Monday 31 May 2010

RECOMMENDED: Guido - Anidea [Punch Drunk]



For me Guido absolutely excels the 'purple wow' tag thrust upon him, Gemmy and Joker, creating a deep and varied mixture of moods, conveying a distinct sense of melancholy on his debut album Anidea for Peverelist's Punch Drunk label.

Read the full review here: http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=7520

Link:
www.myspace.com/guidoproductions

Thursday 27 May 2010

READ: SR x DJ Mag Hype Chart



Present in this month's DJ Magazine is a hype chart from yours truly.

Went like this:

1. Mono/Poly - Oil Fields [Fat City]
"The true sound of a mouth trumpet summer."
2. James Blake - CMYK [R&S]
"More serene composition from Blake."
3. Blawan - Iddy [Hessle Audio]
"New heat from Blawan's debut Hessle 12"."
4. V/A - Tropical Heat Vol. 1 [Myor]
"Slugabed, Mesak and Nino ride to the very pinnacle of awesome hip-hop."
5. Mount Kimbie - Maybes (James Blake Remix) [Hotflush]
"Blake shatters apart Kimbie's breakthrough, re-staining it a fragrant orange hue."
6. Guido - Mad Sax [Punch Drunk]
"Might as well be called Mad Sex given the facial reactions this one's getting..."
7. XI - Ghost [Orca]
"First platter from the Orca imprint frames XI's drum funk perfectly."
8. V/A - Astro:Dynamics [Astro:Dynamics]
"New compilation of next level beats."
9. Ramadanman - Glut [Hemlock]
"Mr Kennedy happily turning his woodpecker percussion up to 11 on this one..."
10. Eleven Tigers - Clouds Are Mountains [Soul Motive]
"Illustrious debut LP from Lithuanian producer Eleven Tigers."

With thanks to Markle.

Audio of all the above is available on the archives of the Sonic Router x Hivemind show on mixcloud.

Link:
www.djmag.com

RECOMMENDED: Actress - Splazsh [Honest Jon’s]


Thanks to Splazsh, I’ve just been reminded that it’s definitely possible to listen to a record too much before starting to review it. In the case of Darren Cunningham’s stunning second Actress full-length, the first for the Honest Jon's label, each repetition reveals hundreds of tiny details that previously managed to slip by unnoticed. Each one of these creates a separate strand of thought, and before long the mind’s struggling to try and weave every thread together into something that resembles a remotely coherent argument.

As a whole entity, what Splazsh shares with Actress' deliciously grainy debut Hazyville is its heady, self-contained quality. Cunningham’s music still sounds entirely unconcerned with the wider world outside the tight confines of its own headspace, possessed of an almost pathologically introspective bent that only begins to open up once you relax your focus and allow it to creep in. The musical equivalent of a magic eye picture then: the less you look, the more you see.

The lead track of his recent single, ‘Paint, Straw & Bubbles’ was a pretty prime example of that aesthetic. Like a jewel on display in a museum case, it appeared different from every angle, as light glinted off each facet of its surface. The nearer you got, the more frustratingly impenetrable it became – until you stopped paying such close attention and the entire thing suddenly began to make sense. With his new full-length Cunningham has picked up where that track left off and expanded his horizons even further. Actress circa-2010 has retained Hazyville’s claustrophobic feel and disconcerting habit of ending tracks at what sound like randomly calculated points and as such as it feels irrelevant to compare the two records, where his first album was a series of study sketches, Splazsh fully develops its ideas into something approaching a finished piece.

Now this is the part where I struggle to construct a reasonable summary of thoughts. It’s not quite enough to say that Splazsh has floored me - though it has, I’ve been lost in its maze-like spaces for the last few weeks and still feel as though I’ve barely scratched the surface. Its sustained mood is so well-realised that even the album’s shortest and seemingly inconsequential tracks take on an eerie physical presence. The two-minute long ‘Senorita’ drifts in mid-way, as though the needle’s been dropped onto a tiny section of a far longer track, but the way its blurred vocals seem to bleed into the shredded synthwork of ‘Let’s Fly’ gives both tracks a convincing sheen of hyper-reality.

The longer tracks (and there’s a lot of them) are stunningly composed. ‘Lost’ is the finest bit of techno-not-techno I’ve heard in a very long time, its masterful build sustained over a tension-wracked four minutes before everything drops out for a second, then unleashes. The female voices that haunt its darkened spaces are almost terrifyingly lonely, summoning the same spirit of unreal nostalgia as Millie & Andrea’s recent music. ‘Get Ohn (Fairlight Mix)’ might just be even better, grinding along behind an insistent fuzz of radio noise that’s as reminiscent of Broadcast & The Focus Group’s excellent Witch Cults Of The Radio Age as it is of any UK dance music.

In some ways it’s quite amusing that despite often being categorised alongside his contemporaries as part of the ‘bass music’ spectrum, Actress’ music is frequently devoid of the stuff. In any case, Splazsh really doesn’t need it. It’s elusive without being austere or impenetrable, complex without being IDM-ish and stubbornly refuses to land in any genre bracket, as reminiscent of recent synth-heavy albums by the likes of Oneohtrix Point Never and Emeralds as it is of techno, electro, dubstep, whatever. It’s just Actress music, and it’s almost unbelievably great.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: Now

Links:
werkrecords.blogspot.com

Wednesday 26 May 2010

DOWNLOAD: Madvillain - Papermill



In the run up to the recent UK appearance of DOOM at the Roundhouse for the Taste of Sonar event, I listened to nothing but his buttery flow for like, a whole working day, 9 hours of pure Daniel Dumile - even cruising Spotify and YouTube for those scattered verses he dropped for people like The Herbaliser and Daedelus. But even with a back catalogue as extensive as his, everytime the Madvillain LP, Madvillainy, is the one. Probably his most complete work to date, and a fusion so perfect between emcee and producer, Stones Throw stalwart Madlib.

J Rocc already confirmed that there was a second Madvillain record coming after dropping selected tracks on Benji B's radio show a while back, but now, thanks to Adult Swim you can kop the first taster of new material, the super short 'Papermill,' for nowt.

DOWNLOAD: Madvillain - Papermill

Link:
http://stonesthrow.com

VIDEO: Free The Robots - Studio Tour



Geek out time with Free The Robots and his studio tour.

SR interview here.

Link:
www.myspace.com/freetherobots

DOWNLOAD: Scratcha DVA - FABRICLIVE Promo Mix



Scratcha DVA is the latest person to put together a promotional mix for London nightclub fabric, commemorating his forthcoming appearance at the club with a super fresh mix of upfront tunes and a likkle YouTube Diggin' feature where the Rinse.fm DJ goes deep with the jokes.

Check both bits at the url below and look out for DVA005, 'New World Order,' dropping shortly.

DOWNLOAD: Scratcha DVA - FABRICLIVE Promo Mix



Tracklist:

1 REDLIGHT – MDMA
2 MA1 - TRIBES OF AFRICA
3 EGYPTRIXX - DRIVE U CRAZY
4 DVA - STEP 2 FUNK
5 GEENEUS - ???
6 HARD HOUSE BANTON - GRRRR (DUMPLING MIX)
7 DJ TONKA – FREEZE
8 RAMADANMAN – GLUT
9 FIS T - 6 TRIBES
10 ZINC/MS DARKS - BLUNT EDGE (DUB SPECIAL)
11 DVA - NEW WORLD ORDER
12 GIRL UNIT - I.R.L (DVA'S HI EMOTIONS REMIX)
13 DVA – GANJA
14 DVA – MONOWAVES
15 ROSKA & UNTOLD – MYTH
16 DVA vs FIS T - NATTY HUNTER
17 DVA & LV – DUMPLING
18 ILL BLU – OVERDOSE
19 DVA – SCHIZOPHRENIC
20 COOLY G - I.C
21 UNKNOWN - UNTITLED

Catch Scratcha at fabric in Room 3 on the 25th June with Chef, Elijah & Skilliam and Deep Teknologi.

Link:
www.myspace.com/scratchadva

RECOMMENDED: Sigha - Shake EP [Hotflush Two]



The downside of being part of a label with such a strong community of big hitters (Scuba, Joy Orbison, Mount Kimbie, bits from Ramadanman and Pangaea) is that there’s always the risk of vanishing into the gaps between major releases. London producer Sigha is among Hotflush’s more mercurial talents, shifting on a whim between slo-mo house and techno, rigid two-step and minimalist dubstep(ish) transmissions, without ever fully locking to any of them. Perhaps for this reason his releases always seem to be slightly overlooked: his tracks are too broken and awkward for true techno, not weighty enough for dubstep per se and lacking the obviously soulful edge you’d expect of garage.

But then that’s kinda the beauty of his music – shorn of any obvious genre affiliations, Sigha productions are free to drift in whatever direction the whim takes them. If there’s a shared trait to everything he’s put out, it’s an ultra stripped-back, Berlin-schooled approach that reduces melody to swathes of gaseous static that weave around deceptively complex beats. Last year’s Rawww EP was an underrated gem, the title track’s obvious Basic Channel-isms offset by the ghostly London-centred sounds of ‘Hold Your Heart Up To The Light’, and his new Shake EP – his fourth for the Hotflush Two imprint – sees him further exploring the same hazily drawn lines. The range of ideas on here once again put paid to any notion of an easily categorisable Sigha ‘sound’, but also consolidates his previous work into three tracks that showcase the different sides of his music. More so than any of his other releases, they’re also quite strikingly pretty, the lack of obvious melodic development more than made up for by the sheer weight of detail packed into each.

