Composer and pianist Nils Frahm has formed nonkeen, a new project with primary school friends Frederic Gminer and Sebastian Singwald. nonkeen is slated to release its debut album, the gamble, via R&S on February 5.
According to the press release, the trio first met in Hamburg around 1989, and migrated to Berlin after the fall of the Wall. Re-uniting in their twenties while nostalgically listening to their childhood tapes, they started to sample particular areas and add to others, starting a fresh new musical project. Overall, the gambletook shape over eight years, during which songs were recorded using four-track tape recorders and microphones in various rehearsal spaces around Berlin, and then engineered back at Frahm’s studio.
nonkeen has now released its debut music video for LP cut “chasing god through palmyra,” featuring a wild journey through the lens of a model train and the still and bewitching life that surrounds its circular, miniature world.
You can watch the video in the player above and be sure to check out more from Nils Frahm by visiting his Soundcloud page here.
You can pre-order the gamble by going to nonkeen’s website here.
Steve Bug is the kind of guy who can make the rest of us mere mortals feel a bit inadequate. Really, how many of us would be able to run not one, not two, but three great house-music labels (Poker Flat and its sister imprints, Audiomatique and Dessous); serve as one of clubland’s most rock-solid, reliable producers, beginning with his his first recorded output for the Superstition label in 1993 through to the recent three-track groover, the Coconut ParadiseEP; and keep up the kind of international touring pace that would send a lot of younger jocks into rehab? Answer: Not many. And Bug can keep do all that while maintaining an enthusiasm level that’s exceedingly rare for a two-decade-plus vet, making the whole endeavor even more impressive. Among his other upcoming gigs, Bug’s gearing up for a January 16 party at London’s Fabric, where he’ll be spinning in Room One alongside Craig Richards and Ralph Lawson (now that’s a prime electronic-house threesome)—in the meantime, spend a little time with this exclusive Bug mix. But first, a few words from the man himself.
How does putting together a home-listening mix like this differ than playing a club set? Is there more preparation involved, or do you mainly go with the flow? Well, it depends. But I usually try to put a compressed set into a listening mix, soI’m still trying to tell a story in a fairly short time. This time, I recorded the mix in my hotel room in Tokyo, overlooking the city. I think it has definitely influenced me on the track choices. And because I didn’t have a turntable set up in my room, I recorded it in Ableton. I love doing that, since you can go into details. I wouldn’t see it as a real home mix, though, because then I would have tried to create an even deeper-sounding mix.
After so many years as a DJ, how do you manage to keep the enthusiasm level up? How do you keep things fresh? By choosing to play tracks that move me, that are fresh to me; at least add some new tunes every time…but finding the perfectly matching track is also something that cheers me up, when two records flow into each other as if they were one. And in general, I am still in love with house music, techno, deep house or whatever you wanna call it. It simply still gives me enough pleasure and excitement. Plus I really love to dance—that helps, too!
What’s coming up in 2016 in the wonderful world of Steve Bug? I will continue working on that Apes Go Bananas vinyl-only project with my mate Clé. I will have a release on the label of the Rex Club in Paris. And hopefully, I will be finishing a new Poker Flat 12-inch, as well as another one for Ovum. And finally start to work on a new album.…
01 Tigerskin “Descent” (Dirt Crew Recordings) 02 Rafael Da Cruz “Rex” (Andre Lodemann remix) (Compost) 03 Tim Engelhardt “Best Night In Cologne” (Poker Flat Recordings) 04 Mystic Bill “Like A Dream In The Night” (Strictly Rhythm) 05 Denis Horvat “Apart (Hyenah Remix)” (Aeon) 06 Martin Landksy “I’m A Bitch” (Upon You) 07 The Fog “Been A Long Time” (Rhythm Masters Dub Mix) (Murk Records) 08 Dave Angel “Orion” (Bedrock) 09 Mihai Popoviciu “The Swindle” (Poker Flat Recordings) 10 Charlie Don’t Surf “Wait For Me” (Einmusika Records) 11 Redream! 11 “Iredream! 11” (vocal mix) (Redream)
Shape-shifting sound merchant Daniel Avery has helped to launch Erol Alkan’s Phantasy Sound label into the upper echelons of dance music’s hierarchy, so it makes sense that the U.K. analog-electronics mastermind was chosen to take the reigns of the label’s 50th release. It’s also the first original material that’s materialized from Avery’s bunker since late 2013, when the acclaimed Drone Logic album (and later, its slew of remixes) gave dance music a cattle-prod of noise straight to the temple. Avery’s sound—brash, harsh and uneasy—has always been concerned with clarity and texture, but these two new tracks also lock on to a more techno-bound groove within its uniquely designed structure.
