Primary Perception is a project by Berlin-based brothers Mahy and Nichel Cruz. The pair are relative newcomers to the scene, with only one full EP under their belt (released on Second Step in May 2016). They also contributed a production to a Panea Records VA sampler, as well as Slow Life’s Chromophore LP.
Evidence of a Primary Perception, a thirteen track release, will be Slow Life’s first outing of 2017. Judging by the snippets below, it will span house, breaks, IDM and ambient styles. The LP follows on from a series of well-received releases, including recent contributions from Saverio Celestri, 100 Hz and S. Moreira.
Evidence of a Primary Perception will be released on February 1. Stream snippets below.
Tracklisting:
A1. Sounds From Space A2. Cellular Communication A3. Planetary Citizen B1. 12bit Spacecraft B2. Quantum Theory C1. Cosmic Waves C2. Triplet Move C3. Deathless Soul D1. The Backster Effect D2. Planck Scale D3. Universal Consciousness E. 12bit Spacecraft (S. Moreira Remix) F. Cosmic Waves (Ethereal Logic Remix)
The mix was recorded via RecMix, a new app that gives DJs an easy tool to record their live sets directly into the smartphone. Artists can instantly record, store and share their music with friends and followers via upload to the app’s platform, social media and SoundCloud. You can download the app here.
RecMix has previously released exclusive recordings from Ricardo Villalobos and Apollonia and had partnerships with festivals like Time Warp, BPM and SX Music Festival.
The mix is streamable in full here, with the app downloadable too.
Come late January, Mark Henning will follow SW05—released back in October on his own Swing Recordings— and kick off his 2017 campaign with the Expander Six EP on Soma, a four-track release that will further his hardware techno escapades.
Across the four tracks, Henning touches on classic, rave-filled 90s techno, swinging, groove-led funk, straight-up club weapons, and tightly programmed drum workouts. Henning excels at blurring the line between house and techno, his tracks seem to create enough space for aspects from both genres, and Expander Six presents this expertly.
In support of the release, Henning has passed over a holiday gift in the form of “Le Shake,” a house and techno hybrid that he has offered up as today’s XLR8R download. You can grab “Le Shake” via WeTransfer below, with Expander Six arriving on January 20 on vinyl and March 14 digitally.
Shinamo Moki is an electronic musical group made up of producer/composer Auryn Tate Waring and artist Felix Treadwell. Currently based in South London and Shanghai, both initially grew up in a rural village near the south coast of England before bonding while studying fine art together in Brighton, 2012. With shared interests and influences from electronic music, nature, contemporary art, and video games, they formed a natural partnership and started working on musical ideas under the name Shinamo Moki.
Their introductory release—2014’s Go With Me EP on Abandon Building Records—established their style of downbeat yet saccharine electronica, and in August 2014 they signed to MUSH Records. Through this they released another six-track EP, You Couldn’t Be More Distant, which included elements of glitch-hop, chill-wave, ambient, and folktronica. Their Artificial Beach EP was then released through Japanese label Maltine Records; and their latest single—”Dating Sim,” which is downloadable below—is a more gentle and cerebral track that highlights the sound design work that goes into all their productions.
You can download “Dating Sim” via the WeTransfer button below.
In the last few years, Luke Sanger (a.k.a. Duke Slammer) has been a regular in XLR8R‘s downloads section numerous times—including a top 10 download position in June of 2015. Sanger has kept busy lately, including an appearance at Berlin’s infamous Panorama Bar, producing a game soundtrack for Ubisoft, and, most recently, the first installment in Cosmic Pint Glass’ Keg series with the Pack The Picnic: Box Jams EP.
Taking inspiration from the vast Norfolk sky and coastline under his Duke Slammer guise, Sanger takes to his hardware to jam out a strain of melodic techno that bears resemblance to acts like DMX Krew and Larry Heard. In support of the EP, Sanger has once again passed over a deep club weapon as today’s XLR8R download. With ethereal pads and subtle, groovy percussion, “tanz202” is a perfect accompaniment to the rising artist’s latest EP.
You can grab “tanz202” via WeTransfer below, with the EP available here.
Lee Burridge’s ever-popular All Day I Dream party will continue its New Year’s Day tradition of starting the year in LA.
For this New Year’s Day edition, Burridge will host the event at the beautiful Gin Ling Way in Old Chinatown, with Hoj and Gorje & Izhevski joining him for the first event in what will be its sixth year in operation. The party kicks off at 1pm on January 1 and will run until 10pm. Pre-sale tickets are sold out but a limited amount will be available at the door.
Last year, XLR8R spoke with Lee Burridge and Mathew Dekay on about All Day I Dream, the event’s ethos, and the secrets behind its success. You can check that feature out here, with more information on All (New Year’s) Day I Dream here.
CRSSD Festival has announced the phase one lineup for its spring 2017 edition, which is set to take place at Waterfront Park in San Diego on March 4-5.
