Having only just published our last Ask The Experts feature, we’re now moving swiftly onto our next one—this time with Guy Brewer (a.k.a Shifted), of sound artistry’s most exciting and forward-thinking figures.
After departing his esteemed group Commix, Brewer uprooted his UK drum & bass beginnings and started Shifted—a project that has become known for its mastery of sound and space, texture, and tonalities. From his debut on Luke Slater’s Mote Evolver label, to Dominick Fernow’s (Vatican Shadow) Hospital Productions and Bed Of Nails, and to his recent recordings for his own smartly curated imprint, Avian—home to techno experiments from Alessandro Cortini‘s Skarn, Peder Mannerfelt, SHXCXCHCXSH, and more—Brewer’s work radiates in its capacity to meld to context and circumstance without artistic compromise, and at once to color outside purist lines, push boundaries, and provoke thought in a call to progressive techno, electronic, noise and experimental music as a whole.
With the intention of pushing various forays further, Brewer has also birthed numerous other projects, notably the techno-drone outfit Covered In Sand (with releases on Avian’s sister label, Mira, Ascetic House, and more) and the doomy soundtrack wielding of Alexander Lewis (home on Blackest Ever Black, Vereker’s Endangered Species). In this versatility there is a steadfast dedication to a perpetual movement forward—arguably leaving Brewer to embody a pure, unadulterated spirit of what it means to be an electronic musician: a rebel artist treading new territories with a fascination and fixation to craft brilliance with a new noise.
Now is your chance to ask Brewer your questions on music, life, or anything you wish. All questions should be sent to [email protected] with “Shifted” as the subject line. We’ll pass them along to Brewer who will then select his favorites, and soon we’ll publish his answers.
Fabian Fenk and Philipp Koller (a.k.a The/Das) will release a new EP on Life and Death, titled Drug Dilling.
Drug Dilling is the first new material from the duo on Life and Death since 2013’s Outfashioned. This latest EP is the result of playful and pure studio sessions, during which they “aimed to capture the often-overlooked club-friendly side of their project.”
Tracklisting
A1. Top Vibes A2. Drug Dilling B1. Holy Rollers B2. Drug Dilling (DJ Bone Remix)
Drug Dilling EP is scheduled for July 14 release, with DJ Bone‘s rework of the title track available to stream below.
Point Blank have just released a new tutorial video on using LFOs in sound design.
The video is first in a new series in which course developer and instructor Chris Carter will be detailing the basics of sound design, focusing on different elements of synthesis and going into detail as to how it works and how it can be applied.
In the first episode, Carter focuses on LFOs, describing the differences between oscillators and low-frequency oscillators, discussing the frequency spectrum, and sharing some tips on how to use LFOs effectively. In the video, Chris uses Logic Pro X’s ES2 synthesizer and Native Instrument’s Massive to demonstrate LFOs in use.
You can watch the video in full via the player above, with more on Point Blank’s courses here.
It’s said that the West Country is a magical place. Home to stories of Arthurian legend, Stonehenge, and the world’s most famous festival in Glastonbury, from fashion to folklore it’s a part of the world that very much does things it’s own way. Thus it should come as little surprise that much celebrated Bristol gathering Love Saves The Day is an event that refuses to stick to the script in what you could normally expect from a non-camping, city-fest.
Outside of the bright lights of London, the UK’s many city festivals can almost feel like community-building exercises, and with Love Saves The Day showcasing an abundance of local acts alongside its big hitters, this feeling of kinship only grows. As we arrive on a sunny Saturday afternoon, we find half the population of Bristol has had the same idea, with the festival site feeling packed as we navigate our way through thousands of attendees, attempting to gain our bearings whilst not stepping on any pots of glitter, picnic mats, or inflatables along the way.
