Abracadabra, a four-day festival, will take place online this Thursday using live streaming site Twitch.
In collaboration with Bye Bye Plastic, a foundation dedicated to eliminating single-use plastics from the music industry, Abracadabra will feature DJs performing live from beach cleans around the world, and wellness programming intertwined with environmental discussion panels. There will also be engaging workshops focused on restoring, sustaining, and protecting our planet. One discussion will feature Kip Andersen, the director of the “Seaspiracy” documentary.
You can view the full lineup below. Meanwhile, you can donate here and tune in from April 22 here.
Written over a space of three months during lockdown, A Little While Longer tackles the emotions and challenges of a total change of rhythm and routine, frustrated confinement, and overcoming a void in inspiration. In the end it was Lenzman’s close family who inspired his creativity and process. The body of work was brought together throughold recordings, sampling bespoke piano pieces, and collaboration.
In support of the album, Lenzman, real name Teije van Vliet, has shared “Gimmie A Sec” feat. Danny Sanchez, a young rapper from south London. Juxtaposing rapid-fire funky breaks and quick-fire bars with jazz-inflected piano chords and a soul-tinged chorus, the track sees Lenzman tap into his trademark sound with enviable finesse.
Lenzman, based in Amsterdam, has released two albums on Goldie‘s Metalheadz, the last coming in 2019. It has been more than four years since his last project on The North Quarter, which he launched in 2017.
Tracklisting
01. Lil Souljah feat. Slay 02. Zusterliefde 03. Gimmie A Sec feat. Danny Sanchez 04. Old Times’ Sake 05. Starlight feat. Fox 06. Yasukuni 07. Combo feat. Satl 08. Down For Whatever (Jubei Remix)
A Little While Longer LP is scheduled for May 14 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Gimmie A Sec” feat. Danny Sanchez below and pre-order here.
Morph picks up where Holograma, Dahl’s first album left off, we’re told. It’s her “most adventurous” body of work yet, and across nine original tracks she expands her sound from vocal-led electronica into “offerings of indie dance.” She does all this while keeping one foot in left-field house and techno.
As a young girl in upstate New York, Dahl became fascinated with music through listening to old cassette tapes in her living room. This passion evolved and before long she began making musical sketches in Fruity Loops. She moved to Florida in the early ’00s to spend her college years studying sound design and digital media, and as she immersed herself in the local party scene, bouncing between events in Orlando, Miami, and Tampa, she met DJ Three, real name Christopher Milo, from Hallucination Recordings.
By 2012, as Dahl’s music made its way into the hands of DJs, she signed to Lee Burridge’s All Day I Dream. Meanwhile, she began to develop a more experimental and song-based side of her music, exploring the ambient stylings of This Mortal Coil, Björk’s electronica, and Brian Eno. Dahl’s efforts caught the ear of DJ Three and before long she was signed to an album deal with his Hallucienda imprint.
Morph caps off a busy period for Dahl. After self-releasing Road2Awe, an acid-tinged two-tracker, in March last year, she put out the Godtripper EP on Watergate, delivering deep, bouncing grooves. As Slumber, her collaboration with Amber Cox, she’s put out a track on XLR8R+ in August, and another one earlier this month. She’s also put out Re:Luminate, a collection of her favoirite electronica songs remixed into techno, drum & bass, and house by the likes of Orlando Voorn, David Last, SenseNet, Mathias Schaffhäuser, and Indoor Man.
For more information on Öona Dahl, check out her XLR8R podcast here.
Earlier this year, DJ Three curated an edition of XLR8R+, featuring exclusive tracks from Amir Alexander, Grumptronix, Indoor Man, Slumber, Ulysses, and Fanatico (Jorge Soccarás & Mathias Schaffhäuser). You can check that out here.
Tracklisting
01. 15 Years Old 02. Remember 03. Angel 04. Free 05. Serenity feat Kirsty Hawkshaw 06. Look Right Through 07. Lucid 08. Morph 09. Sparkle + Fade
Morph LP is scheduled for May 7 release. Meanwhile, you can hear clips and pre-order over at Beatport.
