mindswimmer have released a new single called “Elevation,” discussing the struggles and beauty of love and life via hip-hop, jazz, and spoken word.
mindswimmer is a Chicago-based future jazz quintet with a sound that is not easy to classify. On last year’s Between Spaces album, the group crafted an ambient tribute to a former collaborator. The Dinner Party then channelled a more trip-hop aesthetic, hinting at where their sound was headed.
“Elevation”, their latest single, is a 13-minute track that sees the band explore multiple genres of music. The expansive work reveals the influence of the golden age of hip-hop, while simultaneously paying tribute to the pioneering electronic artists of Düsseldorf (Kraftwerk, Neu!). It’s out now on Stellar Nursery Records, itself founded by three members of mindswimmer. Meanwhile, you can stream it in full above.
Sofie is Sofie Fatouretchi, a 26-year-old DJ based between Los Angeles and Vienna, born in Palo Alto to parents of Austrian and Iranian descent. As a teenager, she relocated with her family to Austria where she studied at the conservatory of music before enrolling to study computer science, economics, and sociology—all the while working full-time as a Microsoft programmer.
A continued interest in music saw the demise of her academia, leading her to apply for an internship at Stones Throw Records after seeing an advertisement during a visit to LA. “It was a shot in the dark,” she explains. After only a few months, she was offered a job, reason enough to return home to California, intent on making the most of the opportunity. It wasn’t long before she began DJing at label events, showcasing a rapidly expanding collection of records old and new that started in her late teens.
Soon thereafter, Fatouretchi crossed paths with Blaise Bellville, the founder of Boiler Room, and Thristian Richards, the show’s first host, who were in LA for a session with Peanut Butter Wolf, Fatouretchi’s boss at Stones Throw. Having opened the night ahead of Dam-Funk and J Rocc, Fatouretchi connected with Boiler Room and went on to become a central figure in a now 50-strong team. Fatouretchi’s role in the brand’s growth must not be underestimated.
Today, Sofie continues her role with Boiler Room in a freelance capacity but is currently spending time in Vienna where she’s studying to become a teacher in psychology, philosophy, and English. Her ties with Stones Throw remain strong: last year she released a 2xLP on the label entitled Sofie’s SOS Tape andShe has A&R’d forthcoming releases on the label such as Stimulator Jones and Grandmilly.
She also hosts a monthly show on London’s NTS Radio, while she’s picking up gigs across Europe with more regularity. Her style is wonderfully diverse and eclectic; it’s no surprise that her podcast touches on psych, dance, disco, jazz, funk, rap, pop, soul, and just about everything else.
You’re currently based in Vienna, Austria. What are you up to over there?
I’m doing a teaching degree in psychology, philosophy, and English, and as of this month, I’m also studying painting, which I couldn’t be more excited about.
When and why did you start collecting records, and was it with the intention of becoming a DJ?
I guess it just sort of happened, I’m not a crazy collector, but my records seem to multiply by themselves. Nothing I’ve ever really done has been with the intention of becoming solely a DJ.
How did you learn to beat-match?
We used to throw a night when I was at Stones Throw, called 56, in Mr T’s Bowl in Highland Park. Those were my first real times DJing sets longer than an hour, and the audience included people like Madlib, so you can imagine I was nervous but also a super eager and probably obnoxious 20-year-old. So it was from practicing there that it happened, and one night J Rocc—although he probably doesn’t remember this—gave me the world’s greatest tip—snare to snare. I’m not crazy about needing to beat match anything. Additionally, I think it’s a billion times more interesting to have a fascinating selection than needing to stay in a set BPM range. For sure, don’t trainwreck your way from song to song but there are so many ways you can get creative transitioning from one track to the next!
Do you remember your first DJ gig? How did it go?
It was on live radio in Austria, on the Superfly station, on this hip-hop magazine that I used to take photos for. I was probably 14, and I was given the opportunity to get on the decks maybe five minutes before playing, no warning. They nicknamed me “DJ Crazy.”
