Electronic music producer Flug releases EP, Body Tales
“Everybody leaves a trace after experiencing life and, in my case, what will remain is music” With this reflection, Sebastian Lopez, also known in the electronic music scene as Flug, starts his own label Existentia. Flug’s new label is an in-depth project that the Argentinian artist has been developing for a long time and finally comes to its birth, commencing its own path. Expect releases from his own and also regularly diverse VA from renowned and newcomers artists.
After more than fifteen years working as a DJ and producer, Barcelona based Flug has been releasing music in the most relevant electronic music labels, surpassing the encapsulated techno genre and embracing a much wider musical perspective. Existentia’s label might be the sum up of his trajectory, always characterized by a profound commitment to creating and playing outstanding music and a devoted passion for his profession.
Body Tales EP comes with 4 tracks, each one unique on its approach to techno and beyond. It starts with Electronic Measures: a timeless, melodic and memorable electro track that enforces positive and strong energy. It could be, just freeing imagination, an epic closing track after an all night long powerful set. Body Tales a timeless track that gives name to Existentia’s first release, delivers suspense and an engaging rhythm: refined drummy techno to non stop dancing. Time Shift goes deeper and faster: it’s cleverly built to make your body move and your mind depart into an introspective voyage. Progression is an arid and hectic tune, but without excesses, delivering a thinking-forward dancefloor track to be played when the crowd is needing intensity.
Time passes by, music is eternal. Keep on dancing might be the best way to celebrate Existentia, a way to get close to the infinity and ride out from the storm.
In conversation with renowned music production duo Ancient Astronauts
Image credit: Rob Myers
Ancient Astronauts consists of team Kabanjak (Ingo Möll) and Dogu (Tom Strauch) who have just released their collaborative EP Kampala Fire, and are already speaking of a forthcoming album release – ZIK ZAK. Since launching the label Switchstance Recordings in 2001, the duo has collaborated with a number of renowned acts like The Pharcyde, The Jungle Brothers, DJ Brace, Shawn Lee, and Thievery Corporation. The two fell in love with the unique music and party scene found within the city of Kampala, spurring their decision to collaborate with the local musicians and create an EP together. Kampala Fire features underground musicians and rappers from Uganda who all add their own flavour to the mix.
The duo elaborates on their favourite experiences in Africa below.
Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?
Kabanjak:
Watching Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding perform at Monterey Pop Festival on video as a kid. This was one of those unforgettable “wow” moments in life :-).
Dogu:
For me, it was when I visited Senegal at the age of 17 together with my parents. When I saw how the music of Alpha Blondy was reaching the people and uniting them behind his lyrics and message. That really touched me. That was so different than just being a fan of a pop band that was in the charts and through mass media people got attracted to it. The power of Reggae is a natural one and it does not, and never needed, the mechanisms of mass media to attract people. That showed me the power of conscious music, music with a real message.
Take us through your list of dream software/gear you would like to get?
The UAD Apollo and UAD plugins are the center of our production. This is just our favorite interface to use and it simply sounds amazing. And Ableton Live. And analog equipment, sometimes tape machines.
What do you need with you when you sit down to write or produce?
Kabanjak:
I think the moment you get creative, you need to be able to turn off everything else. It is almost like meditation. This attitude is what I need to start the creative process, and….coffee.
Dogu:
Silence is what I need when I think about new projects. And good food and peace of mind.
What other artistic revenues do you pursue?
If this question is related to income then GEMA and GVL royalties (German collecting societies) and Spotify and sometimes direct payments from synchronization licenses for the use of our music in films, games, etc are what we live from. And DJ gigs, but that was in life before corona.
Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, what do you prefer?
Kabanjak:
I prefer to work in the studio for sure :-).
Dogu:
I enjoy both. Being out deejaying and knowing you can have an impact with the music you play (cause I know I don´t play that usual stuff) is a great thing. It can also be hard, but who said life is easy? If you want to make an impact with what you do, then you have to go the hard way, the non-commercial way. But being in the studio with Kabanjak and working on new music and imagining its impact, and planning new projects, is such a great moment. It is different from playing out, cause you kind of have a look into the future and shape its path. The vision behind our music is very important for us.
What has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
Kabanjak:
Touring the USA with Thievery Corporation and playing at Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago.
