Years before he’d released a single record of his own, Andy Vaz had already left a conspicuous mark on electronic music as the man behind Background Records. When he finally started releasing music, he garnered a good deal of attention for the “clicks, cuts, and a 4/4” sound exemplified by the cult Soundvariation series. In the last three or four years, though, both his music and his A&R focus have increasingly mined classic house influences. More a shift of priorities than an outright swap of musical templates, house has always been a part of Vaz’s program, and his morphing live sets retain much of the abstract and experimental qualities that characterized his first records. Yore Records, the label he runs with Alessandro Vaccaro, is the focus of another Little White Earbuds interview feature. Today, though, our exclusive podcast focuses on the sometimes silky, sometimes jazzy, and very often jacking music Vaz produces himself. Live sets, as discussed in the Q&A below, are where Vaz feels most comfortable, and this percolating mix certainly finds him in very fine form.
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LWE Podcast 39: Basic Soul Unit
As Basic Soul Unit, Toronto’s Stuart Li has earned a reputation as something of a producer’s producer. Combining the rough-hewn trackiness of underground techno with hazy atmospherics of deep house (not to mention a healthy pinch of low-end and DFA-style synth wackiness), his releases for labels like New Kanada and Mathematics have shown they can play chameleon in practically any discerning record bag. But 2009, which saw his “Dank” single released by Philpot and his track “Things Pass” included in Ostgut Ton’s Panorama Bar 02 EP, scraped away at Li’s underground status, raising the bar on his studio prowess while placing Basic Soul Unit on a whole host of new radars. Whether you call it a 2009 victory lap or harbinger of a stellar 2010 to come, LWE’s 39th podcast, an exclusive mix of heavy, organic, and thoroughly trippy house grooves, gives us a rare and tasty showcase of Li’s DJ chops.
LWE Begins Retiring Its Early Podcasts
As LWE’s podcast series approaches the second anniversary of its inauguration, we thought now was the time to let the mixes which launched the series in March 2008 to briefly shine again, and then retire them. Although they cost only your time and bandwidth, these podcasts can be treasured, sought after bits, especially if they’re no longer available. So with each new podcast published we’ll be putting one from the front of the line in deep storage. We’re starting this week with #01, the banging, quickly paced mix from Detroit’s incomparable Terrence Dixon. On Friday, January 8th at 10 a.m. CST, we’ll remove the podcast from the server, so make sure to snap it up while you still can.
LWE Podcast 38: Thomas Andersen
After many hours spent scoring your mixes, our panel of eight judges has chosen a winning set: Congratulations to Thomas Andersen of Denmark, the winner of LWE’s second annual podcast competition. His mix grabbed our attention the most and earns him three Fabric CDs from 2009. In second place we have Mr. Kaizen of Toronto, who wins two Fabric CDs from 2009, and Eddie Bacal, also of Toronto, takes third and one Fabric CD from 2009. Congratulations to all the winners! Let’s move on to the podcast.
LWE’s Top 5 Downloads (From the Second Half of) 2009
Here at the end of 2009, we find ourselves on the cusp of a terrifying new decade. With Obama-shaped ecstasy pills, slippers made out of bread, and people saying “twitter” more than any other word in the English language, the road ahead grows increasingly strange and menacing. Then you’ve got assholes like Chris Anderson at Wired ranting about the power of “Free” and how it’s ultimately a good thing that newspapers only last a few more months, because the information just wants to be Free and there’s nothing we can do about that. Anderson’s ramblings may be reckless and ill-informed, but no one can deny he’s onto something — to point to an easy example, we are, after all, still waist-deep in an endless torrent of free house and techno mixes that shows no sign of abating. Due to an unfortunate dearth of free-time (and a work computer that has no soundcard), I unintentionally shied away from the regulars this quarter (The Bunker, mnml ssgs, ROOF.FM, Bodytonic) and surely missed some great mixes because of it. But thanks to social networking media and some particularly juicy Soundcloud accounts, I managed to find a handful of mixes that still haven’t worn thin after dozens of listens. So, while it would be unwise to claim these are the all-out best mixes of the quarter, here are five mixes you can play death once the media empires crumble and some kind of Cormac McCarthy-esque scenario ensues.
