“Resist All Dogma” is the lead single from Eomac‘s new 11-track album, titled Reconnect.
Inspired by ideas of ancient ecstatic dances and reconnecting with wild nature, the title track and the broody “Everything is Covered in Blood” use Eomac’s own vocals, screams and scattering percussion to express both “the frustration and pain of living in our current society and also the longing for a freer, wilder mode of existence.”
On the flip, Eomac has enlisted Shaddah Tuum to remix “Resist All Dogma,” where they take it deep into mystical territories, with ghostly percussion existing alongside vocal drones and deep, heavy sub bass.
In support of the single, you can download the remix in full via the WeTransfer button below.
The full Reconnect album will be out via Eotrax on April 27th, 2018.
Rising Copenhagen producer Yangze has a new single on the way.
Yangze, real name Jakob Littauer, is part of Escho, a Danish collective of promoters, book publishers, a management house, and a label who have built up over 83 releases over this last decade, including the first records from Iceage, last year’s LP from Smerz, and further releases from the likes of First Hate, Reverie, Lower, Eric Copeland, and more. Next up is Yangze.
Littauer has long been quite entangled in the Danish music life. He was in a techno-duo Electrojuice when he was very young and played Roskilde Festival at the age of 15. He then went on to study classical piano in Wales, where he got really into avant-garde/classical music, and now he produces/plays live with Liss.
Having dropped numerous singles, he’s now shared “Sometimes,” a smooth, melodic electronic pop song, streaming in full below.
Lisbon’s DJ Nigga Fox has unveiled a video for new cut “WAABA-JAH,” lifted from his Crânio EP, out on Friday on Warp Records.
“WAABA-JAH” is a beguiling electronic puzzle, in which every element stubbornly shapeshifts while still being danceable. Fitting for the skewed sonics, the visual accompaniment to “WAABA-JAH” is a frenetic collection of DJ Nigga Fox’s global rave adventures assembled and processed by the Lisbon-based director Afonso Mota.
The EP follows DJ Nigga Fox’ appearance on the seminal CARGAA compilation series, and this collection feels fitting for a Warp project, as it manages to straddle the bass and bleep alchemy of the label’s releases while sitting firmly in the artful post-genre nexus of the current roster of artists.
DJ Nigga Fox, real name Rogério Brandão, has enlisted a veteran percussionist from his home country of Angola to expand the manic palette of his sound.
Tracklisting
A1. Sinistro A2. Poder do Vento A3. Maria Costa B1. KRK B2. WAABA-JAH B3. KARMA
Crânio EP will land on March 9 via Warp, with “WAABA-JAH” streaming in full above.
After working in the shadows as ghost producers in the pop music lane, anonymous LA producers Joq & Zoomy are set to step into the light with their debut collaborative project, Hold Me Up to The Light.
The album is described as a 60-minute “loop” of original electronic productions touching on ambient, IDM, and techno, all connected and intertwined to create one long piece. Joq & Zoomy cite Mark Fell and Steve Reich as inspirations, with repetition and minimalism as central concepts throughout the record.
Through Hold Me Up To The Light, Joq & Zoomy examine contemporary forces in music: the reliance on streaming platforms and the algorithm for discovery, and it’s effect on how music is consumed; the power of repetition; the flattening of music by removing time as a dimension. The record also tackles socio-political themes, such as order and chaos, power and violence, automation, and…repetition.
Tracklisting
01. Flock Of Bees 02. The Old Dog Is Back Again 03. Authoritarian 04. Brian and I 05. The Man in the Machine 06. Strange Boy 07. Dim Light of Hope 08. River In The Dark 09. A Tenuous Grip on Reality 10. Red Gaze 11. Close But No Cigar 12. Beautiful Foolish Arms
Hold Me Up to The Light will land on March 26, with “River In The Dark” streaming exclusively in full via the player below.
After working in the shadows as ghost producers in the pop music lane, anonymous LA producers Joq & Zoomy are set to step into the light with their debut collaborative project, Hold Me Up to The Light.
The album is described as a 60-minute “loop” of original electronic productions touching on ambient, IDM, and techno, all connected and intertwined to create one long piece. Joq & Zoomy cite Mark Fell and Steve Reich as inspirations, with repetition and minimalism as central concepts throughout the record.
