RvD June performer Arc Vel has released an mp3 single entitled ‘Lin’ via new digital music emporium Indmill. The single features three amazing tracks including a brand new number called ‘Bed Sidde’, which quite frankly took my breath away on first listen. Sounding like Ryuichi Sakamoto gleefully hurling Tortoise‘s equipment down the stairs, find an excerpt on the release’s page if you’d like a sneak preview.

Costing just £1.25 45p for all three tracks (which come as 256kbps DRM-free mp3s, I hasten to add), what sets this apart from most other independent mp3 releases coming out as of late is that 90% of the proceeds go to child protection charity Kidscape. And, given that the music itself is of such incredible quality- mesmeric, delicate, yet punctuated by occasional bursts of raging intensity, like watching a beautiful thunderstorm- I urge everyone who reads this to lay down some cash and buy it. Anyone who considers less than the cost of a pack of gum as too much to pay for three amazing pieces of music, plus the chance to support not only a local musician of massive potential but also a very worthy cause indeed, should be thrown into a pit and drowned.

Anyway, enough talk of pit-based water-death: you can catch Arc Vel playing live at our forthcoming Mechakitten event, whilst he will also be manning the decks at the forthcoming (and highly recommended) Pivot gig at the Rainbow this Thursday.

August RvD headliner Mike In Mono features on Botpop Volume One, a forthcoming electronic pop compilation from London-based indie Happy Robots Records. The album- released on September 29th via download and limited-edition CD- also features label bosspersons Arthur & Martha and the highly recommended Hong Kong In The 60s amongst a whole host of other indietronic pop treats.

“We at Happy Robots Records are pleased to announce the release of our first full length album.

Filled with exclusive tracks and rarities, it’s an album that has brought together artists from around the UK, US and Europe, in the collective endeavour of making the world a little bit of a better place to live in. Michael Jackson would be proud! It’s a collection to make you dance, laugh, phone a friend, raise a glass, change a fuse, stroke-a-beard or just grin like the Cheshire Cat.”

Hit their myspace for more details, including a full list of participants, while the album itself can be previewed via last.fm.

(via The Autumn Store)

Tireless electro-philanthropist QXTC (aka Gavin Bradshaw) has never been a man to rest on his laurels. Over the past few years or so he has released almost five and a half hours of free music, via six albums and four EPs- the latest of which, Reality On Charles Street, was released recently on the Vorbic netlabel.

Inspired by a sudden sense of life felt whilst walking through his native Manchester, the EP sets ambient synth colour-washes and occasional, disjointed vocal samples to skittering beats which sound akin to buckets of marbles being dropped down the stairs. The EP is available to stream or download from right here– if you enjoy it then look forward to his seventh album, released imminently via hippocamp.net (home to former RvD performers Domestication of the Dog and Scrubber Fox, amongst others) which will feature reworked versions of EP tracks AngleDrive and Spitting Bullets, the second of which you can find in the embedded player at the bottom of this post.

Meanwhile, check out his myspace if you’d like to have a nose through the rest of his considerable back catalogue- won’t cost you anything, after all…

Robot vs Dinosaur will be DJing as part of Brum-based creative media network Project X Presents‘ next event, entitled “Digital Dystopia”. Taking place on Saturday 13th September at newly-unveiled Birmingham club BUSK, the performance will further develop and explore the group’s remarkable “Omnimedia Experience” format, presenting a seamless flow of art, music and visuals via three stages.

As well as our good selves (well, one half to be specific- I’ve got a wedding to get to), the event also features a performance from former RvD highlight Arc Vel alongside a diverse range of artists and DJs of all genres including Marc Reck, Mixmaster Morris, Steve Loopz, Rich Batsford, Shana Tova, 360 and many more. Meanwhile, those of a slightly more experimental bent can expect to have their appetites sated by the many art installations, spoken word pieces and VJ performances on offer. Believe me when I say that the above description merely scratches the surface of what this event has to offer: the promoters ask you to “leave your expectations at the door” and, for once, I would pay heed to that advice.

Entry to the event costs £10, and doors open at 8:00pm with the night running ’til 3. Meanwhile, BUSK can be found on Gough Street, opposite Island Bar and the Alexandra theatre. For more info, please check out the Project X Presents website.

Top UK-based electronic imprint Ai Records have released a triple split EP, featuring fresh tracks from Plant43– headliner of our very first night way back in Feb, if you remember- alongside brand new cuts from labelmates The Third Man and Najem Sworb.

Sounding like a snapshot of electro’s past, present and future, the release as a whole epitomises the atmospheric yet propulsive sound which the label is currently becoming famous for. Influenced by the likes of Drexciya, Underground Resistance and Kraftwerk, the artists utilise a diverse palette of skittering techno rhythms, organ-rattling bass and melodic yet subtle synth lines to create a record which immerses the brain as well as moving the body.

No expense has been spared as far as the presentation’s concerned, either: the blue version (pictured, above) sadly sold out in no time, but the black edition is still available to order via Juno, Rough Trade, Norman Records or direct from the Ai shop… for now. Not to worry if you miss out: it’s available digitally via Bleep and Beatport.

Meanwhile, vinyl-haters and Ai novices should check out their recent label sampler CD, featuring tracks from the afore-mentioned Plant43 and fellow RvD alumnus Datassette amongst others from the Ai roster- available now for a mere £6. What are you waiting for?

RvD March headliner Calika (aka Brighton’s Simon Kealoha) has recently pulled the wraps off his new musical project, Zermatt. A collaboration with Berlin-based electroacoustic artist Phon°noir, the new band sees both stepping out of their respective comfort zones.

An album is currently in the works, but in the meantime hit up their myspace and enjoy a couple of demos showcasing a fresh yet atmospheric electro-pop sound not too far removed from the likes of Schneider TM and The Notwist. On “Rainhead”, long-time Calika fans will be relieved to find his trademark electric bass stylings accounted for.

Looks like we’re not the only ones with a shiny new toy to play with! After several months of hosting nothing more than an amusing teletext-based splash page, top London technomentalist and previous RvD headliner Datassette has finally got ’round to relaunching his website.

The new site includes an extensive discography, a selection of downloadable mixes (including his infamous BusinessFunk series) and bucketloads (and, I really mean bucketloads) of unreleased tracks, demos, cover versions and remixes all available for absolutely nothing. A particular standout for me is “Thomas the Mohfuggin Tank Engine Yo”, a sharp piece of social commentary in which the artist reworks a timeless children’s classic to archly reflect the decaying moral values of modern youth- or, maybe it’s just a glitched-up version of the Thomas the Tank Engine theme with some swearing stuck on top? We’ve embedded it in a player at the bottom of this post, so give it a spin and draw your own conclusions…

Meanwhile, Datassette’s debut self-titled full-length album has been continuously rotating at RvD Towers over the past few weeks. A melting pot heavily influenced by mathematics, ’80s corporate video soundtracks, old-school electro and the sound of vintage computer games, his nimble yet muscular techno constructs remind one of Alan Sugar doing the robot in his boardroom after a lovely sunny afternoon spent firing people. The album’s available right now as a download via Bleep or Beatport, whilst turntablists and vinyl badgers should hit the Ai Records shop to purchase an ultra-dense disco plate.

Anyway, find some mo-fuckin’ Thomas the Tank Engine shit in tha player below, yo.
[audio:datashat-thomastank.mp3]