RIP. A weekly roundup of releases on Bandcamp and Soundcloud selected and delivered by Aidan
Bandcloud 246
My ears are blocked. I'm run down. I have tonsillitis. So this will be short in places.
Luft 04/19 by Diane Barbé [FR/DE]
This one started beautifully and went off in directions that weren't quite for me, but I'm including it because it features 'Gong Bath' by Slow Riffs, which I had only been listening to earlier this week. It's also got a huge ever growing pulsating brain that rules from the centre of the ultraworld .... So yeah the first half is great in my view!
VA - An Untitled Longing (Leftovers)
This is a compilation from Leeds-based outfit Leftovers. It's got some names you may know (Anna Peaker, Marlo Eggplant, BFTT, LOFT) and some you might not. The LOFT track is delightfully melodic despite it's schadenfreudisch title. There's also an incredible track from Clemency (with another banging title). The whole thing drifts between ambient and noise and sits at the very edge of the dance floor. It's a glorious attempt to draw together elements of a scene across the north of England.
Fred P - Lush Culture
Just a lush roller from Fred P. Nothing much more to say?
VA - Long Distance Vol. 1 (ambient assistance)
Full disclosure, I read about this on RA. It's another compilation, this time featuring artists from Chicago, Montreal, Kansas City and Vancouver. There are a few tracks available to stream, the first coming from Nadia Khan. It's dreamy, lush, airy. A track from Thurlow Joyce falls under the same description. Then there's a track from Journeymann Traxx (which is what I saw on RA) that undulates through bubbling waters across eight minutes. I believe this is his first work under that name since 2015 (and even Bobby Draino hasn't put anything out since 2016, if Discogs is to be believed).
VA - cm006 (c-)
I was reading a piece by DeForrest Brown, Jr. about the Dweller festival in New York in February. I realised I hadn't listened to anything by Bookworms. I checked his SoundCloud and top of the pile was a track that was floaty but weird called 'VieUntitled'. It's from a compilation put together by c-, the excellent Kansas City outlet known for sharing off-kilter mixes. The whole release is great, with tracks from a bunch of people I'd never heard of. It's largely ~ambient~ but it's got a dark edge, and it comes to a close with another Bookworms track that I believe is a reworking of the opener. Great stuff.
Deep South Podcast 034 - JSPORT
Deep house, rnb remixes, Afrobeat, classic vocal vibes. I would enjoy it even more if the skies outside weren't so GREY.
Hanna Benn - DIVIDE
Cruel Diagonals talked about this artist on her Instagram so I went and had a listen. The opening track is like shoegaze pop remixed by Kara-Lis Coverdale. It's also got densely layered harmonies à la your favourite rnb singers. These comparisons do it a disservice, in that it's a singular sound from this talented artist. I'm a fan.
Tom McConnell - rectangle soup
I don't know what this title means. It's a track from a friend of DJML's. That's how I came across it anyway. It's a swirling, fragrant track driven by light-touch percussion and weird sonic manipulation. Could be synths, could be DAW, could be neither. It's slinky as heck.
Brick Reds, Black Mauves - Brick Reds, Black Mauves EP
You may remember Dalhous, who put out some incredible records on Blackest Ever Black (particularly Visibility Is A Trap). One half of that duo is now recording as Brick Reds, Black Mauves, and this self-titled EP is his first release under that name. It's similarly thick and turgid, shining at brief points through heavy sonic bombardment. There's also a Dalhous remix of one track — the original is the most upbeat on the release (if not cheery, come on now) but the remix is delightfully morbid.
John Selway - Stars In The Gutter
I first heard of John Selway (and Christian Smith) through tracks on Ibiza mix CDs from Sasha and Deep Dish. Those tracks ('Move' and a remix of 'Flim Flam') still bang I reckon. He's still at it though! And unlike certain artists from that era, he's not making fluffy big room "posh trance". Check out this track, forthcoming on his long-running Serotonin label. It's an angry snarly acid workout. Syncopated drums, weird vocals... This premiere comes from BIZAARBAZAAR, which is run by Bergsonist and is consistently excellent.