Dogu:
Oh yeah, that was unforgettable that tour with Thievery in all those different US states. And then our gig at Lollapalooza on the DJ stage, that was something else when we made our first experiences with Serato during that tour. Another big memory for me was touring through East Africa for the first time. We did all routes by bus, just like everybody else. No flights cause we did not have the budget. It was really adventurous, cause most of the guys from Kenya and Uganda that I toured with also never took those routes before. It was super nice but also tough from time to time. One of the unforgettable moments on that tour was playing at Bayimba Festival on Lunkulu Island in the middle of Victoria Lake. Or playing on Zanzibar for the first time. Unforgettable moments 😊 .
Name 3 artists you would love to collaborate with in the future
Damian Marley, Buju Banton, Public Enemy and Sampa The Great >>> the magic four :).
Do you think music should provide social commentary and reflect the current world?
Dogu:
Yes, I totally think that. For me, pop music and commercial music is a kind of disease that is blinding the people. We do not need more of that “baby baby i love you” type of music with the same fake attitudes again and again. There are soooo many braggers on TV that just show the negative side of wealth, showing off and pretending that you are better than most of the rest of the world. Big cars, (paid) models, and big (rented) houses in the videos. Always the same shit. We need more conscious music that describes the real things that are happening out in this world, that give hope and show faith in something higher than wealth and material things. Pop music mostly talks about how nice everything is, how you can become the greatest, the most adored, the coolest outsider, and blablabla. it is all just created hollowness, like a second world you can escape to and forget what is happening in the real world. it´s an escape from the real world, and I do not think that it really helps. You gotta face reality in order to change things and make things better. But if those issues are not addressed then nothing will change. If you only talk about the niceness of sunshine then you can never stand the rain.
What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
In early 2021 we will release a single / EP with legendary Jamaican Reggae band The Heptones. And we are planning a new album that explores the instrumental side of African music. It is planned for the end of 2021 and will be called RHYTHM ORIGINS.
Eloisa Records releases various bass artists compilation
Eloisa Records has unveiled new various artist compilation album I Am Eloisa.
An eight-track release featuring an array of artists from across the drum & bass sphere, I Am Eloisa kicks off with the rave-inducing jump-up vibes of ‘Heat’by Hong Kong producer Kray and similarly high-energy club cut ‘Abstract Out Of Sight’by Exile (who contribute to Eloisa’s maiden release) & Jappa. Maintaining this euphoric, club-ready energy, Midlands-based artist False Relation then steps up with the explosive ‘Insular’, Inperspective regular Will Miles drops the piano-led, breakbeat-heavy ‘Summer Down Under’ and Southampton’s Jak B harnesses a melodic drum & bass vibe on‘Early Mornings’. Sumone then enlists the vocal expertise of Jamaican MC General Pecos for ‘ClearTheWay’, a raucous banger that harks back to the golden era of jungle, Trojiin, who dropped a four-track EP on Eloisa back in May, unloads his trademark hard-hitting sound on ‘Portal’before Inperspective label boss Chris Inperspective rounds things off with the fluttering, contemplative breaks of ‘Cocoahead’.
Launching back in March under the Inperspective Music Group umbrella, Eloisa Records is ‘on a mission to surpass barriers in the D&B scene’ and instil some fresh energy into the scene. The label has since released music from Simon Splice, Duece, Miss Tantrum and, most recently, pyxis.
Traversing the full drum & bass spectrum, I Am Eloisa is a talent-laden compilation that gives an accurate depiction of where the genre is at in 2020.
Music producer Leyka shares retro footage music video
Denoela Khaldy chose Leyka as her artist name. Her first name is French Breton and her family name is Lebanese. The ka was the Egyptian concept of the soul. Leyka has Egyptian roots she inherited from her grandfather. These 3 cultures have given her a rich, but complex lens through which she see the world.
You could easily call her a bedroom producer, but it’s quite impressive that she made this album on just a laptop and headphones. When listening to it, the sheer strength and depth of the bass is the first thing that hits you. Most tracks average 2 minutes and have a sense that everything could change at any moment. Sweetly aggressive, dark and in flux.
Leyka’s father took her to punk concerts, and to see Sonic Youth. She recalls the thrill of experiencing drums being played live while strobe lighting flashed on stage. Later she would listen to Bjork, Prodigy and MIA, but Hip-Hop is what she mainly grew up listening to. Lots of it. Too much to say which artists influenced her the most.
Cinema also made an impression on Leyka. She remembers Clockwork Orange. Tension between image and sound. Violence of reality. Sweetness of J.S. Bach on the synthesizer. Searching for origins. Egyptian-Lebanese. Middle-east. War. Misunderstanding. Voltage. Confusion. Loss of identity. Feeling at risk. Being in danger. Violence of human relationships. Politics. Men. Women. East. West.
