Howl is set to release a various artist compilation, featuring cuts from Dana Ruh, Howl Ensemble, Bassa Clan, and Mr. Tophat & Art Alfie.
Described as “homage to the raw original house music” with “slamming, old school vibes,” the four-tracker is the label’s eighth release, and the first of 2017—following on from a splendid 2016.
In advance of the Otto EP’s January 30 release, snippets are available to stream below.
The next release on Help Recordings is by Central.
Natal Zaks (a.k.a. Central) will drop his first EP of 2017 later this month—a three-tracker on Help Recordings, the label he runs alongside brother Milan (a.k.a. DJ Sports). According to the imprint, listeners can expect “a floor-friendly house record” from the Aarhus-based producer. Basil follows on from a pair of solo EPs from Zaks on Dekmantel, as well as output under his Soft Talk alias and collaborative work as Maizena.
For more information on Central and the Aarhus scene, check out our profile of one of its defining imprints, Regelbau, from last year.
Basil is expected to drop on January 13.
Tracklisting:
A1. Basil (Version Intégrale Club)
B1. Six Moves (Only Mix)
B2. Sexi Deni (Headroom Mix)
“Death for a Selfie” is the start of We++, a fresh new combined project from Volatil and Maurizio. Based in Barcelona, exploring various musical ventures, they have “developed a solid understanding of refacing their old ideas with new and vibing harmonic sounds.”
They decided to release this track as a free download as a taste of what’s to come.
“Death for a Selfie” is downloadable now via the WeTransfer button below.
Perc Trax will open its account for 2017 with the first full EP on the label from London’s Manni Dee.
Lead track “London Isn’t England” is a driving, sharp-edged slice of UK techno inspired by the June 23 referendum result.
B1 track “Mephi” keeps up the pressure hitting the middle ground between Perc Trax’s heavy hitting sound and the more percussive output of the city’s acid techno scene, while “Adorable Disorder” allows a small pause for breath.
Tracklisting:
A1. London Isn’t England feat. Ewa Justka
B1. Mephi
B2. Adorable Disorder
Perc Trax will release Throbs of Discontent on January 20, 2017.
Techno veteran Tony Scott (a.k.a Edit Select) will release an EP on Substrato Records—the label’s fourth release.
The four-track EP, titled Points Of Contact, is in line with Substrato’s signature sound: stripped down hypnotic percussion with deep ties to techno’s past.
In advance of the EP’s January 26 release, “Faction” can be streamed in full below.
Tracklisting:
A1 / 1. Faction 1
A2 / 2. Tangent
B / 3. Faction 1.1
Barret Richards (a.k.a. Kastle) and his label Symbols embody the forward-thinking ethos at the heart of electronic music. Since debuting seven years ago, Richards’ work as Kastle and the music he releases under the Symbols banner consistently strives to push sound and genres into the outer-realms of what could be considered the status quo. There are obvious stylistic touchstones in his music—UK garage, jungle, grime, hip-hop, and bass, to name a few—but Richards manages to sift them through a unique filter to create a sound that is at once familiar and foreign, a style in itself.
While in the early stages of producing his sophomore studio album, Reflections, Richards had to somewhat step back from this constant search for something new and look inward. Coupled with a move away from the sprawling and overstimulated Downtown Los Angeles, Richards allowed himself time for introspection, which in turn resulted in his most personal and pure work to date. The 12 tracks on Reflections act like a window into Richards’ musical history, from the dancehall-like pop of “The Future” to the distorted and frayed experimentalism of closing cut, “Masks.”
As you’ll read below, the mix Richards has recorded is an extension of Reflections, a representation of conceptual regeneration centered around the new year—it also features one of the most sprawling tracklists we’ve featured in recent times, from twisted bedroom pop to bass-heavy hip-hop and everything in between.
When and where was the mix recorded?
It was recorded on New Year’s Eve in my home studio in Orange County.
What equipment did you record the mix on?
My Rane mixer has seen better days and is in pretty bad shape, so I picked up one of those new DDJ-SB2 Pioneer/Serato controllers. I’m going to try to do a lot more live streams in the future and it’s been really useful for home use. Good for control, Serato integration, and simple effects.
Did you have a specific mood/idea that you wanted to express?
The ‘New Year’ is probably the most symbolic time for humanity. Since ancient times there has been this conception of the end and the beginning of a temporal period which leads us to a periodic regeneration. It’s a myth that we all experience at once, and our celebration is itself a physical enactment of our public dreams. It allows for a temporary abolishment of profane time and projects us into a mythical time where new forms can be discovered and given life as if it were the beginning of creation itself. And we are in such a crucial moment, where humanity is evolving at a drastic rate thanks to our technology. With an iPhone and extensions of media, we are already the cyborgs we worry about. However, this is not a Hollywood movie script, but real life. Instead of being afraid of change, we all need to embrace it and humanity could evolve into something very beautiful out of the chaos we seem to be in right now.
How did you select the specific tracks that you wanted to include?
I always let intuition guide me on mixes like these. And as an extension of the mood I described above, I think you can hear how I was drawn to certain tracks like MICHAELBRAILEY’s opener, Daved Saved’s “Let It Evolve,” and the Roni Size classic “New Forms.” I am most attracted to music and art that represents new forms and evolution. Ones that question the status quo.
What’s in store for 2017?
