Jon Hopkins has revealed a transcendent new collaboration with Brazilian techno producer ANNA, “Deep In The Glowing Heart (Night Version).” The original version of “Deep In The Glowing Heart” is found on Hopkins’ Music For Psychedelic Therapy, released last November on Domino. Talking about the original, Hopkins said there is a feeling that “music can cleanse you, music can guide you through.” Today’s “Night Version” takes you on a very different journey. Evolving over a month-long trans-Atlantic collaborative process, “Deep In The Glowing Heart (Night Version)” feels like an explosive release of energy, inspired by Hopkins’ return to regular DJing this year. With early versions of this track being premiered to huge crowds by both artists at their DJ sets across the world – including ANNA at Coachella and Hopkins at Fabric – “Deep In The Glowing Heart (Night Version)” is now available to hear widely for the first time.
Of the collaboration, Hopkins says: “I first came across ANNA’s music through her track ‘Hidden Beauties’, which I found myself playing in DJ sets all the time and always goes down so well. I then asked her to remix ‘Singularity’ and the results were so amazing I was super keen to work with her again but in a more collaborative way, rather than just handing over stems. We went back and forth a lot and it flowed really well. I love how this one turned out, it’s such a meeting of our two styles.”
ANNA adds: “It is a big honor to be able to create music together with Jon. His music is part of my daily life, part of my meditations, my long walks and contemplative moments. My remix for his track ‘Singularity’ had a huge impact on my career and getting to know Jon better since then, and collaborate on this version of DITGH, it feels like our relationship has come full circle!”
Listen to Jon Hopkins & ANNA’s “Deep In The Glowing Heart (Night Version)” Music For Psychedelic Therapy was Hopkins’ first full-length since the release of sister albums, the GRAMMY-nominated Singularity (2018) and Immunity (2013), and it was a departure in sound from these records; “an album with no beats, not one drum sound, something that is closer to a classical symphony than a dance / electronica record.”
Following the release of her recent EP ‘Who Upset You?‘, New Zealand-born, London-based singer & songwriter October and the Eyes is sharing her new single “Tit Pic.“
Speaking about the track, October said “We destroy the earth because of our innate sense of self importance – that we have a god given right to rape, pillage and exploit the earth for our own consumption. We simultaneously distract ourselves from the worsening repercussions of our destructive hand via narcissistic pursuits of social media exhibitionism and sterile lit bathroom selfies. It’s a great picture though and successfully garnered 237 likes which is a huge relief.”
October is no new-comer to music, the New Zealand born musician has been involved in musical pursuits since she was a child. Heralding from a musical family, the prospect of pursuing music in one form or another was almost inescapable: A classical pianist mother, fanatic music fan father, and two older multi- instrumentalist brothers who were always holding their band practices in the family playroom. October’s childhood was that of a humble upbringing; having grown up in a small rural town in New Zealand’s wine country, she turned to songwriting as a means to stave the boredom away. She taught herself how to record and produce her own music aged 12, locking herself away in her bedroom for hours on end, and hasn’t looked back since. Claiming the internet raised her, it’s clear she had her sights set on broader horizons and bigger cities.
Having moved half way across the world to her new home in East London, October has remained true to her traditional isolated writing style by holing up in her East London flat for several months and writing a small collection of songs that can be described as dizzying, darkly kaleidoscopic, and dauntless above all. October describes her musical style as ‘collage-rock’ (not the be confused with college rock). Pulling musical inspiration from the likes of Bauhaus, Bowie, Siouxsie Sioux and Suicide, she then squeezes her influences through the gauze of modernity and electronics, thus creating something entirely of her own.
With nods to acid rock, psychobilly and post-punk, October and The Eyes’ music is equal parts nostalgia-drenched as it is future forward, employing layers of ambient synth drones to anchor the crunched guitars and jagged organ parts. Delivered with a twisted theatricality, her vocals pendulum between commanding chants and soothing coo’s, proving that not only is she a versatile songwriter and producer, but a versatile vocalist too.
