DJ Rephlex Records @ Analogical Force [Madrid, Spain] FEB 5th, 2011 :: Promo Video

Friday, January 28, 2011

rephlex5211Analogical Force
DJ Rephlex Records
w/ Pervert + Groof

[Feb 5, 2011 :: Specka, Madrid, Spain]
Event Info

Promo Video + Event Info

Here is a cool little video from the Analogical Force team promoting the DJ Rephlex Records RepHresh 2011 Tour stop at Specka in Madrid, Spain, set to Chaos A.D. 'Psultan (Squarepusher Mix)'. You might recognize some of the video clips from the Psultan music video previously seen on the old Rephlex.com website (shown below promo).



Original video from old Rephlex.com site:


rephresh5211

Brainchops.net Recommended Live Electronic Music Events Calendar

Ceephax Recent Remixes Side-by-Side with Originals from Patrick Wolf, Errors, May Ling

Thursday, January 27, 2011

ceephax-remixesCeephax Acid Crew
Recent Remix Round-up

Ceephax dealt out a few remixes in the past year or so and I just wanted to wrangle them up into one place and reflect on his subtle but effective hand. The reworks below gave each of their original counterparts a pretty conservative makeover considering how extreme Ceephax's style can be at most times, but I feel that it resulted in pieces that made fans of both artists happy. Let's face it though - wouldn't it be gratifying to hear Andy flip everyone's wigs by turning some poppy vocal track into a pixelated, technicolor acid banger?

Patrick Wolf - Time Of My Life (Original)
Patrick Wolf - Time Of My Life (Ceephax Remix)


"Time Of My Life" is probably the most drastic of the lot, replacing Patrick's string-pop with signature Ceephax electronics. The acid sounds a bit restricted though... like a gradeschool kid squirming in his desk chair waiting to bolt for the door as soon as the recess bell rings. But I have to admit that he converted a track I wouldn't normally listen to into a must-have. Audiophiles who want more than an MP3 can get a free download of the uncompressed .WAV by signing up for the Patrick Wolf e-newsletter on his website. You can also grab this track on the vinyl release at shops like this one.


Errors - Jolomo (Original)

Errors - Jolomo (Ceephax Acid Crew Paisley Nightdrive Mix)


The original is a cool track to begin with, but somehow Ceephax made it cooler giving it his own flavor and a touch of italo. But it's a win/win in this situation, and I personally own both versions. You can buy this track on the Error's remix album called 'Celebrity Come Down With Me'. Digital seems to only be available in certain regions via iTunes and Boomkat, but anyone should be able to pick up the vinyl here.


May Ling - Jamaican Panda (Original)

May Ling - Jamaican Panda (Ceephax Remix)

Sure I like Casio beats, but I like Ceephax beats better. Plus he tightened things up by slicing a minute off the end, which I didn't mind at all. This remix is given away as part of a free album of May Ling remixes. [.ZIP]

missaw - Acid Mix for 030303 - January 2011 :: Mix

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

cfacidmissaw
acid mix for 030303, January 2011

Mix + Free Download

This bite-sized acid mix by missaw bounced its way into my inbox this morning as a little reminder about his gig at the 030303 party in Utrecht this weekend with Roy of the Ravers. It's made up of 50% unreleased tracks so check it out for a bit of a preview of his upcoming DJ set as well as what might be new releases brewing at The Centrifuge.

Stream:


[Download | Event Info]

Automatic Tasty - Window Funk
The Weather Channel - Weather Channel 4*
Tudor Acid - Prephrase
brokeBust - The Ballad Of Frank Olson*
Global Goon - mAKE mE*
NeuteK - Orinoco* (Roy Of The Ravers' Centrifugal Force Mix)
Exillon - Minwarelectro
Mr Nibbles feat. NeuteK - 303EMU*
Cursor Miner - Millions Of Frogs*
Scrubber Fox - Acid Bass Rape On Tablets Of Power

*track appears on Acid Futures Volumes 1 & 2 by The Centrifuge (Free Download)

Stay up to date on recommended live electronic music events with the Brainchops.net Upcoming Events Calendar.

