Fresh from her latest single released on her new Opit label, Subeena‘s given us an exclusive, unreleased track that eludes exact classification. Moving from a spacey dubstep to a more bumping house beat with a bit of funky thrown in for good measure, “Morphic Chaos” could fit right next to anything from the latest L-Vis 1990 slice to a slower Detroit number, particularly given its gut-rumbling bass.
The All City label has really been bringing the funk fire recently, what with its amazing 10″ series devoted to LA artists and now this boogie number from Portland native Devonwho. Channeling the thick synths and stuttering beats of Dam-Funk, “Keepthefunkalive” is a short, sweet track with an infectious melodic hook. Its only flaw is that it doesn’t stretch on for longer!
The sophomore solo LP from Danish producer Kasper Bjørke, Standing on Top of Utopia, is a collection of solid, if unremarkable, songs on the hfn label. Known for his award-winning group Filur with Tomas Barfod, Bjørke’s occasionally forgettable productions benefit from collaboration, care of guest vocalists Louise Foo, Jacob Bellens, and WhoMadeWho’s Tomas Hoffding. The mostly club-ready album is at its best when it’s dancier and more minimal, such as on the aptly named “Efficient Machine,” which cruises into its chorus from an eerie, lithe verse melody, but elsewhere, like on “Dasko Vanitas,” Bjørke’s ear candy is delightful when consumed, but rarely worth a repeat. Still, Bjørke has plenty of sonic reach, and his album is worth a spin to find the scattering of gems.
It’s doubtful you need a reminder from us, but it’s about time you all got ready for the heated musical jump-off about to go down at SXSW 2010 in Austin. We know you’ve been busy booking hotels, lurking the local hotties’ Facebook pages, and building up your party tolerance for the epic music festival, so we here at XLR8R decided to throw you a bone, or 10, and let you in on the event picks that will truly maximize your good vibes. Check out the party plan below, and while you’re at it, download our City Guide app for the Android and iPhone to get the full details on what’s going down in Austin.
1. The No Age Late Night Party
Between LA’s premiere noise-punk duo No Age and a DJ set from Animal Collective’s Avey Tare, something supremely loud and cathartic is sure to happen at this party.
2. UKTI
A slice of UK club life on American soil with French Soler, Unicorn Kid, Viva City, and more.
3. Annie Mac Presents @ Republic Live
With Fool’s Gold, L-Vis 1990, Kingdom, Boy 8-bit, Brodinski, and Fake Blood in tow, Dublin tastemaker Annie Mac has curated one of her famous parties just for SXSW.
4. Spaceland
This mellow daytime event at the infamous Beauty Bar will help ease your hangover with One AM Radio and Dan Black, among many others.
5. Windish/Pitchfork Afternoon Showcase
Two of the biggest names in the biz coalesce into this massive afternoon show with buzz artists Neon Indian, Japandroids, Washed Out, Javelin, Memory Tapes, and more.
6. Windish/Pitchfork Nighttime Showcase
Following into the night, Emo’s will host the likes of Born Ruffians, Matias Aguayo, and The Very Best to set the mood for the long night ahead.
7. Hypemachine: Lose Control 2
Everyone’s favorite jam aggregator fills its four-day-long party at Vice Bar with over 40 performances, including Toro Y Moi, Delorean, and Tobacco.
8. 45 Live
The hip-hop contingent is alive and well at this Stones Throw party, where Madlib, Dam-Funk, J. Rocc, and Peanut Butter Wolf will be dropping heat using only 45s.
9. Tormenta Tropical
SF’s premiere cumbia, bass, and electro happening hosts its favorite live acts and DJs from around the globe, including Ghosts on Tape, Poirier, Lazer Sword, Kingdom, Lemonade, and tons more.
10. Kill Rock Stars
A free afternoon rock concert never hurt anyone, especially when break-out garage acts like Grass Widow, Explode Into Colors, and Talk Normal are involved.
Back at the end of January, UK funky songstress Cooly G delivered to XLR8R a stellar podcast she crafted along with collaborator Dezy Da Bongo Man. It was a lengthy mix, so much so that Cooly actually chopped it into two separate parts—only giving us the first segment initially. Now, the Cool one (a.k.a. Merrisa Campbell) is sharing the next portion. Follow this link to get your hands on the sequel.
Who:Greena
Where: London, UK
Part of the new crop of London DJs mucking about in a post-garage brew of house, grime, 2-step, funky, dubstep, and more, Greena (a.k.a. Daniel Canetti) has made a splash with only a few remixes to his name. Granted, those remixes were on the Night Slugs and Sound Pellegrino labels, and his discography also includes an original 12″, Tenzado, on Apple Pips. Collaborations with Bok Bok and Brackles are also in the works. Although he now calls the British capital home, the 23-year-old producer previously spent time in Venezuela, Italy, Spain, and Russia, which might explain his penchant for scanning everything from vintage Latin percussion to classic NY house for sonic inspiration.
