A mixed version of the Fábel Meets Mr. Cotton EP (which was released last December on Mike Shannon’s Haunt Music), is now available to stream.
A sub-label of Cynosure, Haunt Music is dedicated to exploring the more experimental side of dancefloor electronics, with a discography that includes music by the likes of Horror Inc., DeWalta and The Mole. Having released the full-length LP Sinestesia via the label last year, Fábel returned with the Fábel Meets Mr. Cotton EP soon after, which experimented with a darker side of production. According to the label, he crafted “a dialogue between his two musical personalities,” resulting in an end product that tread the boundaries between jazz, IDM, glitch, dub, and electronica.
You can now stream a full mixed version of said EP below, for the first time online. The unmixed release is available to purchase through iTunes.
Fifteen years have passed since Same Place The Bot Got Smashed, Marcus Manowski’s first full-length as Daze Maxim—a record that captured the spirit of the time, when ballsy, upfront techno had been comfortably established for a while. Around that period, Manowski’s sound fell somewhere towards the quirkier end of that spectrum, loosely connected with producers like Justin Berkovi or Neil Landstrumm. With the turn of the millennium and the dawn of the minimal era, he embarked on a gentle musical regeneration, growing in the direction of solid house grooves, a sound pushed by Berlin’s Hello?Repeat, the imprint he runs alongside Jan Krueger.
Rising / Falling somewhat indulges in that aesthetic, but also allows space for ambience and experimentalism. Its title is a reference to the conditions under which it was written, as its creator turned to meditative breathing exercises to reach the necessary mental state with which to record. Perhaps coincidentally, it also squares with its component parts, as Manowski fluidly builds from ambient soundscapes through to four-to-the-floor bangers, before allowing the energy to once again drop off via more left-field compositions. A difficult marriage this may sometimes be, but he does not let any of the experimental material feel extraneous. The beatless “Diachronic” blends a haze of reverberating keys and guest musician Sloth’s trumpet calls, while at the other end of the record “Soon” picks up on a similar vibe, pairing confident chords with uncertain strings in a charming lamentation for its conclusion.
Such an approach filters into other parts of the album too, as Manowski keeps one eye on his instruments, and the other on the machines. In “Anomaly Of A Poetry,” Yonatan Levi’s plump double bass feels totally at home over a muffled kick drum, much like the irregular glockenspiel samples in the Bruno Pronsato co-produced “Ghost Of A Chance,” or the jazz pianist’s keys that creep in and out of the unusually structured “Happy Collapse.” In “The You Show,” eerie bells resonate off one another, sounding something like a Horror Inc. production, and creating one of the album’s strongest moments.
Nestled in this middle of all of this are several bassline-driven dancefloor tracks: “Inbetween” is a fairly formulaic number, which is marred by the inclusion of a misplaced saxophone—a bit too close to mid-noughties tech-house tragedy for comfort. In a similar vein is “Shifty Limbs,” for which Manowski taps into tribal percussion, and even flirts with a bit of acid. Once again though, it is when he pushes the tracks in an unexpected direction that they really come to life—the dubby “Darkness In Your Pocket” aggressively pulsates, with each thrust sounding like another electric shock to your ear. A thoughtful work on the whole, Rising / Falling shows more sides to Daze Maxim than many will have been aware of.
Over the weekend, UK house ambassador Midland delivered a mix for BBC Radio 1’s well-established Essential Mix series. The two-hour session shows his range as a selector, with picks from Nick Drake, Talk Talk, and Silver Apples alongside a handful of his own productions. “It feels like the culmination of ten years work, from getting my first set of decks aged 19 to this point,” he posted on Facebook, “and so for me personally it means a lot.” Stream it in full and check out the complete tracklist here.
Charlie Pinel and Sam Radseresht, who make up the electronic duo Glassio, became first acquainted with one-another while studying music production at NYU and being fatefully paired together to for a homework assignment one night. Starting off as a chore and quickly turning into a fruitful collaborative relationship, these fresh new artists have developed a playful and effervescent electronic sound that is packed with energy and reminiscent of groups such as Phoenix and Hot Chip.
Having just released their debut EP Poptism on February 17 via the Brooklyn-based label Baby’s All Right, the synth-pop duo has been kind enough to offer up a remix of their track “If I was Your Boy” from the Canadian pair, Blue Hawaii.
