Page 80 – XLR8R

Ninja Tune Unveils 박혜진 Park Hye Jin’s Debut Album

박혜진 Park Hye Jin will release her debut album, Before I Die, in September on Ninja Tune.

The album, which is entirely written, produced, and performed by the South Korean-born and now Los Angeles-based artist, follows the release of her How can I EP in June. More recently, she’s collaborated with the likes of Clams Casino & Take A Daytrip (“Y DON’T U”), Blood Orange (“CALL ME (Freestyle)”), and Nosaj Thing (“CLOUDS”).

Alongside the announcement, Park has shared opening track “Let’s Sing Let’s Dance,” a wistful dance track that places her mantra-like vocals over piano keys and rumbling bass.

Elsewhere on the record, we’re told that she continues to “expand her sonic palette,” drawing on electronic, hip-hop, and downtempo sensibilities to present the “most complete vision yet of her sound.”

Tracklisting

01. Let’s Sing Let’s Dance
02. I Need You
03. Before I Die
04. Good Morning Good Night
05. Me Trust Me
06. Where Did I Go
07. Never Give Up
08. Can I Get Your Number
09. Whatchu Doin Later
10. Sex With ME (DEFG)
11. Where Are You Think
12. Never Die
13. Hey, Hey, Hey
14. Sunday ASAP
15. i jus wanna be happy

Before I Die LP will land on September 10 via Ninja Tune. Meanwhile, you can stream “Let’s Sing Let’s Dance” in full below and pre-order the album here.

Chilean Producer Imaabs Next on N.A.A.F.I with New Album

Chilean producer Imaabs will release Descifrar, a new album on Mexican label N.A.A.F.I.

Descifrar, meaning “decipher” in English, means to convert a text written in code, or a coded signal, into normative language. In this case, Imaabs is referring to how human perception decodes the world around us, creating a reality according to our past experiences. Within our realities and dimensions, our emotions and bodies are guided and encompassed by “codes.” The album, we’re told, is Imaabs’ attempt at describing the flows of images, memes, memories, and desires that flood our mind and impact how we perceive and bond.

The album was recorded and composed in Modos Estudio, Santiago, between November 2018 and March 2021. Sonically, we’re told that it ties together ambient, reggeaton, and pop music, but there’s also “intense and wild dimensions” from techno, noise, jungle, and tribal. We can expect a “experiential auditory piece that doesn’t discard the dancefloor.” It includes collaborations with Tama Gucci, Valenciagas Falsas, Estoc, and Wasted Fates.

Imaabs, real name Cristo Gavras, put out Distancia, his first release on N.A.A.F.I, in 2015.

Tracklisting

01. Descifrar
02. MORPH
03. No Time (feat. Tama Gucci)
04. Distensión
05. Cenizas ft. Valenciagas Falsas
06. Gare du Nord
07. Trying ft. Tama Gucci
08. Bite Me (An hipertition pre action)
09. Crush
10. Verde, vert, verde
11. Dividuación ft Estoc
12. Impasse (feat. Wasted Fates)

Descifrar LP is scheduled for July 9 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Trying” featuring Tama Gucci in full below and pre-order the album here.

Moor Mother’s New Album is About “Memory and Imprinting and the Future”

Philadelphia poet and musician Moor Mother, the alias of Camae Ayewa, will release her new album, Black Encylcopedia of the Air, on ANTI-.

Black Encylcopedia of the Air comprises 13 tracks about “memory and imprinting and the future.” Ayewa recorded them at home in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic, working closely with soundscape artist and producer Olof Melander, from Malmö, Sweden. As with any Moor Mother release, a multitude of instruments and voices flocked to it to create “something strange and unknown, a time-traveler’s guide to the modern world.”

