Hailing from Leimert Park in Los Angeles, the rapidly ascending beat scene artist Linafornia has been bewitching music enthusiasts with her gripping mixes and her victorious debut LP, YUNG. Taking first place at the last two Beat Cinema Beat Battles, which were jugged by the artist Astronautica, Rolling Stone and LA Weekly’s Jeff Weiss, and Brainfeeder’s Daedelus, Linafornia was picked up by Alpha Pup Records‘ sister label Dome of Doom to present this stunning new beat-tape. Showcasing an utter mastery over her SP-404, Linafornia’s inventive and unquantized beats are jagged, raw, and packed with soul.
To help celebrate this triumphant release, Linafornia has courteously given us the opportunity to present her LP cut “Wussup (feat. Jack Bastian)” as today’s XLR8R download. Recruiting the help of Jack Bastian, a current jazz piano and ethnomusicology student at the Herb Alpert School of Music (UCLA), Linafornia starts the track off by looping the audio from a video recording of Jack playing over her beat in the studio, giving the track a unique and untreated vibe before launching into a bouncing and fervent arrangement. Gated and ripped apart by effects, the rugged style mimics beat-scene visionaries such as Samiyam, Mono/Poly, and Dibiase but her fresh sound remains personal, attentive, and without-equal.
You can download “Wussup (feat. Jack Bastian)” in the player below and be sure to check out more from Linafornia by going to her SoundCloud page here.
The transparent and electrifying lyricist Freddie Gibbs has revealed his take on Kanye West’s most recent single, “No More Parties in LA.” Taking the beat of the tune, which was produced by legendary producer Madlib, Gibbs reimagined the track as “Cocaine Parties in LA.” Gibbs is no stranger to rapping over The Beat Konducta’s firey productions; the pair released the critically acclaimed album Pinata back in March of 2014, which also featured artists such as Earl Sweatshirt and Action Bronson.
You can stream the track in the player below and be sure to check out more from Freddie Gibbs by visiting his SoundCloud page here.
“Love, Respect and Admiration,” the words with which Kerri Chandler signs his social media posts, are as essential to his character as masterful rhythms, signature basslines and modified kick drums are to his tracks; even over the phone we sense that speaking about his career brings a sincere smile to Chandler’s face. This is especially impressive when you consider the events that have inspired some of his work. For instance, he was moved to write his first track, 1990’s “Get It Off,” after his girlfriend was tragically raped and killed outside of Newark, New Jersey’s Club Zanzibar, near his hometown of East Orange. “All we had was music, pretty much,” he explains of the rough area where he was raised. “We made a lot of something out of nothing growing up.”
Speaking to his penchant for producing something ex nihilo, Chandler is an innovator in every sense of the word. He was doing live streams long before Boiler Room broke onto the scene, and he incorporated holograms in clubs years ahead of Coachella’s light-reflected resurrection of Tupac. In fact, he possesses such inventive instincts that he is sent prototypes from the likes of Native Instruments and Pioneer in order to offer his expertise in the development of their products. “I’m very technical and we speak the same language,” he says of his relationships with these companies. One platform he was recently involved in developing was Stems, an open multi-track format from Native Instruments that allows songs to be broken down into various parts and modified individually. As he describes it, “You can have just the vocals of that song, or you can have the beat to that song. You can have the bassline and the chords of that song. Or you can have the effects from that song. And the choice is yours as you’re mixing live…it’s a mash-up on steroids.”
Chandler’s input also enhanced the Novation 61 SL controller before it hit the market. “Initially they only controlled internal synths, like Komplete. But the essential controls didn’t really work as far as MIDI out,” he recalls. “It’s just kind of streamlining things that seem like they should be very simple… That was the test for the Apple. They sat a kid down in front of an Apple and said ‘Use it.’ That’s my litmus test.”
“I’ll go through each speaker in the room and I’ll listen. I’ll listen to all the crossover points. I’ll listen to the range of the room. I’ll listen to noise of the ceiling vibrating.”