There always seems to be something extra going on in each of these three tracks. Closing ambient piece ‘Light Swells (In A Distant Space)’ is lit up by tiny arcs of electricity that flicker almost out of earshot, like catching a glimpse of something out of the corner of your eye. As the furthest departure he’s taken from dance music it’s a success, its structure made up of dense layers of cloud that press against one another to generate moments of dissonance and clarity. Lead track ‘Shake’ is far tougher and more muscular than anything he’s done before, moving away from the implied momentum of a track like ‘Bruised’ into a pounding slab of house, but ‘Shapes’ is the most interesting on here. Operating at around 136 bpm, it chucks the kitchen sink at a loosely techno-tinged beat, sending abstract percussive hits and clicks rattling around dark pulses of sub. It’s a proper eyes-down dancefloor beast, and despite the absence of anything resembling a hook manages to remain far more than simply a DJ tool.

Interesting developments as ever from the Sigha camp then. It’ll be intriguing to see where he heads next.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: Now

Link:
www.myspace.com/sigha

Tuesday 25 May 2010

INTERVIEW: Rude Kid [No Hats No Hoods]



If you’ve been listening to grime at any point over the last three years you have undoubtedly heard Rude Kid’s beats. He’s everywhere, currently being vocalled by every MC in the scene and spun by every DJ going, causing a stir with tracks like ‘Sing 4 Me’ which featured Ghetts on mic duties, and ‘Electric’ which is receiving a raucous reception wherever it gets dropped. After 3 vinyl releases to date, the Are You Ready EP, Electric and the Jack Daniels EP, on the No Hats No Hoods label, Rude Kid dropped his debut long player - also called Are You Ready? a title taken no doubt from his recognisable production watermak- a collection of instrumentals showcasing his energetic productions style for the label.

We caught up with him to shoot him some questions and get the low down on his projects…

Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?

Rude Kid: My music name is Rude kid some heads call me Rudes. I’m 22 years old, come from London, and am a music producer/DJ. Ive been doing music for about 3 years properly but ive always loved listening to music from when I was very young.

Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?

I don’t think I do much else beside music, but outside of music I’m just a normal guy I watch a lot of films and spend time with my family and friends. Im very close to them and I love having a laugh. On a normal day if im not doing music I will just relax play abit of ps3.

How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do produce?

I used to listen to a lot of pirate radio before I started making music and got influenced by the energy the music had. I always wanted to hear my songs getting played on radio or raves it was like a dream I had to make reality, which I think I’ve achieved now. I was introduced a programme called FruityLoops by a friend in school and every since then ive made music. Nobody taught me how to use the programme I had to learn everyting myself which took long but now I can use it with my eyes closed.

What’s your production set up like?

I’ve got a very basic setup: only Fruityloops, a midi keyboard and some good speakers, that’s all I need. Right now im making good music with just the basic setup and it sounds good on big speakers in the clubs or on radio. But one day when I get my own studio I will have to get more equipment.

Where do you take inspiration from when making music?

I think just everyday life, for example a lot of my songs are named after what I’ve done that day, for example I made a instrumental called ‘Dentist’ which is on my album. That was made after I came back from the dentist and how I was feeling. It all depends on my mood and how I’m feeling on the day aswell. I also get inspired by a lot of hardworking musicians and when I see them succeeding that just makes me want to work extra harder. I feel I still have a lot to prove to show what I’m capable of.

How would you describe your sound?

Very unique and alien... I feel I have my own sound and that is one of the reasons people paid attention to my music in the first place, because it was something different to the norm. A lot of producers make beats that sound the same as their previous beats but I don’t do that. If you listen to my instrumental album you will see how many different styles and sounds I use. I got tunes like ‘Jack Daniels’ which is more dance music, ‘Electric’ which is like a dubstep sound; ‘Leave me alone’ which is a calm mellow tune. Basically the list goes on. This instrumental album I’ve got out now shows of all my styles.



How did the ‘Are you ready?’ sonic signature come about?

I sampled that of one CD I had long time ago I forgot what it was, but I used to put it in a few instrumentals I was making. Then when I started to leave it out people were like “where’s the ‘Are You Ready?’”. So that’s been my signature ever since… I’ve had that since I started making music. I also think its important for a producer to have their own signature because with me if I didn’t have ‘Are You Ready?’ before the drop of the beat hardly anybody will know I made it. So it helps having a signauture sound.

Your beats are used by some of the biggest names in grime, but what is your personal favorite vocal an emcee has laced you with?

I’ve had so many good vocals on my beats it’s hard to say; my most successful song has to be ‘Sing 4 me,’ but my favorite is Skepta ft Wiley – ‘Are you Ready?’. That song has a lot of energy and it’s a song everyone can sing along to as well. Everytime im DJing at a club and I drop that tune it always gets a good reaction.

I did a remix for ‘Man Like Me’ with their single ‘London Town’ and JME was on the remix aswell. I like that vocal aswell because its different reminds me of old skool Garage. Also the remix is going to be on the next edition of DJ HERO the game. When I got told it was gonna be on there it didn’t sink in, I was shocked to be honest, but it’s a very good look for me, JME & Man Like Me.

What MCs are you working with right now and who would you like to work with that you haven’t yet?

I think ive worked with nearly every big MC, there’s a few I haven’t worked with yet though, but I’m more looking forward to working with singers right now and experimenting with different styles. The only MC I would wanna work with is Dizzee Rascal right now. Hopefully in the future you might hear something from Dizzee and me.

You hooked up with Terror Danjah for ‘Best Crawler’ and killed it, are you working on more bits together?

Yeah definitely Terror is a good friend so its not hard to work on another beat together. The ‘Best Crawler’ was made very randomly. I was in his studio and he had the same instrument VST I used for ‘Sing 4 Me’, so I came up with the idea for me to use the ‘the best’ sounds and for him to use the ‘Creepy Crawler’ sounds. I made my melody then he had a perfect beat already which he had made before and it fit perfectly to what I made. ‘Best Crawler’ is out now on my 12”, Jack Daniels EP, out in all good record stores. It was good working with Terror Danjah because he is one producer I used to look up to when I was younger and for him to be telling me my beats are mad means a lot. He also talks a lot of sense and I know he’s seen a lot in the music scene, so he always gives me tips or advice when I need it.

Tell us about the new album on No Hoods No Hats: ‘Are You Ready?’ How did it come about and what had to be on it?

Ive had releases with No Hats No Hoods before and that’s my management so it makes sense for my stuff to come out with their label. It was my plan to have the ‘Are You Ready?’ CD come out in 2009, but a lot of planning went into the CD and in the end we all decided to make it more of an album rather than just a instrumental CD, so a lot of tunes got taken off and a lot got put back in. I’m very happy with the instrumentals that have been put on the album. Over all the CD describes how many different styles of music I have, none of them sound the same.

I think my favourite instrumental on the CD has to be ‘Electric’ I remember the day I made that beat; it made me get up from my seat and think about what I’d just done haha. That beat is very powerful and I know a lot of music listeners and DJ’s have been waiting for it. But to be honest every beat on the album is my favorite they all have their own styles and I’m very proud of myself for making them.



How are you feeling about the state of grime today?

Grime right now is still growing. It feels like people aren’t giving it a chance, but there is so much good music and songs being made in the grime scene. Hopefully people will see that and give it the break it deserves. I know a lot of people are making mainstream music which doesn’t matter at all along as they stick to making grime even if they do other genres of music. Like I make a lot of other genres of music but I will always be making grime at the same time.

The grime vinyl releases from labels like No Hoods No Hats, Hyperdub, Planet Mu, Butterz, Rwina, etc have been picking up of late, do you think that this more DJ based material is bringing more dance influences back into grime? And vice versa?

Definitely having vinyl out is good because I know there are still a lot of people who buy them. I do agree with some people who say it should come digitally as well. Right now the instrumentals being released on vinyl are all tunes that can get played in a dance and make people go crazy which is what is needed .

What other projects have you got in the pipeline?

I’ve got a lot of projects coming I want to make another instrumental music video I’m going to be working on some music with singers, Another EP and I defiantly want to make a Vocal Album.

Any words of wisdom for our readers?

Stay positive and belive in yourself.

Words: James Balf

Rude Kid’s ‘Are You Ready’ CD is out now on No Hats No Hoods.

Links:
www.myspace.com/rudekidproductions
www.myspace.com/nohatsnohoods

DOWNLOAD: Bleep.com x Sonar Festival Giveaways



Bleep.com have teamed up with the minds behind Barcelona's iconic Sonar Festival to offer the world a taster of the British artists performing at this years festival, taking place between the 17th -19th June.

Cue gumpf:

"Bleep.com will be giving away 2 MP3s a week, every week for a month in the lead-up to Sonar Festival 2010. The 8 artists involved in the giveaway are Hudson Mohawke, Fuck Buttons, Broadcast, Roska, King Midas Sound, Sandwell District, 2020 Soundsystem and The Blessings.

With many of the 8 tracks being exclusive or previously not on general sale, this is a unique opportunity to have an upfront taste of the music that will be soundtracking Barcelona in June and get your hands on some rare recordings by these incredible artists."


This week, to launch the scheme, tracks from UK funky don Roska - an exclusive opportunity to grab his '124 Miles' track, unavailable elsewhere - and a 12 minute epic, 'Olympians' from Bristol noise duo Fuck Buttons are up for nabbing at the URL link below; all yours for the price of an email...

DOWNLOAD: Roska/Fuck Buttons - Bleep x Sonar Giveaways

Links:
http://bleep.com
http://2010.sonar.es/en/
www.myspace.com/rosiroska
www.myspace.com/fuckbuttons

STREAM: Sonic Router x Hivemind.fm 23.05.2010



The archive of our Sunday show on hivemind.fm is now live on mixcloud.

