Strut present the frst ever international reissue of in-demand '80s zouk LP 'Las Palé'
by Feeling Kréyol, out of Guadeloupe.
Producer Darius Denon explains: 'This was 1988 and bands like Zouk Machine and Kassav
were huge. I had met producer Frankie Brumier when I was performing at festivals and
parties and he wanted to record a girl group so we began scouting venues, mainly around
the Grande-Terre district in the island's capital, Pointe-à-Pitre. I ran auditions and picked out
the best three voices - Fabienne, Leïla and Yolande. One was singing in a choir and none of
them had met each other previously.'
Recording at a studio in Le Gosier, Denon trained them to sing the songs and spent around
6 weeks recording the album: 'I gave them a couple of compositions that I had planned for
my own solo album. I remember that we all got on really well; the sessions were fun.'
The title track 'Las Palé' was the lead track pushed as a single and achieved modest
success domestically. The band did a few promotional performances in the island's
discotheques but, in the end, the album stalled. 'Studios were expensive and there was
no cheap technology as we have now. So, the producer ended up cutting corners with the
production - the mix was not completely fnished and the voices were not synchronised
right to some of the tracks.'
For Denon, he continued his career to the present day, successfully moving to Paris and
breaking through with the hit 'Je t'emmene' in 1998. Meanwhile, although 'Las Palé' turned
out to be Feeling Kréyol's only recording, the interest in the album has grown in recent years
with the title track's lo-f charm fnding its way into sets by Invisible City and onto Red Light
Radio and more. This frst full reissue is remastered by The Carvery and features full original
artwork along with a new interview with Darius Denon.
KEY POINTS:
- First ever reissue of sought after original zouk LP from 1988
- Sleeve notes by modern day zouk star and album producer Darius Denon
- Remastered by The Carvery
- Tracks already cult classics through plays by Invisible City, Motor City Drum
Ensemble and more
FOR FANS OF:
Sofrito, Digital Zandoli, Kassav, William Onyeabor, Soundway, Invisible City, Motor
City Drum Ensemble, Disques Debs, zouk, Haitian compas, Gilles Peterson, Darius
Denon, Les Vikings
Cerca:point no point
UK Techno heavyweight Mark Broom and Berlin's Discrete Circuit have teamed up before - but this is their first fully-fledged collaboration aimed squarely at conveying just how well this combination works. A heavy hitting merger from both sides of the channel, boldly stating that form follows function. This collaboration is to the point.
MBDC The A side opens with a superbly engineered kick and counterpoint texture that allows for an otherworldly synth to slowly worm it's way out of the abyss. Frequencies open and shut to allow for the exact exchange of energy welcome in the mix. With no trickery, and at just the right moment, a pulsating binary hook reveals itself in the track and guarantees the desired effect. The A2 tilts the hat toward a stripped back motor city influence. Groovy, tooly, slightly dissonant. Blips, claps, punctuation where it works. Just the right shade of reverb and modulation, push and pull in the arrangement, reveal the versatility of the track and round out the opening side with punch. The flip side, and third track from the collab is also direct, firing up with the ubiquitous clap on the one. Looping acid and a purist minor stab alongside sizzling hats and rides force the energy ever upward. The break is needed as the expertly air drenched acid line opens up the whole space before driving back down into the intensity for the remainder of the cut. The final track of the EP features a remix of the B1 by Astray's other in-house producer, H4L. Back with a frenetic, broken, idm influenced belter of a remix with scattered and distorted 808's - all reigned in cohesively with some stellar beat science and gnarly touches. These 4 numbers are built for impact.
After a five year release hiatus, in 2018 Yura Khlop is putting out music under his SE62 alias again. "Jazzed EP" is the second release in the SAFT X series and the Kiev based producer has delivered a class record.
The A-side opening track; "Swing Tool" is built around more jazzed out samples than the other tracks. SE62 cleverly plays original notes together with a hazy sample that serves as the core element. "Jazzed EP" will be available through all specialized retailers in the autumn of 2018. On A2 we find "July". Again a very dance floor oriented record with taints of emotion. The very present chord and bassline dominate the tracks structure until at one point; a beautiful sample is introduced. Positive sounds for lovers of classic deep house.
The title track "Jazzed" is a signature piece of thumping deep house, using swinging MPC style drums and an evolving digital piano riff. This together with some submerged sounding sample shots, create a dance floor worthy ambiance. After "Jazzed", we find "Pitch Black", a sample-heavy jam that is based around a set of characteristic drums. A swinging chord and an infectious chord progression do the trick on this true dance floor record.
