P - T

Palms Trax

[DE]

Photo by Camille Blake

Berlin-based producer and Red Bull Music Academy Tokyo alumnus Palms Trax hails from Bristol, but his sound — characterised by rugged workouts, warm grooves, and twice-fried synths with gentle, soaring pads —s ituates him somewhere along the Chicago-Detroit axis: house music's Tigris and Euphrates.

Noted for their standout production quality and close attention to detail, Donaldson's valve-heated, dust-treated slabs of house feature melodic synths and smooth, undulating drum patterns, nodding to the influence of artists like Legowelt, John Heckle, Tevo Howard, and Nu Groove-era Burrell Brothers. His first and much sought-after record, Equation, was released in 2013 via ascendent London imprint Lobster Theremin, followed by the Forever 12" a year later. Selected tracks from both offerings have been remixed by Tin Man, Willie Burns, and White Material mainstay Galcher Lustwerk. His latest effort, the In Gold EP, is due for release via esteemed Dutch label Dekmantel in early 2015.

Donaldson explores rougher territory in one-take, improvised hardware jams as part of Chicago Flotation Device and holds down a regular slot on Berlin Community Radio. He also tours widely (sharing bills with the likes of Workshop-affiliated techno abstractionist Kassem Mosse and modern house icons Levon Vincent and Omar-S), and has logged recent appearances at Panorama Bar and Dublin's Twisted Pepper.

For CTM 2015, Palms Trax appears as part of a joint programme presented together with RBMA.

Fade Out – CTM x RBMA Afterparty

Urban Spree, Sun 01.02.2015, 23:59

Ulf Eriksson, Palms Trax