Karmelloz x Decoder Mixtape
Last week Eugene, OR producer Karmelloz released his new album Source Localization via Vancouver imprint 1080p, following up on 2013′s Bud Air for Interscape and now nearly a year after being featured alongside collaborator a i r s p o r t s (who released a new EP on Amdiscs last month) in underground critic Adam Harper’s inaugural Pattern Recognition column for Electronic Beats. Though similarly varied when seen alongside that early introductory material, Source Localization evolves a more focused character and a less acerbic quality to its textural oddities, heard most particularly on a few free-form experimental tracks from Bud Air. Having said that, to call his music slipstream would be an understatement, though as Harper pointed out at the time, it has the rhythmic character of instrumental hip-hop. His new tape, all too short, closes with a pair of collaborations and then a final remix from C Plus Plus, another producer worthy of separate inquiry; all told, nearly half the release is collaborative, though each meticulously produced passage hints at Karmelloz’s evolving orientation among the disparate polarities in his music. To further explore that orientation, he graciously offered us a mixtape, featured below. Liz and I have been jamming this frequently during the last of our winter drives around the state, cold and snow and wetness our other companions, dimly felt beyond the slow, swirl of the mixtape, a slowed spray of exploding light from fractured glass, whether its author chooses to linger alongside beats or more open-ended, acoustic works.
Grab Source Localization on tape from 1080p’s Bandcamp and stream his Decoder mixtape below. Here are a few words from the producer himself to start the ball rolling…
“This is basically a compilation of songs that I’ve been vibing out to recently, in addition to two unreleased Karmelloz tracks bookending everything. I made it as a meditation after finishing Source Localization (out in March on 1080p), sort of a way to cleanse my musical/mental palate and think about where to move forward with my upcoming projects. The mix also arose in part from some practical limitations: my DJ gear has been breaking… and I used the malfunctioning gear to inject some randomness and a few unpredictable artifacts into the mix. It also helped me focus more on mood-based and ambient mixing rather than BPM-based. ”
1. “Superstring (Karmelloz Dub)” – Cygnus X
2. “El Cruce Impossible” – Leandro Fresco
3. “Chinsagu No Hana” – Ryuichi Sakamoto
4. “Earth Minutes” – James Ferraro
5. “One Minute” – Ryoji Ikeda
6. “Tarantella” – Moskitoo
7. “Show Me (DJ Kobi M Ext)” – Kid Ink ft. Chris Brown
8. “i hate the internet without you (prod. Roman Kov)” – bobbi dahl
9. “Costly Bottle” – Gorgeous Children
10. “Imprint” – Rhythm & Sound
11. “Balamb Garden” – Arca
12. “Untitled” – cirqa
13. “The Planets Are Born” – National Geographic Society
14. “Poeme Electronique” – Edgard Varese
15. “Andrea Is Delighted” – Thomas Fehlmann
16. “Excerpt” – David Dunn
17. “Osla for n” – Autechre
18. “Live Excerpt 2″ – Elise Baldwn
19. “Imparare A Conoscere” – E. Morricone
20. “Quick Focus Demo” – C Plus Plus
21. “Ghetto Blast” – Mark Pritchard
22. “Watching Her (Make Me Feel) [Yves Tumor Edit]” – T.E.A.M.S.
23. “Diamond Key” – Xophie Xwetland
24. “Surreal Distortions” – Merzbow x MB
25. “Sea Limo” Soul Ipsum
26. “Big Things” – DJ iLL Tariq
27. “Zoo Hypothesis” – Laurel Halo
28. ?????
29. “A Milli (suicideyear remix)” – Lil Wayne
30. “Workout” – Karmelloz
