Brainfeeder Welcomes Japan’s Hakushi Hasegawa

Flying Lotus‘ Brainfeeder has released a single from Hakushi Hasegawa, a singer-songwriter based in Tokyo, Japan—and the first Japanese artist signed to the Los Angeles label.

Releasing since 2018, Hasegawa has already made a name for themselves domestically with a string of wild releases that straddle alternative, electronic, jazz, and pop. Sometimes the music is pretty, at times it’s intense and fast-paced. They have been a fan of Brainfeeder for years, citing Iglooghost, Jameszoo, and Thundercat as important influences on their approach to making music.

The single, “Mouth Flash (Kuchinohanabi),” features bass by Sam Wilkes of Leaving Records. It’s the first in a series of releases between Hasegawa and Brainfeeder.

“What I feel I should do from now on is to disturb the music with my own body, and to expose the chaos, although it is not coherent. I believe that this song is the very beginning of that process,” Hasegawa says.

Released alongside the new single is an official music video directed by Tsuribu Tokyo, streaming below.

Tracklisting

01. Mouth Flash (Kuchinohanabi)

Mouth Flash (Kuchinohanabi) is available now on Brainfeeder.

Artwork: Shanliang

Lee Gamble to Release New Album

Lee Gamble will release his new album in October.

Across the record, Gamble advances theories that he put forward on his 2012 album, Diversions 1994-1996, when he vaporized interludes from his collection of jungle tapes into ghosted echoes.

He surveys musical history in much the same way here, but swerves sampling completely and isn’t in search of passive, ambient euphoria. Instead, he trains his focus on the synthetic voice. Loose phrases were fed into a series of neural networks which would attempt to mimic them and sing them back, often corrupting them into indecipherable clouds. Gamble’s role was to make sense of the chatter and extract the most haunted fragments and use them into a suite of “vulnerable, half-remembered fragments of dream pop.”

We’re told that the album is “saccharine and melancholy at once.”

The record’s front cover is a dimly lit photograph of a West Midlands motorway, rooting Gamble’s effervescent fantasies in reality. It’s a direct link to the producer’s home turf and a conscious attempt to sidestep the visual aesthetics of contemporary digital art.

For more information on Gamble, check our his XLR8R Influences podcast here—an outing in retrospective hip-hop explorations.

Tracklisting

01. Purple, Orange
02. Juice
03. XIth c Spray
04. She’s Not
05. Phantom Limb
06. Blurring
07. Your Weight on My Arms

Models LP is scheduled for October 8 release on Hyperdub. Meanwhile, you can stream “She’s Not” in full via the player below and pre-order here.

Photo: Filip Preis

Album cover: Richard Roberts

Lusine is Back with a New Album

Seattle producer Jeff McIlwain, better known as Lusine, will return with his ninth album in September.

Long Light, which surfaces on Ghostly International, marks 20 years since McIlwain first joined the label roster.

In recent years, he has pushed his craft of visceral, kinetically-curious music that fuses techno, pop, and experimental composition towards collaborative, song-forward work, and this album “shines the throughline,” we’re told. The album “balances vocal pop motifs with some of Lusine’s strongest instrumental expressions.”

Across the collection of 11 tracks, McIlwain identifies the core sonic element, a vocal cut or a simple beat sequence, from which to build everything else off of. We’re told that his signature looping patterns and textures are dynamic yet minimalist as ever.

It features vocal contributions from Asy Saavedra, Sarah Jaffe, and Vilja Larjosto and Benoît Pioulard, who also featured across Sensorimotor, McIlwain’s last album in 2017.

Alongside the release, you can stream “Zero to Sixty” below with a music video directed by Michael Reisinger, who previously worked with Lusine on the videos for “Not Alone” and “Just A Cloud.”