At the time of writing my new album and naming it Reflections, I don’t think I realized just how appropriate that title would be. Going into the new year I am doing just as I described and taking full advantage of this symbolic time and continuing to push myself and the label to new territories. I go into the new year a complete free agent and independent. I’ll be announcing tour dates very soon for North America and Asia and have some good friends working on remixes of my album tracks. Symbols will be running at full steam and our next release is from Utah? later this month.
Tracklisting:
01. MICHAELBRAILEY “Intimacy Negator (Feel Me)” [DISPLAY]
02. WIFE “Native Trade” [Profound Lore]
03. w. baer “The Shakes” [Hush Hush]
03. Organ Tapes “天堂”
04. S4U “One Key” [Limited Health]
05. Klasey Jones “Area 55” [Terrorhythm]
06. Maere “Omen” [Symbols]
07. Kastle “Polytopia” (Kid Smpl Remix) [Symbols]
08. Dinamarca “Mobileboy” [Her Records]
09. Ceci “Dry” (Kastle Remix) [Hush Hush]
10. Kastle “Masks” [Symbols]
11. Gaika “PMVD” (feat. Mista Silva) [Mixpak]
12. Kastle “The Future” (feat. MICHAELBRAILEY) [Symbols]
13. Hoodcelebrityy “The Takeover” (Kelman Duran Remix)
14. Dial Boy “Kaiyote” [JockJomz]
15. LU6IFER “Heroine”
16. DJ Heroin “Left Behind”
17. Letta “Far Off” (feat. Ryan Hemsworth) [Coyote Records]
18. Big Tobz “Uno My Style”
19. Kid Smpl “Ender” (y y y Remix) [Symbols]
20. Utah? “250ml” [Symbols]
21. Santa Muerte “Dangerous Scenarios” (feat. Rules) [Infinite Machine]
22. DVA “Almostu” (feat. Roses Gabor & Rae Rae) [Hyperdub]
23. Dave Saved “Let It Evolve” [Gang of Ducks]
24. Roni Size “New Forms” [Mercury]
25. Portishead “Wandering Stars” [Go! Discs]
26. my.head “Abyss ft. Ida Dillan” [Symbols]
26. WWWINGS “Digital Divide”
27. Ian Isiah “247” [UNO NYC]
Toronto DJ and producer Eytan Tobin should be familiar to readers of XLR8R. A regular on our pages for the last few years, Eytan and his label Bedroomer release experimental tracks that defy genres.
The latest endeavor from Eytan will be a multi-genre mixtape featuring a range of warped edits, including “Nosqua”, a track produced alongside Lum, one of the other heads of Bedroomer. The track, which is being offered as one of today’s XLR8R downloads, samples Katie Got Bandz and is a wild ride through bass-heavy pastures.
You can pick up “Nosqua” via WeTransfer below, with the mixtape available via Eytan’s Bandcamp on January 13.
Inspired by the Brazilian music and culture, Adana Twins have announced an edit of one of Brazil’s most celebrated singer/songwriters, Seu Jorge.
Adana Twins:
“A friend of ours came to the studio and was listening to Seu Jorge through his headphones and from then onwards we were hooked! We had a listening session for the album and we stopped immediately when “Mania de Peitão” came on. Such a beautiful tune with great lyrics.”
A folk-hero born in the city of Belford Roxo near Rio de Janerio, Seu’s intricately woven blends of samba, rock, and soul have earned him a great number of accolades both as a musician and actor. He also famously performed during the summer 2012 and 2016 Olympic ceremonies, along with appearing in the Brazilian feature film “City of God,” and perhaps most notably, providing the soundtrack for the critically acclaimed Wes Anderson film, “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.”
Adana Twins’ influence on “Mania de Peitão” transforms the dreamy vocals and Samba percussion into an offering perfect to end the night at any of the world’s dimly lit dancefloors.
“Mania de Peitão” (Adana Twins Edit) is downloadable via the WeTransfer button below.
Mania de Peitão (Adana Twins Edit)
Superpitcher will release a new album this year.
The Golden Ravedays will be Aksel Schaufler’s third full-length as Superpitcher, set to drop on Hippie Dance (the label he runs alongside his Pachanga Boys counterpart Rebolledo). The release comes with a twist: the German producer will drip out two tracks at the end of every month throughout 2017, with the promise of each track being 10 to 20 minutes in length. It is the first new Superpitcher material to drop since 2010, the year of his last album—Kilimanjaro.
The Golden Ravedays will be released throughout 2017. Pre-order Part 1 and stream snippets over at Juno.
Tracklisting:
Part 1
01. Little Raver
02. Snow Blind
Following the release of its 10-year anniversary compilation last year, the Lessizmore label is set to return with a Ferro EP.
Jasper Verrijzer has been releasing records as Ferro for the past two years, but the confidence of his production speaks to a much longer relationship with music. From his base in the Netherlands, Verrijzer has scored released on imprints including Valioso, Kina, Souzou, Infuse, and Oscillat.
His upcoming The Neverending Story EP is yet more evidence of his inventive approach to house music—and is exclusively streamable in full below in advance of its January 16 release via Lessizmore.
Tracklisting:
A1: Laura
A2: The Girl That Fed
B1: The Wrong Wolf
B2: Most Of Her Bread
The Neverending Story EP is scheduled for January 16 release.
