Leftfield / Experimental Recommendations November 2014

Review: Arriving with some truly mind bending artwork from controversial guro manga artist Shintaro Kago, the new Flying Lotus album You're Dead! Is quite alot to take in upon first listen. Some nineteen tracks deep, Steven Ellison uses all the available space to draw you deep into the afterlife as he sees it, veering through heavily psychedelic jazz passages and next level beat explorations that demand you pay full attention. The iconic Herbie Hancock leads a high profile cast of contributing artists to Fly Lo's fifth studio LP and his most ambitious to date with Kendrick Lamar, Captain Murphy, Snoop Dogg, Angel Deradoorian, Thundercat and Niki Randa also adding to what is a transcendental listening experience.

Review: ** REPRESS ** Having released just one seminal 12" on Chain Reaction back in 2001, Shinichi Atobe was tracked down by Demdike Stare only to be found with a vast vault of unreleased material. This double-pack release brings together some cherry-picked morsels from this haul, shedding fresh light on the mysterious and alluring sound of an almost forgotten Japanese producer. There are more obtuse noise and industrial moments such as "Free Access Zone 4", while other moments are full of sweet and crisp house grooves with wistful atmospherics. The diversity on offer is quite something, but whatever style is tackled, Shinichi Atobe brings a haunting quality to bear on his music.

Review: The Surgeon General sees the mysterious Sandwell District alumnus Rrose launches a new imprint in typically unconventional style, once again working with iconic synth musician Bob Ostertag. Surgeon General was recorded by Ostertag a quarter of a century previously and it starts with what sounds like the forlorn whistle of a steam train, weaving its way in and out of silence for a few minutes. Then there follows a deconstructed rhythm that drips like rivulets of water down a wall and bursts of eerie ambient sounds. Despite the fact that Ostertag used basic equipment and the composition predates contemporary electronic music, it has aged extremely well. Rrose's creepily titled "Her Insides Laid Bare" remix is an atmospheric ambient arrangement, with the occasional anti-rhythm clanging away in the background. He/she adopts a different approach on the "No Child Left Behind" reshape. There, dreamy, filtered chords unravel over a skipping rhythm and pinprick beats, as a swirling but nonetheless forceful filter lends it the requisite momentum. If Surgeon General is indicative of where Eaux is heading, then he is clearly seeking to use his new label to push experimental electronic music.

Review: Four Tet's Text label has done absolutely no wrong since the first release back in 2010! With plenty of releases from himself, Anthony Naples, Rocketnumbernine and a whole load of other contemporary producers, Kieran Hebden has truly established the label as one of the UK's most important. The latest Text drop welcomes Detroit based Delsin luminary John Beltran into the fold which is something of a coup for Hebden. "Faux" is a truly singular affair, where Beltran's fast-moving percussion shuffle sits below a beautiful myriad of organic melodies. Four Tet's remix chucks in a kick drum for good measure, and gives the track a straighter reshaping for the floor. Top!

Review: Overseen by London producer PhOtOmachine (with some assistance from Ninja Tune) the Technicolour label has been on sublime form of late, with some rare Kutmah material up their with this year's best 12" releases. This latest release is quite the statement too, with mathematics boss Jamal Moss on board for two heavy duty cuts presented on heavyweight wax. It's timed well too, with Planet Mu having just issued a Hieroglyphic Being primer drawing from a decades worth of material. Fans of Hieroglyphic Being old and new will find much to appreciate in The Fourth Dimensions Of A Nubian Mystic, with the glistening 11 minute cosmos of "Fourth Dimension" complemented well by the jack hammer B Side "Start Time."

Review: Blackest Ever Black's unwavering commitment to gracing 2014 with some of the most distinct sounds continues apace as their latest long player sees the return of William Bennett's Cut Hands project. Entitled Festival Of The Dead, this new album feels like the next logical progression in the Cut Hands sound, with the label describing it as "most potent distillation yet" of Bennett's "malign percussive energy". If you checked lead track "The Claw" which was made available to stream when BEB first announced the album, you will no doubt have an idea of what to expect but this relentless, bracing approach shown there is not the only card played by Bennett across the album. Indeed it's the moments where the sonics get twisted and chewed up (such as the suitably named "Parataxic Distortion") that prove most memorable.

Review: Trunk is back with a vengeance and his usual brand of musical oddities! If you don't know the label, it has been one of the most important outlets of lost reels and rare music of all shapes and sizes. Primarily, however, Johnny Trunk has reissued a lot of soundtracks from rare films and even a whole load of rare recording from all over the world. This time, he drops a collaboration between BBC Radiophonic's Delia Derbyshire and Anthony Newley, the former of whom has just seen a reissue through the wonderful Mississippi imprint out of Portland, Oregon. "Moogies Bloogies", as you'd expect, is a sweet and ethereal mixture of chirpy lyrics, quirky melodies odd tape loops. It's one of those things that you'll just have to listen to. It comes heavily recommended, though

Review: After appearing on Planet Mu last year alongside Ital as Interplanetary Prophets, Jamal Moss is back on the long-standing label with The Seer Of Cosmic Visions, a retrospective of sorts that gathers some nine tracks from his sizeable archives. Presented under the grand title of Hieroglyphic Being And The Configurative Or Modular Me Trio, this collection is essentially a primer for anyone new, unfamiliar or intrigued by Jamal Moss's canon of work. From the off it's clear there won't be any holding back as "The Seer Of Cosmic Visions" finds delirious arpeggios of glassy synths meeting with creative washes of distortion, but it's not all overdriven naughtiness as the sumptuous "Space Is The Place" reveals with its playful and delicate chimes and tones. For the most of course this is abrasive and challenging material, utterly peerless in its inventiveness.

