Celebrating two decades of music collection, Russian record selector Andrey Pushkarev has announced his debut four-month “Northern Lights” world tour.
Kicking off in September, the tour will see Pushkarev stopping in 20 cities for a string of extensive sets in twenty cherry-picked clubs across the globe. Each show will see him accompanied by artist friends (such as tINI, Dana Ruh, Varhat and Cab Drivers (Live)) and some of the brightest stars of the electronic music scene to ensure each show is a night of ingenuity and artistic expression.
“The tour marks my twentieth year of music discovery and collection,” Andrey says. “It is an occasion to celebrate all the good things about the scene and personally thank everyone who has been supporting me in this constant journey. I will pick special records for the occasion, accompanied by talents whose company I enjoy the most, artistically and personally.”
Andrey’s profound musical knowledge, exquisite taste and meticulously gathered vinyl collection have earned him a committed and adoring following that transcends his Moscow roots. His sets are always a work of architectural, structural, and musical accomplishment, ranging from deep and sensitive melodic techno, to soul-beating house grooves.
See below for the first set of dates, with more still to come.
It’s good to know your strengths—and while Permanent Vacation has always had a wide-ranging sound that can veer from the dance-pop of Azari & III’s “Reckless With Your Love” to the light-headed techno of Locked Groove’s “Thesseus,” one of the Munich label’s biggest strengths has always been a kind of mid-tempo, head-trippy house that makes up in atmosphere what it might lack in propulsion. In the main, that’s what you get on the imprint’s latest collection of exclusive cuts—though, as you might expect from Permanent Vacation, the tracklist takes a few interesting side trips as well.
The label’s always had a thing for boogie-tinged material, and one of Permanent Vacation 4’s rambles takes us to Prins Emanuel’s bassline-driven “Ivy’s Boogie,” a bassline-driven track with a sparse rhythm that nicely approximates the work of Gwen Guthrie–era Sly & Robbie. On a similar tip, Alex Burkat channels an early-’80s sunset-disco party with the sweetly sparkling “Brooklyn Bridge,” brimming with low-end bump and smiling vibes. Man Power’s “Pelame,” meanwhile, heads off in a slightly darker direction, with droning synth-bass and marching-to-heaven melody anchored by a rhythm that’s one-half Chicago and one-half Düsseldorf (with its syncopated guitar adding a touch of Jamaica), while Suzanne Kraft’s slinky, tropics-kissed “Tiles” would fit right in at a lazy, swaying stoned-soul picnic.
They’re all fine tracks, but it’s the set’s dreamland-house numbers that are Permanent Vacation 4’s wheelhouse. Carrot Green’s dubbed-out “Vodou” layers chiming bells toasting vocals and a sinuous shofar over a pulsing bass to otherworldly effect, while Benedikt Frey’s Lucid Dream” conjures up arcane rites via spectral vocal samples, sighing synths and ritualistic rhythms. But there’s more than moody shamanism on tap here: the gentle keys of Hugh Mane’s “Interstellar” provide a perfect pillow for a kaleidoscopic reverie, while the loping pace and cicada-call synths of Hi & Saberhagen’s “Spreepark” bring back melancholy memories of late summers gone by, fading into ether of time. That same kind of pensive wistfulness feeling runs through “Seaside Special” from Fantastic Man as well, with swirling synths and a yearning melody proving a bed for a percolating bassline. Like much of this compilation, it’s a subdued beauty, the kind of track that invites wandering introspection.
Tracklisting:
01. Hi & Saberhägen “Spreepark” 02. Carrot Green “Vodou” 03. Young Marco “Dreamless” 04. Fantastic Man “Seaside Special” 05. Prins Emanuel “Ivy’s Boogie” 06. Alex Burkat “Brooklyn Bridge” 07. Man Power “Pelame” 08. Benedikt Frey “Lucid Dream” 09. Hugh Mane ‘Interstellar” 10. Cleveland “Rio” 11. Map.ache “Let Me Sleep” 12. Suzanne Kraft “Tiles
Dinky (real name Alejandra Iglesias) has announced her sixth studio work, Valor, scheduled for a September 30 release on Crosstown Rebels.
