Interview: UK Garage Individualist DJ Lokane

Imagine London in the 90s was happening now and you might have a starting point for where UK DJ Lokane gets off. Lokane is a bass music operator with a sound simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. With both a BBC Radio One mix for Toddla T and a Boiler Room set already notched up, we recently picked up on his UK dancehall remix of Cadenza's No Drama (Feat. Avelino & Assassin) and thought we'd catch a few words with him before he blasts off completely.

Where's your hometown? What's the scene like?

I grew up in Watford where the general vibe was snakebites, vodka bars and loutish behaviour. It was only when I began hanging around in St.Albans that my interest in music really grew to the next level. When I was there, St.Albans was a massively creative city with all of my friends being in some way or another involved in music, art, photography, or fashion.

Tell us a bit about how you got started?

The start for me was during my mid teens when garage, 4x4 and grime were hugely influential. From there I began producing on a fruity loops demo when I was 17. It wasn't until the following years when Dubstep began to blow that I got seriously involved in it. The dubstep parties back then were the best thing going, in my eyes. Being immersed in the birth of a new sound was massively inspirational, too. We used to travel to Leeds often for the DMZ Exodus parties at the West Indian Centre as well as all the Caspa and Rusko parties at Fabric. Those were the days.

For those unfortunate souls that haven’t had the chance to listen to you yet, how would you describe it?

Weird, synthetic, bass driven, technical dance grooves.




What's your process when selecting music for a show? Where do you find your stuff?

My selection comes from all over. I've got a really eclectic taste in music. I tend to try keep the vibe moving with sounds from different scenes just so it doesn't become stagnant and repetitive.

Can you talk us through your production process? 

It all depends on how I'm feeling that day, to be honest. Like any creative outlet, there's never a set way of doing things. But usually I start by trying to find the weirdest sound possible either a sample or a synth and then spark an idea from there. I'll create a groove with some crazy sounds then just build on it. I love experimenting with weird sounds. The weirder the better in my eyes.

What are your biggest musical influences? Are they all similar?

DMZ, Night Slugs, Cashmere Cat, Hud Mo, Diplo to name a few. I would say they're all different in their own right. But they've all mastered the sound at which there in. Hud Mo and Diplo have stretched even further and mastered the art of producing their own sound in many different styles and genres, which is what I aspire to.

Can you tells us your top 3 favourite tracks ever? (Sorry, we know it's tough!)

Its so hard to answer these questions but these 3 are the ones that bring back the most memories for me.

Main Ingredient - Summer Breeze

Collie Buddz - Herb Tree

Jimi Hendrix - Wind Cries Mary

What would you say is the best set you've done so far? 

Another tough one. I think my first Boiler Room is one that sticks out most to me. That was fun.

Any funny moments you remember from backstage or on tour?

TSVI was playing in Berlin, so myself and Wallwork went with. Insert were shooting a documentary on us at the time. A lot of funny moments, all very hazy if Im honest. I'm sure there's some very incriminating footage of me that I'm praying will never see the light of day.

If you could support one act, dead or alive, who would it be?

Oasis, in the height of their career. Those guys knew how to party.

Does your inspiration usually come randomly or do you manage to summon it?

Summoning inspiration is a very tricky thing. There's things you can do to maybe spark that inspiration like searching for new music, going to a dance or just messing around with some synths, which I try to do a lot of the time. Sometimes, even with those things, it may not happen. I try and keep myself active with music to keep the inspiration flowing.

Do you have anything exciting coming up that we should be looking out for?
My second EP for Nervous Horizon is almost finished and will be released early 2017. I'm also working on a lot of different music at the moment, which I'm excited to put out. Whether that's under the Lokane alias or something else, I'm not sure yet.




Follow Lokane on Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud

Sweet Moment As S.O.S. Releases New Single

Sophie Debattista aka S.O.S. has announced the upcoming release of her new single "Bittersweet" through Sossy Music.

The single by the Bedford-based songwriter-producer features the alluring vocal work of the artist and is, according to S.O.S. "about a man who has dedicated so much of his life to his job, professional status and wealth that his personal life has suffered as a consequence. He believes that the only way that he can get some love and feel some emotion is by paying for it."

Along with songwriting and vocal delivery duties, Debattista also believes in having independence in your work, and produced the song herself with the help of master engineer "Shane the Cutter", who has worked with the likes of Nathan Fake, Luke Abbott, Blu Mar Ten and DJ Shadow. Some of her career highlights so far include performances supporting US superstar Ciara, Ariana Grande, Take That and the London Music Awards at The Roundhouse, Camden. Her current sound draws influences from the likes of Alessia Cara, Ellie Goulding, NAO, Halsey and Lorde.

