XLR8R’s May Festival Selections

Another month and another round of festivals to detail—and this roundup is particularly strong with some of the world’s most decorated events in the diary. Those in Europe can enjoy the likes of Nuits Sonores and Lighthouse, in France and Lyon respectively, while those more experimentally inclined can travel to Geneva, Switzerland, for Mapping Festival, one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary events dedicated to audio-visual art and digital cultures. Rounding off the European side is Prague’s UP Festival, a new event that brings some of the leading names in contemporary house and techno to the Czech capital for the first time. Elsewhere, Detroit will once again host Movement, which needs little introduction, while San Francisco will see a debut edition of Mutek, featuring the solo live premiere of dub techno innovator Moritz Von Oswald, live sets from Detroit techno-electro innovators Aux 88 and Cómeme label head Matias Aguayo, and sets from Lee Gamble, Tim Hecker, Equiknoxx, Telefon Tel Aviv, Underground Resistance’s Galaxy 2 Galaxy, Kyoka, Convextion, Francesco Tristano & Derrick May. Rounding up the US side is Moogfest, a gem in the US festival market. More info below.

Nuit Sonores—May 6 to 13, Lyon, France

As pointed out in last year’s review,” few festivals can propose a diversity as rich in programming as Nuits Sonores.” The annual event boasts both a day and night program, with events running in various industrial and historical locations across the city from May 6 to 13 in Lyon, France—although the main day and night events are planned Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (9 to 12).

This year’s day programming will once again feature A Day With, a four-day run of artist-curated lineups—this year it will run over four days instead of three—with curation by Four Tet, Paula Temple, Daniel Avery, and Jennifer Cardini. The night programming features a range of both DJ and live sets from Maetrik (a.k.a Maceo Plex), Laurent Garnier, The Black Madonna, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Kerri Chandler, Bicep, Mr. Fingers a.k.a Larry Heard, Lee Gamble, Margaret Dygas, DJ Boring, Palms Trax, Avalon Emerson, and more.

XLR8R will also host a party this year at roof-top venue Le Sucre in the city’s center, headed up by WHITE artist Edward (DJ), Serbia’s Tijana T, and Leeon.

UP Festival—May 11 to 13, Prague, Czech Republic

From May 11 to 13, Prague’s UP Festival will take over one of the city’s oldest—and most famous—landmarks Vystaviste Holesovice. This is the festival’s inaugural edition and the first Prague event to feature techno, house, and electronica in one place. You can expect 72 hours of high-quality dancefloor music by an array of highly-regarded talents in the scene, including Ricardo Villalobos, Magda, Sonja Moonear, Ion Ludwig, Barac, Vera, Luigi Tozzi, Nils Weimann, Fatty M, Schwa, Ellen Allien, Apollonia, Praslesh, Bella Sarris, Molly, Anthea, Oshana, Topper, Varhat, Janeret, Brothers Black, and local acts Jorgos, Oliver Torr, Em Ju Es Aj Si, and Bruno Curtis, among others.

With ticket prices topping out at 50 euros, UP Festival provides an affordable alternative to many of its competitors in Western Europe—and with its base in a country that has been relatively dormant in the scene, the festival will look to put Prague and the Czech Republic on the map with a bang.

Mapping Festival—May 9 to 12, Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva’s Mapping Festival is an annual multidisciplinary event dedicated to audio-visual art and digital cultures. The event will run from May 9 to 12 in the new urban campus of the Haute Ecole d’art et de design Genève (HEAD), in the Charmilles district of Geneva, with scheduled performances from the likes of Plaid and Felix’s Machines, Alessandro Cortini, Inga Mauer, Moritz Simon Geist, Tobias, Lanark Artefax, Tolouse Low Trax, N.M.O., NSDOS, and Patrick Russell.

