Founded by Einzelkind in 2007, La Peña is a label for “friends to meet up, live, and release the music they love.” This will be the young Frankfurt producer’s debut release on the label, and his second in total—following last year’s appearance on the Joint Effort EP alongside Robin Scholz, Einzelkind, and Randy Fox.
We’re told to expect a “future classic in house music history.”
Tracklisting
A1. Shack U A2. Get Down A3. Membrane B1. Angels GF B2. Vivid Description B3. Hopes & Dreams C1. Palais Orsay C2. VLA D1. A Gathering D2. Polarizer D3. The Plot
Ahead of album’s January 29 release, you can stream opener “Shack U” in full via the player below.
This time, the resident DJ of Edinburgh party Tweak_ delivers four new cuts, with an Editions EP slated for later in 2018.
The EP closes with “Remember,” the artist’s tribute to those who lost their lives or were otherwise affected by London’s Grenfell Tower disaster. This dark, dislocated piece of techno samples words spoken by British-Jamaican dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson in the aftermath of the 1981 New Cross Fire and channels Apter’s anger and sadness at last year’s horrific human tragedy. All profits from sales of “Remember” will be donated to the British Red Cross London Fire Relief Fund.
The EP also features “Babylon {Club Dub},” which melds punchy drums and rolling bass arpeggios with wistful synth lines and chorus-drenched vintage pads—just one of four deep yet functional tracks. In support of the release, Apter has offered up the original mix of “Babylon” for free download. Grab it now via the WeTransfer button below.
The Hague has always been a crucible for subversive dance music, and parties in the political capital are like no other in Holland. They’re punk, they’re freeform, and a little bit freaky—and so, too, is The Crave Festival. On June 2, The Hague’s premier outdoor party returns to Zuiderpark, soundtracked by the city’s homegrown West Coast Sound, international techno, house, and more.
In addition to headliners Hessle Audio Trio, Blawan, Levon Vincent, and Matrixxman, the bill boasts a heady blend of international tastemakers like Courtesy, Skee Mask, Aurora Halal, Lux, and Scientific Dreamz of U. They’ll be supported by a strong contingent of local resident DJs, including JEANS and twice upon a time, who’ll play across stages hosted by local promoters District25 and PIP.
A fourth stage has been added this year, hidden away in the woods and with a very limited capacity. But even with this small-scale expansion, The Crave Festival will remain a “deliberately intimate affaire.”
This year’s third edition takes place on June 2 in The Hague, with the full lineup listed below. Tickets go on pre-sale on Monday, January 29 at 11:00 CET.
Full lineup
Alienata / Aurora Halal / Beverly Hills 808303 / Blawan / cosmox / Courtesy / Deniro / DJ Stingray / DJ TLR / Ekman (live) / Hessle Audio Trio (Ben UFO, Pearson Sound, Pangaea) / JEANS / Levon Vincent / Lux / Matrixxman / OKO DJ / Palms Trax / Scientific Dreamz of U / Skee Mask / Strange Boutique / The Egyptian Lover (live 808 set) / twice upon a time
Lisbon’s Ministerium Club has confirmed its February 2018 lineups.
Ministerium Club opened in December 2012 in facilities previously occupied by the Portuguese Ministry of Finance. It has since become one of the main references in Lisbon for house and techno, hosting weekly events with names from the forefront of electronic music alongside local talent.
The lineups for February are as follows:
February 3: Ministerium Records w/ Barac, Pandilla Ltd, Elless & Benn
Romania’s Barac will play on February 3, performing alongside Pandilla Ltd and Elless & Benn, Ministerium’s resident duo.
Bipolar brings unlikely duos, matching “almost antagonistic talents” from the Portuguese scene. The first edition welcomes Joao Maria and Vil. Joao Maria is Ministerium’s resident DJ and the head of labels Assemble Music and Ministerium Records. Vil is futuristic explorer roaming the realms of techno, electro, and breakbeat. It’ll be an all-night set.
Romanian selector Arapu will play on February 17, alongside John-E, known for driving Lisbon’s scene, KIKO & Pedro Duarte, playing for the first time at Ministerium, and Mary B, the club’s resident female force.
Garage Hermétique is a label for mind-bending, trippy, experimental music. It can be house, techno, electro, and ambient—the genre doesn’t matter. Expect weird textures, dissonant harmonies, unexpected instrumentation, freaky sampling, and unorthodox composing methods. Playing will be Views, who uses visualization to create his music. Onirik, the founder of Garage Hermétique, will be bringing some peculiar funk, alongside resident Joao Maria.
