Suche:me first

Montreal duo Bas Relief present a collection of rough-cut IDM and pitch-corrected emo on Insulary, a five-song EP out June 2023 on Brooklyn imprint Quiet Time. Written and compiled long distance from threads of bass music-inspired alt pop and guitar recorded in isolation, Insulary is the duo’s first substantial release since 2018. Granulated microglitches fill out the digital drum arrangements, calling on influences Baths and Loraine James, overlaid with warm piano progressions, melancholic guitar loops, and collaged vocal production.

These self-reckoning, forlorn vocals form a patchwork narrative, hazed like a shapeshifted memory, long reconfigured with each conjuring, coherence inconsistent but still there. Recurring dreams find home among recursive passages, self-referencing lyrically and with samples churned through plugins, recorded on loop until you fall upon the most satisfying aha! moment and lock it to the grid. At certain moments all the pieces combine to reminisce in sentimental shards of Porter Robinson or The Postal Service, while never straying from Bas Relief’s own vernacular.

Visiting the past in person simply by walking the routes you took in a life long past, that reenactment of memory, that attempt to capture that which you can’t – it might even be a future – is a central bolt of Insulary’s lyrical content. It’s sentimental, it longs for some past which might not even have existed, and it’s hopeful too, never capitulating to traditional structures in its embrace of unusual stylistic combinations. Insulary – brim-packed with fragments of drum and bass, uptempo electronica, and emo – is but a preview of Bas Relief’s exciting near future

This incredible new release follows a path along the electronic skyways first created by the German/Krautrock electronic pioneers of the 1970s such as Cluster, Ash Ra Tempel, Roedelius and Michael Rother. Hawksmoor is James McKeown.

He first created "Hawksmoor" five years ago as an imaginary hauntological soundtrack, inspired by the six Hawksmoor churches in London. Further releases have followed on Environmental Studies, the cassette-only label "Spun Out of Control", Castles in Space and The Library of The Occult.

For his debut on Soul Jazz Records, Hawksmoor has created a fascinating blend of these two sensibilities - a love of German electronic music of the 1970s alongside the British retrofuturism and cultural memory bank aesthetic of hauntology - Ghost Box, Mount Vernon Arts Lab, Advisory Circle, Focus Group etc.

Using strictly modular synths (Moog Sub37), electronic drum rhythms, and guitars, Hawksmoor creates an electronic landscaped music world that is both new and old, immediately identifiable and yet utterly unique.

Acclaimed Stirling-based group Constant Follower, led by Stephen McAll, and renowned folk guitarist Scott William Urquhart have today announced their forthcoming collaborative album, ‘Even Days Dissolve’, which will be released on 14 April 2023.

The album follows on from Constant Follower’s lauded debut long-player ‘Neither Is, Nor Ever Was’, which was released in 2021 and nominated for the 2022 Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award.

‘Even Days Dissolve’ is an enchanting, deeply absorbing, and meditative album, the product of a musical affinity between two thoughtful and uniquely talented Scottish songwriters and musicians.

The songs that make up ‘‘Even Days Dissolve’ were inspired by ‘the grand old man of Scottish poetry’, Norman MacCaig (1910-1996), whose work is characterised by its gentle humour, precise observation and love for the natural world, which forms another key theme for the album.

MacCaig’s poetry holds great significance to McAll, as it formed a major source of comfort and support to him during a long period of recovery following a violent and unprovoked attack that left him with catastrophic head injuries, partially paralysed and unable to write or play guitar.

‘Even Days Dissolve’ is McAll’s nod of respect to McCaig, and the great man’s unmistakable words and inimitable voice feature on two of the tracks - single ‘Wildlife Cameraman’, and ‘Comes A Silence (Basking Shark)’ – sensitively set over the backdrop of beautiful and exquisitely crafted songs.

Scott William Urquhart’s masterful acoustic guitar playing is a stunning centrepiece of the album, imbuing the songs with a moving sense of atmosphere, and sounding at once both elegant and robust. Urquhart’s unassuming yet compelling vocals also feature throughout ‘Even Days Dissolve’.

Speaking about ‘‘Even Days Dissolve’, Stephen McAll said: “The magic in music for me is all about collaboration. Finding people who inspire me to make better music, then working with them and creating something between us that’s better than what either of us could have made alone. It’s been an honour to work so closely with Scott William Urquhart on this album. He’s someone whom I’ve admired for some time - unquestionably up there with the best acoustic guitarists at the moment in Scotland, and such a beautiful writer of songs.

