Web3 Wrap: Chris Liebing NFTs, MODA’s Jobs Board, Mark de Clive-Lowe Announces $BUYBACK, Mihai Pol, and More

This week’s Web3 Wrap includes Chris Liebing inaugural NFT drop in collaboration with Mute Records and XLR8R, out today, plus Mark de Clive-Lowe’s crowdfunding campaign to buyback his catalog, MODA DAO’s new jobs board with three new career options, the launch of DOOMSDAYX, a new Web3 creative studio focused on music, and our picks of the latest music NFTs, including release from Mihai Pol, Jack Callahan, Nayiem, nautiluss, Stuff, and more.

Check it out below.

Chris Liebing Releases NFT Collection in Collaboration With Mute and XLR8R 

Today, Chris Liebing dropped his first NFT collection in collaboration with Mute Records and XLR8R.

The collection expands on Liebing’s most recent album, Another Day, offering both Platinum and Gold editions, with the former available as a one-of-one and the latter available in an edition of three. Both editions will grant owners access to an exclusive visual version of the album, created by Edith and Anna Bergfors from StudioBergfors—the Platinum edition will feature a 4k download, and the Gold an HD version—plus a download and vinyl copy of the LP. The owner of the Platinum Edition will also have guestlist for life to any of Liebing’s shows, as long as they are the owner of the NFT; the Gold owners, on the other hand, will have guestlist for one year to any of his shows.

The NFTs are minted on the Polygon blockchain and available to buy on OpenSea. Payments can be made in ETH, xDAI, and USDC tokens on the Polygon chain, and you can find instructions on how this works here.

You can purchase the NFTs here.

Mark de Clive-Lowe Launches $BUYBACK to Buy Back Seven of His Albums From Labels

Mark de Clive-Lowe has launched $BUYBACK, a crowdfund to buy back the rights to seven of his albums.

Launched on Tuesday, January 18, the crowdfund has already raised 8.55 ETH ($23,800 at the time of writing), which is just shy of the 12 ETH goal. The $BUYBACK campaign offers three NFT tiers for the funding: Platinum, Gold, and Silver. Platinum is available in an edition of 10 for 1 ETH each and offers the buyers 1000 $BUYBACK tokens; Gold is available in an edition of 20 for 0.5 ETH and offers 500 $BUYBACK tokens; and finally, Silver is available in an edition of 50 for 0.1 ETH and offers 100 $BUYBACK tokens. 

All $BUYBACK token holders will be founding members and have governance and voting rights to the as-yet-to-be-launched Mashibeats (DAO), a creator and collector community. They will also have access to gated $BUYBACK channels, online events, IRL events, exclusive access to works-in-progress, and more. Token holders will also have ​​voting rights on “future potential exploitations and reimagining of the catalog as well as new projects and proposals.”

The campaign also rewards the top three funders with lifetime VIP access to all future live shows, plus limited edition NFTs, and more.

You can read more about the campaign and the full roadmap here.

MODA Releases Jobs Board

This week MODA DAO released its first jobs board.

Currently, three career categories have been posted, including a call for Community Managers, roles that will consist of “everything from answering community questions to chatting with the community about current Music3/Web3 events to advising on current competitions/giveaways in the DAO and everything else in-between”; Content Producer, which will include creating social media content for Twitter, writing Medium articles, content release strategizing, and more; and Digital Artist, a role requiring NFT, metaverse, and Web3 experience to create a club buildout in Decentraland, development of a functional game that incorporates music, video edits, overall DAO design aesthetics, and more.

All three roles will initially require at least five to 10 hours of work per week, with a view to eventually becoming full-time roles.

You can read more and apply via MODA here.

DOOMSDAYX Launches and Raises $1.5 Million 

DOOMSDAYX has launched.

DOOMSDAYX is a new Web3 creative studio focused around the music ecosystem, created and led by Doomsday Entertainment, an award-winning production house that has developed and produced music videos for Childish Gambino, Die Antwoord, Flying Lotus, Frank Ocean, and hundreds more. The new endeavor will provide, according to the announcement, “creative, strategic, and technical services to build bespoke projects for artists we believe in, while giving fans new levels of access, adventure, and contribution.”