Listen: Greena “Tenzado”
Listen: Mosca “Square One (Greena Remix)”
Listen/Download: Greena XLR8R Podcast
FACT reports that JG Wilkes and JD Twitch will end their long-standing Sunday-night affair, Optimo, on April 25 after more than a decade of events in their hometown of Glasgow. From the Optimo forum:
“The end is nigh….
“After 12 and a half years (or around 650 Optimos), we have, after a huge amount of consideration and many sleepless nights decided that Sunday April 25th will be the LAST EVER night of Optimo (Espacio) at The Sub Club. “We have loved doing Optimo with all our hearts, but our hearts are also telling us it is time to call a halt to it. Playing at, organising and promoting a weekly night takes up an enormous amount of energy and there are so many other things we want to do that some of that energy is needed for other projects. We also need to get our lives and weeks back a little bit and take on new challenges and opportunities (we have to turn down an awful lot of opportunities by being committed to being in Glasgow every Sunday and being wiped out every Monday). “We will continue to tour, promote and release music as Optimo but it will no longer be possible to hear JD Twitch and JG Wilkes dj at The Sub Club every Sunday night. “However, it is not completely over. Twitch played at the Sub Club on Sunday nights for two years before Optimo started and was involved in a Sunday evening club for a few years before that, so it is hard to let go of Sunday night events in Glasgow completely. Twitch and Wilkes will continue to promote Sunday nights at The Sub Club under an as yet to be announced name. The new night will give a platform to the plethora of great djs in Glasgow, bring djs we love to Glasgow and bring live acts nobody else would bring to this city. Sometimes Twitch or Wilkes may play alongside them and sometimes Twitch and Wilkes will play together on a Sunday night but, without Twitch and Wilkes playing together weekly, it won’t and can’t be Optimo. “Who know what this new venture will morph into but whatever, we hope that the anarchic spirit we brought to the Sub Club in 1997 will continue to prevail on Sunday nights.
“So, there are 7 Optimos left. Hopefully we will see some of you before the end. We absolutely intend to go out with a bang.”
Kansas native Norrit shows how it’s done on this floor-filler, moving skillfully from a jazzy French touch sound to something a bit more garage by the piece’s end. With lush vocal samples and deep, soft synths, it’s no wonder that everyone from Doc Daneeka to Salva have given “Nobody Baby” the remix treatment on Now Jack Swung, the Think 2wice EP from which this track is taken. Chrissy Murderbot also gets in on the remix action, contributing a juke mix of another track from the EP, which is available now.
As the mayhem that is SXSW prepares to consume Austin, we here at XLR8R figured that now would be the perfect time to unveil the Austin installment of our ongoing City Guide podcast series. Taking the reins this time around is none other than Dubbel Dutch (a.k.a. Marc Glasser), a 24-year-old NY native who now calls the Texan capital home. He’s been producing since high school—although he refers to his early creations as “really bad IDM and dubstep that I wouldn’t let anyone hear”—but in recent months his Trollsta EP and the forthcoming Throwback EP, both on Palms Out Sounds, have made waves with their combination of UK funky, classic rave, and old-school house. He also dabbles in dancehall, Dutch house, kuduro, jungle, and whatever other styles strike his fancy. On this mix, Dubbel Dutch surveys the sounds of Austin, also finding the time to include plenty of unreleased tracks and a number of his own remixes. If the average night out in Austin sounds anything like this, then everyone at SXSW is going to have one hell of a good time.
01 SURVIVE “Glass Knives” (Light Lodge)
02 Neon Indian “Chasms (Nadus of Brick Bandits Remix)”
03 Marcus Price & Carli “Mat Bira Kvinnor Weed (Dubbel Dutch RMX)” (Palms Out Sounds)
04 Myd “Noria (Dubbel Dutch Remix)”
05 Tummy Toast “Friend Crush”
06 Yolanda Be Cool “Villalobos For Presidente (Dubbel Dutch RMX)” (Sweat it Out)
07 DJ Orion “Boriqueneando” (Raw Word)
08 VVV “Retreated”
09 Ocelot “Our Time (LOL Boys Remix)”
10 Parson “I Rep The Dirty South (Dubbel Dutch RMX)”
11 VVV + FBOM “Train Yard Fire”
12 Outlaw Producer “Nimbus”
13 DJ Orion “Hits From the Bongo Pt. 2” (Raw Word)
14 Cosmic Revenge “Late Nights” (Kursed)
15 Dubbel Dutch “Trollsta (Egyptrixx Remix)” (Palms Out Sounds)
16 Dubbel Dutch “Madloopz”
17 SURVIVE “The Cave” (Light Lodge)
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Brooklyn’s noise-pop scene just got a little bigger. Coming from bands such as Apes, The Mall, and Medications, the four members of Screens showcase their penchants for big drums, toy keyboards, and far-away vocal delivery on the song “Saturdays.” This snippet from their recently finished full-length album is short and, well, short. In a minute and a half we’re treated to heavy bits of HEALTH-like percussion matched with droning synths and words we’re sure no one but the singer himself could actually decipher—the whole thing disappearing just as quickly as it came together.
