Laurel Halo will release her third LP Dust on June 23rd via Hyperdub Records and “Jelly” is our first listen in on the upcoming work. The track features vocals by Klein and Lafawndah, as well as Halo’s unique take on techno and dance music. If the musician/producer’s strategy has been to take those genres apart across her past efforts, it is only to put them back together in meaningful new ways. When asked about her deconstructive tendancies by Philip Sherburne in a 2013 interview for SPIN, she responded: “I think it’s clear that there’s a U.K. influence and it’s clear that there’s a Detroit influence.”
On “Jelly”, you can hear her put those styles into conversation. Interestingly, though, if for taxonomy sake, your goal is to trace those conversations back to their sources, say the UK and Detroit, you’ll find yourself chasing your tail in a hall of mirrors. That’s part of the fun, though, and is one of the reasons that Halo’s music has the ability to move mind and body.
“Jelly” hybridizes techno’s 4/4 kick pattern, giving it a little British flair with skittering rhythmic accompaniments, before introducing warped vocals that pitch shift in and out of focus. The vibe here is less dark than the cuts on 2015’s In Situ (Honest Jon’s Records) and 2013’s Behind the Green Door (Hyperdub), but the overall effect is still narcotic and disorienting in the best of ways.
The video for “Jelly” was created by Bureau Borsche and it follows black, ribbon-like roads thru stark white space while displaying the track’s lyrics along the way. Look for Laurel Halo to play some select live dates, as well as some DJ sets this Spring. You can find her tour schedule after the video embed.
Watch Laurel Halo’s “Jelly” Video
Laurel Halo Live Dates
04-28 Malmö, SE – Inkonst Festival
05-12 Leipzig, DE – IfZ (DJ set)
05-13 Los Angeles, CA – Globe Theater Basement (DJ set)
05-21 Beijing, CN – Wetware Festival
05-25 Chicago, IL – TBA (DJ set)
05-26 Detroit, MI – Marble Bar (DJ set)
06-17 Hilvarenbeek, NL – Best Kept Secret Festival (DJ set)
06-22 London, UK – Ř (Record Release Party) (DJ set)
07-22 New York, NY – TBA (DJ set)