Note: the mic wasn't working so theres no chat, just extensive stings.

Catch Sonic Router on Hivemind.fm every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month from 10pm - 12am.

STREAM: Sonic Router x Hivemind.fm 23.05.2010



Tracklist:

1. Downliners Sekt - Negative [disboot]
2. James Blake - Postpone [R&S]
3. Cloak & Dagger - In The Cut [forthcoming Immerse]
4. Blawan - Fram [Hessle Audio]
5. Jack Dixon & Robin Card - Adrian [unreleased]
6. Dong - Suzuran (LV & Quarta330 Mix) [Hyperdub]
7. Cloak & Dagger - Crimewaves [forthcoming Immerse]
8. Duncan Powell - Pushing (FaltyDL Remix) [forthcoming 2nd Drop]
9. Dark Arx - Streak [Dark Arx]
10. Rossi B & Luca - Saturn [forthcoming Double Science]
11. Kuoyah - Angels Dub (Sully Remix) [Frijsfo]
12. Ital Tek - Spectrum Falls [Atom River]
13. 16 Bit - ADSL [forthcoming on Brownswood Electric]
14. Rudi Zugadlo - Filthy Logic [Planet Mu]
15. Sepalcure - Love Pressure [forthcoming Hotflush]
16. Kontext - Ocean In The Bathroom [Immerse]
17. Orphan 101 - Tribtek Pt. 1 [forthcoming Saigon]
18. Unknown Artist - Blackout [BLACKOUT01]
19. Subeena - Rakeeh [forthcoming Astro:Dynamics]
20. Samuel H Simpson - Spronkle (F Remix) [forthcoming TAKE]
21. mlr - Its_not_working [unreleased]
22. Eleven Tigers - Atomic Turnip [Soul Motive]
23. Ital Tek - Midnight Colour [forthcoming Planet Mu]
24. Guido - Shades Of Blue [Punch Drunk]
25. Doc Daneeka - Deadly Rhythm [forthcoming PTN]
25. DVA - New World Order [forthcoming DVA]
26. Hackman - Gutterflower [forthcoming PTN]
27. Hypno - Over The Top [forthcoming on Brownswood Electric]
28. Pearson Sound - Wad [Hessle Audio]
29. Ikonika - Psoriasis [Hyperdub]
30. Sigha - Shapes [forthcoming Hotflush Two]
31. A Made Up Sound - Alarm [AMUS]
32. Zander Hardy - Signalling (To The Chosen Ones) [forthcoming Deep Teknologi]
33. Becoming Real - Fast Motion (DVA Hi Emotion Remix) [forthcoming RAMP]
34. Scratcha DVA - Natty [Hyperdub]
35. Sonarpilot - Mothership (Ramadanman Remix) [Sonarpilot Audio]
36. Gremino - Problem [forthcoming Rag & Bone]

Direct Download Link (Right Click/Save As)

Links:
www.mixcloud.com/sonicrouter
http://hivemind.fm

Thursday 20 May 2010

INTERVIEW: West Norwood Cassette Library [WNCL Recordings]



Email courtesy goes along way round these parts; and considering that politeness, astuteness and having your shit together are also bonuses, when we heard the first full release from West Norwood Cassette Library – forthcoming on his own label of the same name - and engaged in the back and forth ritual of electronic conversing, getting him to unsheath an exclusive mix for us seemed like the best possible thing for both of us after we realised his communication game ran so deep.

With a name that suggests an extensive knowledge of music and a penchant for near pedantic cataloguing of genres, a regular monthly night in Brixton and a sound that maintains a constant level of dancefloor appropriate energy whilst displaying perfectly his synergy between delayed techno chords and funky percussion, we’re proud to introduce you to the WNCL…

Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?

West Norwood Cassette Library: I’m Bob Bhamra aka West Norwood Cassette Library aka No.1 Astronaut, one half of Data 70 and another half of Plastic Soul. I DJ and produce a bit, put on a monthly night (Rock La Bibliotek! at The Hive Bar in Brixton), do a blog and podcast sometimes and have just launched WNCL Recordings.

Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?

I’m involved in production of an entirely different nature. I work at Verso Books, an independent publishing house based in Soho.

How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do so?

Records… I grew up surrounded by 3 older sisters who were all mad for buying records. Some of my earliest memories involve stealing their vinyl and staring at it for a long time. As for making music - the process was entirely informed by the desire to have a record out.

What’s your production set up like? What’s your favourite bit of kit in the studio?

Frankly, it’s embarrassing: a cracked copy of this, a broken down that, all held together with string. I’m sure it’s quite easy to upgrade everything but I’m a technophobe. Too many wires and I go blank. My favourite bit of kit is anything that doesn’t crash.

Where do you take inspiration from when making music?

Bleeps mostly.

What’s the deal with the West Norwood Cassette Library moniker?
It’s just a joke between me and a friend – a mild ribbing of my obsession for filing and memorising record catalogue numbers.

How would you describe your sound? You share a dancefloor slant similar to say Shortstuff…

I have no idea how to describe it – that’s your job! Still, I won’t sniff at a comparison to Shortstuff.



And how did you get into this current flux of dubstep?

I missed out on the roots of it. I’d been buying house records from the days of the early Chicago Trax releases and was equally obsessive about hardcore, jungle, speed garage and drum and bass that followed. But by the early millennium I just had dance music fatigue. The clever ones dug deeper whereas I just fell asleep in the corner for a couple of years. I blame my colleague Rowan at Verso for the dubstep infection. He pretty much spoon fed it to me on a daily basis until I gave in. I’d say that by early 2007, specifically N-Type’s Dubstep Allstars Vol 05 mixtape, I was sold; hook, line and sinker.

Your first release as WNCL comes out shortly. What’s the deal, what can we expect from the release?

It’s a 10” vinyl press of my own track, ‘What It Is,’ backed with a fantastic remix by Brackles. It’s in the shops from Monday 24th May. The digital version is already available.

What other projects have you got in the pipeline? What’s happening with you in the rest of 2010? Gigs, releases, personal growth etc?

At the moment, everything is based around promoting WNCL001. I’ve just done a spot for Jonny Mugwump’s Exotic Pylon show on Resonance FM and there are a couple of gigs coming up. This Friday 21st at Babalou, Brixton with James Blake and Untold and next Friday 28th is the next Rock La Bibliotek at Hive, Brixton with Hanuman from Monkey Steak.

Release-wise, I’ve got a remix of Unique 3’s ‘Take This Love’ out now, a track called ‘Blonde on Blonde’ forthcoming on Teal, a new label from Denmark and, of course, more plans to release on WNCL.

And there’s a WNCL mini mix on Mary Anne Hobbs’ Radio 1 Experimental show that broadcasts on June 2nd – which I’m terrified about.

Any words of wisdom for our readers?

Litter – put it in the bin

::

DOWNLOAD: West Norwood Cassette Library - Sonic Router Mix



Tracklist:

1. West Norwood Cassette Library - What It Is (Brackles Remix) [WNCL Recordings]
2. Quantec - Busted [WNCL Dubplate]
3. DJ C feat MS Thing - Jump Up And Bounce [WNCL Dubplate]
4. Unique 3 - Take This Love (WNCL Remix) [Mutate]
5. West Norwood Cassette Library - Blonde on Blonde [forthcoming Teal]
6. Kerri Chandler - House Is House [Downtown 161]
7. Gideon - Work That Shit [Southern Comfort]
8. Plastic Soul - Body Form [Dubplate]
9. Ramadanman - Glut [Hemlock]
10. Random Noise Generator - Instrument of Change [430 West]
11. Riva Starr - Dance Me (Jesse Rose Remix) [Made To Play]
12. Stuffa - A Million Secrets (Carli Remix) [Trunkfunk]
13. Point B - Industrial Revulsion [Combat]
14. Don Froth - Von [Dubplate]
15. West Norwood Cassette Library - What It Is (Origianal Mix) [WNCL Recordings]

::

You can catch WNCL at the following events:




Link:
www.myspace.com/westnorwoodcassettelibrary

Photo: Georgina Cook

PRE-ORDER: Dark Arx – Blood Vein EP [Dark Arx]



After the head-oriented spaces of Dark Arx Recordings’ first release, Binary Sequence’s underrated 'Below The Ice' 12”, the label’s second plate shifts towards a more overtly dancefloor-aimed aesthetic whilst retaining a strong connection. This coherence is largely mood-related: Binary Sequence managed to create an incredibly tangible sense of dissociation with the bare minimum of elements, all awash in static crackle. Dark Arx’s own Blood Vein EP keeps the same mournful feel but ramps up the pace, locking a restrained textural palette to driving post-garage patterns that manage to simultaneously bring to mind techno’s rigidity and the hip-swinging flex of two step.

There’s a distant loneliness to the largely beatless closer ‘Argent & Sable’ that brings to mind some of Sigha’s more minimalist productions, but shorn of rough edges it exudes a sense of calm quite different from the unease a track like Sigha’s ‘Bruised’ evokes. Instead all three tracks on here move like liquid: riding on basslines that are far less viscous than those of many of Dark Arx’s contemporaries, both ‘Blood Vein’ and ‘Streak’ appear to ebb and flow effortlessly. ‘Streak’ is worthy of particular mention, its subtly harmonised synth pads drifting over a beat that shuffles like one of Hessle’s best, rolling for an all-too-short six minutes. The result is an EP that feels far shorter than its runtime, and an intriguing successor to the label’s last twelve.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: Now



Link:
http://darkarx.blogspot.com

PRE-ORDER: LV ft. Josh Idehen - 38 EP [Keysound]



The three man production team, LV, have a sound all of their own; a subtle concoctive blend of digital dub and future thinking territories that’s caught the ears of A&Rs across the spectrum from Kode9’s Hyperdub to 2nd Drop and Untold’s Hemlock imprint. The 38 EP is a concept record for Dusk & Blackdown’s Keysound Recordings, that’s based around London’s 38 bus route that runs from Victoria station to Clapton Pond in Hackney. Harnessing the vocal collaborations of vocalist Josh Idehen, who takes on the persona of five separate passengers, spitting street poetry from their points of view the record sits somewhere between the urban dread and decay of Kode9 and Spaceape’s beat-less ‘Sine Of The Dub’ and a less post apocalyptic version of London Zoo by The Bug though LV fully carve a more human, free flowing niche that echoes the spoken word of Gil Scott-Heron as much as it does London’s bass continuum.