A trio of guitar, bass and drums, Elektro Guzzi overcome the boundary between analogue versus digital, performing techno live with the drive of a machine and the sonic detail of an instrument - without any computers or loopers. For their upcoming album Polybrass, Elektro Guzzi have drastically expanded their sonic repertoire: both in the studio and on stage, they are joined by an ensemble of three trombonists, opening up a whole new realm of possibilities. With Hilary Jeffrey, Daniel Riegler and Martin Ptak, the band are joined by three brass heavyweights, each of them well renowned for both their solo ventures as well as projects such as The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Sand and Zeitkratzer. By treating the three trombones not simply as a set of extra instruments but rather as one coherent body of sound on its own, Elektro Guzzi dissociate the brass instruments from their conventional use and repurpose them into something completely different: a modular synthesizer, with each trombone representing one oscillator. In doing so, Elektro Guzzi add new layers of depth to their music, emphasizing a more cinematic side of their music: like the soundtrack for a movie, Polybrass is bigger, darker, more dramatic, more intimate. Warm and fuzzy textures float weightlessly above fragile soundscapes and complex sonic fragments. At the same time, the band's signature sound runs distinctly through the entire album: solid percussive grooves, stripped down to the absolute minimum it takes to make your body move. Hypnotic repetition, building tension and suspense up to a point where the energy of the music gets so intense you feel like you can physically touch it with your hands, interlaced with organic patterns of sound, constantly changing and evolving, pulsating and oscillating. Vinyl: heavy sleeves + heavy printed inner sleeves, 180g vinyl with download code.
Planet Battagon are innovators in Droid Jazz. Electronics, jazz and outer-national sounds ain't no new thing. But following in the extra terrestrial sounds and cosmic mythology of Sun Ra, Planet Battagon are not reaching for the cosmos but simply made of it. Droid consciousness is the starting point but what's consciousness got to do with it. The droid's need culture, music and art and of the highest and most experimental of that lies Droid Jazz.
Originating on Lord Battagon's home planet the group are documenting the folklore and jazz stylings of the Trans-neptunia neighbourhood out on the edgelands of the solar system. This debut release follows on from a Lord Battagon outing on the Atlantic Jaxx label. 'Who's out on Quaoar' is taken from the Ltd Ed 12' 'Battagon Symphony', part one of 'The Rough Guide to Trans-Neptunia'. The release also features 'Salacians of Neptunia', a homage to the early droid cultural pioneers and the chant like 'Moon of Dysnomia' that is played ceremonially to temper the erratic saline tides of the aforementioned moon especially during its retrograde period. Droids and saline do not mix well and OntheCorner are releasing these 'Rough Guides to Trans-Neptunia' after intercepting distressed transmissions prior to a
devastating saline tide.
The Noise Droids of Planet Battagon are:
Jack Baker - Acoustic Drums
Martin Slattery - Bass Clarinet,Alto Sax & FX
Oli Savill - Percussion
Mickey Ball - Trumpet
Nathan Curran (Tugg) - Synth Bass, Syn Drums, FX & Conductor
I Conceived 'darkly' In 2015 As A Piano Album. I Was Fascinated By This Instrument And Couldn't Think About Electronic Music At All. I Spent A Lot Of Time In Front Of The Instrument Before My Fingers Could Play What Was Needed. And At Some Point, I Got A Few Solo Piano Tracks, But They Sounded Very Raw And Unfinished. Almost At The Same Time, I Was Getting Back Into Experiments With Electronic Music And Focussed More On Recording Piano In An Electronic Context. Paying More Attention To Different Textures And Multilayeredness. I Was Working On Soundtracks For Films By Noir Films And This Helped Me Finish Two Compositions, Which Later Determined One Of The Directions Of The Album And Served As A Bridge Between The Solo Piano Compositions I Recorded At The Beginning, And The New Electronic Tracks. At The Beginning Of 2018, I Got Back To The First Solo Piano Tracks To Give Them A Finished Form, Adding The Missing Elements That I Could Not Hear Three Years Earlier. I Wanted To Make A Piano Album, But I Got The Album Which Was Formed By Itself And Became A Result Of My Experiences, Worries, And Events Of My Life That Occurred During These Few Years. I Dedicate This Work To A Human, Which Shares This Life With Me, Supports Me And Believes In Me Like Nobody Else! I Dedicate It To My Wife.