Take a listen to lead single "Bittersweet" from debut EP "Edges of The Mind" and follow her below.

S.O.S. Home | Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram

ANONHI Streams Anti-Capitalist Video For New EP 'Hopelessness'

The film stars New York-based contemporary artist and fashion design rebel Susan Cianciolo as an anonymous corporate woman in a world of animals and human drones.

ANONHI has dreamed up a dark psychedelic vision in her new video for album title track Hopelessness. Starring Cianciolo as "an anonymous corporate woman," according to a statement from director Alex Carver, the film takes place where the "distant past and distant futures are irrationally fused in a bizarre, iconic vision of martyrdom where animals are citizens and people are drones".

Hopelessness is the title track of ANONHI's powerfully political and emotional 2016 album, on which her anger and sadness about climate change, drone warfare, male violence and mass surveillance is articulated over stirring synths, complex beats and eclectic instrumentation. Naomi Campbell starred in a previous video from the album, the emotional 'Drone Bomb Me.'

View both videos below

ANOHNI - Hopelessness


ANOHNI – Drone Bomb Me

Beat Market Drop 'Sun Machine' On Lisbon Lux

'Sun Machine' is the new album from Montreal-based electronic duo Beat Market, out now via Lisbon Lux Records. 'Sun Machine' includes collaborations with long-time friends singers Malika and Aiza, French Horn Rebellion vocalist Robert Perlick Molinari and fellow Montreal icon APigeon.

According to Louis-Joseph Cliche and Max Bellavance, who met at university, the goal was always to bring electronic music to a live setting where they could express themselves as true musicians. At their first gigs, Beat Market’s energy gained fans in the form of Thump, Dancing Astronaut, KCRW and the Montreal crowds.

"We want to create a music that makes people move, dance and have fun. An instrumental journey easy to understand and feel. If they feel good when they listen, that's the right path," explain the duo. Drawing influences from the likes of Hudson Mohawke, Major Lazer, Mr. Oizo, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Kaytranada, Deadmau5, Daft Punk and Justice, Beat Market’s new album features sophisticated French house beats and thumping rhythms.



'Sun Machine' Tracklist
1. Dune
2. Sun Machine
3. Doors (ft. Malika)
4. Stars
5. Turn My Colors On (with French Horn Rebellion)
6. Riders
7. Mariane
8. See What I Mean (ft. Aliza)
9. Les Belles Années
10. Madonyx
11. Atlantis (with APigeon)

Follow Beat Market on Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | Home

The xx Announce 2017 Euro Tour Dates

The xx have have added to their recent tour announcement with a full list of dates for their 2017 UK and European tour. The I See You Tour will kick off on February 8 in Stockholm, Sweden. From there, the trio make their way through Denmark, Germany, Holland, France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and the UK, including three hometown shows at London’s Brixton Academy.

Presale tickets for all shows will be made available from November 22 at 10am GMT. General sales start at 10am GMT on November 25.

This comes after a recent announcement that the band will complete 2016 with a brief European tour with Norwegian singer-songwriter Jenny Hval heading to Japan for a single show.

The band’s third album, I See You, will be available on January 13. Check out the full list of dates and take a listen to the first single, 'On Hold' below.



2017 European tour dates

Feb 08 – Sweden, Stockholm Hovet
Feb 10 – Denmark, Copenhagen Forum
Feb 12 – Germany, Hamburg Sporthalle
Feb 13 – Holland, Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall
Feb 14 – France, Paris Zénith
Feb 17 – France, Strasbourg Zénith
Feb 18 – Switzerland, Basel St Jakobshalle
Feb 20 – Italy, Milan Mediolanum Forum
Feb 21 – France, Lyon Halle Tony Garnier
Feb 23 – Austria, Vienna Marx Hall
Feb 24 – Germany, Munich Zenith
Feb 25 – Germany, Berlin Arena
Feb 26 – Germany, Frankfurt Jahrhunderthalle
Feb 28 – Germany, Düsseldorf Mitsubishi Electric Halle
Mar 01 – Belgium, Brussels Forest National
Mar 04 – UK, Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Mar 05 – UK, Manchester 02 Apollo
Mar 06 – UK, Manchester 02 Apollo
Mar 08 – UK, London 02 Academy Brixton
Mar 09 – UK, London 02 Academy Brixton
Mar 10 – UK, London 02 Academy Brixton
Mar 17 – UK, Cardiff Motorpoint Arena

Warp Records Slated To Release New Brian Eno Album

English musician Brian Eno will be releasing another of his trademark ambient albums on Warp Records on January 1st 2017. The full-length, 54-minute album follows on from 2016's The Ship and 2012's Lux. The album is titled Reflection and according to Eno is "the latest work in a long series."

