Every now and then, a crunchy, loud, nearly abrasive (but pleasantly so) release is needed to shake me out of having too much calm in my day. Our dear friends at Porto Alegre’s finest experimental label, The Church of Noisy Goat have released another heavy release full of rough post-Industrial sound remixed and chopped into oblivion. It features friends and those I admire, such as Bode, SRVTR, Wilfried Hanrath and RAUPPWAR among others.
Readers who visit frequently know that I have a few artists and labels who I am happy to champion because they never let me down in terms of quality of music or their curating abilities. I’m happy to add another label to this list: Lost Tribe Sound. The label is based out of Wisconsin, and if you enjoy rich, resonating dark ambient music which blends field recordings seamlessly into their compositions, this label is going to keep your attention for a good long while. The label releases music by such luminaries as Seabuckthorn, William Ryan Fritch and Tony Dupé, and now,…
It has been a while since Bandcamp has offered one of its (formerly) monthly Bandcamp Fridays. It’s quite a trying time for those who rely solely on music, so today may be a good time to support your favorite artist or try purchasing a new album who has piqued your interest. Read more about Bandcamp Friday here.
Dario Elia, working under the name Megamozaki on this release, is an old friend who makes some very impressive industrial rock with elements one normally wouldn’t think to put together. Starting a capella, one would get the impression you would be hearing Sardinian chant, but it melts seamlessly into a very pleasant mix of heavy industrial-rock and prog.
As a cellist, bassist, composer and former member of Art Zoyd, I’d venture to say that Thierry Zaboitzeff needs no introduction. However, what I didn’t know about him over these past few years was that he has been active making soundtracks. This particular one is for the movie Winds of Sand, Women of Rock, which is a film about a group of Tubu women traveling the Sahara Desert selling dates in Agadez, Niger. The film looks fascinating, but the music is equally so, bringing to mind a lot of modern minimalist composers (the usual suspects, like Philip Glass and Michael…
Denmark’s SteepleChase Records has a brilliant catalog worth exploring, featuring not only homegrown talent like Niels-Henning Ørsten Pedersen and Pierre Dørge but also internationally known stars like Lee Konitz, Cedar Walton, Sun Ra and the inimitable Chet Baker among others. This particular album is led by pianist Duke Jordan, and it is one of the smoothest sounding albums I’ve heard in a while. This is going to be playing a lot on the turntable this winter.
A reissue specialist label called Rarità Tradizionali have published a fine collection of music from Lebanon and Iraq from 1972, and it sounds brilliant. This album was apparently never released, and it’s surprising considering the quality of the musicianship of these instrumentalists from Iraq and Lebanon (including buzuk player Matar Muhammad), back when both places were far safer to explore than they are today. There’s no doubt that this comp will be seen as welcome to those who appreciate Arab music. I only have one complaint, and I’m sure many who collect this sort of music will understand the sentiment. …
Imagine if Django Reinhardt and Vassilis Tsitsanis were to form a band together, combining the best elements of gypsy jazz and rebetiko. This is what Gadjo Dilo offer. The musicianship is superb, the recording is crisp, and these young Greek lads have a punchy, authentic sound that will get you grooving.
Inana is the fourth album by Iraqi-American trumpeter Amir ElSaffar which came out in 2011. The trumpeter starts the album with eight tracks dedicated to Inanna, the Mesopotamian goddess of sex, beauty, war and political power. ElSaffar mixes microtonal jazz with Arabic scales such as maqam, which seems to be naturally suited to improvisation. It’s an evocative album – warm, passionate, and exquisitely recorded. Sadly, there is only one track available to hear on the Bandcamp site, but I attach another track available on Youtube here. Personnel: Amir ElSaffar – trumpet, vocal, santour Ole Mathisen – tenor and soprano saxophone…
Good music and good new labels are easy to find if you apply yourself. Zhelezobeton is not a new label, per sé, but a lot of the bands they work with will be new to listeners who don’t normally follow what is happening in the Russian sphere of influence. This compilation is three hours of live recordings made by a variety of artists, including, intriguingly, an ensemble of 12-year-old noisemakers. The future, judging by the standards of this comp, is in secure hands over there. Also interesting is where this compilation was put together. It was held on the experimental…