Over at the Arcadia ‘afterburner’ stage—a 360° degree, fully-rigged stage built from recycled scrap materials previously used by the Military and Air Force—we make the first of a number of difficult decisions over the course of the weekend, opting to see influential local figure Peverelist over De School resident Job Jobse, who was treating revelers to his selections over at the Just Jack-programmed Paradiso. A key figure in Bristol’s bass fuelled underground, he doesn’t disappoint, delivering an exiguous set that managed to continually keep us guessing with its blend of skeletal melodies and bass driven beats. It’s a memorable performance from the Livity Sound boss and on this evidence, easy to see why he’s seen as such a lynchpin locally.
Making the short walk over to Paradiso, we’re greeted by the eclectic sounds of the impossible to pigeonhole Andrew Weatherall, who effortlessly maintains a sense of groove, moving soles with his unique take on all things electronic. Closing the opening day with a jaunt to the Brouhaha (Futureboogie) stage for two hours of Hunch founder Hunee, his disco straddling set prepares us perfectly for the smaller hours with the wide smiling DJ seemingly enjoying his time in the both as much as we were on the dancefloor.
As with the previous afternoon, we begin Sunday with a bang, this time throwing ourselves into the action over at Cloud9 as Bristolian duo My Nu Leng deliver a trademark blend of 4/4 rhythms and grimy basslines within a garage framework. Seamlessly skipping through bangers, the pairing ignore the overcast sky to get the party started with their high octane stylings enough to revitalize even the weariest of festival goers.
Having taken some time out to catch our breath, we then continue our locally-themed schedule selection with a return to Brouhaha for Sherwood and Pinch, who with their collaborative 2015 album, Late Night Endless, turned in one of—in this writer’s opinion, at least—the most underrated long players of the last few years. Unfortunately, their set takes too long to get going, the initially strong crowd slowly dispersing throughout the opening half an hour as their performance fails to catch fire in the way we’d hoped with lazy low-slung techno not being the order of the day.
Looking to top up our energy levels, we foray back over to the mainstage for the heavily-hyped arrival of seven-piece live band Fat Freddy’s Drop. Being largely out-of-the-loop with such things, we were blown away by the band’s rough ‘n’ tumble take on dub and jazz, quickly losing ourselves in their intense improvisations. We then close the festival with Toronto funsters Badbadnotgood, losing ourselves in a funk-laden set in which the group disregard much of the pomp associated with funk, contemporary jazz, and hip-hop in favor of illustrating their impressive musicianship.
A fitting end to an excellent weekend, we can see a bright future ahead for Love Saves The Day as the festival continues to expand upon its ambitions and offer an alternative to the hollow facades so often foisted upon the public by a bloated festival market. Here’s to next year!
CLICK A PHOTO TO ENLARGE AND ENTER GALLERY BROWSING
Embers follows Revol’s releases on Secret Reels and Future Disco, and Monologues’ 2017 offerings from House legend Nail and Sheffield newcomer Atdhe, with four sun-tinged cuts of varying intensity. From the silky smooth groove of opening cut, “Pink Coffee,” to the summery guitar licks of “Embers” and “Birds,” the broken-beat-infused closing cut, Revol presents a mature EP that defies his relatively new status.
Embers will be out on June 30 and can be pre-ordered here, with “Sun Is The Place” streaming in full below.
Back in 2015, XLR8Rreleased a remix of Paris-based electro-pop band Ambrose by French producer FaCIL. It was a quite direct house cut with slicing synths and chunky beats, providing the perfect introduction to an interesting artist on the rise. Now, FaCIL is back with another sun-tinged cut titled “Need.”
Pulled from Boussole Records‘ upcoming compilation Boussole Records Volume IV—which also features cuts from Kendal, Nina, Filiber, Ethyène, Nina, and VECT, among others—”Need” looks to lo-fi textures, swinging percussion, and summery samples to deliver its message. The label states that it’s a “perfect jam for sleepless nights,” and we couldn’t agree more.
Boussole Records Volume IV is out now and can be grabbed here, with FaCIL’s groove-led “Need” available via WeTransfer below.
