The bulk of blueblue was recorded in isolation in a makeshift studio built in a cabin floating atop a tributary of Oregon’s Columbia river. Having sketched out a set of guitar melodies, Gendel recorded the album in five weeks, during which time he became well-acquainted with the river’s tidal rise and fall. This organic rhythm, which each day lifted the house to meet the horizon, later setting it down gently upon the riverbed, permeates the record.
We’re told that the record is “mesmerizing, evocative, and sonically idiosyncratic.”
In keeping with its name, the release conveys, through repetition and deviation, Gendel’s devotion to a certain “nostalgic and quasi-psychedelic” mood. Each track correspond to a pattern within sashiko, a traditional style of Japanese embroidery.
Integral to the feel of blueblue is Craig Weinrib’s kit work. Gendel and Weinrib collaborated long-distance during Gendel’s time in Oregon, with Gendel sending Weinrib half-finished songs, giving him the freedom to record percussion.
Across a dizzying slate of solo releases and collaborations, Gendel has amassed a reputation for his prolific output, which is indebted to jazz and hip-hop.
The project of DJ-producers Dori Sadovnik and Niv Arzi, known as Red Axes, is informed by post-punk, post-punk, EBM, disco, new wave, and a plethora of club sounds. This month, they’ll continue their long-term relationship with British label Phantasy with Rhythm Passage, which underlines everything that the Israeli duo are about: charismatic, psychedelic club music that weaponizes hypnotic percussion, dusty samples, and their own studio trickery.
Raised in Tel Aviv, Sadovnik and Arzi have been inseparable for years. As teenagers, they’d attend psychedelic trance parties across the city and jam with Red Cotton, a post-punk band that also featured three more members, but soon they were the only ones left. A short stint in Amsterdam followed, where they’d immersive themselves in the world of house, techno, and disco, and upon returning to Tel Aviv they launched Red Axes, an outlet for the sounds that had touched them on their travels. Their first EPs came out between 2009 and 2011, and they simply haven’t stopped since—shared through labels like Hivern Discs, Correspondant, Lazarus‘ Crosstown Rebels, and Permanent Vacation. In 2020, they released their debut self-titled album on San Francisco label Dark Entries. (Rhythm Passage is the fourth EP they’ve put out on Phantasy.)
For this week’s XLR8R podcast, Red Axes have compiled a DJ set that’s flavored with unreleased tracks. Across 60 minutes, you can expect wonky techno, punk-infused house, and psychedelic rock, plus a taste of Rhythm Passage. Targeted towards the peak hours, it’s high in energy and relentless—a snapshot of what you can expect to hear them spinning in clubs across Europe this summer.
01. What have you been up to recently? We’ve been on a crazy summer tour, so mostly on the road.
02. You’re set to release a new EP on Phantasy this month. What can you tell us about it? Yes, it’s the fourth EP we’re doing with Phantasy and we’re keeping the same idea of a club record with three tracks that should be played out in the club. Each one offers a different atmosphere and moment.
03. When and where did you record this mix? Yesterday at Niv’s home, between 10am and 11am.
04. How did you go about choosing the tracks you’ve included? We heard the intro track recently. It’s such a great and touching song and I had to play it for some private reasons. From there the other picks were very random. It’s like we’re playing a Red Axes DJ set for an open dancefloor in between the peak to the twilight zone.
05. What can the listener expect? A bit of depth, some punky electric moments, and a lot of groove. Also, as usual, there’s some unreleased stuff.
06. How does it compare to what we might hear you play out live? It could easily be a Red Axes set somewhere.
07. What’s next on your agenda? We’re going to keep on traveling and playing music for people around the world.
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. Harry Waller “Down” (NTS) 02. Luca Lozano “Another Fine Mess” (Klasse Wrecks) 03. T.R.A. “Tribal Groove” (Progression) 04. Judah Warsky / Gilbert Cohen “Tout Le Temps Tout Le Temps (I:Cube Remix)” (Versatile Records) 05. The Moon & The Sun “Sirius” (Edit) (Superstition) 06. Red Axes “Unknown” (Unknown) 07. Keplrr “Everything is okay” (NEEDS) 08. Red Axes “Oh My Arp” (Phantasy) 09. Farai “National Gangsters” (Edit) (Big Dada Recordings) 10. Ian Blevins “Welcomes” (Secretsundaze remix) (Just Jack) 11. Red Axes “Unknown” (Unknown) 12. Off The Meds “Unknown” (Red Axes Remix) (Studio Barnhus) 13. Sleep D “Airbags” (Cocktail d’Amore) 14. Unknown “Unknown” (Unknown) 15. SunkLo “In Here” (Nonplus) 16. Red Axes “20min” (Phantasy)
Written during the lockdown period in 2020, See You In Paradise offers the “whole sonic spectrum” from the Italian artist’s universe, we’re told.