"darkly" Comes Out On Limited, Double, Grey Vinyl (including Download Code)
The latest release on Arma comes from Dutch legend and devoutly deviant underground operator Ruud Lekx, aka Rude 66. With a legacy that reaches back to the early 90s and the rough and ready Dutch electro sound of Bunker Records and The Hague, he's maintained a distinctly non-conformist approach that touches on acid, Italo, techno and more besides, all finished with the punky attitude that sets him and peers like Unit Moebius and I-F apart.
The tracks gathered together on The Witch Trials EP come from throughout Lekx's career. As the artist himself says, 'tracks from wildly different eras and sessions suddenly can combine to form one coherent EP. It's almost like the A-side tracks were waiting for 20 years to be combined with the B-side tracks.'
The overriding theme that binds together these timeless machine excursions is that of medieval witch trials - a global phenomenon that peaked in the 15-1600's. Considering the suspicion, propaganda and mass moral panic involved in this strange curio of distant history, Lekx points to the parallels with the current age, 'of political polarization and fake news accusations flying all over.' The EP title is also a tribute to two records close to his heart: The Fall's Live At The Witch Trials, and the one-off Witch Trials project by members of the Dead Kennedys, Adrian Borland and Christian Lunch.
'Werewolves & Poisoners' and 'The Crusade Against Idolatry' are both archive tracks from the 1994-5 period when Lekx made his first albums for Bunker Records. The first track's charging arps, rugged kicks, nagging acid lines and discordant paranoia all speak to that trailblazing period, while 'The Crusade...' revels in canny programming of interwoven synth lines feeding into an unhinged, psychedelic rampage that reflects the righteous fervour and spiritual confusion of the EP concept.
'The Absence Of Diabolism' opens up the B-side with a different tone, having been produced in 2016 and demonstrating the deeper acid undulations Lekx has become known for in more recent years. Still delivered via the same trusted tools he was using in the 90s, the sound feels like an extension of the Rude 66 vision rather than a separate entity. 'Envious Are All The People, Witches Watch At Every Gate,' a cut from the late 90s, closes the EP out in a spacious, snarling exploration of broken acid electro laden with cinematic sweeps of synthesizer and a constant sense of unresolved tension.
Across these four tracks, Lekx displays the scope of his craft as Rude 66 while also proving that timeless music can make sense in any context, and that the threads of inspiration in an artist's journey can be followed, explored and even resolved 20 years later, when you least expect it
Following a first vinyl appearance on You And Your Hippie Friends' 'A Very Nice Combinado Volume Dos' (YAYHF 03) earlier this year, Mexican producer PAULOR aka Paulo Rodriguez gets ready for his first solo outing with Hippie Dance's sister label.
Curated by Rebolledo, the imprint has established an impressive talent pool within only three releases, including both veteran and upcoming talent such as Sebastien Bouchet, El Güero, Zombies In Miami, Beyou, Roman Flügel and more. It's a testament to the label's chiselled vision that an idiosyncratic and diverse group such as this is able to sustain individual approaches to electronic music while weaving a coherent sonic tapestry from all its ingredients, the whole quite organically being more than the sum of its parts.
Now, it's up to PAULOR to flesh out his own sound cosmos on You And Your Hippie Dance's latest 12' drop, presenting a concoction of salt-caked beats, riffing guitars and flexing bass that evokes a sense for space and untouched, psychedelic landscapes not unlike Rebolledo's very own desert funk vignettes. After 'La Race' (his contribution to 'A Very Nice Combinado Volume Dos') and the 'Discótico Desértico' remix for Rebolledo's 'Mondo Re-Alterado' (HIPPIE DANCE 10 LP) started making the rounds in tastemaker DJ sets, PAULOR caught a major moment of inspiration while performing at Monterrey's TOPAZDeluxe - which lead to the husky, hypnotic cut PAULOR'S BLUES, pièce de résistance and headstone in one, as it set the scene and also birthed enough follow-up tracks to naturally grow into a cohesive, full-blown EP.
From echo-drenched, beatless opener NEBLINA to the percussion-infused intrigue of DELIRIO EN CARRETERA, the athletic pop minimalism of AMIGOS or the slow burn of brooding mystery shuffle LUCES CALLING, PAULOR creates a unique, atmospheric sound panorama that excites minds and bodies alike. Adorned with a starry night sky, the record's cover artwork couldn't be more fitting - it's a dominant musical vista in PAULOR's work, whose vantage point is not necessarily a specific place (although all tracks were recorded in Xalapa), but a feeling of exquisite duality: the feeling of being lost between the stars, lonely and connected at the same time, a speck of dust and the center of the universe.
