Got What You Need” (Lucky Me)
Albums from Delorean and Girls may have arrived with larger fanfare, but Glasser (a.k.a. Cameron Mesirow) has been part of the True Panther stable from the beginning and Ring could be marked as the end of the young label’s first wave of releases. More than a year ago, the label released the Apply EP, a charming effort that introduced the world to this girl with a big voice and an otherworldly pop vision, albeit one limited by her amateurish production skills and prediliction for recording in GarageBand.
This year’s “Tremel” 12″ hinted that something grand was on the horizon, but sonically, Ring is a quantum leap forward, a fact at least partially attributable to Mesirow’s time spent with folks like producers Van Rivers and the Subliminal Kid, whose work with Fever Ray is an obvious reference point, as is someone like Björk. Yet Glasser’s music is far less alien; Ring finds Mesirow dwelling in warm, lush surroundings and her efforts sound fully realized, whether it’s the chimes and vocal robotics of the pulsing “Mirrorage” or the vaguely tribal percussion paired with her soaring voice on wonderous standout “Home.” “Apply” and “Glad,” both of which first appeared on her debut, show up again, and while the repetition may be disappointing, the re-worked versions of the songs are not. The latter is buoyed nicely by some new horns and both tracks are among the album’s best. Ring may not be perfect—certain songs have a nondescript, meandering feel—but this kind of growth is undeniably exciting, and makes both Glasser and True Panther well worth watching.
New to San Francisco-based Dirtybird’s roster of house music luminaries is Birmingham producer Tom Flynn. Soon to be released, the Tom Flynn EP has already been getting spins from folks like Catz ‘n Dogz, Julio Bashmore, and Thomas Schumacher, solidifying the EP as yet another great 2010 release from the influential imprint. To celebrate the release, label head Claude VonStroke contributed an edit of Tom Flynn’s unreleased “Wig Wag” and has passed it along to us to offer free of charge. The track is in keeping with Dirtybird’s love of rhythmic complexity and soulful melody, and should offer a compelling argument to get familiar with this upstart. (Editor’s Note 10/21/10: the EP is now on sale here.)
Even if you’re talking to someone completely unaware of electronic music and its history, mentioning the name Underworld is likely to garner a look of recognition. Thanks to its storied, 30-year musical career and notable involvement with filmmaker Danny Boyle, who basically broke Underworld internationally through his use of “Born Slippy .NUXX” in Trainspotting, Karl Hyde’s and Rick Smith’s pioneering outfit is as close to a household name as respectable electronic artists are likely to get. Now on the eve of Underworld’s eighth full-length album, Barking, we’ve taken Hyde aside to get the scoop on what’s kept his Essex, UK-based band ticking for more than three decades, and discover what old bands of his and Smith’s might reunite if they lose their minds.
XLR8R Name three of your favorite bands from when you and Rick first met. Karl Hyde: Kraftwerk, Bob Marley, and Gyorgy Ligeti.
Your live performances are world renowned. What have some of your favorites been over the years? New York Giants Stadium, Rainbow 2000 ([a rave] in the mid-’90s) on Mount Fuji in Japan, Glasgow Barrowlands in Scotland, Megga Dog in London (1990), Borealis in the Roman Amphitheatre in Nimes, Cream in Argentina, Glastonbury in the UK, the Lowlands Festival in Holland, I Love Techno in Belgium, Cocoon Club in Frankfurt, Germany, an impromptu performance in the Blue Mountains in Australia, The Fillmore in Denver, Colorado, and Hyde Park in London.
Were you ever asked to contribute to any of the Underworld movies? Strangely, no.
Follow up: If you did give them any music, name two songs you’d put on the soundtrack. Note to self: Always leave that kind of decision up to the director.
“Born Slippy .NUXX”
What’s your design house/art collective, Tomato, been up to lately? Making brilliant TV commercials, installations in Japan, art exhibitions around the world, publishing books, and creating films to accompany all of the tracks on the Barking album.
What three things were most important in keeping Underworld alive and kicking for more than 30 years? Not dying, being inspired by one another to want to work together, and [my] stopping drinking.
What did you guys do between making Oblivion with Bells and your new record, Barking? We toured the world, performing live for three years, during which time we wrote and developed new material in front of live crowds, who helped us create the sound and basis for the new album. [We] pulled off the road at the end of November 2009 to be in the studios and finish Barking.
Which of the co-producers on Barking was your favorite to work with? All of them. (Did you think I was going to say anything different?)
Which is worse, Underworld’s bark or bite? Its snore.
What was the hardest part of working with Danny Boyle on Sunshine? Stopping working with him when the score was completed.
“Scribble”
Your latest single, “Scribble,” is written from parts of an unreleased track, “You Do Scribble.” What parts do the two songs share? We’re going to release a special edition of all the versions of the tracks that were sent out to our fellow producers. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for years, and will give our fans the opportunity to hear how the tracks developed, what parts they share with the originals, and the journey they were taken on.
Any plans for a Screen Gemz or Freur revival? Only if we become clinically insane.
What’s one of the worst things Underworld’s ever been called? Geoff.
And the best? Kevin.
If you had to switch out “Born Slippy .NUXX” for any other of your tracks, which would you want to hear in Trainspotting? The other track of ours that’s in Trainspotting: “Dark Train.” It’s in the cold-turkey, train-wallpaper, baby-crawling-on-the-ceiling scene.
Out now on Norway’s Dødpop Records is the follow-up to 2009’s successful Dødpop Vol. 1. As Norway’s central skweee label, Dødpop has made a venerable name for itself amidst Sweden and Finland’s vibrant skweee scene. Dødpop Vol. 2 showcases a varied array of Norway’s skweee talent, including Norwegian producers like skweee pioneer Daniel Savio, Marcus Price, and Splash Bass. To give you a snapshot of what the record sounds like, Dødpop has sent along the compilation’s first track, Beatbully‘s “RnBully.” Beatbully does justice to the song’s title by creating a layered bed of whistling and crackling synths worthy of The-Dream but keeps the beat in a solidly electro-funk vibe.