Located 1730 Biscayne Boulevard, just inside the Sir Thrifty thrift shop, T-Bag Records curates new and used records covering house, techno, electro, breaks, minimal, drum & bass, and more.
“After collecting dance records since ’99, being the head dance buyer at the old Halcyon from 2008 through 2016, I have put together my expertise as a collector, buyer, and DJ during the pandemic and we launched T-Bag Records online,” Taimur toldResident Advisor. “We were waiting for the right time to open a physical shop and the stars have aligned.”
Taimur, who cut his teeth in the New York party scene, is known as a founder of BlkMarket Membership, a now-defunct (2006-2017) club night which hosted the likes of DJ Masda, Craig Richards, and Daniel Bell. In 2018, he launched his vinyl-only Blkmarket Music label, and has since released records by Scumdolly (an alias of Craig Richards), Reade Truth, Samuel Jabba, Gosub & Taimur, and T.A.O. Taimur has also played all over the world, including gigs at Fabric, Panorama Bar, Club der Visionaere, Stereo Montreal, and more.
The shop is open by appointment only on Mondays. Its open between 1pm and 7:30pm the rest of the week. The shop is closed Sundays.
Gene On Earth launched Limousine Dream in 2017—but until now it has only released his own productions, including his debut album, Local Fuzz. The Sound Of Limo is the first in a new series of releases under an umbrella of the same name, and it features exclusive works from the likes of Roza Terenzi, Dyed Soundorom, Sweely, and James Andrew. It’ll be available digitally and on vinyl. The series will continue with solo releases from some of the artists featured on the compilation.
“The Sound of Limo was born of a certain sound, collective constructed during the winter of 2020-2021, and specially prepared for you here, by Limousine Dream,” the label says.
In support of the release, Gene On Earth has put together mix for Dimensions, comprising only unreleased tracks. You can hear all 13 tracks from the release, and the others will come out on The Sound Of Limo soon.
Tracklisting
01. Sweely “Shut Up And Stay Home” 02. James Andrew “Fantastic Bombastic” 03. Huerta “Steve’s Limo Track” 04. Anderson “Freak Sound” 05. Gene On Earth “Brown House Double Decker (BHDD)” 06. Liquid Earth “Yorbalinda Breaks” 07. Voodoos & Taboos “Golden Age” 08. Sugar Free “Hazme Soñar” 09. Roza Terenzi “Snow Dive” 10. Dyed Soundorom “Up There” 11. DJ Pipe “Mini Abstract” 12. Noiro “Achtung, Achtung!” 13. Taslo Valve “High Sprockets” 14. Gene On Earth “Frog Magic” (Digital Only)
Limousine Dream will release The Sound Of Limo on June 14. Meanwhile, you can stream the Dimensions mix below and pre-order the compilation here.
A whole lot has happened since XLR8R last connected with Ryan Crosson. Back in March last year, Trump was still president and, with the gravity of the Covid-19 still to be realized across much of the western world, Crosson was dusting off his vinyl for the 10th anniversary of Visionquest, the DJ group he forms alongside Shaun Reeves, Lee Curtiss, and Seth Troxler. After a series of 10-year parties, they were due to tour as a four for the first time since 2014, when Troxler left in pursuit of solo projects. It was time to reunite, they said; to make Visionquest’s second chapter as memorable as the first. And then lockdown began.
With clubs closed, Crosson took his attention elsewhere. Raised in Detroit on a diet of post-apocalyptic landscapes, dark warehouses, and the sounds of Plastikman, Matthew Dear, and Magda, house and techno was the focal point of his life even before 2007, when he left his job selling industrial machinery to move to Berlin. While in the German capital, he became known for his lush, organic techno on labels like Wagon Repair, M_nus, Spectral Sound, and Visionquest, but those listening more closely would also notice subtle references to ambient, New York funk, and even jazz, indicative of a musical ear that extends well beyond the club. In dance music’s indefinite hiatus lay an opportunity to develop this area of his sonic palette, and so he buried himself in his New York studio, experimenting with sound and techniques more than ever before. Within a year, he’d produced Notes from Isolation, a three-part experimental album series inspired by New York’s empty avenues.
