Chino Amobi - Paris X

Richmond, VA-based producer, visual artist and co-founder of the cult label NON Worldwide Chino Amobi has just premiered a new track on his Soundcloud entitled "Paris X". Following up "Paris 7" and "Paris 8", the "X" version starts as an addicitve R&B/house joint with sampled vocals laid over pulsating beat lined with icy synths, only to evolve into a protest song backed with EBM-flavoured synthwave instrumental.

It can be downloaded and streamed for free below. Make sure to also visit Amobi's bandcamp for his latest full length project "Darling Street".

Dodo - Brasse

Just came across this 7" from French singer/producer Dodo, released by experimental label Dawn Records, who also put out this excellent EP from Lieu Noir. Two hypnotizing tracks of slow NOIR&B sung in French, both only 2 min short, grabbed my attention instantly. There's a couple of tracks on Dodo's Soundcloud, so check those out too.

Stream the single below, and order the vinyl here.

Grass Mirror - Loose Sketches September–October 2021

Based in Oakland, CA Grass Mirror is an alias of producer and designer Kirk Johnson, who's been putting out quality sound collages since 2010, standing next to his contemporaries Dem Hunger and Yuk. After releasing 12 projects filled with abstract beats and psychedelic samples, he went on hiatus in 2016, only to return earlier this year with a new album and a couple of EPs. Johnson's most recent project "Loose Sketches" is a seven track collection of raw and fractured compositions recorded over a period of two months, that Grass Mirror describes as "sonic experiments, straight to tape ideas, and improvisational arrangements". While still channelling his obscure beat signature, those seven plates tend to drift more towards ambient IDM and new age bliss, lined with cinematic synths and noisy glitches.

Check this release here, and stream it below.

DEAD BITCH - Self​-​vandalism

DEAD BITCH is an experimental electronic producer from Tokyo, Japan, who just released her first tape via new underground imprint Discipline Production. The EP consists of four original tracks that shred genre boundaries to pieces, summoning elements of deconstructed techno, rhythmic noise, dark ambient and even Gvcci Hvcci-flavoured witch-house. On top of that we get two evil remixes and co-signs from Golpe Mortal and Cemetery, both expanding the brutal and bleak vibe of the release. It may be a challenging listen for the faint-hearted, but "Self-vandalism" is a rewarding and eclectic project that serves as a great introduction to DEAD BITCH and the Discipline collective.

Buy the digital here (tapes are sold out unfortuntately), and stream it below.

It's The CH Rom Band!

CH Rom sent my way two of his latest singles from his upcoming collab project "It's The CH Rom Band!". Rom aka Charley Lanning is a New York-based multi instrumentalist, producer, DJ and artist who rose to online fame back in the golden era of blogspots and myspace days (check out his and Ryan Howe's blog SKYMALL if you crave some nostalgia). Anyway, these two new singles are totally weird and addictive, imagine James Ferraro and Devo did a session together. Bizzaro synth-pop jams for mutant millenial opera set in a (post) consumerist world.

Curses presents: Next Wave Acid Punx

Earlier this year Belgian label Eskimo Recordings unveiled a mammoth compilation of 38 tracks compiled by German producer and DJ Curses entitled "Next Wave Acid Punx". Spanning four decades of music, it's an epic collection of dark electronic dancefloor hits, including tracks from Suicide, Yello, Front 242 as well as modern faces of dark disco scene like Curses himself, Shubostar or Zombies in Miami. Whether you like darkwave, italo-disco, EBM or new beat, you'll find something special for yourself.

You can buy the album as a 3 CD set or split into 2 LPs here, stream below.

NIGELTHREETIMES - Reflection: Infinite

NIGELTHREETIMES is a producer and MC from Queens, New York. I discovered him last year thanks to his brilliant tape "Call Of The Void" on Pictureplane's label Alien Body Music. "Reflection: Infinite" is his follow-up album from May this year, a nine-track heavy collection of rad jungle and breakbeats, interpreted through NY lens. Raw energy mixed with skillful craftsmanship. Listening to Nigel's music brings back memories of the old school Dubstepforum days and finding gems like that.

Sick album, check it out here, and stream below.

