New Music

Combining one of the most creative presentations in the game with an instantly memorable flow, Cakes Da Killa‘s Hunger Pangs remained in constant circulation in our “office” since its release in Summer 2014. In order to further the energy surrounding the original release, Cakes got together a collection of producers to remix, rework and refresh the original tape, bringing in Rizzla, Rye Rye, Uniiqu3, Drippin and more. The Deluxe Edition has a definite ballroom flavor to it, but can’t be reduced to a product for or of the New York scene, instead functioning as Cakes’ idiosyncratic take on the sound and its various mutations. The Hunger Pangs Deluxe Edition is out now and can be found at Cakes’ web store, but we’ve been presented with a chance to hand out Drippin’s contribution, a “Sake” version of “It’s Not Ovah”. Last scene on these pages turning in our most popular Astral Plane mix to date, the Norwegian producer had a banner 2014, releasing his debut Silver Cloak EP on Lit City Trax and rocketing into the general club music consciousness. His contribution to the Deluxe Edition is in line with his previous work, all smacking snares and vertical propulsion, while Cakes adds vital energy to the metallic construction.

Premiere: Newbody – “2 Much Of U (Music For Your Plants Remix)”

By Gabe Meier

February 6, 2015

New Music, Remixes

9 Comments

By most standards, Estonian producer Norman Orro aka Music For Your Plants resides at the fringe of what can be considered dance music, his output a cataclysm of warring natural and technological elements. Last year’s PAN EP, a component in DIS Mag’s “Disaster Issue”, was one of the most exhilarating sonic entities released all year, 15 minutes of bleeding techno futurism subsumed under a gauze of bleeding over saturation. Orro’s latest releases comes in a surprising place, a remix on Los Angeles neo-soul housers Newbody’s latest single. Released on Interscape Records (Traxman, Karmelloz, DJ Paypal), Newbody’s “Think!”, as well as b-side “2 Much Of U”, is a fairly straight forward house number, but the remixes, also from Karmelloz, Ultrademon and D/P/I, are anything but. And while the other remixes take the originals into deep bliss with a New York flavor (Karmelloz), ardkore madness (Ultrademon) and disintegrated footwork (D/P/I), MFYP’s rework actually appears to be the most digestible on first listen. Of course, Orr’s work only ever really functions as a facsimile of what digestible, major-chord-inclined music is supposed to sound like, deconstructing the pop apparatus into its, sometimes thrilling, sometimes melancholy-inspiring, constituent elements. Download, MFYP’s remix below and check out Think!, out February 10, here.

Premiere: Orlando Volcano – “Tool & Die”

By Gabe Meier

February 4, 2015

New Music

Leave a comment

One of a growing collection of New York-based producers to embrace the rougher side of the club music spectrum, European-born Orlando Volcano has developed a reputation over the past few months for slinky R&B refixes and haunting beat work for vocalists like Jay Boogie and Chapman. Volcano’s next project, the Low Key EP, is his most complete to date, a three tracker that could easily be brought up as a lighter flip side to Mumdance’s driving 909 productions. “Tool & Die” is the most dance ready of the bunch, a squalid rush through rigid percussion and a disarmingly twinkly melody. Along with a premiere of “Tool & Die”, Orlando granted us the opportunity to bring you a snippet of the track’s video, directed by Insomgnac, a disorienting, panopticon-tweaking visual that functions as a fitting addendum to the original.

Heterotopia Remixes Vol. 1 Is Out Now!

By Gabe Meier

February 3, 2015

Heterotopia, New Music, Remixes

Leave a comment

After teasing out remixes for the past two weeks, it’s our pleasure to announce that Heterotopia Remixes Vol. 1 is now available for free download (or pay what you want) at The Astral Plane Bandcamp. Remixes from Druid Cloak, Iglooghost, Sharp Veins, Patrick Brian, Fraxinus, She’s Drunk and Chants feature and we couldn’t be happier with the imaginative way each respective artist flipped a track from the original Heterotopia. Check out Druid Cloak and Patrick Brian’s reworks, the only two that have not been revealed to date, after the jump.

Luckily, this is only the first volume of remixes we have for you and Vol. 2, slated for an early March release, will feature a tantalizing array of our favorite producers! A lot of words have been spilt by us on these remixes so far and now that release date has come we can’t wait to let the sounds percolate through to all of you.

Tiny Mix Tapes Premieres Iglooghost’s Remix Of Air Max ’97’s “Chasm”

By Gabe Meier

February 2, 2015

Heterotopia, New Music, Remixes

Leave a comment

Tomorrow, Heterotopia Remixes Vol. 1 will be available via our Bandcamp page, but we’ve allowed another sneak peak of the tape through the folks at Tiny Mix Tapes. Debuted in TMT’s Chocolate Grinder section, the “lesser heard and lesser known”, section of the magazine, Iglooghost’s remix of Air Max ’97’s “Chasm” reconstitutes the original into a short burst of wonky hip hop, the Irish producer lacing a thread of dazzling energy into AM97’s rolling production. Check out Fraxinus, Sharp Veins and Chants’ contribution to the tapes at Mixmag, FACT and our own humble abode.

