Released on the Amsterdam based label Q1E2 Recordings, the “Move On” EP is Papi Gaba’s modern take on old school- and Lofi House. Papi Gaba's music takes a surgical and alternative turn from conventional House and pushes the genre into a new direction. The EP is the result of Papi Gaba's first experiments with tape recorders
and cassette tapes, and characterised by warm, melodic, melancholic, and crunchy sounds. Papi Gaba’s tracks are suited for the club, while at the same time perfect for any old dusty living room sound system.
Suche:43
Aidan Baker is a classically-trained multi-instrumentalist using the electric guitar as his primary instrument. Using prepared and alternate methods of playing the guitar, along with various electronic effects, Baker creates music which generally falls within the ambient/experimental genre but draws on influences from rock, electronic, classical, and jazz. A highly prolific artist, Baker has released numerous recorded works, both solo and with various group projects - most notably the duo Nadja - on such independent labels as Karlrecords, Important Records, Southern Lord, and his own imprint, Broken Spine Productions. Baker is also the author of several books of poetry. A regular live performer, Baker has toured extensively around the world, including appearances at such international festivals as FIMAV, SXSW, Incubate, Unsound, and Mutek, among others. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Baker currently resides in Berlin, Germany. Recorded mid-pandemic, Songs of Undoing cannot help but have a sort of mid- or post-apocalyptic overlying concept, lyrically dealing with themes of exodus and travel / wandering, self-reliance, the weight of history...with pointed references to two post-apocalyptic, societal / environmental collapse novels, Octavia Butler's "Parables of The Sower" and Kate Wilhelm's "Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang." Musically, the songs move between minimal slowcore and a sort of textural noise-rock or what might be called deconstructed grunge, taking influence from artists like Lungfish, American Analog Set, PJ Harvey, and Stina Nordenstam.
Tape
After learning his craft in his hometown of Saarbrücken, a pivotal move to Berlin at the end of 2016 proved to be the ticket that would catapult hentzup deep into the music universe. Five years later Chris
has made a name for himself as a multi-instrumental music producer and versatile audio-engineer.
With three LPs and several EPs under his belt, hentzup is known for his classic and clever production style of jazz-infused hip-hop compositions. Needless to say that we are buzzing to announce this
soulful eight-tracker from the franco-german producer.
- 1: Out Cont (Out Conte) Chaplin 03:47
- 1: 2 5 A.m. トクマルシューゴ / Shugo Tokumaru 05:48
- 1: 3 July F.l.y. 03:20
- 1: 4 あきのつばめ / Aki No Tsubame わすれろ草 / Wasurerogusa 04:24
- 1: 5 人が生まれる / Hito Ga Umareru ジョナサン・コンディショナー / Jonathan Conditioner 05:39
- 1: 6 或る夕べ / An Evening Litany 中村祐子 / Yuko Nakamura 02:02
- 1: 7 Wedding Song Kama Aina 05:30
- 1: 8 Ginger Yuko Kono 03:52
- 1: 9 つけも / Tsukemo ジョンのサン / Jon No Son 0:0
- 1: 0 ゆうたいりだつ / Yūtai-Ridatsu 森山ふとし / Futoshi Moriyama 06:9
- 1: Blue Mmm 05:9
- 1: 2 夜 / Night てんしんくん / Tenshinkun 0:42
- 2: 1 Origami Daisuke Tanabe 03:1
- 2: 不夜城 / Fuyajo その他の短編ズ / Sonotanotanpenz 01:36
- 2: 3 水 / Water んミィ / Nnmie 0:5
- 2: 4 君のような目にいつかなりたい / Wanna Be Like Your Eyes Someday わびさびくらぶ / Wabisabi Club 03:19
- 2: 5 スミヨシ / Sumiyoshi かきつばた / Kakitubata 07:43
- 2: 6 野球 / Baseball Hose 0:31
- 2: 7 グッモーニン / Good Morning ブラジル / Brazil 0:59