According to the ambient composer, whose full name is Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno, the pieces are generative works of art, creating music by a cosind system of probability and rules. In other words, the piece will unfold differently every time it is activated. The album represents a selection of recordings of various iterations of those unfoldings.

On the album itself, he went on to add: "When I make a piece like this most of my time is spent listening to it for long periods — sometimes several whole days — observing what it does to different situations, seeing how it makes me feel. I make my observations and then tweak the rules. Because everything in the pieces is probabilistic and because the probabilities pile up it can take a very long time to get an idea of all the variations that might occur in the piece. One rule might say 'raise one out of every 100 notes by five semitones' and another might say 'raise one out of every 50 notes by seven semitones.' If those two instructions are operating on the same data stream, sometimes — very rarely — they will both operate on the same note...so something like one in every 5000 notes will be raised by 12 semitones. You won't know which of those 5000 notes it's going to be. Since there are a lot of these types of operations going on together, on different but parallel data streams, the end result is a complex and unpredictable web.

Perhaps you can divide artists into two categories: farmers and cowboys. The farmers settle a piece of land and cultivate it carefully, finding more and more value in it. The cowboys look for new places and are excited by the sheer fact of discovery, and the freedom of being somewhere that not many people have been before. I used to think I was temperamentally more cowboy than farmer...but the fact that the series to which this piece belongs has been running now for over four decades makes me think that there's quite a big bit of farmer in me."

Take a listen to Brian Eno and Karl Hyde performing live.

Lyon Club Says It Will Sue Drug-Taking Patrons

Four guests at Le Sucre nightclub in Lyon were hospitalized after overdosing last Friday night.

The clubbers at Mutante party on Friday, November 11th were rushed to hospital, prompting the club to close at 3am for preventive reasons. According to the website Lyon Mag, the Twitter rumours of a "poor quality drug" being sold that night were false. "The hospitalized persons—all of whom were in the same group—admitted taking the drug with them to the party."

The club has announced that it will file a claim against the patrons in order to avoid "irresponsible actions" damaging its reputation.

Producer-Singer Bo Rocha Outs New Song “Real Kids”

“Real Kids” is a new track from burgeoning London singer and producer Bo Rocha’s new EP “Hold My Gaze” co-produced by Loxe (who produced NAO's "Fool To Love"), Rocha’s sweet voice and nostalgic ballad will make you feel like spinning away.

Tune in below.
 

Project Mooncircle To Release Anniversary Compliation In Jan

Project Mooncircle will continue proliferating some of the best left-field electronica with a 39-track compilation celebrating 15 years in the business in January 2017. The 15th Anniversary Compilation features a long list of some of the most credible and established names, and includes up-and-coming, groundbreaking acts such as Synkro, Rain Dog, Jehst, Robot Koch,Flako, 40 Winks, Long Arm, submerse, kidkanevil, 1000 Names, Tendts, Kafuka, Erik Luebs, My Panda Shall Fly, CYNE, Soosh, Nuage, Michal Lewicki, Jilk, Sieren, Olof Melander,KRTS, Deft, Barnaby Carter, Rumpistol, Fau, Button Eyes, Deceptikon, Pavel Dovgal,Memotone, Graciela Maria, Mujuice, Stompy’s Playground, Sina., Sweatson Klank, Senoy,Parra for Cuva, Fybe One, Monsoonsiren, Tom Day, and many more. The box was furthermore designed by English comic illustrator Dave McKean (Dark Horse Comics / DC Comics / Tundra).

Since the Berlin-based label's 10th anniversary the face of one of their founding members who passed away way too early graces the logo, created by artist Dave McKean. The album is dedicated to one of the founding members of PMC, who passed away too early. The compilation logo features her face.

The compilation represents a journey to the moon that began fifteen years ago and over 150 individual releases later. Many many stories and shared memories – not all of them good, not all of them bad either. While modern space age technology would make it possible to reach the moon’s surface a lot faster, for Project Mooncircle it is not only about moving forward as quickly as possible, but also to turn around, look back around themselves and to reflect on everything that has happened and is happening. "This is why we have such a broad range of artists guesting on our latest compilation. Some that have been part of the voyage from its earliest stages, others that have been with us for major milestones along the way, and even more that might move ahead with us into new and unchartered musical regions." says Malte.