Berlin based producer Estella Boersma announced themselves with a debut on Unknown to the Unknown’s Dance Trax imprint and a string of appearances in the infamous HOR bathroom have followed – including one at Crave Festival – generating a positive stream count thanks to their varied DJing style; floating between techno, bass, breaks, electro and old school rave.
Today Estella shares the first single ‘The Wave’ from thier highly anticipated EP ‘Contact’ forthcoming on UKmainstay Lobster Theremin, due for release October 7th. The EP will feature three other tracks that perfectly exemplify the energy felt front-left at one of their sets.
‘The Wave’ is the most quintessential Estella track on the release – brimming with acid, breakbeats and warehouse rave energy, channeling older XL Recordings-inspired sounds and modern-punk electronic aesthetics.
Medicine Singers announce a fall headlining tour and present a live video of “Sunrise (Rumble),” a standout track from Medicine Singers , their self-titled debut album out now on Stone Tapes/ Joyful Noise Recordings.
Recently highlighted in a New York Times article as a group on the forefront of Native experimental music, the Medicine Singers’ groundbreaking debut LP acts as a guided tour de force of decades of musical genres influenced by Native American music, and their live show remains the stuff of legend. The Medicine Singers often set up in-the-round, and go into a trance-inducing set where the walls between band and spectator – as well as between psychedelic rock and shamanic chants – are blurred. Full dates are listed below and tickets are on sale tomorrow, Friday August 19th.
The Medicine Singers’ tour kicks off with a very special “immersive” performance on September 24 at Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works to celebrate the release of Medicine Singers and the launch of Stone Tapes, Yonatan Gat’s eclectic new label. The show will be opened by two site-specific duo performances from Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) & Hassan Ben Jafaar (Innov Gnawa) and Laraaji & Mamady Kouyate (Bembeya Jazz) performing inside the Charles Atlas video installation in Pioneer Works’ main hall, followed by a special Medicine Singers 10-piece band featuring jaimie branch, Thor Harris, Lee Ranaldo, Laraaji and Gat.
Half a decade after the spur-of-the-moment story of how the musicians first met and unraveled their sound on an unsuspecting audience during SXSW 2017 when Gat saw Eastern Medicine Singers play on the street and invited the band to spontaneously join his show – the collaboration between the musicians reaches a climax with this breathtaking debut album as Medicine Singers, helping pave the way to this year’s rising wave of Native contributions to experimental music – shining a spotlight on guest vocalists representing indigenous nations from outside of the Northeastern Woodland tribal area. “Where else can you get all these different native people singing together on an album?” bandleader Daryl Back Eagle Jamieson asked. “On this album you have east, west, north and south all coming together. That’s why we say it’s medicine.”
For Jamieson, this album is more than a collection of songs, it’s a vessel of culture, history and language; a symbol of the strength and creativity of the Eastern Algonquin people in contemporary American society. “I want to show people not only that our Indian culture is just as good as the rest of the culture that’s out there, but also that the two can exist together, side by side.”
Medicine Singers Tour Dates Sat. Sept. 24 – Brooklyn, NY @ Pioneer Works (RECORD RELEASE / STONE TAPES LABEL LAUNCH) * Wed. Sept. 28 – Troy, NY @ No Fun Thu. Sept. 29 – Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal Fri. Sept. 30 – Toronto, ON @ Vashe ZDorov’ye Sat. Oct. 1 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog West Sun. Oct. 2 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle Mon. Oct. 3 – Indianapolis, IN @ Square Cat Sat, Oct 8 – Washington, DC @ Down in the Reeds Festival
* w/ Lee Ranaldo & Hassan Ben Jafaar (Duo), Laraaji & Mamady Kourate (Duo)
Portland, OR synth-doom duo WHIMZ share the first single from their forthcoming album PM226 today via Metal Injection. Hear and share “AM2” HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)
Sunny Faris (vocalist/bassist and founder of Blackwater Holylight) and Cam Spies (Night Heron) have been friends for years. Cam recorded the first BWHL record several years ago and they hadn’t had a chance to collaborate again, until 2021 when they decided to spend a day in the studio to see what emerged. The result was a seamless blending of their two projects: dark, synth heavy, austere doom-pop, with hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies, and sexy bass lines.
