NYC Archives ~ Bolting Bits

JR2k – Sun Anthem [Fixed Rhythms]

Florent — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 14:00:40 +0000

Jackson Ryland comes in focused and ecstatic with his first vinyl release under his technoid alias JR2K. Jackson is based in Washington DC as one-half of both Superabundance and Rush Plus. He’s recently released on Peach Discs and Pleasant Life, showcasing his knack for presenting energy as a delicacy. JR2K “Walking Backward” is another illustrious highlight in the savvy DC producer’s already-accomplished underground career. Supported by Kush Jones, Peach, Ciel, Clarisa Kimskii, Ryan Elliott, CMD, Davis Galvin, livwutang, Furtive, Golden Medusa, Lychee, Miley Serious, and JiaLing!

The A side opens up whooshy and hard with “ExoGeni Approach”. This illustrates perfectly what I love about Jackson’s style(s)…it sounds like the sickest mid-90s techno track, full of energy and movement while taking in the atmosphere with repose. After the rollercoaster intro, the acidic up-ticks, lush synth layering, and perfectly crunchy closed-hats sink your ass straight through the dance-floor to tumbling free-for-all in the green-screen collage of your daydreams. Wake up…A2 “Call Back” splashes you with a glass of refreshing water…you still got hours at the party, and you’re coming up on some healthE shit…time to get back to that business of dancing your soles and soul away to this driving monorail of euphoric acidic techno. Choo choo choose your own dance destiny, baby!

Don’t expect too much of a breather on the B-side though. “Sun Anthem” brings the solar modular beams on top of a delightfully delayed kick with swinging hats. Sounds like funky lasers, if light had mass and it could creep into your skull and massage the worries right out of your brain folds. The record ends with the titular track blooping, stomping, and clapping all over the dance floor. The end shows just how much of an auteur Jackson is, how he can put his special, funky je ne sais quoi on dance music that will shake you down hard and fast. All four tracks have something unique, but they all proudly say that dance music can be simultaneously defiant and sophisticated, banging and subtle. Cop this slab–don’t sleep!

Pre-order.

https://youtu.be/WD66kzqbFYM

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Moist Briefs – Low Key [Toucan Sounds]

Florent — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 13:00:34 +0000

Moist Briefs is a New York-based producer, DJ, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Having played at some of the city’s most respected nightclubs and radio shows, such as The Lot Radio, Mood Ring, Rash, Jupiter Disco, and Half Moon BK, as well as releasing a well-received string of self-released singles and EPs, Moist Briefs now arrives on toucan sounds with the wonderfully varied ‘Orbiter’ EP.

Leading the release, ‘Low Key’ brings rattling drums and off-kilter sampling together for a high-octane start to the release. ‘Last Min Check In’ keeps the energy levels high with pounding house rhythms and chopped samples before ‘Just Blaze’ brings a flurry of breakbeats and lush pads. ‘Death From Above’ sees Moist Briefs go for the jugular, with booming subs, fast 4/4 kicks, and rave stabs taking centre stage. ‘Earidescent’ follows, a hazy deep house jam with gorgeous chords, vocal snippets shuffling percussion, which also receives the vocal treatment from toucan sounds’ family Brandon Markell Holmes as the final track on the release.

Pre-order.

https://youtu.be/lrmZ2w_bSRo

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Toribio – Brown Cocoa Skin (DJ Spinna Remix) [Real Feel]

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 13:00:48 +0000

NY DJ, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Toribio baptize Real Feel Records with the Brown Cocoa Skin EP. The record is chock full of lush, swingy tracks built for the dancefloor. The legendary DJ Spinna contributes the finishing touches with a monster remix.

To get your hands on this spectacular debut from Real Feel, make sure to head over to their bandcamp to get your pre-order! Follow this link right here! Brown Cocoa Skin hits stores on September 1st.

https://youtu.be/BGuihjmqrSw

Toribio – Brown Cocoa Skin (DJ Spinna Remix) (https://youtu.be/BGuihjmqrSw)

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Aldonna – Air Sign [Homage Records]

Florent — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 13:00:16 +0000

With bright chords, pumping rhythms, and gripping bass lines, the fast-rising talent Aldonna emerges from Melbourne’s underground with her ‘Morph’ EP, including remixes from Alex Kassian and Marli, set for release via the always reliable HOMAGE label.

Having cut her teeth in Melbourne’s lively community with her party series Re-Leaf and as a fixture on the Australian club circuit, Aldonna’s sound is clearly supercharged with dancefloor energy. And her passion hasn’t gone unnoticed. Cosigns from the likes of BICEP, who tapped her to contribute to their acclaimed ‘Feel My Bicep’ mix series, prove she’s been an artist to watch for some time. Now with her debut EP, she introduces her own distinct sound which traverses seamlessly through nostalgic trance motifs and hyper ravey breaks. Aldonna is clearly making a push to be an unstoppable force in clubland.

The EP leads off with ‘Nights In Shizuoka’ and a rugged rhythm laying the foundation for arpeggiated synths building until a mystical pan flute carries the ballad to heavenly heights. Throughout the release, Aldonna showcases a knack for playing with a multitude of sonic textures, and the next track titled ‘Air Sign’ possesses layers of immersive textures, from tight acid lines to bubbling ambiance, haunting vocal chops, and warm emotive melodies layered over pumping breaks for an ecstatic anthem. The a-side concludes with ‘For All That We Know’ as a tight bass line sets the stage for Aldonna to build on her playful aesthetic with a shimmering and exuberant melody.

On the flip side, Aldonna goes full rave mode with ‘The Empress’ Acid Line’, leading with chopped breaks before an infectious acid riff creeps and builds with seductive vocals, delivering massive energy that is palpable. Following the originals is a remix by Berlin-based Love On The Rocks mainstay Alex Kassian who aims his version of ‘The Empress’ Acid Line’ at the most euphoric dancefloor moments and delivers a tried and true trancey euro-house weapon not to be overlooked. Rounding out the release is Melbourne’s own Marli who flips ‘Air Sign’ with a rumbling bass line to reveal a bumping house cut that will satisfy the most vibrant crowds in the dance.

Pre-order.

https://youtu.be/BuGUCCVrKB8

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Justin Jay, Sam von Horn – Success [Club Designs]

Florent — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 13:00:57 +0000

After a few electro themed various artists -releases we are back with our 3rd artist release from a Los Angeles club music stalwart Justin Jay.

Justin Jay is a name synonymous with forward thinking electronic music, having earned recognition for his fresh take on the club music genre influenced by everything from jazz, soul, funk, and more.

Justin regularly embarks on ventures inspired by the wider dance & electronic spectrum – whether it’s delivering bass laden house tracks or exploring oft misunderstood sub-genres through the likes of tastemaker labels like Shall Not Fade, Justin continually pushes the envelope with his productions.

This 4-tracker is true club weapons, whether you’ll be throwing it down 11pm or 5am, you got it all here.

Pre-order.

https://youtu.be/YHyGrmzTy_c

Justin Jay, Sam von Horn – Success (https://youtu.be/YHyGrmzTy_c)

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Times & Tunes with Barbie Bertisch

Florent — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 10:18:16 +0000

In this edition of Times and Tunes we have a slick and bespoke Spotify playlist by Barbie Bertisch whose new album Prelude is out on her own music label Love Injection Records. While Bertisch has been making zines under the same label name for the past 7 years, her musical ambition was already there from the start. This album represents the culmination of the last 5 years of Bertisch’s life and the explosion of confidence and creativity that she intentionally fostered during lockdown. A compilation of ideas that she had previously thought unworthy of attention bubbled to completion as she grew and healed past her frustrations. Put this playlist on while you read our conversation with her to get a deeper look insider her process and inspiration.

INTERVIEW

Hey Barbie! How have you been lately, any exciting things happening in your life?
Hi! That’s a big opening question. Prelude, my first album, came out mid June which feels like a lifetime ago but I guess it’s still under a month. So much has happened since, both related to the album and not. I’ve been feeling a little swept into the rollercoaster of the release, having produced a mini festival in Upstate NY, various creative deadlines and the ebullience of summer in the city. I’m planning on going into hiding the rest of July to recharge and refocus.

I’d love to hear the reasons why you chose the tracks that you did for this feature. What inspired this playlist?
I went back to the songs that I listened to a lot during early 2018. It made me happy to reacquaint myself with music that clearly meant so much to me. I see a quest for music that was spiritual, introspective, and at times explosive… which kinda makes sense given the state of mind I was in back then.

How does it feel to finally be putting your music out into the world?
It feels nice finally, but it was very scary for a while. I say scary because I consider these songs to come from a very vulnerable, intimate place and that’s not something I always embraced, let alone in a public way. I considered pulling the plug a dozen times but as the music was getting closer to its release, I realized it was time to let it all go so I could move on to what’s next. So that felt quite good. What was very surprising was to hear Prelude resonating with people.

When did the journey for creating this album begin? Where and when did these first tracks start to emerge?
The tracks started to come about sometime in 2018. I was in a period of heavy personal change and very creatively stifled, which caused a lot of internal struggle that needed to be let out somehow. So, without any aim, I started putting stuff down anytime it felt visceral and necessary. I worked on these projects without any intention whatsoever for them to be made into any release—I just needed to get stuff out because I had no other way of making sense of what I was going through.

What helped encourage you to finally push forward and release this music?
Corny to say the lockdown? Partly. I had abandoned all those sessions and had began another project with a collaborator, and then March 2020 came along and I was sitting at the kitchen table writing lyrics for our songs, when I realized I hadn’t closed a really big chapter. Maybe I needed to turn back to those sessions to save me from going insane at home or perhaps I felt like I had unfinished business—that I wouldn’t be able to move on without putting it out and behind me. So that propelled me to go back into the hard drive and reexamine where I left off. It was very methodical, like I put two pieces of paper together and listened to each project and assessed what I thought each was missing, then I got to work.

Do your zines inform your music? The other way around? How do your other artistic practices influence your music?
I think everything I absorb informs the music I make. We live in a high stimuli world that I really think we miss a lot of the stuff that seeps into our subconscious. Love Injection has been a vehicle for me to reach out to, interview, and learn from folks I admire, so naturally it has to have made an impact. I remember interviewing Anna Domino or Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy some years ago and being really inspired by each of their journeys. I also think the act of listening, more than anything, informs and seeps into music making. I was recently at a Q&A with Ron Trent, where he was talking about his new project called WARM and his recent album, and I loved hearing about how record collecting changed him. How the process of following your nose can take you into previously unknown directions. Learning, listening, reading. Art, design, architecture, a hodgepodge of my favorite records, and very raw emotions are all part of Prelude, for sure.

I’d love to hear more on musical influences as well. To me the influence on this album feels eclectic, coming from a wide variety of sources, but I’d love to hear some specifics!
I mean, it’s quite difficult to nail down. It’s quite evident that I love synthesizers from hearing it, and I do love a lot of the Berlin School era electronics while also having deep admiration for the studied wildness of Gavilan Rayna Russom’s approach. She’s the best. From a mood perspective, I came of age with a hefty dose of new wave and post punk, and I do think that made it in there. From a technical perspective, I won’t shut up about how much I think Francois K’s productions have made an impact—but I’ll say it again because I think he deserves endless flowers.

What got you into DJing?
I’ve been at clubs since I’m 16, primarily as a dancer. It wasn’t until I went to a party in the lineage of the Mancuso’s Loft that I was really inspired to get into DJing. The group of friends who were regulars were also what I’d call heads. They were always getting together, playing records at each other’s places, basements, you name it. Wherever you went, there was a rig. I expressed interest and they were very open and nourished my curiosity. They put me in front of a two channel mixer, two house 12s, and taught me the concept of beatmatching. It went from there.

When you started making zines with your partner in 2015, did you go into it of the mind that it would evolve into a bigger, multi-medium, project? Was Love Injection destined to be all the things it is now from the start?
Absolutely not. There was no masterplan and definitely no roadmap. Paul started it first and invited me early on to participate, and my role grew with time (as did our relationship). We’re 65 issues and 7 years in. We’ve ticked off so many things off our wishlist but there’s still so much to do, so many people to talk to. It still feels like we’re winging it because there’s no staff, no office, no budgets—we just make it work on our terms and try to do the best we can while pursuing the stories that truly interest us the most.

Obviously for a lot of us who couldn’t go out during the pandemic our music habits changed. Especially for DJs and people who like to go out to consume music, did you find that your habits changed? Do you think there’s something exciting you learned about yourself and your tastes from that period?
Not much for me honestly. I’ve always kept a pretty open mind in terms of the music I listen to while being very context-minded when I present music. I was managing a record shop for six months by the time we locked down, so I was on this incredible journey of absorbing new music on a daily basis. It was the best job ever. But also having a weekly radio show (shouts The Lot Radio!) with Paul has been the best driver. We’re always ‘digging’, always looking for something that speaks to us. Radio is such a great format for putting people on because it is a different way of entertainment. You don’t have the pressures of a full dance floor. But I did definitely miss the euphoria of parties and the special moments that couldn’t be replicated at home.

If Prelude is a Prelude for what is to be a fruitful music career for you in the future, where do you see it going from here?
Hopefully making space for collaboration, and allowing me the opportunity to further develop my voice. I feel like I’ve already changed so much since this album was made, that I’m keen to see who connects with the next one.

Interview by Jacob N-E.
Pictures by Guarionex Rodriguez Jr.

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Community Theater – Having Everything (Violet Remix) [Sorry Records]

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 14:00:52 +0000

Increasingly essential New York City dance music DIY label Sorry Records teamed up with DJ/producer and “dance music historian” Chrissy (Hooversound, Pets Recordings, Dansu Discs) and Lisbon-based DJ/producer/vocalist Maria Amor (Paraíso, Naivety) for the debut of their new project Community Theater — a technicolor ode to vocal freestyle, electro, and semi-forgotten strains of club-oriented dance-pop. Sorry Records’s first-ever physical release — Having Everything EP delivers four stellar original vocal club tracks alongside standout remixes from Naive head Violet, Sorry Records family Escaflowne, LA rave queen Bianca Oblivion, and Portuguese producer/visual artist Shcuro. Taking freestyle nostalgia into the modern world via digital and cassingle tape release, Community Theater’s Having Everything EP provides a supremely pleasurable and much-needed perspective to the way we look backward at the club sounds of the 1980s. Bolting Bits is happy to share the premiere for Violet’s remix of the title track.

Simultaneously bringing the sort of energy you’d expect to be bumping out of a native New Yorker’s minivan as they cruise through Bay Ridge, Having Everything EP manages to create a special sonic embodiment of all things ADIDAS tracksuit… a manic combo of genre and attitude that evoked the energy of NYC in the 80s. Right out the gate, “Let Me Party” channels Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with a forlorn party anthem that encourages us to put off our problems and just give in to hedonistic dancefloor abandon. The title track proceeds in a more modern way though. An intense driving bassline matches an aggressive vibe and lyrics about something that everyone can rally against — trust fund kids.

Bolting Bits · PREMIERE: Community Theater – Having Everything (Violet Remix)

Having Everything certainly has a lot! The b side originals “The Same Place” and “Another Of Me” deeply channel a sort of funky upbeat Chemical Plant Zone feel that relieves the tension of the title track and soothes in its energetic glee. As “Another Of Me” channels goofy disco vanity, “The Same Place” lays down the funk, evoking a bit of Michael Jackson even, whilst bringing the vocals forward a couple years.

Remix duty falls on Escaflowne, Bianca Oblivion, Violet, and Shcuro who are dutifully and excellently on brand. Escaflowne keeps the tracksuit on but tosses “Let Me Party” across the pond, putting forth a stellar 2-step UKG treatment. Bianca Oblivion busts out the cardboard for a fantastic breakin’ electro remix of “Another of Me.” On the Lisbon end of things — Violet and Shcuro abstract their entries a bit with the Naive label head creating a pumping gothic rendition of “Having Everything,” as Shcuro (who designed the artwork of the release as well) provide a sort of ambient acid electro take on “The Same Place.”

A stellar release from Sorry Records that hopefully stands as an excellent and much-needed kick-off to the forthcoming 80s freestyle revival. Get your hands on a copy here!

Review by/ Jacob Nelsen-Epstein

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Haruka Salt – 2001 Shibuya [Toucan Sounds]

Florent — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 13:00:24 +0000

New York’s toucan sounds ready ‘Playground Compilation (Vol. 3)’, featuring Shifting Gears, Haruka Salt, John Barera, and more.

Comprising a mammoth seventeen tracks and being released exclusively on Bandcamp with all proceeds going directly to artists, toucan sounds’ ‘Playground Compilation (Vol. 3)’ compiles various sounds and genres from label regulars such as Haruka Salt, Shifting Gears, Toribio, as well as newcomers to the imprint John Barera, Laenz, Matt FX, and more.

