Annabelle Playe Drops Third Album, ‘Geyser’

Experimental French artist Annabelle Playe has released her third album with Franck Vigroux’s DAC Records, titled Geyser. 

Geyser consists of two elongated experimental tracks (“Geyser I” and “Geyser II”), and is brimming with volatile noise, immersive drones, harmonic echoes, and other electroacoustic elements. We’re told that the dynamic range goes into extremes, bursting into fiery moments of constant peaks in one section and resting into somber moments of minimalism the next. 

Playe on Geyser: “An electronic journey questioning what moves inside and brings us beyond. Questioning detail, speed, fragmentation, and continuum.” 

Tracklisting

01. Geyser I

02. Geyser II

Geyser LP is available now via DAC Records. Listen to the record’s A-side below, with ordering options from DAC Records here. 

Tim Hecker Details New Companion Album, ‘Anoyo’

Tim Hecker has announced the release of Anoyo, a new album that serves as a companion to last year’s Konoyo. 

The music across Anoyo—meaning “the world over there”—explores the interplay between Hecker’s complex soundscapes and a traditional Japanese gagaku ensemble. It was captured during the same sessions that  conceived Konoyo, but is “starker, solemn, and stripped-back, with more of a naturalist tint.” 

The Canadian artist also supplemented 2011 LP Ravedeath, 1972 with companion Dropped Pianos. 

In conjunction with the news, Hecker has revealed tour dates across North America, Europe, and the UK. 

Tracklisting

01. That World 

02. Is But A Simulated Blur 

03. Step Away From Konoyo 

04. Into The Void 

05. Not Alone 

06. You Never Were 

Anoyo lands on May 10 across CD, LP, and digital formats via Kranky, with pre-order options here. Meanwhile, you can stream “That World” and an album teaser below. 

Tim Hecker & The Konoyo Ensemble 2019 Tour Dates:

02/17 – Miami, FL @ III Points Festival

02/18 – New York, NY @ National Sawdust (Early) #

02/18 – New York, NY @ National Sawdust (Late) #

02/19 – New York, NY @ National Sawdust #

02/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge #

02/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge #

02/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge #

03/29 – The Hague, NL @ Re:Wire Festival

03/30 – Porto, PT @ Vivarium Festival *

04/02 – Edinburgh, UK @ Summerhall *

04/03 – Brussels, BE @ Orangerie

04/27 – Marfa, TX @ Marfa Myths Festival

05/08 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

05/10 – Arcosanti, AZ @ Arcosanti Form Festival

05/11 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf

05/12 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre

05/14 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

05/15 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club

06/01 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound

06/02 – Copenhagen, DK @ Lille Vega *

06/03 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan *

06/04 – Moscow, RU @ Culture Center Zil

06/06 – Paris, FR @ Villette Sonique Festival

06/07 – Helsinki, FI @ Sideways Festival

# = w/ Kara-Lis Coverdale

* = solo show

Bambounou Debuts on Whities

Photo: Dominik Geiger

Bambounou’s next EP will come through Nic Tasker’s Whities, titled Whities 21. 

We’re told that the three-track release takes inspiration from a collection of music made for his set at Freerotation in 2017, and feels at “home in that heads down part of the dance, where these rhythms magnetise those present into the same seductive trance,” the label explains. 

It will be Bambounou’s first release of the year, and the London’s label’s 21st in total. 

The sleeve was designed by Kia Tasbihgou and Alex McCullough. 

Tracklisting

A / 1. Temple

B1 / 2. Tour

B2 / 3. Seize-Sept

Whities 21 EP lands on February 22, with “Temple” streaming here. 

Podcast 580: Claire Morgan

Claire Morgan has been honing an extensive record collection since starting out in her native Australia, where she began her musical life as a composer before going on to study orchestral composition and work as a film and TV composer in Sydney. Now based in Berlin, her home for nigh on six years, she’s continued her techno explorations, drawing on her deep affinity for melody, harmonic progression, and moody soundscapes. Her mixes have a cinematic quality, with narrative arcs and a sense of drama, blending slick, dexterous techno, acid, trance, breakbeat, electro, and Detroit soul.

After a breakout 2018 that saw her close Berghain twice (she also closed Panorama Bar in 2015) and drop her debut solo outing, Inexorably—a teaser for a longer-form project on the way—she’s established a reputation as one of Australia’s most promising exports. She’s now set for a stellar 2019, with production work on the way and a jam-packed touring schedule that’s taking her all across Europe and the world. And what better way to start it than an XLR8R podcast? 

Morgan’s podcast, as she explains below, was recorded last week in Berlin, acting as a cathartic release following a tough start to 2019. Using Efdemin’s latest album, New Atlantis, as a starting point, Morgan takes the listener on a volatile ride through deep and pensive dub, gritty breaks, and searing, emotive techno. 

What have you been up to recently?

I’m back in Berlin after my beloved annual Aussie Summer tour. 2019 got off to a rocky start but things are rolling nicely now and it is looking like a super year ahead.

When and where was this mix recorded?

