Maybe it’s been a foolish endeavor, and maybe I’m the only one who misses the blog ol’ days, but I’ve been giving it a shot. I’ve been working on restoring some of the old content, though much of it was lost. I’ve slowly been rebuilding the old remix sunday archives, and even posting the occasional new edition. And I’ve been writing again.
You can find all the label’s releases here, on bandcamp, or most anywhere you listen to music these days. I’ve still got copies of some of the old vinyl releases, and I recently released the first in a set of charitable cassette compilations to raise awareness about the continued [mis]use of broken windows policing methods.
Plus, I put together a playlists section with a handful of spotify lists that hopefully start to capture a [slightly] updated version of the moods we used to peddle. Give those a listen and a ❤ if you would be so kind. If you want to get in touch, just give me a holler.
Somewhere in the middle of last year, in preparation for his imminent return to music after four years away, and in recognition of his third year clean and sober, Jack Adams shared a methodically prepared archive of over 315 hours of his previous work–mixes, productions, and other work. Then, at the end of the year, he released two new songs. This is the B-side from his triumphant return record. Really happy for this guy.
This year, he hasn’t released any new discrete productions that I’m aware of, but he did put out a cassette mixtape that marries the use of a pair of decks and his modular system–using prototype synchronization hardware presumably built by ALM Busy Circuits–as part of that company’s ten year anniversary celebrations. I hope we get to hear more from him soon.
These guys were mainstays on Palms Out during the blog’s heyday, and I gigged with them a few times when I was living in Copenhagen in the late aughts. Pretty sure I was involved in recording something or other with them at the old Yo Fok studios (where I lived in the attic, shout out my old pal Åsmund/Copyflex for that ridiculous hookup, notwithstanding the pneumoniatic mold). But my memories of those years are disturbingly blurry.
From their base in Munich, Schlachthofbronx were always cranking out that particular German take on global bass music. A touch of Berlin techno, a touch of dancehall, a touch of Modeselektory-glitch hop — never content with fitting squarely in any of those categories.
I was so pleased to discover they’re still doing their thing, and they have a new record out: More Rave and Romance. The album features some legendary vocalists, including Flowdan, Warrior Queen, Kbh’s own Lady Smita (big up), and even a posthumous feature from the late Nicky Da B, among others. As strong as the vocal showings are on the album, I think my pick of the litter is an instrumental track, “Cruise.”
I’ve selected a few for you below, but grab the album on bandcamp, or stream wherever you do that sort of thing.
I’m such a sucker for a good Burial homage. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the dude developed a genre and no one who works in the space can avoid the reference. But I say just own it.
Leeds-based music educator Andrew Potterton does that. He seems like the type of artist who just loves figuring out a genre. A quick scan through his soundcloud reveals a new genre almost every tune. It ranges from dusty house to mainline dnb to pure ambient synthscapes to rave to trap to phonk to lofi beats to study to–to just about everything else. Some might say that indicates a lack of focus, but from a pure skill standpoint, I find the versatility impressive, especially because it’s all pretty well executed. And I think putting it out under your government name indicates a real lack of pretension, which I totally respect. It makes sense coming from a music teacher. You’ve got to be able to approach lots of genres to effectively teach electronic music composition to students with wildly varied tastes. Plus, kids are brutal, so being pretentious isn’t going to get you far.
No bandcamp for Andrew, unfortunately, but check his soundcloud and spotify profiles.
Subfiction is one of those artists who wears a mask. A lot of the time, this makes me skeptical. But who knows, maybe the guy behind the mask has a job they need to protect, or maybe they’re the son of a couple of mysterious masked super villains, and they’re just keeping the family tradition alive. All credit due, the mask in question is kinda cool; it’s less of a mask, really, and more of a collection of lacey scarves, sometimes worn in conjunction with LEDs. In the case of the cover art above, I’d say the rest of the fit lends itself to my super villain theory.
