Our 10 favourite new vinyl releases this week (16th July)

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With astral spiritual jazz, Japanese hip-hop, UK jungle and more.

This week’s rundown is by Vinyl Factory’s Gabriela Helfet and Lazlo Rugoff, alongside Alice Whittington, James Hammond, and Emily Hill.


Albums


Alice Coltrane

Kirtan: Turiya Sings

(Impulse! Records/UMe)

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Amassing millions of views on YouTube and spawning both tape and vinyl bootlegs, Alice Coltrane’s 1982 cassette Turiya Sings has ventured far beyond the ashram community that she initially shared it with. Whilst many have become familiar with the synthesizers, organ, and strings that adorn this collection of Sanskrit hymns, a recent discovery by Ravi Coltrane now brings us another perspective on this remarkable collection that strips everything back to Coltrane’s voice and Wurlitzer organ alone. Comparisons between each version seem inevitable, though perhaps counterintuitive given the nature of Coltrane’s devotional work and these hymns regular performance as part of the Sai Anantam ashram’s Sunday congregations. As with the edition that Alice Coltrane released in her lifetime, Kirtan: Turiya Sings is a similarly extraordinary exposition of her devotional music and another intriguing part of its legacy. – JH


Adam Pits

A Recurring Nature

(On Rotation)

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Leeds-based DJ and producer extraordinaire Adam Pits launches On Rotations – a long awaited transition from mix series and northern nightclub staple to releasing exciting sounds of the electronic varieties. Pits, a regular in London outfit Holding Hands, has been releasing some spectacular music over the past few years, and Recurring Nature is a testament to his growing maturity as an artist. Over 8 tracks, the boundaries are tested; BPMs rise and fall but the twisted pysch-break-laced, and at times trance-y, rhythms ride excitingly across each twist and turn. ‘Capitulation’ squelches with a core acid baseline, warping into the tech-y ‘Age Of Ent’ as the journey reaches a penultimate climax in Foliage, immersing you in the treats and emotion of overgrown nature. In loving memory of one of the founding members of onro, shining lights of the electronic music scene, and friend to all, Alex T. – EH


Guess What

Children In Space

(Catapulte Records)

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If you ever dreamed of being an astronaut as a kid, then check this wildly fun, psychedelic album dedicated to space travel. It’s hard to describe in brief, so perhaps it doesn’t clarify things when I say it’s ‘space disco meets jazz, punk, cumbia and hip-hop’. For good measure, let’s throw in Turkish melodies, children’s toy pianos, and vintage computer sounds too. On lead single ‘Lessons In Space’, physics lessons are casually rapped over space-disco, while ‘Lessons in Space-Jazz’ playfully hints at Sun-Ra’s ‘Door To The Cosmos’. The vinyl also comes with a 3D miniature cut-out rocket replicating the band’s live stage prop. Prepare to feel childlike joy and curiosity as you embark on this interstellar musical journey. – AW


Suzanne Ciani

Improvisation on Four Sequences at Festival Antigel

(Atmospheric)

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Diva of the diode, Suzanne Ciani releases her live performance at festival Antigel for the first time. Comprised of four sequences that encompass 8-tracks, the synthesizer soundscapes covers terrain ranging from aquatic realms and jungles to sci-fi galaxies in equal measure. The result is a beautiful record that will tide you over until you can see Ciani’s improvisational musings in person. – GH


Ann Margaret Hogan

Without the Moon

(Downwards)

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Downwards continue to shine a light on the work of Ann Margaret Hogan, following up two solo piano LPs with this wonderful collection of collaborations that Hogan has hand-picked from across her career. Using Hogan’s piano as the constant, these six tracks cover a span from 1983 to 2008, and run a gamut of sounds, moving from pop to the outer limits without missing a step. Collaborating with Nick Cave, Jarboe, Marc Almond, Barry Adamson, Kid Congo Powers, Gini Ball and JG Thirwell, the range of approaches makes Without the Moon a particularly enthralling listen, and a fine way for the unfamiliar to acquaint themselves with the breadth of Hogan’s craft. – JH


Singles


Coma-Chi

Water

(Eureka!)

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Female Japanese rapper-singer Coma Chi’s 2018 collaboration with Josef Leimberg gets treated to a 7″ release and a Kaidi Tatham remix. Coma Chi cites ’90s r’n’b/hip-hop as her main inspiration, and on ‘Water’ she flexes her lyrical prowess, reflecting on the importance of water in creating and maintaining life. The original version on the B-side is driven by a pulsing muffled kick and sharp snare combo, accentuated by muted bass stabs and the airy melancholy of Leimberg’s jazz trumpet. Kaidi Tatham’s remix on the A-side is more uptempo, adding a warm layer of piano in the melody, while a wooden xylophone pans delightfully around your ears like a chirpy bird. A jazzy-r’n’b-hip-hop match made in heaven. – AW


Tim Reaper & Comfort Zone

Banoffee Pies White Label Series 01

(Banoffee Pies Records)

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Bristol’s Banoffee Pies Records launches its new white label series — which will focus exclusively on high-tempo records, spanning jungle, d’n’b, rave, hardcore and beyond — with Tim Reaper and Comfort Zone’s collaborative EP. Across the four-tracker, the duo weave jungle as smooth as liquid mercury with d’n’b and frantic breaks. Expect these club heaters to be playing across parties this summer, if we’re lucky. — LR


Yves Tumor

The Asymptotical World

(Warp)

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Master of gleeful rock skuzz, Yves Tumor follows Heaven To A Tortured Mind – one of our favourite albums in 2020 – with the surprise release of The Asymptotical World. It features 6-tracks, including recently released single ‘Jackie’ —  alongside 5 fresh cuts. Veering away from glam rock realms, this time Yves delves into electro-tinged, and post-punk realms with the same kind of gusto. – GH


Lucy Duncombe

‘Brace’ / ‘Mend’

(12th Isle)

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Sound and performance artist Lucy Duncome taps into the relationship between the human voice and the mechanical, electronic world, on her ‘Brace’ / ‘Mend’ 10” for 12th Isle. Weaving her thread-fine vocals through delicately ethereal synthesizer soundscapes, the EP manages to combine a sense of human emotionality with the electronically sublime. — LR


Jeff Mills & The Zanza 21

When The Time Is Right

(Axis)

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Jeff Mills’ boundless energy and appetite for new music has forged the path for his latest project, Zanza 21. The concept for the project is loosely based on the theory that ‘Music is most useful at the point when it touches the soul of the listener’. Comprised of three tracks with the A side taking on ‘When The Time Is Right’ in two separate renditions, the second being the more percussively focused for the dance floor as the patter of the drum machine flickers joyfully in the background. The B side on the other hand is moody, and aptly label the ‘Something like that’ (moody mix), a nod to those heads down moments, slightly pensive and quietly anticipating. Both sides of the record are in some ways channeling what its like to be human, the different factors and emotions we connect with on a day to night basis capturing sounds that transcend moments. – EH