Page 954 – XLR8R

Stream a Track from HOWES’ Debut Album

Youth isn’t usually associated with wisdom, or depth or complexity for that matter—but in the case of HOWES, the solo project of Manchester-based John Howes, he’s making electronic music that is operating on innovative and experimental levels one might expect from a hardened career musician hitting their stride.

Having released a more house-oriented 12” on Melodic a couple of years ago, his debut album is a record that is as expressive as it is cohesive. It’s a release that floats between nocturnal stillness and insomniac driven intensity. The shift, Howes says, “comes from the forced and narrow nature of a lot of electronic music. Most modern electronic music to me is too safe in terms of ambition, sound design and intention.”

The aforementioned middle-of-the-night quality is hardly surprising given the creative process behind making the record. As he points out, “Most of these tracks come from finishing work on Friday, going home and starting a patch, working on it till the sun rises, sleeping a couple of hours, waking up and working on it all day and through the night until Sunday night. By this point you’ve honed down all the madness into something you understand and control in real time. Then I record live to a cassette machine I’ve had since I was a kid. There’s only two tracks on the record that have any editing and overdubbing, the rest are just recordings of the cassettes.”

The referred to patches come from Howes’ experiments with modular synths. “I used to struggle making stuff on a computer; you can do anything, sound like anyone, but there’s nothing the computer gives back. To get around it, I started making my own software to make tracks on, then I got into modular stuff and building my own bits of proper kit. I wanted to have a setup that works like my head and the only way to do it was to start making these bits myself. I’m not into the fetish of modular stuff and analog this, vintage that; I just like the way I approach these things I’ve put together myself.“

Howes’ work method has resulted in a record that feels at times personal and melancholic, charged with emotion and humming with a warmth that comes from such an intensive and solitary work routine. By not doing any editing or overdubbing, Howes admits that “it’s pretty hard to listen to because I can hear the shortcomings,”—however, it’s a process he’s still pleased with, “There’s other bits that make me really proud. I like the fact there’s nothing to hide behind—you can hear mistakes, you can hear me tweaking notes until I find the few that emotionally resonate with me. It’s like trying to put people in the room with you.”

Trying to place a label or genre association on the record is almost impossible. But this, as it turns out, is exactly what Howes intended, “I don’t really think in terms of genre. Most of the tracks are from self-generating patches which sometimes come out with elements of house/techno but are mainly stripped back to the point where they can’t resemble any established music form, maybe ambient but that’s a cop out. I’m more into getting lost in something and not knowing what it is I’m making, getting stuck in a trance all weekend and then recording the last 5 minutes.”

Tracklisting:

1. Concagnis
2. Source 000535
3. Zeroset
4. OYC
5. DVR
6. Overveen
7. Green Lense
8. MP CD 13

Ahead of it’s January 15 release, the LP can be pre-ordered here, with “Overveen” streamable in full below. 2

Podcast 414: The Drifter

In his Bubblin’ Up piece for XLR8R earlier this year, Mark Flynn (a.k.a. The Drifter) explained the details of his rise. In short, the story goes something like this: Having left his hometown of Greystones, Ireland, in 2009, to pursue a career as a DJ-producer in Berlin, Flynn found himself DJing around the city and running his notorious Passion Beat parties alongside childhood friend and compatriot, Mano Le Tough. With the help of Baikal, the two now run the Maeve imprint together. Although he first gained acclaim for his skills in the DJ booth, Flynn has since turning some of his focus to production, putting out a handful of well-received releases and remixes on Maeve and Permanent Vacation, with more expected soon.

That conversation took place in June, around the time of their party at Barcelona’s El Monasterio. In the ensuing months, Flynn’s touring schedule has continued to grow with a steady stream of worldwide bookings, spearheaded by a number of intimate label showcases. With his reputation growing, Flynn is increasingly gaining recognition as one artist to watch. Now, he returns to XLR8R, this time with just over 80 minutes of handpicked selections, rolling through the kind of atmospheric techno and house that we’ve come to expect from the Drifter.

How and where was the mix recorded?
The mix was recorded in my apartment in Berlin. I made the mix in Ableton Live.

Did you have a particular idea behind what you wanted to achieve, or did you just head into the studio and let it go? Were you going for a particular mood?
I wanted to make a mix that’s a short representation of what I’m playing at the moment. It’s more of a dancefloor mix than some of my last few mixes.