In any case, the only other thing I know about the artist is that they’re operating out of the Netherlands (ideally in a secret mountain lair, but Holland doesn’t have any mountains). The music wears its influence on its [robot villain] sleeve, and track titles like “twerkin’ aphex” hammer the point home. But is that a bad thing? I don’t really think so. The aforementioned song is frenetic and NRG-etic and delivers on its title. The other featured track is no less ambitiously titled “killa4dafloor” — manifest what you want out of a track, I suppose! It’s a nice and simple breakbeat track with acidic 303s and ravey sampled vox. Not exactly groundbreaking, but still a solid shot at its stated purpose. Floors often thrive with familiar references as much or more than they do with newly broken ground.
Check the EP on bandcamp, or stream it wherever you listen these days.
My eyes are bigger than my stomach sometimes. Or something like that — becoming a dad is really all-consuming, sorry folks. Sometimes it’s hard to have the long term follow through necessary for all these lofty hobbies. I’m working on it! Love y’all.
LDN Monos, real name Curtis Neil, is a producer from London who’s recently released his debut long player, August in Winter. It’s a nice amalgam of styles — not stuck in any particular genre, but still totally accessible and friendly on the ears. Mostly mild and easy to digest, but still evocative, and wholly unpretentious. I posted the video for the excellent first single from the album earlier this year. In general, the video treatments for the single have all been outstanding.
No bandcamp for this unfortunately, but stream the album on spotify or wherever, or if you don’t have that kind of thing, it’s also available for free streaming on soundcloud.
Lightfooted cut of midtempo electronica from Birmingham-born, London-based Mattr, real name Matthew Clugston. The track he sent over, “Lex”, is a really lovely song, but perhaps most striking is what consistent and plentiful output Clugston has had over the past couple of years. This may be projecting, but he seems to be one of those producers who really took advantage of the 2 years indoors and decided to finish a few dozen of the tracks he had sitting in his draft folders. (And look, as a producer who didn’t do that, to each their own, pandemic was/is pandemic. But power to those who made the most of it creatively.)
In addition to the new one he sent over, I’ve picked out a couple of others from various releases he had this year. Grab them all on his bandcamp, or stream your dreams away.
I’ve written about Taut (real name Jacob Bergson) before. The song I wrote about last time, “Prime”, became a favorite of mine this past year. At the time Bergson initially sent it over, it was just a single with a B-side. But since then, it was included on a six-song EP, Polarity. Also on the record is this beautiful new song, “Eternity Behind the Veil”, which I suspect will get just as much airtime in my home as did that last one.
Bergson’s nom de plume is really appropriate — he has a knack for writing songs with tight and tense structures, and he shapes drums and synths that have the quality of an outstretched rubber band.
I’d be surprised if Kraftwerk didn’t play some formative role in Bergson’s musical upbringing. “Eternity Behind the Veil” is romantic and robotic simultaneously, a machine love song that I think the grandfather robots would approve of.
Grab Polarity now on bandcamp, or wade into the stream for it.
For months now, I’ve meant to post about Pittsburgh-based Davis Galvin. Their output over the past few years has been nearly faultless, and just as regular. They recently put out a new record, Meratana, a tight set of “(fun)ctional” tracks that are strange, but still well-woven for the floor. But while I really enjoyed that new one, I’m still playing catch up on Galvin’s bountiful discography. The release I’ve been stuck on lately is Otsinni, which came out in May ’21 (Galvin has no fewer than 8 releases since, if you’re in doubt about their prolificacy). It comprises a trio of skittering breakbeat moods that I can’t really choose between — they really work best in tandem. Galvin is an enormous talent, and with such a fast-growing collection, do yourself the favor and get started on absorbing their work.
Galvin seems to avoid streaming services, so go support them on bandcamp instead.
The dreamiest sky blue synth pop from LA-based Piper Durabo, aka Maraschino. I posted the video for her last single recently, but just the other day she followed it up with this gem. Extra-dimensional nostalgia for just about any generation.
Also, Durabo’s monthly show on NTS ‘Kiss Cafe’ is just fabulous and you should absolutely tune in.
Grab the single on bandcamp, or stream away anywhere you do that kinda thing.
Not many words necessary for this one. I’ve been obsessed with this song since it came out in 2018. It’s perfectly balanced.
The 12″s of this are long gone, but for whatever reason, this is on a record that appears to only be available for streaming, not for download anywhere. But give Zodiac Childs a follow on soundcloud anyway, or grab something else from their bandcamp.