- 2: 8 わんわんのテーマ / The Theme Of Oneone わんわん / Oneone 04:38
- 2: 9 アルペジオ / Arpeggio 王舟 / Oh Shu 01:30
- 2: 10 少年少女 / Boys & Girls 惑星のかぞえかた / How To Count Planets 03:50
- 2: 11 雪がや / Yukiga Ya コントノボ / Contonovo 0:5
- 2: 1 夢が叶った / Yumega Kanatta / My Dream Has Come True 狩生健志 / Kariu Kenji 03:15
- 2: 13 話し方 / How To Speak Fuji||||||||||Ta 04:53
- 2: 14 染め / Dye (Some) 沼田佳命子 / Kanako Numata 03:11
Following the »Minna Miteru« compilation, released in 2020, Morr Music announces a sequel, dedicated to Japanese indie music, overflowing with surprises and welcome discoveries. Like its predecessor, »Minna Miteru 2« is compiled by Saya of Tenniscoats, with the support of Markus Acher (The Notwist). It’s also another part of the Minna Miteru universe, alongside retrospective albums by The Andersens (»There Is A Sound«, 2020) and yumbo (»The Fruit Of Errata«, 2021). Taken together, these albums suggest a scene in rude health, sharing a unique vibration.
If its predecessor circled around Tenniscoats and their close friends, the second volume, though featuring a collaboration between Tenniscoats and Deerhoof as oneone, reaches far further afield, drawing from music old and new, far and wide. Consistent across »Minna Miteru 2« is a sense of wonder and a cheerful unpredictability: you never quite know what you’ll hear next. There are some gorgeous indie pop songs here, like Yuko Kono’s »Ginger« or HOSE’s »Baseball«, but there are other sounds too, like Kariu Kenji’s blue-hued electro-pop, or the wheezing pipe-organ ambient of FUJI||||||||||TA: »Minna Miteru 2« hints at new kinds of beauty.
Some of the more widely known names here contribute typically gorgeous melodies – Kama Aina’s »Wedding Song«, from 2005’s »Hawaii Hawaii« CD, is a reflective tune that combines a country-ish lilt with hints of slack-key guitar. Shugo Tokumaru’s »5 A.M.« is a delirious psychedelic pop mantra, drawn from his excellent 2005 album, »L.S.T.«. Many of the revelations, though, come from artists and groups relatively unknown outside Japan. The lovely, disorienting glitch-folk of Wasurerogusa features Aki Tsuyuko, perhaps best known for her albums on Thrill Jockey and Jim O’Rourke’s Moikai label, collaborating with psych-folk legends Eddie Marcon.
There’s also the delightful synth-pop of Jonathan Conditioner; the electronic dreamscape of Chaplin, whose opening »Out Cont« runs along several parallel paths at once; the twinkling, acoustic jangle at the heart of mmm’s luscious »Blue«; and a curious collection of miniatures, from acts like tenshinkun, Daisuke Tanabe and NNMIE, that embrace a childlike curiosity, essaying a kind of toytown pop-tronica.
The twenty-six songs on »Minna Miteru 2« repeatedly catch you unawares, upending your expectations and signaling both the breadth and depth of the Japanese indie underground. It’s a compilation of play and pleasure, but also of bold experiment smuggled into the everyday through pop music’s welcoming moods, magically creating a new world for the listener, spun out of the air and woven in between your ears.
Often duplicated, never imitated: the power of Lauer! Albeit being no stranger himself to musical influences from the outside, the producer from Frankfurt managed to carve out a sound that is very much his own. Indie-dance, Italo, power pop and house music in its traditional sense get mixed up in a blender of happiness.
Lauer’s latest achievement for Running Back and welcome return is a mini-LP called Cyclone Days. Aptly titled and ably executed, it’s everything you would expect or want from him. A world of merry music, where melody is king.
