Published on
July 2, 2021
Category
Features
Dancehall instrumentals, sinister electro, dreamy Swedish pop, and more.
This week’s rundown is by The Vinyl Factory’s Lazlo Rugoff, alongside Alice Whittington, James Hammond, and Emily Hill.
Albums
Various artists
Now Thing 2
(Chrome)
In the space of a year Felix Hall’s Chrome imprint has steadily built up a reputation for delivering some choice selects from Jamaican dancehall’s expansive back catalogue and cross pollinations. With Now Thing 2, the label brings forth a sequel to Mo Wax’s much loved first edition, stretching out from where that collection left off in 1997 and bringing the survey forward to 2020. Much the same as the original Now Thing collection, this compendium of dancehall instrumentals is a vital listen that calls for further investigations into the work of all involved. — JH
LNS & DJ Sotofett
Sputters
(Tresor)
Berlin’s iconic techno institution Tresor continues to live up to its reputation with LNS and DJ Sotofett’s collaborative album Sputters. Collecting hybrid electro cuts recorded between 2017 and 2020, Sputters also explores more melodic terrain, with roots in electroid and traditional techno formations. ‘Synchronic Bass Blort’ splutters out cosmically sinister electro, whilst ‘Sputtering’ lures one in with its squelchy menace. — EH
Chora(s)san Time-Court Mirage
Blues Alif Lam Mim
(Blank Form Editions)
Blank Forms continues to dig through the archives of luminary Swedish composer, poet, philosopher, and visual artist Catherine Christer Hennix with this first vinyl release of her 2014 piece Blues Alif Lam Mim. Performed with her expanded just intonation ensemble the Chora(s)san Time-Court Mirage, the piece taps into the musical traditions of raga and makam, alongside drone and Hennix’s own vocals. As she explains: “[the piece] presents fragments of ‘raga-like’ frequency constellations following distinct cycles and permuting their order, creating a simultaneity of ‘multi-universes.’” — LR
Miljon
Don’t They Know
(Studio Barnhus)
Studio Barnhus takes a break from its usual four-to-the-floor-electronic fare with Lisa Milberg and Jon Bergström’s dreamy debut album Don’t They Know. A hazy collection of Swedish pop, the album envelops you with its warmth and hygge. Ultimately, Don’t They Know is a downtempo gem best listened to in its entirety across a lazy summer afternoon. — AW
Les Filles de Illighadad
At Pioneer Works
(Sahel Sounds)
Whilst cities such as Agadez and Niamey are known wellsprings for brilliant electric guitar players and the innovation of Tuareg traditions, Niger’s remote village of Illighadad provides the sonic foundation for this group of female innovators. Introduced to international ears via their first couple of spellbinding releases on Sahel Sounds, this recording captures the group’s live show at Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works during their 2019 world tour. Embracing the traditionally feminine sound of tende — a percussive and vocal styling that utilizes a pestle and mortar — Les Filles expand the form with electric guitars and a flair for the kinetic that’s on full display throughout this set. — JH
Manzanita y Su Conjunto
Trujillo – Perú 1971-1974
(Analog Africa)
Peruvian guitarist and composer Berardo Hernández, aka Manzanita, is the subject of Analog Africa’s latest compilation, Trujillo – Perú 1971-1974. Having emerged amidst rising the popularity of psychedelic Cumbia, Manzanita fused Cuban guaracha rhythms with cumbia and electric guitar lines. While the sun may feel far away — in the UK, at least — let Trujillo – Perú 1971-1974 act as a sonic cloudbuster, ushering in warmer days to come. — LR
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe
Levitation Praxis Pt 4
(DDS)
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe’s Levitation Praxis Pt 4 album gets a welcome repress this week on DDS. Commissioned by New York’s Museum of Arts as part of an Harry Bertoia exhibition, Lowe used Bertoia’s Sonambient sound sculptures located in the artist’s barn. Created by slowly but surely plotting a course across the barn, Lowe brings the seemingly static objects to life, letting them shimmer and flicker across the album. — LR
Paul DeMarinis
Songs Without Throats
(Black Truffle)
Sound and visual artist Paul DeMarinis’ work with synthesized voice and manipulated speech sounds is collected in Songs Without Throats. Focusing on his work between 1978 and 1995, the compilation includes a selection of previously unreleased work. — LR
Singles
Bound by Endogamy
Walk with a tumored dog
(Lux Rec)
Lux Rec completes its 7” series focusing on Swiss musicians working with experimental EBM — a style particularly prevalent in Switzerland, hailing the DIY pioneers Grauzone and Yello — with Bound By Endogamys’ Walk with a tumored dog. Leaning into a sense of frustration and angst, ‘Junktion Rivers’ sees industrial anthems clashing with thrashing synthesisers, distorted drum machines and cold vocals. On the flip, emotionless French are layered over cyber-punk esque rhythms on ‘Lettre a Lauren – Cold Version’. — EH
Edit & Dub
Movin On
(Edit & Dub)
Contained within Movin On is a treasure trove of freshly uncovered instrumental and dub mixes from ’70s icons. While he may own the world’s longest car, Italo-American disco legend Gino Dentie sings over right horn riffs on ‘Express.’ The B-side travels into Euro-disco territory with the thumping bassline of ‘Voodoo Man’ — featuring an epic guitar solo over a hurtling 130bpm kick drum. It’s a classic example of disco pioneer Biddu Appaiah, the British-Indian producer who penned hits for stars across the West and Asia. A sultry dub version of Turkish actress-singer Suna Yildizoglu’s 1979 hit ‘I’m Gonna Dance’’ closes off the 12″ in style. — AW
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