Ghostly International, with support from Vans, will continue its Ghostly Knowledge Share series on Thursday, July 16 via Twitch.
The livestream event, covering philosophy, inspiration, and workflow, features a panel discussion between recording artists Galcher Lustwerk, Mary Lattimore, Ouri, and Shigeto, moderated by Veniece Session, a sound engineer, tour manager, and community builder. The session is open to all and it’s free to join.
Ghostly Knowledge Share started in 2017 as a way for the label and its extended family of artists to engage closely with the community. The series has previously been held in Los Angeles, New York, Ann Arbor, and Detroit. Read more about it here.
This latest session takes place on July 16 at 7pm EDT / 4pm PDT. You can RSVP here, and stream live here.
M³ has shared a new EP with vocalist Loa Myst, called Pressure.
M³, read as M-cubed, is a composer, record producer, and mix engineer from Nairobi, Kenya. Last year, he teamed up with local MCs Sens_ei and Elsaphan Njora on In Three’s, and he’s now worked with Loa Myst, originally from Los Angeles and formerly performing as Marushka.
Loa Myst has collaborated with several contemporary African musicians while gaining momentum as a solo artist, performing at Nyege Nyege Festival in Uganda. She launched the Loa Myst alias in 2018, and is now recording her first album at Supersonic Studios Africa.
The EP comprises two tracks, pairing M³’s beats with Loa Myst’s soulful, emotive vocals.
Tracklisting
01. In My Room 02. Unwrap Me
Pressure EP is available now via Bandcamp, with a full stream below.
IG Culture has been a fixture of London’s music underground for a quarter of a century. While the sounds of British capital have continually shifted, spouting new incarnations at the expense of old ones, IG has remained, deeply involved in the city’s burgeoning hip-hop, soul, funk, rare groove, and broken beat movements. Beyond this, IG is a key protagonist in “London Bruk Boogie,” shortened for “Bruk” or sometimes “Brok,” essentially a strain of jazz-infused broken beat cultivated within west London’s deepest musical pockets.
Growing up in Acton, in London’s west, IG connected with reggae and soundsystem culture before moving onto electro, soul, and even pop. He made a name for himself in 1991 as one half of hip-hop and acid jazz duo Dodge City Productions alongside DJ Dodge, real name Roger Drakes. The group arose largely by accident, but within six months they had signed a recording deal with Island Records, before going their separate ways.
In the wake of the group’s success, IG, originally an MC, sought to reinvent himself as a producer, digging deeper into fusion, jazz, reggae, and soul before acquiring his first studio setup. These beats have since formed the basis for a wealth of material as IG Culture, but also as NameBrandSound with Alex Phountzi and Likwid Biskit with Kaidi Tatham, among others.
Of all IG’s projects, his New Sector Movements is the most recognizable, formed in 1997, and also serving as a collective of likeminded musicians centered on broken grooves. In 2001, IG signed the project to Virgin Music with Download This, and labeled the sound “broken beat.” This opened the door to Co-Op in London, where IG and his crew would play out, introducing a growing fanbase to their newest music discoveries. The party has since evolved into a label, focusing on the rich pool of talent that exists within the London bruk movement.
Fast forward to today, and IG is making music again, having taken some time out. In 2019, he returned to the studio to complete work on a soundtrack to a theatre dance show called “EarthBound,” and last year he signed to Dutch label Super-Sonic Jazz Records with EP1, introducing the world to the afro-futuristic and forward-thinking jazz of his new LCSM “Likwid Continual Space Motion” alias. He’s since turned his theatre score into an album all of its own, available now, and he’s marking it with an XLR8R podcast.
As for what to expect, IG says: “dubplates…current bruk, house, and jazz heat, and few classic dancefloor tunes thrown in.” He recorded it this past week in his London apartment, located in Clapton, London, picking out records that he’s been enjoying lately. It’s groovy and soulful, full of tracks you’ve likely never heard, presented to us by a lesser-known living legend of UK music.
01. What have you been up to recently?
I have been working away on remixes and flips, dropping radio shows, and just staying focussed.
02. What music have you been listening to throughout this period?
I’ve been listening to Public Enemy, Marvin Gaye, Selectors Assemble, Fela Kuti, Manu Dibango, Funkadelic, Helter Skelter, The Specials, Seal, Cousin Cockroach, Candido, Eek A Mouse, Eddie Palmieri.
