Our Love | Caribou
Here is the title cut from Caribou’s Our Love LP forthcoming via Merge.
Pre-order the 12″ here and the digital release here .
Wolfey | ASLMIX003
In anticipation of my upcoming EP for ASL Singles Club due...
Sasha | Sunday School Sessions
Sasha takes the decks for the seventh episode of Sunday School...
Deetron ft. Seth Troxler | Love Song [MM173]
Seth Troxler waxes philosophical over top of Deetron’s surly groove that...
Soul Of Hex | Lip Reading (Larry Heard Midnight Remix) [CVMR010]
Soul Of Hex is a Tijuana-based duo comprised of 4004...
Ambient
Darkside | Gone Too Soon
Darkside announced that the members of the group will be taking a hiatus from the project. Here is a track that they shared along with this announcement, which is aptly titled “Gone Too Soon.”
Eric Volta | Late Night Thoughts Of Self-Realisation
Eric Volta just shared this contemplative experimental ambient electronic piece via SoundCloud…
Evy Jane | Worry Heart
From Vancouver-based duo Evy Jane’s Closer EP forthcoming on Ninja Tune , this is “Worry Heart”…
International Peoples Gang | PS [HiPh9]
International Peoples Gang, a.k.a. Martyn Watson and Ric Peet, have put together a two track EP for Amsterdam-based Hi-Phi imprint.
On “PS”, a dark dubby cinematic tech-house odyssey, the duo masterfully blends rich ambient textures, warm synth arpeggios, piano chords, subdued organic percussion, and rhythmic vocal snippets.
“Saffron” is a smooth sexy melancholic balearic groove. It’s perfect for any context that calls for chilling out .
The release hits the shelves August 11th.
1. “PS” 2. “PS” (Coyote Low Spirits dub) 3. “Saffron”
Taron-Trekka | self-titled EP [FINA016]
Since the early 2000′s, Daniel Müller-Sachs and Andreas Kriester, a.k.a. Taron Trekka , have put out music via labels such as Freude Am Tamzen, Brut! and Milnor Modern. Here is a little taste of their new EP out now on FINA records .
1. Alelle Fu
2. Olsen Mosaik
3. Savant
4. Straff Afo
Imre Kiss | Raw Energy EP [LT006]
Budapest’s Imre Kiss has made his vinyl debut on London-based Lobster Theremin with his Raw Energy EP, which comprises five cuts that span from gritty lo-fi house and techno to ambient.
Have a little taste… And if you’re feelin’ it, buy the release in digital or vinyl format here .
Luke Abbott | Free Migration
In anticipation of Luke Abott’s Wysing Forest LP forthcoming on Border Community , he has shared a single off the release entitled “Free Migration”…
Martyn | The Air Between Words LP
The folks at Ninja Tune and Thump have made Martyn’s new LP The Air Between Words available for streaming in full:
Eric Volta | Untitled As Is Unrequited
Eric Volta’s “Untitled As Is Unrequited” is a melancholic washed-out analog poly-synth ambient bath. The artwork captures the emotion of the track perfectly.
Caribou | Can’t Do Without You
It’s been ages, but well worth the wait. This is the latest from Caribou -
“Can’t Do Without You” is the first tune from Our Love , his forthcoming album which will be out on Merge Records on the 7th of October.
My Favorite Robot | Mirror Image EP
On Mirror Image EP, Toronto-based duo MFR orchestrate a moody melodic ambient techno symphony.
“Window To Vertigo” evokes a sense of rising suspense. The TB-303 carries the bass lead duties while another higher pitched lead line dances over top and the 909 chugs along. The distant morphing pads instill an air of gravity and desperation. I mixed this track into the last episode of Low-Life’s mix podcast series–The Bootleg Tapes | XIX.
“Three Points” establishes a weird ambient mind-space. (Suffice to say, this one is not a tech-house dj’s secret weapon.) It’s dark, abstract and discordant. A dark analog synth pulses steadily while another lead synth and a guitar rattle off improvised melodies.
“Other Storm” is moody brooding and bittersweet. It builds slowly witholding the bass progression from us until the right moment at 2:45. This heightens our anticipation throughout the intro. Delayed analog synth arpeggios spiral off into the abyss. The 909 makes another appearance with it’s insistent funky groove. Glimmering synth pads fill the space in between the drum hits.
With their releases so far this year, (such as Flowers & Sea Creatures’ Afternoons and Afterhours EP, MFR has won my heart. I’d say that it is one not only one of my favorite Canadian dance labels, but one of my favorite labels.)
Mirror Image is forthcoming on their MFR imprint this month.
Klartraum | E2 EP [LFO060]
E2 is the second part of a quarterly EP series from German duo Klartraum , with the following two instalments due to follow later this year. Supposedly, the “E” in the title stands for Enneagram, which is “a model of human personality that allows you to describe or to find out through which lens you see your reality.” Author Stephen Wolinsky has written a book on the subject and it is something that permeates the work of Klartraum.
Klartraum is composed of Helmut Ebritsch and Nadja Lind . They founded Lucidflow in 2009.
With the title ‘Sky Fall’, the duo makes reference to Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the stratosphere back to earth last year, which was sponsored by Red Bull. The track has a spacious epic soundscape, a funky smooth feel and a cheeky bittersweet mood. The duo weaves together driving electric guitar chord stabs, soft Fender Rhodes melodies dressed with airy reverb, and a driving four-to-the floor groove. The club mix makes for an excellent tool for the dj, but my personal preference is the “cinematic mix”. I love the way the arrangement slowly unfolds, which is why I used it to open up the last episode of my podcast series– The Bootleg Tapes | Vol. XIX .
