Cosmin Nicolae, the Romanian techno artist best known as Cosmin TRG, will release a new album under his birth name later this week—titled Semnal, landing on Opal Tapes.
Over the last decade, the work of Cosmin Nicolae has been a force of forward-thinking electronic music. His TRG alias formed the inaugurate release on Hessle Audio with the Put You Down / Broken Heart 12”. His music has featured across Tempa, ~scape, 50 Weapons, Hotflush, and many others, establishing him as an important part of the story of the cross-pollination of UK “bass” music with techno.
Semnal will be his debut release under his actual name. We’re told that Opal Tapes have “provided a space for Cosmin to have free reign to display another, looser, and more experimental side of his repertoire.” It’s also the first full-length effort he’s put out since his Cosmin TRG LPs for 50 Weapons, back in 2011 and 2013.
Side Effects is Slater’s first album since 2016’s Arc Angel, which landed under Planetary Assault Systems. It will be only his second long-player as L.B. Dub Corp, and the first release from the project since 2013’s Unknown Origin LP for Ostgut Ton. All other works have come on Mote-Evolver, the home for this upcoming album.
“I wrote the tracks over the last year between being on the road as P.A.S. and playing a few L.B. Dub Corp house sets,” Slater explains, “which naturally evolved into Side Effects almost accidentally.”
Besides the album, there will also be a separate three-track white-label vinyl release.
Tracklisting
Digital:
01. Reel One 02. Night Time Hawk 03. Edge 7 04. IELBEE 05. Float When You Can 06. Bass Machine 07. Forever In A Day 08. LBEES Jam 09. See The Light 10. We Are Going Home 11. Calling The Spirit
Vinyl:
01. Reel One 02. Night Time Hawk 03. Edge 7 04. IELBEE 05. Float When You Can 06. Bass Machine 07. Forever In A Day 08. LBEES Jam
White Label Vinyl:
01. See The Light 02. We Are Going Home 03. Calling The Spirit
Side Effects will land on May 19, with opener “Reel One” streaming in full here.
Nico Walser has shared a gorgeous neo-classical album as Giant Skeletons, titled Ghosts of Forsaken Ships, out now via Bandcamp.
Walser, real name Norbert Walser, is a musician, composer, producer, mix engineer, and artist coach, born in Germany in 1965. With his band Weltempfänger, he gained success in Germany before releasing two trip-hop albums as Code Blue. He’s also composed and played music for radio dramas, short movies, and stage shows; while today he fills much of his time mixing and producing for other artists and bands.
His most recent release landed late last month, titled Ghosts of Forsaken Ships under his Giant Skeletons alias. There’s little information about the release or the project, but it’s described as “music of water, wood & bones.” All nine tracks sit within the realms of instrumental electronica, neo-classical, and ambient.
Tracklisting
01. ghosts of forsaken ships 02. enter labyrinth 03. diving into a snow wave 04. mangrove rain 05. the weight of light 06. ballardian deserts 07. silent running 08. remains of the end 09. they walk the earth
Ghosts of Forsaken Ships LP is out now via Bandcamp, with a stream available below.
On April 6, Beats Of No Nation will return with its latest artist compilation, Dance Ideas Volume 2.
Since launching in 2016, Beats Of No Nation (BONN) has become a go-to for idiosyncratic dance music with a playful edge. Starting out as a radio show hosting the likes of Mall Grab, Francis Inferno Orchestra, Seb Wildblood, Lobster Theramin’s Jimmy Asquith, and many more, BONN has since gone on to launch its label arm, releasing five EPs from artists such as Levon Revol, Chord Memory Band, Super Fun Bumper Edition, and label head Jad & The, among others.
The label’s latest release, Dance Ideas Volume 2, presents four club-ready cuts from BONN’s extended circle of family and friends, including Ibiza resident and FINA Records A&R Corbi, Hackney’s Lavan, Jad & The, and Australia’s Olywok. From the low-slung grooves of Corbi’s “OK, Tell Me” to Olywok’s funk-filled acid cut “Maintain,” Dance Ideas Volume 2 is yet another standout release from one of dance music’s exciting new labels.