03. You just released a new album as LCSM “Likwid Continual Space Motion.” What’s the story behind this alias?
I originally had a project called Likwid Biskit, which morphed into LCSM when I was asked to do a cover of the Sun Ra classic Space is the Place, featuring a batch of UK jazz artists. The LCSM moniker gave me the freedom to stretch out and experiment. This new album is pretty much the same ethos, only years later with a new batch of UK jazz artists.
04. Where and when did you record the album?
The album came together in the last couple of years. It was recorded at a place called Total Refreshment Centre. I locked myself in the studio and demoed until I had stuff that I knew could translate to live musicians playing.
05. What can we expect with your XLR8R podcast?
Expect dubplates. Current bruk, house, and jazz heat and few classic dance floor tunes thrown in.
06. Where and when did you record the mix?
I recorded mix at home yesterday. I selected from bits I have bought online, and stuff people have sent.
07. What’s up next on your agenda?
I will be releasing my first compilation on my CoOp Presents label imprint, with my label partner Alex Phountzi, and I am just about to do an online event in conjunction with Summer Dance Forever Amsterdam, which will feature LCSM live.
XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to the podcast offline you will need to subscribe to our Select channel, or subscribe to XLR8R+ to download the file. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.
Tracklisting
01. Nicolette “Waking Up” (Shut Up and Dance Records) 02. LCSM “Entek Remix” (Dubplate) 03. Pavel Kostiul “Pirates of Penzance” (2000 Black) 04. Stringed to Death “Karizma” (Self-Release) 05. KMB “I Say” (Self-Release) 06. Cengiz “Not Easy Listening” (Dance Regular) 07. Universal People “Viper Squad” (Far Out Recordings) 08. Karma Sound “Atrapado” (Nomada Recordings) 09. James Rudie “Music is the Answer” (Dance Regular) 10. Lounge Lizards “We Need You” (Self-Release) 11. Pepe Braddock x Carl Craig “Angola” (Silicone Chop Version) (Lusafrica) 12. Sean Maccabe “I Know Someone” (IG Culture Remix) (Good Vibration Music) 13. LCSM “Annunaki” (Supersonic Jazz) 14. Pass the Bruk “Ice Cream Riddim” (Self-Release) 15. Nuff Pedals “Only Afterwards” (Gutter Funk) 16. Nuff Pedals “Drive-By” (Gutter Funk) 17. LCSM “Piece of Mind” (Supersonic Jazz) 18. XTRA BRUX “Wanna Move” (Dance Regular) 19. Neill Janke “DAY AND NIGHT” (bOOGIE Cafe) 20. Regent Street “Lawwwd 2020” (Sure Shot Trax) 21. Hollaway “Turn Up” (Instinct) 22. New Sector Movements “The Return” (Jock Club Remix) (Dubplate) 23. El Sull “Shift” (GD4YA) 24. Haze City “Bass Lines” (Supersonic Jazz) 25. Nuff Pedals “Abstract” (Gutter Funk) 26. Kush Jones “Ari Dub” (Future Times) 27. IZCO “Stack and Grind” (Silicone Chop edit) (Self-Release) 28. Zed Bias “Is It The Future Yet?” (Self-Release)
Dream Child is the Portland, Oregon musician’s second release of the year, following March’s Addendums, which, as the name would suggest, comprises ideas, remixes, old beats, and outtakes. In contrast, Dream Child offers fully-fledged songs with additional instrumentation by Dolphin Midwives, B Timon, and jjjr.
The album came together quickly during quarantine while live-streaming on Twitch. “Was cool to see people reminisce the process post-release; that was special for me,” Jazz tells XLR8R.
Jazz, real name Omari Addae, is one of Portland’s many rising musicians, exploring downtempo hip-hop using an amalgamation of samples to take his listeners on a trip. His first releases came out via Step Pepper Records, and this is his first full-length solo outing.
“Dreams are avatars of the subconscious. Refractions of the waking life,” Jazz continues. “I offer these songs in ritual, to tender my people’s collective dream.”
All the funds received for this project will be distributed between the least funded relief efforts found here.
Album artwork is by Ivan Vidovic.
Tracklisting
01. Cadence! 02. Little Web ft. Dolphin Midwives & B 03. Dream Child 04. Ur Worth 05. GodBodyCharge 06. Kindling 07. Atlas 08. Melanated 09. Our Taproot 10. River 11. Prana 12. Dream Matter 13. Aware ft. jjjr
Dream Child LP is available now. You can stream it in full below, and order it here.
Massive Attack have released Eutopia, an audiovisual project calling for global change.
