Review: Helena Hauff's label continues to subvert all expectations by celebrating the truly underground and ignoring all expectations to provide obvious club material in line with her DJ sets. Instead we get treated to Blood Sport, a daring post punk band with a whiff of The Pop Group in their frenzied, messy style and plenty of sonic trickery occurring in between the intricate playing. "Harsh Realm" has the textural finish of earliest Cabaret Voltaire, but with a little more deft playing from the intensely talented players. "Boiled In Dust" meanwhile has a distinctly afrobeat-meets-industrial spirit that makes for striking, original material that should appeal to lovers of the truly alternative side of British music culture.
Review: Acclaimed Japanese artist Cornelius is back with a new three-song EP, Bad Advice/Mind Train, featuring a collaboration with Arto Lindsay. The EP's first single, 'Mind Train,' is an epic nine-minute track inspired by Yoko Ono which blends ethereal space-pop with minimalist structures and bursts of exhilarating chaos. Cornelius describes 'Mind Train' as a symbol of spiritual and inner exploration that is designed to prompt self-reflection. The accompanying video, created by renowned visual stylist Keita Onishi, enhances this journey with stunning retro-futuristic graphics that allow you to explore your own interpretations.
Review: David Michael Tibet's exploration of the arcane mysteries through Current 93 are an intriguing subculture all of their own, sat somewhere to the side of Coil and the other mystics of the post-industrial scene. In Menstrual Night was released in 1986 as two long form pieces that layer up voices into a mesmerising swirl. The cast of collaborators on the project include such luminaries as Steven Stapleton, Keiko Yoshida, Rose McDowall, Boyd Rice and the late John Balance. Now House Of Mythology have created a faithfully recreated picture disc vinyl edition, sure to be quickly gathered up by the faithful followers of this fascinating corner of electronic music.
Review: On Aurelia, shoegaze duo Deary show their evolution since their 2023 debut, embracing a more collaborative approach that results in a richer, more cohesive sound. The EP's six tracks, including singles like 'The Moth' and 'Selene', reveal a newfound maturity in both production and songwriting. With Slowdive's Simon Scott lending his drumming talents and mastering expertise, the record blends influences from classic styled shoegaze bands mixing with the duo's distinct dream-pop sensibilities. Tracks like 'The Drift' bristle with urgency, while 'Dream Of Me' dips into trip-hop, evoking Portishead. Lyrically, Aurelia explores themes of transformation, reflecting the band's personal and artistic growth, making it a striking follow-up to their debut.
Review: Gunter Stoppel, founder and owner of Equinox Records, takes us on a wild trip into all forms of beat making on The Artless Cuckoo Vol. II, which arrives eight years after the still revered first volume. Ambient, downtempo, psychedelic soul, trap, boom bap and plenty more all feature and showcase his many talents, as well as how the hip hop genre at large has grown and evolved in the years since its companion LP came out. The record is released in a very limited quantity of 100 hand numbered copies and arrives on new label Further Down The Line, founded by John Raincoatman and Aaron Thomason.
Review: Newly signed to Ninja Tune, Ebbb debuts with a five-track EP that shows great intent. Emerging from the same London avant-garde live scene that birthed black midi and Black Country New Road, the band has quickly developed a unique sound in just a year. Their music blends pulsing rhythms, immersive electronic production, sparkling melodies, layered vocal harmonies, and beats that range from ambient to industrial. Described by the band themself as "Brian Wilson meets Death Grips," the EP is experimental and unpredictable yet deeply considered and precise with an idiosyncratic hybrid of sounds that showcases Ebbb's innovative and tightly crafted music.
Review: Omena once again calls on the superb sounds of Golden Retriever for this adventurous new EP that very much takes you away from the here and now and deposits you somewhere warmer. 'Part Lake' opens up with the joys of a spring day - acoustic strings rippling out as sun beams down. 'Andro Dunos' slows to a crawl and has a more star-gazing feel while 'Digambara' is a gentle rhythm that casts you out to sea. Two variations of 'Modulations' allows you to get lost in some lush synth tapestries and 'Kizuna Encounter' then ends with another lovely sonic day dream that empties your mind.
