RIP. A weekly roundup of releases on Bandcamp and Soundcloud selected and delivered by Aidan
Last week was the first Bandcamp Friday of the year and as usual there was more music to be enjoyed than is physically humanly possible. I picked up a few older bits as well as some new stuff, some of which will appear below.
Ainu Mosir is a film about a teenager living in Northern Japan, in a region steeped in tradition. The Ainu people are indigenous to that region as well as nearby Russian territories. The film tells of his relationship with his small town in Hokkaido, how he sees his people and his family as well as a controversial ritual sacrifice with which he unknowingly finds himself involved. This release, from composer and cellist Clarice Jensen, features music composed for the film. Before watching I thought it would just be a selection of pieces, but the film uses the music so sparingly I think it might be everything. The pieces are quite beautiful, moving from delicate ambient touches to icy discordance.
Yyed - Two Reflections In Parallel
Woiiii crunchy crunchy noise and sound exploration from Yyed. The “minutiae of everyday sounds” and “a blind exploration of textures that lie out of earshot”. Burrows under your skin wonderfully.
An hour-long sound work that explores sexuality and intimacy. Originally developed from an installation in 2016, this slowly unfurling piece features personal breaths, drones, spoken word, the sound of Indian instruments as well as local field recordings. One for deep listening and appreciation.
Ours & flora green - Running Blind / Caught You
I was listening to ‘Running Blind’ from this release and it’s the kind of track that makes me want to have a nightly radio show, a weekly party, just any way I can share it in as many avenues as possible. It’s such a jam. Summer is too far away right? Unless you’re in South Africa I guess.
Cultivated Sound Sessions - CSS072: Pure Rave [Vinyl Mix]
The blurb under this mix features the following sentence:
This 90 minute mix is composed by using various records on two prepared turntables and one cdj to create asynchronous loops and mixing those down together to make the "tracks" you hear on the mix.
When I first read that I thought it was along similar lines to Andrew Weatherall’s quip to RA that the idea behind his mix for them was “was to sequence some records together without the joins being too apparent”. It’s actually very serious, with the Pure Rave crew using damaged records and drum machines, with real-time experimentation thrown into the mix. Around 21 minutes in there’s a loop of trumpets that goes on and on with a simple two-note bass line and a strange vocal underneath, haunting and unnerving but still fascinating. Not even five minutes later there’s a backwards loop, which is even more unsettling. That’s just a microcosm of this 90-minute mix, two moments that sum up a fascinating approach.
Kavanah means a kind of spiritual intention, I believe most often growing out of prayer, but this kavanah grows out of the artist’s desire to explore and share their light. Improvisations that shift and expand, gurgle and cry.
Broken Chip - There was nothing before and there will be nothing after
Everything feels so distant. Days go by and my memory of each one feels like years of separation in between.
Sad and languid and mopey ambient sounds. Actually released last year but still nice those words sadly relevant.
Kawatin (Hirotaka Kawano) - Clouds Floating On The Water
Trippy, beautiful melodic techno. Three tracks. Gorgeous.
Made out of spectral processing and found sounds, at times this recalls John Carpenter’s music circa Halloween III.
The Colours That Rise - Mixtape 1
Two tracks that operate in a kind of post-electro rnb space, the arcade game of the artwork matching the undetermined time frame of the music perfectly. The fuzz and swirl of ‘Axel G’ is electrifying, building from a slow beginning to an exuberant uptempo pulse. ‘Polo 1.2’ belongs in the opening credits of some NYC big business drama from the late ’80s. Can’t wait to hear what ‘Special Request’ sounds like.
Salenta + Topu - Moon Set, Moon Rise
The price of this one is a surprise. Almost $30 for an hour of music. Realistically, it’s what it’s worth though? Owning a work of art for yourself, forever? We really don’t appreciate how lucky we are when it comes to enjoying music. Anyway. The duo of Salenta + Topu, Brooklyn-based pianist and cellist, respectively, make beautiful music that’s jazzy, classical, playful, frivolous and sincere. There are moments of wobbly tape sounds and moments of pristine clarity. “Two old souls creating music not of this plane.” Indeed.
You may or may not have heard of Tapeworm, the tape-only side label that burrowed its way out of the Touch label. I’ve bought a number of their releases over the years, from Marta De Pascalis and most recently, Jim Haynes and his Shortwave Radio Recordings On MiniDisc (2001-2012). That release and three others are now available digitally for the first time. I’ll be watching with interest to see who pops up next.
In other news, I had a guest mix-slash-takeover on the Rye Wax show on Balamii radio yesterday. I spent a lot of time working on it, cycling through different ideas, eventually I arrived at what you have here. Two hours in which I revisit house sounds from the 80s up to today, with a closing ambient segment. Because obviously.