Cousin Silas and his merry band of collaborators continue to impress with massive compilations of ambient music. He, and all bands associated with him, are worth a deep listen.
-
-
Sean Khan has a sterling reputation working with jazz legends like Hermeto Pascoal, but the fact that he is pairing with Pentangle chanteuse Jacqui McShee makes this single from Acid Jazz Records crucial listening. From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Earlier this year we announced The Modern Folk & Jazz Ensemble, led by saxophonist Sean Khan. Ahead of a special appearance at the London Jazz Festival on 16 November, we are releasing their first single ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’ on all digital platforms on 11 October. We’re very excited to be working with Sean on this project – one of our…
-
Dragon’s Eye Recordings tends to put out high-quality modern classical and ambient music, and now, they are introducing the world to serious talent. Take Victoria Wijeratne for instance. Her background is in scoring music for film and television, and this is her first proper release. It does a great job fusing almost clinical experimental music with a modern classical flair to it.
-
We had the pleasure of O Yuki Conjugate’s release earlier this year reviewing Volumes 3 & 4 of this series. The old quote still holds: ““Two years after the first two volumes of A Tension of Opposites (ATOO) were issued OYC return to the form they created to house their looser more exploratory works. ATOO allows them to expand their musical horizons and release their music more expediently. The original ATOO was born out of 2020’s virus state where both OYC members were left working in isolation. Two types of music emerged spontaneously, and rather than try to combine them…
-
Over the past 10 years or so, something incredible has been happening in London. Jazz has come back into fashion, and has taken in influences from all over, be it hip hop or world music. Yussef Dayes is, arguably, the leading light in this Nu Jazz movement. This is his debut album after scores of incredible singles and remixes, and so far, the album is living up to the hype.
-
There’s little I can say to introduce you to the work of Philip Jeck, the turntablist who passed away in March of 2022, nor would I with Chris Watson, the maestro of field recordings and one-time member of Cabaret Voltaire. This release is a project that the gentlemen were working on before Jeck’s untimely passing. From the Touch Records release Bandcamp site: “In 2017 I was recording along the north bank of the Humber estuary and one morning driving back from Faxfleet I was stopped at the Oxmardyke rail crossing. The gates were down. After setting up a microphone array…
-
It’s incredibly nice to see Peter Gabriel release the bulk of his solo material on Bandcamp. He even offers a subscription for rare tracks and remixes, most of which are perfectly okay. This release was a pleasant surprise, as it was, I believe, once released as part of the So box set, but it sounds fine as a standalone disc. The recording is during the peak of his creative powers, and the musicians working behind him in this tour (David Rhodes on guitar, Tony Levin on bass, David Sancious on keyboards and Manu Katché on drums) are as tight as…
-
A brilliant single from the always-impressive Mr. Bongo Records by London-based Kit Sebastian. From the band’s Bandcamp site: “‘L’addio’ saw the band perfecting their production and orchestration, with strings, horns and double bass, and an Italian synth found in a French dump. The music was greatly influenced by Italian soundtracks and Italian female singers, such as Mina or Rita Pavone. The track announces itself with a break that is guaranteed to get samplers twitching. The tone of the melody and lyrics is heartfelt and aching. It has a beautiful, intimate sadness like the closing scenes to a love affair, and…
-
Pseudonym Records of of London, UK, publish hard and aggressive drum & bass, giving a nostalgic vibe for the genre’s heydey of the 1990s. Jurango and Glances offer up two utterly menacing tracks each.
-
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…