Download a free track from Kassem Mosse’s Workshop08 on Zero-Inch
Mp3 purveyors Zero-Inch are in the midst of a 30 day giveaway countdown, offering some treasured tracks for free for a single day. LWE was asked to select today’s free track and we just had to pick the stunning “B1” from Kassem Mosse’s “Workshop 08” EP. It’s only available today, so if you want to […]
LWE Podcast 37: Hauntologists
Word spread quickly about Hauntologists’ first EP, a record that reveled in heady live experimentation, but with unrelenting tripping rhythms that guaranteed as much energy on the dance floor as in the studio. Their sophomore record refined the palette, and its winding, often eerie grooves garnered plenty of DJ support. Considering that they left their names off of those two Hard Wax-distributed records, though, we count ourselves pretty lucky that Hauntologists’ Jay Ahern and Stefan Schneider agreed to an LWE interview. Hardly hiding behind mystique, the duo treat us to an engaged, in-depth conversation, pulling back the curtain to reveal what’s behind their stripped-down, twisting funk. Along the way, we talk about gear and human interaction, Neu! and Berghain, the ghosts of Berlin, and “the Africa of the mind.” And to accompany your reading, Hauntologists have compiled a special mixtape for our 37th podcast. An eclectic yet cohesive snapshot of influences and interests, the selections range from classic house to avant-jazz to… well, you should just hear it.
Curator’s Cuts 03: Chris Miller
LWE’s Curator’s Cuts podcast series features our reviewing staff mixing together recent favorites and providing explanations for their selections. Assistant editor and writer Chris Miller steps up to the decks for Curator’s Cuts 03. We will post the tracklist later in the week, as each curator discloses and describes the tracklist as part of the podcast.
LWE Podcast 36: Kirk Degiorgio
Kirk Degiorgio’s name is not synonymous with minimal techno. Over the course of his 18-year career you could count on your hands the number of releases that would even qualify as club-approved tackle. Degiorgio made his name with multi-hued Detroit-inspired techno and went on to produce soulful music in a variety of genres, but rarely touched on straightforward dance floor-ready tracks. Today we see Degiorgio taking a new path that embraces this side of techno, both in terms of production and DJing. Degiorgio rebooted his Applied Rhythm Technology (ART) label this year and is focused on creating full sounding techno that works in club environs. That approach is paying dividends with the recent “Isomer Shift” release on B12, his new “Swarm” EP, the first release for ART’s new Dance Division series and one forthcoming on Planet E. He has applied this same concept to DJing, choosing to play the same type of material he is championing through his own productions. For LWE’s 36th podcast, Degiorgio shares an exclusive mix of what he’s currently spinning and sits down to explain the finer points of running a label, his relationship to DJ technology, and to set the record straight on techno’s debt to jazz.
LWE Podcast 35: Margaret Dygas
Margaret Dygas’ position as an avant garde techno producer has been achieved with only three proper releases to her name but backed up by years of formidable DJ sets around the world. Born in Poland, she spent her formative teenage years growing up in America and now, like so many other dance music producers, lives in Berlin. Her exquisitely executed tracks have been released on Contexterrior, Non Standard Productions and Perlon, each showing a progression in her abilities and slowly revealing a distinctive type of sound. LWE hoped to learn much more about the budding artist in our interview but it turns out that Miss Dygas prefers to let her music do the majority of her talking. Read on for the words we managed to glean out of her and check the stunning podcast after the interview for a more revealing glimpse into the world of Margaret Dygas.
