Staff Picks October 2019

Review: A new album from Sam Shepherd AKA Floating Points is always cause for celebration, but even by his standards "Crush" is rather special. Largely eschewing the ambient jazz soundscape shuffle of 2017's "Reflections - Mojave Desert", it sees the Shepherd showcase his musical dexterity in stunning fashion via cuts that wrap shimmering neo-classical strings around what sound like modular electronics and rhythms that variously touch on broken beat, off-kilter experimental D&B and Autechre-style IDM. Of course there are ambient and experimental soundscapes showcased, but it's the fact that the album contains a swathe of formidably dancefloor-focused cuts in the style that first made him standout that pleases us most. Highlights include recent single "LesAlpx", the dreamy "Anasickmodular" and the "People's Potential" style deep house intricacy of "Last Bloom".

Review: Hanzo on Repertoire. You don't even need to press play on this one. Both artist and label are making consistently sharp moves, exploring jungle and drum & bass' furthest quarters and this one is no exception. "Maya Warfare" puts you in the driver's seat. Skittered breaks and haunted tones, there's a schizoid sense of tension running throughout. It's backed by three more remarkable schematics; the ghostly, pipe-wield "Kali Ma", the dark mind-altering pads and classic hardcore elements of "Mindblock" and the dense, swathing rain forest romp "Nodowa". Immense.

Review: Third time's the charm. Low Bias parallel project Dream Cycle returns to the ever-comfortable Sneaker Social with the next part of their annual series. Once again it's a barrage of two-step delights ranging from dank and mystic to deep and dreamy. "Told You" kicks off proceedings on a serious London bumpy flex, all sassy vocal snippets and a steam roller sub line. "Long Time" follows and takes us down a much deeper, contemplative path that's almost Detroit in its mood with those lush pads and spirited piano lines. Deeper again we strike the more technoid twangs of "Sensa" before "Untitled Dream" closes the EP on the deepest, wooziest tip of the EP, all downbeat, trippy and far too addictive for its own good. The Cycle continues.

Review: For those who missed the memo, Occult Oriented Crime is one of several hundred alter egos occasionally used by Legowelt man Danny Wolfers. He first donned the pseudonym in 2014 for "The Occult Orientated Crime Album", a stunning but previously digital-only outing that has finally made it to vinyl for the very first time. From start to finish, the set prioritizes mood and atmosphere over club-focused rhythms, with Wolfers offering up a range of evocative, heavily electronic ambient soundscapes. While some cuts sound like Radiophonic Workshop doodles or Pete Namlook style immersive synth-scapes, others wrap delay-laden pianos around a whisper of electronic texture; throughout, Wolfers proves a masterful maker of meditative ambient bliss.

Review: Having spent much of the last few years offering up tropical grooves under their alternative Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band alias, the Mighty Mocambos have finally got around to recording another funk-focused album. Of course, this is not straight-up revivalist funk or soul in the strict sense, but rather a collection of inventive cuts rooted in bustling breakbeats, fuzzy basslines, razor-sharp guitar riffs and hazy horns. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the sweet soul shuffle of Lee Fields collaboration "Where Do We Go From Here" and the rasping dancefloor soul-funk goodness of Gizelle Smith hook-up "Take On The World", to the 1950s sci-fi soundtrack cheeriness of "Return To Space" (featuring legendary composer Peter Thomas), and the synth-fired intergalactic dancefloor goodness of "Golden Shadow".

Review: They don't come much more limited than this new 7" which has only been pressed 50 times. They don't come much hotter than the a-side either - "Gun Clash Riddim" with its steel plated drums that are uprising and militant, warrior lead synths snake through a tribal landscape while gunshots and crashing hits lend a more urban edge. It's a fine fusion of bass heavy styles that will flip out any floor. "It's (Not) House Riddim" on the flip is just as paranoid and late night, metropolitan and absorbing in utterly edgy ways. What a way to mint a brand new label.

Review: Last year, early '80s cut-and-paste hip-hop heroes Double Dee & Steinski joined forces for the first time in over 30 years to create a new suite of on-point sample collages in the style of their now legendary "Lessons" series. While they made them available digitally last year, they've now made them available on vinyl. For those schooled in hip-hop history, "Lesson 4" is a must-have. Running to nearly 12 minutes, it delivers another worldwind trip through classic funk, rock, soul, disco and hip-hop riffs, breaks and basslines overlaid with all manner of scratches and vocal snippets. It's a fitting follow-up to the essential "Lessons 1, 2 & 3". Elsewhere on the EP you'll find various bonus beats, DJ tools and quick-fire workouts, with "This Music" - a dope, sample-heavy shuffle through reggae/hip-hop fusion in the duo's distinctive style - standing out.

