Bandcloud 233

I left out a word in this blurb last week, so it didn't make sense. Such is life. Trying to communicate and failing due to holes we leave ourselves. 

Gaël Segalen - Sofia Says
I'm a big fan of Gaël Segalen's work, both as a solo artist and as part of Les Graciés with Afrikan Sciences. This new one is a wild and heady trip through turgid slabs of noise. I think those are my favourite words to type. From the stark urgency of "Mountain East" comes the flailing voices of "Mountain West". "I'll See You Again" sounds like an orchestra tuning up while turning into mechanical bodies of sludge (it makes sense in my head). Meanwhile the bug on the release's artwork crawls about as the last remaining organic living thing. 

ASC - The Waves
A new Silent Season album is always an event. New ASC music is an event. This is the deepest, most languid event there is. Gone are the piercing, metallic techno sounds, this is full liquid ambient (the way he can shift between these two modes is inspiring). Frosty and glacial, melt into this one from the comfort of a train seat or a lush armchair, away from the elements. On that note. The weather has been wild lately, everywhere it seems. Find a homeless charity in your area in donate, if you can. 

DBALP004X (BONUS 7") MONZALES GANUEL - UNTITLED 
MGUN is making his DEMF debut this year (seems strange to me that it took this long but hey!) and so Don't Be Afraid shared two tracks from a bonus 7" that came with his Axiomalbum from last year. Two beatless affairs, one bright and expansive, the other muffled and smudged, they show a side to the producer you may not have expected.

Vera Dvale - DJ set @ Kafe Hærverk - Oslo, January 2019
More ambient stuff! This is a weirdly beautiful excerpt from a DJ set recorded last month in Oslo. Bits of lovely ambient, noisy fuzz, found sound. The works. 

Mrs. Dink - ODE187
Decidedly not ambient, this is a sweet collection of jams from US producer Mrs. Dink. Blippy synths and acid squiggles alongside pounding kicks. What sound like kitchen implements banging over an incessant beat. Squizz and fuzz. Labels like CO-DEPENDENT release music that requires new words. All proceeds go to Save The Children.  

VA - NIO3 (Noise In Opposition)
I always say that huge compilations give me anxiety. This one has 53 tracks and clocks in at four hours and 15 minutes. So far so :S — but it's for a good cause. It's the latest in a series that shines a light on experimental artists who are standing up to the far right. It was literally just released so I can't say I've listened to much of it but I've seen the tracklist and recognise some super talented people. There's a 77-page zine that comes with the download featuring writing, photography and a comic book from the artists involved. This is my Friday soundtrack. 

Soft Power - Entry Island
It's been a while since I've shared anything from Soft Power, aka Lindsay Dobbin. This piece features waves and bird song together with a church pump organ. It's a beautiful meeting of sounds. Simple, calming yet engaging. 

D. Strange - Murmur EP
Shouts to Aloiso aka He Valencia for this tip. I don't know much about the artist, save for the fact that he makes "brick music", not techno. This is a hard-hitting affair. Trippy and hypnotic, banging but nebulous. Part electro, part pitch-black techno, it's serious stuff.

Jimmy Billingham - Worlding
The artist formerly known as HOLOVR releases his first album under his given name. Continuing in the vein he explored on releases for Happy Skull and Likemind, Worldingsees him expand into less structured work, improvising and reaching a place of great emotion. Delicate melodies that float above trickling water, dense sounds over crackling electricity, it's a synthetic, digital map across a very real plane.

Aguila - The Club On 27th West
I feel like this one has been out for ages and yet it's only just been released! Four highly emotive tracks that lay on the trance melodies thick atop crunchy breaks. This track is dedicated to Twilo, the fabled venue that played host to the likes of Sasha and Digweed, Plastikman, Danny Tenaglia, Jeff Mills, Steve Lawler and Junior Vasquez. Naturally it's got a big thick bass line, glorious synths, gated vocal samples (I think it's Brandy) and big big riffs. The whole release is in that vein and it's just ... bellissimo.

V/A - AURICULAR DISCIPLINE I (Bound)
This is a comp raising money for Urban Justice Center's "Sex Worker Project," which provides social and legal aid to sex workers in need. It's got artists you know and love like Juana, Russell E.L. Butler, Ghorba and Auspex. The first few tracks are quite out there, floor friendly but in a weird way. Towards the latter half it gets pretty heavy, not entirely my thing but the tracks from Juana and Russell are so good, it gets a plug.

THE AM - Techno Church 
"A journey of the mind body and soul featuring various artists with Detroit's own unforgettable sound." Ash Lauryn shared this one. I don't recognise any of the tracks but it's ace! Particularly into the tracks at 12, 23 and 46 minutes.