Music
Top 5 Electronic Releases: April
by Marsha Casselman
April 30, 2012
Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving market; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Electronic, and Pop with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.
Top 5 Electronic Releases:
April
Actress- R.I.P |
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The third album from Actress, a.k.a. London producer Darren Cunningham, is filled with shy, lo-fi, textured cuts, brilliantly borrowing from ambient, house and minimal techno; effects can vary from nature-inspired, sounding like crickets and bubbly streams, to the industrial-inspired, like grimey oil-guzzling machines. Yet somehow it all binds together. Apparently inspired by John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Music of the Spheres, R.I.P. is intellectual and introverted, and will most likely end up on a lot of critic’s Best of 2012 lists. (Honest Jon’s) Listen here |
Py – Lungs |
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UK producer George FitzGerald has created the perfect melodic, soulful track for house DJs to mix into their sets late in the night, post-climax. This emotive, feminine number uses the live vocals of Jade Pybus, a.k.a Py, a singer-of-the-moment in UK dance productions. It’s the sixth song off her much-anticipated mixtape, Tripping On Wisdom, due out in May. Download here. |
Traxman – Da Mind of Traxman |
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Traxman is one of the forefathers of Chicago ghetto house’s latest incarnation, footwork, having been with Ghetto Teknitianz and Geto DJz crews for years. His debut full-length for Planet Mu shows his knowledge of the style’s past, using juke and going back further squelchy acid house. He adds jazzy, soulful bits here and there to smooth out what could have been destined for clubs only. A track like “Footworking on Air” for example, has a beat that could get kids kicking their feet on the floor, but its aquatic, tropical vibe could also serve well at a backroom chill session. (Planet Mu) Listen here. |
CFCF – Exercises |
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CFCF, a.k.a. Montreal producer Mike Silver scaled back the synth-pop for some slower, more ambient tracks on this EP, one a few since his well-received debut album Continents in 2009. Many of the eight “Exercises” on this EP are beat-less, beautiful and instrumental, not unlike what fellow Montrealler d’Eon is doing with his “Variations” (see Surprise of the Month below). “Exercise 5” is a cover of 1987 track “September” by Japan’s David Sylvian, keeping with Silver’s penchant for reviving ’87 classics (see his cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Big Love”). (Paper Bag Records) Listen here. |
Mohn – Mohn |
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After over two decades of producing avant-garde ambient and minimal techno in Cologne Germany, Wolfgang Voigt (Gas, Mike Ink) and Jörg Burger (the Modernist, Triola) have paired up again for a new project called Mohn. Their debut full-length is described as “opium for the people” by the label, which isn’t far-off given its potiential ability to open your consciousnes, expecially with the meditative “Ambientôt” and mostly beat-less tracks like the haunting, alien “Schwarzer Schwan.” (Kompakt) Listen here. |
The month’s best mix, surprise, and tracks/albums to watch for next month
Mix of the month: Vancouver B.C.’s Felix Cartal, fresh off the release of his brilliant debut Different Faces on Dim Mak, gives us the 11th edition of his Weekend Workout series, featuring indie dance by Martin Solveig, a Lana Del Ray remix, Major Lazer and his own productions. Stream it here.
Surprise of the month: Montreal electronic artist d’Eon releases the second installment of this “Music for Keyboards” series, which is a bunch of piano tracks based, very oddly, on hooks from Blink 182’s “What’s My Age Again.” Good in-and-of-themselves, the tracks are a primer for the Grimes collaborator’s debut LP, called LP, which will drop in June on L.A. future-pop label Hippos in Tanks. Stream it here.
Out next month: Out next month: Schizo-beatmaker Squarepusher is out with “Ufabulum” on May 15 (on Warp)
