&mdash; The Astral Plane

Last April, RIVA released what would be his last production under said name in the form of the Fast Life EP on Sea Punk Gang. Fast Life, which distinguished itself from the mass of uninteresting techno through equivalent dystopian vision in aesthetic, production, and vocals, provided perfect anthems for the internet made manifest parties thrown by Sea Punk Gang.

Now, adopting a name that seemingly came out of a souncloud-producer name generator app. RIVA is back as Wi-Fi RSVP with “Turbo” and its instrumental counterpart as his first release under the new identity. It sounds a little like Salem’s witch-house. It sounds a little trapped out. But, it sounds good. The vocals, presumably Wi-Fi RSVP himself, are derived less from post-irony than from a raver whose conscious of his bull-headedness. Pads sound like a final slow dance. Stream/Download “Turbo” for free below and follow Wi-Fi RSVP (FKA RIVA) on soundcloud here. Leave the club to this song.

New Inkke – “Thinkk Star (Club Mix)”

June 12, 2014

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As a member of the Astral Black collective, Inkke has quietly become one of the most looked to producers in all of Britain, effortlessly grafting early 2000s hip hop, roughhewn grime and a distinct ‘nuum aesthetic into a singular entity. Whether it’s through his bootlegs, Memphis cassette explorations, or wildly inventive originals, the Glaswegian has garnered widespread support, so much support that his next EP will be released by Tom Lea’s Local Action Records. Set for a July 21 release date, the Crystal Children EP will feature six full-throttle originals as well as remixes from Gage and JT The Goon. The delectably swung “Thinkk Star (Club Mix)”, which actually first surfaced nearly a year ago on Slackk‘s Rinse show, is our first taste from Crystal Children and shows off some of Inkke’s best dance floor inclinations. Pre-order Crystal Children here.

New Moleskin – “Clemency”

June 11, 2014

With an eponymous debut EP upcoming later this month and a slate of well-deserved hype surrounding his b2b DJ appearances with Neana, Moleskin has been shelling down the dance better than most in 2014. “Clemency” is our second taste from Moleskin, out June 25 on Goon Club Allstars, and is exactly the type of retrograde production we’ve come to expect from the London-based producer. Bmore/Jersey forms the foundation here, but “It’s Time For The Percolator”-esque acid blips throw convention for a loop while thickly layered breakbeat science and sparse 808 percussion complete the throwback feel. Pre-order Moleskin here and be sure to peep Goon Club Allstars’ mix for DISMag from a few months ago.

Uniique Remixes Tinashe’s “2 On”

June 10, 2014

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Over the past few weeks, Baltimore legend DJ Technics has uploaded a massive catalogue of club tracks, effectively revitalizing an until-now dormant catalogue of mid-Atlantic heat. From classics like DJ Class’ “Tear Da Club Up” and DJ Samir’s “Samir Theme” to deep cuts from Rod Lee, Karizma and KW Griff, the uploads piece together an invaluable stretch of history that has been largely ignored amid the recent gustatory fervor over bedspring samples and think breaks. While East Coast club music’s rich history has been appropriated in a blunt, ignorant fashion by many younger, by-and-large European producers, Uniique, Nadus and Matic808 and others continue to advance the sound without relinquishing any of its original substance. Uniique’s remix of Tinashe’s simmering “2 On” is the most recent exhibit A, utilizing the typical mementos, not in excess, but as an aggressive form of release from the pounding kicks and reverb heavy vocal work. It’s a pleasure to listen to music that is as functional as it is properly conceived, as sonically adventurous as it is brutally utilitarian. Uniique has us in good hands.

Lapalux Remixes Young Thug’s “Danny Glover”

June 5, 2014

New Music, Remixes

In a recent stateside appearance that I attended, Brainfeeder representative Lapalux unloaded a surprising array of jagged, percussive tracks that both surprised the crowd and reinforced his position as an innovator. The development wasn’t all that out of the blue as he had unloaded Tessela’s breakbeat laden “Hackney Parrot” at another performance several months before, but for most the crowd, the jungle-derived selection was a far cry from the beatific harmonies on his debut album Nostalchic. Last night though, Lapalux uploaded a vowel-less remix of Young Thug’s breakout “Danny Glover”, drawing 808 Mafia’s misanthropic melody into something far more affecting and bereft of melodrama. It’s a heartstring tugging rendition, representing his erudite focus on what makes R&B and hip hop dominant forms of American culture.

New Lee Bannon – “Deep/Future” (Feat. DJ Earl)

June 5, 2014

Lee Bannon has always been a fascinating figure, consistently willing to reinvent and reject solipsistic limits on personal creation. January’s Alternate/Endings will go down as one of the year’s best albums and a quintessential piece of the ongoing reprisal of breakbeat-focused music. The tragic death of DJ Rashad brought attention to the United States’ myriad collection of jungle, footwork and drum and bass producers, specifically the way they blur and blend together in contemporary dance music. As a former (?) hip hop producer, Bannon understands the mediation between the forms, both past and present, better than most and recently got together with Teklife’s DJ Earl, one of the many promising youngsters in the effervescent global collective. A continuation of Bannon’s obsession with virgules, the result is titled “Deep/Future”, a fission-generated bomb of stomping kicks and belching pseudo-acid bursts. Like much of Bannon’s work, the song feels timeless without retreating into retro-focused malaise and Earl’s willingness to experiment with the TR-303 and left-field vocal manipulation is readily apparent. No clue on where or when this will be released yet, but the description notes “see you this winter” so a new project might be on the not-so-far horizon.

Neana Remixes Brenmar’s “Hey Ladies”

June 5, 2014

New Music, Remixes

A few months ago, Brenmar gave away the all-original High End Times Vol. 1 mixtape, a collection of collaborations that includes vocal work from Mykki Blanco and Sasha Go Hard as well as co-production from Uniique. Despite consistently excellent production value from Brenmar, the tape has its clear moments and its clear nadirs, in no small part due to unimpressive vocal efforts. Last week, songs from the long-awaited remix package for High End Times began to emerge at various publications, touting reworks by Byrell The Great, DJ Big O, Matic808 and more club specialists. Like most other remix packages he stars on though, Neana takes center stage on The Remixes, taking on the Uniique collaboration “Hey Ladies”, itself the most effusive club track of the tape, and working his magic into the interstices of the anthemic original. Whereas the original holds a good deal of call-and-response value, Neana strips out the majority of the vocals, coalescing the hard-as-nails percussive framework into a singular entity until the wooden beams of the track’s foundation verge on splintering. The rest of the package in more than adequate and offers some wonderful tools, but Neana has once again stolen the show.

Chico Dub Releases ‘Hy Brazil Vol 5: New Experimental Music From Brazil 2014’

By Sam Meier

June 3, 2014

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The latest edition of Chico Dub‘s Hy Brazil series was released today free to download on bandcamp. Where the past four issues have had a more general focus on the unseen electronic music that thrives across Brazil, Vol 5 takes a close look into the experimental. The 14 tracks expertly curated by Chico Dub drone in and out of recognition; momentarily finding plains before falling beneath eclipsing, seemingly random, sounds. The compilation offers a take on Brazilian music that has escaped the intrusion of the tourist and the favela images and instead, been birthed outside of banality. Download Hy Brazil Vol 5: New Experimental Music From Brazil 2014 on bandcamp and find a list of the featured artists’ information through Tiny Mix Tapeswho premiered Chico Dub’s latest triumph.

Download Hush Hush: Presents, Vol. 1

By Sam Meier

June 3, 2014