XLR8R AUDIO PODCAST 4b3e2d

Just last month, XLR8R profiled Lena Willikens as part of our annual Bubblin' Up Week series. The article highlighted the Cologne selector's love of unusual sounds, and her ability to make them work on the dancefloor. Her eclectic tastes have most recently been on display via Phantom Delia, Willikens' debut EP, which saw the light of day just a few weeks ago on the Cómeme label. Still, as promising as that record is, it's as a DJ that Willikens really shines; her monthly Sentimental Flashback program, which airs as part of the Radio Cómeme podcast series, continues to be a revelation, and her 2014 mix for Resident Advisor was undoubtedly one of last year's most compelling listens. Given that, we jumped at the chance to have her put together an exclusive XLR8R podcast. True to form, what Willikens has assembled isn't something for people in search of a polished session of neatly constructed dance music. Her selections come from all over the map—both musically and geographically—as cuts from her Cómeme cohorts sit alongside bizarre slices of post-punk, jagged electro, stripped-down house, and assorted electronic oddities. In truth, it's quite unlike most of the mixes that appear in this space, but the podcast is ultimately as thrilling as it is strange. That being said, a cohesive thread has been woven throughout the mix's nearly 70-minute runtime; its seams might not be taut, but the music's looseness and Willikens' remarkably open-minded outlook is all part of the fun. 01 Louise Huebner ­"The Demons Spell for Energy" (Warner Bros. – ­Seven Arts) 02 I­–F ­"Torment" (Disco B) 03 Red Axes ­"Shin Shim" 04 BWL ­"Coro Delle V3" (BWL) 05 Rumanians "­Vos Sos Dios (Carisma Remix)" (Dengue Dancing) 06 Zombie Zombie "L'Esprit Du Cimetière Part 2 (Thème Principal)" (Versatile) 07 Lucas Croon & Carsten Dämbkes "Ecke Rolandstrasse" (TFGC) 08 Jan Pravda ­"Stompd Galaxy" (DMD) 09 Kotai ­"Luxury" (WMF) 10 Matias Aguayo ­"ELEFANTE ­123 BPM" (Cómeme) 11 Cowboy Rhythmbox ­"Rattle" (Phantasy Sound) 12 Shitcluster "Doop 3" (SD) 13 Acid Arab ­"Zahr" (Versatile) 14 Unit Moebius ­"World Turns Around" (Clone Classic Cuts) 15 Vessel ­"Red Sex" (Tri Angle) 16 Ana Helder ­"Chabond" (Cómeme) 17 Dreamweapon ­"Moonland" (Holger) 18 Christoph Haberer ­"Give My Best to G.!" (Jazz Haus Musik) MP3 M4A (iTunes enhanced) Subscribe to Podcast (RSS) XLR8R_Podcast_Lena_Willikens_2015_02_03

After turning in a remix of Rival Consoles' "Recovery" for our s section a few weeks back (a rework which made for one of the site's Top 10 s of January), Vessels returns to XLR8R with "Echo In," a new single from the Leeds-based group's Dilate LP (artwork above). Scheduled for a release via the Bias label in March, Dilate is set to see the five-piece outfit shedding their roots as a guitar-oriented endeavor in order to fully embrace their electronic side. "Echo In" is a fine example of Vessels' evolving sound—streaked with spiraling synth lines and buzzing chords, the track takes shaped as a fast-moving electronic hybrid, one which is quick to weave live drums in with skittering hats, pulsing melodic samples, and sneaking Moog-like leads. "Echo In" can be ed below before Vessels' new full-length record arrives next month; the group's UK tour dates have also been included below. March 12 Convergence 2015, Village Underground, London (with Clark, Rival Consoles & Luke Abbott) March 13 Convergence 2015, St. John At Hackney (DJ set with Kiasmos and Rival Consoles) March 14 Start The Bus, Bristol March 15 Rainbow, Birmingham March 16 Soup Kitchen, Manchester March 17 Nice n Sleazy, Glasgow March 18 Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, Leeds April 25 Opium Rooms, Dublin (with Jack J) Echo In

Later this month, Oknai will issue the High Tide Remixesd EP, a follow-up to the Slovenian producer's debut album that arrived in June of last year. Amongst the five beatmakers selected to rework cuts from Okani's High Tide LP is Russian producer and former XLR8R podcast contributor Pixelord. Taking on "Cloud Forest," the Moscow-based artist completely reshapes Okani's track into a much darker affair, one propelled by pumping 808 kicks and bursts of neon-colored arpeggios. Set to feature additional remixes from Free the Robots, Borka, Some1Else, and Moz, Oknai's High Tide Remixed EP will see a vinyl and digital release on February 23 via the rx:tx label. Before then, Pixelord's contribution to the effort can be ed below. Cloud Forest (Pixelord Remix)

