• Music

    Various Artists – Síntomas de Techno: Ondas Electrónicas Subterráneas Desde Perú (1985​-​1991)

    Buh Records out of Peru has released a compilation which serves as a snapshot of Lima’s grimy techno scene.  From the label’s Bandcamp site: “The title of this compilation is inspired by the name of a concert held in Lima in 1991, considered to be the first techno concert to have taken place in Peru. Even though not all intervening groups were doing techno at that time, they did share the fact that they all used keyboards. Four of them, however (Cuerpos del Deseo, Ensamble, Círculo Interior and Reacción), were in fact affiliated to an electronic sound (techno-pop, EBM). The…

  • Music

    Henryk Debich – Dyskusja / Busz

    What a jazz-funk gem this is!  From the Henryk Debich Bandcamp site: Despite the ongoing pandemic, the past year was very successful for the celebration of Henryk Debich’s 100th birthday anniversary. The master’s albums: Zbliżenie [Astigmatic Records] and Horyzonty [GAD Records] turned out to be a huge success, bringing great reviews and attracting huge interest. The continuation of the publishing series devoted to archival recordings was a bull’s eye. Jazz Funk from the communist time is still in demand. Astigmatic Records presented the works of Henryk Debich and the Lodz PRiTV Orchestra in the form of a seven-inch single “Monika…

  • Music

    Noori & His Dorpa Band – Beja Power! Electric Soul & Brass from Sudan’s Red Sea Coast

    I can’t say I know much about who Noori, the tambur-guitarist and leader of his eponymous band is, but to learn more, consider reading this article by OK Africa.  From the Bandcamp site: A soundtrack of Sudan’s revolution and the first ever international release of the Beja sound, performed by Noori and his Dorpa Band, an unheard outfit from Port Sudan, a city on the Red Sea coast in eastern Sudan and the heart of Beja culture. Electric soul, blues, jazz, rock, surf, even hints of country, speak fluently to styles and chords that could be Tuareg, Ethiopian, Peruvian or…

  • Music

    Cristina Quesada – Dentro Al Tuo Sogno

    Cristina Quesada seems to be the missing link between Italo-Disco, Debby Harry, France Gall and indie-pop.  She appears on Elefant Records, one of Spain’s finest independent record labels, and this album absolutely floors its competition.  It’s perhaps the funnest record I’ve heard in months, with the energy of a power-pop disc.  Worthwhile!

  • Music

    Azu Tiwaline & Al Wootton – Alandazu EP

    Azu Tiwaline and Al Wootton could not come from more different places on Earth.  Azu’s roots are from Tunisia, while Al’s roots are from London’s urban sprawl, yet they manage to collaborate on a kind of dub informed by pulsating trance and Berber-influenced rhythms.  Dark, sparse and pleasant.

  • Music

    Air Volta – Volta Jazz

    The 1200 Line is an expert reissue label bringing some amazing African music to the masses with meticulously recreated cover art and remastering.  This release is from Upper Volta, and it features cumbia rhythms, rhumba, Cuban son and yé-yé blended into a joyful mix. From the Bandcamp site: From the landlocked tropical savanna of Upper Volta, an ever-evolving cast of musicians brought the world’s rhythms to the streets of their native Bobo-Dioulasso. Combining Congolese rhumba, American R&B, French yé-yé, Cuban son, and regional Senufo and Mandingo traditions, Orchestre Volta Jazz was at the epicenter of the West African musical explosion…

  • Music

    Ellipsis Quintet – Avoid The Void

    This is something of a revelation for me!  The music produced by the Ellipsis Quintet, led by trumpeter Vasilis Nalbantis, mixes traditional Balkan, Greek and Levantine melodies inside a framework that would appeal to fans of the avant-progressive and Rock-In-Opposition genres.  Theirs is a prog-world-jazz stew that’s one of the freshest things I’ve heard come out of Austria in a long time (barring electronic music, of course).