The Predatory Wasp
As recommended by Philip Sherburne in his excellent Futurism Restated newsletter, Total Blue is a the Los Angeles-based trio of Nicky Benedek, Alex Talan, and Anthony Calonico whose self-titled debut album came out earlier this month. Working with digital synths, an Akai EVI wind synthesizer, fretless bass, and guitar, the trio masterfully balance texture and colour, evoking expansive vistas and crafting a supremely chilled vibe.
Triumphant, emotionally resonant techno from JakoJako’s eagerly awaited Segmente EP which is out today on NovaMute.
Berlin based modular synthesist and DJ JakoJako’s, aka Sibel Koçer, recently announced a new four-track Segmente EP which will be coming out 18 July on NovaMute, and Introspection is the second single to be released from it. Pretentiously, nauseatingly described by Resident Advisor as ““fragile techno written in the key of wonder”, I feel slightly sick quoting this level of dewy-eyed fawning, but here we are.
Illuvia is the music project of Ludvig Cimbrelius who also releases music as Purl, Eternell and Abraço de Vapor. New album Earth Prism is his third under this ambient drum n bass leaning alias, and does pretty much exactly what you’d expect, with atmospheric pads and lush melodies combined with lo-fi drums filtered almost out of existence.
https://astrangelyisolatedplace.bandcamp.com/album/earth-prism
Actress and Smalltown Supersound promise you a safe and transcendent journey…
Earlier this year, London-based Mia Koden put together a mix of unreleased material and let people vote what three tracks should be on her new EP 34U, which landed last month. Expect moody dubs and junglist movements with Inna Fear the clear standout.
Glassy ambient from Karl Primo under his Lb Honne alias, taken from the new album present future / here there. I’d like to tell you more, but there just isn’t time.
https://projindigo.bandcamp.com/album/present-future-here-there
Live’s new LP (EP? mixtape?) is a pretty tough listen in places. The hecticness of the opening track almost seems designed to put you off, but you’ve settled into its crunchy, super-lofi aesthetic, there are a few moments of genuine brilliance, Mashed Feelings among them. It’s unlikely to generate quite the same hype as last year’s Girl In The Half Pearl, but it’s still definitely worth a listen.
Nina Kinert released RELIGIOUS last year; an album telling personal stories about growing up within the Pentecostal Church Community in Sweden. Her new LP CHORALS is a continuation of RELIGIOUS and is billed as “an experiment revolving around voice and death” recorded in close collaboration with Anton Sundell and Daniel Fagge Fagerström. It’s beautiful, and if you’re interested in hearing more about Nina’s experiences and the recording progress, be sure to check my interview with her from last year.
It’s taken more than two decades for the music I was obsessed with as a teenager to become fashionable again. It’s been worth the wait. There are a few artists pushing this sound now, but German duo DJ Heartstring have got the formula down to a fine art. Trance? Yes! Hardcore? Sure! 90s pop-dance. Of course! Taken from their three-track EP Don’t Stop which clocks in at sub 10 minutes for the lot. Saccharine beats for happy-sad lads.
The Predatory Wasp 