Dusty, crackly and muted, “Sensation” opens up with a thudding, murky kick drum and bouncing, springing acid bassline hollowed out and morphing into sine-wave frequencies, while the pace gains on the drop with pressurized analog snares. All the while, Avery is playing with feedback and distortion, creating all-encompassing atmospherics that stride brutally towards a techno-leaning warehouse trip—before stabbing, jerking, laser bass adds intensity during the last third of the track.
After that spine-tingling A-side, “Clear” doesn’t provide much respite during its opening bars—until a floating, hypnotic top line melody makes way to the fore, harking back to Detroit techno’s raw-analog jams. Droning and echoing atmospheres grow ever more dense as the track unfolds, before a cut-and-release of pressure adds more weight to this jacking, automated rhythm.
After it opened its doors in June of 2013, Flash nightclub in D.C. has managed to bring an influx of revered international DJs and artists to the nation’s capital over the past two years. Intimate and acoustically treated, this venue has become the hub of all things house and techno related in a city that is starting to show a true commitment towards this particular type of sound. Finishing off the year in a strong fashion, Flash nightclub’s December programming includes performances from the likes of Anthony Parasole, Girl Unit,Pan-Pot, Beniot & Sergio, Hernan Cattaneo, Moreon & Baffa, Cassy, and more. You can check out the event listings below as well as purchase your tickets via XLR8R’s new ticketing section.
Learn more about Flash and the exciting events it will host in 2016 by visiting the website here.
The nominations for the 58th annual Grammy awards ceremony have been announced.
Caribou‘s Our Love, The Chemical Brothers’Born In The Echoes, and Jamie XX’ s In Colour have all received nominations in the “Best Dance/Electronic Album” category. Icelandic experimental singer Björk has also received a nod in the “Best Alternative Music Album” category for the Vulnicura LP.
Further nominations include: The Chemical Brothers for “Go” (the duo’s second nomination) and Flying Lotus’ “Never Catch Me” featuring Kendrick Lamar—both in the “Best Dance Recording” category.
CFCF was also part of this year’s nominees for his remix of Daniel Hope’s “Berlin By Overnight.” The Montreal native expressed his disbelief via his Facebook page saying: “OK yeah so weirdly I am nominated for a Grammy[…]Which is really bizarre and insane.”
The 2016 Grammy awards ceremony will be held February 15, 2016. View the full list of nominees via the official Grammy website.
The latest release on Frankfurt-based music label Polytone comes from record collector, DJ, and producer YNK. The four-track EP, titled High On Endorphin, Low On Gasoline, is a detailed and sporadic release that uses loads of diffrent and unexpected textures that keep you guessing throughout. The release also features a remix from German producer and founder of Love Pain Sunshine & Rain, Benedikt Frey, who provides a stellar remix of the opening track “One-Oh-One” on the b-side of the EP.
With his unique, intermittent sound grabbing our attention, YNK has graciously offered up the track “We, Shapeshifting” as today’s XLR8R download. He told Polytone, who are not used to putting out records with this particular sound, that he wishes to see this release as “an autonomous work which draws on a multitude of different materials.” You can download “We, Shapeshifting” in the player below and be sure to visit YNK’s Soundcloud Page by going here.
Canadian producer Brendan Neal (aka Motions) has today offered up a three-track collection titled ‘Year Gone By,’ that can be downloaded for free via the artists Soundcloud.
