Archive
Matrixxman delivers Invite’s Choice 418
“Amid a serious dearth of US techno producers in recent years, Charles Duff, also known as Matrixxman, has been busy soundtracking the technological singularity that unfolds before us.” – Invite
Listen to Chambray’s debut LP
New single and video ‘Hello Hi’ from Zebra Katz
Official music video for “Hello Hi” out now on ZFK Records. Get the single on iTunes here: http://apple.co/2fd3nRB
Written By: Zebra Katz
Produced By: Kashaka
Featuring: Bosco
Mixed By: GAEXDirected By:
Patrick Stemelen & Zebra KatzLocation:
Rick Owens Palais Bourbon & La Gaite Lyrique ParisModel: Sonia Deville
Wardrobe: Rick Owens
Styling: Flora Zoutu
Styling Assistant: Josephine PanelEditors: Cesar Haddad & Patrick Stemelen
Cameramen: Joan Pons & Patrick Stemelen
Final Grading/Flame: Benoit MannequinSpecial Thanks:
Rick Owens & Michele Lamy
Anna Philippa WolfChef: Dieuveil Malonga
Accounting:
Firdaous Amine
Theodora Joseph
Lydia AdgharAngels Of The House: Turay & Mamadi
La Gaite Lyrique Paris Team
Mathilde Boisson
Benoit Rousseau
Tristan Mauveaux
Sonia Deville
Cesar Haddad
Joan Pons
Benoit MannequinSUBSCRIBE: http://bitly.com/ZebraKatzYT
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ZebraKatz/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/zebrakatz
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/zebrakatzKuedo releases new LP ‘Slow Knife’
Kuedo returns to Planet Mu with his long awaited second album ’Slow Knife’. It’s been five years since his acclaimed debut ‘Severant’ and time has proved it prescient; its futuristic trap influence is now ubiquitous. ‘Slow Knife‘ seems to return to where ‘Severant’ left off, but with the intricate sound design of last year’s haunting EP ‘Assertion Of A Surrounding Presence’ subsumed into the compositions, making them more exacting and beautifully crafted.
Between albums Kuedo has been working as a sound designer and composer for hire and the application of intent and widescreen rigour that commercial work requires has definitely found its way into the new album. ‘Slow Knife’ has the subtlety, ambition and pacing of a brilliant soundtrack – a sense of an album of scenes, that easily lends itself to an impressionistic narrative. But, as with ‘Severant’, the title suggests relationship unease, with the slow knife being a metaphor for the building resentment in any close relationship.
‘Slow Knife’ is almost two albums; the first half, according to Kuedo, invokes the seduction of the city, taking the music of Michael Mann’s ‘Manhunter’ as a cue, with the latter half being inspired by the bloody starscapes and voodoo wilderness of films such as ‘Angel Heart’, ‘Night Of The Hunter’ and more recently the ‘True Detective’ series. Both halves of the album are also in thrall to ‘Ghost In The Shell’ and Mica Levi’s inspiring ‘Under The Skin’ soundtrack, especially in the turbulence of the mid-section.
The songs of the albums first half are synthetic and seductive, a gelatinous veil with shades of the pseudo-sophisticated trance of Enigma, of all things, underpinned with dusky unsettling shadows and atmosphere. ‘In Your Sleep’, perhaps surprisingly, features the vocals of Hayden Thorpe from Wild Beasts, who settles his dark, whispered vocals into the moonlit shadowy atmosphere. ‘Floating Forest’ is the first track to allow back some of Kuedo’s experimentation with the Southern rap template, which he explored before it became commonplace, with echoed drum splashes and a sinister repetitive motif, ending with a haunting growl.
The second half of the album enters wilderness territory with ‘Approaching’s slow descending notes, before ‘Broken Fox – Black Hole’ throws the record into the cathartic darkness, as undulating chords play hide and seek with riotous reeds and scratchy strings grown from challenging collaborations with cello player Koenraad Ecker (of Lumisokea). ‘Breaking The Surface’ shivers and coils, before metal and strings dominate while ‘In Your Skin’ feels like being lost in a vast hinterland before ‘Warmer Light’ introduces some memories of sunshine, with its plucked bassline and spiralling dub. ‘Halogen Light’ opens with the sound of crickets and a clear piano, cleansing the soul before ‘Lathe’ brings things down to earth with a short, yet powerful coda.
https://planetmu.bleepstores.com/release/75062-kuedo-slow-knife
Hubie Davison releases new white label 12″ on Leisure System
Hubie Davison returns to Leisure System with the vinyl-only someonelove/in_out 12″, his first official release since summer anthem “Sanctified” on Midland’s ReGraded imprint.
