Moscow’s ПИР (in English, Peer) Records offer a compilation of grimy techno, house and experimental music, something they’ve been offering in great quality since 2019.
Music
Dragon & Jettenbach – Tales from the Algorithm
This is so pleasantly dark and focused that I don’t think calling it ambient would do it justice. Dragon & Jettenbach are a project out of the United Kingdom who produce a sound that, while bleak, is also musically organized, reminding me of some of the modern Berlin School electronic Continue Reading
Chris Conway – When Pianos Dream
Though his bio on Bandcamp calls him a superlative jazz pianist, I would have to add that Chris Conway handles modern classical music with as much aplomb. He has also worked with some stellar musicians, including Guy Barker, Andy Sheppard, Stan Sulzman, Martin Speake and the legendary Finnish sax player Continue Reading
Mong Tong 夢東 – Mystery 秘神
We had the pleasure of reviewing Mong Tong last year. They have produced yet another surreal post-progressive electronic gem. On this album, there are elements of post-rock, modified traditional Taiwanese music, but also the eerie grooves which would do bands like Goblin proud, as the creepiness is quite subtle. Read Continue Reading
‘t Geruis – Slow Dance on Moss Beds
Our dear friends at Lost Tribe Sound start the year with two powerful releases, though I’ll concentrate on one today (with the other in the next week or so). This one is by Belgian composer ‘t Geruis (a rather unusual name, which, in Dutch, means “The Noise” or “The Murmur“). Continue Reading
Sergey Kuryokhin & Boris Grebenshchikov – Mad Nightingales of the Russian Forest
I will be airborne most of today as I go from Moscow to Los Angeles to handle some personal business, so In honor of this momentous event, I present you with what was one of the first Russian jazz/improv/Avant-rock albums I ever heard, from two legends: Sergey Kuryokhin & Boris Continue Reading
Various Artists – Mainstream Funk: Funk, Soul, Spiritual Jazz 1971-1975
From the label’s Bandcamp site: Wewantsounds continues its collaboration with Bob Shad’s formidable label Mainstream Records, to present a selection of 12 turntable-friendly tracks recorded between 1971 and 1975 and showcasing the label’s superb blend of Spiritual Jazz, Funk and Soul by the likes of Buddy Terry, Sarah Vaughan, LaMont Continue Reading
Various Artists – Tape Rolling! with Bunny Lee and Friends
England’s Pressure Sounds continue to release mind-blowingly good reggae compilations. This one features the production work of Bunny Lee pairing up with such luminaries as Eric Donaldson (whose raw version of Cherry Oh Baby adds grit to the warmly produced original. From the Bandcamp release website: “In 1971, despite his Continue Reading
Various Artists – Spacemusic #47 Like a Prayer
A friend whose work I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing in the past, Rettward von Doernberg, pointed me to a podcast from December of 2005. The music is well-done, deep electronic music, the sort I remember from the 1980s cassette scene. Slightly freaky tracks with hints of Tangerine Dream influence Continue Reading
Sunset Wings and Brodsky – Songs of Love, Madness and Sleep
From Kaliningrad, Russia (formerly my material ancestral Linn homeland of Koenigsberg, East Prussia) hail one of the most impressive psychedelic folk records I’ve heard in some time. From the cacophony of the violin starting the album, it morphs into a Beatlesque horn arrangement. Those few seconds set the tone for Continue Reading