Sunny’s characteristic voice is immediately recognizable from opening track “AM1”. Although it may at first seem confusing to hear her singing over low-end rich, heavy synthesizer and vintage drum machines, it quickly becomes apparent how perfectly suited her voice is for these songs. While the music evokes the icy, consumer excess bliss of mid- to late-80s synth pop, Sunny’s melancholic voice permeates like the angelic harmonies of Julie Cruise and Cocteau Twins.
The emotionally intense, melodically lush shoegazey doom of Blackwater Holylight’s widely hailed 2021 album Silence/Motion provides a good touchstone for WHIMZ, but Night Heron’s pawn shop deep collection of carefully curated retro synth instrumentation and Cam’s tasteful production also gives the album both its skeleton and a wealth of subtle and clever tones tucked neatly into each song.
Upon completing the 5-song, 26-minute album they decided to release it on Portland label Literal Gold Records, and assembled a live band which includes members of YOB and Spoon Benders joining Faris and Spies.
PM226 will be available on LP, CD and download on October 28th, 2022 via Literal Gold Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.
As TAN COLOGNE head to Italy to kick off their European tour with a residency at Pescetrullo in Puglia, today they have shared a final pre-release track from their forthcoming new album ‘Earth Visions Of Water Spaces’, set for release on September 9th on Labrador Records.
Continuing the expansive, gravity-defying psychedelia on the New Mexico duo’s second album, latest single “Space In The Palms” shows a delicately brooding, woozy side to the record. The band comment: “Space in the Palms” is about a day we spent on a secluded beach in Baja Mexico where wild horses ran free and played in the waves and found relief from the sun under naturally formed palm huts. There was a small stone structure on the path to the beach that plants and elements had eroded and taken over. We eventually found the beach after many palm tree observations and mile marker searches. The beach was found off of a dirt road that descended from an old highway. It was like a treasure. This song is about that space. While recording guitars, we experienced a major lightning storm in New Mexico.”
Listening to the ethereal, spangled, psychedelic grandeur at the heart of ‘Earth Visions Of Water Spaces’, it feels appropriate that Tan Cologne reside and record amid the sparse, almost lunar landscapes of Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. Their weightless songs appear to defy gravity, with the voices of Lauren Green and Marissa Macias floating in an empty sky while guitars shimmer on a distant horizon. That said, these same songs feel fluid, almost aqueous, their evolution unhurried as they ripple gracefully towards the skyline. It’s no surprise, therefore, to discover the album’s central theme, one highlighted by its name and more than a few of its song titles, because it’s inspired by something precious to all who live in such environments.
“We would like listeners to feel they are submerged within or near the presence of water,” the duo says. “The entire album is about water: droplets of water, atmospheric exchanges of water, and the transformation of Earth by and through water. We were drawn to this through finding shells within the desert landscape. We also read a story in the newspaper about a 300-million-year-old shark fossil found in the mountains in New Mexico thirty miles southwest of Albuquerque. There’s a lot to consider in reflecting on where the Earth’s path has been, and where and what it may be, water of course being the vital experience for existence.”
Green and Macias began recording their second album, the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Cave Vaults On The Moon In New Mexico’, in the summer of 2021 at their home, a relatively remote location. Swimming became an important daily ritual, as did gardening and visiting a nearby dry river bed, where they wrote recent single “Topaz Wave”, in whose video it can be seen. “The sides of the arroyo walls are shaped like curved waves,” they say, “reflecting the experience of tidal and earth transformation, and how the desert land was once ocean.”
