Premiere: French Mount Ultra – Broken Teeth

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September 12, 2016
New Music
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Coming in as the 10th release in the Liminal Sounds catalogue, French Mount Ultra’s Static Assembly is a striking label debut for the London-based producer, six tracks of searing industrial noise and reinforced grime structures. Having self-released two sprawling EPs/albums including August 2015’s excellent Sirens. Heavy. Poison., FMU has found a home with the club experimentalists at Liminal Sounds, following a Summer-ready release from Orlando Volcano and following in the steps of artists like Copout, Air Max ’97 and Soda Plains. Today we’ve got “Broken Teeth” on premiere, a resolute take on video game grime that comes across like a wild animal trying to break out of its cage. It also recalls the beat stylings of artists like Samiyam and Dibiase, or even more recent work from Iglooghost, a spastic take on sound design that takes knocking the listener out of their seat as first order of business. The rest of Static Assembly is no less manic, making the quick run time of 21 minutes seem both lightning fast and oddly distended. Static Assembly is out September 23 and is available for pre-order here.

Premiere: Botaz – Stuck

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September 7, 2016
New Music
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With releases out on TAR and Heat Records, Bay Area-based artist Botaz has begun to make waves over the past few years, entering his clear-eyed approach to production into a growing network of internet-connected individuals pushing club music’s various stands and variants. Also part of San Francisco’s Bread crew who have been bringing out some of the best lineups on the entire West Coast, Botaz is something of a Bay Area hold out, especially when it comes to his label, Big Sigh Brat Club, which is run in tandem with LA’s Farsight and Ballast. Set to be released on September 19, Botaz will debut on BSBC with the Stuck EP, a collection of three widescreen originals aided by remixes from Kieran Loftus, Ca$h Bandicoot, HABIBIBOI and Patrick Brian. We’ve got the EP’s title track on premiere today, a beatific take on the Gobstopper/Coyote school of weightless grime built on glassy synth work, an amnesiac sensibility and a bassline that both grounds and drives the track forward. It’s an intro in a sense, but whereas “Anxious and “Trying” take a more club-oriented approach to the same palette, “Stuck” sits nicely in its own realm, an almost incongruously lush landscape that almost demands a visual analog. Look out for the Stuck EP on the 19th and hit the jump for a preview of the full release.

Premiere: Kid Smpl – Promise Emulation

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September 1, 2016
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Inaugurated at the beginning of August with Eaves‘ Mauled Heretic, Kid Smpl’s DISPLAY label/series is a new endeavor intended to “showcase longform single-track musical explorations.” If you’re familiar with operations like Disc Magazine, Novembre Magazine, aqnb or JG Biberkopf’s Unthinkable show on NTS, this format will likely be familiar to you, somewhat based in the ambient tradition of extended songs but with far more of a concise narrative bent. July’s MAMI X NON compilation, featuring short mixes from Nkisi, Marcelline, Asmara and more, is another example of the shorter format, this time blurring the lines between original/mix formats in a way that allows for a collagist underpinning and a runway soundtrack overtone.

Despite the mix-cum-collage format becoming increasingly popular, DISPLAY has been established to feature solely original works and the second entry into the series, Promise Emulation, comes from Kid Smpl himself. An expansive synthesis of the hi-stress style style found on the producer’s releases for Symbols, the piece aims to “explore a succession of decrepit futurist locales,” a dystopian purview that the producer, recent relocated to San Francisco, manages without the heavy handed posturing and cloying sci fi motifs of so many of his contemporaries. Largely beat-less, Promise Emulation is a largely textural affair, briefly breaking out into trance-like crescendos and bursts of raw noise, but by-and-large retaining more restrained exterior that recalls Ben Frost at his most subtle. Promise Emulation is out now in full and available as a free download.

