This is the premiere of the eye-popping new video for Matthew Herbert’s new single ‘Leipzig’, telling the story of “a young man’s hedonistic adventures in club land”.

As you probably all know by now, the irrepressible Herbert is currently engaged in a controversial project involving sounds and other materials sourced from a pig. The resulting album, One Pig, is due to be released later this year.

Singular though its conception might seem, One Pig is in fact the third part in a trilogy of thematically allied full-lengths that Herbert will be issuing in the months ahead. The first part of the trilogy, entitled One One, is our present concern, and it will be released in April. It’s from this record that ‘Leipzig’ is taken.

Over the years Herbert has used many unlikely tools in his quest to make musically and politically resonant works – household appliances, foodstuffs, condoms and the like – but he has never used his own singing voice. Until now. His hushed, surprisingly deft vocals are central to the new LP, which he describes as his most “honest” musical production since he first performed live as Wishmountain in 1995, accompanied only by a pepper pot. One One is entirely self-written, self-performed and self-produced.

“Singing for the record was surprisingly difficult,” he says. “There was no one there to tell me if I was terrible, and if I was terrible I had to fix it myself. I couldn’t hide behind nifty production tricks.

“At times it took dressing in a black tuxedo and half a bottle of wine to get over the nerves. I didn’t know how to play many of the instruments when I started…”

The album was recorded at Herbert’s studio in Whitstable, Kent, and it apparently “chronicles a single day in the life”. The intention was to make a more personal record after the epic Matthew Herbert Big Band album There’s You And There’s Me, which addressed ideas of community and entailed 2,000 samples produced by more than 350 people.

The next part of the One trilogy will be One Club, a work comprised entirely of samples recorded on one night at the Robert-Johnson techno club in Frankfurt, including sounds of kissing, dancing, laughter and mobile phone rings.

We were also pleased to learn today that Herbert has been commissioned by venerable classical imprint Deutsche Grammophon to produce the next in their series of Re:Composed series. He follows in the footsteps of Carl Craig & Moritz Von Oswald and Jim Tenor, and has chosen – as he puts it, “rather foolishly” – to take on Mahler’s 10th symphony.

You can watch the video for ‘Leipzig’ below:

This week the UK tour of Dan Berglund’s Tonbruket rolls into London for a headline show at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Berglund is formally of E.S.T., the renowned avant-jazz ensemble that was forced to disband after the premature death, in 2008, of their leader Esbjörn Svensson. Looking for a new direction and outlet for his talents, bassist Erglund founded Tronbuket, ensliting the services of Johan Lindström (guitar), Soundtrack of Our Lives’ Martin Hederos (piano) and Andreas Werliin (drums).

Tonbruket, which is also the title of the group’s debut album, is the Swedish expression for a workshop or factory that produces tones. “We really liked the sound of it – and then, our tiny four-men factory also researches and produces. We produce tones that together hopefully result in good music”.  This music touches on ambient, prog and psychedelia, with bass very much foregrounded.

Tonbruket tour dates:

Sat 13 Mar EDINBURGH The Queen’s Hall
Mon 15 Mar LONDON Queen Elizabeth Hall / Southbank Centre
Thu 25 Mar MANCHESTER Band on the Wall
Fri 26 Mar NOTTINGHAM Lakeside
Sat 27 Mar GATESHEAD The Sage Gateshead
Sun 28 Mar SOUTHAMPTON Turner Sims Concert Hall
Mon 29 Mar MILTON KEYNES The Stables
Tue 30 Mar BIRMINGHAM CBSO Centre
Wed 31 Mar BARNSTAPLE The Queens Theatre
Thu 1 Apr  BRISTOL St George’s Bristol

So this Friday FACT are hosting Room 2 at London’s Coronet Theatre, as part of the launch party for the new season of Together parties.

Together have packed out Room 1 with some massive names (Mylo, Sub Focus, Zombie Nation, Tinie Tempah) and we’ve done our bit, putting Hyperdub boss Kode9 in Room 2 with some of the brightest lights in UK house: Deep Teknologi, Mosca and R1 Ryders.

Fancy coming? Well tickets are available here, or you could enter our competition. We’ve got five pairs of guest list to give away, and even better, the first name out the hat will not only receive free entry, but a stack of vinyl including Terror Danjah and Scratcha DVA’s recent Hyperdub singles, R1 Ryders’ forthcoming Full Throttle EP, and if we can find any left, a copy of Mosca’s ‘Square One’ 12” for Night Slugs.

Also on the Room 1 bill for Friday are Crystal Fighters, Doorly and Rory Phillips, and Room 3 features My Tiger My Timing, O. Children and more.

Full details here; to enter this competition hit us up on competitions@vinylfactory.co.uk.

4AD will release a limited EP this April, titled Fragments from a Work in Progress.