The rest of each day was spent writing and recording. Tan Cologne are an entirely self-contained unit, responsible for every sound on the record, sharing vocal, guitar, lap steel, synths and percussion duties, with Green adding drums, bass, autoharp, and melodica and Macias keyboards as well as bouzouki, not to mention the artwork’s photography. At all times, however, their proximity to nature and the ferocity of its elements made its own crucial contribution to the record’s development. “The summers in New Mexico have major monsoons and lightning storms,” they explain. “Most of the recording was done during moody and wild weather in days full of contrast, from lightning storms to dust devils to snow. The album was created to tell stories of water on Earth, with all of its songs being reflections of past, present, and future civilisations.”
“The present and future being of Earth’s water and lands are an ever-present concern and prayer cycle for us,” they conclude. “The fires in the western United States are becoming omnipresent, and everything feels different and, at times, bleak. We hope humanity can shift to care for and heal our Mother Earth together.” ‘Earth Visions of Water Spaces’ is consequently the work of a band who’ve seen first-hand the crisis unfolding around us, and it’s a vivid, ingenious and aptly atmospheric reminder of what’s at stake. There’s really no excuse not to dive in.
‘Earth Visions Of Water Spaces’ will be released on September 9th via Labrador Records.
Tan Cologne live dates: September 2 – Pescetrullo (Artist residency performance) – Ostuni, Italy September 9 – Landet – Stockholm, Sweden September 10 – (Day) at Delicious Goldfish Records – Stockholm, Sweden September 10 – (Night) at Patricia (boat show) – Stockholm, Sweden September 13 – Kazimier Stockroom w/ Sunstack Jones – Liverpool, UK September 14 – Abbeydale Picture House w/ Bobby Lee – Sheffield, UK September 16 – The Betsey Trotwood – London, UK September 18 – La Pointe Lafayette – Paris, France
Keep your mind open.
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Los Angeles-based project Drugdealer officially announce their forthcoming album Hiding In Plain Sight, due on October 28th via Mexican Summer. The album features Tim Presley (White Fence), Kate Bollinger, Bambina, Sasha Winn, Sean Nicholas Savage, Video Age, and John Carroll Kirby amongst others.
Alongside the announcement, Drugdealer shares new single “Someoneto Love“ along with a video directed by James Manson and Drugdealer’s own Michael Collins. The new track marks their second musical offering of the year following the June single “Madison.” Led by frontman and primary songwriter Michael Collins, Drugdealer expands on their 1960s and 70s-inspired sonics with the new single while the visuals see Collins on a night drive through the city and dancing around a neon-lit club as he performs the track.
Speaking about the new song, Collins says:
“‘Someone to Love’ came out of an impromptu extended jam that my band and I developed show by show on the last full US tour. Then when we got home and I started working on this new stuff I realized it was one of the best moments of us naturally playing. I turned it into a fully fleshed out song about wanting to be truly loved unconditionally, and pretty instantly became my favorite thing I had written and pretty much still sits there. The recorded version is really boosted by contributing performances from John Carroll Kirby and Video Age, who help give this track a unique feel. It definitely breaks out of a certain sound or form that I have been using in this project, and went more faithfully into a real soul tribute that I never thought I’d be able to represent as a lead vocalist.”
Drugdealer are set to embark upon a US tour, tickets on sales this Friday at noon local time. Support from Reverend Baron, aka Danny Garcia.