Recorded earlier this month in Brooklyn, Crosson’s XLR8R podcast exclusively comprises tracks that he’s been crafting during lockdown. Almost all of them are incomplete, but importantly they capture a significant and transformative period for Crosson that he’s been eager to undergo for the better part of his career. Liberated from the music’s functionality, he delivers a sound that’s cinematic and distinctly compelling, and which feels sensitive to the introspective moods brought on by the pandemic’s solitary, meandering days.
01. What have you been up to recently?
Lately or like that past year? There have been some stress points, of course, tons of personal reflection, and some definite moments of relief and joy. So yeah, quite a normal routine minus the DJ gigs! We’ve been lucky to stay close to a core group of about 10 friends who’ve all kept safe distancing and guidelines during the pandemic, just to maintain some human contact. While we’ve missed our immediate families dearly, we feel fortunate to have had our friendships within our little group evolve further. We realize everyone does not have that opportunity and feel blessed and fortunate. Without our quaran-team this past year, it could have gotten much more stressful!
As far as my day to day, I’ve just been burying myself in studio work. I made a choice in June to forget about dance music for a while and focus on other areas of electronic music. The switch over has been tremendously rewarding and loads of fun and has also provided a bit of peace. I’ve always wanted to go down this path and the pandemic actually gave me the time and space to explore. I’ve been experimenting with sound more than I ever have in my life and I feel certain techniques have improved. I’m finally finishing a three album series called Notes From Isolation and then I’m going to take a small break and then get back into dance music under a new alias. We’re also getting Visionquest back up and running in a big way. We’ve just switched our distribution to Yoyaku and we’ll be celebrating 10 years of the label with a limited edition 12″ series that will bring together 15-20 label artists. Shaun Reeves will also be releasing his debut album with two special remix EPs in tow that extends into next year.
02. Yes, last time we spoke you were just gearing up for the Visionquest reunion. How has the pandemic affected that?
You know that shrug emoji on an iPhone where the person has their head cocked to the side and their hands are up on the side? That would be me right now if we were discussing in person or on video. We haven’t discussed any sort of scheduling with each other so I really don’t know. My agent is telling me there is nothing to discuss or schedule because promoters are being cautious because of the pandemic. I think that is completely fair and responsible. This pandemic has a long way to go and it’s better to wait to be to completely sure of what we’re doing.
When things do come back, I sure hope we can work it out, even if it’s just a handful of dates in 2022. Those guys are my brothers and I miss them all dearly. Our lives have all changed so much in the past 10 years, and gigs are really the only time when we can get together in one place to see each other. And when we get together and play, it’s a special kind of magic every time so I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to do it! We’re all at our best when we’re together and I think it would be a lot of fun for everyone involved.
03. A lot has been written about how dance music will respond to from the pandemic. How are you feeling about it?
I’ve written 20 different answers to this question. Each longer than the next but in the same vein. I cannot express myself accurately and feel most of my words will be misinterpreted by people who don’t know me personally. Most aspects will not change which is ultimately sad. I hope people choose to support locally and regionally. I hope people start listening and stop using social platforms as a barometer of quality.
04. What’s been catching your ear recently?
I’ve been going back to some music I missed the past year while I was tucked away working and didn’t really give the proper attention to last year. Lights Fluorescent, Amulets, r.beny, Hiatus Kaiyote, Makaya McKraven, Long Form Editions, Benoit Pioulard, Kelsey Lu, Madison McFerrin. The Waves have a new single out I like. I had the new Floating Points and Pharoah Saunders on repeat last week. It’s understated and simple. I’ve also really enjoyed the Going In label that Bryan Kasenic has created during the past year. Mike Shannon’s soundtrack album on BLKRTZ was really good I thought. The Phantasy—Ibiza Part I and II was excellent. COLORBAR from Bill Patrick and Noah Lampert. Ufffff. I’ve listened to Moses Sumney “Doomed” way too much and it gets me every time. I’ve been revisiting Herbert’s Bodily Functions every few months.
