Inbox: DJ Hell

XLR8R’s Inbox cozies up with Helmut Josef Geier (a.k.a. DJ Hell) this week. The German techno don debunks S&M rumors, recovers from an ear infection, loves tailored suits, and loathes cheap hotels. DJ Hell’s Teufelswerk is out now on International Deejay Gigolo.

XLR8R: What are you listening to right now?
DJ Hell: Silence. I recently had an ear infection. Should be listening to loads of remixes for my upcoming Teufelswerk remix album though…

What’s the weirdest story you have ever heard about yourself?
That I’m a masochist who likes to be whipped by a dominatrix.

What band did you want to be in when you were 15?
The Damned.

Worst live show experience?
I couldn’t figure out the cables.

Favorite city in which to play?
Rio, Kiev, Tokyo…

Favorite studio toy?
Fender Rhodes Stage, although I can’t play it much myself.

What is one thing you couldn’t live without (excluding the obvious essential, i.e. air, water, etc.)?
Quality—in music, fashion, art, life… everything.

What is your favorite item of clothing?
Chic, tailored suits. A Margiela one is my current fav.

If you could reduce your music to a single word, what would it be?
Avant-garde.

Describe your personal hell.
Cheap flights, cheap hotels… anything cheap.

For what did you always get in trouble when you were little?
My birth name—not the best one to have in Germany.

With which other artist would you most like to work next?
David Bowie or David Hasselhoff.

What’s the last thing you read?
Cinema Stories by Alexander Kluge.

Complete this sentence: In the future…
I will be farming.

Stupidest thing you’ve done in the last 12 months?
Having my car broken into and a large part of my music stolen in Ibiza.

What’s next?
I don’t plan or predict. I just do.

KZA “Unfaithful”

One part of Japan’s Force of Nature follows in the footsteps of his collaborations with DJ Kent, crafting a piece of beardo house that would feel right at home in a Prins Thomas mix. With a mesmerizing bass loop, crisp organic percussion, and totally rad guitar lines, “Unfaithful” brings the cosmic synth parade while maintaining a cocky foot in guitar heaven. The slamming kicks make it perfect for the club, too, so be prepared to hear this playing at all the cool off-kilter disco parties you’ll attend in the next few months.

05 Unfaithful

05 Unfaithful 3

General Elektriks Good City for Dreamers

The sophomore release from General Elektriks (a.k.a. Honeycut/Blackalicious keyboardist Herve Salters’ solo project) is, much like Honeycut, a quirky mix of retro funk and New Wave-y indie rock with some sublimely orchestrated musical moments. Salters is no Serge Gainsbourg, but the passable falsetto he displays on “Take Back the Instant,” “Little Lady,” “Engine Kickin’ In,” and “You Don’t Listen” suggests he may have picked up some vocal tips from Honeycut bandmate Bart Davenport. His lyrics also prove compelling, especially when placed over a backdrop of consistently engaging rhythmic ideas. Swerving from moody, melancholy dirges to Stratocaster-like synth squeals to foot-stomping ragtime riffs to clap-happy uptempo tunes, Good City for Dreamers continues Quannum’s recent hot streak.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band “You’ll Disappear (Prins Thomas Diskomiks)”

Lifted from their self-titled debut, the R&B-inspired psych-disco of The Phenomenal Handclap Band‘s “You’ll Disappear” gets an even larger dose of spacey effects and slow-burning grooves on Lindstrøm collaborator Prins Thomas‘ epic remix. The track, pulled from the forthcoming 15 to 20/You’ll Disappear remix album, finds Thomas staying true to the Handclap Band’s original antique sounds—making the composition seem more like a lengthy edit than an indulgent re-work. Still, the changes made by the Norwegian producer fit nicely alongside the album’s other featured remixers The Glimmers, Horse Meat Disco, and Anthony Mansfield.

You’ll Disappear (Prins Thomas Diskomiks) 1

Last chance to enter XLR8R’s CMJ Contest

Just in case you missed it, the deadline to enter XLR8R‘s CMJ 2009 Contest is today. Want to score yourself a pair of passes to this year’s CMJ Music Marathon in New York? Then send us an email at [email protected] letting us know what artist you’re most excited to see at CMJ and why. We’ll be randomly drawing a winner at the end of the day, so don’t slack on this one.

Robot Koch Readies Debut Solo Album for Release

The Berlin-based producer behind international club trio Jahcoozi and German post-rock outfit The Tape, Robot Koch has been hard at work crafting his debut full-length Death Star Droid, the follow up to his solo EP Aftershocks. Obviously, the man has a thing for robots, what with his moniker and record label Robots Don’t Sleep, but this album sees the producer delving into the more human genres of jazz and hip-hop alongside dubstep and electro. The first video from Droid, “Hard to Find,” is below along with the November release’s tracklist.

