November Has Come

Francis Bacon - Head VI (Year)

Had grand ideas about starting up another week of Bite-sized Bits and all that but you know what? It's only Tuesday and I've already had enough, people up to their usual bullshit and it's frankly baffling. But you don't come here to hear me vent, so let's get into the meat of today. In what's fast becoming a roundabout once-a-month trend I've decided to just chuck down some more cathartic tunes down instead, a return to the more classic post format really.

Grabbed a random selection this time but there are some usual suspects in there. Some of which I think have come up before, the first one definitely has - Clark's recreation of Milanese's So Malleable. A Very different beast to the original: fully loaded with Clark's trademark grit but with a proper old school Drill & Bass edge that recalls classic Warp, especially early Squarepusher. The last quarter takes a total ambient turn as well, which operates as a nice cooling off period after the bevy of breaks. Pretty wild to see Clark tackle some hard Drum & Bass compared to his usual works, but he does real well.



More from Alec Lambert next, with one of the more soundtrack-y bits from Heaven Will Be Mine. I've been enamoured with it for a while as you might have been able to tell from the repeated appearances it keeps making - it does a fantastic job of setting the mood even separated from the visuals, particularly for Electrotoxin, I'd say you could hazard a guess at the style of it from this alone. This one is at home being actively listened to as it is in the background, which I suppose goes without saying when it comes to soundtrack work but the point stands. Full of great little touches throughout - tiny digital glitches that make the whole thing feel off kilter for one, but my favourite is the super time-stretched breakdown starting around 2:10 or so, I've always been a sucker for that kind of effect anyway but the way the mix drops back in like a sucker punch afterwards makes it all the more visceral to boot.



Some Dopplereffekt now, this one has a nasty habit of coming and going in and out of availability on other streaming services, but thankfully Bandcamp is always there as a backup. The A-side of the Tetrahymena EP is a masterclass in my favourite bits of Dopplereffekt. Cold, clinical, calculating electro / techno stuff. Dark waves of plunging bass and ethereal almost MIDI voices make it by far and away the standout track on here. Not to say the other tracks aren't as good though, the high tech vibes of Gene Silencing are also trademark Dopplereffekt as well, albeit the softer side when compared to the all out darkness of Tetrahymena.



And finally a bit of Noisia, with a release I thought I wish listed but didn't. Noisia have done a fair bit of soundtrack work over the last few years or so, and thankfully they have most of it collected on their label's page for easy access. Not so much their older releases, but I figure that's just red tape from before they made their own label and/or releases that weren't on their own anyway. Regardless, I'm going to steal a bit of the BC page description here to set the tone: 'Armajet is a game with its roots in 90’s twitch shooters. Hardcore, unforgiving, instant, inhuman.' between that and the actual shoutout to the soundtrack of Unreal Tournament '99 from them in their description, I was on board before even hitting play.

Keeping in that 90's shooter theme we have Wallhack. It, like Electrotoxin, is quite soundtrack-y as far as Noisia productions go - straying a little from the Drum & Bass you might know them for, bordering pehaps more on the Dubstep side of things. But it's been a while since I've touched anything of that kind so I'm into it a little bit, a proper little stomper this one, a fine finale to this selection.



Man, it has been a while since a longer one like this hasn't it? Can't guarantee it'll stay like this for long just because this time of year is super busy for me but I might make an effort to put more of these down, it's been a fun switch up. Can't say when I'll be back with another post but it shouldn't be *too* long. But until then, as always, stay safe and enjoy the music.

-CVF

One o' them days

Remember back in May where I did a real super short post as a change of pace? I thought it might be a more common feature than it actually turned out to be - it was this one right here, the one with the bit of a soapboxy rant that in hindsight was a bit out of leftfield and potentially ill-advised? Yeah, that one! Well, today I'm feeling that kind of vibe again, though a lot less wordy this time. In summary: people are shit.

Dora Maar - Double Portrait (1930)

I actually put togetehr this tracklist before getting the link to the old one, only to find I'd picked stuff from pretty much the same albums as last time for you fans of serendipty out there. They're a bit more consistnet this time, there's no left turn into techno town at the very end, though we do get a bit IDM with a touch of melodic grit from Clark's Totem's Flare instead. It would have been last in the list but I moved the Perturator album down one as it has the uncensored cover on the Bandcamp page and I thought I'd give you a heads up before you scrolled into it (though I guess it might already be on your screen depending on how big it is) - might be alright becuase it's thumbnail sized but you may want to save this one for when you're on a network that's not monitored by your school/employer or whatever!









And finally as always - stay safe and enjoy the music.

-CVF

Think of Fire

I'm taking one of those turns again where I get a bit ticked off to put it mildly. I normally let stuff go pretty easy because for a while now I've tried to live a life that's mostly free of negativity, but I do turn bitter every now and then, but that's OK, it's healthier to release than just sit there slowly building up into a foaming rage. Enter the past couple of days... If I were at all religious I would definitely consider them tests that's for sure. A combination of entitled arseholes, general idiocy and frankly plain irresponsibility has me quietly seething off to one side but I'm going to try and follow my credo of limited negativity - and do a controlled release with some audio assistance.

Yves Klein - La marque du Feu ['The Trace of Fire'] (1961)

Death Magic again sprang to mind. So many pieces of this album could go here, but for instant impact it has to be SALVIA. The sheer sudden intensity of it makes it nigh on perfect for just this occasion. The machine gun beat appears unrelenting, it blindsides you and contiunes to layer on the intensity. And just when you think you can no longer breathe - suddenly you're falling free in a daze. But it's not long before it all comes crashing back down again around you. The cycle repeats once more, only this time the serenity stays. A short and brutal track, SALVIA is the musical equivalent of a sucker punch.



