The Cracks #4
A few recent releases I've enjoyed but hadn't written about until now
Build Buildings - Ecotone
US artist Ben Tweel has been ploughing away for more than two decades making experimental music as Build Buildings, mainly glitchy electronica. This year though he turned the corner with an ambient LP called Ecotone for French label LAAPS. On guitar, lap harp, ukulele, mbira and piano, and assisted by family (Mia Tweel on clarinet and Louis Tweel on lap harp) he processes the various instruments to harmonise and consolidate, leaving us with a smooth and consistent sound. The label suggests it's like early Oval works (from 2010).
Adiel - (What You Want) Is Music
(What You Want) Is Music is top quality experimental bass music from the Italian artist Adiel, with her debut on Spazio Disponibile. More headphone than floor, the vibe is downtempo. And with the help of Pinch on additional mixing duties, it's a subtle and unassuming work.
Ambient Babestation Meltdown & Borai - Human Material
Human Material came out in April this year but I haven't mentioned it yet. Anglo-Burmese / Indian DJ and maker Rachael Williams, aka Ambient Babestation Meltdown, teams up with Bristol's Borai (real name Boris English) for three sublime slices of pumping beats flavoured with Acid, Electro and Hardcore. Williams's monotone vocal delivers on the "uprising of subservient robots" theme perfectly.
Pulsatilla and Vivian Li - The Unseen Society of Microcreatures
This enchanting album has been sitting in my inbox for a while and even though I kept revisiting it on my weekly inbox sweeps, I inexplicably never committed to reviewing it. So, in case it disappears between the cracks, I wanted to write a note for posterity. On The Unseen Society of Microcreatures, Vivian Li and Lisa Pulsatilla blend drones and subtle acoustic elements to create a dreamy and gently changeable escape. The short track lengths (18 tracks in just over half an hour) bring a sense of the temporary, like weather changes in short succession. Out via sound as language.
Laura Cannell - The Rituals of Hildegard Reimagined
The work of Laura Cannell was fairly new to me before hearing The Rituals of Hildegard Reimagined, an alluring album of Ambient music inspired by the 12th century writer, philosopher and mystic Hildegard von Bingen. Across twelve tracks, some inspired by von Bingen, others reconstructed from von Bingen's monophonic originals, we find ourselves pitched back in time. With bass recorders, a 12-string knee harp and delay pedal, there's an authenticity that lends the release gravitas.
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Xylitol - Anemones
Another new name to me, Catherine Backhouse has been producing Jungle and Hardcore inspired music as Xylitol for more than ten years. Released via Planet Mu, you are correct in assuming Anemones includes breaks; the frantic drums and familiar samples are tempered with tuneful melody, much like the best of Aphex Twin and µ-Ziq. Really enjoyable.
Andy Martin - La creación de las aves
The name sounds English but Andy Martin is a Mexican artist making sharp, almost funky, Techno. La creación de las aves is his third album (on his own imprint Diaspora Echoes) and it's a lively affair (eight tracks at 140+ BPM) with flashes of Detroit, Dub and peak time throughout. And while hugely enjoyable on a listening level, deeper themes can be sought via his primary source of inspiration: the work of surrealist artwork of Remedios Varo.
Stereo Minus One - Gagarin
Machine Records boss Dan Haines Cohen makes experimental electronic music as Stereo Minus One. With Gagarin he was challenged to make twenty minutes of new music in a short time frame, a task which took him out of his comfort zone, forcing him to reassess his approach to production. While the result remains veiled in the grainy Stereo Minus One sound, Cohen's use of more conventional rhythms enhances accessibility, making it very easy to play on repeat. As with many Machine Records releases, deeper concepts are woven into the music. In the case of Gagarin, Cohen works around themes of mental health.
Ninechecker - A Very English Wind
Dub-infused Electro with subtle touches of Acid from the excellent brokntoys label by a mysterious Canadian producer called Ninechecker. Very tastefully done - A Very English Wind.
A few more
These releases have received plenty of adoration from all corners already so I'm merely confirming that they are well worth investigating if you've not yet done so: