Electronic/Hip-hop – Revel Rousers

Premiere: Texture X Hypnokid – MXXNLIGHT

Exclusive premiere of the new track by Texture and Hypnokid. Leafy!

Something a little bit special for our readers this week – a track premiere from science fiction-influenced wordsmith Texture (who, we should reveal, also helps out behind the scenes from time to time at Revel HQ).

テクスチャ · TEXTURE X HYPNOKID – MXXNLIGHT

Taken from the forthcoming EP Forest Gods, MXXNLIGHT is produced by Hypnokid, an up-and-coming Glasgow producer who already has a huge, diverse batch of EPs and albums available through his Bandcamp and on streaming sites. We featured Hypnokid a while back, and we’re excited to hear how his delicately-crafted, bass-laden trap sounds with Texture’s words. The full EP, dropping in August, also features a guest verse from multi-talented producer, rapper and breakdancer Ashtronomik on the track BURNT TRAIL.

“Being in the forest feels holy to me, as an atheist…”

“This EP was inspired by a couple of things,” says Texture. “First up, I had wanted to hear Ashtronomik on one of these Hypnokid beats – Hypno and I had planned a collab a while ago, and Ash was the first rapper I thought of when I heard his crazy beat for BURNT TRAIL. I was also a huge fan of Ashtronomik’s Abruptly – which was one of my tunes of 2020, for sure.”

What connection does he have to the forest, as a writer who usually deals in science fiction imagery? “MXXNLIGHT, and especially FOREST GODS, are both inspired by the long walks I’ve been taking under lockdown, up into the hills and along the rivers where I live,” he says.

“Being in the forest feels holy to me, as an atheist, and I wanted to write about that. Finally, I wanted to give people another taste of the music I am making now, before I drop ILLVMINATE with Asthmatic Astronaut on This Is Not Pop later in 2020. That album is such a massive project, two years and lots of planning went into it, so it was refreshing to take a break and make FOREST GODS in just three weeks, start to finish.” It will be a free EP, intended as a thank you to his followers on Bandcamp.

In anticipation of his big collaboration with AA, it seems like Texture swapped his cyberpunk strides for something a little more pagan and wild… Check out our exclusive preview of MXXNLIGHT, and have a look at these even more exclusive edits of the artwork by our very own Miff Morris.

FOREST GODS (GobophotographyMiff Morris edit) — FOREST GODS

BURNT TRAIL (GobophotographyMiff Morris edit) — BURNT TRAIL

MXXNLIGHT (GobophotographyMiff Morris edit) — MXXNLIGHT

Sixfingerz: Oceanbound in the eye of a Silent Storm

Belgian beatsmith Sixfingerz delivers an exclusive mix for Revel Rousers ahead of his new LP

Belgian producer Tim De Groof, aka Sixfingerz, continues to explore his creative vision and artistic sensibilities, evoking powerful emotional and physical responses within the sonic landscapes he creates.

Hit play below on the EXCLUSIVE one hour DJ mix Sixfingerz put together for Revel, which highlights his best early works. Sample-spliced and blended to technical perfection, his mastery of turntablism shines through, along with impressive musical intelligence.

Sixfingerz’ knack for executing song structures with a timeless quality owes much to his own vast knowledge and love of traditional, roots and world instruments and musical styles, from past to present. His sound carries a lantern perpetually forward, illuminating bygone eras and musical forms through a modern, stylistic beat-making approach.

Now back with a new album, Silent Storm, Sixfingerz’ innate musical sensitivity is used to evoke the contours of distinct visual landscapes. His sonic explorations tend to naturally lean into cinematic realms, suggesting soul-stirring narratives, glimpsed in brief glances.

His most recent album, Silent Storm is a perfect snapshot of the creative headspace in which he dwells, as well as the emotional landscapes he roams. He invites the listener into a soothing world of atmospheric textures and warm vintage sounds which evoke a feeling of comfortability and familiarity, leaning on the gently rousing rhythmic nuances of hip-hop for tempo shifts amongst the blissful, chilled out sonics.