With its infectious dub bounce and flow ‘Lost’ is a highlight right from the off. The opening lines “It’s obvious you don’t get on with this metropolis” roll of Josh’s tongue with ease, seemingly taking cues from grime syllable patterns but with an altogether looser flow. The track plays off the tension between people trying to get on with the city and how it sometimes seems to be working against you. The dark brooding nature of ‘Early Mob’ with its nocturnal beats, sounds like something taken from Thomas Bangalter’s soundtrack to French revenge flick Irréversible only with a more dub-wise sensibility. With lyrics about rolling with your crew and feeling like you own the place, its full of nonchalant swagger and pent up aggression. It’s a raw, menacing ride. The beat on ‘Your Coat’ comes off like a hybrid of digital dub and deep house, with flowing melodies and rolling four to the floor kicks. It’s here Josh really lets loose, unleashing an unhinged tirade, its infectious as the beats shimmy for position against the bass tones.

The flip side to the 12” is more laid back; ‘Walk It’ rolls with a subtle head nodding dub vibe and free flowing rhyming over the lounge lizard rhodes pianochords and conga rhythms. ‘Face Of God’, with its live sounding dub bass plucks and R&B finger clicks punctuating the bittersweet soul of the airy pads and heartbeat percussion ends the EP with a blissful vibe, musically at least - the vocals deal with religious beliefs and free associations to do with life, death and judgement.

Keysound often explore the culture of London via its bass led excursions, Dusk & Blackdown’s own Margins Music album took the listener on a ride through the cutural fringes of the city and this EP feels like it follows on from that, representing LV’s micro cosm of the wider picture poignantly. LV and Josh Idehen bring the winding bus journey to life through their street bass novella echoing the city’s atmosphere and people painting a sonic picture with words and sound. LV’s productions are quite often creepers, getting under your skin slowly with their subtle vibes, but this EP might be their most realised, instant and engaging musical vision.

Words: James Balf
Out: Now



Catch LV at fabric on 18th June:



Links:
www.myspace.com/lvbass
www.myspace.com/ keysoundrecordings

Wednesday 19 May 2010

DOWNLOAD: La Roux - Quicksand (Gemmy Remix)



Today's been a big day for sharing... so in the spirit of the thing Gemmy - in a probably unrelated act of kindness - has upped his remix of La Roux's 'Quicksand' to soundcloud for a free DL. First thing from him in a while...

DOWNLOAD: La Roux - Quicksand (Gemmy Remix)



Link:
www.myspace.com/DJGEMMY

STREAM: Roska - Sonar Mix



Roska's album Rinse presents Roska fully cemented him as one of the forefront producers of this new breed of house tempoed music dubbed UK funky after its release, what, a month or so ago now? Album cuts like 'Squark,' 'I Need Love' and 'Hey Cutie' all highlighted his knack for percussion, crazy catchy hooks and dancefloor prowess, and his own label Roska Kicks & Snares is going from strength to strength - he's releasing his first non Roska plate on the label by DJ Naughty shortly (full review to come).

Its not really a surprise then, that experimental airwave champion Mary Anne Hobbs has selected him (alongside Joy Orbison and Flying Lotus) to appear of her stage at this year's Sonar Festival in Barcelona. To mark the gig Roska has put together an exclusive mix which you can check out on Sonar's site.

STREAM: Roska - Sonar Mix

Tracklist:

Martyn & Dbridge - These Words (Roska's Speechless Mix)
Zinc - Nexx!
Roska & Jamie George - Love 2 Nite
Crazy Cousinz - Always Be My Baby
Roska - Jackpot
Deadboy - If U Want Me
Roska - Squark
Dj Naughty - Firepower
Roska Ft. Anesha - I Need Love
Laidback Luke - Step By Step (Roska Edit)
Roska & Jamie George - Wonderful Day
Zinc - Blunt Edge
Geeneus & Dynamite - Get Low (Roska Special)
Roska - Tomorrow Is Today
Bingo Players - When I Dip
Youtam Avni - Coke Bouquet
Fingaprint - It's On You
Brackles - El Gordos

Roska also gave away an unreleased remix of Hard House Banton's 'Reign' via his twitter recently. Kop that before the DL limit kicks in here:

DOWNLOAD: Hard House Banton - Reign (Roska Remix) (via Sendspace)

& finally... jump on the podcast of Roska's last Rinse.fm show which featured Untold as the super special guest.

DOWNLOAD: Roska w/ Untold - Rinse.fm Show 18.05.2010 (Direct link)

Link:
www.myspace.com/rosiroska

Tuesday 18 May 2010

DOWNLOAD: El-P - Whores: The Movie



El-P's work as one third of rap troupe Company Flow, his production on the landmark Cannibal Ox album, The Cold Vein, and across his two solo rap albums, Fantastic Damage and I'll Sleep When You're Dead, is certainly an achievement. His ability to harness the raw notes of anxiety and fuse them with super heavy but astoundingly complex drum patterns and his own severe sense of melody is something that doesn't pop up every day. With people like Jamie Vexd drawing the lines between El's productions and the current crop of beats figureheads infecting this here page, we welcome any new music from him with open arms - though his discography demands thorough investigation.

Standing tall after the recent announcement that his Def Jux imprint - home to personal landmark artist, Aesop Rock - will cease to exist as a functioning record label he's on the verge of releasing his Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixx3 project in early August on Gold Dust Media. And coming releatively quickly after that very announcement, El has given a free download of his 'Whores: The Movie' track to New York's Village Voice site.

For more info on the mix and it's full tracklisting go here.

DOWNLOAD: El-P - Whores: The Movie



Link:
www.myspace.com/elproducto
www.el-p-weareallgoingtoburninhell.com

VIDEO: Scion Radio 17: Untold Interview



Out to eloquent Jack.

The twitter literate amongst you might have heard Untold recently upped some new '130 bits' to his myspace, and though it looks like they've been removed, they are really good...

Link:
www.myspace.com/untolduk

RECOMMENDED: Ramadanman – Glut/Tempest [Hemlock]



After a wee break, David ‘Ramadanman’ Kennedy has jumped back on the prolific wagon of late, releasing no fewer than three EPs on various labels. The first, his self-titled effort for his own Hessle Audio label, met with general acclaim when it emerged a couple of months ago: tracks like ‘I Beg You’ and ‘No Swing’ felt like a logical step upwards from his earliest productions. Still focusing heavily on the brittle, bone-dry percussion that’s swiftly become a Hessle trademark – witness the monochrome pressure of the label’s latest 12” from Blawan – they showed a leap forward in terms of structure and intricacy. Still, while ‘Tumble’ may have shared the same icy chill as Wiley’s early eski instrumentals, and ‘A Couple More Years’ wielded deftly sliced breaks to devastating effect, there were points where the EP’s clinical precision felt a little too austere to connect with fully.

This new plate on Hemlock, though, is the real deal. It’s certainly the best thing Kennedy’s put his name to since Pearson Sound’s underrated ‘PLSN,’ and lead track ‘Glut’ shares its rattling top-end and peculiar rhythmic sensibility. Its booming 808 kicks and claps place it alongside recent tracks by Addison Groove and Girl Unit in that strange grey area where Chicago juke’s influence is beginning to percolate through UK bass, a region which will doubtless soon open up to far wider exploration. Above all else though, ‘Glut’s gorgeous clipped female vocal and shimmering synth melody lend it a real human warmth. Alongside the build-and-release dynamic of ‘Tempest’, which winds like a spring before suddenly exploding in a burst of noise, it makes for a formidable one-two punch of a twelve.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: Now

Link:
www.myspace.com/ramadanman

Monday 17 May 2010

DOWNLOAD: Ben UFO - XLR8R Mix



Big shout to Ben, furthering his mining of discogs and continuing his run of website dominance in sterling fashion with a mix for US site XLR8R and garnering deserved comments like: "one of the best DJ's in the world right now" from the braun behind Electronic Explorations Rob Booth.

Look out for Blawan's 12", 'Fram' b/w 'Iddy,' for Ben UFO's co-run Hessle Audio imprint dropping shortly in shops now.

