Published on
July 26, 2024
Category
Features
Essential weekend listening.
This week’s rundown is by VF contributors Annabelle Van Dort, Emily Hill and James Hammond.
Blawan
Wet Will Always Dry
(Ternesc)
A 2024 repress one of the most highly praised techno albums in the last 10 years. Blawan is an incredibly in-demand DJ and live act, running his own label, performing in a metal band and creating earth-shattering techno with fellow producer Pariah under the guise of Karenn. Wet Will Always Dry came eight years after their first Hessle Audio single (“Fram” / “Iddy”) and marked a change in stylistic tact for the producer. A highly anticipated debut album with many twists and turns, blending clarity with distortion but locking dancers into the dancefloor.–EH
Modesto Duran
Fabulous Rhythms of Modesto
(Numero Group)
A legend of the conga, Modesto Duran’s percussion could be found on numerous hit singles throughout the 1950s. Having worked with the likes of Perez Prado, Eartha Kitt and Harry Belafonte, the Fabulous Rhythms of Modesto arrived in 1960 as his second effort as bandleader. As might be expected this is a percussion forward work that pairs the brass with a crack ensemble of conga players that include Willie Bobo and Chico Guerrero.–JH
Becker & Mukai
Spirit Only
(SAS Recordings)
On their second album, London-based musical duo Becker & Mukai recruit a storied class of collaborators from across the musical spectrum, expanding their idiosyncratic dubbed-out, oddball beats into the terrains of experimental pop. A technicolour tapestry of psychedelic dub, disco-not-disco weirdness and ethereal fourth-world textures, Spirit Only is the playful sound of two creative visionaries synthesising their influences into a dazzling, novel compound–AVD
Alex Kassian x Mad Professor
E2–E4 – A reference to E2-E4 by Manuel Gottsching
(Test Pressing)
Alex Kassian creates an ode to the iconic Manuel Gottschings E2-E4, a minimalistic hour-long adventure recorded in one take and originally released in 1984. Alex Kassian originally from Kyoto and now based in Berlin has long been associated with labels such as Love On The Rocks, Utopia Records and Planet Sundae. Across 12 minutes Kassian connects to music on a higher spiritual plane, taking the listener on a voyage to the sun-soaked dancefloors of Ibiza and beyond. On the flip we are treated to a flip by Mad Professor who takes things to another Balearic level.–EH
Horace Martin
You’ve Changed
(Arabusta Records)
Arabusta Records presents an essential reissue of Horace Martin’s genre-bending 1986 dancehall rarity, You’ve Changed. A cross-country collaboration recorded and mixed in Jamaica’s Channel One studios with additional production done in Canada, You’ve Changed sees Martin combine his rambunctious toasting presence on the mic with moodier, electronic textures—alchemising an early template of the ‘digi-roots’ genre. All killer and no filler, the album’s titular track is a timeless highlight— full of longing and brooding with experimental digi production that elevates Martin to new heights.–AVD
Skip James
Today!
(Vanguard / Craft)
Originally released in 1966, Today! appeared after the rediscovery of Skip James’ sublime talents and found the bluesman revitalising a host of his 1931 singles on the LP format. Signature falsetto singing of hard times buoyed along on nimble fingerpicked guitar and the occasional piano detour, James’ songwriting shines throughout. As per the standards of Craft’s Bluesville Series, this one comes with careful remastering and new AAA lacquers cut from the master tapes.–JH
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