The best new singles this week

by Juno Daily on 07.10.2021 at 16:44pm.
Last edited: 07.10.2021 at 16:44pm.

Our picks from week’s singles

SINGLE OF THE WEEK

CZN is a collaborative venture from João Pais Felipe, Valentina Magaletti and Leon Marks. Earlier this year the trio minted a run of short pieces on The Trilogy Tapes, following a three-year gap since the first CZN release, The Golden Path. Given Felipe and Magaletti’s focus on percussion, it’s logical to find such a venture shoring up on Vladimir Ivkovic’s Offen Music label, where esoteric music focused on ritual and rhythm finds solace amongst kindred misfits.

The Golden Path moved with poise through steely soundscapes and thrumming passages woven together as a slowly morphing suite, while Luxury Variations presented more concise exercises. By contrast, Commutator has a consistent pulse, stretching out the same motorik urgency over extended run times and seemingly more attuned to kind of transcendental gear you might well expect Ivkovic and his peers to stitch into their sets.

“On An Asset Tip” is energised from the first bar, with a dense thicket of drums pattering out over the insistent thump of the kick. The atmosphere is shaped out by artful dub splashes – ripples of delay and reverb that cast clouds of sound into a sizable cavern. Additional wraith-like tones creep into the mix, but they’re very much playing second fiddle to the drums. Similarly on “The Golden Path Narrows”, there’s an urgency to the low-end drumming which drives the piece forwards from the get-go, and the pressure doesn’t let up for the majority of the track.

On both these 16-minute pieces there’s a dogged commitment to the core theme, but it never feels static. There is space at the end for the rhythmic structures to dissemble as the restraint on the FX mixing eases and the reverb decays bleed out, but primarily they function as long form meditations. As the snaking drum lines encircle you, it’s all too easy to picture a ritualistic scene unfolding – bodies writhing in the mist, locked into an undulating but seemingly unending groove. It’s certainly not club music in the traditional sense, but it feels like the intention was for the music to be experienced loud, in communion. Here’s hoping for such an opportunity.

Neewt & Babydawg – Skyline Tears (Yappin’ Records)

The Yappin Records crew have something special going on. DJ Slyngshot helped draw attention to the label after landing on Workshop last year with an excellent four-tracker, but he and DJ Neewt had been busy pushing their distinctive strain of club music for many years before that. In writing, the components of their sound don’t necessarily come across as that compelling – crafty breakbeat fuelled house with a subtly lo-fi aesthetic, hardly a revelation these days. But there’s a magic in their recipe which has made every Yappin release to date strikingly potent – a certain weight and moodiness which displays an authentic affinity with the dubby, soundsystem roots of breakbeat-driven club music.

On this new release, label co-founder Neewt teams up with the hitherto unknown Babydawg for three sharp-shooters which neatly tap into the Yappin vibe while doing their own thing. The melodious synths swirling around ‘Skyline Tears’ call to mind the trancey mood you might expect to hear from D. Tiffany or Roza Terenzi, but the Yappin heaviness pervades, roughing up the edges and ensuring the beats and bass lead the charge. Even without full subs at your disposal you can detect the looming presence of the bass, teasing at what damage the track could do on a big rig.

‘Humid’ makes a more explicit reach for dub standards, going in hard on the delay until the whole beat is shimmering and shaking. It’s a rhythm track in many ways, but more nuanced and dynamic than a straight up tool. ‘Liquid Sun’ returns to the proto-trance flavour hinted at on the title track, albeit in more explicit fashion, neatly juxtaposed with an autotuned vocal turn from Magali Delion. It’s perhaps the most maximalist ‘rave’ tooled track on Yappin thus far, but not so extravagant as to upset the particular vibe Neewt and Slyngshot have been cultivating. There’s just not much contemporary dance music that nails the rough n’ ready vibe as effectively as this – imagining what you would follow up one of these 12”s with in the mix feels like a tough call, which is a sure enough sign Yappin are in a league of their own.

Daniele Baldelli / Marco Dionigi – Alloeva (Leng)

Cosmic trailblazer Daniele Baldelli returns to Leng alongside frequent collaborator Marco Dionigi with the typically thrilling ‘Alloteva’ EP. Widely adored and rightfully venerated as founding father of the Italian Afro cosmic movement, Baldelli channels his decades-long discotheque wisdom into crafting routinely excellent esoteric dance profundity, and his latest co-production is his first on Leng since last years treasure trove long-player, ‘Oil Painting’. Verona-based Dionigi has released scores of well-constructed titles via his Quantistic Division label, among others, but it’s for his regular studio expeditions with Baldelli that he’s best known in the vinyl realm. Title track ‘Alloteva’ is a sheer delight. Mighty jazz-funk bass and wah-wah guitar riffs power over a crisp drum track, and cowbells and congas build tension before the arrangement travels towards a spirited breakdown. Synth arpeggios burst into life, eventually making way for a leviathan guitar lead to soar into twilight Mediterranean skies. Displaying a similar sound palette, next to arrive is the heads-down sleaze of ‘Deflector’ – a similarly compelling track that brims with late-night funk flavour.

