Spanning a decade of techno music and culture in Cologne, Germany, the E’de Cologne event label, with distribution from techno powerhouse Kompakt, will release its first book and compilation album entitled E’de Love. The book reads like a who’s-who of the German electronic music scene, with 36 pages of photographs and musical contributions from the likes of Michael Mayer, Ada, Strobocop, and Tobias Thomas, to name a few. In addition to the actual product, when you purchase E’de Love one Euro will go to benefit the AIDS Hilfe-Koeln foundation which helps fight HIV and AIDS in Cologne. Now that’s real love.
California-born Eric D. Clark not only provides vocal work for this tasty morsel of summertime party music, but also gives the punch-drunk house track a rework complete with spaced-out synth noise and piano work suited for a beachside dancefloor. The elements from Traxx‘s original production still shine through, but you can always check out his recent XLR8Rpodcast for a heartier helping of the Chicago house wizard.
His first release for London-based label Living, the Grotesque Song EP finds Polish producer Jurek Przezdziecki spreading his love for bouncing basslines and dubby FX via upbeat, noisy techno. The title track is a prime example of his lush and strangely melodic production work and sets an exciting tone for the rest of the EP’s offering.
Every day this month we’re rolling out a new feature on XLR8R‘s Labels We Love of 2009. Whether it’s the eye-catching aesthetics of Type or the model-for-the-future approach of Interdependent Media, these cut-making selections of the best in underground electronic, indie, hip-hop, and experimental imprints punch way above their weight. Feast your eyes on the features and then download many of the labels’ related podcasts here.
An enterprising label delivers fresh dancehall riddims to the world.
In keeping with Jamaica’s tradition of ingenuity and making “something outta nothing,” the inspiration for Kingston-based dancehall label Truckback is hardly surprising. For label CEO and producer Steve Locke, it came down to economics and time management. “I had to have my own studio because it’s difficult to create on somebody’s time if you’re watching the clock,” says Locke on the line from Kingston. “So our studio is actually in a truck.”
In 2005, after returning from touring with Maxi Priest as a bassist in the band Kaushun, Locke looked at the fleet of idle 26-foot cargo trucks that were used for his concert production business and thought, “Let me run some power chords in here and see how it sounds.” He eventually blocked off different sections, added a vocal booth, sound insulation, and a Pro Tools system, and Truckback was born. Since then Locke, along with his brothers Adrian and (New York-based) Andrew, has released a string of well-received dancehall cuts, culminating with DJ Erup’s 2008 number-one single “Click Mi Finga” on the Gearbox riddim. Locke is confident about replicating their success: “Anyone cyaan make a music, but Truckback is a brand. Everywhere you go, you’re gonna hear Truckback somewhere in the mix.”
Along with the fast-rising Erup, Truckback manages singer Baijie (pronounced “bay-gee”), DehDeh, and Shaq the MC. Located in New Kingston’s Hip Strip club district, the Truckback yard buzzes with artists hanging out, writing songs, and vibing on the label’s new beats, which include the automotive-inspired Clutch, Springblade, Ole Axle, and Dashboard riddims. “I play bass guitar, keyboards, and program drum machines,” says Locke, “so [a riddim] can start anywhere—trust me! It can start with a hi-hat, a conga drum, or a piano riff. I use Pro Tools 8, Reason, Native Instruments plug-ins, T-Racks systems; we also use live instruments or overdub the drum machine with live drums.”
Locke’s knowledge for what works in the dance was derived from following concerts rather than the soundsystem circuit. “I grew up on live shows, seeing Early B, Brigadier Jerry, Charlie Chaplain, and artists in that era,” he explains. “And I was inspired by three live bass players—Derrick Barnett from [Yellowman’s] Sagittarius band, Dr.Paul from Riddim Kings, and Mikey Fletcher, who plays with Shaggy. Their technique, style, charisma, and whole vibes made me think, ‘This is good, I like this.’”
After touring with Kaushun, and backing Gregory Isaacs in Africa and Shabba Ranks in Europe, Locke decided it was time to start making his own music. And while some Truckback riddims have a decidedly American pop feel, the label is devoted to making authentic Jamaican sounds. “We want the harder kick, a harder snare,” says Locke. “Come man, keep it roots so the girl dem cyaan bruk out to it, so our girl can wine dem waist to it!”
Though they’ve opted to release their debut album under their own names, the Riceboy Sleeps moniker is a longstanding one, under which Jon Por Birgisson and collaborative/romantic partner Alex Somers have staged exhibitions and published an eponymous book. The latter has collected processed drawings and found photographs (silhouettes of birds, prints of trees, images of children balancing on stilts), back-grounded by decayed paper stocks in desaturated sepias and blues. This adorable album provides the perfect audio accompaniment, as the duo partially draws on the atmospheres of Sigur Ros but denude Birgisson’s usual band of its rock textures and dynamics in favor of torpidity and slumber. Riceboy Sleeps sounds like a labor of love.
