Max Loderbauer Delivers Wistful Fourth Album

Max Loderbauer has released a new album.

Petrichor is only the fourth solo album that Loderbauer, a collaborator of Tobias Freund and Ricardo Villalobos (as Vilod), has released. It follows 2013’s Transparenz and 2020’s Donnerwetter, both on Freund’s Non Standard Productions, but also 2016’s Greyland on Canadian label Marionette, which is where he returns with this release.

Petrichor is a reflection of Loderbauer’s impactful trips to the mountains, and returning from these summits with an “electrifying urge to paint this mighty perspective,” we’re told. With his Buchla, modular synth, and Haken fingerboard, Loderbauer’s improvised studio maneuvers “dilate into imagined journeys from glacial peaks into the exosphere.

This is Loderbauer in his “most exhilarating state,” morphing through “bittersweet and optimistic soundscapes to bleak moments of throbbing unease,” all while maintaining a “sense of grace and elegance.”

Tracklisting

01. Grosser Bär
02. Im Wald
03. Kastanieda
04. Jähn
05. Der rote Draht
06. Biscayaa
07. Caramel Karawane
08. Kleiner Hund

Petrichor LP is available now. You can stream it in full below and order it here.

Shinedoe to Release Fifth Album

Shinedoe, real name Chinedum Nwosu, will release a new album next week.

Freedom Riders is the Amsterdam-based artist’s fifth album, following 2021’s The Observer on Jeff Mills’ Axis Records. It spans 10 tracks of house and techno, documenting “living in a world where there is peace, and all our basic needs are fulfilled.”

“We are all freedom riders,” Nwosu says, “some of us get lost and need to get back to the source.”

The album lands on Nwosu’s own Music That Moves label, which she launched in 2018. We’re told to expect an “expansive and diverse project” that captures sonics from across the spectrum: “for home listening through to the dancefloor.”

As a taster of the release she has shared the four-track Wake Up EP, available now.

Tracklisting

01. Freedom Riders
02. Peace
03. Safety First
04. Shine
05. Wake Up
06. Floor Action
07. Lockdown
08. Expressionisme
09. So It Is
10. See The Light

Freedom Riders LP is scheduled for October 21 release. Meanwhile, you can stream clips below.

Gigi Masin Pays Tribute to Late Wife on New Album

Gigi Masin will release a new album next month.

On Vahinè, an album of “beautiful and distinct music,” the Italian ambient artist pays tribute to his late wife, who sadly passed away last year. The record spans six tracks of emotive, jazz-leaning ambient and experimental, and it will launch Alessia Avallone’s new label, Language of Sound.

Referring to the conception of the album, Masin explains:

“I was watching this documentary [about women dancers in Tahiti], it was almost four in the morning, but I couldn’t sleep; I was in front of the television for hours, my wife had passed away the day before, and I was watching hands and arms swaying.”

“I told myself that maybe it’s so, at the end of the road it’s possible to realize dreams, and I’m sure that she is finally able to dance like never before, and is able to move without any impediment, with no suffering, free to make all the movements that she couldn’t make for so long, turning to me with a smile and a wink.”

Language of Sound is also a management company founded in 2017, with artists like Ron Trent, Lyra Pramuk, Huerco S., Paquita Gordon, and Soundwalk Collective.

Born and raised in Venice, Italy, Masin is among the most quietly innovative and singular artists working across experimental and ambient music, but it’s only in the last decade that people have cottoned on to his work. For more information on him, check out his XLR8R podcast here.

Tracklisting

01. Marilene (Somewhere in Texas)
02. Barumini
03. Shadye
04. Malvina
05. Valerie Crossing
06. Vahiné

Vahiné LP is scheduled for November 11 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Marilene (Somewhere in Texas)” in full via the player below and pre-order here.

Mor Elian is Back on Fever AM

Mor Elian will release a new EP on Fever AM, the label she co-runs alongside Rhyw.

Diva Test is the first EP the Berlin artist has released on Fever AM in over three years, and it follows the release of two albums as her Alloy Sea project. She has spent the time in between experimenting and developing her sound, keen to lean into a “more colourful, playful side” of her productions, which we see across four new tracks.

The EP also includes her first collaborative release with Rhyw, “Liquid Silver.”

This year, Fever AM celebrated its fifth anniversary with a compilation release called It’s Not a Bug, It’s a Feature, featuring tracks from the likes of Pariah, Ayesha, Peder Mannerfelt, Son of Philip, MSJY, and more.

Tracklisting

01. Itch Twitch
02. Diva Test (Cicada Mix)
03. Beta Zest
04. Liquid Silver with Rhye

Diva Test EP is scheduled for November 18 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Itch Twitch” in full below and pre-order here.

