Album Review: Wax Machine : ‘The Sky Unfurls, The Dance Goes On’ : stirring up a whirlpool of psych, folk, bossa and jazz energies.
Brighton’s Wax Machine are a band who thrive on drift. Sometimes cosmic, often psychedelic and frequently exotic, they float between the warming thrill of tropicalia and the misty chill of nu-folk without losing direction. Revolving around the restless creativity of Brazilian born song-writer/guitarist Lau Ro, this most fluid combo have just released their third album …
Album Reviews : Off World – ‘3’ : Illuminating soundscapes and sonic free flow from the illustrious Canadian collective.
Sandro Perri seems like one of those quietly busy people. A touch stone within the Canadian contemporary scene, the guitarist, producer and pioneer of ‘infinite song-writing’ has over the last decade gifted us three solo albums that should be on any muso’s shelves. That trio of releases on Constellation, ‘Impossible Spaces’, ‘Another Life’ and ‘Soft …
Album Review: The Offline – ‘La couleur de la mer’ : Ingenious cinematic soul funk with a fresh plot.
So the soundtrack to an imaginary film makes a return in the hands of Hamburg composer/guitarist The Offline (aka Felix Müller) with his new album ‘La couleur de la mer’ (out now via Deep Matter/Root Records). No that doesn’t mean that this intriguing release clunks through a heavy narrative that will one day make the …
Album Review: El Búho – ‘Strata’: Cumbia infused electronica to celebrate and satisfy.
If anyone was going to justifiably lay claim to the tags ‘organic electronics’ or ‘natural electronica’ with any degree of credibility then that must be El Búho. The UK producer/DJ, otherwise known as Robin Perkins, has always partnered his environmental activism with his music, they are parts of him that in many ways have grown …
New Track/ Video: Pushing electro-acoustic possibilities ever onwards, NY sound artist/composer Lea Bertucci previews new album ‘Of Shadow And Substance’.
In a field where electronics and programming have come to dominate, the diligent work of New York based sound artist, composer and performer Lea Bertucci more than holds its own. Her focus is clear, a commitment to explore the timbres, textures, tunings and harmonic dimensions of acoustic instruments in their raw organic state. Over a …
Album Review : New Age Doom & Tuvaband – ‘There Is No End’ : re-constituting electric rock and breaking real new ground.
Unintentional maybe but the title of New Age Doom’s latest ‘There Is No End’ describes the extent of the Vancouver duo’s musical vision, reach and range. Drummer Eric J. Breitenbach and guitarist Greg Valou have always shown intention to develop their original dark ambient doom metal chaos theory rather than dig deeper into the same …
Track/Video : Johannesburg jazz collective iPhupho L’ka Biko offer up ‘Braam Streets’ ahead of their significant debut EP ‘Azania’
More proof then, if you really need it, of the power and fortitude within new gen South African jazz. Those diligent sound searchers at We Are Busy Bodies announce ‘Azania’, the upcoming vinyl debut by iPhupho L’ka Biko, on the racks and shipping from 15th December. Formed by bassist/composer Nhlanhla Ngqaqu in 2015 from musical …
Album Review : Ana Frango Elétrico – ‘Me Chama De Gato Que Eu Sou Sua’ : Another high point for new wave MPB.
Musician/producer Ana Frango Elétrico is one of the pivots of today’s kaleidoscopic Rio scene, who over the last few years has helped power the resurgence of Música Popular Brasileira (MPB). As if working with the mercurial Dora Morelenbaum or the sassy Bala Desejo wasn’t enough, Ana has been steadily crafting solo work of parallel quality …
Album Review : Justin Walter – ‘Destroyer’ : More exceptional electronic imagery from the EVI pioneer
It’s been six years since jazz trumpeter and electronic musician Justin Walter’s last album for Kranky, the ethereally wonder-filled ‘Unseen Forces’, and almost a decade since his label debut ‘Lullabies & Nightmares’. The Ann Arbor artist obviously utilises his time with care and consideration, a nurturing process that his luminous, delicate soundscapes require. Now the …
Album Review : Júlio Resende Fado Jazz – Sons Of Revolution : immaculate and moving fusion from the Portuguese quartet.
Portuguese jazz pianist and composer Júlio Resende has just released a fourth Fado jazz journey, ‘Sons Of Revolution’ through the indispensable ACT label and it’s another intriguing excursion. Resende first explored the alchemic potential of blending Fado music with the free spirit of jazz sensibilities on his 2013 album, ‘Amália por Júlio Resende’. A deep …