On top of that , you get value for your money: Vocal blockbusters like the upbeat Somebody (instrumental included) and the more restrained Friends (both with frequent collaborator Dena), sit comfortably between instrumental hits. Resonator and Neway take the role of the proverbial keys to happiness, while the title track or Exterminate balance it out with joyful melancholy.
Just imagine Righeira signing to Factory Records or Durutti Column on holidays in Rimini and you are halfway there. The days might be like a cyclone, but as long as there are records like this, the shelter isn’t blown.
Blood Red Cloud Vinyl[31,51 €]
Philadelphia's Sweet Pill write eruptive emo songs that embrace the
edges of pop and hardcore
The kind of band whose members are fully immersed in their local scene-through
a handful of notable side projects and the show- promoting Philly staple 4333
Collective- the quintet's sound takes wide- spectrum influence from its
environment. The result is an amalgam of complex song structures and
flourishes of technical acumen, wholly unconcerned with genre, yet evoking the
specific styles of touchstones such as Paramore and Circa Survive.
On their debut longplayer Where the Heart Is, Sweet Pill's unbound, raucous
energy presents through ten autobiographical tracks that hinge on singer Zayna
Youssef's elastic, enrapturing voice- at times belting and controlled, at others
textural and guttural. Supporting Youssef are guitarists Jayce Williams and Sean
McCall, bassist Ryan Cullen, and drummer Chris Kearney. Their blistering lead
single "Blood" sees Youssef exploring a deteriorated friendship over Williams and
McCall's trudging riffs and tactful counterpoint, with Cullen and Kearney rumbling
nimbly in the song's foundations.
Second single "High Hopes" counters with introspective, melodic punk that
reshapes anxiety rather than succumb to it. But third single "Diamond Eyes"
momentarily slows the pace, with McCall joining Youssef on vocals for a breakup
lament laden with acoustic sentimentalism and an emotive flurry from guest
flutist Jill Ryan. Such range is the central facet of Where the Heart Is, where
Sweet Pill's penchant for combining punkish tropes enlivened with the vibrance of
math- rock and the aggression of post- hardcore sweetened with pop sensibility
compound into something stylistically new yet still familiar. Pressed on 180-gram
Red color vinyl
Nach "Beware of the Dogs" von 2019 ist "Flood" Donnellys Album der Wiederentdeckung: es ist das Produkt monatelanger Experimente, schwieriger Momente der Introspektion und einer Menge Übergangsphasen. Wie die vielen Banded Stilt (zu Deutsch Stelzenläufer), die sich über das Cover verteilen, watet Donnelly in unbekanntem Terrain, lernt, wer sie als Künstlerin ist und wie umfassend ein Individuum sein kann. Während ihrer Zeit in den australischen Regenwäldern von Bellingen, entdeckte Donnelly ihre Liebe zur Vogelbeobachtung. Indem sie der Natur um sie herum mehr Aufmerksamkeit schenkte, konnte sie "das Gefühl verlieren, dass irgendjemand auf mich reagiert. Ich vergaß, wer ich als Musikerin war und es war eine überwältigende Erfahrung, einfach nur zu sein, mein kleines Ich zu sein." Sie schrieb 43 Songs, als sie Bellingen verließ und durch das Land zog. "Ich hatte so viele Gelegenheiten, an seltsamen Orten zu schreiben", bemerkt Donnelly. "Ich hatte oft keine Wahl, wo ich mich aufhielt. Es lässt sich nicht leugnen, dass die Schließung der Grenzen, wenn man keinen Zugang zu seiner Familie hat, den Blick auf die Teile des Lebens verengt, die einem wichtig sind." Wenn sie auf die Banded Stilt zurückblickt, schätzt Donnelly vor allem, dass "sie in einer Gruppe gesehen eine optische Täuschung erzeugen, aber für sich genommen sind sie ein einzigartiges Kunstwerk." Während jeder Song auf "Flood" ein einzigartiges Kunstwerk für sich ist, teilen sie im Kollektiv alles von Stella Donnelly im Überfluss: ihr inneres Kind, ihr liebevolles Selbst, ihr alptraumhaftes Selbst; alles von ihr selbst ist in die Entstehung dieser Platte eingeflossen, und obwohl man einen Ozean bräuchte, um alles zu ergründen, was sie fühlt, lohnt es sich, einzutauchen.