Tracklisting

01. Come and Go feat. Vilja Larjosto
02. Zero to Sixty feat. Sarah Jaffe
03. Faceless
04. Dreaming feat. Asy Saavedra
05. Transonic
06. Plateau
07. Long Light feat. Benoît Pioulard
8. Cut and Cover
09. Home
10. Rafters
11. Double Take

Long Light LP is scheduled for September 15 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Zero to Sixty” featuring Sarah Jaffe in full below and pre-order here.

Podcast 810: Zaumne

Zaumne, born Mateusz Olszewski, is a Polish sound artist who has been into cassettes since he was in kindergarten and started making music on his computer in high school. Today, he fuses elements of ambient, dub, field recordings, and carefully processed spoken word extracts as a study of human emotion. Earlier this month, he debuted on Manchester label sferic with Parfum, an exercise in escapism and sensual wandering that you can file next to the work of HTRK and his new label-mates Jake Muir and Space Afrika. Recorded in support of the album, Olszewski’s XLR8R podcast has the same acute emotional pull—expect precisely one hour of hazy ambient visions, muffled lo-fi beats, and soothing textures that’s an enthralling late-night listen.

01. What have you been up to recently?
Gathering inspiration for mixes, conceptualizing new projects, and enjoying my late night snacks: frozen cherries from my grandma’s garden. Revisiting Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s work has also been a treat.

02. What have you been listening to?
Lately, mostly music from my girlfriend’s playlists!

03. You’ve got a new album out through sferic. What can you tell us about it?
My main focus with Parfum was fantasy and its elusive nature. I’m thinking about the album as an exercise in escapism and wandering. I’m happy to have it released on sferic. I couldn’t have asked for a better place! I’m also very thankful to YL Hooi, Metoronori, and Patrick Shiroishi for their contributions.

03. When and where did you record this mix?
In my apartment in Poznań, Poland at sundown.

04. What setup did you use?
Laptop with two controllers.

05. How did you choose the tracks that you’ve included?
I wanted them to sound lush with occasional grit. I was also influenced by a fragment of John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing” episode about how fantasy is constructed and I wanted to keep it as a theme throughout the mix.

06. What can the listener expect?
An excellent lying in bed or walking companion. Genre-wise, it’s mainly ambient pop with elements of trip-hop and dub.

07. What’s next on your horizon?
Playing some concerts with the new material and finally working on the next album!

XLR8R Subscribers can download the podcast below. If you’re not an XLR8R subscriber, you can read more about it and subscribe here.

Tracklisting

01. Deux Filles “Let’s Get Closer” (Glass Modern)
02. Księżyc “Dychana” (OBUH)
03. Sonoko “Aori Tori (Dai Go Maku)” (STROOM)
04. Pablo’s Eye “The City Orange” (swim ~)
05. Voice Actor “Offending The Audience” (STROOM)
06. Jabu “Side B” (do you have peace?)
07. Dangerous Electric Kiss “Cleanopolis” (Angelic House Mix) (Newsic)
08. Hysterical Love Project “Lashes” (Motion Ward)
09. crimeboys “deja entendu (dub)” (3 X L)
10. buttechno & Triš “in your head” (psyx)
11. oqbqbo “night perfume” (Posh Isolation)
12. James K “Everyrose” (AD 93)
13. Hydroplane “The Love You Bring” (A Colourful Storm)
14. Teresa Winter “Heathen’s Gate” (The Death of Rave)
15. Akira Yamaoka “Maternal Heart” (Konami)
16. HTRK “Real Life / The Duet” (Self Released)
17. Romance “Some Enchanted Evening” (ECSTATIC)
18. LA Timpa “It Smiles Without My Lie” (O___o?)
19. usof “Goodbye Forever” (Unreleased)

Shrimpnose is Back with a New Album

Shrimpnose, born Riley Smithson, will return with a new album on Friends of Friends.

As It Seems is the follow up to Smithson’s 2022 album, Under Fire!, a project that cemented him as a leading voice in the alternative electronic music space.