Who were the DJs that impressed you growing up?
DJ Evil Dee, DJ Spanish Fly, and Peanut Butter Wolf.
I’m struck by the diversity in the music you play. Do you think there a certain aesthetic that ties your records together?
My interest in them.
What’s your process for discovering new music? Where and how often do you dig?
Anywhere from record stores to YouTube. It’s silly to stay homogenous in your ways of discovery, I don’t discriminate any medium. As for how often, I guess it’s a continuous process! I like that feeling of falling in love with a song and wanting to listen to it over and over again, so I’m really searching for that.
When and where was the mix recorded?
This mix was recorded live at the Elevate Festival in Graz, Vienna, just the other week.
Faction, an LA-based technology-enabled talent management company, has announced the launch of its proprietary IOS app, Faction X, which is now live in the Apple App Store.
Faction X claims to be the world’s first self-management app for emerging artists and “provides a platform to help developing talent to get noticed by the industry’s power players.” In essence, the app allows artists to build a “Faction” of key business partners and collaborators, and then share important news, assign tasks, obtain approvals, access discounts from preferred vendors, and view aggregated social and commercial data. The app also contains a proprietary algorithm that creates a “score” for each artist based on the weekly change in their social engagement and then ranks the artists versus their peers. This chart reflects an artist’s ability to connect with their fans and their career velocity, which is of particular interest to agents, labels, promoters and other industry groups.
Robb McDaniels, Faction’s Founder, commented: “Emerging artists now have access to a tool that can help them more effectively communicate with, and manage, their internal business network, while also tracking the impact of all their hard work on their fan base.” Paul Stepanek, Faction’s General Manager, added: “Being able to activate your key business partners, keep everyone working in lockstep and provide them all with equal access to information is instrumental to any artist taking it to the next level.”
The Faction X app is free during this beta phase and then will switch to a monthly subscription model in the summer. Additional functionality and preferred vendors will be added during the coming months as well. When the app emerges from the beta period, the full artist chart rankings will be published to industry partners.
Markus Gibb‘s “Dernier Souffle” has been remixed by Malcolm, owner of Global Warming Records and Rinse FM resident in Paris. The original track landed as part of Various Artists #1, the label’s first release, while you can grab the remix via the WeTransfer button below.
Hyperdub will release the debut album of Joe Powers (a.k.a Proc Fiskal), titled Insula.
Joe Powers is from Edinburgh, Scotland far outside the network of the grime capital of London. The Highland Mob, his debut EP, landed on Hyperdub last year, opening up his music to open-eared footwork and drum & bass fans as well as the grime crowd. He followed this up with a jungle-inflected EP on Om Unit’s Cosmic Bridge label, called Yes Boss, and will now release his debut album, Insula, which “switches the feel and intention towards a personal, and melodic music with one foot in grime, infused with often comic, often wistful recorded moments from his environment.”
He says: “I wanted to be aware of where the music is coming from, referencing things I’m presently experiencing like making grime, my Radar radio show, phone addiction, alcohol, my surroundings, girls, depression, positivity, being unemployed, being employed hating it, my friends, etc. Trying to be true to myself instead of relying on other people’s nostalgia, and focusing on now.”
“I think I probably make tunes to get out emotions I don’t express in day-to-day life. I used clips of my friends talking, drunk folk, and general Scottish life to preserve and represent what my experience is like right now, it’s a little like social media, in that looking back on this album might be like looking at Facebook from years ago, or going through old group chats, like a time capsule. Social media/notification sounds are designed to release serotonin, which is what I’d like my music to do, to make me, and other people happy, and in using these manipulative noises in a positive way, I like to think I’m taking back the power of the manipulation.” — Proc Fiskal
Tracklisting
1. Restart 2. Apple Juice 3. Kontinuance 4. 2L 5. Achiltibuie 6. Scotch Precog 7. Pints 8. Dopamine 9. Punishment Exercise 10. Dish Washing 11.Vaudeville 12. Future Headache 13.Hoax Nos Trinit 14. Evil Spirits 15. A Like Ye 16. Mourn Non Did
Insula LP will land on June 8, with “Dish Washing” streaming in full via the player above.