05. Where and when did you record this mix?
This mix was done over the past week in my studio in Brooklyn.
06. What setup did you use?
My computer, a patch-bay, and some guitar pedals.
07. How did you go about choosing the tracks that you’ve included?
I’ve never made a mix like this before as it’s almost entirely unreleased material. I wanted to showcase a portion of the music I made in 2020 and where my head was at the past year. This is not a mix full of dance music which people are accustomed to hearing from me play or produce. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve veered away from dance music and I’ve have tried to explore other sounds and styles. Some of the tracks are complete, and some I am still working on. Originally I tried to pull three tracks from each of the albums I made last year but it became too much like a trailer of what will be coming out. That wasn’t desirable because the energies shifted too much. I wanted to create a slow burn that gradually increases with energy. I hope I’ve achieved that with the 60 minutes I put together and I hope it’s a mix people will want to go back to occasionally!
08. What’s on your agenda for 2021?
I’d like to get my fourth album signed and I’d like to start producing for other artists or bands. The album thing is important to me because of the collaborations. The oldest track on the album was first conceived about nine years ago actually and I had no clue where to place it and what other tracks could accompany it, but over the past two years I’ve been collaborating with more musicians and it’s really taken shape. Once again Ryan Cavanagh is involved in a big way. He and Henrik Raabe from Wareika both provide some stunning guitar work. Emil Abramyan has helped me sculpt two tracks and provided some excellent cello work. Violeta Vicci does a wonderful violin interpretation over some soundtrack-type percussions. Bruno Pronsato makes a small appearance on drums. Yonathan Levi is on upright bass for a drum & bass-type number and the always tremendous Greg Paulus helps me close the album with his trumpet. Getting that one out there would be nice! As for producing for others, I’ve always enjoyed collaboration and think I have a lot to offer when it comes to helping others realize possibilities within their own music.
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. Ryan Crosson “Lyra” (Unreleased) 02. Ryan Crosson “New World Possessor” (Unreleased) 03. Ryan Crosson “Radio Transistor” feat. Ryan Cavanagh (Unreleased) 04. Ryan Crosson “Solitaire” (Unreleased) 05. Ryan Crosson “Rush” (Unreleased) 06. Ryan Crosson “Red October” (Unreleased) 07. Ryan Crosson “Car Keys In a Fry Pan on Acid” feat. Ryan Cavanagh (Unreleased) 08. Ryan Crosson “Villain of My Story” (Unreleased) 09. Ryan Crosson “Console Heroes” (Unreleased) 10. Ryan Crosson “Mekub” (Unreleased) 11. Ryan Crosson “Cashmere Meerkats” (edit) (Unreleased) 12. Ryan Crosson “Herner Werzog” (edit) (Unreleased) 13. Ryan Crosson “Voice Mouth Face” (Unreleased) 14. Ryan Crosson “Vocal Boy” feat. Ryan Cavanagh (Unreleased) 15. Ryan Crosson “Ramius” (Unreleased) 16. Ryan Crosson “Follow Me Home” (Unreleased)
Foodman, real name Takahide Higuchi, has signed to Hyperdub for a new album.
Yasuragi Land is the Japanese artist’s first full release on Hyperdub. Unusually for the British label, there’s no bass; the album is breezy and refined, made with a few simple tools. We’re told to expect “hyper-rhythmic music,” that “dances around your head.” It harks back to Higuchi’s time as a busker, when he’d get together with friends to jam, which wasn’t possible while he was writing it. “Extrapolating that sound and feeling with guitar VSTs, samples, and hyper-rhythmic percussion is at the core of Yasuragi Land,” we’re told.
The album and its track titles are also inspired by eating at Japanese motorway service stations and the simple pleasures of regularly visiting the local Japanese public baths. “When I go to these places, I’m able to enjoy the atmosphere. I wanted to create an honest album that combines the sound of guitar and percussion with the sense of peace and community I feel in here amidst the uncertainty of the future,” he says. Yasuragi Land is that place of ‘tranquility.'”