The Carrier Wave - Rich and Strange EP (2011) :: Review

Monday, January 24, 2011

tcw-richandstrangeThe Carrier Wave
Rich and Strange
[Complex Sound Sagacity :: 2011]

Review + Free Download

If Her Majesty The Queen listened to acid, she would listen to The Carrier Wave's new EP Rich and Strange.  That might be a loaded statement, especially considering that The Carrier Wave, aka Christopher Westphal, is actually from the United States, however the sophistication and elegant restraint displayed in these 5 tracks combined with slick production and a surprisingly apropos touch of classical strings make them fit for a royal garden party or a day out on the yacht.  The American President would discover this EP too eventually, though the scene wouldn't ever catch on in his country, forcing him to stay up to date on various internet forums and swap files with his online friends from across the pond, but I digress.

Despite The Carrier Wave's debut EP Live Takes Vol. 1 emerging just 2 and a half months ago, Rich and Strange reveals a noticeable evolution of style as the Chicago producer combines his love for analog drum machines, modular synths, and of course, acid, with orchestral training from his earlier years.  He's managed to find a unique and magical sweet spot where these things all meet because I literally cannot stop listening to it on repeat.  "Funky Deschanel" opens perfectly, picking up where he left off with vintage Roland percussion at a medium pace topped with slicing pads and some really smooth 303.  Before you know it however, the artist eases some upbeat violin plucks into the mix, and suddenly you're listening to acid classical electro.  The integration of said strings is subtle in track one, perhaps as an intentional gesture to gradually introduce the listener to the idea and prepare them for the assault in track two.  "Prim, Proper Acid" starts out like a straight-up chamber piece with an entire string section bowing out an austere melody in unison, but soon a rogue contrabass (or is it cello?) brings in a funky bassline and a swingy electronic beat follows, pushing the track into head-nodding action.  The recording of the strings in this one is so clear, I swear you can hear rosin grinding on horse hair.  "Bass Spatz One" is a bit of a wildcard and switches things up with even funkier acid, acoustic drum sounds and bass guitar work mean enough to turn Squarepusher's head.  "Spade Cruise Lines" is a bouncy, rubbery good time that features a cool "talking" synth simply oozing with luxury, and closing track "So Long, Lefty" is truly the sound of an oceanic vessel of titanic proportions slowly disappearing on the horizon as we raise our martinis and cheers to high society black-tie acid.

Stream "Rich and Strange":


Promo Video featuring "Spade Cruise Lines":


Download The Carrier Wave - Rich and Strange EP :: .RAR (MP3, 320kbps) | Label Page

Connect with The Carrier Wave :: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter | MySpace

The Carrier Wave has residency @ Gravity Halo Rotations Blog through January 2011

Global Goon - Quones (2011) :: Review

Saturday, January 22, 2011

gg-quonesGlobal Goon
Quones
[J-HOK :: 2011]

Review + Free Download

Just 4 months after the release of his Earwhig LP featuring older unreleased tracks, Global Goon has snuck out yet another free long player called Quones, this time full of brand-spankin' new electronic tunes covering styles such as '70s electro funk, robot pop, chiptune and, of course, the quirky braindance we can always count on.


Classic Goon beats and bubbly sound synthesis akin to selections from his early Rephlex output are prevalent in tracks like "Wut", "Thindex" and "Borkend" while others such as "Tremulkane", "Fenikal", and "Bouncers of Gneygorg" venture into vocal territory, both heavily vocoded and non.  Title track "Quones" has a sexy '70s vinyl sound that brings the album to its sensual funk climax with the priceless vocal line, "Sending vibrations through the Milky Wayyyy..."  But it's not long before we are yanked out of our afro-topped stupors and zapped into "Super Noodles", a plodding 8-bit style video game soundtrack full of bleeps and thonks.  The understated "Duopoly" is a highlight for me with its subtle but hum-along-able melody and a beat made up of farty lasers, anvil strikes and a persistent kick.  Exploring such a wide variety of vibes leaves this album feeling just short of disjointed, but certainly keeps the listener entertained with a potpourri of fun and unpredictable sounds.

