Four Tet Protests Trump Immigration Ban With New Playlist

Legendary UK producer Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) has added his voice to the outpouring of international protest following Donald Trump’s recent immigration policy reforms.

Hebden posted a selection of songs on Spotify by artists hailing from the countries hit by Trump’s immigration ban, including tracks by musicians from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Hebden claims that his experience of producing Omar Souleyman’s 2013 Wenu Wenu album convinced him to speak out against Trump’s dictums: specifically, he says the fact of such a collaboration “not being allowed anymore” inspired the creation of the playlist.

@FourTet Recording with @OSouleyman in Brooklyn a few years ago and it not being allowed anymore got me thinking about it

— Four Tet (@FourTet) January 30, 2017

Ricardo Villalobos Added To Into The Valley Bill

Into The Valley has expanded its lineup, adding a few new names to its 2017 roster of artists. Among the new additions to the Estonian festival are Ricardo Villalobos and Rhadoo.

Last year, it was announced that the core group behind Into The Valley, Music Goes Further, would be grow its offering, announcing six new festivals in the next few years. After recently being relocated to Estonia, Into The Valley has just announced that it will add Ricardo Villalobos, Rhadoo, Kerri Chandler, and Helena Hauff, to the bill, with another 44 names still expected.

In Sweden, partner festival Into The Factory has also augmented its lineup with Daniel Avery, Larry Heard, Juan Atkins, and Julia Govor. This year's event will be at Stora Vika, a former cement factory.




Into The Valley: June 29 - July 1, Rummu, Estonia
Into The Factory on August 10 - 12, Stora Vika

For more details visit Music Goes Further

Mass Walkouts Of Debut Film By Flying Lotus

Leftfield electronica superstar Flying Lotus' first attempt at a feature film has been deemed unwatchable. Some are calling it grotesque, others uncomfortable. But it seems certain to go down as one of the least palatable films ever.

Kuso allegedly caused walkouts en masse at Sundance Film Festival in Utah this week.

Previously, a snippet of the movie was premiered at the Sundance offshoot event NEXT FEST in Los Angeles in August. The venue saw fit to hand out barf bags before the screening.

However, a positive review from The Verge called it "the grossest film ever," going on to describe scenes of "copious gore" and "vomit-inducing pseudo goofs."

Watch the trailer below.

Portugal-Based Papercutz Tear Into Euro Scene

Given that this year's Eurosonic festival in Netherlands featured Portugal as the focus country, you might have heard the name Bruno Miguel floating about. He's a the electronic half of :papercutz and a standalone producer in his own right. But having now teamed up with vocalist Catarina Miranda on the new single ‘Trust/Surrender’ to be released on 20th January, :papercutz appear ready to continue a string of uplifting career highlights.

Thus far, it's been attendance at the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy and workshops with tutors Four Tet and Flying Lotus, remixing and producing the work of JMSN and M83’s Morgan Kibby and being celebrated by the likes of Mr Suicide Sheep, The Fader, XLR8R, Kiss FM KOBE, FM NORTH WAVE and BBC Introducing.



Formed as a side project in 2005 in Portugal’s second largest city, Porto, Miguel is solely responsible for :papercutz’s musical direction. Adolescent piano lessons and a discman from his father have seemed to have been the seed that started the wave of interest needed to see :papercutz to fruition. Drawing influence from artists such as Kate Bush, Björk, Brian Eno, Dead Can Dance, The Creatures, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Peter Gabriel, sharing appeal for fans of Bat for Lashes, Fever Ray, Zola Jesus and Glasser, :papercutz’s sound incorporates layered pop vocals, warm analog synth polyrhythms, atmospheric textures, urban beats and tribal percussion.

Of their latest track, 'Trust/Surrender', the duo states: "The tension between doubt, joy and wonder is more present than ever on the new release and the high energy track showcases the band lyrically dealing with the illusion of control and the acceptance of uncertainty. Sharing a bond with past works, the organic electronics 'Lylac', cinematic experimental ambient 'Do Outro lado Do Espelho (Lylac ambient reworks)' and dark epic percussion of 'The Blur Between Us', we found inspiration in traditional tribal music with a focus on recordings with choral like qualities. African music in particular carries such a forceful and celebratory strength that serves as the perfect background for the album’s narrative about the struggle and anxiety when finding your way through broken ambitions. Trust/Surrender' is a song about the illusion of control and embracing uncertainty”, explains Bruno.

Expect updates about :papercutz and their upcoming album 'King Ruiner’.

Follow :papercutz: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | Youtube | Instagram

Lobster Records: Lobster Theremin’s New East London Record Shop

Jimmy Asquith’s record label Lobster Theremin has opened a new record shop in Sidworth Street, London Fields.