There will also be two 12-hour days of workshops and lectures (May 9 and 10) followed by two 12-hour evenings specifically devoted to live performances (May 11 and 12). This includes Paradigm_Shift, an international forum featuring a series of talks, keynotes, and discussions from artists, creatives, curators, philosophers, and scientists on the theme “Human + Machines by Design, not by Default”; 13 workshops curated by Alexander Scholz of the CreativeApplications.net platform, offering education on new creative coding and machine learning, synthesizers, embodying data, and augmented reality; and live audio-visual performances, including a visual symphony that illuminates buildings (Antoine Schmitt), a musical creation played by robots (Moritz Simon Geist), an invention that transforms and levitates water with the help of sound (Evelina Domnitch & Dmitry Gelfand), and an installation that produces music thanks to tennis balls launched at a speed of more than 150 km/h (Philip Vermeulen).

MUTEK San Francisco—May 3 to 6, San Francisco, United States

The first edition of MUTEK San Francisco goes down from May 3 to 6 across nine different venues in the city, taking in audiovisual performances, parties, and outdoor events. It’s also helmed by two experienced co-directors in Surefire Agency founder Miroslav Wiesner and Gabrielle de Villoutreys.

Key drawcards include the North American solo live premiere of dub techno innovator Moritz Von Oswald, live sets from Detroit techno-electro innovators Aux 88 and Cómeme label head Matias Aguayo, and sets from Lee Gamble, Tim Hecker, Equiknoxx, Telefon Tel Aviv, Underground Resistance’s Galaxy 2 Galaxy, Kyoka, Convextion, Francesco Tristano & Derrick May, Honey Soundsystem’s Jackie House and Bézier, Russell E.L. Butler, and Solar (who will play alongside C.L.A.W.S.). There will also be a contingent of some of the Bay Area-finest, including 8ULENTINA, Christopher Willits, DIBIA$E, Foozool, King Most, and Only Now.

As is the case with MUTEK, there will also be a variety of audiovisual and experiential artworks, including iAltar from Brian Reinbolt, The Chamber of Cerebral Geometry from Craig Dorety, Immersive Constructions from Last Faith Studio and Subpac, Strobe Piece from Greg Zifcak, and Lux Aeterna from Joey Verbeke & Yağmur Uyanık, among others.

Movement Detroit—May 26 to 29, Detroit, United States

Detroit’s Movement Electronic Music Festival is one of the longest-running music festivals in the world, and, as Reisa Shanaman stated in her 2016 review, it’s the embodiment of “Detroit’s unique character; it is also a declaration of Detroit’s claim to techno—a resounding proclamation that can literally be heard in Canada.” As always, Movement Detroit takes place over Memorial Day weekend (May 26 through 18), this year featuring Claude Von Stroke, Loco Dice b2b Martinez Brothers, and Wu-Tang Clan in the headline slots, with Detroit represented by Andrés, Black Noi$e, Blake Baxter, Delano Smith, Mark Flash, Mike Huckaby, Ectomorph, DJ Stingray Kevin Saunderson, and Saunderson’s Inner City (live). Other acts on the bill include festival favorite John Digweed, Modeselektor, Avalon Emerson, Anthony Parasole, Beautiful Swimmers, Aurora Halal, Helena Hauff, Radio Slave, KiNK, Marcel Dettmann, Nina Kraviz, Laurent Garnier, Ellen Allien, Tiga, and Maceo Plex.

MOOG Fest—May 17 to 20, Durham, North Carolina, United States

Moogfest is a gem in the US festival market, providing an often overlooked synthesis of music, art, and technology. Since its inception in 2004, the event has brought an inspired list of artists, futurist thinkers, inventors, entrepreneurs, designers, engineers, scientists, and musicians to its Durham, North Carolina, home base. This year’s Moogfest runs from May 17 to 20. By day, Moogfest acts as a platform for conversation and experimentation; by night, you’ll find forward-thinking music in various venues throughout the city. This year’s lineup features early electronic pioneers and pop and avant-garde experimentalists, including LCD Soundsystem, synth explorer Gavin Rayna Russom, gender-ambiguous theremin virtuoso Armen Ra, Fatima Al Qadiri, DJ Maliibu Mitch, left-field pop maven SOPHIE, and the US debut of revered Japanese multi-instrumentalist Midori Takada—leading on from previous years, these artists will participate in Future Sound performances by night and lead Future Thought workshops and conversations by day. There’s also a focus on female, non-binary, and transgender artists, including a keynote conversation with privacy rights and political transparency activist Chelsea Manning on The Future of Creativity. If experimental, future-facing music, technology, and critical thinking is your thing, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better offering then this year’s Moogfest.

