XLR8R News and Features

Captured Tracks Festival Starts Today

XLR8R Magazine — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Those of you without a beach to comb or a BBQ to raid this holiday weekend might want to detour over to the Bushwick neighborhood in Brooklyn. That’s because the folks at Woodsist and Captured Tracks have got a special two-day fest coming your way and the line-up is absolutely killer. Noiseniks and all can get their fazers set to stun as hitmakers from the Woodsist/Captured Tracks ilk zap some fuzz and scuzz straight to your skull.

Falty DL Interview and Album Preview

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:39:13 -0700

From our friends at SonicRouter, a nice little interview with the man known as Falty DL(a.k.a. Andrew Lustman), and a quick preview of his upcoming LP on Planet Mu. Check it!

Grandmaster Flash Is a DJ Hero

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:42:24 -0700

As if that needed to be said... What we mean to say is that Grandmaster Flash is just one of the turntablist icons to be featured in Activision's new DJ Hero game, and we gotta admit, we're sort of stoked on this one. The hip-hop DJ legend lends his voice and knowledge to the game's tutorials, teaching players how to use the killer control surface while expounding on the game's mechanics.

Bjork Does Guest NPR DJ Spot

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:53:53 -0700

High priestess of weird pop Björk recently laced stuffy NPR listeners with a survey of her favorite musical things, among them, Syrian musician Omar Souleyman, London's Micachu and The Shapes, Eyeless in Gaza, and fellow Icelandic singer Ólöf Arnalds. Check it all out here.

Party Out of Bounds: Top Billin

XLR8R Magazine — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:33:45 -0700

Global party professionals tell you the best places to get buck wild.

Waterfront Wednesdays Kicks Off With Ark

XLR8R Magazine — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:38:46 -0700

Starting tonight, and happening each Wednesday throughout the summer, Waterfront Wednesdays will host a slew of amazing artists at Water Taxi Beach in New York (across the river from the United Nations in Long Island City).

M.I.A. Directs Rye Rye's "Bang" Vid

XLR8R Magazine — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:28:09 -0700

photo Josh Sisk

B-more queen Rye Rye gets the video treatment from her mentor M.I.A. on this clip for "Bang," replete with lots of lo-fi tape effects, neon lights, and hard-hitting beats.

Artist to Watch: Toddla T

XLR8R Magazine — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0700

While the hype over bassline house has already begun to subside, Toddla T’s dancehall-infused take on the sound is still revving up dancefloors on both sides of the Atlantic. The 23-year-old producer was born Tom Bell, and grew up listening to “Biggie and right boyish hip-hop,” but later opened his mind to more electronic sounds once he began sampling, and eventually playing, Sheffield’s underground rave circuit.

Take a Ride Through L.A. With Busdriver

XLR8R Magazine — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0700

The dublab collective has been offering free films for streaming via its website as part of the the VisionVersion film series, which follows L.A.-based artists around the city. Next up? It's none other than Busdriver, whose installment was filmed from his own vehicle as he cruises around Echo Park. Watch it here, where you can also download a version for your iPod.

In the Studio: Trackademicks

XLR8R Magazine — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Oakland-based rapper-producer schools us on his post-hyphy synth-hop.

Free Mix From the Wireblock Crew

XLR8R Magazine — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:00:00 -0700

Jack Revill (a.k.a. Jackmaster), Neil Morton (a.k.a. Nelson), and Calum Morton (a.k.a. Spencer) are the three heads behind Glasgow, Scotland's Wireblock imprint, and for their next project, they've crafted a free, three-part mix to Resident Advisor's fine site (there's an extensive feature on the label up as well).

Download now, all ye who love electro, dubstep, techno, grime, and U.K. funky house. And then keep an eye out for our feature on the label in August's Labels We Love issue.

Wireblock:

Mary Anne Hobbs' Wild Angels

XLR8R Magazine — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:45:11 -0700

BBC Radio 1 host and undisputed First Lady of Bass, Mary Anne Hobbs, is set to release her third compilation, Wild Angels. As usual, dubstep is the main ingredient here, but don't expect Benga or Skream to appear on the tracklisting. Rather, Hobbs has chosen to showcase artists like wonk master Hudson Mohawke, up-and-comer Untold, and L.A.'s Nosaj Thing, whose music is more IDM-via-hip-hop than it is dubstep. So perhaps it's more appropriate to say that bass is the main ingredient to Wild Angels.

ZZK Records Summer Tour

XLR8R Magazine — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:00:00 -0700

ZZK Records and Zizek Urban Beats Club will continue spreading the gospel of cumbia this summer, embarking on another tour that stops in Europe and North America. Uproot Andy, King Coya, Fauna, Oro11, and a few others associated with the crew will be sharing the Latin sounds in various cities and festivals. Pick this up in the meantime.

07/02 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07/08 New York, NY - Latin American Music Conference ^

Ras G: Into the Outer Reaches

XLR8R Magazine — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

An L.A. jazzhead launches FlyLo’s Brainfeeder imprint into the outer reaches.

Listen: Michael Jackson Tribute Sets

XLR8R Magazine — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:30:00 -0700

The King of Pop is dead, but if this weekend's onslaught of tributes is any indication, then long live the King. We picked a couple of our favorite nods to Michael Jackson from this past weekend. First, Stones Throw boss Peanut Butter Wolf played an entire set of Jackson songs at the Echoplex in L.A. Then, in New York, dirtybird's Claude VonStroke offered up his own edit of "Billie Jean" to a screaming crowd.

