Rudy Adrian has been at the forefront of New Age music since the early 2000s, and shamefully, I lost contact with his releases. It’s quite nice to catch up with him on his latest release, a collection of relaxing ambient music to soothe your mind a bit, but also to enjoy as proper electronic music. Rudy remains a craftsman.
Criatura Azul hail from Portugal, and the music they offer is a hazy, bluesy sort of psychedelic rock. Echos, effects, mellow strumming and spoken word make this into a good disc to chill out to.
Bleak and morose, this is the debut recording (as far as I know) of Alexander Chapovski, related to the Čapovski clan of musicians from North Macedonia. There’s a thread of Tindersticks, Leonard Cohen and Swans in this piece, perhaps a neofolk influence as well. I look forward to hear his style develop.
A note of thanks to one of the great oddball reissue labels, Vreemde Opties Records, who operate out of Belgium. Apparently, they have taken the time to license used-bin treasures like this and remaster them well enough to sound spectacular on your computer (or however you choose to listen to these). This one, of course, comes the Alfred Hitchcock Presents television show. It’s a collection of music which appeared on said program many years ago, and I never thought I’d see this gem reissued. Bravo.
A sublime, baroque look at the requiem on Fancy Music. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Requiem (from Latin requies – “rest”) is a high genre of concert sacred music, a kind of mourning oratorio. Even the above phrase is little understood by the general public, not to mention the names and meaning of the Latin psalms of the canonical Requiem. As for people who are knowledgeable, for example by virtue of belonging to the Catholic Church of the Latin rite, even for them, I am sure, these texts are devoid of the burning apocalyptic meaning with which they were filled…
I was introduced to a project new to me coming from Australia. From Karl Willebrant’s Bandcamp site: “Night Daze blends immersive textures and emotive expanses that invites the listener to conceive a visual experience through soundscapes and drones utilizing bass, trumpet, field recordings, and improvised performance. The album evokes themes of time and place moving in congruent motion. ‘Night Daze’ Full performance interpretation with special guests Peggy Lee (cello) and Dylan van der Schyff (drums) viewable here – www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQgYvLem3lY “Each track feels like a seemingly large area in which the sounds of the bass and trumpet echo around luxuriously. I…
Our friends over at Wewantsounds have released a post-bop gem by pianist Fumio Itabashi which will be available in April 5th, 2024. From their Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue Fumio Itabashi’s sought-after album “Watarase” hailed as one of the great Japanese jazz albums and featuring Itabashi on piano playing an inspired mix of standards and originals. Recorded in 1981 for Denon and released the following year, the album has since reached cult status among jazz connoisseurs, thanks to Itabashi’s inventive piano playing and to its cult title track, a superb soulful and spiritual composition. Newly remastered by Nippon…
Kudos to George Grella at Bandcamp Daily for delivering a synopsis of Can’s remarkable career. It looks like almost all titles are on the platform now, so if you prefer digital copies of Kraut’s finest, check here.
Majid Bekkas produces a stunning take on blues from a Moroccan perspective. From his Bandcamp site: “This secular music is still considered the “healer of souls” from Essaouira to Marrakech, easily understandable when you listen to the spellbinding sound of Bekkas’ voice, guembri and guitar. Like a watermark, the mystery of Africa can be felt in the background, alongside the blues. Gnawa’s intact purity is the essence of authenticity. By claiming to be part of Africa, the mother of the blues and its numerous offspring such as funk, Bekkas is placing gnawa in its primary dimension.”
The brilliant folks at Antonovka Records continue to amaze and delight with their travelogues across Russia, Moldova and the Balkans. This particular recording covers an area I have ready plenty about, but have not yet passed through. From the label’s Bandcamp site for this release: “The album features Russian folk songs in stage arrangements, as well as a couple of Chuvash ones (tracks 5-7). These are performed by musicians from the Davlekanovsky district of Bashkortostan, a republic in the southern Urals within Russian Federation. Some of the songs (for example, 3) are traditional of local origin, some are Cossack ones…