NYC’s Hip-Hop Fusion Group QNA Show Jazz Roots on ‘Karoshi’

NYC’s hip-hop fusion group QNA have shared “Karoshi,” a second single from the upcoming record, XII.

New York City is known for its once legendary jazz scene, helping cut the teeth of greats like Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins. While the scene has ebbed and flowed since then, the roots of bebop still linger. From this well-spring, QNA is born.

Comprised of high school friends, lead by MC Supe, the band has a whole cast of players including Marina Espinet (Vocals), Benjamin Chin (Saxophone), TJ Adorno (Keys), Dylan Kaminkow (Bassist), and Marco Gill (Drummer). The band also features a wealth of vocalists and rappers including Bush Tea and more. QNA formed from jam sessions under the moniker People Zoo. Over time, as the grooves tightened, taking shape, the group got more serious about the project and began writing process for their debut EP, XII.

“Karoshi,” the Japanese word for “death from overwork,” is a seven-minute jam that links to the band’s message: to let go of the grind and enjoy the wonders that nurture the soul.It was recorded in The Breeding Room recording studio in New York.

Tracklisting 

01. G Spot
02. Do It Like
03. Karoshi
04. Golden Hour
05. On Three
06. Grind

QNA’s EP, XII, is available worldwide February 23, with “Karoshi” streaming in full below.

Michael J. Schumacher Pushes the Borders of Pop on New diNMachine LP

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New York-based noise/pop artist Michael J. Schumacher has released a new as diNMachine, titled The Pleasure of Principles.

Schumacher has been pushing the boundaries of sonic practice for decades. In the ’90s, he launched his Room Pieces series, a collection of sound installations that run continuously for long periods in galleries, museums, public spaces, and people’s homes. From there he went on to collaborate with sound artists Stephen Vitiello and Oren Ambarchi, as well as famed NY film director Ken Jacobs.

Though diNMachine’s instrumental noise/pop is cerebral and at times challenging, it is also Schumacher’s most mainstream-accessible project, utilizing sound and technology to challenge traditional definitions of pop music. “With this music, from the waist down, you want to move, but from the neck up, you want to sit and figure it out,” Schumacher says of the record. “People should relax and enjoy it. I think it’s what pop music should be.” We’re told that the new record is “a fusion of hyperactive drum & bass and analog synths laced with elements of rock, funk, and soul.”

Since it began in 2012, diNMachine has released its hard-to-classify music on Greedy Dilettante and the group’s own Yocto Yotta label, with Schumacher working with artists including Michael Evans, Alejandro Flores, Hari Ganglberger, Nisi Jacobs and Brian Lawlor on the project.

Despite the diversity of sounds and the many ways the music plays with song structure, The Pleasure of Principles represents a comparatively stripped-down approach, with Schumacher on synths and Alex Goldberg on drums and electronic percussion, with additional drum programming by Jake St. John. Initially, these more minimalist recordings weren’t intended as part of the diNMachine oeuvre. “The first two records were defined, for me, by the juxtaposition of electronics and acoustic instruments, so this material felt essentially different,” Schumacher says. “But then Nisi kept saying it’s got the same basic vibe, so just make it a diNMachine record.”

Tracklisting

01. Chop Shop
02. Failing All Charms
03. Frazier Ali
04. Grilled Fish
05. Laged’Or
06. Sound Pets
07. Syndrome

The Pleasure of Principles is out now, with a full stream available below.

Premiere: Hear a Dubby Cut From Frank Bretschneider’s New Album

raster-noton co-founder Frank Bretschneider will release his latest album, Lunik, on February 16 via Shitkatapult.

The 11-track LP lands over 30 years after his first album, presenting a collection of hard-to-define cuts that touch influences such as San Francisco psychedelia, UK IDM, Cologne Krautrock, Berlin techno, and New York minimalism. According to the accompanying text, the album is about the “daily grind, the passing of time, the change of seasons, and relations. Reality and fiction and perception.”