Nach "Beware of the Dogs" von 2019 ist "Flood" Donnellys Album der Wiederentdeckung: es ist das Produkt monatelanger Experimente, schwieriger Momente der Introspektion und einer Menge Übergangsphasen. Wie die vielen Banded Stilt (zu Deutsch Stelzenläufer), die sich über das Cover verteilen, watet Donnelly in unbekanntem Terrain, lernt, wer sie als Künstlerin ist und wie umfassend ein Individuum sein kann. Während ihrer Zeit in den australischen Regenwäldern von Bellingen, entdeckte Donnelly ihre Liebe zur Vogelbeobachtung. Indem sie der Natur um sie herum mehr Aufmerksamkeit schenkte, konnte sie "das Gefühl verlieren, dass irgendjemand auf mich reagiert. Ich vergaß, wer ich als Musikerin war und es war eine überwältigende Erfahrung, einfach nur zu sein, mein kleines Ich zu sein." Sie schrieb 43 Songs, als sie Bellingen verließ und durch das Land zog. "Ich hatte so viele Gelegenheiten, an seltsamen Orten zu schreiben", bemerkt Donnelly. "Ich hatte oft keine Wahl, wo ich mich aufhielt. Es lässt sich nicht leugnen, dass die Schließung der Grenzen, wenn man keinen Zugang zu seiner Familie hat, den Blick auf die Teile des Lebens verengt, die einem wichtig sind." Wenn sie auf die Banded Stilt zurückblickt, schätzt Donnelly vor allem, dass "sie in einer Gruppe gesehen eine optische Täuschung erzeugen, aber für sich genommen sind sie ein einzigartiges Kunstwerk." Während jeder Song auf "Flood" ein einzigartiges Kunstwerk für sich ist, teilen sie im Kollektiv alles von Stella Donnelly im Überfluss: ihr inneres Kind, ihr liebevolles Selbst, ihr alptraumhaftes Selbst; alles von ihr selbst ist in die Entstehung dieser Platte eingeflossen, und obwohl man einen Ozean bräuchte, um alles zu ergründen, was sie fühlt, lohnt es sich, einzutauchen.
Nach "Beware of the Dogs" von 2019 ist "Flood" Donnellys Album der Wiederentdeckung: es ist das Produkt monatelanger Experimente, schwieriger Momente der Introspektion und einer Menge Übergangsphasen. Wie die vielen Banded Stilt (zu Deutsch Stelzenläufer), die sich über das Cover verteilen, watet Donnelly in unbekanntem Terrain, lernt, wer sie als Künstlerin ist und wie umfassend ein Individuum sein kann. Während ihrer Zeit in den australischen Regenwäldern von Bellingen, entdeckte Donnelly ihre Liebe zur Vogelbeobachtung. Indem sie der Natur um sie herum mehr Aufmerksamkeit schenkte, konnte sie "das Gefühl verlieren, dass irgendjemand auf mich reagiert. Ich vergaß, wer ich als Musikerin war und es war eine überwältigende Erfahrung, einfach nur zu sein, mein kleines Ich zu sein." Sie schrieb 43 Songs, als sie Bellingen verließ und durch das Land zog. "Ich hatte so viele Gelegenheiten, an seltsamen Orten zu schreiben", bemerkt Donnelly. "Ich hatte oft keine Wahl, wo ich mich aufhielt. Es lässt sich nicht leugnen, dass die Schließung der Grenzen, wenn man keinen Zugang zu seiner Familie hat, den Blick auf die Teile des Lebens verengt, die einem wichtig sind." Wenn sie auf die Banded Stilt zurückblickt, schätzt Donnelly vor allem, dass "sie in einer Gruppe gesehen eine optische Täuschung erzeugen, aber für sich genommen sind sie ein einzigartiges Kunstwerk." Während jeder Song auf "Flood" ein einzigartiges Kunstwerk für sich ist, teilen sie im Kollektiv alles von Stella Donnelly im Überfluss: ihr inneres Kind, ihr liebevolles Selbst, ihr alptraumhaftes Selbst; alles von ihr selbst ist in die Entstehung dieser Platte eingeflossen, und obwohl man einen Ozean bräuchte, um alles zu ergründen, was sie fühlt, lohnt es sich, einzutauchen.