Basement Freaks serves up a classic funk instrumentation version of his own jam 'White Hot' which features the sizzling vocals of Ms. Kylie Auldist (The Bamboos, Cookin' On 3 Burners) over a jumping groove. He's taken it back to the old school and managed to achieve the seemingly impossible of improving on his already impeccable music.
Over on the flip he's taken the Smoove & Turrell frontman's sweet and soulful vocals of the track 'Won't Get Fooled Again' and revised it into a barnstorming electro funk joint. It's not the first time these two have come together musically and whenever they do its always-on-point.
Return of the UK producer Allen Saei aka Aubrey on the mighty Barba label is another bold statement in the discography of this well-versed artist. Building on the relationship with the Burek/Barba/Pomalo family established through remixes of Information Ghetto's "Inspiration" track (Burek 2013), DJ Stingray's "Communication System" (Barba 2015) and his solo "Clock Funk EP" (Barba 2017), for this record Aubrey presents us with a continuation of his previous Barba release, simplistically titled "Clock Funk 2" EP. As is to be expected from a guy who's been spending time in the studio for better part of the last three decades, this 12" is pure techno, in the best sense of the word. As mature and consistent as the previous record of the series, we have Aubrey building on that ground and expanding the range into more abrasive and rough on one side, and even more subtle and humane on the other. A1, titled "Clock Funk 2" is among the subtle ones. Beautiful cascading keys, glitchy synth bleeps and lead lines intertwine into a gorgeous composition grounded by a driving bassline and counterpinted with distorted ride cymbals. Uniquely sounding track which draws influences from many corners of the planet. A2, titled "Sel Moulo" sets a point for the other side of the spectrum. The heaviest and roughest, it locks the frame in which this EP works. Direct, abstract and firmly aimed towards the dancefloor, this cut is for the peak moment of the night when its combination of jacking beats and trippy leads will just push the craziness off the edge. B1, the most humane and gentle track on the EP, "Triads" is a perfect match for the A1 cut, although slower and calmer. Again, the similar approach is used, where the perfectly tuned combination of small synth and keys elements form a complex image which will stay ingrained into anyone's mind once you play it in the right moment. Again, it's hard not to reach for the word "beautiful" when describing this one. B2, Ghost Mist, is on the other hand a match for the heavy A2, but also not as intense. A repetitive affair, with abstract synth lines and disharmonic pads serving as an emotion injection just when they're needed. Common thread moving through all four cuts is an infectious groove intertwined with synth lines that would not be misplaced amongst the best examples of space-influenced techno music firmly grounded on the floor. All that, pressed onto a heavy duty 180 gram vinyl and beautifully packaged in an original artwork by local artist EmaEmaEma.
After a long time in making music, Alexander returned to the stage in the role of iO (Mulen) and co-owner of Mulen Records. Despite on absolutely non-commercial music format, project is attracted attention almost from the first days of existence, as or..
After a long time in making music, Alexander returned to the stage in the role of iO (Mulen) and co-owner of Mulen Records. Despite on absolutely non-commercial music format, project is attracted attention almost from the first days of existence, as originality and professionalism. Leaving aside the trend peak-time sound, iO is explores a deep flows of house music. Jazz reefs and an abundance of syncopation, samples and unhurried rhythms, gives a tribute to the traditions of the classical sound, but at the same time don't without futurism. Due to the inventive production, iO have especially recognizable groove, and therefore deservedly valued of underground music lovers.
Finally after years of quality techno and music,Pushmaster Discs is proud to present the 20th release of the label with the label boss Mattia Trani and his solo EP.
This Time Mattia chosed a banging tune 'Time Struggle' with the first new school version, classic heavy techno beat with saturated 303 sub melodies and a futuristic pad to complete this version. The Old school version is more percussive acidic, no pad melodies, no compromises, just straight to the point for killing every dance floor.
In the B side there's a perfect rework from a dutch techno master Steve Rachmad as Sterac, more 909 clean beat rhythmic and minimal detroit infected. The last track 'Floating Life' is a typical Drum'n'Bass spirit influence of Mattia, 170 percussive beat with space pads typical of 90 jungle works in the UK.
As a hidden track on digital only 'Cyber Resurrection' is another killer track with an amazing mysterious sample from rave typical 90 stuff.
Happy 20th release Pushmaster Discs!