Through Hold Me Up To The Light, Joq & Zoomy examine contemporary forces in music: the reliance on streaming platforms and the algorithm for discovery, and it’s effect on how music is consumed; the power of repetition; the flattening of music by removing time as a dimension. The record also tackles socio-political themes, such as order and chaos, power and violence, automation, and…repetition.
Tracklisting
01. Flock Of Bees 02. The Old Dog Is Back Again 03. Authoritarian 04. Brian and I 05. The Man in the Machine 06. Strange Boy 07. Dim Light of Hope 08. River In The Dark 09. A Tenuous Grip on Reality 10. Red Gaze 11. Close But No Cigar 12. Beautiful Foolish Arms
Hold Me Up to The Light will land on March 26, with “River In The Dark” streaming exclusively in full via the player below.
He’s a lover man who’s not shy about sharing his bedroom tips (“Phreaky MF”); he’s a guy who gives props to a higher power for his innate groove skills (“God Made Me Phunky”). But most of all, Mike Dunn is an artist who lives and breathes acid house. The Chicago veteran knows there’s something about the rubbery pings of a 303 paired with crunchy wallop of an 808 that’s almost Pavlovian in its appeal, and that’s why, 30 years after he first hit the scene via the release of “Dance You Mutha” on the Westbrook label, acid remains at his core.
Dunn most recently released My House from All Angles, his first long-player since 1990’s Free Your Mind—and though the album lives up its name by featuring a touch of variety via tracks like stripped-down disco number “Have It 4U Babe” or the hip-house cut “DJ Beat That Shhh,” the 303 is the defining sound. The LP is a love letter to old-school jacking, its appeal summed up in the lyrics to “Body Muzik: “It’s the body music that keeps you in a trance / makes you wanna jack, makes you wanna dance.” We caught up with Dunn for our latest instalment of 20 Questions to find out what keeps that body music coming after three decades in the house business.
1. Describe your surroundings right now.
I’m in my home studio, I’ve just moved so I’m currently just getting my gear all set up and building up the studio. I’m still using a lot of hardware 808, 909, 303 etc. I’m looking forward to getting back working on some new projects and my label Blackball Muzik that’s launching this year, for my own productions as well as bringing through some new talent.
2. What kind of music were you exposed to as a child?
I was exposed to everything, from hard rock, jazz, Motown, Philly, northern soul, disco, you name it; I heard it all played in my house as a child. I used to love going to the record store with my Mom, she would be picking up disco “12s, soul, funk etc. My pops used to play a lot of jazz and rock, so I was exposed to all sorts of interesting music, that I still listen to today.
“That was the first track that made me fall in love with house music.”
3. Do you remember the track that made you fall in love with house music?
I started out before house music, so would have to say the garage track, “Is It All Over My Face” by Loose Joints. I couldn’t stand it at first; the woman sounds like she’s drunk—but my childhood friend Ty Cambell’s brother used to go to the original warehouse with Frankie [Knuckles] and he had lots of tapes. Whenever I went around to his house to go hang out, he’d have that tape and that song on and it grew on me! That was the first track that made me fall in love with house music.
4. Do you remember what your first real DJ gig was like?
I started out DJing and my friend King George heard me and said, “Man, I’m gonna start using you for parties.” He was a DJ but he wasn’t mixing; he couldn’t mix two records together, that’s where I came in. The first big thing I did was at Ogden Park in Englewood, in a gymnasium. Then I caught the bug and never looked back, playing at block parties, then clubs and it grew from there.
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5. You came up in Chicago as house was really taking off, alongside people like Bam Bam, Marshall Jefferson, Tyree Cooper, Armando, etc.—did you have a rivalry at all with those guys, or were you all in it together?
We were all together, it was unheard of to have a rival; we were actually all helping each other out. Armando and I set labels up together, Muzique, Warehouse Records, and Dance Mutha—so Warehouse was Armando’s, Muzique was a collaboration between the two of us, and Dance Mutha was my label. Now when Bam Bam put out my first record, Dance You Mutha’, we were staying at a house on 63rd Artesian and then later on Marshall moved in. I’d known Marshall for years, Tyree lived around the corner and so did Hugo H. We were the three amigos! We made lots of music in that time, that’s all we were doing. Great times that I’ll never forget!
6. What is it about the sound of a 303 paired with an 808 that is so appealing?
It’s a match made in heaven. I love 808s. I’ve always been the 808 man; those toms and that kick drum, it’s just phunky man. Working on my album, I’ve gone back to the original equipment/hardware, 808, 303, 909. There’s something about hardware that gives an extra dimension.