Review: Ruins is the 10th LP from Portland artist Grouper, an incredible set that's found it's home on the inimitable and always on- point Kranky label...and yes, it's another fine outing from the voco-noise head. Tracks like "Clearing", however, show another side to Grouper's usual rough edge. There's an element of smoothness to those sombre keys and far-out vocals. It's basically an ambient album with an extra layer of soul in its core - check "Made Of Air" for a seriously trippy set of soundscapes.

Review: Originally out as an eight-pronged cassette release, Alberich's Nato Uniformen has been stripped down to a nineteen-track vinyl release by the incorrigible Hospital Productions, Vatican Shadow's very own playground of doom and gloom. We don't like to overuse the word "conceptual", but with this double LP, it truly applies...and in the best of ways! Both the artwork and the title name fit so perfectly with the overall sense of dread brought out by the music's desolate, grey-scale soundscapes and swirls of power electronics. There's no way that we can go through all of it for you in words, but the best way to describe it is simply as 'sonic warfare'. Stripped beats, cavernous drones and menacing bursts of hardware make this one of the most singular of Hospital's releases in a good while. For fans of Maurizio Bianchi and Sacher-Pelz. Don't miss it.

Review: This recording of the Philadelphia Orchestra performing Sergei Prokofiev's 1936 story and orchestral score Peter and the Wolf was recorded in 1977 and was originally released in 1978. The role of the narrator on the recording was initially offered to both Peter Ustinov and Alec Guinness who both turned it down, before David Bowie agreed to take on the role, supposedly as a Christmas present to his son. On the B-side is another equally as charming piece of recent classical history, Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra as narrated by Hugh Downs.

Review: Led by pianist David Moore, minimalist ensemble Bing & Ruth announce their arrival on RVNG Intl with a most wonderful long player in the shape of Tomorrow Was The Golden Age. First surfacing in 2007, the Yonkers-based collective seem to have used this time out of the spotlight to really hone their sound, with this third studio album a perfect introduction into their neo-classical sound. There is of course an abundance of music similar to Tomorrow Was The Golden Age, but that shouldn't take away from how accomplished a listen this nine track album is. Those seeking a palate cleanser to the endless thump of techno 12"s will certainly find sanctity in Bing & Ruth, plug in and float away.

Review: Well we didn't see this one coming; Editions Gravats is a new label from French duo Jean Carval and Philippe Hallais, better known as Low Jack and responsible for this first release under his newly anointed alias Gravats. As Low Jack, Hallais's reputation has been on the steady ascent since late 2012, but this year has seen him really show his full production capacity. If you were as blown away by his LIES LP as we are, then you will love the blasted sonics on this Gravats 7", with two blunted "Ilot" excursions complemented by some low jacked locked grooves. Expect a lot more from Editions Gravats over the coming months.

Review: After the first split release from Lenta and Ahu last year, Shahr Farang is back with another intriguing, enveloping take on minimalistic electronics for the true meditators out there. With not a dancefloor concern in sight the listener is transported into evocative soundscapes populated by broad strokes of pad and detailed found sounds, while the most delicate pulses of rhythm fall in patient measures that would make Jan Jelinek feel somewhat hyperactive. "Love Is Silence" is the most steady 4/4 track on the release, while "Divine Light" spins off into anchorless swirls of hum and shrieks from no definable source. "Bare Shoulder" flexes on a reduced beat tip, while "You Still Come To Me In My Dreams" worms some wistful samples into the intricate and dusty surroundings to great effect.

Review: As 2014 has rolled on, Powell's Diagonal label has really gathered a sense of momentum and direction with its succession of releases. With the Juno office stereo still in recovery from the most excellent Shit & Shine LP Powder Horn, this new double pronged noise sermon from the masterful Russell Haswell only adds to their impressive year. Comprised of two 10-minute tracks, Double A is at times as bracing as anything else from the Haswell canon, with the scratched, spasmodic improvised sonics of lead track "Foxy" potentially capable of scaring Richard D James back into hiding. "One Take Dub No Edit" is described by Diagonal as a "flashback to a vital time when futurist Latin freestyle and industrial funk were the dancer's choice" and is perhaps the closest concession to the dancefloor from Haswell in some time. Killer artwork too!

Review: Rabih Beaini, otherwise known as Morphosis, reserves his Morphine label solely for the creme de la creme of electronic music. After his series of Charles Cohen reissues, Beaini has been mainly sticking to new and up-and-coming producers such as Lack. This time, Iran-based Ata Ebtekar aka Sote comes through with an LP of gnarly power electronics and quasi-noise delirium. The guy has been producing music for years, across labels such as Digitalis and Sub Rosa, but this new material for Morphine is sounding nastier than a lot of what he's made in the past! Shredded half-beats, gnarly bleeps and cavernous bass tones create a true sense of dread. It's like nothing you've heard before, so go check it out.

Review: Oh boy, another fine episide of L.A. Club Resource has dropped on us! Since the first Delroy Edwards EP on the imprint, this has been one of our favourite labels over the past year. However, this is not simply due to its house and techno releases, but more for how Edwards himself has given such creative freedom to his brainchild. While many were expecting straight floor cuts, releases such as this latest Zipcode demonstrate that Edwards and his tight-knit group of artists mean to showcase their own passions and skills. Zipcode aka Vereker - one of our own personal legends - drops four segments of noise and stripped beats. All apart from "Track 4" - a cavernous broken techno loop - all the other three tracks are pure machine noise from the depths of the inferno. Imagine Kevin Drumm loaded up on cough medicine and you're kinda close. Big.