MUTEK Montreal has announced its first wave of artists and a date change to August 22-27.
In a year of anniversaries, 2017 will mark the 18th edition of MUTEK, with Canada also celebrating its 150th year and Montréal its 375th, and to mark the occasion, MUTEK has moved from its May date to August, added a day to its schedule, and refreshed “its commitment to live performance at the intersection of music, visual art and technology.”
Among the first artists announced are festival favorite Zip, Daphni—the solo project of Dan Snaith from Caribou—New Zealand experimentalist Fis, Robert Henke, Mule Musiq head Kuniyuki Takahashi, Aurora Halal, Detroit Swindle, and rRoxymore.
MUTEK will also expand its free outdoor offerings on the Esplanade de la Place des Arts from Tuesday to Sunday and will also include the Monument-National as the festival headquarters, the always impressive Métropolis for its big room programming, and the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT) as the destination for more intimate works.
You can find the full lineup of announced artists below (in alphabetical order), with more information on MUTEK, including tickets, here.
Africaine 808 (DE) Alexandre Burton & Julien Roy (artificiel) Three Pieces With Titles (CA) Anchorsong (JP) Aurora Halal (US) Daphni (CA) Detroit Swindle (NL) Fis (NZ) Graham Dunning (UK) Harvey Sutherland (AU) Herman Kolgen — Impakt (CA) Kara-Lis Coverdale — VoxU (CA) Kuniyuki Takahashi (JP) Marie Davidson (CA) Michela Pelusio & Glenn Vervliet — SpaceTime Helix (IT/BE) Murcof & Jimmy Lakatos (artificiel) — Nebula (MX/CA) Nicola Cruz (EC) Robert Henke — Lumière III (DE) Rroxymore (FR) Sarah Davachi (CA) Sculpture (UK) Zip (DE)
Back on March 7, Black Marble Collective released Some Time Ago, the latest EP from Chattanooga producer Paradiso and the label’s first official solo artist EP.
Some Time Ago, across its six originals, fuses the vintage sounds of ’90s garage and house with forward-thinking, beat-driven styles such as jersey club. With over 8 years of production work under his belt under various names and aliases, Paradiso has crafted a style that sits alongside luminaries like Hieroglyphics, STS9, All Fillman, and Skream—it’s heavy, futuristic club music.
In support of Some Time Ago, Paradiso and Black Marble Collective have offered up the EP’s single “Come for Your Fire” as today’s XLR8R download. Like mentioned above, it’s a track that fuses disparate styles together in a dancefloor-ready fashion.
You can grab “Come for Your Fire” via WeTransfer below, along with a video for the track, with Some Time Ago available over at Black Marble’s Bandcamp page.
Elegant is the word that first springs to mind when reminiscing on SXM Festival. From the island the festival calls home—it’s actually split between a French side, St. Martin, and a Dutch side, St Maarten—to the venues, stage designs, crowd, and music schedule presented, SXM Festival is an event that revels in aesthetically-pleasing entertainment. Last week saw the conclusion of the festival’s second year and, barring a few hiccups that could be ironed out, it was a resounding success across the board.
Arriving at night, it was obviously hard to get a grasp of the sheer beauty of the island; however, the smoothness of entering the country—from the easygoing customs officials to the SXM Festival check-in booth directly outside the airport exit—made for a more-than-adequate start to the week’s festivities. Although the location of the festival is undoubtedly one of its best assets, the remote island location also proved to be quite a hurdle for festival organizers, most of whom were based in Canada. On more than one occasion, the late arrival of sound equipment delayed set times and parties sometimes by up to two hours—this may have been due to a limited amount of equipment available on the island and the rest having been shipped in. Given that these occurrences happened at afters and pre-parties, it wasn’t a huge issue, but something that might need to be addressed for the coming years.