Review: How in the name of all that's understandable can you follow up a Mercury Prize-nominated album that looked at the state of the world and answered all our concerns and questions about that in one fell swoop? How about by offering a heavier, louder second chapter, picking up where the last left off and yet emphasising different focal points? That seems to be the idea with "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 2". It's Foals at their rockiest and most raucous, with the likes of (aptly-titled) "Black Bull" distorting the vocals and raising the grit on those guitars to 11. Things start off far more sparse, with "Red Desert"'s desolate synth keys invoking some dystopian wasteland. Perhaps the next destination for our civilisation. Whatever you think, from there we call at head-nodding, funk-driven rhythms, tear-inducing piano solos ("Ikaria" is pure beauty) and a finale of epic, soaring, hypnotic art-pop.

Review: Tender, heartfelt, longing and packing sonic elements that can make even the most lovelorn and hopeless start swooning with the thought of what might be still to come for them. Canadian troubadour Patrick Watson's latest is nothing if not dripping in emotion, and that's not just a reference to his soft, thoughtful and thought-provoking voice. In many ways it seems impossible that such a gentile record can bowl the listener over with such force. But once you hit midway-point stunner "Melody Noir", with its subtle brass and "La La" chorus, it becomes clear that it's not only possible, but apparently rather easy for the songwriter in question. None of which is to say this is some wet Wednesday, mind. On his sixth long-form outing, Watson is nothing if not the experienced man who has seen it all.

Review: DJ Soopasoul has previously breathed new life into tracks by Croatian producer Funky Destination, so it's little surprise to see him putting his spin on the Osijek-based artist's latest missive. He does a terrific job, offering up vocal and instrumental versions of "Come Back To Me" rich in long, tension-building intros, fuzzy funk horns, bass-heavy grooves, swirling orchestration and hard-wired guitar riffs. While the instrumental version is tidy, our pick of the pair is undoubtedly the A-side remix. We're not sure who the lead vocalist is, but her delivery is incredible. Don't sleep on this one!

Review: Three years after delivering a stunning debut album that cemented their position as this century's finest fusionists of Middle Eastern music and analogue electronic music, Acid Arab return with a sophomore set that's every bit as impressive. The basic ingredients remain the same - think Arabic vocals, instrumentation and percussion mixed with heavy drum machine rhythms, raw electronics and mind-altering TB-303 motifs - though the resultant tracks arguably draw on a wider range of electronic music influences. So as well as nods towards acid house and techno, the album also contains throbbing, dancefloor-centric workouts informed by EBM, Italo-disco, new wave, synth-pop and industrial. It's a subtle switch-up, but one wholly in keeping with the French quartet's distinctive vision.

Review: Another month, another essential release from Astral Industries. The label's latest missive comes from DeepChord man Rod Modell and friend Walter Wasacz's Shorelights project, a partnership that has previously resulted in two fine albums of "soft noise and groovy ambient techno". Their latest missive comprises of two lengthy and undeniably immersive tracks that combine atmospheric field recordings (babbling brooks, crackling radio static etc.) with heavily processed electronic textures, slow-burn synthesizer melodies and chords so enveloping you could probably use them as a blanket. It's hard to get a handle on just how seductive and soothing the album is from the brief clips showcased here, but we can guarantee that "Bioluminescence" is a hazy, horizontal treat from start to finish.

Review: Mushi 45 is launching a new series featuring fresh edits of obscure covers of cuts by James Brown and the JB's. The first boasts two thoroughly obscure covers of "Cold Sweat". On the A you'll find a tidy tweak of a rousing, raucous and sexually charged 1968 version by El Klan, a Mexican band renowned for their heavyweight take on funk, soul and rhythm and blues. Over on side B you'll find an interpretation from the John Wagner Coalition that originally featured on their 1976 debut album, which unusually was made up entirely of James Brown covers. Their version is a little more laidback, with tons of spacey synthesizer flourishes, crunchy Clavinet lines and oodles and wild Hammond organ solos.

Review: Since turning up in the Windy city a few years ago, spiritual jazz singer, clarinetist and composer Angel Bat Dawid has become a stalwart of Chicago's vibrant avant-garde scene. Here he delivers a debut album that should, if there's any justice at least, propel her towards international superstardom. Both her melancholic clarinet lines and distinctive singing feature prominently throughout, alongside sparse percussion, occasional Afro-futurist synthesizer motifs, harp and guitars - all of which Dawid plays herself. It's a virtuoso display that more than confirms her status as one of the spiritual jazz scene's most authentic voices.

