Bandcloud 278

Happy new year. Or not. Time is a flat circle. All that's changed is the calendar. We all remain the same. If you want to catch up on Bandcloud's EOY lists start here. Sincerest thanks to everyone who gave their time. 

We start the year with an exclusive premiere! Slugabed has a new release out next week called They Exist!!!! and he's given me the chance to share one of the tracks with you. It's called 'Root Rot' and it's a wonderful blend of blissful melody and strange, distorted noise. It's hip-hop, but it's not. It's weird but beautiful. You can imagine the ghostly creatures on the release's cover dancing to it. He also answered some questions from me. I hope you enjoy reading his words and listening to his music. Read the interview here.

If this is your first Bandcloud, this is the part where we get to the nitty gritty. Links to music found on Bandcamp and SoundCloud (hence the name). It started in early 2014 and I've been sending music (almost) weekly ever since. Largely electronic, the bulk of stuff featured can loosely be described as either house, techno, ambient or drone, but there are shades of grey, as in life. Hopefully you'll find something you like.

VA - DUB CLUB VOL​.​1 (THRUST)
This is an Irish compilation that was released to raise money for Inner City Helping Homeless. It features some hot names in the Dublin clubbing scene, like Club Comfort's Selky, Lepton's Ngoni and Flood's Syn, to name a few. Special shouts to DJ GUN EMOJI and their track 'Don't Turn The Canal Into A Hotel You Fucking Dickheads'. It's a nice collection of clubby stuff, from hyperactive breaks and hard drum to electro that looks towards both Miami and the stars.

Luisa - Sunday
El Paso, Texas-based Luisa is podcast manager for Female:Pressure and also a DJ and promoter in her city. This is a sultry, chunky, sun-drenched house gem, short but sweet.

Stephanie Merchak - Winter EP
Fittingly enough, the four tracks on this EP are frosty and glacial. Vast expanses of snow, frozen dew in early morning forests. It's deeply emotive, with muted twinkling melodies dancing amid a sea of drone.

Egon C. (Litt) - Sakres Vurto (B1)
I don't know who this is and there's not much about them. They seem to be part of a group or collective called Fromage Underground but even then I can't be sure. Anyway, this is a thick slice of gnarly, frantic acid.

The Nameless Book - As The Dust Is Beginning To Settle
This actually came out in November but I only came to it last month through the artist, who's also a member of The Leaf Library. It's more beautiful droning ambience, with added birdsong throughout. I could listen to it all day. It was prepared for a live performance but the recording was subpar so it was recreated in the studio. The blurb states that: "The sound effects (taken from copyright-free BBC CDs) were put in place first so the synths react to them, rather than the usual method of being added after the musical content has been finished." That's pretty fascinating.

Laryssa Kim - Chansons De La Pluie
Oooof I was not ready for this. Vocalist and producer Laryssa Kim dropped this set for Christmas, a collection of "demos, try outs, loops, covers or original songs that I've created over the years". There are covers of The Flamingos, Billie Holiday and Mazzy Star as well as her own hazy and refreshing loops. It's glorious. Soft, lilting vocal music that's at once hypnotic and powerful. If you like Mhysa or Anna Caragnano you'll love this.

Dialectic Sines - Electric Valley
Finally, we have a heady collection of floor-ready bangers from Tennessee artist, Dialectic Sines. Focused, direct acid action, it starts with clear intent and doesn't let up. It's all perfectly crisp, airy sounds with just the right amount of bass. I'm particularly fond of 'L Danz' and 'Exxome' but all five tracks have something solid behind them. Tip!