DOWNLOAD: Ben UFO - XLR8R Mix

Tracklist:

01 Mad Mike feat. Davina "Don't You Want It" (Happy)
02 Cassy "Endless Endeavour" (Cassy)
03 Afefe Iku "Body Drummin" (Yoruba)
04 Untold "Anaconda (Guarachero Refix)"
05 A Made Up Sound "Alarm" (A Made Up Sound)
06 Funkystepz feat. Lily McKenzie "For U"
07 West Norwood Cassette Library "Blonde on Blonde"
08 Logic "Blues For You (Hard Dub)" (Strictly Rhythm)
09 Unknown "Blue"
10 Kathy Brown "I Appreciate (52 Leagues of Swing Mix)" (Cutting)
11 Mosca "Square One (VIP)"
12 Martin Kemp "Fix" (Blunted Robots)
13 Aaron Carl "Wallshaker" (Millions of Moments)
14 Commix "How You Gonna Feel (Pangaea Remix)"
15 Indo "R U Sleeping? (Bump and Flex vocal Mix)" (Satellite)
16 Blackstreet "Need a Fix (Jeremy Sylvester Remix)" (white)
17 Unknown "Untitled"
18 Biter "Hype Trak"
19 Wizzbit "Jamnite" (Slimzos)
20 Peverelist and Hyetal "RRR"
21 Dom Perignon and Dynamite "Together" (Mos Wanted)
22 Blackout "SOS"
23 Ramadanman "Bass Drumz"
24 Digital Mystikz "Ugly" (Big Apple)
25 Chris Mack "Gal A Call Me Phone (Militant Vocal Mix)" (Ultimate Beats)
26 Blawan "Iddy" (Hessle Audio)
27 Outkast "Ms. Jackson (Harmonimix)"
28 Mondie "Shower" (white)
29 J Sweet "Gutter (Alias Remix)" (Sweet Beatz)
30 Shystie feat. Crazy Titch and J2K "Make It Easy (Davinche Remix)" (Network)
31 Joe "Level Crossing" (Hessle Audio)
32 James Blake "Libra"

Links:
www.myspace.com/freshben
www.myspace.com/hessleaudio

Friday 14 May 2010

READ/DOWNLOAD: SRQ012 - Eleven Tigers



SRQ012 focuses its attention on the work of Lithuanian producer Jokubas Dargis aka Eleven Tigers - ahead of the release of his astounding Clouds Are Mountains album on the Soul Motive label - concentrating on his strong bond with technology, a deep love of Talk Talk and his improvisational techniques.

His Sonic Router mix is also strangely bewitching.

READ/DOWNLOAD: SRQ012 - Eleven Tigers



Tracklist:

Insides – Yes
Apparat – Wooden
Hildur Gudnadottir – Elevation
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions – Lose Me On The Way
Arovane – Auben
Autechre – Sim Gishel
Efterklang – Chapter 6
Bark Psychosis – Burning The City
Biosphere – When I Leave
Spyweirdos – Should Be A Spell
Deaf Center – Eloy
Tomas Dvorak – Mr.Handogate
Pangaea – You & I
Eleven Tigers – Autogenesis
Caural – Cruel Fate Of Spring

Link:
www.eleventigers.net

Thursday 13 May 2010

STREAM: Sonic Router x Hivemind.fm 09.05.2010



We just upped the archive of our first live show on Hivemind.fm to mixcloud.

New tunes, exclusive mixes with the same old patter thrown in for good measure.

This is the first place you can hear Eleven Tiger's imminent Sonic Router mix.

Catch Sonic Router on Hivemind.fm every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month from 10pm - 12am.

STREAM: Sonic Router x Hivemind.fm 09.05.2010



Tracklist:

1. XI - The Ghost (forthcoming Orca)
2. West Norwoord Cassette Library - What It Is (forthcoming WNCL)
3. Joe - Digest (forthcoming Apple Pips)
4. Al Tourettes - When I Rest I Rust (forthcoming If Symptoms Persist)
5. Eleven Tigers - For You (forthcoming Soul Motive)
6. James Blake - CMYK (forthcoming R&S)
7. Mount Kimbie - Maybes [James Blake Remix] (Hotflush)
8. Guido - Mad Sax (forthcoming Punch Drunk)
9. Ikonika - Sahara Michael (Hyperdub)
10. Blawan - Iddy (forthcoming Hessle Audio)
11. Joe - Untitled (forthcoming Apple Pips)
12. Hyetal & Shortstuff - Ice Cream (Punch Drunk)
13. Destiny's Child - Bills Bills Bills [Harmonimix] (White)
14. Fantastic Mr Fox - Brandy (ERCA Mysteries)
15. Pariah - Orpheus (R&S)
16. Ike Release - Iridescent (Infrasonics)
17. Ramadanman - I Beg You (Hessle Audio)
18. George Fitzgerald - Painted Jezebel (forthcoming Brownswood Electric)
19. Roska - Squark (Rinse)
20. Roska - I Need Love (Rinse)
21. xxxy - Blue Flashing Lights (Infrasonics)
22. Deadboy - IfUWantMe (Numbers)
23. Mr. Mageeka - Different Lekstrix (forthcoming Numbers)
24. Brackles - 6am El Gordos (Brainmath)
25. Bok Bok ft. Bubbz - Citizens Dub (Blunted Robots)
26. Martin Kemp - Wot U Got (forthcoming Blunted Robots)

::Eleven Tigers - Sonic Router Mix::

1. Insides - Yes
2. Apparat - Wooden
3. Hildur Gudnadottir - Elevation
4. Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - Lose Me On The Way
5. Arovane - Auben
6. Autechre - Sim Gishel
7. Efterklang - Chapter 6
8. Bark Psychosis - Burning The City
9. Biosphere - When I Leave
10. Spyweirdos - Should Be A Spell
11. Deaf Center - Eloy
12. Tomas Dvorak - Mr.Handogate
13. Pangaea - You & I
14. eleven tigers - Autogenesis
15. Caural - Cruel Fate Of Spring

::End of Mix::

Links:
http://www.mixcloud.com/sonicrouter
http://hivemind.fm

Wednesday 12 May 2010

EVENT: Oscillations Launch Party @ CAMP



Put together by Jus Like Music and Apple Juice Break, Oscillations Vols 1&2, provided somewhat of an impeccable snapshot of the current neo hip hop(?)/dubstep intersection, packaging beats form reputable producers like Om Unit, Slugabed, Paper Tiger, Lunice, 00Genesis, ANGO and Alex B up for a duo of free downloads - grab them here: http://juslikemusicrecords.bandcamp.com/ for the price of a couple of clicks and an email address.

Now the people behind the compilation have teamed up with Man Make Music and the Bridging The Gap party promoters to celebrate both BTG's birthday and the physical production of CD copies of the compilation, at CAMP (nr Old St. Tube) in London this Saturday. It's FREE entry, and everyone who attends will get a limited edition Oscillations Mix CD, mixed by Mr Beatnick. Only 500 of these will ever be in existence and each one is hand-numbered. There will also be 150 limited-edition prints available on the night, commemorating the event.

Full line up:

OSCILLATIONS:
Slugabed (Planet Mu/Ramp Recordings/Numbers)
Om Unit (Terrorhythm/All City)
Kidkanevil (First Word Records)
Mr Beatnick (Futuristica/Altered Vibes)
BTG:
Count Chocula
Toot Sweet
The Fat C
MMM:
Another Amit
Sketchy

Saturday May 15 @ The CAMP, EC1Y 2BJ
9pm - 4am
thecamplondon.com



Facebook Event

Tuesday 11 May 2010

DOWNLOAD: Kidlogic - Randy Barracuda Retrospective Mix



In honour of their 1st birthday celebrations on 20th May, Brighton based club night Donky Pitch, have bestowed on us the honour of hosting the second piece of exclusive content - the first being a Fulgeance mix featured exclusively on Rhythm Incursions - in promotion of their first anniversary. The DP guys have tried their utmost to bring the sound of skweee to the South of England, placing it in a 'beats' context, booking skweee pioneers and UK beatheads alike whilst fully supporting UK artists like SR chums Rekordah and Slugabed.

Having run for a full 12 months now, we've been very vocal in our support of the DP family, co-hosting TOKiMONSTA's Sonic Donky mix when she came over to grace Brighton's pebbles last year and surprising DP resident and UK skweee producer, Boss Kite, with our use of his interview answers to form one of the most enjoyable editions of our Quietus column to date. And the reason for our continued support?

Skweee.

Having stumbled across the sound of Scandinavian synthetic computer funk through people like Randy Barracuda or Rigas Den Andre and on compilations like the Ramp/Flogsta Danshall released Skweee Tooth or Harmönia's International Skweee Volume One it became somewhat of an borderline obsession, infecting both home productions and writing schedules. It's all about tunes like this...



Anyway - point is, they're a year old, and - being that we know a little of what it means to put all your energies into something for an extended period of time - we'd like to take this opportunity to officially say: happy birthday! Its just a testament to their attitude and friendly demeanour that they've allowed us to say it with an exclusive retrospective mix of skweee pioneer Randy Barracuda, put together by Kidlogic, so we sought them out to say their piece...

Sonic Router: What's been Donky Pitch's highlights this past year?

Donky Pitch: There are a few…definitely the ‘We Call It Skweee’ screening. We packed the venue on a Tuesday night. It was great to see 70+ people reach that on a cold winter night. Debruit’s set in February was awesome, we’ve never been in a club so jam packed with such a great atmosphere. He slayed it. And being asked to play the Skwee-a-thon in Helsinki on May 16th is pretty dam cool. We’re the only UK crew on a line up that features artists from Finland, Norway, France, USA, Spain amongst others...

Randy is the Tits. What does it mean to you guys to have him come over? What's so special about him?

We’ve been representing the skweee sound all year, but Randy is different to anyone we’ve booked before. He’s one of the originators, a true pioneer. From his early tracks to his newest single he has always been on point. We’re wet with excitement at the thought of his live show; Ross ‘Boss Kite’ almost puked when we told him.

Whats in store for the bday?

This is our biggest and funnest line up to date. We’ve been after both Barracuda and Fulgeance since day one and were seriously happy when we confirmed them both. It also brings together all the local producers and DJs that have ‘pitched’ in over the year to make all our parties so damn fun. We’ve printed up some T-Shirts and other Donky goodies to giveaway. Expect some drunken fools throwing badges into the crowd at 2am.