For more information on any of these events, click here.
George FitzGerald will soon release his second LP, All That Must Be.
All That Must Be is a record with its “psychological roots” in Berlin and London, the label explains. It documents a period of time when FitzGerald’s decade-long stint in the German capital came to an abrupt end, seeing him back in his hometown of London and becoming a father for the first time. It was against this backdrop that All That Must Be started to form and the result is a record that “deals with the processes of upheaval, change, acceptance, and renewal.” We’re told to expect a “mesmeric, transportive set of electronic songs.”
The album features collaborations with Lil Silva, Bonobo, and Tracey Thorn, and “plots a route” through the landscape, both mental and physical, of its creator over the course of 18 tumultuous months. “I wanted to mirror the uncanniness you feel when a massive event happens in your life”, explains FitzGerald, “Everything looks and sounds the same but it’s somehow different. Your surroundings are less intelligible.”
FitzGerald altered his creative process in the creation of the album, focusing more heavily on the piano as opposed to the computer and combining the electronic drums of previous album Fading Love with live percussion recorded in the studio.
Included on the album is 2017’s single “Burns” which was voted #15 in Radio 1’s Hottest Tracks of 2017, clocking up 100+ plays on the Radio 1 playlist and reaching B-List at BBC 6 Music.
Tracklisting
01. Two Moons Under 02. Frieda 03. Burns 04. Roll Back feat. Lil Silva 05. Siren Calls 06. Nobody But You feat. Hudson Scott 07. Outgrown feat. Bonobo 08. Half Light feat. Tracey Thorn 09. The Echo Forgets 10. Passing Trains
All That Must Be will land on March 9 via Double Six / Domino, with “Roll Back” feat. Lil Silva streaming above.
“’Roll Back’ is a sad song but there was a lot of joy in making it with Lil Silva. Late night sessions in London and Bedford. Empty trains and night buses home. Things just clicked perfectly in the studio.” — George FitzGerald
A bonus track to sophomore single High Shot, “Checkmate” was written in Kalli Ma’s own studio in the basement of a community creative space just off London’s Holloway Road, armed with a hybrid of analog and digital synthesizers. It has received the acid treatment of producer and DJ Timothy ‘Heretic’ Clerkin and is available for free download via the WeTransfer below.
Kalli Ma is an electronic ensemble “influenced by DIY aesthetics to experiment and create forward-thinking music.”
Later this week, Melbourne crew and label Potatoheadz Records will release its first vinyl EP, Unknown Data Set.
Following on from two cassette releases and a limited edition CD-R, Unknown Data Set presents four varied tracks from label affiliates Edo Lang, YS, Sedgwick, and Pulsum. The release, according to the label, “defines dream-like iterations of a post-Internet reality and is uncanny in its ability to quintessentially emulate potential futuristic states of being.” In tune with this ethos, the tracks range from Edo Lang’s ritualistic “Jan Juc” to Sedgwick’s intricately layered synth workout “Digitale Djungle.”
Along with the announcement, Potatoheadz has offered up a full stream of Sedgwick’s cut, available via the player below.
Since her formative years playing in jazz, shoegaze, and math rock bands in California’s Bay Area, Jamaica Suk has been a constant force of sonic exploration. Fusing her psychedelic roots with the gritty minimalism of her current base in Berlin, Jamaica’s output provides a cerebral experience that is at once physical, emotive, and captivating. Since moving to the German capital in 2012, Jamaica has solidified her name as one of the most promising artists in underground techno via residencies and regular gigs at some of the city’s key venues and parties such as Pornceptual, Chalet, ://about blank, Salon Zur Wilden Renate, and further afield for Garbicz Festival, Whole Festival, and Sunset Campout.
On the release front, Jamaica has dropped a collection of standout outings on esteemed labels such as Face to Face, Sub tl, and L.A.G., and last year she launched her new Gradient project, which constitutes a vinyl-only label and a series of conceptual nights that focus on pairing contrasting underground styles across multiple rooms with live immersive visuals and video mappings. The first Gradient release, an EP from Jamaica titled Art Vs War, is set to drop on January 29 with three originals and a remix from Cassegrain. A second Gradient is set to drop this Fall, preceded by new releases on Wunderblock and Establishment.
For this week’s podcast, Jamaica delivers a selection of captivating techno that flows through under-the-radar ’90s cuts, dub, and industrial, all woven together with a psychedelic touch.
When and where was the mix recorded?
Last week at my apartment in Berlin on a grey January day.
What equipment did you record it on?
