Music Journal #007

The DJ-Kicks compilation series continues to impress - I finally got round to checking out the Wolf + Lamb vs. Soul Clap entry into the series. Both duos are part of the driving force behind deep house in the UK, and they haven't earned their popularity undeservedly at all. The mix is as dependable as their productions are, including cuts from Benoit & Sergio, Gadi Mizrahi, Lee Curtiss and Ben Westbeech & Sec as well as Wolf + Lamb and Soul Clap themselves. The surprising thing for me was that it felt like more of a bedroom, headphones listen than a snippet of any club set. This is mainly due to the lengthy periods without a beat. The mixing was as seamless as they intended with the occasional shake-up and they gave most of the tracks enough breathing space - very rarely did a track wear out its welcome. Seriously solid release and well worth a listen for anyone looking for deep house vibes.

Exuma is an intriguing character. Hailing from the Bahamas, he created with a near-ineffable musical style, combining folk, calypso, reggae, an African influences on the album Exuma II. The first track, Damn Fool, carries ritualistic chants and tones in an upbeat tribal manner, and my initial thoughts that that's how the album would sound were completely wrong as the next track, Baal, proved to be a passionate, mournful ballad. Still, as the album unfolds, the spiritual theme is the common link throughout. It feels like this album could be for those gaining belief as well as those losing faith. The inescapable epic A Place Called Earth sounded like something Tom Waits would come up with, and I also loved the blues-infused African beats on We Got To Go. I'm unfamiliar with the other works of Exuma, as well as any meaningful detail about the man himself, but this album is very, very impressive - I suppose that's something one should expect though from a man who shared stages and rubbed shoulders with the somewhat eclectic likes of Hendrix, Dylan and Streisand, Black Flag, Sly and the Family Stone and  and Peter Tosh, at their peaks.

Cosmin TRG released the album Simulat on 50Weapons, a label created by one of my favourite artists Modeselektor - the premise of the label is to put out just 50 releases, so with that self-imposed limit in mind one expects every release to be something special. I quite enjoyed the album - I am appreciative of how techno albums don't always nail down the 'album' concept and cohesiveness. However, this record was very well-paced, resulting in an easy yet rewarding listen that never strains the listeners' ears. The more four-to-the-floor tracks are good but underwhelm without a sound system to take advantage of them, but they are enjoyable nonetheless. The ambient interludes tie things together nicely, seemingly an aspect that Cosmin TRG has really got nailed down.

When it comes to talking about the birth and growth of dubstep, names such as Mala, Coki, Loefah, Hatcha, and later Skream and Benga are always mentioned. Another name that always pops up is Horsepower Productions. I don't know who Horsepower Productions are, but I know they're credited with providing a platform for dubstep to develop and I finally got a taste of how when I got round to listening to In Fine Style. The album sees the sounds of garage and 2-step reach out further as elements of early dubstep creep in. It all results in a compilation of heavyweight, extremely capable dancefloor destroyers.

Another label that has been gaining notoriety for outrageously forward-thinking delights is PAN. A lot of this seems to be due to the works of Lee Gamble, so I gave the highly-acclaimed Diversions 1994-1996 a listen. I'd previously enjoyed one of the more prominent tracks, Dollis Hill, which takes a jungle break to whole new depths of dark, and as such I was quite surprised to find a huge amount of the album was ambient. For the most part of it. Diversions 1994-1996 is an experimental adventure through all things eerie and abstract - frequently uneasy and occasionally pensive. Obscure, distorted samples are scattered sparsely among tense, droning chords to form a record with its own presence and character - this is one that demands many re-listens.

The EP Freak'n U from Beacon provided a steady stream of club-ready jams with an audio set darting between stuttering future garage basslines and 80s-style percussion and synth samples. Funwith good vibes if nothing outstanding. I was really impressed by Leon Vynehall's Gold Language EP - the highlight of which can be found on the remix of the title track where Gang Colours implement a delightfully staggering, tumbling piano loop over the deep house tune.

Night Slugs has been one of the labels that I've been most interested in over the past year or so, largely thanks to the works of Jam City and Girl Unit. Their Allstars Volume 2 compilation is a worthy slice of Night Slugs' arsenal of hyper-kinetic tracks, with hyped cuts such as Silo Pass, Ensemble (Club Mix) and How We Relate To The Body. It also showcases some of the newer artists coming through on the label such as Lil Silva, while reminding us what the likes of Kingdom and L-Vis 1990 are capable of. A good place to start if you want to get into the label's work, and a good catch if you just want another chapter from the life of Night Slugs.

For the most part, I'm only really into Radiohead's electronic-leaning works, first hearing The King of Limbs and later falling in love with Kid A. I haven't got round to listening to The Eraser apart from the title track and Harrowdown Hill (oh my, Harrowdown Hill!) However, I have followed Yorke's electronic collaborations, playlists and DJing with some interest. So I go into Atoms For Peace's AMOK with what some might call ignorance but personally I'd say my view was clearer. I don't see this as Radiohead work, nor do I see it as a sequel to The Eraser - it's been seven years since that album too, mind. The album does not seem very refined - but what there are a lot of are ideas. I love the way the percussion played on instruments feels like it was all done on a drum machine - it's just the sound set really. I also enjoy how the record flirts with the low-end frequencies more than others, giving it all a somber tone yet in a human way, as opposed to digital. I suppose what I really like about this album, despite its flaws, is that it does what it sets out to do and blurs the lines between everything - spirit and computer, electronic and rock (in a non-cringe crossover way) and everything really. Ingenue, Dropped and Stuck Together Pieces are all fantastic pieces of work.

I follow many internet websites and blogs based around music as I enjoy their general curating of good music, usually new and upcoming. I realise this can close off my view at times and contribute to the narrowing of my knowledge but I stick with it because every once in a while, they throw up a real gem of an artist. One gem in particular is the group Hiatus Kaiyote. Their album Tawk Tomahawk brings together contemporary jazz with soul, R'n'B and hip-hop/beats. They explore different weightings of each element in their formula on a journey that proves to be adventurous, comforting and occasionally dazing. Everything from the progressive opener Mobius Streak, to the estranged-jam nature of Ocelot all the way to the heart-melting close of Nakamarra is enchanting and it's impossible not to look forward to whatever this band has left in store.

At the behest of my friend I dived into the album Kin, by Iamamiwhoami. It turned out to be a really worthwhile listen, channeling the eeriness of The Knife with Björk's experimental-ism while ringing the same bells as fellow pop-electronic contemporaries Goldfrapp, Grimes and Robyn. Part of the time, the music on this record feels extremely dance-able however I spent most of it on edge, taking in its urgent, uneasy drive. The ambient moments shine while the synth-pop elements are more than solid, though I certainly prefer the former aspect. The vocals are also a highlight - there's something enticing, perhaps mysterious about them I suppose - I can't quite put my finger on it which I'm taking as a good thing. They're warm with a familiar feel, yet so distant. It's a bit like when you see a friend really far away and you think it is them but you're never quite sure until you get closer. Regardless, the album feels surprisingly accessible but only just - it's weird enough to keep things interesting and makes for an entertaining, provoking listening experience.