Review: The name of the Space Drum Meditation label tells you everything about the sort of music they plan to release. After a well-received inaugural EP, the eponymous production duo behind the imprint (Eddie Ness and Liem, who have collaborated under their own names many times before) come correct with four more contemporary fusions of bass, breakbeat, techno and deep house that is best exemplified by the charming "Polar Peak". "Chatter" is a flurry of hits and jittery lines that will electrify any floor, then "Grapes" is a super slowed down and deep ambient day dream that resets the mood before "Dance Of The Snake" invites you into a sonic lava lamp and rhythmically inventive groove.

Review: Fans of digital roots take note: "Gun Fever" is a brilliantly dark and direct offering from Frankie Jones. Mixing up the sound of 80s Jamaica and the sort of dub that was loved in the UK by dancehall crowds, it first landed on Third World in 1986 and now gets a crisp new remaster for the first time in its history. The low swinging bottom end is warm and rich, the claps chart and the rimshots are laden with effects, especially on the flipside "Version", that really sink you deep into the riddim.

Review: Plenty has changed since Battles exploded onto the scene as one of the freshest bands of that moment. Not least within the outfit itself, with departures and instability seeming to run through the very DNA of this troupe. Nevertheless, some things have certainly stayed the same - in particular the complexity and detail in their sound. Synth math prog rock, without wanting to put too fine a point on it. At times it's almost over-facing, that is until you cut through the chaos and start to truly appreciate how good the nuances and intricacies actually are. Highlights come thick and fast, from opener "Ambulance" which nods to playful classical; re-read through chip music before exploding into hypnotic mania. "IZM", which benefits from the appearance of hip hop duo Shabazz Palaces, nods to turn-of-the-century Beasties Boys or Chemical Brothers. And "Sugar Foot" which takes things down a more organic, vocal-driven route. Intelligent and intellectual, not that we expected anything less.

Review: Midnight Shift continues its fine run of form via a mini-album of bleak intensity from renowned modular electro/analogue rave fusionist Umwelt, an artist whose distinctive releases are always worth a listen. The French producer sets his stall out via title track "Superior Life Forms", an undeniably heavy and distinctively dystopian chunk of broken electro fuzziness, before reaching for even grimier electronics and gut-punching bass on "Computer Controlled". "Latent Existence" is a moody, beat-free soundtrack for urban decay, "Fragment" and closer "The Windfall" are teak-tough industrial techno stompers, while "Shadow Entity" is a suitably psychedelic slab of trippy acid electro. Not for those of a fragile disposition, but impressively intense and forthright nonetheless.

Review: Three years on from his last outing on the label, Pessimist (real name Kristian Jabs) returns to UVB-76 with more heady fusions of techno and UK bass. He opens with a bang via the clandestine, claustrophobic and paranoid tribal techno-meets-experimental D&B insanity of "Burundanga", before creeping us out via the foreboding sub bass, horror soundtrack chords and analogue pulses of "Lithosphere". There's more end-of-days fodder on side B, where Simon Shreeve offers a dystopian, dub techno-meets-deep dubstep revision of "Paian" and Jabs unfurls the gritty analogue scariness of post-apocalyptic dancefloor number "Thug".

Review: Through a series of must-check releases on Nous'klaer Audio, Ruben Uvez AKA Konduku has proved to be one of the more thoughtful and inventive producers to emerge in recent times. While some of his previous releases have strayed away from the dancefloor, his first outing on Idle Hands is a wonderfully basement-bothering affair full of tracks tailor made for hazy, early morning sets. It boasts two suitably dark, dubby and clandestine cuts - the echoing dub techno pulse of "Lila" and the sub-heavy, Livity Sound style flex of "Bolu" - plus two more melodic outings. Of these, we're particularly enjoying "Caduata Di Massi", where deliciously dreamy chords ebb and flow around stabbing analogue bass and crunchy drums.

Review: Is this pop? Is this experimental? These are the thoughts that will have crossed many minds when encountering the kind of baffle Jai Paul offers. A guy who seems intent on creating curveball works of art, "BTSTU" in many ways is minimalist stuff, save for the concepts behind the sounds. Or at least its structures give the illusion of minimalism. From the first waterfall of synth to the way in which vocals are allowed to (quite literally) speak for themselves - a multitude of characters with one voice - it's at once bound for the charts and your bookshelf of classic works.