Brian Leeds' incredible streak

#1

Hey! Let’s talk about the amazing stuff Brian Leeds AKA Huerco S. AKA Loidis AKA Pendant, not to mention his new-ish label West Mineral Ltd., is puting out rn :relieved:

Strongly feel that Leeds is mining very fertile ground with these endeavours, taking cues from Chain Reaction with THAT uon release on WM (see Chain Reaction thread) and the upcoming OUEST097 (currently streaming on their site), but also very deep and zoning house as Loidis (“will be remembered as a classic” - Ben UFO) and of course his stellar ambient works as Pendant and Huerco S.

Does anyone have a more educated opinion on his output? Thinking of similar artists, labels, feel. Looking at you @zurkonic… I’m interested in where Leeds’ recent works fits in the grand scheme of things, pls enlighten me :face_with_monocle:

#2

kind of getting a Field vibe off some of these Loidis trax, maybe a little Walls, as well…?

#3

I guess we disagree about other stuff but not when it comes to what matters, the music, heh. Huerco S is my favourite producer within the last 5 years or so and his Colonial Patterns is a bona fide master piece no matter the sequel was overhyped. Everything he did on proibito is also worth checking. His textures and rhythmic sense is unparalled and just hits all the right spots at the moment. That rural, murky zoning vibe. Very much inspired by early Vladislav Delay I think.

#4

Another thing. I like that his music does NOT sound futuristic at all. It is almost the antithesis of the current hyper digital/clean ‘post’-club stuff.

#5

Haha, yeah, our tastes definitely seem to overlap here and there… Totally get that Vladislav Delay vibe, that’s what I was getting at with Chain Reaction as well.

Also tend to agree with your point that it’s very much rooted in the past, but it does feel a lot like it’s own thing as well!

I think that Leeds’ projects can be unique without being futuristic, blurring the line between old and new…

#6

Also, on Vladislav Delay, that third West Mineral release definitely reminds me of Luomo’s Synkro, especially in the way it combines vocals and murkiness.

#7

Love his work too! He’s definitely taking cues from Newworldaquarium, I know they have been in touch as well. Would highly recommend checking him out if you haven’t heard of him.

#8

My human! So I’m just getting myself together after a hard-drinking fourth (oops;) but just saw the new release on West Mineral of Pontiac Streator & Ulla Straus and I was literally thinking, well, I think it’s time to try and reach out to Brian (he lives close by to me I believe) and see if I can get some words to clarify my own thoughts.

I can’t get deep into it rn as I’ve been thinking heavlily on the Loidis release in particular but for me, it’s starting to signify a new approach to jazz in the weirdest way…one that does away with the tropes but retains the loosely-structured sense of exploration. The new Rian Treanor announced today–heard the first track on Beatrice Dillon’s Fact Mix and was like, I NEED THIS RN AS I LIVE TO SPIN TRACKS LIKE THIS. And even in its hyper-gridded construction, like Ploy’s unruly and plenty of other tracks, I’m hearing this new sense of ‘freedom’ in dance music that’s really exciting to me, a new fluidity in structure and references. Hopefully more thoughts soon…

God, thinking of so many other examples but will leave thse as for nw…

#9

Definitely NWAQ is related. Perhaps also Terekke for some of the newer and better lo-fi house vibes.

#10

DEFINITELY re: NWAQ (and it’s a mutual appreciation as I learned from Joachem recently) but Terekke is more a contemporary and (sorry, this is just my own opinion) shitty version of all the music I actually like). In my readings of interviews, he cited Dettinger, which makes TOTAL sense if you’ve listened to Intershop, though this one from Oasis is the GOAT (ugh, I just used that term):

Oh, and obviously Gas is a HUGE influence on him.

OK, so you’re in Denamrk @chava, I live with a couple of lovely Danish individuals rn who I’m so sad are moving out in two weeks. So please note when I talk about the Brooklyn scene, I do so with a bit of resentment as so much of it represents a bunch of opportunistic johnny-come-lately’s who often just bite other (mostly black and gay-produced) music and present it in a more accessible manner. Sorry, not trying to shit on what you like, truly. But also sharing my first-hand experience with the scene and the fact that I’ve defined my whole practice in opposition to it, in many ways. Brian has always represented one of the few whose music (which I fell for when heh was still in Kansas) shows a deepness of knowledge other producers here don’t have. Many of those in his own circle like Brian Piñyero (DJ Python), J. Albert, and even Anthony Naples at time are definitely making some of the only good ‘brooklyn techno’ imho. Tho I’m always looking out to be proven wrong!

#11

Ha! Knew you’d come correct with the analysis, looking fwd to checking these out. Big fan of Ploy, feel especially like his ‘Intrigued By The Drum’ and ‘=O’ tracks on Timedance explore the same tropes as some of the stuff Brian makes. That said, Ploy’s more ravey work feels distinctly different from Brian’s.

Another recent release that imo fits your description of a certain free approach to dance music is Beta Librae’s LP on Incienso. Guess there’s something in the water in NYC rn?

#12

That’s what they keep telling me…but I remain skeptical. Had listened to the Beta Librae in passing and it didn’t grab me but has been well-received by others, so should give it another shot.

