Bicep | Satisfy (Brassica remix)
Brassica has crafted a lush dark hypnotizing remix Bicep’s Italo-breaks banger “Satisfy”…
It will be available on a 12″ along with John Talabot’s remix. Pre-order here .
Out November 10th 2014 via International Feel, Talamanca System’s “Balanzat”...
Ron Morelli and Low Jack of L.I.E.S. took the decks...
Brooklyn-based Wolf + Lamb laid down a dreamy sixty-minute set for...
Soul Of Hex is a Tijuana-based duo comprised of 4004...
Brassica has crafted a lush dark hypnotizing remix Bicep’s Italo-breaks banger “Satisfy”…
It will be available on a 12″ along with John Talabot’s remix. Pre-order here .
Bicep made this exclusive single for Will Saul to use in his mix for DJ-Kicks .
see previously:
As per usual, I’m just a little bit late handing in this final report. But it’s not because we left it to the last minute… (Well that’s not entirely true; some of us did.) But some of us have been deliberating for weeks – and much more intensely during the last week or so. After countless hours of sifting through the ol’ iTunes library and scrolling through SoundCloud <3s, we painstakingly compiled this list of releases that moved us from the past year.
We didn’t rank them. Who are we to make the ruling that “so-and-so dropped the best track of the year”?
Think of this as a music yearbook for our eclectic little dysfunctional family of music enthusiasts.
It’s not the case that all of us agree on every single item on the final list. The list would look completely different if any one of our other staff-writers had prepared the final draft in my stead. But I did my best to weave a tapestry of each of our distinctive contributor’s thoughtful selections. That said, it is impossible for me to transcend my personal bias in the final selection process.
There were way too many tracks that I wanted to include and had no choice but to leave out due to length limitations. We could have put together a list of three hundred tracks, but we had to abritrarily draw the line somewhere… We selected twenty LPs, twenty EPs, and one hundred tracks to share with you.
So – don’t take this as an exhaustive list. I must admit that we left out a large handful of gems, but I did my best to throw together a sampling of music from 2013 that bobbed our heads, shook our butts, and filled our hearts with reverence and joy.
What does the future hold for us?
Reflektor – Arcade Fire [Merge]
Family Vacation – Axel Boman [Studio Barnhus]
Tomorrow’s Harvest – Boards of Canada [Warp]
Random Access Memories – Daft Punk [Columbia]
Psychic – Darkside [Other People]
Settle – Disclosure [PMR]
Amygdala – DJ Koze [Pampa]
Doris – Earl Sweatshirt [Tan Cressida, Columbia]
Engravings – Forest Swords [Tri Angle]
Beautiful Rewind – Four Tet [Text]
Overgrown – James Blake [Atlas, A&M, Polydor]
Rap Album 1 – Jonwayne [Stonesthrow]
Immunity – Jon Hopkins [Domino]
CUT 4 ME – Kelela [Fade To Mind]
Yeezus – Kanye West [Def Jam]
6 Feet Beneath the Moon – King Krule [XL, True Panther]
Cold Spring Faultless Youth – Mount Kimbie [Warp]
Eve – Booka Shade [Embassy One]
Anything In Return – Toro Y Moi [Carpark]
Treat Me Right – Trus’me [Prime Numbers]
Scala – Agoria, Francesco Tristano [Innervisions]
Tatischeff EP – Ame [Innervisions]
Rival Dealer – Burial [Hyperdub]
MTS Vol. 2 – Crazy P [Future Boogie]
Careless – Dusky [Aus]
The Uprising – Ian O’Donovan [KMS]
Planets, Spaceships – Jamie Jones [Hot Creations]
Taking Over – Joe Goddard [DFA]
Anaphora – John Tejada [Palette]
Yugen – Koreless [Young Turks]
LZD II – Laszlo Dancehall [Man Make Music]
Brother/Sister – Leon Vynehall [Aus]
Airglow Fires – Lone [R&S]
Truths – Maribou State [Southern Fried]
Send A Prayer – Motor City Drum Ensemble [MCDE]
Sweet Life – Rick Wade [FINA]
Elliot – Roosevelt [Greco Roman]
Gotham – Ten Walls [Innervisions]
Requiem – Ten Walls [Life and Death]
Strandbar – Todd Terje [Olsen]
Axel Boman
Pressure – Adesse Versions [Make Love In Public Spaces]
For One Hour (ft. Scalde) (Paradis remix) – Agoria [Rebirth]