The first event on the cards on the whopping 5-day musical calendar was Get Physical’s showcase at The Refuge, one of the festival’s three club venues. On arrival, there was already a charged energy throughout the crowd, a boiling anticipation for not only the coming week, but also for the return of M.A.N.D.Y. as a DJ duo—for a considerable amount of time now, Philipp Jung and Patrick Bodmer hadn’t played together on this side of the world. With the crowd now heaving, the enigmatic duo showed why they have been at the forefront of electronic music for over two decades with a three-hour selection of silky-smooth house, electro, breaks, and rolling, atmospheric techno. Up next to close out the night, label regulars BLOND:ISH played a set of hard-edged grooves with the soft, glistening Caribbean Sea as a backdrop—a rather beautiful juxtaposition for the dancers facing the stage.
Following BLOND:ISH’s set, it was over to Layla’s for the first of the after parties, Audiofly’s Flying Circus. Scheduled to start at 5 am on Thursday, the party was delayed due to the aforementioned sound issues, with Shaun Reeves finally stepping up to the decks closer to 8 am. A highlight throughout the week, Reeves was in form, playing trippy after-hours house to the swelling crowd. Later on, Audiofly, Bedouin, Guti, and Francesca Lombardo rotated on the decks laying down cut after cut of chunky tech-house.
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On Friday, XLR8R hosted two parties: a pre-party on the beach at the Mercure with John Wander, Luke Cheadle, and Shaun Reeves, and—alongside ReSolute, Paradigm Presents, überhaus, and SUNRISE—a showcase with The Other Side featuringRPR Soundsystem (Rhadoo, Raresh, and Petre Inspirescu), Shaun Reeves, and Maher Daniel at The Refuge. The beach party suffered the same slow-start as Layla’s the day before, albeit only an hour this time, before turning into a pleasing affair and a fitting, sun-filled warm up for the night ahead. Back at The Refuge, after a standout warm-up set by Reeves and Daniel, the revered Romanians gave a four-hour master class in atmospheric, bass-heavy house and techno. Known for long, almost never-ending sets, the Romanian trio took to the four-hour allotment with understated ease, leaving the crowd begging for more at its end.
On the final two-day stretch, with a string of parties running across a range of venues throughout the island, the festival’s transportation became somewhat of a problem. Taxis from venue to venue—the night and day parties were often on opposite sides of the island—could sometimes end up north of $50 and the shuttle services offered were few and far between, or running at a time that wasn’t convenient. This, of course, isn’t a huge issue or deal breaker, but definitely another kink in the armor to consider fixing for future editions.
From Saturday afternoon to Monday morning, the scheduled parties, villa parties, beach parties, and after parties seemed to meld together into one big, never-ending barrage of high-quality tuneage. Across the handful of parties we attended, highlights included: BLOND:ISH’s lush house set at the awe-inspiring SXM villa party; DeWalta, Ion Ludwig, Raresh, and DJ W!LD‘s slamming, groove-led house and techno at W!LD’s first Dailycid label party; Lee Burridge‘s always on-point sunrise selections at SXM’s final scheduled after party at Happy Bay; and Richie Hawtin‘s clinical selection of techno bombs to close out the festival after a somewhat “flat” Ricardo Villalobos performance.
In only its second year, SXM Festival unquestionably delivered a high-quality experience, with big props to the musical curation, stage designs, organization, and general attitude of all involved in the process. With only a few small issues to work on, SXM is a festival that should be on any dance music fan’s radar for the next few years.
Öona Dahl has shared details surrounding her upcoming EP, Wait. lifted, which will hit stores on March 31 via DJ Three’s Hallucienda label.
The past two years have seen the American artist solidify her position as a mainstay in melodic house and techno circles, with standout releases on Igloo-Rec, Lee Burridge’s All Day I Dream imprint, and two dreamy remixes of Montreal-based producer Dugong. Her latest EP showcases her versatility as a producer, weaving through cosmic soundscapes, ambient bliss, and rough percussion in just five tracks. The Wait. lifted EP offers a glimpse at the more experimental side of Öona Dahl’s work, which she seems to be embracing in the lead up to her debut album Holograma—scheduled to drop May 19th, also on Hallucienda.
In anticipation of this week’s release, Öona Dahl has shared the EP’s title track, along with a music video directed by the Polish videographer Barbara Klein. The video perfectly reflects the uplifting vibe of the track—a beautiful piece of electronica complete with euphoric vocals and flickering chords.