Hailing from Montreal, Blue Hawaii consists of Raphaelle Standell-Preston (former band member of the group Braids) and Alex Cowan. Their debut LP Untogether received rave reviews from numerous media outlets and their bewitching strain of dance music is utterly original, abrupt, stripped down, emotional, and groovy. The remix flips the original, upbeat version of the track on it’s head and reworks the track into a much dimmer and intimate affair. Streaked with sparse vocal hits, brandish synths and kept moving by its sharp array of percussive pulses.
You can download “If I Was Your Boy” (Blue Hawaii Remix) in full below via WeTransfer.
New international event series – Outlier – curated and headlined by Bonobo, has now finalized the lineup for their colossal, all-day launch party taking place in London on March 12. The event is set to take place at Tobacco Dock, and will showcase a genre-defying program of music from some of the industries most currently innovative talents.
This complete line-up includes performances from a plethora of DJ-producers that were all handpicked by Bonobo himself. Playing across multiple room during the all day festival are George Fitzgerald, Alex Smoke, Gilles Peterson, Lapalux, Romare, Maya Jane Coles, Throwing Snow, Henry Wu, Guy Andrews, Trevino, Hodge, Kiasmos (live), Rone, Glenn Astro, Nocturnal Sunshine, Lone, Special Request, and last but not least, Bonobo (DJ Set).
To celebrate this ground-breaking event, XLR8R and Ninja Tune are giving you the chance to win (2) VIP tickets to Outlier in London, along with an absolutely massive vinyl bundle from all the Ninja Tune artists playing at the show. The vinyl bundle comes with so many records that we had to compile a list, so be sure to enter to get a shot at winning this gigantic record package.
For your chance to win, enter your full name and email information below. XLR8R will choose two winners that will be contacted on March 5 via the email provided.
Terms and Conditions apply.
More information about Bonobo Presents Outlier can be found by clicking here.
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Terms and Conditions:
The promoter is, Ninja Tune, Outlier, and agent, XLR8R.com whose registered office is at 837 Traction Ave #304, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA.2. Employees of Outlier, Ninja Tune / XLR8R.com or their family members or anyone helping to set up the competition shall not be permitted to enter the competition.
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The rules of the competition and the prize for each winner are as follows: Only 1 entry per email address accepted Must be 18 years of age or older to enter Prize is for 2 VIP to Outlier at the Tobacco Dock in London on March 12 and a 5 pack of vinyl from Ninja Tune.
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Boasted as “an ongoing exploration of both dystopian visions and the innovative states of mind that may free us from pre-programmed realities,” Milton Bradley‘s forthcoming debut album titled Tragedy Of Truth is set to drop on April 25 through his very own record label, Do Not Resist The Beat!.
Despite having released numerous singles and EPs on Prologue, K209, and his established Do Not Resist The Beat! imprint, this will be Bradley’s first full-length LP. The cherished DJ-producer aims to explore the many various moods that come along with his notably enduring sound, and dive into the various mind states that emerge when exposed to such a strain of sonic brilliance.
We got a chance to ask Bradley a few questions about his debut LP’s sound, name, and overall aesthetic. You can read the brief Q&A in the text below.
So this will be your first full-length release and you decided to put it out on your own label, DoNotResistTheBeat!. Had you considered releasing it elsewhere or is this a personal statement for you? What made you feel that you were more ready than ever to put out an album? After focussing more on the Alien Rain project, it was time to bring back the Milton Bradley sound, as well the label which I had started. Of course, I had thought about releasing it on another label, but in the end I decided it was a good reason for a relaunch. It also gave me the freedom to do it when I want and in the way that I want, without any compromises.
Tragedy of Truth is quite a heavy title. What is so tragic about the truth? How have you been able to translate your emotions into a deep exploration of sound?
I’ve always had a preference for these dramatic and melancholic sounding track titles because they help me to express what I want to say through the music that I make. In this case, Tragedy of Truth might sound kind of dramatic, but honesty often hurts people and can feel like a tragedy to them, can’t it? It’s sometimes a kind of abstract process, but I use all possible ways to try and find the right sound to fit my feeling or opinion. For instance, I find that melancholic moods can often be represented by dubby sounds. Every mood or feeling has a certain rhythm and color to me. It’s a lot about passion and how I experience it. You can call it tragic in the broadest sense to realize how deep you can sometimes get lost in the things you are passionate with. It seems like there is no ending.
How does the cover artwork represent the album from start to finish?