The studio is currently in the development and experimentation phase but has raised $1.5 million in a round led by The Chernin Group (TCG), with participation from Delphi Ventures, IDEO CoLab, and Sneaky Ventures, and angel investors Abridged, Jess Sloss, Cooper Turley, Deeze, Quickrider, Sisyphus, and Trevor Mcfedries.

You can read more about DOOMSDAYX here.

XLR8R’s Music NFT Picks, Featuring Jack Callahan, Nayiem, Mihai Pol, and More

We’ve compiled a selection of our favorite music NFT releases from the last couple of weeks, detailed below.

Nina continues an intriguing flow of releases, including “brightlightsbigcity,” a euphoric breakbeat groover from nautiluss; Chicklette’s inventive garage pop; a fascinating 30-minute live piano performance of Kerri Chandler chords by Jack Callahan; an equally stunning and haunting vocal performance by Rubie, recorded at the Swiss Church London; and engrossing ambient excerpts by Nayiem.

On Catalog you’ll find hypercolor beat science by cumulus frisbee; bent and volatile punk electronics with frayed 808s from Stuff; and Gavin Gamboa’s mind-melting rework of his father’s early work from the 1980s.

Pianity, which has become the unofficial home of minimally inclined artists exploring NFTs, has new music from Mihai Pol and Guti, with the former delivering a typically deep and rolling dancefloor cut, and the latter a trippy percussion workout.

What to Join and Who to Follow:

Dārta: NFT artist dealing in surrealism.

EVE Wealth: a wealth DAO “helping womxn learn, earn & invest in a web3 world.”

Nader Dabit: leading Web3 developer and creator of Developer DAO.

Adam Levy: host of The Mint Podcast, former Blockchain and Booze podcast host.

Channel: a Decentralized Media Organization building out tools to help creators join forces.

Minimal Violence Delivers New EP on Tresor as Solo Act

Minimal Violence will release the third and final instalment of DESTROY —> [physical] REALITY [psychic] <— TRUST, an EP series for Tresor, next month.

Phase Three, which is about transcendence, sees Minimal Violence become a solo project driven by Ash Luk, who completes the release without collaborator Lida P.

Originally from Winnipeg, Canada, Ash’s references come from their mother who worked in a record shop and later as a booker for a music venue. Mad Johnny, their step-father, who features on the opening track of this release, was also an inspiration, because he played in metal and industrial bands throughout Ash’s childhood.

This emphasis on live music was a foundation for the way in which Minimal Violence began their approach to making music. They would focus on preparing a live set using solely hardware, then test them out at a venue with an audience and record tracks based on what vibes were working best. Recording the tracks like this brought with it the the opportunity for unexpected moments unique to the punk and hardcore DIY ethos.

In 2020, Minimal Violence released their debut album, InDreams, on Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint. But the limited ability to play live shows forced Ash to pivot. Producing in isolation led them to new ways of making music, focusing on sonic quality and structure in order to be accessible to all listening settings. You can hear this new approach across Phase Three, and read more about the Minimal Violence project in their XLR8R interview here.

DESTROY —> [physical] REALITY [psychic] <— TRUST dates back to Phase One in 2020, and Phase Two landed last year. The ideas behind each phase of the trilogy—destruction, restructuring, and transcendence— “unintentionally mirrored” what was happening in the world and Luk’s own life, we’re told.

Ahead of the release, Tresor has shared “We Suffocate on the Violence of Light,” a slice of acid-infused, euphoric trance that captures Luk’s “liberation from the relentlessness of performing live,” we’re told.

Tracklisting

01. Flatline (feat. Mad Johnny)
02. Cold (sex)
03. We Suffocate on the Violence of Light
04. Focus on that Form

Phase Three EP is scheduled for March 4 release. Meanwhile, you can pre-order here.

Chris Liebing Announces NFT Collection in Collaboration With Mute and XLR8R

Chris Liebing has an NFT collection dropping tomorrow, Friday, January 21, in collaboration with Mute Records and XLR8R.

