This week: soft electronica, Arabic ragga, lap guitars and bikutsi

Essential weekend listening.

This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty and Becky Rogers, alongside contributors Annabelle Van Dort, Emily Hill and James Hammond.

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Ahmed Ben Ali

Subhana

(Habibi Funk)

Buy

In 2020, Habibi Funk reissued Ahmed Ben Ali’s infectious, Libyan Reggae scorcher “Subhana” on a 12”. With its infectious blend of Libyan folkloric sounds and skank-ready reggae rhythms, “Subhana” was an unforgettable introduction to the Benghazi born artist. Now, Ahmed Ben Ali makes a welcome return with his first full-length project on vinyl—a blistering ten-track collection of 2000s Libyan Reggae future classics. From the Arabic ragga of “Ya Ghalian Alakheera”, to the microtonal Zimaret-influenced riddims of “Dameek Majeb”, Subhana showcases Ali’s ingenious fusion of influences in forging the Benghazi Reggae Sound.–AVD

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King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation

(KGLW)

Buy

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s 24th album is a release of extremities. The first in a “ying and yang release”, PetroDragonic Apocalypse takes a hard, full-on approach with its thrash metal sensibilities, while its follow-up hints at ridding any remnants of such riffage. Ending with “Dawn of Eternal Night”, a 15-minute-long vinyl exclusive, the lore of the “Gila Monster” continues with a sprawling spoken word piece from previous collaborator Leah Senior backed by otherworldly growls from the beast. An exciting release from a band that can’t help but push everything to the limit.–BR

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Wes Anderson

Asteroid City

(The Vinyl Factory)

Available from 180 Studios’ Asteroid City exhibition

Jarvis Cocker delivers two tracks from the Asteroid City soundtrack for this exclusive Vinyl Factory release, available only from the 180 Studios exhibition. Join the cast’s hoedown with A-side “Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven)” as it swings into a full country blowout with its lap steel guitars, washboards and yeehaws. On the flip side, softly-spoken “You Can’t Wake Up If You Don’t Fall Asleep” sees Cocker lead on vocals for this acoustic ballad.–BR

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Aselefeche Ashine and Getenesh Kebret

Beauties

(Missisippi Records)

Buy

With the duo of Aselefech Ashine & Getenesh Kebret having met at the Hager Fikr theatre in Addis Ababa in the early 1970s, Beauties was their sole collaborative release, arriving at the end of Ethiopia’s Golden Age and before the artistic suppressions of the Derg regime had begun to fully take hold. Singing in unison, Ashine and Kebret’s harmonies are backed here by Teshome Sisay’s flute, and the percussion, brass, piano and bass of the Army Band–a group known for their similarly brilliant work with Tlahoun Gessesse and Mahmoud Ahmed. An understated gem of Ethiopia’s Golden Age brought back to the fore by Mississippi Records.–JH

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Django Django

Off Planet

(Because Music)

Buy

Django Django return for a four-part album that sees them explore the breadth of their influences and electronic preferences. Quintessentially a summer album, a lot of Off Planet serves as the brand of good time soft electronic music that is ready made for festivals and garden parties. An excellent collaboration with Self Esteem (“Complete Me”), amongst other features, brings out the strength of Django Django’s adaptable production style–the band are at ease switching genres and matching the energy of their collaborators. With its smorgasbord of styles, Off Planet works almost like a playlist, making for easy listening and good vibes.–KD

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Roger Bekono

Roger Bekono

(Awesome Tapes From Africa)

Buy

Initially developing his suave voice and upbeat musical style within the cabarets and discotheques of Yaoundé, Cameroon, the 1980s saw Roger Bekono apply his arrangement and band leading skills to the burgeoning and evolving sound of the bikutsi genre. This self-titled 1989 LP landed as his third release and features Bekono and a tight-knit ensemble working alongside the legendary Cameroonian producer Mystic Jim. With all four tracks here going on to become bikutsi classics following the initial success of lead single Jolie Poupée, this was the record that brought Bekono’s dance-pop style to an international audience. A first-time reissue for a staple of the late ‘80s bikutsi sound.–JH

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Bright Eyes

Cassadaga – A Companion

(Dead Oceans)

Buy

Another instalment of Bright Eyes’ companion EP and reissue project arrives, this time with refreshed takes on Cassadaga (2007), Noise Floor (2006) and The People’s Key (2011). Out of the bunch, Cassadaga is the most worth a revisit. For a long-time Cassadaga has been one of Conor Oberst’s most underrated projects, a left-turn that saw him leaning into his country tendencies and embarking upon elements of the mystical, conspiratorial lyrics that have stayed within his work to date. A Companion reframes some of Cassadaga’s highlights including “Middleman” and “I Must Belong Somewhere” and places them alongside an apt cover of “Wrecking Ball”, originally recorded by his sometime collaborator Gillian Welch. Whilst there’s not too much new to find here, the tracks are reinvigorated by new production and a looser approach. Another testament to the illustrious songwriting career of Conor Oberst.–KD

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Steven Julien & Kyle Hall

Crown

(Apron Records)

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It has been a long ten years since we were blessed by the musical musings of Kyle Hall and Steven Julien, previously known under their joint alias of Funkinevil. Their offering Crown is a joyful return, reuniting the two artists from opposite ends of the world but joined together by their innate love for all things soulful, particularly on that joyful deep-nu jazz tip. Across seven tracks they collaborate with talented spoken word poet and producer James Massiah, who takes us on a sci-fi-esque journey across the universe, backed with floating synthesisers and out of this world pads. Icons DaM-Funk and Reggie B deliver funky reworks suitable for dancefloor destruction!–EH

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Gigi Masin and Greg Foat

Dolphin

(Strut)

Buy

Greg Foat and Gigi Masin are avant composers in their own right, both genre-subverting maestros, who weave luscious, spacious arrangements into expansive conceptual works— thus making their first collaborative album, (out now on Strut Records) all the more exciting.  Featuring prominent London players, such as drummer Moses Boyd and bassist Tom Herbert, Dolphin does not disappoint. Foat and Masin’s arrangements reveal a vast musical landscape: delicate piano melodies emerge from swirling beds of synth, as if reaching for something beyond. Dolphin is an exercise in subtlety; in crafting an ambience and letting it settle, like the scent of a candle, left lingering in the air.–AVD