Review: The DFA debut of longstanding member Jayson Green also signals the revival of the classic DFA twelve-inch format, so you might playfully suggest it stands for Dying Formats Always. Jay has lent his vocals to various bands such as Panthers, Violent Bullshit, Cheeseburger, and the renowned hardcore group Orchid, always showcasing his wit and humor without veering into cynicism. Assuming a bandleader role, he presents a classic A-side here with the low slung funk of 'Local Jerk,' which was recorded during a lively party. It has tight disco drums, resounding claps and a groove-inducing bassline with big horns. On the B-side, 'I Need Love' unfolds as a darkly humorous nightlife satire.
Review: Heartworms are brand new outfit releasing under Speedy Wunderground - one of the few contemporary imprints giving fresh faces a fighting chance. Their debut EP 'A Comforting Notion' embeds the dystopian vision of one Jojo Orme into our minds - the frontwoman is a grandiose performer, giving tired tropes of delicate female bandleaders a run for its money through means like gritty post-punk and dark synth instrumentation, and a macabre sense of humour. The band's name references a heart-defecting parasite that is commonly found in dogs and is spread through mosquito bites - but don't worry, this EP will make your heart feel nothing but joy (permitting, at least, that you're a fan of bleak music!)
Review: A collaborative new single by sampletronic master Kieran Hebden (aka. Four Tet) and guitarist and composer William Tyler, two acclaimed musicians and both longstanding friends. Part of a recent spewing-forth of Hebden-adjacent material to hit the shelves after the artist's oft-reported-upon "agent of chaos" phase, these two tracks, pressed to a furtive 12", provide a neat counterpoint to that assessment. Rather than a pair of riddim bangers, the record flaunts Hebden's signature electronic textures and Tyler's guitar into a hypnotic, nominally dark soundwhirl, reminiscent of the earliest days of Text, but with a unique edge - a sonic corner never quite scoured before by either artist.
Review: The injunction to "stop apologising" can be affirming or destructive at the same time, depending on how you look at things. It's also the name of the new single from David Holmes' forthcoming album Blind On A Galloping Horse, which captures this contradiction quite nicely: a tripletting, dark electro come hi-NRG sound provides the dark underside to Raven Violet's angel-inside-your-head lyrics: "stop apologising for things you've never done / stop catastrophizing, get your feet back on the ground." The resistant, prefigurative political bent of Holmes' music is well-reflected here, striking at the heart of his personal philosophy: carve out some headroom for yourself, you don't need to take so much responsibility; such is the bedrock of effective action. Oh, and the remixes by Horse Meat Disco and Cosmodelica are wicked as well.
Review: Daniela Lalita grew up in an apartment in Peru with her mother and grandmother. That apartment gives its name to her debut EP, Trececerotres, which is an exploration of experimental electronic music rooted in magic, healing and ritual. Lalita's vocals feature throughout, and she first came to realise their power when she learned to do different voices for TV commercials as her first job. They mesh with distorted drums and Buchla synth to make for off-scale tracks where rhythm is implied, culture is explored and moods range from bleak and intense to more heartfelt and assured.
Statik Dancin' (Mad Professor extended dub mix) (7:32)
Review: Minimal Compact hailed from Israel in the 80s, spearheading the country's post-punk and new wave movement with a run of excellent albums which reached well into international scenes. On this single for Fortuna, 'Statik Dancin' from their debut EP gets revisited in its original and instrumental forms. It's a perfect slice of disco-not-disco which will go down a storm in any wave-oriented dance spot, and as a bonus treat we also get a wild style dub from the mighty Mad Professor who twists the original out in the grand tradition of the 80s B side.
