SHADES (a.k.a. Alix Perez and Eprom) will drop their latest EP, Night of the Dreadless Angel, on March 24 via Alix Perez’s 1985 Music.
The EP, which spans four bass-heavy tracks, features a collaboration with Ivy Lab—it’s the first time the pair have worked with another artist—who SHADES are also sharing a co-headline, 18-date tour of the United States with. The music, like most of SHADES output, is a mind-bending collection of half-time bass cuts, or as the Gaslamp Killer states: “all-encompassing club music for maniacs like me!”
Ahead of the release later this month, you can stream the wild “Creepin'” in full via the player below, and pre-order the EP over at 1985 Music’s Bandcamp page.
Spending a life immersed in music is one way to hone bonafide talents behind the decks; having your own record store should then also be a means to guarantee speeding up the process. When it’s one of the world’s most well-known, reputable vendors in question, then said DJ is likely to have amassed some serious skills. Enter Antal Heitlager: the co-founder of Amsterdam-based institution Rush Hour has been spinning those plates for well over two decades, impressing with selections from his diverse collection at shows across the globe.
Opening its doors back in 1997, Heitlager’s Rush Hour has evolved from its origins as a record store in the centre of the Dutch capital, extending its reach into distribution and label work too. It’s difficult to pinpoint the sound of the imprint, due to its diversity in output. From one release to the next, it shifts between house, techno, soul, funk and beyond, putting out new music and re-releasing lost gems.
It’s all undoubtedly a reflection of Antal’s tastes. As a DJ, you can never be sure what he’s going to play next—and that’s all part of the fun. What you can be certain of, is the quality in those selections. Underpinned by a distinct warmth and deep emotion, all the tracks he brings to the fore are certain to wow. As he prepares to hit the road in the States, Antal provides this week’s podcast: a prime example of his unique style, which steers us down a predominantly electronic road.
Catch Antal performing alongside Ricardo Villalobos, Rhadoo, Nina Kraviz, Regis, Hunee, The Black Madonna, DJ Stingray, and more at Into The Valley 2017, taking place in Estonia on June 29 – July 1.
When and where did you record the mix? Did you have a particular idea or mood that you wanted to pursue?
I just came back from Switzerland, where I bought some wavey records and I wanted to put them in the mix as well as leaving the disco a bit. I like a lot of ‘different’ genres, although I really believe all good music is one. As I only had one hour for such a mix, I tried to concentrate a little bit on following a certain direction. So, this mix has an electronic theme.
You’re soon to play several gigs across the US. How did you pack your bag for the trip?
When I go to the USA for gigs and parties, I realize how much I am influenced by US music, as this is what I play often back home in the EU. However, I think that there is plenty of people who know this music in the US, so I also try to pack different when playing here. I’ll be bringing more Brazilian, African, Carribean and what not; just some stuff that is maybe lesser known here. In general this is my motivation for all the countries I play. I try to bring some things to the table that are perhaps less played there.
What else is planned for the rest of the year?
For the rest of the year, we have planned an extensive 20 Years Rush Hour anniversary tour with many artists from the label. We will visit many places worldwide. We will be announcing this shortly. On the label we have releases coming from Hunee, DJ Okapi, Vincent Floyd and N.A.D. to name a few. Also more info on that soon!
Later this week, Ashley Burchett (a.k.a. Ø [Phase]) will return to Token for his first solo release since 2015’s acclaimed Alone In Time? LP.
Submerged Metropolitan will continue the UK producer’s long-standing connection to Token—since 2007, Token has been the only label that Burchett has released on—with three powerful and tense techno cuts. The new EP is a masterclass in powerful minimalism and finds Burchett at his hypnotic best, using rhythmic interplay, dense atmospheres, and wall-shaking low-end frequencies to devastating effect.
You can pick up Submerged Metropolitan on March 17, with “This Absent Mind” streaming in full below.
Actress, real name Darren Jordan Cunningham, known to friends as DAZ, is set to return with a new album, titled AZD (pronounced “Azid”)—his first LP is over two years.
According to the label, there are several key influences behind the album.
Firstly, it is themed around chrome—both as a reflective surface to see the self in, and as something that carves luminous voids out of any color and fine focuses white and black representing the perfect metaphor for the bleakness of life.
The art of James Hampton and Rammellzee (who inspired “CYN,” which Cunningham also sees as a vision of New York in reverse…) is also an inspiration. Both artists, though of different generations of the African-American slave diaspora, created art through “sourcing castaway materials from their environment and re-interpreting them into absolute majesty given from the fourth dimension.” There is also the career-long influence of the Detroit techno pioneers, something which becomes clear through the LP.
In addition to this, Cunningham is currently preparing a new live show, to be debuted at as part of Convergence at Village Underground on March 24. Presented as AZD, Cunningham says it “will be a test frame for linking circuits using various forms of language—MIDI globalized language, lyrical language, Tikal Graffiti code and various other Synthesizer language—to create one intelligent musical instrument called AZD, if successful it will produce the first translucent, non-soluble communication sound pill synergized through impressionistic interpretations of technological equipment. This is the music vitamin of the Metropolis.”
