Just a few weeks after showcasing the talents of Fantastic Mr Fox, the XLR8R podcast series has once again turned its focus to a talented Brit who's been rather quiet for some time. Granted, London's Braiden hasn't disappeared completely off the radar, as he continues to DJ regularly on Rinse FM. On the production front, however, he's more or less been missing in action. Braiden's first and only single, "The Alps," was released to all sorts of acclaim back in 2010 on Joy Orbison's Doldrums imprint, but has subsequently been followed by only a handful of remixes. While whispers persist of additional original productions in the pipeline, concrete details have yet to emerge about his future releases. As such, we've been left with only Braiden's skills as a DJ; admittedly, these have never come into question, which is why we have no qualms about hosting this exclusive mix.

read more

Over the past two years, London producer Jack Dixon has quietly amassed a rather impressive discography, dropping releases—both solo and collaborative—on labels such as Brownswood, Silverback, ManMakeMusic, and, most recently, R&S offshoot Apollo, which just put out his You Won't Let Me EP. But even with a string of quality releases to his name, it's sometimes easy to forget Dixon amongst the ever-swelling ranks of producers turning out bass music, or whatever genre tag is being applied at the moment. Perhaps it's due to the understated nature of his productions, which offer a polished, techno-infused take on UK rhythms. Well-suited for melancholy mornings and late-night comedowns, Dixon's tunes aren't anthems, nor are they meant to be. As admirers of his songcraft, we figured that it might be best to give Dixon a chance to showcase his talents outside of the club, which is why he's been invited to deliver the latest chapter of the XLR8R podcast series.

read more

At this point, there's not a whole lot more we can say about Anenon (a.k.a. Brian Simon) without resorting to full-blown gushing. Fresh off the release of his debut full-length, Inner Hue (which is still streaming here), the LA-based artist has assembled the latest chapter of the XLR8R podcast series, and we can honestly say that the mix is quite unlike all the podcasts that have come before it.

read more

It wasn't that long ago that Lapalux (a.k.a. Stuart Howard) was just another young UK producer perking up people's ears with a hard-to-define mix of low-end-heavy, but undeniably experimental, sounds. Even when we tabbed him as a Bubblin' Up artist last summer, largely on the strength on his then-fresh Many Faces Out of Focus EP, the full extent of his potential was only beginning to reveal itself. Then came this year's When You're Gone EP, released on Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder imprint, which displayed a whole new level of sophistication and a real penchant for sonic whimsy. With this kind of skill at his disposal, we were curious to see exactly what Lapalux could do if tasked with putting together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series.

read more

For a while there, it felt like Fantastic Mr Fox (a.k.a. Stephen Gomberg) was going to be one of those artists who simply disappeared into the ether, never to return. After dropping a slew of hotly tipped releases in 2009 and 2010, touring extensively with The xx, and building a solid name for himself before the concept of "bass music" really resembled a concrete scene, the UK producer pulled back from the spotlight. Now, more than a year since his last release, news of a forthcoming new EP has emerged. The San'en EP will be released on June 4 via the Black Acre imprint, but we saw no point in waiting that long to see where the young artist's head is at, at least musically.

read more

Southern California's Jonwayne is an imposing figure. First of all, he's quite literally a huge dude, someone who brings a sort of bearded, mountain-man aesthetic to the world of Low End Theory and the extended beat scene. Second, and more importantly, it seems like the former Bubblin' Up producer and rapper never stops working. Shortly after signing to the venerable Stones Throw label, which recently reissued an expanded version of his Oodles of Doodles beat tape and also plans to release a proper Jonwayne album later this year, the entrepeneurial young artist dropped This Is False, a free album/mixtape he described as, "not so much a pile of songs as it is an executed concept in viewing how our surroundings change our energy and vibrations." Now, he's followed that up with an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series.

read more

Whatever happened to Ill Blu? A few years back, the London duo was seemingly everywhere, an integral part of the UK funky explosion in 2008-2009. However, just as the scene reached its zenith, Ill Blu largely disappeared. In the last two years, the only releases have been 2010's "Bellion" b/w "Dragon Pop" single on Hyperdub and 2011's Meltdown EP on Numbers. However, following the recent announcement that Ill Blu was not only still together, but would be returning to Hyperdub with a new single, "Clapper," at the end of April, we figured now would be a good time to invite the duo to put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series.

read more

Last month, Danish producer Tomas Barfod released the Broken Glass EP, officially making him the newest member of the increasingly eclectic Friends of Friends roster. While his music may not have much in common with that of labelmates Shlohmo or Salva, it's certainly of the same caliber, something Barfod will be showcasing more thoroughly when his next full-length, Salton Sea, drops on May 21. In the meantime, we've invited the WhoMadeWho drummer to display his curatorial chops behind the decks, as he's put together this exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series.

read more

While there's no shortage of praise for the mid- and late-'80s salad days of classic Chicago house, when it comes to talk of house music's present, the Windy City sometimes feels grossly underrepresented. That's certainly not the fault of Tevo Howard, a veteran DJ who has been dropping a steady stream of quality house records in the past few years. His most recent is the excellent Monument EP, which once again finds him mining the vintage drum sounds and stylistic tropes of Chicago house to create his own fresh takes on the genre. As such, we figured now would be a good time for Howard to put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series, and although we expected a master course in house music, Howard had other ideas.

