Welcome to the latest instalment of Circuit Running, bringing you all the latest moves in the world of electronica and plonking them direct onto your laptop.
With the new year kicking into full gear, there are piles of stuff to bring you, from exciting live dates from your diary to new releases and a few wised up tip-offs about some of the hottest new acts around. You know the feeling, right? You wait ages for a favourite from the Detroit techno scene announce a collaborative project with a leading orchestra and then two come along at the same time!
Earlier this month Jeff Mills, who admittedly lives in Berlin these days but is still closely linked with his native Motor City, released a triple LP of his classical-influenced score for the 1929 Fritz Lang sci-fi film The Woman In The Moon. Out on his own Axis imprint, the full score was written for the ‘Cinemathèque Français’ Fritz Lang projections in Paris back in 2011, and you can get a sneak sonic peek at one track – ‘The Launch Hour’ – right here.
Hot on his heels came the announcement of a new album by the equally legendary Carl Craig, also working with a leading orchestra.
‘Versus‘, released through the InFine label, was made in collaboration with composer Francesco Tristano and the Les Siecles Orchestra, reinterpreting classics from Craig’s enviable back catalogue and is set for release on May 5.
“This was a true musical meeting of the minds,” said the orchestra’s conductor François-Xavier Roth, “We set our sights a bit higher than just dressing up orchestral arrangements with electronic flourishes, and tried to create a conversation between the genres.” But don’t take his word for it – watch this documentary about its making for yourselves…
He’s also announced four live dates worldwide, at Detroit’s Movement Festival (May 27-29), Barcelona’s Sonar Festival (June 17), the Dour Festival in Belgium (July 16) and the SW4 event in Clapham, South London on August 27.
There’s certainly a lot of it about at the moment – live electronica that is.
First came the news that Orbital have reformed for a second time and will be playing the Bluedot festival at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire on July 8, news that they celebrated with a new mix of their ancient track ‘Kinetic’ – originally released on R&S Records under the nane Golden Girls.
http://embed.beatport.com/player/?id=8928821&type=track
Their almost namesakes, meanwhile, The Orb – who never split in the first place – have revealed an impressive lineup for their four-hour ambient special at the Festival Hall on London’s South Bank on April 21.
The Orb aka Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann are joined by a list of friends including Youth of Killing Joke/Big Life fame, the mysteriously named Rev Eno, DJ Food from the Ninja Tune stable, Dee Deeon, DJ Dadaist, Gaudi, King Michael, Metamono, Pete W and R Roney FM. The duo play an ambient selection of tracks from their seminal first album ‘Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld‘, followed by their latest offering album ‘COW (Chill Out World)’ in its entirety.
Shobaleader One, meanwhile, the four-piece put together by Warp Records veteran and programming/bass player supremo Squarepusher, have confirmed another UK headline date to add to their much-anticipated appearance at the Bangface Weekender. They’ve been playing live renditions of the ‘Pusher’s best-loved tunes at Village Underground in Shoreditch, London on March 23. Almost as exciting is the news that widely lauded dubstep renegades Kode 9 will be in support, alongside Flamingods.
While the finer details of the much anticipated third Irresistible Force album – the studio moniker of the godfather of chillout Mixmaster Morris – remain thin on the ground, we can tell you it’s not far off. Morris recently announced an album launch party will be held at the Dark Horse in Mosely, Birmingham on May 6. We’ll keep you posted. Morris also recently shared, via his Facebook page, a link to a ‘lost’ Aphex Twin album from the early 90s which was only circulated on CDR to a few supportive Djs and label bosses. The least we could do was pass it on to you: ‘Melodies On Mars’ is in full here….
Another veteran artist has been making noises about working on new material on social media. The possibility of the first Depth Charge album in 20 odd years is more than a tantalising prospect. The more eagle-eared will have spotted his 90s classic ‘Shaolin Buddha Finger’ being used to great effect on the BBC’s Six Nations rugby coverage recently, which only whets our appetite for some new sounds from J Saul Kane’s studio even more.
There’s plenty going in the Planet Mu camp, not least the news that Turkish producer Sami Baha has joined the stable. A quick listen to the man’s Boiler Room session in Cairo last year will reveal why they were so keen to get him on board. Badass isn’t the half of it!
As well as booking in an exclusive 90 minute ‘History of Planet Mu‘ DJ set at London venue Archspace on April 29, label boss Mike Paradinas has a packed release schedule for 2017, with the second album from Mr Mitch, ‘Devout’, top of the list. Blending grime and leftfield waywardness in trademark genre-defying Planet Mu style, the album is set for release on April 21. Check out ‘Priority’, just out as a single, featuring MC P Money here…
Among the new sounds tickling our ears in an entirely pleasurable way is the bleep-tastic ‘Zeno’s Paradox’ from the brilliantly named That Knightsbridge OG, out via Coldcut’s much-esteemed label Ninja Tune this week.
Another tip off you ignore at your peril is ‘The Trees Are Dancing’ from Deadbear, due out towards the end of March. Recorded half in Manchester and half in Berlin, this six track trades dayglo sonic twinkles off against stirring synths, constantly blurring the lines between bleakness and euphoria. This is one for fans of Aphex, Mike Paradinas, Autechre etc, but definitely, ploughs its own furrow. If you’re lucky, you might even get hold of the super limited edition gold cassette promo, which comes, naturally enough, with an instant download.
And finally, another track we’re finding it hard to get out of our heads is ‘Pity’ from the new signing to City Slang, Israeli producer and vocalist Noga Erez. We love the way she seems to combine hard-hitting lyrics, sonic weirdness and a pop edge that will surely see big success for her in 2017. More power to her elbow we say!
Keep those promos etc coming – [email protected]