Marti Caine's infamous Point Of View is a groovy blend of slow-mo funk, dark disco and precise pop. Originally released on BBC Records in 1981, it has attracted a considerable cult following this century. The odd charity shop score aside, it has been impossible to find a copy for less than eye-watering sums (often selling for over £200) and, as such, it's an honour to present the first officially licensed vinyl reissue of this sublime record. Featuring expert liner notes written by Bill Brewster - perhaps the record's most notable champion - this lovingly curated release is limited to just 500 copies.
Marti Caine was a popular UK TV entertainer in the late 1970s onwards and Point Of View presented her with an opportunity to proceed in a hip direction by working with British R&B heavyweight Barry Blue. His legendary reputation was secured with a string of great records, among them the first three Heatwave albums, the Balearic hit "Afro Dizzi Act" by Cry Cisco and the cult smash "Breakin' In" by Javaroo. However, despite the array of talent working on the album, Point Of View sank without trace at the time. It's something that Blue attributes to the bizarre way BBC Records worked, and he entertainingly expands upon this within the liner notes.
Musically, the highlights are many and memorable. Its most notorious track is the sublime soul stepper "Love The Way You Love Me", the reason most people covet this album so profoundly. However, from the dark dubby disco of "Snowbird City" to the moody ballad "Love Is Running Through Me", the lesser heralded tracks are nothing short of exquisite. Indeed, the chugging elegance of sleazy disco opener "Can I Speak To The World Please" showcases a string-drenched strutting-funk that would've been enviable the world over. It's that good.
The outlandish artwork - presenting a striking, green-eyed Marti treating a tiger to a headlock - has been faithfully restored and is arguably worth the price of admission alone. With access to the original tape transfers, Simon Francis' sensitive mastering elevates the sound throughout and, as ever, it has been pressed at a reassuringly weighty 180g. Sadly, Marti died of lymphatic cancer at the tragically early age of 50 in 1995, so is not here to experience what we hope will be a long overdue reappraisal of the hitherto underheard genius of Marti Caine, the singer
Kalita Records and CC:EDITIONS (a new venture by
Australia's CC:DISCO) jointly announce a 12' EP
comprised of four of Nana Tuffour's greatest electronic
burger highlife tracks, accompanied by interview-based liner
notes. Here, in partnership with Nana, we select two highly
sought-after songs from his 1993 release 'Genesis', namely
'Sikyi Medley' and 'M'Anu Me Ho', and pair them his with two
lesser known yet equally deserving tracks 'Asamando' and
'Jesus' from his 1997 CD-only release 'Highlife Tropicana'.
Hailing from Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region in Ghana,
Nana Tuffour is by far one of the most important exponents of
modern highlife music. He studied piano at college and cut his
teeth in the '70s as an organist and vocalist for the incomparable
Kyeremanteng Atwede and Dr. K Gyasi's Noble Kings Band.
Fast forward to 1981 and Ghana was at the apex of its golden age
of music. This era was brought to an abrupt end by political
upheaval when the military took over the government and as a
result a restrictive dusk to dawn curfew was imposed between
1982 and 1984. This resulted in a total obliteration of the country's
night life, and Nana just like many other prominent musicians
including Pat Thomas and George Darko left Ghana for greener
pastures, the most popular destinations being Nigeria and
Germany. The Rheinklang Studio in Düsseldorf run by a young
inimitable German sound engineer Bodo Staiger and another
'exiled' Ghanaian musician Charles Amoah played a crucial role
for those musicians who had chosen Germany. This studio
became the focal point for Ghanaian musicians and the birthplace
of a new sound, now known as 'Burger highlife' - traditional
Ghanaian highlife infused with the more up to date electronic and
disco sounds of the West. It is arguable that Nana has played a
crucial role in Burger highlife and developing the sound of
traditional Ghanaian highlife more widely to what it is today, with
his innovative use of electronic accompaniment pushing its
boundaries to its creative extremes.
It is Burger highlife's transcendence of traditional musical
boundaries that helps make it so accessible to listeners,
appealing not only to Ghanaians back home but now highly
regarded and sought-after by those in the West interested in
more occidental disco and electronic sounds. We hope that you
enjoy the four songs offered here, each chosen to demonstrate
Nana's singular influence on the development of Burger highlife.