Revel had the immense honour of catching up with Sixfingerz to chat about his new album. He describes the creative headspace he occupies, gives some insight into the creative process, and tells us where his new music takes him emotionally.

Specifically for this album, what direction has your music taken? How has your sound changed over time?

This album is really chill, the next album will probably be more uptempo, but in what or which form is still a mystery, even to me.

For this album specifically, I wanted to go back to the essence of music on this album. Less chaos, more order. On this record I tried to make the core melodies of these songs interesting enough to carry the song and try to hypnotize the listener musically in that way.

“I can see birds flocking and flying away. It’s crazy what that song does to me.”

Currently I’m thinking it ten times more over then before, just to make it simpler, as I have a tendency to complicate things first and then uncomplicate them… But it’s not really my choice.

As a model for inspiration I used Yann Tiersen’s album Amélie Poulian and I listened a lot to Hans Zimmer, Ennio Morricone, Brad Friedel, and Clint Mansell.

What else fuelled your creative vision for the album?

These last couple of years have been very difficult for me, and this album is basically a way for me to cope with the whole thing. I hope people will get the same respite as me when listening to it. I really hope the vibe shines through and fills people with a nice warm authentic feeling, that these sounds can relieve people of some pressures or just use it to drift away in their thoughts.

I always write what I would like to listen to next and usually I gravitate towards samples that express those feelings even when I’m not paying attention. It’s like the right chops and chords get chosen unconsciously and I just go along with it.

I think the next release will probably be self-released due to huge overhead costs and time before the album comes out. It’s really hard for an independent artist like myself to make a dime.

How easy or difficult was the album to make? How long did it take?

The album took more or less a year to create and then an extra year before it gets released by the label. I still use the same old program Madtracker 2 (that was made over twenty years ago by a Belgian guy named Yannick Delwiche). I played or programmed most of the instruments on it myself, apart from the occasional sample. I even used the old strumstick and the Roliseaboard to give it some extra personality. Lots of back and forth for feedback of course.

In the end I’m pretty satisfied with how it turned out. Really love the artwork of Sebastian Fraye on this one.

Do you have a personal favourite song off the album?

Oceanbound. I can really feel this song in my core. This track just takes me to the pier, I can see birds flocking and flying away. It’s crazy what that song does to me. Most of the people who listened to the album point out breeze,sol or Heart of the City (which I must admit, I especially added for the fans of the boombap aspect my tracks often have and also I because felt like the album needed some uptempo).

What and who inspires you these days?

The films which continue to inspire me: Parasite, Memento (2001), Metropolis (1927), Grizzly Man (2005), My Dinner With André (1981), Double Indemnity (1944).

People you must check up on: Alex Hirsch (the cipher hunt), Jordan Peterson, Alan Watts, Elon Musk, Richard Feynman, Hans Teeuwen, Michio Kaku.

Music you need to hear: Alt-J, Low Hum, Daughter, Emancipator, Kiasmos, Bon Iver, Nils Frahm, Ross From Friends, Spooky Black, Jon Hopkins, Bonobo, Tash Sultana, Jon Gomm, John Butler, Ólafur Arnalds, Sleep Party People, but also old school music like Bootsy Collins, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, Billy Joel, and Del Shannon.

Anything you’d like to tell your listeners?

I would like to thank everyone for listening and the continued support these last 10 years. And thanks a lot for this interview.

Silent Storm is out now on Cold Busted. Streaming everywhere.
Sixfingerz on Bandcamp
Cold Busted: Shop

Beat scene business: PATA issues his Manifesta

The slick bunch over at Skoop records arguably have the most original producers and rappers in Scotland on their roster, with the likes of Tzusan, CRPNTR and most recently to the fold, PATA, an off-kilter electronic producer originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil who currently resides in Glasgow. Skoop is resolutely a label that is set for the world stage, with an abundance to offer in stimulating, fresh club sounds.