A "quone", according to the Urban Dictionary, is a "non word" played in the game of Scrabble.  There are a few other definitions listed but taking these wacky track titles into account, I think it's safe to say "non word" is the theme.

UPDATE FEB-05-2011 :: Added new album cover artwork created by Global Goon.  When this review was originally written, Mr. J-Hok hadn't included any album artwork in the album's download .zip, so Brainchops created one to fill the space.  The temporary cover will remain archived here for posterity.  Extra points if you recognize the pattern.

Global Goon - Tremulkane
Global Goon - Duopoly
Tracklisting:
01) Wut
02) Tremulkane
03) Duopoly
04) Thindex
05) Quones
06) Super Noodles
07) Fenikal
08) Borkend
09) Crone Phone
10) Gonweh
11) Bouncers of Gneygorg




Download Global Goon - Quones :: .ZIP (MP3, 320kbps) | Download Page

Connect with Global Goon :: Official Site | MySpace | Booking

Rephlex Grant Promises New Music Releases From Monolith, Wisp, Aleksi Perala, Jodey Kendrick, D'Arcangelo, New Artists & More in 2011 :: News

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

reRephlex Records
Co-founder Grant Wilson-Claridge reflects on his favorite moments in the label's 20 years and reveals plans for 2011 in an interview with Spannered

In a killer interview freshly published today on the amazing Spannered blog, Rephlex co-founder Grant Wilson-Claridge (a.k.a. DJ Rephlex Records) announces that they will be adding some new (still top secret) artists to the roster in the album's 20th year, as well as releasing Monolith's debut full-length, and more incredible music from Wisp, Aleksi Perala, Jodey Kendrick, D'Arcangelo, and others.

Grant says, (via Spannered):

"Really importantly and imminently, Dave Monolith debut album. Outstanding. And more Wisp. Those two guys are hugely underrated or unknown by too many so do check 'em out and help us promote them, so the world becomes a better place. I have seen their music leave people crying, smiling, jumping every time everywhere. I also have the dopest album by Aleksi Perälä which is mental sub bass and pure harmonics like mother nature’s dub. A shedload of absolutely top quality lush dance tunes from Jodey Kendrick (keeping the hot core of acid house, Detroit techno and braindance burning), deep electronics from the D’Arcangelo brothers, the mysterious Steinvord and an audio-visual project from one of my favourite artists, Pierre Bastien. There are a couple of other new people in the schedule too but more info about them later..."

We also know from recent press releases that the first 3 products coming out on the Rephlex conveyor belt in 2011 are: 1.) electro-funk superstar Dwayne Omarr's "Multi Funk", a collective re-issue of 80's singles and new tunes due out Jan. 18th; 2.) "The Criminal Minds" a collage of gritty hip-hop by britcore outfit T.C.M. out Feb. 1st; and 3.) "Paranormale Aktivitat" by Zwischenwelt, an eerie, otherworldly electronic study of the paranormal out Feb. 21st by collaborative group composed of former Drexciya member Heinrich Mueller (a.k.a. Gerald Donald), New York DJ/producer Susana Correia, Spanish producer Penelope Lopez and vocalist Beta Evers (who operates a number of German labels, including Kommando 6).

This variety right off the bat is exactly what the label needed to mix things up before a slew of releases by established artists, and I love that they're keeping us on our toes with Steinvord and these alleged "new people".  Any guesses as to who they might be?  I look forward to following Rephlex in the coming year as it is shaping up to be a great one.

Read the full Spannered interview HERE.

*******UPDATE 03-MAR-2011***********

Release dates for the albums mentioned in this article have changed according to Grant to the new dates below.  We also now know the name of Monolith's debut:

"Dwayne Omarr Multi Funk (classic usa electro fusion suavity) available March 14, rephlex cat 202cd. The Criminal Minds TCM (original britcore hip hop) available 21st March, rephlex cat 208 cd/lp. next up, Zwischenwelt 'Paranormal Aktivitat' and Dave Monolith 'Welcome'."