Lighthouse Festival—May 30 to June 3, Porec, Croatia

Details of Croatia’s Lighthouse Festival 2018 are yet to be revealed but it’s sure to be another memorable few days. The annual event, now on its sixth edition, is led by the Viennese team behind Pratersauna but is an international effort, with crew coming from all over Europe. Previous editions have seen the event gain a strong recognition in what is a saturated market in Croatia, so much so that this year’s edition is already in part sold out, with only 300 remaining festival-only tickets set to be released. Capacity is limited to 3500 guests, and to keep the family spirit they’ve created a closed community with a special “friends of friends” invitation system. On the bill are Avalon Emerson, Bambounou, Or:la, Ryan Elliott, Moodymann, e/tape, so many more—easily one of the finest lineups out there. If you can go, go.

Katuchat ‘Hypertension’

Tomorrow, April 27, Roche Musique will release French newcomer Katuchat‘s latest EP, Anaesthesia.

Over five engrossing and emotionally complex tracks, Katuchat transcribes his daily struggle dealing with an incurable disease from an early age—the release’s artwork, too, wears this struggle, as the scar “represents the way I had to learn to live with my illness by assuming the traces left externally and internally,” he says. Katuchat is influenced by artists such as Aphex Twin, Arca, and Shlohmo, which can be heard in the mind-bending sound design, delicate rhythms, and haunting atmospheres on Anaesthesia. The EP represents “a very personal musical project to express the acceptance of this disease, the consent to never really heal and the importance of keeping your head up.”

In support of the EP, Katuchat has offered up “Hypertension” as today’s XLR8R download, available via WeTransfer below, along with a stream of the EP.

You can purchase the EP here.

Hypertension

Hyperdub to Release Okzharp and Manthe Ribane Album

Hyperdub will release the debut album of Okzharp and Manthe Ribane this summer, titled Closer Apart—landing on July 6.

Manthe Ribane and Okzharp hail from South Africa, where Manthe still resides. Okzharp now lives in the London where operates as a DJ-producer. He cut his teeth in the band LV, one of the first acts to sign to Hyperdub.

The recording started on tour, in their audiovisual collaborator Chris Saunders’ Paris studio. Okzharp describes Manthe as a co-producer: “She selected instrumental sketches and we developed them together, sometimes just keeping the bare bones or a melody or rhythm, or trying different elements or sounds. In tandem.” Chris worked with Manthe on developing a visual identity, feeding back into the music, for the live show but also for the audio-visual elements of their work, which will come around the album.

We’re told that the EP has a “softness and openness” that contrasts the tougher sound of their previous EPs.

The release follows Proc Fiskal LP, which lands on June 6.

Tracklisting

01. W U @
02. Make U Blue
03. Why U In My Way
04. Zagga
05. Never Say Never
06. Never Thought
07. Blue Tigers
08. Time Machine
09. Tide
10. Kubona
11. Theletsa
12. Dun
13. Treasure Erasure

Closer Apart LP will land on July 6, with “Dun” streaming below.

North London Outfit Ivy Lab Share New Single

North London outfit Ivy Lab have today released “Jet Lag,” the second single from their debut album Death Don’t Always Taste Good. The video features dancer Nadine Olmo and was produced by Alex Allaux and Justin Conte.

The North London outfit, originally consisting of Sabre, Stray, and Halogenix, came to prominence around 2012 as a drum & bass act working predominantly for the Critical Music label through which they released their debut single, “Oblique.” The years that followed have seen them propagate a new generation of hip-hop-inspired abstractions housed within the framework of their 20/20 LDN project. The label was unveiled with 2015’s pseudo-mixtape/compilation LP Ivy Lab presents 20/20 Volume.1, and subsequent follow-up EPs have been benchmark moments in forging the halftime/future beats genre—an assortment of actors from across the bass music landscape applying their sonic-heritage to experiments with hip-hop and drum machine electronica.

