RIP. A weekly roundup of releases on Bandcamp and Soundcloud selected and delivered by Aidan
Bandcloud 245
This week has been pretty exciting, I finally properly fully announced the Bandcloud compilation (RA, FACT and The Quietus all kindly shared the news). The response has been overwhelming! Thank you all so much. The album is out on Monday. In the meantime, here is your regular weekly dump of new music. To new subscribers, welcome! Be prepared for heart-rending ambient sounds, big fun trance riffs, crunchy electro and dank sounds that will scare your parents/children (delete where applicable).
Collision Objects - Human Geography
"Recorded in Dublin city in 2018 against the backdrop of a seemingly inexorable housing crisis, the album explores the impact of neoliberal capitalism on a society’s ability to house itself." Even without having read this, the sounds on display evoked in me feelings of heavy yearning and great longing. Serious pains in the depths of my stomach.
BONKA - WHENDIALUPBECOMEFORM
This forthcoming track on INTA has all the modem sounds you'd expect from the title (vaguely reminiscent of the breakdown in Leftfield's 'Song of Life'), but then moves into a mood that's somehow fragrant and airy but also bolshy and bouncy. The drums hit hard.
Deradoorian - Disembodied Improvisations Vol. 1
A surprise release, this is a collection of pieces recorded with a deliberately lo-fi approach, as the artist bypasses her need for polished perfection. It's beautiful, exploratory music that drifts to and fro. It's possibly a Buchla? I don't know. It's that kind of floating sound that could as easily be medieval church music as 70s synth noodles. Deradoorian is hoping to use the funds raised by this release to bring her ambitious plans for a new album to fruition.
EMILY GLASS - Near death experience via PLUR rave V.2
This is sunshine in a SoundCloud upload. Big BIG trance riffs, big arpeggios, joyous melodies, straight out of Ibiza '99, I have no words for how much fun it is.
Sónar Festival - The Sounds of Afrodeutsche
Afrodeutsche, who's released on Skam (as well as on compilations from NON and LuckyMe), drops a gnarly mix of chunky electro and dark sci-fi sounds ahead of her appearance at Sónar, in July. Is that later than usual? I thought it usually was in June. Anyway. This is sick. Dark yet fun. From hip-hoppish tempos to breakneck speed.
MELVL - Live at the Crystal Palace
Imagine gorgeous choral singing over the sounds of the literal apocalypse. This live performance is just that. It's on Richmond, Virginia-based Grimalkin Records. I think it's pronounced Melul. It's proper dank. I love the artwork (see above), it's very Tulpa disintegrating in the Black Lodge.
Cat Temper - Digital Soul
I saw the words Cat Power and my head was turned, although this is powered by cats rather than anything to do with Ms Marshall. It's an imagined score to a fictitious film about a battle between a programmer and an AI program in a deadly game of chess. I won't lie. It's not particularly inventive. The whole multicoloured 80s synth shtick is probably wearing thin at this point. But everything about this release is steeped in fun so it's hard not to be won over. I particularly like the driving fury of 'Code Racer'.
The Soviet Space Dog Project - Ambient Sketch 009
Twelve minutes of languid, sorrowful beauty. This artist throws up sketches and ideas, constructions, challenges. No names to distract you from the gorgeous and melancholy sounds on offer.
Solotape - M-path
Periodic reminder that Seagrave is a solid label that regularly puts out excellent music. This one is a lot of fun. It's half lo-fi house, half crisp techno. The hi-hats are crunched beyond belief yet the drums and synths are clean. A wonderful juxtaposition. 'Pressing Matters' is my highlight. Get it on tape for extra murk.
Dee Diggs - 06AM-7AMwDeeDiggs HalfMoonbk 24 hour Stream Archive
Here we have a recent set from Dee Diggs on Brooklyn's Half Moon radio station. It's a delicious hour, some funk and soul, laidback grooves building to more energised house and some hip-hop too. I googled the lyrics from one dusty track 40 minutes in and it's from a release on Nervous. I didn't even know they did rap releases. Every day is a school day, huh. This is great music to end your night or start your day.
_Betty_ - Science Heavy
Finally, another electro-leaning mix. It opens with the timeless* 'Wireless Internet' from Arpanet (*2002) and moves between modern sounds from Chevel and Walton to classics from The Prodigy, Three 6 Mafia and Jammin Gerald. It's a welcome return of sorts from Betty, who hasn't done a standalone mix in nearly two years. Refreshing.