Listening to a mix I made recently that ends with Ploy’s “=0” :wink:

#13

Yeah to each his own, but for me it’s one of the records of the year… Especially ‘Cosmic Machines’ and ‘Canis Major’ are firm favourites, with the first being perfectly mixable with Fulton’s ‘Down In The Dungeon’ as well < 3

#14

Idk what you refer to re the brooklyn scene, is that LIES and stuff like that? I must say I found that stuff pretty refreshing when it surfaced. And everyone really has ripped off the black and gay scenes, you are basically just referring to the whole Euro scene which has been sucking up to Chicago and Detroit since forever . And when then someone finally has the nerve to say that they want to distance themselves from that and do something genuine “german” they get ostracized in the press (I am talking about Wolfgang Voigt infamous comments here). Yeah cultural appropriation is a bitch.

#15

Well, LIES is based in Paris as well now but yeah, I would include them still along with most of the labels and acts that play Bossa Nova Civic Club, which has positioned itself in the press and the ‘scene’ as the nexus of it all. It’s a pretty broad fucking term, but as you can see from this line-up, there are a lot of artists who’d fall under that header.

I recently met Mike Blom of Maddjazz and did a write-up on his label as it turned out he used to go to Dub Wars back in the day (the main NYC dubstep party back in the 00s). To be honest, I’d probably be able to get gigs if I had a desire to involve myself in the scene, but having been involved in it before most of these folk were around and also just not digging many of the club spaces (vs. the loft parties that used to happen where you could just smoke a spliff while dancing and no one bugged anyone). I have a lot of other feelings I should not voice in a public forum. That said, yeah, I definitely bought most of the first 20 LIES records back in 2012 (and the white and black labels;) but I got burnt out on that sound fast. For me, I’ll never forget being in a noise venue where I lived in 2007 and “Nude Photo” by Derrick May came on my iPod shuffle during a set break of some especially burly noise bro show and I was castigated for it…five years later, most of the people in that room were releasing noise techno so it’s hard to distance the personal from the music in some cases.

That said, there are a number of DJ’s and producers here that I admire greatly. Ron Like Hell might be a friend, but even if not, he’d still likely be my fave local DJ as his experience and passion really stands out in an often cynical scene (a lot of people aren’t in it just for the music but he is). J. Albert and Person of Interest are two producers I did not care for when they first started releasing, but since starting their Exotic Dance Records imprint (plus Albert’s release on Trilogy), shit is impossible to deny:

https://exoticdancerecords.bandcamp.com/

The DJ Osom is a fave and I just posted the A1 and B1 from this split in the Gotta Track thread:

Also, the Deejay Xanax 12 last year has only gotten better with age…super special record from Brian Piñyero. I like his DJ Python album a lot, but honestly, this 12 under his DJ Wey alias on LIES affiliate Bank Records in a lowkey weapon of mine.

The Bookworms album is also great imo:

I’m also quite excited for the E SAGGLIA record…her shit is brutal in a real approachable way (re: it makes me want to work the tracks into my sets):

Going back to LIES, I actually have dug a couple of their recent releases, like the Randomer from last year and the Fret from last month:

Oh, and though it’s only released two records, Hank Jackson’s Anno imprint is responsible for the Loidis record and the A side on his 12 for the label is ace as well:

I’m sure I’m leaving plenty out that I’ll remember, but that’s definitely some of the shit I’m feeling coming out of NY/BK.

#16

Don’t forget Discwoman and affiliates! Think they started at Bossa and are an undeniable force in the scene right now, combining loads of disparate voices into an inclusive powerhouse to be reckoned with… Don’t know if Allergy Season is based in Brooklyn, but their Physically Sick compilations are brilliant + for a good cause. And finally, Mister Saturday Night’s Nowadays isn’t based in BK, but def feels like a space where all these strands come together, as far as that can be judged from across the pond :flushed:

#17

Lots of noise/ experimental heads has been doing the techno crossover in recent years. That crowd don’t have much lineage with the historical house scene rooted partly in the gay club scene. That’s nothing new, lots of techno heads hate house music and see no connection at all. I guess the Storm raves in 90s NY were probably attended by metalheads and punk skinheads…

The J Albert release on Hesperian Sound is class!

#18

Acutally, I did forget them and quite on purpose. And believe me, for me not to want to support them/that very idea…and the others you mention I have the same feelings about. Just look at their most recent ‘pride’ party…straight coming out party. It’s revolting. I don’t like greed. Happy to extrapolate via message but should shut up now.

#19

Hmm, that’s some strong wording! I’d be interested in a discussion via DM, but only if it’s based on arguments, this feels unnecessarily harsh to me.

#20

Totally understand, and apologies for the harsh vibes. But in other news, while I was underwhelmed on first listen, that Pontiac Streator & Ulla Straus is kinds of mellow…never grabben the Uon but this one might be hard to pass up. Reminds me a lot of this jammer reissued at the start of the year…

Also, re: @chava, yeah, you’re 100% right when it comes down to that type of tribalism, which is nothing new of course. Still, as someone who always attended queer parties for the past decade, attending a more mainstream gay monthly last summer was an eye-opener in just how self-segregated nightlife is…it’s also become one of the only monthly parties I currently attend!