Podcast 770: Cristi Cons

The relationship between XLR8R and Cristi Cons, the alias of Cristian-­Ioan Munteanu, dates back to 2016, when we sat down with him in a Berlin café to discuss his musical origins in Bucharest, Romania. Since then, we’ve invited him to Los Angeles to play our events (as both a solo DJ and as SIT, his collaboration with Vlad Caia), watched him at Sunwaves festival, and had him helm our podcast series as Amorf, a collaboration with Caia and pianist Mischa Blanos. (In 2019, Caia and Cons also contributed to the first edition of XLR8R+, delivering a previously unheard track alongside work from Huxley Anne and Vincent Casanova).

All this goes to say that, as an XLR8R reader, you’re probably familiar with Cons’ background, but here’s a summary for those who don’t. He was raised in a household devoted to classical music and graduated from Bucharest’s Music Academy. But soon he traded in the cello in favor of synthesizers and drum machines to begin making his own loopy minimal, inspired by the releases of Rhadoo and Petre Inspirescu, with whom he has since spearheaded a rich local music community. (We covered that here.)

Outside of his work as a DJ-producer, he is also a co-founder of Amphia, a record label that aims to exhibit multiple facets of electronic music. In the decade since its inception, the imprint has featured the work of fellow Romanians like Inspirescu, Dubtil, and Rhadoo, but also Kamran Sadeghi, DeWalta, and Christopher Ledger—a meeting ground for masters of slick, minimal grooves. Last year, Cons returned there with Out of Cycle, an album of hypnotic trip-hop, downtempo, and groovy house tunes.

After all that, Cons recently put out Black Swan, a new EP on Adam’s Bite—the Swiss label that has put out the work of Barac, Traumer, and Ion Ludwig. And to celebrate it, he’s shared with us a solo podcast, taken from an all-night-long set at the Loft in Manchester, England in August. Much like the release, it’s rich in bass-driven groove and hypnotic textures. Across its 90-minute run-time, you’ll hear tracks from Christopher Ledger, Janeret, Nolga, and many more.

01. What have you been up to recently?
After a busy summer of touring, I’m finally settling down and getting back to studio work, which I’ve been missing a lot!

02. You’ve just put out a release on Adam’s Bite. What can you tell us about it?
The idea came from Adrian (Martinesque), who was kind enough to invite me to do a record for Adam’s Bite, giving me total freedom in terms of musical direction. As I was going through a transition phase in workflow and approach, it took me a while to find a balance I was happy with. I hope people will receive the record well and resonate with the new direction.

03. You say that you’ve been going through a transition phase in workflow and approach. What do you mean by this?

The lockdown gave me plenty of time to explore different genres and to experiment with alternative production techniques that laid the ground for Out of Cycle, the first album that I’ve produced as Cristi Cons. The process of making that record changed my workflow significantly; I switched from recording a single jam and editing to multi-tracking and arranging everything in the box, which gives me more freedom in terms of arrangement. Mixing has become one of my main passions and has changed the way I critically listen to music. And last but not least it has opened my view to other genres that I love experimenting with, hence the downtempo, trip-hop tunes on Out of Cycle.

04. What have you been listening to?
I’ve always been quite open with the music I listen to, trying to find inspiration in different genres. Recently, I’ve been listening to Youssef Dayes, Kamaal Williams, and Tom Misch. I’ve also been digging into instrumental hip-hop and trip-hop because I’m trying to immerse myself into the art of sampling. As far as electronic music goes, I’m looking into old and new music. I think it’s always good to have the best of both worlds.

04. Where and when did you record this mix?
The set was recorded in Manchester, England at The Loft, for an all-night show organized by my friends from un_mute in Miami and Animal Crossing from Manchester.

05. What was so memorable about this particular set? What’s next on your horizon?
As I don’t often play an all-night set, I was happy to challenge myself and try to find the balance between playing a warm up set, which I think is vital for setting a good vibe, transitioning into the main part of the party, which can be tricky, and of course closing the night in a notable fashion!

06. What’s next on your horizon?
There are a few projects I’m working on which I won’t disclose quite yet. I’ve been changing the studio setup so I hope I’ll make the most of all the new acquisitions.

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to hear the podcast offline you will need to subscribe to our Select channel to listen offline, or subscribe to XLR8R+ to download the file. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.

Full XLR8R+ Members can download the podcast below. If you’re not an XLR8R+ member, you can read more about it and subscribe here.

Actress Starts a New Chapter with Ninja Tune EP

Photo: Jaxon Whittington

Darren Cunningham, better known as Actress, will return with a new EP next month.

On Dummy Corporation, we see the British artist enter a new chapter, traversing through digital snapshots of electronica and graffiti in which he explores the processes behind both the music and visual elements.