Mina Mix For The Astral Plane

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September 1, 2016
Mixes
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If you follow our FACT column or listen with any regularity to our show on Radar Radio, you’ll surely be familiar with Mina, the rising production star behind some of the bounciest mid-tempo hits of the last year and co-head of London’s Boko! Boko! club night and radio show. Coming off a busy Carnival weekend that included a number of gigs across the city and a surprise b2b session with funky legends Crazy Cousins, we grabbed Mina for Astral Plane Mix 122 and the result is an idyllic run down of original and likeminded material that links from funky, afro house and gqom to soca, dancehall and kizomba. With releases out on Lisbon mainstay Enchufada and Los Angeles-based Friends of Friends (a joint effort with longtime collaborator Lorenzo_BITW), Mina has quickly justified her place in the conversation over the past 12 months and if you haven’t heard her signature xylophone melodies peek through a mix this Summer then you’re clearly not going to the right parties.

At the beginning of August, Boko! Boko! (co-run by Mina, Tash LC and DJ Chin) released the JOY compilation, a kaleidoscopic effort rejoicing in ebullient dancehall, kizomba and more from the likes of DJ Bboy, Gafacci, Mapalma and more. From a curatorial perspective, the inclusions are decidedly in line with the crew’s jubilant aesthetic and two lighthearted Mina collaborations, with Lorenzo_BITW and Svani respectively, pull the whole affair together nicely. Tracks from JOY and forthcoming collaborations with Nané, Wanted, Boyfriend and the aforementioned Lorenzo_BITW are peppered throughout Mina’s Astral Plane mix, which flips the rule book a little bit and descends in tempo from the rhythmic chop of Ahadadream, Jay De Silva and Champion into more a lethargic riddim territory populated by Busy Signal, Popcaan and Beenie Man. Like everything Mina has done to date, the mix has enough bounce and funk to carry even the laziest dancefloors and if you’re looking for a mission statement from this rising London artist the look no further.

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Dummy Mix 451 // Astral Plane DJ Team

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August 29, 2016
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With our Dummy Presents: The Astral Plane night coming up this Friday, our own Astral Plane DJ Team have contributed a mix to Dummy Mag’s inimitable series, chopping up label material from SHALT, Nunu, LOFT, Chants and more with a host of exclusives by Eaves, Imaabs, Jikuroux and more. The mix starts out with a stab at a Rian Treanor x 21 Savage blend and only gets more deranged from there, smashing in industrial dubstep with Lil Uzi Vert and PnB Rock. The following quote accompanied the mix:

Made up of tracks tested out in our living room and at nights in LA over the past few weeks, this recording touches on a lot of the more industrial-influenced music we’ve released without delving into full blown hysteric dystopia. It’s important to always leave room for light and whether that comes from sneaky ghost melodies in a SHALT tune or a moment affirming Lil Uzi Vert chorus we’ve tried to include plenty in our Dummy mix.

Violence, Maieli, Bianca Oblivion, The Dance Pit, Nargiz and the Astral Plane DJ Team are playing Dummy Presents: The Astral Plane which goes down Friday night from 9 PM to 2 AM at the Ace Hotel Rooftop in Downtown LA. RSVP here.

Byrell The Great Mix For The Astral Plane

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August 25, 2016
Mixes
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Photo by Nick Blu

Last Friday, Qween Beat’s inaugural Qweendom compilation hit the streets; 11 tracks from a who’s who of contemporary ballroom greats. The release runs the gamut of ballroom style, a mixture of hard-as-nails production, fierce vocals and a reverent sense of history that manifests itself in both subtle and literal ways. In that sense, no artist epitomizes Qweendom more than Byrell the Great and on “Bubble Drop”, a collaboration with Kassandra Ebony, WARREN B. and Princess Precious, and “Legendary Children”, the New York-based DJ effortlessly matches a distinctly modern production approach with classic sounds. Which is pretty much what Byrell has been doing since emerging as a producer a few years back, working extensively with the likes of MikeQ, Cakes Da Killa and Venus X to establish a position as one of ballroom’s rising production stars and most sought after DJs.

