XLR8R Audio Podcast

Matías Aguayo

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Between the rise of his Cómeme label and the release of his new album, Ay Ay Ay, 2009 has seen Matías Aguayo taking a major creative left turn. While the former Closer Musik member once made a name for himself crafting the finely tuned techno of his Cologne-based peers, he now spends his days twisting and turning the sounds of rhythms of Latin America into new-school dancefloor workouts.

Zombie Disco Squad

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Earlier this week we peppered the boys of Zombie Disco Squad with questions for our weekly Inbox feature. While that displayed Lucas Hunter's and Nat Self's lighter side, we figured the only way to really showcase their hip-hop-flavored and tropical-tinged house sound was to enlist their DJ services for the XLR8R Podcast series.

Dre Skull

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Although he's been making noise as a DJ and producer for years, 2009 found Brooklyn's Dre Skull expanding his sonic range into the worlds of hip-hop, bounce, electro, and dancehall. He's also founded his own label, Mixpak, as an outpost for his own productions.

Kode 9's Bubble 'N' Squeak Mix

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0700

When it comes to dubstep and the outer fringes of UK garage, few names ring out quite like Kode9. Next week, the Hyperdub label head will release 5, a two-disc compilation that both looks back at the influential label's history and lays the groundwork for its future. To help commemorate the release, we asked Kode9 to submit something for the XLR8R podcast.

Douster

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:01 -0700

Youthful French producer and ZZK compatriot Douster has certainly made a splash in 2009 with his clubby European take on the various tropical rhythms (and riddims) emerging from around the globe. Whether it be dancehall or kuduro, cumbia or UK funky, Douster can be counted on to deliver an uptempo, chopped-and-sliced dancefloor filler.

Roska

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Anyone who's read our current cover story knows that we here at XLR8R are digging the underground sounds of London and all the ways that UK funky is intermingling with dubstep, house, and other genres. Leading the way are artists like Cooly G, Geeneus, and the author of this week's podcast, Roska.

The Heatwave's Funky Bashment Mix

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:05:00 -0700

Recent months have seen a whole lot of hullabaloo surrounding the burgeoning UK funky house scene (including our current issue's cover story), but significantly less attention has been given to how these rhythms are intermingling with the world of dancehall. In search of more information, not to mention a sampling of new music, we turned to The Heatwave, the London-based DJ and production crew headed by Gabriel Myddelton that has spent much of the decade firmly planted on dancehall and reggae's bleeding edge.

Move D Live in Portugal

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Veteran house DJ and producer David Moufang, better known as Move D, is a hard man to pin down, so when he offered up a portion of a recent live set for the XLR8R Podcast, we jumped at the opportunity.

Untold

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:00:00 -0700

XLR8R recently took a closer look at U.K. producer Untold (a.k.a. Jack Dunning), whose handful of releases on Hessle Audio, Hotflush, and his own Hemlock imprint have quickly established him among a handful of artists pushing dubstep beyond bass-in-your-face nonsense.

Labels We Love: Wireblock Records

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:00:00 -0700

For the final installment of our Labels We Love podcast series, we head to Glasgow, Scotland. The city has a reputation for gloomy weather, but you'd never know it from the crunked-up glitch rave turned out by the Wireblock Records gang.

Labels We Love: Modern Love

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

As part of our ongoing Labels We Love podcast series, we shift our focus to the gritty streets of Manchester, where the Modern Love crew has been turning heads since 2006 when Claro Intelecto began dropping his Warehouse Sessions 12-inches.

Labels We Love: Diynamic

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

After kicking off our Labels We Love podcast series with a beautifully moody offering from Type Records, this week's installment comes direct from the dancefloors of Hamburg, Germany.

Labels We Love: Type Records

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Whittling down the candidates to make XLR8R's annual list of Labels We Love is no easy task, but the inclusion of experimental U.K. label Type Records was a no-brainer. In fact, we like the label so much that we commissioned label head John Twells (a.k.a. Xela) to put together a mix encapsulating the imprint's unique mix of ambient and drone sounds with just enough pop melodies to keep things interesting.

Brennan Green — Prepare to XLR8

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

New York City DJ and producer Brennan Green has carved his own little niche in dance music's leftfield—between his genre-bending DJ sets and releases on Modal, Balihu, and his own Chinatown imprint, it's hard to predict exactly what kind of otherworldly sonic experience he's about to cook up.

Brackles

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Something interesting is brewing on the fringes of dubstep, and 24-year-old Rob Kemp, better known as Brackles, is right in the thick of it. The London-based DJ has been spinning garage records and wowing crowds with his insane turntable skills since he was 15 years old, but it's his next-level production work that has truly thrust him into the limelight. Singles on Planet Mu, Applepips, Berkane Sol, and Pollen, not to mention high-profile remixes for the likes of Kid Cudi vs.

Traxx - Entrance to the Alter

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Chicago is home to a lot of house music history, and veteran DJ/producer Traxx has long been in the middle of it all. As he prepares to unveil his debut full-length, Faith, the man born Melvin Oliphant was also kind enough to pass along Entrance to the Alter, an exclusive mix for XLR8R. A vinyl loyalist (as the mix's various crackles can attest), Traxx weaves through a variety of jackin' beats, including a number of unreleased tunes and a couple of sneak peeks from his forthcoming album.