Alice Glass - Baby Teeth // video

Alice Glass dropped a new single from her upcoming album "Prey//IV" last week, but somehow it didn't bleep on my radar until today. Produced by Jupiter 'io' Keyes, "Baby Teeth" is a killer electro-punk banger adorned with gruesomely dark lyrics, that follows the vision Glass and Keyes molded on the self-titled EP from 2017. Love it and cannot wait for the full LP.

"Prey//IV" is out January 28 via her own label Eating Glass Records, and can be pre-ordered here. No news so far about physical editions.

SØLVE - The Negative

SØLVE is a solo project of the musician, producer and mastering engineer Brant Showers, half of the cult duo ∆AIMON. Thanks to Re:Mission Entertainment, his debut LP "The Negative" got a reissue treatment two days ago, being remastered and released on CD and (for the first time) cassette tape. Originally issued on French label Audiotrauma in 2016, the album’s core template is a gritty post-industrial sound that morphs throughout "The Negative" by sourcing elements from Brant's signature witch-house beats, unsettling dark ambient, cinematic sound design and noisy drone. It’s a retrospective project that’s both beautifully brutal and strangely captivating. I feel like "The Negative" needs time to grow to fully appreciate it and gets better with each listen, revealing new intricacies along the way (especially with the new remaster).

Order your copy from Re:Mision here, and stream the album in full below.

Grove - Spice

Grove is a Bristol-based vocalist, producer and DJ. Their latest mixtape "Spice" is a collection of five experimental hip-hop tracks charged with dancehall energy and punk attitude. Alongside the digital release, published in collaboration with Bokeh Versions and Spinny Nights, Grove also dropped a limited "Spice" frangance, perfect for a little Xmas treat. Also, while browsing their bandcamp, make sure to also check the Queer + Black EP, which landed in February this year - absolute gem, that will soon be also released on vinyl.

You can buy "Spice" mixtape here, and stream it below.

Makeup - Anti-Music Vol.II

Makeup is an alias of Arkia Jahani, a Persian-American composer and multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles, CA. I discovered him back in 2015 thanks to his amazing EP "Divine Fashion", filled with atmospheric downtempo beats and synth soundscapes. "Anti-Music Vol.II" is the second volume of his experimental releases where worlds of rhythmic noise, industrial techno and obscure IDM collide. Uncompromising music for uncertain times.

Buy "Anti-Music Vol.II" here, and stream it below.

Neggy Gemmy - California // video

Neggy Gemmy (fka Negative Gemini) is the new nickname of Los Angeles-based singer, producer and 100% Electronica co-founder Lindsey French, mastermind behind one of my fav dance albums from 2016: "Body Work". She's just premiered her latest video single for catchy pop jam "California", lifted from her forthcoming album. Dive into the 360 VR visualizer above.

Tonstartssbandht - Petunia

Latest album from the psych rock jammers Tonstartssbandht has been on repeat since it came out in October, and I really can't get enough of it. Entitled "Petunia", it is a joyous, folk-flavoured ride that progresses their signature noisy sound into a more polished, melodic and well structured songwriting. It still has the unique brotherly chemistry present, but this time round their collaboration feels even more seamless and mature, giving the record a wholesome album-proper vibe.

Buy "Petunia" and TBT merch here, and stream the LP below.

Holy Other - Lieve

"Lieve", the sophomore album from Holy Other is finally here. Almost a decade after his last record, we get ten new tracks and a new set of sheets for the beautifully lit front cover. The elusive producer delivers his signature sound of mesmerizing downtempo electronica, this time more deconstructed, polished and darker than ever before, often drifting towards a sonic territory located somewhere between Haxan Cloak's Latitudes record and "Double Negative" from Low. Recorded during 2020, the album effortlessly blends dark ambient with fractured electronic signals and cold IDM undertones, creating multi-layered compositions that are occasionally graced with ethereal vocals from Sian O'Gorman. It's a stunning comeback from one of the most iconic faces of the Tri Angle label, that will undoubtedly end up on many end-of-year lists.

Purchase "Lieve" here, and stream it below.

VOODOO CRYSTALS - Unreleased II

VOODOO CRYSTALS shared on his Bandcamp a compilation of unreleased, rare and previously Soundcloud-only tracks. Synth punk, witch house, experimental body music, and mutant electro all cross paths and clash with each other throughout the release making the listening experience an unpredictable journey. Due to the nature of such a project some tracks are stronger than others, but I still love the fact that artists share more obscure works in this format.

You can purchase "Unreleased II" here, and stream it below.

