The story of IULY.B is pretty simple: born in Iasi, he discovered and developed his production skills through self-learning when he was just a teenager, a hobby that in time evolved into something more serious.
His records over the last five years have proven popular with releases for renowned labels such as Visionquest, Memoria, and Fuse London (Infuse). Deep, hypnotic energies are forged into merciless basslines, born out of IULY.B’s rich imagination and keen sense of space. The young producer has a specific depth of field that’s loaded with percussive details, making its ambient sensibilities feel active rather than passive.
Downloadable below is “Sunstroke,” a smooth dancefloor track.
Apollonia have shared a new video ahead of their next set of marathon dates next weekend.
The video, filmed in mid-December 2016, captured a very busy weekend for the trio, following them from Paris to London to Barcelona for three gigs. The weekend commencing September 15 is even bigger for the boys: they’re due to play four extended set gigs at Fort Festival Barcelona, their last “All Night Long” set at Music On Ibiza, Fabrik Madrid, and closing out The BPM Festival in Portimão and Lagoa, Portugal.
Streamable above, the video gives you a glimpse into what life on the road is really like.
Point Blank, the acclaimed music production and DJ school with branches in London, Los Angeles, Ibiza, Mumbai, and online, has announced details surrounding the school’s upcoming open house events and masterclasses in Los Angeles.
Kicking things off on September 13, Point Blank Los Angeles–located on the border of Silver Lake and Los Feliz at the historic Mack Sennett Studios–will open its doors to the public for an evening of special guests, live performances, workshops, panels, Q&A’s, prize giveaways, and guided tours. The open house event, which will also feature a masterclass from PBLA instructor and Voltage Control Lab founder Joe “Computo” Caputo, aims to give prospective students an opportunity to explore the school’s state-of-the-art facilities and ask questions before potentially signing up for the upcoming term commencing on September 25. The event takes place from 7-8:30pm and is free with registration on Eventbrite. To register, click here. For more information, go here.
Then, on October 5, PBLA will host an exclusive masterclass featuring Grammy Award-winner and Daft Punk collaborator Todd Edwards. PBLA masterclasses are usually reserved for Point Blank students and alumni, but for this special occasion, the school will open its doors to the public. Detailed information about the event is set to be announced in the coming weeks. Stay up to date with PBLA events here.
For more information on PBLA’s course offerings, click here.
On Friday, Infiné Music will release the new album from Labelle, titled univers-île.
The new LP follows on from 2013’s Ensemble album, which was released via Eumolpe Records, with 11 dreamy cuts recorded at Labelle’s high-rise apartment in Saint Denis, which overlooks the rich and extravagant cultural crossroads of La Reunion. This stunning recording environment lends itself to the floating music presented, music further embedded in the locale via vocal contributions from some of La Reunion’s finest vocalists and musicians.
In support of the forthcoming release, Labelle has offered up album cut “Soul Introspection” as today’s XLR8R download. It’s a stunning cut on which Labelle welcomes Indian guitarist Prakash Sontakke, whose contributes with transformative slide guitar lines.
You can grab the track via WeTransfer below, with the album available for pre-order here.
Next week, Opilec Music will release the latest in their remix series, this time a single from label head I-Robots‘ 2008 Law of Robotics album.
The track in question, “Brother Man,” gets the rework treatment from Red Axes and Hiroshi Watanabe (a.k.a. Kaito), following on from contributions to the remix series from the likes of Kuniyuki Takahashi, Djembe Monks, Danny Ocean, Los Hermanos, Gary Martin, Alexander Robotnick, Daniele Baldelli, and Marco Dionigi.
Each of the remixes—Watanabe provides two remixes, with an instrumental joining the original rework—provides a vital new version of “Brother Man,” with Red Axes opting for a galloping and hypnotic house hybrid and Watanabe going in a more techno-focused direction with cosmic tendencies.
The remix package drops on September 11 and can be pre-ordered and previewed here, with Red Axes remix streaming in full below.
Vril doesn’t really speak—we established that several months ago when he contributed to our XLR8R podcast series. And it’s a great shame because it’s difficult to think of too many more intriguing artists in contemporary techno—an unidentified and faceless character whose work many consider to be unparalleled in the genre.
Writing an introduction on Vril, therefore, is not particularly easy as there are so few details to work with. Collating all that has been shared in previous media outings with his discography, it’s possible to affirm the following: he’s German and really began to garner attention in 2011 when his “UV” track appeared on Marcel Fengler‘s Berghain O5 compilation and Marcel Dettmann ended his fabric 77 mix with the blissful “Torus XXXII”—a jewel in the crown taken from Vril’s fine 2014 Torus LP. Since then, he continued to release via Semantica and Giegling, while touring the world with a simply stunning live set.