“someonelove” marks the first time Davison’s sampled his own voice for a hook – expect to hear his voice much more in future productions. On the B-side, “in_out” forgoes vocals entirely in favor of chunky, grooving machine-funk. It’s an addictive acid joint, with a title that reflects the spontaneous nature of the original recording.
The someonelove/in_out 12″ is hand-stamped, hand-numbered and limited to 200 copies. It is Davison’s third release on Leisure System, following 2013’s meditative I Won’t Be There EP and 2014’s storming Khayyam Grey EP.
LSR019: Hubie Davison – someonelove/in_out 12″
A. someonelove
B. in_outBuy on Bandcamp
Available as 12″ hand-stamped, hand-numbered vinyl in all popular physical stores.
Chambray preps debut LP for Ultramajic
In the two years since his debut EP on Ultramajic, Berlin-based Chambray has dedicated himself to a sole musical purpose. Pick up any of his recent works, from his original productions to remixes for heavyweights like Amtrac and DJ Deeon, and you’ll hear cutting edge energetic aesthetics, all the ingredients for hatching an adrenalin rush and the creation of perfect dancefloor alchemy.
Chambray’s debut album ‘Reliev’ is the embodiment of his positive energy that unites listeners from across scenes. His music strikes a careful balance and creates harmonic relationships between classic house heads, Chicago ghetto house shufflers and UK bass lovers.
Seamlessly woven together on ‘Reliev’ are jacking house beats, stabbing piano chords, crisp techno kicks and vocals from Chambray and his friends. Every track is laced with a common thread – a mechanically assisted funk that flows in synchronicity and grabs you by the guts. ‘Yousme’ is an aerodynamic drum tool for eager feet, inaugurating a lethal set of tracks designed to free both body and mind. ‘Cerulean’, as the name suggests, colours up the cognitive pathway with more synth washes and piano stabs. Gearing up into full ghetto mode, the album peaks with ‘Qt Wit Da Bty’, a cheeky take on booty house. Chambray beckons you back to the floor with the chanting vocals of ‘Want it Back’. ‘Acres’ sets the landscape for the album with rising synths, chord stabs and a pumping twisted tech funk groove. Finally, ‘Treat Yo Self’ provides a refreshing mint with its aqueous synth notes flowing through the broken drum structure.
Matrixxman delivers a series of EPs for Dekmantel
San Francisco producer Matrixxman is bringing out a new EP in three sections – ‘Rhythm’, ‘Acid’ and ‘Polyphony’.
The three 12″s are forthcoming on Dutch label Dekmantel, which describes part one as an “exercise in rhythm”.
The first EP, entitled ‘Sector I: Rhythm’, focuses on drumming, ‘Sector II’ hones in on acid and ‘Sector III’ explores the concept of polysynthesis, as it was created primarily with only an analog keyboard.
The first section is out October 24. You can stream ‘Rhythm’ below and pre-order it here.
J. G. Biberkopf announces debut LP on Knives
Excited to announce the incredible new J.G. Biberkopf album entitled ‘Ecologies II: Ecosystems of Excess’. A 13 track album extended via a book housed in the record’s packaging. The book includes an essay based on the concepts behind the LP, by New York based writer DeForrest Brown Jr. (NPR, Tiny Mix Tapes). The sleeve and book are designed and illustrated by cult design studio Maximage, who have won numerous awards and residencies based on their exploration of colour, typography and psychedelic forms of publication design.
Contact: peter@lb-agency.net for bookings now.http://www.k-n-i-v-e-s.com
https://jgbiberkopf.bandcamp.com/album/ecologies-ii-ecosystems-of-excess
https://planetmu.bleepstores.com/release/75926-jg-biberkopf-ecologies-ii-ecosystems-of-excess
Simple Things EXT. hosts Dopplereffekt
Simple Things Festival have announced Simple Things EXT. – an extended programme of unique performances, talks and art installations supported by Arts Council England in the week preceding the main festival.
From 17-19 October, Simple Things will partner with At-Bristol for Planetarium sessions, three audio-visual performances set in the intimate surroundings of the projection-mapped planetarium.
19 October welcomes electro double act Dopplereffekt who will perform live in the space, providing a bracing conclusion to the sessions.
Read more over at Crack Mag
Pitchfork awards ‘Night Melody’ 8.0
Pitchfork recently praised Rival Consoles’ new mini LP ‘Night Melody’ as “his most expressive and emotional music yet”, awarding it 8.0 out of 10. Read the full review here.
Matrixxman collaborates with Brendon Moeller on double EP
Matrixxman and Echologist, AKA Brendon Moeller, are putting out a new double EP together.