Across 10 new tracks, the hardware enthusiast and Panorama Bar resident brings bright melodies, pop hooks, and Chicago house groove, with techno tracks and atmospheric soundscapes.
We’re told that the release “takes you on a journey” through Pagliara’s “mind, body, and soul,” from his disco passion and pulsating dancefloor moments to meditative ambience. It’s inspired, both musically and aesthetically, by disco hero Patrick Cowley.
The release features collaborations with Snax, Fort Romeau, and Init, with whom he has worked before. Curses, Coloray, and Vanessa also feature, as do live musicians playing piano and saxophone.
Under the artistic direction of Pagliara, each artist was invited to bring their own talent to the album, and together they’ve created a “refuge full of beauty and harmony and free from worries in an upside down world,” hence the album’s title.
For more information on Pagliara, check out his XLR8R studio feature here.
Tracklist
01. Persistently There 02. Half-time Dreams feat. INIT 03. Reset feat. Fort Romeau & Coloray 04. Snap Out feat. Snax 05. Mitate 06. Pepper On The Tongue feat. Curses 07. Nocturnal Prowler 08. Intense Affectionate 09. See you In Paradise feat. Vanessa 10. Non Attachment
See You In Paradise LP is scheduled for October 21 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Snap Out” feat Snax in full below.
This edition is a little different to previous editions in that it’s curated by Elena Colombi, the founder of Osàre! Editions, a rising label with roots in Amsterdam. Colombi has pulled in six artists from the Osàre! fold, curated alongside XLR8R as a cohesive narrative for the label and its current sound.
Up first is Novo Line, a Baltimore-raised producer who delivers “Radio Breaker Bells,” a weird and warped piece of chugging electronics built for the warm-up hours. Up next are Levente Pavelka and Johannes Haas as Schulverweis, whose “Partisane” track features head-nodding German vocals over a rolling bassline geared towards maximum destruction.
Continuing in the same vein, Wessel Janssen, the Dutch artist better known as The Spy, has shared a fast, punky cut with head-spinning vocal contributions from Colombi herself, before Richard Smith (a.k.a L/F/D/M) winds things down a little with “Folklore,” a slice of perfectly concocted club music.
Closing the edition are Mayurashka, a DJ-producer based in Tokyo, with her own hybrid of no wave and house music, and Sepehr, who collaborates with Colombi on “Undulating Thoughts,” once again featuring his trademark hallucinogenic depth.
There’s also a Studio Essentials feature with The Spy, included in this month’s PDF zine, which details his favorite production tools and pieces of gear.
This month’s art is by Eva Kammergruber and Elena Colombi.
Thanks for your continued support,
The XLR8R Team
The music, PDF zine, and wallpaper art can be downloaded once you SUBSCRIBE HERE. If you’re already a subscriber, you can download the package below.
Editor’s note: the subscriber NFT will be available next week and a note will be sent out to subscribers.
Daniele Guerrini, better known as Heith, will release his debut album on PAN.
Guerrini is the co-founder of Haunter Records, where he’s released singles and EPs since 2013, as well as the curator of Milanese venue Macao, which was forced to close its doors.
On X, Wheel, his first full-length, he takes a deep dive into creative and spiritual practice, touching on psychedelia, psych-trance, and noise. He does all this while “crafting a resonant and eclectic sound collage of mesmerising and ritualistic subterranean soundscapes,” we’re told.
Guerrini wrote the album across different studios in Milan, Rome, and Florence between March 2019 and January 2020. It features Leonardo Rubboli, ZU drummer Jacopo Battaglia, and didgeridoo player Fabio Goldaniga.
In May, PAN, the label of Bill Kouligas, released the new album of pianist Marina Herlop.
Tracklisting
01. Lettera 4 02. Dero 03. The hermit 04. a Venus flytrap in the circus lodge 05. ()()(), 21, wheel of fortune 06. Psychic Mathrooms 07. Enter Lemuria 08. Your Element (a spell of equality) 09. Stones Witch 10. Interlude 11. Ensemble of Somnambulists (ft. Aase Nielsen)
X, Wheel LP is scheduled for October 7 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Your Element (a spell of equality)” in full below and pre-order here.
