Following on from debut album 'For Years' and previous Hemlock releases 'October/Macondo' and 'Shaded/Antipolo' we are proud to present the new release from Airhead. 'Lightness' marks a subtle yet precise shift into new sonic territory, beating at a higher tempo and releasing from much of the dominant of sub bass that propelled his earlier work. The refracted take on drum and bass was conceived while staring out over Laurel Canyon and realising the desire to float away. Once grounded, Rob set about trying to capture that feeling by removing all weight from the drums and letting the melodies drift through. Harmonically this is his most advanced record, drawing inspiration from studying and adapting some of the techniques from Joe Pass, Barry Harris, Ted Greene and Mick Goodrick to work for other instruments. The overall sound is analog and highly dynamic, featuring tightly packed layers of guitar recordings and effects treatments. Clips of ethereal sounding experiments with synthetic voice software can be heard on 'Still Waiting For U' and 'Ghosts in CS' punctuating the sweetness with an air of uncertainty. The symphonic closing piece 'Unbearable Lightness' is a collaboration with American contemporary classical composer Nico Muhly. Airhead operates uniquely within electronic music, as a session musician he regularly performs at iconic venues to huge crowds yet is still relatively unknown as a producer outside of UK underground circles. Lightness is his most bold and individual release to date and is destined to reach a wider audience. More

Airhead has put out some great music this year. Kicking off with the radiophonic ice of 'Kazzt' for Mumdance's Different Circles and just recently the low slung 'Cristobal' on PS Records his production chops get bolder by the minute. It's no surprise seeing as he spent much of the previous year producing key tracks for the incredible More

ep! Airhead’s writing big ones now. Inspired by afterhours sessions in some of the world’s best and worst nightclubs, HEK024 bangs with the best of them and enforces a new weight behind the producer’s delicate production style. The roughness debuted on this summer’s ‘Believe’ EP for 1-800 Dinosaur (a label Rob co-runs with James Blake and friends) on which he soaked up plenty of influences from US and UK club tracks/trax and effortlessly intertwined them with his measured songwriting and arrangement skills. More

1-800 Dinosaur and Airhead announce a new 4 track EP 'Believe' released July 2014. Airhead, (aka Rob McAndrews) a resident, founding member and spiritual ocelot of the 1-800 Dinosaur crew, will be releasing a four track EP 'Believe', the first of a series of releases from Dan Foat's emerging artist collective. This Believe EP is a turning point for Airhead; equivalent to the moment in the film 'Witness' when Harrison Ford, as John Book, realises that the hitmen (witnessed by the Amish kid in the toilets) are actually policemen. The inward has been exchanged for the outward. Where Airhead's critically acclaimed debut album 'For Years' was all about tip-toeing barefoot into thick carpeted darkened rooms, this new EP, inspired by two years of 1-800 DINOSAUR parties, is all about the boom-boom oscillation and hands-in-the-air machine gun parties. The controls are set straight for the heart of the dancefloor where Rob has erected a Buffalo hide tipi and intends to live for the next 7 months. The lead track 'Believe' has already caused a stir on the 1-800 DINOSAUR affiliated BBC R1 show, reminiscent of a suddenly conscious anthropomorphic car alarm hurtling down a water slide with Leroy Burrell on Gary's. Both 'Shirin' and the Coki summoning 'Shekure' evolve out of the London-centric vapour trails of Grime and UK Garage, unsurprisingly causing the most damage at the 1-800 residency at Plastic People. The eery atmospherics of Hundred Years built around nascent chords and a vocal sample round off the EP perfectly. More

Airhead continues to impress and confound with his run of releases on R&S. His last release ‘Wait/South Congress’ found itself gaining praise right across the board. It showcased his atmospheric guitar styles as well as his deft programming skills, resulting in some trying to pigeon-hole his sound in a post rock/electronica direction. This EP proves it not that easy to pin him down with two new tracks of fresh club music.
Pyramid Lake again showcases his expert manipulation of samples, but this time weaves them into a drunken dance groove, full of whirring percussion and heavy bass. Black Ink is a bubbling, percussive roller that in the hands of a lesser producer would sound like a traincrash. It bounces along almost out of control and sucks you into its charms until it hits you with some uplifting, haunted chords, at which point it's impossible to resist.
Tracklist
A. Pyramid Lake
B. Black Ink
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Airhead first appeared on R&S with the wonderful ‘Lightmeters’ track on the IOTDXI compilation, and now steps up with this stunning debut single for the label.
With only two previous singles to his name he is already a master of building breathtaking music, full of tension, space and originality that can't fail to move you. The two tracks on this single utilise his skills as both instrumentalist and producer. They don’t conform to sit comfortably in just one genre, but mix his love of atmospheric guitar and classic electronica which overflows into the trademark Airhead sound.
Tracklist
A. Wait
B. South Congress