Keona - nim nim ma :: Cousins Hang Drum Duet :: Video

Friday, January 14, 2011

keonaKeona
nim nim má
from Cousins Hang Duet

If you are unfamiliar with the "Hang" drum, it is a Swiss-born instrument that looks like a UFO and sounds something like a cross between marimba and a steel drum.  French hang players going by the name Keona perform gorgeous, melodic duets that resonate with my inner Drukqs fan.  This video of their performance of a song called nim nim má is a captivating piece of intricately percussive acoustic IDM.  Their synchronization is impressive, as well as their dynamic playing and interesting harmonies.  I'd also recommend them to anyone who enjoys Plaid or gamelan music.  More songs and videos can be found as well as CDs for purchase by following the links under the video.

Keona - nim nim má



Buy Keona - Cousins Hang Duet (& 2 other CDs) :: Paypal

Connect with Keona :: MySpace | YouTube

More about the Hang :: Hang-Music.com

Equiloud & Leisure-B - fret_1 :: Geometric Motion Graphics Inspired by Autechre :: Video

Monday, January 10, 2011

fret_1Equiloud & Leisure-B
fret_1
[Humanworkshop :: 2010]

I just stumbled across this visually dazzling video by Germany based motion graphics artist Usselino a.k.a. EQUILOUD. that was initially inspired by the track "Vose In" by Autechre. When Equiloud's pal Leisure-B swung by for a beer, he took a peek at the video's initial render test and became inspired to compose an original soundtrack that would compliment the dynamics of the visuals even more. The below music video titled fret_1 is the result, and they really nailed it. 




Artist notes:

fret_1 was made with Cinema 4d 11.5 and its Mograph, Deformer Objects (like Explosion FX) and Particle Emitters. Also, After Effects CS4 was used for all the compositing work and some 2.5D-Animations. Inside After Effects, different Plug-Ins like Twitch and Optical Flares from videocopilot.net were also applied. Of course a whole bunch of standard Plug-Ins like Levels,Time-Remapping, Glow, Blur etc, were involved.

Usselino originally created the video based on the Autechre track "Vose In". After showing the video to Leisure, both gentlemen figured that a change of tune might not be a bad idea.

The audio work was then completely redone by using Ableton Live for the sequencing, and NI's Massive and Battery for instrumentation of the harmonies and rhythms. Stay tuned for presets of that.

Usselino:
"I personally very much appreciate geometric primitives. They have a certain perfection to them and appear very statical. So why not play around with them and make them more vivid somehow, and with that more interesting for a broader audience? How can I do it, and make other people enjoy it as well?

What i first came up with was this little piece: vimeo.com/11949589
Within a couple of months, my efforts evolved themselves into fret_1. After I met Gerrit I was hoping he could create an alternative audiotrack for it. Well, he did! And this is our cooperation´s result.
Hope you like it! (we do)."

Leisure-B:
"Even though I very much appreciate Autechre, the sound that they have and the thing that they do live on stage mainly as well, I felt that this video needed a little more than the sometimes overwhelmingly monotone style that they often bring. By taking a very "sound design" like approach to the composition, I hoped to take the feel animation one step higher. "

Detailed Making-Of-Video soon!

Connect with EQUILOUD. :: Official Site | Vimeo

Connect with Leisure-B :: Humanworkshop Artist Page | YouTube

Download MP3 :: fret_1

Download the Audio/Video Presets :: humanworkshop.com
There´s a bunch of Massive presets (and also a small *.c4d-file, covering the first 20sec. of the animation).

Autechre - Vose In (from LP5) :: YouTube | Amazon

Skip - Live Set Peer Pressure NYE (DEC 31, 2010) :: Mix

Thursday, January 6, 2011

skip-liveSkip
Live @ Peer Pressure NYE
[Mixcloud :: DEC-31-2010]

Happy New Year everyone!  Now that we've all (hopefully) recovered from massive hangovers and are getting back into the swing of things, here is a recording of Skip's 45 minute live set at Peer Pressure - New Year's Eve to bring it all back.  All tracks are original Skip tunes and cover his wide variety of styles including chiptune, drill'n'bass, IDM, and a hint of acid. Overall it's a great, upbeat listen and I can imagine it was a fun time in Belgium that night.

Skip Live @ Peer Pressure NYE [Mixcloud]


Connect with Skip (aka Sk'p) :: MySpace | Facebook | SoundCloud