• Music

    Flora Yin-Wong – Holy Palm

    October 20, 2021 - By 

    After coming across an interview over at The Quietus with the London based composer Flora Yin-Wong, I wasn’t quite sure of what to make of her work.  The new album they discussed, Holy Palm sounded fascinating, less so by the interviewer’s rather tepid questions but more so by the evocative answers Flora was giving.  I cannot say that she is or isn’t a religious woman (though as a rationalist, perhaps she would enjoy the works of the Cappadocians), but her fascination with sacred spaces adds something interesting to this album, where drone, field recordings, and a warm take on something…

  • Music - Spoken Word

    Oceanic Vibrations – Vol. 1

    October 19, 2021 - By 

    This is one I’ve been waiting to hear for some time, and it did not disappoint. American poet Shane Beck (who happens to be a very old friend) paired up with British electronic musician Dave Onley as Oceanic Vibrations to join their worlds together elegantly.  Beck’s voice lends itself to the soundscapes Onley produces, melding a clear, heartfelt and pensive poetry draped on top of music that reminded me of early-period Tangerine Dream or even Cosmic Jokers in the more pulsating parts.

  • Music

    Rapt – None Of This Will Matter

    October 2, 2021 - By 

    This Z Tapes release left me floored.  Rapt are a folk band out of London who have an ethereal sound which reminded me of musicians like Nick Drake fronting a band on 4AD.  Think, perhaps, of a more airy-sounding This Mortal Coil gone neofolk. The sound is folky without being stale, and adding elements like shoegaze and dreampop make for a rich, rewarding listen.  I really like this.

  • Music

    Santiago Fradejas – The Light Through The Springs

    September 29, 2021 - By 

    The guitar, all by itself, can serve as tool for making a haunting orchestra’s worth of sounds.  My good friend Santiago Fradejas, now resident in Kent, of all places (!) presents a mini-LP’s worth of brooding, swelling, lilting soundscapes.  There is a menacing element tying the album together, as though one was taking a stroll near the 6th ring of Dante’s Inferno.

  • Music

    Li Yilei – 之 (Of)

    September 9, 2021 - By 

    Li Yilei is a London-based sound artist based whose roots are Chinese.  Li’s latest album, Of (Chinese: 之) reminds me of some of the amazingly good Japanese new age ambient releases of the 1980s which seem to be gaining a lot of attention like Hiroshi Yoshimura and some of Haruomi “Harry” Hosono’s more eclectic albums outside of his work with the Yellow Magic Orchestra. The instrumentation consists of analogue synthesizers, vocal samples, field recordings and string instruments such as the violin and guqin (I was introduced to the instrument while teaching in China back in 2018), and Li is also…

  • Music

    The Utopia Strong – The Utopia Strong

    June 10, 2021 - By 

    The Utopia Strong are a band out of the United Kingdom which blew me away.  Praise to Chris Morley for alerting me to the band’s existence.  It sounds something like Krautrock or psychedelic rock which goes funky.  It’s almost as if you can dance to some of this material.  The musicianship is excellent, reminding me of Gong or groovier elements of bands like Embryo or even Neu!  It turns out that I was right to think this, as the pedigree of the band is impressive. Personnel: Kavus Torabi (Gong/Cardiacs/Knifeworld/Guapo) Steve Davis and Michael J. York (Coil/Teleplasmiste/Guapo) The Quietus Magazine also…

  • Music - Youtube

    ISQ – Ode To Myself (Arthur Baker Remix)

    May 18, 2021 - By 

    ISQ are a band based out of London who have managed to carve out a rather nice niche in both the alternative jazz and house music worlds.  In this new release, their track, Ode To Myself, has been remixed by legendary producer Arthur Baker, who has worked his magic with bands like New Order and Afrika Bambaataa.  The vocals are smooth, the beats are warm.  This should make the rounds at all the summer dance hotspots.  If you prefer to hear this on Bandcamp, the song can be accessed here.  It sounds phenomenal as a FLAC file.  

  • Music

    Sean Khan – Starchild

    April 2, 2021 - By 

    I came across Sean Khan’s work a couple of years ago when he paired up with Brazilian jazz legend Hermeto Pascoal on a phenomenal record called Palmares Fantasy. He’s back on his own a new Samba-infused track and a remix of it for your listening pleasure.

  • Music

    Various Artists – Mailbox Records: Music for Another Sky

    February 24, 2021 - By 

    This collection of ambient music is curated by British record label Mailbox Records.  From their Bandcamp site: About this release: This compilation has been put together in order to raise awareness and/or raise money for the UK charity, Refuge. This means 100% of proceeds from all sales will go to them (after the standard deductions from Bandcamp and PayPal). It was 1971 when Refuge opened the world’s first safe house, so this year marks the 50th year they’ve been helping women and children escape a life of abuse and violence; the first to make the point that violence in the…