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A trailblazing Radio 1 show, unparalleled club-nights and a promising label, the 1-800 DINOSAUR crew are undoubtedly a focal point for all tastemakers alike. With a string of understated 12” releases, 1-800 Dinosaur are now set to unveil their first full-length release. Anchored by Trim’s polarising narrative, ‘1-800 DINOSAUR Presents Trim’ is a collaborative endeavour featuring a slew of 1-800 members and affiliates, including: Happa, Dan Foat, Airhead, James Blake, Klaus Boothroyd and Bullion. Outspoken and sharp, Trim’s introspectively sinister delivery weaves hypnotically between the 1-800 crews’ varying soundscapes. Emerging Yorkshire producer Happa - who’s stock continues to rise with each release – puts forward a tribal-like march on ‘Before I Lied’, with Trim eerily advising to “be careful who you laugh amongst”. Already in circulation, the videogame like progression of ‘RPG’ seeps with Blake’s signature off-kilter soul, feeding the subversive nature that Trim revels in. Each track unlocks, heightens and explores an alternate, unsettling tone from the E14 resident’s armoury. Dan Foat - a notable figure in the re-emergence of the highly reputable R&S label, and all-round music aficionado - contributes a groove-laden affair on ‘13tH Apostle’. Airhead serves up three idiosyncratic tracks: ‘Waco’ channels Trim’s confrontational nature; ‘Stretch’ engulfs the analytical, self-reflective view of his isolated position within the UK scene; whereas ‘Man Like Me’ is undeniably the most anthemic track from the collection. Bridging a generational gap between pioneer and a product of the scene, Boothroyd provides two contrasting compositions. Having unveiled a remarkable collaborative EP with London mc Maxta towards the back-end of 2015 on Rinse, Boothroyd blankets psychedelic bursts over one of Trim’s calmer deliveries on ‘White Room,’ whilst ‘No Manners’ is entrenched with a more visceral, grime rooted layout. More

A trailblazing Radio 1 show, unparalleled club-nights and a promising label, the 1-800 Dinosaur crew are undoubtedly a focal point for all tastemakers alike. With a new 10” ready for circulation, Trim returns with James Blake and Airhead; hinting towards a taster of what’s to come. ‘RPG’ seeps with Blake’s signature off-kilter soul, feeding the subversive nature that Trim revels in, whilst the Airhead produced ‘Man Like Me’, is undeniably anthemic. Guided by the distinct-outsider vocal of one the most under-glorified, yet revered MCs in the UK scene, the 1-800 crew continue to construct their own direction. More

The fourth release on 1-800-DINOSAUR comes from label co-founder and resident DJ James Blake. Road tested at summer festivals and on the 1-800-DINOSAUR BBC R1 residency show the 200 Press EP consists of 3 music songs and a weird poem, split across a 12" and 7" vinyl doublepack. The artwork has been carefully designed in photoshop by a designer before being printed onto individual labels by a machine and then stuck onto the vinyl. Each vinyl has been carefully placed into a black cardboard sleeve. This is the first ever release to be mastered by a pack of lions at the Addis Ababa Zoo in Ethiopia. For further enquiries please contact Jah. More

James Blake heads up the debut release on 1-800-DINOSAUR with two tracks showcasing the new labels forward facing manifesto. 1-800-DINOSAUR is the brainchild of both Dan Foat, the man behind R&S Records revival and Blake who also run the 1-800-DINOSAUR club night together with Airhead, Klaus and Mr Assister at Plastic People in London. The release leads with metallic house banger 'Voyeur Dub', tried and tested to devastating effect on the Plastic People dance floor in 2012, leading to a shortened arrangement of the song finding its way onto Blake's critically acclaimed sophomore album 'Overgrown'. On the flip 'And Holy Ghost' is a beat-less sojourn into the future soundscapes of electronic music and a deft reminder of Blake's ability at traversing genres with ease.

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