Pop Jams

Holly Herndon "Interference" // Forget those records we placed aboard space probes and launched into space, when we finally do make contact with aliens, we'll just call Holly Herndon. Here's a great convo she did at Red Bull Academy last fall.

 

Thomas Brinkmann "Agent Orange" // Brutal electronics from Mr. Brinkmann, who's back with a new record on Mego shortly. On headphones this sounds like riding a helicopter into hell. Loved his contributions to Oren Ambarchi's "Quixotism" last year. Not the guy I remember from my early minimal days. This is stunning.

 

Sheer Mag "Button Up" // Even if proper spring is weeks away, this glam boogie gem will keep my heart full of hope.  

 

Alice Coltrane "Oh Allah" // Sublime. Soon getting the reissue treatment from Superior Viaduct.

 

C-Duncan "Here To There" // Breezy bedroom pop from a Scottish cat who's apparently classically trained. Nice!

 

Kero Kero Bonito "Picture This" // Sharp commentary on the power of nostalgia. 

Music is the closest thing to silence

Trippy mini-documentary on Ariel Kalma via RVNG Intl.

The weekend playlist:

“Lost Themes” John Carpenter // Sacred Bones, 2015
“Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee” Matana Roberts // Constellation, 2015
“Star System” Microtub // Sofa, 2014
“415C47197F8E8…” TCF // Liberation Technologies, 2014
“Cultural Variance ep” DJ Bone // Leftroom, 2014
“Scythians ep” Me.Sh // PAN, 2014
“Improvisations au Zarb” Djamchid Chemirani // harmonia mundi, 2015 / 1976
“Strange Dreams” Alex Calder // Captured Tracks, 2015
"Rats In Your Bed" Chandos // Carpark, 2015

Break It Down

Another grab bag Friday evening. 

I'm digging the reissue of Tom Dissevelt and Kid Baltan's 'El Fascinante Mundo De La Musica Electronica (Fascinating World Of Electronic Music)' released on Sonitron. The liner notes, which look comprehensive, are in Spanish, but I do know these gentlemen were early electronic experimenters who draw on modern classical and jazz to create a mix of fractured, whimsical and sometimes psychedelic  sounds..

Here's a clip from "Sonic Re-entry," another one of the duo's cosmic explorations:

 

And here they are in 1959, bringing the tape manipulation skills. 

So much crypto Aphex, so little time. I dig the sound of this simple breakbeat getting pulled into a vortex.

Finally, 'Ferg Forever' is still dominating my mixtape rotation.  

Saturday Grab Bag

Low-key Saturday night in, I grabbed an assortment of records I'd flagged as needing closer inspection. Here's what I played.

Harsh Toke ’Light Up And Live’
Tee Pee Records, 2013

Full freak-out psych from a San Diego outfit that churn out commendable stoner metal jams on this debut from late 2013. Bluesy acid rock led with some cosmic guitar soloing from Justin Figueroa, who’s apparently also a pro skater. This is a scorcher. 

 

Sun Ra & His Astro-Infinity Arkestra ‘Sign Of They Myth'
Roaratorio, 2014

Minneapolis-based Roaratorio released this lost Sun Ra session, recorded in 1973 for ABC/Impulse before it canceled his contract. Along the same lines as other work from the era, with the Arkestra out exploring their own respective corners of the universe. Notable for some explosive reed work and a range of kooky Moog action from Ra himself, this thing is jam packed with things I keep coming back to try and understand.

The similarly minded "Astro Black":


N.Racker ’Flock Toxicant’
Pre-Cert Home Entertainment, 2012 (UK)

Spine-tingling textures and sinister forms from an incognito producer whose identity remains the subject of speculation. Whoever’s at the helm is steering us through some dark waters. Unsettling soundscapes that would feel right at home accompanying some sort of Soviet cartoon. Originally released in late 2012 on Pre-Cert.

 

Paul Metzger 'Tombeaux'
Nero's Neptune, 2013

The almighty Paul Metzger is a Twin Cities-based instrumentalist who plucks, strums and takes a bow to a self-modified 23-string banjo. “Tombeaux" is a peculiar fusion of Appalachian and buddhist vibes, drawing from string influences that span from Fahey to classical sitar.

Nero’s Neptune says Metzger recorded these three extended tracks in the middle of a “dead Minnesota winter.” That might be why this makes me want to curl up in front of a fire. This is amazing and Metzger should be working with someone like Christian Fennesz or Stephen O’Malley as soon as possible.