Out – Autem [ASL Singles Club]
Hello – Axel Boman [Studio Barnhus]
Cinderella Curfew – Baunz [self-released]
Boards of Canada
Satisfy – Bicep [Feel My Bicep]
It’s All Over – Blanc 1 [Hivern]
Semena Mertvykh – Boards of Canada [Warp]
Heat – Boddika [Swamp 81]
Imperfection – Bodhi [Future Classic]
Booka Shade
Giving It All (Joe Goddard remix) – Bondax [Ultra]
Cirrus – Bonobo [Ninja Tune]
Love Inc. – Booka Shade [Embassy One]
Come Down To Us – Burial [Hyperdub]
Walkin’ – CAS [self-released]
Darkside
All My Love (Kingdom edit) – Cassie [self-released]
FlyLOVE – Chris Turner [Rebirth]
Lose Yourself to Dance (ft. Pharrell Williams) – Daft Punk [Columbia]
Confidence – Daniel Stefanik [Cocoon]
Heart – Darkside [Other People]
Disclosure
Colt – Dense & Pika [Hot Flush]
When A Fire Starts To Burn – Disclosure [PMR]
No One Gets Left Behind (Konstantin Sibold remix) – DJ Yellow, Flowers & Sea Creatures [Compost]
Started From the Bottom – Drake [Cash Money, Island, Republic]
Need U (100%) ft. A*M*E – Duke Dumont [Ministry of Sound]
Four Tet
Careless – Dusky [Aus]
Hive (ft. Vince Staples & Casey Veggies) – Earl Sweatshirt [Tan Cressida, Columbia]
Love Your Illusion – Eric Volta [No. 19]
Between Villains – Captain Murphy, Viktor Vaughn, Earl Sweatshirt [Williams Street]
For These Times – Four Tet [Nonplus]
Thom Yorke & Nigel Godrich of Atoms For Peace
Pyramid (Atoms For Peace remix) – Four Tet [self-released]
Majestic Mountains – Franskild [Sweat It Out!]
I Can Tell (By the Way You Move) – George Fitzgerald [Double Six]
Truth South – Glimpse [Aus]
Renata (Daphni remix) – Holden [Border Community]
James Blake
Musician – Homeboy Sandman [Stones Throw]
Sirocco – Ian O’Donovan [KMS]
Faithful – Jacques Greene [LuckyMe]
Retrograde – James Blake [Atlas, A&M, Polydor]
You Naked (Jimmy Edgar remix) – Jamie Lidell [Warp]
Kaytranada
Golden (Kaytranada Life Living Edition) – Jill Scott [self-released]
I See Lights (Karmon remix) – Jimmy & Fred [Exploited]
She Burns (ft. Mara Carlyle) – Joe Goddard [Greco-Roman]
Somewhere – John Tejada [Kompakt]
Open Eye Signal – Jon Hopkins [Warp]
Jonwayne
Altitude – Jonwayne [Stones Throw]
Ringo – Joris Voorn [Green]
Big Room Tech House DJ Tool – TIP! – Joy Orbison [Rinse]
Lucky I Got What I Want – Jungle. [Chess Club]
Avalanche – Just Friends [Clown & Sunset]
Kanye West
Everything – Justin Jay [Southern Fried]
Hold My Liquor – Kanye West [Def Jam]
Survive – Kidnap Kid [Black Butter]
Sun – Koreless [Young Turks]
Nightflow (Kenny Larkin Drama remix) – La Fleur [Watergate]
Leon Vynehall
Guuurl – Lapalux [Brainfeeder]
Ain’t No Time – Laszlo Dancehall [Man Make Music]
I Know – Leftwing & Kody [Off]
Sister – Leon Vynehall [Aus]
Airglow Fires – Lone [R&S]
Maceo Plex
Loneliness – Luca Bacchetti & Guti [Endless]
Closer – Lulu James [Sony RCA]
J.A.W.S. – Luxury [Method]
Mind On Fire – Maceo Plex [K7]
Eyesdontlie – Machinedrum [Ninja Tune]
DJ Koze
It’s Only (DJ Koze Remix) – Matthew Herbert [Pampa]
Burning Bright (ft. Kim Ann Foxman) – Maya Jane Coles [I/AM/ME]
Creep (ft. Wayne Tennant) – Michael Gracioppo [Innervisions]
Trace – Midland [Aus]
Without You – John Talabot [DJ-Kicks]
Jamie Jones
Turn Off the Lights (Jamie Jones remix) – Mineo [Hot Creations]
Send A Prayer Pt. 2 – Motor City Drum Ensemble [MCDE]
Made To Stray – Mount Kimbie [Warp]
Finder – Ninetoes [Kling Klong]
Thank You 4 Letting Me Be Myself – Omar S [FXHE]
Theo Parrish
Wires (Theo Parrish Remix) – Owiny Sigoma Band [Brownswood]
Untitled – Paul Woolford [Hotflush]
Your Love (You Give Me Fever) – Romare [Black Acre]
Elliot – Roosevelt [Greco-Roman]
The Wheel (Employee Of The Year remix) – SOHN [self-released]
Shlohmo & Jeremih
Bo Peep (Do U Right) – Shlohmo & Jeremih [Yours Truly]
Lady C’mon (Kissey remix – extended version) – Sinkane [DFA]
Bipp – Sophie [Numbers]
Makin’ Love – Sound Stream [Sound Stream]
Time (ft. Seth Troxler) – Subb-an, Tom Trago [Visionquest]
Ten Walls
Another Earth – Tale Of Us [Minus]
Requiem – Ten Walls [Innervisions]
Amaze – Terekke [L.I.E.S.]