Tracklisting
1. NIMBUS 2. UNTITLED 7 3. FANTASYNTH 4. BLUE WINDOW 5. CYN 6. X22RME 7. RUNNER 8. FALLING RIZLAS 9. DANCING IN THE SMOKE 10. FAURE IN CHROME 11. THERE’S AN ANGEL IN THE SHOWER 12. VISA
AZD is scheduled for April 14 release via Ninja Tune, with “X22RME” streamable in full above.”
Sam Gellaitry has shared “Ceremony,” the second track taken from his upcoming Escapism III EP.
The Escapism series is a “coming-of-age trilogy” that demonstrates Gellaitry’s filmic musical productions. Following on from the previous two Escapism instalments, Escapism III sees Sam Gellaitry’s sound “transcending, invoking a cinematic feel of technicolour-esque scope to his experimental production,” according to the label.
As Sam says of the project:
“”Ceremony’”is a track I’ve been enjoying playing out at shows for almost a year now and been desperate to release since then. This track continues the trance and rave influence from Escapism II and I made this track with the crowd at my shows in mind.”
Escapism III is scheduled for April 7 release via XL Recordings, with “Ceremony” streamable in full below.
Alex Menzies (best known as Alex Smoke) has a new album of “more esoteric music” on the way, he says.
Menzies—who contributed to our podcast series back in 2016—shares music via a number of aliases, including Alex Smoke. As Alex Smoke, he has released music on R&S Records, Vakant, and Soma Quality Recordings; however, his two previous albums under his own name have arrived on Kathexis, in 2015 and 2016.
His latest LP arrives on OWM and promises to be the first of two of three volumes.
Italian producer and multi-instrumentalist Stèv released his latest EP, Broken Mamori, on February 17 via newly formed collective Variables Music. The six-track EP is available digitally and on 180g limited-edition vinyl and is Stèv’s first release since his debut album, Beyond Stolen Notes, in 2015.
On Broken Mamori, Stèv evolves his beautifully hypnotic sound into a concise collection of broken-beat cuts and delicate ambience. Following the EP’s release, Stèv enlisted visual artist Cy Tone to create a video for EP cut “Scattered Steams / Dense Water.” Fittingly, the video is a floating journey through breathtaking terrain and synthetic illustrations. Stèv explains the collaboration:
“The amazing video for “Scattered Steams / Dense Water” was realized by the talented visual artist Cy Tone, who immediately got the mood of the record and of this particular tune, which is one of the most meaningful ones I’ve made until now. I’m completely stunned by how he caught the feelings behind the whole Broken Mamori record and blended them with his own perspective and inspirations. To me, this tune has always had a hint of time-eating, it extends itself throughout the whole duration, making it feel longer than the actual timing itself—and Cy captured this perfectly without even asking me about any guidelines. Another meaningful Broken Mamori-related milestone on how it’s beautiful to work with people who share the truthful passion for art.”
You can grab “Scattered Steams / Dense Water” via WeTransfer below, with the video also streaming below.
Gerd Janson, Phillip Lauer of Tuff City Kids, and Mark Barrott (together known as Talamanca System) will return as a new EP, titled My Past Is Your Future.
Talamanca System’s sole release in late 2014 became one of the best-selling on the International Feel imprint. This follow-up continues in the same distinctive vein, delivering a “nirvanic state,” according to the label,” via “delicate chords, cascading keys and effortless groove.”
In addition to this is an album, which is scheduled for May release on International Feel.
My Past Is Your Future EP is scheduled for April 21 release via International Feel.
The pair of German musicians have a lengthy history of working together: since their first collaboration back in 2000, Tomboy / Freud’s Baby, they have put out several other releases on the likes of Workshop and Intermedium. Now, Move D and Meinecke are set to release another full-length, this time on Kassem Mosse‘s Ominira imprint.
On The Map will be released as a double vinyl pack, made up of five separate tracks. Each of those cuts is described by the imprint as “exploring the history of black music and culture in five US cities,” featuring audio snippets of people from each of those locations.
On The Map is expected to drop in May. Stream the album’s first cut, “Norfolk,” in full below.
Tracklisting:
A1 Norfolk A2 Washington DC B Houston C East St. Louis D Watts
The pair of German musicians have a lengthy history of working together: since their first collaboration back in 2000, Tomboy / Freud’s Baby, they have put out several other releases on the likes of Workshop and Intermedium. Now, Move D and Meinecke are set to release another full-length, this time on Kassem Mosse‘s Ominira imprint.
On The Map will be released as a double vinyl pack, made up of five separate tracks. Each of those cuts is described by the imprint as “exploring the history of black music and culture in five US cities,” featuring audio snippets of people from each of those locations.
On The Map is expected to drop in May. Stream the album’s first cut, “Norfolk,” in full below.
Tracklisting:
A1 Norfolk A2 Washington DC B Houston C East St. Louis D Watts