With the month of July drawing to a close, we’re presenting our favorite XLR8R+submissions from June. We’re particularly happy to welcome back Melina Blanco, the skilled Costa Rican artist, who delivers a sumptuous piece of melodic techno. And if you like that, there’s sure to be plenty here for you—from the blissful ambient of Open Spaces’ new track to Don Esquivel’s “U Got It,” a lo-fi jam with soothing chords. If this sort of contemplative music is what you’re looking for, then the mix by Ses is also worth checking out, but if you want something to make you move, then look no furtherthan Blutch’s disco submission and Venture Silk’s electro-funk. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
For those unfamiliar, XLR8R+ is a member-supported music community and curated music experience. Every month, you will get three exclusive tracks, and sometimes more, by a wealth of amazing artists that XLR8R has supported over the years, as well as access to the member’s area where you can submit tracks and DJ mixesto be showcased in this feature series and to the XLR8R+ community. There’s also exclusive editorial content, mixes, FREE passes to music festivals and events, playlists, and more.You can find out more here.
The journal of Vault., who is known for his deep and dubby productions, can be traced back to the San Francisco underground circa 2017, where he was first exposed to club culture. He heard minimal at a local after-hours and, brimming with inspiration, he started to experiment with production. In July 2021, he connected with Pheek, who helped to elevate his production skills and the releases began to flow. “Comfort Magic,” a tripped-out dubby roller, is the opening track of his This House EP, released on Romania’s Inunct Music earlier this month.
Mawn Lower is a producer based in Atlanta, Georgia. And this month, he’s submitted a dreamy ambient track inspired by the sounds of cassette tape. The release is out now on Mawn Lower’s own Mithra Records, as part of a compilation featuring friends from near and afar invited “to be a part of this gradient of moods and energy.”
Dakuan is the techno alias of DJ DanceAlone, a Memphis-based house artist. “FireWire,” his latest track, is layered with 808 drums, glitched cuts, and unique vocals. It’s the beginning of his experimentation with fusing vocals with techno music, so expect more soon.
Komo B, from Maastricht, the Netherlands, has an eclectic style that touches on disco, house, acid, and techno. All of this reflects his love for Detroit techno, spiritual jazz, and improvisation. “Birds Flying High” is taken from his Orbit EP, out now on EPM Music. The track symbolizes freedom and takes the EP into a deeper techno realm with eight minutes of transcendent grooves.
After the success of his first album on Astropolis Records, French producer Blutch (real name Julien Porhel) is back on Barbecue. This time he’s delivered “Barbeuc’ place Guérin,” a feel-good disco track with an irresistible groove, and we can’t stop tuning in!
The Pleasure Majenta is a psychedelic noise outfit originally from New Zealand. Their music is a heady blend of noise, broken electronics, and guitar feedback that begs to remain untamed. Earlier this month, they released their fourth album, Looming, the Spindle, which communicates feelings of loss, grief, connection, and paranoia across 10 original tracks. “Satellite TV” is the standout track, but you should really check out the full release here.
Melina Blanco is a Costa Rican producer based in Tbilisi, Georgia. Her productions involve ambient, techno, breakbeat, and more. We’ve featured her in our XLR8R submissions roundup several times before, including here and here, and this month she’s delivered another sublime piece of electronic music. “Era,” a slice of contemplative, melodic techno, is the lead track from Air, which she made between March and June last year, released on Mexican label Ineffable. “For a long time I have been very interested in experimenting with sounds that reflect the idea of making music that is subtle and in a certain minimalist way,” she says.
In 2020, Californian cassette tape label Constellation Tatsu released Opening Space by an unknown artist called Open Spaces, real name Christopher Andrew Hancock. The release featured four blissful, immersive ambient tracks and next month, Open Spaces is back with The Wandering Mind on Australian label lo fi spiritual, which interweaves transcendental drones with field recordings. “Day Dreaming,” a gorgeous and meditative ambient piece, is the EP’s second track, and we can’t wait to hear more.
Italian artist Andy Morello has been involved in electronic music for decades, and his research is aimed at finding the link between improvisation and programming. “TAPE-4 (ultraviolet dreams)” forms part of his TAPES series, a collection of one-take sessions performed with a modular synthesis system and a pedal reverb. The aim is to take the listener to a distant world and that’s what this track certainly does, presenting nine minutes of immersive electronics.