The collection follows on from and expands on the universe created with Liebing’s most recent album, Another Day, which dropped via Mute in November of last year. The 10-track LP once again finds Liebing collaborating with a wide array of eclectic artists, many of which also featured on his 2018 album, Burn Slow, such as Polly Scattergood, Ralf Hildenbeutel, and Miles Cooper Seaton, whose contribution is one of the last recordings made before his untimely passing. Liebing also worked with a set of artists new to his process, including Ladan (formerly known as Cold Specks), Tom Adams, and Maria Uzor (Sink Ya Teeth).

The album is also accompanied by a series of remixes, with Liebing himself reworking “Whispers and Wires” (feat. Ladan) and “Something Half Way” into driving club mixes, and Berlin-based artist Jan Blomqvist and Plaid turning their hands to “Circles” (feat. Tom Adams) and “Fault Line” (feat. Miles Cooper Seaton), respectively.

Now, the album will be interpreted and presented as an NFT collection, available in both “Platinum” and “Gold” editions, both of which are built around an exclusive visual version of the album created by Edith and Anna Bergfors from StudioBergfors, the artists who created the cover for the Another Day and worked on the accompanying music videos. The “Platinum” edition will feature a 4k download of the visual album, with the “Gold” featuring an HD version.

Talking about the visual component, the artists explain: “The film is a hypnotic visual backdrop to the album, exploring how our brains process audio and visual patterns, finding rhythms and beats in nature. We took inspiration from our experience of traveling through Germany and Finland on small empty roads, with patterns of light piercing through the trees. Moving through these sublime spaces created a visual rhythm which we associated with the music.”

The NFT owners will also gain unparalleled access to Liebing and his work, with the “Platinum” edition offering guestlist for life to any of Liebing’s shows, and the “Gold” edition offering guestlist for one year to any show.

Minted on the Polygon blockchain, which has less impact on the environment than Ethereum, the NFTs will be live tomorrow. Only one “Platinum” edition NFT is available, with three of the “Gold” edition available. Payments can be made in ETH, xDAI, and USDC tokens on the Polygon chain, and you can find instructions on how this works here.

The NFTs will be available to purchase on Mute’s Opensea profile.

We sent Liebing a handful of questions on his NFT explorations and how this new technology fits within his current artist ecosystem.

01. Talk to us about your Web3 journey so far—is this your first experience working with NFTs?

Well, I’ll be totally honest here, I’m using this process to learn, but don’t forget that I have a team around me helping too. All I know is that it feels like it’s the start of something interesting. 

02. Where do you think NFTs fall or fit into release schedules and an artist’s output?

Whether it’s going to be the revolution many say it will be remains to be seen, but from an artistic point of view, myself and Studio Bergfors got to do some really cool stuff—and that’s surely the point, no?

03. The NFT includes access to a visual version of the Another Day album. Can you tell us about the development of it? Is it exclusive to NFT owners? 

We discussed the idea of pattern recognition in experiencing image and audio—how, when you listen to music and see things passing by when on a train or in a car in this zoned-out frame of mind, your brain starts to associate the visual patterns that you’re seeing to the music that you’re listening to. Then, we developed this idea further and made a point out of not editing any of the footage specifically to the music, differentiating it from a typical music video format and pushing it into a more ambient visual experience that would fit best with the album itself. 

04. Can you tell us more about Studio Bergfors?

Anna and Edith Studio Bergfors created the artwork for the Another Day album, the visualizers for some tracks, as well as the live visuals for the upcoming shows and the press images, so it’s been a proper collaboration throughout. Anna is a creative director who has worked with Mute Records for decades, and Edith is a photographer and filmmaker. Both are amazing. I’m incredibly lucky to be working with them. 

05. Something I find interesting about your particular NFT is the “guestlist for life” and “guestlist for one year” components and how that might lead the NFTs to be traded on the secondary market, essentially transferring ownership of an ongoing club experience. Have you thought about this might create a new kind of personal connection with your fans?

Well, to be honest, I hadn’t thought about that too much, but as you ask, yeah, that’s kinda cool. The whole idea of including the guestlist element was about retaining something in the real world, keeping the human connection involved, and, of course, making sure that nightclubs and dancefloors are always part of what I do. The idea that this could now be passed onto someone else, say if someone “grows” out of clubbing, yeah, I like that. 

