Music Archive: November 2011
Here is a very small selection of the new music we've been playlisting this month
Nils Frahm- Felt (Erased Tapes)
Microscopically delicate solo piano from Frahm, in the shape of his latest album for the brilliant Erased Tapes. Created with the inside of the instrument layered with felt, to dampen the strings, this is as up-close-and-personal as music gets. A microcosm of melodic melancholy, 'Felt' is album for and about the inside of your mind as much as it is for your ears.
Zed Bias- Biasonic Hotsauce (Tru Thoughts)
Hot on the heels of his recent Maddslinky release, Dave Jones returns to his Zed Bias moniker for this LP of drums, bass and collaborations. Featuring Dynamite MC, Roscoe Trim, Mark Pritchard and Skream; this isn't the kind of album you hear often. An electronic album built from the ground up seems like something of a novelty in 2011, but it's how Jones has been operating for fifteen years now. A trip into R&B, bass, dubstep and dancehall with a modern master at the helm.
Git- Imagination (BBE)
We're thrilled to be working with the mighty BBE label now, and were even more delighted to get a hold of this forthcoming release from Staten Island hip-hop producer Git. While it's impossible not to hear the Pete Rock influence (not a bad thing!), 'Imagination' is some of the freshest and most finely-tuned underground hip-hop we've heard here for years. MPCs and synths combine for a vintage futurist flavour throughout, resulting in an overall vibe somewhere between Marlena Shaw and MF DOOM. And hip-hop doesn't get much better than that.
Jean Wells- Soul On Soul (BBE)
Utterly outstanding soulfunk recorded throughout the 1960s with legendary producer Clyde Otis. BBE have knocked us sideways by unearthing these recordings Jean Wells made before her journeys into gospel and ultimately obscurity. Deep soul, funk and R&B of the like much coveted by the most discerning of Northern Soul DJs, crate-digging producers and elitist obscurity collectors never sounded so exciting. It's a joy to know that labels like BBE are still able to unearth such aural gems.
Scrimshire- The Hollow (Wah Wah 45s)
Wah Wah 45s label-boss Adam Scrimshire comes correct with his second album of contemporary electronic songwriting. Soulful modern acoustic music via reggae and pop, 'The Hollow' sums up everything we love about this label- it's heartwarming yet unsettling, comforting yet confusing, has a true sense of soul running throughout and makes you keep coming back. Sophisticated, reflective modern soul for the connoisseur.
Peaking Lights- 936 (Domino)
Straight into our 'album of the year' shortlist, Domino are about to take the wonderful Peaking Lights to a worldwide audience. Previously released this year on Not Not Fun, this reissue is about to get the exposure it so dearly deserves. Ethereal DIY-dub with an indie-pop edge, this is analogue modernism at its absolute finest. And they're probably going to be huge. You (probably) heard it here first.
Hawthorne Headhunters- Myriad of Now (Plug Research)
R&B, funk and electro influenced by the entire lineage of black music, from early blues to disco, these 14 tracks combine to form the greatest thing LA's Plug Research have brought us since Flying Lotus. Like a 1950s jazz-jam in outer space, 'Myriad of Now' takes you on a journey outside yourself, inspires you, and drops you to Earth with a bump. Fantastic.
Various- Christophe Lemaire And Now-Again Present: Where Are You From? (Now-Again)
A trip into Now-Again's vast catalogue, subtitled “a psychedelic journey of delicate perception" by Lemaire. Now-Again never fail to excel themselves, and constant seem to be raising the bar. These 16 tracks of global psych-rock, funk and folk are no different; and it confirms exactly why we consider the label to be masters of the obscure delight.
Swod- Drei (City Centre Offices)
Ghostly neo-classical ambiance from the Berlin duo Swod. Introspective cinematic headphone music for the modern sophisticate, 'Drei' is as much a piece of art as it is a piece of music. Smart, grown-up electronica from one of the most consistent labels in the Morr family.
Vittorio Mazzoni- Geografia Della Campania (self released)
Like a hypnagogic soundtrack to a retro-future of disjointed voices, lost guitars and haunted dub, the Vittorio Mazzoni cassette is one of the most essential purchases of the year. They're a two-piece, and they create their music hundreds of miles apart. Dan lives in London, and Josh lives in Cumbernauld- a town recently voted the worst place to live in the UK- yet this geographical juxtaposition seems to suit their creative process perfectly.