Since co-founding the label Scissor & Thread back in 2011, Francis Harris and Anthony Collins (a.k.a. Frank & Tony) have become world renowned for their euphoric, stripped-back brand of deep house. The duo’s early collaborations with Bob Moses earned them and their label international recognition, and solidified Frank & Tony as key players in the growth of Brooklyn’s underground scene. The resulting notoriety for Frank & Tony lead to critically acclaimed collaborations with DJ Sprinkles and Danish vocalist Gry, and a top-notch record on Japan’s Mule Musiq, among other accomplishments.
Today Harris and Collins break their production hiatus, returning to their own Scissor & Thread label for the first time in over a year. With Odes, the pair display their continued ability to cater to headphone listeners as well as packed dance floors; the EP’s four cuts combine mesmerizing percussion with delightful melodies and ethereal atmospherics—perfect for the early morning hours.
In anticipation of the release, Frank & Tony have offered up a full stream of EP track ‘Procession,’ which represents some of the duo’s most upbeat and club-oriented material to date. Stream the track below, and preorder the record by going here.
Although there are plenty of quality parties to choose from around the globe this weekend (check our events section for the full listings), the key highlights for electronic music fans are going down in Barcelona, where Sonar Festival is now in full swing. With countless label showcases, club nights, and open air parties taking place throughout the city until Sunday, lovers of house, disco, techno, minimal, ambient, and everything in between are sure to find something to their liking. We suggest kicking off the weekend with Melisma and Cure Music’s showcase event, which is set to go down at Club Belafonte. The party, which is produced in collaboration with XLR8R, will feature a range of top-notch minimal-leaning selectors including Afriqua, Topper, and Felipe Valenzuela. Tickets are almost sold out for the event; get your last minute presales via XLR8R by going here.
Later on that night, make sure to pass by the Yoyaku showcase at the Barcelona club RED58. The Paris-based record label, booking agency, vinyl outlet, and production studio continues to impress this year, and their Sonar showcase event is set to feature a range of artists that will undoubtedly display the musical excellence with which the Yoyaku brand has become synonymous. On the lineup is rising Berlin-based producer and Partisan contributor Oshana, the melodic-minimal master Janeret, Varhat, and one of XLR8R’s favorite duos Zendid. More information and tickets can be found here.
And on Saturday night, don’t miss the highlight of FACT’s OFF Week events this year: the Figure showcase. On the bill are a slew of heavyweight but always quality artists, lead by Bulgarian live virtuoso KiNK and Detroit export DVS1. Matrixxman, Berghain resident Len Faki, and Gettraum boss Traumer are also on the bill, among others. Warm up for the party by listening to this recent mix from Traumer, recorded exclusively for XLR8R. View the rest of FACT’s OFF Week offerings by going here, with tickets available for purchase here.
Last month, XLR8R was sent a Bonobo bootleg by Indian artist Lukan. Lukan looked to “Break Apart,” a cut pulled from Bonobo’s latest album, Migration, for his latest outing, giving the subtle original a dubby, club-based framework. The bootleg was produced entirely on an array of outboard gear in Lukan’s home studio—you can check photos of the studio in the gallery below—focusing on searing synths and Rhye’s stunning vocals to deliver a melancholic trip ripe for the dancefloor.
The bootleg follows a string of releases and free downloads that have been supported by artists such as Moodymanc and Paco Osuna, with more releases on the way. You can pick up Lukan’s bootleg via WeTransfer below.
The Orphan. collective have shared the first single from a forthcoming compilation set for a late-2017 release.
The single arrives from South London artist and Orphan. co-founder Joe Gillick (a.k.a. Yasha), and will be his first venture as a solo artist—Gillick is also one-half of experimental pop duo FKL. The rest of the release will feature artists the collective have worked with over the years, including Dro Carey, Erik Blood (Shabazz Palaces and TheeSatisfaction), and FKL.
Alongside the single release, Orphan. have also launched Orphan. Radio, which will stream from 5 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays, advert and promotion free. The station will focus on local Seattle artists and DJs, as well as guest sets from national and international artists that share the collective’s forward-thinking ethos.
Ahead of the release of the compilation, you can stream Yasha’s groovy “Landing in 206,” a track inspired by a recent move from London to Seattle. The track kicks off a string of singles leading up to the vinyl’s release and can be grabbed here.