I used two Technics Turntables, one Pioneer CDJ 900, an Allen & Heath Xone 91 Mixer, and a Zoom H5 Recorder.
Was there a particular idea or mood you were looking to convey?
Yes, definitely. You can say the four seasons I experience here still have a big impact on me even after five years. I moved to Berlin from San Francisco, where it’s pretty much one season all year round, and the winter here heavily affects my mood, allowing more space for introspection and focus.
For this mix, I wanted to reflect on life as an artist, conveying impermanence through ease and restlessness, highlighting points of tension, beauty, and contrast—something that I feel is a common trend in my production as well as the music I pick.
In the mix I play some current favourites, unreleased material, ’90s influences, Detroit techno, dub, industrial, and some housier percussive tracks. ’90s techno has been a big inspiration to me since I started producing, and lately I’ve been reviving this into my sets, and a blend of all of these styles is something I’ve been playing out.
What were some of your highlights in 2017?
Highlights were launching my label Gradient, travelling more to play music, and meeting inspiring people along the way. Other highlights include performing a new live set at the Sunset Campout, playing Garbicz Festival in Poland, and performing in Stockholm. My residency at Pornceptual—a party focused on expressionism—has been a great experience for me this last year, too, working with a dedicated crew and dancefloor that allow me to fully experiment and interact with an open-minded audience.
2017 was initially a tough transitional year for me but I pulled through. In November, 2016, I had all my backups and computer stolen on a US tour and lost all of my material. So 2017 was really a year where I wanted to let all of that go and move forward, knowing that nothing should stop your creative cycle but help you grow stronger.
You just started your label Gradient—can you tell us about the plans for it?
Sure, the plan for Gradient is to have an independent and unbiased platform for me to experiment and collaborate with other like-minded artists and venues.
Last autumn we launched our first Gradient night collab with KvW. We worked with Nikolozka (Delusion) for visuals/live video mapping and showcased some local heroes and international artists, including Juho Kusti, Anders Hellberg, Reka Zalen, Peter Kirn, Erik Jäähalli, Laura De Vasconcelos, and Guada FK. Our plan was to create a multi-room event where there was heavily contrasted music on each floor including live sets and visuals while still keeping a focus on the underground.
Gradient 001 will be released on vinyl January 29, including three original tracks and a stellar remix by Cassegrain. Expect Gradient 002 later this year and a few more Gradient nights.
What’s on the horizon for 2018?
More self-released music, two EPs on other labels, a new live set, a few US Dates, and multiple shows in France. I just joined Sweat Lodge Booking Agency so I’m pretty excited about new representation. I’m also looking forward to spending the next few months locked away in my studio so let’s see what comes from that.
Early next month, Kindisch will kick off its 2018 release schedule with a nine-track album from Art of Life—a duo consisting of Oleg Makovskiy and Paul Twins.
Little is known of the duo and this album, titled Poet’s Dream, is their first offering, presenting a collection of deep and subtle house cuts filled with delicate grooves, moody synth lines, and mysterious atmospheres. From the slow-burning sombre mood of the opening cut to fathoms deep groove of “Girl in Black,” the album’s eeries closing track, Poet’s Dream is a standout debut from a pair of artists who we will certainly be hearing more of in the near future.
In support of the LP release, Kindsch has offered up “Girl in Black” as today’s XLR8R download, available via WeTransfer below.
The Berlin-based Korean has earned a lot of praise for her work over recent years, both through her mixes and her releases on Ninja Tune’s Technicolour, Rekids, and Phonica White. Sitting somewhere between Detroit, London, and Berlin in sound, her DJ sets are an assured, kinetic combination of dark, pulsing house and techno, broken beats, and abstract compositions.
She’s now set to debut on Ninja Tune itself with Once, a three-track release that the label describes as “sleek, instantly danceable, and effortless in its simplicity.” We’re told that it “shows off a new dimension” of Gou’s production style, featuring her composing and actually singing lyrics for the first time—in her mother tongue Korean. “I’ve recorded my voice before but this time I tried to sing… I’m not a pro singer but I did my best,” she laughs.
Describing the 12”, she says: “I really wanted to represent different styles and moods on this EP, from “open-air” warm-up vibes to “proper party.” I tried to draw on all my influences of the last few years, from electro, African music, early ’90s house music, and also techno, especially Maurice Fulton and DMX Krew.”
Tracklisting
01. It Makes You Forget (Itgehane) 02. Hundres Times 03. Han Jan
Once 12”/Digital will be released on March 2, with the EP opener streaming in full below.
