BEAMS “Feeling That The Feeling’s Right”

18 Jul 2014 — Parker Bruce

Cascine's digital singles label, CSCN, continues to forge ahead and impress after heaven-sent releases by Sun Angels, Black City Lights, and Studio Montaigne, this time with two songs by BEAMS aka Zachary Kantor. "Feeling That The Feeling's Right" is a precisely contained and propelled five minutes of magnificence incarnate with Haim-harkening flicking, plucking guitar, modulating, galloping, and jaunty plops, and snipping tufts. The other track, "Quiet Arms," is the more lackadaiscal counterpart that soft shoes about with its cooing and swirling. Get BEAMS' single now with its contemporary version of a classic still life cover art here. We suggest that Cascine should do a full album with this guy.

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Kalipo “Yaruto”

18 Jul 2014 — Henning Lahmann

Kalipo is the solo moniker of Berlin-based producer Jakob Häglsperger, at least to German-speaking readers probably better known as one third of left-field electro pop outfit Frittenbude. Where the trio indulge in propelling ryhthms and straightforward anthems with mildly provocative lyrics, Häglsperger's own project keeps things slightly more subtle. "Yaruto", lead single for Kalipo's forthcoming debut full-length of the same name, is a very contemporary piece of electronic that relies on a house-y scaffolding which provides a comfortable basis for the track's dominating manipulated vocals, a well-established formular that lands somewhere between Caribou and SOHN. Check it out below.

The single is out today on local imprint Antime. Get it digitally via Juno over here. The Yaruto LP will follow on September 12.

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Fina Fisken “Save The Day (Cherushii Remix)”

15 Jul 2014 — Evelyn Malinowski

San Francisco-based DJ and producer Cherushii, whose Queen Of Cups EP is out now on 100% Silk, has masterfully remixed Fina Fisken's epic "Save The Day."

Cherushii has that instant icon vibe about her. She's like Clio but for electronica – Electroclio. Her longterm and out loud devotion to techno aesthetic as well as politic traverses all of her channels, whether it be during her live sets, her engaging weekly radio shows on Berkeley's KALX, or on her recordings. Applying such authoritative craft to a track that trills and demands praise for macrocosmic things forgotten, is, in essence, an exciting transaction. Cherushii's full and distinguishable sound, one that covers all the bases and testifies for the timelessness of trance/progressive house/Detroit, complements the poignant bigness of Fina's original. XLR8R said it perfectly: Cherushii carves the track in such a way that the "glacial textures" become more prominent, yet are still heard through the jagged, urban architecture of the beat. The ancient ice of Fina's original catches a beam of sun in the remix, and the light glares in the corner of your eye before receiving all of your full-faced attention for the duration of the track. It's music from the ether, both remix and original.

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Stream: The NFOP #33 on BCR: Best of Halftime 2014

11 Jul 2014 — Henning Lahmann

Another Friday, another show on Berlin Community Radio, and because it's sort of still the middle of the year, I thought I'd do a little retrospect with select tunes from some of my favourite records of 2014 so far. It's a good year for music I'd say, even if some overarching theme or even merely minor hype seems to be missing. No new Grimes, no Purity Ring, nothing of that sort. Let's see what the following six months will bring. And of course, please bear in mind that this is only a very small, and indeed somewhat arbitrary, section of the vast amount of quality music fed to our blessed ears.

Access the archive of NFOP shows over here.

Tracklist

(1) Alex G "Boy" (from "DSU", Orchid Tapes)
(2) Woods "Moving to the Left" (from "With Light and With Love", Woodsist)
(3) Perfect Pussy "Interference Fits" (from "Say Yes to Love", Captured Tracks)
(4) Lust For Youth "International" (from "International", Sacred Bones)
(5) El Mahdy Jr. "Zarga" (from "Gasba Grime", Danse Noire)
(6) copeland "Inga" (from "Because I'm Worth It", self-released)
(7) Flowdan "No Gyal Tune" (from "Serious Business", Hyperdub)
(8) Traxman "Time Slip" (from "Tha Mind of Traxman Vol. 2", Planet Mu)
(9) The Range "Two" (from "Panasonic", Donky Pitch)
(10) M.E.S.H. "Captivated" (from "Scythians", PAN)
(11) Visionist "First Love" (from "I'm Fine (Part II)", Lit City Trax)
(12) Kassem Mosse "Untitled" (from "Workshop 19", Workshop)
(13) Kyoka "Lined Up" (from "Is (Is Superpowered)", Raster-Noton)
(14) Thug Entrancer "Death After Life I" (from "Death After Life", Software)
(15) Ricky Eat Acid "It Will Draw Me Over to It Like It Always Does" (from "Three Love Songs", Orchid Tapes)
(16) Rainer Veil "UK Will Not Survive" (from "New Brutalism", Modern Love)

