Ancestral Voices Returns to Horo with New Album

Liam Blackburn’s Ancestral Voices project has announced the release of Navagraha on Berlin-based label Horo, scheduled to launch as a 3LP set on March 1. 

Navagraha means “nine celestial bodies” in Sanskrit, and each Graha is a specific vibration and relates to the nine planets of our solar system, as well as the different parts of our body. 

It references Hans Cousto, a Swiss mathematician and musicologist who discovered the natural law of the cosmic octave as the link between different kinds of periodically occurring natural phenomena, such as the orbit of the planets, the weather, colours, rhythms and tones. ​Ancestral Voices has taken Cousto’s “frequency” of each planet and created a unique tuning system that he uses for each track. 

The music is abstract, drenched in a field of delays, long-form tones, ghost-like whispers, and illuminated layers. Rhythmic stretches are also scattered throughout, revealing the album’s exploration through sequenced motives and elongated note progressions. The music stays darkly tinged, cinematic with its emotional vitality and shapeshifting design work. 

Navagraha is Liam Blackburn’s third release under the Ancestral Voices moniker, following 2018’s Mycelia LP on his label, The Fifth Kingdom. It can be pre-ordered digitally/physically via Bandcamp, with streams of the tracks “Prithvi” and “Shani” below.

Tracklisting

01. Surya 

02. Budh

03. Shukr 

04. Prithvi 

05. Mangal 

06. Brihaspati

07. Shani

08. Arun

09. Varun 

10. Yam

Jaeho Hwang “Non – Self 비자아”

Non-self 비자아 is the first EP from South Korean musician and visual artist Jaeho Hwang. The six-track EP explores his sense of identity in the digital age as refracted through the Buddhist concept of anatta, or non-self—the belief that there is no unchanging, permanent soul or essence in living beings.

We’re told that Jaeho draws from the dark, stuttering beats from London’s experimental club scene—and that the harsh industrial sounds recall no-wave’s minimalist deconstruction. His also uses traditional Korean instruments within this context, like the piri bamboo flute, or the stringed kayagum, recasting traditional textures into modern form. 

His first single, also titled “Non-self,” is accompanied by a music video made by Jaeho, who is also a motion graphics designer. The video features 3D-scanned girls—who might represent Jaeho himself—shifting and glitching constantly to the music.“Mapping textures on 3D models in a 3D programme is used as a metaphor for giving shells over souls in reality,” he says. “Our existence is transient, evanescent, inconstant. This music video invites viewers to take part in a delusion that is filled with the aesthetic of the 3D and digital.”

The EP will be available to buy as a cassette or as a pill-shaped USB stick—a nod to the transformative, escapist properties of the digital realm.

Chinabot, the label behind the release, is a platform and collective created to change the dialogue surrounding Asian music. 

Non-self 비자아 lands March 1, with “Non-self 비자아’” available for download in full via the button below, or here for EU readers. 

Tracklisting

01. DAEBOOK

02. Ageing Process

03.Transience

04. Non – Self 비자아

05. Sad Relationship, Nami

06. Looking Back

Premiere: Hear a Fierce Dub Techno Track by Feral

Next week, Hypnus kicks off its 2019 release schedule with a new EP by Feral.

Titled Court of Light, it’s Feral fifth solo record and marks the start of Hypnus’ sixth year in existence—it also signals a new visual direction for Hypnus, which will now focus on custom-cut sleeves and grand, cinematic artwork. Musically, Court of Light presents an immersive collection of fierce dub techno; tracks that are as primed for the dancefloor as they are soundtracking a scene from the record’s stunning sleeve. Feral shows he has a deft production touch in regards to texture and groove via slices of cavernous acid (“Court of Light”) and deep, morphing techno (“Three Faced Queen”).

In support of the release, Hypnus has offered up a full stream of “Three Faced Queen,” available via the player below. 

You can pre-order the EP here.

Tracklisting: 

1. The Enchanter

2. Three Faced Queen

3. Court of Light

4. Jester

Samuel Kerridge Announces Collaborative Album with DVA Damas’ Taylor Burch

Samuel Kerridge will release a collaborative album with DVA Damas’ Taylor Burch, titled The Other. 

The seven-track album was written and produced exclusively in 2018, and features Burch’s spoken word over Kerridge’s beats. We’re told that it channels the aggression of Kerridge’s early work into a “more mature approach,” and that the LP is abundant with melody and variation, giving the music time and space to interact with Burch, whilst still retaining the physical power and presence which has become synonymous with the Kerridge’s previous releases. 

The release also marks the beginning of a new audiovisual project with film director Daisy Dickinson. 

Tracklisting

A1. Transmission 1 

A2. Transmission 2 

B1. Transmission 3 

B2. Transmission 4 

C1. Transmission 5 

C2. Transmission 6 

D1. Transmission 7

The Other lands May 3 via Downwards, with a teaser below. 

Gacha Bakradze Next on Fever AM

Next up on Fever AM is Gacha Bakradze. 

Bakradze’s second album, Word Color, arrived last year via Lapsus to much acclaim, and now the Georgian artist will debut on Fever AM, the label of Mor Elian and Cassegrain’s Rhyw. Bakradze will be the first artist besides the label heads to appear on the label.

We’re told to expect a “refreshing, sublime journey over pieces featuring his signature melodies, broken beats, and striking sound design.”

Tracklisting

A1. Daraji 

A2. Meurve

B1. Monument

B2. Rubber Plant 

Monument EP lands March 11, with clips below. 

Premiere: Hear a Slamming Electro Track by Shedbug

Australian artist Shedbug lands on 1Ø Pills Mate today with The Krabben.

