Staff Picks w / c 3rd July 2020

Review: Attraktors originally surfaced back in 2015 with the Future Systems EP. Made up of members of Six.By.Seven, Bivouac, The Selecter and more besides. Now this eclectic group of coldwave connoisseurs fold that initial EP into a raft of new songs to make up a sterling debut album for Vivod. It's brittle, homespun stuff that opens up a wormhole to the bedroom studio explosion of the 1980s, when lo-fi new wave was king. But there are other dimensions to this record, like the dreamy synth pop of "Mensonge Et La Chute" and the cosmic rock stylings of "Theme From Unknown". For all lovers of the early to mid '80s era, this is an album you won't want to miss.

Review: Japanese live outfit, A Hundred Birds has a thing for creating classic covers. Over the course of their career, they've recorded countless covers, including organic, string-laden interpretations of techno scene staples such as "Blackwater" (originally recorded by Octave 8) and "Knights of the Jaguar" (The Aztec Mystic). Last year they offered up another warm and wonderous cover, this time of Stevie Wonder classic "All I Do". Here it gets a new lease of life courtesy of scalpel fiend Ryu The Man, who has delivered tightened-up, floor-friendly vocal and instrumental edits of the warm, rich, soulful and undeniably summery cover version. Both are rather good, though it's the vocal version that will win over dancers.

Review: In recent times we've been treated to plenty of reissues of classic lover's rock gems, including an Athens of the North-released collection of lover's rock covers. It's therefore rather exciting to hear some brand-new lover's rock in a similar vein from Crucial Rockers, a studio band formed by producer Jamie Searle. The track given the cover treatment is Womack & Womack classic "Teardrops". While that was fiendishly uptempo, this version is sweet, slow and effortlessly soulful, with Searle's warming riddim offering a perfect match for the un-credited vocalist's fine delivery of the Womacks' weary and emotional lyrics. The flipside dub is rather tasty, too. Sadly there aren't many of these around, so act fast if you want to secure a copy!

Review: Like any good pop album, Lorely Rodriguez's third is a personal work that tells compelling stories, allowing fans to step into her world and gain a better understanding of who she is, and where she's coming from. It's also ridiculously catchy and packed with polished, single-worthy tracks that make you wonder how we've survived since her last effort. 'I'm Your Empress Of' is certainly a different beast to its predecessors, not least 2015's jarring noise-pop debut, 'Me'. Here things are more accessible and perfectly formed, hanging on immediate beats and a clubby vibe. But it's no less innovative, introducing everything from samples of Rodriquez's mother to fleeting moments of idle chatter. The end product is a real work of art that should - if all is right with the world - prove to everyone the lady in question is among our era's foremost pop innovators.

Review: Here we go again, then. Studio album number eight from Ray LaMontagne is doing him no disservice in terms of that formidable reputation. Taking on the roles of producer, engineer, singer, songwriter and every-instrumentalist for the purposes of this record, words like 'auteur' certainly make sense when talking about 'Monovision'.Enough preamble, onto the main event - 'Monovision' is the perfect reflection of a musician in peak form. When that iconic, throaty voice roars out over the slight-of-hand acoustic guitar plucks of opener 'Roll Me Mama, Roll Me', you're immediately captivated. Tracks like 'Strong Enough' set the tempo much higher, stomping a way through old timey rock 'n' roll tones, standing in complete contrast to the tender refrains and more mournful (or at least reflective) atmospheres of 'Summer Clouds' and 'We'll Make It Through'. To be honest, we're barely worthy.

Review: Following her knockout debut album Significant Changes, Jayda G is back on Ninja Tune with a new single that sees her expanding on her distinctive brand of soulful house music with a curious kink in the sound. "Both Of Us" packs in some breathless vocal turns, effervescent piano lines and a bass-loaded groove to sink into. "Are U Down" leans in on a snappy, tech-edged rhythm with a little Prescription-flavoured dreaminess hovering around the synth work. G's "Sunset Bliss Mix" of "Both Of Us" brings a more bruk flavour of drum magic and some dubbed out FX to the track, while the "Remix" of "Are U Down" subtly shifts the accents of the original with some nimble Rhodes fluttering in over the top of that deadly groove.

Review: Much loved and always impassioned vocalist and producer Norma Jean Bell is a firm favourite with greats like Moodymann, and for good reason. here she lands on Pandamonium with a new EP that utilises the voice of soul herself, Miss Aretha Franklin. "Got Me A Mann" is a gossip tinged, chord laced house track that will make you shuffle on the spot as you rejoice your sins. "Libre Comme Un Oiseau (Free As A Bird)" is another roller, this time with more free flowing vocals that ring out above the chunky, organic drums and busted bass. Excellent stuff.

Review: In keeping with both her recent output and the releases of Australia's LKR Records, the latest EP from Sophie Sweetland AKA D. Tiffany is drowsy, dreamy, hallucinatory and shot through with references to both vintage ambient techno and the more psychedelic end of the '90s IDM spectrum. There's much to admire across the four tracks, from the spaced-out, mind-altering haziness of melodious, off-kilter opener "Low" - all twisted, acid-inspired synth sounds, LSD-trip electronics and skewed electro rhythms - to the chunky ambient breaks business of "Cruel Trance" and the feverish, strangely-swung quirkiness of gently pulsing IDM number "4leaf".