Watch the video for “Wait. lifted” via the player above, and pre-order Öona Dahl’s new EP by going here.
You can catch Öona Dahl perform this weekend at Desert Hearts Festival at Los Coyotes Indian Reservation in Southern California. More information about the festival can be found here.
“The theme is hypnosis,” says Jane Fitz in our discussions. “I wanted to make something deep and trippy to zone out to, with long mixes and letting records just play out so you can really feel the layers,” she adds. “It matches my head state at the moment—which is sleepy as I am in permanent jet lag.”
And understandably so. Though based in London, Fitz can rarely be found in the British capital. Having been DJing for over 20 years, her schedule today is as busy as any—both internationally and throughout the United Kingdom—with a steady stream of quality gigs and an ever growing fan base who appreciate her for what she is: one of the world’s finest record selectors who possesses an almost unparalleled ability for weaving together mind-bending, hypnotic house and techno sets.
For long periods, however, Fitz was best known for her two party series, namely Peg and Night Moves. The latter, co-run with Jade Seatle, is a real party, one of London’s finest; while the former a slightly lighter affair that changed venues on several occasions. Nowadays, however—and ever since the late-’90s, in truth—Fitz has been touring the world as a DJ, performing “in the mountains of Japan, the beaches of Montenegro, the warehouses of Birmingham or the basements of London,” as well as in the world’s most credible clubs. More recently, it was just announced that she is a 2017 resident of London’s The Pickle Factory. On a production front, too, she has started to garner some attention: recent years have seen her share some material as Invisible Menders, co-produced with Dom Ahtuam, on labels such as Porn Wax, Boe, and Animals on Psychedelics.
Her mix this week, which has been long in the making, perfectly captures her magic. As utterly absorbing as it is eclectic, ranging from house and techno to progressive and psychedelic, it is a 90-minute journey through Fitz’ favorite records of the moment, and one that possesses the kind of loose swing groove for which Fitz has risen to such acclaim.
01. When and where did you record the mix?
At home in London in my record room in the second week of March 2017. As you know, it’s mix version two because I wasn’t completely happy with the first one. And I’m very grateful that you shuffled around your schedules for me!
02. What equipment did you use?
Two vestax decks, one FSM-400 mixer, audio technica headphones, and some crackly records.
03. How did you select the records that you included?
Very carefully. As I mentioned, this is my second stab at this mix as I wanted it to be right. I kind of auditioned records for in the first 10 weeks of this year between some pretty extensive touring, so it’s things I play out a lot, a few bits I just bought or discovered, and a few home favorites I’ve been wanting to put on a mix for ages. Also, I aimed for something that would fit onto a c90 cassette, as that is the way and format I made mixes for years, and I miss making tapes so badly.
04. The mix is very deep and hypnotic. Did you have a particular idea or mood that you wanted to pursue?
Well yes—hypnosis was the theme I had in mind. Playing with the mind and transcending the mood are the two things that I’ve been really conscious about when buying music, I’d say for the past few years at least. I’ve always played really deep stuff and been attracted to trippy sounds, but I think I’ve been more conscious of it the older I’ve got and for me, moving to a brain state that is perhaps not under your own control is something I really want to create through music, for myself, and for other listeners. Life is hard enough; regular escape to somewhere safe yet unknown and possibly challenging is the only way to get through it!
05. How does the set compare to a Jane Fitz club mix?
It’s not that far away, to be honest, and anyone who’s heard me play out in the last couple of years should recognize perhaps one or two records for sure. I’m definitely playing longer and longer sets these days, which is a real privilege and I’m super glad I’m getting booked for this more and more. It’s a brilliant display of trust from promoters and audiences. I love warm-ups, I love day or outside sets, and I love playing last (I’ve definitely never been interested in peak times) because of the freedom these come with, and so the deeper, trippier stuff slots in nicely. This is probably more the sort of sound you’d hear me play at some point during a long set when the pressure is off, the audience is entirely engaged, and I’m fully locked in and committed to that transcendent groove I’m always searching for. Saying that though I still fully favor a good old, heads-down stomp, and I always go in that direction too… there are a couple of signposts for that in this mix too.