Oh Sheit It’s X – Thundercat [Brainfeeder]
Let’s Go Dancing (Maya Jane Coles Dancing In The Dark remix) – Tiga vs. Audion [Turbo]
Todd Terje
Strandbar (disko version) – Todd Terje [Olsen]
Worst Enemy – Toddla T Sound [Ninja Tune]
Hummel – Topspin, Dmit Kitz [Save Room]
Imprint Of Pleasure – Tube & Berger [Suara]
Wit(z) – Valentin Stip [Clown & Sunset]
Larry Heard
Summer At Night – Vincenzo Varagone [Soundlab]
Say You Won’t Ever (Larry Heard club mix) – Wallflower [Rebirth]
All Little Things – Wareika [Visionquest]
Make It Good (Pete Josef remix) – The White Lamp [Mixmag]
A1 – 8prn [self-released]
with love,
In August, moments before stepping onto an airplane to fly back to BC for Shambhala Music Festival, I hit ‘send’ on my interview request emails. I knew that the following six hours on the flight would likely be the only quiet time I’d have before the festival, and so I decided that I should pick one artist to do extensive research for, and hope that it lined up. Not a reliable plan to say the least, but all or none.
As I stepped off of the aircraft – my brain numb from heavy reading, and with a good foundation for a Bicep interview, I powered up my phone. Thankfully, things had gone in my favour. We got the Bicep interview.
Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar are two Belfast natives who currently reside in London. If you haven’t heard of them [you've been living in a cave], their story is unique. They met at a very young age, and had a keen interest in the vibrant music scene in Belfast. Shortly after departing to school abroad (Ferguson in London, while McBriar resided in Dubai), in 2008 the two [with a few friends] started the infamous online publication “ Feel My Bicep “, as an outlet for their favourite music. The blog has been known for its consistently pristine taste in both music, as well as the artwork.
Alongside the growth of the blog, their interest in production continued to grow, and the hardships of a long-distance / Skype producing relationship became a problem. So they made the call to go for it for real; as a career. Matthew moved to London, and they got to it.
Back to the interview. There I am at Shambhala, dressed in whatever absurd swagger I felt would suit the long evening ahead. Mid-day when I arrived at the Pagoda Stage and was speaking to the stage managers, they told me that there was a 50% chance that Bicep and Eats Everything might not make it to the festival. My heart sunk. Not for the interview alone, but because I was looking forward to these acts perhaps the most of any at the festival. With time, it became known that they weren’t going’t make it, and so we present to you the first ever long-distance interview. With Bicep .
Low-Life: This interview was supposed to happen in person at Shambhala, but we were disappointed to find out that you and Eats Everything couldn’t make it. United Airlines gave you some trouble.. What happened there?
Bicep: Yeah it was a bit of a mess. We boarded the plane twice only to be sent back to the airport when we were on the runway. On the second occasion the cabin actually filled with smoke – I think it was a dodgy aircon unit. By the second failed attempt it left us with no time to get to the festival so we had to make our way home – very long day! Pretty gutting, as it was the main reason we came across the pond in the first place.
LL: Damn. Both of you were missed – as much as we enjoyed Justin Martin ’s heroic three hour set.
Moving on, what’s Bicep been up to lately?
B: We have just finished recording the second EP for our own label, Feelmybicep, which we plan to get out at some stage in November. After nearly half a year of looking for a studio space we have eventually found somewhere in London that fits our needs. Over the next couple of weeks we will be building on a full analog set-up, which we have worked towards over the last 2 years.
LL: You played a debut show at the Robert-Johnson in Frankfurt recently. Tell us a bit about that venue, and how the experience was for you?
B: Robert Johnson is a unique club with its own vibe that you can’t really compare to anywhere else. It has a very personal feel, because the people who run the club really make an effort to create the best atmosphere possible. The sound system and mixer are so in-tune and responsive to each other that you feel a part of it. Having used it on a few occasions now I would say the Rane Rotary is one of my favourite mixers I have ever used.
LL: Having experience throwing your own parties, give us a ‘how-to’ guide on what elements you feel are most integral to throwing a dimensional event?
