Lyndon Jarr Release The Dreamer through SmallPrint Recordings

Transmitting frequencies directly out of Hong Kong, the international, Aussie-born producer Lyndon Jarr has risen to global fanfare for his distinct system music and his label's world-wide talent curation. As the co-founder of Unchained Recordings and Unchained Asia, he's a direct player and taste-maker in bass music's expansion into the Far East, and his own catalog features a bevy of finely-tuned tracks that feel at home on any proper rig. His most recent release, The Dreamer, finds an apt home with SmallPrint Recordings, and showcases the ever evolving nuance of his musical craftsmanship.

Jarr's discography is a journey through some of electronic music's most intrepid formats, from ambient to jungle, to 140 and back again. There's few settings that won't agree with his productions, and The Dreamer is no different; between precision percussion, supple rhythms, and aqueous song writing, the EP exudes a potent smoothness that's hard to pull away from. Somewhere between the nexus of soul, bass, and classic dance-floor music, Jarr strikes a careful equilibrium of aural elements and directions. That equilibrium is fully pronounced throughout The Dreamer, with each track ebbing gently and deliberately into new territories.

“Abeyance” opens the EP with a velvet dive into a four on the floor headspace. The melody is a subtle jaunt across the back of the mix, fleshed out with vibrant pads and sparse, delayed tones. There’s a feeling of weightlessness within the composition, accented by the rounded pulses of bass that fill out each measure. It’s a remarkably succinct package, prioritizing pure vibe over excessive impact. That same priority makes itself abundantly clear in the namesake track, “Dreamer”. There’s no substitute for spot-on drum processing, and the percussion throughout the song quite literally takes flight with your headspace in tow. Each pulse of texture and low end swims in and out of the stereo space like highway landmarks passed by in the dark of night. The track breaks into a monologue for dreamers, by dreamers: “They say dreaming’s dead, that no one does it anymore. It’s not dead, it’s just that it’s been forgotten.” All in a moment, it feels as though the songwriting is more than just it’s blend of synthesis and rhythm; Jarr’s musical strength is the personification of his music, and “Dreamer” personifies his personal, emotional output all the same.

SmallPrint’s tenure in the ongoing history of system music has been marked by their stellar list of collaborative artists and releases, and the addition of Lyndon Jarr continues to substantially raise the value of their reputable watermark. The scope and design of Jarr’s music lends itself to SmallPrint’s space-lounge veneer, and that relationship is nothing less than synergistic. The sooner you experience The Dreamer, the sooner you can experience that synergy for yourself.

FOLLOW Lyndon Jarr: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify

FOLLOW SmallPrint Recordings: Soundcloud / Bandcamp

Kercha - A Very Strange Man

The beginning of the new year typically brings a wide swath of musical releases from artists looking to offload last year's final creative products, and Kercha is not about to miss out on this high-octane release season; based out of Gelendzhik, Russia, Kercha has been a mainstay contributor to SmallPrint Recordings, and excels in the design and composition of exceptionally vibey system music. His latest EP, A Very Strange Man, delivers his sonic vision with an acuity that is a testament to his meticulous production process.

The initial draw of the EP lies in the tangible difference between musical aggression and musical abrasion; eschewing abrasive tones and wide-berth frequencies, Kercha allows the rhythm to drum up the aggression of the music, as in the case of the track “Rope”. Pounding 808s and modulated sub frequencies enhance the stereo image, permeating an aural aesthetic that is both brazen and succinct. Taking a step away from large-bore sub weight and eclectic rhythmic shuffles, “Ghosts Don't Exist” instead meanders in a playfully slapstick direction. Flipping the idea of tonal dissonance on its head, the main melody lick is a subtle drop across a distance of semitones, foregoing harmonic interplay for eclectic note choice. All throughout the EP, the percussion programming and post production shine culminate in voluptuous spatial dynamics. Demonstrated to maximum effect in “A Very Strange Man”, the top layer percussion fills the top of the frequency spectrum, and serves as the focal point of the track. Terse melody elements and stabs of rounded synthesis fill in the gaps to create a stereophonic listening experience that saturates the aural spectrum.

The sea of system music covers a rapidly growing territory of genres and musical attitudes, and Kercha seems to thread in between those constantly re-established lines. Regardless of the mood or atmosphere, his catalog has grown to include a vibe for a diverse range of listeners and enthusiasts. A Very Strange Man is but the next step in an ongoing journey that has seen Kercha's music spread from the other side of the globe and back, and with SmallPrint Recordings backing the process, the guaranteed quality of his musical output is assured through and through.

