Bowie – Little Old Lady

From a long conversation with David circa 1996. I was allowed 10 minutes with the man, he talked for over an hour hour. 

Dionisaf – Cotton

After studying composition in Russia during the late 2000s and early 2010s composer and sound artist Dionisaf Afonichev gradually moved away from academic traditions in search of something more immediate and personal, immersing himself in Ambient and exploratory electronic music from 2019 onward. Now based in Washington DC, his latest album looks back to the seven years he spent living in Mississippi, a place that became deeply woven into his creative and personal life. Much of the music was recorded during the period when Dionisaf knew he would soon be leaving Mississippi, perhaps for good. Much to enjoy here, listen on a dark, stormy night, especially the cut She Smells Like Trees. The album Mississippian is courtesy of Whitelabrecs out of Lincolnshire.

Plainhead – Before Game Changer

“Four love songs” we are told in the sleeve note, then, “Sound recording artist and musician Tianping Christoph Xiao tries to connect and then abruptly disconnect to the timeless but seemingly lost art form of the love song. What is romantic is believing in sweet melodies, in distortion, in rhythm and the beat played by friends, sung by friends and performed with friends.” If that does not explain everything, then the EP title certainly won’t: Before Game Changer, I Broke Free From The Chains Of The Love Song. Interesting sleeve art by Kathrin.

Bowie – Little Old Lady

See above

Futura Cimice – Bug Bounty Program

I’m informed that “System Crash Tools is the very first dancefloor-orentated album by Futura Cimice”. Then we are also told “Futura Cimice lives in a post-apocalyptic universe, rubble everywhere, and the only survivors out there are the bugs that shrugged off the radiation and travel at the vague speed of dancehall riddims. Round these parts, tools aren’t just materials: they’re learning devices. In the middle of the ruins and frayed clouds, System Crash Tools is built to smuggle the revolution straight into the sound system; a way to resist a system that’s no longer tolerable.” Futura Cimice continues, Bug Bounty Program combines gqom influences with leftfield bass: heavy, syncopated percussion and deconstructed hip-hop vocals create a dark, infectious club track with a tense, low-slung energy.” The album is on the Fukstep imprint out of Sicily. Cool artwork by Vlad Boyko

Schøøl – Somehow

OK, you want a big slab of Doom and Gloom? Grab hold of this LP, I Think My Life Has Been OK from Parisian outfit, Schøøl. My sardonic producer Stephanie maintains only a bunch of French blokes could come up with a dirge like Somehow. I should add that Stephanie hails originally from the Midwest so using “blokes” in a sentence is more of her attempts at mocking me whenever possible. Alright on with the music, Schøøl was formed in Paris in the autumn of 2023, spearheaded by Francis Mallari who mentions he wrote the lyrics against the backdrop of a breakup, exploring themes of guilt and self-forgiveness. For those of you glean a lot by noting what label a release is on, Géographie out of Paris are responsible for this one.

Jalmar & Pinky Promise – Badina

The title Badina is a playful twist on “bad Latina”, capturing the attitude and cheeky character at the heart of the track. Rather than overthinking it, Jalmar set out to make something fun, a track designed to bring people together and get the night moving. Australian/Chilean artist Jalmar teams up with Australian/Venezuelan producer Pinky Promise for Badina, a vibrant new track blending Dembow, Caribbean and Latin urban influences with Shatta-inspired rhythms. Jalmar’s ongoing collaboration with Pinky Promise are developing a shared Latin urban sound that draws from their different backgrounds, connecting Latin America and Australia through music while bringing their own influences to the mix.

Zuso – U R Luvd

The track was inspired by Embrz’s Left Ya a Voicenote, particularly its use of a voicemail sample to create a sense of intimacy and connection. For Australian producer Zuso, the idea was to explore that same feeling in his own way, eventually finding a voicemail that perfectly matched the mood of the track while reinforcing its central message. U R Luvd was written towards the end of last year and is a deep, reflective lo-fi song that tries to capture feelings of uncertainty, while also serving as a reminder that no matter what’s going on in life, you are still loved. Jalmar & Pinky Promise and Zuso came to us via the always exceptional folks at Mammal Sounds.

Space Afrika – From The Heart Of Knowing (feat. Alto Aria)

First of all, Quiet Storm ain’t your average long-player. Here we have an outstanding collection of raw, intensely detailed, visceral music, shades of ambient, trip-hop, techno, and modern classical, drawing spacious urban dubscapes from the contours of their city. So intense is this album, selecting just one cut creates a conundrum – which one? Self-produced and self-funded by Manchester/Berlin-based duo of Joshua Tarelle Reid and Joshua Inyang. Clearly they are passionate about making music, the way this LP ebbs and flows makes the idea of a concept redundant. Take how they have taken contribution from Danish artist Alto Aria, it’s mesmerizing. “We challenged ourselves and our own notions of identity, around class and diaspora, and how that is represented across musical genres. We wanted to show the characteristics of our project through the people we chose to work with,” says Reid. “We’ve stayed true to ourselves. It’s music from the heart. It’s music that has a particular rawness to it, but we’ve articulated that in a more modern classic structure, there’s a much more critical pronunciation of techniques,” says Inyang. “It’s a collaborative record because there is always strength and love in collaboration. But with that, we were able to focus more strongly on our personal identity.” This is an essential album. Top marks!

Merryn Jeann – Why Can Everything Be A Big Deal

I’m going to be honest here – I have persistent notion that Merryn Jeann could be having a laugh. Seeing how far she can go yet never give away the real story – it’s all a carefully calculated put-on. Then, on the other hand I find myself enjoying and accepting every moment of Fear Of The Beauty Parlour. The album doubles as Merryn Jeann’s sophomore album and her debut as a producer. “It marks a new chapter in my expansive and theatrical world” she says. Why Can Everything Be A Big Deal is fascinating and annoying in equal parts. Yes, I have it on repeat play. Curiously, the sleeve art sums up how I feel about this album, straight forward, clear and pleasing while presented as a mystery. Do not overlook – with caution.