7. Do you still use a 303 or an 808 in your current productions?
Of course! My latest album has a lot of that sound, I wanted to go back and tweak it a little. I’ll never stop using the 808; the 808 has never left my production and I don’t think it ever will. I used both the 303 and 808 on the album as I went back to using hardware in my productions to give them an extra edge. I left the 303 for a while but never the 808. It’s possibly my favourite piece of kit.
8. What is your current go-to piece of hardware?
I use a lot of dangerous music stuff—the Apollo UAD, and I love the NI massive (plugin). I also use a lot of my older stuff such as Roland; I use a lot of different pieces, 808, 303, JP08, because I love them! I’m a big tech freak so I’m always looking at new technology to see how it can be used in my productions. It’s hard to give you one, as it’s about whatever gives me that’s spark when I’m working.
9. When you released “Dance You Mutha” way back in ’87, did you have any idea you’d still be making and playing house music three decades later?
Once I got the bug, I knew that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life, and still having an opportunity to do that is a blessing, 30 years later. Music was something that once I got into it, that was it for me. It really got me. I’m honoured that I’m still able to travel all over the world playing for people and to new audiences and a new generation that love house music.
10. How did you come up with the iconic vocals on “God Made Me Funky”? Was it spontaneous, or did it take a lot of work?
“GMMP” was the filler track, that was the last track I needed to do—I needed to come up with another track for the B side, for an Italian label I was working with at the time, so I came up with the track very quickly and laid down vocals on the fly, in that JB funky style, inspired by the godfather James Brown. It was spontaneous; I never write down lyrics, like “Phreaky MF,” that was spontaneous, that was something I was working on and wanted to get it finished before I was DJing that night so I had something new. I just turn on the mic and let it rip!
11. You’ve released several iconic tracks over this time period—like “God Made Me Phunky” and “So Let It Be House!” But is there one piece of music that you’re most proud of?
I take pride in all of the work that I do. If you ever heard Frankie [Knuckles] talking about that in interviews, he’d say that once he gave it to the world then it belongs to the world. I couldn’t narrow it down to one piece of music. I’m proud of all the music that I do because it all has a place in my heart.
12. My House From All Angles was your first album in 27 years. Was the album your attempt to sum up your career so far? Or something else?
Yes and no, hahaha! Well, yes, I would say yes—My House From All Angles means that throughout my career I’ve used Mike Dunn and a lot of pseudonyms (like QX-1, JAss Man, MD III, MD Connection) and so my whole concept was to bring all the pseudonyms plus me together to make one complete project. That way people would see, “Ah, ok, he did this, that and this, etc.” I just thought it would be great to bring them all together. That’s where the album title comes from.
13. How do you feel the album is different to your previous work?
Well, previous work was a learning process, engineering, EQing and production; a lot of stuff was trial and error back then. It came out great but now when I get something, I know what I wanna do, where I wanna go with it and how I’m gonna do it. I think you use everything that you’ve learnt throughout the years.
14. When writing music, do you always start with a specific idea, or do you just experiment until you find something you like?
Experimental, ninety percent of the time, although there are times when I’ve got ideas in my head that I just need to get them out. I love going in the studio, turning on the gear and seeing what comes out. I may get inspired while travelling and can’t wait to get home to get the idea down. But as I say, I love to turn on the machines and just seeing what comes out.
15. When and where was the album produced?
I started the album in late 2016, here in my home studio, so I was lucky I could spend a lot of time on it. I got the first tracks together and kept on working on tracks and sending them over to my manager, and we soon realised there was enough for an album and that it would be cool to release the tracks as one body of work rather than across singles. I’ve released under a lot of pseudonyms over the years and some people don’t realise that Mike Dunn was behind them so the album gave me the chance to showcase all the different house styles I’ve worked on and connect the dots.
16. What do you do in your spare time—away from music?
Nothing, it’s always music hahaha…most people don’t know but I’m a big political science junkie and sports fan, so I’m always watching MSNBC or ESPN. Sports and politics fill my spare time; when I’m not in the studio or travelling that’s what I’m doing.
17. What was the last thing that made you really laugh and why?
I try to laugh all the time, laughter keeps you fresh laughter keeps you young, there’s always something I’m laughing at every day with my friends.
18. If you had to listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Hmmmmm….James Brown The Big Payback. It’s funk at its finest.