The sound of Venture Silk (born Ruslan Shyshniak), a Ukrainian producer living in the Netherlands, is influenced by ’80s electro-funk, ’90s breakbeat, and Detroit electro. (He also likes sci-fi movies and series like Interstellar and Stranger Things.) Nowhere is this more clear than on the spacey electro cut “Another Dimension,” a soundtrack to “a world exactly like our own, but distorted by time and space,” that he released via Bandcamp just a few days ago.
Cédric Elisabeth is a French artist currently based in Copenhagen. His sound is inspired by nature, which he communicates through ripples of synths and thumping beats, “like the rhythm of his own heart when swimming through the glistening surface of the swimming pool,” he says. “I Used To Be,” a piece of uplifting house, is one of his latest cuts, but we suggest you check out Facing Reality, a collection of five tracks full of power and texture, on Detroit Underground.
Don Esquivel, otherwise known as Carlos Esquivel, is a DJ-producer from Michoacán, México. Now based in Mexico City, he’s an active DJ in the local Queer music scene. You can find his productions on labels like Amplio Espectro, Muy Muy Records, and Discos Sentimiento, but “U Got It” comes from Get Up Recordings. Expect a lo-fi jam defined by a contemplative lead and chord structure drenched in introspective moods. (Check out the full EP, For the Memories, here.)
A couple of months ago, Ses, a budding DJ-producer based in Brooklyn, New York, delivered a 90-minute mix to local platform Delayed. Featuring tracks from XLR8R favorites like Ulla, Leo Pol, Jan Jelinek, and DJ Healer, it’s a sumptuous mix for home listening, filled with twists and turns that’ll make you want to tune in again and again. And probably again. We highly recommend.
Yhdessa was conceptualised in 2017 while the duo shared a music studio. Their first piece, released in 2018 on the label One Instrument Records, and named after the Vermona E-Piano, is composed entirely using the analogue synthesizer that was built in 1978. Following this came their lingering soundscape “Waldorf Micro Q” that featured on the record One Instrument Volume 01.
The pair’s musical union is one of colour and warmth, expressing their experimental electro-ambient side to form a style that is meditative, other-worldly, and at times introspective.
Along The Simple Line, a five-track release, gently and precisely unfolds through touching musical spaces, dramatic textures, entrancing rhythms, and unexpected vocal lines. It’s the fifth release by Concentric Records, following Tobias.’ first strictly ambient album, Hall Ov Fame.
Aimée Portioli, or Grand River, is a Berlin-based Dutch-Italian composer and sound designer. Enrica Falqui is a Sardinian DJ-producer currently based in Berlin. You can read about them here and here.
Tracklisting
01. Emotional Body. 02. All Rooms Interlude 03. All Rooms 04. Hier Und Da 05. Prion
Along The Simple Line EP is scheduled for September 23 release. Meanwhile, you can stream opener “Emotional Body” in full below and pre-order here.
Now Is marks a new chapter in the London artist’s ongoing quest for refinement and evolution. We’re told that it’s “more playful and melodic” than his previous albums.
Across 11 new tracks, West creates driving, experimental electronic music that makes synthesisers sound human. It’s an experimentation in minimalist songwriting, blending synthesisers with acoustic instruments.
“There are some pieces that are influenced quite strongly by the isolation and anxiety of these times,” West says. “There are also pieces which are more optimistic and vibrant, which I think is a consistent attitude of my records, as I want art to express many aspects of life.”
Last year, West released Overflow, which explored themes of the human and emotional consequences of life surrounded by advancing social media. His consistent desire is to create a more organic, living sound by forming pieces that capture a sense of songwriting behind the machines.
You can read more about West’s work in his XLR8R interview here.
Tracklisting
01. Beginnings 02. World Turns 03. Eventually 04. Frontiers 05. Vision of Self 06. Now Is 07. Echoes 08. Running 09. The Fade 10. A Warning 11. Quiet Home
Now Is LP is scheduled for October 14 release. Meanwhile, you can stream the title-track below, and pre-order here.
The ambition of Mark Velašević Petersen, the DJ better known as Markovela, has always been to create a sound tapestry for people to get lost in the moment. It’s a style he describes as vibe architecture, and it dates back to his childhood in Denmark, when he was introduced to Trentemøller and became intoxicated with the sound of electronic music.
In 2015, Petersen and a few close friends founded YŪGEN, a local group dedicated to creating a framework for people to collectively dive into the present. The concept evolved into one of the most influential parties in Aarhus, and it remained that way until 2017, when he headed to Berlin, where he’s been presenting his favorite records across the city’s musical hotspots, including Club der Visionäre and Hoppetosse. “I had to know more [about electronic music] and I just followed the sound, which led me to Berlin,” Petersen explains. “When I moved there everything kind of clicked for me.”