B: Firstly, I think a really well programmed line-up. The music should develop and flow like a good mix tape – the warm up is utterly essential (and often a forgotten art) and should be stripped back and slow. A live act brings a strong energy to the evening and some techno to finish. We never want to fall short on production – 15ft Bicep arms and turquoise neons are a must!
LL: Your Plastic People parties were a til-1am party. How do you feel the vibe of an early function differs from that of an after-hours red-light affair? Do you prefer one to the other?
B: Yeah, the late night sleaze is much better suited to Plastic People. We gave the midweek parties a go but I think for what we wanted late nights would work better – we want people to really let loose. We always have gigs at the weekend so it was going to be a compromise no matter what. The mid week early parties worked really well but after three of them we felt they had run their course.
LL: I read in an interview that your ‘dream location’ to play would be in Cappadocia in Turkey. I Googled it and it looks mental. Have you been or played there yet?
B: Not yet, still on the list. I’m not sure how into techno and house they are out there though… one day
LL: Here’s a quote from Andrew:
‘We gave ourselves a year, and if we couldn’t comfortably pay rent after that, we’d have gone back to our normal jobs.’
RZA from Wu-Tang made the group agree to a five-year plan, with a similar purpose.
While the path of a rap group in the 90s is hardly comparable; you cut that significantly with a one-year goal. Did you feel confident at that time, or was it surprising when you attracted global recognition at such a rate?
B: Not at all, at the time it was a big risk and the following 6 months were really tough. The main goal was to survive and we kept looking to the next week/pay-packet and worked around that. By doing that we never really noticed the rise because it felt more gradual on our side.
‘Making records, getting fucked, eating great food, bench pressing girls, climbing into industrial freezers, going for burgers, causing trouble in China and hanging out with air hostesses and general nutters.’
LL: A summary to an admittedly more rock-star lifestyle than some producers we’ve spoken with, but was this a humble summation? Eats Everything disclosed to us a story about dropping acid and eating a cactus. Any specific stories of your own that come to mind?
B: Yeah that is really a humble summation! We left out stuff like hi-jacking boats in Croatia, stealing taxis in Amsterdam and setting off fireworks in clubs. If we disclosed too much we would get locked up and never be allowed a visa back to your fine country!
LL: Wrapping up shortly, favorite tunes at the moment?
B: We love the Untzz label from Adelaide at the moment, they have been putting out a stack of well-rounded EPs over the past year, and it would be hard to choose one particular tune from them.
LL: How many chin-ups can you do?
B: In a row? One handed? Usually lose count.
LL: Plans for the rest of the year?
B: Finish off some more EPs for next year on our label and also work on some remixes for our friends.
LL: Thanks for your time.
Connect with Bicep:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/feelmybicep
Twitter: https://twitter.com/feelmybicep
SoundCloud: /feelmybicep
Web:
http://www.feelmybicep.com/
KO + Rader
[Paul Woolford]
UK-based dance music producer
Paul Woolford
has absolutely floored the international dance music community with his latest effort, titled frankly,
“Untitled”;
out on
Hotflush Recordings
as of July 8th, 2013. The single has gained praise from world renowned producers and DJs such as:
Skream
,
Joy Orbison
,
Bicep
,
Jackmaster
,
Ben UFO
and
Dusky
- amongst others.
Untitled’s
high regard clicks as Woolford seamlessly intertwines a fantastic piano chord progression, an industrial-yet-lively bass-line, and a haunting, echoing vocal sample.
It is also interesting to note that the cover artwork was done by the late abstract-expressionist painter, Mark Rothko .
Below is a 2-minute preview of the full product. I suggest you buy the track here , as it comes highly recommended .
Atom
Simian Mobile Disco
and
Bicep
have come together and collaborated on what is to be the
“Sacrifice”
EP, forthcoming June 10th on SMD’s
Delacacies
label. Two days ago, the collective team of producers released visual accompaniment for the a-side of the release; watch a falling 3-dimensional square disappear and re-appear while passing through all sorts of visual delights in a grey-scaled virtual space- all while synchronized to the aforementioned granular 4 and a half minute track.
Atom
[Leon Vynehall]
Brighton-based beat-maker Leon Vynehall chooses to hold on to his true identity. The DJ/producer has made some noise in the UK house scene as of late, and it easy to understand why as he effortlessly blends soul, funk, and disco music with the four on the floor sound we know and love. His latest cut, “Sister”, is being represented by the folks at AUS Music , the label that has been putting forth work from other UK house producers such as George Fitzgerald and Bicep .On Fitzgeralds label, ManMakeMusic , Leon released today a collaboration with Christian piers under the alias “ Lazlo Dancehall “; check out that release here . The “Brother/Sister” EP will be out officially on June 10th, and you can pre-order the vinyl now via Boomkat .
If you dig “Sister”, check out Leon’s podcast for XLR8R, here ; I recommend it.
Atom & John Doe