Jason Priest - Jason Priest Is Missing

Antoni Maiovvi has consistently been one of the most hard-working musicians out there. Between scoring movies, running a cult label Giallo Disco, and skillfully maintaining a handful of multi-genre side projects (I recommended his Ye Gods tape a few days ago) he once again managed to reinvent himself. Jason Priest is the synthpop/post-punk alter ego of Maiovvi, who also appears here on vocal duties. We had a teaser of Jason Priest on his self-released EP "Nightmare Boy" in 2019, but "Jason Priest Is Missing" is a much more focused affair with a fully fleshed out concept. Released by Midnight Mannequin Records on vinyl, it's an album filled with leather-clad synthpop jams carried by dynamic retro-future melodies and hooks. Infused with new wave and post-punk influences, it's a distinct record that sounds both oddly familiar but also excitingly fresh. Fans of The Present Moment and Lust For Youth pay attention.

You can buy the album here. Also don't miss out on the free digital single "When The Clown Cries" available here.

Twin Galaxxies - Imminent Reversal

"Imminent Reversal" is the latest longplay from London-based producer Alex Myers aka Twin Galaxxies, released in the beginning of 2021 via Pure Life on vinyl, tape and VHS (!). Ten psychedelic transmissions that bring to mind works of OPN and Emeralds. The album is a trippy astral voyage through retro-future landscapes painted with otherworldly synths, lingering arpeggios and lush ambience, evoking a nostalgia for worlds that never existed. Ace.

You can still cop the vinyl and tapes here. Stream below.

PHARMACIST

PHARMACIST is the new alter-ego of Collin Kirk, probably best known for his witch-house project Indigochild which debuted back in 2010 on a split tape with Holy Other. The announcement of the new name a couple of months ago was followed by publication of two tracks ("blight" and "Oil") on his Youtube channel. While the first one still channeled his drag/witchy past, the latter, sitting somewhere between NIKE7UP's collage-mindfuckery and hyperactive glitch techno (highlighted with some crazy baritone sax), proved that Collin is ready to take us to uncharted aural territories. His latest single "nothinginthiswholeworld", dedicated to his partner, brings to mind ethereal crooning of SALEM on "Diewithme" mixed with murky ambient from those early How To Dress Well EPs and Palmistry's celestial minimalism from his collabs with Triad God. And unlike those references, PHARMACIST's track manages to leave the listener with a sense of hope.

Get on board and check out (and exclusively download) "nothinginthiswholeworld" and "Oil" below.

DL: PHARMACIST - nothinginthiswholeworld

DL: PHARMACIST - oil

RRA - رقص القمر (Moon Dancing)

RRA is Sara Abdelaal, producer and vocalist based in Minneapolis, MN, best known as a bass/synth player for minimal synth/post-punk trio CLAPS. Her new solo album "رقص القمر (Moon Dancing)", which came out this year on The Conservatory Records, is a collection of meticulously selected egyptian sounds and minimal wave cuts, all charged with serious dub energy (RRA quotes UK dub unit New Age Steppers and Lebanese singer Fairouz as inspirations). Her music reminds me of last year's minimal trip-hop from Dijit, but feels more playful and head-nod-friendly thanks to more established song structures.

Order your tapes here, stream the LP below.

New Age Doom x Lee "Scratch" Perry

Vancouver drone-metal shredders New Age Doom have just released a collab album with late Lee Scratch Perry, via We Are Busy Bodies. Entitled "Lee "Scratch" Perry's Guide to the Universe", the album is a fusion of dub legend's life musings and droning free jazz-like compositions, making it truly one of a kind listening experience. The label just released a video to "Life is an Experiment", possibly the widest clip I've seen on Youtube.

Check it out below, and stream/buy the LP here.

Ye Gods x Sacred Lodge - Pulvis Et Umbra

Sick-looking split on newly minted Italian tape label Deviant Pleasures. Featuring Ye Gods, an "occult electro" alter-ego of Antoni Maiovii, and French tribal-drone outfit Sacred Lodge (their tape for OKVLT is really rad). Expect warped electronics, industrial techno, rhythmic noise, psych-drone and more. The split will also include remixes from R. Gamble and UVB76. Preview the whole lot below, and order the tape here.