Premiere: Mike G – Limestone (Chants Remix)

By Gabe Meier

January 30, 2015

Heterotopia, New Music, Remixes

1 Comment

Originally slated as an addendum to the original release of Heterotopia, Chants‘ “U Had Rhythm” grew into one of our favorite tracks from the release, transcending its placement in the bonus tracks. The Wisconsin-based producer has largely garnered a following via his warm instrumental hip hop productions, but his forceful drum tracks are what originally piqued our interest and all signs point to the two distinct styles eventually joining in blissful confluence. And after our infatuation with “U Had Rhythm”, bringing on Chants for the Heterotopia Remixes was one of the easiest decisions during the planning stage. His rework of Mike G‘s “Limestone”, the rushing 140 heat rock from original compilation, is another brilliant step forward, reaffixing the original’s shuttering crashes and vaulted square waves onto a syncopated club kick pattern. It’s harmonically forward thinking and subtly transfixing, a workout subducted under a heap of beatific chords. Chants not have made a name for himself in the world of club trax quite yet, but every brilliant addition to his record takes him a step closer. Fraxinus’ remix of Kid Antoine’s Nightvsion was premiered on Mixmag last week and FACT Mag got the jump on Sharp Veins’ Iglooghost remix on Wednesday. Heterotopia Remixes Vol. 1 is out February 3.

FACT MAG Premieres Sharp Veins’ Remix Of Iglooghost “Wood Farm”

By Gabe Meier

January 28, 2015

Heterotopia, New Music, Remixes

1 Comment

After some time spent in London towards the end of 2014, American producer Sharp Veins has quickly ingratiated himself into a thriving international community of experimental producers and is set to debut on Glacial Sound in the near future. With a strong base in noise, ambient and computerized sound, he has found himself compared with the likes of the Janus folks out of Berlin, Total Freedom and his compatriots in Los Angeles and Virignia’s E+E. It was an obvious decision for us to reach out to Sharp Veins for our second release, Heterotopia Remixes Vol. 1, and his remix of Iglooghost’s “Wood Farm” has had us jumping out of seats for weeks. Ratcheting down the tempo for the remix (as he’s wont to do), SV’s take on “Wood Farm” begins as a lo-fi techno stomper, enveloped in rings of feedback and ambient noise that would make William Basinski proud. Halfway through, the remix disintegrates into almost nothingness before emerging into a neck snapping half-step composition, the cacophonous noise falling away to reveal a Clams Casino-esque crescendo. At over seven minutes, the remix might come across as presumptuous at first, but it’s strength comes in its ability to confound, surprise and engage. Sharp Veins’ remix of “Wood Farm” will be out next Tuesday (February 3) on Heterotopia Remixes Vol. 1. Watch this space for more information on the release and be sure to grab Fraxinus’ remix of Kid Antoine’s “Nightvsion” over at Mixmag.

Premiere: Kid Smpl – “Loss Parameter”

By Gabe Meier

January 28, 2015

New Music

Leave a comment

With several EPs and a must listen debut LP out on Seattle’s Hush Hush Recordings imprint, Kid Smpl has established a singular sound based on snippets of garage,dubstep and jungle. Over time, the Seattle-based producer’s sound has grown from a whisper (Collapse) to a roar (Silo Tear), gaining confidence and a definitive spirit along the way. The next step for Kid Smpl is an EP on Los Angeles imprint Symbols, a label that has largely peddled releases from the post-dubstep swamp, but appears to be stepping out into more adventurous territories. “Loss Parameter” will appear on the Precinct EP, a torrid run through the aforementioned genres that seems to draw lines between the beatific R&B meanderings of Holy Other and the horror-inducing sounds of Demdike Stare. Precinct will be released through Symbols on February 10 and can be previewed here.

Premiere: The Phantom – “Earth Beat”

By Gabe Meier

January 23, 2015

New Music

Leave a comment

An adaptable character to say the least, Polish producer The Phantom has donned a number of hats over the past several years, traversing widescreen disco as Ptaki, fairly straightforward, but deeply affecting throwback house on LP1 (out now on Silverback Recordings) and, most recently, a predilection for grime and new age. LP2, out Monday on Silverback, couldn’t be different from his first Phantom album, both in terms genre of choice and general mood. LP2 is dense and searing beautiful, the sort of tempo-shifting tape that has really only come into existence in the past year or so and can only sort of be considered grime (or whatever). “Earth Beat” is the most outward-thinking track on the effort, a wobbling burner that periodically explodes with energy. Considered “proto-grime” by the producer himself, LP2 represents an exciting turn for a chameleonic producer and we can only hope he decides to stay in this lane.

Premiere: Imami – “Iridescent (DJ Milktray Edit)”

By Gabe Meier

January 22, 2015

New Music, Remixes

Leave a comment

While DJ Milktray‘s recent All Because The Lady Loves EP (out now on Astral Black) can safely be considered a form of R&G, specifically in the Blackjack vein, the rest of his work has skirted a number of genres and intentions and his latest rework, of Imami’s “Iridescent” is a thrilling leap into skipping garage and kitchen sink half-step grime. The edit will be released as a part of Imami’s Contrapposto EP, a thrilling set of bizarre club manipulations set to be released on Tessier Ashpool Recordings, Infinite Machine‘s sister operation, on February 26. Contrapposto is a maximalist effort at heart, full of water drops, metallic sounds and scattered percussion, a sound that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hudson Mohawke set circa 2008. Milktray’s edit does little to quell the madness, instead accentuating the strongest points of “Iridescent”. A queazy rubber, almost voice-like noise that fills the interstices between percussion is especially tantalizing, giving the track an elasticity only the best club music offers. Be sure to grab Imami’s Contrapposto on February 26 and always be on the lookout for new Milktray.