Perhaps known best for her decade-long residency at Panorama Bar, solidified by records on Visionquest and Cocoon Recordings, Iglesias’ music is bolstered by a unique upbringing in keyboard, vocals, and classical guitar. Recent singles “Casa” and “Milk” have fused this creative duality, seamlessly blending layers of vocals, electronics, and acoustic instruments.
Composed during a particularly turbulent period of her life, the LP is also a candid reflection of Iglesias’ personal struggles. “Valor in Spanish means ‘courage’ but it’s also the first letters of both my sons Valentin and Orlando combined,” she explains. ‘This album is a personal journey through motherhood and pregnancy as an artist.”
Listen to a minimix of five album cuts above before its September 30 release.
On August 18 Prequel will return to Rhythm Section with his latest EP, Freedom Jazz Dance.
Freedom Jazz Dance follows on from POLITE STRANGERS—his debut for the label—which garnered support and acclaim from the likes Gilles Peterson, Osunlade, Recloose, Mister Saturday Night, and Ben UFO. The latest presents three tracks in the same vein as POLITE STRANGERS, namely jazz-inflicted house music for the soul.
In anticipation of the release later this month, Rhythm Section has released a stream of lead cut “Saints” (feat. Cazeaux O.S.L.O), which employs a spoken word homage to a handful of musical greats, alongside brilliantly placed instrumental flourishes.
You can hear “Saints” (feat. Cazeaux O.S.L.O) in full via the player above, with the EP available for pre-order here.
Seattle’s Peloton Musique will release its Pacific Waves compilation on September 26, featuring cuts from artists such as Butane, Pezzner, Hanssen, Frivolous, Rennie Foster, J. Alvarez, the artist known as 214, and more.
The artists on the release were asked to donate tracks for ocean conservancy within the Pacific Coast theme, with all online donations going to Ocean Conservancy and the fight for a clean ocean. Across its whopping 18 tracks, you’ll find everything from deep techno to atmospheric breaks, trippy house, and everything in between.
You can find the full tracklisting available below.
New Yorker Chester Raj Anand (a.k.a. Lord RAJA) understands beats. After all, the Ghostly International recruit has led a life deep in the rhythms. His biography indicates that he made his first tune with ACID and Fruity Loops when he was the tender age of six (for his elder brother to rap over), and it seems like he just never stopped.
Cut forward to 2016, and he’s churning out highly-acclaimed albums like this year’s Para. When we say he understands beats, we mean it in a very wholesome sense—that most recent full-length takes direction from hip-hop, Detroit techno, ambient work, drum & bass, deep house, and more, mashing it all together to somehow form a cohesive whole. In a review written for XLR8R, Bruce Tantum summed it up nicely: “The unifying factor? It’s Para‘s evocative beauty, a underlying glimmer that flows from the album’s sumptuous opening chords to its final spectral fade.”
The album follows a chain of similarly impressive works on Ghostly International and Astro Nautico, highlighting Anand’s rapid climb from strength to strength. His Brainfeeder-type sound will always be a winner, keeping his music unpredictable and his listeners on their toes. As a selector, he keeps things equally interesting: this week’s podcast, which consists entirely of unreleased material, should give you an insight into one of the freshest talents out there at the moment.
When and where was the set recorded? This was made maybe last week in my residential studio. I can’t really say it was recorded; I just kind of put the songs into the software. This is really contrasting to how I actually manoeuvre in a live performance.
What equipment did you use? Computer and lots of wine. Fruity Loops, Minilogue, Eventide h3000.
The mix contains only unreleased RAJA material. Do you intend to release this, or do you intentionally keep unreleased works for your mixes/sets? Perhaps a few of these tracks will be returned to, but mostly no as far as a release goes. Some of the songs I made right then as I was working on the mix. I’m just constantly making music. Something I make a week ago can seem ages old to me today. If I made the mix today, it would be one hundred per cent different material. This was simply a snapshot of my mood at the time.