Outside of his solo work, Bretschneider is most known as the founder of the influential East German underground band AG and co-founder of the reknowned raster-noton label.

Ahead of the release, you can pre-order Lunikhere, with album cut “Elastik” streaming in full via the player below.

Traumprinz Resurfaces

Traumprinz has returned with a new 90-minute mix, titled “secret guest – live at planet uterus,” and a six-minute ambient piece, titled “interior renovations.” There’s also a message to fans.

Traumprinz, a mysterious and unidentified producer who long held affiliations with Giegling, ended his Prince Of Denmark alias last year. He’s been quiet on all fronts since then, and this is the first news in many months. Alongside the new music, he also confirmed his departure from Giegling. The note reads as follows:

“closure for interior renovations is in progress.

report:
early last year I stopped working with giegling. over time I kind of more and more lost touch with it. maybe it’s a bit sad in the beginning to see things change and grow apart somehow, but that’s the nature of life sometimes. what it means, simply no more involvement of mine in it, no more future music or whatsoever.
it was, with all its ups and downs, a meaningful time and a time to grow.
renovations are working out well, will soon be finished.
from planet uterus with love
xxx”

While we wait for more news, you can stream both the mix and the ambient piece below.

Parties4Peace Celebrates 15-Year Anniversary with PATAGONICA Music Tour in Chile

Parties4Peace is currently celebrating its 15-year anniversary with the 10th annual PATAGONICA music tour in Chile, featuring special guests Philipp Jung (M.A.N.D.Y.) and Holmar (Formerly of Thugfucker), amongst many other talented artists such as Seth Troxler, Vale Colvin, Tamaki, Pedro Campos, Marco Latrach, Francisco Ruiz-Tagle, and more.

A non-profit event production and fundraising organization, Parties4Peace hosts music and art events to support various global initiatives focused on education, sustainability, equality, and disaster relief. Together with local Chilean producers, Parties4Peace will travel throughout the country, visiting cities such as Santiago, Valparaiso, Concepcion, Punta Arenas, and Puerto Natales to exchange music and culture while learning about the pristine nature in South America. Inviting international artists to experience the extreme beauty of Patagonia helps to raise awareness about the current climate challenges of the region and the necessity to protect the glaciers, rivers, and mountains.

Parties4Peace also helps to forge lasting connections between artists living in different parts of the world. “It’s been great to see the friendships that the artists have built over the years,” Emilie McGlone says, “from the Japanese artists touring South America to the Chilean producers experiencing Asia. This collaboration is actually what we call the PATAGONICA Collective, and we started this artist exchange in Japan and Chile to promote new friendships and to share cultural knowledge amongst a diverse group of international producers. It’s nice seeing their music spread to the different poles of the world, especially now that we have artists participating from Europe and New York.”

This will be the first time Philipp Jung (M.A.N.D.Y.) and Holmar have visited Patagonia with Parties4Peace. When asked about what inspired him to join the tour, Holmar said “ I am a lover, not a fighter and a pacifist at heart. Working with an organization like P4P enables me as an artist to participate and help spread the word and message of peace through music and art.” Philipp has previously travelled with M.A.N.D.Y. to Chile and played in Santiago various times, though this will also be his first time to travel so far south. His message to the audience is simple: “Smile more, love more and be nice to our planet. It is a rare beauty,” he says. “P4P is a passion-driven organization to begin with and that is also why we are doing music. Because you believe in one thing and you dedicate nearly all of your time to it, and as a DJ it’s also important to remind yourself of the very beginnings where it was much more about giving and playing all kinds of parties with no thought about agents, managers, or fees. To share and give back to people you love and trust seems like the right thing to do” — Philipp Jung.

The PATAGONICA music tour is currently underway, with more information available here. Meanwhile, you can see the dates of the tour on the flyer below.

Phaeleh Details His Sprawling Live Set in New Video

In a new video, Point Blank delves into Phaeleh’s hybrid analog/digital setup.