Matrixxman, AKA Charlie Duff, is a newer entrant on the techno scene, rising to fame on the back of records for labels like Dekmantel, Ghostly and Fifth Wall, including his well-received debut album Homesick. South African-born, New York-based producer Brendon Moeller, meanwhile, is a veteran̦—he’s been making dub-influenced techno under a number of different aliases, including Beat Pharmacy and Echologist, for over a decade. The Black & White EP is the first time the two have worked together, and it’ll come out on long-running Dutch label Planet Rhythm on September 5th.
Listen to clips over at the distribution website.
Laurel Halo drops new mix for Truants
To mark the 150th Truancy Volume, we are very happy to share with you a mix from one of the most distinct and interesting artists around. Over the course of several EPs, two albums and many live performances, Laurel Halo has created music which is as strikingly original and engaging as it is unbound to conventions. The jagged Liaisons Dangereuses-sampling New Beat of Out of the Ordinary, sparse-yet-infectious gqom, Hard House Banton’s classic “Sirens”, dubbed-out house stompers, various strains of experimental music and much more – all these diverse sounds are played in a manner which helps provide a glimpse into what makes Halo’s work so compelling. There is an adventurousness in taste, an expert ear for detail and talent in seeking out exciting and surprising sonic combinations and contrasts – all skilfully bound together without ever feeling forced. Ultimately, the result is something which is captivating, irresistibly fun and rich for unpicking.Tracklist:
Skate Laws – And He Did Grind In The Prison House
Limit – #06
Im Wald – Get Out
Hiele – Verwelkoming (Edit)
COBO – Prototype01
Strategy – Return From The Stars
Appleblim & October – Other Side of the Sky
B.O.P. – Naja
Central – Tube Life
Lemme Kno – Lines Up And Down, Like The Old Sounds
Out of the Ordinary – Play it Again (Los Ninos Mix)
Bintus – SEG
Cruel Boyz – Umeqo Emagqomini (Dub Mix)
Elastic – Fisky
OKZharp & Samrai – Gated (Woza Uzova Instrumental)
Cousin – 4GOT
M.E.S.H. – Follow & Mute
Hard House Banton – Sirens
DJ Mabheko – Syagwaba
Schatrax – Turntribal
D.Dan – Dred Dan (Dub Mix)
Struktion – Strukture
Kassem Mosse – Chilazon 2
Adonis Presents Noleian Reusse – Lovers Jak
Claude Young – Second Experience
Mark Broom – Sixty Six (TWR72 Remix)
Sparky – Things Fall Apart
I-F – Who Are You
Rick The Godson Wilhite – My Voyage
DVA X Simbad – Soundcheck
Facta – I am a Strange Loop
Chino Amobi – RotterdamRead more: Truancy Volume 150: Laurel Halo – Truants
Rival Consoles announces ‘Night Melody’
Night Melody is Rival Consoles’ new 34-minute, 6-track mini album to be released on Erased Tapes, August 5th – following 2015’s acclaimed full-length HOWL. Born out of and shaped by long hours working into the night, it’s nocturnal in sound; mysterious in the way that the early hours so often are.
‘Lone’ is the first glimpse from the release and is the result of constant adjustments to find a delicate balance of fragility and assurance.
“I found myself, in a silent home, with the days getting dark very early. I’ve never before in my life been affected by the lack of light so much. I just remember it always being night time. I would either make music into the night, go out drinking with friends, or go to parties and dance into the early hours, every day, week after week, month after month, until eventually the days became brighter again.”
Hear Chambray’s debut on Boiler Room
The Ultramajic star steps up for the PLAYDifferently edition of Boiler Room.
Kuedo soundtracks Metahaven’s film ‘The Sprawl’
A video installation created by award-winning Dutch artists Metahaven will had its UK premiere at Brighton’s Lighthouse as part of Brighton Festival in May.
Entitled The Sprawl, the installation argues that the internet had become a geopolitical super weapon, a new and pervasive propaganda tool, and is inspired by a multitude of recent global events. It will run from Sat May 7 – Sun May 29, and is connected by two further parts: a feature-length documentary and stand-alone fragments on sprawl.space, a website to be launched later this year.
For the piece, the group have worked with cinematographer Remko Schnorr and electronic musician Kuedo, whose sonic accompaniment will be played during the exhibition.
Watch: http://sprawl.space/
More info:
http://thequietus.com/articles/20155-interview-metahaven-and-kuedo
http://www.thefader.com/2016/05/06/metahaven-the-sprawl-propaganda-interview
Objekt to release new mix CD on Tresor July 8th
Objekt will take the helm for the third edition of Berlin club Tresor’s Kern mix-series following on from previous efforts by DJ Deep and DJ Hell.
