Dummy

CFCF ‘Exercises’

• Released 11/05/12

‘Exercises’ is an eight-song record composed by CFCF (Mike Silver to his mum) at home in Montreal. With modernist architect Louis Kahn’s monumental Exeter Academy Library on the cover, and borrowing melodic ideas from Phillip Glass, the record is imbued with a mid-century sense of idealistic purpose and tactful simplicity.

Constructed out of soft, subtly phasing keyboard phrases and concentric melodic gestures, the song-titles suggest a similarly reflexive autobiographic pattern and personally engaged conceptual whole. Each track employs different techniques taken from modern classical, ambient and kosimische music, but what excites us so is the way Mike has harnessed this radical energy into a pop realm. The result is a hyper-personal, lighter-than-air set of harmonic sketches, and, in our humble opinion, one of the best releases of the year, seriously.

Mike Silver released the first CFCF 7”, You Hear Colours, through Acephale and his debut album ‘Continent’ through Canadian label Paper Bag, who also handle ‘Exercises’ in America, and ‘The River’, an EP about Werner Herzog’s Fitzcaraldo, on RVNG INTL. He has remixed Aaliyah, Sally Shapiro and Crystal Castles, played with Caribou, Oneohtrix Point Never and Animal Collective, and is working on his second full-length.

Lorca Can’t See Higher / Missed Me

• Released 20/03/12

Named after the houseboat he grew up on, Lorca’s tight, jazzy productions came to us through the sterling work of London label Left_Blank, who released a split single by the guy last Autumn.

This blew us away, and we decided to see about releasing the 22-year-old Brighton-based musician’s next 12”. It came together beautifully. Can’t See Higher / Missed Me appears a full digital / physical release.

Lorca is a houseboat, Lorca is a poet and Lorca is one of the most exciting new producers in Britain. Bloggers and web-editors, please feel free to post the Soundcloud with a link back. Customers, feel free to buy the MP3s / FLACs files and vinyl from the Dummy shop right away. Everyone else, please enjoy.

Tezeo Friends / Open Window

• Released 30/01/12

Tezeo make electronic pop music with a bold heart and warm touch. Based in Brooklyn, Michael Beharie and Jeff Cristiani used to be in an industrial metalcore band together but graduated from the dark side to make jams for their friends to dance to. Those friends include fellow Dummy favourites Blondes, Sam Haar of whom chimed in with mixing duties on Tezeo’s new single Friends / Open Window. We’re pleased to announce we’re releasing both digitally on Dummy Records today. Get to know Tezeo by reading an interview here, and listen/buy Friends / Open Window here.

Cadenza The Darkest Hype

• Released 19/08/11
• DUMB6
• Download

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Dummy’s latest release through our record label will be Cadenza’s The Darkest Hype.

On a recent trip to Sonar, we caught British reggae royalty David Rodigan’s set, and were blown away by one new track in particular – a swarming, gravity-heavy dancehall monster. After hurriedly getting in touch, we found out that, funnily enough, the dubplate was by his son, a 21-year-old from west London called Oliver, recording under the name Cadenza.

Oliver learnt to produce music with good old FruityLoops when he was 13. He sharpened his skills in Jamaica at the Geejam Studio, before studying in Edinburgh, where he made the track we’re pleased to show you, The Darkest Hype, in his home studio.

Keep your eyes peeled for vinyl pressings, vocal versions and the rest in coming weeks, but for now, soak up this extraordinary piece of 21st century pop music, accompanied by a fantastic footwork remix from Philip D Kick, downloadable from our shop.

Cadenza ‘The Darkest Hype’ (single) by Dummy Records

RUNNERS Starting Line

• Released 18/07/11
• DUMB5
• Download / 12"

Runners hail from the city of Leeds. Spawned from the ashes of Three One G/Skin Graft-obsessed no wave quartet Tigers! (Hairy Hairy Fist!) and skronky jazz party trio Chops (Upset The Rhythm).

Starting Line was recorded by Grant Henderson at Loom Studios and mixed by Steven Whitfield. Released on vinyl and file, the B-side features an instrumental version of Starting Line and another track, Pulsar Quasar, which Jeff T Smith (aka Juffage) recorded at Loom Studios. Pop over to the Dummy shop to buy the FLACs, or download the low-res MP3s below.

Runners will be playing regularly over the summer in support of the EP, performing at various festivals, including Beacons, The Grand Obscene Baby Auction in Bradford and Tramlines fest in Sheffield.

Lower All The Way Down

• Released 25/04/11
• DUMB4
• downloads

Over the summer of 2010, one of our number came across a track that blew us away on the fantastic blog Don’t Die Wondering, accompanied by a single word “REAL”. The artist was Lower, and the track All The Way Down and the untitled B-side are available below for free low-res MP3 download or hi-res WAV sale.

A 23-year-old graphic designer based between London and Oxfordshire, Lewis Rowley got into production while at uni in Bristol, and, after meeting fellow producers Joker and Rekordah, started making music under the name Lower. He once described his stuff as music “heard in the club but made for the bedroom”, which is pretty spot on. We’re delighted to be working with him, and hope you feel it too.

The Golden Filter Thunderbird

• Released 21/09/09
• DUMB3
• 12" Single, downloads

Following the success of Solid Gold, we’re incredibly excited to announce Thunderbird, the new single by one of our favourite bands in world, The Golden Filter.

Thunderbird is a light, muscular and wild disco song, and it basically sums up everything we love about pop music. Here are seven random, but interesting, facts about the Golden Filter:

1. The Golden Filter are a disco-pop band from New York made up of Penelope and Stephen. Last names aren’t really that important.