Review: **Tracks 'Sixth Sequence' and 'Tenth Sequence' are bonus tracks & exclusive to the vinyl release only.**

Past Inside The Present is pleased to announce 'Wave Variations' which is a new mini-album by veteran ambient producer Dennis Huddleston AKA 36.

36 has often enjoyed exploring self-imposed restrictions, as it forces him to be creative, while allowing an inherently coherent sound between the different compositions. All the arrangements on Wave Variations use a limited pallete of mostly synth-based sounds, with particular focus on keys and melodies. Each track directly influenced the next one.

Dennis has kept almost every track around three minutes in length. He states, 'I feel like a lot of ambient music (including my own) is often unnecessarily long and these small vignettes work as a nice counter to that. Don't expect long build-ups or over-extended crescendos; These are short tracks that take you straight to Elysium and then dissolve into the ether.'

He further explains the output of Wave Variations, 'Ocean tides inspired the album. I think we've all felt that sense of longing and wonder while standing at the beach, staring at the waves and gazing into the endless horizon. I think it's something that transcends all generations of people. Like the waves, these tracks leave as quickly as they arrive. I feel it's one of the most minimal records I have made, with far fewer individual sound sources at my disposal. It keeps me on my toes and forces me to deeply explore the instruments I have available to me.'

This stripped-back sound gives the album a hypnotic quality to it. Like much of Dennis' work, there is a delicate balance between melancholic melodies and rich textures, resulting in an understated yet deeply exhilarating sound. Fans of emotional, melodic ambient music should find plenty to enjoy.

Review: Alice Go, Bella Podpadec and Rakel Mjol make up Dream Wife, a band with a penchant for playfully riotous, outspoken and immediately infectious indie rock-pop, served with a side dish of punk attitude. The sum total placing them somewhere between The Long Blondes and Tom Tom Club, or at least those are the references that immediately spring to our mind. Don't think that suggests the London trio are simply a Frankenstein of personality traits borrowed from different groups. Go's vocal delivery juxtaposes the sweet and innocent with the sardonic and indignant, guitar hooks can either conjure images of tropical beaches or the hard asphalt of the UK's unkempt city streets. Tracks are infinitely danceable ('Old Flame', 'RH RN'), or emotionally crushing ('So When You Gonna'). Album two down, it would be stupid to pretend we're not already waiting with bated breath for what comes next.

Review: Disordered Rhythm Metronomy may be a puzzling (and, let's face it, rather strange) artistic alias, but the two men behind the project, Ricardo Villalobos and Edward, have produced some of the most distinctive leftfield techno of the last decade. As a result, you'd expect their first joint EP to be a killer... and it is. A-side "Vormlock" is a rubbery, off-kilter treat, with the experienced duo peppering an elastic synth bassline and sparse, skittish drums with glitchy stabs, tipsy lead lines and all manner of wonky, out-of-this-world noises. Over on the flipside you'll find title track "Down", a deeper and dreamier chunk of spacey minimalism in which typical Villalobos style percussion and softly squelching bass comes cloaked in some suitably intergalactic synthesizer chords.

Review: Back in 1998 Groove Chronicles took on Myron's "We Can Get Down", delivering a hard-stepping breaks-y version which was dazzlingly fresh for the time, and still sounds effervescent now. DPR continue their incredible service to archival garage holy grails by digging this one out of the dust and offering up some newly aired versions to take you even deeper. This is the sweet and smoky side of the UKG scene, not least on the spacious and dubby "2step Re:re:refix" that kicks off the B-side. Mellow, moody and oh so smooth, but with bass pressure where it counts. Don't sleep on this one - it's guaranteed to fly out.

Review: Elegant Tap Dance Wobblers.

Review: It would be fair to say that Levon Vincent's latest single could well be one of his strongest yet - and that's saying something. We're particularly enjoying A-side "Drum Circle", a near ten-minute outing that subtly builds throughout. Creepy, clandestine and intoxicating, it sees Vincent cloak a hypnotic, cymbal and bells-heavy rhythm track with deep, booming sub-bass pulses and hard-worked, marimba style melodic loops. It's a genuine heads-down treat that packs a punch, despite its hazy and minimalist vibe. There's more atmospheric fun on the flip, where "Space Exploration" sees him conjure up a suitably dark, intergalactic mood via crackling drums, opaque chords and far-sigted electronic melodies.

Review: Like its numerous predecessors, 16th edition of Z Records' long running "Attack The Dancefloor" series is packed to the rafters with tried and tested dancefloor treats, most of which have never appeared on vinyl before. First up, Saison tackles Akabu's 2001 classic "Ride The Storm", turning it into a deep, bouncy and rubbery chunk of lilting, string-drenched house goodness, before Dr Packer delivers a subtly tooled-up take on The Love Symphony Orchestra's grandiose and sexually-charged 1978 disco classic "Let Me Be Your Fantasy". Label head honcho Joey Negro provides a superb deep disco rework of one of his own productions, the Sunburst Band's 2004 summer sing-along "Everyday", while Art of Tones' "Flower Child" is a flash-fried, disco-funk romp laden with superb lead vocals from Anduze.