06. This drop will also precede a tour—are there any new venues or key spots you’re excited to play?

Right now, with so much instability and so much instability over the past two years, I can honestly say that I am 100 percent looking forward to every single gig and every single bit of traveling I can do! A cop-out answer, but a heartfelt one! 

Tour dates:

January 22 – Riviera, Madrid, ES

February 25 – Sound, Los Angeles, USA

April 01 – Circoloco @ Waagnatie, Antwerp, BE

April 09 – I Love Techno @ Halle des Expositions, Montpellier, FR

April 16 – Coachella, Indio, USA

April 22 – DiscoPussy, Las Vegas, USA

April 23 – Coachella, Indio, USA

April 29 – Le Transbordeur, Villeurbanne, FR

April 30 – Hï Opening, Ibiza, ES

May 07 – Nextech Festival, Fortezza da Basso, Florence, IT

June 11 – Waves Open Air Festival, Wedemark, D

July 30 – Awakenings, Hilvarenbeek, NL

August 13 – Loveland Festival, Amsterdam, NL

August 21 – Sonus Festival, Novalja, CR

Trentemøller to Release Sixth Album Next Month

Trentemøller will release his sixth studio album, Memoria, next month.

Memoria traverses some ground that fans of the Danish musician will find familiar, but it also digs deeper into themes of transience and various forms of continuance. Across 14 tracks, Trentemøller continues to work with familiar themes of light and dark, turbulence and serenity, piercing chill and comforting warmth, “clearly inspired by the inherent antipodal elements of the Nordic environment he calls home,” we’re told.

We’re also told that the record features introspective pieces, shoegaze, and electronic pop. And, as with 2019’s Obverse, which featured vocals from Warpaint’s Jenny Lee Lindberg, Lina Tullgren, and Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, Memoria includes both instrumental and vocal songs. For the first time, Trentemøller composed all the vocal melodies and lyrics on the album, which are solely performed by Lisbet Fritze.

Alongside the announcement, Trentemøller has shared a video for “No More Kissing In The Rain,” which “gives the impression that it’s easier to find comfort in the darkness when it feels like particles of light are only moments away from assembling,” Trentemøller says. You can stream the video below.

Trentemøller has long been respected as a creator of memorable melodies and lush soundscapes. You can read more about his work in his XLR8R feature here.

Tracklisting

01. Veil Of White
02. No More Kissing In The Rain
03. Darklands
04. Glow
05. In The Gloaming
06. The Rise
07. When The Sun Explodes
08. Dead Or Alive
09. All Too Soon
10. A Summer’s Empty Room
11. Swaying Pine Trees
12. Drifting Star
13. Like A Daydream
14. Linger

Memoria LP is scheduled for February 11 release on In My Room. Meanwhile, you can stream “No More Kissing In The Rain,” In The Gloaming,” “Dead Or Alive,” and “All Too Soon” in full below, and pre-order here.

FKA twigs Marks Atlantic Records Partnership with “Joyful” New Mixtape

FKA twigs has released a mixtape called Caprisongs, comprising a group of “rhythmic and celebratory” tracks.

Caprisongs was born out of twigs’ desire to be back with friends dancing and having fun. Teaming up initially with producer El Guincho, the pair recruited friends and collaborators to sing, write, and produce on tracks for the mixtape. The result is a “joyous collection of songs,” we’re told, and a soundtrack for preparing to go out.

“It’s bronzer in the sink, alcopop on the side … a club pre-game … your bestie who is always late but brings the most to a party,” twigs, real name Tahliah Barnett, said over Instagram. It’s her first label release after signing to Atlantic.

“FKA twigs is the kind of artist you dream of signing—one with truly original vision, voice, and presence,” said Julie Greenwald, Atlantic Records Chairman and COO. “She’s among the most compelling talents, always pushing her creative envelope to deliver emotionally honest music that’s both intensely personal and universal. We’re thrilled that she’s chosen Atlantic to be her home as she continues on her fantastic musical adventure.”