When it comes to his own analog equipment, Chandler is notorious for making modifications so they best suit his needs and produce the sounds he desires. A process he calls “Chandlerizing,” he began altering his gear in the late ’80s, after sending his TR-808 to a company called Studio Electronics to have a MIDI put on it. When it came back, there was a problem with one of the drum machine’s keys. “I called them up and told them there was an issue. They said, ‘Well, how good are you with a soldering iron?’” he recollects. “I went in and I looked and I saw what [they] did with it. They just changed the resistance and put a MIDI board in. So I changed the thing I had to change and I flipped it back over and I thought, ‘I wonder what else I can do this with?’ I had a lot of analog gear. I started taking things apart and just doing it [myself]. I did my 909 after that, too. I started extending and changing things. My turntables…I put rotary pitchers on instead of the fader-looking ones. I had fun.”
Paying acute attention to detail in every aspect of his professional life, Chandler is also known for the extensive sound checks he performs before every gig, which he refers to as “a must.” Describing the process, he says, “I’ll go through each speaker in the room and I’ll listen. I’ll listen to all the crossover points. I’ll listen to the range of the room. I’ll listen to noise of the ceiling vibrating. I like to know the room very intimately—and then I try to get the best sound I can out of that place.” As it’s not unheard of for this to reveal blown-out speakers, messed up mixers and broken turntables, he comes prepared to repair, or rent. “I’ll pick apart turntables and change tone arms and all these other things.” he informs. “There’s been times when I go into a room and there was a bass night the night before, and most [of] the speakers are blown out, so I have to go and either re-EQ the room, change the drivers in the room if we have extra ones and, if not, that means I have to go rent more equipment to bring in. I try to get there as early as I can so most of these stores or rental places are still open, [otherwise] I’ll make some kind of solution. I’ll EQ the room differently, or I’ll fix one of the amps, or I’ll change one of the amps over. I’ll have the rest of the system make up for the [aspects] of the system that [are] gone.”
“I’ve gone to places and there are people that come up to me and they cry. There are tears in their eyes either from release or joy or something, and I love it.”
Never one to be motivated merely by personal gain, he says, “It’s not just for me…I might be one of the DJs there, but I want to see everyone do well. I don’t want people to just say ‘Kerri was great,’ I want everyone to say ‘That night was wonderful.’” This sentiment speaks volumes to the sort of person Chandler is, and the care he takes to ensure the comfort and enjoyment of all who enter his realm. “I’ve gone to places and there are people that come up to me and they cry. There are tears in their eyes either from release or joy or something, and I love it,” he expresses. “That’s exactly why I do this.”
Asserting that all house music demands a certain level of introspection from its listener, he expresses, “You have to internalize when you listen to it. You have to look inside yourself. A lot of people don’t want to do that. It’s not a shallow music at all. You can hear right through it what a person is thinking. You can tell who’s in it to try to make money [and] who’s in it to express themselves. You can just tell.” With this in mind, he goes on, “Every song I’ve ever done I actually have a meaning behind it. There is a real reason I wrote this song, and it’s usually something to get off my mind or something I was going through and I wanted to write about it so I could kind of release [it] out of my inner being.” With such an earnest spirit, oversized soul and positive outlook, it’s no wonder Chandler’s fans and friends alike mirror the highest levels of love, respect and admiration back to him.
Berlin-based Tommy Four Seven has announced the fourth release on his 47 imprint, featuring cuts by Shards, UVB, SNTS, and himself.
The British techno producer launched 47 last year, as an accompaniment to the events he hosts under the same name at Berlin’s Arena club. So far, each part of the series has focused on dancefloor-ready tracks, featuring artists who had also been involved in said events (including I/Y, Bas Mooy, Killawatt, AnD, and more). For the upcoming fourth edition, Tommy Four Seven has called upon Shards, UVB and SNTS to join him, all of whom played at last November’s party.
47004 will be available on vinyl and to download from March 7.
The next event in the series at Arena is scheduled for February 26, and will feature Pfirter, Shlømo and Amotik.