Ayewa is also a vocalist in three collaborative performance groups: Irreversible Entanglements, MoorJewelry, and 700bliss. In 2020, she put out solo albums Circuit City and Clepsydra. Most recently, Ayewa put out BRASS, a collaboration with the rapper billy woods. Last month, Ayewa shared the album track “Zami”, which is named after the book by influential black and queer author Audre Lorde.

Alongside today’s announcement, Ayewa has shared “Obsidian,” on which she thinks about “one’s proximity to violence,” “violence in the home,” and “violence in communities.” It features rapper Pink Siifu, and the video is directed by Ari Marcopoulous, which you can stream below.

Tracklisting

01. Temporal Control Of Light Echoes
02. Mangrove (feat. Elucid & Antonia Gabriela)
03. Race Function (feat. Brother May)
04. Shekere (feat. Lojii)
05. Vera Hall (feat. Bfly)
06. Obsidian (feat. Pink Siifu)
07. Iso Fonk
08. Rogue Waves
09. Made a Circle (feat. Nappy Nina, Maassai, Antonia Gabriela & Orion Sun)
10. Tarot (feat. Yatta)
11. Nighthawk Of Time (feat. Black Quantum Futurism)
12. Zami
13. Clock Fight (feat. Elaine Mitchner & Dudu Kouate)

Black Encyclopedia of the Air LP is scheduled for September 17 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Obsidian” featuring Pink Siifu in full below.

Lee Gamble Completes Album Triptych with ‘A Million Pieces Of You’ on Hyperdub

Lee Gamble will release A Million Pieces of You, a new album that completes his Flush Real Pharynx 2019—2021 project on British label Hyperdub.

Gamble, who contributed to our Influences podcast series in 2018, kicked off Flush Real Pharynx in 2019 with In A Paraventral Scale, which he followed with Exhaust. The triptych explores the aggressive onslaught of visual and sonic stimuli of contemporary cities and virtual spaces. He wrote all the music at a time when his experience of overload had “come to a halt,” giving way to an overbearing sense of loss, burnout, and a “desperate need for hope.” In contrast to the previous records, A Million Pieces of You‘s seven tracks feel “more reflective” and “more human,” we’re told.

Fans of the triptych can pick up the complete set on CD from September 10. A Million Pieces of You will be available digitally first, with a vinyl release to follow on November 5.

Tracklisting

01. Balloon Lossy
02. Newtown Got Folded
03. Obsession Model
04. Empty Middle Seat
05. You Left A Space
06. Hyperpassive
07. Balloon Copy

A Million Pieces Of You LP is scheduled for September 10 release digitally. Meanwhile, you can stream “Hyperpassive” in full below, and pre-order here.

Jon Casey’s Second Album Next on Los Angeles’ Dome of Doom

South Africa’s Jon Casey is back on Dome of Doom with Harsh Reality, his second album.

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Casey at his home studio in Pretoria, the record bursts with the magnetic weight of his past works in trap but it also explores new regions. It leans heavily on original drum and field recordings, and also Casey’s own sample-pack releases.

We’re told that “metallic and muscular tones permeate throughout with an unapologetic force,” and that the “energy and heightened atmosphere of his live performances find their way into the sheen the record.” With its percussive drive, lead single “B.T.T,” which you can stream in full below, demonstrates this perfectly; once the bass is submerged and the lead vocal chop rings out, all chaos is let loose. The album features Deathly Chill and Rouge.

Casey joined Dome of Doom with the release of Flora & Fauna, his debut album, in November 2019, and he’s preceded his return to the label with various singles, collaborations, and remixes. He also created the album artwork, producing a piece that he feels reflects the music’s “dark and intense” reality.

“I went to this artist on Twitter called ‘Dikotome‘ and went through his art and I was inspired,” Casey tells XLR8R. “I then just went onto procreate and created something in one sitting that I felt I resonated with. It was almost like one take. I just ran with that idea and that’s how the final artwork came to fruition. The artwork is somewhat fathomable but also mind-bending which I think resonates with the album. I also wanted it to have a certain grunge to it that made it darker.”