FOLLOW Kercha:   SoundCloud / Spotify   / Facebook

Primate - Out Of Time

From the moment the calendars rolled over to 2018, the vast score of musicians and producers inhabiting our musical sphere have been firing off one stellar release after another. Seemingly standing atop the shoulders of giants, Primate is a creator of the highest accord, and he utilized his precious time with a remarkable patience to craft the aural opus Out Of Time. While there is no shame in adapting to and riding the creative waves that influence genre development within electronic music, there is an incalculable worth in blazing a trail beyond the present scope of one’s assumed musical boundaries. In practical terms, that means taking exceptionally brilliant compositional risks, and Primate is no stranger to experimental arrangements.

In the world of sound design, Primate is refreshingly biological in comparison to his contemporaries, and eschews adopting typical synthesis in favor of deliciously home-brewed tones and textures. Out Of Time is an extremely matured display of the Primate vision, and it absolutely smashes all expectations. So much of the sonic palette that is elemental to the Primate mode rests around the glide of his synthesis; his choice of notes stretch and fold into one another with a melodramatic legato that carries the emotional weight and output of his tracks. “Natural Brilliance” is an excellent example of this motif, with the lead tone of the track engaging the staccato response of Ill Chill’s lyricism through elongated stretches and subtle twists. Propping up this high-frequency dance is a vibrant blend of foley work rustling between the skip and bounce of his fluid drum work, which has become a staple feature of every Primate production. “Mislead” is the subtle sleeper of EP, wherein it provides in utter smoothness what it lacks in intensity. The rhythm is a hypnotic 4/4 hip-hop L-ride that flows in parallel to the most sultry chords found anywhere on this EP, carefully popping in and out of the mix like sunshine through a forest canopy. Resting underneath all of the fan-fair is a boisterous bass line that can only be served justice through a concert-grade subwoofer, creating a veritable cushion for the softer elements. The title track, “Out Of Time”, rides along a choice downtempo bounce, its bass lines pulsating with that reverberant buzz so favored by Primate. The slow serenade ramps up over the course of the track, culminating in a mad dash of drum and bass rhythms with an impact akin to rolling thunder. Each song on the EP is given not only room to breathe, but room to evolve over time in the listeners ear. The first few play-throughs will yield the immediate magic of Primate productions, but it is the constant return to these tracks that will turn over their sonic layers and secrets beneath the surface.

Genres are a fickle thing, and for musicians who wish to adopt and adapt styles within the ever rapidly-changing landscape of electronic music, genres can be limiting and musically castrating. Primate has the keen and prized ability to look at his compositions from the bird's eye view, outside the bounds of genre. He sees every space between the details, and then compliments that space with yet another responding frequency. The word “layering” does not do his process justice, as his music is not stacked like logs or bricks. It is a crisscrossed, interwoven, biosynthetic matrix of sound and intent. As always, remain vigilantly plugged into the catalog of Primate, and you'll be thoroughly rewarded in kind, every time.

FOLLOW Primate: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Facebook / Spotify

Smallprint Recordings [Interview]

Reaching the ear canals of sonic explorers from the home base of Brighton, UK, SmallPrint Recordings has been pushing an ecosystem of eclectic compositional motifs and musically affluent producers since its birth in 2014. Specializing in jazz & soul influenced electronic music, SmallPrint is an archetype in directed curation; each of the nine artists featured on the label share in their influences and choices of avant-garde musical phenotypes. What materializes is a comprehensive and cohesive catalog of music and successive releases that can all on their own or in tandem be used to accurately portray the vision and direction of SmallPrint Recordings.

Humble beginnings are a common staple of underground labels, and Smallprint is no different. We had the opportunity to speak to Joe Vince, a co-founder of the label who produces under the moniker Primate, about SmallPrint’s origin and inner workings.

The Rust: What brought the three of you together to create such a particularly defined label?

 Joe: The three of us met studying for a music production degree in 2011. In the beginning, we were all making more “dance-floor” style music, like dubstep and d&b. We definitely all had a shared interest to try and find something new which hadn't been established too much already.  We all began to be interested in more ambient styles, as it seemed like the scene for that still had a lot of room for originality and hadn't necessarily been pushed very hard through other labels.  Now and again we do still like to   incorporate some of the heavier music that we used to make, but we generally like to still try and put a bit of a twist on it when we do.

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Together with Vince, Mark Aidallbery (Marka) and Luke Wightman (Effluent) spearhead the label and its efforts, as well as set a standard for the aural environment they want to propagate. The nuances of jazz are effervescent throughout their productions, between organic shuffles and turn-arounds, to subtle chord dissonance and instrumental dialogue. It is a territory still ripe for exploration in the realm of electronic music, and while other artists have strived to integrate the jazz spirit into their own music, SmallPrint Recordings and its affiliate musicians have set a bar of magnanimous heights.

The Rust: Were there particular innovators/inspirations you turned to as efforts were coalesced to bring Smallprint to life?