In tandem with the release of Caprisongs, twigs has launched a line of mixtape-themed merchandise, including hoodies, tees and shorts. The collection is available now.

The album features contributions from Jorja Smith, Shygirl, Rema, and Pa Salieu, among others.

FKA twigs’ most recent album was 2019’s Magdalene.

Tracklisting

01. ride the dragon
02. honda (feat. pa salieu)
03. meta angel
04. tears in the club (feat. the weeknd)
05. oh my love
06. pamplemousse
07. caprisongs interlude (feat solo)
08. lightbeamers
09. papi bones (feat shygirl)
10. which way (feat dystopia)
11. jealousy (feat rema)
12. careless (featuring daniel caesar)
13. minds of men
14. track girl interlude
15. darjeeling (feat jorja smith & unknown t)
16. christi interlude
17. thank you song

Caprisongs is available now. You can stream it in full here.

Japan’s Fellsius Next on Dome of Doom

Tokyo-based electronic artist Fellsius will release an EP with Dome of Doom Records next month.

With multiple tracks released on Japanese label Trekkie Traxx, as well as official remixes for Fool’s Gold Records and a smattering of singles with Gold Digger Records, Fellsius has established himself as a creative force in Tokyo. Mesa is his first release on Dome of Doom, and it comes after he was introduced to the label founder, Wylie Cable, by Daedelus.

We’re told that the works across Mesa showcase multiple schools of sound, pulling together sources from both heavily experimental and unexpectedly mainstream influences.

From a very young age, Fellsius’ father introduced him to foundational electronic artists like Daft Punk, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, and Underworld. But in junior high school, Fellsius left electronic music behind in favour of Japanese rock bands like Radwimps, and he began to teach himself to play piano and other instruments.

In high school, though, Fellsius found a new obsession with the internet and computers, discovering mainstream influences like Skrillex. Ultimately, he started composing with Ableton because of how much Skrillex influenced him at that crucial point in his creative journey. Nowadays, all these experiences merge and branch through Fellsius’ music, and “you can hear the wide range of musical styles” across the Mesa EP, we’re told, in its “fervent genre defiance and expansive musicality.”

Tracklisting

01. L
02. The Drum
03. Show
04. Bon
05. Sprouting

Mesa EP is scheduled for February 4 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “The Drum” in full below and pre-order here.

Stones Throw Welcomes Maylee Todd for Album of “Science Fiction Lullabies”

Maylee Todd, a Canadian producer based in Los Angeles, will release her debut full-length album, Maloo, on Stones Throw.

Maloo is a concept album of “science fiction lullabies,” named after Todd’s digital avatar. Throughout the pandemic, Todd spent a lot of time in virtual reality, and started thinking about the utopian possibilities of the technology.

“Often we place too much emphasis on status, wealth, and clout on social media,” she says. “Instead, what if we find ways to share our dreams and goals for ourselves and society? Tapping into our creativity and imaginations rather than having to preserve status or identity for acceptance.”

Todd created the avatar Maloo to attempt to address these questions. The songs on the album are told from the avatar’s point of view, set in a world called “The Age of Energy.” This world, portrayed in the video for “Show Me,” was entirely conceived, created, and animated entirely by Todd. In this imagined world, empathy, mental health, and creativity are elements for survival.

Todd originally began writing Maloo on a discontinued Yamaha Tenori-on sequencer, before refining the tracks with co-producer Kyvita. We understand that the album weaves vocal musings through dreamy soundscapes and glossy electronics.

Although it was conceived in the virtual realm, the album’s subject matter is drawn from Todd’s personal life, especially her experiences with mental health. “Show Me,” for example, is a song about vulnerability, and the shame and stigma surrounding presenting your genuine self. We’re told that other songs on Maloo look at the effect of social media on self-worth.

Maloo follows Stones Throw’s release of DJ Harrison’s Tales from the Old Dominion album, in December.