Last month, Dome of Doom’s Wylie Cable curated a special edition of XLR8R+, delivering exclusive and previously unheard tracks from CLYDE, Gnome Beats, and QRTR, plus one from himself. You can check out the package here.

Tracklisting

01. Reality Check (Intro)
02. Kiss
03. B.T.T.
04. Schizzo (feat. Lucchii)
05. Nosedive
06. Turquoise (feat. Deathly Chill)
07. Spank (Interlude)
08. Greatest(feat. Rouge)
09. Drip
10. Chromium
11. Poison
12. Pounds (feat. AVANCE)
13. Nja Yam (Outro)

Harsh Reality LP is scheduled for July 30 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “B.T.T.” in full below, and pre-order the album here.

Josiah Steinbrick and Brin Collaborate on Album of “Internal Haze”

American multi-instrumentalist Josiah Steinbrick has teamed up with Brin for a new album on Steinbrick’s Full Bloom.

There’s very little known about the record, other than that it’s largely sourced from Steinbrick’s spontaneously recorded sketches for film projects, which the pair then refracted “into a dynamic textural collage” through Brin’s chain of sample contortion into a dynamic textural collage. We’re told that “dub aesthetics stretch to the outer realms,” and that “from the furthest reaches of the dancefloor to barely sentient internal haze, moods of unease and ecstasy oscillate feverishly.”

Brin is the solo project of Portland, Oregon-based percussionist and sound artist Colin Blanton, a regular on Matthewdavid‘s Leaving Records. Earlier this year, Steinbrick released an album of woozy, spiritual jazz spiritual jazz with Sam Gendel, called Mouthfeel / Serene.

Tracklisting

01. I feel / New Look
02. 100pm
03. Total Dope
04. Eavesdropping
05. Lexus Resist
06. Nite Walk
07. Ascending as an Oil Ghost
08. Blissplaceofficial

Bliss Place LP is scheduled for July 30 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Ascending as an Oil Ghost” in full below and pre-order here.

RP Boo, Footwork Originator, Returns with Fourth Album

RP Boo, real name Kavain Space, will release a new album on Planet Mu.

Established! is Space’s fourth full-length for the British label, dating back to Legacy, released in 2013, and it’s a tool to return to what he’s “soaked up over his journey” and to “remind people of the layers of connections between various Chicago dance musics.” Its 12 tracks reflect on the early days of the footwork and ghetto house genres, when he would go out listening to disco and linking with house creators. The album also hones in on the competitive nature of footwork, which of course comes from hip-hop and earlier forms of Black music. “I want the listeners to really get close to something beautiful,” Space told XLR8R.

Space was born in west Chicago and moved to the south-side in the ’80s. Like many of footwork’s originators, he was brought through into production through associations with the legendary house and juke dance clique House-O-Matics, DJing alongside DJ Deeon and DJ Milton. He learned to produce using a display model of the Roland R-70, a drum machine which gave access to all previous Roland drum sounds and the ability to punch in rhythms on the fly. His music is unusual in footwork, featuring raps and dialogue adopted from juke, often in combination with sharp-edged samples, giving some tracks a paranoid atmosphere.

Tracklisting

01. All My Life
02. How 2 Get It Done!
03. Haters Increase The Heat!
04. Oh!
05. Finally Here (feat. Afiya)
06. All Over
07. Just Like That!
08. Be Of It!
09. Now U Know!
10. Ivory Surface
11. Beauty Speak Of Sounds
12. Another Night To Party

Established! LP is scheduled for September 13 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “All My Life” and “Finally Here” feat. Afiya in full below, and pre-order here.

Mndsgn Kicks Off Mini-Series Unpacking the Influences Behind His Work

Ringgo Ancheta (a.k.a Mndsgn) has kicked off a video mini-series called Ringgo in Colour, hoping to show a different side to his work and unpack his various influences. The first episode dives into his love of illustration, after he created all the artwork for Rare Pleasure, his third album on Stones Throw.

