Expand your taste in music. Based in Beijing, China.
As magnificently weird as most Hermeto Pascoal albums are, this one holds a special place in my heart, as it sounds like a more Amazonian Mahavishnu Orchestra jamming with Bill Bruford, Jeff Berlin and maintaining a healthy jazz thread all the while.
The Ukrainian pianist Valentin Silvestrov released this home recording in 2020, and though it might lack slightly in recording quality, the beauty of his Chopin-esque playing shines through. Beautiful music for dark times.
Originally released in 1999, this album by American composers and ambient music legends Steve Roach and John Strate-Hootman (operating here as Vir Unis) combine tribal electronic music with what was then erroneously called New Age music. From the release’s Bandcamp site:
“Steve Roach and Vir Unis combine different rhythmic sensibilities and undeniable soundscapes in an alchemical reaction, creating an aural sensation that is surreal, hallucinogenic, but still organically human. Body Electric is a welcomed edition to the borderless world of new electronic music; this album is a zenith in bio-electronic body music, an evolutionary spark, a focused, high-energy trip of life-affirming, hyper-terrestrial grooves and sustained, soul-expanding sound worlds.
Fresh from an extensive schedule of concerts and traveling, Roach found his energy still simmering and in need of expression. He had been exchanging ideas on tape for several months with Vir Unis. Both were anxious to get together — ideas were sprouting and in need of cultivation . . . the desire to create a new level of bio-electronic body music was clear. The result: an extensive marathon in Steve’s Tucson recording studio, The Timeroom.
The music on Body Electric melded together, relying heavily on what Steve calls “the body clock,” a sense of timing and flow both artists turned towards in shaping the music that evolved from their collaboration. “Chance” situations were explored and combined in an alchemical reaction, often setting a piece in motion – opening yet another zone of sensation to explore. These chance combinations created a powerful and intimate symbiosis for both artists, so powerful that they termed it their “mind link.””
Shaytoon Records has released a compilation introducing some of the finest minimal techno coming out of Iran these days. The label is based in New York, but the bands come, more or less, from the motherland, though America’s Persian diaspora is well-represented.
The beats are rather icy and cold, reminding me of acts like Front Line Assembly and Delerium, though bearing a more mellow hue. These acts are definitely worth exploring.
Bassist Jason Köhnen has a deep pedigree in the world of darkjazz. He was a member of the profoundly interesting Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble out of The Netherlands, and he’s now participating in a new project with Dimitry El-Demerdashi (ex-Phurpa) and Martina Horváth on vocals.
As noted on Mansur’s Bandcamp site:
“‘Minotavrvs’ is Mansur’s first live improv recording. An ambient journey. A musical homage to the mythos of the Minotaur. The minotaur as a mirror of self reflection; the fear of confronting one’s inner monster. ‘Minotavrvs’ is a sonic voyage through subterranean ruins and labyrinths, evoking spirits from past echoes of Minoan and Phoenician civilisations.”
Heavy listening, bleak, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Our friends at Lost Tribe Sound have at least three releases coming up which will be reviewed here. I’m pretty excited to introduce you to ambient composer Federico Mosconi, whose compositions feel cavernous, made more impressive that he’s pulling this together with guitar and effects. For those of you who appreciate the work of Spanish composer Rafael Anton Irisarri, you’re going to love Mosconi’s work.
Bassist GS was once a member of the legendary rock-in-opposition band Univers Zéro, and he has continued on his incredible music journey with a new project, the Eclectic Maybe Band.
From the Discus Records Bandcamp site:
“Again Alors? is the third release by the band, which brings together detailed studio work with the creativity of real time improvisation. Using different groupings from within a large ensemble cast, which includes many well-known names, Guy has created an album where half the tracks are drawn from live improvisation in the studio and half are created from the ground up with players adding their composed or improvised parts one at a time. In both cases Guy assumes the role of master arranger, taking the improvisations as raw material and sculpting them into finished pieces.
This richly detailed new release takes the listener on a journey through rock, jazz, electronic and abstract landscapes packed with detail.”
This is definitely going to appeal to those who like avant-progressive chamber rock.
Freyja Garbett, a Berklee graduate has made a remarkably innovative album. From her Bandcamp website:
“Garbett’s heady compositions draws influence from a vast range of styles and musicians. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, she lists pianists and composers such as Fred Hersch, Gerald Clayton and Maria Schneider as critical influences to her music, along with the likes of Flying Lotus, J Dilla and Snarky Puppy.
“The pieces from my debut album are an exploration of an electro-acoustic approach to jazz composition and improvisation,” begins Garbett. “These compositions are springboards for improvisation and creativity. An added element to my approach is that all of the musicians can manipulate their instrument’s sound drastically – the arrangements of the pieces can be expanded on, therefore creating ambient textures of the studio produced music that I listen to. On stage, we have the facility to offer audiences a fiery multi-dimensional performance.”
Previously sharing both performances and recordings with artists in the New York and Boston scenes – including Dave Fiuczynski’s Planet MicroJam, Garbett’s recent accolades include a commission by SIMA and APRA AMCOS to compose and perform with the Sydney Women’s Jazz Collective at the 2017 Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival.”
For an album laden with hip-hop and nu-jazz, this was a joy to hear.
Freyja Garbett – piano/rhodes/organ/synths
Felix Lalanne – Guitar
Simon Ferenci – Trumpet
Nish Manjunath – Tenor saxophone
Michael Avgenicos – Tenor saxophone
Jacques Emery – Electric and double bass
Alexander Inman- Islop – Drums
Jesse Ciampa – Percussion
Erin Badman (Esmé) – vocals
George Thomas (Ltl Gzeus) – vocals
It’s hard to imagine a more technically proficient power trio than the Stick Men. Tony Levin, Markus Reuter and Pat Mastelotto are all King Crimson alumni or associates, and each bring their superlative talents to their instruments of choice.
It’s the band’s first new music in six years. Amazing work.
We’re going to have to wait until June 27th before we can actually hear a sample from this 7-inch single by the absolutely legendary actor/”singer”/raconteur and real-life astronaut William Shatner, but it’s pretty exciting to know he’s working with a prog-rock luminary like Steve Hillage covering Elton John’s Rocket Man and the metal god Ritchie Blackmore covering David Bowie’s Space Oddity as a B-side Click here to read more about this release.