Highpoint Lowlife News

august newstuff

2008-08-05T12:06:00.002+01:00

Bit of an experimental drone month going on here!

First up is an amazing new limited run cdr release by Stray Ghost entitled 'Losthilde', an epic four piece composition of noise, beauty and sadness, stylistically taking in elements of doom, ambient, shoegaze and postrock. You can check out the whole album for streaming on lastfm and you can buy the limited run cdr or 320kbps mp3s direct from here.

In keeping with the more experimental theme this month, we have an exceptionally good line-up for a gig we're calling "Towards The Singularity" at the end of the month, in the beautiful new Dalston venue, Cafe Oto. Four acts will be playing: Fighting Kites, an instrumental 3 piece band utilizing various combinations of two guitars, two basses, two loop pedals, a drum kit and anything else at hand to make noise; Erstlaub will be down from Scotland for his debut london show, which I'm really excited to see; Mandelbrot Set will be showing off some of their new compositions, and headlining will be a super special set from The Village Orchestra, using a new max/msp patch he's currently working on for performance, tied in with his fellow Marcian, Bryan/Beaker, doing live visuals via jitter. Thats on the 31st August, Cafe Oto. More details and ticket link here and here.

Last month's Funckarma release 'Dubstoned EP' has pretty much sold out in the first four weeks! I think thats our quickest selling release yet - I'm down to about 10 copies in the house, although it should still be available in stores. I'll see how well the last copies sell and should probably be doing a repress soon. Dubstoned EP2 is well underway also, and will be coming out on Germany's Ad Noiseam in the next month or two.

Dubstoned vinyl shipping now!

2008-06-30T12:50:00.003+01:00

rar! what an amazing week!

The vinyl arrived shortly before the two Funcken brothers flew into town - was great fun to meet and hang out with them, both super nice smart guys and complete audio geeks! very inspiring!

Thanks to all who came out to the two launch shows in London and Bristol, and to all those who have bought a copy of the vinyl. Some pictures up at:
http://flickr.com/photos/tags/lastfm%3Aevent%3D592974/
http://flickr.com/photos/matranson/

I posted off all the vinyl pre-order this morning (I hoped to get them mailed last week, but things were crazy with the shows, so apologies for the slight delay).

aiight, after a few days off work, i'm up to my eyeballs in it, so I better get back to it.
thanks again, and more updates soon!

thor

dubstoned mp3s available

2008-06-20T18:18:00.006+01:00

320kbps mp3s now available to buy for the Funckarma - Dubstoned EP release.

Vinyl is confirmed for delivery on the morning of the 25th which is cutting it wee bit tight for the release party but at least they will be here! rar!

Magnetic Fisk Remixes

2008-06-03T23:47:00.004+01:00

hey! a new free web release just uploaded this morning - three diverse remixes from Fisk Industries material on the latest "Magnetism.." release. One track from Michael/Brassica, previously known as Achrid, an excellent chunky synth reworking of "Blood" while retaining the low-end of the original, and two complete deconstructions of "Crowley" from Yard, one minimal pulsing 4x4 and the other a dub overhaul.
Grab em from: here.

latest Magnetism reviews

2008-06-02T18:24:00.005+01:00

hello!

had quite a few lovely new Magnetism, That Electricity reviews appearing in the past week or so..

"The seventy-five minute release exemplifies Highpoint Lowlife's customary attention to detail (optical illusions printed on the discs can be viewed when they're playing) plus the sequencing's well-considered too (e.g., following Ranson's song-like pieces with Law's epic). It would be no exaggeration to characterize Magnetism, That Electricity as one of the most solid electronic-oriented releases to appear in some time and a stronger argument for Highpoint Lowlife's distinctive corner of the musical universe would also be hard to find."
Textura.org

"While the label encourages people to "upload, share and play" their music wherever and whenever, it is the dedication to such brilliantly packaged, special edition releases that earns the kudos here. This particular 12" double vinyl release certainly looks the part, while its eclectic content turns the label compilation concept on its head. Choosing to showcase four of their artists, each band is given one side of vinyl each to impress, which goes a long way more than the standard single track, found on most other collective releases. What's more, all four bands here offer up fresh, unreleased material increasing the value for money stakes tenfold."
Angry Ape

"Magnetism, That Electricity demonstrates the wide angled approach of Highpoint Lowlife and its utterly modern vision. With only three hundred copies of this double EP pressed on vinyl and a hundred CDRs, this is yet again a released that should be snapped up before it's gone for ever."
The Milk Factory

"The production values and level of attention to detail hark back to the industrious post-punk independent labels of the late Seventies/early Eighties."
Straight No Chase

thanks loads to all! if you don't yet have a copy, we still have about 100 copies left - get it here

Requirements Of A Modern - june shows!