Fledgling Berlin imprint Ressort will issue its next EP on February 9 in the form of the four-track Hidden Documents EP from label co-head Ekserd (pictured above). Serving as a bonus track to the effort is "Wons," a collaboration between Ekserd and fellow Berlin producer Array Access. Where Ekserd's original productions (and additional remixes from Svreca and I/Y) on Hidden Documents are more pounding techno affairs, "Wons" is a bit more of a subdued outing, one which wraps glacial pads and spiraling melodies around a crisp rhythmic structure. "Wons" can be ed below, where a preview stream of Ekserd's Hidden Documents EP has also been included. Wons

The next LP scheduled to arrive via Daddy Kev's Alpha Pup outpost is Illusion Fracture, a 14-track effort from Oakland-based beatmaker Ruff Draft. Ahead of its release, the Bay Area producer has ed along "Messages," the record's introspective closing cut. Built atop a fractured beat, "Messages" comes laced with smoky piano samples that fill the space between the production's loose hats and wood-like claps, before being ed by waves of buzzing synths and a full-bodied bassline that drags just behind the beat. In the end, "Messages" is the kind of stony head-nodder one imagines will nicely wrap up the artist's forthcoming collection of new productions, which includes collaborations with Mr. Carmack and Elusive in its run. "Messages" can be ed below before the rest of Ruff Draft's Illusion Fracture LP lands on February 10. Messages

Late last year, London artist Oceaán (pictured above) dropped Grip, a four-track EP that melded together the worlds of futuristic soul music with detailed electronic production. Here, we have NYC producer Photay's take on EP cut "Candour." A shape-shifting, soul-strewn pop affair in its original form, Photay (who dropped a record of his own last year via Astro Nautico) imbues the track with a new glow, lacing the rework's steady pulse with a series of bright, swelling chords while repurposing the original's many melodic flares and harmonizing vocal layers. Photay's warm and inviting take on "Candour" can be ed below, while Oceaán's Grip is out now via B3SCI/Chess Club. Candour (Photay Remix)

Fledgling Australian label Cult Trip has enlisted Brooklyn producer J. Albert to deliver the second record in its discography, the Vertigo Contracto EP. The two-track effort will also serve as Albert's official debut outing, and from the sound of the previews included below, it appears set to be an impressive one. Further bolstering that statement is "Intimate Setting," a bonus cut Albert has sent along to serve as an additional preview to his debut. Spanning over nine minutes, the track is a forceful expedition into hardware techno, as the production's gritty rhythms and brooding synth lines are sent through a stream of cycling phasers and saturated manipulation. "Intimate Setting" can be ed below before the NYC artist's debut EP lands via Cult Trip on February 2. Intimate Setting

Hailing from Lima, Peru, Maribel Tafur is a budding beatmaker who struck out on her own as a producer in 2013 with the Mysteries of Love EP. Having spent the last year performing live and further honing her production skills, Tafur is set to issue her next official release in April, but before then has elected to drop off a new beat, "Summer Dreams." An appropriately sun-swept affair, "Summer Dreams" makes effective use of a warm guitar sample, running it through a handful of filters, tweaking, and rearranging its relaxed, watery strums across the effort's entire five-minute run. Adding a few light melodies as the tune progresses, "Summer Dreams" may make use of a rather simple beatmaking formula, but in hands of Tafur, it is clearly still an effective one. Summer Dreams

The latest effort to land on Seattle's fast-growing Hush Hush label is the Light Traveling Beneath Me EP, a new outing from 22-year-old, Pittsburgh-based artist Tom Holroyd (a.k.a. Torvvo). The focus of the record (which dropped earlier this week) is Torvvo's "Light Traveling Beneath Me" production, which appears in its original form and gets the remix treatment from the likes of Hanssen, Secret School, Faades, USF, and others in the course of the EP. Here, we have Holroyd's own "Reduced Mix" version of the track, which strips the tune down to more efficient form, while putting an extra focus on the track's overlapping patterns of bouncing chords and cascading melodic layers. Torvvo's "Reduced Mix" can be ed below, where the producer's original version of "Light Traveling Beneath Me" is also available to stream in full. Light Traveling Beneath Me (Torvvo Reduced Mix)

An artist highlighted during the course of our recent Bubblin' Up Week of content (and a frequent collaborator of XLR8R's most recent podcast contributor, Anthony Parasole), NYC producer/engineer Phil Moffa has turned in a new remix for free . Here, Moffa has taken on "Follow," a cut from Vancouver duo Humans' NOONTIDE LP, turning the active production into a much more subdued piece of techno. Dark and dense, Moffa's rework stretches ambient textures and a bouncing delay sequence across a chugging six minutes, which methodically build steam as additional cymbals and chopped snippets of the original track are added to the procession. Phil Moffa's remix of "Follow" can be ed below before Humans' NOONTIDE LP lands via the Hybridity label on February 24. Follow (Phil Moffa Remix)