Coming up again after the recent mention - ADULT.'s later work is also a great shout for this theme. While the Why Bother? album is sometimes a little too noisy for my tastes - the EP before it D.U.M.E. really hits the spot, maybe it's the overall shorter length making it easier to digest. At any rate - Hold Your Breath is another great distillation of this mood and perhaps the most obviously Punk influenced tune from ADULT. I've mentioned so far. It might not have the sudden plunge of SALVIA, but it does have Nicola Kuperus putting in one hell of a performance - her frantic delivery wavers between cold and calculating to borderline manic throughout, giving the whole proceedings a beautifully disjointed feel.



I couldn't do a post in this vein without mentioning this one. The Autumnal Crush will destroy you in the most pleasent way. The opening is slightly misleading on this front, but it's not long before things get fairly intense. Something I always loved about this track (and sort of gets spoiled if you read this before listening) is that it absolutley does not let up, the intial post-introduction is already pretty heavy, but it just keeps on going and going with more and more layers - an experience befitting of the Crush in it's title. But like SALVIA, it does eventually let go, and for the remainder of its 7 minute runtime it becomes a much calmer beast. And with that, it's probably the most fitting track here by a long shot. Truly, if there were a piece of Clark's work I could point to that I think best demonstrated why I use that 'Melodic Grit' descriptor - Autumnal Crush would be up there.



Apologies for the slightly shorter (and a little more poetic than usual) post - I didn't really plan this one out! I could have put a couple more selections here but as I said in the opening paragraph, I'm trying not to dwell on things too much these days. And I don't know about you but I certainly feel a little better having written this out and immersed myself in that sound.

I'll be back later this week with more, but until then - as always, stay safe and enjoy the music.

-CVF

Digital Archaeology

Not to sound like a broken .MP3 once again, but re-publishing old posts has been a trip and a half. It's interesting to see my opinions circa 10 years ago and the tunes that have come and gone, amid my awkward teenage writings (much like a diary in that respect!) - that's part of the reason I like collecting music like I do, it's a living archive of the moment and music ends up tied to memories, people, places and so on. But curiouser than that are the fragments and relics that lay forgotten in the list of posts - things that had been started by myself or the other writers of days past and never saw the light of day.

Salvador Dalí - Archeological Reminiscence of Millet's Angelus (1935)

The first of these relics is a bootleg remix of Bôa's Duvet - I'm pretty sure I didn't end up posting this one as I had put up the non-nude version of the mix not too long before it. Knowing me I shelved it to talk about at a later date, but probably didn't expect that date to be a solid two plus years later. Duvet is potentially one of my favourite songs ever and one I am guilty of collecting pretty much every remix and rework I can find of it. ScummV's were the first I found and are some of the most popular, and rightly so. The original bootleg gives the acoustic version of Duvet a do-over with a moody Garage vibe - something I could have definitely seen happen back in the 90's when it was originally released, it *did* have a trip-hop mix after all. However that's the original I'm talking about there, the Nude Version here as the name would suggest is a stripped back version of the bootleg with the two-step backing absent. Harkening back to the days of 'chillout' versions of mixes, despite being very similar the Nude Version is a gorgeous compliment to the original bootleg.



I can't talk about rarities and hidden gems without mentioning Miss Kittin. Kittin's been on a mad streak of mixes and rarities lately, archiving them all on her Bandcamp. Not too much of a surprise as her soundcloud was similar a little while back but still nice to see. Anyway, it's fun to see how often that someone like me who likes to think they're pretty up to speed on Kittin's output to come across something I'd never heard before. As is the case with The Vogue, one of her many Featuring credits from the turn of the millennium. And it's again one of those cases where I'm surprised it hasn't come up before, as someone with a deep love of Electroclash and especially Miss Kittin's work within it this track is another prime slice of the subgenre. Being from 2000 it's not exactly as defined as some later Electroclash examples, it's of the high-tech variety a la the Golden Boy & Miss Kittin EP or Felix da Housecat's Kittenz & Thee Glitz and not the punky kind that ADULT. and the like were putting out. The slick techy sound, the globe-trotting theme of the lyrics, and Kittin's of-the-era stoic delivery - all elements that I love oh so much - are out there in force and I absolutely unabashedly adore it.



Other digital leftovers I found were from our brief dalliance with Grooveshark players. I forget the exact circumstances but they were a pretty decent alternative for a while - you could do little 'broadcast' playlists where people could tune in and listen with you that I liked - not quite being a full on DJ but having the chance to talk about songs was nice. One of the posts that I came across from that time was talking about the then-new Clark LP Iradelphic. Thanks to Warp Records' recent addition to Bandcamp it was not only an easy fix but sent me down a leisurely scroll of their releases. I was thinking they'd only put the 'new' stuff up and slowly add the archives but that's not the case at all, a ton of albums, EPs and Compilations going back to the very first Warp releases are available on there, and I ended up making note of plenty of things to scoop up that I'd been putting off due to lack of physical availability or similar. But I digress, it's been a long time since I really listened to Clark (to my shame), his style is distinct for sure and one that I think I've aptly summed up in the past as 'Melodic Grit'. I gave the track I chose back then another listen and it didn't take long for me to remember why I'd picked it.

