Throughout the week, a whole lot of material gets posted here on XLR8R. And while we know—and love—that some hardcore readers will eagerly pour over every single news story, interview, podcast, video, and MP3 download that appears on the site, we also realize that for most people, it’s impossible to see everything, which means that some quality XLR8R content is likely to get missed in the hustle and bustle of everyone’s daily lives. In the interest of making it easier for everyone to catch up, every Friday we present The Lowdown, a weekly wrap-up of the top 10 tidbits from our site.

1. This week’s XLR8R podcast was put together by mysterious Werkdiscs bossman Actress (pictured above), who will be releasing a new full-length, Ghettoville, next week.

2. Our latest contest caused quite a stir, as our readers were presented with the chance to score a pair of AIAIAI’s TMA-1 X headphones. Enter now before it’s too late.

3. Just a few days after whipping the gear world into a frenzy with news of a TR-808 relaunch (of sorts), Roland shared a video chronicling the making of the TR-909 and hinting that the legendary rhythm box may be in line for a similar reboot.

4. Veteran Ed Banger affiliate Feadz released a new album this week, along with a crazy animated video for the song “Metaman.”

5. Following a long development period, an official release date was announced for the cross-platform Bitwig Studio production software.

6. In a busy week for gear news, the folks at Elektron unveiled the Analog Rytm, a forthcoming eight-voice drum computer.

7. The most popular offering in our Downloads section this week was a remix of LA-based beatmaker Computer Jay, whose “Binary Fix” was reworked by Portland bass specialist Eprom.

8. As if his XLR8R podcast wasn’t enough to get people excited about Ghettoville, Actress also posted a full stream of LP cut “Rap.”

9. Admist the flurry of gear announcements coming from this week’s NAMM conference, M-Audio rolled out the Trigger Finger Pro, an updated version of its classic workhorse controller.

10. UK producer/singer Sampha unexpectedly reissued an EP of “early productions” that was first released on CD-R in 2010.

An expanded version of the The Lowdown is also available via a weekly email newsletter. Those interested in an even more in-depth round-up of XLR8R content, including a complete listing of all the free downloads we’ve offered in the past seven days, should sign up by entering their email address below.

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