read more

While both Benjamin Damage and Doc Daneeka entered 2012 with solid track records, it's fair to say that the Welsh duo's debut full-length, They!Live, far exceeded everyone's expectations. Last year's "Creeper" b/w "Infamous" single—like the album, released via Modeselektor's 50 Weapons imprint—was an impressive, techno-leaning first outing, but they They!Live is an especially accomplished effort, one that finds the producers streamlining their sound while applying their penchant for crafting infectious rhythms to a framework more suited to their newly adopted Berlin surroundings. In the wake of releasing one of 2012's best albums (granted, it's only March), we figured now would be a good time to invite the pair to put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series.

read more

Right out of the gate, BNJMN (a.k.a. Ben Thomas) made a strong impression on the electronic-music landscape. Last year, the shadowy young Brit dropped two LPs via the esteemed Rush Hour imprint, both of which showcased a unique brand of house and techno that was simultaneously dark, hazy, and dreamily emotive.

read more

In the bustling UK music scene, where genres come and go in what seems like the bat of an eye, there's always a strong focus on the new. New artists. New sounds. New labels. New parties. While this kind of outlook sometimes leads to novelty trumping actual quality, it's not an attitude that's been wholesale adopted by the entire slate of UK music makers. Krystal Klear is a perfect example of those bucking the trend.

read more

While pundits may say that UK funky is "over," clearly they haven't been listening to artists like Champion (a.k.a. Reiss Hanson).

read more

Over the past year or so, few artists have popped up more frequently on XLR8R than Distal (a.k.a. Michael Rathbun). Part of that has to do with the 28-year-old beatmaker's inherently prolific nature, as he's quickly amassed a hearty discography that includes releases on labels such as Tectonic, Grizzly, Seclusiasis, and Fortified Audio, not to mention his own imprint, Embassy Recordings, which he runs in tandem with fellow Atlantan Mite. Yet Distal's rise can be attributed to more than just the volume of his output, as his music is definitely of a high quality.

read more

While the notion of being a "citizen of the world" is often worthy of scorn, or at least a pronounced eye roll, in the case of Chief Boima (a.k.a. Boima Tucker), the concept actually makes sense. Raised in Milwaukee and subsequently a longtime resident of Oakland, Boima currently calls Brooklyn home, although "home" is a relative concept when you're frequently traveling the globe and soaking in the local sounds of places like Spain, Colombia, Bolivia, Sierra Leone (his father's birthplace), Liberia, and other locales too numerous to list. Along the way, he's been adopted by the Dutty Artz crew, who will be releasing his latest record, African in New York, next week. As such, we figured now would be a good time to have Boima assemble an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series, and the multifaceted artist has responded with something that's both entirely unique and completely representative of what he's all about when it comes to music.

read more

Last summer, techno veteran Marc Houle—along with DJ comrades Magda and Troy Pierce—left his longtime home at Richie Hawtin's Minus label and rededicated himself to the dormant Items & Things imprint. A few releases from Items & Things trickled out during the latter half of 2011, but the reinvigorated label is truly beginning to bear fruit in 2012, beginning with a Undercover, the soon-to-be-released new full-length from Marc Houle himself. Undercover won't officially see the light of day until March 5, but we invited the Canadian-born artist to put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series in the meantime.

read more

Since the release of last year's excellent Routes full-length, LV has been fairly quiet. Nonetheless, the group's intrepid infusion of South African house rhythms into a UK funky-inspired template has often proved interesting—not to mention enjoyable—so we jumped at the chance to have the UK trio put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series.

read more

Mano Le Tough (a.k.a. Niall Mannion) is a name that popped up on XLR8R's radar in a major way last year, particularly following the release of his Stories EP and the "In My Arms" 12". Both records found the Irish-born producer exploring the incorporation of a new element—his own voice—into his musical palette, a shift which found his already melodic style moving into increasingly compelling and, yes, pop-oriented territory. This process was explored at length when Mano Le Tough was featured in our Bubblin' Up series, and since then, the Berlin-based producer has continued work on his forthcoming debut full-length, which is set to drop later this year via Permanent Vacation. In the meantime, we convinced Mannion to put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series.

read more

Even after dropping a host of well-received tunes in 2011—most notably, a trio of 12"s for Ramp offshoot Fourth Wave—UK producer Gerry Read remains a mysterious figure. We know that he's young—just 20 years old, in fact.

read more

Throughout its history as one of Detroit's most storied techno collectives, Underground Resistance has counted a lot of top-notch producers and DJs amongst its ranks. One of those acts is Los Angeles native Santiago Salazar, who years ago packed up and headed to Detroit for some first-hand schooling from Mike Banks and the rest of the UR crew. While Salazar has since returned to his hometown and is now focused on his own labels, Historia y Violencia and Ican (running the latter with Esteban Adame), traces of Detroit's distinctively deep and soulful sound undoubtedly remain in his music.

read more