The mix doesn’t build up the BPMs; it starts quite fast. Just as in my DJ sets, I definitely wanted to set a mood with the mix and build it from there, for it to have a start, middle and end, and to flow well with some twists and turns along the way to keep the listener on their toes.

How long did you think about the mix before you actually started recording?
It came together quite quickly. I think it’s because lots of the tunes I’ve been playing out recently in my DJ sets. I had too many tracks but narrowed it down to what was vital and worked flow- and mood-wise.

How did you select the specific tracks you wanted to include?
Every track had it’s purpose, but there were some key tracks that I always wanted to include and I built it around that. Some of the tracks just fit nicely in there. Key tracks for me were our upcoming Maeve 12-inch from Ripperton. We’re really happy with this one. It’s coming out in December. The Joy Orbison track from Gerd Janson‘s Autobahn compilation…after the first time I heard it I wanted to use it in a mix. Also, I wanted to include my favorite track from Mano’s new album, Trails, and the last track in the mix, the Christian S remix, I love it. It’s like Brian Eno house.

What else have you got coming up this year/early next?
My main goal is to concentrate on original material. I’ve just finished my last remix of the year, a remix for ZK Bucket on Zaun Records. It’s a remix of a track I love called “Let Your Body Control The Beat.” So that’s coming out next year and there’s also a remix I did of Ruede Hagelstein. I did quite a lot of remixes this year so I’m really excited to start work again on my own stuff and really work hard in the studio and experiment.

In terms of gigs, I’m really looking forward to the upcoming dates in North America, a home gig in Dublin with Mano on Stephen’s Day and then a big one in Rome on New Year’s Eve to round off the year.

Tracklisting:
01 Koss “Eyes” (Mule Musiq)
02 Joy Orbison “A213” (Rush Hour) 4.58
03 Untitled – (NA) 8.53
04 Jinjé “Special Dry” (Kick & Drum Records)14.20
05 Untitled (NA) 20.05
06 Denis Horvat “Apart” (Hyenah Remix) (AEON Audio) 25.03
07 Khidja “Indecis (Red Axes Remix)” ([Emotional] Especial) 30.48
08 Roman Flügel “Teenage Engineering” (Hypercolour) 37.12
09 Matt Karmil “Moment” (Studio Barnhus) 42.50
10 Eagles & Butterflies “Textures” (Get Physical Music) 45.50
11 Clavis “Banza” (Freerange Records) 51.50
12 DJ Dozia “Pop Culture” (KiNK Mix) (Ovum Recordings) 56.48
13 Ripperton “Ordine Gigante” (Maeve Records) 63.55
14 Mano Le Tough “I See Myself In You” (Permanent Vacation) 69.57
15 Colder “Turn Your Back” (Christian S Remix) (Bataille) – 75.05

XLR8R Podcast 414: The Drifter

Melchior Productions Ltd Tracking The Psyche EP

Refining his sound since the early ’90s, Thomas Melchior has earned himself a reputation as one of electronic music’s finest when it comes to minimalist house and techno. Appearing here under his Melchior Productions Ltd moniker, Tracking The Psyche is the Berlin-based artist’s second release on Lick My Deck. Having spent a year living in Salvador, Brazil, the producer has explained previously that the unashamed party vibe and mysticism of the Latin American country heavily influences his work. While his 2010 release on the London-based imprint, the Apariciones EP, reflected the emotions of the Brazilian party atmosphere, his latest release veers towards the spiritual.

Listened to as a whole, the EP follows a course similar to that of a meditative journey. The opener, “A Right Of Passage (The Induction)” relaxes the mind, with Melchior’s trademark hi-hats and synth loops guiding the listener through stage one. Setting its course from the first beat, the track leads nicely into “The Ritual,” a production that flickers the EP into life. The drums feature prominently while the tribal vocals loop hypnotically in and out. Embodying the emotional frenzy you’d expect from an indigenous ceremony, Melchior’s class and usual restraint as a producer prevent the track from ever sounding gaudy or excessive. On the b-side, final track “Let Go” provides a fitting close. The shamanic vocals are looped throughout, gently propelling the listener through the final stages of enlightenment.

Less club-ready than his other releases this year on Perlon and Aspect Music, Tracking the Psyche fits perfectly with LMD’s desire to release “introspective music.” Production-wise, the EP doesn’t mark a significant change of direction for Melchior, but there is no denying that he has made excellent use of the tools at his disposal.