10/31 – The Chapel – San Francisco, CA 11/2 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s 11/4 – The Aladdin – Portland, OR 11/5 – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA 11/6 – Vancouver, BC – The Fox 11/9 – Marquis Theatre – Denver, CO 11/11 – UW Madison – Madison, WI 11/12 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL 11/13 – The Magic Bag – Detroit, MI 11/15 – Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON 11/16 – Theatre Fairmount – Montreal, QC 11/17 – Crystal Ballroom – Boston, MA 11/18 – Columbus Theatre – Providence, RI 11/19 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY 11/21 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA 11/23 – Union Stage – Washington, D.C. 11/25 – MotorCo Theatre – Durham, NC 11/26 – Aisle 5 – Atlanta, GA 11/27 – Third Man Records – Nashville, TN 11/28 – Hi Tone Café – Memphis, TN 11/30 – Tulips – Fort Worth, TX 12/2 – Far Out Lounge – Austin, TX 12/6 – Soda Bar – San Diego, CA 12/9 – Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA
The Beths present the new single, “Knees Deep,” from their forthcoming album, Expert In A Dying Field, out September 16th on Carpark Records, and announce a 2023 North American headline tour. Expert In A Dying Field is a capsule of The Beths’ most electrifying and exciting output, a full spectrum of their sonic capabilities. “Knees Deep” was a last minute addition to the record and features one of Expert In A Dying Field’s best guitar lines, courtesy of guitarist Jonathan Pearce.
Liz Stokes adds: “I’m the kind of person who wants to go swimming, but takes like ten minutes to get all the way into the cold water, slowly and painfully. I hate this about myself, and am kind of envious of people who can just jump straight in the deep end. In a shocking twist, this is also a metaphor?! For how I wish I was the kind of person who was brave and decisive instead of cautious and scared.”
Expert In A Dying Field, the third LP from the New Zealand quartet The Beths, houses 12 jewels of tight, guitar-heavy songs that worm their way into your head, an incandescent collision of power-pop and skuzz. With Expert, The Beths wanted to make an album meant to be experienced live, for both the listeners and themselves. They wanted it to be fun – to hear, to play – in spite of the prickling anxiety throughout the lyrics, the fear of change and struggle to cope. Expert is an extension of the same sonic palette the band has built across their catalog, pop hooks embedded in incisive indie rock.
The Beths Tour Dates (Tickets available atthebeths.com) (new dates in bold) Sat. Aug. 20 – Covington, KY (Cincinnati) @ Madison Live Mon. Aug. 22 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall Tue. Aug. 23 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry Thu. Aug. 25 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar Fri. Aug. 26 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes Sat. Aug. 27 – Portland, ME @ Portland House of Music Sun. Aug. 28 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB Wed. Aug. 31 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall Thu. Sep. 1 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar Thu. Sep. 15 – Melbourne, AU @ 170 Russell Fri. Sep. 16 – Sydney, AU @ Metro Theatre Sat. Sep. 17 – Brisbane, AU @ The Triffid Tue. Sep. 20 – Adelaide, AU @ The Gov Wed. Sep. 21 – Perth, AU @ Magnet House Fri. Sep. 23 – Wellington, NZ @ Opera House Sat. Sep. 24 – Nelson, NZ @ Theatre Royal Fri. Sep. 30 – Christchurch, NZ @ James Hay Theatre Sat. Oct. 1 – Dunedin, NZ @ The Glenroy Fri. Oct. 7 – Auckland, NZ @ Auckland Town Hall Thu. Feb. 16 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Fri. Feb. 17 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos Wed. Feb. 22 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue Fri. Feb. 24 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Sun. Feb. 26 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre Tue. Feb. 28 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair Thu. Mar. 2 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel Fri. Mar. 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Sat. Mar. 4 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club Mon. Mar. 6 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel Tue. Mar. 7 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Heaven Wed. Mar. 8 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl Fri. Mar. 10 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn Sat. Mar. 11 – Dallas, TX @ Tulips Tue. Mar. 14 – Denver, CO @ Summit Thu. Mar. 16 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom Fri. Mar. 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Sat. Mar. 18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
babychaos is the creation of 21-year-old model Lyzzie Larosa. Using influence from industrial, metal, rock, pop and club music, she hypnotizes with her words on her personal experiences and the world she creates through her music and expression. Born and raised in witch city Salem, Massachusetts, babychaos has now arrived.