- A1: Natural Selection
- A2: Mother And Daughters Now Mothers
- A3: Forbidden Fruit
- B1: Epsilon Transmission
- B2: Epsilon
- B3: Love Lies Bleeding
- C1: Time Capsule
- C2: Mind And Matter
- C3: Retrospective
- C4: Solo
- C5: Extra Vehicular Activity (Eva)
- C6: Life Support
- D1: Telescopic One
- D2: Telescopic Two
- D3: Telescopic Three
- D4: Sane
- D5: Angel Falls
- D6: Mothers Too
- D7: Deaf Out
The Stunning And Ground-breaking Album From The Composer And Saxophonist Chris Bowden.
'this Is The Album That Connected It All.' Gilles Peterson 2018
Chris Bowden's Debut Album Time Capsule Was First Released On Soul Jazz Records In 1992 To Universal And Widespread Critical Acclaim. Now 20 Years On A New Wave Of Current Jazz Artists Led By The Likes Of Kamasi Washington In The Usa And A Host Of British Artists - Shabaka Hutchings /sons Of Kemet, The Ezra Collective, Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Fourtet, Yussef Kamaal, Tenderlonious, Binker & Moses - Have Brought This Original Ground-breaking Album Into The Limelight Once More As A Pivotal Starting Point, Sharing Many Of The Aesthetics Of These Current Artists At Work Today.
Musically All Are Inspired By The Spiritual Jazz Of John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, Don Cherry Et Al Paired With A Modern Electronic Music Sensibility. Chris Bowden's Time Capsule Has Stood The Test Of Time Like Few Other Albums (as The Title Of The Album Suggested), And Remains A Pivotal, Wholly-successful And Original Experimental Musical Collage, A Radical Inspiration And Forebearer To Many Of The Best Progressive Jazz And Electronic Artists Working Today.
The Album Has Been Fully Hi-spec Re-mastered And Is Available As A Limited-edition Heavyweight Double-vinyl Release With Gatefold Sleeve (+ Free Download Code), Slipcase Cd And Digital Album.
Hosono's solo career would take many twists and turns from this point forward, with forays into exotica, electronic, ambient, and techno, culminating in the massive success of techno pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), who made their debut in 1978. Admired by artists ranging from Van Dyke Parks to Mac DeMarco, Hosono continues to forge ahead as he heads into his fifth decade as a musician. With the re-release of his key albums for the first time outside of Japan, his genius will be discovered by a whole new generation of fans around the world.
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The unbelievably prolific Haruomi Hosono is one of the major architects of modern Japanese pop music. With his encyclopedic knowledge of music and boundless curiosity for new sounds, Hosono is the auteur of his own idiosyncratic musical world, putting his unmistakable stamp on hundreds of recordings as an artist, session player, songwriter and producer.
Born and raised in central Tokyo, his adolescent obsession with American pop culture informed his early forays into country music, which he would revisit later in his career. Hosono made his professional debut in 1969 as a member of Apryl Fool, whose heavy psychedelia was somewhat at odds with his influences, which leaned towards the rootsy sounds of Moby Grape and Buffalo Springfield. The latter was one of the main inspirations for his next group, Happy End, whose unique blend of West Coast sounds with Japanese lyrics proved to be highly influential over the course of three albums. After the band’s amicable break up in 1973, Hosono began his solo career with Hosono House, an intimate slice of Japanese Americana recorded inside a rented house with recording gear squeezed into its tiny bedroom.
Produced by Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak. LP is on coloured coke bottle green vinyl + inclues download code and 12x12' lyric sheet/ liner note insert.
Madeline will be on tour throughout the UK and Europe this Autumn.
'Building from understated beauty to dense guitar theatrics. It reminds me of Chicago circa '93 as remembered in a dream — a little bit of Liz Phair 'Exile In Guyville' - rendered in soft-focus with the graceful confidence of a young master. ' STEREOGUM
In January of 2018, five months after the release of her debut album Night Night at the First Landing, Madeline Kenney traveled from Oakland, California to the woods outside of Durham, North Carolina to record her sophomore album with a new collaborator, Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner.
The choice was a conscious decision to explore new methodology in writing, recording, production and even genre. Perfect Shapes sees Kenney leaping headfirst into fresh and adventurous territory, largely eschewing conventional rock structures in favor of theme and melody. Its ten songs are full of surprises big and small - from vibrant synth lines to taut bass figures and subtly modulated vocals - that instead of feeling fussed over, reveal Kenney's penchant for elegant and abstract composition.