How did you select the specific unreleased tracks that you wanted to include? How much time did you think about the tracks? It’s hard to remember. I didn’t think at all. I just put whatever songs I found on my computer. I know that I intentionally didn’t put any of my jungle tracks or hard techno tracks on there. But I don’t know why.
Did you have a specific idea/mood that you wanted to express? Yeh, I kind of did. It’s weird. I like to pick up random books and just dive in, so I found this book about the Middle Ages. It gave me a lot of poetic ideas and moods. I guess the curation and melodies might represent that. But this week I’m already over it and way more in a party mood.
How did you approach this mix in comparison to a regular DJ set? A regular set is more live and wouldn’t feature these tracks. Live performances are creative and spontaneous. It’s a huge party. I’d use an analog mixer and some decks and it would go off. This was a lot less groove or tempo oriented. It’s all over the place.
What have you got coming up this year? I’ve been making so many songs on my computers. I don’t know about this year. I am not really in the mood to do shows yet; I am just focussing on my next project. It’s a return to my child identity and procedure. I hope you will enjoy it. I guess I’m shooting for an EP or double EP. Not sure if this year or next year.
Pional (a.k.a Miguel Barros)—the multi-instrumentalist, empyrean vocalist, DJ, composer and producer—is set to release a new EP on Ninja Tune‘s Counter Records, entitled When Love Hurts. It will be his first release for the London-based label.
The EP marks something of a breakthrough for the young Spanish producer. It’s been a productive few years which have seen him release music via Young Turks, Hivern Discs and Permanent Vacation; play an integral part in frequent production collaborator John Talabot’s celebrated live show, with the performance featuring prominently in Resident Advisor’s ‘Top 20 Live Acts’; tour the US and Europe with musical like-minds The xx and even pen a song for the Divina Pastora marathon in Valencia, Spain.
When Love Hurts arrives as not only his most personal work to date, but arguably one of his finest. Inspired by love and loss, the four-tracker collection Pional finding the confidence to add pop melodies and his own vocals to his deep, compulsive electronics.
Tracklisting:
01. Casualty 02. Of My Mind 03. As Time Was Passing By 04. The Way That You Like feat. Empress Of
When Love Hurts is scheduled for September 30 release on 12” & digital download; you can pre-order the release here, with “Casualty” streamable in full below.
The British artist has been seen touring and releasing extensively following his album debut on his own label Monnom Black last year. Now, having DJed at several Electric Deluxe events in the past year, he is set to see his vinyl debut.
The record is stated to “capture Dax’s powerful rave energy with some deep acid and atmospheric interludes.”
Tracklisting:
A1 / 1. Reign Of Terror A2 / 2. Harry The Hatchet A3 / 3. Cartagena Square B1 / 4. Zulu Nation B2 / 5. The Quest B3 / 6. Breaking Visions
Illusions of Power is scheduled for September 16 release.
Dax J will be representing Electric Deluxe at the Draaimolen Festival in Tilburg, NL. For your chance to win a free copy of the upcoming EP, comment on the festival’s Facebook post here.
The original version of the track, which is streamable via the player below, dropped late last year. Claque has also hinted at a repress of the original 12-inch to go with the remix EP.
Melodic Records label manager Andy Moss and Delphic’s James Cook unknowingly recorded their debut release as Boredom over the course of two weekends, starting in a “murky Salford Mill basement” and continuing on a townhouse rooftop on Overtoom in Amsterdam. The project takes its name from the book by Alberto Moravia, and was a result of the pair bonding over a shared love of Polish disco, ’80s Japanese pop, and Paradise Garage mixes.
The debut release in question, Geometry, is a perfect amalgamation of the influences mentioned above, a melodically-driven collection of pop-infused house music. Sitting alongside the two Boredom originals will be remixes from German house artists Sandrow M and Panthera Krause, who turn their hands to “Geometry” and “Turn Your Head,” respectively.
In support of the release, Melodic and Boredom have offered up Sandrow M’s remix as today’s XLR8R download. Keeping the feel-good vibe of the original, the Uncanny Valley artist refits it with a floor-focused backbone and chunky drums for a remix that will get the speakers rattling.
You can download Sandrow M’s remix of “Geometry” in full below, with the EP available for pre-order here.
