John Parry, Author at Backseat Mafia

Album Review: Los Sara Fontán – ‘Consuelo’: The experimental post-rock duo’s propulsive second manifesto.

The secret of any underground music is that it stays hidden until found. Once discovered it opens windows onto a world of art making where things can just happen because…

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Album Review: Aaron Shaw – ‘And So It Is’: Tingling with raw beauty, an inspiring spiritual jazz statement.

This has to be said upfront, even before you get deep into the music this album is inspirational. Saxophonist/ flautist Aaron Shaw, one of the names to be named on…

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Album Review: Bellbird – ‘The Call’: From free jazz to post rock, a quartet that find their own trajectory.

Constellation Records have long provided a portal for the extraordinary experimental music which orbits around their Montreal home base, but here we have them opening the apertures and focusing in…

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Album Review: Christo Graham – ‘Good Covers’: An authentic singer-songwriter gem that shouldn’t get forgotten.

Besides being an actor and graphic designer Christo Graham is one of those heart and soul singer/songwriters. You can’t imagine a day when there’s not a tune or lyrical snippet…

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Album Review: Zone Null – ‘Phase 1’: Taking the bass to unknown places- epic, long form electronic improv from the Berlin-based duo.

Pounding into January with the irrepressible Ruptured Records and a debut album, ‘Phase 1’ from a new collaborative project Zone Null, featuring bassist Tony Elieh and electronic composer/performer Burkhard Beins.…

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Album Review: Mi3RAJ – ‘Callings Of The Owed’: Powerful and poetic electronic fusion from Cairo’s rising underground scene.

A new project from their long lasting musical connection, poet/vocalist Mohamed Tarek Moussa and producer/multi-instrumentalist Abdelrahman Shaat (aka Mi3raj) emerge with a new album, the intense ‘Callings Of The Owed’…

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Album Review: Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore – ‘Tragic Magic’: A compelling, emotional electro-acoustic collaboration which haunts and hopes.

Some collaborations are just meant to be and this is one of those. Composer, vocalist and electronic musician Julianna Barwick and experimental harpist Mary Lattimore have been more than crossing…

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Album Review: Alex Ventling – ‘Wavemakers’: New Nordic jazz which soothes and fulfils.

Need some cerebral soothing and sustenance then maybe take some time to engage with Trondheim-based jazz musician Alex Ventling’s new album ‘Wavemakers’. Ventling is something of a creative polymath. Besides…

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Album Review: f.ampism – The Vertical Luminous : A mesmerising and strangely magical post new-age soundtrack.

Brighton based sound artist Paul Wilson aka f.Ampism is part of the mycelium network of new age electronica which thrives furtively beneath the everyday music radar. From the world of…

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Album Review: The Offline –‘La grande évasion’: another compelling sonic journey set in cinematic-soul snapshots.

For Felix Müller aka The Offline, a journey is always as important as the destination. His instrumental music, rooted in yester year soul, funk and soundtrack, has an episodic quality,…

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