Intercontinental duo tourdefrance present new soulful sound

With an eye on dance rhythm and strong vocals, Fantom and Tworow get back to work

Tourdefrance is the shared project of Luke Fantom and Carson Tworow, a duo who originally made a connection back in 2018, when both producers were in Vancouver. The pair have been developing their artistic relationship ever since, keeping the energy behind their collaborative work flowing. Their success comes despite a significant physical distance between the two, with Fantom and Tworow now communicating between Canada and the UK.

The music styles in which they share an interest tend to lean towards dance based rhythms, inspiration which directs their process to the creation of electronica fed music with dancefloor soul. Within the discography of tourdefrance can be heard the influence of jazz, disco, afro-beat and indie, dealt with through the filter of old-school house.

The duo has recently dropped a new four track EP, titled ‘tourdefrance 2’. It’s a tightly produced collection which embraces manipulated percussive beats, deep bass rhythm carrying the natural beauty of synth and vocal sampling.

The new EP is opened by an edit of Fatoumata Diawara's single ‘Nterini’. A recent collaborator with the Gorillaz, Diawara’s gorgeous vocals find their way into a new electronic environment through the work of tourdefrance, and the result feels good in the soul and moves the body.

Support the EP on Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify

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octo17 experiments with hybrid forms on 'playtest'

Russian producer octo17 returns to the ADSR blog with a new track titled ‘playtest’, a hybrid form that takes elements from electro, deep house, and hip hop. The rhythm is unmistakably electro, with thick kicks and a boom-bap beat; but the pads and melodic elements are certainly more common in the deeper end of house music. And to round it out, the rap vocal samples give it an extra bit of swagger that will have you bobbing your head to the beat in no time.

Everything comes together to invoke, perhaps, early Drexciya, with their organic-yet-foreign, sunk-in-the-ocean pioneering form of electro. And yet, octo17 still flexes his modern production chops, creating a balanced frequency range that thumps in the lows and tickles in the highs. Combined with some unique atmospherics and well-tuned delays, the track rolls along nicely and would be hard pressed to keep anyone still on the dancefloor.

— review by autonomy

Hear more from octo17 by following on Soundcloud

Neu Balance wears his heart on his sleeve for 'In my life I've loved them all'

Neu Balance, one of Vancouver’s great breakout artists from the heyday of 1080p recordings, is back with a second full-length album, this time for the Seattle label Budget Cuts Records & Tapes. Despite retaining the name Neu Balance, however, this album is anything but the same rubbery, lurching, hazed out sounds of the first album, “Rubber Sole.” After the departure of Sebastian Davidson for solo works, Sam Beatch seems to have taken the opportunity of full control at the helm to branch out and collaborate in all directions. This new album, titled “In my life, I’ve loved them all,” includes a whole host of features by fellow producers, session musicians, and vocalists. They all work in tandem to expand the NB sound palette considerably, and coalesce into a polished, coherent, and smooth listen right from the first play.

The sound is still unmistakably PNW, but where Rubber Sole felt idiosyncratic and rhythmically experimental, In my Life, I’ve loved them all finds a confident unification of ideas. Track arrangements feel much more natural, the production is precise, and the emotional resonance of the compositions shine bright through it all. This is intuitive music; it prioritizes feeling over thinking, and the result is entirely sumptuous to consume.

Get a taste up above by streaming “I left my body alone with you,” featuring vocalist Forever, and hop over to Budget Cuts’ Bandcamp to get a copy for yourself.

— review by autonomy

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Iain Howie goes beyond the blueprint for 'Living & Dying'

“Living & Dying,” the brand new single from local Vancouver resident Iain Howie, is unmistakably modern dance music. The production quality, four-on-the-floor beat structure, and sound processing all make sure of it. But to leave it at that would simply be a disservice to what is, underneath the arped-out synths and thumping kicks, a lyrical ballad bursting at the seams with melancholic despair.

Compositionally, ‘Living & Dying’ breaks far out of the loop-based patterns that are commonplace in the dance world, with instrumentation that comes closer to the feel of a session musician or live band — a testament to Howie’s musicality. His soft vocals counterpoint the airy pads that are omnipresent throughout the track, giving it a sombre tone. The lyrical quality of the track makes it perfect for home listening, and yet provides just enough structure that DJs won’t have any problem fitting it into a set for a bit of a changeup.

You can buy it now from UK label Needwant’s Bandcamp, or stream it on Spotify. And if you like this one, keep an eye out for a forthcoming remix by Bob Moses…

— review by autonomy

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