The three-track release features collaborations with Young Fathers, Algiers, and Saul Williams, with writing and production by Massive Attack’s Robert del Naja (a.k.a 3D) and filmmaker and writer Mark Donne. AI artist Mario Klingemann contributes visuals.
The project is inspired by Thomas More’s 16th century book “Utopia,” and places a spotlight on arguments for global system change from United Nations Paris Climate Agreement author Christiana Figueres, founder of the Universal Basic Income Principle Professor Guy Standing, and inventor of the US “Wealth Tax” policy Professor Gabriel Zucman.
It’s the Bristol duo’s first release since 2016, and they worked on it across five cities during the global Covid-19 lockdown period.
“Lockdown exposed the best aspects and worst flaws of humanity,” Massive Attack say. “That period of uncertainty and anxiety forced us to meditate on the obvious need to change the damaging systems we live by. By working with three experts, we’ve created a sonic and visual dialogue around these global, structural issues; taking the form of climate emergency, tax haven extraction, and Universal Basic Income.”
Tracklisting
01. Massive Attack x Algiers 02. Massive Attack x Saul Williams 03. Massive Attack x Young Fathers
Eutopia EP is available now, with all three pieces streaming below.
MJ Guider will release a new album through Kranky on September 18.
Sour Cherry Bell is Melissa Guion’s second album following 2016’s Precious Systems, also on Kranky. We’re told that it retains the same glassy gauze, but shaded starker and darker, framed by mechanical rhythms and humid industrial moods.
Guion tracked the record between her New Orleans, Louisiana home and rehearsal space. The songs sway between twilit shoegaze, downer ballads, and gothic pop, mapping a delicate palette of electric melancholies.
Speaking about the tools behind the album, Guion explains: “I was curious to see how far I could go with them, even if that meant reaching the ends of their capacity to do what I wanted. But I never exhausted them and they never exhausted me.”
Tracklisting
01. Lowlight 02. The Steelyard 03. FM Secure 04. Cherry Bell Blacktop 05. Body Optics 06. Quiet Time 07. Simulus 08. Perfect Interference 09. Sourbell 10. Petrechoria
Sour Cherry Bell LP is out on September 18. Meanwhile, you can stream “FM Secure” below, and pre-order the album here.
Kamaal Williams, real name Henry Wu, has shared a live version of “Hold On,” taken from his second album, Wu Hen.
Filmed on a hazy June summer’s day at Hassan Hajjaj’s shop, Larache, in the heart of London’s east end, the video features multi-instrumentalist Shabaka Hutchings, R&B soulstress Lauren Faith, and Alina Bzhezhinska, one of the greatest harpists in the country.
Wu Hen oscillates between celestial jazz, funk, rap, and R&B reinforced with the beat-heavy attitude of grime, jungle, house, and garage—a self-styled fusion Williams describes as “Wu Funk.” Its title is also the nickname Williams’ grandma gave him as a child.
New players on this record include Greg Paul, of Kalayst Collective, on drums; Rick Leon James on bass; Quinn Mason on saxophone; and guest harp from Alina Bzhezhinska. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, who has worked with Ray Charles, Flying Lotus, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, and Seu Jorge, contributes signature strings.
You can read more about the album here ahead of its July 24 release on Black Focus Records, and stream the video below.
IG Culture has released an album called Earthbound as LCSM “Likwid Continual Space Motion.”
The release comes out on Dutch label Super-Sonic Jazz Records, where the London musician released last year’s EP1, introducing the world to the afro-futuristic and forward-thinking jazz of the LCSM “Likwid Continual Space Motion” alias.
Across the release, interstellar instrumentals blur borders between funk, soul, and space-age jazz, while maintaining the “London Bruk Boogie” sound that IG Culture is recognised for. The album also serves as a score for the accompanying science fiction theatre production that goes by the same name.
The conveying message behind Earthbound is based on the work of author Zecharia Sitchin, who translated ancient Sumerian tablets that explain the origins of humans. The story revolves around the ancient people of Nibiru who return to earth, only to discover that the humans they had once passed down their knowledge to are now living in a world of chaos. LCSM “Likwid Continual Space Motion” translates this journey by using intergalactic live jazz fusion.
The resulting collage is a melange of live sax, alternating percussions sessions, Sun-Ra like piano lines, and otherworldly synth sessions. It’s produced in cooperation with Saido Lehlouh, Johanna Faye, and Summer Dance Forever Amsterdam.