Nosaj Thing - No Mind (Expanded)

Luckyme published yesterday "No Mind (Expanded)" - a beat-less follow up to Nosaj Thing's excellent "No Mind" EP that came out last year. Three tracks, each stretched to +10 min, of lush ambience "created for meditation & flow state", perfect for zoning out. You can buy it here.

VHVL - Hem/Sew

Veronica Lauren, better known as VHVL, is a musician and producer from New York City. She debuted in 2013 with her beat-tape "Myrrh", which was followed up with two excellent albums for Leaving Records and some now-deleted Bandcamp exclusives. On her new longplay "Hem/Sew", released couple of weeks ago by RVNG Intl., she continues her sonic explorations by drifting smoothly between cinematic synth-ambient and leftfield beats in the vein of AFTA-1 and Nosaj Thing. One of my fav instrumental projects this year. Cop the tape here, and check the video for the first single "Sew" below.

Cotton Crown - Wretched Lie

Goth-wave gems from London-based musician and singer Owen Williams (The Tubs, Ex-Vöid), under new alter-ego Cotton Crown. "Wretched Lie" is a two-track cassingle, released last month by Gob Nation. Total 80s vibes, especially the titular track makes me think of Lost Boys for some reason. Cop it now or miss it later. Fingers crossed there's an album or EP on the way!

Buy the cassette here, you can also download it there for free. Stream below.

Riki - Florence & Selena // video

Dais Records just published new video single for Riki's upcoming album "Gold" (out November 26th), full of Twin Peaks moods and topped off with a sexy sax solo. You can pre-order the record on Dais website or on Bandcamp.

Clams Casino announces Winter Flower

Clams Casino just dropped new single entitled "Water Theme 2" which heralds his new instrumental album "Winter Flower", to be released next Wednesday, November 17th. Style like no other. You can pre-save the album here.

Kutmah - OKTNOV

Kutmah has just put out a new album called "OKTNOV" for Bandcamp day, filled with spaced out, dusty beats reminscent of lo-fi abstract productions of Ras G and blunted classics from Madlib. The record actually features a handful of tributes to the aforementioned plus samples of DOOM and Guilty Simpson, which beg for an actual collab project with vocals from either of them. Recorded with MPC1000 and SP-303, the LP is "sequenced (...) like an album not a beat-tape", so the whole lot sounds cohesive and flows smoothly from one track to another. Classic LA beats sound, can't ask for more.

You can purchase "OKTNOV" here, and stream it below.

Gravegonzo - Their Fantasy Mirrors

Gravegonzo are a London-based dream-pop band, founded by vocalist and songwriter Sam Beahan. I heard about them thanks to my local newspaper featuring Sam on their front cover as part of the interview feature, and what an amazing discovery that was. They have just released their debut LP this summer via Airbag Records entitled "Their Fantasy Mirrors", a sublime and captivating sonic journey illustrated by Sam's enchanted narratives. By ingeniously blending dark synth-pop in the vein of Eyeshadows, ethereal wave championed by Cocteau Twins and pop-oriented harmonies reminiscent of Air France and Grimes, Gravegonzo manage to carve a unique niche for themselves, filled with hazy, sensuous melodies and shoegazy atmospheres. What's also worth noting is that "Their Fantasy Mirrors" is brilliantly sequenced, helping the listener to blissfully sink into these nine tracks from the very first moments of the opener "Lurk Around". Unexpected find that most likely will be my favourite debut of 2021. Recommended!

"Their Fantasy Mirrors" can be ordered on limited edition vinyl here. You can stream the album in full below.

Mars Kumari type beat

Mars Kumari is a producer from Davis, California who I discovered a couple of days ago while randomly browsing the witch-house tag on Bandcamp. Her latest album, released last month on tape by Deadverse Recordings, is a collection of ten atmospheric, lo-fi compositions that carry the same cinematic and quietly sombre vibe as proto-dreampunk music of Kid Smpl and illusive beats of Shtyro. Entitled "Mars Kumari Type Beat", the LP hovers at the eerie intersection of nocturnal ambient, sluggish instrumental hip-hop and droney witch-house. Best experienced from start to finish, it's a fascinating trip through bleak and otherworldly sounds that lure the listener down the rabbit hole occupied by spectral drag reminiscent of Ghost Houses, haunting ambience mastered by Leyland Kirby, beatless shoegaze of Eyes Behind the Veil and experimental beat tapes Leaving Records would put out back in the day - all effortlessly mixed together into a cohesive album. One to follow for sure!