We’re told that the album is a “big step up” sonically, with elements of post-dubstep, future bass, hyper-pop, and folk rock blended with his low fidelity leanings. Throughout the album, Smithson addresses topics of disability, isolation, and feelings of codependence.

Ahead of the album release, Smithson has shared a new single called “Relief!”

While rewarding, life on the road can often be demanding. A renewed sense of peace, comfort, and ultimately relief struck the moment Smithson stepped into his home studio after the long stint of traveling, and the song tries to capture those feelings in a sonic space.

“I think in life, we as people end up anticipating so many things—good and bad—that we neglect to embrace the moments of relief as they happen, or even ignore them if they don’t look the way we expect them to,” Riley says. “I guess my goal with ‘Relief!’ was to make something visceral and salient to the dwindling attention span we experience as humans—and hopefully encourage people to appreciate the moments of relief in their life without them passing by.”

Smithson has been releasing on labels including Brainfeeder and Dome of Doom, but he has found a permanent home with Los Angeles-based label Friends of Friends.

Tracklisting

01. Relief!
02. Waiting in Pain feat. Bobby Raps
03. Kicker
04. Velocity
05. Jupiter feat. Somni & Joe Nora
06. Love on Loan
07. Growth Spurt feat. SwuM
08. 3am
09. Achilles
10. Codependant (pt. 1)
11. Flyover Country feat. Anomalie & Bad Snacks
12. A Place in the Trees
13. Anvils feat. Blu & Blockhead
14. Damage Control
15. In the Way
16. Codependant (pt. 2) feat. Ryan Hemsworth
17. Tender

As It Seems LP is scheduled for October 27 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Relief!” in full below and pre-order here.

Houghton Festival Reveals Collaboration with Visual Artist Weirdcore

Houghton Festival will present an installation from London visual artist Weirdcore.

Weirdcore will take over The Warehouse stage, where Donato Dozzy, DJ Nobu, Margaret Dygas, and more will DJ. Monolake, DeepChord, and object blue will present live sets.

The installation is in collaboration with audio-technology company d&b Soundscape, making use of the company’s immersive spatial audio sound system.

“This piece will be like a mirror into a fragmented, fractal version of the room the audience will be in at that time, so it will feel like the room extends further into the screen,” said Weirdcore. “The lights in both the real room and the mirrored room will be animated to the music, so in combination with the fractalised extended room, the experience will feel like something between a Weirdcore version of ‘through the looking-glass’ and the 1982 supernatural horror movie ‘Poltergeist.'”

Weirdcore is best known for his collaborations with Aphex Twin. He recently provided the visuals for the UK artist’s summer shows and created the artwork for his forthcoming EP, Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / In a Room7 F760. He’s has also worked with Oneohtrix Point Never.

Houghton takes place at Norfolk’s Houghton Hall between August 10 and 14. This year’s lineup includes Ben UFO, Helena Hauff, Ricardo Villalobos, Gerd Janson, and Zip among others.

You can read more about Craig Richards, the curator of Houghton, in his XLR8R interview here.

Meanwhile, read all about the 13 stages here and order tickets here. You can watch a visual trailer for the installation below.

Photo: Jake Davis

Laurel Halo Reveals Her First Album in Five Years

Laurel Halo will release a new album in September.

Atlas is the American DJ-producer’s first album in five years, since 2018’s Raw Silk Uncut Wood.

Using both electronic and acoustic instrumentation, Halo has created a “potent” set of sensual ambient jazz collages, comprised of orchestral clouds, shades of modal harmony, hidden sonic details, and hallucinatory textures.

The process of writing Atlas began in 2020 when Halo reacquainted herself with the piano. She relished the piano’s physical feedback, as well as its capacity to express emotion.

And when the legendary Ina GRM Studios in Paris invited her to take up a residency in 2021, she spared no time to dub, stretch, and manipulate some of the simple piano sketches she’d recorded. It was these subtle piano recordings and electronic manipulations would go on to become the heart of Atlas.