Review: On U Sound return with another crucial transmission from Japanese trio Nissenenmondai, with this 12" originating from the recording sessions for their N#A LP with Adrian Sherwood that saw release on the label earlier this year. Some eight minutes long, "#6" is a clanking beast of a track that deals in rich swathes of dub and swelling rhythmic drama, successfully channelling all manner of generational sonic hallmarks yet still sounding wholly like Nissenenmondai. No strangers to being remixed by pioneers, Throbbing Gristle's Chris Carter follows Shackleton in reinterpreting the work of Nissenenmondai and transforms "#6" into a creeping, foreboding machine funker that will darken any dancefloor.
I Don't Believe In Jesus But Three Grams Of These Mushrooms Is Making Me Feel Some Kinda Way (5:40)
Whyy Don't You Stay, For A Moment (4:00)
Review: In a period of intense isolation, and no-doubt self reflection and outward consideration about the state of the world, Pigbaby, an art folk artiste who has become something of a darling of the cultural media since first cropping up on the scene, set about crafting Palindromes. An EP born out of a time of great upheaval, uncertainty, and - for some, at least - creative endeavours, the result might be the most unique and iconic response to the pandemic we've come across in some time.
To give an example or two of what we're talking about, the tracks here feel deeply personal, introspective, and wildly experimental. An unfettered expression of whatever was happening at that time, whether it's watching Sinead O'Connor playing the Virgin Mary in The Butcher Boy, or doom scrolling on this social platform, or that. Iconography that provides reference points to tracks made with guitars, effects, brass, keys, and a real sense of uncompromising attitude. As original as any newborn, but with the maturity of a veteran.
Review: It seems that Record Store Day 2022 isn't done yet as we get this limited 12" just for the occasion from Sun's Signature. It is an EP of five tracks by vocalist Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins and percussionist Damon Reece who has worked with Spiritualized, Massive Attack and Lupine Howl. The music is an experimental fusion of folk, synth and downtempo and is a fine offering for a debut release. After so long in the works it's a delight to finally have a finished product from this forward looking pair.
Review: Two years on from their last outing, Tara Clerkin Trio return to World Of Echo for a new EP of distinctive leftfield meanderings somewhere between downtempo, folk, jazz and classic balladry. The Bristol band have been hotly tipped over the past couple of years as they've toured relentlessly and generally moved according to their own logic, and they remain wonderfully unique and hard to pigeon-hole. 'Marble Walls' is a gorgeous slice of sentimental balladry shot through with synth bass, while 'The Turning Ground' finds their delicate guitar lines soaring over buoyant breakbeat and dub siren splashes which call to mind the indie-rave-folk crossover charms of Ultramarine's Every Man And Woman Is A Star.
Review: This first release on Sun Sea Sound presents the sounds of Torn Sail/Huw Costin revamped by the production team of Mark Rayner and Matt Horobin aka Shrinkwrap. Included is an unreleased vinyl mix of Costin's psychedelic folk balearic cut 'Disconnected' from 2015 on the first side. Being close friends with Costin, Shrinkwrap decided to collaborate and remix the track 'Gain On Gains' over on the flip, from Torn Sail's 2017 long player This Short Sweet Life, with a dub mix also included. Slo-mo cosmic at its finest.
In Light Of That Learnt Later (Purelink remix) (7:04)
In The Dust And The Haze (4:44)
Review: The fables around this one are strong. To say the least. Corker & Conboy's album, In Leith of that Learnt Later was apparently recorded in a converted carpark in Battersea. Melding together cinematic post-rock, adult lullabies, dub-by folk, and new age, it's a marvel of escapist listening that transports you far from the brutality of the concrete London it was born into, out to some field in England or other, and then onwards to plains we are yet to become familiar with. On this two-tracker that sense of adventure remains very much in tact. Purelink steps up with a remix that could be the soundtrack to your next sensory depravation tank prep or cacao ceremony. All earthy bubbles and light, loose, tribalistic percussion. On the flip, find one of the originals from the LP - the lackadaisical guitar motifs of 'On The Dust and The Haze'.
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