Although I’m happy to say I’m a longtime fan of Cousin Silas’ work, I had no idea what to expect from Glove of Bones, a project I knew nothing about until reading their webpage. I still know little about the band in terms of bio, but what a great impression they make on an album! The album sounds like a combination of early ambient and a touch of Popol Vuh’s later, more acoustic moments; not that the album is acoustic, but the vibe is certainly similar. An elegant album.
From the World Famous Records Bandcamp Site: “Dive into the exhilarating era of Japan’s electronic dance music scene from the mid ’80s to the mid ’90s with Japan Vibrations Vol. 1. The hand-picked collection by DJ and musical storyteller Alex from Tokyopays homage to the trailblazers and innovators who shaped the landscape. […] Experience the vibrations of pioneers Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yasuaki Shimizu. Of culture-shaping forces Hiroshi Fujiwara, Kan Takagi, Susumu Yokota, Silent Poets, Mondo Grosso and Kyoto Jazz Massive. And of new-generation artists CMJK (C.T. Scan), Mind Design, Okihide, and Hiroshi Watanabe. The evolution of a scene,…
Kraut Sounds are a band from one of the homes of Krautrock, Munich. The music sounds less Kraut and more ambient dub, but it still makes for a gorgeous, somewhat aquatic, listen.
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.
Meaty, beaty dub is on offer here by Errol Brown (no, not the Hot Chocolate singer, but the sound engineer based out of Kingston, Jamaica) courtesy of Dub Store Records out of Tokyo, Japan. Those who know me well might figure out why I appreciate the title.
Džiunglių Dvasios is, from what I understand, a drum & bass/downtempo project run by Evaldas Azbukauskas, who also records as Girių Dvasios. The beats are heavy and dubby with a bit of soul singing sampled into the tracks. Not quite easy listening, but pleasant in its own way.
The indie world lost a giant on April 21st with the passing of Mark Stewart. In his honor, I share a compilation album featuring the crème de la crème of alternative, industrial, reggae and dub music coming out in full force to remix and cut up Stewart’s works. Featured on this compilation are Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, K.K. Null, Stephen Mallinder and Eric Random among others. From the release’s Bandcamp site: “VS. is a unique collaborative project helmed by Mark Stewart, a vocalist, producer and songwriter who’s been an anarchic, pioneering figure on the frontiers of Post-Punk, Industrial, Avant-Dub and Electronic…
The esteemed French label Lotophagus Records released an album by Wintermute on December 2, and it’s a rather deep, dark and dubby affair, mixing trip-hop, the aforementioned dub and experimental rock music into something which reminds me of Cabaret Voltaire’s more dub-infested moments, or even acts like Scorn.
What a wild and heavy album out of Haiti! From Chouk Bwa’s Bandcamp site: “Following on from the first edition released earlier this year, we’re please to announce ‘Ayiti Kongo Dub EP#2‘ by Chouk Bwa & The Ångströmers. As Afro-Caribbean polyrhythms meet bass-weight dub electronics, the two part EP has documented the group experimenting with a stripped back form which focuses on the dimension of trance. Opening with a cermonial chant and designed to enduce dancefloor delirium, the first track taken from the EP is the raw, high-octane, primordial techno of ‘Zemedo’.” Wild, dubby listening.
This collaboration between Augustus Pablo and the legendary King Tubby is considered a masterpiece of dub. It’s a purely instrumental affair, and truly mellow listening.