In the remainder of 2021 and 2022, with time spent between Berlin and London, Halo recorded additional guitar, violin and vibraphone, as well as acoustic instrumentation from friends and collaborators including saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, cellist Lucy Railton, and vocalist Coby Sey.

Atlas forms the debut release on Halo’s new imprint, Awe.

Tracklisting

01. Abandon
02. Naked to the Light
03. Late Night Drive
04. Sick Eros
05. Belleville
06. Sweat, Tears or the Sea
07. Atlas
08. Reading the Air
09. You Burn Me
10. Earthbound

Atlas LP is scheduled for September 22 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Belleville” in full via the player below and pre-order here.

Photo: Norrel Blair

Príncipe to Release Label Compilation

Príncipe will release a new label compilation in August.

DJs Di Guetto features 10 tracks taken from the DJs Di Guetto Vol.1 compilation that originally dropped in September 2006 with original tracks by DJ Marfox, N.K., Jesse, Pausas, Fofuxo, and Nervoso, then collectively known as DJs Di Guetto. It was a “big bang” moment for the community of artists based around the Lisbon label today. This is the first time the music has surfaced on vinyl.

The original compilation included 37 tracks, but this selection of 13 perfectly captures the spirit, sound and fierceness, “a leap forward from straight kuduro and other crystallised styles that fed
neighbourhood parties,” we’re told. It was supposed to be part of the label’s 10th anniversary celebrations but ended up being postponed due to all the pandemic.

For more information on Marfox, check out his XLR8R podcast here.

Tracklisting

01. DJ Marfox “Drift Furioso”
02. DJ N.K “Mete Chuva Muita Chuva”
03. DJ Jesse & DJ Nervoso “Estrago Terrivel”
04. DJ N.K “Não Chora Mais Não”
05. DJ Nervoso “Tapada”
06. DJ Fofuxo “Tarracho Do Guetto”
07. DJ Fofuxo “É Africa”
08. DJ Fofuxo “Isto é Kazu Bite”
09. DJ Jesse “Techno”
10. DJ N.K “Estão a Dar Medo”
11. DJ Jesse “Pimp My Ragga”
12. DJ Nervoso “Tarracho Nervoso”
13. DJ Pausas & DJ Fofuxo “Tarracho Exxelentt”

DJs Di Guetto LP is scheduled for August 4 release. Meanwhile, you can stream DJ Fofuxo’s “Isto é Kazu Bite” in full below and pre-order here.

Barker Explores the Sonic Possibilities of the Kick Drum for Smalltown Supersound

Sam Barker, better known as Barker, will release a new EP on Smalltown Supersound.

While Barker’s recent releases, 2018’s Debiasing EP and 2019’s Utility, explored the possibilities of kickless dancefloor tracks, Unfixed sees him exploring the sonic possibilities of the kick-drum.

Following the release of 2021’s BARKER002 EP on Ostgut Ton, Unfixed emerged from a session in bass drum design. Tracks were started and then left unfinished, only to be approached again and again over lengthy intervals. Stylistically, the result is a mix of “raw, stuttering, psychedelic growl, kosmische techno, and infinite iterations of a single groove,” we’re told.

The result, once again, is “a sound and musical framework all of his own.”

For more information on Barker, check out his XLR8R interview here.

Tracklisting

01. Birmingham Screwdriver
02. Wick and Wax
03. Golden Hammer
04. Percussive Maintenance

Unfixed EP is scheduled for August 25 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Birmingham Screwdriver” in full via the player below. Pre-order is available here.