“Bringing two of these songs together with the voice of our beloved Norman MacCaig has been a real highlight of this project. His poetry was introduced to me by my high school teacher Mrs Tatarkowski, and it was the first prose I was able to read and understand when I was recovering from a traumatic head injury. So his work holds a deep space in my heart. I don’t think any poet or songwriter has matched his ability to capture the space and wonder of the natural beauty of Scotland.”

Bollywood rarities handpicked and remastered on a double LP release with laminate gatefold and multi-layered flower petal foldout. Featuring rare, overlooked or not-previously-on-vinyl music from Bappi Lahiri, R. D. Burman, Ilaiyaraaja, Kalyanji-Anandji, Anand Milind, Raamlaxman and Kirti Anuraag released between 1982 and 1986. Mastered for and cut to vinyl by multi Grammy-nominated Frank Merritt at his mastering studio The Carvery.

Naya Beat is incredibly proud to present the first in our series of ‘Awaaz’ (‘sound’ in Hindi) archival projects focused on uncovering the sounds of 1980s Bollywood Original Soundtrack Recordings (OSTs). Series 1 focuses exclusively on the musical output of CBS Gramophone Records & Tapes (India) Ltd. Active during India’s peak disco era – a time when synthesisers and drum machines became a mainstay in Indian popular music – CBS India became a home for established composers to be experimental, up-and-coming composers to get their start, B-movie soundtracks, and straight-to-VHS releases.

Expertly curated by Naya Beat co-founders Turbotito and Ragz, who were given unprecedented access to the original label archives, this compilation is not just a collection of four-to-the-floor Bollywood disco (although there are plenty of those). ‘Awaaz’ is designed to take listeners on a musical journey that includes everything from leftfield electronic and mood music to outrageous proto house.

Be it classic and hard to find cuts like Ilaiyaraaja's "Aye Zindagi Gale Lagaa Le" and “Mere Jaisi Mehbooba” (Bappi Lahiri’s Hindi remake of Herbie Hancock's “Rockit”), or the instrumental mood music of Kirti Anuraag’s VHS movie soundtracks, to the proto house of Raamlaxman’s “Dil Gadbad Jhala” and Kalyanji-Anandji’s “Aage Bhi Dushman,” or the synth and guitar drenched breakdance madness of R. D. Burman’s “Dekho Idhar Jano Jigar,” the music on this compilation captures the output of a label that was unique as it was unconventional.

An homage to the genre, every detail in this stunning release has been lovingly crafted. From the laminate cover to the absolutely incredible foldout, to the cut-out and collage design, to the font type and layout, there are countless authentic details and nods to classic Bollywood releases of the era. As much of the album has been made in India as is possible. The sleeves have been handmade in New Delhi. The liner notes have been compiled by music archivist Nishant Mittal (aka Digging In India).

4th release on the “Classics” Division of Nocturbulous Records., Paradise 3001 “Blue Highway” is a reissue of the classic ep”, remastered for vinyl and repressed for the first time since 1993.
A trancey journey into the very unique ambiance and beautiful atmosphere of the legendary D-Shake, a must have for real amateur.

The Blood of Heroes is a amalgamation of artists re-envisioning worlds first created in the Rutger Hauer film by the same name. In “Nine Cities”, the trilogy is completed. The first self-titled album depicted the PRESENT post-apocalypse as depicted in the film. The second album,The Waking Nightmare, showed the world during the actual apocalypse in the PAST that led to the times in the film. This third album is the FUTURE – further past even post-apocalypse – “Nine Cities buried deep underground” – what had survived, and how did these cities evolve beyond the world-ending criteria of their creation and burial? Past the film inspired storyline, we have for the first time in many years, 2 members of the original Napalm Death collaborating with each other: guitarist Justin K. Broadrick is joined by Scorn beat master Mick Harris. With Submeged on bass, and Enduser on keyboards, the frame is set. Joined by all the artists depicted below, including returning vocalist Dr. Israel, and Fear Factory’s Burton C. Bell, this cast is full of surprising interactions, all masterfully mixed by Dadub’s Daniele Antezza. Original artwork is an extended booklet by Khomatech; these Nine Cities are a world of their own, illustrated by one of the masters of fantasial art.

