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Music

Space Ghost – Deep (Dirk 81 Remix)

It’s 1988 and you’re lying on a beach and you’ve been up for two days straight and honestly don’t think you’ve even been as simultaneously tired and content at the same time and you’re not really sure if your friends are still here and you can’t be bothered to try and remember where you last saw them, or even where exactly in the world you are and anyway you’re near a bar that’s playing a pretty random mix of 70s rock and kinda floaty, beatless music and it’s really nice and everything but maybe a kick drum would be good, but a gentle one mind, nothing too harsh and then you hear this…

https://space-ghost.bandcamp.com/track/deep-dirk-81-remix

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Interviews Music

One Track Mind: Joy Helder

The London-based electronic artist reminisces about the melodic Italo-stylings of Skatebärd’s Why Now?

The premise of One Track Mind is pretty simple: I ask artists to pick one track that means a lot to them – either something they’ve discovered recently, something that’s been with them for years, or one that reminds them of a specific time in their life or career – and tell me what makes it so special to them. I get to talk to the artists I love, and they get to talk about the artists they love. Love all round!

“Miniature soundtracks for moments in life, created electronically in London” is about as much concrete information I can find about Joy Helder. But whatever lack of identifying detail there might be available in regards to his background is more than counterbalanced by the depth and richness of his productions. Latest EP Joy moves through both ambient and more rhythmically structured experimental electronica, with field recordings, haunting melodies and muted percussion combining to create an atmosphere that’s at times claustrophobic and foreboding, others expansive and calming.

For his One Track Mind selection, Joy has picked a track by Norwegian artist Skatebärd that soundtracked many a bus journey shortly after he arrived in London.

Continue reading “One Track Mind: Joy Helder”
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Music

µ-Ziq – Uncle Daddy

Just listen to those sad chords! Makes me want to cry, in a good way, obviously. This is taken from Planet Mu founder Mike Paradinas’s new album under his µ-Ziq monkier which came out last week. Jungle meets ambient meets hardcore in the prettiest way imaginable.

https://mikeparadinas.bandcamp.com

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Music

Brent Faiyaz – ROLE MODEL

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 20: Brent Faiyaz attends a celebration of the Lola bag, hosted by Burberry & Riccardo Tisci on April 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Burberry)

Brent Faiyaz’s sprawling new album WASTELAND came out today, and there’s a lot to digest, including features from an impressive range of artists – Drake, Tyler, The Creator, Alicia Keys etc – and a skit-driven narrative (remember skits?) about a cheating Chris/Brent that ends in about as bleak a fashion as possible. But arguably some of its finest moments are when the attention is squarely on Faiyaz, like ROLE MODEL, which places his extraordinary voice front and centre and cuts right to the emotional core of what he’s about as an artist.

https://www.instagram.com/brentfaiyaz

Categories
Music

Mejiwahn, Juuwah, Daniel Bitrán – Spring

Beanna is the latest album from soul and jazz beat pioneer mejiwahn: genres I know next to nothing about, so I won’t try and delve too deep into the backstory. If you’re interested in the history, The Quietus’s review is comprehensive. What I can say though is that’s it completely beguiling, effortlessly chill and just about as perfect a soundtrack to a lazy summer evening as one could hope for.

https://mejiwahn.bandcamp.com/album/beanna

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Music

Harkin – Driving Down A Flight of Stairs

If you haven’t yet listened to Harkin’s new album Honeymoon Suite, please go and do so now as it’s properly great. There are highlights aplenty; the moody, synth-lead throb of opener Body Clock; the driving riffs and sublime payoff of Talk of the Town. But none are perhaps quite as impactful and perfectly formed as the epic final track Driving Down A Flight of Stairs. Sprawling across 10+ glorious minutes and accompanied by a brilliant film directed by Dejan Mrkic, it’s a breathtaking slice of cinematic ambient that sits among the most affecting pieces of music I’ve heard this year. Come for the hooks, stay for the final emotional wallop.

https://www.handmirror.online

Categories
Music

John Moods – It Ain’t Your Time

Apologies for the extended hiatus. Glastonbury happened, then it took me a week before I could really even start listening to music again, never mind write about it, but here we are: I’m back, and PROMISE to never abandon you again.

Anyway, TPW favourite John Moods put out a new single last week, and here it is in all its nostalgic glory, reminiscent of the gorgeous lofi aesthetic of the similarly brilliant Molly Nilsson. Heartbreaking melodies will aways be welcome round these parts.

https://www.instagram.com/johnmoods

Categories
Music

Levon Vincent – Sunrise

The new album from Levon Vincent, SILENT CITIES, is unlike anything he’s produced before, and is more concerned with mood and atmosphere than deadly dancefloor “weapons”, which is just fine by me. The entire album is great but Sunrise is a definite stand out, with its glistening, meandering synth line and washed out pads evoking both peak Mr Fingers house and 80s-aping synthwave.

https://levonvincent.bandcamp.com

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Music

Drake – Falling Back

I really wasn’t expecting Drake to surprise drop a soulful house album in the Year Of Our Lord 2022… but here we are.

https://www.instagram.com/champagnepapi

Categories
Music

The Range – 1995

US producer The Range is responsible for one of my all-time favourite and go-to “get shit done at work” mix. His new album Mercury is full of the same sample-heavy., outrageously feel-good electronic tunes, and while it doesn’t quite compete in terms of sheer propulsive energy as his mixes, is still definitely worth checking out.

http://www.therange.us