Ringgo in Colour also includes appearances from Devin Morrison, who is in Ancheta’s live band and sings on the record. The series is directed by Ross Harris, who says: “I feel like Ringgo approaches his art whether it be music or drawing or paint from a place of playful curiosity but always ends up someplace deep and truly resonant. I aspire to the same process.” All the music in the series is taken from Rare Pleasure.

Rare Pleasure is available now, with the first episode of Ringgo in Colour streaming below.

Podcast 704: DJ Narciso (RS Produçōes)

DJ Narciso will be familiar to XLR8R fans because last year he contributed “Saudades,” a deep and moody track, to XLR8R+018 alongside DJ N*gga Fox, BLEID, and Serpente. He’s one of the youngest members of Príncipe, having debuted on the label in 2018, at a time when he was still very new to music. He’s most widely known as the head honcho of RS (Rinchoa Stress) Produções, a collective of artist friends he founded in 2014, aged just 15. The group is based in Rinchoa, Rio de Mouro, a short drive from Lisbon.

It was only in 2015 that Narciso began to take production more seriously, and he began by relaunching RS as a crew of musicians made up of DJ-producer Nuno, DJs Nulo and Lima, plus producer Farucox, and MC Pimenta. Narciso himself DJs and produces, but he releases rarely and keeps a low profile, much like those around him. He delivered three solo tracks to Bagdad Style, a collection of early cuts made by the RS crew on Príncipe, and three more in collaboration with Nuno Beats. In the years since, regular club gigs around Lisbon and an active Youtube channel have made him one of the most sought-after young artists in these Afro-diasporic sounds. After “Saudades,” he put out “BOB” on Príncipe compilation Verão Dark Hope.

With more music on the way, Narciso has decided to show some of it off as part of this week’s XLR8R podcast. He’s provided minimal information about the mix, except that he recorded it at his girlfriend’s house and turned to his catalog of unheard and unreleased works. You can expect just over an hour of mesmerizing, deep kuduro rhythms from a rising Príncipe talent, and a taste of what’s to come on the highly influential Lisbon label later this year.

01. What have you been up to recently?

Exploring things more, and getting new ideas for my music.

02. What was your route into music?

Passion and curiosity.

03. What is it that drives you to make music, still today?

It is something that has been growing inside of me and if I stop making music, I am not being true to myself.

04. How has the lockdown period been for you?

They were difficult periods, but they also served as a learning experience for many situations in my life.

05. You’ve got a new album coming out on Príncipe soon. Can you tell us anything about it

About the new record, we can say that there is a great evolution in the overall production and different styles.

06. When and where did you record this mix?

I recorded the mix on June 24 at the house of my partner, Dj Lima.

07. What can the listener expect?

Something out of the ordinary.

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

I chose the most recent tracks I made including the ones I like the most.

09. How does it compare to what we might hear you play in a club?

For this one, I focused totally on my original productions and I’m sure the way I mix the tracks.

10. What’s next on your horizon?

The vibes of people listening to my music, no doubt!

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.

