Last BC before Christmas! Buy your loved ones some weird sound art or deep house from our selections below...

CIRCE :The Black Cut: project - VOX [Re.25]
I was convinced this was new but it's actually a year old. It features 28 tracks from artists who took part in Anna Stereopoulou's Circe project and from some who responded to a radio callout for contributions. Circe was a central figure in the Odyssey, and the original work was a kind of journey through time and space. This subsequent compilation is themed around bees, and the importance of the natural ecosystem around us. The artists are from all over, and the music ranges from weird spoken word over blips to even weirder drone to choppy non-dance beats. 

Matthew Burton & Kate Rathod - Pipes
Space Afrika opened up their Truancy Volume with a track from these guys, and that led me to this album from 2013. I don't think they've done anything in the past two years (although Burton had a track as Mikisderek with Bangla Design called 'Sump1' this year). It's a massive album, an exploration of gorgeous deep house moods.

THRIVE - Nested Structure [GRC-12]
Tough and gritty techno from Japan here, which nearly didn't get a release at all. The duo of Tetsuya Yoshida and Hitoshi Kojima sent a demo to Philly label Great Circles that almost ended up in the bin, but a random check in a 12" mailer before it was dropped into the recycling basket uncovered an unexpected CDR. Lucky.

Half - Soft Play EP
Half is from Gateshead, which is near Newcastle in the north-east of England. This short collection of tracks makes for a strange contrast to the frivolous figure on the release artwork. Three of the tracks feature blissful, languid tones, while the fourth (track 3, in fact) dabbles in shuffling beats. I think the closer, 'Bent Halo', is my favourite. A shout to the not-quite-perfect angel this Christmas, shunted to the back of the manger.

SoundCloud playlist

Jenifa Mayanja - Orbit 02
I hate sharing snippets! I've said this before! But these are great. Jenifa Mayanja of Bumako Recordings is about to release on Bass Cadet, and these four tracks sound sublime. Bright and colourful house music, RIYL Fred P.

Mother Of Pearl w/ Shuttle358 12/09/16 Newtown Radio NYC
My friend Ralph is living in New York and he's got a show on Newtown Radio. He recently had 12k's Shuttle358 put together a guest mix and it's seasonally apt. There's a lengthy intro from the man on the SoundCloud page, but in short, it's a collection of new age beauties that have inspired him on his musical journey: "harmonic perfections of waves and how cosmic and intense they are." Ralph's own selections, which open the show, are wonderful too. One to sit with in a darkened room.

FariB - We Will Do Without Gum
The tag for this track by sound artist and broadcaster Fari Bradley reads ambient. It's anything but. Deep and dubby bass dances about over skittering beats, with a searing theme gradually drifting in. A journey in just seven minutes.

34423.oo - 6 minute_game
This is a really nice low-key housey track that feels like it's playing in in another realm; at any volume it feels removed from the here and now. It's from Tokyo artist Fumi Miyoshi, who collaborates with visual artists and provides music for film scores.

Irene+Linda Buckley - Corpus Christi
A dreamy and blissful carol, sung and arranged by sisters Irene and Linda Buckley (Irene is part of Wry Myrrh with Ellll, while Linda produced that excellent Changeling album some time back). It's quite lovely. 

Blowing Up The Workshop 70 ◆ Public Information
Three years after his last effort, Alex 'Public Information' Wilson returns to BUTW with another mix of hauntified Christmas music. I've always felt that 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' was quite ominous, despite the positivity of its lyrics, and it's never been as sinister as it is here, sung by Ella, also someone who you associate with comfort and joy. It's a 47-minute jolt to the senses really; beautiful but unnerving.  

There'll be a Bandcloud show on DDR on Christmas Day. 8pm. Expect doom and gloop. 

Twitter (BC) : Twitter (me) : Tumblr : SoundCloud : Mixcloud : Truants