The Blinkhorn Batch is a deliberate and meticulous selection of new dark, deep, and occasionally sinister sounds followed by a classic production of the same style. This ongoing series of posts is curated by Blisspop author Patrick Blinkhorn.Â
After a brief hiatus, I present the next installment of The Blinkhorn Batch. It’s been a little more than a month since The Blinkhorn #3, so as you can imagine, I have a bunch of great new jams for you. Grab your favorite pair of headphones or speakers and settle in for this musical journey.
I’m going to start off a little differently – I normally write about dark/sinister techno and deep house, but I’m starting this post off with an indie dance slow burner – this one was simply too good to leave out. Last month, Leipzig based artist, Luvless, put out “Castles In The Sky” on Razor-N-Tape. Luvless sampled a classic, “Just The Two Of Us:”
No, no – not that version. While Will Smith’s “Just The Two Of Us” from his 1997 album Big Willie Style is a classic in its own right, Luvless got the sample from somewhere else:
NO! Luvless didn’t sample the Dr. Evil and Mini-Me “Just The Two Of Us” duet from the 1999 movie, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. I’ll stop playin’ now. He sampled the original “Just The Two Of Us,” which was recorded by Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers in 1980. Listen to this smooth jazz gem here:
And listen to what Luvless did with it here:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/228064800″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Veering back to my usual techno and deep house, I’m going to point your attention to German DJ/Producer duo, Pan-Pot. I wrote about their The Other One EP back in July. Pan-Pot recently released a brilliant and eclectic selection of tracks in The Other LP. My top picks off of the LP (besides “808 Nirvana” and “Pina,” which I already wrote about) are “Optimistic Grey,” “Sleepless Feat. L.O.U,” “Riot,” “Broken Engine,” and “Twelve.” Listen to The Other LP here:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/153720053″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Milan based artists Hunter/Game put out “Adaptation” on Kompakt Extra’s SPEICHER 87 release. This track is a percussive powerhouse:
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Suara is probably my favorite label this year because they put out compilations such as Kitties On Trance. If you enjoy “deep, vigorous, acid, dark, fun, [and] mellow” house and techno, this is for you. Every track on this compilation is gold. Listen:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/154604868″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
I’ll lighten the mood for a second with this next one. Desert Hearts artists Mikey Lion and Bengal teamed up for a bouncy, tech house jam titled “Like That:”
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/228713017″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Spanish duo Animal Picnic recently released an ethereal techno EP on Steyoyoke. Once again, all four tracks on Sinopsia are fantastic, but my two favorites are “Kraftika (Original Mix)” and “Ethorica (Original Mix).” Listen to the EP in its entirety:
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Henry Saiz, another Spaniard, is known for the magic that comes out of his studio. And his remix of Groove Armada’s “Call Me” is no different – it’s guaranteed to cast a spell on you. The remix is forthcoming on Moda Black. Listen to it here:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/228070476″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
On October 16, Argentine producer Shall Ocin released this techno heater on Hotflush. The track features a particularly dark vibe that is set by a trumpet-sounding synth:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/228653192″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Spanish artist Dennis Cruz put out some house fire with “Guetto (Original Mix).” He makes good use of samples and demonstrates his mastery in bass line creation in this track. “Guetto (Original Mix)” will be released on October 26:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/228346099″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Another Spain based duo, BLOND:ISH, uploaded the second track off of their forthcoming album, Welcome to the Present. The track, titled “Jupiter & Jaguar,” gets weird with some chanting samples, but that’s just how we like it here at Blisspop. Listen:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/227643270″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
We’re closing in on the finish line – I promise.
I’ve written up every recent Tale Of Us release for one reason: their unique productions reign over all new music currently on my radar. The duo is not afraid to experiment, and no matter what they do, their music hits the spot every time. Listen to their upcoming release on R & S Records, “Silent Space:”
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229235651″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Oona Dahl has become a key name in the deep house/techno community. Whether its Lee Burridge singing her praises or one of her mixes or productions popping up in your social media, she’s everywhere. The Hallucienda / All Day I Dream affiliated and Berlin based artist is making all of these waves in the dance music community primarily because her talent lives up to the hype that artists such as Lee Burridge have surrounded her with. But don’t take my word for it – listen to her Burning Man 2015 Robot Heart set and hear for yourself why everyone’s talking about her:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229257882″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
And that concludes this week’s new music section of The Blinkhorn Batch. I normally end with a classic, but I’m going to change things up this week. Instead of looking to the past for new music, let’s look to the future.
Tale of Us has done a decent job of keeping their unreleased remix of Jamie xx’s “Gosh” under wraps – I haven’t seen them mention it on social media, they haven’t put it up on their Soundcloud, etc. Perhaps they know that they are sitting on what might be their best production yet and they are trying to build more hype around it as they play it out at select shows. Whatever their reason is for keeping it on the down low, several people ripped it from sets Tale of Us played the remix in and posted the rip to Soundcloud. Listen to this forthcoming fire from Tale of Us:
[Seeing that this is an unreleased remix, this Soundcloud track may be taken down. If that happens, search for “Jamie xx – Gosh (Tale of Us Remix)” on Soundcloud to find another recording.]
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