Martha Rose & Grip Tight – Oh So Soon

Learning Love is the debut album by Martha Rose & Grip Tight available through Berlin label Mansions & Millions. Written by the longtime friends from the UK over two years in Grip Tight’s east Berlin studio. They mention that the “LP reflects and explores a soft nocturnal cityscape, glowing with evening lights on winding roads. They look at love through a rare lens of depth, grappling with loneliness and grief within the drawn curtains of intimacy, and the eternal struggles of trying to be your best self alongside someone else.” The eight well-produced songs can be listened to comfortably in one sitting without getting bored.

Frankie Rose – Hila

Self-produced at her home studio featuring collaborations with drummer Justin Welch (Elastica/Lush), the LP Hila was recorded following extensive touring with The Jesus & Mary Chain and Swervedriver. Ms. Rose says, “Hila is a record about loss. What persists beyond the range of ordinary perception? The place mourning keeps returning to — not quite transcendence, not quite doubt. The edge of what we can see.” OK, I accept that but as much as I feel I should laud compliments for the astute production of Hila I’m cautious because something bothers me. Songs about loss are of course plentiful — it’s the sincerity I question. This is of course, an age-old concern, I’m advising myself to listen more closely to the ten smart songs on Hila. Another cool sleeve.

Soul Revivers (feat. Sandra Cross) – Like A Lion

It may not be apparent on first listen – this album, Holding It Down is certifiably London-centric. Soul Revivers is an ambitious and collaborative project from David Hill and Nick Manasseh, bringing together icons of Jamaican music with some of London’s finest musical talent, steeped in West London’s reggae heritage. Including Johnny Clarke, Susan Cadogan, Vin Gordon and more. Recorded at Nick Manasseh’s The Yard studio, the rhythm section includes Manasseh (bass), with Adrian ‘Kenz’ McKenzie (drums), Will Rast (keyboards), James Shepherd and Wayne Almond (guitars), alongside horns Colin Humphries and Dougal Caston. A lovingly-produced selection with an unabashed acknowledgment of Reggae’s mid-70s heyday. We selected Like A Lion featuring long-time Lover’s Rock star, Sandra Cross who along with Soul Revivers prove once again they are exemplifiers of world class reggae, expertly drawing on its history, while incorporating contemporary artistry and new sounds, to create something fresh and timeless.

Dummy – Full Spectrum Dominance

Keyboardist Emma Maatman suggests, “A.I. could not exist without the harvesting of our data and using all of humanity’s intellectual property and collective work.” Then, nestled amongst the lengthy sleeve notes there is a reference to A. R. Kane which for me is either a sign of best endeavor or a cause for alarm. As it happens Alex, Emma, Joe & Nathan have concocted a pleasing set of songs on their LP Do You Love The Color Of The Sky. I just wish they had chosen another name.

Lucy La Dusk – Eye Drapes

“Lean against the moon with your back towards the sun” is the notation Lucy La Dusk offers for this EP King In My Empire. The Norwegian artist produced, played the instruments and handled the vocals on the three captivating tracks. The title cut quietly ushers in a sombre reggae coda, while Eye Drapes calls for an etherial if not haunting hue. And, An Angle In The Passing almost hides the beats behind a glitchy-electronica instrumental. Overall this is a must-listen-to EP. Use earbuds or headphone, better still play very loud. Accomplished.

Anomaly Zero X Jillian Ann X Ritual Fashion – Inner Simulation

We go back in time for this cut. Jillian Ann passed away on Saturday August 26th 2023. The album Punk Meditation-Lofi was released February 2, 2011. These are the original sleeve notes, “Jillian Ann says she has spent the last few years crafting a cinematic sound that relies heavily on neoclassical elements. Plus she tells us, “I made Punk Meditation-Lofi after searching for music to take me places that was a bit deeper. I had planned on having it remixed and remastered but the masters on which it was created are both dead. After years of not releasing it because it’s lo-fi and raw I have found it out there pirated. So here it is, it’s raw, it’s unmastered, it was a experiment at some point I plan on doing another Punk Meditations Proper. Until then I made these to go on a trip to. I did all of the programming and mixing and wouldn’t consider it perfect but I like it anyways. So enjoy and next time I hope to make something like this mixed and mastered and remixed properly.” If I were to venture in offering a description, what could be better than Jillian Ann’s own words, “I would consider it dark ambient, ethereal, darker dub.” RIP.

How Du – Code 279

If you like your Electronica on the Experimental  side then How Du’s LP Metal Will Reign will please you. Here we have the debut from the Bristol-based producer, courtesy of Pressure Dome. Rather tasty rich low-end pressure underpins each track, whilst intricate percussion, dubbed-out textures and delicate melodic elements create immersive environments that reward both deep listening and dancefloor engagement. All the cuts take an individual journey with Code 279 dissolving into a haze of expanding textures and stripped-back dub pressure. Do not ignore if you wanna chill to a decidedly cool selection. Important and invigorating.

Les Stones – Blood Red Wine

Five blokes making music in a renowned West London studio. Recorded in 1968 at Olympic Studios in Barnes. Unreleased. Exceptional.

!an McLagan – In Conversation

Recorded just a couple of weeks before the famed keyboardist died, December 3, 2014. A hero.

The photograph is by Norman B, a small corner of John of Shrewsbury’s kitchen. May, 2026. Courtesy of Norman B’s collection