Now a duo, Sabre (Gove Kidao) and Stray (J. Fogel) will release their debut album proper, titled Death Don’t Always Taste Good. It’s described as their “most consistent body of work they’ve created so far” and “reveals a deeper dimension to Ivy Lab’s sonic palette than we’ve experienced before.” It will be the first music from them since they’ve become a duo.

Tracklisting:

01. Fortune Teller
02. Ugly Bubble
03. Jet Lag
04. Astral Pirate Theme
05. Cake
06. Vanity Fair
07. A & E
08. Death Don’t Always Taste Good
09. Snack Time
10. Calculate
11. Ozbo
12. Cadillac

Death Don’t Always Taste Good LP will land on May 18, with “Jet Lag” streaming in full above.

Adamo Golán ‘Killing Time’

Adamo Golán has today released his debut album on Francis Harris’ Kingdoms imprint, titled Exile And The New.

Golán is the alter ego of German artist Laurens A. Schmidt, who has been pursuing a more club-focused techno project while developing an ever deeper fascination with experimental music, ambient, and film scores. Drawing influence from his adopted homes Berlin and currently London, the 26-year-old has been “uncompromisingly trying to develop his own musical voice,” he explains.

Exile And The New is said to “express this ongoing pursuit” and, being the first full-length and first ever release by Adamo Golán, marks the start of his most personal project to-date. We’re told that it “touches upon a diverse set of sceneries, moods, and emotions whilst a distinctive sound design gives the work a subtle framework and guiding thread.”

In support of the release, Golán has shared a brand new unreleased track, not included on the album but in a similar vibe to those included on it. You can grab it now via the WeTransfer button below.

Tracklisting

A1. Fis
A2. Just Friends
A3. Replica
B1. Exile And The New
B2. Lie To Me
B3. … Then Rely On Me
B4. The Hungry Years

Killing Time

Thundercat Releases New Track

Yesterday, the Adult Swim Singles Program delivered a new Thundercat track, titled “Final Fight,” now widely available via Brainfeeder.

“Final Fight” is Thundercat’s first original new track since last year’s full-length Drunk on Brainfeeder, which saw him collaborate with everyone from Kendrick Lamar and Wiz Khalifa to Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The album was also recently subject to a chopped-not-slopped treatment from OG Ron C and DJ Candlestick of legendary Houston screw outfit The Chopstars.

Final Fight is available now, with a stream available below.

Christopher Coe Shares a Majestic Cut Inspired by the Mountainous Landscapes in Ireland

On May 4, new live electronic label Awesome Soundwave will launch with a new LP from Christopher Coe.

Inspired by the mountainous landscape of his homelands in the remote west of Ireland, MNTNS of SLNC comprises eight deep and atmospheric techno tracks that draw on Coe’s interest and study in alternative tunings such as the resonant frequencies of the 432khz tuning standard (it also features live recordings of the Schumann’s Resonances and traditional Irish instruments recorded in traditional setting). Alongside this, Coe utilized location recordings to compose an engrossing and dynamic collection of cuts that pull the listener into misty and majestic sonic worlds.

In support of the LP, the label has shared a full stream of hypnotic techno cut “Ancient Prayers,” available via the player below.

You can pre-order the LP here.

Premiere: Hear a Rolling House Cut From Aimed

Next month, Aimed will release a track on EWax‘s new VA and launch their self-titled label with an eight-track VA.

The Aimed trio consists of Ukrainian duo Orbit & Belogurov, who have gained a solid reputation thanks to releases on Adult Only Records, Drumma, Cyclic, Arupa Music, and Slowdance, and Cheise, who has dropped tracks on OGE, Crocus, Kanja Records, Kina Music, and System 108, among others.

The launch of the project will see the trio land on EWax’s forthcoming VA, which also features Thomas Wood, Josh Baker, Ryan Murray, and Stephan Bazbaz, with a deep and rolling house cut titled “Adjust.” Following that, the Aimed label project will launch with its own VA, featuring cuts from Chris Carrier, FAER (a.k.a. Felipe Valenzuela and Argenis Brito), Onoffon, Herr, Miffy & Milly, Onoffon, Basic7, and Stephan Bazbaz & Asael Weiss.