The opening is very reminiscent of label-mate Bibio's more folky breed of electronic, but that gives way after about 30 seconds to make room for some suitably punchy and trademark Clark kicks. It's a nice listen for sure, but doesn't really live up to that 'Melodic Grit' label I mentioned before does it? But as is sometimes the case with Clark, you need a little patience. The absolute explosion of sound around 1:20 is just brilliant; backed with a newfound synth that is best described as shredding, the sudden injection of intensity is great on it's own but that melodic accompaniment is absolutely pushed to its limit as well, sounding as if it's going to break down and start leaking out of your speakers. And just like that, it's all gone by the 2:10 mark. Short, sharp and powerful - a 3 minute masterclass in Clark.



Come to think of it, the variety of genres on show here reminds me of the old posts I used to do that were just a real grab bag of styles. Funny how some things never change eh? I'd have liked for this one to be a little longer but I didn't really have any more tracks to post, and looking at the text above it's probably wise I stop here before I type another pageful!

And as always - Stay safe and enjoy the music.

-CVF

Ilictronix Podcast: Down With The Sickness

"Claude explores the genres and artists he has mentioned in passing during previous episodes. Adam is sick and shares a bedridden playlist."

We can't catch a break these past couple weeks, between weather delays and various inconveniences last week we had our fair share. This week has it's own flavour though, as Adam is besotted with some kind of dreaded lurgy. Still it served as good inspiration for his selections this week, opening with the incredible vintage Clark with Slow Spines from Empty The Bones Of You. We soon hit my patch tho, which this week is loosley themed around artists I've mentioned in passing or have otherwise overlooked in the past episodes.

Peaches to start with, I was originally going to say in the episode that I didn't think she'd done anything since but a quick look at discogs quickly proved that wrong (though it kept I Feel Cream's reputation as the 'cleanest' Peaches album though. Still goes hard even coming up on 10 years later. Rex The Dog also makes his first appearance, I sum up my thoughts on the album pretty succinctly in the episode, but the short of it is that it's a quality bit of house that suffers (only slightly) from being cut down slightly from the OG versions of the tracks. Ladytron also appear, think it's their first time too which is surprising for how much I like them. My pick for this week comes from their later works, but I touch on their history while discussing. Adam also drops some extra knowledge about one of their albums that I didn't know.

Rounding out with Modeselektor (who I think I have mentioned before, but again not this album). Miss Kittin also makes her first solo appearance too, which would have been really fitting had I chosen something from her first album I Com but I went with the second Batbox instead. Most of what I said for I Com applies to this album too, they're full of gorgeous breakdowns and of course Kittin's trademark vocals.

Adam's selections for this week are the most eclectic they've been so far, which is only fitting given his predicament. I must say they at least flow together very very well, which is something I always try to implement in mine. Saying that they are also essentially the sequel to his scrapped super depressing winter selections from last week which would have been nice to hear, if a little bleak back-to-back, it's nice to hear something other than garge piano stabs for a change too (I joke, I joke). I owe Adam thanks anyway for soldiering on despite being gravely ill, and for getting the episode edited and uploaded on time to boot! Tracks and a singular show note after the linebreak:

Tracklist:
Intro:
Chris Clark - Slow Spines

Claude’s picks:
Peaches - I Feel Cream
Rex The Dog - Bubblicious
Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch
Modeselektor - (I Can't Sleep) Without Music
Miss Kittin - Play Me A Tape


Adam’s Picks
Kemikal - Graffiti
James Blake - Overgrown
Galcher Lustwerk - Idhouse
Total Art Of Percussion - Wuhan Wuchang
Juan Atkins - Riod

Outro:
Ellen Allien & Apparat - Way Out


SHOW NOTES:
Adam linked me to his little slice of childhood fever-dream trauma (that made him become one with electronic music) turns out it was a clip from Superman III of all things, so now both you and I are clearer on what exactly he was on about.

And with that, we'll see y'all next week, where we'll be bringing you more selections, same time same channel!

-Claude Van Foxbat

Spotify Monthly Selections November

I tried for this month's selections to return to a form I've used the past when Fall starts to draw in. We kick off with my upbeat side of the playlist, the 4 covers making up the playlist cover all being lovely shades of purples and pinks (fitltingly, some of these tunes are taken from my Magenta playlist). Opening with the very un-MSTRKRFT like remix of Zhu's In The Morning, which also makes an appearance on my fictonal nightclub playlist and it's not hard to see why, from the sound of it alone I can almost see the strobes. We get a little crate diggy with the next one, Felix Da Housecat's (previously exclusive to copy of Mixmag of all things) Son Of Analogue has appeared on Spotify. Despite the date listed on Spotify It's originally from 2011, which is fitting when you dive into the meat of the LP. Felix's post-electroclash slightly funky pop style that formed the backbone of He Was King is in full effect here, featuring the vocal talents of his long-time collaborator Harrison Crump we have I Just Want To Be The One.



We take a turn into more dancefloory stuff with another helping from Laurent Garnier. I haven't been able to get enough of Shapes Under Water, and it's been doing a bang up job of clearing the dustoff my shelves with it's relentless basslines and heavy kicks. Vitalic makes an appearance with one of my favourites from the expanded re-issue of OK Cowboy in You Are My Sun. Again my bias is showing a little bit here because the combination of a fantastic electro melody and vocoder should tip some of you off to why it's one of my faves. The purple covers end with another bit of electroclash from Fischerspooner. #1 isn't as sleazy as I remember, especially compared to other releases in the genre around the time, but it does have its moments. As much as I loathe to call a tune 'sexy' I think it's unavoidable to mention when it comes to Turn On, a fairly sedate tune accompanied with some sultry vocals it definitely fits the bill.

