• Music

    Fabiano Do Nascimento – Mundo Solo

    December 2, 2023 - By 

    The indubitable Far Out Records have produced what might be my favorite record of 2023, a guitar album by Brazilian guitarist and fellow Los Angeleno Fabiano do Nascimiento.  I’ll let the label’s crack promo team describe this absolute beauty of a record below: “Adopting Hermeto Pascoal’s concept of Universal Music, a rejection of nationalistic tendencies in order to express all of one’s musical influences all at once, Fabiano avoided leaning too heavily on any particular musical language, without denying his own musical roots. After studying classical piano as a child, the Rio de Janeiro native discovered the guitar aged 10.…

  • Music

    Pyroclastic – Life is an Illusion

    December 1, 2023 - By 

    Pyroclastic is the brainchild of former member of the Los Angeles Das Bunker Collective Ryant Takai, who was one of the few musicians promoting genres like Industrial Dance, Electronic Body Music and Power Noise.  From main member Ryant Takai’s Bandcamp site: “The second coming album focuses on the continuing of Power Noise/Rhythmic Noise roots, pays tribute to Indigenous tribal rhythms of North America, and blends in a hybrid of Dark Techno vibes. Ryant Takai is well versed in percussion and experiments in a diverse array of Bass kicks without sticking to any particular 909, 808, or any other typical digital…

  • Music

    Roedelius & Arnold Kasar – Zensibility

    November 28, 2023 - By 

    On December 1, the maestro will again collaborate with Arnold Kasar (whom he paired with on a Deutsche Grammophon release 5 years ago) on a new album of piano and electronics.  Judging by the two tracks available for listening, this will be perfect winter music to meditate to. From the Bandcamp release site: “Five years after their first and critically-acclaimed collaborative work in the form of their full-length album “Einfluss” (Deutsche Grammophon), Roedelius & Arnold Kasar now release their second album “Zensibility” on the Berlin-based label 7K!. This new work encompasses eight collaboratively composed instrumental tracks, eight modern call-and-response pieces…

  • Music

    Cristina Godoroja – Ciob​ă​naș Cu Oile: Songs From Moldova and Romania

    November 27, 2023 - By 

    Antonovka Records, once based in Russia but now ensconced in Moldova, continues to release some of the most seminal music to ever come out of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and their reach seems to keep expanding.  This album covers the work of traditional singer Cristina Godoroja, an ethnomusicologist and singer based in Moldova’s capital, Chișinău.  The works hail from Bessarabia and also feature Romanian-language songs.  A worthy addition to any world music collection.

  • Music

    Eclectic Maybe Band – Bars Without Measures

    November 26, 2023 - By 

    With the exception of Christian Vander, I cannot think of too many people whose name would be so heavily associated with zeuhl and avant-progressive rock in general than Guy Segers.  The former bassist of the legendary Univers Zero has collected some of the finest names in avant and progressive rock to make an album loaded with wildly improvised music.  It’s an astounding, challenging release – one which no listener would ever get bored of.  Kudos to Discus Music for releasing this gem. The list of musicians should be enough to entice even the newest of zeuhl fans: Julie TIPPETTS (Vocals)…

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    Jeff Gburek – The Radio & The Sea

    November 25, 2023 - By 

    Jeff Gburek’s latest album is not a departure from his carefully crafter work, but a continuation of his honing sounds together, weaving them in a way that the early musique-concrète composers could not have imagined.  Drones, pulses and the sounds of Burgas, Bulgaria, are blended to produce an immersive soundscape.  Yet another fine work.

  • Music

    Sonologyst – Shortwave Spectrum

    November 24, 2023 - By 

    It has been far too long since I’ve had the pleasure to review albums by Sonologyst, perhaps the finest dark ambient project to come out of Italy in the last decade and impresario of Unexplained Sounds Group, who have introduced dark music from all over the world. This album offers lush drones that wrap themselves around your ears.  Best to let Raffaele explain further: “The new Sonologyst “sonic documentary” delves into the secretive realm of shortwave transmissions; a chronicle of clandestine shortwave transmissions culled from a span of nearly four decades (1982-2021). These mysterious transmissions – repetitive voices, signals, sound…

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    Priori & Al Wootton – FLAW

    November 23, 2023 - By 

    I’ve been in search of good minimal techno since the subject came up with a colleague’s student (he has access to several brilliant students, present and former, whom I hope to feature here in the future).  Doing a bit of digging, this release by Priori and Al Wootton perked up my ears the most this evening.  Dark, beaty, and incredibly good for headphone listening.