Petersen’s sets prioritize groove, so you’ll hear rolling hi-hats and infectious, bouncy basslines. The goal is to invite rather than force people to dance, while using music to intensify the feeling of the present moment. In his XLR8R podcast, recorded recently in his summerhouse, you’ll hear tracks from Chaos In The CDB, So Inagawa, Modal Jazz Culture, and Steve O’ Sullivan, creating a delicate mix filled with smooth uplifting jams. It’s a crisp and fun summer set, with enough groove to make you move but that’s subtle enough for home listening too.
01. What have you been up to recently? I just got back from Fusion in Germany a few days ago. It has to be one of the most impressive festivals I have ever come across. 80,000 people and more than 40 stages in an old German airport. Still, you never really experience a queue, so you could say that the logistics impressed me a lot. I also played at a beautiful little festival called Freiland organized by a dedicated team with their heart in the right place.
02. What have you been listening to? Recently I’ve been organizing and rediscovering my records which has meant re-listening to everything. I always get surprised at how a track that I didn’t really even consider when I bought it can become my favorite. Besides that, I’ve been diving into discographies and old mixes of artists that I love. Lately it’s been all about Ion Ludwig and Andrey Pushkarev.
I also had a very significant musical experience earlier this month while listening to Leafar Legov do his live set at Fusion, on the most perfectly tuned Lambda Labs sound system I have ever come across. That one is going to stick with me for a while.
03. What is it that appeals to you about electronic music? For me it’s all about the groove: rolling hi-hats and bouncy basslines. It’s about balance and space in between the frequencies that lets the true identity of each element come out. I’m also a big ambient fan which is what I’m mostly listening to on a daily basis. I find it soothing and it’s basically the soundtrack of my life. One of my favorite artists is Martin Allin, who has this way of channeling both nature and his emotions through the music he makes. My daughter was actually born to one of his mixes, so he will always have a special place in my heart!
04. When and where did you record this mix? A few weeks back in our little summerhouse. I set up my equipment on the dining table overlooking our garden and played for my girlfriend and our one-year-old daughter, Nova.
05. What setup did you use? Two Technics, two CDJs, and the E&S DJR400.
06. How did you go about choosing the tracks that you’ve included? I was reflecting on this set for a while before I dove into the track selection itself. I wanted it to be subtle and yet energetic and something that would compliment a car ride as well as an after-hour. All while being a reflection of my DJ sets. The first 30 minutes are all about getting the joints warmed up and then the launch sequence begins.
07. How does it compare to what we might hear you play out? I would say there are many similarities as I like building my sets in the same way. I believe the key is inviting people to dance instead of trying to force them, all while making them smile.
08.What’s next on your horizon? Next weekend I’m off to Kune Festival. It’s a hidden gem while being a celebration of the Scandinavian underground culture with over 100 artists on an island 30 minutes from Copenhagen. I’m playing an extended set with my girlfriend, Ida Daugaard, before Vera. After that we’re heading to Pangea Festival in Germany where we’re playing on a cozy little stage with Mountain People and S.A.M. We’re taking Nova to all festivals that are child-friendly, which has been five or six so far. It’s so nice to be able to introduce her to this part of our lives at this early age, and she seems to really enjoy it. Not so much the constant ear-protection, but she’s getting used to it!
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.
Composed during a period of change and challenge, Gravity is the San Francisco artist’s “most personal and refined work to date,” we’re told. The ideas for it first emerged in 2018 as Willits recorded guitar improvisations in a temple in Gifu, Japan.
Following the completion of Sunset, his last album, Willits resumed work on Gravity in 2020 in his recording space in California, utilizing his custom Moog guitar, bass synth, bass guitar, field recordings, and voice. He finalized the record during stays with family in Kansas City and Hawaii.
There was a “gravity” imbuing each session, we’re told, as Willits processed the flux of the world while supporting his mother during her declining health. His natural response was to create music that soothes the soul and facilitates a state of relaxation and clarity.
“For me, this album is like a prayer of gratitude; feeling the curves of life, listening to the balance, acknowledging the ongoing journey,” Willits says.
Over the past two decades, Willits has navigated the field of contemporary ambient music with curiosity and ambition, realizing a body of work that includes collaborative projects with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Taylor Deupree, and Tycho.
Willits encourages his listeners to let the sound guide the mind’s intrinsic need to process.