Since its first edition in 2015, CRSSD has quickly become one of Southern California’s premiere festivals for electronic music, showcasing a variety of acts from across the spectrum of techno, house, indie-dance, and bass music. Building on its 2016 successes (both the spring and fall editions were completely sold out), organizers have announced the first wave of artists for 2017, with Bob Moses, Jackmaster, HVOB, and Innervisions boss Âme topping the bill. The initial lineup also includes several top-notch underground selectors like Midland, Josh Wink, Recondite, and more.
Check out the full phase one lineup below. Tickets for the festival are on sale now; get yours here.
CRSSD Spring 2017 Phase I Lineup:
2manyDJs AlunaGeorge Ame (DJ) Amtrac Billie Eilish Blood Orange Bob Moses Boys Don’t Disco Cut Snake Damian Lazarus Darius Duke Dumont Dusky (live) Elderbrook Flume Fritz Carlton Giraffage Horse Meat Disco H.V.O.B. Jackmaster Jason Bentley Jerry Folk Josh Wink Justin Martin Kasbo Lane 8 Lauren Lane Lee K Lost Frequencies Louis Futon Martin Jensen Midland Paul Najera Peggy Gou Rad Cat Recondite (live) Rodhad Seth Troxler b2b Eats Everything Skream Sonny Fodera Snakehips Tensnake Wax Motif Wingtip Yotto
Leo Leal might not be too familiar to some of XLR8R‘s international audience, but the Mexican DJ, producer, and label owner has been producing and performing a refined strain of house and techno for well over a decade now. His label, Unike Muzik, has released records from Markus Homm, Carlos Sanchez, Figueroa & Obando, Alex Celler, Chris Carrier, Terrence Terry, and DJ W!LD. Outside of his own label, Leal’s music has landed on, among others, Musik Gewinnt Freunde, Riff Raff, Colludo, Tenampa Recordings, and, most recently, Akbal Music.
Although he has been ingrained and involved in the scene for most of his life, 2016 saw Leal’s stock rise considerably with two live performances for Boiler Room—one debuting his brilliant live set and the other a performance alongside Lake People at Mutek MX—as well as shows across the United States, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru, Argentina, and, of course, Mexico.
To close out what has been a standout year, Leal has stitched together an engrossing hour of deep house and techno for this week’s podcast. The mix also acts as a preview for Leal’s upcoming performance at Comunitē, a day-long festival taking place at Parque Dos Ojos, Tulum, on January 6. Playing alongside Leal is a huge list of DJs and live performers including Ambiq, Omar S, Vera, Fumiya Tanaka, Kyle Hall, Dengue Dengue Dengue, Fred P, and Lawrence.
When and where was the mix recorded? This mix was recorded in my flat in Mexico City no more than a month ago.
What equipment did you record the mix on? I used a pair of 1200 technics.
Did you have a specific mood/ idea that you wanted to express? Well I just grabbed some of the records I’ve been playing lately. The idea was to play different styles and emotions. It was fun, even my kids were there when I recorded this.
What’s in store for 2017? I am very happy for everything that has been happening lately and all that is coming up. Starting in January, I will be playing at Comunite Festival in Tulum, followed by Housepitality in San Francisco, and third, I’ll be making my debut at Smart Bar in Chicago and at Montreal’s Stereo as well. I also got an invitation to play for my good friends from The Hydra in London and in Croatia for Dimensions Festival as well. It’s like I am living the dream to be honest.
Plus, I will be releasing some music for Comunite’s Label and also another bunch of surprises that I will keep you posted on later…
Released back in November on Crosstown Rebels, Skream‘s “You Know, Right?” went on to be the UK DJ and producer’s biggest tune of the year, feverously searched for until its release.
Now, as a follow-up, Skream has shared the Dan Emmerson-directed video for the melancholic cut, featuring a look into the life of UK shuffler Kerry Boyd, as Emmerson explains:
“I spent a day and night shooting Kerry Boyd (a.k.a. Mr Shapes or Mad Kezza), Brockley’s finest shuffling don. The idea is a pretty simple one, but I really feel we got something honest and real out of it, which can be rare. What could have been just another ‘subculture’ video feels a lot more than that—Kezza is a very interesting guy—and I feel like this is a small insight into his life, which to date has been a turbulent one. Deepa Keshvala our DOP smashed it and shot some beautiful stuff on 16mm, a winning combo”
Skream’s You Know, Right? can be picked up via Crosstown Rebels, with the video streaming in full via the player below.
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Adrian Flavor and Samy Jackson (a.k.a. Animal Trainer) have added another slow-rave cut to their discography—and have offered it up as a free download via XLR8R.
The inspiration for the cut comes from post-tour melancholy; “Castro” is said to be a “beacon of hope, a moment to rest, a signal for what’s to come.”
You can download “Castro” now via the WeTransfer button below.
