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Youandewan Readies New EP for Simple, Shares Title Track

With two EPs already in the books this year—Dissaray and Times—rising Leeds house maestro Youandewan has announced the forthcoming What's the Deal? EP set to see a release via Aus sub-label Simple. Read more » 

  • Filed under: news
  • 05/23/2013

Download: The Crystal Ark "Rain (Discodeine Remix)"

First Listen
Label: DFA

Just in time for DFA's 12th anniversary party this weekend—a shindig going down in NYC as part of Red Bull Music Academy's month-long series of events—we've gotten our hands on Discodeine's remix of "Rain," a cut from The Crystal Ark's recent self-titled LP. On Its remix, the French duo take "Rain" even further inside the machine than the original did, stripping the tune's vocals almost completely away in favor of focusing on a percolating bassline, quirky synth FX, and all kinds of loose-running drum machine patterns. Discodeine's remix of The Crystal Ark will be joined by others from Barker & Baumecker, Frikstailers, and Carry Nation on the Rain Remixes EP (artwork above). 

Average: 7.6 (22 votes)
 
 

Al Tourettes Readies Debut EP for Houndstooth as Second Storey

Veteran Bristol-based producer Al Tourettes (a.k.a. Alan Storey) has decided to shelve his Tourettes moniker and continue onwards as Second Storey, with the new handle's debut EP set to drop next month via Fabric sub-label Houndstooth. Read more » 

  • Filed under: news
  • 05/23/2013

An Inside Look at RBMA New York 2013

Most people experience the Red Bull Music Academy as a month-long series of sponsored events, bold advertisements plastered onto tall buildings and subway walls, and copies of the Daily Note newspaper. But those are only the most visible aspects of the Academy's 2013 edition, which kicked off its second term in New York City this week. In fact, most of RBMA takes place in a single building in Chelsea, where a carefully selected group of 30 musicians from around the world have been set loose in artistically designed, state-of-the-art studios and a contingent of writers, PR agents, and assorted music industry folks labor over various other projects upstairs. When the Academy is in session, RBMA headquarters houses an entire music-business ecosystem that produces not only fresh tunes and an extensive lineup of events, but daily newspapers, art installations, and lengthy lectures from seasoned artists. Since most of RBMA isn't open to the public, it largely remains a mystery to those not directly involved. As such, XLR8R spent two days scurrying around the epicenter of the behemoth culture machine that is RBMA, taking an inside look at the daily life of its participants. Read more » 

Listen to Bicep's Remix for Disclosure

As on-fire UK duo Disclosure continues to ramp up to the June 3 release of its debut LP, Settle, another popular production duo, Bicep, has shared its remix of one of that record's early singles. Read more » 

  • Filed under: news
  • 05/23/2013

Hi, Doctor Nick! - The Necessary Evil of Self-Promotion and the Secret to Making Beats Without an MC

Nick Hook is a talented dude. The guy can make beats, play instruments, record rappers, and that's just a partial list. But he's also smart enough to know that no matter how talented someone is, they're going to need some help along the way. That's probably why he's agreed to sit down and answer our readers' questions each and every Thursday morning. He's got knowledge to share—people simply have to have ask. Hit him up at doctornick@xlr8r.com.

Yo. Hi. I think I'm dying. I've been up till 10 a.m. the last few days, and now its 4 a.m. and I gotta finish this column before I'm back at it again. Read more » 

Download: Dfalt "The Beggars"

First Listen
Label: Daylight Curfew

Los Angeles-based label Daylight Curfew has slowly gained traction as a promising imprint for leftfield hip-hop and downtempo productions, often served cold with a decidedly dub-wise aesthetic. One of the label's most interesting producers is L.A. dweller Dfalt, who has boned up on more than a few pages from the Tri Angle playbook while also possessing a healthy set of toys and a fascination for "plugins, magic, and weed." Still, that doesn't mean that "The Beggars"—the opening tune off the man's forthcoming Helsinki Beat Tape (Part One) record—is either a brooding or a show-offy tune, but rather somewhere in the middle. Dfalt makes his individual case from the top: the drums land with hard thuds, pushing a tasteful chipmunked vocal before slowly slicing in a ponderous, noir synth that gradually slides the tune forward. Helsinki Beat Tape (Part One) is due out on June 11. 

Average: 8.1 (35 votes)
 
 

Review: MGUN If You're Reading This EP
Label: Don't Be Afraid

It's hard to tell whether or not there's a method to the madness that is the new EP by Manuel Gonzales (a.k.a. MGUN). Given the DJ/producer's comparably frazzled releases for Trilogy Tapes and Wild Oats, it's easy to assume that he knows exactly what he's doing. In terms of unabashed discord, however, Gonzales' prior efforts don't touch the material on If You're Reading This. Sure, elements of this sound can be traced through like-minded Detroit analog gods (Terrence Dixon in particular), but MGUN's new record ventures even further into the realms of experimental techno. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 05/23/2013

Download: fLako "What's That Calling Me"

First Listen
Label: Project: Mooncircle

Released in 2011, but made of productions completed between 2006 and 2008, fLako's part-beat-tape, part-proper-album The Mesektet will see a reissue as a double-LP next month via Project:Mooncircle, the label which originally issued the 30-track effort. In its forthcoming refurbished form, The Mesektet will come with a grab bag of previously unreleased tunes, including "What's That Calling Me," a track which shows off the London producer's ability to mash together disparate sonic worlds; in this case the loose, percussive swing of samba-esque loops and the spinning atmosphere of warbly, space-age synths. The Mesektet Extnd reissue is set to drop June 7; its full tracklist can be found after the jump.  Read more » 

Average: 8.1 (40 votes)
 
 

Review: Phon.o "Schn33" b/w "Go"
Label: 50Weapons

Phon.o generally brings a little more concentration and heat to his 12"s than his albums. The UK-influenced German producer's latest single for 50Weapons is no exception; "Schn33" b/w "Go" contains some of his strongest—and most straightforward—dancefloor material to date. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 05/23/2013
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