19. Do you foresee making and playing house music for the rest of your life?
Of course!. House is my first love. House music is my life.
20. What’s the first thing you’ll do after answering these questions?
Take a breather, haha! I’ll go and smoke my cigar and then come back to my room to finish setting up my studio so I can get some more music done.
Last month, Lemon Test kicked off its discography with a four-track EP from Club Mayz.
Titled Tristique, the EP precedes a set of fresh material from Guy Nicki, K, and more, which is set to drop throughout the year, and follows the Berlin-based label’s podcast series, which has featured guests such as John Osborn, Christopher Breuer, and Simon Caldwell over the last year. Musically, the EP flows through a range of atmospheres, from the groove-led “Alone and Unafraid” to the melancholic vibe of closing cut, “Zero Expectations.”
In support of the release, Lemon Test has sent over an exclusive remix from Iron Curtis and Leaves, who twist the titled track into an atmospheric house cut with a rolling groove.
Tristique is out now and can be grabbed here, with the remix available below.
Last month, Lemon Test kicked off its discography with a four-track EP from Club Mayz.
Titled Tristique, the EP precedes a set of fresh material from Guy Nicki, K, and more, which is set to drop throughout the year, and follows the Berlin-based label’s podcast series, which has featured guests such as John Osborn, Christopher Breuer, and Simon Caldwell over the last year. Musically, the EP flows through a range of atmospheres, from the groove-led “Alone and Unafraid” to the melancholic vibe of closing cut, “Zero Expectations.”
In support of the release, Lemon Test has sent over an exclusive remix from Iron Curtis and Leaves, who twist the titled track into an atmospheric house cut with a rolling groove.
Tristique is out now and can be grabbed here, with the remix available below.
Jorge Caiado is a 28-year-old Portuguese DJ, producer, and label manager of the Groovement. He boasts a background in Sound Engineering and studied at the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy (Madrid, 2011), becoming one of just a handful of Portuguese artists to achieve that distinction—driven by natural talent and an insatiable curiosity for music.
As a producer, he was tutored by house legend Chez who gave him his first release, Beyond The Atlantic, via his influential Balance label. Since then, he’s been on remix duties for Giles Smith on London’s Secretsundaze label, Terrence Parker, and Orlando Voorn. Inside the booth, he’s established himself as one of Portugal’s leading selectors, with regular gigs in the most important clubs and festivals in Portugal, including Lux-Frágil, Ministerium Club, Musicbox, Industria Club, Gare Porto, Optimus Alive, NeoPop, and Lisboa Electrónica—where he’ll perform next month.
Ahead of Lisboa Electrónica 2018, where he’ll play alongside a slew of local and international names, he’s recorded a studio mix full of the groovy minimal house tracks by which he’s made his name. Grab it now via he WeTransfer button below.
This mix was recorded in mid-February at my studio in Lisbon.
On what equipment did you record the mix?
Two Technics SL-1210 MK2 and an Allen & Heath mixer Xone 92.
How did you choose the records you included?
Hmm, it was a natural selection, I decided to start with the opening track of my new record on Carpet & Snares Records to set up the mood and then the rest came according to every track played just before.
Was there a particular idea you were looking to convey?
Not any big specific idea, just trying to match the vibes that I usually play on my live sets in clubs. Always floating between some fresh new records and a couple old favorites, in this case in one hour I climbed the energy a little bit faster than what I usually do live if I have a long slot to play on.
What’s coming up on the release front?
Besides the one that just came out last week on my label/shop Carpet & Snares Records, I’ve my next EP for Groovement scheduled for May featuring a very special remix from one of my main references. It will be unveiled soon!
Lisboa Electronica 2018 takes place from Wed, April 4 until Sunday, April 8 in Lisbon, with more information, including tickets and lineups, here.
Four Tet has remixed Bicep’s “Opal,” taken from the Belfast duo’s 2017 debut album.
The rework sees subtle rhythmic tweaks and additions: overlays of texture and hinted melodies, giving the track a more tender, contemplative feel. Four Tet also extends its running time, drawing out each of its component parts, and giving them space to breathe. Out today on all digital stores, the remix will also receive a vinyl release with a B side track from Bicep, out April 27.
Much-celebrated for his own work as a producer, Four Tet’s remixes have always brought his identifiable, idiosyncratic approach to his source material. His recent remixes include Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Todd Terje, and Rihanna.
