Published on
June 30, 2023
Category
Features
Essential weekend listening.
This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty, alongside contributors Annabelle Van Dort, Emily Hill and James Hammond.
Joanna Sternberg
I’ve Got Me
(Fat Possum Records)
Lo-fi breakout star Joanna Sternberg returns for their second album, I’ve Got Me. More assertive than its predecessor, I’ve Got Me is filled with forthright lyricism that plainly and sincerely showcases Sternberg’s emotional outlook on the world. Sternberg is endlessly charming, presenting a vulnerable and open take on anti-folk, littered with sweet singalongs and occasionally gut-punch lyrics. Sternberg faces pain with a defiant sense of hope, resulting in I’ve Got Me feeling like an inspiring and heartwarming musical friend.–KD
Ayako Shinozaki
Music Now For Harp
(WEWANTSOUNDS)
Ayako Shinozaki’s Music Now For Harp is a beguiling, minimalist masterpiece, full of otherworldly sonics and ethereal harp experiments. Released in Japan in 1974, this new reissue by Paris-based label WEWANTSOUNDS marks the first international release of Music Now For Harp. Featuring compositions from savants of the Japanese post-war avant-garde, Takehisa Kosugi and Toru Takemitsu, Music Now For Harp combines Shinozali’s delicate harp work with droning tapes and proto-ambient layerings of noise. On the album centrepiece, the epic 25-minute closer “Heterodyne”, Shinozaki and Kosugi’s harp and violin intertwine, coalescing like dancers in spiralling swells of electronics and reverb. Another essential Japanese rarity reissued by WEWANTSOUNDS in recent months!–AVD
Semtek
Denny Island / Catching Smoke
(RUBADUB)
The finest vinyl distributors and all round great record store team join forces with Semtek, a DJ, producer and the founder of Don’t Be Afraid. It has been a cool six years since his last release and it is delightful to see his return to the production bench with his debut on Rubadub Records of two multi-genre club-centred hitters. “RAD-SEM1” takes shape with inspiration from Detroit Techno through to UKG and D’n’B. Ethereal and ice-cold cuts that have a progressive future leaning tip. .–EH
Jantra
Synthesized Sudan
(Ostinato)
Utilising a modified Yamaha synthesizer and the ability to maintain long-form improvisations that keep the momentum and BPMs high, Ahmed Mohamed Yaqoup Eltom’s work as Jantra has become a sensation within the local music scenes and street parties of the Al-Fashaga district, a disputed territory that lies in the South East of Sudan. As a prime innovator of the area’s jaglara sound, Jantra’s synth melodies and free-style approach to live performance and recording is brilliantly captured here courtesy of some production innovation from Janto Koité. Working with Jantra’s cassette recordings and midi data, Kointe has created discreet tracks out of the long-form party sound, presenting an LP which stands as a unique document of Jantra’s Astro-Nubian forms.–JH
Orpheu The Wizard
The Sound Of Love International: #005
(Love International x Test Pressing)
Love International continues its test pressing series with Dutch musical creative and masterful visionary Orpheu The Wizard. The Amsterdam-based DJ has been curating versatile and unconventional sets throughout his career, inviting listeners and dancers in to be challenged as he takes them on a ride through his musical prowess. The result of his carefully compiled tracklist spans decades and genres from his vast record collection, including tucked-away gems ambient gems on rare records through to house-y cuts to make you move. The music is designed with party freaks in mind and amps up the tension for what is to be a cracking party at one of Croatia’s finest outdoor music venues.–EH
2001
Non Stop / Ricochet Funk
(Weapon Merchant)
A dose of 2-step garage goodness from London-based newcomer 2001 on their debut 7”, Non Stop / Ricochet Funk. Self-released on Weapon Merchant—2001’s label exploring all things garage and bass–Non Stop / Ricochet Funk is limited to a run of 100, with the jittering “Ricochet Funk” available on vinyl only. Both tracks combine punchy, propulsive rhythms with deep, wobbling bass lines that envelop ear-worm vocal samples in brooding darkness. A guaranteed dancefloor filler, this release announces 2001 as a producer to watch in years to come.–AVD
Brigid Mae Power
Dream From The Deep Well
(Fire Records)
Irish singer-songwriter Brigid Mae Power releases her fourth album via Fire Records. Dream From The Deep Well is a tender and meditative release, drawing from Irish traditionalism and contemporary folk. Wrapped in a cleaner sheen than her previous work, it’s a record of self-contained folk story-telling communicated through haunting vocals and close detail. Dream From The Deep Well is a distinctly Irish album, blending lyrical local tales with universal emotions. Thoughtful folk music for solo listening.–KD
Not Waving
The Place I’ve Been Missing
(Ecstatic Recordings)
Alesio Natalizia’s Not Waving project returns with a suite of ambient pop music that’s centred on themes of grief and the fragility of existence. Drawing on a broad range of sounds that are further expanded on by contributors such as Marie Davidson, More Eaze and Spivak, The Place I’ve Been Missing holds a multi-faceted voice that works up a narrative flow of syncopated beats, alluring hooks, glitch aesthetics, and ambient detours. Laced with melancholy and inventiveness, this one’s an affecting exploration at the borderlands of pop and experimentation.–JH
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