Following up on their accomplished first collaboration “Fever Dream” and its accompanying remix album “Parasomnia”, Snowbeasts & Solypsis head out on wax for the fantastic “Firelands” LP. The dependable industrial beats and synths of Snowbeasts programmer Robert Galbraith (also known to many as a superior mastering engineer), the haunting voice of Elizabeth Virosa, and the nefarious bass and electronics of the prolific Solypsis come together once again to produce a ride through a fiery terrain of slowed tempo, half-remembered nightmares, and cavernous low end. With vocals ranging from ethereal to evil, spooky grooves charting a pathway to inferno, and distortions applied at the perfect moments, Firelands is a memorable journey. Heavy on synthesizer funk, and intricate percussions to drive the beat, the album erupts with the black lava of downtempo destruction. Slow, driving horror and collaborative interplay make this a sophomore album worth taking home. For Fans Of: Scorn, Autechre, Insect Ark.drum

G.Teixeira is an artist based in France and someone with a multi-faceted sound. His Almost Silent alias now turns out Undisclosed Fields Vol.1, a first release on Healing Sound Propagandist that takes the form of eight movements and six reworks. It's as dense as ambient gets, frankly, with heartbreaking melodies passing by and disappearing before your ears. Fizzing synth drones are layered up over crepuscular chords and the whole thing has you gazing off into the distance, your eyes glazing over as you happily get absorbed in the subtly shifting sounds, tones and timbres. This, then, is another high class album from both artist and label.

INTOXTC is the first EP under Ash Luk's post Minimal Violence alias,Infinity Division. Like a phoenix rising, he continues his ascent through amelodic dystopia simultaneously channeling nostalgia and violence. No stranger to Never Sleep after our //ZOO release and playing live shows for the club night for many years. 'Visions' has ID howling over eerie pop lubed melodies, jungle breaks which all come together to form a new age in crossover music. Sounding like nobody else and completely blows the doors off the"Hyperpop" stigma associated with this kind of bravery. 'Thirteen' shows the club some trance fever dreams whilst 'Something Dreamy' breaks the whole fourth wall in its unashamed hands in the arrangement and palette. Leading the charge is 'T-INT' - a HUGE orchestral noise rhythmic workout and shows the sheer volume that this producer can materialise. Leftfield break up a mosh pit in NYC's CBGB and find Ian Curtis still dancing.

Très toxique is the first ever recording of Un Drame Musical Instantané as a trio, three weeks before Trop d’Adrénaline Nuit, but already a year and a half after Défense De by Birgé Gorgé Shiroc (Nurse With Wound List). On December 21, 1976, it was the first time the three musicians met together in the basement of Studio GRRR. They had no idea what they were going to play, but the session was full of energy. Jean-Jacques Birgé plays the ARP 2600 synthesizer, the cassettes and many other instruments, as does Bernard Vitet, mainly on percussion, but also on sax and violin, while Francis Gorgé supports the backbone on electric guitar. Half a century has passed. Birgé creates the cover of Très toxique entirely by hand, using a white pencil and two acid-burnt images he had created in 1969 and printed two years later by the art printer of Picasso, Dubuffet and the Collège de Pataphysique. The 85 numbered and signed copies of this limited edition have only one side of 19 minutes, already a collector! But can anyone tell me what this music sounds like?

Bingo Club demands no rules for entry. Everyone knows your name. The hours are endless and the dress code remains
unspoken.
Martin Rousselot opened the doors to the Bingo Club at the dawn of the 2020's. Joined by Neysa Barnett, Vassili
Yatchinovsky, Marie-Paule Bargès and Emile Larroche, Bingo Club puts down its signature sound-stamp and juggles with
styles of different kinds; if five songs throb to the clank-clank of New York trains, five more drift lazily like Marseille's sailspotted waves.
Group signifiers and visual tropes are reduced to a molten wash of melodies and images that, whether heard or seen, unite
kindred spirits.
Whether as a duo or as a soloist, in English or in French, a warm mix of soothing voices is blanketed by soft rock
instrumentation. The videos are filmed with an analogue camera across the four corners of the globe.
A first EP, "Separated," released in 2020, sees a collaboration with Al Carson (Weyes Blood, Ariel Pink, Jessica Pratt...). In
2021 the single "Someday," featuring Annie Lime & Jonas San, comes out. In 2022, Bingo Club presents its debut album «
Better Lucky Than Beautiful », produced and mixed in Paris at Studio CBE by David Mestre (Sebastien Tellier, Chassol, ...).
The album is a collection of ten songs, written in different times and places, like a musical travel diary or sound-postcards.