Tracklisting:

01. Age Of Energy
02. No Classification
03. Grab Your Guts
04. Infiite Program
05. Triangles
06. No Other
07. Tiny Chiffon
08. Show Me
09. Dream With You
10. Fanatic
11. Absolute Time and Space

Maloo LP is scheduled for March 4 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “No Other” and “Show Me” in full below, and pre-order here.

Web3 Wrap: Beatport Announces Generative NFT Project, Caprices Festival’s NFT and Metaverse Summit, Jacques Greene, and More

This week’s Web3 Wrap includes news on Beatport’s first generative NFT project, in partnership with PIXELYNX, Caprices Festival’s NFT and metaverse summit, Jacques Greene’s new EP and NFT, The Willow Tree DAO’s first IRL event, SODAA STREAM, and more.

Dive in below.

Beatport Partners with PIXELYNX on Generative NFT Project

Beatport will be releasing a new generative NFT project in partnership with PIXELYNX.

This week, Beatport announced the project, which will draw on the metaverse and blockchain experience of PIXELYNX, Joel Zimmermann (a.k.a. deadmau5) and Richie Hawtin’s new gaming platform, to release 3,030 generative NFTs called Synth Heads. The announcement included a video that details the characters that will form the basis of the project. The characters are derived from famous synths and drum machines and are named accordingly: BØB, Lynn, Pauline, Oscar, Seq-Ee, and Dax 7. From this basis, unique traits and stories will be generated, making each Synth Head unique.

The project is set to launch on January 27 with further information coming via Beatport’s Discord.

Caprices Festival Announces NFT and Metaverse Summit for 2022 Edition

Switzerland’s Caprices Festival has announced it will hold an NFT and metaverse summit as part of its 2022 edition.

‘The 2022 edition will follow a two-year break from its original winter version and will take place from April 15 to 17 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. This year’s lineup includes b2b sets from Luciano and Ricardo Villalobos and Janeret and Varhat, as well as performances by RPR Soundsystem, Fumiya Tanaka, Jamie Jones, Cassy, Recondite, Dana Ruh, Guti, Archie Hamilton, Digby, and Alci, among many others.

This year’s edition will also feature an NFT and metaverse summit, one of the first of its kind at an electronic music festival. For the summit component, Caprices has teamed up with cryptocurrency app SwissBorg to host a series of events such as NFT awards, NFT auctions, conferences, VR experiences, and more. 

You can find the full lineup and more information on the Caprices website.

Jacques Greene Announces New EP, With an NFT Version Also On the Way

Jacques Greene has announced a new EP.

Greene announced the new EP, titled FANTASY, yesterday on his Twitter, sharing the first single, “TAURUS.” Greene went on to state that the recording of the EP was a way to get through the lockdowns by forcing himself “out of a funk to make stuff that felt escapist.” Greene worked with Joel Ford and Leanne Macomber, who each mixed the record and provided vocal lines, respectively. Resident Advisor reports that an NFT release is planned, the details of which will be announced in the coming days. 

Back at the start of last year, Greene was one of the first producers to experiment with music NFTs, selling the publishing rights to his song “Promise” to great success (an ETH sale worth around $24,000 at the time of sale).

FANTASY will be released via LuckyMe on January 28.

You can stream and order the EP here.

The Willow Tree DAO Hosts its First IRL Event 

Tonight, The Willow Tree DAO (TWT) held its first IRL event and the first in its new event series, Enter The Willow Tree, at Hanover 1717.

According to TWT, the event series will exhibit projects and creations from the TWT community, as well as DJ sets from TWT members. The events will look to connect members of the rave community with TWT members and “an array of influential guests in the nightlife, creative, investment, and crypto spaces,” to act as an incubator and think tank to push rave culture into the future.

You can find more about the event and the series’ mission here, with more on The Willow Tree here.

SODAA Announces Lineup for First SODAA STREAM Event

SODAA, a new community that is “developing a decentralized governance model for an experimental music and arts venue in London,” has announced the lineup for its first SODAA STREAM event.

Back before the break, on December 21, SODAA released an open call to its community for DJs to play SODAA STREAM, a 12-hour Netil Radio takeover, taking applications and sifting through them over the weeks following the open call. This week, the list of selected DJs was announced and includes MP3, Jung Latch, Able Archer, Euchre, RAUCAAU, ex.sses, Jakona Tamma, Tristian Ayela, Vanity Crystal, sinny, and Shirley Temper.