"Diré a mi gente" is a 1969 Colombian pop classic with one foot in protest song and the other in acid rock, harsh sounding but also current and sincere. The rawness of the lyrics, the simple and dynamic electrified instrumentation and the contrast with the sweetness and innocence of the adolescent vocals make it reminiscent of Nadaism via Pablus Gallinazo, the bittersweet tenderness of Elia y Elizabeth and the post Los Yetis duet of Norman y Darío. First time vinyl reissue. Liner notes by Mexican DJ and collector Carlos Icaza aka Tropicaza (Dublab / Worldwide FM). "Diré a mi gente" is an essential Colombian album that connects the new generations that grew up after the fall of the socialist block. It's a classic with one foot in protest song and the other in acid rock, harsh sounding but also current, raw and sincere. It's reminiscent of Nadaism via Pablus Gallinazo, the bittersweet tenderness of Elia y Elizabeth and the post Yetis duet of Norman y Darío. It was recorded by the brothers Ana y Jaime Valencia and originally released in 1969 on the local label Discos 15. The messages it conveys are still fresh and the blend of superb songs, arrangements and the candor of the duo's performance proves the relevance and importance of re-listening to this album in an increasingly nihilistic and depoliticized world. The teenage voices enhance the truthfulness and power of conviction of the classic songs of Alí Primera and Daniel Viglietti. The endearing song 'Cuántos momentos', originally recorded by Iván Darío López from Los Yetis-Norman y Darío, stands out on the album. 'Es largo el camino', with more stark lyrics by Nelson Osorio backed by Astudillo's screeching guitar, sends shivers down your spine. "Diré a mi gente" reaffirms that the transformative power of music is still there, latent, waiting to be unleashed. Even though the road traveled to get there is sometimes long.
Round number four on the Frank Music Rarities series: Music that deserves being cut on a platter. "Come Closer" may sound like a long-lost Chicago House record from the late 80's but it's new. Jakob Mäder rides on a melody you've never heard before, still all about the love. On the flip you shall find two songs out of Iron Curtis' & Johannes Albert's current "Moon III" album. Oui madame, the french touch arrives via "Enjoy" and a little pop music shines through "Something Unique" featuring Indie rockets Zoot Woman on vocal duties.
The Gamelatron is many things; one could call it a sculpture, a multimodal installation, an instrument, a robot, a feat of engineering, a vision—and it is all of these things. More importantly, though, it is a concept sustained by Aaron Taylor Kuffner, aka Zemi17, whose Gamelatrons are “sound producing kinetic sculptures” designed to create an immersive, visceral experience for the listener. Not a small feat, and yet the ambitions of Zemi17 are absolutely realized in this long-standing project, culminating now in his third release for The Bunker NY: Gamelatron Bidadari.
The Gamelatron Bidadari is not just a name—it is one of seventy-plus musical sculptures that Zemi17 has conceptualized, designed, and fabricated. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to think of this release as simply a series of arrangements composed in a finite period of time. Rather, it’s a window into a project and a process that is much larger than any single album can encapsulate. Gamelatron Bidardi is the culmination of more than a decade of work, and is central to Zemi17’s evolution, not only as a musician but as an artist.