2008-05-19T18:15:00.003+01:00

Coming up in june!

Highpoint Lowlife presents
REQUIREMENTS OF A MODERN

with live peformances from ::::::::

Funckarma (Highpoint Lowlife, n5MD, Skam)
ikonika (Hyperdub)
Fisk Industries (highpoint lowlife, mush)

FUNCKARMA make two rare UK appearances to promote the release of their new 12" on Highpoint Lowlife records, the first of a series of dubstep influenced releases by the Funcken brothers. 12" EP should be available at the shows.

Both shows also feature support from Hyperdub's rising star of the wonky midrange, IKONIKA, plus Highpoint Lowlife's own bass-slung superstar FISK INDUSTRIES.

Plastic People, London, June 25th 2008
The Cube, Bristol, June 27th 2008

London tickets available from:
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/30296

---------

FUNCKARMA
Made up of the two Dutch brothers, Don and Roel Funcken, Funckarmas’ first EP appeared in 1999 on the Djak-Up Bitch (DUB) label. Since then they have unleashed a fury of releases on labels from Neo Ouija, n5MD, U-Cover, to Hymen, not including their work under other guises such as Cane, Quench, and their hip hop project with a trio of US MC’s under the name Shadow Huntaz on Skam records.

Their signature bass-driven precision sound compositions, encompassing influences from hip hop, jazz, reggae, dub, soul and all forms of electronic music, are carefully crafted and constructed into tight rhythmic forces with a keen ear for texture and structure.

With the dubstep virus infecting all forms of electronic music, it was a natural evolution for the Funcken brothers to take strands of the meme and splice it to the dna of their own productions, creating a mutant hybrid of lurching instrumental hip hop with floor shaking bass and super punchy intricate razor sharp rhythms.

IKONIKA
With an impressive history from drumming in hardcore and metal bands at age of 11, through to making hip hop tracks under the name of Kill Kip, Ikonika came to making dubstep after hearing Skream's seminal 'Midnight Request Line'.

Dubstep was a way for Ikonika to utilise all the ideas she had had since a young age. In January 2007, she made the decision to change her name to Ikonika, and had her first tracks being played by the likes of Metal Box Products and Bun-Zero on their Sub FM shows.

It was not until October 2007 that Kode9 first heard ‘Please’. His decision to release the track on his Hyperdub label was a surprise to the dubstep community and also a sign that the scene was maturing and diversifying. With her debut release on the groundbreaking Hyperdub label, the start of her own label (with Optimum) and tracks waiting in the pipeline, 2008 will surely be Ikonika’s year. Expect nothing more than infectious synth lines and off beat structures!

FISK INDUSTRIES
Mat Ranson has been developing his Fisk Industries project for the past few years, and is truly on top of his game at the moment, as the bass gets deeper, the beats get dirtier and he pushes himself into further realms of evil instrumental hip hop.

His recent sets have been nothing short of floor shaking in their cavernous resonance. With three EPs on Highpoint Lowlife, and various web releases, all of which were collected on a double disc album by Mush Records last year, Fisk Industries will be showing off his latest works, set for release in 2008 on a new album.

-------------------

magnetic vinyl!

2008-05-06T20:07:00.003+01:00

rar! the Magnetism vinyl arrived this morning, and looks/sound amazing!

All pre-orders were mailed out this afternoon, so expect yours soon if you ordered.

more info here

thanks!
thor

new Tigrics EP!

2008-04-22T18:10:00.004+01:00

I fucking love Robi Tigrics! He's like the Nikola Tesla of electronic music, he just keeps digging deeper into building his own synths and getting to the root of sound. He's currently working on a follow-up EP to last years' 'Synki' album - this will be a 12" EP entitled 'Snyki' which I think will all be written using his ever evolving hardware setup. As a wee teaser, he's given us a four track EP with artwork, called 'p.e-e.p'. Its all encoded as lossless FLAC files, and bundled in a zip file which you can download from here.

Magnetism!

2008-03-31T18:42:00.003+01:00

rar! new website and "Magnetism, That Electricity.." is live!

