Seven years in the making, Massive Attack's Heligoland doesn't quite carry the comeback expectations their Bristolian trip-hop compatriots from Portishead faced when releasing Third, but that's probably as good thing, as Heligoland isn't in the same league. Although it's better than their 2003 disappointment, 100th Window, and also sees the return of founding member Daddy G, the album is more of a continuation than a reinvention. Read more »
In the mid-'90s, Kompakt head Wolfgang Voigt launched Profan, a sub-label dedicated to the more abstract side of techno and minimal electronics. But with only one release since 2000, it seemed as if the label had gone the way of minimal itself ...until now! Read more »
"The way I work and try to use different styles and mediums is based on a solid restlessness," says Michael Thorsby, best known as graphic-design force PMKFA, from his parents' house in the deep forests of Småland, Sweden. And considering that the country has just been blanketed by a snowstorm, the air there is nearing single-digit temperatures, and Thorsby has spent the day waiting on platforms for severely delayed trains, that restlessness is palpable. Read more »
It seems like Dublin's Donnacha Costello has had a rough time of it in recent years; luckily, he has channeled these emotional peaks and troughs into wildly dense tech-house on his upcoming Poker Flat release, Before We Say Goodbye. Read more »
Artists on the LuckyMe roster most definitely have a thing for R&B divas. First there's Hudson Mohawke's remix of Tweet's "Ooops (Oh My)" single, and now we have Dema hijacking the vocal track from Aaliyah's "One in a Million" for his own rendition of the song. The producer's instrumental is a pleasantly crunk track, complete with a crunchy head-nodding beat and simple synth melodies, that updates Aaliyah's archived acapella for today's dancefloors.
In this round of Inbox, XLR8R is straight chillin’ with legendary Oakland hip-hop foursome Souls of Mischief. Read more »
As owner and founder of Interdependent Media, Evan Phillips (a.k.a. TRUTHLiVE) knows how to spot a solid hip-hop beat, and here he takes an epic instrumental from Tha Bizness—a track full of strings, synths, gunshots, pianos, and plenty of slap—to serve as the backdrop for his storytelling flow. Phillips takes every opportunity in "Shoot Me Down" to paint a picture of his coming-up and elaborate on the struggles of remaining an independent artist, themes which are sure to be explored further upon in his forthcoming debut full-length, Patience.