The music charms as it steadily unfolds, with evocative leads dancing over the brooding intro before infectious guitar licks enliven the deeply-rooted bass as the track bursts into life. Next, the dub-infused waking dream of ‘Sonora’ captivates as it meanders through gently psychedelic territory, with steady rhythms dutifully keeping the pace as dextrous solos mysteriously rise and dissipate. Finally, completing a masterfully bass-heavy quartet is the closing track, ‘Time Is Plastic’. Playing fast and loose with stylistic boundaries, the majestic slap bass drives the track deep into the backroom, as dramatic drum fills, fuzz guitar stabs and frenzied congas add texture to the powerfully hypnotic groove. Deep, enchanting and equipped to enthral subaquatic dancers, this delightfully coherent EP mesmerises from throughout.

David Walters – Nocturme (remixes) (Heavenly Sweetness)

French label Heavenly Sweetness call in an accomplished lineup of studio wizards to remix a selection of titles lifted from David Walters’ most recent album, ‘Nocturne’. In something of a departure from the rhythm-heavy music that preceded it, Marseilles-based artist Walters joined forces with musicians Ballaké Sissoko, Vincent Ségal, and Roger Raspail to serve an all-acoustic tracklist on ‘Nocturne’. The sparse orchestration of the titles allows ample scope for the chosen remixers to freely interpret the beautifully elemental music.

The label signal their intent with opening track ‘Mama’, inviting improbably talented producer and sound designer Henrik Schwarz to work his irrepressible magic into the cut. Schwarz is a true master of his craft, and his list of breathtaking productions and remixes is extraordinarily long and far-reaching. Showing requisite sensitivity to the original as ever, he constructs a mystical but gently driving soundscape around Walters captivating vocal and the delicate instrumentation through which it effortlessly glides.

Next, Synapson morphs the seductive vocals of ‘Baby Go’ into a dreamy Balearic house chugger, with its hypnotic kick and full-bodied bass providing a firm bed for the soothing strings, guitar strums and flute solos to float above. Batida’s version of ‘Papa Kossa’ ups the tempo for a captivating Afro-house offering, with spoken word vocals leading up to an infectious chorus while supported by a slick rhythm track. Next, French heavyweight Folamour illustrates his exquisite sonic aptitude once again with his glorious version of ‘Sam Cook Di’.

Blissful melodies, captivating vocals and soul-stirring dance energy combine over a compelling arrangement on one of the standouts of the EP. Fusion heroes Voilaaa lift spirits in spectacular style with their buoyant rework of ‘Vanse’, with delightful Latin rhythms propelling singalong vocals and celebratory horn stabs. Finally, Deni-Shain & Mister Francky deliver a feel-good house flavoured incarnation of ‘Papa Kossa’ that’s effectively a smile-forming guarantee. This is a 100-copy limited edition with variously coloured sleeves, but fear not if you miss the boat here, a standard-issue version is set to follow in due course.

Inwards – Feeling So Fun Reality (Small Pond)

Clever puns aside, the music on Inwards’ new EP ‘So Fun’ drastically contrasts the anxious, nerveracked mood of his last EP ‘Feelings Of Unreality’. Rather than dissociation, it reflects an “optimism grounded in the real world”. From Worcester but now based in Brighton, Inwards is a modular synthesist by trade, and ‘Feelings Of Unreality’ inasmuch debuted in 2019 to a online live show, which we are lucky enough to be able to witness now. Navigate to YouTube and you’ll find it; on a sunny Perhsore day, we witness Kris Shelley in the flesh, relaxed and in his element. The environment looks anything but unreal, on a mat-bound live rig in a verdant coppice, surrounded on all sides by beautiful woodland and bluebells.

If the woods was Shelley’s escape from dissociation, then this new EP is that woodland mirage condensed into musical form. ‘Raindrops’ is its lead; vocal lines chirrup like wood nymphs, while its percussion – inspired by the purging power of rain – claps and sputters over our ears, in full surround sound. Elsewhere, the vocal synthesis on tracks like ‘We Are Not Alone’ and the UK bass-edged ‘Hospital Job’ is what hits the spot for us. Knowing Kris made many of his modular patches from scratch – in the case of his vocals, they originate from his collaborator Ruby Lazou’s voice, emulating the sound of “plants celebrating the raindrops coming down” – we’re all the more captivated by his folktronic skills and leafy sound blends, like morning dew on leaves.