Touch Of Class Records to Host Warm-Up Showcase at Art Basel in Miami

Starting in Basel, Switzerland with only three galleries in 1970, the international art event known as Art Basel has traversed the globe, curating high quality modern and contemporary art shows that attract droves of culture seekers to its various locations each year. The US show of Art Basel, which has been hosted in Miami since 2002, will feature “267 of the world’s leading modern and contemporary art galleries with paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, prints, photography, film, video, and digital art from over 4000 artists.” Music has become an integral component of the various Art Basel events and the upcoming Miami show will see a huge influx of talented musicians and DJs to fulfill the city’s thirst for nightlife activities post gallery hopping.

To kick-off the nightlife activities before Art Basel’s opening on December 3, the young New York-based label Touch Of Class will be hosting a warm-up party at The Electric Pickle in Miami for the second year running. Acts will include fast rising Los Angeles duo RICOSHËI, Touch Of Class label heads Signal Flow (Ray Zuniga and PillowTalk‘s Michael Tello), Dave Aju, Jeremy Ismael, and the introduction of Ominous, a duo that will be releasing its new album on Touch Of Class in 2016.

You can purchase your tickets for this event via XLR8R.

The Electric Pickle presents
Touch of Class Records
Wednesday December 2nd, 2015
Miami, Art Basel – Warm Up Showcase
10pm-5am | 21 and over | $10 Pre-sales

Main Room:
RICOSHËI (Pampa Records, Kitsune, What’s That?, LA)
Dave Aju (Circus Company, Touch Of Class)
Signal Flow (Touch Of Class, Culprit, Leftroom)
Ominous – LIVE (Touch Of Class)

Downstairs:
Finley (Touch Of Class)
Jeremy Ismael (The Electric Pickle)
William Renuart (The Electric Pickle)

Take a Look at iZotope’s Ozone 7

Back at the start of the month, iZotope released version 7 of its flagship mastering software, Ozone.

Ozone version 6 saw the introduction of a new signal path system, allowing users to drag and drop different modules from the software, as well as third party plugins for the first time. Now, version 7 takes this even further, introducing new vintage modes and bringing brand new EQ, compressors and tape emulations to the plugin.

In Point Blank‘s latest FFL (Friday Forum Live), which you can check out below, mastering instructor Anthony Chapman runs through the new additions to Ozone version 7 and provides some valuable mastering tips along the way. For more on Point Blank and its mastering courses head here.

Premiere: Hear a Track from Primitive World’s Upcoming EP on R&S

Primitive World (a.k.a. Sam Willis) will debut on the revered R&S imprint on December 4 with Purple Caps, his latest EP.

The four originals presented on Purple Caps, as well as the lone remix by Not Waving, perfectly match the raw and experimental sound R&S has championed now for a staggering 31 years. The EP follows up Primitive World’s releases on Black Acre, Ecstatic Sound and Obsession Recordings, further exploring the former WALLS member’s off-kilter left-field sound—a sound that is as much for the heads as it is for the floor. Filled with gritty percussion, wonky rhythms, and enough bass weight to rattle your ribcage, it’s an assured and world-class solo outing from the UK producer.

Ahead of the release, EP cut “Azimuth” can be streamed in full below. Kicking things off with a rolling groove and skewed percussion, “Azimuth” traverses through a range of dense textures and atmospheres across its near-eight-minute run for a mouth watering preview of what the full EP holds.

Dub Phizix Fabriclive 84

While artists like dBridge, Bop, Marcus Intalex, Fixate and the now-lauded Ivy Lab kept the more intelligent, experimental and half-time sound alive in the underground (a world away from the instantly popular jump-up sound that became its own downfall), it was Dub Phizix‘s crossover smash “Marka” that helped to save drum & bass from its own insular self. With that track, and a a slew of releases since becoming undisputed anthems, it was only a matter of time before the Manchester-born producer made his way into the Fabriclive mix series—and it’s good to see the artist championing the peripheral edges of d&b culture with this restless, unpredictable grenade of a mix.

Exploring the multifaceted tempo changes and subtly progressing (and at times degenerating) rhythms, Dub Phizix proves that there’s still a lot to shout about regarding modern syncopated beats. Like a king of the quick-mix, he’s squeezed an epic 40 tracks into this blistering mix—but what sets him apart from those are the subtle changes and daring peaks and troughs within the overall flow of the set.