The store, which the band’s Facebook account describes as “a clean, elegant yet still raw space,” features a 35-title record wall with four listening stations. There is also a 60-tape rack with a Sony tape deck. Lobster Records will stock titles put out by the 200 or so labels handled by Lobster Distribution, but the store will also sell "an array of tapes, merch, ’zines and bits and bobs." There are also plans to host shop-based events.

Lobster Records is open 7 days a week, and customers can also purchase music from their online store.

We're launching a record store in London Fields!! 😊 It's called Lobster Records and we open tomorrow ⛅ https://t.co/y8pyJs7PCT pic.twitter.com/dis5Mcage1

— Lobster Theremin (@lobstertheremin) January 20, 2017

Billboard Makes Predictions for 2017’s Music Trends

Music magazine Billboard has dusted off the crystal ball and given its predictions for the year ahead in music.

According to the publication - who sifted through sales data to discover meaningful trends in consumption over the last two years - we can look forward to a year filled with big releases from established stars, as well as an ever-increasing amount of breakout tracks and ‘viral smashes’ from independent artists.

With new albums from Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Kesha set to land this year, Billboard expects 2017 to be a good year for female recording artists - as well as for hip hop, as the race to “mint a new rap royalty” heats up.

The magazine also predicts that the inauguration of Donald Trump may provide sufficient fuel for a year dominated by protest songs, and tips dance duo The Chainsmokers for a big year in 2017.

Finally, the magazine asserts that streaming will continue to become the music industry’s primary mode of consumption (streaming accounted for over 50% of album consumption in 2016), with some potentially interesting competition brewing between the likes of Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited.

Manchester Nightclub Sankeys Compelled To Close Its Doors

Legendary Manchester nightclub Sankeys has shut its doors following last week’s sale of the Beehive Mill building to a residential property developer.

One of the longest-serving and most prominent music venues in Manchester’s Ancoats area, Sankeys has played host to electronic music luminaries such as Bjork, Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers since opening its doors in 1994 (originally as Sankeys Soap). The Beehive Mill, a Grade II* listed former cotton mill, is yet another in a series of buildings that have been sold off and earmarked for residential property development in Manchester. A tersely-worded statement on the club’s Facebook page confirmed their inability to negotiate new lease terms for Sankeys, acknowledging, “We have done well to fend off developers for so long.”

The club is still listing events on their website, and say they are exploring the possibilities of alternate venues and “pop up events” to honour existing bookings.

So sad to see such an iconic Manchester club go..I'll never forget djing there #RIPSankeys 💔🎶😞 pic.twitter.com/EVv0yiOWgS

— Sophie Wright (@DJSoWright) January 12, 2017

Still, the news of Sankeys’ closing has brought a strong response from electronic music enthusiasts in the Manchester area, with clubbers and DJs alike tweeting their support using the hashtag #RIPShankeys. Although undoubtedly a sad end for the nightclub that famously refused entry to Justin Bieber in 2013, the club’s Facebook statement assures fans that “as a whole the Sankeys brand is on the up and about to enter some very exciting times.”

Royale Debut New Single 'Eternal'

Following on from his work delivering a string of EPs as Urple Eple between 2013 and 2016, Peter Farr has officially teamed up with singer Annie Jacobsen to launch his new UKG project Royale. Their debut single ‘Eternal’, which follows in the footsteps of established global acts Burial, Ghostek and XXYYXX will be available via Chillage Records on 10th February 2017.



Farr’s previous project Urple Eple received critical acclaim from the likes of Mixmag, Nest HQ, The 405, Purple Sneakers and Your EDM and included remixes from Pixelord, Sweatson Klank, Dakat and Conrad Clifton.


The Oakland-based duo explains the inspiration behind “Eternal”, saying “This song is about the eternal search for truth, which also relates to the eternal search to be reunited with the divine. We find at times that the moments we know ourselves the best are the moments at which we break out of our comfort zone and have nothing left to stand on.  It’s these moments of groundlessness that start us on this eternal path back home.”

Follow Royale on Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | Instagram

Flying Lotus and Anderson.Paak Announce Collaboration

One special fan of both Flying Lotus and Anderson.Paak received a dream come true response when recently tweeting that the two should collaborate, perhaps featuring FlyLo’s alter ego Captain Murphy.

“It exists. Soon!” came the response from FlyLo. Anderson.Paak followed up with confirmation of its own, saying: “They not ready!”

Most recently, FlyLo’s time has been devoted to his first feature-length film ‘Kuso’. In the trademark style of the quintessential L.A. producer: very, very weird, with “dreadlocked titty monsters with uncircumcised butts”. Back at the ranch, Anderson has recently been working along with Knxwledge to release their album ‘Yes Lawd!’