SODAA STREAM will take over London community radio station Netil Radio on Saturday, January 29 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. You can find the full lineup and more details here.

What to Join and Who to Follow:

Iman Europe: musician, NFT artist, and head of artist relations at Sound.

AmbieNFT: a generative hardware ambient NFT project.

BPM: a music NFT discord bot allowing streaming of records off Catalog, Zora, and Sound.

Spike: an art publication with a new issue focusing on Web3.

Podcast 732: Leo Pol

Late last year, Leo Pol, a producer and live performer from Paris, released his debut album on IILE, the vinyl label he founded in 2015 alongside his friend Jean-Baptiste Messier. Work on Be Mine, a nine-track record that features a collaboration with Bambounou, started a few years prior when Leo Pol, real name Léo-Pol Poirel, found himself indulging in Detroit electro. The tracks, which step away from his normal club-oriented house material, aim to tell a story through melancholic sounds, while also drawing influence from garage and jungle.

Though he began his journey in music by playing in punk bands, house and techno were a natural progression for Leo Pol. On his first day of high school, his “desk neighbor” handed him a CD with Ableton software. So he went home, installed it on his family’s computer, and started producing electronic music, aged 15. Soon he was posting his sketches on his Soundcloud and, in 2015, he put out his first proper hit, albeit anonymously, that featured “You Got the Funk,” a sumptuous house jam. The initial run sold out instantly, but it went viral the moment someone uploaded a video of “You Got the Funk” to YouTube. The track was eventually retraced to Leo Pol, and within months he was touring internationally. In the years since, Leo Pol has taken his hardware-only club sets across Europe, and put out a string of funky, groove-laden EPs on not only IILE but also D’Julz‘ Bass Culture Records and Mella Dee’s Warehouse Music, underlining his status as one of Paris’ most esteemed and consistent electronic music creators.

With his XLR8R podcast, recorded earlier this month, Leo Pol has delivered a new batch of timeless dance music, fresh from his Paris studio. Many of the punchier tracks, which you’ll hear towards the end and feature in his current live set, fall more in line with the album’s chill electro aesthetic, and the others come from a still-to-be-announced side-project of his. The aim of the mix, we’re told, is to underline the diversity in Leo Pol’s work and offer a taste for things to come in 2022, which is to say delicious deep house with the inimitable Leo Pol touch.

01. What have you been up to recently?

Recently I’ve been enjoying having more time to spend in the studio with a lot of canceled gigs due to the pandemic. It’s paramount to make the best of it and I have been working on new music basically every day.

02. What have you been listening to during lockdown?

I’m always quite steady in my listening habits but lately I’ve been listening to more warm and mellow sounds. Anything from Brazilian music to hip-hop. But I never say no to some good new wave or electronic music.

03. Tell us about your debut album: what can we all expect?

The album is really a piece to listen to at home, in your car or simply walking. It’s made up of more chill electro songs and projects that I’ve been collecting over a long period of time with the idea of making an album with a storyline.

04. What drives you to make electronic music?

Musical creation is a need for me. Until now, expressing myself has been mostly through machines and various analog gear. It’s been the most natural way to make music for me. I get up, have a cup of coffee or tea, and turn the machines on. I’d love to explore other realms, so why not make an album recorded in a more conventional fashion with exclusively instrumental recordings made using microphones?

05. When and where did you record this live set?

I recorded it in my home studio on January 12, 2022.

06. How did you go about choosing the tracks you’ve included?

I chose a lot of tracks I’ve composed recently, in the weeks before recording the full thing. I used various genres of electronic music with different tempos and found a way to piece everything together that made sense for me. The punchier tracks, which you’ll find towards the end, are sounds that I’ve been playing in my live act lately, while the introduction songs come mostly from another project I’m working on that’s a bit more ’80s-oriented.

07. What can the listener expect?

A live act of my own productions with a lot of unreleased material. Something that sounds fresh to me and is a reflection of the spectrum of genres that I have been producing lately.