Released to coincide with Record Store Day on Saturday 17, the 12” EP features new material from various 4AD acts, including new signings Gang Gang Dance and Ariel Pink.

“Showcasing rough drafts and material ahead of each act’s forthcoming work”, Fragments also features the first ever recorded material from Blonde Redhead in the form of a demo of the track ‘Not Getting There’.

Brooklyn’s brilliant Gang Gang Dance contribute new track ‘Slime City (Heaven)’ while lo-fi poster boy Ariel Pink and his band Haunted Graffiti provide a track from their recently recorded and yet to be aired 4AD session, which promises “a flavor of what to expect from the group’s debut [album] for the label, as surreal as it is sublime.”

Tune-Yards and The Big Pink round off the EP with a demo cut ‘Yes Yes You’ and the unreleased ‘With You’ respectively. Full tracklist below.

Catalogue Number: BAD3X17
A1: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti ‘Menopause Man’
A2: Tune-Yards ‘You Yes You’
B1: Blonde Redhead ‘Getting There’
B2: Gang Gang Dance ‘Slime City (Heaven)’
B3: The Big Pink ‘With You’

By now, you’re probably aware of Karin Andersson’s work as Fever Ray.

One half of The Knife, the Swedish vocalist returned last year with a self-titled album under the name and a particularly acclaimed live show that saw her win fans at Sonar and beyond.

This year she’s already booked at Coachella and Bestival (her only UK festival appearance, apparently), but has just announced two new live dates. The first is at London’s O2 Academy in Brixton on September 8, and the second is at Paris’ La Cigale on September 9.

Tickets are available now from the Fever Ray website.

The first wave of DJs and bands for this year’s 1234 Shoreditch festival have been announced, with Dum Dum Girls (pictured) the pick of the bunch.

The enigmatic Californian and her band, who are set to release their debut for Sub Pop this Spring, will play at Shoreditch Park along with These New Puritans, who are currently riding high on the success of their rhythmically innovative Hidden LP, and reliably smile-inducing Sheffield DJ Toddla T (with MC Serocee). The full line-up so far can be found below.

Festival organisers promise that this year’s site will boast “more stages, more tents, more music, more bars, more food, more stalls, more flashing lights, more entertainment, better VIP enclosure and an artists village,” and early bird tickets are available for a very reasonable £15. More information here.

There are many more acts still to be announced, including the headliners.

Line-up so far:

A1 BASSLINE | ACTION BEAT | A GRAVE WITH NO NAME | AUTOKRATZ | BLOOD MUSIC | BO NINGEN   | BRETON | DDD | DARK HORSES | DEEP SHT | DOLLOP | DRUM EYES |DUM DUM GIRLS  | EGYPTIAN HIP HOP | INVASION | IS TROPICAL | KOOL KIDS KLUB | LELE (SPEAKS) | LE SHARK | MARIA & THE MIRRORS | MATTHEW WOWOW | MAZES | NECRO DEATHMORT | NO BRA | NOT COOL | RANDOM IMPULSE | S.C.U.M | SHARKS | SMASH & GRAB | SUNDERBANS | THE LOVELY JONJO | THE KNOCK OUT DROPS | THE RULLING CLASS | THESE NEW PURITANS | THE TOES | TODDLA T & MC SEROCEE | TRAILER TRASH TRACYS | TRONIK YOUTH | VERONICA FALLS | VICTOR TALKING MACHINE | VIVIAN GIRLS | VON HAZE | WAVVES | WE HAVE BAND | WILD PALMS | ZOMBIE ZOMBIE

Aftershows:

HOXTON SQUARE BAR | ELECTRICITY SHOWROOMS | 333  | CATCH | THE LEGION | BAR MUSIC HALL  | COCOMO | THE OLD BLUE LAST

Red Bull Music Academy takes over The Queen of Hoxton in London tonight for the second of its Happy Tuesdays series.

It’s the perfect opportunity to see participants from RBMA Term 2 – including Manzilla (pictured), Ross McHenry, DZA and Homeless Inc. – strut their stuff live on stage. Sure, we might be spoiled for local talent here in London, but it’s rare that we get to see such an array of international new blood in one place. From Moscow to Madrid, if you want to know what the kids of the wider world are up to these days, look no further.

The night runs from 7.30pm-midnight, and admission is completely free. The full line-up is as follows:

Manzilla (Electric Wire Hustle, Wellington)
Ross McHenry (The Transatlantics, Stirling)
DZA (Moscow)
Homeless Inc. (Labolatory, Madrid)
Kixly (Chula Vista)
Jakob Schneidewind (Elektro Guzzi, Macro, Vienna)
DJs: Nando Pro (Gente de Zona, Havana) & Scout Klas (Gothenburg)

More information can be found here.