Kenney's 2017 debut, Night Night at the First Landing, was a guitar-centric rock album, produced by friend and collaborator Chaz Bear of Toro Y Moi, Perfect Shapes leans on the foundational pieces of Night Night - fuzzed-out guitar tones, coy wordplay and Kenney's notably strong voice - but with an unconventional approach that allows them to bloom, reincarnated. Perfect Shapes marks Wasner's first foray into producing another artist's work and is permeated by the pair's collaborative spirit. Both Wasner and Kenney play multiple instruments on the record, and engineered the session alongside Kenney's touring percussionist, Camille Lewis.
An eagerness to explore and experiment is apparent from start to finish, as Kenney and Wasner weave endless sonic curve balls into the arrangements. From the delightfully warped percussion on opening track 'Overhead' to the burbling synths on the R&B-tinted 'The Flavor of the Fruit Tree' and the left-field trumpet solo in 'Your Art,' these rich and inventive ideas echo Yo La Tengo's everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mentality, as well as the surging soundscapes of Tame Impala and Wye Oak at their most impressionistic. Lead single "Cut Me Off" is a surprise of its own - the most pop-forward song Kenney has written yet. 'Bad Idea,' finds her balancing fragility as foil; later, 'I Went Home' manages to evoke both frustration and affection in a single breath.
The complex and open-ended questions that lay at the core of Perfect Shapes mark Kenney's arrival into a hard-hitting reflective space: How do you love another when it hurts to do so What is the physical limit to which one can carry the emotions of others How does a modern female artist reckon with the expectations demanded of her femininity Yet for all the notes of doubt and fear that Kenney raises, she delivers each song with confidence and poise, grounded by the pointedly laid and surging soundscape.
Kenney has always had a penchant for curiosity and experimentation. Raised in the Pacific Northwest, she began studying classical piano and dance in kindergarten, and grew to believe her future lay in modern dance choreography. Not one to be tied to a singular pursuit, however, Kenney took a hard left in college, studying Interpersonal Neurobiology and supporting herself with a career in baking. Music remained a constant however, and after moving to the Bay Area in 2013, Kenney quickly found footing in the supportive arts community in Oakland. There, she met and began collaborating with Chaz Bear (Toro Y Moi), which led to the production of her Signals EP and later her debut album, Night Night at the First Landing. Both releases were received with great critical acclaim, and saw Kenney exploring the sounds within her self-proclaimed twang-haze genre, defined by cathartic fuzz breakdowns and lyrical sensitivity.
Neneh Cherry returns with Four Tet-produced LP Broken Politics
Following the release of her first earth-quaking single in 4 years at the beginning of August, counter-culture pop icon Neneh Cherry announces her fifth solo album Broken Politics, produced in its entirety by Four Tet.
Continuing her blurring and conflation of the personal and the political, the second single Shot Gun Shack tackles the link between violence and deprivation using poetic logic. The track deals with the ever-present and always-global issue of gun violence in society. The track's name was the result of inspiration that sprung from a half-remembered conversation Cherry had at the funeral of late jazz great Ornette Coleman.
Broken Politics pointedly asks the question; how do we conduct ourselves in extraordinary times In an era where the signal-to-noise ratio is more uneven than ever, what are the measures we must take to retain and remember our own personhood It searches for answers, patiently and with great care, and with a fearlessness to acknowledge that sometimes the answers don't even exist. It's a record that's equal parts angry, thoughtful, melancholy, and emboldening, as Cherry and her collaborators continue to expand her ever-widening sonic palette to craft truly singular and potent music.
ADULT. '20 years ODD.'
Over the course of the last two decades, Detroit-based duo ADULT. (Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller) have released six albums and nineteen EPs and singles across some of our favorite labels: Mute, Ghostly International, Thrill Jockey, Clone Records, Third Man Records, and their own label, the revered Ersatz Audio. November 1998 marked their first release: the five-song 12" 'Dispassionate Furniture'. This September, twenty years later, Dais Records is proud to announce ADULT.'s seventh full length album: THIS BEHAVIOR.
The album began as 23 demos written and recorded in a remote cabin in the woods of Northern Michigan during the dead of winter. In total isolation, and with a reduced amount of gear (a modified version of their live setup) on the cabin's kitchen table, the duo were completely immersed in an incessant inescapable studio of their own making - looping, repetitive analogue sequences grinding away day and night. At the end of the intense demo session, a handful of peers were enlisted by the band for the difficult task of paring down the demos into the final album.