“The overall idea is for this to be a demonstration of the process and the philosophical action art of creating modern day electronic music,” he comments. “I create these sketches, essentially like the fabrics, and I collage them together; once I see the picture it’s embellished further and the process repeats…”.

It’s a piece of work “shaped by varied fragments of Cunningham’s life,” we’re told, “reflecting growing up in the advent of home-computing, programming, cassette tapes, and floppy discs.”

Dummy Corporation marks the British artist’s first solo music since the release of his 2020 album, Karma & Desire, which saw collaborations with Sampha, Zsela, and Aura T-09. It also comes shortly after the release of single “AZD SURF,” a collaboration with Mount Kimbie’s Kai Campos.

Ahead of the release, Cunningham has shared “Dream,” a dancefloor-ready crawler with a hypnotic synth loop and a commanding vocal sample.

Tracklisting

01. Dummy Corporation
02. Futur Spher Techno Version
03. Fragments of a Butterfly’s Face
04. Dream

Dummy Corporation EP is scheduled for November 11 release on Ninja Tune. Meanwhile, you can stream “Dream” in full below and pre-order here.

Incensio Welcomes James Bangura

James Bangura will put out a new EP on Incensio.

Bangura is the alias of Timothy Smith-Bangura, based in Washington, D.C. A former military man and marching band member, his musical style—which sits in a fertile space among house, techno, and jungle—is a distillation of his varied musical influences, from the drum & bass that soundtracked his adolescence in Alabama, where he was raised by his grandparents, to the rich house of New York, introduced to him by his mother, a radio DJ and a key figure in the city’s ‘80s club scene.

Last year, Bangura delivered six more brutally energetic tracks on Mister Saturday Night Records, harking back to the jungle and breakbeat that he found himself consumed by as a youth. You’ll also find his work on Step Back Trax, World Building, and XLR8R+.

In his own words, Wichita is a four-track EP informed by looking back on intense driving experiences with high school and college friends through canyons like Turn Bull, Idylewild, and San Timoteo. This release represents the :”transition from childhood to adulthood,” from being “reckless to being thankful and more self-aware.”

To learn more about Bangura, check out his XLR8R podcast here, filled with energetic and euphoric house with splashes of driving techno.

Tracklisting

01. Barred Entry
02. Mixed Signals
03. Monterrey
04. Wichita

Wichita EP is scheduled for October 28 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Mixed Signals” in full via the player below and pre-order here.

Download: Samuel Rohrer “Ctenophora”

Samuel Rohrer has a new album out.

The LP, titled Hungry Ghosts, was released late last month on Rohrer’s own Arjunamusic Records, following on from a string of solo and collaborative releases he has dropped on the label over the last decade. On Hungry Ghosts, Rohrer delivers a sonically rich collection of textured electronic jazz cuts, with his renowned percussion as the album’s backbone, which was recorded live with no overdubs. It ebbs and flows with an immaculate pace, drawing the listener in with subtle, evolving grooves and hazy atmospheres.

In support of the LP, Rohrer has offered up album track “Ctenophora” as an XLR8R download, available to XLR8R subscribers below. Sitting in the first half of the album, it’s smoke-filled dreamscape of a track with undeniable allure.

Hungry Ghosts is out now and can be picked up digitally and on vinyl at the Arjunamusic Bandcamp.

XLR8R subscribers can download “Ctenophora” by Samuel Rohrer below. If you’re not an XLR8R subscriber, you can read more about it and subscribe here.

Podcast 769: The Sun Ra Arkestra

As its name suggests, The Sun Ra Arkestra is the work of Le Sony’r Ra, better known as Sun Ra, an American jazz composer and pianist born in Alabama. Beginning in the mid 1950s, he led the Arkestra, an afro-futurism ensemble with a rotating cast of characters that included Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, and June Tyson across its various iterations. Its free-jazz sounds were as notable as its performances, which would include dancers dressed in futuristic costumes inspired by ancient Egyptian attire.

Since Sun Ra’s retirement from music in 1992, and his death a year later, the group has become formally known as The Sun Ra Arkestra. And, as of 1995, the band has been led by Allen, a pupil of Sun Ra since they met in 1958. Under his guidance, the Arkestra released their 2020 Grammy-nominated album, Swirling, and now they’re back with their second.

Released last week, Living Sky was recorded at Rittenhouse SoundWorks in Philadelphia, the Arkestra’s home for over five decades. It was commissioned by Ahmet Ulug, who has a long history with the Arkestra, dating back to the ’80s when he listened to the group in New York, and promoted Sun Ra’s Istanbul show in 1990. After retiring from the music industry a few years ago, the state of the world moved him to launch Omni Sound and reach out to request an instrumental album from the group that ignited his interest in jazz and improvised music.