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Stream: Imre Kiss “Raw Energy” (exclusive)

10 Jul 2014 — Henning Lahmann

It is mainly thanks to the still criminally overlooked yet consistently excellent and reliable Eastern Daze that we're aware of the exciting things happening east of Berlin, as we all too often almost ritualistically turn our gaze towards London and New York and whatever else we may find in the west. Of course, there was S Olbricht's compelling contribution to Opal Tape's catalogue, but that Budapest's electronic music deserves our close attention first became obvious when Farbwechsel emerged from the shadows, a label that by now has almost become a synonym for the Hungarian capital's ascending scene. Not only putting out S Olbricht's superb The Last Act of Dorothy Stratten, it is also the home of the first cassette by Budapest producer Imre Kiss.

With the tape’s strong blend of zeitgeist-informed, muffled textures evoking cinematic impressions and impulsive beat patterns reminiscent of Legowelt and other luminaries of the Clone/L.I.E.S. school of gritty dance music, it was only a matter of time until someone from more exposed shores would take notice. Prolific and rising fresh London imprint Lobster Theremin came first to pick up Imre Kiss and release his Raw Energy EP, a 12” that’s every bit as compelling as the producer’s debut effort. The five tracks cover a wide sonic range from more introspective, calm soundscapes to straight-up 4/4 ‘floor bangers, all knit together with a satisfying degree of coherence.

Raw Energy is out on July 14. Stream it in full exclusively below and pre-order a copy over here.

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Stream: OxenFree “Fire If We’re Anything” EP (exclusive)

08 Jul 2014 — Ashley Canino

It is getting hot and humid and New York and I am getting careless. Strange how OxenFree was able to to capture that exact mood in their forthcoming EP Fire, If We're Anything despite recording in the New York wintertime. Maybe it is the brass on "Signal Fire," or the imagery of "Make Out," but this release says everything you need to think, feel and know about connection in this moment. Streaming this preview will pull you deeper into the present than you knew was possible, or your money back.

Fire, If We're Anything is just a taste of what OxenFree put together this past winter. They have seven more tracks in the bank. (Like, stop holding out, guys!) For sure, the coyness and vulnerability of these three tunes is mirrored in their release strategy. At least we will all get to see where this relationship is going before we demand any more of each other.

Fire, If We're Anything will be available on cassette and for digital download July 15.

 

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Stream: The NFOP Show #32 on BCR with Julia Holter & Jason Grier

06 Jul 2014 — Henning Lahmann

Listen to the latest episode of our show on Berlin Community Radio, this time around with dear friends and very special guests Julia Holter and Human Ear Music's Jason Grier, playing some rare tunes, a few even never to be heard anywhere before, and chatting with me about Berlin, LA, and other things that came to our minds spontaneously. Check the tracklist below and find the archive of NFOP radio shows right here.

Tracklist:

(1) Julia Holter "Don’t Make Me Over" (orig. Bacharach/David)
(2) Jason Grier "Karma (feat. Julia Holter)", from "Clouds", 2013, HEM
(3) Background Music: Selections from "Solitudes: Acoustical Environmental Sound Experiences" — Dan Gibson (Vinyl LP, 1984, Holborne Records)
(4) Jason Grier "Der Wind und das Meer (feat. Lucrecia Dalt)", from Unbekannte, 2013, HEM
(5) Lucrecia Dalt "Selections from Dizzygy"
(6) Background Music: Erik Satie "Mass for the Poor", from Esoteric Records, Vinyl LP, 1960s, organ by Marylin Mason
(7) Julia Holter "Ground Bass Aria #6", unreleased, HEM Archive, 2008
(8) Marc Sabat "Two Commas", from Les Duresses, 2014, Care Of Editions
(9) Julia Holter & Jason Grier "No GDM", live at CalArts, 2009, orig. Gina X Performance
(10) Ivan Gomez "Calling Human Ear Music" (Answering Machine Message, 2006)
(11) Weave "G is for Gangsta", Demo, "Weave EP", 2008, Pacific Reasons
(12) Shira Small "Eternal Life", from Wayfaring Strangers: Ladies of the Canyon, Compilation, 2006, Numero
(13) Jason Grier "J-J-Julia", unreleased, HEM Archive, 2009
(14) Julia Holter "Cookbook", John Cage’s Roratorio, Sleepy Mammal Sound

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