Drum and bass. Granted it has slipped off the radar in the last few years, but every now and then a track comes along that is just such a good mix of merky and groovy that you can’t not get stuck in to it. This is one of those tracks. Turn it loud.
Photo credit: Billboard
I don’t know much (/anything) about DJ Mountain Dad, but he looks like a jolly fellow. Anyway, he (/she?) has a new release on Let’s Play House and it’s dreamy. Skip through the vacant 1 minute hard-house opening and tuck straight into the 100% good Gypsy Woman sample. Primo. Can imagine this going off at a festival somewhere.
The original for you sample-lovers:
Closing thought: this wave of electronic music producers with kind of ironic names is really fun. DJ Tennis, DJ Seinfeld, Ross From Friends, DJ Bus Replacement Service, DJ Boring… literally, what next?
As you will know if you are familiar with his work, Space Dimension Controller doesn’t just release albums, he releases chapters of an interstellar story. Love Beyond the Intersect is the latest instalment of Mr. 8040 journey across space and time. This one is a story of love. Expect more squelching synths and cosmic vocals – and actually some really beautiful arrangements.
So, the plot in 120 words or less: Mr. 8040 has crash landed on a strange planet. His ship is screwed, he is on the verge of death. He is awoken by a native woman. She gives him some of her life-force. They go on a journey (including to The Reflective Forest; a psychoactive environment that causes hallucinations and almost makes Mr. 8040 break down (the native woman saves him again). They make it back to his ship, he sees a past version of himself, he knows he has to let go of all that came before the crash, both good and bad. In a sudden burst of light, Mr. 8040 and his past version become one. Mr. 8040 and the woman leave the planet on a new adventure.
Phew. Good luck out there Mr. 8040 xx
A couple of weeks ago I made my first trip to FOLD. It is another club in the city that has been called “London’s answer to Berghain” again and again – basically because it has a 24 hour license and a very stripped down, back to the basics ethos. Aesthetically I would describe it as extremely unassuming, which is kind of cool – in a concrete multi-story car park kind of way. The music is front and centre, so make sure you pick a night with a lineup you like. Since I went, it has been shut down; the council revoked its license due to allegations that “fraudulent funds” were involved in the purchase of “approximately £200,000 worth of high-value DJ equipment”. And then they reinstated the license, pending the trial of two people involved. What fun!
Anyway, I chose to go when Leon Vynehall had an all night set on. As usual, he was pretty great. This was my highlight from the set: it is house meets The Great American Railroad. Atmospheric beyond belief.
Bonus track: Leon himself released a new one last week as well. Here it is:
Now this is an interesting fella. Skatebård (real name Bård Aasen Lødemel) is from a small coastal town in Norway called Ørsta. This probably makes him your second favourite Norwegian DJ. He was originally a heavy metal drummer before getting into techno and rave, hip-hop, and latterly Italo disco. Not that these shifts away from heavy metal seem to have impacted his aesthetic.
He has released 3 full-length solo albums, the last of which was CDIII (geddit?). My pick is from that album, and it is called Bells of Mist.
Progressive house music made for the misty mountains. Lovely touch.
If you enjoyed this track, check out Wayward. Also delightfully composed introspective beauties.
Laurence Guy’s last release was called Making Music is Bad for Your Self Esteem. Which is kind of sad. It’s also kind of odd. Because I feel like most people that listened to it probably said something along the lines of “Hey, Laurence! Great release!” or something along those lines.
Anyway, he’s back again with a mini EP, playfully titled Why Do Cowboys Never Die In the East? And I think this time maybe he has a point.
Anyway, he delivers 3 beautifully extended ambient tracks – if you have anything inside you that you want to release, this is the EP for you. Characteristically picturesque work that’ll take you on a journey.
More Laurence here.
Floating Points (nee Sam Shepherd) is not your usual music producer. What I mean by this is that he has a PHD in neuroscience. Anyway he has a new album, it’s called Crush, it’s out on Ninja Tune, and he created it over the course of 5 weeks having been inspired by his time supporting the XX on tour. Pretty sick all round really.
Two tracks to pick out. Les Aplx was the first single out. It is a really tasty classic Floating Points bubbling kind of number – think Nuits Sonores. It rolls straight into my top pick, Bias. Now this one is a little bit special. It starts off all chilling and foreboding and then sparks into life with a proper thump. A bit nerdy, but check out that pause-drop on 2:40. OOSH!
By the way, thank you for coming to read my blog. If you fancy a really well written review of the album you are in the wrong place. Head here -> https://www.residentadvisor.net/reviews/24333