Los Angeles-based independent record label Cleopatra and babychaos have now joined forces to present the creation and video for “Babylon”.
babychaos is learning to dance her way through the dark model and musician babychaos has released her fifth single ‘Babylon’, and the video has just arrived to the party.
“Post-apocalyptic Bratz doll from hell,” babychaos has carved out a unique space in music, which she dubs ‘industrial pop. ‘Combining the harsh electronic tones and distorted guitar of industrial metal with a vocal and songwriting sensibility that aims for big pop hooks, babychaos’s newest single ‘Babylon’ is her most accomplished musical statement to date. Check it out we are very excited to her what y’all think! She’s definitely an icon.” – Ken Tighe, Cleopatra Records
“‘Babylon’ is about the inevitable vilification of people living their authentic truth. I’ve found that no matter what, people will project their inner wounds and fears into others no matter how morally good you may think you are. My mom told me growing up that people are going to talk no matter what, so you may as well give them something to talk about. This is exactly what that song is about as it’s been such a prominent theme in my life. Learning to dance in your darkness, even at your loneliest is something that no one can take from you.” – babychaos
When it comes to 21-year-old babychaos, the alternative model turned solo musician is anything but predictable. With a multi-range of influences that extend from industrial, rock, classical, and club music genres to nostalgic 90s and 2000s rock/metal soundscapes, babychaos delivers an intense, heavy, electronic, eclectic experience that is refreshing to the music scene. babychaos is no stranger to being confident in her skin. Her journey of breaking away from spiritual ties and turning that religious repression into art is one of many undisguised lyrical subjects the multi-genre artist touches on within her music. While babychaos is just getting started in the music industry, she hopes to use her stories to connect with others. With the Salem/Florida-based artist’s first 2021 single, “Flesh”, approaching over 1 million streams and currently working on her first EP with Cleopatra Records, the future looksbright for the up-and-coming artist.
“I’ve built a community of my listeners who are simply visionaries, and I love how they
use my music and art in general to fuel their own visions and creative endeavors.” – babychaos
“Babylon” was produced by: Goodjohn Productions and mixed/mastered at Wolfe Studios. The “Babylon” video was shot by 4102 productions.
The palette and precision of prolific synthesizer composer Hector Carlos Ramirez aka Auragraph has heightened incrementally since the project’s conception in 2018, but Reflection Plane – his 8th full-length, and first for Dais Records – finds him streamlining his sound even further, to its gleaming chrome essence.
Moody pads and sequential circuits cycle through cybernetic galleries of marble, ferns, and flickering screens, at the threshold of film score, slow techno, and hard vapor. The album’s nine tracks deploy an array of 80’s tonalities, from night drive arpeggios to Art Of Noise sample stabs to Seinfeld slap bass, but fused into a hybrid landscape of lucid dreaming and hypnotic horizon lines.
Today, Auragraph shares the first look at Reflection Plane with its sleek, glossy first single, “Escapism.”
Born in the Texas border town of Laredo, Ramirez relocated to Austin for film school, where he became fascinated by the local electronic underground scene spearheaded by S U R V I V E and the Holodeck Records network. But it was only after moving to Los Angeles to work in the music department of a film trailer house that he crossed paths with Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of S U R V I V E, who were in need of an assistant for multiple ongoing projects. After helping out on National Geographic’s Valley Of The Boom miniseries, Ramirez officially joined the Stranger Things soundtrack team as a Score Mixing Engineer.
This intuitive expertise for audio design infuses Auragraph with a unique sense of fluidity and finesse, able to shift gears and integrate contrasts: sleek yet strange, icy but emotive, minimal though rich. Shades of classic EBM, 90’s electronica, and Dreamcast-era video game music glimmer here and there on certain tracks, but the cumulative effect of Reflection Plane is of entering a place outside of time and space, post- human and pristine. These are songs of parallel realities and second lives, freed from friction and gravity, playing on loop in a skybox sculpture garden at the ends of the earth.
Reflection Planeis available on digital formats now from Dais Records. Order here.