We return briefly to the dancefloor for the anthem to excess in Röyksopp & Robyn's Do It Again. The lyrics totally wouldn't be out of place on an electroclash tune, and Robyn's delivery is on point as usual. Some of the lines might even cut a little too deep for my liking, especially during the breakdown, almost certainly one for the "Why I'm Crying In The Club" playlist. We dive further into that feeling though, with CFCF's remix of HEALTH's Dark Enough making the tune a huge juxtaposition in sound and tone. On the surface it sound like a fairly standard 'indie' electronic remix which is inoffensive enough but the lyrical accompaniment by HEALTH relally pushes it into something else; "Does it make a difference if it's real? As long as I still say I love you". Anyway, be sure to stay tuned for the deliciously 90's house-esque break at 2:55 too!

We round out with Kleerup's bittersweet 3AM, like much of his self titled debut it carries on that Juxtaposition of sound I was talking about just above, though with a more electropop streak to it. I'd recommend it doubly hard if you really liked Röyksopp's Junior, it's got that same vibe to it and even shares a guest vocalist in Lykke Li. The penultimate track is a band I've liked from a distance for some time now, they haven't had much mention just because it was difficult to fit into any playlists, but now's the perfect time to deploy some Trembling Blue Stars. I really enjoy all I've heard from them but it's definitely one to enjoy in small doses because hoo boy do they have A LOT of sad songs. Ironically enough one of my favourites of theirs is No More Sad Songs which almost made the cut.

Playing us out is Clark's The Autumnal Crush from Body Riddle. It finishes the album and does it ever finish it. It's a tour de force of Clark's sound and by far one of the most intense listening experiences I've had. The understated intro ends after 30 seconds or so with a voice saying "And I still miss... you" before giving way to an absolute explosion in sound. And not content with that, Clark notches the intensity up even more after 40 seconds or so, where the drums come in full force. And that's only the start of the ride; the gradual distortion of that main melody over the runtime is something to behold. It's not for everyone, granted, but it's one of the key examples I hold up when people say Electronic music has no emotion, I often describe this one as crushing to listen to and I don't think that description is too far exaggerated.

And that's this month's selections! I Apologise for the slightly inconsistent days they update, I try and keep them all up for around the same amount of time which has meant shifting the dates around a little. Regardless, I hop you enjoy this months admittedly eclectic offerings, and I'll be back next month with more!

-Claude Van Foxbat

Ilictronix Podcast: The Season Of Tech

Claude and Adam share and discuss their favorite tracks of the week. This week, Claude digs deep in his techno crates and Adam plays his darker tracks for the changing seasons. Featuring tracks from Galaxy 2 Galaxy, Aphex Twin, Bjarki a new track from Clark and more!

This week's ilictronix podcast is now live! I changed the idea I had for my selections based on Adam's opening choice, I talk a little bit about it in the intro chat of the show, but the short of it is that I canned a planned generic Cyberpunk rundown from my spotify playlist of the same name and instead went all in on the techno front. It's of course front loaded with Artificial Intelligence-era Warp stuff but stay tuned, I pull out a couple of rarities towards the end! I also say later on in the episode, but I wanted my choices to be a nice grab bag of techno I like, so that it could serve as a nice jumping in point for anyone listening who's interested, because 'Techno' is an incredibly broad label to tackle. Adam also hits it out of the park with his choices, diving deep intro darkness, treating us to yet another annual installment of his Fall-come-Winter playlists as the brutal Chicago winter begins to take hold. I always enjoy hearing what he comes up with, and especially when I get yet another reminder to pull my finger out and update my Clark-related listening. Tracklist and show notes follow as always:

Tracklist:
Intro:
Nebula - Deep Space

Claude’s picks:
F.U.S.E - A New Day
Aphex Twin - Polynomial-C
Musicology - Telefone 529
Joey Beltram - The Vertical
Bryan Zentz - Floating Point


Adam’s Picks
Bjarki - This 5321
Jensen Interceptor - Battery Assault
Clark - Harpsichord E.C.S.T.
Smerz - Worth It
Vtgnike - Gkbeats

Outro:
Galaxy 2 Galaxy - Jupiter Jazz


Show Notes:
The video Adam was talking about of Squarepusher live at Fuji Rock was easy enough to find, on Squarepusher's own channel of all places. He's appeared there a few times since but this is most definitely peak classic 'pusher, the VHS artifacts and the downright vintage laptop he's using only add to that. Joking aside, it's great to see not only the man himself, but also the crowd be super into it, even if it does get a little experimental at times. 'Pusher was nice enough to include a tracklist in the video description too; the set's split into two parts: Part One and Part Two

I thought I'd also link the details of the Ghost In The Shell albums I talked about. Kicking off with Megatech Body, where I apparently had my own Mandela Effect moment because it's actually called CD and not Co? I guess it would make sense with the vinyl pressing too. Anyway, there's a discogs page with all the different pressings in and all their deliciously 90's graphic design; very handy if you're looking to avoid the Taiwanese bootlegs that exist. If you're looking to pick it up remember to look for the LTD. edition one, it has an extra CD that almost doubles the tracklist!.

The same goes for the tribute albums, I thought that discogs only had the bootleg pressings listed but that seems to have changed. There's a few for sale on there too if you'd like your own slice of obscure techno history! The first album, with the endearingly Japanese title Tribute Category:Techno Style seems to be a little cheaper than the sequel, I can't think of why other than the Scan X track having an incorrect name on the booklet (it's labelled 'Reflections' on the pack when the tune in question is 'Higher', and unlike the Zentz track I mentioned in the episode, they did see a release beyond this compilation.) The second, dubbed in suitably technological fashion Tribute Category:Techno Style Ver2.0.0 is there too, but there's no traclist errors to speak of here. I will say I like discogs new system of showing you the release history of a track if you click on the title of it, makes it easy to make sure I'm not spreading misinfo. I used to to make sure that I was right when I said the Zentz tune only appears on that comp, which it does.