Èbony is the guise of Toronto-based producers Sylvermayne and Jordan Gardner, who together have built a catalog of tracks for just over a year now. Described by the pair itself as landing between "the futurist perspective of Detroit techno and the soulful melodies of Yoruba house," Èbony's sound seeks to balance dancefloor appeal with a rewarding listening experience, as can be heard in "Sunshine," the pair's latest track offered here. Anchored by the bounce of stuttered kicks, the production gradually builds layers of gloomy atmosphere that encircle the track's intricate percussion pattern a and recurring swells of melodic synth sequences, ultimately rendering "Sunshine" a somewhat deceiving title for this quality outing from the budding Canadian pair. Sunshine

New York City's techno scene has been something of a cause célèbre over the past few years, with intriguing new artists and labels seemingly popping up on a daily basis. However, it's not just fresh-faced transplants that are getting into the act; a few died-in-the wool New Yorkers have also been making some serious waves, and Anthony Parasole is right at the top of that list. The Brooklyn native has been DJing since his teen years, and came up alongside guys like Levon Vincent, with whom he would later run the Deconstruct label. These days, however, most of his focus is on his own imprint, The Corner, along with the fabled Ostgut Ton. The Berlin outpost issued his most recent record, the My Block EP, and has gotten to know Parasole quite well in recent years, as he holds down a residency at Berghain and spends what seems to be an increasing amount of time in the German capital. Back home in New York, he's also been made a resident at Output, which means that he's become a staple DJ at highly esteemed clubs on both sides of the Atlantic. He seems poised for a major breakthrough in 2015, which leads us to believe that now is the perfect time to have him put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series. In the DJ booth, Parasole is probably best known for his ability to serve up a hard-charging techno assault, but those who have seen him play know that he's capable of so much more. He certainly flexes his diversity here, as the 73-minute session moves between long patches of foreboading, almost beatless soundscapes and a thudding techno pulse. Parasole also throws in the occasional musical curveball, which explains how a mix that's largely centered around techno could begin with Black Sabbath and end with Flying Lotus. It's an unusual combination, but it unquestionably works, and results in a podcast that's perhaps just as suitable for relaxed home listening as it is for even an imagined wild night on the dancefloor. ittedly, those two poles sit quite far apart on the musical spectrum, yet Parasole appears to have mastered them both. 01 Black Sabbath "Planet Caravan" (Vertigo) 02 Lukid "Manchester" (Werkdiscs) 03 Shackleton "Shortwave" (Skull Disco) 04 Muslimgauze "Bazoft Rope" (Soleilmoon) 05 Bruce "Not Stochastic" (Hessle Audio) 06 Fluxion "You Don't Know (Joey Anderson Remix)" (Echocord) 07 Anthony Parasole "Bizarre" (Ostgut Ton) 08 Throwing Shade "Chancer (Kowton Remix)" (Happy Skull) 09 Surgeon "Atol" (SRX) 10 Markus Suckut "MS1987 A" (MS1987) 11 Rod "RSPCT" (MDR) 12 Sigha "Loop 6" (Avian) 13 Phil Moffa "Ignition" (The Corner) 14 Echoplex "The Relapse" (Index Marcel Fengler) 15 Blue Hour "Introspective 3" (Blue Hour) 16 Flying Lotus feat. Kendrick Lamar "Never Catch Me" (Warp) MP3 M4A (iTunes enhanced) Subscribe to Podcast (RSS) XLR8R_Podcast_Anthony_Parasole_2015_01_27

Earlier this month, Moscow producer Rekord 61 released the Sverh EP via his own Konstruktiv label, a record which included three Rekord 61< original tracks from the artist alongside not one, not two, but three remixes courtesy of longstanding techno craftsman Radio Slave. Here we have the third version of the German producer's take on "Sverh," which strips the driving techno affair down to an even more efficient form, draping the tune's pulsing kicks in a distant bed of noise while enhancing its bounce with new bits of razor-sharp percussion, resulting in a rework that is as unapologetically focused on the dancefloor as most everything Radio Slave has crafted in his accomplished career as a producer. The man's so-called "F.Y.M Remix 3" take on Rekord 61's tune can be ed below, where a preview stream of the full Sverh EP has also been included. Sverh (Radio Slave F.Y.M Remix 3)