RAAR! might appear to be something you would yell to surprise an unsuspecting victim, but in reality, its a new label headed up by French noise merchant Maelstrom and frequent collaborator Louisahhh!!!. The imprint is pretty unforgiving in its aims to liberate us from mediocre techno music, as well. Following RAAR‘s inagural release, one that featured three slabs of no-frills techno with an abundance of anarcho-punk aesthetics from the minds Dave Clarke, Mr Jones and Black Asteroid (working together under the Roijacker moniker), Maelstrom himself and newcomer Carlo Bernasconi are responsible for this latest motor-oil–fueled journey to the darkest corners of the dancefloor.
The EP leads off with Maelstrom’s “Opium Wars”—it’s a complex, brutal and tense affair, metronomic, hydraulic and powerful from it’s opening bars to its seething, pulsating finale. Muted guitar chords gradually increase the tension, while thumping, distorted bass kicks through a mesh of bleeping, top-end sounds. “Diameter of Recess” layers frenetic sub-wave basslines and distorted, sweeping atmosphere over mechanical, tremor-causing kick drums and pin-point, razor-sharp stabs, all this before handing the reigns to Bernasconi on the flip.
Working under the Specialivery name, Bernasconi serves up “Dust Detector Movement,” a visceral audio assault that’s brief and singular motive is to be as loud, more ferocious and more challenging as could possibly be. Sine-wave basslines and pressurized, pulsing effects serve as the mechanics of this teeth-bared workout. Just to let the dust settle, a pensively eerie, haunting and uncomfortable beatless version awaits, as the EP dives deep into ambient territory for its last breath.
Fuse London’s first release of 2016 comes from none other than label head himself, Enzo Siragusa. Here, he presents the three track Sanctuary EP, his first solo project since 2012.
There is no doubt that Enzo is flying high at the top of his game, one of the biggest credits to this being his recent debut entry into the 2015 Resident Advisor top 100 poll, going straight in at 62. His bi-weekly Fuse events recently turned seven with a celebration that was rammed to he rafters full of unforgettable energy at their home of Village Underground.
Sanctuary is spread over three tracks that explore that beautifully deep, bass heavy Fuse signature sound even further. Ahead of the EP’s February 22 release, “Double Dove” can be streamed in full below.
Tracklisting: A1. Double Dove B1. Solo B2. Gemini (vinyl only)
Hailing from the UK, DJ and producer Sean Moriguchi recently released his sophomore EP, Get Up, via Outta Limits Recordings. Having debuted on Love Handles Records back in 2014, Moriguchi has now thrown together a package of two tracks that includes the title track and the b-side cut, “Do You Understand,” which incorporates some of Moriguchi’s hip-hop vocal flavor while also keeping an underlying techno theme.
With a classical background and a love for pirate radio, Sean Moriguchi got his start at Deep Recording Studios in London as an intern at the age of seventeen. Since then, Moriguchi has honed his DJ and production skills to a point of gaining a substantial amount of recognition and respect in the Brighton music scene. Immense and shrouded in dark rhythms and tones, the airy soundscapes and echoing vocal samples of Moriguchi’s Get Up EP have a subterranean aura that feels right at home with the underground vibe that has influenced his music over the years.
You can check out an exclusive stream of the track over on our Soundcloud, and be sure to check out more from Sean Moriguchi by visiting his SoundCloud page here.
Paris-based DJ and producer D.K. (a.k.a 45 ACP) has a new album seeing release via Antinote. Named Island Of Dreams, it will mark the artist’s second full-length to land on the French label. Earlier last year, the up-and-coming producer released a six-track mini album under the 45 ACP alias, on esteemed New York imprint L.I.E.S.
According to Antinote, the seven new tracks appearing on Island Of Dreams see the artist take on a new direction, stating that the album is “not designed for dancefloors” but rather explores the musician’s more introspective side. Adding to that, Rush Hour (the album’s distribution) also says “Island Of Dreams will more likely incite you to turn on your old Mackintosh and play Myst again.”