TRACKLIST:
01 Death Star Droid
02 Away From
03 Hard to Find
04 Love & the Machine
05 People are Strange ft. Grace
06 While ft. Manya
07 Heaven is my Real Estate
08 Memories
09 Gorom Sen

Sabo & Cassady “Kuff Kumbia”

From Sol Selectas label head and NYC Latin-beat enthusiast Sabo, “Kuff Kumbia,” created with the help of friend Cassady, finds the DJ/producer trading his usual house-friendly musical styles for more of a dancehall-meets-cumbia sound. The release from which this track is pulled, Bersa Discos #6, contains more remixes and re-edits of upbeat grooves from the worlds of cumbia, Colombian folk music, and merengue, and is Sabo’s first release on the burgeoning West Coast label. (For more on Bersa Discos, check out our recent Labels We Love feature.) Thankfully, his switched-up style sounds as natural and well-worn as the indigenous music the producer culls his inspiration from. Release parties for Bersa Discos #6 are happening on both coasts—this Saturday in San Francisco and next Thursday in New York. Check out all the details here.

1-03 Kuff Kumbia

1-03 Kuff Kumbia

Dam-Funk “Hood Pass Intact”

The fourth installment of Dam-Funk‘s 5-LP debut Toeachizown drops October 20, and the theme for the latest chapter is ‘hood,’ music of the street corners and boulevards of Southern California. “Hood Pass Intact” features a deep, one-note bass pulse, a dreamy bell-synth loop, and the gauzy boogie synths that Dam is known for. Add some gunshot sounds and the high frequency hip-hop squelch endemic to LA, and you have a perfect piece for cruising through the hood, whether you’re in Philly, Detroit, or Turku.

Hood Pass Intact

Cougar Patriot

Instrumental rock is a hard sell, especially the brand made by Wisconsinites Cougar. The band’s music is often chaotic, constantly changing and fiercely ambitious. On their second album, their experimental leanings are on full display, with music that can be considered “rock” only in the loosest sense of the word. Cougar’s more interested in intensity than accessibility, so when songs work—see the crashing, layered “Florida Logic” or the tinkling loveliness of “Pelourinho”—they carry a visceral directness. Sometimes the band overreaches, though, as swelling voices and propulsive percussion occasionally give way to tedious proggy navel-gazing. Cougar doesn’t always succeed, but at least they dare to make the attempt.

Listen: “Rhinelander”

Download This Track

Podcast 107: Douster

Youthful French producer and ZZK compatriot Douster has certainly made a splash in 2009 with his clubby European take on the various tropical rhythms (and riddims) emerging from around the globe. Whether it be dancehall or kuduro, cumbia or UK funky, Douster can be counted on to deliver an uptempo, chopped-and-sliced dancefloor filler. His seemingly endless series of remixes (both official and unofficial) have certainly grabbed our attention, which is why we named him an Artist to Watch a few weeks back. Now, as he prepares to unleash his ZZK debut, Triassic Genesis, Douster has laced us with a hyperactive tropical mix that is absolutely bursting with unreleased tracks and exclusive remixes.

Triassic Genesis will be available digitally worldwide on October 20 via ZZK Records.

01 Zonora Point “Apuesta Alto (Douster remix)” (Unreleased)
02 Busy Signal “Cool Baby (Poirier remix)” (Unreleased)
03 Tifa “Tick It Like a Clock” (Bigship)
04 Sonidero Cordobestia “La Subienda” (Unreleased)
05 Million Stylez “Miss Fatty (Douster Bubblin Edit)” (Unreleased)
06 Junior Jack “Quer Sambar (Blood Shake Tropical Remix)” (Unreleased)
07 Douster feat. Spoek Mathambo “Punani” (Unreleased)
08 Malente & Dex feat. New Kids “Lions (Douster remix)” (Exploited)
09 Isa GT “Funketa (Douster Recabeza Remix)” (Unreleased)
10 Udachi & Jubilee “Paypur (Grahmzilla x Nick Catchdubs Remix Edit)” (Unreleased)
11 Rustie “Tempered” (Kapsize)
12 Mark Pritchard & Ommas Keith “Wind It Up” (Hyperdub)
13 David Guetta feat. Akon “Sexy Bitch (Afrojack Remix)” (Fuck Me I’m Famous)
14 N.B Funky “Nutz” (It’s Funky)
15 Justin Martin & Claude VonStroke “Beat That Bird” (Dirtybird)
16 Arcade “Jugo Carioca y Diario Popular (Douster Dumb Remix)” (Bebup)
17 Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano “Pondo (Chuckie & Silvio Ecomo Mix)” (Dirty Dutch)
18 Spencer & Hill “Cool (Afrojack Remix)” (Sneakerz Musik)
19 Benga & Coki “Night (Geeneus Remix)” (Tempa)
20 Lady Chann & Sticky “Sticky situation” (Unreleased)
21 Timberlee “Bubble Like Soup (Soca Remix)” (Unreleased)
22 Douster “Triassic Genesis” (ZZK)
23 Gucci Vump “Sha! Shtil! (L-Vis 1990 Remix)” (Sound Pellegrino)
24 Douster “Journey to Tethys Sea” (ZZK)
25 The Very Best “Yalira (Douster remix)” (Unreleased)

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