Releasing this collaboration between Sam Willis (of Allez-Allez) and Allessio Natalizia (a.k.a. Banjo or Freakout) is an interesting move for Kompakt, as Walls‘ music straddles the fine line between slow-motion Balearic vibes and something more akin to Boards of Canada or cLOUDDEAD. However, while Walls’ sound might not fit into any preconceived notions of Kompakt’s sonic roster, there is something strangely suitable about the pairing—after all, this remix takes a sunny, beardo-disco track akin to Meanderthals and transforms it into something more like early White Rainbow, replete with beats, seemingly infinite loops, and soaring vocals. Kompakt has delivered a pleasant surprise here, and one can only hope that it continues along this pathway. Walls’ self-titled debut will be released on May 10.
Just as Brooklyn soul-revival impresarios Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings‘ live show has progressed from raw funk to Stax-style revue, their recordings have been a process of settling into the ensemble’s talent. I Learned the Hard Way is easily the group’s best effort yet, an album of classic songwriting and sharp musicianship belying its own complexity. From near-orchestral arrangements (“The Game Gets Old”) to playful studio ease (recession anthem “Money”), this is a disc even Isaac Hayes would covet. But the star is undeniably Jones, who attains a rare level of confidence as she coos, belts, and soothes without cliché or crutch. Jones’ voice is an instrument shaped by age, not youth, and Hard Way proves she’s just hitting her stride.
Electro-synth-hop-hip-pop heads Chromeo have announced the August release of Business Casual, the band’s third full-length, to arrive on Atlantic Records. Cassius’ Phillipe Zdar mixed the NYC/Montreal band’s record, which also features cover art by Parisians . Surface 2 Air. As well as the release, the band will hit the road in July and August, but not before they perform with Darryl Hall (of Hall and Oates) at the Bonnaroo Festival. Check out their newly launched blog for more, and see the new record’s tracklist below. Business Casual comes out August 17.
Tracklist
Business Casual Track Names (order TBD): Hot Mess I’m Not Contagious You Make it Rough Don’t Turn the Lights On Grow Up Night by Night Don’t Walk Away When the Night Falls (feat. Solange Knowles) The Right Type J’ai claqué la porte
One of the most sadly overlooked labels in the world is Japan’s Mule Musiq, for while DJ Sprinkles (a.k.a. Terre Thaemlitz) records almost exclusively for the label, many of its other artists are only known to tried-and-true techno and house fans. With the label’s May release schedule, though, there’s no reason to not dig Mule’s vibes, because it spans some of the deepest of deep house. Beginning with the latest single from Berlin’s Ekkohaus and then pairing the latest from Force of Nature’s KZA with Soulphiction‘s remixes of Henrik Schwarz and Kuniyuki‘s “Once Again,” Mule is taking a deep plunge into heady beats. Watch out for these releases, as there’s no excuse to sleep on them now!
Ekkohaus’ Almost Definately comes out May 10 on Mule Electronic.
Tracklisting:
a. Almost Definately b. Haunted House
Soulphiction Remixes of Henrik Schwarz & Kuniyuki’s “Once Again” comes out May 24 on Mule Musiq.
Tracklisting:
a1. Soulphiction Remix a2. Soulphiction Remix Instrumental b. Kuniyuki Instrumental Version
KZA’s Let’s Get Lost Vol. 3 comes out May 24 on Mule sub-label Let’s Get Lost.
A nu-Baltimore track is always going to be ripe for remixes from all sonic perspectives, and Diamond K and Al Ripken Jr.‘s “Hands in the Air” is no exception. Here, XLR8R favorite Bok Bok turns some funky, tribal tricks, keeping the original’s vocal stems while adding East Indian percussive elements, high-frequency whooshes, synth swells, and rimshots galore. Without a doubt, the London-based DJ/producer and Night Slugs label boss has created an ocean-jumping banger with this remix, proving again that he is one of the most forward-thinking minds in electronic music right now.
Although London producer Ramadanman has made a name for himself as one of the founders of the excellent Hessle Audio imprint, today he is releasing a single on another label, the similarly high-quality Aus Music. Made in tandem with his old friend Midland, “Your Words Matter/More Than You Know” finds Ramadanman exploring dancier territory than usual and delving into some classic garage sounds, not that we’re complaining. You can sample the single’s A-side, including all its delicious piano stabs and cut-up R&B vocal snippets, below.
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UK producer and multi-instrumentalist Simon Green has been making tunes under the name Bonobo for about a decade now. In that time, he’s been called everything from “downtempo” to “jazzy” to “trip-hop,” but regardless of what title his music is given, Bonobo has remained a consistently interesting DJ/producer with a keen ear for smooth and soulful sonics. We got a hold of Green after the release of his latest Ninja Tune album, Black Sands, for this special Inbox Q&A. He told us about what he’s been listening to as of late, what he hopes to bring to a desert island with, and what changes he’d make to his first album.
