TOMAGA レコード& CD

Review: Londoners TOMAGA compile their latest two EPs on the new Extended Play 1 & 2 double vinyl compilation on French label Hands in the Dark. All the tracks feature intuitive dialogs between Valentina Magaletti and Tom Relleen. The English bassist and electronics engineer and Italian drummer and percussionist Magaletti find plenty of intriguing common ground that leads to dark and subtle jazz sounds with minimal nuances and lush textures. After Tom's sad and sudden passing in 2020 this is great reminder of their skills.

Review: Formed by two members of The Oscillation, Tom Relleen and Valentina Magaletti, Tomaga were named by mashing up Can's album title Tago Mago, which gives some idea of the freewheeling experimentation and strange allure of Futura Grotesk. Driven by Magaletti's propulsive yet inventive percussion, the duo weave a strange and enchanting web of unsettling ambience, radiophonic textures and industrial noise, creating a sound as bleak as it is beautiful. Operating far from conventional parameters of genre, Tomaga here transform adventurous abstraction and an art-based approach into something truly enticing, crafting unique atmospheres that are arresting yet refreshingly unearthly.

Review: The Schleissen series stands as one of the finest facets of the ever expanding Emotional Response empire, initially kicking off in 2015 with releases from artists such as Harmonious Thelonious, Abul Mogard, Don't DJ and Sad City. Now the series has been fired up once again with the exotic tones of Tomaga, recently found lurking round the likes of Meakusma and Hands In The Dark. It's an exotic live band sound that touches on Fourth world exploration and motorik drive, but certainly with its own unique slant. The B side of this particular 12" is given over to Neil Tolliday, most commonly found rolling out tech house as Nail and many other names, but here indulging in gorgeous, layered minimal ambient pieces with looping melodic phrases to soothe rather than groove.