HOWLING – Short Line (Alex Banks Remix)

Having already exploded onto the scene with their accidental hit single of the same name, Howling released their debut album Sacred Ground in May to international acclaim and fed the flames with subsequent sold-out live dates across the world, as well as impeccably curated remix packages.

Their ascent continues with new mixes, led by Alex Banks’ take on album favorite “Short Line”. Alex Banks – previously lauded for his remixes for Bonobo, Andreya Triana and Husky Rescue among others — works within a familiar palette of human warmth in a stark electronic landscape, but leaves a mark all his own.

Out 20th November on Monkeytown X Counter Records.

Video: Benjamin Damage – Pulse Width

Here’s the video for Benjamin Damage’s single “Pulse Width,” directed by Konx-om-Pax & Michael Tan (premiered on XLR8R). The video also includes exclusive album art created by Stefan Endress. The track is taken from ‘Obsidian’.

‘Obsidian’ marks the third album from Benjamin Damage (his second solo long-player) and the end of an era for both himself and 50WEAPONS. As the first artist (outside of Modeselektor) to release on the label it’s apt that this album is also the last one on 50WEAPONS. You can pre-order your copy of Obsidian right now by visiting Monkeytown website, and “Pulse Width” is now available for immediate download when pre-ordering the album on iTunes.

Robot Koch – Hypermoment LP

“I’ve come to think that the universe is a four-dimensional site in which nothing is changing and nothing is moving. The only thing that is moving along the time axis is our consciousness. The past is still there, the future has always been here. Every moment that has existed or will ever exist is all part of this giant hyper-moment of space time.”
– Alan Moore, June 2011

This quote by British novelist, Alan Moore, was running through electronic musician ROBOT KOCH’s head as he relocated to Los Angeles from Berlin. After spending the last 15 years in the German capital, and being spurred on by seismic shifts in both his private and working life, being in a different place, culture, and society brought on the thought that while our conscious mind moves along, the past, present and future all co-exist. This formed the basis, concept and, idea behind his new album HYPERMOMENT. Due out November 6 on Monkeytown Records, it his first new album in four years. It’s also his first on Modeselektor’s hallowed Monkeytown imprint and the follow-up to his EP Tsuki.

HYPERMOMENT, while retaining ROBOT’S much loved hallmarks, is a true evolution of his sound and style. Driving deeper into more intimate territory with swathes of warm, saturated, analog sounds, real world field recording, and lush pianosand soundscapes, this is the first of any of ROBOT’S works to feature his own voice (as can be heard on “Care,” “Serenade” and “Fernwood”). The field recordings were captured along ROBOT’S nomadic writing trips to New York, Berlin and the inspiring Joshua Tree in California, as well as his new home base of Silver Lake in Los Angeles, where he was constantly writing and re-writing the tracks to fit in with the basis and ethos of the album.

The album features some familiar faces from ROBOT’S world. LA-based schwarzmodul, who was on his previous Tsuki EP, makes an appearance, as well as Delhia de France from his recent “California Dreamin'” collaboration which was used on the trailer for Warner Bros’ summer blockbuster San Andreas (de France is also from the band the Pentatones, who ROBOT produced the album Ouroboros for in 2014). ROBOT has also brought on some of his favorite new emerging artists such as the UK’s Fassine (“Spine”) and Mree from NYC (“Separated”), as well as California-based Stephen Henderson (“Dreams”).

While being ROBOT’S most rounded work, HYPERMOMENT is also his most personal to date, dealing with heartbreak, culture clashes, and transitions, optimizing Alan Moore’s quote which so heavily informed it. While the past is there to be learned from, and the future will always be with us, our consciousness will continue to move forward.

Tracklisting:
Circles feat. Curtain Blue & Delhia de France
Dreams feat. Stephen Henderson
Kalimba feat. Malte Beckenbach
Serenade
Eclipse feat. Julien Marchal
Spine feat. Fassine
Seperated feat. Mree
Fernwood
Dark Waves feat. Delhia de France
Night Drive feat. schwarzmodul
Care feat. Julien Marchal

Howling – Stole The Night (Âme Remix)

Here’s a great remix of Howling‘s “Stole The Night” by Âme, aka the duo of Innervisions co-founder Frank Wiedemann and Kristian Beyer. The “Stole The Night” Remixes, which also features a remix by London-based DJ/producer Midland, is out on April 24th.

Howling is the new project of Australian folk singer Ry X and Berlin producer and Frank Wiedemann. The original track is taken from Howling’s upcoming album “Sacred Ground” LP, set to arrive on May 4th via Modeselektor’s Monkeytown and Ninja Tune’s sub-label Counter Records. Pre-order it here.