The mix marks the Berlin-based producer and DJ’s first release since his 2014 debut album Flatland released via PAN. TJ Hertz’ contribution to the series is said to keep up the tradition of showcasing a more personal approach to the DJ in question’s style of mixing and selections.
“Kern Vol. 3 is made up of tracks that I know I will play and love for years to come,” he says. Some of these records have been in my bag for years; others are almost as new to me as they are to you. A handful are by lesser known artists whom I admire and who I think deserve wider recognition.
“Planned, recorded, embellished, reworked, tweaked and chiselled away at over a period of 6 months, the mix was gradually carved out in a way that makes use of new and old techniques alike, presenting itself primarily as a DJ mix but settling in a sweet spot between live recording and studio trickery. The tracklist spans styles, decades and BPMs in an attempt to craft a mix that’s unpredictable and compelling in equal measure – one that draws from the more adventurous corners of my club sets, but above all, one that’s a pleasure to listen to.”
With DJ sets as compelling as his three-hour stint at London’s Corsica Studios early last month, the mix holds a lot of promise and takes in music from Beatrice Dillon, Machine Woman, Bee Mask and Call Super’s Ondo Fudd pseudonym. Tresor Records will release Kern Vol. 3 on July 8 with two 12″s set to accompany its release, one taking in tracks exclusive to the compilation and the other featuring some of the rarities included in Objekt’s mix. The album will be launched at Tresor in Berlin on June 3 with sets from Objekt, DJ Bone, Call Super, Shanti Celeste, Radioactive Man, Machine Woman and more.
Jimmy Edgar returns with new EP on Ultramajic
Taken from the Dreamz Come True Ep, released on Ultramajic June 24th 2016
After a string of dance floor singles since 2012 including “Let Me Tell You” and “Strike”, Jimmy Edgar is back with fresh sound that is to become his signature for Ultramajic.
Over the period of two years, Jimmy has been building this new sound. Where rhythm was the primary in his dance music, he has flipped focus and intensely studied melody, chords and music theory. “Dreamz Come True” is the beginning of a new path; one that continues trajectory from his quintessential releases on Warp Records, over 10 years ago.
Opening track “4Fourth Dimension” – brings you into the #dreamzzzcometrue world, inspired by “astral choreography” and an array of house music through the lens of R&B. The title track features vocalist Rochelle Jordan, and together they create a modern take on the “song” that sways back and forth between vibes. “iPhone” ties them together with aggressive african rhythm and bounce that end in a room full of terrifying screams that unite everyone in fear. “Hydrant” melts off the release with Jimmy’s low tempo equation that reminds you of artificial intelligence creating quiet storm.
Zebra Katz spring/summer EU tour
Zebra Katz is coming to EU for a select run of shows at the start of the summer. Currently writing his new album that will come out this fall, we’re currently taking bookings for is EU fall tour now. Please mail peter@lb-agency to.net to make an enquiry.
Listen to his new single ‘Marijuana’ here
Don’t Press Record, Press Perform!
Musician and technologist Tim Exile is kicking off his new live performance project with a tour of intimate UK venues where he’ll showcase his new self-made instrument and announce exciting news about the project.
Performance is almost always a footnote to composition in the electronic music world and Tim has been working for the last 15 years to turn this on its head by creating his own bespoke instruments for electronic performance. The latest milestone in his quest to combine the fluidity and spontaneity of traditional acoustic instruments with the infinite sound worlds of synthesis and sampling is an instrument deep enough to write and perform an entire album. Join him to experience the results and hear him share his journey with the project.
Tim’s had an impressive career. As a musician he’s released critically acclaimed albums on seminal electronic record labels Planet Mu and Warp and performed live in every continent. With his technologist hat on he’s released 3 plugin instrument and FX in collaboration with music tech giants Native Instruments. For the last 5 years Tim has been focussed on developing his Flow Machine instrument which forms the centre of his visceral 100% improvised live performances.
Join Tim at one of these dates and watch out for a special announcement nearer the time with some exciting news about the instrument, the project and its future.
Read more about Tim’s ideas in this Medium article here!
June 29th – Glasgow, UK – Rubadub Records
June 30th – Edinburgh, UK – Underground Solu’shn
July 2nd – Manchester, UK – Soup Kitchen
July 5th – London, UK – Lime Wharf
July 6th – Birmingham, UK – Green Street ArtsZebra Katz drops new single
If you’ve been keeping up with the great TV series Broad City you may have heard this rather catchy tune by ZEBRA KATZ, its out now!
