The Sounds of Summer
The season promises a colorful blast of music and culture, with XLR8R at the helm. Issue 69 contains interviews with Four Tet, the Big Dada crew, Beans and Gold Chains, as well as cover artists Truby Trio. More featured artists include The Bug, A.R.E. Weapons, Kostas, Mice Parade, Valerie Etienne, Joan of Arc and Caural. Don’t miss the highlights of the issue, XLR8R‘s guide to the 20 best underground labels in America and a visual guide to vintage synths.
Bakura Reach the Sky
Three years on, broken beat is an established genre with club nights around the world relying on a supply of singles, like this sublime new Domu collaboration with Robert Marin. Bakura’s tracks create tension by stripping down the mix: only the necessary computerized bass, vintage synths and twitchy beats fill in these galactic samba bogles. Well forward.
Caural Blurred July EP
Zachary Mastoon is lost in the cornfields and abandoned factory rows of America’s Midwest with only an MPC 3000 as his compass. Like DJ Shadow’s early works, these three lush, romantic, deconstructed hip-hop instrumentals and one vocal cut with MC Diverse reach out in the dark, longing for connection with some familiar soul. Reach out for this.
Jaylib The Official
You don’t necessarily hear music made by Jay Dee and Mad Lib-you feel it. They’re too busy living the moment with wobbly jazz loops, drunken snares, dirty handclaps and lyrics that tell it like it is. “The Official” is so stoned it can’t walk a straight line, but it’s still in charge of the battle like Tommy Franks.
KEMETIC Just Minstrel Speak
Atlanta house production duo Kemetic Just meet our demands for music with a message by allowing Philly’s spoken-wordologist Rich Medina some space to comment on both bling” and race. Sweet Abraham’s rework opens with Lady Alma invoking the spirits before a rugged, low-riding, offbeat riddim drops. Even Gil Scot would approve of these soul techniques. “
Mark XTC Rollin Beatz/Keys
Mark XTC, formerly of Da Intalex (with pal Marcus) returns for this Valve offshoot. “Rollin’ Beatz” is an apt title for this A-side, in which a ’95 bassline pairs up with a pitched-down Amen for some extremely minimal hardstep business. The flip’s “Keys” pinches a wonky piano intro from Dillinja and hits it with some pounding one-two punches. More DJ tools than fleshed-out tunes, these tracks would be perfect with an a capella laid over them, but are pretty boring on their own.
Gemma Fox Messy
Up ‘n’ coming vocalist Gemma Fox delivers it in r&b rude gal fashion, with a more-shrill-than-Ms.-Dynamite flow over rough, bassline biz that coils around the words. The catchy hook-“So messy, so damn messy!”-will stick in your ears for days. Don’t fight it, just buy it!
Tinfed Dangergirl Remixes
Indie rock and punk meets drum & bass on the second release from upstarts Volta Vinyl. Pieter K turns in an esoteric, carefully constructed, Photek-esque workout, while Sacramento’s Fruitbat presents a futuristic, low-key techno ride. Echo turns out the real dancefloor flavor here, whipping through an airy, trancey number underpinned by a serious bassline. Quality flavors!
Various Artists Hardware Chronicles Vol. 1 EP
Hardware comes big, bad and heavy on this EP, where the new signings bring the fire. Raiden delivers blistering ’97-Metalheadz boom, as dark stalwart Dylan commits death-metal d&b to wax once more. Rob F serves up quality Konflict-style tech fare, but upstart ArQer steals the show with a number that melds trancey synths and r&b vocals with a blistering Bad Company-esque blistering bass growl. Ouch!