For this week’s XLR8R podcast, and in celebration of the release, we’re featuring The Sun Ra Arkestra. This mix itself has been pieced together by Jupiter Blue, the cosmic duo made up of guitarist and composer David Middleton (a.k.a Dmhotep) and vocalist, violinist, and lyricist Tara Middleton (a.k.a Jupiter Girl Blue). Together, they form the “engine room” of The Sun Ra Arkestra. As with the album, across this mix they create a comic vortex, delivering just under 90 minutes of spiritual and hypnotic jazz, with a particular focus on melody and groove.

01. What have you been up to recently?
We each teach with various programs and institutions, and we continue to do that while we are home. We recently spent a week as part of an artist residency at Virginia Tech’s Cube Festival. We also continue to individually participate in performances with regional ensembles.

02. Where and when did you record this mix?
We compiled and mixed this playlist in our home studio, where we also record our Jupiter Blue material and remote tracking for other clients.

03. What can the listener expect?
Expect some Sun Ra! Also, expect to hear how Sun Ra affects our own musical output; and expect to hear some material from other artists who have been personally exciting and influential to us in the development of our musical personalities.

04. How did you go about choosing the tracks that you’ve included?
We each scanned our memories for tunes that have stuck with us over years and decades. We made a list that included several hours of music, and then trimmed that down to 90 minutes of music that we felt flowed well together. Unfortunately, that meant we had to leave off many other of our personal favorites!

05. What’s next on your horizon?
We continue to look forward to participating in the celebration of the music of Sun Ra, via live performances and recording within the Arkestra led by Marshall Allen. We are planning for future Jupiter Blue releases, including a soon to be released remix and remaster of music from our 2021 streamed “Fireshow” performance.

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to hear the podcast offline you will need to subscribe to our Select channel to listen offline, or subscribe to XLR8R+ to download the file. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.

Full XLR8R+ Members can download the podcast below. If you’re not an XLR8R+ member, you can read more about it and subscribe here.

Tracklisting

01. Sun Ra “Where Pathways Meet” (Philly Jazz)
02. Sonny Sharrock “Many Mansions” (Axiom Records)
03. Pat Metheny & Ornette Coleman “Mob Job” (Geffen)
04. Cassandra Wilson “Come On In My Kitchen” (Blue Note)
05. Marshall Allen’s Volcano Quartet “Section C” (Vibraphone Records)
06. Marshall Allen’s Volcano Quartet “Section H” (Vibraphone Records)
07. The Sun Ra Arkestra “Love On A Faraway Planet” (Black Saint Records)
08. Jupiter Blue “A New New World” (Self-Released)
09. Dana Bryant “Food” (Warner)
10. Dianne Reeves “Tango” (Concord)
11. King Sunny Ade “365 Is My Number/The Message” (Mango)
12. Scott Henderson “Xanax” feat. Thelma Houston (Mesa)
13. Sun Ra & His Astro Infinity Arkestra “Dorothy’s Dance” (Saturn)
14. Jupiter Blue “Cosmic Jazz” (Self-Released)
15. Sun Ra “Daydreams” (Self-Released)
16. Jupiter Blue “Helium Diamonds” (Self-Released)

Moin Next on AD93 with Second Album

Moin, the experimental rock project of Joe Andrews, Tom Halstead, and Valentina Magaletti, will release a new album later this month.

Andrews and Halstead are best known for their work as Raime, through which they present a uniquely bleak take on post-dub music, with each work grounded in live instrumentation, gloomy synth lines, and unsettling, abstract vocals. The pair met Magaletti, an Italian multi-instrumentalist, just before the project started out, and in 2013 they put out an EP on Blackest Ever Black. But with Andrews and Halstead consumed by Raime, and Magaletti working on myriad projects, they put the project on ice.

That was until the pandemic began. Suffering from writer’s block, Andrews and Halstead opted to take some time away from Raime, and Moin felt like the safe space to go. It was a way to refresh their creative palette. Linking up with Magaletti again, they entered the studio to explore whatever musical whims they had. With eight tracks under their belt, AD93 head Nic Tasker reached out and snapped the album, which they called Moot!, for the label.

Paste, their second album, draws influences from alternative guitar music in its many forms, using electronic manipulations and sampling techniques to redefine it’s context, not settling on any one style but moving through them in search of new connections.

You can read more about Moin in their XLR8R podcast here.

Tracklisting

01. Foot Wrong
02. Melon
03. Yep Yep
04. Forgetting is Like Syrup
05. In a Tizzy
06. Knuckle
07. Hung Up
08. Life Choices
09. Sink

Paste LP is scheduled for October 28 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Melon” and “Yep Yep” in full below, and pre-order here.

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