06. What plans have you got for 2017?
To work super hard, because after this year, I would like to cut back on the number of gigs I play a year really (I’m getting older and I really don’t want to be touring constantly and being away from home). I want to keep my gigs limited so they are more special and play sets for longer. But right now I’m really focused on my Pickle Factory residency, which is four specific events curated by me, alongside a couple more larger shows at Oval Space, and the occasional ad hoc gig there. I’m bringing in live performances to each show and making sure that the nights go from ambient to techno via the deepest of house and the weirdest of ravey elements. I really want people to come all night if they can to get the full experience, like a miniature festival in a club for 250 people. Aside from that, I am just continuing to play at and discover new venues and audiences, returning to places that have welcomed me like family, and hopefully getting back in the studio with Dom as we’ve hardly made anything for the past year, which I am really missing. I’m also going to be doing some Night Moves back-to-backs with Jade, and some more Normal Behaviour back-to-backs with John Hanley and Carl H, two things I really really love doing.
510k Creatives will collaborate with arjunamusic records for an Off-Week showcase at Barcelona’s Utopia126 on June 15.
arjunamusic records is a young label already earning a solid reputation for its many successful experiments in genre bending and its reliable creation of novel sonic atmospheres. In keeping with the label’s quality-over-quantity methodology, this will be an intimate gathering of only 300 or so attendees, who will be able to experience sets from AMBIQ (Max Loderbauer, Claudio Puntin, and Samuel Rohrer), Lawrence (Live), Kassem Mosse (Live), Shackleton (Live), and The Orb (Live).
The event is held in collaboration with 510k, a Berlin-based platform that offers tailored solutions for creative minds and manages an international roster of artists.
The Orb, notorious navigators of the cosmos of ambient dub, will close the evening. Before that, fellow UK act and Skull Disco boss Shackleton will perform, while German acts Kassem Mosse, Lawrence, and AMBIQ will round out the bill.
Mosse is known for his outstanding releases on labels such as Workshop and Mikrodisko, while Lawrence has busied himself for years with filling out an increasingly impressive roster on his Dial label and for taking “minimalism” beyond the expected realms of austerity and coldness. Lastly, the AMBIQ trio features arjunamusic label head Samuel Rohrer and his long-standing collaborators Max Loderbauer and Claudio Puntin. The Berliner instrumental trio emerged onto the scene not long ago with two self-titled LPs of impressive sonic distinctiveness, technical ability and with a sophisticated interpretation of the ancient art of tension and release.
Lineup:
AMBIQ (Samuel Rohrer/Max Loderbauer/Claudio Puntin) Kassem Mosse Shackleton Lawrence The ORB (Thomas Fehlmann/Alex Patterson)
Booka Shade will soon return with their sixth studio album, titled Galvany Street.
Galvany Street is described by the duo as a “new beginning,” and follows on from their Movements10 release which dropped last year. “2017 is the perfect time for a new start and to mix things up.”
According to the duo, the release marks the return to their pop roots in collaboration with former Archive singer Craig Walker and a few additional guests, including Urdur (GusGus), Australian Yates, and Daniel Spencer from London.
One of the “stand-out songs” on the album is “Babylon,” a ’90s Manchester-inspired anthem that is now available as a single.
“Babylon is about how in a relationship one person can be totally destroyed by the other with just words or in fact a single phrase. The lyrics are a conversation between two people in a relationship. They still love each other but can’t help destroying each other sometimes with words—we’ve all been there! People are ultimately very delicate no matter how physically strong they may be.”
For the single format, Booka Shade created two special versions of the song—a much shorter, more instant “Single Version” and a longer, club-friendly “Extended Mix.” Each single from the album will also feature an unreleased exclusive song, In this case, “Changes” in collaboration with Craig Walker.
The label has actually released around 150 EPs, albums, and compilations, but the forthcoming Moon Harbour 100 will be its 100th vinyl release. The EP will be a family affair for the imprint, featuring key label artists Dan Drastic & Sven Tasnadi, Luna City Express, Daniel Stefanik, and Tanzmann himself.