We're taking pre-orders on the vinyl at the moment - it's now being pressed and should be back in less than a month.

cdr version is shipping on wednesday, 2nd April, and you can purchase wav and 320kbps mp3s directly from here too. If you purchase either vinyl or cdr, i'll email you a link to your choise of download too, so while you're waiting for the mailman to arrive, you can be rocking mp3s or wav too.

let us know what you think of the website! *HUGE* kudos to Mat/Fisk for putting the design together - its lovely to have a fully designed website more inline with the style of our physical packaging now.

boOmkat

2008-03-18T13:12:00.006Z

hey! just a quick one, to say our whole catalog is now available to download from the Boomkat website, both in high quality 320kbps mp3s or as flac downloads..

March Nnnnnnews!

2008-03-05T12:46:00.004Z

My head is still reeling from Autechre's performance here in London last night, absolutely incredible! Being in a concrete car park, i was worried what the sound would be like, but the speaker stack was enormous and you could hear every detail crystal clear from anywhere inside. Their set was full on from the start to the end, very dance floor friendly and effortlessly moving from techno to hip hop rhythms, with suprisingly dub styled breaks, and the sound pallete was very uniquely Autechre. I hope someone managed to get a good recording of that!

aiight, well, quite a fair wee bit of news here..

"Magnetism, That Electricity..", the release is well under way now, and over being mastered with Twerk currently. I guestimate about 6 weeks before we have the finished vinyl back in our hands. double 12" vinyl package on heavy weight 180g vinyl, with four EPs, one each from the performers at our label showcase in january - Mandelbrot Set, Fisk Industries, The Village Orchestra, and The Marcia Blaine School for Girls. There will be 300 copies pressed up, with hand numbered certificates, and will come in a deluxe PVC clear plastic outer, with black paper sleeves housing the vinyl. Should be ace! You can hear one of the Marcia Blaine tracks 'The Ratio' if you head on over to Mary Anne Hobbs BBC homepage, and check out her Future Downloads section, which is a podcast featuring a selection of six tracks she thinks will become big over the next few months.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/maryannehobbs/futuredownloads.shtml
There will also be a run of 100 handnumberd cdrs in svelte slimline black DVD cases too, for people who don't have a turntable.

Straight up after that we have a MASSIVE release we're utterly stoked about.. Funckarma!
A five track EP named the 'Stub Dane EP', which is completely evil! Easily a 9 on the Richter scale - heavy instrumental hip hop with floor shaking bass and super punchy intricate sound production. This is the Funcken brothers take on dubstep, but its no mere imitation nor copy, this is genetic mutation, mad scientists injecting one DNA strand into another beast and creating a monster. Check out their homepage at http://www.funckarma.com/ to hear one of the tracks, "Woodface" in their flash player.

Here on our site we have a few new mp3 downloadable release for you:

There are two live recordings from our label showcase in january from Mandelbrot Set and Fisk Industries.
Check the bass when it comes in on that first Fisk Industries track he plays! Get them
here.

Following up on his recent "On Becoming An Island" release, we have an excellent new four track mp3 EP from Dave erstlaub, entitled "Trying To Reach You". Its a amazing EP, mesmerizing and full of glacial deep texturing and hypnotic structures. You can find that for download here

Well, i'm off up to Glasgow this weekend for Numbers at the Sub Club, Redshape headlining and Village Orchestra and Production Unit in support. Should be a good one! The following weekend quite a few of us are heading to the Bloc festival too, so if you see anyone in Highpoint Lowlife t-shirts, come say hello!

cheers,
thor

'Magnetism..' live sets

2008-02-15T12:39:00.007Z

hello!
We've posted up the first two recordings, taken from our label showcase a few weeks back. These are only the Mandelbrot Set and Fisk Industries ones at the moment, but hopefully we'll be adding some more. There were some recording problems with the Marcia Blaine set unfortunately, but we can hopefully recover some of it, and we still have to encode the Village Orchestra set.
You can grab them from here or direct from the mp3 page under web exclusives.

enjoy!

Magnetism, That Electricity..

2008-01-03T15:06:00.001Z

rar! happy 2008 to you all!
this month is all about:

Magnetism, That Electricity..

Live Sets from:
The Marcia Blaine School For Girls ( Highpoint Lowlife, Stuff Records)
The Village Orchestra ( Highpoint Lowlife, Stuff Records)
Fisk Industries ( Highpoint Lowlife, Mush Records)
Mandelbrot ( Highpoint Lowlife )

Saturday, January 26th 2008.
The Luminaire, Kilburn, London.
8pm - late. Cost £6.

The Highpoint Lowlife Label showcases it's diverse roster with a night of noise, bass and rhythmic destruction. Starting with the unbridled feedback and guitar pedal manipulation of Mandelbrot, through the low end skewed hip hop of Fisk Industries, building up to a pressure point with The Village Orchestra and Marcia Blaine School For Girls, and culminating in a turntable DJ set from Production Unit!