It’s no surprise that almost nothing is known about the processes behind his work, which spans from ambient and downtempo to various breeds of techno. It is a surprise, however, that he agreed to speak on it at all.
When did you first begin producing your own music? Can you remember when you produced your first track?
25 years ago. I used an Amiga 500 like a few other kids at that time. I still have the tapes where I recorded the first songs. Also, this Protracker Disks was passed to me accidentally by another kid that wanted to give me computer games normally. This was the start.
What style of music were your first productions?
Techno and breakbeats.
How much music did you make before your first release?
A lot.
Where is your studio? What do you look for in a studio space?
It’s at home in a separate room. In a studio place, I mainly look for music, but I think the acoustics of the room is one of the most important things.
Describe your setup for making music. Is there a certain machine at the center of it all? What are the key pieces of gear?
Roland TR-909, Juno-6, Chandler Compressor (to name only a few), and plug-ins
I use two different DAWs and a lot of new freaky small things. What I really like is that UAD Apollo concept.
What DAW’s do you use?
Cubase and Ableton Live.
Do you record your synths by playing them, or do you normally use MIDI?
Both. But I mainly play stuff by myself and loop it.
How do you decide when you buy a new piece of gear?
From a feeling that I have. If there is that special excitement then I often buy gear. Testing out new stuff has been one of my biggest inspirations since I started.
How frequently do you add gear to your studio?
A lot in 2016. But these days every three-six weeks.
Does the unpredictability of this equipment often lead to some surprises in your music?
Yes. I really search for that and have some machines that do this but you can bring nearly every machine to its extreme and edge of functioning. I like that errorinstruments.com website, too (No, they are not paying me).
What’s your opinion on software versus hardware?
Not so relevant. But…hardware is more beautiful and creates more of those important “mistakes” and the noise I search for. But you can realize your music with nearly all kind of gear /software these days.
Is there any piece of equipment that you feel like you’re currently missing?
A Spaceship maybe…no, I am looking out for an API Stereo EQ, maybe.
“Magic is science before it is explained, right?”
Would you say your production process is always changing, or do you have a basic formula?
It’s changing but mostly I start with drums, a noise idea, or, classically, a keyboard riff. But I try to let all that feel like a magic trick to myself. I don’t want to know too much theory. Fifty percent magic; fifty percent science is a good mix. Magic is science before it is explained, right?
Would you say that most of your tracks are conceptualized prior to writing and recording, or are a lot of these a result of spontaneous jamming and random ideas?
50 / 50. But everything starts with the head mostly.
How much of this creative process is based on instinct and how much on conscious analysis?
50 / 50 too. I think that is a good value for a creative process like I said. “V3” for example. Really mysterious studio story. It was a little noise idea first and then with a bang, the track was there.
Can you tell us what happened?
That special feeling appeared and I knew that the song could change something. Also, a bit of cosmic combined elements in the song and “V3 “appeared extremely fast and made me a bit dizzy.
You’ve produced a number of special tracks in your career—like “Torus XXXII.” Do you know also these are special when you’ve made them?
I would say yes. There is something special in the air then.
Do you go to the studio every day, even if you haven’t got an idea in your head?
No, not every day, but when I am in the mood I sometimes stay in the studio up to 15 hours making music.
How do you find the motivation to go the studio when you’re feeling low?
It’s always worth going in the studio. You never know what’ll happen. Don’t miss this one moment.
Do you think it is important that you have a workspace (i.e. a studio) clearly defined from your home space?
Individual decision. I had both. Having the studio really near these days is what I like.
Production block is a well-known problem for music artists. How do you try to combat it?
No need to force.
“First, you learn everything. Then you forget everything. Then you start to do music.”
One thing that strikes me about your work is the emotion: you’re able to produce this melancholic, dark material that sounds so different to almost anything else. Do you think it’s your setup or the methods you use?
Thank you. It is definitely not a setup. Over the years the connection between me and my music was recessing more and more.
First, you learn everything. Then you forget everything. Then you start to do music.
How much time do you give a sketch before you decide whether it’s something you want to develop or put to one side?
In between seven minutes and seven years.
How do you determine whether a track is going to be released or not?
Sometimes with a friend or group and sometimes alone.
Do you show your tracks to anyone before you release them?
Yes.
How do you approach your live set—do you write tracks specifically for it or do you pick from unreleased ideas?
I use my analog recorded stems (not groups) to put together to a new spontaneous ongoing piece of arrangement.
What gear do you use for the live set?
I record all elements of my songs separated and loop them. Then, I do a big live megamix with AKAI APC and more controllers, drum machines, and pads. It’s always a different set and story. Also, I choose different tracks and elements for each Liveset.