Having studied gamelan for many years in Indonesian villages and at the Institut Seni Indonesia in Yogyakarta, Kuffner is a musician, an artist, technologist, and craftsman. The gongs in his sculptures are co-created with master Indonesian artisans. Each Gamelatron composition is site-responsive, meaning its sounds are composed for the acoustics and intentions of the space it inhabits, whether it’s an art gallery, a wooded landscape, or the inner temple of Burning Man. The Gamelatron does not stand alone: it is in constant co-creation with its physical environment, and in dialogue with gamelan’s long-standing history.
Originally exhibited at the Smithsonian Renwick as part of a show entitled, No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man, the Gamelatron Bidadari produces sounds that are delicate yet strong, and deeply hypnotic. Textured chiming creates intricate polyrhythmic patterns that are both complex and simple, or in a word, elegant. On Gamelan Bidadari, Zemi17 refrains from adhering to the strict musical structures; his approach to composition is free flowing.
He says, “I want to evoke what the music tells me it has to offer. It is like following water to its conclusion (or non-conclusion).” The arrangements on this album, written by Zemi17 and performed by the robotic arms of the Gamelatron, leaves the listener feeling enchanted, nourished and enriched.
A sense of the mystical comes through in the tonal quality of the instrument, and is conceptually felt in the sculpture’s name: the Bidadari, which loosely translates to “forest nymph.” The music conjures up natural wonder, and the four sculptures that make up the Gamelatron Bidadari, in fact, resemble trees. They are four independent yet connected entities, each with a large gong situated at their structural base—the sonic “roots” of the sculpture—while smaller gongs branch off of a golden, trunk-like spine. The Gamelatron Bidadari is as physically stunning as it is mesmerizing to the ear. A kind of divinity is invoked through its sound, or a sacred cohesion between past and present, tradition and new form. Meant to be viscerally experienced, the sounds of the Gamelatron call for sublime togetherness. Gamelatron Bidadari is not just an album but the crystallization of Kuffner’s work; it is a condensed yet spacious glimpse into the sonic power of Zemi17’s Gamelatrons, which have already been heard and experienced live by over a million people.
Runhild Gammelsæter and Lasse Marhaug are two Norwegian musicians/sound artists. Both started in the early 1990s music underground and have worked in many constellations with a wide range of collaborators.
Despite knowing each other for a long time, Gammelsæter and Marhaug’s first collaborative work was the “Quantum Entanglement” LP in 2014. The album ignited a collective spark that both wanted to pursue further. Still, other commitments got in the way, and the project lay dormant until Stephen O’Malley, and Greg Anderson invited them to open for Sunn O))) for a special gig in the St. James Church of Culture in Oslo in the autumn of 2019. The two gathered for a long series of rehearsals, and after the successful performance, it was clear that it was time to start working on new compositions and recordings. That process initiated in late 2019 and continued to early 2021, encompassing before and after the world went through the lockdown. The result of this long development to be heard accumulated upon their new album “Higgs Boson” on Ideologic Organ Music.
Throughout the profound process of creating “Higgs Boson”, Gammelsæter and Marhaug drew inspiration from various subjects and artists. For Marhaug, it was concepts informed by the structuralist experimental cinema of Japanese directors Takashi Ito and Toshio Matsumoto, futurist worlds of French comic book artists Philippe Druillet and Jean Moebius Giraud, landscape photography of Fay Godwin, Kåre Kivijärvi, and Tamiko Nishimura, amongst others.
It became a metaphysical juxtaposition involving Gammelsaeter’s research and lyrical ideas based on several seemingly unrelated principles. A process of association inspired by “the Glass Bead Game” by Herman Hesse. The discovery of the Higgs Boson as a confirmation of the physical universe. The work of Ernst Schrödinger on the uncertainty principle. The four forces of physics. The Force. Helplessness under armed forces - as the war sailors in World War II. The influence of magic as expressed in tarot.
Gammelsæter experiments with a boundary involving the thresholds amongst various states of focus and legibility by forensic experimentation with techniques such as exclusive expression of consonants, syllabic repetition, retrograde text vocalisations and multi-lingual layering. Her vocal inspirational sources include Sidsel Endresen, Diamanda Galas, Natacha Atlas, the choral works of Rachmaninov, and the bands Carcass and Grave.