On ‘Celebration’, the duo offers up polished understated tech house with a palette of crisp 909 percussion, warm jazzy chords, short speech samples, and funky disco synth plucks.
‘Tree of Life’ is slower than the other two tracks, and it’s clear that this one is meant for a more mellow context. It’s a lonely contemplative walk into the dark forest of your mind. It feels like I’m surrounded by the canopy of tall trees; I can hear the wildlife buzzing, rattling, and chirping.
E2 is a moody cerebral organic ambient tech house journey. It will be out May 20th on Lucidflow.
Nauruan Stranger | Inka EP
Based in Austria, Nauruan Stranger follows up his debut ‘Bot / Human’ EP with a new offering for Berlin-based Konstruktiv imprint, which includes a remix of the title cut by the label’s founder Rekord 61 .
The title cut evokes a mood of profundity and anticipation. On “Inka” Nauruan Stanger blends a muffled broken beat, a muted acid bass line, a dance of glowing synth pads, and indecipherable pitched-down vocal snippets.
“Akbar” is a dark acid trip. In other words, the focal point of this tune is a sinister warping Roland TB-303 riff that wiggles over top the driving four-to-the-floor groove. It features soft hypnotizing re-pitched vocal loops and chops.
On “Holga”, Nauruan Stranger lays down another broken beat overlaid with short vocal chops, a solemn choir section pad, a brooding muted 303 line, and distant otherworldly synth pads.
Inka EP is sublime. (And I love the art.)
Nauruan Stranger ’s Inka EP is out on Konstruktiv on June 2nd 2014.
Kesper | Moonwalk EP
Forthcoming on Slipstone Records on May 19th, Kesper’s Moonwalk EP is an ambient techno house outer-space white-noise bliss trip.
“Afterglow”, (my personal favourite track on the release), is perfectly suited for sunrises, sunsets, making out, or any other beautiful ecstatic situation in which you may find yourself.
“Re-entry” is amazing in its own right. On top of the steady thump of the kick, a warm pad-like “Reese” bass progression dances with sparkling synth arpeggios dressed with a light helping of spacious reverb.
Follow Kesper into deep space.
p.s.
Praise Slipstone Records for sharing full-length streams of their releases instead of unsatisfying three-minute previews like many other labels…
NGLY | Service Cost HH2
NGLY serves up a crispy dark hypnotic single for L.I.E.S. – out on April 14th.
Black Jazz Consortium | Soul People Music Radio IV
Fred P beams in from NYC with a bag of carefully chosen unmixed selections for the fourth episode of Soul People Music Radio, which has quickly become one of my favourite radio-shows/podcasts.
Je’ Couleur | Space Dancer
Je’ Couleur , a producer hailing from Mexico, offers up his debut EP via No Static for release on April 7th. The release includes four chilly deep space-disco jams that bear the unmistakable influence of French electro house.
Traumer | Takt LP
Here is a little preview of Paris-based Traumer’s Takt LP out April 24th on Herzblut Recordings .
“Takt” the title cut is a thirteen-minute instrumental bluesy house odyssey with warm live organ and guitar.
When I first listened to “Azure”, I felt chills coursing down my spine. Imagine if Phillip Glass made a hot techno house single employing his signature layered piano loop sound, and brought in a soulful sax player with deadly chops to solo over top the entire jam. That’s my best attempt at describing this one.
“Flume” delivers classic dark 90′s house vibes–a funky muted bass riff, rich moody Korg M1 style piano chord stabs, percussive vocal chops, and a relentless rolling shuffle.
To be honest, I’m still getting to know the rest of the album. Nevertheless, it stands out to me as one of the most exceptional full-length dance releases that I’ve laid ears on so far this year. For me, it’s brilliant. It’s too bad that these previews are so short because you have to hear these tracks in full to appreciate their depth. But better a snippet than nothing–am I right?
Fred P | Distant Rain / Using Machines
NYC’s Black Jazz Consortium , a.k.a. Fred P, shares a preview of his upcoming single for Mule Musiq.
“Distant Rain” is a wet crunchy moody techno trip.
“Using Machines” dwells in laid-back warm jazzy house territory.
Black Jazz Consortium | Soul People Music Radio
NYC’s Black Jazz Consortium , a.k.a. Fred P, offers up another sixty-minute podcast comprised of deep dark ambient house selections unmixed.
Petar Dundov | Origins / Rising
Zagreb’s Petar Dundov follows up his third full-length Sailing Off The Grid and his recent single “Moving” / “Cannonic Waves” with two new cuts on Ghent-based Music Man Records .
Both tracks are vast mysterious techno odysseys…
Renaat | Eclectic Chillout Podcast
Renaat , founder of R&S and Apollo , just put up the latest instalment of his “Eclectic Chillout” podcast series…
Dead Heat | Bosco EP
On their latest EP for Life & Death , the trio known as Dead Heat provide two moody ambient psychedelic pop jams that blur the lines between dance and indie through their smooth integration of synths and drum machines as well as live instrumentation and reverb-laden vocal performances.
Also included is a remix from Berlin-based producer and Berghain resident Lucy, a.k.a. Luca Mortellaro .
Swedish producer The Field , a.k.a. Axel Willner, remixes “The Dam”.
