Artist to Watch: Jack Beats

Who:Jack Beats
Where: London, U.K.

A couple of hip-hop- and jungle-loving turntablists aren’t exactly the most likely candidates for making high-octane bass anthems, but U.K. spinners Beni G and Plus One seem to be doing just fine. Having turned out speaker-rattling remixes for the likes of Black Ghosts, Boy 8-Bit, AC Slater, and Does It Offend You, Yeah?, the pair recently began dropping original compositions of their own, including “What,” a collaboration with longtime Reprazent cohort Dynamite MC on Hervé’s Cheaper Thrills imprint. With more new tunes and high-profile remixes for the likes of Diplo & Blaqstarr and Lady Sovereign on the way, it seems likely that Jack Beats’ marriage of hip-hop attitude with the sounds of old-school rave, electro, and bassline will stay on blast for quite some time.

Download: Lady Sovereign – “I Got You Dancin’ (Jack Beats Remix)”

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Video Premiere: Pontiak “Aestival”

Pontiak delivered their impressively crafted second album, Maker, earlier this year via Thrill Jockey, so now the Carney brothers are following it up with a video for the track “Aestival.” Since Maker never follows a straightforward musical trajectory, it follows that this clip is a highly abstract collection of images and details that match the retro-psych-meets-sledgehammer riffage of the song.

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Photo by Pontiak.

Lady Sovereign “I Got You Dancin’ (Jack Beats Remix)”

Having turned out speaker-rattling remixes for the likes of Black Ghosts, Boy 8-Bit, AC Slater, and Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Jack Beats (U.K. spinners Beni G and Plus One) recently began dropping original compositions of their own, including “What,” a collaboration with longtime Reprazent cohort Dynamite MC on Hervé’s Cheaper Thrills imprint. They also threw together this remix of Lady Sovereign’s track “I Got You Dancin’,” off her recently released album Jigsaw.

Lady Sovereign – I Got You Dancin (Jack Beats Remix)

Drop the Lime Tour Kicks Off Tonight

Luca “Drop the Lime” Venezia has been an XLR8R favorite for years now, wining us over time and again with his goblin bass-infused breakcore tracks that have helped spawn an entire movement of club music.

His tracks are—perhaps—best heard in the live setting, and we’ll have a chance to experience that this month, as the Brooklyn-based DJ, producer, and label owner is embarking on a mini-tour of the East Coast, beginning tonight in Philadelphia. These dates will fly by faster than you can say “breakbeat,” so catch him at one of these shows:

05/06 Philadelphia, PA – TLA
05/07 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
05/08 New York, NY – Webster Hall
05/09 New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
05/10 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
05/11 Boston, MA – Roxy

Photo by Adam Schneider. Styling by Mad Marietta.

autoKratz “Always More (Yuksek Remix)”

As reported earlier this week, the Kitsuné crew will release its seventh Maison compilation on June 9, with tracks by La Roux, Heartsrevolution, The Golden Filter, and more cropping up on the tracklisting. Here is Parisian dance music producer Yuksek’s contribution to the release, an autoKratz remix seemingly tailor-made with the bygone days of rave in mind.

autoKratz – Always More (Yuksek Remix)

Peaches I Feel Cream

After years of simultaneously shocking and delighting listeners with her foul mouth, oversexed imagination, and raw electro beats, perhaps even Peaches has grown a little bored with her shtick. Sure, I Feel Cream has plenty of profane dancefloor workouts, but the album also features a few creative left turns that are far more interesting. The bluesy stomp of “Talk to Me” recalls Beth Ditto ofThe Gossip, while Peaches goes Italo and actually sings on “Lose You.” Hip-hop dalliance “Billionaire” may be cringe-inducing, but at least she’s trying new things. When it works, as it does during her diva turn on the surprisingly rave-flavored title track, it brings hope that Peaches may be more than a one-trick pony.

XLR8R’s Top 20 MP3s of April

Once again, we’ve crunched the data and pulled up the most popular MP3s on XLR8R.com for the month of April, and you’ll recognize names like Moderat, Mr. Lif, FlyLo, Miss Kittin, and more on this very eclectic bundle of tracks.

As always, keep up to date with XLR8R’s daily mp3s by subscribing to our MP3 RSS Feed, or bookmark our MP3 page.

Herewith, we present April’s most popular 20 MP3s on XLR8R.com:

20 Moderat – “A New Error”
19 B. Bravo – “Midnite”
18 Mr. Lif – “The Sun”
17 The Field – “The More that I Do”
16 Justice – “One Minute (Toy Selectah Remix)”
15 E-Dancer – “World of Deep (Original Mix)”
14 FlyLo & Blu – “GNG BNG (MeMix)”
13 Amanda Blank – Might Like You Better”
12 Daedelus – “Off to the Races (Meanest Man Contest Remix Feat. Cuzzo)”
11 Miss Kittin & The Hacker – “Electronic City”
10 Kate Simko – “God Particle”
9 Horace Andy & Ashley Beedle – “Watch We (Pinch Remix)”
8 Nosaj Thing – “Coat of Arms”
7 Ras G – “Shinelight”
6 Dem Franchize Boys – “I Think They Like Me (Mochipet Remix)”
5 Bronnt Industries Kapital – “Return To Shogun Assassin”
4 Tiga – “Shoes”
3 Mux Mool – “MERLINFEST!”
2 Serengeti & Polyphonic – “My Patriotism”
1 The Mole – “How 2 Be Cool (Robot Koch Remix)”

Abstract Rude Rejuvenation

Most artists would love to retire with Abstract Rude’s resume: Good Life, Project Blowed, Freestyle Fellowship, radical solo artist and bandleader, respected guest and influence in the L.A. underground scene and beyond. Yet Abstract is still questing, this time delivering a mellow, soulful set that allows his singsong baritone to spill out extended metaphors, in-jokes stuffed inside jokes, Louis Armstrong impressions, collected wisdom, and the occasional Lakers shout-out. Seattle’s Vitamin D produces with an ear for scratchy funk guitars, low-ride tempos, and dusty drums that vibrate in tune with the grain of Abstract’s signature voice. Seek out “Diggin’ It?,” where party horns spur recollections of his “beat box battler” days.

Liechtenstein “Roses in the Park”

Liechtenstein is a new band in town (aurally, that is, as they actually live in Sweden), and their music is tailor-made for fans of Vivian Girls or The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Like the former, Liechtenstein is a trio of ladies currently crafting gauzy post-punk-style songs, and the girls are set to release Survival Strategies in a Modern World on June 2. Drift away with this flowery number.

Liechtenstein – Roses In The Park

Synch Festival Announces Line-up

Detroit and Greece will meet this summer, when Theo Parrish, Marcellus Pittman, and Rick Wilhite hop the Atlantic to open this year’s Synch Festival in Athens.

The three-day event is now readying its sixth installment, to take place June 12 – 14, and in addition to the aforementioned Detroit legends, the bill also includes Ed Banger’s Mr. Oizo, downtempo maters Jazzanova, Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, Tortoise, Fujiya & Miyagi, and a host of others. Sonar and MUTEK may be garnering a little more attention from the press these days, but Synch is threatening to snatch the trophy for this summer’s stellar line-up (in full below).

Music is the main offering here, but Synch also features its Moving Image section, an international, non-competitive film festival that promotes work from international audio-visual artists.

Grab tickets here.

Friday, June 12
Tortoise
Jazzanova Live Feat. Paul Randolph
Friendly Fires
Fujiya & Miyagi
Mr. Oizo (DJ Set)
Joe Goddard (Hot Chip)
Ebony Bones
Puppetmastaz
Disasteradio
Cluster
3 Chairs (Feat. Theo Parrish, Marcellus Pittman, Rick Wilhite)
Night On Earth
Evripidis and His Tragedies
Tasman
Mari.Cha

Saturday, June 13
Squarepusher
The Matthew Herbert Big Band
Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics
Junior Boys
The Teenagers
Aeroplane
Caribou (DJ Set)
Mathew Jonson
The Bug
Shit Robot (DJ Set)
Fennesz
A Mountain Of One
Hudson Mohawke
Biomass
NTEIBINT
2L8
Family Battle Snake
Alex Tsiridis

Sunday, June 14
Merzbow
Schaltkreis Wassermann
YOU
Egotrya

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