Vîntul Prin Salcii is the Romanian musician’s second full-length on Mule Musiq. Much the [a :rpia:r] member’s 2015 album on the Japanese imprint, Vin Ploile, the forthcoming release looks set to explore instrumentalism and “neo-classical sounds” (as opposed to the minimal house that he made his name from). The LP’s seven tracks were put together with live piano, string and wind instruments, in combination with some analog electronics.
Vîntul Prin Salcii will be released March 31. Stream “Miroslav 4” in full below.
Tracklisting:
01. Miroslav 1 02. Miroslav 2 03. Miroslav 3 04. Miroslav 4 05. Miroslav 5 06. Miroslav 6 07. Miroslav 7
The Chicago-raised, Brooklyn-based musician dropped his first and only EP to date last year—Crystalon Honey Soundsystem. Cudmore now returns on local imprint The Bunker New York, with an acid-infused four-tracker entitled Forget It.
Discussing the forthcoming EP, Cudmore reflects: “I like old sounds, but I don’t think I sit down and necessarily try to make retro sounding tracks. When I sit down and improvise my only guide or rules is following a particular sound or vibe I’ve built in my head.”
Forget It will drop February 10. Pre-order it at Bandcamp and stream snippets below.
Tracklisting:
01. Forget It 02. Sweet Phantasy 03. New Jack the House 04. Moment
In existence since 2014, Brazilian label and party collective Gop Tun—made up of TYV, Gui Scott, Caio T, and Nascii e Kurchas—has become an ever reliable outlet for groove-led disco and house. For its third release, Gop Tun welcomes the return of São Paulo trio Hatchets to its fold for the “Hey Benji” single.
Alongside the hypnotic rhythms of the now Amsterdam-based band’s original will be a remix by cosmic disco kingpin Prins Thomas, who in his distinctive Norwegian style, twists the track into a 10-minute, mind-bending masterpiece. Thomas’ remix perfectly compliments the original track’s minimalistic grooves, completing a package that will suit any disco persuasion.
“Hey Benji” will be released on January 27, with Prins Thomas’ remix streaming in full via the player above.
When Grant first stepped onto the scene via his own label, The Lauren Bacall, back in 2014, it was one of the most sure-footed strides we have seen in recent years. His productions, which rolled out thick and fast, had the hallmarks of someone who had already been deep in the game for years: precise, swinging deep house numbers, all with bags of character.
In fact, Grant was the rebirth of a popular musician under a new guise, whose former identity remains unknown to date. What we do know about the artist, is that he is thriving in his new circumstances. Most recently, his album with Lobster Theremin sub-label Mörk (a second full-length release in the past two years) slipped comfortably into our Best Releases of 2016; a producer becoming more and more confident in his sound—a low-key, yet unforgettable brand of house, with a totally timeless feel. In this week’s podcast, Grant offers up a mix made up of entirely unreleased recordings—a genre-spanning, totally fresh selection of his own projects.
When and where was the mix recorded?
The mix was recorded, or I would rather say assembled, in my studio over the holiday period in late December.
Could you tell us about the idea behind it? How did you choose the records in it?
The mix is actually made of all unreleased material and a lot are tracks still in the works that I edited for the occasion so it could fit in the mix. This was a great exercise as in the process I made a lot of progress on the tracks individually, and listening back at the result a lot are now close to completion.
So the mix is compiled of only unreleased recordings. Do you have a lot of unreleased material? How did you choose the records in it?
The mix is indeed composed of all unreleased material and showcases the various collaborative projects I am working on. It ranges from hip-hop to contemporary cosmic jazz house, and to more deep dubby-influenced stuff, and some atmospheric bites.
How does it compare to a Grant club set?
It is pretty much that. I really like to play very deep and atmospheric, quite contemplative music—and at certain points pick up the pace with stuff that is more percussive and dubby. So I tried to cram all that into one hour. Obviously, in a real set things take much more time to develop.
Talk to us about the background of the Grant project, and your musical background.
Well I have been collecting records, DJing and producing for 15 years, give or take;
and over the years my taste has really expanded, and still to this day I am becoming increasingly more curious, listening to anything from African, Brazilian recordings, contemporary and cosmic jazz, ambient music, hip-hop, early liquid drum & bass, etc. I guess the common thread that ties everything together whatever the style might be a sense of deepness; there is nothing too aggressive or harsh, if that makes any sense. But it is always hard to describe how an individual feels about music.
What have you got planned for 2017?
I am releasing a new EP, Grant 001, next week on a white label series that I am starting, where the output is focused on original material – edits and unofficial remixes by me. I am also currently working on a solo EP for Lobster Theremin and putting together Grant 002.
Also, as you see by the tracklist of the mix, I am working on several collaborative album projects with some extremely talented individuals that I hope to release sometime this year. So I have quite a busy schedule.
[This download is no longer available.]