When I feel passionate about something, it’s at that point I throw myself into it completely. It’s something of which I know no end point, in reference to the intro track title.) It seems comparable to a walk through an imaginary tunnel, without seeing any light at the end.
You can watch the Tragedy Of Truth album trailer in the player below.
Be sure to check out more from Milton Bradley and his friends by visiting the Do Not Resist The Beat! SoundCloud page here.
Tracklist: 01.Throw Yourself Into A Scenario Of Which You Know No Ending 02. On The Edge of Forever 03. Mental Attitude 04. Spiral of Silence 05. Consuming Passion 06. Catching The Scent Of Melancholy 07. Poisoned by Sweet Things 08. Tragedy of Truth 09. Law Of Attraction 10. The End Is Not Always Just An End, Sometimes It Is Also A New Beginning
January 22 was a special evening for those who attended the XLR8R party in a down-town Los Angeles warehouse space. After a smooth two-hour set from Clovis, a recent member of our Bubblin’ Up series, Andrey Pushkarev took to the decks for a journey that ebbed and flowed from start to finish. Closing duties were given to Vera, a long-term member of the Perlon family and founder of the Melliflow imprint alongside Alexandra, who played out an exquisite electro-infused three-hour set before dropping Ben Neville’s “Awashashen,” much to the early-morning dancers’ pleasure.
In memory of the evening, all three of the sets are downloadable below via WeTransfer—with all three also streaming via the Soundcloud player.
In addition to this album announcement, Weber has released a new 12″ titled “The Winter Hymn (feat. Queens).” The single has been released alongside a music video which features dancing woman perform ritualistic gestures in “characteristically psychedelic environs.” The music video can be watched in full in the player above.
Check out what Hendrik Weber had to say about his forthcoming LP in the text below.
“Black Noise was very much about me being alone in a small room in Berlin and composing. The Triad opens the structure to more human ways of interacting, not digitized ways of interacting. It’s not about Facebook; it’s about meeting up and jamming. I wanted to cut through the digital dust that surrounds us.”
Tracklist:
01. The Winter Hymn (feat. Queens)
02. You What? Euphoria!
03. Frau im Mond, Sterne Laufen
04. In An Open Space (feat. Queens)
05. Chasing Vapour Trails (feaet. Joachim Schultz & Kassian von Troyer)
Ahead of the release of their III album, Moderat have today released the video of “Reminder,” the first video to be taken from the long-player.
Pfadfinerei, Moderat’s long-time creative partner for visual works, came up with the innovative idea of using gaming aesthetic and VR production tools to make the experience truly, and uniquely, immersive, and invited Sehsucht Berlin to realize the full scope of this ambitious project.
“Reminder” its respective remixes are released today, with III is scheduled for April 1 release.
XLR8R x Goldenvoice are pleased to announce that we will be hosting the trio at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood during their North American Tour on May 26.
Tickets are selling out fast so be sure to grab yours by going here.
The Australian electronic artist Rory Glacken (a.k.a Tourist Kid) has gathered a good deal of attention in the local Perth music scene as of late and is scheduled to release his debut EP titled ‘A Circulation’ through the Melbourne-based music label, This Thing. Citing Steve Reich, Future Sounds of London, Dan Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never) as some of his most profound musical influences in an interview with Rotunda Media, it is clear through both his words and his production that Glacken shares a passion for spacious, leftfield music. You can read what Glacken has to say about the process of recording his latest EP and how his obsession with silence influenced his production in the text below.
“Throughout the process of making this record, I became obsessed with the idea ofhow each person interprets & processes silence differently. I’d say live a life surrounded by, and constantly filled with other people, often the walks I take are therapeutic & have a degree of seclusion. I find the idea of cancelling out or ignoring the presence of background / ambient noise strange when It comes to listening to music, as it often filters through and affects my experience of listening. Whereas silence can often be seen as a complete vacuum of sound, I became interested in the idea of living in the presence of intrusive or ambient background noise without feeling the need to drown it out.”
Ahead of his A Circulation EP, which drops on February 23 via This Thing, Glacken has kindly offered up his EP cut “Dedication To Ellis B” as today’s XLR8R download. The track “Dedication To Ellis B” is void of drums and teeming with serene, pensive sounds that stretch out into a droning vastitude of airy bliss and subtle progressions that are bound to keep your mind at ease.
You can download the track via WeTransfer below. Be sure to check out more from Tourist Kid by visiting his SoundCloud page here.
