Genres? What Genres? In these 60 minutes of carefully curated new music, we deliberately mix it up from off-kilter Two-Step out of Bristol to exquisite Pop by way of Brighton. The adventure starts with Crime, a cut from the EP, Illicit Material by Longeez on the Bristol-based Canapé Records imprint. Who proudly say they are building a community of underground artists, with the shared duty of challenging expectations in soundsystem culture. Next, Yung Singh steps up to prove his skills with Bheer x Ladbroke Grove (Yung Singh Edit) from The Punjabi Garage Bundle For Charity EP. Part of the Daytimers Collective, which you need to check out All proceeds go to charity – www.khalsaaid.org who do incredible humanitarian work across the world with a focus on conflict zones as well as the UK and Punjab. More good deeds are being handled by Optimo Music a record label based in Glasgow, Scotland, and run by Optimo’s JD Twitch, with the album Ghana Glasgow Friendship. We selected two tracks, Deka Worwor and Nobody Knows by Tafi & Green Door Allstars. 100% of proceeds from the release will be donated with 50% going to Glasgow foodbanks and 50% to a project to build toilets in the village of Tafi Atome, Ghana. Berlin is the home to the Shika Shika. The label has made a name for itself by highlighting musical migrations: sounds that mix together cultural influences, tradition with modernity or electronica with organic and natural sounds. To celebrate 5 years in business and releasing music by over sixty artists from thirty-four countries they have released the compilation, Shika Shika: 5 Years. The example you’ll hear is Miniyamba (ft. Mina Shankha) by Yeahman & Hajna. Dancehall Reggae, always welcome at LEM comes forward from Melbourne, Australia courtesy of Easy Now Recordings with On It by DJ Maars. Balancing a serious nod to Hip Hop while Dubbing up a Dancehall cut this limited edition seven-inch will have you heading for repeat play. La Récré is a Paris-based punk-jazz band composed of Cédric Laban and Émile Sornin. Well, that is how they describe themselves. They also suggest their music is a fusion of melancholy ‘70s library music with hip-hop rhythms and a heavy dose of psychedelia. Listen to L’An 2000 from the EP Ne Penser À Rien to see if you agree. We have no reason to disagree and we do think their videos are worth taking a look at. For you train-spotters, La Récré is on Black Milk Music. Emma Noble says her sound is rooted in and influenced by her deep love for rare soul, funk, and disco. In her self-titled EP, (which will not be released until March 2021, Emma demonstrates that she is a talent to watch out for. Table Dancers (Smoove 7” remix) was our choice for this Volume. We are looking forward to hearing more from Emma Noble. The Life Elsewhere Intelligence Department has confirmed information that one, Alexander Leonard Donat runs a ridiculously amount, setting records all the time. And we have reliable reports that he does these marathon running escapades to elevate the excess energy from putting out quality music on his Blackjack Illuminist Records. It should be noted that it takes a lot of energy and willful spirit to put out eighteen volumes of music by Vilimmer, the moniker for his own band. You’ll hear Vorfreude (anticipation) from the album  X11111111. Apparently, the last one of the series. If we can snag Alexander briefly for a chat before he dashes off on another run, we’ll have him back on the show to explain, everything! Patrick Atkinson who has worked across pop and experimental music for some time under the aliases, Orpheline, Dallas Boner & as the duo Leap Wars with one half of Yeah You is now presenting as Stuck Sunsets. His new album is Delitism, a curiously interesting affair with tracks going off in different directions but as a whole, Patrick manages to showcase why we recommend you check it out. We selected The Girl Ruins The Room which is a good example of what he capable of. It’s also important to mention that Delitism is a project conceived out of the loss of his brother, the title a macabre joke about competitive brotherly love and death being the ultimate trump card. The line up of guests Michael Ciravolo rounds up to appear on his Beauty In Chaos recordings is impressive. The LA-based rock ’n’ roller’s latest album, Out Of Chaos Comes… is packed full of recognizable talent. We selected a fine example of these collaborations, Temple Of Desire (Boxcutter Mix) ft. Rafe Pearlman. There are and always will be a lot of arguments over “cover versions”. It’s our opinion that “cover versions” should never be overlooked. Hannah and Olly, the enterprising duo behind Pela have bravely taken on a cover of a hit from the early 90s by a band who were stunned by their own success. Here’s Where The Story Ends from The Sundays is a remarkable choice by the young London-Brighton-based Pela, not least of all because the original was so fraught with emotion and vulnerability. In the hands of Hannah and Olly, they have created a version that is still emotive, yet it is also blisteringly positive. Perhaps their choice of the song at the end of the year, a year that has caught us all in a state of flux is the perfect way to move forward into the new year? Her voice and his production make for a splendid, pop record. It also happens to be one of the most spectacularly-crafted releases of 2020. Familiar yes. You’ll sing along. And like us, hopefully, you’ll agree, Here’s Where 2020 Ends.