As a precursor to both outings, the trio have shared a full stream of “Adjust” and snippets for the forthcoming Aimed VA, both of which can be heard via the players below, alongside a dubbed-out mix from Orbit & Belogurov.

XLR8R’s Top 10 Downloads of March

Like every month here on XLR8R, March brought a healthy new supply of free tracks to our downloads section, with both rising and established artists contributing tracks—you could find artists such as Man Power sitting next to rising dub duo Space Afrika and Philadelphia rapper lojii, for example. As we do at the end of every month, we’ve crunched the numbers from the month prior and now present to you the top 10 tracks to land in our downloads section in March.

Taking the top spot this time around was California-born, Berlin-based producer Gene On Earth with his groove-laced banger “Dougie Jam,” followed in the top three by oOoOO & Islamiq Grrrls‘ woozy pop cut “Be On Through” and Man Power‘s “Functions,” with Space Afrika and Benedikt Frey rounding out the top five.

March’s 10 most popular XLR8R downloads have been assembled into a list below and can be grabbed for free by following their respective links. In addition, all 10 tracks have been compiled into one convenient file, which can be downloaded via WeTransfer below.

01. Gene On Earth “Dougie Jam”
02. oOoOO & Islamiq Grrrls “Be On Through”
03. Man Power “Functions”
04. Space Afrika “bly”
05. Carl Craig “Domina” (Benedikt Frey Outback Remix)
06. Madben “The Struggle”
07. Lefto “Pechawar Express”
08. Deep’a & Biri “Avicenna” (XLR8R Edit)
09. Metaboman “Huerde”
10. Pressure Point “Theme”

Estonia’s Moonland Festival Confirms More Names

Estonia’s Moonland Festival has added more names to the lineup, including Underground Resistance, Daniel Avery, and Legowelt—who will join the likes of Cristi Cons, DVS1, Nastia, and more from the first announcement.

This year’s debut edition will take place in the historical Rummu quarry and former prison, a Unesco World Heritage Site, not far from Estonia’s capital Tallin. The site is said to be “surrounded by lush nature,” and is known for hosting Into The Valley 2017. The aim, organizers say, is to “reshape the landscape through an interactive audio-visual experience,” soundtracked by the below names, with more set to be announced.

The second release of artists includes:

Adamov (RU)
Bogdan Taran & Lomov (LV)
Boris (DE)
Boym (RU)
Call Super (UK)
Daniel Avery (UK)
Dasha Redkina (RU)
Deep Mariano (AR)
Eisi (EE)
El (RU)
Hipushit (RU)
I-F (NL)
Juho Kusti (FI)
Kovyazin D live (RU)
Legowelt (NL)
Maher Daniel (CA)
Majkel (SE)
Martin Kling (SE)
Mava b2b Nebukat, RutmiKa (EE)
Maya Lourenco (SE)
Momo Trosman (AR)
Parallax Deep (SE)
Per Hammar (SE)
Perc (UK)
Regis (UK)
Ron Morelli (FR)
Safe Mode (EE)
Sariim (RU)
Shaun Reeves (US)
Shutta (RU)
Tanel Mütt (EE)
UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE presents Deep Charge (US)
Volition Immanent (NL)

Already announced artists:

Abelle (RU)
Andrey Nechaev (EE)
Archie Hamilton (UK)
Artur Lääts (EE)
Barac (RO)
Christopher Ledger (IT)
Cristi Cons (RO)
Dana Ruh (DE)
Dewalta (DE)
Dorian Paic (DE)
DVS1 (US)
Enzo Siragusa (UK)
Janina (DE)
Kamran Sadeghi LIVE (US)
Mashkov (RU)
Mike Shannon (CA)
Mr. & Mrs. Jonson (Mathew Jonson) LIVE (DE)
Nima Gorji (ES)
Nastia (UA)
Nikita Zabelin (RU)
Octo Octa LIVE (US)
Philip Gorbachev LIVE (RU)
PTU (RU)
Rossko (UK)
Sleeparchive (DE)
Sofia Rodina (RU)

This year’s debut edition takes place from August 3 to 5 in the historical prison walls of Rummu, with more information and tickets available via XLR8Rhere.

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