Leftfield Recommendations July 2012

Review: Sam KDC seems like a perfect fit for the Samurai Red Seal label, the UK producer having previously proved himself more than capable of crafting finely judged atmospheric soundscapes for exemplary labels such as Auxiliary and Nu Directions. Between Dreams is a natural progression for KDC, with Samurai Red Seal granting him the freedom to burrow deeper into elegant and emotive layers of sound, with the title track an all too woozy and intoxicating blend of blissful textures and contemplative moments. "Downpour" introduces an element of darkness and could quite easily be mistaken for one of Demdike Stare's more rhythmically driven moments. Superb.

Review: Ghostly International are back on the ante-up with Com Truise aka Seth Haley, a Brooklyn-based synth maverick who has made a name for himself this year. From the melancholic timbres of "Sundripped" to the Italo-disco chimes of "Slow Peels", this is a record with a one size fits all banner. "Norkuy" is also a stunner, showing off Haley's synthesiser skills but "5891" is one of those special moments, sending you swimming in a distant but reassuring world of smooth chords and spwaning cowbells.

Review: As part of Downwards' DO series, this 7" continues the theme of industrial, synth-wave strangeness that came to bear such a heavy influence on label boss Regis. Collin Gorman Weiland sounds as though he's been plucked from the seediest nether region of post-punk as the grainy guitar tones of "Curse" call out languidly underneath a thick blanket of distortion. This leaves plenty of room for Antonym's considerably breezier forays into synth-funk to cruise around. There's still an underlying tension in the carefully arranged arpeggios, but compared to the bleak drones of Weiland's own turn, it's thoroughly accessible. Highly recommended.

Review: COLDWAVE/SYNTH: Bruce Haack has remained something of a long term fancy for Stones Throw boss Peanut Butter Wolf over the years, with the 2010 reissue of Farad - The Electric Voice complemented by appearances from the prolific Canadian composer in numerous PBW mixes over the years. And now the label presents this sublime set of remixes which cast the likes of Prince Language, James Pants, Vex Ruffin and Peanut Butter Wolf himself in the role of revising material from Haack's acclaimed 1970 LP Electric Lucifer, along with its follow-up Electric Lucifer, Book II and material from various other releases from Haack that surfaced over the years. The Prince Language remix of "Party Machine" and an absolute freak beat monolith version of "Chant Of The Sun" by the Pants man stand out, but the whole thing is dripping in that Stones Throw quality.

Review: It's always pleasing to see a young independent label turn things around and take everyone by surprise. In an age where music is often guided by rigid structures, Ron Morelli makes it clear that his vision surpasses the boundaries of house and techno. Newcomer Jahiliyya Fields opens his LP with an hypnotic assembly of drones which rapidly mould into a sweeping composition haunted by the presence of a distant female voice. Circular drones are carried into "Ocean Mom", where icy arrangements are quickly melted down to form a squelching industrial tone. "Air On Earth" gives us only a faint hint of a bass drum in the distance, which is then slowly engulfed in a sea of harsh modular soundscapes. Fields introduces a circus-like melody on "Water Breaker", and ties it neatly into a half-step reminiscent beat placed below fast bouncing chords and effects. Unicursal Hexagram reaches its peak with "White Cabbage", where smooth, looping synth melodies collide with arcane noises escaping from every direction and allows the sorcery of "AAAA" to tie everything together with irregular percussion. An inspiring journey through sound.

Review: It was a good year in every respect for Spain's Semantica Records. They ticked all the right boxes and even introduced us to the power of Svreca but this EP by Arcanoid pushed all previous boundaries. It almost feels like an LP, where the tracks converse with one another to develop a glorious vision of the artist's mind. "The oppressed drum beat of "Espora" diverges neatly into the electro trickery of "Force Of Gravity"; whilst the flip introduces "Interzone", a chirping cascade of melodies and hi-hats, ending on "Zero G", a brilliant acid-powered excursion into the ether.

Review: ASC's Auxiliary label has delivered some excellent downtempo, ambient and experimental albums over the last couple of years, effortlessly flitting between obtuse grooves and comfy organic grooves. For the most part, this first full-length from the mysterious Kiyoko falls into the latter category, mixing enchanting found sounds and winding melodies with the yearning blissfulness of classic ambient (reminiscent, in many ways, of the more entertaining releases on the recently re-established R&S offshoot Apollo) and skittish percussion of IDM. With a title like Sea of Trees, you'd expect it be quite pastoral and organic, and by and large it is, with the fruity sweetness of "Valley" and the title track (similar in feel to early Four Tet or Fridge) standing out.

Review: COLDWAVE/SYNTH: If you're looking for an alternative to functional techno or boorish bass music, then you've come to the right place. Over twelve tracks Dntel delivers an album that places great emphasis on melodies and dream-like textures. Although there is a good deal of variety on Aimlessness - compare and contrast the warm, fuzzy ambience of "Never Say Goodbye" and "Waitingfortherest II" - the underlying sound design and approach favours the seductively fragile. There are some echoes of Dntel's glitch past, most notably on "Bright Night" and "Retracer", but the highlights here are the dreamy, wispy arrangements like "Doc" and "Paper Landscape".