You can pre-order Dance Ideas Volume 2 here, with Olywok‘s “Maintain” streaming in full via the player below.
Ostgut Ton will release a new EP from Pom Pom—the mysterious techno outfit’s first appearance on someone else’s label.
For over 15 years, Pom Pom have been releasing techno 12″s and CDs in a staple black sleeve carrying with zero information as to their identity or work. They’ll now release a five-track EP, titled Untitled, on Ostgut Ton, once again without any further details, barring a release date.
It will be the Berghain-affiliated label’s first release since Somewhen’s AFL, which landed in February.
A lot has been written about DJ Taye of recent. The Chicago artist, real name Dante Sanders, dropped his latest album, Still Trippin’, via Hyperdub earlier this month and appears to have spent much of this ensuing period either travelling, gigging, or in front of a media outlet. How’s he found to compile a podcast, too?
Taye, at 23 years old, is the youngest member of DJ’s Rashad’s Teklife, a production collective founded in 2011 as an extension to DJ Spinn’s Ghettoteknitianz crew. Having been raised in Chicago’s South Side, he began his music experiments aged in 11 and was DJing parties before his 15th birthday—around the time his interest in footwork was just beginning to blossom. After discovering a CD of some old footwork tracks, and through the radio transmissions of DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, DJ Manny, and DJ Earl, Taye began digging a little deeper into the genre, soon to embark on his early attempts to make it. At 16 years old, Taye impressed these aforementioned names at Chicago’s Battle Groundz, a famed footwork gathering, and became part of the crew—and the youngest, by some measure. With two self-released albums, a slew of other EPs, and a steady touring schedule, it’s been an upward trajectory ever since. Given the questions over the future of footwork and Taye’s maturing abilities at producing it, it’s no surprise that there’s been so much interest in the release.
His mix for XLR8R, at just over one hour, is a straightforward showcase of some of Teklife’s latest work, much of it coming from Taye and others bits from the close network of peers that surround him. For those who haven’t been following the footwork scene, this serves as a strong documentation of just where how and where the sub-genre is right now.
What are your earliest memories of footwork, and what was it that drew you to the genre?
Hearing it on the radio mostly or in local parties.
Is there a particular track that you remember discovering that drew you to footwork?
What drove me to see how compelling it is as a genre was DJ Rashad’s Pack Life in 2009.
What sort of music were you producing before footwork?
Just rap.
Talk to me about how you became involved with Teklife?
Coming out to the battles, and tried out for the group one day when they were posting online about throwing said tryouts—they’ve never done that.
As a youngster in the scene, how much guidance did those in the crew give to you?
A lot from the first day. Just giving me insight all around. Growing up where we from it’s nothing but trouble to get into.
How are you enjoying the tour, right now? You’re spending a lot of time on the road.
It’s going well! Headed back to Chicago soon. Yeah, it’s been a blessing to be on the road and spread the message in different places. First time coming to Egypt, or Africa for that matter altogether.
When and where was the mix recorded?
Half on the plane on the way to Africa; the other half in my hotel room.
On what equipment did you record the mix?
Traktor and Ableton.
Was there a particular idea you were looking to convey?
Just showing a bit of the versatility in the new music we’ve been making, and still throw in classics too. Even played a couple UK club tracks.
How did you choose the tracks you included?
Usually, when I mix I just let it all flow naturally with whatever I play and let it tell it’s own story.
What else do you have coming up this year?
A few festivals in August, hopefully, more music, a collaboration album with Paypal is really coming together.
