Nothing is as it seems when you’re dealing with vaporwave artists. Take modest by default, whose record, The Rojava Documents, starts off with a gorgeous, mellow flute solo worth of something produced by Herbie Mann. The sounds on this album range from chilled-out downtempo beats to almost-straight-ahead jazz. This is Continue Reading
Electronic
Various Artists – Sweet Rebels: The Golden Era of Algerian Pop-Raï
My goodness, Wewantsounds Records continue to surprise and delight! This latest compilation (the vinyl is due March 28) is a collection of electro-raï music from Algeria. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of “Sweet Rebels – The Golden Era of Algerian Pop-Raï” Selected in Continue Reading
Zan Hoffman & Hubert Heathertoes – Synchronicity
Our dear friend Hubert Heathertoes collaborates with longtime partner Zan Hoffman on a release which pairs oddly satisfying spoken word with music that could rightfully be described as Berlin-School electronics. My only complaint about the tracks is its brevity. One minute and thirty-six seconds was just barely enough to whet Continue Reading
Valerie Renay – Under The Oak
Though I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day much anymore (I will be a nomad for at least a few years more), that doesn’t mean I can’t drop a digital gift on you. Berlin-based singer Valerie Renay has released a fresh new single that is sensual vocally and lyrically, underpinned by dreamy Continue Reading
Akira Kosemura – Rudy
No, nothing to do with yours truly, thankfully. My own biopic would be classified under surrealism/horror, I’m afraid. Instead, what you have here is what looks like an independent film about a girl who lives in Coventry, England. Should you click on the link, you’ll find more information on the Continue Reading
Claire Rousay – The Bloody Lady
As I wrap up my vacation in Los Angeles and prepare to head back home to Beijing, I thought I’d share the work of a Los Angeles-based composer who has intrigued me for a while now. Claire Rousay (stylized claire rousay) is a local composer who works in the electroacoustic Continue Reading
Christophe Bailleau – Insight and Vision
Before I get to the promotional blurb on the website for Mahorka Records, I can give my thoughts on the album. Christophe Bailleau’s Insight and Vision crosses so many genres that one would think, based on the description, that the music would be unlistenable. Nothing could be further from the Continue Reading
Various Artists – Ostinato Records: Synthesizing the Silk Roads: Uzbek Disco, Tajik Folktronica, Uyghur Rock & Tatar Jazz from 1980s Soviet Central Asia
I know it must be troublesome to actually click on the link when you can read most of the review from the comfy confines of social media, but this time I implore you to actually click on the link and read the story of how this album came to be. Continue Reading
Hyldýpi – D V A L I
Hyldýpi is the project name for Icelandic composer Herbert Már Sigmundsson. The music is a gentle sort of ambient touched with New Age influences. Respect to Neotantra Records out of Italy for releasing this, as it’s a pleasant listen.
Sverre Knut Johansen – Distant Shore (30th Anniversary Edition)
Thirty years is a very long time to manage missing the work of a critically acclaimed artist like Sverre Knut Johansen. His work on this album sounds like a combination of the better aspects of New Age and early electronic music, a more relaxed version of progressive rock and a Continue Reading