Review: INDUSTRIAL/DRONE/NOISE: Having had some time out of the releasing game, Mordant Music return to extol the virtues of exploratory electronics that exist in a thoroughly darkened corner of your psyche. "Post MorteM" actually steps into action on a whisper of a 4/4 thud, while atonal ripples, scrapes and a fantastically out-of-place drum roll slowly stalk an imaginary prey. It's impulsive and overtly obtuse music, but within the wily sound design there's an occasional melodic phrase the struggles to free itself of the shackles of noise. Just as it teases your ears it disappears again into the monochrome. "ModeM" is less structured, collating low-end tones and rumbles before a climax of arrhythmic blasts of white noise start rapid-firing across the mix.

Review: EXPERIMENTAL/ELECTRONIC: Little was known about the still impossibly young Dro Carey when he made his debut for The Trilogy Tapes label back in 2010 with the Venus Knock EP, but the reclusive Australian producer has certainly left his stamp on the electronic music world subsequent to that release. Across numerous drops on Hum + Buzz, Templar and Ramp Recordings, Carey has developed a quite singular, often experimental take on electronic music that giddily sticks two fingers up at attempts of easy categorization. Returning to Will Bankhead's supremely curated label with Leary Blips, the six tracks present cast Carey in his most confident and complete frame of mind to date. Seemingly flitting between standing still and tunnelling ever downwards while attempting to create all new rhythms and tempos at ease, from the moment the cavernous bass drops in the opening title track Carey takes you on a ride through music you're likely to have not heard before.

Review: While stylistically different to what you might expect from People's Potential Unlimited, this seven inch from The Trash Company is another essential release from the DC based label who are so good at uncovering the forgotten stories of North American music history. The tale of The Trash Company is one too detailed to compress into the space of a record review (do check the Funky Virginia blog for a complete story) but this release represent the first material to surface from the band's creative force Max Monroe in some 30 years. Diagnosed with Synesthesia - which allows you to interpret words and sounds in terms of colour and texture, Monroe's music is undoubtedly influenced by the neurological condition which makes the two tracks here sound crazily innovative. "Pluto" sounds like Minimal Wave artist Phillipe Laurent covering Dilla while "For The Hook" is reminiscent of a lost cut from Demdike Stare's Tryptych series. Look out for a full LP later this year released on PPU and Steady Sounds.

Review: Last year's first Air Texture compilation, the brainchild of Brooklyn-based James Healy (AKA Escape Art), was rightly praised for highlighting the ongoing development of the frequently ignored ambient scene. This second collection does a similar job. This time round, there are discs curated by Loscil (Ghostly International) and The Sight Below's Rafael Anton Irisarri. As before, all the tracks are new and unreleased. Stylistically, there are many shades of ambience on offer, from the droning numbness of Mitchell Akiyama ("Dirge For The Canon") and unsettling spookiness of Marcus Fjellstrom, to the gentle, childlike melodies of Library Tapes and heart-tugging piano forms of Eluvium.

Review: Mysterious Livejam affiliate EMG returns to the fledgling Experiential Learning imprint with four cuts of jack hammer techno explorations. "Moving" smacks down hard with hollow drums that would make Blawan blush before "Heavy" sees the sounds of ripped metal twisted and reshaped to form the darkest of grooves. The flip commences with the concrete percussive stomp of "Here" which features all manner of fascinating sonic quirks, echoes and vocal snippets than only truly reveal themselves after numerous listens, before "Now" offers a beatless soundcsape pockmarked by the twitches and intermittent clicks of interrupted transmissions from another universe. Truly mind bending stuff that comes wrapped in amazing artwork - highly recommended.

Review: In a drunken blur of vintage gear, SFV Acid delivers a stern lecture to anyone who might think that everything that can be said with a 303 has been said. Much like former split single companion Polysick, SFV leaves dancefloor concerns at the door, instead plunging into a scatty array of sketches across this album that move from relatively direct lysergic workouts to the kind of psychedelic lo-fi noise processing favoured by Peaking Lights et al. It's a wonderfully diverting collection that can be at turns sublime (as on "Chaco Love Steve & Happy Acid Kinesinte") and then in the next instant faintly ridiculous (on the Mega Drive baiting "8th Grade Trauma").

Review: It's hard to approach Rispah, the long awaited second album from The Invisible without taking into account the unfortunate events that surround it. Both the name and much of the melancholic mood are taken from the unfortunate passing of front man Dave Okumu's mother in the early days of tirelessly busy London trio setting out to follow up their Mercury nominated debut album, whilst Okumu has suffered further near fatal tragedy more recently when he was electrocuted on stage in Lagos. Produced in conjunction with UNKLE type Richard File, Rispah proves to be every bit as bewitching as their self titled debut, and the power of Okumu's vocals resonate all the more stronger given the obvious feelings running through him at the time