Just as a final aside, if you fall down the rabbit hole of trying to track down soundtracks and similar stuff to the above, another helpful resource other than discogs is VGMDB, as it's name suggets, it's essentially discogs but for animated series' and videogames. Makes it handy to track down catalog numbers and cross reference tracklists if need be. It also has a marketplace like discogs, so it's definitely worth checking out in this case. It's not as populated as Discogs' marketplace, but it can help if you're looking for something super obscure!

And that should be it for the show notes this week, if there are any missing I'll update the post as and when I'm made aware of them as I re-listen to the episode. I'm really happy with how this week's tunred out in therms of selections and talk, despite my slightly cobbled-together tracklist I think I did a good job of nailing what I like about techno, and of course it's always nice to have someone else's selections to get stuck into too. Myself and Adam will be back next week with more of the usual, until then, stay safe and enjoy the music all! We'll leave the light on for ya.

-Claude Van Foxbat

Spotify Monthly Selections October

Slight noise issues prevented us from recording a *full* episode of the podcast today, so we're going to pick it up again tomorrow. But that actually gave me a chance to looky at the post list and notice I hadn't posted this months spotify playlist and a rundown of my choices. So let's put it on and have us a little dance shall we?

Well, I say that like the selections don't have something in common with my podcast selections for this week. That is they lean on the downtempo side of things. It's also a bit of a nostalgia dive into what I was listening to (and what was new) when I was at university. A lot of these tracks were excellent backing for my AfterEffects animations, starting with the fantastically detuned and distorted sound of Clark's Tooth Moves. We keep it Warp for the meantime with one of my favourites from Cosmogramma after me and Adam gave our mixed opinions on the album I thought I'd at least talk a little bit possibly about it.



A tune I made the mistake of animating a show-reel to, I can now just again appreciate SBTRKT's Never Never however many years after I've graduated, I'd completely forgotten about that incredibly deep bassline for one. Sampha's vocals in combo with the production make for a deliciously smooth package that I've fallen for once again. I remember writing a review of Moderat's II when it was released, and I distinctly remember immediately being head over heels for Let In The Light. Admittedly you all know I have a massive weakness for distorted vocals of any kind, but lately I've been all about those thunderous drums.

Similarly another album I reviewed at the time, Squarepusher's Shobaleader One d'Demonstrator (which actually got a follow up not too long ago finally). It received mixed opinions at the time but man I will always adore that intro track. Once again, full disclosure I love me some vocoder/talkbox goodness but hot damn talk about establishing an aesthetic effectively. I've seen a lot of comments comparing the album to Daft Punk oddly, I can see similarities to bits of Discovery sure but even then that's a stretch, I much prefer the descriptor I've used since a few weeks after the review: Space Jazz.

Which somehow made me think of Ladytron's Destroy Everything You Touch, one of the standouts from Witching Hour, with Marnie's vocals on point as usual. Another dive into my University listenings with the beautifully laboured strings and beats combo of Apparat's You Don't Know Me, and the surprisingly downtempo Green Light Go from Modeselektor. Rounded out with a random pick of a Tokimonsta tune I like (reminder to me to actually pick up some of her stuff finally). Rounded out with the absolutley crushing Amarillo from the Gorillaz's slightly underrated album The Fall, a fantastic sound if the "mostly composed on an iPad" tale is to be believed.

-Claude Van Foxabt

Friday Bread

Ralph Hotere - Hang In There Mate (2011)

In need of a pick me up today so here are some smooth as ever tunes for both of us. Starting with Nightmares On Wax once again, my favourite descriptor of this track will always be that it's like if trip hop was made in a more tropical location than Bristol. It rings true throughout too, it's got N.O.W's trademark positive vibe in there in spades, pretty much the antithesis of the gloomy side of trip hop.



Some old school Clark too, back when he was still billed as Chris Clark. Lord Of The Dance is a real standout there, in amongst the early markings of his later trademark distortion comes this little happy numbr. I'll forever love the sounds on offer here, it's a joy to listen to.



On that same note, my summer album of 2007 or so is back once again. Simian Mobile Disco's debut LP is short but very very sweet indeed, I Believe being one of many highlights, featuring Simon Lord from the original Simian lineup to boot. Part of me wishes they'd get him back as a guest and revisit the style, but at the same time it's a perfect time capsule of the sound that I'm happy with it as-is.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Unexpected Delight

Auguste Herbin - Friday I (1951)

Trailed into work only to find they'd cancelled my shifts and not told me. So now I have a free couple days, right after I said weekends would be tricky from now on. So Gonna make up for it sharpish by sharing some tunes on the quick, starting with Clark.



More EBTG again, but only because out of the lot of the remixes this one is pretty close to the top for me and totally not because I'm still all about Tracey Thorn as of late, I promise.



And finally the title of the post! More early FlyLo circa 2006; a lil' bit of foreshadowing of his more jazzy tendencies that would become more pronounced later, as well as an eraly appearance of frequent vocal collaborator Laura Darlington.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Complications...

We've been hit with a wave of DCMA's recently, most notably on some of the Warped History posts focusing on Aphex Twin. I was actually considering making them stream-only a while back because I'm proud of 'em and want em to be read forever, and now I will!. As of right now, I have put the entire Warped History series in stasis. But once I edit all the posts to be stream only they'll come back, it's just gonna take some mind numbing HTML edits to do so. But for now, here is a jumbo sized selection from Warp themselves, because I still love 'em to bits.