08. What’s on your horizon for 2022?

The horizon is super uncertain gig-wise with the pandemic but on the music production side a lot of new projects are on the way. I’m also experimenting with different mediums. I’ll be excited to share them when they’re ready!

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.

Editor’s note: there is no tracklisting for this mix as it is a live set.

Podcast 731: Anthea

Anthea Marie Nzekwu, better known by just her first name, is a DJ-producer and label head who divides her time between London, where she was born and raised, and Berlin. She was introduced to music by her father, a bass player in a reggae band who took her along to practices. At an early age, Anthea learned how to play drums and the keyboard, and she supported her pursuit of a career in music through high school by jamming at home. A few years later, while studying at university in London, she started raving and digging into the work of Derrick Carter, Carl Cox, and Fat Tony, among others. She also became hooked on Richie Hawtin’s Decks, EFX & 909 mix, so much so that she spent her student loan on a pair of turntables.

After leaving university, Anthea’s career really began. Through the early 2000s, she could be found playing out across London’s hotel bars and high-end restaurants, and booking other artists, too. And by frequenting record shops, she landed a job at Flying Records in west London, where she worked for four years, before moving to Black Market Records and eventually Phonica, where she met Alex Cellar. In 2008, she teamed up with Cellar on The Playmaker, and from there the bookings came rolling in. “I thought [at that moment] that maybe I should DJ professionally,” she says, “because I realized that I was actually quite good at it!”

It was obvious, even during these early years, that Anthea possessed a natural sense of groove and a great ability for exhibiting her natural charisma through her selections. She’s since relocated to Berlin, drawn by the city’s extended set times, and become a regular at places like Club Der Visionäre. Outside of this, she runs Partisan, set up after she left Brouqade Records, a label she ran with Dana Ruh. Oshana and Giammarco Orsini are among the artists she’s bought into the label, underlining her commitment to presenting original electronic sounds. “I don’t want to sign an artist that sounds like any of the existing ones,” she tells XLR8R, “that way the label is always offering something new.” In 2018, Anthea put out State Of Mind on Partisan, and she promises more releases soon.

Ahead of a busy year of touring, Anthea spent the new year’s period preparing to record a podcast for XLR8R. At just over one hour in length, it’s a mix filled with psychedelic excursions and killer groove, piecing together her favorite music from the past with new discoveries and demos from Partisan. It’s perhaps a bit slower than what you’ll hear her play in a club, opting instead for trippy selections and hypnotic blends, but never does the mix step away from what Anthea does best: expressive and timeless house music that oozes in character.

01. What have you been up to recently?

I’ve just been touring.

02. How was your 2021?

At the start of 2021, we had been in lockdown for just over nine months. I was quite depressed. By then all my flaws that I could usually hide with all the business of touring were just in my face. I decided I’d had enough of it and began making a lot of changes. By the end of 2021, I was happy within myself; I had challenged myself to learn a language, and by the end of the year I had a great sports regime and diet. So 2021 was actually good for me; I didn’t welcome the break but I needed it.

03. Talk to me about Partisan. How does it work with signing new artists? What are you looking for?

I’m looking and listening for the artist’s expression, and their personality in their sound. I don’t want to sign an artist that sounds like any of the existing ones, that way the label is always offering something new.

04. Where and when did you record this mix?

At home in Berlin, just a few days before it is being posted.

05. How did you go about choosing the records that you’ve included?

I concentrated on the feeling or atmosphere the records created. It has been a few years since I made a mix, and I would say in its entirety it is not how I usually present a set, instead, with each record you are getting a small part of my vibe.

06. What can the listener expect?

A selection of tunes that represent elements of my past as well as what’s currently in my bag rocking the floors.

07. How does it compare to what we might hear you play live?

The mix is more conceptual. Some of the tracks are often not always appropriate for a clubbing environment, or even the mood I want to create on the night, and maybe it’s a bit slower.

08. What’s on your horizon for 2022?

I’ve been confirmed for quite a lot of festivals this year, and I plan to get myself back in the studio this week.

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.

Editor’s Note: Tracklisting will be added to this mix at a later date.

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