Specifically, Byrell is one of the top DJs in the kiki scene, a counterpart to the main ballroom scene that is younger and more oriented to fun, free flowing balls. Without making too many assumptions, Byrell’s production work often mirrors those characteristics and features samples from predictable sources like Masters at Work, Tronco Traxx and Beyonce, but also brings in Chedda da Connect, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West for a decidedly more modern sound. Byrell’s Astral Plane mix is, in his words, a “spell casting” of recent favorites, a Qweendom-heavy tour through modern ballroom with room for a collaboration with UNIIQU3 and inclusion of tracks by up-and-comers Capital K’aos, Quest?onmarc and TRICK$. We had a brief chat with Byrell over email and talked about the next step for Qween Beat, testing out Qweendom and his position, both internal and external, as one of the most in-demand ballroom/kiki DJs around. Hit the jump for our talk with Byrell and check below that for a track list we’re sure you’ll be repeatedly checking back on as you run through these 35 hi energy minutes.

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The Astral Plane on Radar Radio w/ Astral Plane DJ Team, Resla – August 22

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August 23, 2016
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On Monday night, we took to the airwaves for our monthly slot on Radar Radio (fourth Monday of every month) and brought along a guest mix from Resla, one of our favorite new producers who has gotten a lot of play in previous Radar sessions and featured in our monthly column for FACT Magazine. The Chilean producer’s guest session plays out in the second hour and features almost 50 songs including new material from Astral Plane faves mobilegirl, Soda Plains, Spaceseeds, Santa Muerte and Dinamarca. It’s sent us scrambling since he first sent it over and if you can follow the rapid switch ups you might just get an early taste of a heap of forthcoming material. The Astral Plane DJ Team handles the first hour, which features some unreleased label material, forthcoming tracks from Imaabs, Kid Antoine & CYPHR and Letta, plus a quick run through of our favorite non-dance tracks of late. Hit the jump for a track list and enjoy. We’ll be back on September 26.

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Nargiz Mix For The Astral Plane

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August 18, 2016
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On September 2nd, we’re hosting a night with Dummy at the Ace Rooftop in downtown Los Angeles and couldn’t be more excited to add The Dance Pit and Nargiz to the lineup. In anticipation of the night, we’ve asked both artists to record a mix for us, providing joint entries for Astral Plane Mix 120. Find more info on Dummy Presents: The Astral Plane here and RSVP here.

Started in 2013, Nargiz’s every-once-in-a-while Heat Ritual parties have boasted some of the city’s most on-the-cusp lineups in recent years, drawing together artists from the NAAFI, Fade 2 Mind, KUNQ and Mixpak universes since well before media outlets like Resident Advisor and Mixmag codified them in any sort of “scene”. Previous to Heat Ritual, Nargiz was a resident at Tokyo’s Laguna Bass nights cutting her teeth in a city with a dearth of options for left field club fans. Having spent time in a number of cities including New York, Philadelphia and Tokyo, Nargiz is something of a club music nomad and her music is no less complex than her geography.

Originally from Azerbaijan, Nargiz was introduced to many via “O’youn Oyun”, a highlight from Tobago Tracks’ 8ULENTINA-curated DISMISS U compilation that was released in April and features likeminded artists like DJ Haram and foozool. “O’youn Oyun” features a drum loop from the meyxanas performance genre, a blend of repetitive drum loops and freestyle rhyming and chanting. It also features a sample from Clipse’s “Grindin” and like much of the material on DISMISS U the two elements neither clash nor mesh, instead providing an in-your-face sonic dialogue between Western pop signifiers and Azeri rhythms and vocals.

Inspired by “spending too much time in random cars on Periscope driving around Azerbaijan,”, Nargiz’s Astral Plane mix is short journey through trans-oceanic club spaces and central Asian musics, fitting 16 songs into 18 frantic minutes. Nargiz’s own edits of Young Thug are positioned against recent work by Rizzla, Florentino and Leonce, while the instrumental to Mims’ “This Is Why I’m Hot”, also a collage of sorts, fits uneasily between two atmosphere-heavy tracks by “unknown” artists. It’s a brief, but strong introduction to an artist with only a few solo productions to their name at this point and if vision and experience are anything to go by it’s easy to see Nargiz emerging as one of the most exciting new producers of 2016.