PATA’s compact debut album Manifesta is a distinctive seven-track medley of thrumming bass, rolling tribal rhythms and intricate synth-work. The remix by Glaswegian producer/DJ Kami-O explores a different groove, leaning more towards sub-heavy bass music.

PATA’s unique sound gravitates towards territory explored by LA Beat Scene luminaries like FlyLo, an earthy, grassroots sound that isn’t afraid to get adventurous. With elements of IDM, hip-hop, R&B, and jazz, PATA’s upfront rhythms have a strong, earthy base and healthy roots.

Manifesta as an album flows with immense fluidity. The disparate influences are all woven together into a shimmering tapestry of dub, future bass and Chicago footwork influences. Gripping, burly basslines rub against angular, rolling synth lines.

PATA’S production feels exceptionally fresh and exciting. He leads the listener into exhilarating percussive abstraction, always ready with an earworm synth hook. There is a uniquely tribal sound to his sampling, too, which marks him out even from his talented Skoop peers.

Revelrousers caught up with PATA and asked him to draw us some insights into the making of Manifesta. We began by asking him about the name.

“PATA is paw in both Portuguese and Spanish,” he says. “It came basically from me having started producing when a longboard crash resulting in surgery fucked my hand. I couldn’t play guitar well anymore. That is when I started producing with o’skanz. So, an alias idea I always had was Brokenpaw aka Patakebrada; which became PATA.”

His first long release as PATA, the album was two years in the making. “It pulls together a range of styles that my sound has sort of settled into, and hopefully showcases the influences that inspired me, as well as representing a local slice of the UK electronic music scene,” he says.

“I’m inspired by a range of producers, primarily from the US (particularly Los Angeles), the UK, and my homeland of Brazil,” he continues, citing a long list of eclectic influences. “From the US, the likes of Mr Carmack, Kenny Segal, TSURUDA – basically guys that created what became unhelpfully termed the LA Beat Scene back in 2011. These guys really helped evolve the fusion of lo-fi and hip-hop melodic sensibilities with rock-solid trap rhythms, and still go hard today.”

Like many of the Skoop clan, his roots in bass music still exert a strong pull. “The UK dubstep scene is also a major home for me, having been my introduction into Soundsystem culture. The likes of Mala, Commodo and Clams Casino taught me a lot about sub bass and atmosphere.”

Is he a perfectionist, or does he like to create fast and loose? It’s “a mixed bag,” he says. “Sometimes a track comes together really quickly and effortlessly if you’re in the right headspace. Sometimes it takes weeks of tweaking and scrapping and re-working.”

Of the album tracks, “Veiled and T.I.N.K.A.M came together within a couple of weeks, whereas Market Riddim was constantly tweaked and changed for over a year before I was happy with it.”

Remix duties go to Skoop regular Kami-O, and PATA was thrilled to have him aboard. “It’s an honour! The guy’s one of the fiercest dubstep producers in Scotland right now and he’s getting the recognition he deserves; he’s been putting out banger after banger as well as guest mixes for a while now. I have a lot of respect for his sound, and he’s a legend to boot.”

The two were introduced by Skoop clan’s lyrical sniper Tzusan: “Really glad he made the connection,” says PATA. He sees Kami-O as a future collaborator: “You can be sure we’re working together again in the future. I gave him free reign to pick any track and I’d send over the stems, and I rate what he did to Market Riddim. His cut is much sludgier and the synth in the last drop is flames.”

Who else would he like to collaborate with? “I would love to do some work with the frankly ridiculous amount of vocal talent in the Scottish hip hop scene at the moment, many of whom also have releases under Skoop, so the connection exists already and is what I’d like to work towards next. I’d also like to work on a UK Baile-inspired release with Dearly Beloved, whose knowledge and love for baile funk outshines mine (and plenty of my countrymen too).”

PATA feels he has found a home at Skoop, a label that vibes with his aesthetic and approach. “I’m absolutely gassed to be putting out my first proper release in such good company, for sure. The Scottish scene has so much to give right now and this group of artists is primed to fly the flag for our beat scene.”

Soundsystem certified music, ice cream for the ears. Take a big Skoop.