Music
See: Matchess invites us to embrace meditative drone and transcend the flesh in the practise of ‘Almost Gone (Excerpt)’
WHITNEY JOHNSON has been releasing albums exploring really gorgeous deep inner space in song and sound for a number of years now as Matchess. Her journey in this guise began in 2015 with the downtempo ambience of Somnaphoria, vocodered vocals, clock-ticking beats, swirls and aural glitter to put The Orb to shame in the cosmic …
See: DJ Harrison drops the claymation-accompanied lyrical roll of ‘Cosmos’ feat. Pink Siifu
FOLLOWING the low-slung, out-there, conscious funk rumble of last month’s single, “Be Better”, which came heralding a second album of excellence on that reliable marque Stones Throw, Virginia’s DJ Harrison has today dropped a second deep cut from that forthcoming set; it’s called “Cosmos” and it features the verbal acuity of Pink Siifu, all wrapped …
Premiere: Exclusive stream of the debut album Wild Oak, from Portland singer-songwriter J Nicolás: A collection of Folk-Americana gems
Portland, Oregon singer songwriter J. Nicolás is gearing up for the release of his debut album Wild Oak, and we’re delighted to be able to premiere a stream of the album right here on Backseat Mafia ahead of its release tomorrow. After spending nigh on two decades playing in bands and touring across the country, …
See: NONEXISTENT pull you below the surface in the ink-black ambient murk of ‘UNTITLED 3 (AUBURN VACUUM)’
NONEXISTENT is the three-waters-meet of exceptional leftfield talents Astrud Steehouder, otherwise of Opal X and Paper Dollhouse; Alex Tucker, whose work as MICROCORPS and Grumbling Fur we’ve had occasion to be beguiled by elsewhere in these pages; and Mancunian-in-London Luke J Murray, known for his work as and with Grimescapes, Iceman Junglist Kru and Stonecirclesampler. …
Live Review: The Charlatans – Manchester Gorilla, 15.11.2021
If you asked the average music fan what Fatboy Slim, JLS, Rick Astley, Manic Street Preachers and Liam Gallagher have in common, it’s unlikely that their answer would be that they’ve all played free concerts for NHS staff! Tonight, it’s the turn of local Northwest indie legends, The Charlatans, to be added to the list. …
News: Psych legends LOOP return with their first album in 32 years; see the immaculately acid strobe-fest of ‘Halo’
I REMEMBER the first time I fell down the LOOP rabbithole, as an uninitiated 17-year-old in love with the jingle-jangle sound of early Creation Records, grappling with the situationist excellence of Bogshed and Stump; finding my way into The Fall’s This Nation’s Saving Grace with a whole armful of questions for Mark E Smith. In …
Live Review: Stag and Dagger Festival, Glasgow and Edinburgh 13/14.11.2021
The return of live music has seen an abundance of riches for music fans and the rise of the one day multi-venue festival provides the experience of seeing multiple bands across various venues in a city in one day. And so it was with The Stag and Dagger Festival held in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Of …
See: NIN3S debuts with the rolling, intelligent future jazz of ‘So Far So Close’; come see the video
NIN3S is how Catalan progressive house DJ and producer Uner is recasting himself as he moves to explore a nuanced and intelligent jazz palette, and under which name he’s signed for London’s cool Dorado Records, home at various points to Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Jhelisa, D*Note, Beth Hirsch and others. And the first fruits of that …
Premiere: Red Sun Radio release the beautifully melancholy ‘Surrender’
New York City’s Red Sun Radio are back with a new single, and we’re delighted to be able to premiere it right here on Backseat Mafia today. Of the track, vocalist Azan told us exclusively “Releasing this song a year after I wrote it is really a full circle moment for me. At that time …
See: Grammy-winning Swedish producer Olovson steps into the Satiesque with the airy ‘Paloma Blanca’
A MAN who’s made his name and his fortune behind the scenes as one half of the world-bestraddling production dup Jarami, Jacob Olofsson is a name to be reckoned with behind the faders; but he’s stepping out behind a slightly retooled surname these days, entering the placidity and the calm of the modern compositional solo …