The Krabben is the first release of the year for both Shedbug and 1Ø Pills Mate and presents five dystopic warehouse cuts of thundering intensity. Aimed squarely at the floor, The Krabben is packed to the brim with gritty rave bombs, flowing through searing acid, slamming electro, and speaking-rattling techno.

In support of the release, which can be picked up here, 1Ø Pills Mate has shared a full stream of “Sibelle,” a tense electro cut, available via the player below.

Tracklisting:

A1. Annex
A2. Eine Frage Für Dich
A3. Sibelle
B1. Crab With A Knife
B2. Cries Of War

PRG/M “Mefite”

Next up on Midgar Records is an EP from PRG/M, titled Radiant Fields. 

The EP is composed by six tracks, four on vinyl and two on digital. It marks Pier Giuseppe Mariconda’s debut on the Berlin label, following recent appearances on Subsidence and Delirio. It will be Midgar’s first release of 2019, after a strong 2018 that saw EPs from Nuel and Wata Igarashi, and an album from Susumu Yokota. 

In advance of the EP’s March release, with a date still pending, you can download “Mefite” in full via the WeTransfer button below, or here for EU readers due to GDPR restrictions. 

Tracklisting

A1. Radiant Fields

A2. Line Fault

B1. Flegrei

B2. Hirpinia-231180 

D1. Magnitudo (digital)

D2. Mefite (digital)

Lakker Next on R&S with ‘Época’ LP

Dublin’s Lakker (Dara Smith and Ian McDonnell) will release a new album via R&S Records on March 15, titled Época. 

The 10-track release follows their 2016 maxi-EP Struggle and Emerge on the Belgian label, and since then they’ve been pursuing solo works. Unlike previous projects bouncing individual tracks back and forth, Época was written and recorded in the studio together. Smith explains, “Previous records involved a lot of time working on tracks individually, but Época was written almost entirely together in the studio—it felt much more fun, more organic, and democratic. We allowed it to happen rather than push or pressure it.”

Época continues Lakker’s voyage to the outer edges of dance music and its most experimental deviations, also exploring territory never explored by the duo before. R&S Records tells us: “Alongside the use of physical modelling synths, the album contains recordings and samples of violin, guitar, and bodhrán, the stringboard of a piano at EMS Stockholm, phone recordings of family gatherings in Dublin, and 1970’s dance music from Jaipur.” 

Conceptually, the music is rooted in the duo’s perception of the political and social climate surrounding the world. Lakker adds, “We are living through volatile times, and as musicians, it is impossible to avoid that being reflected in our work. Época is our personal response to the atmosphere of these times and the external political and cultural events that are shaping our world. Some positive and hopeful, some despondent and angry, and some reflective and introspective.”

Ahead of the release on March 15, Lakker and R&S Records have released single “A Whisper In Your Ear.” Stream it below, with pre-order options for Época here. 

Tracklisting

01. Shoulder To The Bat

02. 100 Bar

03. Nest

04. A Juggling Of Numbers

05. Clavier

06. Dropped Shoulders

07. A Whisper In Your Ear

08. Body From The Water

09. Murmuration

10. Discourage It All

Lakker Next on R&S with ‘Época’ LP

Dublin’s Lakker (Dara Smith and Ian McDonnell) will release a new album via R&S Records on March 15, titled Época. 

The 10-track release follows their 2016 maxi-EP Struggle and Emerge on the Belgian label, and since then they’ve been pursuing solo works. Unlike previous projects bouncing individual tracks back and forth, Época was written and recorded in the studio together. Smith explains, “Previous records involved a lot of time working on tracks individually, but Época was written almost entirely together in the studio—it felt much more fun, more organic, and democratic. We allowed it to happen rather than push or pressure it.”

Época continues Lakker’s voyage to the outer edges of dance music and its most experimental deviations, also exploring territory never explored by the duo before. R&S Records tells us: “Alongside the use of physical modelling synths, the album contains recordings and samples of violin, guitar, and bodhrán, the stringboard of a piano at EMS Stockholm, phone recordings of family gatherings in Dublin, and 1970’s dance music from Jaipur.” 

Conceptually, the music is rooted in the duo’s perception of the political and social climate surrounding the world. Lakker adds, “We are living through volatile times, and as musicians, it is impossible to avoid that being reflected in our work. Época is our personal response to the atmosphere of these times and the external political and cultural events that are shaping our world. Some positive and hopeful, some despondent and angry, and some reflective and introspective.”

Ahead of the release on March 15, Lakker and R&S Records have released single “A Whisper In Your Ear.” Stream it below, with pre-order options for Época here. 

Tracklisting

01. Shoulder To The Bat

02. 100 Bar

03. Nest

04. A Juggling Of Numbers

05. Clavier

06. Dropped Shoulders

07. A Whisper In Your Ear

08. Body From The Water

09. Murmuration

10. Discourage It All

Premiere: Hear a Transfixing Dub Techno Cut From El Choop & Tim Gee

El Choop and Tim Gee will release Mitchell’s Fold via Default Position on February 25.

The collaboration kicked off after El Choop and Tim Gee met and exchanged music at the legendary Freerotation Festival—both artists were already operating at the dubbier ends of house and techno and found synergy in each other’s work. Mitchell’s Fold, the first offering from the duo, is a masterclass in dubbed-out electronics, and takes its name from an ancient stone circle hidden in the hills of the Welsh border. With its eerie namesake as a backdrop, the EP’s three tracks mine a dark middle ground between house and techno; they’re constantly evolving dub frameworks filled with fathoms-deep grooves, rippling dub chords, and expertly programmed rhythms.

In support of the EP, Default Position has offered up a full stream of “Swelted,” the transfixing b-side groove, available via the player below. 

You can pre-order the EP here.

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