Every day this month we’re rolling out a new feature on XLR8R‘s Labels We Love of 2009. Whether it’s the eye-catching aesthetics of Type or the model-for-the-future approach of Interdependent Media, these cut-making selections of the best in underground electronic, indie, hip-hop, and experimental imprints punch way above their weight. Feast your eyes on the features and then download many of the labels’ related podcasts here.
Three Glaswegian bassheads take zig-zaggin’ between genres to new heights.
Wireblock has been making some serious noise up north (in Scotland, that is) for the last two years. Breaking all sorts of artistic boundaries, they fuse the wonky sound of Rustie (they released his massive “Zig-Zag” track about a year ago) and Hudson Mohawke (whose four-track Ooops! was an instant hit) with techno/electro bangers from the likes of Lory D and Alex Cortex. The label was started “as an apple in the Glaswegian eye of brothers Neil and Calum, and myself as far back as 10 years ago,” says producer/co-label head Jack “Jackmaster” Revill. “Inspired in part by both crate-digging in the vinyl Mecca of Rubadub and by Glasgow’s tradition of partying hard, we release music that has a dancefloor energy—stuff that combines house and techno’s raw drive with hip-hop’s swagger to give you that fresh rush. But since we’re all big music lovers, nothing is ever off the table as long as it works in the club.” Their six-year-strong club night, Numbers, at Sub Club (produced in association with the Revill-owned Dress2Sweat and the Stuffrecords crew) is where the eclectic Wireblock vibe comes together. The night has featured both their own artists and DJs along with huge names like Autechre, Ghostface Killah, Modeselektor, Diplo, and Kode9. Huge releases are coming this fall on the label, as is a super-secret collaboration guaranteed to take it to the next level! Here’s a few of our recent favorites from the label.
Emvee “Glitch Dub” b/w “Nocturnal” Wireblock’s first foray into straight U.K. funky. Emvee reps the north (Birmingham) and not London (the land of funky), and both of these tracks have an infectious, carnival-based buzz that makes them irresistible. Deep, chunky basslines and shuffling doonk-ka-chuck-ka beats merge with upbeat thumb-piano lines that bring the heat of Dakar into the chilly north with an energetic ease.
Rustie Bad Science EP The king of digital wonk’s best release yet. Period. “Boundary pushing” doesn’t begin to do it justice, with each cut containing half an album’s ideas in it. “Bad Science” rocks the socks off any glitch/dubstep banger that’s ever been made, “Shadow Enter” sounds like it was created by a bunch of birds locked in a video arcade, and the “Zig-Zag Reprise” is so over the top it’ll have you moshing your brains out. A spooky “Zig Zig” remix by Heinrich Mueller of Drexciya shows just how deep Wireblock’s understanding of their electro/techno history is, and that track rounds out the EP nicely.
Ghosts on Tape Predator Mode EP One of San Francisco’s most exciting new voices finds a perfect home on Wireblock. The EP is a nice fusion of lo-fi thumps and insanely high production values. Ryan Merry’s tweaked-out sounds fall somewhere between reggaeton, dancehall, and techno, and tend to kill dancefloors every time. The three original cuts on the EP are rounded out by a great funky remix of “Predator Mode” by hot-as-hell producer Roska. Next-level stuff that demonstrates what the forward-thinking Wireblock sound is all about.
On this week’s episode of XLR8R TV, we coerced NYC producer FaltyDL into the kitchen. We tried to focus a little more on his music for the official clip, but the man dropped a lot of serious sushi knowledge that we just couldn’t let go to waste. Watch below as he walks us through, in detail, the construction of an Atlantic Roll. And to watch the XLR8R TV epsiode and get the skinny on his musical output, go here.
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One of our absolute favorite Vis-Ed artists, Tauba Auerbach, opens her Here and Now/and Nowhere show this Thursday at NYC’s Deitch Projects. Auerbach is known for her inventive twists on typefaces, creating magical new languages from English’s 26 known characters. Here and Now/and Nowhere, however, will feature more than just letter paintings and drawings; Auerbach will also be showcasing three-dimensional crumple paintings and fold paintings, as well as static photographs, and the show’s central piece, Auerglass, a two-person pump-organ collaboration with L.A. singer Glasser, in which the pair will perform songs that Auerbach wrote as a child, as well as Glasser’s own music. The Auerglass performance at 7 p.m. precedes a full-on Glasser show at 8 p.m. Here and Now/and Nowhere runs until October 17.
The prolific jungle obsessive and former sushi chef talks New York Garage and makes an Atlantic roll.
This year has been explosive for New York producer Drew Lustman (a.k.a. FaltyDL). He has three releases on Planet Mu and is breaking new ground with his 2-step/U.K. garage beats. Here, he explains how he learned focus and discipline while working as a sushi chef and shows you how to make an East Coast classic, the Atlantic roll.
For a more detailed Atlantic-roll making video, go here.
One of San Francisco’s hidden gems, Altair Nouveau is a masterful producer of space disco and intergalactic boogie whose vintage synth-laden tracks should find their way into any self-respecting DJ’s playlist. Lifted off his Space Fortress EP, “Sorcerer” isn’t only fitting for Gandalf’s epic night on the town, but also for those evenings spent alone at home smoking his pipe and perfecting spells.