Howling – Stole The Night

Howling is the collaborative project of Berlin producer Frank Wiedemann (of Âme fame) and Australian LA-based folk singer Ry X (of electro trio The Acid). Their great new single “Stole The Night” is out now; taken from the duo’s upcoming debut album “Sacred Ground”, which will drop on May 4th through Modeselektor’s Monkeytown and Ninja Tune’s sub-label Counter Records. Pre-order the album here.

“It’s hard to gauge an influence… You might not presume Depeche Mode had an impact on your life, but you find yourself playing a new wave bass line in a back cabin in California and you’re digging it. Soon after I’m on tour with Frank, and we build around it. It soon takes shape… Nothing on purpose, more for the sake of creation… Seems that’s how it always begins…”

HOWLING – Slices Live Special

The Slices Live Special series returns with a very unique performance by Howling, the duo comprised of Australian singer/songwriter Ry X and Frank Wiedemann of Innervisions and Âme fame. This private and intimate show was exclusively organized and recorded for Electronic Beats TV from the candlelit surroundings of Axel Reinemer’s JRS Studio. The protagonists of this moody encounter were assisted by their versatile live band member, Jens Kuross. Take in a few delicate and emotional songs from their debut album Sacred Ground, including “Signs,” “Litmus,” “Shortline” and “Howling,“ which drop May 1st on Monkeytown and Counter Records.

Teaser Video: Robot Koch – Tsuki EP

Robot Koch’s debut EP for Monkeytown, called “TSUKI” (see details here), brings the intense, emotional soundscapes of one of Germany´s most talented producers to Modeselektors homebase. The teaser for the official video by Sebastian Munoz is now live and can be viewed below.

Robot Koch – Let Me feat. Curtain Blue and Born in Flamez

Robot Koch’s debut EP for Monkeytown brings the intense, emotional soundscapes of one of Germany’s most talented producers to Modeselektor’s homebase.

For the release with Monkeytown, Robot has compressed  the united forces of his and various friends into 5 driven tracks that show a yet unheard readyness for the dancefloor. Surely the re – locating to LA influenced the approach to this ingenious recor; The textures have become even more dense, with each sound ripened to perfection under the california sun. The tiniest detail in this clockwork of an EP seems like a precision instrument. Even in its most delicate moments, where a track is laid bare to let one single sound fill all the room, everything is in its perfect place. There´s no questions why Robot Koch just won the german composer award as “best electronic composer of the year.” This young man is so in control of his elements that it seems he would be able to make almost everything.

“Tsuki” features 5 accurately crafted pieces, all of them dark but beautiful, all of them heartfelt but cool, all of them inclined to a straighter bassdrum but still far away from four to the floor.

The EP also features a bunch of collaborators from different camps from all over the world. Indian producer and singer Curtain Blue (The Circus) coproduced  “Let Me” and “Erase”, the mysterious Born in Flamez, who was also featured on the Modeselektion compilation earlier this year, lends some captivating vocal textures to the first track and upcoming german singer May gives “September”,  a touch of soul.

“Night Drive” and “Every Motion” feature LA based producer “schwarzmodul” whose dark and subversive sounds we will most certainly hear more about in the near future. This record is sexy and moving, contagious and ultra clean. It is gorgeous and it can dance well. It might be one of our 2015 favorites already.

“TSUKI” will be released January 30th 2015 via Monkeytown Records. Stream “Let Me” below.

Alex Banks – All You Could Do EP

The new ‘All You Could Do’ EP from rising Brit electronica star, club musician and DJ Alex Banks see him exploring similar territory to his eclectic Monkeytown label bosses Modeselektor, fusing techno crunch with the electro-indie songwriting suss of groups such as Animal Collective.

Picked acoustic guitar comes together with pulsating machine rhythms, all made emotive and human by the melancholic vocals of Alex’s Brighton associate Elizabeth Bernholz of Gazelle Twin. As well as the original ‘All You Could Do’, in all its moody fierceness, there’s a beautifully stark pulsating remix by German DJ-producer Phon.o, a haunting slow techno ‘Alternate’ take, and a brand new tune called ‘Phosphorus’ that comes on like the mighty Crystal Castles raving it up at a Polish warehouse party.

All in all, it’s a package that presents Banks as a name to watch and makes his new album, ‘Illuminate’, all the more eagerly anticipated. Below you can watch the official video for the original track and stream the Phon.o rework. Illiminate will drop on May 30th 2014. The All You Could Do EP is out now.

Moderat – Bad Kingdom – DJ Koze / Robag Wruhme Remix

After remixes by Marcel Dettmann and Head High it’s now DJ Koze who adds his artistic touch to Moderat‘s "Bad Kingdom". B side is Robag Wruhme‘s "4/4 Edit mit Xomlopp RMX Schwanz-014" which has already been featured in a shorter version on Moderat’s Tour Edition. Both versions are 100% sing-along dancefloor material and can be previewed above. Out on May 16 on Monkeytown.