Awesome Tapes from Africa

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0700

While studying hip-hop in Ghana in 2004-2005, Brian Shimkovitz quickly realized that most people outside of Africa have little to no idea of what life there is actually like, even when it comes to music. Although a small handful of African artists gain exposure outside the continent, much of the music that everyday people listen to at home, work, parties, and in the club remains a mystery.

Shit Robot's Simply Shit Mix

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Irish-born Marcus Lambkin (a.k.a. Shit Robot) may be one of the lower-profile members of the DFA crew, but that doesn't mean the man doesn't have some serious DJ chops. Now living in Stuttgart, Germany, Shit Robot may not emerge from the shadows too often, but when he does, we here at XLR8R are sure to pay attention. His latest single, "Simple Things (Work It Out)," is an ace offering of new-school disco that features a WTF?

Strange Famous Megamix 2009

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0700

With Sage Francis at the helm of the Strange Famous brand, it comes as no surprise that the label's artists—showcased in this exclusive mix—deliver a similar style of hip-hop—sharp, gritty, and unabashedly to-the-point when it comes to lyrical content. DJ Pickster One compiled the tracks for the Strange Famous Megamix 2009, and if you don't know the work of Cecil Otter, B.

Rapping with DJ T.

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:56:19 -0700

We know DJ T. for many things, his no-nonsense mixing skills, albums like 2004's Boogie Playground, and his long-standing affiliation to Berlin's Get Physical imprint among them. His influences, however, don't stop with minimal, 4/4 beats, and according to recent press, there was a time when the man born Thomas Koch's musical tastes revolved more around rap than techno. Hell, we even got him to make us an exclusive mix of some meaningful tracks in his career to prove that.

Dudley Perkins: Unconditional Love

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0700

"Do not attempt to adjust your radio dial," proclaims Dudley Perkins, and with that, he kicks off the Unconditional Love podcast, over an hour's worth of smooth, sultry soul jams concerned with matters of the heart. No need for much elaboration though. Dudley walks us through the 21 tracks here, which were mixed by the one and only DJ Romes.

Unconditional Love:
01 Intro
02 Roy Ayers - Sunshine
03 Barry White - Playing Your Game

Daydreaming with The Long Lost

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Alfred and Laura Darlington released their first album under The Long Lost guise earlier this year, surprising the music world with dreamy, orchestral pop songs that strayed from the experimental beats we're used to hearing from Alfred (under his Daedelus moniker). For the latest installment of the XLR8R podcast, the two continue surprising us, with 28 tracks of indie-pop, folk, and ambient compositions from the likes of Jogger, Caribou, Lali Puna, and Fleet Foxes. It's a mix bound to brighten anyone's day.

Buck 65 - The A to F Podcast

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:03:54 -0700

When asked about the name of this podcast, Richard Terfry (a.k.a. Buck 65) merely stated, "I pulled music from my record collection, which is arranged alphabetically, and I only got as far as the letter F."

n5md Label Sampler with Bitcrush

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Oakland, CA might have a rep for grim crime statistics and intimidating sidewalks, but the city just a bridge toll away from S.F. also holds some very pretty aspects, and ambient IDM imprint n5md is one of the best.

MUTEK_10 with Michel Pontbriand

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:00:00 -0700

In earlier days, a MUTEK showcase commonly involved a room of pasty guys standing still while endless bleeps and blips filled the air. And while we’d never contest the importance of that particular breed of electronic music (which remains the foundation of most MUTEK events), the festival has seen a considerable amount of growth and variety over the last decade, perhaps most evident in the lineup for this year’s annual Montreal festival.

XLR8R Presents Kevin Saunderson

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:00:00 -0700

With his previously announced, two-disc remix retrospective release, History Elevate, about to drop and Detroit's annual Movement Festival less than two weeks away, one would assume Kevin Saunderson has little time to talk.

Kid606 - Megachurch Meltdown

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Few artists can pack 47 tracks into an hour-long mix without it sounding forced and contrived. Fortunately for us (and the latest installment of the XLR8R podcast), Kid606 is one of those who can seamlessly weave together as many tracks as he has for Megachurch Meltdown. Pulling from a collection of current club tracks and old favorites, the man born Miguel Depedro has crafted a bouncy, bass-heavy mix that's as close to an actual night in the club as one can hope to get.

XLR8R Presents Junior Boys

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:50:16 -0700

Junior Boys already walked us through their ocean of somewhat surprising musical influences when the Hamilton, Ontario-based duo graced the cover of XLR8R's March issue. Now, the pair delivers an audio sampling of said influences, with this exclusive mix that marks the next installment of the XLR8R Podcast.

DNAE Beats - There's a Wormhole in My Bathroom

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0700

More future blapp is coming out of the Bay Area, this time from S.F.-based producer DNAE Beats. His latest promo mix, There's a Wormhole in My Bathroom, will drop shortly, but in the meantime, he's prepped this exclusive mashup of tracks off the new release. Worms being creatures who live in deep, dark places, it's appropriate that the mix is packed end-to-end with bass-heavy dubstep and hip-hop tracks custom-made for all things low-end.

There's a Wormhole in My Bathroom
01 Introduction

East Bay to Back Bay

XLR8R Magazine — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0700

You may have surmised, from the title of this mix, that Boy in Static's contribution to the XLR8R Podcast has a little something to do with the Bay Area, but the S.F.-based indie-pop duo of Alexander Chen and Kenji Ross was nice enough to pass along a few words on each track in East Bay to Back Bay. "Kenji and I have been fortunate to become friends with some very talented folks over the past few years," explains Chen. "There's a personal story behind each track here."