Since moving back to Montreal last year after an 18 month stint in London creating music as Grown Folk (a now expired musical duo), Motions has become an integral part of the Los Angeles-based label and crew Body High. Releasing his outstanding debut EP, All Gone, via Body High and releasing the first 12″ on Skream’s fledgling label Of Unsound Mind, the three-track collection ‘Year Gone By’ exemplifies the fact that Motions’ delectable house sound remains moving and fresh. Read what Neal had to say about this latest release in the text below.
“Year Gone Bye’ represents the culmination of a year in which I moved back to Montreal, worked with my closest friends to bring our favorite artists to our 00:AM parties (Jacques Greene, Black Madonna), and wrote tons of new music. I hope this collection of tracks will serve as a look into where I’m at musically and a taste of what’s to come from this time in the studio.” – Motions
You can download the tracks for free in the player below and be sure to check out more from Motions by visiting his Soundcloud page here.
Boysnoize Records, the German techno imprint, has come together with Danish headphone experts AIAIAI for a special edition product, in celebration of the label’s 10th birthday.
Originally designed to meet a growing demand for a more versatile product, the TMA-2 Modular headphones allow customers to choose up to 360 different combinations of parts (speaker units, earpads, headbands and cables). The Boysnoize Records special edition is a reflection of the label’s favourite configuration of those parts.
The headphones will be available from the AIAIAI online store, plus selected retailers. BNR has also just released its 10-year anniversary documentary, which you can watch below.
Since 2012, South London Ordnance has been cutting fine swathes of dark, no-kissing techno on labels including Hotflush, TEAL and Well Rounded. The Berlin-based Brit, who’s loathe to divulge his real name, returns to his own Aery Metals imprint for his first release since March’s industrial-tinged Sex Fortress. The Tor EP doesn’t shy away from the discordant racket of that record’s more full-on passages, boasting its own suite of heft and depth.
Opener “Pale Skin” announces itself with taut, spare drums and a steady repeating tone which has that odd, detuned twang you get from thwacking corrugated plastic tubing against a wall. Slow builds add crunchy snap snares, and a selection of percussion somewhere between the clanking of heavy machinery and the distant din of falling cutlery. The effect isn’t jumbled or abrasive so much as rumbling and atmospheric, the mood only heightened by the layered, ethereal vocals throughout the record—and which on this track are reminiscent of Tannoy updates in a foreign airport, heard through a hazy fog of cough syrup and Valium.
This mix of the industrial and the hazy is evident throughout the record and, track-by-track, it inculcates a real sense of place within it. Both “Lockjaw” and the title track feature chilly resonance, bleeping synths, tangy percussion and howling reverb. “Lockjaw” is a more low-key effort, buffeted with piercing theremin snarls of paranoia and alarm. Meanwhile, “Tor” foregrounds murky white noise and thin, ghostly wailing to good effect, although neither track lives long in the memory.
“Bind,” however, synthesizes the overall effect of the record to achieve its single most effective unit, a foam of sizzling white noise cutting through with emergency beeps and bells, not unlike a fire drill going off during the climactic battle in a Terminator movie. Poison-tipped bass synths eventually add their voice to the tumult—like a factory planet in mid-revolt, issuing hapless attempts to evacuate its human inhabitants as they’re pounded into grainy soup, at the mercies of those vengeful engines they had so long abused.
During Tor’s best moments, for all its bells and whistles, the extemporaneous garnish adds to the robust, meaty chug at the heart of these tracks. Tor EP isn’t wildly or drastically novel, but considered production helps its unity of style rise freely above the bland or derivative.
After meeting in Croatia four years ago, Mark Jenkyns and Christopher Sylvester have joined forces to produce under the name 12 Stories, have just recently dropped their sophomore release Bright Lights on VIVa MUSiC with accompanying remixes from the likes of Walker & Royce and newcomers Scurrilous. Individually, both Jenkyns and Sylvester have a great deal of production experience under their belts. Mark has previously released tunes on Hot Creations, Crosstown Rebels and Dogmatik while Chris, who also plays under his Inxec alias, has seen support from the labels Get Physical, Cocoon, and Leftroom.
Today, the duo has kindly donated an exclusive re-edit of the the Boys Noize track “Frau” as one of this week’s XLR8R downloads.
You can download the track in the player below and be sure to check out more from 12 Stories by visiting its Soundcloud page.