The limited box (only 500 copies worldwide) includes five colored vinyl LP’s with over 35 exclusive tracks plus four additional digital bonus tracks (with digital download code), a bonus double CD version exclusively designed by Lorena Assisi, a T-shirt (only size L) and an exclusive documentary about the label – all in a box specially designed by Dave McKean.

The compilation will be out on the 6th January, 2017. Take a listen to the teaser below.



Tracklist

01 Synkro Lunar Cycle (Phase I) (Produced by Joe McBride)
02 Erik Luebs Frozen Eye (Produced by Erik Luebs)
03 KRTS Odd Fish (Produced by Kurtis Hairston)
04 Sina. Our Sweet Entropy (Produced by Barry Gordon)
05 Deft No More (Produced by Yip Wong)
06 Tendts On Fire (Produced by Christos Papadakis & Fotis Papadakis)
07 Sieren Burn (Produced by Matthias Frick)
08 Tom Day & Monsoonsiren Interlude (Produced by Tom Day & vocals by Nathan Menon)
09 Flako Black Dance (Produced by D. Rojo Guerra)
10 Kafuka Surface (Produced by Kazuomi Eshima)
11 Olof Melander Parallelism (Produced by Olof Melander)
12 Jilk All Dust Form (Produced by Jonathan Worsley & Neil Gay)
13 Barnaby Carter Yugen (Produced by Barnaby Carter)
14 My Panda Shall Fly Tsar (Produced by Suren Seneviratne & Asier Leatxe Ibañez d’Opakoa)
15 40 Winks World Will Find Out (Produced by Wiet Van Den Bogaert)
16 Long Arm Anna (Produced by Georgy Kotunov)
17 Jehst Wolf at the Door (Produced by Jason Wood (a.k.a. Apa-Tight) & vocals byWilliam G. Shields)
18 Button Eyes Burn It Down (Produced by Lewis Lindgren & vocals by CW Jones)
19 kidkanevil Helical Scan (Produced by Gerard Roberts)
20 submerse Cloud_s (Produced by Rob Orme)
21 Memotone Living (Produced by William Yates)
22 Soosh Fading Mankind (Produced by Soroosh Khavari)
23 Rain Dog Miss You (Produced by Samuel Evans)
24 Robot Koch & Graciela Maria Harps And Landscapes (Produced by Robert Koch & vocals by Graciela Maria Alatorre)
25 Parra For Cuva On A Life Feat. Bijou (Produced by Nicolas Demuth & vocals by Bijou Allie)
26 Pavel Dovgal & Mujuice Mooncircle (Produced by Pavel Dovgal & Roma Litvinov)
27 Michal Lewicki & Fau Kafka (Produced by Michal Lewicki & Mateusz Szmigiero)
28 Rumpistol Carry Me (Produced by Jens Berents Christiansen)
29 Nuage Leave The Past (Produced by Dmitry Kuzmin)
30 Fybe One Bloodline (Produced by Greg Haynes)
31 Sweatson Klank Either Way (Produced by Thomas Wilson)
32 Mujuice Dead Moon Sonnet (Produced by Roma Litvinov)
33 Synkro Lunar Cycle (Phase II) (Produced by Joe McBride)

Bonus

34 Deceptikon From Time (Produced by Zack Wright)
35 CYNE On the Head of the Crimson King (Produced by Michael Gersten & David Newell. Vocals by Clyde Graham)
36 Senoy F L Y (Produced by Jonas Christian Eberhard Lechenmayr)
37 kidkanevil & Daisuke Tanabe Harmonics (Stompy’s Playground Live Version)(Produced by Robert Hervais-Adelman)
38 Barrio Lindo Raiz (Produced by Agustin Rivaldo)
39 1000 Names Hollow Hello (Produced by Aleksiev Margarit & Todorov Nikolay)

Unknown Landscapes Mix #4 to be compiled by Reeko

Spanish techno expert Reeko is the man behind the upcoming Unknown Landscapes CD release, set for December by PoleGroup Recordings. Reeko’s selection includes 22 previously unreleased tracks, including three of his own original productions and including tracks from from Buffalo, Mike Parker (NYC), Raster-Noton’s Kangding Ray and Hospital Productions bedfellow Lussuria. Mix duties for the previous Unknown Landscapes collection was handled by Exium, who also features alongside Jonas Kopp and DJ Hyperactive (Chicago). The 74-minute mix will be followed by a vinyl sampler featuring the likes of Unbalance, Mike Parker, Lussuria and Reeko in January next year. Take a listen to ‘Dead Animal,’ by Reeko, one of the tracks that will appear on the vinyl EP.

