Yesterday I was listening to the newest Noir Recommends and his 120 min set opened with “Tough Love (Aril Brikha remix)” by Sailor and I. Immediately I was enthralled with the track. The vocals resonate with a sweet sorrow, and both the Aril Brikha remix and the original track are excellent. The duo hails from Sweden and are set to release their EP in the upcoming months. I’m looking forward to see what else this duo has in store.

Clu dropped off the video for “Evening Ever”, which tracks the duo from the Irish countryside to a hot and heavy gig in Dublin. Be sure to check them out at the Life Festival in Belvedere on the 25th.

Rising London label XVI Records has contributed to the latest edition of our Substitute Teachers series, and I asked Josh Byrne – the label’s head – a few questions after listening to their mix.

The impetus behind XVI is to find and release material by some of the UK’s most forward-thinking artists. What forward-thinking artists have influenced you all in the first place?

We love so many different types of music that it’s hard to pin down, but everything from bands like Joy Division and At The Drive In straight through to acts like Floating Points, Arthur Russell, Company Flow, and Theo Parrish (to name a few) influence the sound of the label in a big way. Ultimately we just wanted to work with a group of artists who are carving out a new sound as opposed to paying too much attention to what’s “on trend”.

Is the aim to stay digital? Or do you see yourselves pressing vinyl anytime soon?

We are actually currently finalizing our first vinyl release, we’re all so excited to see our logo on a record! Should be out in the next month or so…

Is there a club night or radio show where we can hear artists on XVI?

We’ve had a lot of great support from a lot of really excellent radio shows, people like Mary Anne Hobbs, Jon Oliver from East Village Radio, Earnest Endeavours, Chrome Kids and Simon Harrison from Basic Soul have had helped us push the sound to a wider audience on their shows. I run a night called Lion Roar in my hometown, Chester where a lot of the artists play. It acts as a great platform for the artists to get their music out there and test out new sounds. The night has been running for 3 years now and we’ve got a really close nit following who never fail to come down and support everything XVI Records represents. We are also planning a few parties around the country.

What releases do you have planned for the rest of the year?

We’ve got some really exciting music lined up for the rest of this year, we’ve got releases from Mau’lin, Jabru, Real, Bambooman, Decyfer and Henry Wu in the pipeline alongside a couple of new additions…

What’s in this mix?

This mix is a sneak peak of whats going on at XVI Records, it’s all previously unheard material that is forthcoming on the label and mixed by Real. It is further showcasing the sound of the label via innovative, down tempo sounds, mixed with more dance floor friendly beats.

Do any of your artists have shows coming up?

We’ve got a label showcase at Imperial College‘s student union and Metric on June 16, where you can hear the sounds of Sun Glitters, Henry Wu and Evermean (check the official event out here). A couple of our artists will be appearing at Mifest, Dimensions and a couple of other festivals over the summer…

Henry Wu – Oxtail Soup (XVI)
Deminai – Lola (Demo)
Mukes – Pilot (XVI)
Real – Sunrise (XVI)
Mukes – Take Off (XVI)
Mau’lin – Because (XVI)
Jabru & MTD – Homeflame (XVI)
Decyfer – Mariana Trench Dub (XVI)
Bambooman – Moters (XVI)

Youtube has become a haven for Letherette beats that will probably never see the light of day, and this unofficial video for “Maybe” by Synesthesiæ Films (who are also responsible for Solar Bears‘ “Forest of Fountains”) uses footage from Japansese cult classic Cruel Story of Youth to take it somewhere else. You should revisit their most recent mix for Ninja Tune if you’d like to hear what they’ve been up.

I’ve been falling behind on music lately, but luckily I know that any email from Avalon Emerson is bound to be filled with gems. “Horoscope” has been out for about a month now, and is true to her trademark sound, beautiful minimalism inspired by Detroit house. “Church of SoMa” is her newest track, which incorporates some slightly mysterious vocal samples and effortlessly entrances. Always enchanting, her latest tracks are available for free download through her soundcloud.

I have been listening to this track all weekend, literally. Yesterday it was the only thing I listened to. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (T-E-E-D) is an electronic producer and DJ from the UK. His debut album Trouble is due to drop June 11th.

I was real surprised to find out that Airliner was another pseudonym for Com Truise, whose None LP focuses more on lush funk samples, downtempo hip hop beats, and crushing, high-end synth melodies that evoke the earlier works of Lone, Boards of Canada, and Stephen Farris. Grab the LP on his bandcamp and it will be well worth your dollars.

Jus Like Music is having us premiere Stine Village Vol. I, a collection of future beats and favorites from front runner Jesse Futerman. He’ll be releasing For The Witches on June 4, and this mix should give you a good idea of where he’s coming from.

Raja – Love Your Brother
Raja – Floating Up (Tribute to MCA)
Main Attraktionz – Shoot The Dice (Friendzone Secret of Mana Remix)
Onra – Intro
AbJo – Wave Dance
DJ Day – Sky (Can You Feel Me)
40 WINKS – The Day Breaks
Skalpel – Flying Officer
Jesse Futerman – Yusef
Kira Neris – Chance and Wills
Jesse Futerman – Funds
Group Home – Up Against The Wall (Getaway Car Mix)

Lapalux reworks Slugabed‘s “Mountains Come Out Of The Sky” with his usual gutter glitter, ensuring no part of the original is discernible with loads of saturated reverb, time-streched vocal samples and wicked, off kilter beats. The remix is available for free now, and will be released alongside remixes from Kutmah, Arp101 in the not-too-distant future.

Jeremiah from Nyteowl introduced me to Riverhorse, whose synth pop sensibilities are bubbling over the scene out here in Minneapolis. Their debut single was just released through local label Everliving Sound, and you can grab it for only $.99 here .