Thanks to our dear friends at Colombia’s fine techno label, Miniline, for introducing us to the work of David San. This is a one-track release of danceable tech-house from a composer, whom I believe, works out of Colombia. There seems to be an amazingly active electronic music scene popping up, to go along with the other, more traditional music which the country is noted for.
First, a debt of thanks goes to Dimitris Tsironis who took the time to send me this compilation for review. His label, 1tracktape, is doing a great service exposing Greek experimental and avant-garde music to the world, and the quality of this compilation is superb. What’s more, the label is unique in that it releases albums every New Moon and (most of) Full Moon dates. I can’t say I’ve heard of any other labels maintaining such a specific schedule, so each moon that pops up will be an opportunity to check out what new releases Mr. Tsironis has in store for…
The Beatles offer up one of the most loving tributes to a mother ever written in the rock format. A Lennon-McCartney classic, and a bit of a cleansing after seeing such hateful garbage on both Twitter and Instagram regarding mothers today.
I don’t do top-ten lists, and I don’t ever plan on doing that in the future, but things can change at any moment. Still, if I had to nominate a favorite record label at this moment, there’s no doubt it would be Italy’s Unexplained Sounds Group. Each compilation is a tour guide of experimental music from select parts of the world. This one is near and dear to me, as China was and shortly will be my home for quite a while, and Raffaele Pezzella does yeoman’s work documenting what is happening in the Middle Kingdom experimental-music-wise. Here are some…
Some time ago I had reviewed the work of an ethno-folk-jazz band from Kostroma, Russia called Gralitsa, and I found them favorable. I have to say that I find this album at least as favorable, but it sounds like a totally different band. This sound is far more affected by genres like trip-hop, downtempo music, and darkjazz (a touch, anyway). There’s also a slightly ‘free’ element to the music, though it never sounds disjointed. The track Echo Poor Heart is the cornerstone of the album, showcasing the vocals of Olga “Gralitsa” Rodionova layered on top of a dark, jazz noir…
I have a particularly strong attraction to Porto Alegre, Brazil. I have a few friends from there, one in particular who was a charmer, and it seems that everything from jazz to progressive rock seems to do well there. This is the breeding ground of IO, a visual artist, scenographer, fashion designer, performer and musician from Porto Alegre. She uses a more cinematic approach to musique concrète music, and the pieces play like wordless stories that play for the cinema in your mind. It’s a very well-recorded album, easy to get lost in, and it was a pleasure to listen…
It’s so nice to see new music come from Galicia, where my paternal ancestors hail from. trajedesaliva are from Vigo and seem to be influenced by dark ambient, ritual music and post-Industrial soundscapes, though it doesn’t try to overwhelm the listener. Something I really liked about this album is that it sounds, in parts, like 1970s Kosmische Musik (think of Tangerine Dream in their 70s prime), which makes this unique among darkwave or dark ambient bands.
I have been a fan of Alexei Aigui’s ensemble work for at least 20 years now, going all the way back to his appearance on the excellent, though now defunct Russian label SoLyd (see the release here). He has become even more innovative, more progressive, and this latest album, Alcohol, will be appreciated by those who like chamber-rock, symphonic rock or even those into avant-progressive / Rock-In-Opposition-style music. You can purchase the album over at Apple or check it out on various streaming platforms by clicking this link.
Perhaps a new genre of music has commenced with this release – that of monastery synth, rather than dungeon synth. Though there is little information available on either Štefanec or Legrand, Kalamine Records provides some notes via their Bandcamp site here: Štefanec and Legrand (Croatia) started their collaboration back in 2017. After two years, they are releasing their first joint album Hope, for the record label HDR Limit. In 2020, the album Pjesme iz bunkera was released for Croatian label Slušaj najglasnije publishing house. May 1st their third joint album Eternity is released on Kalamine records.
To our Eastern Orthodox friends, we wish you a blessed Pascha. Christ is Risen! To celebrate the day, we have the legendary Lebanese singer Fairuz singing the paschal greeting in Greek and Arabic.