Old friend of the blog, Colin Bailey–most commonly known as Austin Ato, but previously best known to Palms Out partygoers as Drums of Death–recently did a great revamp of a seminal Latin broken beat tune by zero dB that came out on Ninjatune in 2006, arguably the tail end of that label’s golden era. Bailey keeps intact the spirit of the original, including the left-handed piano line that leads its rhythm, but he beefs up the bottom end and sharpens its edges, bringing the tune into more modern and accessible dancefloor territory.
Out now for streaming all over the place on Tru Thoughts — or grab it on bandcamp.
zero dB – “A Pompa Girou (Austin Ato Remix)” (bc)
Also, for good measure, here’s a phenomenal cut from Bailey’s Sensitive Techno for Today’s Shut-ins, a record that Colin put out about six months into lockdown that flew a bit under the radar–undeservedly–and I keep meaning to post about it. Check that one on bandcamp on LA-based label Fantastic Voyage.
More fwd-thinking jungle from Ottawa-based So Durand. “Lies II” is a reimagining of one of the tracks from his stellar This Unruly Kingdom release, which I covered earlier in the year. This new version takes what was previously a sludgy codeine trip of an instrumental hiphop track full of warm yellow bulbs, and keys it way way up, substituting all the dope with uppers and throwing it into a strobe filled warehouse night. Roughhouse yet refined jungle for peak time.
It’s out now on Irish label Choki Biki. Grab it on their bandcamp or stream it to your heart’s content.
So Durand – “Lies II” (bc)
Also, while I was on paternity leave, So Durand put out a maxi with a couple of hi-NRG jungle crossovers, and I’d be remiss not to share this one. Grab it on his bandcamp.
A pair of beauties here from DC-born, London-based, Iraqi-Puerto Rican-originated Waleed. He’s only released these two tracks thus far, but they’ve received immense support from the likes of Four Tet, Dan Snaith, Floating Points, and Ben UFO, attention that ultimately also quickly secured him a deal with the venerable German label City Slang (European/sometimes home for the likes of Caribou, José Gonzalez, Yo La Tengo, Gold Panda, Calexico, etc).
Not much more information about Waleed has yet surfaced to provide much context for his music, but it shares plenty with the work of its high profile supporters, none of whom are slouches, to say the least. Both songs have a nice heft to their shuffle, and plenty of intricate detail. A comparison to Burial is unfortunately inescapable here given the post-garage swing in those drums, but where the godfather tends towards the icy, rainy, and cold, Waleed manages to imbue his music with a good deal more optimism, humidity, and sweat. Both of these songs still have enough emotional weight to tug the heartstrings, but Waleed does a great job of steering clear of the sap, which is hard to say for many others in the genre.
Despite the ever-crowded field, and the relative simplicity of these songs, it’s really no wonder he’s gotten a different level of attention compared to others exploring this sound. It’s natural, easygoing, and loose music that still sounds perfectly intentional and professional.
There are still copies of the 12″ available, and I can kind of imagine the first pressing might become a bit of a collectors item, so grab a copy on bandcamp. (Or stream away, as you do). And definitely check the video for the b-side, “Sueños”, animated by Matt Portner.
Growing up is scary. When you’re a kid, you probably have one of two generally misguided perspectives on getting older. (a) It’ll get easier to just be alive, and I’ll finally be self-determined, so I’ll be more able to do what I want. (b) I’ll be bored, and boring, stuck in a normie life forever, so I better let my light burn bright (or out) while I have the chance.
Neither is particularly accurate. For most, the just being alive part does get a little easier, but self-determination doesn’t usually truly mean the time or power to do what one wants, especially when time speeds up on an exponent. If you have a family, you probably won’t often be bored — though sadly you might seem boring — but at least for many, you’ll fucking treasure the moments when you get the chance to have a few normal boring hours. And sure, go ahead and let your light shine bright as a kid — I’m glad I did — but also leave yourself a little fuel for middle adulthood, because it can be legitimately exhausting to have babies and jobs and purpose, even as thrilling as all that can be.