Last week in my studio in Berlin. I was completely pissed off after KLM lost my suitcase and basically all my material possessions. Gone forever. KLM is not liable and I, unfortunately, fell through a loophole in my own insurance. Zero compensation from anyone for all my lost belongings.

Is there a particular theme or idea behind it?

My initial intention was to reflect the new year and the fresh energy that brings. Life had other ideas though and 2018 (very tough year) held on for a bit longer than anticipated! So the mix opens with a “new dawn” vibe then grouches around some gritty breakbeats for a bit, gets emo, has a tantrum, and then heals itself with some soaring good stuff at the end. It’s better and more honest for me to simply express what’s inside, even if that is not necessarily a smart choice, or good for “business.” I was feeling like a Zen master at the end of this mix. Thank you, music.

How did you choose the tracks that you included?

My starting point was Efdemin’s new album, New Atlantis. I am a fan of all his many projects but this album struck a chord with how I was feeling. Seeing as this is XLR8R, I also included some US artists I love—Fugal, Matrixxman, D.Dan, Kyle Geiger. I like that a lot of the artists in this mix are kickass new talents, alongside legends Kirk Degiorgio and Random XS.

What’s next on the horizon?

This weekend is the release party for Efdemin’s aforementioned album in Berghain. Looking forward to some great club shows over the coming month at Blitz and De School, and it’s my first time playing Awakenings and The Crave festivals this summer. Studio-wise, I have been writing mostly classical/electronic crossover stuff and composing on piano for the first time since I was in school. It’s feeling natural and I’m looking forward to releasing this music later in the year.

Due to issues regarding the GDPR, EU readers can download the podcast here.

Tracklisting:

01. VC-118A “Cloak” (Delsin)

02. Efdemin “Good Winds” (Ostgut Ton)

03. Fugal “Pulse (unreleased)

04. Cadans “Uncuttable (Clone Basement Series)

05. Cadans “No Connection (Broken mix)” (Clone Basement Series)

06. Random XS “Give Your Body” Delta Funktionen 3am Mix (Delsin)

07. 11xxx27 “The power of Eternity” UVB EOJ Remix (Infidel Bodies)

08. Chontane “Cluch” (THEM)

09. Lag “Rutra” (c)

10. Peja “Kernal Panic” (D!ST!NCT)

11. Anetha “Miyuki and Patrizia (Blocaus Series)

12. Subjected “Sequential Switch” (Arts Recordings)

13. Eyssenah “Dabla” (Taapion)

14. Stef Mendesidis “Senzo” (Klockworks) 

15. Kyle Geiger “120 Miles West” Quint remix (Front Left records)

16. D.Dan “Repeat After Me” (unreleased)

17. Matrixxman & Bauernfeind “Shattered” (LFEK)

18. Regal & Alien Rain “Acid Affair Pt. 1 (Involve)

19. D.Dan “Switchblade (Cyclical) (unreleased)

20. Kyle Geiger “Neverends” (Front Left records)

21. Rico Casazza “Transmutation” Kirk Degiorgio remix (Murge recordings)

22. Efdemin “Black Sun” (Ostgut Ton)

Tomasz Guiddo with Nirosta Steel “Go Back” (Original)

At the end of last month, Compost Records released Go Back, a new EP from Tomasz Guiddo and Nirosta Steel.

On Go Back, Guiddo, a Poland-born China-based artist, linked up with Steven Hall (a.k.a. Nirosta Steel), who is most known for his vocal work on seminal Arthur Russell tracks “Is It All Over My Face” and Tell You Today,” for a masterclass in alluring disco not unlike the work of Russell himself. The pair are joined on the EP by remixes from Shahrokh Dini, Pocketknife, and Kalabrese, the latter of which supplies a typically dynamic rework in his ever-evolving electronic jazz style.

In support of the release, which can be purchased here, Compost has offered up the original mix as today’s XLR8R download, available via WeTransfer below.

Due to issues regarding the GDPR, EU readers can download the track here.

Kamaal Williams Returns with 12″ via Black Focus Records

The 12″ pressing of Kamaal Williams‘ latest release, New Heights / Snitches Brew, is now available through his Black Focus Records label following up his 2018 album debut, The Return. 

In collaboration with the London-based pianist and producer across the 12″ are producers Don Leisure and Earl Jeffers as the Darkhouse Family, writing arrangement and instrument additions from Aly Jamal and Che Ahmed, drumming by Dexter Hercules, and electric guitar from Mansur Brown. Kamaal Williams—a.k.a Henry Wu—plays all other instruments, exploring vamps that groove and distill spellbinding band connectivity and explosive solo moments. 

Williams will tour his new releases through North America between February and March, with order/streaming options for the 12″ version of New Heights / Snitches Brew here. 