A look back at 2014

As we close out 2014 lets take a look back at some of the best and worst albums of the year and make predictions about what is in store for '15. While it was a dry summer with limited releases it wasn't until autumn hit where shit hit the fan and we had great release after great release. Its easy to think that this year was weak overall especially compared to last year, but we did get some classic albums that we all will be listening to for a long time. While Rap suffered the worst, we did see the huge rise of Future R&B, and when Top 40 had a rough year we did see the takeover of PC Music. Its hard to complain when we got albums from Flying Lotus, AFX and Thom Yorke...



This list is in no particular order, I loved these albums equally.


RatKing – So It Goes
Other than run the Jewels 2 this was one of the strongest rap releases this year. With killer features from King Krule and Wavy Spice, this trio from the New York borough of Harlem debuted with a modern take on gritty east coast boom bap rap. Its hard not to be hooked after hearing the single Canal, with a killer sample, it sounds so New York you can almost smell the rotting trash on the sidewalk.
Clark – Self Titled
You have to feel bad sometimes for Clark. One of the biggest slept on artists from Warp, Clark makes music that’s incredible experimental yet unbelievably cinematic. While a lot of albums disappointed this year, Clark delivered one of the best albums since his magnum opus “Body Riddle”. Winter Linn sounds like a more mature version of his hit single Ted and Silvered Iris harkens back to Clarks work on the album “Turning Dragon” Even the track There’s a Distance In You feels like the best elements of “Totems Flare” but expanded even further. This album has been the perfect companion during brutal Chicago snow storms.

Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
It always takes me a while to fully unpack a new Flying Lotus Records. I still am discovering new sounds on “Cosmogramma” and even “Until the Quiet Comes”. “You’re Dead!” is a culmination of everything Steven Ellison has done to this point. It feels like a final exam and Flylo wants us to all know he has full mastery of his craft. I was nervous I was going to be disappointed with this one, news that Kendrick and Snoop were on it, I like many had flashbacks to the mistake SBTRKT and Rustie made with their albums this year. You’re Dead! meets all my expectations and more. It’s exciting to see Jazz Fusion get exposure like this and having Tundercat all over this record helps with making a dense genre like this somewhat accessible. PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT ALBUM: It won’t be a Flying Lotus record it will be a Flying Lotus and Thundercat Release and they will both have equal roles.
Thom Yorke – Tomorrows Modern Boxes 
I’m not sure why this release got so much hate. If we leave out the distribution method and make the album stand on its own its pretty solid. Focused, brief, and catchy, TMB blows his last album “The Eraser” out of the water. Anyone who follows Radiohead or Thom’s careers shouldn't be surprised on what they hear during the albums 38 minute run-time. No, this is not groundbreaking but we also cant expect revolutionary work from an artist's every release, and if your biggest complaint is that it doesn't reinvent the wheel then you need to check your privilege.
Hundred Waters – The Moon Rang Like a Bell
There is a lot to hate about this album; a synth-pop group, they are from Florida, and worst of all they are on Skrillex’s OWSLA imprint. If you are able to look past all of that (especially Florida) you will walk away smitten from this groups debut. Like Tomorrows Modern Boxes, its not revolutionary but just a solid listen start to finish. For best results listen to this one at 3am when the party is over when the world is spinning and you are lying on the ground, let front woman Nicole Miglis take all your worries away.
Arca – Xen 
Wow! This is what I call a debut! From production credits on Yeezus to helming the production of the new Bjork album, Venezuelan producer, Alejandro Ghersi has everything going for him right now. One of my favorite releases of this year, I had flashbacks to when I first heard Los Angeles, or the Richard D. James album. A strong visual aesthetic is married to his work because of his relationship with childhood friend Jesse Kanda. It could be said that together they are this generations Aphex Twin and Chris Cunningham. Completely different from his earlier EP’s Stretch 1 & 2, Arca uses his signature vocal manipulation maybe twice during the entire album. It was a risky move but proved to be successful, Arca will be one of the most in demand producers by this time next year, guaranteed.
FKA Twigs – LP1 
Move over XX, Young Turks has a new cash cow and her name is FKA Twigs. Destined to become a household name FKA Twigs had a pretty remarkable album. With production credits from Arca, Twigs’ sound is sexy, sensual, heartbreaking and atmospheric, and while the album art can be a turnoff to some, LP1 is the best PBR&B record this year. Now that she is dating Twilight star Robert Pattison, it will be interesting to see if she molds her sound into something a bit more commercial.


Death Grips – Niggas On the Moon
TOO NOIDED TO WRITE ANYTHING, THIS ALBUM GETS ME SO HYPE AND ANGRY!!! BJORK IS NOW A CERTIFIED BOSS ASS BITCH BECAUSE OF HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS ABRASIVE, EXPERIMENTAL LP.
Todd Terje – It’s Album Time! 
If you can listen to this one without smiling once, something might be wrong with you. This release was cute, funky and spunky in all the right places.
Real Estate – Atlas
Jangle-Pop hasn't died yet thanks to New Jersey based band Real Estate. This one made the list because of its incredible hooks and the fact that they recorded it here in Chicago. Atlas makes you feel like lying on the beach while you watch clouds pass you by. It's the album you put on when guests are over and your trying to set a pleasant mood. It was a great follow-up to their last album Days but you get the feeling that there is no where else to go from here. *Special Award* The safest and most harmless release in 2014*
Perfect Pussy – Say Yes To Love  
Can singer Meredith Graves be insufferable, Yes. Could this band be an industry plant? Also yes. Is the name stupid, Yes Yes Yes. Even with all of the politics and negativity surrounding this noise punk band, Perfect Pussy was the shot in the arm this summer needed. In your face and ready explode at any minute Perfect Pussy had an absolutely dense debut this year. Between this release and the new Death From Above 1979 album, punk and noise had a pretty strong commercial year.
PC Music – Various
PC Music is one of the most bizarre things to happen to electronic music in a long time. What exactly is it though, Bubblegum Bass, American K-Pop or something deeper?  Coming out of seemingly nowhere PC Music releases took the underground by storm this year. It’s hard to explain to others what the appeal of this is; it’s so glossy and shinny that you can feel your brain melting. Listening to some of label head A.G. Cooks mixes you get an idea about where this bizarre scene came from. It sounds like a continuation of the sounds that the Lucky Me crew has been doing for a while. Elements of Juke, Trap and Eruotrance can all be found with each single. A killer visual aesthetic is married with the entire label and should become even more outrageous now that they have backing from XL Records. Never has there been an imprint that was more divisive out of the gate than PC Music, especially with their lead single “HEY QT”. It’s best to see this whole scene as high brow performance art.