JIJ

Modula feat Pamina Chauveau – Bacolearica EP (Star Creature)

London-based Neapolitan Fillipo Colonna Romano dons his familiar Modula cap for his latest sunshine-infused offering, ‘Bacolearica’. The cosmic funk maestro and Periodica Records affiliate appears for the first time on Star Creature with two dreamy cuts – the first of which is the irresistible cod reggae/Balearic hybrid, ‘Misenetta’. The US label maintain their expansive, boogie-leaning manifesto with another set of treats for underground disco lovers, and Modula’s appearance on the roster feels like a supremely comfortable fit.

On the A-side, sun rays abound as syncopated synths bubble over thick bass and tightly-wound drums, while the wistful vocals of Pamina Chauveau gently stroll through the disco-flecked topography. On the reverse, we find ‘Nostalgia’, where saxophone solos interplay with heartfelt synth work and rhythm guitar as crisp electro beats provide the thrust, and once again Chauveau’s flickering vocal adds to the allure. True to form from an artist with Romano’s credentials, the music is imbued with the sumptuous new disco sound of Napoli. Whether the EP was mixed in situ, or the team’s residual magic carried over to his London HQ, the pristine West Hill Studios aesthetic is there for all to hear. Both featured tracks oozing authentic, analogue warmth and shimmering with pristine electro-funk gloss.

Body Portals – Empty Facile (Body Portals)

Ben Thomas’ Body Portals alias debuts its second EP this week, ‘Empty Facile’. It continues the sound heard from its predecessor ‘End Compass’: a handful of smokey industrial tracks working between grungey bangers and vocal ethereum, allowing just enough stylistic room for each influence to breathe.

While Thomas’ best-known alias Bnjmn has seen mostly vinyl releases on Rush Hour and his own imprint Tiercel, Body Portals is so far a solely cassette affair, demonstrating the artist’s love for hardware cubism tucked behind a tape deck’s loving hiss. But that’s not to say these tracks aren’t well-produced; they have a love for ‘space’, whereby bass and midrange take centre stage, and tenor voices dance quietly in the distance.

Like the stark urgency of the fighter jet poking through a window-shaped hole on the cassette’s monochrome front cover, every track here has a warring anxiety to it, like we’re scaling a dangerous no-man’s-land as we listen. ‘Stake Out’ should excite fans of artists like Roly Porter and Vatican Shadow; deep, surrounded basses jackhammer our ears at a bubbling pace, in an otherwise uncelebratory, post-apocalyptic soundscape. Meanwhile, we’re left in semantic satiation, as the main vocal line – perhaps it’s saying “look towards cause” – repeats like our inhuman guide across a disputed tundra.

‘Hands Up’ is a moment of frozen fight-or-flight – just like how we feel when hearing the phrase directed towards us. Its ambience whirls past the ears like a blizzard, while every hi-hat sounds like a stalagtite breaking off the ceiling of an icy cave. The concluder ‘Empty Facile’ is anything but, scouring chasmic depths of bitcrush and chord. A smoke-and-mirrors rap vocal filtrates in and out, like a holoprojector message beamed to us via a dodgy, sleet-disturbed signal.

JIJ

Who – Paula-Z-Leaving-The-House-remixes (Who IS Paula)

Suitably named studio enigma Who launched his Who Is Paula label late last year with a four-track EP of his own productions. For release number two, he invites a slick ensemble of electro dons to revisit his earlier work, and the results are rather splendid. Kicking things off with a flurry of emotion is seasoned technician Cignol with his acid-enhanced version of ‘Train Station’. Celestial pads fill the horizon as the melancholy lead snakes through the introspective fog, while the solid bass notes add gravity to the free-floating synths. The arrival of a singing 303 lifts the track, as the floor-focused arrangement ebbs and flows to magnify the track’s dance-ready credentials.

Next up, Vertical67’s moody rework of ‘Bang Tang’ raises the tempo with atmospheric lead melodies dancing over a shadowy bass line, while drums sizzle and acid lines fizz as the tension steadily mounts. Sound Synthesis goes all-out acid on his thrilling revision, as ‘Paula Z Meets Sound Synthesis’ journeys through peaks and troughs of ethereal electro landscapes. Last but not least, the 36 ‘Night Train Remix’ gorgeously skirts the narrow line between sorrow and hope, with emotive lead synths skipping over heavy pads and syncopated drums.

This week’s reviewers: Jude Iago James, Oli Warwick, Patrizio Cavaliere.