Download: Stimming, Silver Surfer
When I first heard Stimming’s debut album, Reflections, in early 2009, his organic, cobblestone house tracks plucked and pulled themselves in a very different direction than his house peers. Of course now 2009 seems like a year besotted in hand drums and organic textures, yet Stimming’s sound still crackles with a unique energy and pluck that’s far more compelling. Take “Silver Surfer” from Reflections, a spidery crawl through Stimming’s string section with melodies that sting like a snapped rubberband. Seriously, take it:
LWE Podcast 34: St. Plomb
Although it’s hard to confirm he’s performed full-fledged miracles, St. Plomb certainly has traits we consider saintly in producers: His releases for Mental Groove Records, Viking Music and Brut! are sure remedies for the easily bored, cutting across funk, house, techno and jazz aesthetics, sometimes in the span of a single record. Together with Crowdpleaser he wrote the album 2006, one of that year’s defining points which was oblivious to the surrounding trends. And rather than burn himself out after exhaustive tours, St. Plomb wisely took time off to care for his family and refocus his musical approach. Now, three years later, he’s recharged and ready to show the world the sort of grooves he’s always wanted to produce. For LWE’s 34th podcast, St. Plomb strings together an intoxicating and exclusive blend of house sounds that would soundtrack his ideal night out. He also kindly spoke to LWE in a rare interview, discussing his musical origins, the backstory of his conspicuous absence, and the self-critical approach which hangs halos on his tunes.
LWE Podcast 33: Chilling the Do (Kassem Mosse & Mix Mup)
LWE Podcast 33 offers an exclusive and abridged version of what the duo might unfurl in a nightclub over the course of several hours. It’s dark, campy yet deeply compelling, and as they’ll be the first to admit, not for everyone.
Curator’s Cuts 02: Jordan Rothlein
LWE’s Curator’s Cuts podcast series features our reviewing staff mixing together recent favorites and providing explanations for their selections. Contributing writer Jordan Rothlein steps up to the decks for Curator’s Cuts 02. We will post the tracklist later in the week, as each curator discloses and describes the tracklist as part of the podcast.
LWE Podcast 32: Shaun Reeves
LWE’s 32nd podcast showcases the sense of groove and flawless track selection that make Shaun Reeves a favorite in Berlin lofts and underground clubs around the world.
Talking Shopcast with Yore Records
In the interview below, Vaz discusses Yore’s goals and values, minimal and deep, and the potential value of adding friends on MySpace. To “deepen” your understanding of the label, we’re extremely pleased to host an exclusive mix from Kez YM, featuring music from Yore comrades, influences, and contemporaries.
LWE Podcast 31: Spencer Parker
For LWE’s 31st podcast, Spencer Parker shows off the skills that put his career in motion with an exclusive mix of lithe and groovy house tracks, including unreleased cuts from Boola, Radio Slave, and Mr. Parker himself.
Stream an exclusive track from Model 500
Juan Atkins and his Model 500 project are at the cornerstone of what we know as Detroit techno, so finding out there’s a new song from this legendary group is like a religious adherent realizing their holy book has a previously unknown chapter (or something close). The fine folks at Fabric nightclub have made this a reality in anticipation of Mr. Atkins playing there on September 26th. “Huesca,” previously released only with a magazine comp, features a warped electro gait encircled by flowing strings and twinkling keys. LWE is your exclusive authorized provider of this little gem, which you can snap up below.
LWE Podcast 30: Santiago Salazar
Little White Earbuds tracked down Mr. Salazar to tap his brain for more information on collaborations, being a part of the techno version of Parliament and the importance of dancing to your own tracks. In addition, Santiago helms our exclusive 30th podcast which is full of slamming (and often unreleased) techno cuts that’ll have S2 fans drooling.
Curator’s Cuts 01: Tracklist Posted
Download the mix here. 01. Kez YM, “Caravan” [Yore Records] 02. Franz Ferdinand, “Ulysses” (Beyond the Wizards Sleeve Re-Animation) [New State Music] 03. Toby Tobias, “In Your Eyes” (Tensnake Remix) [REKIDS] 04. Christopher Rau, “Childhood” [Smallville Records] 05. Jimpster, “Just the Kind of Girl” [Freerange Records] 06. Kris Wadsworth, “Deep Heat” [Dark Energy Recordings] 07. […]