Higuchi is a resident in Nagoya, a city between Tokyo and Osaka, and his work is influenced by the country’s juke and footwork communities of the 2010s. His last solo album came in 2018 on Sun Ark Records, also exhibiting minimal electronics and sound collage, but he’s since put out material as part of psych-rock duo Kiseki with Taigen Kawabe, who guests on the album.
Tracklisting
01. Omiyage 02. Yasuragi 03. Michi No Eki feat. Taigen Kawabe 04. Ari Ari 05. Shiboritate 06. Hoshikuzu Tenboudai 07. Shikaku No Sekai 08. Food Court 09. Gallery Cafe 10. Numachi 11. Parking Area 12. Iriguchi 13. Aji Fly 14. Sanhashi feat. Cotto Center 15. Minsyuku
Yasuragi Land LP is scheduled for July 9 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Hoshikuzu Tenboudai” in full below and pre-order the album here.
Rolando Alvarez and Eddie Vela, the promoters behind Los Angeles events Dialogueand Midnight Lovers, have opened Chapter One Records, a shop in downtown LA focusing on new, used, and rare vinyl.
Looking to revitalize Los Angeles’ nightlife community in the wake of the lockdowns, Chapter One will, according to its founders, “act as a public-facing bridge to an otherwise covert world.” The focus is on rare vinyl curated by favorites of the Los Angeles dance music scene, including SONN’s of Making Shapes, TK Disco, Dublab’s Daddy Differently, Club Tularosa, and, of course, Dialogue and Midnight Lovers.
Vela and Alvarez have also signed on a handful of resident labels such as Stones Throw, Visionquest, and Let’s Play House, whose records will be sold here. The space also serves as a creative hub through a range of in-store gatherings, release listening parties, and more.
The launch of Chapter One follows the announcement of the first release on Vela and Alvarez’ vinyl-only imprint, Dialogue Records. The Solace in Repetition EP by Ada Kaleh, which features remixes by Dialogue favorites SIT (Cristi Cons and Vlad Caia) and Shaun Reeves, currently sits at number one on the pre-order charts on Decks.
You can browse Chapter One’s collection here, where you can also book an appointment. Meanwhile, check out photos of the space below.
This month marks one year since we presented the first submission roundup back in March of 2020, right as the first round of lockdowns was implemented. We launched the submissions portal to find and, most importantly, shine a light on the wonderful music made by artists in our XLR8R+ member community, and to say it has been a success in that regard would be an understatement. We’re now back, one year later, to present the next batch of submissions, showcasing some of the finest music we heard from XLR8R+ members last month. As per usual, we’re flattered by both the quality and quantity of entries, and after lots of discussions across our Slack channels, these are the tracks that pricked the ears of all the XLR8R editors. While we’re pleased to welcome back Costa Rica’s Melina Blanco and Brooklyn’s Richie Gigs, whom we featured in December, March has introduced us to a slew of talented independent artists we’d never heard of, notably Fefe in Australia and Iowa’s Lam. Fifi Rong, an avant-pop songstress from China, and Myrezu are two other new entries we’re excited to follow. Please dig in, continue sending in your work, and support the artists where you can.
Editor’s note: we’ve made a point of linking each artist’s name to their social media page, or a place where you can buy their music, and we encourage our readers to support these independent artists by in fact buying their music. Let’s keep independent culture alive.
For those unfamiliar, XLR8R+ is a member-supported music community and curated music experience. Every month, you will get three exclusive tracks—sometimes more—by a wealth of great artists that XLR8R has supported over the years, as well as access to the member’s area where you can submit tracks and DJ mixesto be showcased in this feature series and to the XLR8R+ community, as well as exclusive editorial content, mixes, FREE passes to music festivals and events, playlists, and more.You can find out more here.