Stream clips of the forthcoming LP via the Rush Hour distribution website, here.
Tracklisting:
01. Evening Shadows 02. Ivory Forest 03. Play On 04. Journey To The Sun 05. Memories 06. Raindrops 07. High On The Sea
Island Of Dreams is set for release via Antinote in March, 2016.
Canadian singer and producer Jessy Lanza has revealed plans to release her second full-length, Oh No, via Hyperdub this spring. Lanza made waves in 2013 with her debut LP, Pull My Hair Back, and in the years since, she’s embarked on a number of collaborations with the likes of Caribou, Morgan Geist, and footwork specialist DJ Spinn. A press release states that the upcoming effort is “addressed to her own constant nervousness,” noting that production has opened up “a whole new world of contingencies that stoke the anxiety mill.” However, anxiety isn’t likely to vein every track on the album; FACT is reporting that it features “direct, self-assured, and joyful” songs inspired by Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Oh No was produced with help from Junior Boys’ Jeremy Greenspan on Lanza’s home turf of Hamilton, Ontario. Before the record drops on May 13, watch the video for lead cut “It Means I Love You” here.
Tracklist:
01. New Ogi 02. VV Violence 03. Never Enough 04. I Talk BB 05. Going Somewhere 06. It Means I Love You 07. Vivica 08. Oh No 09. Begins 10. Could Be U
Perc’s first release of 2016 will come in the form of a solo EP for Lucy’s Stroboscopic Artefacts imprint.
Titled Ma, the EP will feature three cuts in Perc’s trademark atmospheric and brutally functional style, and is the next step in a long relationship with Stroboscopic Artefacts that has included numerous remixes and a standout addition in the Monad series. It will also mark the first time one of his solo releases has been available on vinyl on the imprint.
Ma can be preordered here, and ahead of its February 12 release, you can stream previews of the EPs tracks below a short Q&A with the man himself.
Your first release on Stroboscopic Artefacts came in 2010 in collaboration with Modern Heads, and in that same year you released the fifth installation of the digital Monad series, before a split EP with Xhin landed in 2012. Do you feel as if you are more ready than ever to put out your first solo vinyl release for the label? As you say, I’ve been involved with Stroboscopic Artefacts for six years now through split releases, collaborations, remixes, and contributions to many of the label’s other projects, so the EP does not feel like something new in terms of achieving a deeper level of involvement with the label. Instead, it feels like the label has reached a deeper level of belief that I can push my sound further forward than ever before. Before both myself and Stroboscopic Artefacts reached this point, a track of the length and depth of “Ma” would have been inconceivable.
How did you meet Lucy and what is your relationship with him when discussing future collaborations? The first time Lucy contacted me was back in 2008 or 2009. It was on MySpace, I think, and he spoke about launching the label and requesting a track for the early series of sampler EPs. Since my track “Wooden Art” appeared on the Beta sampler, our relationship has grown steadily. I’m not someone that sends out demos to labels, instead I wait to be asked to be part of a project that is of interest to me. With Stroboscopic Artefacts, Lucy contacts me about a project he is planning, and once he has explained what it means to him, I sit back and think how I can contribute to it.
“Ma” means space / pause in Japanese. Do you see yourself inspired or influenced by Japanese culture? If yes, how so? Is there something about this EP that speaks to anything you may have picked up from the Japanese? The track titles for this EP are quite specific and refer directly to feelings I have about my own music right now, and the current situation with electronic music on a wider level. I would not say Japanese culture is an influence on this EP any more than any other culture. Over the last year, I have felt my music becoming more intense, even claustrophobic or suffocating in a way, which is what I intended at the time. With this EP, a sense of space has been reintroduced to my music, in the same way that visual space around an object can be as important as the object itself, so the silence around a sound can be as important as the sound. As you say, “Ma” is a Japanese theory extending this idea and has helped me a lot compositionally, though that is as far as the Japanese connection goes for this particular release.