Two worlds coming together, making the music special. Mixing hard facts with science fiction helps create a kaleidoscopic cross point between the complex realities of the past and a possible future.
“Quantum Entanglement” featured two long-form pieces centred around a prepared piano and layered voice, while “Higgs Boson” developed a much more elaborate and ambitious compositional work. Across eight parts, the two artists brought a broad palette of instrumentation and sound. Electronic and acoustic, objects and field recordings, and pipe organ define the structures of which the centre is Gammelsæter’s magnificent voice. She has become known for her legendary voice, with her vast and unique range of inflective techniques and affective colour through her 30 years creating music. In the mix, Lasse approached the instrumental elements like landscapes, then Runhild’s vocals as characters that inhabit those worlds. Often, Gammelsæter multiple characters fused with the landscape. Make them occupy space, sometimes blend into it, sometimes dominate it. Constructing and setting visual guidelines helps set focus and open possibilities.
As an album, “Higgs Boson” is direct and focused, drawing on song structures. Within these tracks are vast strata of sound, an immersive multi-dimensional depth of music. Creating a feeling of depth while working with a flat two-channel stereo format - and how dimensions of texture and distortion can help develop the illusion of a space. The album structure is a story-like arc, a malleable subjective path, set as the album traverses oblique and suggestive areas, opening the concepts for the listener to unpack as they like.
– exclusive consultation with Gammelsæter & Marhaug, edited by Stephen O’Malley, June 2022
The third release from Night Dreamer’s essential “Direct-to-Disc” sessions sees an incredible meeting between legendary US saxophonist Gary Bartz and leading UK spiritual jazz ensemble, Maisha, featuring two Bartz classics and three brand new joint songs written by both Bartz & Maisha in close collaboration.
Having cut his teeth playing with the likes of Charles Mingus, Max Roach, Art Blakey and finally in 1970, Miles Davis at the peak of his electric period, Gary Bartz became a leading figure of the early-to-mid 70s spiritual jazz movement, releasing a string of ground-breaking albums on legendary NYC jazz label Prestige Records with his NTU Troop, featuring classics such as “Celestial Blues”, “Uhuru Dance” and “I’ve Known Rivers”, before collaborating on Blue Note Records with the Mizell Brothers on the anthemic jazz funk of “Music Is My Sanctuary”. An oeuvre much loved by soul jazzers and hip hop fans alike.
Led by drummer Jake Long, Maisha have been central to the UK’s jazz explosion, and have fast become the UK’s most exciting and in-demand young spiritual jazz ensemble, from steller shows at Jazz re:freshed, Total Refreshment Centre & Church of Sound and supporting the Sun Ra Arkestra, to releasing their critically acclaimed debut LP, “There Is A Place” on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings in 2018. Theirs is an organic & explosive sound that blends influences from afrobeat and broken beat to Persian music, with a deep love and understanding of jazz, particularly the heritage of spiritual jazz led by titans such as Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane and of course, Gary Bartz.
Which makes this collaboration even more special. Bartz was first invited to share a stage with Maisha by Gilles Peterson to headline the inaugural We Out Here festival. Their chemistry was rich and instantaneous, certainly a two-way street, with the young musicians reinvigorating the legend’s performance and wowing the intergenerational festival audience. A European tour followed, including a London Jazz Festival highlight at the Royal Festival Hall, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his album “Another Earth”, originally featuring fellow legends, Pharoah Sanders, Charles Tolliver, Stanley Cowell, and John Coltrane’s own bassist, Reggie Workman.