::



Donky Pitch turns One at The Volks in Brighton on Thurs 20th May 2010 with Fulgeance, Randy Barracuda, Slugabed, Rekordah, Ghost Mutt and Boss Kite.

::



DOWNLOAD: Kidlogic - Randy Barracuda Retrospective Mix



Tracklist:

1. Ketamine Strut
2. Black Vaseline (Featuring Mesak)
3. Love Axe/Heavy Metal (Featuring Michael Black Electro)
4. Duck Butter
5. Adult Games (Featuring Mesak & Michael Black Electro)
6. The High
7. Skweee Like A Pig
8. Rick James Is Dead
9. Overnight Romancin'
10. Group Sexxx (Imatran Voima)
11. Streisand Effect

Links:
www.myspace.com/donkypitch
www.myspace.com/kidlogic
www.myspace.com/randybarracudaofimatranvoima

Photo: Sanja Milosevic

Monday 10 May 2010

INTERVIEW: Milyoo [Opit]



Milyoo deserves props. The American producer’s debut 12” will be out imminently on Subeena’s OPIT Records imprint and it’s a particularly varied and bewitching triplet of tracks. Sitting betwixt the genre malaise with little concern for what surrounds him, we caught up with Tommy - who was busy shovelling mud out of his studio after a storm hit his native Kentucky domicile - to obtain a bit of backstory and grab the 45th exclusive Sonic Router mix.

Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?

Milyoo: Sure. I’m a 32 year old guy from a mid-size college town/city called Lexington, Kentucky. I used to smoke cigarettes, but I quit.

Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?

When I’m not attempting to make music, I’m a soon-to-be-former (eventually to-be-returning) PhD Student in Cultural Geography who used to think about writing (though never fully wrote) a dissertation on ghosts and memory. But with the school thing winding down I’ve mostly been writing tunes, hanging out with my super-cool wife Erin, and trying to get back in climbing shape in the Red River Gorge (also see: unemployed)

How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do so?

I guess I’ve always made music to one degree or another... more or less. I bought my first piece of gear in ‘98, but I failed to get very into it until the last year or so. Seems like good timing as I can’t think of a time when I’ve been as excited about the overall state of music-making.

What’s your production set up like? What’s your favourite bit of kit in the studio?

I write in Propellerheads Record/Reason environment and arrange in Live 8 using a few different midi controllers. I also have an Emu E4xt where I chunk up samples sometimes, a korg electribe synth box which I like quite a bit, and a variety of drums, tambs, bells, and whatnot. A tapedeck w/ pitch control. Some 1200s. A guitar. But my favorite gear is my field recorder and mic. I seriously don’t know what I was doing before I started finding sounds.

Where do you take inspiration from when making music?

Movies, bus brakes, great hooks from songs that suck, my friends, other artists... If I’m feeling particularly dim on days I’ll throw in something amazing (right now I’m listenining to some Ramadanman) and just sorta vibe off it for a bit and see what happens. But most of the time I just sit down and start beating on stuff, turning knobs, sampling records, and eventually a song comes out. The process is still really amazing to me.

Whats behind the Milyoo moniker?

Milieu is of French origin and means something like the context or situation in which a thing develops. In my mind, to split the ‘milieu’ from the ‘things they develop’ is a really unnecessary gap. That is, the two are seamless. The milieu and the thing are both collections of stuff, themselves collections of stuff. So, in my mind, everything is a milieu or milieus are everything. ‘Milyoo’ (the phonetical bastard of the original) then is my attempt at highlighting this always-already-beyond-me of music; the ‘not-me’ stuffiness of it all.

Plus my old name ‘The Tommy Wilson Electronic Music Band’ was too folky.

Opit 12" snippets:



How would you describe your sound? I mean your mix for us jumps from Madlib to James Blake via Airborn Audio… would you say hip hop was a big influence on you?

Yes, hip hop was and is a massive influence on me. I grew up rocking out to Guru, Casual, Wu-Tang, Dre, and Biggie when I was a kid, but more recently Dilla’s stuff really turned me around. I know Dilla love isn’t too uncommon these days, but the way he brought together Detroit house vibes, hip-hop cuts, and tripped out production it felt like – seriously – he had made a pile of music just for me. When I’d listen to Donuts on the walk to campus I felt ridiculous if I wasn’t dancing. That’s some serious stuff I think.

But in terms of my sound it seems like I’m always writing a lot of different stuff at any given time. Sometimes I settle into a groove of sorts and write a type of something for a bit. I guess – at the moment – I write slo-mo tribal rnb-tinged psychedelic house music...(?) My last three buys are Flylo’s album, the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack and Dimlite’s new one. All three of which are bearing heavily on me at the moment so we’ll see what comes of it.

And how did you discover dubstep?

To be honest, I don’t feel comfortable taking credit for discovering dubstep. While I am the first guy I know (personally) who accidentally found Burial while searching through the iTunes store, I’m not quite sure that marked the origin point of the movement. Kidding. I take full credit. You’re welcome.

You live in the US in Lexington, Kentucky. Is there any tangible scene there? Where do you go for live bass music?

Lexington is basically a really big (500,000) college town so there’s always enough kids here to get something going; and while you can pack a club with students easy enough, Lexington is just not large enough to sustain a stable community of niche music junkies. Of course, there are some talented people here, and there’s cool stuff cooking at the moment so we’ll see I guess. The other option would be to drive to one of the larger cities in the region (Atlanta, Chicago, etc.), but I’m hard-pressed to drive 2-3 hours to go see live music with any regularity.

Your first 12” on Opit Records is out shortly. How did you hook it up? Tell us what peoples can expect…

Pretty short story really. I sent Subeena a link because I liked her release and the Opit logo, and it turns out she liked my soundcloud stuff. I used to have a ton of tracks up (70+) and she combed through all of it and picked these three. I’m not sure how to characterize the release really...it’s a variety 3 pack of tunes taken from a ton of different influences recorded over an 8-month span.

What other projects have you got in the pipeline? What’s happening with you in the rest of 2010?

I’ve got a remix from Greymatter’s ‘Mind Over Matter’ coming out soon. It’s pretty cool I think. I also have some stuff going on/over with Hold Box Flat that I’m really excited about. I’m assuming everyone already knows this, but just in case: Thristian bPm and D’Wala’s Transmit Box Flat is the absolute penultimate in podcast awesomeness. Seriously: 10/10.

As far as other stuff goes, I’m in the symbolic stage of starting a label called Landforms, mostly because I can count the number of quality US labels (not located in LA) on one hand, and it strikes me there are enough talented artists on this side of the Atlantic to get something going. That and I’m apparently addicted to working really hard sans pay. Finally, I’m trying to do some collaborative work with my Dublin-based friend Shatterfreak and other than that I can only speculate... might have a kid this year... gigs... more releases... job getting... I’m doing a guestmix of some of my stuff for Mary Anne Hobbs on May 26th which is really cool. And I’m gonna keep writing tracks.

Any words of wisdom for our readers?

Yeah... don’t be a douchebag. Life is too short.

::

DOWNLOAD: Milyoo - Sonic Router Mix



Tracklist:

Shai - If I Ever Fall in Love Again (Acapella Ver.)
Radiohead - Reckoning (Kidkanevil Remix)
James Blake - The Bells Sketch
Pariah - Detroit Falls
Milyoo - Like a Fool
Madlib - Lifetime (Lifeline)
Kankick - Mas Fire (Snip)
Kidkanevil - When Doves Bounce
Latyrx – Latyrx
Airborne Audio - Trust Me
Untold - Yukon (Fantastic Mr. Fox Remix)
Tokimonsta - Glaring Lights
Take - Horizontal Figuration
Paul White - Floating Free
Beach Boys - Our Prayer
Adele - Chasing Pavements (Various Production Mix)
Bullion - Crazy Over You
Milyoo - So Many Windows

Link:
www.myspace.com/milyoo

DOWNLOAD: Hyetal - Lucky Me Mix



Bristol's Hyetal completely surpassed our expectations last year, providing one of our very favourite Sonic Router mixes and releasing vinyl encoded with his music on Formant, Reduction and Soul Motive before 2009 was out. He also launched 2010 in style, with the immense collaborative 12" with Shortstuff on Punch Drunk - which is still heavy in rotation at SR HQ - so we welcomed the polite and informative email we received from him this morning with a high level of glee.

Touting his mix for the Lucky Me collective - which just went live last Friday - he went on to divulge that his "next release will be my tune 'Phoenix' on Orca Recordings, after the XI/Headhunter 12", so it'll be sometime this summer..."

"I've been collaborating a lot as well as writing solo; new stuff with Shortstuff, Peverelist and Baobinga will be surfacing on various labels later this year and there's a bunch of remixes on their way too... so there's lots on the horizon."

DOWNLOAD: Hyetal - Lucky Me Mix (Scroll down, its number 70)

No tracklist given, sucker.

Link:
www.myspace.com/hyetalmusic

Thursday 6 May 2010

RECOMMENDED: Illum Sphere – Go Killum/Technopolis/Titan [3024]



The eighth release on Martyn’s 3024 label comes from Manchester beat technician Illum Sphere who has been responsible for some killer off-centre hip-hop instrumentals on Fat City Recordings and the Hoya:Hoya club night; joining the dots between the fringes of dubstep and hip-hop in fine style with the likes Martyn rubbing shoulders with Flying Lotus, Dam-Funk and Ikonika. It’s his second outing on 3024 after remixing Martyn’s beat-less surge ‘Brilliant Orange’ from what was essentially an instrumental segway on his fantastic album Great Lengths, but in Illum’s hands it was flipped and extended into a full, pulsing, emotional slab of atmospheric beat work. This platter carries on very much in that vein.

