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Hi, Doctor Nick! - What to Do When You Feel Like Quitting and the Real Payoff of the Music Game

Every Thursday morning, we sing the praises of Nick Hook, and though we may be in danger of sounding like a broken record, our resident advice columnist is simply an incredible resource. Regardless of the topic, be it music, DJing, production, gear, romance, travel, fashion, or just about anything else, the good doctor almost certainly has something valuable to say. That's why readers in search of a little wisdom should send questions to doctornick@xlr8r.com—after all, Doctor Nick is here to help.

Hi. It's been a busy week. I've been back in the studio with Killer Mike and El-P. I also had an awesome night at the new Red Bull Music Academy space in New York. It looks fantastic, and I spent some time with fellow alumni Salva, Jesse Boykins III, and Brenmar. It's gonna be an amazing month of May in New York. Kudos to everyone for working so hard so that we can enjoy such things. Read more » 

Bubblin' Up: The Cyclist

The fuzzy tones of overdriven cassette tapes have become a calling card for a certain sect of bedroom producers in recent years, but few can trace their affinity for the sound to such a distinct source as Andrew Morrison (a.k.a. The Cyclist). "[At a certain point,] I had started to listen to a lot of mixes that had been recorded from pirate-radio stations onto cassette," explains Morrison, who's currently a second-year pharmacology student based in Liverpool. "Then, when I listened to the actual tracks that were played—the high-quality WAV files—I didn't like it as much as I did those distorted copies. I loved that sound and it inspired me so much." Given this, Bones in Motion—The Cyclist's first proper LP and the inaugural artist-album release for the new Leaving/Stones Throw partnership—makes perfect sense. Across its 15 tracks, Morrison presents his image of house and techno, one filled with the hiss, noise, and distortion which result from oversaturated tape. Read more » 

Trainwreck: xxxy

xxxy (a.k.a. Rupert Taylor) is known for his flexible, forward-facing brand of rich, techy garage. His ability to shift between styles has endeared him to a number of labels, including Ten Thousand Yen, which recently issued his "Progression" b/w "Thinkin Bout" single. Like many of his contemporaries, Taylor honed his chops at the Red Bull Music Academy, which is where his tale of woe begins. The zest and energy he puts into his productions remains his strong point, but if this story comes with any kind of moral, it's that going too hard in the real world can have its repercussions. Read more » 

10 Events Not to Be Missed During RBMA NYC

The 2013 edition of the Red Bull Music Academy officially begins at the tail end of this week, kicking off a month-long run of events and lectures that will accompany the two academy sessions taking place during May. With at least one public event in NYC appearing on the RBMA calendar every day from April 28 to May 31, we've boiled down the slew of enticing offerings to just the 10 most essential happenings—which was no easy task. Our picks for RBMA's 2013 session can be found after the jump. Read more » 

Deep Inside: The Haxan Cloak 'Excavation'

Excavation, the second album from London-based sound designer and multi-instrumentalist Bobby Krlic (a.k.a The Haxan Cloak), is both a direct continuation of its 2011 predecessor and also its polar opposite. Thematically, where The Haxan Cloak was a descent into darkness, Excavation represents the ascent into light that directly follows it. The differences between the two LPs run further than their mood and themes, however; for this second album, Krlic has flipped his approach to composition and sound design on its head. Where his debut was rooted in the raw, natural tones of classical instrumentation, its follow-up deals in electronic timbres and heavily processed effects. As such, Excavation shares many traits with its predecessor while still sounding like a unique proposition; here, Krlic makes no attempt to repeat the tricks of his debut, and creates a hugely worthy successor to it as a result. Read more » 

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