Photo: Easton West

Podcast 809: Venus Ex Machina

Venus Ex Machina is the production alias of Nontokozo F. Sihwa. Trained in mathematics and audio engineering, she is driven to create by her boundless curiosity and interest in futurism and post-humanism. Regular readers will be familiar with her work through Lux, her debut album of ominous ambient and tough, driving techno rhythms that landed on AD 93 in 2021. (The record was inspired by seeing a Throbbing Gristle show.) But she has also contributed music to an installation for Hyperdub and a score for Channel 4’s short-film series, Random Acts. She returned to AD 93 last year with Doxa, on which she delivered nine tracks of gnarly EBM, and a third album is in the works featuring collaborations with Valentina Magaletti on drums, Amy Langley on cello, and Florence Rutherford-Jones on violin. While that comes together, Sihwa returned to her west London studio to prepare an XLR8R podcast, filling it with the music that she has been listening to over the past year. Expect just over an hour of dark and dazzling techno beats coming from Objekt, Tzusing, E-Saggila, and more.

01. What have you been up to lately?
The highlight of the past few months was playing at Minimal Music Festival in the beautiful Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam in April alongside Loraine James, Derozan, and Coby Sey. Currently, I am doing a residency at HQI in West London. I have also been learning to play the cello and reading “The World, the Flesh and the Devil” by JD Bernal, a futuristic essay published in 1929 that ponders the possible course of the development of humanity.

02. What have you been listening to?
I live on a busy street in London, so the sound of traffic mostly, punctuated by lots of dark, abstract electronic music such as Pan Daijing, Vessel, and Coil.

03. What is it that appeals to you about dance music?
When we dance together, we get to feel as if we are outside the the cages of our bodies and impervious to the challenges of surviving late stage capitalism. Dance music allows us to lose ourselves in a crowd and synchronize our feet with the pulsing rhythm, but most of all dance music as we enjoy it today is a reminder of the innovative imagination of Black people in the American midwest.

05. Where and when did you record this mix?
Over the course of a few days, between my home in Dalston and my studio in White City.

06. How did you go about choosing the tracks?
Some I have had on repeat recently, while others are the fruit of digging through Bandcamp. I chose a long list of tracks that I liked and then I picked the ones that work together in sequence and wove them together to create a series of moods—a story, if you will.

07. What can the listener expect?
A little bit of a quest through my emotional (and other) excesses.

08. How does it compare to what we might hear you play out live?
The common thread in all of my performances is that I am a storyteller.

09. What’s next on your horizon?
I am working on my third album, and preparing a new live performance which I will debut at Berlin Atonal, followed by dates at L.E.V. Matadero in Madrid, Ultima Festival in Oslo and a few other shows to be confirmed.

XLR8R Subscribers can download the podcast below. If you’re not an XLR8R subscriber, you can read more about it and subscribe here.

Tracklisting

01. Gonçalo Penas “A Cicatriz” (Subtext Recordings)
02. Ziúr “Febrile Next” (Now Now)
03. Nkisi “Dark Noise” (Arcola)
04. Objekt “Ballast” (Objekt)
05. Tzusing “Clout Tunnel” feat. Suda (PAN)
06. bergsonist “المغرب” (Bizaarbazaar)
07. Machine Woman “It Feels Weird” (Take Away Jazz Records)
08. King Mzaiza Music “Sithi Sithi” feat. U-Girl, Fezela, Da Goons, Alligator (Pssngr)
09. Zebra Katz “Moor” (The Vinyl Factory)
10. Dawuna “baby boy” (O___o?)
11. E-Saggila “Rainstain” (Summer Isle)
12. Blawan “No Rabbit No Life” (XL Recordings)
13. Jlin “Embryo” (Planet Mu)
14. 3Phaz “Slomo Strut (E-Saggila remix)”
15. Objekt “Bad Apples” (OBJEKT)
16. Hiro Kone “Pure Expenditure” feat. group A (Dais Records)
17. Evita Manji “Body/Prison” (PAN)
18. Aphex Twin “35 Japan” (Self-Released)
19. 33EMYBW “Drum” (SVBKVLT)
20. Scratchclart “IC3 (Menzi Remix)” (Hakuna Kulala)
22. Hieroglyphic Being “This Is 4 The Rave Bangers” (Technicolour)
23. Santa Muerte “Coahuiltecan” (Hyperdub)
24. Lucy Railton “To The End” (Modern Love)

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