The result is 10 tracks of uncompromising dark electronics, showcasing ADULT.'s return to aggressive and energetic dancefloor mastery. Album opener 'This Behavior' alongside the follow-up 'Violent Shakes' (which ascends into synths wailing like warning sirens over Kuperus's commanding vocals) set the stage for an on-edge listen, while the heartbreaking 'Silent Exchange' unfolds as a beautiful sad synth dirge. 'Perversions of Humankind' breaks the mood - driving the listener into a slow and low groove before the frantic album midpoint of 'Irregular Pleasure'. 'Does The Body Know' is the album's post-punk anthem, with irresistible singalong 'we're out of order - we're undefined!' The latter half of the album drives forward with 'On The Edge (You Put Me...)' and 'Lick Out The Content', refusing rest and demanding movement and response. 'Everything & Nothing' emerges slowly from sparkling synth textures, snowballing with nervous energy into an acid techno stomper before the album comes to a close on the icy landscape of 'In All The Debris', a goose-bump inducing slow electronic mantra that closes the curtain on a massive album.
Artist statement on the album's writing process:
'It's confounding how often we negate the importance of disconnecting, getting weird, getting lost. Discomfort and joy intertwined. Day to day, theatrical self-presentation set to rest in our frantic social world. Public becomes private, almost too private. Looking out into frozen woods as you deliver your vocals. For who For what Taking walks along icy shorelines as you try to overcome writer's block, as you try to overcome yourself. Not seeing anyone for days and weeks on end. Overwhelming thoughts and feelings come rushing in; anxiety, fear, purpose, banality, futility of task, power structures, power struggles, pointlessness, collapse.You're faced to face yourself. Your awareness is heightened. You are neither here nor there. You are in a liminal state As you work in this isolated cabin your windows become mirrors.'
"Are we distortions. Are we distortions, perversions of humankind.Are we distortions. Are we distortions, twisted somewhere in time."
ADULT. '20 years ODD.'
Over the course of the last two decades, Detroit-based duo ADULT. (Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller) have released six albums and nineteen EPs and singles across some of our favorite labels: Mute, Ghostly International, Thrill Jockey, Clone Records, Third Man Records, and their own label, the revered Ersatz Audio. November 1998 marked their first release: the five-song 12" 'Dispassionate Furniture'. This September, twenty years later, Dais Records is proud to announce ADULT.'s seventh full length album: THIS BEHAVIOR.
The album began as 23 demos written and recorded in a remote cabin in the woods of Northern Michigan during the dead of winter. In total isolation, and with a reduced amount of gear (a modified version of their live setup) on the cabin's kitchen table, the duo were completely immersed in an incessant inescapable studio of their own making - looping, repetitive analogue sequences grinding away day and night. At the end of the intense demo session, a handful of peers were enlisted by the band for the difficult task of paring down the demos into the final album.
The result is 10 tracks of uncompromising dark electronics, showcasing ADULT.'s return to aggressive and energetic dancefloor mastery. Album opener 'This Behavior' alongside the follow-up 'Violent Shakes' (which ascends into synths wailing like warning sirens over Kuperus's commanding vocals) set the stage for an on-edge listen, while the heartbreaking 'Silent Exchange' unfolds as a beautiful sad synth dirge. 'Perversions of Humankind' breaks the mood - driving the listener into a slow and low groove before the frantic album midpoint of 'Irregular Pleasure'. 'Does The Body Know' is the album's post-punk anthem, with irresistible singalong 'we're out of order - we're undefined!' The latter half of the album drives forward with 'On The Edge (You Put Me...)' and 'Lick Out The Content', refusing rest and demanding movement and response. 'Everything & Nothing' emerges slowly from sparkling synth textures, snowballing with nervous energy into an acid techno stomper before the album comes to a close on the icy landscape of 'In All The Debris', a goose-bump inducing slow electronic mantra that closes the curtain on a massive album.
Artist statement on the album's writing process:
'It's confounding how often we negate the importance of disconnecting, getting weird, getting lost. Discomfort and joy intertwined. Day to day, theatrical self-presentation set to rest in our frantic social world. Public becomes private, almost too private. Looking out into frozen woods as you deliver your vocals. For who For what Taking walks along icy shorelines as you try to overcome writer's block, as you try to overcome yourself. Not seeing anyone for days and weeks on end. Overwhelming thoughts and feelings come rushing in; anxiety, fear, purpose, banality, futility of task, power structures, power struggles, pointlessness, collapse.You're faced to face yourself. Your awareness is heightened. You are neither here nor there. You are in a liminal state As you work in this isolated cabin your windows become mirrors.'
"Are we distortions. Are we distortions, perversions of humankind.Are we distortions. Are we distortions, twisted somewhere in time."




















