The Predatory Wasp
Ben Frost absolutely terrifies me. This is one of the more melodic records I’ve heard of his, and it’s still pretty brutal. Really amazing though, and exactly the kind of thing you want to play really loud first thing on a Monday to properly kick start your week: lovely, doomy industrial techno all over your quietly weeping face.
Groggy cloud rap meets downtempo breaks from Zak Arogundade aka Ecco2K. Includes the lyric “Crushing rocks with Oyster card, so nauseous, can’t sleep it off” which tells you everything you need to know about the tone. Does very little, but remains completely engaging throughout.
Pop meets trance in a hyperactive bubblegum echo chamber. About as positive a record as you’re likely to hear this year. Plus the entire EP Beauty is on YouTube, which is what I’ve posted below: You is the first song on there. Or there’s a pay what you like option to buy via the Bandcamp link. Florescent pink gold.
Want to feel even more paranoid and stressed than you already are? Dive into this whirling 808 fest from king of lo-fi house Joey Anderson – it’s great! And actually not that stressful if you can get past the incessant alarm-synth into the lush pads beyond. It’s Friday, so let’s party like it’s three weeks ago and we were allowed to mingle. Also Bandcamp are waiving their royalty fees for today only, so there’s never been a better time to add this to your collection.
Ultraísta is a trio of Atoms For Peace members Nigel Godrich and Joey Waronke, and singer/songwriter and producer Laura Bettinson. Save It ’til Later is taken from their second album Sister, and has more than a touch of Warpaint about it, like a less grimy, slicker, more electronic-obsessed cousin.
Today I wanted to take a moment to highlight one of my favourite electronic records ever produced. Traumprinz’s remix sounds nothing like the original, but is for me absolutely perfect. I can’t even being to estimate how many times I’ve listened to this, and if you’re never listened to DJ Metatron’s (one of his many, many pseudonyms) This Is Not… mix in which this features, then you’re in for a treat. Utterly sublime.
Absolutely love these guys and think they deserve way more attention than the get. They produce loads of different styles of music but this sees them in full beatless techno mode. If you’re new to Paper Dollhouse I’d highly recommend their 2018 album The Sky Looks Different Here which includes some of my favourite music of that year.
At the other end of the ambient spectrum today with something extremely tranquil and enjoyable to lose yourself in. Eight minutes of dreamy synths, plucked guitars and cosmic loveliness. Taken from their second collaborative album Elephant following 2017’s equally chilled Buy Corals Online.
This is massively reminiscent of Toro Y Moi’s album Boo Boo from a few years ago, both vocally and in the production. Really love it. Very stripped down and minimal but the few elements there are all work together beautifully.
Sufjan has made a ‘new age’ (his words, not mine) album with his stepfather which is coming out next month, and this is the lead single. It’s brief but pretty intense: definitely more Age of Adz than Seven Swans. Intrigued to hear the LP.
The Predatory Wasp 