Electronica
Album review: Mapstation – ‘My Frequencies, When We’: playful, immensely thoughtful tronica
My Frequencies, When We may not flaunt its wares with garish insouciance; but like so many of the albums that end up welded to your turntable, it keeps on enticing you back for more exploration, further interaction. It occasionally raises a grin and equally occasionally, an eyebrow; it’s varied in its approach yet thoroughly cohesive. It’s an immensely thoughtful record
News: Stubborn Heart to release first album for eight years; hear ‘Talking Gold’
LUCA SANTUCCI and Ben Fitzgerald, the British electronica duo who fire a line into electronic soul through techno, house, synthpop and more, are back, with their first album in more than eight years set to be released on One Little Independent come summer. That self-titled debut from back in 2012 got the plaudits from the …
Track: Hannah Peel’s ‘Evocative’ is tomorrow’s world today
FOR HER latest journey into the world of sound, the album Fir Wave, out at the end of next month, Hannah Peel was given the keys to a sound source of classic production recordings made by a legend of electronic music whose lineage she’s carrying forward – Delia Derbyshire. As she explains: “The specialist library …
Tracks: Hear ‘Mothra’ and ‘Ecce! Ego!’ ahead of Leon Vynehall’s new album for Ninja
NOTHING IS STILL, Leon Vynehall’s third album and his debut outing for Ninja Tune, absolutely elevated the British electronica explorer to the top echelons of cutting-edge creativity in the form; don’t believe me? Luxuriate in the swoon of “From The Sea/It Looms (Chapters I & II)” and then come back to me. (Oh yeah, Ninja …
Interview: we talk to Jean-Phi Dary & Jeff Mills about their collaboration ‘The Paradox’ and discuss the new album: Counter Active
Paradox: a doubtful statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true. When a spark ignites between two musicians, the state of flow can be achieved. Usually, a fleeting sensation, but when captured, it is an unstoppable force. The coming together of Jeff Mills and Jean-Phi Dary came …
News: Andy Bell announces trio of EPs and a compilation; see the GLOK remix of ‘Indica’
RIDE guitarist, singer and sonic explorer Andy Bell has announced a series of three EPs and a compilation to keep you satiated with leftfield shoegazey pop supreme right the way from spring to midsummer. It looks lush; see for yourself. The series of EPs is entitled Ever Decreasing Circles and will begin on April 9th …
NEWS: Mute sign Sylph, with an EP in May; hear his debut vocal banger, ‘Braid’
DANIEL MILLER’S Mute has added yet another string to its bow with the signing of Sylph, whose debut EP for the legendary imprint, Silver As It Was Before, will be out in late May; you can hear the unveiling track, “Braid” below. Sylph is the solo project of the former singer with South London post-punks …
NEWS: Chihei Hatakeyama announces a beautiful new ambient album for Gearbox; hear ‘Sound Of Air’
CHIHEI HATAKEYAMA is one of those sonic voyagers who have the muse whispering seemingly constantly. He’s one of those artists, like The Fall, Sun Ra, John Dwyer and the spiral arm of Thee Oh Sees/Oh Sees/Osees, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, who who produce, produce, always have an album due, a musical iron in …
TRACK: Bathe in the retrotronica beauty of Lisel + Booker Stardrum’s ‘I Am Not Ready To Go’, opening for April album
ELIZA BEGG, the vocalist and composer who guises as Lisel musically, and electronica creator and percussionist Booker Stardrum, have been friends a long time, in each other’s musical orbit; and have spent recent time wisely with a six-week, remote collaboration eliciting an album, their first together: it’s to be called Mycelial Echo, and it’ll be …
Album review – Seasurfer’s Zombies is an electrifying dream pop blast in a gothic cloak
Hamburg duo Seasurfer have released an extraordinary double album called ‘Zombies’, packed full of stupendous anthemic dream pop songs that are differentiated from the pack by an electronic spine and dark-tinged gothic attack. Singer Apolonia’s voice is absolutely ethereal and angelic – creating a tension between her dulcet, soaring, velvet tones and the electronic thrumming …