Now the relationship has evolved into a special straight-to-disc recording for Night Dreamer Records, that captures the vitality of their collaboration. Whilst Bartz and Maisha reinvent classic Bartz compositions “Uhuru Sasa” and “Dr Follows Dance”, extending the pieces into long piece improvised grooves, their recording session gave birth to three brand new joint compositions, written the very same day. These include the propulsive “Leta’s Dance” that magically combines the Bartz’ soulful musical lyricism with Maisha’s African-jazz influences, and the organic jazz
funk of “Harlem to Haarlem”, featuring a hot solo from guest trumpeter Axel Kaner-Lidstrom of Cykada & Levitation Orchestra fame.
Like previous Night Dreamer efforts from afrobeat star Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, and the beautiful collaboration between Brazilian stars Seu Jorge & Rogê, the album was recorded in Haarlem’s Artone Studio, a stones throw from Amsterdam, in just one-take, straight-to-disc, avoiding post-production embellishments and retaining the purity of the performance lost in modern recording techniques.
This record really is an event, in and of itself, a meeting of talents, minds, generations and zeitgeist moments, captured in a unique and pure manner. The music does not disappoint, as Maisha have been inspired to reach new heights whilst we find Bartz truly reinvigorated, and both artists in tune to the spirit of the other.
Recorded direct-to-disc @ Artone Studio, Haarlem, The Netherlands on Tuesday 29th Wednesday 30th October 2019
Isoviha was recorded four years ago, inspired by ideas that Sasu Ripatti (aka Vladislav Delay) had been reflecting on for a long time. This album is a counterpart to his two Rakka albums which were a personal reflection on the nature and sound-world of the northern Arctic wilderness, 1000 kilometres north of where he lives on the Finnish island of Hailuoto. It's an area he loves to explore, trekking out alone to enjoy its rugged power. However the sound world of Isoviha is a return to man-made civilization. Musically Isoviha presents a more complicated world than Rakka; overloaded and unpredictable, audio archaeology that layers and juxtaposes everyday sounds into intense sculptures of noise and drone. As a musical observation internally and externally, it's influenced by the heightened anxious intensity Sasu feels when returning from the empty wilderness. The ratcheting up of urban noise on Isoviha is built with insistent loops that seem to malfunction the faster they spiral and the dangerous overwhelming potential of ordinary objects and events: shimmering, hammering, crowds, radio distortion, ancient backfiring engines. It's hypermodern musique concrète, married to a jazz drummer's intuitive sense of rhythm. Going back even further in time but still tethered to the local, Isoviha also means 'the great wrath' and refers to a time in Finland under Russian occupation in the 1700s. A time when all the Islanders of Hailuoto were killed, apart from a single couple who were left to bury the dead. As if time is non-linear, the response to toxicity and madness that drives the album feels even more appropriate now than when it was written four years ago and confirmation that the horrors of the past still darken the present.
- A1: Lady Be Good 3’36
- A2: Back Home Again In Indiana 2’48
- A3: I Can’t Get Started With You 3’15
- A4: I Didn’t Know What Time It Was 4’20
- A5: Three Little Words 4’18
- A6: Pennies From Heaven 3’21
- B1: Tea For Two 3’31
- B2: I Cover The Waterfront 3’49
- B3: A. B. Blues 3’14
- B4: There’ll Never Be Another You 3’39
- B5: Almost Like Being In Love 4’01
- B6: Lullaby Of Birdland 3’43
In January 1959, Lester Young was in Paris for a series of concerts at the famous Blue Note Club. He plays with Rene Urtreger on piano, Kenny Clarke on drums, Jimmy Gourley on guitar and Jamil Nasser on bass. On March the 4th, 1959, Eddie Barclay decides to record Lester at Studio Barclay, which will be his last album.
This legendary recording session is poignant and moving in line with the from Coleman Hawkins ‘Sirius’ and the last recording of Billie Holiday. Lester Young is reduced but the grace and genius are still there! Some days later, March 15, 1959, Lester succumb at the Alvin hotel, a few hours after arriving in New York. A heart attack had just one defeat all musicians nicknamed ‘Prez’, The President.




