2. Two stories about their meeting – while living in different continents, they had both experimented with staring into candles in an attempt to leave their bodies and soar on another plane somewhere in a parallel universe. They are convinced that there was a magnetic unknown force drawing them to meet again (physically this time) as neighbors in New York City.

3. They began making music in the summer of 2008 as The Golden Filter and became quite famous on the back of a spectacularly excellent song called Solid Gold, and a series of exemplary remixes.

4. Thunderbird began as a mega-rigid, chunky DAF-esque stomp, and though the overt aggression may have been lost in evolution, we think its muscle and kick remain.

5. The Thunderbird of the title refers to a bird of Native American mythology when used in chant ceremonies symbolises purification and healing. There are several theories about the origin of the Thunderbird, but the most common is that it is a Condor, a gigantic breed of vulture that once flew over the West Coast of the Americas, and now only lives in Chile.

6. A few places where the song will probably sound great include somewhere very high just before dawn breaks, somewhere very cold and very bright, or at night anywhere the Northern Lights can be expected.

7. They run an excellent photoblog and have a pretty website where you can sign up for the mailing list.

You can see them play at the following dates:

24 Sep 2009 at Proud Galleries, London
25 Sep 2009 at O2 Academy, Liverpool
26 Sep 2009 at Start The Bus, Bristol
28 Sep 2009 on Diesel U Radio, London
1 Oct 2009 at Concorde 2, Brighton
2 Oct 2009 at Nude, Helsinki, Finland
3 Oct 2009 at Cargo, London
6 Oct 2009 Hudson Terrace, NYC
16 Oct 2009 at Icelandic Airwaves Festival, Reykjavik, Iceland
24 Oct 2009 at Santos, NYC
14 Nov 2009 Bugged Out/Boots Camp, London
17 Nov 2009 Levi’s Ones To Watch, Hoxton B+K, London
19 Nov 2009 The Pyramid Club, Manchester
20 Nov 2009 Kill Em All, The Queen Of Hoxton, London
21 Nov 2009 Erste Liga, Munich, Germany
5 Dec 2009 Poplife, Miami
18 Dec 2009 at Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York

See the band if you can and buy the 12” when it comes out on November 16th. DJ’s can get the songs immediately from Beatport.

For now, download, listen and enjoy this amazing song.

Lost Valentinos Midnights

• Released 27/04/09
• DUMB 2
• Downloads, 12" single

“It is the sixteenth century. From all over Europe, great ships sail west to conquer the New World, the Americas. The men: eager to seek their fortune, to find new adventures in new lands. They long to cross uncharted seas and discover unknown countries, to find secret gold on a mountain trail high in the Andes. They dream of following the path of the setting sun that leads to El Dorado and the Mysterious Cities Of Gold.”

Sydney band Lost Valentinos have been recording their forthcoming debut album Cities Of Gold for super hip Australian label Etcetc with super producer Ewan Pearson over the past two years in Sydney, London and Berlin. The narrative record, telling the story of the search for the lost City Of Gold, is finally finished and this is the first glimpse of it on British shores.

Lost Valentinos aren’t a new name in the Australian music media, but they are new to the UK. Their debut E.P. was produced by Kim Moyes of The Presets and sophomore E.P. by Nick Littlemore and Pete Mayes of PNAU & Empire Of The Sun . Their third E.P. Miles From Nowhere followed suit, released on French tastemaker label Kitsuné it paved the way for international success.

Now ready to release the full album, Lost Valentinos give you their debut European release from the album, Midnights, complete with accompanying remixes from hot as hell disco chick duo Fan Death and sonic space voyagers Emperor Machine.

Lost Valentinos are ready to set sail, and we at Dummy are proud to be their first port of call.

Lost Valentinos will be playing their first UK show at the next Dummy Presents on May 8th at The Queen Of Hoxton. Check the site for more details.

The Golden Filter Solid Gold

• Released 11/02/09
• DUMB 1
• Downloads, 7" single

The first release on our fledgling record label. From New York, The Golden Filter.

Record producer Stephen met chanteuese Penelope within a buzzing New York art collective where they were surrounded by artists, vintage clothes dealers, musicians and their first love, photography. Out of this creative whirlwind The Golden Filter emerged. ‘Solid Gold’ is their opening statement of intent.

With influences like Soft Cell and The Human League, Moroder and Kraftwerk, The Golden Filter are bringing adventure, escapism and imagination back to pop. History, mysticism and astrology collide with love and romance, disco and analogue synths, making The Golden Filter a one-of-a-kind proposition and leading lights in the re-emergence of late 70’s New York style glamour and hedonism. We don’t think it’s any coincidence that’s at the same time as the re-emergence of late 70’s style recession.

With its glowing production and haunting vocal, and powered by an incredible, propulsive, Moroder-like bassline, Solid Gold has an otherworldly , even inter-dimentional quality which could easily be the offspring of disco gods Chic, and mind-voyagers-with-guitars Klaxons.

As well as the excellent original version, we’ve also got some of our mates to remix Solid Gold: Russ Chimes delivers a glam-house disco fest, Clouded Vision have created a funky dance floor banger which starts in a deceptively mellow way but will definitely having you coming up on your last pill (whenever that might have been, old timers) by the time it’s done. Mondkopf from Foolhouse warps things off the scale. And for lovers of the original, there’s an extended version, in an honest to goodness disco style.

All the mixes and the original are available to download for free here in MP3 form. DJ’s who want high quality files can buy them exclusively from Beatport. There’s also a limited edition 7” in the Dummy shop, including B side ‘Favourite Things’ which you can’t get anywhere else. Enjoy.