Joe: There have been quite a few different artists and labels we've taken influences from over the years. Artists such as Geode, Jafu, Mercy, Gerwin, and all the other people on the Chord Marauders team really inspired us with the potential of more low key and slightly jazzy bass music. Then there’s also influences from hip-hop instrumental artists like Moods, Birocratic, and Flamingosis. There's also more new styles of electronic music appearing now from producers like Tennyson and a lot of people from Night Owl Collective, which helps keep things interesting and unpredictable with the kinds of things we're hearing in electronic music.  Aside from that, there's a load of bands and musicians who really inspire us with what they're doing; People like Snarky Puppy, Hiatus Kaiyote and Vulfpeck, who although are very different from what we do, are all really good examples of how the jazz scene is generally growing and developing in new ways.

The Rust: Why the jazz influence? Is it a shared commonality amongst the founders? Do you feel there is a particular emotional landscape that you’re trying to curate?

Joe: The jazz influence is strong in our releases because it was a sound that we were all initially attracted to. The way the chords can sound slightly off, but then when done well, fits a track nicely is something we all found interesting.  There seems to be a big rise in jazz influenced music in lots of different styles, but we feel that it hasn't had a chance to reach its full potential in the “bass" music scene.  There are also a number of really good other artists pushing the Jazz sound at the moment - the majority of the music we listen to is heavily jazz/soul influenced, but it generally seems to have a slightly different vibe to most of the stuff we've released.  Jazz isn't our only influence though.  We take lots of rhythmic influences from genres like Hip-Hop, Dubstep, House and Garage.  And then sometimes even some kind of melodic styles and textures from other genres like Progressive Rock and Funk. 

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The cumulative rhythmic influences are pervasive throughout their catalog. While the compositional influences remain consistent from artist to artist, the tempo and stylistic direction of the tracks released through the label vary greatly. It is a measurable milestone that sets SmallPrint Recordings apart from other labels, where tempo and sound may begin to fall stagnant in variation. 

The Rust: Do you intend to maintain the jazz/soul focus on the productions you propagate?

Joe: Jazz and soul will always be apart of our influences, so those genres are most likely to be featured in quite a lot of our future releases, but it's hard to judge what kinds of things are going to happen next. Tastes can change and there might be a new kind of sound which emerges and becomes something we're interested pushing on the label as well.  

The Rust: The individual stylizations of all the artists on the label are incredibly specific; do you ever feel there is a difficulty propagating electronic music that does not fit more popular molds?

Joe: It is difficult sometimes because there often doesn't seem to be a huge scene for the music we're pushing, but that's one of the reasons we enjoy what we're doing. We're attempting to try and bring something a bit different to the table. Also, it is an amazing feeling to have people on the other side of the world who are inspired by the same music as us, even if it hasn't become fully established in one place yet.  We can always hope that one day it turns out that we were on the right side of history by pushing this kind of music now, but we'll have to wait and see.

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Following musical trends is an exhaustive endeavor that can often feel like “chasing the purple dragon”, so to speak. Diving into less popular, more eclectic sounds, however, can yield notably more organic results. Actively promoting alternative electronic productions has made SmallPrint Recordings a one-stop-shop for those who find themselves attracted to less saturated circles of artists and content creators. On December 17th, SmallPrint released it’s third installment of the Smallprint Volume series, a compilation of 35 artists from the UK, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Syria, the US, Canada and Russia. Some are SmallPrint labelmates, but many are artists who have been uncovered in much deeper musical rabbit holes from across the globe, putting on the table the powerful influence this label has in propagating a sound that they feel must be heard and digested.  

The Rust: What is your ideology behind whose music you choose to release through the label, and who you sign onto the team?

Joe: We're always on the look out for more talented artists to release with SmallPrint. We try to work with as many artists as we can, even if it doesn't fit with exactly what we've done before. As long as we like the music and it doesn't seem completely out of place, we still incorporate it. Our general aim is to use SmallPrint as a platform for who we consider to be the upcoming artists of the future, so we'll always try and find a place for the music we're passionate about.

The Rust: What are your future intentions for SmallPrint Recordings? How do you see the organization growing from this point?

Joe: We've got a fair few ideas and plans for SmallPrint in the near future. There are EP's and singles lined up for the start of next year and we're about to get into making more music videos. Also, we've gained another member of SmallPrint, Nick. A really talented designer and photographer who's now leading the design side of things. We've got a selection of merchandise which we're just about to launch such as, 4 different designs and will all be available soon through our website. We will also have CD's of Vol. 3 on there very shortly. As well as that, we're about to launch SmallPrint Ingredients. This is going to be our sample pack platform with our first sample pack release very soon.

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For those who are in search of intelligent design and musicality to wet their palate, SmallPrint Recordings will provide the absolute finest in left-field, off-kilter sonic servings. Dipping their hands in as many aspects of the electronic music industry as possible, casual listeners and passionate producers alike must keep their ears privy to everything coming out of this label, or risk missing out on indulging in the development of an aural enterprise unlike the vast multitude of their contemporaries. 

FOLLOW Smallprint Recordings:   Website   /   Bandcamp   /   Facebook   /   Soundcloud   /   Spotify