Starting with his own weightless, ambient “Break The Chains” (with Mancunian MC legend D.R.S.), the mix kicks off by emanating vapors of Metalheadz at it clicks, hisses and whirs. The pace steadily accelerates as it moves through the broken-beat halftime flex of Ulterior Motive’s “Muted” and two unreleased Dub Phizix belters, “Contact” (featuring Skeptical and his demonic sermonizing) and the tech-step driven, rapid fire percussion of “Dummeh,” with an exclusive acapella thrown in from MC Chunky—all this before exploding into Chimpo‘s Noisia-style stepper “Par Excellence,” signifying a shift in tempo and mood as the tunes get darker and more off-kilter from the likes of LEVELZ, RIOT and Skeptical.

The proceedings then head back to more jungle-esque armor beats as Chimpo’s reimagining of “Champion Sound” melts into the techy minimal drive of Phizix’s “Bounce,” the tempo and rhythm deviating from each other yet never drifting far from the core 140-bpm template. Fixate’s unreleased ‘Tic Tac” is laced with Ward 21’s ragga sound-killer acapella “Doberman,” heralding another switch into more aggressive, weighty tracks, including a stunning VIP acapella of “Marka” blended in to Phizix’s “Hooligan Plague.” It goes on to skirmish with the likes of Skittles, Sam Binga, the Rum Baba, and a heavy proportion of unreleased yet more Dub Phizix material. Finally finishing up some 40 tracks later, the mix winds down with Phizik’s ode to MCR, “Rainy City Music,” blended in with Matthew David Stokes’s reflective, post-industrial leaning spoken-word poem, “Where Next?”

The mix can take pride as a well-thought, tension-heavy set that flutters between tempos and drum patterns. Proving there’s still a lot dynamism left in the drum & bass mix format, Fabriclive 84 is a triumph for its creator—and with the mix’s boundary-pushing aesthetic, Fabric’s choice of curator harks back to the roots of the famed club, where their breakbeat-led mixes stood as a hallmark of quality guaranteed.

Scuba Announced as XOYO’s First Resident for 2016

As part of XOYO’s regular three month residency programme, Scuba will be hosting 12 Weeks of Techno, a party curated by him featuring a wealth of the genre’s heavyweights.

From January 9, Hotflush boss Scuba will play at London’s XOYO every Saturday for three months, accompanied by a different selection of techno-oriented guests each week (apart from that opening gig, which, following the programme’s tradition, he will play alone). Some of the highlights include heavy-hitters like Nina Kraviz, Chris Liebing, Len Faki, Mind Against, Ryan Elliott and many more. There is also a strong Hotflush presence, with Alan Fitzpatrick, Paul Woolford, Locked Groove and Tallmen785 all billed.

On the residency, Scuba had this to say: “I grew up with the club scene in London, but since leaving for Berlin in 2007 I’ve only played in the city two or three times per year. The residency appealed to me because it’s a chance to properly reconnect with the London scene, to present music that I love on a weekly basis, and to invite guests who I respect and admire. It’s called 12 Weeks Of Techno so there’s not much ambiguity about the music policy. But techno means many different things to different people and there’s a really wide spectrum to the music. So when thinking about the guests I wanted to be as wide ranging as possible within that techno parameter and put together lineups that covered the full variety of what techno means to people.”

Check out the full programme at the 12 Weeks of Techno site.

Real Cosby “Like Ya Do”

With the release of its third annual compilation album, Colorado-based label Shoeboxx Recordings boss Paul Banker ( aka. Real Cosby) has offered up his very own cut from the recent assemblage of tracks as today’s XLR8R download. Since establishing the independent imprint in 2012, Banker and his Denver collective have made a number of appearances in XLR8R‘s download section, including a cut from Real Cosby’s Gold Braid, “Always (feat. Marylin Baker),” and “Clear,” from Bollywood Life’s debut EP. The track gifted to us today, “Like Ya Do,” is one of twenty tracks on this sapid, mellow compilation. The track goes to show that Real Cosby’s rhythmic programming remains tight and evolving, and he manages to arrange chords and pitched vocals in a fashion that brings to mind Mount Kimbie‘s sonic genius, while presenting a vivid and formative musical discernment that drives home.

You can download the Real Cosby track “Like Ya Do” in the player below and be sure to check out more from Shoeboxx Recordings by going to its Soundcloud page here.

Like Ya Do

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