Peanut Butter Wolf - Michael Jackson Tribute Set

Shir Khan Further Exploits Himself

XLR8R Magazine — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:39:47 -0700

If we had any doubts as to the mixing abilities of Exploited Records boss Shir Khan, they were squashed by last year's two-part megamix and the release of his first compilation, Maximize. Suffice to say, the man loves his epic electro-house sets, more of which we'll be able to enjoy on September 10, when he releases a second DJ mix, Exploited.

Gang Gang Dance to Tour

XLR8R Magazine — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:55:32 -0700

Art-rock trio Gang Gang Dance named its latest album, Saint Dymphna, after the patron saint of mental illness, epilepsy, and incest. So expect the next round of live performances from the band to be memorable, as they'll be playing songs off the album and already have a rep for their colorful shows. Coinciding with the tour will be the repressing of 2005's God's Money, which is currently out of print.

Gang Gang Dance:
08/02 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Nightclub
08/03 Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie

Inbox: Amanda Blank

XLR8R Magazine — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

XLR8R checks in with cheeky rapper Amanda Blank while she catches her breath after touring the states all spring with Santigold. Blank privies us to Brazilian crowd-surfing, sticks it to club-rap haters, dishes on buddy Spankrock, and delivers big ups to Missy Elliot, R. Crumb, and the Wizard of Oz.

Decibel Festival Line-up Announced

XLR8R Magazine — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:15:45 -0700

Seattle's Decibel Festival sees its sixth installment this year, and the organizers are rolling out the details. The '09 edition will take place September 24 - 27, and it's going to be a recession-friendly event this year. In response to the economy, Decibel is offering discount passes through July 24, so plan ahead and knock 50 bones off the ticket price.

Poirier and Co's Bridge Burner Goes Off!

XLR8R Magazine — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:11:27 -0700

Remember in last week's episode of XLR8R TV, when Montreal ragga-bass boy Ghislain Poirier told us about his upcoming Bridge Burner party? Well, check out the results below, courtesy of our friend Jeff at Ninja Tune!

MUTEK_10

XLR8R Magazine — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Photos by basic_sounds and Tim Saputo

This May, XLR8R contributor Bill Fewell and I were lucky enough to travel to Montreal to cover MUTEK, one of the most exciting electronic music festivals in North America. This year's line-up reflected a shift in the often straightforward minimal techno and experimental focus. Expertly curated and painstakingly detailed, MUTEK's 10th birthday party lasted four days and five nights and encompassed an an entire spectrum of forward-looking music.

Clothes Captioned: Actual Pain

XLR8R Magazine — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

A Seattle brand aims to make you afraid. Very afraid.

“I think Quothorn from Bathory is one of the coolest-looking dudes ever,” says T.J. Cowgill when I ask him about his style icons. “Gaahl from Gorgoroth, too. And the Manson Family, the clothes that they wore and their whole look was pretty awesome. I mean, they wore vests made from human hair.”

RIP The Orb's Andy Hughes

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:34:43 -0700

Andy Hughes—DJ, producer, and former member of The Orb—passed away on Friday, June 12. According to a recent press statement, his death was due to "a short illness."

Hughes is considered one of the genius producers of the '90s, having worked not only with Alex Patterson and The Orb, but also Thomas Fehlmann, Nick Burton, Simon Phillips, and others.

Rapping with DJ T.

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:16:21 -0700

We know DJ T. for many things: his no-nonsense mixing skills, albums like 2005's Boogie Playground, and his long-standing affiliation with Berlin's Get Physical imprint among them. His influences, however, don't stop with minimal, 4/4 beats, and according to some recent press, there was a time when the man born Thomas Koch's musical tastes revolved more around rap, electro-funk, and hip-hop than they did around techno.

Reggae Sumfest is On!

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:59:29 -0700

The Gleaner is reporting the details for this year's Reggae Sumfest, the annual multi-day reggae and dancehall extravaganza that sees everyone from Mavado to Elephant Man perform.

Party out of Bounds: Derek Plaslaiko

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Global party professionals tell you the best places to get buck wild.

Climb Aboard the Wurst Boat (Party)

XLR8R Magazine — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:48:29 -0700

Whartscape Lineup Unveiled

XLR8R Magazine — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:05:44 -0700

Baltimore's annual Whartscape fest is upon us, thanks once again to Dan Deacon and his Wham City crew. We haven't heard much on the actual details of this year's event, but we do know it's taking place July 9 - 12, and at least some artists are booked. According to Whartscape's official site, tickets will go on sale soon. Prepare for some exhaustively good times.

Whartscape '09:
Dan Deacon w/ Ensemble
Ponytail
Future Islands
Double Dagger
Vincent Black Shadow
Adventure
Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez
Crazy Dreams Band

Zizek's Villa Diamante Drops a Free Album

XLR8R Magazine — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:30:00 -0700

Zizek resident and cumbia mash-up specialist Villa Diamante dropped a bomb on the internet today in the form of a free triple album he's entitled Empacho Digital.

Free Flight Facilities Mix

XLR8R Magazine — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:46:09 -0700

In case coffee didn't wake you up this morning, the Too Many Sebastians blog is currently hosting an excellent pick-me-up. Flight Facilities whipped up a mix of crazy club tunes, which you can download for free over at TMS' site.

Here's the tracklisting:

01 Krazy Haldhead - Sweet Night
02 Dahlback & Dahlback - Rolle Niva
03 Jump - Funkatarium
04 Joakim - Lonely Hearts (Loving Hand Remix)