Bearface, the project of Raj Panasa, one half of Afrobeat duo Bana Kuba, is a specialist in hypnotic house grooves. In March, he released his first full-length EP on Vatos Locos, titled Live For Life. As hopes of live music return, the EP’s opening cut, “Live for Life” (G Bass Mix), makes us even more excited—and we encourage you to check out the full release.
The dreamy electronica of HAELIUM, from Paris, France, is a mix of cinematic textures, ethereal atmospheres, and punchy beats. It’s influenced by the sounds of Warp, Brainfeeder, and Erased Tapes, as evidenced in its deep melancholy and childlike optimism. In March, he released a remix of MÒZÂMBÎQÚE, who makes hypotonic electronic moments flavored with experimental sensibilities, drenching the original in garage vibes.
Synth Battle is an “open plug” that happens in Wynwood, Florida on Tuesdays. It’s a hub for synth heads to perform and has now become an outlet to release music. Synth Battle Dawless Tracks is a compilation compiled by Gabo Rio, who runs the event and incidentally features in our mixes section this month, and Adam Gersten, the venue owner. Each track has been recorded with hardware rather than a computer, and we’ve picked Watergun’s “Weathered,” an uplifting slice of house, to present here.
Fefe is a rising producer based in Melbourne, Australia. He began sharing textured ambient tracks through his Soundcloud about four years ago and now he’s back with “Termite Kolony,” an otherworldly rhythmic soundscape that you can file alongside the likes of Djrum and Special Guest DJ. There’s little known about Fefe but keep an eye on his work.
“Adda” is a recent production from Joao Ceser, an Italian producer who began his adventures in music by singing in hardcore metal bands. Then he discovered the synthesizer and he’s been fixated on it ever since. The track is the most danceable one from Fiumi.brz, and it has a knack for making you forget about whatever you’re doing, so immerse yourself in its intimate, deep atmosphere.
Score|Swayze & BenJamin Banger feat. DJ Ducky Dynamo “Rubberbane Mane“
Baltimore artist score|swayze has released Telepathy Club, a collaboration of 10 tracks made in collaboration with BenJamin Banger, who plays the producer on this one, leaving Swayze to drops the bars. Our standout is “Rubberbane Mane” featuring DuckyDynamo, a patron of Baltimore club.
Jesse Frank Matthews is a DJ-producer based in Canada, better known as JFM. He began releasing music in 2010 and recently he’s shared with XLR8R “So Deep,” an enchanting production with a groovy bubbling bass that’s perfect for getting lost to in the early hours of the club or at the beginning of the wind down at the after-party. He recorded it between March 2016 and December 2018 in Ontario, Canada using a four-track cassette. It came out in December 2018 on Upperberry.
Mydgar, from Bordeaux, France, is a producer of rich, powerful electronica and downtempo pop. And it’s all influenced by old sci-fi and retro synthesizers. “Vertigo” is the first taste of a new album, scheduled to land this spring. Just like a movie, the track unfolds slowly before reaching an explosive conclusion, deftly oscillating between utopia and dystopia.
Detroit’s Filthiest, real name Julian Shamou, began DJing as a teenager in Detroit in the mid-’90s and has since gone on to produce hundreds of tracks under multiple aliases. Despite growing up in Detroit, Shamou never planned on a career in electronic music, but he became a part of the city’s emerging Ghettotech, known as DJ Nasty. His music today moves through hip-hop beats, bouncing electro bombs, smooth house cuts, and pumping warehouse techno, and “All White Buffs” is a new cut that falls into the latter category. We’re sharing a remix of the original by Will Simpson, who will soon be delivering a solo release for Shamou’s MCEC label.
Myrezu is the creative alias of Myles Valle. His production exhibits an obsession with otherworldly sounds, harnessing inspiration from artists like Jon Hopkins, Aphex Twin, and Four Tet. H4AL, his new album, captures the “tumultuous journey of an ocean dweller’s afterlife” through four tracks of captivating ambient. “Soft Shell” is the sublime closer that we keep coming back to.