Honorable Mentions:
Kelis – Food
Shamir – North Town
A$ap Ferg – Ferg Forever
Spoon – They Want My Soul
Alvvays – Self Titled
Mr. Twin Sister – Self Titled
Schoolboy Q – Oxymoron
Caribou – Our Love
Aphex Twin – Syro
Sia – 1000 Forms of Fear
Ought – More Than Any Other Day
Quirke – Acid Beth
OBJEKT – Flatland
Savages – Words To the Blind
Royksopp & Robin – Do It Again
Tennis – Ritual In Repeat
Parquet Courts – Content Nausea
Andy Stott – Faith In Strangers
Little Dragon – Nabuma Rubberband
Liars – Mess
Mr. Oizo – The Church
Lykke Li – I Never Learn


Things that I'm sure were great, I just didn't listen to them enough to know for sure: 
The entire sacred bones label
St. Vincent
Actress
Zhu
Angel Olsen
Sharon Van Etton
Dirty Beaches
Les Sins
Xiu Xiu


What did I hate this year:
First Aid Kit – Stay Gold
Grimes – Go
Perfume Genius – Too Bright
Rustie – Green Lantern
SBTRKT – Wonder Where We Land
Swans – To Be Kind
Sisyphus – Self Titled
U2 - Songs of Innocence
Coldplay – Ghost Stories
Ariel Pink – Pom Pom
Julian Casablancas and the Voidz – Tyranny
Mac Demarco – Salad Days
Sun Kil Moon – Benji
Lana Del Rey/Black Keys – Ultraviolence/ Turn Blue
Usher


Predictions for 2015: 
Cassettes will hit critical mass next year, thanks a lot Ariel Pink….
The return of Hardstyle, much to the dismay of every scene
Jamie XX will finally drop an album
James Blakes album will be great but sound slightly dated, especially if people get tired of the Future R&B scene
Disclosure drops a new album and it the shittiest thing since gorgon city’s debut
Rap will have a huge year with releases from Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper and Kanye
Kanyes next album will be number 1 on every list next year
The St. Louis music scene gets adrenalin shot because of frustrated youth.
Detroit Ghettotech makes a comeback. *Fingers Crossed*
Being done with Christmas music Sufjan Stevens makes a 4 part album containing original Easter songs
Robert Pattison drops an experimental Drone album and it’s critically acclaimed
Iggy Azalea’s follow up record bombs harder than Robin Thickes’ Paula
Hudson Mohawke drops a new album and it pales in comparison to Lunice's forthcoming album
Burial gets production credits on the next Taylor Swift album.


-Adam 

Winter Is Coming

Sorry for the sparse posting but I'm sure you all understand after the last one why I took a little bit of a break. In more upbeat news Clark has a new LP out and it is killer. If you're new to clark start here, move on to Body Riddle and never look back, he effortlessly dances between beautiful ambient and lush sounds to what I best heard described as Melodic Grit. The guy is as serious contender for my favourite warp act of all time along with the many other classics they have on their roll.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Pre-Uni Throwdown

'Bout two days left till I start Uni, hopefully won't impact the posting too much but just in case here's a quickie before I pop off. My long time subwoofer buddy Stenchman dropped a new tune under his house-y Philestine alias and I am in love with the into on it. Poor Stench is criminally underrated when he can do Dub, Hip Hop and House really bloody well.



Been touching more on the world of experimental electronic in prep for when I get my hands on the new AFX. Of course Warp remains the king in that area, and after many months stashed away cos I burned out on listening to it I am reminded why Clark's Body Riddle is one of my favourite albums, gorgeously produced throughout, even if sometimes feels like it's going to blow your head off.



Also I've been diggin the Selektor's older tunes recently (though Monkeytown is still my favourite). This one features Maxïmo Park, another Warp act and the collaboration works real well. Modeselektor really have a way with vocal stuff, as shown on their work with Thom Yorke and this is no different. Solid closer to a solid album.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Yet Another Mix

Went soundcloud hopping again only to find Clark had dropped a mix on my birthday for the tenth birthday of the Little Big Agency. Like Plaid's I posted not too long back, this is a pretty eclectic selection, maybe even moreso than theirs. Regardless it's a solid mix and gives a nice insight into what makes Clark tick and feeds into his unique style of muical grit. Tracklist below as ususal!