Some may recognize Polish producer Bartosz Kruczynski from our recent Bubblin' Up Week 2015's 10 More Artists to Watch list, where Kruczynski's Ptaki project (for which he serves as half of the production pair) was featured. Before new Ptaki material arrives this year though, Kruczynski has elected to deliver a new full-length via his solo alias The Phantom. Simply titled LP2, the nine-track record is a follow-up to last year's LP1 album for the Silverback label, and finds Kruczynski eschewing the silky disco style of his Ptaki project for more angular club hybrids, such as "Complex City," an LP cut that makes use of space-age percussion and an active lead theme which moves through buzzing bass synths, to MIDI flutes, and much more. Kruczynski's "Complex City" production can be ed below, or as part of his free-to- LP2 album, which can be picked up in its entirety via the Silverback label here. Complex City

St. Petersburg collective (and monthly party, five years running) Roots United will launch a new label effort in the coming weeks. In charge of delivering the imprint's inaugural release is the crew's own Nocow, a local producer who has served as one of St. Petersburg's most consistently intriguing musical exports over the past few years, his excellent Ruins Tape album (which saw a proper vinyl re-release in 2012) solidifying his reputation as one of Russia's most quality producers. Never one to remain entrenched in a single musical aesthetic, Nocow's forthcoming Zathdax EP sees the artist moving towards the more rough and rugged ends of the techno spectrum, its title track (offered for here) burying a series of sci-fi synth sequences and chopped syllables beneath a steady stream of static-laden, machine-made rhythms. Nowcow's "Zathdax" production can be ed below before his EP of the same title launches the label arm of St. Petersburg's Roots United collective on February 2. Zathdax

Japanese label flau is set to launch a new 12" series (which they've elected to title raum) with a four-track EP from Stefan Jós, an alias of Devon Hansen, a producer who has also be known to operate as Lotide and D. Hansen. After appearing on a split cassette for Opal Tapes alongside former Bubblin' Up artist Austin Cesear last year, Hansen's Stefan Jós alias is now set to return with Things You Left Behind, a record which focuses on crafting minimal dancefloor constructions with an extra emphasis on detailed sonic textures. EP cut "Specialism (Uneasy)" surely accomplishes the task, riding a skeletal four-on-the-floor as it layers a number of tight percussion pings and dubbed chords atop the track's thin pulse. Hansen's next outing as Stefan Jós is slated to inaugurate the run of flau's raum 12" series on February 16; in the meantime, the crisp "Specialism (Uneasy)" can be ed below. Specialism (Uneasy)

As a track titled "Driftwood" probably should, this production from German beatmaker Shatter Hands begins with a swath of swirling, ambient tones. However, after letting listeners freely—ahem—drift for a good minute or so, "Driftwood" quickly turns into a head-nodding affair as heavily compressed, percussion-lined hip-hop rhythms and an ever-moving, low-bit rate bassline are introduced, riding just underneath the track's fluid mass of hazy chords. Appropriately enough, Shatter Hands' production has been selected to close out the forthcoming Beat Garden Vol. 4 compilation, a 17-track collection that is set to offer an array of efforts from across the boom-bap spectrum when it lands on January 25 via Slovakian label Gergaz. Driftwood

Edinburgh-raised, now Glasgow-based beatmaker Dressin Red has split his forthcoming Head/Body tape for Astral Black into two parts: the "Head" side that represents the more introspective strains of the young talent's craft, and the "Body" side that sees Dressin Red focused on the dancefloor. Even without glancing at its title, its easy to tell which side "Body Plan" will land on from its opening bars—a rapid-fire procession of kicks and gritty percussion open up the track, followed closely behind by some stuttered vocals, sweeping chords, and a fantastically buzzing bassline. In short, "Body Plan" is a bit of a monster, one that can be ed below ahead of tge Head/Body EP/cassette tape via Astral Black on January 26. Body Plan

Earlier this week, Brooklyn duo Goitia Deitz released the vinyl version of its M O D E EP via hometown label Cut Mistake Music. With a digital version of the record set to arrive next week, the pair has now ed along bonus track "Silent Runner" to offer as a free . A driving synth jam, "Silent Runner" lives up to its title, remaining in constant motion while also maintaing a breezy flow throughout, piling layers of blissful, new-age tones across its skeletal rhythms as the track patiently moves through its seven-plus-minute run. Goitia Deitz's "Silent Runner" track can be grabbed below, where a preview stream of the East Coast duo's new EP for Cut Mistake Music can also be found. Silent Runner

Funkss is the alias of Raleigh, North Carolina beatmaker Jake Funke. Today, Funke has released his debut EP under the Funkss moniker, Radon, via Donky Pitch Tokyo Hands' Tomcrew label, from which the sprightly "Blue Ones" comes to us. An efficient affair, the track begins by piecing together its rhythmic components, which then are ed by a procession of airy chord stabs. As "Blue Ones" weaves its way through its brisk four-minutes, Funke slowly notches up the energy, lacing the track with choppy breaks and fast-paced percussion as it builds. "Blue Ones" can be grabbed below, while the rest of Funkss' six-track Radon EP is out today as a name-your-price , here. Blue Ones