The next release on Godmode comes in the shape of a three-track release from Channel Tres, a little-known LA-based producer and vocalist.
Channel Tres grew up in the Lynwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles, just a few clicks north of Compton. This will be his debut on New York’s Godmode, the label known for recently releasing the work of Yaeji, Shamir, and others.
We’re told to expect “classic Detroit house, reimagined with the surly attitude of West Coast rap.”
The Japanese artist has quickly emerged as one of his country’s leading DJ-producers. He has been exploring the deeper side of techno through well-received EPs on Midgar, The Bunker NY, and DJ Nobu’s Bitta label, as well as standout tracks on compilations on Semantica and Time to Express.
A chance encounter at Berghain in February of 2015 connected Wata with Bryan Kasenic, founder of The Bunker New York, who already knew his music. As a result of this meeting, The Bunker released a podcast from Wata later that year, which was followed by Igarashi’s Mood of the Machines EP in 2016. The relationship has further deepened through working together on this follow-up record and Wata making his North American debut as a DJ at The Bunker in September of 2017.
Describing his creative development, Igarashi says: “the more I produce and play, the more I discover. I keep finding different aspects or nuances of making and performing techno music. This process of learning and constantly going deeper is very exciting for me, it is unlike anything else I have experienced before. I am appreciative of the opportunities I have been getting and I just want to pursue them as far as I can, it is deeply motivating doing something I love with people I respect.”
According to Igarashi, the Question and Answer EP is “about communication and connections, so it makes sense for it to be on The Bunker NY, a label that features so many friends and artists that inspire me. My relationship with Bryan has been an important and rewarding one for me, and I am really happy to be working with him again on this record.”
Tracklisting:
A1. Outburst A2. Train of Thought B1. Question and Answer B2. Broken Telephone
Last year, Indian Wells dropped his third album, Where The World Ends, via LA-based label Friends Of Friends. Via 10 emotive, artfully produced tracks, the album explores feelings of geographical, social, and political isolation formed from borders both ageless and imposed. It’s a hypnotic and immersive album that has picked up support and praise from BBC Radio 1, Boiler Room, Thump, KCRW, and RBMA Radio, among others.
Plancha Records also released a Japanese edition of the LP, which included an alternate mix of album cut “It’s Where The World Ends” by Luke Abbott. For today’s XLR8R download, the label has offered up Luke Abbott’s poignant and introspective version, which you can grab via WeTransfer below.
Nightports have shared a new video exploring the desolate beauty of the moors in West Yorkshire, England.
The video is set to the opening track from Nightports w/Matthew Bourne, a nine-track collaborative LP which finds Nightports’ Adam Martin and Mark Slater teaming up with pianist Matthew Bourne. The Nightports project is based on a simple rule of restriction: only sounds produced by the featured musician can be used. The sounds are then transformed, processed, edited, and arranged without limitation, resulting in a complex sonic tapestry that seamlessly weaves the source material with manipulated counterparts.
The film, which was produced by Process Moving Image, moves through an array of hypnotic images of the moors in West Yorkshire, perfectly complimenting the emotive sounds of Nightports and Matthew Bourne.
You can watch the film in full via the player above, with the album available here.
We_R House was inaugurated back in September of last year with a four-track solo EP from The Willers Brothers, which picked up support from artists such as Traumer, Arapu, Enzo Siragusa, East End Dubs, Ferro, and Fabe, among others. The new PE finds the label heads continuing where that left off with another set of stripped-back house cuts ranging from Cinthie’s dubbed-out “Control” to the deep swinging grooves of The Willers Brothers “Goes On And On.”
In support of the release, The Willers Brothers have shared a full stream of “Goes On And On, ‘ which you can hear via the player below.