Melina Blanco is an artist from San José, Costa Rica who incorporates different styles and textures into her sets and productions. She released her debut EP, Lila, in 2019, which she followed with a new single and then Eter, her second outing fusing breakbeat with atmospheric soundscapes. We featured it in our December 2020 submissions roundup. Now Blanco’s back with “Tulip”, a track that cements her as one of South America’s most exciting producers across ambient, glitch, and deconstructed breakbeat.
After a prolific 2020, where he released La Cité des Etoiles on Astropolis Records and Cirrus on Hip Dozer, French producer Blutch has returned with a new single. Channeling a musical identity that fuses abstract hip-hop with house music, Cobalan is a nostalgic tale named after the street where Blutch grew up. The EP comes with a Lauer remix, but we’re streaming the Mézigue iclc take here.
Secret of Elements is Johann Paetzold, a self-taught multi-instrumentalist from northern Germany. “Cassini” is the first single to come from his new album, Chronos, which is named after the Italian space probe that came closest to Saturn. In combining emotive, cinematic orchestration with warm, dense layers of synthesis, the track creates a deeply moving sound picture that narrates Paetzold’s personal struggles. Micha Blanos, one-third of Amorf, features across the album.
Lam is an alias of Lily Moresi, better known as shorn silk, and based in Iowa City. There’s very little known about the artist personally but this track, with its continuous, low pulse and aquatic murk will draw you in and not let you go. It’s Lam’s first release and we can’t wait for more.
By taking elements of sound often foreign to one another and blending their worlds, Richie Gigs tries to make “something beautiful,” he says. There’s nothing else known about the Brooklyn, New York sound artist, although, we featured a track of his back in August’s roundup. “Neon Wundaz” is an old track, originally shared six years ago, but its warped-out beats remind us that the best music is timeless.
“Sky Memory” comes from Synthetyq, a mysterious producer only known as “Alex.” He’s believed to be based in Russia. The track, a hardcore electro jam, opens Hdrive EP and is an absolute mind-melter.
London-based Fifi Rong has shared “Only Man,” taken from her upcoming solo album, There Is A Funeral In My Heart For Every Man I Loved. While Rong was born in Beijing, China, she is based in London having studied in Manchester and Bristol. Her work pulls from the trip-hop stylings of Portishead, Helicopter Girl, and Tricky and can be filed alongside the likes of Björk, FKA twigs, and Massive Attack, with its seamless blend of electronica and alternative R&B.
Gabo Rio grew up in Managua, Nicaragua but is currently based in Miami. His sets are mostly done on wax, and this one features three tracks that he’s worked on, namely Discosexo “Venus in Gemini”, Mata & Mala “Full Drink,” and Pro Ghost “Lando Norris Acid.” Expect just under an hour of fun and timeless house music mixed with precision.
Born in an isolated community of Borneo Island in 1993, Wanton Witch, real name Miriam Alegria, began DJing and producing electronic music after relocating to Bangkok, Thailand in 2018. With an early taste for trap and hip-hop, she began working in the deconstructed club and techno scene and co-founded queer creative collective called Non Non Non. She signed to Stroboscopic Artefacts after meet label head Lucy online last year.
Featuring 11 tracks, these recordings are the first body of work from the Bangkok producer, whereby she presents a “queer way of seeing the world,” we’re told. They include many different snapshots of electronic music genres, from IDM and experimental to hardcore and rave, using “caustic electronics to deconstruct traditional track conventions.”
Last year, Stroboscopic Artefacts celebrated 10 years and Wanton Witch marks the “launch of a new chapter” for the Berlin label. Later this year, label head Lucy will present Lucy Plays Wanton Witch, an album of re-interpretations of the original material in a whole new body of work.
Tracklisting
01. Daddy’s Girl 02. Do I Pass 03. Walking on Moirai 04. Lament Ceremony 05. Looping Projection Of You 06. Resentment 07. Is This All We Can Do? 08. Unsound Mind 09. Nervous Burial 10. The Beautiful Trauma Of Being 11. Grieve
Wanton Witch LP is scheduled for June 4 release. Meanwhile, you can pre-order here and stream “Daddy’s Girl” in full below and pre-order here.