According to the label, they have rejected “killer track after killer track” from the San Francisco native. “There is no artist in the history of our label that we have given a harder time to than Vin Sol,” they add. “We finally made our peace, and selected the four tracks that encompass the Moonchild EP you have here…”
The EP is said to read “like a metaphor for the two sides of the city where it was made.” The two openers, “Moonchild” and “Electrical Storms,” “reminisce the mystical and spiritual love affair San Francisco has had since the ’60s while “Patronize” and Bondage Taped” reference “the sexually adventurous side the city indoctrinates to all its visitors.”
Jeff Mills‘ has confirmed details of his upcoming Lost In Space EP.
The five-track release is the first material from Mills’ electronic-classical project, Lost In Space, which is a collaboration with Orchestre National Du Capitole De Toulouse. It is not the first time the Detroit artist has used space as the basis for his work: he recently released Planets, a nine-track “electronic/classical” LP “about the nine planets of our Solar System.”
Mills created Lost In Space “with the future of mankind’s advances in space travel and colonizing other planets in mind,” according to his record label, Axis Records.
Following the 12-inch, Mills will release a Lost In Space album at some point in 2018 and perform live alongside the orchestra on April 5 and 7 in Toulouse.
Tracklisting
A1. Reflectivity A2. Planets X B1. Exploding Stars B2. Gliese 436B B3. Carbon 14 Plus
Lost In Space EP is scheduled for out on October 13 vinyl release via Axis Records.
Berlin-based Frenchman Robin Ordell has recorded and shared a new mix.
Ordell output takes influence from three key European cities: Nice, London, and the German capital. His penchant for jazz imbues his music with deep soulful grooves, characterized by improvisation, syncopation, and an insistent rhythm. Deep, bassy tones, together with infectious breaks and warm loops flow through his sets and productions, while touches of minimal experimentation and a strong house motif make up his sound.
Growing up around funk music during his formative years in Nice, France, Robin left home early relocating to East London in 2007, where he was drawn to the burgeoning underground club scene. Influenced by the French style of the nineties, while also drawing on inspiration from deeper German minimal sounds, Robin was entrenched in the fertile East London scene during this exciting era of London’s history.
2009 was a notable year in Ordell’s progression as a DJ. It was during this time that infamous London party Half Baked was conceived and he became one of their full-time residents. It was at this party where he really established himself as a versatile selector who can blend a range of styles into his sets with confidence and panache.
As a keen studio hound, Ordell is always jamming and making music, some of which has been released via labels such as Seuil’s Eklo, Discobar, Finest Hour, Hello?Repeat and Half Baked’s own record label. In 2014 he became part of the Lola ED agency, joining an array of underground luminaries and marking an important step forward in his decade-long career. In 2017 he continues to travel around Europe, with a steady flow of releases and a constant desire to channel the soul of jazz, house, and funk music through his Ordell-shaped filter.
His latest mix, a one-hour journey through some of his favorite records, is available to download in full below.
When and where was the mix recorded?
The mix was recorded in my bedroom back in June this year, on my wonky pair of turntables. Gotta freshen those babies up some day…
Could you tell us about the idea behind it?
You know what, I have always had a certain idea of how a podcast should be: for me it should be easy listening and smooth, the kind of thing I personally like to listen to whilst I’m hanging out at home. Saying tha I have often been told that my mixes and podcasts are too deep, and not showcasing my club side enough. So I’ve tried to combine the best of both worlds, with music meaningful to me but that I could also confidently play in the club environment.
What made this set particularly special — why did you release it?
I guess it’s a pretty accurate walk through of my current tastes. It’s a blend of house, minimal, and techno from the past and present. Pretty simple, but I think it works and is an honest representation of what I’m about.
How does the mix compare to one of your club mixes?
It’s pretty close in terms of selection, although the energy I get from people whilst I’m out performing is never that easy to recreate when playing in front of my bedroom wall.
What have you got planned for 2017?
A few exciting projects are on the way actually, I’ve got an EP due very soon on Jan Krueger’s Hello?Repeat, my second release on Finest Hour is due out in the coming month, and I also appear on a various artists comp for Assemble Music.
I have done a lot of collaborations with my friends lately too and am looking forward to the day when these new little challenges will see the light of day.
Gig-wise I’m looking forward to playing CDV with Lamache and Onirik on September 11, it should be good fun, making my tINI & the gang debut in Ibiza at the lovely Underground end of September just after a night out with Dyed Soundorom in Switzerland at Rok Club amongst others…
Can’t say much else apart from the fact that I’m really excited! It’s been a good year so far and I’m sure the vibes will continue into winter.