Tracklisting
01. DJ Taye “Ono” 02. DJ Taye & DJ Manny “WTF You Here For” 03. DJ Rashad & DJ Manny “Throw it Bak Remix” 04. DJ Taye & DJ Lucky “Pop That Thang 4 Me” 05. Taso, Brick5, DJ Lucky “BIG DOPE” 06. DJ Taye “All Yall” 07. DJ Rashad “Roy2010” 08. DJ Manny & DJ Taye “Sex Voice Takeova” 09. DJ Manny & DJ Jalen “Work Wit Me” 10. DJ Spinn & DJ Taye “Feel The Hi” 11. TKAY MAIZDA “TENNIES” (DJ TAYE REMIX) 12. DJ Chap & DJ Paypal “ONOFF Test” 13. Youngstar “Pulse X” 14. DJ Rashad & Gant-Man “Warehouse” 15. DJ Taye & UNIIQU3 “Gimme Some Mo” 16. DJ Manny “Fuk it up” 17. DJ Taye & UNIIQU3 “Fuck Shit” 18. ORANGE JULIUS & DJ PAYPAL “PAQ OUT” 19. DJ TAYE “STONY 93” 20. DJ Manny & DJ Taye “Greenlight” 21. DJ Taye & DJ Manny “Need it” 22. DJ Manny & DJ Taye “Give it to Me” 23. DJ Taye “With The Life” 24. DJ Taye, DJ Manny “Anotha4” 25. DJ Manny, DJ Taye “Do To You” 26. DJ Taye feat. DJ Lucky “Smokeout” 27. DJ Paypal “I need that 10 bands serato” 28. DJ Paypal & DJ Taye “Truu” 29. DJ PAYPAL & DJ TAYE “NTSC 2020” 30. DJ Manny “Sex On Beach 2020” 31. DJ Taye & DJ Manny “Larry / Kush” 32. DJ Taye “ROAD RAGE INSTRUMENTAL” 33. DJ Taye “KNOW WHAT I MEAN”
Black Taffy is a Dallas-based composer and performer whose current focus lies in pairing ambient music with large bass and percussion. The firstborn son of Pentecostal music ministers, Donovan grew up witnessing the power music has to induce trance and encourage spiritual awakening. Eventually drawing parallels between Christianity, voodoo, and the occult, he left the former to immerse himself in the latter. Sometimes performing with only vibraphone and cassette decks, he frequently employs the use of tape loops and other antiquated mediums to create pillowy worlds of wow and flutter.
Jones spent the better part of a decade composing and performing with ambient/instrumental outfit This Will Destroy You, yet he has since left that band to pursue composing and performing for himself.
“Geraldine” is the first single from the forthcoming Elder Mantis full-length (due Fall 2018), a “therapy record” which, in Jones’ opinion, features some of the “most therapeutic instruments” to sample and repurpose. We’re told that the “meat and potatoes” of this album are harp, koto, and flute with a small side of piano and nylon-string guitar. The sampled phrases were extracted from Western/Eastern classical music.
“Geraldine” is out now, streaming in full above, with an album coming soon.
DoubtingThomas, real name Aurélien Rivière, will return to Organic-Music for his third vinyl release on the label, titled Diapason.
The French-born artist has been steadily carving himself a reputation since the ’90s, experimenting with a wide spectrum of genres, ranging from down-tempo to trip-hop, breakbeat, jazz, and ambient. Besides Organic, his work has appeared on Catch Recordings, Eastenderz, Mayak, and others.
Tracklisting
01. Puffed Daddy 02. Diapason 03. Passing Tone
Diapason EP will land later this month, with “Puffed Dandy,” a stellar stripped back minimalist cut, streaming exclusively in full via the player below.
The EP follows AL-90’s recent 12″ on The Cyclist’s Tape Throb, this time collaborating with Moscow-based colleague DX2OV. The result, we’re told, is “a more complex approach [to his music] thus even more groovy and wavy.” The EP, the label continues, delivers two tracks of 4×4 beats, flowing tape layers, plus touchy melodies and DX2OV’s quirky tricks.”
Tracklisting
01. Odna 02. Vechnaya Bol
FUSE004 will land on April 6, with “Vechnaya Bol” available to download in full below. Meanwhile, you can pre-order the EP here.
The EP follows AL-90’s recent 12″ on The Cyclist’s Tape Throb, this time collaborating with Moscow-based colleague DX2OV. The result, we’re told, is “a more complex approach [to his music] thus even more groovy and wavy.” The EP, the label continues, delivers two tracks of 4×4 beats, flowing tape layers, plus touchy melodies and DX2OV’s quirky tricks.”
Tracklisting
01. Odna 02. Vechnaya Bol
FUSE004 will land on April 6, with “Vechnaya Bol” available to download in full below. Meanwhile, you can pre-order the EP here.
