RIP. A weekly roundup of releases on Bandcamp and Soundcloud selected and delivered by Aidan
Bandcloud 239
This is the 10th BC this year. Sunday is St Patrick's Day in Ireland. No snakes here. Shamrock shakes for all.
APIENTO - Things You Do For Love
Everything on World Building is good. This one comes from Apiento, who currently stands as founder of excellent archive/general dance music goldmine Test Pressing. He's got a long pedigree in the game, he was even A&R at Junior Boy's Own way back. This track is a deliciously crisp of Balearic-leaning slow-mo electro with sultry spoken word and chopped-up samples of the title words. The flip of this celebratory 7" apparently features a "trippy dubbed-out version", and I can't wait to hear it.
Savile - The Abolitionist
Savile — DJ, producer, promoter — now adds activist to his CV (not that he wasn't living that way already). This release nails his colours to the mast, with two tracks — 'Abolish All Police' and 'Abolish All Prisons' — that state his beliefs. Not only that, 100% of the proceeds from this release will go to the Chicago Community Bond Fund. The tracks are seriously hefty too. The first track is choppy and angry, enormous bass and epic melodies redolent of early-00s Hybrid. The latter is bigger and bolder, rising towards a melancholy climax rife with emotion.
Sensible Seelen Vol. 1 - Snippets
Soulcast #000 - Introducing: Rebecca
New label alert. It seems to be very much in a soulful yet electronic mode, synths and samples in dreamy harmony. The first release comes from two-thirds of the label's originators, DJ Küsse & Khshathra, featuring tracks from each as well as collaborative efforts and some remixes from Samo DJ and Karima F. Highlights include 'Gone (99' Mix)' from Küsse, which absolutely and definitely sounds like it's riffing on ATB's big hit from that summer, as well as the thoroughly depressing 'Smart' from the two of them, its spoken word speaking what many of us think as we reach certain points in our lives. Rebecca is the third wheel in this tricyclic endeavour, and she's done a mix for the label's SoundCloud. It's a wonderful breeze through dusty house and murky techno without much care for genre lines.
Perfect Collection: Spring
This is a really varied collection, moving from spacey electro and dubby slow stuff to bouncy, fragrant house. Of particular note is Lily Ackerman's track 'Bathroom' — lord knows the sigfnificance of the title but it's got a truly maudlin chord progression that I could genuinely listen to all day long.
Lena Raine - A Chance to Rest
Lena is a big name in the world of video-game scores but as I am not a part of that world I only became familiar with her through my friend gushing about how score for Celeste. Here she presents Oneknowing, her debut album proper, released by Local Action. The album moves between sort of ethereal, digital pop, synthetic orchestra (with the very real violin and viola playing of Michaela Nachtigall) and solitary ambient. This fits in the latter category, and it's simply beautiful.
VA - SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD TIME II [CLIPP060]
Another collection, 17 tracks of generally sun-drenched and upbeat house. It's truly internetanal, with releases coming from the label's own Australia, as well as Canada, Venezuela, Spain, Mexico, Belgium, France and more. It's all pretty solid but standouts for me come from Halvardan & Kayroy, Stacey Sexton and DJ Nerdiboy.
Annie - Invisible
Old but good. Thanks to Tim for sharing this Annie banger from a few years ago. Breaks. Basic rapping. Party time.
8ULENTINA - BODYGUARD
The latest release on Tobago Tracks is from the Bay Area's 8ULENTINA, half of Club Chai. It's a rumination on protection, tension, safety and mutual responsibility. With track names inspired by and vocal samples taken from the movie that shares the release's name, it moves between crunching noisy and abrasive club tracks and slower, deeper grooves. There is a world going on inside this release, but I am not the man for that job. I just want you to hear it.
Wilted Woman - Greyexperience
Brand new Wilted Woman. Like a rave for ants in a subterranean cave.
No Home - [A] Lullabye
I honestly have no words. This is class.
FOANS - Classics
I spent all of yesterday dipping in and out of this one. I normally say I hate Bandcamp releases with 25+ tracks but since this is a personal dump I can deal with it. I contain multitudes (of contradictions). New Jersey-based Foans, who's released on 100% Silk and Speaker Footage as well as putting a load of NYP bits on Bandcamp, has dropped this mammoth 100-track collection of jams. It's full of ideas, from lengthy house excursions to short beats, delicate synth play and ambient tussles.