Smalltown Supersound Norway 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Norwegian-Mexican artist and producer Carmen Villain was born in the US, so has a pretty global sound and wide sphere of influence. Only Love From Now in Small-town Supersound is her fourth studio album and is another beguiling and tightly woven tapestry of atmospheric sounds, field recordings, woodwinds, percussion, samples and synths. Elements of forth world, dub and ambient characterise the grooves and make for a deeply immersive world of steady rhythms, hypnotic melodies and mysterious sonic artefacts. At times loopy, at others loose and improvised, it is an essential listen once more.

Review: Not long after her Only Love From Now On album last year, Carmen Villain is back with another sublime score. This one was done for a contemporary dance performance by acclaimed Choreographer Eszter Salamon. First off, just take a moment to admire the costumes in the artwork. Impressive, right? Well, the music is at least as good. It's drone and ambient that's often empty but never lacking. The details are deft and occasional dub undercurrents are barely there as tracks move at glacial speed and luxurious harmonies glow brightly. It's a masterclass in slowness and subtlety that can utterly disorientate you and disconnect you from space and time.

Review: Unwritten rules of the music industry #519: After the album comes the remix EP. At least in the case of a label such as Smalltown Supersound, they commission the sort of producers who are capable of actual innovation when it comes to a remix. Here cuts from Carmen Villain's album Sleeper are reworked by Messrs Peaking Lights, JD Twitch and Bjorn Torske with suitably psychedelic results. First up is the Peaking Lights take on "Dreamo" and Aaron Coyes stylistically stays close to the lo-fi digidub sound of his recent work, all shimmering delay, tropical melodies and cheap drum machine manipulation. On the B Side, Optimo don JD Twitch indulges his industrial side on a dark, electrifying rework of "How Much" that fits Carmen's vocal perfectly, whilst the Torsker (as no-one calls him) adds a touch of Scandolearic class with his take on "Obedience".