IG Culture is one of the most important protagonists in catalyst of the UK’s broken beat jazz scene, which he refers to as “London Bruk Boogie.”
Super-Sonic Jazz started out as a series of events and shows at Paradiso, providing the contemporary Dutch jazz scene a platform. Shortly after the success of the events and the realisation that there is a new generation of jazz fanatics on the rise, a label followed.
Tracklisting
01. More Brilliant Centre 02. The Box 03. World Order Is Chaos Pt. 1 (Future Wave) [ft. Demelza Toy Toy] 04. Weapon X (More Gems) 05. Earthbound 06. Ma’at Life [ft. Ghettolette String Ensemble] 07. Frequency 08. Alien Sphere [ft. Natalie May] 09. The Way 10. Piece of Mind [ft. Luke Wynter] 11. For the People 12. 12th Planet [ft. Ghettolette String Ensemble] 13. Soul In Yo Mind 14. Anuunaki 15. Unreal Rock 16. Bubbler [ft. Oliver Night & Natalie May] 17. Time [ft. Oliver Night & Ahnansé] 18. Let Me [ft. Natalie May & Neue Grafik] 19. Moor Jazz 20. The Word 21. World Order Is Chaos Pt. 2 (Outro)
Earthbound LP is available digitally and on vinyl now, with a stream available below.
Marc Piñol, a staple in Barcelona’s electronic scene, has teamed up with Berlin’s Hugo Capablanca as C.P.I. for their debut album on Hivern Discs.
Alianza displays a wide range of emotions through only a few elements. There are no structures, and barely any drums. The Spanish label describes it as a “puzzling journey that moves through darkness and light, happiness and despair, hope and menace, as it unveils its own mysterious universe.”
The pair used a broad array of vocal timbres, including their own drone-treated voices, digitized vocals from an old vector synth, and those of several contributors. Most of the sounds come from digital devices, because the duo wanted to “prove themselves” in the studio by “doing something as warm as we could while trying to avoid analogue if possible.”
The major part of Alianza was recorded during the spring of 2018 in Barcelona, with further takes in Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, and Switzerland. It features contributions from Spacemen 3’s Will Carruthers, Tanja Siren, Veronica Vasicka, Anna Homler, Demetrio Martini, and Pablo Sánchez.
The album follows C.P.I.’s El Tunel / Proceso in 2015, also on John Talabot’s Hivern Discs imprint, and 2018’s Meine Hand.
To begin work on the album, the pair went back to some of the most important records in their lives and listened to them from start to finish. At a time when the whole concept of an album might be at its lowest ebb for decades, they wanted to return to the old way of telling stories, recreating the notion of a narrative “journey.”
The album was created with the support of the Richard Thomas Foundation, an organisation commissioning innovative and interesting works of contemporary performance art from the likes of Jóhann Jóhannsson and Hildur Guðnadóttir.
It’s mastered by Gordon Pohl in Dusseldorf, and the artwork is by Dominic Brucia, featuring a picture by Tanja Siren.
Tracklisting
01. Osera 02. Islaalsl 03. Rasa 04. Epileg 05. Walking and Falling (ft. Veronica Vasicka) 06. I/O 07. Templo De Agua 08. Lamento (ft. Anna Homler) 09. Sol (ft. Will Carruthers)
Alianza LP is available now on vinyl and digitally. You can order it here, and stream it below.
Daniel Avery has shared a visual accompaniment to Love + Light, his surprise third studio album.
The entire visual production was created by Australian designer Greg Hodgson, who previously collaborated with Avery on visuals for Song For Alpha B-sides & Remixes cut “Think About What You Love.”
“I’ve always found Daniel Avery’s music to be explorative and adventurous,” Hodgson explains, “You can tell he’s more interested in exploring unknown realms in real time with his sound than hunting for some sort of mathematical musical precision. I’ve embraced that way of thinking while producing this series of videos.”
Hodgson approached the project in a live improvised way. Every track began with a feedback loop using his old VHS Camera pointing at an old television screen from the ’80s with the signal being sent in an infinite loop between camera and screen. Inserted into this loop is his chain of analogue video gear, each with its own character and ability to shape the signal that flows through it.
Love + Light is out now via Phantasy worldwide and Phantasy/Mute in the United States and Canada. The album arrived unexpectedly, following Avery’s recent collaborations with Alessandro Cortini on the Illusion of Time LP and alongside Roman Flügel as Noun. Avery’s previous solo album, Song For Alpha, was released in 2018.
You can order Love + Light here, and stream the video accompaniment below.
