Maâlem Mokhtar Gania & Bill Laswell collaborate on bringing Gnawa music up-to-date in the 21st Century. There have been a good number of Gnawa-related recordings which have come out over the past few decades, but having Laswell’s thundering bass supporting Gania’s instrumentation makes for quite a pairing.
Music
Capricorni Pneumatici – Witchcraft
I don’t ever recall using the word haunting to describe the sound of a record on this blog, but Witchcraft by Capricorni Pneumatici deserves that adjective. There is a horrific, claustrophobic vibe to the album, as though it were made for a movie so frightening that it would give viewers Continue Reading
Loren Connors & David Grubbs – Evening Air
What an absolutely sublime record performed by two legends, released on one of the best labels in operation today. From Room40’s Bandcamp site: “Evening Air is the result Loren Connors and David Grubbs’s first trip to the recording studio in the two decades since their first duo album, Arborvitae (Häpna). Continue Reading
Bèlènou – Emosyon Tambou-a
Today’s release is quite a stunning little gem out of Martinique that mixes both a creole jazz element with a sound reminiscent of Afrobeat in some way. From the band’s Bandcamp site: “In the early eighties, Edmond Mondésir, professor of philosophy and Léon Bertide, trade unionist, founded the Bèlènou group. Continue Reading
Various Artists – Future Sounds Of Kraut Vol. 3 – Compiled by Fred und Luna
Our friends at Compost Records have the third release in the series Future Sounds of Kraut, but it comes on the heels of some heartbreaking news. May good Rainer Buchmüller rest in peace. He has left quite a legacy behind. From Compost’s Bandcamp site: “Chapter 3 of the successful compilation Continue Reading
Freddie Hubbard – The Black Angel
I don’t know how it is possible that I missed this release, but today I would like to introduce you to Freddie Hubbard’s dark masterpiece, The Black Angel. The album will appeal to those who like Miles Davis’ seminal work, Bitches Brew. High praise, for sure, but listen and hear Continue Reading
高妮妮 (Gāo nī nī) – 红蜻蜓 (1984)
This is a peculiar release. Electronic music does not have a deep history in China, but composers have been active since at least the mid-1980’s. Composer Gāo Nī Nī collaborated with the Yangtze River Light Music Band to produce something that, while not comparable to, say, Vangelis or Tangerine Dream, Continue Reading
Lachen Jonsson – Music For The Dying Forest
Lars (Lachen, or Lach’n) Jonsson is something of a legend in Swedish progressive rock, especially in the genre of Rock-In-Opposition. This album is a reissue of his first disc, and it is as filled with weird, jagged piano-based avant-prog.
Grimény – Die Große Enttäuschung
Grimény are a progressive/post-rock power trio from Germany who play a tight, heavy, not-so-metally form of post-rock. Dense, deep, mellow, and rather good listening.
Hybrid Rain and Liquid Paper by Hans Castrup + James Hill – Each Star Pulses Two Colours
Imagine a gorgeous trumpet and piano sound immersed inside of electronic blips and beeps. It’s eerie, sounding something like a film-noir film soundtrack as performed by improvisational or experimental musicians (think Jon Hassell or Toshinori Kondo). That is what you have with this collaboration by Hybrid Rain and Liquid Paper. Continue Reading