LEM Vol 211 Playlist

1. Longeez – Crime
2. Yung Singh – Bheer x Ladbroke Grove (Yung Singh Edit)
3. Tafi & Green Door Allstars – Deka Worwor
4. Tafi & Green Door Allstars – Nobody Knows
5. Yeahman & Hajna – Miniyamba (ft. Mina Shankha)
6. DJ Maars – On It
7. La Récré – L’An 2000
8. Emma Noble – Table Dancers (Smoove 7” remix)
9. Vilimmer – Vorfreude
10. Stuck Sunsets – The Girl Ruins The Room
11. Beauty In Chaos – Temple Of Desire (Boxcutter Mix) ft. Rafe Pearlman
12. Pela – Here Where The Story Ends

The artwork for this volume is by Elizabeth Conte “PO 15 A” 2004 5’ x 6’.9” acrylic, charcoal & ink on canvas. Courtesy of Norman B’s collection

LEM Vol 211

 

Hello there, in this volume we begin where we left off in volume 209 with the very impressive October And The Eyes the talented artist from New Zealand, now based in London. The cut is titled Dark Dogs from her Dogs and Gods EP. Next, a dash on over to the city by the bay, San Francisco to hear from French Cassettes with Santa Cruz Tomorrow by way of their album, Rolodex. Here is a band I wanted to find fault with for no other reason than they sound so accomplished. Good work, French Cassettes. Over in London, Dominic Wolf says this, “I write songs, press buttons, sing and play instruments”. Nothing to argue with there. His song Perfect suggests we should keep a lookout for more from Dominic Wolf. Dublin is a thriving center of creative energy where Pillow Queens is based. About their album, In Waiting they say, “It’s an album about the in-between; the transitionary period of an adulthood that never seems to arrive, while you wait for that lightbulb moment when everything makes sense, even though part of you knows deep down it will never come”. They have a lot more to say, but first, you need to hear their music, so we give you two in a row, A Dog’s Life and Holy Show. Staying in Ireland, here is a captivating performer, Denise Chaila from County Claire. From her latest album, Go Bravely, I selected, Chaila where the Limerick-based, Zambian-Irish rapper, singer, poet, grime, and hip hop artist chides us for not knowing how to pronounce her name. Denise has a number of videos available including a couple of dazzling live performances of Chaila. And, yet another video I came across of Denise Chaila features an Irish singer-songwriter we focused in on about three years ago, Sorcha Richardson. Back then she was based in Brooklyn, but now she appears to be back home in Dublin, once again making perfect, but albeit sad love songs. Sorcha’s latest is The Starlight Lounge, proving she has a keen ear for what makes a good love song work and how to perform it exquisitely. From the Emerald Isle, we travel south to Spain where four young musicians are displaying their considerable talent with the new album, Self Worth. They are Jazz Rodríguez Bueno, Carla Pérez Vaz, Leia Rodríguez Bueno, and Victor Álvarez Ridao who together are known as Mourn. We first played Mourn when they were exceptionally young, they still are young and This Feeling Is Disgusting will explain why you need to investigate more of their music. Sparky is the title of Nuha Ruby Ra’s latest single. It shouldn’t take you long to determine if you identify with the title. And by that I mean it depends on if you are in the position of giver or taker. Nuha Ruby Ra is based in London and enjoying a lot of well-deserved attention recently. I prompted you over a year ago to keep a lookout for her, this is an artist I’d like to get your feedback on. And, Nuha Ruby Ra is a talent I’m positive is quite splendid live. How awful is it that we are still in this horror-story of a pandemic, so the likelihood of enjoying Nuha Ruby Ra in concert could be a long way off? The same goes for any of the artists I feature on Life Elsewhere Music, not least of all a trio who have managed to release an upbeat, danceable track based around how Covid is effecting us all…yes, it’s Josh Idehen, Shanaz Dorsett & Tom Leaper,  AKA Benin City with Get Your Own. Big favorites here at Life Elsewhere  Towers are Benin City. Once again they demonstrate how good they are at conjuring up a delicious mixture of commentary and danceable beats. We stay in London for the next cut, a new one from Dry Cleaning with Scratchcard Lanyard. A band that has been around for a little while and continues to release exciting new music. You are advised to check out their back catalog and the video for Scratchcard Lanyard. I’m not sure if it’s homemade, but it’s definitely worth a look. Deliberately mixing up the genres, next we go to Austin, Texas to hear from Alex Maas with Been Struggling. His album, Luca is a solid collection of mostly plaintive songs, finely represented by the video for Been Struggling. The mysterious images evoking a sentimental mood, perfectly in keeping with Alex’s music. El Perro del Mar is the musical project founded in 2003 in Gothenburg, Sweden by its sole member, Sarah Assbring. Her album is titled Free Land, the cut we play is Dreamers Change The World. A fascinating album, some might say difficult or hard to categorize and I say that’s just what we need. Holiday music is not up there on my list of music to select for you, id fact I’ll be honest, I usually avoid anything that has a hint of jingle-jangle. There are exceptions, of course, the enterprising folks over at Memphis Industries have come up with an intriguing compilation of mostly original holiday songs in aid of Crisis’ Home for All Campaign. Titled, Lost Christmas: A Festive Memphis Industries Selection Box, I’ve selected a cut by Rachael Dadd (with Rozi Plain & Kate Stables with We Build Our Houses Well. That one takes up to the closing credits and as always, we wish you well and ask that you stay safe and, always be nice. Thank you for listening.

LEM Vol 210 Playlist

1. October and the Eyes – Dark Dog
2. French Cassettes – Santa Cruz Tomorrow
3. Dominic Wolf – Perfect
4. Pillow Queens – A Dog’s Life
5. Pillow Queens – Holy Show
6. Denise Chaila – Chala
7. Sorcha Richardson – The Starlight Lounge
8. Mourn – This Feeling Is Disgusting
9. Nuha Ruby Ra – Sparky
10. Benin City – Get Your Own
11. Dry Cleaning – Scratchcard Lanyard
12. Alex Maas – Been Struggling
13. El Perro Del Mar – Dreamers Change The World
14. Rachael Dadd (with Rozi Plain & Kate Stables – We Build Our Houses Well

The artwork for this volume is by O. E. Mason “Rotting Fruit” 1999 4’ x 5’ (detail) Giclée print on archival paper. Courtesy of Norman B’s collection

LEM Vol 210