London-via-Leeds hailing Wittyboy burned bright early — do you remember those niche/bassline Craig David remixes he did back in 2007ish? I think he’s still doing that banger sound for the most part — and power to him for it — but like many of our age group (he’s about a year younger than me, according to wikipedia), he’s at the least supplementing his speed wubs with some more “grownup” (or maybe just mild) sounds, and offering listeners a touch of introspection. “My Fear” is a sweet and simple song that exists in a space somewhere between that post-garage sound that I hate describing but like listening to, and something a bit more akin to straightforward dancefloor pop. It’s really listenable stuff, and hats off to a wubgawd for showing his softer side. We all gotta take a breather sometimes as we approach our 40s.
Previous-era Palms Out stalwarts Big Dope P and Feadz from Paris team up to remix this classic NYC house track by Uncanny Alliance, the duo composed of Brinsley Evans and E.V. Mystique. The original was a hit in the clubs of early-90s New York, but probably is better remembered for its bootleg by Louie Vega and Kenny Dope. This new 2022 version strays pretty far from the original and the early boots, with a shimmery touch of the French and a bunch of jukey fake-outs, but it definitely maintains some of that OG sass.
It’s out now as part of Moveltraxx’s excellent comp Street Bangers Factory 20. Grab it on bandcamp, or stream it wherever.
Uncanny Alliance – “I Got My Education” (Big Dope P & Feadz Remix) (sc)
True to its title, this one’s all a flurry of hoovers, breaks, and rave pianos from London’s 4am Kru, who I’ve covered in the past. “Pianos Raining Down” is also designed as a useful tool, starting at a moderately fast 165bpm, but slowing down during the first breakdown to 134bpm while still keeping the NRG high. By the by, that stab melody is sampled from a track by Yorkshire duo McDonald & Janetta, who are credited as collaborators. All fun here.
Hard-as-nails electro meets g-tech from Osutin, real name Austin Crumpley. Osutin may hail from Phoenix, but this is the stuff that would make nearly any Michigander grimace and start moving their butt.
Osutin’s Bass Go EP is out now on LA label, Teethy. Grab it on bandcamp, or stream it all over.
Sharp, clenched, grand electronica from LA-based Tommy Simpson, aka Macro/micro. Simpson recently stopped work as an engineer for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, where he assisted on the last two NIN albums and their recent film work, including that excellent score for Watchmen.
Simpson’s own work as Macro/micro definitely exists in a similar space as does that of Reznor and Ross, particularly in his use of tightly controlled distortion (see e.g., “Awe” and “He’ll Be With You Shortly”). But there’s also an evident generational divide. Despite its general darkness, this is not dour music, there’s plenty of optimism to be found here too (see e.g., the closer, “Gratitude” which is probably my choice from the record). As a much younger artist, Simpson seems more willing to open the blinds more often and let in some light.
Check out the whole album, released this past July. It’s out now on bandcamp, and streaming everywhere else.
Macro/micro – Things Will Never Be The Same Again (bc)
I’m slowly returning from paternity leave, and this kind of ditty from LA-based apob speaks well to my current mood. Having a little baby who smiles constantly and squeals in delight 100x/day makes it hard to have anything but fun, even though my wife and I are both wildly exhausted.
The sound of “having more fun v1” is true to its name, for sure, but it’s still got an artery of subtle seriousness running through it — maybe it’s that Twin Peaks-y secondary bass line. This song is the first solo release from apob, real name Aaron O’Brien, but he’s produced and written for some interesting names these past couple of years, including Dora Jar, Aiden Bissett, and JELEEL!. One to watch, this one.
Not on bandcamp, but streaming all over, including on spotify.
Cando is a Bristol-based production duo composed of Chad Leotaud and Owen Roberts. Roberts comes from the world of commercial pop and dance, working as a songwriter for the likes of BTS; Leotaud was raised in part in Trinidad, with a background in dancehall and early 2000s DMZ-era dubstep. The track these two sent over recently, “Sting in the Tail”, is the b-side from their most recent two-tracker, and crosses percussive dancehall stylings with touches of both that first-wave dubstep sound and some mainstream sheen. I’ve also included an older track, “Bleak Dub”, from 2019, which sits more firmly in Deep Medi territory, and burns nice and slow. Ones to watch.
Both tracks are available for streaming, or on the duo’s bandcamp.