Tracklisting

01. DJ Narciso “ORAÇÃO” (Unreleased)
02. DJ Narciso “GHETTO” (Unreleased)
03. DJ Narciso “AZAR OU SORTE” (Unreleased)
04. DJ Narciso “3 COLUNAZ” (Unreleased)
05. DJ Narciso “MELANCIA” (Unreleased)
06. DJ Narciso “2021” (Unreleased)
07. DJ Narciso “DAY” (Unreleased)
08. DJ Narciso “BACALHAU COM NATAS” (Unreleased)
09. DJ Narciso “JNR” (Unreleased)
10. DJ Narciso “MOHA” (Unreleased)
11. DJ Narciso “POUCO BARULHO” (Unreleased)
12. DJ Narciso “LOVE U MOM” (Unreleased)
13. DJ Narciso “BAMBI NO ROSSIO” (Unreleased)
14. DJ Narciso “CABO” (Unreleased)
15. DJ Narciso “AJUNTAMENTO” (Unreleased)
16. DJ Narciso “SEMANA CHATA” (Unreleased)
17. DJ Narciso “MERDAS” (Unreleased)
18. DJ Narciso “BISCATE” (Unreleased)
19. DJ Narciso “DESESPERO” (Unreleased)
20. DJ Narciso “SAÚDE” (Unreleased)
21. DJ Narciso “GRAVAÇÃO” (Unreleased)
22. DJ Narciso “BRUXO” (Unreleased)
23. DJ Narciso “INSPIRADO” (Unreleased)
24. DJ Narciso “RESPIRAÇÃO” (Unreleased)
25. DJ Narciso “DE PULSEIRA” (Unreleased)
26. DJ Narciso “PASSE” (Unreleased)
27. DJ Narciso “NA BANDULA” (Unreleased)
28. DJ Narciso “ESTABILIDADE” (Unreleased)
29. DJ Narciso & DJ MaboOkinho “FEEL AH WAY” (Unreleased)
30. DJ Narciso “SAMPLE” (Unreleased)
31. DJ Narciso “TESTE” (Unreleased)
32. DJ Narciso “POBREZA” (Unreleased)
33. DJ Narciso “ESPERANÇA” (Unreleased)
34. DJ Narciso “DIFICULDADES” (Unreleased)
35. DJ Narciso “ABRUNHEIRA” (Unreleased)
36. DJ Narciso “MÁGOAS” (Unreleased)
37. DJ Narciso “GRANDE” (Unreleased)
38. DJ Narciso “LENÇOS” (Unreleased)
39. DJ Narciso “DESCANSA EM PAZ BUCHA PT.3” (Unreleased)

Uganda’s Nyege Nyege Tapes Welcomes De Schuurman for Archival Album of “Bubbling House”

Ugandan label Nyege Nyege Tapes will release an album from Den Haag-based producer De Schuurman, Bubbling Inside.

Through the late 1980s, as techno and house made its way around Europe, mutating as it hopped from city to city, one young DJ from Curacao made a mistake that would inspire a brand new sound. While he was performing at Den Haag’s Club Voltage, DJ Moortje accidentally dropped a dancehall track at 45rpm rather than 33, and he let it play out. The crowd loved the squeaky vocals and rapid beat, giving rise to bubbling, or “bubbling house.”

For the next couple of decades, bubbling remained a crucial part of Holland’s Afro-diasporic club landscape. Then, in the late 2000s came Guillermo Schuurman, who followed in the footsteps of his uncle DJ Chippie, one of the genre’s co-founders, and cousins DJ Daycard, DJ Master-D, and DJ Justme. Using Fruityloops, he fused the familiar bubbling rhythms with rap and R&B samples, trance synths, and electro wobbles, and his tracks quickly became a regular fixture on the Dutch circuit.

Today, Schuurman produces as God Full Effect but Bubbling Inside is a collection of his most essential cuts made between 2007 and 2009 using his original alias, mutating trap percussion, dubstep, bass, and eerie synth textures, with a couple of newer productions added for context. Crafted solely for the dance, most of these tracks have never been properly released but they’ve been collected by Nyege Nyege Tapes together with Sascha Roth from Pantropical in Rotterdam.

Tracklisting

01. Brass
02. Fermina Style
03. Nu Ga Je Dansen
04. Pier Je Bil!!
05. Bubbling Inside (feat. DJ Electro)
06. Domina
07. Poeng Ka Poeng Ka
08. Fucking Hard!i! (feat. DJ Electro)
09. I’m Ritch Bitch!
10. Urban Gunz
11. First One
12. Bubbling Freakz
13. Poenka

Bubbling Inside LP is scheduled for July 2 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Nu Ga Je Dansen” below and pre-order here.

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