What are some of your favorite bands and producers right now? Right now, some of the new cats from London: Bullion, Floating Points, Joy Orbison. All good.
What’s the most hospitable venue you’ve ever played? Probably Yellow in Tokyo. That’s some next-level hospitality and probably my favorite club in the world. It closed last year which is very sad.
What’s the weirdest band/DJ/producer that has opened for you at a live show? That would probably be Cradle of Filth! Not an opener but next on the bill at a festival in Bulgaria. We had to play to 20,000 bored goths in 90-degree sun. There was a lot of eyeliner melting down faces that day.
Who was your childhood hero? Sloth from The Goonies.
If you didn’t go by the name Bonobo, what else would you want to call yourself? It would have to be something more interesting than Simon Green. Maybe Piano Reeves. [Sorry, Simon. Already taken.]
You’re about to start on a new track. What do you do that morning to prepare? I leave the house and do a circuit of the block. Sounds weird, but when I get back home it feels like I’ve arrived for work. And coffee… lots of coffee.
Describe your studio. It’s in my house in East London at the top in an attic conversion. The kind of sounds in my neighborhood vary from car alarms, status dogs, sirens, chainsaws, and shouting. It’s still home, though.
What’s the best thing to do on a mellow Sunday night where you live? My neighborhood has a big Turkish community. The best thing to do is Okasebi BBQ. A place called Mangal. Seriously good Turkish meat fest.
Where were the photos for the cover of Black Sands taken? Was the video for “Eyes Down” shot in the same area? They’re different areas, but both in the UK. I like the idea of remote locations with signs of human endeavor. The last outpost. We put the location of the album cover on Google maps. There’s three angles all facing each other forming a triangle.
Who made the crazy outfit the girl is wearing in that video? I wasn’t involved in the video for “Eyes Down” too much. The girl is a Russian ballerina, which is pretty cool.
What’s the worst clothing purchase you’ve ever made? Everything from the age of 15 to 19, including haircuts. I was a grubby little skater in my youth.
Give us one word that best defines your music. Sensual.
Other than being a professional musician/producer, what is your dream job? My drummer once had a job as a potato inspector. Sounds like fun.
If you could be on any record label from any time period, what would it be? I guess Blue Note from ’68-’74.
Name some of the core inspirations for the music on Black Sands. Apart from the aforementioned London cats, there’s all kinds of stuff. I’ve been getting into a lot of Krautrock. Things like Neu! and Can. Also some Scandinavian jazz, new and old.
If you had to listen to one song on repeat for the rest of your life, what would it be? Curtis Mayfield’s “Right On for the Darkness”
You’re secluded on a desert island. Name four albums and four books that you take with you. Albums: Marc Moulin‘s Placebo Sessions: 1971-1974, My Bloody Valentine‘s Loveless, Jim O’Rourke‘s Eureka, A Tribe Called Quest‘s Midnight Marauders. Books: Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy, Will Self’s The Book of Dave, JG Ballard’s Empire of the Sun, and Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia.
If you could go back and rework your first album, Animal Magic, before it was released, what songs would you change? I’m really proud of that record, and I stand by it to this day. However, if I could change one track it would be “Gypsy.” I had another track from that era which never saw the light of day because at the time I was hung up about using obvious drum breaks. That one should’ve been on there instead.
John Somers, operating under the Do While moniker, has created a gorgeous soundtrack to a summer reverie, if these takes of “Balloon Clouds/Balloons” are any indication. These two tracks flow seamlessly into each other, moving from the soothing vocals and dense, brightly crackling haze of “Balloon Clouds” to the more loop-based “Balloons,” which sounds like Stars of the Lid on anti-depressants. With his eponymous debut out soon on Baltimore’s Wigflip label, Somers officially joins the ranks of elite producers making ambient music with subtlety and substance, two qualities that are often missing from more academic ambient works.
Cleveland native turned Berlin resident Dan Curtin shared this alternate mix of his soulful tech-house number “Other,” the original of which can be found on his recently released Lifeblood album. The song wastes no time in establishing its bouncing backbone of a four-on-the-floor beat surrounded by delayed vocal samples and filtered percussive synths. Within the first minute we’re shown what sounds like “Other”‘s full deck, but throughout the remaining five minutes, it becomes apparent that Curtin still has plenty of cards up his sleeve.
With new album Pumps, Brooklyn-based avant-electronic outfit Growing is the closest it’s ever been to making straight-ahead club tracks. Since their last record, 2008’s All the Way, they’ve expanded to a trio with new member Sadie Laska, also of IUD and Extreme Violence, who lends samples, electronics, and chopped-up vocals to these celestial jammers. The watery guitar parts of All the Way remain, rolled up into gritty, more linear drum-machine rhythms that occasionally give way to the serene drone of Growing’s earlier years. “Highlight” is precisely what its title suggests, infectious and unsettling, like Terry Riley’s “A Rainbow in Curved Air” filtered through a grinding techno lens. Yet another intriguing permutation—is a party record next?