Alongside the EP, the label kicked off a three-date Moon Harbour 100 tour back on March 18 at Watergate, Berlin, followed by its second party last week in Miami. The final stop, taking place at Pacha on June 16 during Off Week in Barcelona, will feature Tanzmann, Dennis Ferrer, Andrea Oliva, Steve Bug, Emanuel Satie, DJ T, Luna City Express, Daniel Stefanik, Anek, and Zohki.
You can stream snippets of all four tracks from the EP via the player below, with more details on the event on June 16 here.
The masterminds behind the Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival have taken significant strides in their first two years of production; needless to say, after attending this year’s edition, we were beyond impressed by the festival.
Located just off Florida’s Okeechobee Lake in Sunshine Grove, this year’s event attracted 40,000 people across its four days. In regards to its musical offering, the festival promoters Soundslinger kicked it up a notch this year, welcoming a plethora of top artists across most of today’s popular genres, ensuring they had something for everyone to enjoy. Staying true to our roots, XLR8R hung out mostly at the Jungle 51 stage, a mind-blowing stage designed by Julio Santo Domingo, Darren McGee, and Andrew Grant—a jungle-themed design that incorporated cryptic crop circles and a DJ Booth that resembled a space captain’s command center. The most notable performances there were Ryan Elliot, Julio, Nightmares on Wax, and Sebastian Mullaert. Aside from Jungle 51’s offering, we spent time at the Aquachobee Stage, with highlights that included up-and-coming artists Vandana and VHS Collective.
Outside of the music, one of the most enjoyable parts of our festival experience was New York record store Halcyon‘s booth, where attendees could browse and purchase vinyl, as well as listening to music from artists on the lineup. Another aspect that stood out during the four days of the festival was friendliness of the Soundslinger’s staff—all of the crew projected a passionate attitude which permeated into the audience, creating a really great vibe. Our only suggestion to keep in mind for future events is to start the headliners earlier in the night as the dance floor cleared out rapidly at sunrise and left most of the headlining artists playing to a semi-empty dance floor at the end of their sets. More attention to waste clean up on the dance floor during event hours would also improve the whole experience; although, this can be attributed to attendees just as much as the organizers. Other than these two minor issues, Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival was a highly enjoyable experience and XLR8R will definitely be returning next year and we recommend you do too.
The masterminds behind the Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival have taken significant strides in their first two years of production; needless to say, after attending this year’s edition, we were beyond impressed by the festival.
Located just off Florida’s Okeechobee Lake in Sunshine Grove, this year’s event attracted 40,000 people across its four days. In regards to its musical offering, the festival promoters Soundslinger kicked it up a notch this year, welcoming a plethora of top artists across most of today’s popular genres, ensuring they had something for everyone to enjoy. Staying true to our roots, XLR8R hung out mostly at the Jungle 51 stage, a mind-blowing stage designed by Julio Santo Domingo, Darren McGee, and Andrew Grant—a jungle-themed design that incorporated cryptic crop circles and a DJ Booth that resembled a space captain’s command center. The most notable performances there were Ryan Elliot, Julio, Nightmares on Wax, and Sebastian Mullaert. Aside from Jungle 51’s offering, we spent time at the Aquachobee Stage, with highlights that included up-and-coming artists Vandana and VHS Collective.
Outside of the music, one of the most enjoyable parts of our festival experience was New York record store Halcyon‘s booth, where attendees could browse and purchase vinyl, as well as listening to music from artists on the lineup. Another aspect that stood out during the four days of the festival was friendliness of the Soundslinger’s staff—all of the crew projected a passionate attitude which permeated into the audience, creating a really great vibe. Our only suggestion to keep in mind for future events is to start the headliners earlier in the night as the dance floor cleared out rapidly at sunrise and left most of the headlining artists playing to a semi-empty dance floor at the end of their sets. More attention to waste clean up on the dance floor during event hours would also improve the whole experience; although, this can be attributed to attendees just as much as the organizers. Other than these two minor issues, Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival was a highly enjoyable experience and XLR8R will definitely be returning next year and we recommend you do too.