Tracklisting:
01. Zotos, Grant “Untitled 1”
02. Zotos, Grant “Untitled 2”
03. Zansika ,Grant – Untitled 1
04. Grant “Untitled 1”
05. Grant “Untitled 2”
06. George Btp, Grant “Untitled 1”
07. Grant “Dazu (Grant 001)”
08. Grant “Untitled 3”
09. Zansika, Grant “Untitled 2”
10. Grant “Untitled 4”
11. Grant “Malt Brun (Grant 001)”
13. Grant “Back Mind (Grant 001)”
Portuguese duo MUTUAL emerged in March 2015 with A1017, a gritty and textured three-track EP on Hush Hush Records. Nearly two years later, on December 18 of last year, the mysterious outfit returned to the Seattle-based label for their latest EP, After Finitude, which once again featured their distorted, beat-driven interpretations of jungle, house, techno, and ambient styles. It’s a confident outing that makes brilliant use of nondescript samples, frayed synth lines, and inspired drum programming—all of which manifest under hazy atmospheres.
In support of the release, Hush Hush has offered up lead single, “Archê,” as today’s XLR8R download. A near seven-minute journey, “Archê” is an invigorating slice of electronics that utilizes skittering rhythms and an exceptionally dynamic arrangement.
You can download “Archê” via WeTransfer below, with the full EP available at Hush Hush’s Bandcamp page.
The label will focus on his own productions for the time being, kicking off with four-tracker Good Music Hips, Bad Music Fists. The EP will firstly be released as a hand-stamped vinyl, arriving with the first of four artwork designs, which will form a larger image together.
Good Music Hips, Bad Music Fists will be released February 3. Stream snippets below.
Tracklisting:
01. Plumed Serpent 02. Precipitation 03. Bringing A Knife To A Gunfight Since 1984 04. 177 Downlow
CLUB V-BEE will be the first record to pop out of the Aarhus collective’s studio in 2017. This time round, music comes from DJ Sports, Hi Mount and Manmade Deejay, offering up four slices of melodic house. It follows on from a collaborative EP by CK and Hi Mount, which dropped late last year, as well as new material from the group’s newest project, No Hands.
For more information on the Danish label, check out this Labels We Love feature that we put together last year.
CLUB V-BEE will be released February 18. Stream snippets below.
Tracklisting:
A1. Manmade Deejay “V-Bee” A2. Hi Mount & Man-Dee “Impresionante” B1. DJ Sports “Friends & Strangers” B2. Hi Mount “In The Heat”
After a seven-year hiatus, Danny Wolfers’ (a.k.a. Legowelt) cult ambient alias Smackos will return with a new album, called A Vampire Goes West.
Released on Wolfers’ own Nightwind Records label, A Vampire Goes West is described by the imprint as an “amateur space jazz meets professional ambient” experience that clocks in at almost 80 minutes.
The LP was recorded in “complete seclusion” over the course of last Christmas and through the early days of the new year in his home studio on the Netherlands’ North Sea coast.
Tracklisting
01. Ik heb Geen Zin Om Braaf Te Leren 02. One Day We Will Trip Out From Star To Star 03. Slow Tape Life 04. A Singing Giraffe On A Drizzly Town Square 05. The Fire That Will Always Burn In You 06. Vaporos Complex 07. Naar Buiten Voor Een VlaFlip 08. Iwo Jima Drug Muppet 09. Irv Treibel A Possible Fellow Vampire 10. Picnic in A Multiverse Cassette 11. Air Koryo Burger 12. 1-1-17 Light In A Room 13. Dutch Castles M1 Splendour 14. Sunday Afternoon Synthesis Hobbyist
A Vampire Goes West will be released on January 24 on digital format through Bandcamp, as well as handmade cassette and CDR through the Clone record store.
Listen to clips from A Vampire Goes West via the infomercial below.
Back in September of last year, XLR8R released “Here I Am” feat. Synthia, an emotive, beat-driven cut by a little-known group called COLOM81AN. The track proved to be one of the most popular downloads that month and also made the top 50 downloads of 2016.
As a follow up to “Here I Am,” COLOM81AN have offered up new cut “Closer” as today’s XLR8R download. Like the track before it, “Closer” also features the vocal stylings of Synthia and is another dreamy, melancholic outing. According to the artists behind the project, “Closer” is “really all about a journey, not only sonically, but also as a feel.” Fittingly, the track is set to the visuals of Apollo 13, further extending the track’s theme of hope and perseverance.
You can download “Closer” feat. Synthia via WeTransfer below.
According to the Lisbon label, 15 Barras is a “long-form composition” that Nigga Fox made for an art installation with Príncipe that eventually “fell through on the commissionership’s end.”
It is a one-sided vinyl 12’’ affair, available only from Príncipe’s Bandcamp in a limited run of only 500. All copies are hand-stamped by Márcio Matos.