Nicholas Britell composes 'Moonlight' Soundtrack

Barry Jenkins's 'Moonlight', his first film in 8 years, is now in select theaters nationwide. The original soundtrack for the film, composed by award-winning pianist Nicholas Britell, has also been made available for purchase.

The soundtrack features eighteen original compositions from Britell, as well as songs from Goodie Mob, Boris Gardener, and Barbara Lewis. Purchase the soundtrack now on iTunes and watch the trailer for the film below.

Dirty Radio Announce 'True Love' Single

“True Love” is the new single from Vancouver electronic trio DiRTY RADiO out now via 604 Records. Having shared stages with the likes of Dragonette, Miami Horror, k-os, Lights and more and reworked beats from Kaytranada, Calvin Harris, Sam Gellaitry to name but a few, DiRTY RADiO have continued to build momentum by releasing a series of stand-alone digital singles. DiRTY RADiO’s collaborations with Young Franco and Sleepy Tom for Diplo’s Mad Decent label have earned the trio just under 5 million plays on Spotify to date. DiRTY RADiO won a Western Canadian Music Award for Urban Recording of the Year, garnered airplay on BBC Radio 1xtra and attention of tastemakers such as The FADER, Pigeons and Planes, Majestic, Earmilk, Hypetrak, BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac amongst others. “We're always in our studio”, says DiRTY RADiO member Waspy. “We're here every day, non-stop. We wouldn’t have it any other way”. Waspy explains, “We self-produce all of the music collectively, we all play on everything, we all have input into every single aspect of the recording process and writing process”. The trio’s obsessive dedication to songwriting explains the leaps and bounds they have made in recent years. DiRTY RADiO began as a glorified solo vehicle for singer-keyboardist-percussionist Shadi, who released the album Debut in 2010. As the project evolved, it quickly took the shape of a three-piece live band, including Waspy (drums/keyboards/production) and Tonez (keyboards/mixing). Shadi is a prolific top liner and multi-instrumentalist who grew up studying jazz and has a background in soul and R&B. Waspy grew up playing drums in punk and metal bands before becoming obsessed with hip hop and electronic music. Tonez is a classically trained pianist and technically savvy production whiz. Together, the three members split songwriting duties democratically, resulting in a glittering, futuristic R&B sound that mixes soulful hooks with widescreen synth swells and thudding dance beats. DiRTY RADiO explore progressive soul, electronic dance music and pop while retaining a style that is entirely unique. “It’s as organic as you can possibly get,” reflects Waspy. “We’re making music out of our own studio, by ourselves, and we’re performing it ourselves. We just want to write incredible songs and try to change the sound of music.”

New Solange Track Soothes Your Anger (ft Li'l Wayne)

The new track by Solange Knowles “Mad ft. Lil Wayne” features Lil Wayne and deals with the topic of anger. Having a rough day? Solange will tell you all about it with a voice that cures anger and soothes your worries, while Wayne advises, “You’ve got let it go”!

Check out the track and lyrics below.



LYRICS

But I got a lot to be mad about
Got a lot to be a man about
Got a lot to pop a xan about
I used to rock hand-me-downs
And now I rock standing crowds
But it's hard when you only got fans around and no fam around
And if they are then they hands is out
And they pointing fingers
When I wear this fucking burden on my back like a motherfucking cap and gown
Then I walk up in the bank pants sagging down
And I laugh at frowns what they mad about?
'Cause here come this motherfucker with this massive count
That didn't wear a cap and gown
Oh you mad 'cause the judge didn't give me more time
and when I attempted suicide I didn't die
I remember how mad I was on that day
Man you gotta let it go before it get up in the way
Let it go let it go

Four Tet Shares 4.5 Hour DJ Set

 Election madness got you in a morning spin? Here’s one way to escape today - download Four Tet’s generous 4-and-a-half hour DJ set. The mix, recorded by the pioneering master of experimental electronica at Far Away’s monthly party in Los Angeles, has already racked up over 35,000 plays in just two days. The recording, which apparently cut out 90 minutes before the end of his actual set, features disco, gospel, house and techno.