Music lets Leyka reconnect and make sense of the cold reality of this world we live in. Even if just for a brief moment, she transcends the sadness, the anger and the confusion. She mixes it with belly dancing, her distant past, passion, war, her culture and the present to feel everything simultaneously. The listener feels the uncertainty and senses that they are being pushed along by a force stronger than them. Leyka takes this forceful nature of music and shapes it into something that she controls.
Redux Saints is back with more red-hot club heat in the form of ‘GonnaBeAlright‘, a sublime track which lands on 10th July marking his debut release on Low Ceiling. ‘Gonna Be Alright’ is another masterclass in tech house production from the LA-native tantamount to dropping certified rocket fuel on the dancefloor. With a list of heavyweight global tastemakers spinning his tracks and a string of signings to the hottest house labels around, ReduxSaints has yet again proved himself a rare and unstoppable talent. Stream ‘Gonna Be Alright’ across all platforms now.
Last month, Deep Tech Los Angeles label boss ReduxSaints (a.k.a. Jason Trevor Miller) secured a #1 in Beatport’s Best New Tech House Hype Chart with his track ‘StayHome‘ as part of the Deep Tech Lockdown Sessions Vol.1 compilation. This follows a May release on StealthRecords where he teamed up with A.S.R (a.k.a. Ali Suleman Rizwan) for ‘AllNight’, another big hitter that secured global plays. These are the latest successes in a long line of essential tunes that take in credits on labels like CR2 and Toolroom, and support from the likes of Roger Sanchez, David Guetta and Gorgon City. This consistent quality has made ReduxSaints a key part of the scene, known for his innovative sounds and fine grasp of club dynamics.
Founded in 2019, Dont Blink’s Low Ceiling is a trendsetting label that has worked with some of the brightest contemporary stars of house music including Chapter & Verse, Davide Mazzilli, Fab Massimo and This Culture among many others. Although in its infancy, its pumping tech house output dominates the Beatport charts, week on week. Once again, they have made big moves by signing up one of the scene’s fastest-rising stars in Redux Saints.
His superb latest single ‘GonnaBeAlright‘ is a turbocharged affair with laser-like synths shooting across the face of the track. The chunky drums make you move, while vocal stabs add fuel to the fire and once the bass drops after the big breakdown, the whole thing is sure to get any club bumping. The production is robust and fresh, and brims with plenty of the new ideas that make this artist so in demand.
Dance music icon Diplo & DJ Paul Woolford collaborate
Dance music icons Paul Woolford and Diplo have joined forces on new single ‘Looking For Me’, with vocals from Atlanta born Kareen Lomax released via Diplo’s Higher Ground label on 19th June.
A bright, colourful dancefloor jam with serious crossover appeal, ‘Looking For Me’ pairs piano-led, hands-in-the-air house energy with sensual, contemplative vocals from Kareen Lomax. Woolford hinted at the link-up back in January, when he posted a photo of Diplo on his Instagram account with the caption, “Me and my mate Wes [Diplo’s real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz] have been making a monster record and you’ll all be hearing it soon…”
Born Thomas Wesley Pentz, Diplo is one of the most dynamic forces in music today under his own name—he just released a long-awaited country album: Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil—and as a member of the now legendary Major Lazer—whose latest ‘Lay Your Head On Me’ featuring Marcus Mumford is climbing charts worldwide; LSD, the psychedelic supergroup with Sia and Labrinth whose debut album has been streamed over one billion times; and Silk City with Mark Ronson, whose Platinum-certified ‘Electricity’ with Dua Lipa topped charts worldwide and won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. As the world’s most in-demand producer, Diplo has worked with artists as disparate as Beyoncé, Bad Bunny and Turnstile.
A legendary DJ and producer in his own right, Woolford is best known for 2013 single ‘Untitled’, a track that has clocked up 1.5 million YouTube streams to date. Also releasing more jungle and breakbeat-influenced music under his Special Request moniker, he continues to reinvent himself and push the boundaries, maintaining a hectic global touring schedule and releasing no fewer than four albums across 2019.
Russian DJ and producer Rompasso has remixed SAINt JHN’s smash single ‘Trap’, out now via Ministry Of Sound.
Rompasso delivers a club-ready edit of ‘Trap’ that announces itself with a bouncy kick drum – more energetic than the original whilst maintaining the captivating vocals of SAINt JHN. First released in 2019, ‘Trap’ has since amassed over 11 million YouTube streams and 51 million Spotify plays.