In the video, Phaeleh talks through his live setup and artistic practice, including how he uses Max for Live, using his recorded tracks and stems with his Livid controller, and how he incorporates live jamming possibilities on his Roland and Korg gear to add an improvisational edge to his performances. We One of the key points for Phaeleh is the portability of his touring equipment—everything is selected and chosen for its size and weight—and, for him, that mistakes and imperfections are all part of what makes a live set interesting for both artist and audience.

You can watch the video in full via the player above, with more on Point Blank and its courses here.

Rebel ACA & French Monkey Wrench ‘African James Bond’

Buttercuts Records will present the first album of rising left-field hip-hop duo Rebel ACA & French Monkey Wrench.

Rebel ACA and French met nearly 15 years ago, as one managed, and the other produced a funk reggae band. They’re not set to present their first album as a duo, titled Sunday’s Cool.We’re told to expect “a delectable pairing of French deep vintage sound with the English articulation of the Rebel.”

In advance of the album’s April release, you can grab “African James Bond” via the WeTransfer button below.

African James Bond

Rebel ACA & French Monkey Wrench ‘African James Bond’

Buttercuts Records will present the first album of rising left-field hip-hop duo Rebel ACA & French Monkey Wrench.

Rebel ACA and French met nearly 15 years ago, as one managed, and the other produced a funk reggae band. They’re not set to present their first album as a duo, titled Sunday’s Cool.We’re told to expect “a delectable pairing of French deep vintage sound with the English articulation of the Rebel.”

In advance of the album’s April release, you can grab “African James Bond” via the WeTransfer button below.

African James Bond

Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings Documents London’s Bright-Burning Jazz Scene on New Compilation

Brownswood Recordings have released a new nine-track compilation aimed at documenting London’s bright-burning young jazz scene.

Brownswood is the independent label belonging to the DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson. Founded in 2006 the aim of the label was to provide a platform for the many unsigned artists that were sending their music to Gilles to play on his late night BBC Radio 1 show.

The next release comes in the shape of We Out Here, a compilation that brings together some of London’s sharpest jazz talents. It features a set of nine newly-recorded tracks, and “captures a moment where genre markers matter less than raw, focused energy.”

Recorded across three long, fruitful days in a North West London studio, the results speak for themselves: they’re a “window into the wide-eyed future of London’s musical underground.” We’re told that the music “bottles up some of the vital ideas emanating from that burgeoning movement” and reflect how London’s jazz-influenced music has reached outward into new spaces.”

Ubiquitous, much-lauded saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings is the project’s musical director.

Tracklisting

01. Maisha “Inside The Acorn”
02. Ezra Collective “Pure Shade”
03. Moses Boyd “The Balance”
04. Theon Cross “Brockley”
05. Nubya Garcia “Once”
06. Shabaka Hutchings “Black Skin, Black Masks”
07. Triforce “Walls”
08. Joe Armon-Jones “Go See”
09. Kokoroko “Abusey Junction”

We Out Here is out now, with streams available below.

Eomac Shares a Haunting Warehouse-Ready Track

Injazero Records has released a new compilation with all proceeds going to mental health charity Mind.

The 12-track compilation features tracks from, among others, Throwing Snow’s side project Heathen Rites, Daisuke Tanabe, Sieren, Ambassadeurs, Heinali, Matt Emery, and Eomac. To give you a taste of what to expect, Injazero has shared a haunting cut from Eomac, which is made from a selection of recorded samples, as Eomac explains:

“I made this track from samples of a piano board I recorded in EMS Stockholm with LAIR while we were working on our project. And some microphone hiss for the beats. I have been making purely percussive tracks recently for my upcoming album, so for this track I wanted to have an emotive melodic element as well. The title refers to the difficulty it seems as a human to live as you truly want, as opposed to how you think you should.”

You can stream the track below, with the LP available here.

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