The crackle fest that is ‘Go Killum’ gets things off to a good start, fitting somewhere between Flying Lotus, Actress and Kyle Hall, bumpin’ with a skeletal yet warm soundsystem funk. The sound of being lost, driving around a city at night; as the light trails fly past, you feel apprehensive but at home in your motor, heaters on stereo turned right up.

The low-slung magic of ‘Technopolis’ isn’t too dissimilar to the Flying Lotus workout ‘Disco Balls’ from Hyperdub’s ‘5’ compilation: in that it’s got off-kilter slow and punchy house grooves and a funky as hell synth bass groove that has that warm tweaked-out buzz. It’s an altogether more spaced out affair, putting emphasis on the crackle, atmospheric pads and jazz-house subtleties whilst the drums get the head nodding as layers of sub bass squirm in all directions. The energetic synth surges of ‘Titan’ pick up the pace and bring a dose of euphoria to the platter as digital crickets chirp like sprites in a computer game night time scenario.

Words: James Balf
Out: Monday 10th May

Links:
www.myspace.com/theillumsphere
http://hoyahoya.tumblr.com
http://3024world.blogspot.com

DOWNLOAD: Deadboy - Hyp!Hyp!Hyp! Mix



Facebook Event // Tickets

In celebration of this ^^^ event at Plan B next Friday, the Numbers/Well Rounded signed pulseless child, Deadboy, just put together a mix featuring a bunch of freaky deeky bits from people like D1, Cosmin TRG, DJ Naughty, Altered Natives and Kromestar...

DOWNLOAD: Deadboy - Hyp!Hyp!Hyp! Mix



Tracklist:

01. Cosmin TRG - Groove Control
02. Musical Mob - Sweet Sounds
03. C.R.S.T - Dial the Operator
04. D1 - Crack Bong
05. Baby Cham - Man & Man (El-B remix)
06. Umbra Productions - Everyday is a Gunshot
07. DJ Naughty - Firepower
08. Ultrasound - Heavy Roll
09. The Dub Monsters - Waiting
10. Altered Natives - Believe In Me (Zed Bias Club Dub)
11. Lil Silva - No Hooks
12. Musical Mob - Pulse Xtra
13. Lighter - Skanker
14. Addison Groove - Footcrab
15. Kromestar - Iron Soul

Link:
http://www.myspace.com/deadboysoundboy

PRE-ORDER: Cosmin TRG - Groove Control/See Other People [Rush Hour]



Following on from FaltyDL’s excellent, house-tinged All In The Place EP, Rush Hour are now putting out a second bass-related twelve. Unsurprisingly given the label’s general output, Cosmin TRG’s contributions are similarly indebted to house music, eschewing the post-garage stutter of his early music but also taking an obviously different approach even to his recent Tempa double pack. That release, Now You Know, found him at a curious juncture in his sound. Neither entirely divorced from the austere Hessle Audio-isms of his earliest music nor fully embracing a ruder dancefloor edge; it was intriguing but ultimately an unbalanced experience.

The two tracks on his Rush Hour 12” further refine the smooth technofied edges he began to explore on ‘Since Last Night’ and ‘Purple Lights,’ flitting smoothly between four-to-the-floor house manoeuvres and soca-style funky percussion. Yet despite their smoother and more coherent feel neither quite manages to reconcile the two sides of his sound, leaving an unresolved tension hanging in the air throughout. ‘Groove Control’ is almost intimidating in its forward momentum, as heavily swung drums open up gaps for fractionally short periods before closing them again. Throughout the track its pulse is offset by Detroit-ish burbling synths, a trait shared with B-side ‘Seeing Other People’. Initially the less confusing of the two, its lopsided vocals and heady pulse gradually wear down the thin border between dancefloor and mind material, making it tough to resolve its questionable motives. Nonetheless, both tracks are immersive listens in their own right and go some way – if not the entire distance - towards answering the riddles posed by CosminTRG’s last release.

Words: Rory Gibb
Out: Now

Link:
www.myspace.com/trgproductions

VIDEO: Mount Kimbie @ Big Chill House



Some on camera chatter regarding that debut album from Mount Kimbie's Kai & Dom, amongst other things with some sweet ass video transitions thrown in for good measure.

Link:
www.myspace.com/mountkimbie
www.theindependentcontentcompany.co.uk

Wednesday 5 May 2010

INTERVIEW: Rekordah Talks Astro:Dynamics



Without Bristol/London based beat maker Rekordah’s contribution to our mix series way back when I’m pretty sure Sonic Router would never have launched into the blogosphere the way that we did (sidenote: we’re fully aware that the ripple permeating our tiny corner of the internet doesn’t shout as loud as some strongholds but still, we’re outwardly proud of what we’ve put together over the past 15 months). His willingness to give something up to us gave us hope that there were artists out there willing to take the splash on an unknown blogspot page and he inspired us to aim higher in a way…So it’s a glorious feeling deep in our guts for us to be able to bring you news and the inside scoop on a project helmed by the first ever ‘Sonic Router Mix Giver.’

Astro:Dynamics is a compilation of 16 beats curated by Rekordah that features a veritable whos who in modern UK ‘beats.’ Names like Lukid – whose first two albums on Werk Discs pre-empted a whole heap of great music in their own right - Lucky Me’s Mike Slott and The Blessings sit in perfect harmony with Stoke Newington’s Subeena and SR’s new favourite obsession, Coco Bryce, alongside an old one in the form of Slugabed. Theres beats from established talents like Bnjmn (aka Jackhigh) and new names like Professor Ojo and Crackazat plus skweee tinged productions from Metske and Slow Hand Motem.

Designed less as a compilation of UK strains and more of a unifier for discordant strains of music that share similar sound sets, its Rekordah’s enthusiasm and passion for the music having put together the whole thing himself that really shines, making great use of material new and old. And given his position in the scene – as one of the most skewed beat makers out there - it’s inevitable that a compilation helmed by him would be packed full of “good friends and fantastic talents.”

We caught up with him, told him not to even dream of holding back and this is what we were left with… along with the dropped jaws and raised neck hairs.

Sonic Router: So… why the name Astro:Dynamics?

Rekordah: I’m in my last year of my degree right now, and around the time when I started working on this project was also writing my thesis. The thesis was based around an analysis of instrumental hip-hop and beats stuff within the context of Afrofuturism, particularly drawing on Kodwo Eshun’s ‘More Brilliant Than the Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction’ as a frame of reference.

I got quite heavily into writing this thesis – looking in depth at the modern instrumental beats stuff as a form of hip-hop that allows for an erosion of the tension between the concepts of roots and futures in the music of what Paul Gilroy calls the ‘Black Atlantic’ – with the instrumental and electronic aspects providing that faceless, post-human element infamous with techno and the like, whilst the swung and unquantized element allows for a human, almost ultra-human, poly-rhythmic foundation to be present also. I also ended up drawing close comparisons between Eshun’s analysis of the late 60s to early 70s psychedelic jazz period – and the establishment of what Eshun calls a “post-jazz universe” – and the modern instrumental beats stuff, putting the case forward for this so called post-Dilla period as a formation of a post-hip hop universe, so to speak.

Anyway, before I end up writing another thesis here I’ll try and get back to the point. Basically… after surrounding myself with all this theory I knew I wanted to link these concepts into this project somehow. In ‘More Brilliant…’ Eshun creates this fantastic and really unique imagery to illustrate his theories by playing with words a lot, very frequently stringing together rather elaborate terms himself, and a lot of the time breaking words in two to form new meanings. So anyway, astro:dynamics is my own attempt at this sort of wordplay – with the ‘astro’ segment representing the stars and the concept of space and future, and the ‘dynamics’ representing sound and music.

I guess it was just a roundabout way of calling it ‘Sound of the Stars’ to be honest, if that makes sense…?

Were you inspired by the Beat Dimensions series? In that you were creating something that would stand as a snapshot of the scene? What drove you to put it together?

Definitely, the first Beat Dimensions compilation was massively inspiring for me – not just in putting together this release, but also in making me want to start getting more serious and focused with my own music as well. To be honest, I think before the first Beat Dimensions compilation came out I really had no idea that sort of vibe had gotten so wide spread.

In fact, before the Beat Dimensions compilation had come out it was another compilation that came out the year before that was really inspiring me – entitled The Sound of L.A. and featuring cuts from Kutmah, Ras G, Flying Lotus, Ammoncontact, Black Monk, Young Jazz Rebels (one of many Madlib alias’), Dntel, Sa-Ra and a few more. Before that I was, like many other guys involved beats stuff now, just listening to wall-to-wall Madlib, Dilla and Ammoncontact stuff. When I heard The Sound of L.A. it really hit the nail on the head of what I was looking for in music at that point, and it helped me to discover a bunch of great artists that I had never heard of before.

But before the Beat Dimensions compilation I was pretty naively convinced that this sort of stuff was pretty much solely confined to L.A. and Detroit. When it dropped it was a kind of WTF!? moment. Here were all these artists from all over the fucking world basically, and it really opened my eyes to it all. Then of course the next stop was the ‘Beatnicks’ Vol. 1 and 2 releases on Up My Alley which opened my eyes to even more new artists. That’s when my interest really went into overdrive to be honest; those Rustie tracks were just not of this planet, and the Jackhigh, Powell, and fLako tracks were really fantastic too – it just really hit me then how much really wild creativity was going on with this stuff, there was a complete disregard for imitation or tradition.