The compilation aims to encapsulate the underground sound of New York City, with many of the tracks and contributors deeply rooted in its musical lifeblood. ’Same Ole Thang’ by Whatever, Girl aka Louie “Balo” Guzman & Bill Coleman was pulled off a cassette from the mid-90s (remixed and remastered for today) while the two were releasing records on Strictly Rhythm and Eightball Records. All the way to the 2020s, with Love Letters, who has appeared on some of Brooklyn’s top underground labels like Mister Saturday Night, Allergy Season, and The Bunker. They all join toucan sounds for the first time alongside artists like fleet.dreams and Escaflowne, who often play b2b, and whose fantastic releases on Sorry Records have seen them pushed forward in the local Brooklyn scene.

Overall, from the hazy opening house jam ‘can’t stop the moment’ through to the washed-out electronica of derek muro’s ‘ramble3 (Balearic Dub)’, the compilation successful exemplifies the open-minded ethos of the label. By emphasizing a focus on the local talent forged at their YouYooCanWoo Studios, as well as artists from further afield, the compilation is an assured collection of exciting music from the wide-ranging friends and family of the fast-rising imprint.

Brooklyn’s toucan sounds are a label at the forefront of emerging sounds and artists. Curated by French Horn Rebellion out of the You Too Can Woo studios in New York, the imprint has been championing acts such as Haruka Salt, Toribio, Brandon Markell Holmes, and many more since its inception in 2019.

Pre-order.

https://youtu.be/oKAsIZjmvWE

Haruka Salt – 2001 Shibuya (https://youtu.be/oKAsIZjmvWE)

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Fleet.dreams – Can’t Stop the Momentum [Toucan Sounds]

Florent — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 13:00:14 +0000

Brooklyn-based label toucan sounds’ latest project, Playground Compilation Vol. 3, is a staggering, 17-track compilation featuring some of the most exciting new names in the New York electronic underground. Mostly recorded out of toucan sound’s Brooklyn studio, You Too Can Woo, this compilation sees both newcomers to the label, like John Barera, Laenz, Matt Fx, Escaflowne, and regulars such as Haruka Salt, Shifting Gears, musclecars, and Toribio, bringing the heat and carrying the torch for New York dance music. The result is a kaleidoscopic portrait of the city’s vibrant underground dance community.

Kicking the project off is first-time toucan sounds guest, fleet.dreams, with his anthemic, melodic slice of tropical house, “Can’t Stop the Momentum”. The song serves as a fitting introduction to this massive compilation, with the main ear-worm refrain, “This is how we do it from the Brooklyn side”, serving as a kind of rallying cry for the rest of the tracks that follow. Everything about this opening track is energetic, unabashed, jubilant, and just damn fun. Its spunky attitude and brash confidence feel very akin to the spirit of the city itself. The track is replete with bongos, handclaps, truncated synths, an undeniably funky bassline, and layered ‘80s-sounding vocal samples which feel like they could have been ripped straight out of a long-lost Run DMC hidden gem.

The effect here is a kind of filtering of New York music culture– namely the golden age of hip-hop and funk– into ecstasy-inducing modern dance music. This song is a great opening and encapsulation of the unbridled energy which each of the other tracks on this compilation build upon and harness to their own unique and delightful ends.

Pre-order.

https://youtu.be/bfq4rn9_p7Y

Fleet.dreams – can't stop the moment (https://youtu.be/bfq4rn9_p7Y)

Gilad.

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Myles Avery – Kepppy [Homage]

Florent — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 14:15:32 +0000

Myles Avery is a producer, sound designer, and engineer based in Los Angeles. Since his debut in 2017, Avery’s work has appeared at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Performance Arcade in New Zealand, and he has continued to advance his career as a producer and writer, collaborating with artists across the indie-pop landscape, including NPR-darlings Overcoats, Valley, Mako, Wingtip, ELIO, and others – and landing various commercial placements with clients like Netflix, XBOX, Space Jam, and more.

Returning to his solo output for Homage, ‘Aldana’ is a seven-track opus, combining his compositional expertise with uncanny dancefloor sensibilities. Across the release, bliss ambiance meets lush soundscapes, hypnotic rhythms tangle with hair raising breakbeats, and modular synthesis moves in tandem with carefully considered arrangements, all combining to create a deeply personal and moving collection of music.

From the opening ‘Sparks’ through to closer ‘Liftoff’, this is music crafted in equal parts for body and mind.

Pre-order.

https://youtu.be/uZSjCI8JmgU

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