Tracklisting

01. New Heights (Visions of Aisha Malik)

02. Snitches Brew 

Kamaal Williams North America 2019 Tour Dates

02/22—The Moroccan Lounge (Los Angeles, CA)

02/23—The Moroccan Lounge (Los Angeles, CA)

02/28—The Continental Lounge And Patio (San Jose, California)

03/01—Starline Social Club (Oakland, CA)

03/03—Velvet Underground (Toronto, Canada)

03/06—Centre Phi (Montréal, Canada)

0307—Floyd Miami (Miami, FL)

03/09—Le Poisson Rouge (New York, NY)

03/12—Aisle 5 (Atlanta, GA)

03/15—Empty Bottle (Chicago, IL)

Point Blank Explores the New Features in Ableton Live 10.1 in New Video

Point Blank has released a first-look video on Ableton’s Live 10.1.

In the video, Point Blank’s DJ Ravine takes a look at the update’s key features, including the ability to upload your own wavetables into Live’s wavetable oscillator synth, giving the user much more variation and customization of sounds; its new devices Channel EQ and Delay, the latter of which merges Ping Pong Delay and Simple Delay; the DAW’s new automation tool, which lets you choose a number of basic shapes to stretch and skew; the new compressor freeze function; and Ableton’s workflow updates.

You can watch the video in full via the player below, with more on Point Blank’s courses here.

Premiere: Hear a Tripped-Out Dancefloor Cut by Warehouse Preservation Society

Later this month, Los Angeles imprint Machine Limited will drop its Machine Limited Various 1 EP.

The VA, which follows Dance To Save Us, Machine Limited’s 2018 offering by The KDMS, kicks off the label’s 2019 release schedule, featuring outings from SONNS, Dave Aju, Tiago, Split Secs, Warehouse Preservation Society (a.k.a. TK and Tavish), and Silk Road Fantasy (a.k.a. J Disco and Chris Coloma). The seven-track package provides an expansive overview of the imprint’s sound via cuts that touch on dubbed-out acid ( Live For Each Moon’s “Pressure Dub”), smokey disco (SONNS’ “Easy Love”), deep and swinging techno (Tiago’s remix of Second Language’s “Nothing So Far”), and low-slung house (Split Secs’ “Off The Ground”).

In support of the upcoming release on February 22, Machine Limited has offered up a full stream of Warehouse Preservation Society’s “Multitude Of Sin,” a hypnotic and chugging dancefloor cut, available via the player below.

Tracklisting:

1. Live For Each Moon “Pressure Dub”

2. Warehouse Preservation Society “Multitude Of Sin”

3. SONNS “Easy Love”

4. Silk Road Fantasy “Zombies”

5. Second Language “Nothing So Far” (Tiago Remix)

6. SONNS & Dave Aju “Fluid”

7. Split Secs “Off The Ground”

Ras_G & The Afrikan Space Program Debuts on Akashik Records with New Album

Ras_G & The Afrikan Space Program—the project of Gregory Shorter, Jr.—will release Dance of The Cosmos on Los Angeles-based Akashik Records on February 22. The LP will see a digital launch across streaming platforms, with vinyl pressings also available. 

Dance of The Cosmos was recorded at Ras_G’s studio Spacebase 2912 in South Central, LA and was mastered by DJ Nobody at the Cosmic Zoo. We’re told that the music is an excursion from previous works yet conceptually and poetically the messaging remains rooted in the ethos of his legacy. 

Akashik Records elaborates: “Ras_G utilizes his signature palette to draw the connection between the four on the floor tabernacle of Chicago house music and its roots in the drum circles of ancient Afrika. Like a subwoofer booming through constellations of space synths and sampled textures, Dance of the Cosmos weaves commentary on the Black Diaspora while also accommodating a condensed, high energy excursion beyond the ionosphere into realms only conceivable by the man himself, RAS_G.“

The album follows last year’s Stargate Music LP on Leaving Records. 

Ahead of the release, you can stream “Harambee 2 The Sun” below with pre-order here. 

Tracklisting

01. Dance of the Cosmos

02. Long Gone

03. Harambee 2 the Sun

04. Great Black Music

05. Push It Along

Ras_G & The Afrikan Space Program Debuts on Akashik Records with New Album

Ras_G & The Afrikan Space Program—the project of Gregory Shorter, Jr.—will release Dance of The Cosmos on Los Angeles-based Akashik Records on February 22. The LP will see a digital launch across streaming platforms, with vinyl pressings also available. 

Dance of The Cosmos was recorded at Ras_G’s studio Spacebase 2912 in South Central, LA and was mastered by DJ Nobody at the Cosmic Zoo. We’re told that the music is an excursion from previous works yet conceptually and poetically the messaging remains rooted in the ethos of his legacy. 

Akashik Records elaborates: “Ras_G utilizes his signature palette to draw the connection between the four on the floor tabernacle of Chicago house music and its roots in the drum circles of ancient Afrika. Like a subwoofer booming through constellations of space synths and sampled textures, Dance of the Cosmos weaves commentary on the Black Diaspora while also accommodating a condensed, high energy excursion beyond the ionosphere into realms only conceivable by the man himself, RAS_G.“

The album follows last year’s Stargate Music LP on Leaving Records. 

Ahead of the release, you can stream “Harambee 2 The Sun” below with pre-order here. 

Tracklisting

01. Dance of the Cosmos

02. Long Gone

03. Harambee 2 the Sun

04. Great Black Music

05. Push It Along

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