‘Marijuana’ Featured on Broad City – Season 3 Episode 4
Buy it on iTunesBenjamin Damage joins LittleBig
Benjamin Damage is the innovative UK techno producer who became a key part of Modeselektor’s 50 WEAPONS imprint back in 2010. It was a partnership which spanned half a decade, ending only alongside the closure of the label late last year.
His 2013 debut solo album “Heliosphere” received rave reviews and featured “010x”, described by Marcel Dettmann as the ‘track of the summer’ and given the remix treatment from Robert Hood, Truncate and SCNTST. At the start of this year, the likes of The Chemical Brothers and Bestival curator Rob da Bank tipped him for great things in 2016.
As the first artist (outside of Modeselektor) to release on the label it was apt that his album “Obsidian” was also the last one on 50WEAPONS, bringing the label to a fantastic close…
New hardware based live show available for select club shows and festival bookings. Contact ned@lb-agency.net / chris@lb-agency.net for more details.
Listen to Rival Consoles live at MUTEK
Multi-coloured melodies and rhythms from one of the key runners behind the acclaimed Erased Tapes Label. You can watch the full AV show via the video here
Boiler Room Debuts – Danny Daze & Jagerverb “Brav”
Founded only last year and already six releases deep, Omnidisc now uncovers the mystery curator behind the label by releasing his latest EP – Danny Daze’s Miami. Danny emphasises that Omnidisc has always focused on the long game, choosing memorable music over the chart toppers. Having released music from the likes of Gunnar Haslam, Barker & Baumecker and Schmutz, and with upcoming releases by Legowelt, Tennis and more – Omnidisc is a platform for variety, while keeping a uniform sound.
The upcoming Miami EP sees Danny working with his friends (inc. Jagerverb and Kevin McPhee) as well as mastering the controls solo to provide five new tracks bouncing off the parameters of techno, electronic, house and funk. The penultimate track with Jagerverb, “Brav” works on pure hypnosis, as it orbits around itself for the 6min duration in cyclic synth rotation. One on regular repeat, easily.
Catch Miami dropping on 22nd February via Danny Daze’s Omnidisc label.
The Field announces new album ‘The Follower’
The Field’s fifth album, titled The Follower, will come out on April 1st.
“As always when starting a new album, I wanted to do something that sounds fresh, but doesn’t stray too far from what I have so far done as The Field—and that’s always the tricky part,” says Axel Willner. “The whole album came around through experimenting with a lot of new recording equipment and gear. The Follower is about old myths, finding utopia and how mankind repeatedly makes the same mistakes over and over.” It comes three years on from the Swedish artist’s previous album, Cupid’s Head. As with all of Willner’s solo LPs to date, Kompakt will handle the release.
Laurel Halo performs with Hatsune Miku
Commissioned by CTM Festival and transmediale for their joint 2016 editions, Still Be Here is a unique collaborative performance that draws us into the multiplying realities of a 21st century pop star, and traces the dynamics at play between fans, corporations and social desires.
“I want you to remake me. I sing and exist only for you.”
Since her 2007 launch in Japan, Hatsune Miku (whose name means “first sound of the future”) has become the ultimate pop star, developed from a vocal synthesizer product into a globally adored and collaboratively constructed cyber celebrity with a growing user community, countless stadium performances as a virtual 3D projection and more than 100 000 songs released worldwide.
Still Be Here explores Hatsune Miku as the crystallisation of collective desires, embodied in the form of a teal-haired virtual idol, forever 16. In watching the deconstruction of this perfect star, the audience comes to the uncanny realisation that Miku is simply an empty vessel onto which we project our own various fantasies. In this void, the topology of desire within a networked community becomes tangible and Miku becomes an allegory of the commodified female body as governed by corporate regulation and normative social etiquette. The performance critically deconstructs this body and speculates on opportunities to transgress it through means of appropriation.
Following an idea initiated and conceptualised by artist Mari Matsutoya, Still Be Here is collectively created with music producer Laurel Halo, award-winning choreographer and visual artist Darren Johnston, virtual artist LaTurbo Avedon and produced by digital artist Martin Sulzer. This project presents a unique arrival of aesthetics between the participating artists, in their search for the identity of Hatsune Miku. The performance / installation employs a collage methodology with user-generated lyrics, referencing many other contributors and countless online authors and creative commons users, whose works will be further interpreted and given new meaning.
Still Be Here was in part developed at a residency at Metal this November 2015, and will premiere as a joint highlight of the CTM / transmediale 2016 festivals before travelling to Donaufestival and the Barbican later in the year.
Still Be Here – Teaser from DISK-CTM on Vimeo.