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The Dance Pit Mix For The Astral Plane

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August 18, 2016
New Music
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“Club Etiquette Vol. 1 grew out of both micro and macro frustrations in the club” – Intro to Club Etiquette Vol. 1

On September 2nd, we’re hosting a night with Dummy at the Ace Rooftop in downtown Los Angeles and couldn’t be more excited to add The Dance Pit and Nargiz to the lineup. In anticipation of the night, we’ve asked both artists to record a mix for us, providing joint entries for Astral Plane Mix 120. Find more info on Dummy Presents: The Astral Plane here and RSVP here.

In dance music lore, the club is treated as hallowed space; an elevated plane that exists far from the biases, contradictions and power structures that pervade day-to-day life. Anyone who has attended a club/venue/bar/warehouse recently knows that the reality is much more complicated. Everyone has had a drink spilled on them or had a taller individual block their view and a nasty lack of respect between security, bar staff and club-goers often circulates. More importantly, predatory behavior is often allowed to run rampant, unchecked by both security and male patrons, making the club a fundamentally unsafe space for female, LBTQ and non-binary folk. These issues are systemic and won’t be fixed over night, but Anuradha Golder aka The Dance Pit is putting in overtime to address and discuss a battery of subjects ranging from personal space on the dance floor, safe (and fun) drug use, and a simple set of rules and expectations for both throwing and playing shows. At six editions, the beautifully drawn Club Etiquette zine is a necessary, and thoroughly enjoyable, read, providing an erudite critique of the myriad issues facing modern club land.

As if offering up others a guide for to engage with club spaces, throw shows and interact with other DJs wasn’t enough, Golder throws Club Etiquette parties and DJs as The Dance Pit, building a literal space to try and exemplify the ideals espoused in the zine and to promote likeminded producers and DJs. Astral Plane favorites The Large, MM, Abby, Lechuga Zafiro, Nargiz and more have all touched down at Club Etiquette parties since the first edition in August 2015 and a free/$5 donation to leave policy is integral to maintaining an open and inclusive spirit. As a DJ, Golder plays a range of bounce-y, floor ready material, drawing heavily from dancehall, reggaeton, soca and other Caribbean forms, all blended together in a loose style that tends to accentuate huge hooks and joyous blends.

Whether it’s because of scene politics or deep-seated misogyny, racism and transphobia, the dance music community often lacks the reflexive self-critical attitude necessary to approach patriarchy and endemic racial bias, but Golder has started and will continue to push a conversation that aims to make the club a safe, open, enjoyable space for all.

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Premiere: Ocean Hope – Tame (Chants Remix)

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August 17, 2016
New Music, Remixes
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With a catalogue that spans four years and 70+ releases, Seattle’s Hush Hush Recordings has become a staple in the electronic underground, releasing everything from grime bootlegs to formative night bus releases and a host of dreamy pop manipulations. Admittedly, much of what the label has released over the past few years has been outside of our scope, but it’s always been a pleasure to delve back into the prolific outfit’s catalogue to see who else has been brought into the fold. One of those acts, Greek duo Ocean Hope, debuted on HH in November 2015 with Chamber Dreams EP, a collection of bucolic, reverb-drenched pop numbers. On August 19, HH will release Chamber Dreams: Remixes Vol. 1, comprised of 10 remixes by label artists and friends. Madison’s Chants, who has released on both HH and Astral Plane Recordings, is among the remixes and his take, recorded just before The Zookeeper sessions, blends the percussive, impact-heavy style he’s been known for with the airy vocals and emotive, tape hiss drenched instrumentation of the Grecians. Stream Kid Smpl, Keep Shelly In Athens and Kimekai’s takes on Ocean Hope here and pre-order Chamber Dreams: Remixes, Vol. 1 here. Another volume of Ocean Hope remixes from HH family and friends will follow in September.