The Marcia Blaine School For Girls
based out of Glasgow, the MBSFG have been steadily building a solid reputation for unconventional electronics, rearranging elements of dancehall, techno, rave, hip hop and minimalism, and moulding it together into their own distinctive sound. The MBSFG have released a slew of records in recent years, with releases on Highpoint Lowlife, Stuff, Static Caravan, Dalriada, Benbecula and Awkward Silence, and also help run and DJ one of Glasgows most prominent underground monthly clubs, 'Numbers', now resident at Glasgow's legendary Sub Club.

The Village Orchestra
TVO is one third of the Marcia camp, and takes in a multitude of influences from sprawling ambience through to detroit techno. Expect a devastating dancefloor oriented set for this show.

Fisk Industries
Mat Ranson has been developing his Fisk Industries project for the past few years, and is truly on top of his game at the moment, as the bass gets deeper, the beats get dirtier and he pushes himself into further realms of evil instrumental hip hop. His recent sets have been nothing short of floor shaking in their cavernous resonance. With two EPs on Highpoint Lowlife, and various web releases, all of which were collected on a double disc album by Mush records last year, Fisk Industries will be showing off his latest works, set for release in 2008 on a new album.

Mandelbrot
Keung's Mandelbrot Set project released their debut album on HPLL on 2006, a pummeling take on shoegaze and postrock - as the band has mutated and changed through several lineups, the one thing that has remained consistent is the creativity and originality of his process and sound. Utilizing upwards of thirteen effects pedals for control of his guitar, the sounds which emanate from his setup are anything but recognisable. Taking pointers from the physical sound of Sun O))), the complex textures of Tim Hecker, and combining the sort of beautiful melodies which David Pajo/Papa M was known for, Mandelbrot juxtapose disparate elements into a completely immersive whole. Joined on stage by Lina on violin, the combination is intoxicating.

Production Unit
Another member of the MBSFG, and resident DJ at the Numbers club, expect some booty shaking mashups of techno, electro, hip hop, grime and whatever else he can throw in the mix!

It should be a night to remember! Tickets available from We Got Tickets

thanks! thorsten

Stray Ghost

2007-12-14T12:22:00.002Z

Matthew Roziek emailed me a month or two back, saying he had been in contact with a lad from Oxford called Ant Saggers, who was doing some really incredible music, and would I be interested in doing a web release for his music. I had a listen to some of his material up on Archive.org, and was instantly enthralled!

I emailed Ant, artist name Stray Ghost, and recieved the following album, which i have to say is just astoundingly well crafted - deep dense soundscapes full of contour and texture and beautifully evocative. Grab the album here.

We're going to working on doing a physical release for him in 2008, so consider this a taster for more to come!

Mandelbrot live this sunday with Lullabye Arkestra

2007-12-13T17:49:00.003Z

Mandelbrot are opening for the ace Lullabye Arkestra (Constellation records) this coming sunday, the 16th of December, at Bardens Boudoir in London. Lullabye Arkestra are a drum and bass duo comprised of Justin Small (from Do Make Say Think) and Katia Taylor.

Mandelbrot is the previously named Mandelbrot Set, now stripped down to a guitar and violin duo, and are sounding better than ever before!

You can get tickets from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/23238.

The Village Orchestra Radio One Mix

2007-12-13T17:47:00.002Z

The Mary Anne Hobbs show with live mix from The Village Orchestra was aired last night - really excellent mix! You can listen to Mary Anne's show for the next week via the BBC website at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/maryannehobbs/. Alternatively you can grab an mp3 just of Ruaridh's mix via the NSD podcast - http://www.northsouthdivide.com/podcast/nsdpodcast_071213_tvo.mp3

From the NSD blurb: "Tracks dropped included newness from his forthcoming Stuff Records and Highpoint Lowlife releases, as well as tracks from Rustie, Production Unit, Marcia Blaine School For Girls and other non Glasgow types like Autechre, DJ Distance, Basic Channel and Horsepower Productions. Get down on it."

Erstlaub live at the Peacock Centre recording

2007-12-13T17:42:00.001Z

If you've been enjoying our recent Erstlaub release 'On Becoming An Island', you should head over to Dave/Erstlaub's website, where he has posted up a recording of his live show from this past saturday.

The performance was part of the Sound Scotland festival of new music at the Aberdeen Peacock Visual Arts centre. Its an excellent recording, 37 minute long, and well worth the download.