The All City 7x7 series also… it really just set in stone how special this music was, and how insanely eclectic the different sounds and influences coming from all the different artists on that series were. But the whole package with that series was amazing – the artwork, the concept, everything. And just in general I think the compilation format really has a particular potency with this sort of stuff. There’s just something about it that seems right, you know? It’s almost like so much of hip-hop (and dubstep now too) can be so inward-looking and insular, so focused on that one sound – yet the way in which the Beat Dimensions, Beatnicks, and 7x7 compilations gathered together all this internationally diverse and eclectic music it kind of forced you to open your arms and mind to it, and it not only allowed you to be introduced to each respective artist but to a whole group of artists with their own unique palettes, and I think that’s a really beautiful thing. It really is a reflection of how much variety there is to take in. I like listening to individual artist releases too but there is a different way in which you mentally (and I suppose physically) approach a compilation, it is a lot more based around discovery and variety. I suppose I don’t see it as a snapshot of a scene so much as a bringing together of individual outlooks and unique perspectives.

In terms of what drove me to put the compilation together; well it was actually another university project. I had my major project to do and I knew I wanted to put together a compilation from the off. I guess I put it down to the amount of inspiration I gained from the aforementioned compilations that made me want to try my hand at it. The project itself consisted of compiling and signing tracks, sourcing manufacture and distribution, and getting it to retail. I put a lot of thought into the track-listing and artists, and did my best to put together something that was cohesive and made sense, but I also wanted to make each track to stand out from the others and to be its own entity if you see what I mean. I also didn’t want it to particularly represent a scene of sorts nor did I want it to be specifically beats either – I wanted it to have that discovery factor to it as well, and for people to be surprised and intrigued by the music from whichever angle they were coming from. After all, that’s what music is all about in my opinion.



What was it about all the people (and the beats) involved that you gelled with?

Well on one hand I wanted to bring together many of the good people and artists I’ve met and/or worked with (either via the internet or physically) over the past couple of years or so. It’s another aspect of what makes music so great to me, getting to meet really nice like-minded people and getting creative with them or just generally shooting the shit, you know? I’ve been really blown away many really nice people there are making music, there really is hardly any of the egos that you might expect from people. I mean, first and foremost I’m a music-lover, I only ever wanted to start making music because I felt so inspired by listening to such great music, so it really is a fantastic thing to connect with people who I respect and whose music I love. So I guess on the whole the compilation is a sort of tribute to making those connections and friendships via music, and also a tribute to the music for making it possible – I know that must sound corny, but fuck it, it’s the truth.

On the other hand, at the same time as getting music from some more established names on there I did make quite a conscious effort to get some artists who are a little bit slept on onto the track-list. Take Clause Four for example, a friend of mine for a while; his record for DC Recordings back in 2007 was really one of the greatest releases of that period in my opinion, and he’s been making some amazing stuff since, yet he doesn’t get enough love for it – hopefully this release and his recent stuff on Jahtari will help to change that. Professor Ojo is another guy who has been making consistently great stuff for a while now also, and his beat on this compilation is really dope too – hopefully more people will wake up and check him out also.

I also wanted to bring in some more Bristol-based artists too, being my hometown, and that’s represented via the tracks from Crackazat and Lower. Crackazat is a guy who I think I have kind of half-known personally for years and years – a friend of friends and all that, remember the face but never got to know properly. Anyway he is making some really great music at the moment – multi-instrumentalist who’s studying Jazz and making some really nice beats on the side – we are going get to work on a solo release from him in the future and you should watch out for a remix of his on Affine Records soon too.

A lot of the people are UK based right? How did you go about extracting beats from people?

Yeah, all artists are UK based – with the exception of Slow Hand Motem (who is based in Canada) and Coco Bryce (who is based in Holland). The artists were mostly people who I have met over the past couple of years; via gigs, through correspondence online or just out and about in London or Bristol. The bulk of the artists actually fit in to that last category, so naturally the list of included artists ended up being quite UK focused. Looking back at this it wasn’t by any means a deliberate thing, but I do think it’s quite nice to have something that gives a good representation of artists that are doing their thing in the UK right now. That’s not to devalue Motem and Coco’s presence on the compilation by any means, but I will say that I have lots of admiration and perhaps a little national pride in the amount of great artists that are coming through the UK at the moment – and I think the track-list shows a good cross-section of what makes the variety in the UK so rich at present.

Whist I certainly put a lot of work into getting the track-list 100% right and exactly how I wanted, the process for gathering tracks was really quite informal and casual – this was helped by the fact that I see a fair few of the included artists pretty regularly, so it was naturally pretty casual. Also, being a university project, I had deadlines to meet – so this meant that the track-list was compiled rather quickly. When I say quickly, I don’t mean it was rushed at all – and it was at least a good 2 ½ months worth of work getting everything together and cemented in terms of gathering the tracks and finalizing the track-list – but it meant that the way in which I approached constructing the track-list, and the way in which I approached the artists themselves, was probably quite different to how the majority of labels would go about signing tracks for a new release.

I tend to find that quite a few labels, if not most nowadays, seem to want the newest tracks from artists for their releases. I suppose this is understandable in many ways, but it does mean that a lot of truly fantastic music doesn’t make it out there. Because of the deadlines I had to meet with university it meant that I didn’t have the option to have artists work on all-new material for it, so it ended up being the case that a lot of the tracks featured on the compilation came out of the vaults so to speak. – pretty much all of the tracks were already finished and complete when I signed them. Lukid’s track in particular is really quite old, sort of pre-Onandon stuff like the ‘Everybody Make Happy’ track you featured a while ago. And the Slugabed track came from a big pile of tracks he sent me in late 2008, it’s been my favorite beat of his ever since. I’m really happy to have the opportunity to bring these older tracks to a wider audience instead of having them lost and forgotten.

Like I said I can understand why labels would want to grab the new shit, and similarly I can see why artists themselves wouldn’t necessarily want their old stuff being unearthed as they may well be exploring new territories, and the old stuff perhaps doesn’t fit with the angle they are going for in the present day. But I’ve always seemed to be one of those guys who whatever music it is has always been about the earlier stuff, you know? I think it’s also quite interesting to once in a while take a look back at the older stuff, and to look at the contrast between that and the present. It’s also intriguing to see how people react to the older bits when they haven’t got the context and assume it’s new.

That’s not to say that all the tracks on the compilation are all old. Because of the deadlines I had to meet, my process for building up the track-list in the initial stage was mostly a case of trawling through people’s myspace or soundcloud players searching for potential tracks. The deadlines didn’t allow for much time to ask for artists to submit tracks – you what musicians are like with punctuality (I’m probably one of worst to be honest) – so essentially in a good proportion of cases I came to the artist asking for a specific track which I had decided on before even approaching the artists. Bit of a risky process perhaps, because it could’ve easily gone back to square one if the tracks I had chosen prior to contacting the artists weren’t available for whatever reason. Luckily, besides a couple of little hiccups it was plain sailing.

Its coming on CD first and then vinyl after right? Have you decided which cuts will be making wax?

In all honesty I really am having a very hard time deciding which tracks should see vinyl. The plan is to do an EP and perhaps a couple of limited edition 7”s. I’d really love to have all the tracks see vinyl but that’d be mighty costly and I’m afraid I just don’t have the finances to support doing that… I do have a good idea of what will make vinyl at the moment but I also want to see what the feedback and demand is like before the final decision is made. So if there’s anybody out there who has a particular craving for a particular track or tracks to make vinyl then give me a shout!

Any plans for a launch party?

None as yet. We did actually have a sort of pseudo-launch back in January, but it was more of a low-key drinks and records affair and obviously it wasn’t a release party as we were quite far off from a release date at that point. But I’ll be sure to sort one out soon, watch this space.

What else is coming up for you release/gig wise?

Release wise, the brilliant Tropical Heat compilation on MYOR has just dropped which I’m very happy to be a part of – such good tracks on there. I’m also working on a track for a compilation LP that will be coming out on the fantastic Lo Fi Funk label out of Spain – there is sure to be some outstanding music on there and the label it’s self is set for big things too, really great guys running that and they have got some great releases coming up so keep an eye on them. I’ve kind of been laying a bit low in terms of my own music at the moment because I am so busy nowadays what with finishing off my degree and working full-time – am I trying to kill myself?! But once university is out of the way I’m planning on settling down a bit and getting to work on a EP or Mini LP of some description, so hopefully that won’t be too far off.

In terms of gigs there is the Donky Pitch 1st Birthday Party coming up in Brighton with sets from myself, Boss Kite, Ghost Mutt, Slugabed, Randy Barracuda and Fulgeance on May 20th so make sure to try and make it down to that. It’s a brilliant party ran by some great guys. I played their first party and have attended every show they’ve done since, so that’s a testament to how much fun times there are to be had down there.

Astro:Dynamics will be released mid June 2010, distributed by Cargo Records. Further releases are slated to follow after the compilation also...

Full Astro:Dynamics CD tracklisting:

1. Lukid – Pleurisy
2. Jay Prada – Nina’s Strut
3. Tapes – Oberheimer
4. Slow Hand Motëm – Love is the New Evil
5. Clause Four – Daze
6. Mike Slott – Music’s Fun
7. Coco Bryce – The Cliche
8. Slugabed – Clunk Clunk
9. Crackazat – Party in the Clouds
10. Bnjmn – It’s Not a Joint
11. Rekordah – Candy Flossin’
12. Professor Ojo – Focus
13. Metske – Isotopic
14. Subeena – Rakeeh
15. Lower – Heartbroken
16. The Blessings – Lungebob

Artwork by SiriusBerlin.

Catch Rekordah at Donky Pitch’s 1st Birthday on Thursday 20th May at The Volks in Brighton.



Facebook Event

Link:
www.myspace.com/rekorder87