SAINt JHN recently topped the UK Singles charts with the Imanbek remix of ‘Roses’, a global sensation that has clocked in over 550 million Spotify streams and counting. It also topped the UK Shazam charts and is on track to becoming Gold-certified. The Guyanese-American artist has been making music since 2010, previously collaborating with A-listers such as Beyonce, Marshmello and Wizkid.
Just 23 years of age, Rompasso is an exciting young talent who shot to fame in 2018 with viral single ‘Angetenar’, a track that has amassed 151 million YouTube streams and pioneered a new style of dance music known as ‘cloud house’. A busy start to the new decade has seen him release new music on Spinnin’ Records and HEXAGON amongst others.
A floorfilling rework, Rompasso’s remix of ‘Trap’ is destined to become a post-lockdown club favourite.
Music producer oblyx is hopeful in new song ‘Invincible’
Credit: Wide Eyed Studios
Musician and rule-breaker oblyx has released his new and hopeful single titled ‘Invincible’. Speaking about the single, oblyx shares obylx, “This song is not meant to be interpreted as me (obylx) being invincible, more that ideas can have a lasting effect. If something is worth pursuing then follow that realisation and that idea can become something that will outlive us all”
Bass Music share their opinion on the new oblyx single, “It is the beginning of the new month, which means music producer Oliver Johnson aka oblyx has shared a new song. The title of the track is ‘Invinicible’ and we are so relieved! Let us just say that his previous single ‘WalkOn’ was beautifully tragic, admitting how the quarantine period had consequences on his mental health, and it is unique for men to express that they need support in this regard.”
If one thing, oblyx music is a pure portrayal of mental health and how fragile it truly is. Everyone feels emotionally weary or mentally isolated at one point in this life, some people are just comfortable with expressing their emotions, which is what oblyx does through the music that he creates. In the same breath, oblyx is showing us how powerful the brain is to overcome distress and recover in his new song.
The incredible ‘Don’t Ever‘ sees Hybrid Minds teaming up with Manchester native DRS for the very first time. The track combines both artists’ powerful and signature styles, resulting in a beautiful and emotive dnb anthem with the silky smooth vocal of DRS, aka Delroy Pottinger. Hybrid Minds are excited to unveil a brand new remix from a producer who in three short years has catapulted himself to the D&B A- list with a series of high profile releases and collaborations.
The boys said, “Kanine tracks have been consistently smashing the floor and he has gone from strength to strength as one of the fastest rising names in the scene. We have been after a remix from him for some time and felt that Don’t Ever would have the edge that he could flip into a beast. That is exactly what he did!”
Arguably one of the most important acts in drum and bass right now, Hybrid Minds have firmly planted themselves on the map. Selling out a massive London Printworks date as well as their full UK wide ‘Outline’ headline tour, Hybrid Minds have amassed an army of passionate and loyal fans. Receiving plaudits for their releases, including their debut album ‘Mountains’ and it’s follow up ‘Elements’, their biggest hit to date, ‘Touch’ feat Tiffani Juno has racked up almost 21 million streams. Previous single ‘Drowning In You’ with Fred V, released at the end of 2019, has already amassed over 2 million streams, with the original mix of ‘Don’t Ever’ building towards similar heights.
Drum and Bass producer Macky Gee releases new album
D&B titan Macky Gee has dropped a massive, 28-track album It’s A Gee Thing, on Down 2 Earth Musik.
A bombastic, full-frontal journey that takes in array of different styles and subgenres, It’s A Gee Thing is an extensive LP that demonstrates MackyGee’s versatility as a producer. From maximalist, jump-up D&B and wobbly US dubstep to sugar-sweet, vocal-laced bassline and euphoric piano house, there’s literally something for everyone on this sprawling release. The album also features recent singles ‘Obsessive’, ‘Ready For You’ featuring DavidZowie and Ruth Royal, and ‘Not That Guy’ featuring grime legend Tempa T. Elsewhere there are further collaborations with Mefjus, Cyantific, Axel Boy, Franky Nuts, Stuart Rowe, Azza & Grima and many more.
An artist at the forefront of the D&B scene, Macky Gee is an internationally revered artist who averages 1 million Spotify listeners a month. His 2017 track ‘Tour’ took the scene by storm and remains the most streamed track on well-known D&B YouTube channel UKF, with 13 million hits to date, and is one of the most iconic tracks the genre has seen in many years.
It’s A Gee Thing sees MackyGee cement his status as a king of the contemporary D&B scene.