Tracklist:
The Field - No. No…
Jon Hopkins - Collider
Alex Smoke - Dust
Simian Ghost - Echoes of Songs (Luke Abbott Remix)
Tim Exile - 31022013
Holly Herndon - Chorus
Emika - 3 Hours
Dopplereffekt - Gene Silencing
Letherette - Restless
Hubie Davison - Mannequin Move
Dinos Chapman - Untitled #1 (Live In Moscow)
Wesley Matsell - Future Beacon
Clouds - Consciousness
Physical Therapy - Huminbeen
Jimmy Edgar - Mercurio
Planningtorock - Human Drama (Paula Temple Remix)
Akkord - Conveyor
Dadub + Retina.it - Kykeon
Clark - Superscope
Stellar Om Source - Polarity
Objekt - Agnes Demise
Kommune1 - Kronos
LFO - Butterslut
Call Super - Black Octagons
Laurel Halo - Chance Of Rain
Visionist - Snakes
Truss - Redbrook
Mouse On Mars - Spezmodia
Jam City - Worst Illusion
Slava - Better
Ikonika - You Won't Find It There
ADULT - Idle (Second Thoughts)


-Claude Van Foxbat

Lush V.1

Returned to my previous mainstay of the chilled side of things, this time I got a real hankering for smooth sounds that only a certain few can provide. Here's my choice selections that fit this end.

Tim Doyle - White Dragon

br> Starting off with something I covered a long time ago, Clark's hard to come by Throttle Clarence EP was a real mixed bag of sound varieties. Though saying that it ens on a lovely note which combines the roughness of Clark's usual output with a much more softer melodic edge.



OPN's debut on Warp is pretty special. Only ten tracks long but I can't think of one off the top of my head that I'd get rid of. It's great to hear the advancement in concept from Replica reflected in the sounds themselves. Even with that deliberate lo-fi aspect to the whole album I think it sounds very futuristic, one of the most interesting electronic albums in recent memory that I highly reccomend.



And finally, something a bit more obscure. Taken from one of the well titled Old Tunes tapes, these are probably the best document we have of BoC's output pre-Twoism. Like the few pieces I've posted before their future talent certainly shines through here, the track is very smooth and decidedly more digital techy sounding than the usual expected sound of BoC.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Back On Time

Hey y'all, sorry for the slow weekend, took some time off and went around. Anyway, I'm back now with a selection of audio goodies to treat you all with, hang tight for the tuns after the pic.

David Firth - Firey Pete

Normally not a massive fan of summer, that's changed recently because that's when we finish for the year here at university. So I spent my Saturday night with a cold brew and this to have one big chill to. It wasn't even planned thanks to my reliance on shuffle but I gotta thank the random maths for making a near perfect decision to put The Flashbulb's stellar acoustic meets IDM sound on then.



Not staying downbeat for long though, couple of bits from Clark's Clarence Park grabbed me; Lord Of The Dance and this one, and since I already wrote a fair bit about how much I love Lord, let's get stuck in here. Fairly short this one, but that just keeps it sweet. Whenever it comes up I fall in love with that melodic streak all over again, a perfect clash of lush and abrasive noises.



With just time left for a last minute request I only saw a few minutes ago (shoutout to the commenter on my big AE/AFX post). Around Chiastic Slide is where me and Autechre start to part ways as the more melodic elements start to take a backseat. Still got time for some of it though, this track is pretty sweet for one but I can't help feel like it's missing something compared to their previous output. If it had those little smooth bits of sound breaking through at the end scattered throughout I think I'd like it more, regardless, enjoy.



-Claude Van Foxbat

AT / AA 65

Francis Bacon - Study For A Portrait (1991)

When I picked up the re-issued Clarence Park from Clark I listed to it to death for nigh on two weeks and promptly put a good half of it away because of how often I'd heard it. I came across this one again today, I'd not listened to it for a long long time because of that intro, something about it just grates my ears and I can't stand it. But I was feeling lenient today, so I let it play and about a minute in it changed. And it got good, like really good. Another one for me to file under 'wait for it...' and another reason for me to kick myself for skipping over half remembered tracks.

AT / AA 59

Davd Firth - Still From Clothbirds

Chris Clark's early work on Warp seems to go unnoticed often, likely a casualty of him having to change his artist name to just Clark after some legal bother. His debut has recently been reissued with some bonus tracks and the Throttle Clarence EP included, which was only available with pre-orders of Body Riddle before. It's a steal for the price of a normal album, and I suggest you check out the man's earlier tunes too.

Art Of Noise

Been workin' away today on various projects, as well as taking in some new stuff from Warp I've picked up, as usual tracks will be down there, afte rthe suitably surreal art courstesy of Clark!

First up is a lovly tune from the new Clark LP Iradelphic. Now as I've said before I usually pick tunes based on their title when sampling, and when Warp put this up on their youtube channel it was my pick. I wasn't dissapointed, this track kicks off with a new style from Clark with some guitar business, but its not long before we hit familiar electronic workery, think The Campfire Headphase meets Body Riddle. I was enjoying it so far, but then he stole the show at around 1:20 in spectacular Clark fashion. I love the noises he makes so much, especially when the distortion is cranked up and it sounds like its about to burst out of your speakers and into the room around halfway through.



I'd skipped Squarepusher's Selection Sixteen for a long while, I can't even explain why I just did, despite even picked up his crazy experimental jazz record Music Is Rotted One Note without a second thought. It's a shame I did because I missed out on this little number right here that is a typically Squarepusher showcase in drum programming and various other bleeps and bobs.



Leila is a recent blip on my radar thanks to her rework of Aphex Twin's Vordhosbn for Warp20. The video for it is a treat with lot of strange polygonal happenings and actual video glitching in spots, which made it very fitting for my work. The tune itself opens with that wave of pure sine wave bass and just does not let up, with occasional breakbeats sliding in and out of the mix it's a real treat. Watch the video for full effect!



In The Time,
-Claude Van Foxbat