You can buy "Mars Kumari Type Beat" directly from her here, or order the tape from the label here.

Edith Underground - Mother, Reborn

"Mother, Reborn" is a 3-track follow up to Edith Underground's incredible debut "Heaven's Night". Part post-internet trance nostalgia (check out the titular track with its retro-futuristic vaporwave vibe), part uncompromising breakbeats, this short extension of the album is an unexpected but most welcome surprise for everyone still hungry for more after such an amazing LP.

You can download "Mother, Reborn" for free here.

Double feature from VOODOO CRYSTALS

VOODOO CRYSTALS is a witch-house project of the Connecticut-based producer Adam (previously half of Lyrebird). Since 2013 he's been steadily building a solid portfolio of work, most of which was released via Phantasma Disques label. His latest longplay "mybrainhurtsmyfeelings" is a multi-layered psychedelia coated with noisy synth-punk and screwed experiments, a counterculture to all the predictable wave/trap hybrids that took over the dark electronic scene in the last few years. Released in September, the album is a chaotic and bumpy ride through VC's state of mind, full of raw emotions, industrial beats and warped synths, reminiscent of the early stuff from Beau Wanzer.

Last month Adam dropped another interesting project on his Bandcamp, consisting of three remixes of Mater Suspiria Vision tracks sourced from their recent soundtrack. The first (and my favourite) of the three trippy modifications could be already heard on the "Acid in the Rabbit Hole" compilation, the other two are exclusive to this set. All of them reshape the source material using elements of mutated dance music and acid IDM.

You can buy "mybrainhurtsmyfeelings" on CD here or digital here. The MSV remix set can be streamed and downloaded below.

It's Bandcamp Friday

Is it Bandcamp Friday? Yes it is! Head over to Bandcamp and support your favourite indie artists. Today Bandcamp doesn't charge them the usual fee, so it's a perfect time to buy the music you wanted :)

Stylaster

Stylaster is an ethereal bedroom pop singer and producer based in San Diego, CA. I've discovered her on the latest edition of the "Post-Witch Music" compilation a few days ago, and been obsessed with her endearing sounds ever since. Previously known as Gummiez (there's a 2-track EP from 2018 here), her music is a dreamy blend of charming synth-pop and haunting lo-fi beats, with a touch of 60s French pop. Imagine SLEEP ∞ OVER being commissioned to score a teenage version of Drive, add to that ghostly sensitivity of Julee Cruise and Grouper, and you may get the picture of Stylaster's unique style.

You can stream her infectiously catchy (and desolate at the same time) album "18" below, and find the other two projects on Spotify and iTunes (I wish those were on Bandcamp though!).

Asa Tone - Live At New Forms

Asa Tone is a multidisciplinary, multinational group formed in NYC comprised of Melati Malay, Tristan Arp and Kaazi. I've been enjoying their take on ambient from last year's debut album "Temporary Music" quite a lot lately, so it's exciting to learn that they're about to release a new project this month. "Live At New Forms" is a recording which was commissioned as an event-specific work for the New Forms Festival in Vancouver in 2020, and on November 19 will drop on a limited to 300 copies tape (and in digital form) via Leaving Records. Video single can be viewed above (fans of Geinoh Yamashirogumi's OST to Akira should dig those mellow vibrations and drum work), the cassette can be pre-ordered here.

Backxwash x GRYPT

Deathbomb Arc will be releasing 25 square lathe-cuts of GRYPT's "The Cost of Living (BackXWash remix)" later on this month. Lifted from GRYPT's last year's EP, BackXWash's version is an undertaker-trap take on the original darkwave-flavoured track.

You can order a copy here (at the time of writing, there's only 4 copies left for sale, so hurry up).

Yuk.'s aural relics

While cruising through Bandcamp today I found out that Los Angeles producer (and acclaimed chef) yuk. released a new mixtape last month. Entitled "Relics" this 12-track project collects "sonic experiments documented to tape, unfinished edits, one take recordings, live improvisations and b-sides" he was sitting on since 2018. It's a lush selection of ambient-infused beats and abstract sound collages, that I cannot get enough of, and am planning to bag on Bandcamp day next week. If you liked that AFTA-1 single the other day, you'll love this.

Buy the mixtape here, and stream it below after the jump.