While breakcore producers–particularly the ones obsessed with distortion and the ’90s hardcore rave circuit–often get a bad rep, labels like Violent Turd exist to dispel such hate and showcase the true nature of the genre. Enter DJ/Rupture, one of the most eclectic DJs associated with the ‘core, who returns to the label’s Shotgun Wedding series.

On Volume Six, Rupture–who kicked off the series back in 2004 with DJ Mutamassik–is joined by newcomer Filastine, and the disc features a 20+ minute mix from each DJ (Filastine’s first ever). Both mixes span breakcore, ghettotech, dub, and whatever other bass-oriented subcategories exist.

On Rupture’s “Secret Google Cheat Codes,” violence erupts with tracks from grime-soul staple Jahcoozi, breakcore spokesman Venetian Snares, and Busta Rhymes, amongst others.

Filastine’s mix, “The Mud, The Blood, & The Beer: A Fistfight with the Near East,” finds the newcomer mashing up Gypsy rhythms, field recordings from Budapest and Istanbul, and dubbed-out Balkan beatscapes. Add to this the layers of Eastern instrumentation (lots of horns and tom percussion) and looped female vocals, and Filastine may have already reached cult status.

Shotgun Wedding Volume Six is out now on Violent Turd.

Get a sneak preview of Matthew Dear’s new album, Asa Breed, by watching one of the eight short clips currently available online. Collaborating with vidcast company m ss ng p eces, Ghostly has created these videos to showcase snippets of the different tracks on the new album, all accompanied by images. Think of it as a trippy TV commercial for the digital age.

The label will release these videos as separate entities (each one on a different site), then all together on matthewdear.com afterwards.

View the clip for Will Gravity Win Tonight? now.

Asa Breed is out June 5, 2007 on Ghostly.

Read XLR8R 107, starring Matthew Dear on the cover.

Femi Kuti was born into the history of Afrobeat–literally. Son to the genre’s pioneer, Feli Kuti, the Nigerian bandleader has been a leading force both musically and in numerous political causes (Pan-Africanism, Socialism, anti-AIDS campaigns) in addition to numerous releases. The percussive genius has released records for Motown, Polygram, and Mondo Melodia, and has attempted to run for President in Nigeria. Dude is no joke.

Wrasse Records recently released Femi Kuti: The Definitive Collection, a two-disc boxed set drawing on material from his various albums, his exclusive mixes, a duet with Rachid Taha, and a cover of Fela’s “Water No Get Enemy.”

Femi Kuti: The Definitive Collection is out now on Wrasse. 

In homage to the newest chapter in his release history, Femi will visit North American stages, allowing his flock of followers to get a live taste of Afrobeat history.

Tourdates
07/02 Milwaukee, WI: Summerfest
07/04 Detroit, MI: Comerica City Festival
07/06 Ottawa, ON: Ottawa Blues Festival
07/07 Quebec City, QC: Quebec Festival
07/08 Boston, MA: Paradise
07/11 New York, NY: Summerstage
07/12 Philadelphia, PA: Theater of the Living Arts
07/13 Washington, DC: 9:30 Club
07/14 Atlanta, GA: Variety Playhouse
07/16 Austin, TX: Stubb’s
07/18 Flagstaff, AZ: Orpheum
07/19 San Diego, CA: House of Blues
07/20 Los Angeles, CA: House of Blues
07/21 San Francisco, CA: Fillmore
07/22 Truckee, CA: Truckee Regional Park
07/25 Seattle, WA: Showbox
07/26 Vancouver, BC: Commodore Ballroom
07/27 Portland, OR: Horning’s Hideout
07/29 Salt Lake City, UT: The Depot
07/30 Aspen, CO: Belly Up
07/31 Boulder, CO: Boulder Theater
08/02 Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis Zoo Amphitheater
08/03 Chicago, IL: Lollapalooza Festival

With a resurgence of releases in the techno, nu-jazz, hip-hop, and dubstep scenes, music is diverse as ever, often with its newest incarnations and hybrids entering the market by way of new single releases. Plus, in a dominant digital-downloading era, new tracks appear more frequently and with less promotion, causing many fans to miss out on some astounding releases. Scanning niche digital-music stores such as Boomkat, Juno, Goya, Beatport, Stompy, DanceTracks, and Bleep can help you stay in the loop, provided you’ve got hours to spend sampling clips. In case that’s an arduous option, xlr8r.com provides this mini-guide to some of our choice cuts.

Techno
Fans of Basic Channel and Plus 8 should definitely check out the recent output of Sentient Sound. Its latest release, NAW’s (pictured above) Cracked Lines and Broken Signals EP, sums up the label’s subtle techno modus operandi. Gentle melodies, rubbery bass, and echoed keys penetrate four solid tunes. NAW is the work of Canadian ex-pat Neil Wiernik. Also recommended, Sentient singles catalog number eight and seven from Myers Briggs and Roberto Bardini, respectively.

Brazilian Gui Boratto looks like 2007’s breakthrough techno artist. His new Chomophobia Remixes EP on Kompakt should solidify that reputation, as Robert Babicz transforms Boratto’s “Mr. Decay” into a gritty and hypnotic outer-space anthem and The Field uses repetition, swirl, and sensual sonics to transform “Hera.”

Nu-jazz
We’ve been waiting for Sweden’s Swell Session (pictured above) to resurface, and the group shall emerge soon with some wonderful tracks on Freerange Recordings. A four-song EP drops shortly, with excellent reworks by Mr. Scruff (“No No”), Landslide (“Had It Coming”), and Seiji (“Prepared To Go”). Massive!

Freedom Soundz (a.k.a Alex Attias) feat. Colonel Red’s latest “Take My Love,” on Visions, is out May 25, and features a Franck Roger remix. Red sounds especially soulful on this one, and the track bounces with a signature broken groove that can only be called “future funk.”

Hip-Hop
Incarceration and changing rap times haven’t stopped Keith Murray from producing dope tracks. “Nobody Does It Better,” with Tyrese, is equally club- or radio-friendly and replete with Murray’s patented punchlines.

Brownsville, Brooklyn native Frontpage has a soulful new track, “Getting Money,” on Pifftown. The smooth, ’70s-style groove will appeal to Wu-Tang fans.

King Reign (pictured above)–featuring Saukrates’s “Guilty Party”–on Renegade is a lyric feast, with Reign and Sauk both spitting complex, philosophical flows over minimal, electronic beats.

We’ll look at more genres and gems in our next installment of The Week In Singles–’til then, happy hunting.

San Francisco-based beatsmith Deejay OM is quite possibly the only producer who cites a passion for meditation and Yoga while still pumping out tracks for Thrasher magazine skate videos. His latest album, Reheated Naan and Curry, is a collision of boom-bap beats and exotic Eastern flair. When an Indian spot opens up next to an indie hip-hop club, business owners would be wise to hire OM as a resident.

Download this song as an MP3, or preview a week’s worth of tracks at the XLR8R Podcast. Subscribe using iTunes, or with an RSS reader of your choice.