Azmari to release new EP, In Oculis, in May; listen to first single ‘Disassembling the Matrix’

04 April 2025

There’s exciting news from Azmari who have announced their upcoming EP, In Oculis, set for release on May 9 through Sdban Ultra. In In Oculis, Azmari meld “genres that range from powerful grooves to cinematic jazz, from floating melodies to entrancing soundscapes,” reflecting their desire to reinvent themselves with new influences and experimentation and a more minimalistic approach. The Belgian outfit enlisted the help of French multi-instrumentalist Guillaume Souffrice (Mosso Mosso), a longtime collaborator who had already been Azmari’s guitarist in their initial lineup.

Alongside the EP news, Azmari unveiled today the first single, ‘Disassembling the Matrix’. Groovy, menacing and hypnotic, the track originated from a jam session where an arpeggiator loop malfunctioned, leading the band to explore its potential. This experimentation resulted in a 9/4 melodic loop that serves as the song’s backbone. Of the track, the band says:

“’Disassembling the Matrix’ is about the confrontation between man and machine. The loop of the arpeggiator and daf instrument guide us through the track in a powerful and elusive march.”

Listen to ‘Disassembling the Matrix’ now.

Tropos share new single from upcoming album, Switches

03 April 2025

Photo: Tarishi Gupta

Brooklyn-based composer-improviser collective Tropos have announced the release of a new full-length album titled Switches. A nine-track anthology, Switches saw Phillip Golub (piano), Ledah Finck (violin), Yuma Uesaka (clarinets), and Aaron Edgcomb (drums/percussion), who make up the collective, embrace a true collaborative approach to composition, with all members bringing in ideas. Tropos crafted the album over the course of more than a year, with mentoring from Darius Jones, before hitting the road to test ideas on a DIY tour across the East Coast, Canada, and the Midwest. As the press release describes, the album “captures the sparks that fly when four distinct voices toggle between individual visions and shared intuition”.

Switches will see the light of day on June 27th through Endectomorph Music and the band shared today ‘The Best Donuts in Pennsylvania’, a playful and wild track composed by violinist Ledah Finck. Speaking about it, the band says:

“Everyone’s trying to tell you what’s best. Sometimes, you choose to believe them. You find the best donut shop, and you go back day after day until you’ve tried each kind. Your palate is bursting with different flavors, a saturated explosion of sweetness. The sugar high is intense in “The Best Donuts in Pennsylvania.” Its obsessive opening figures give way to a revelation that the ensemble is not just a many-limbed single-brained creature but in fact several children playing a game of chance or chicken and sometimes throwing tantrums.”

Listen to ‘The Best Donuts in Pennsylvania’ below.

Listen to Stubbleman’s new single ‘In the Company of Oaks’

01 April 2025

After three decades shaping the pop music landscape, British composer and producer Pascal Gabriel birthed his Stubbleman project in 2019, turning his attention back to his electronic and experimental roots. Following the release of Mountains and Plains, Stubbleman is gearing up to release a new album. Entitled 1:46:43 – The Ventoux Trilogy, the album is an exploration of the legendary Mont Ventoux cycling ascent, which he has transformed into a unique auditory experience. To bring the album to life, Stubbleman used real-time ride data – heart rate, speed, power, and cadence – to guide modular synth sequences, weaving together field recordings, rhythms, and melodies. Spanning 18 tracks across three movements, The Ventoux Trilogy reflects the changing landscapes of the mountain, with each piece evolving in response to the physical and emotional challenges of the climb. More than just a cycling journey, the upcoming album is a reflection on the human experience itself.

Ahead of the album’s release in June through Crammed Discs, Stubbleman has shared ‘In the Company of Oaks’, which opens the second movement, and as the press release describes, “marks the transition into a dense, towering forest, where the unyielding grey tarmac pitches sharply upward, winding through a cathedral of ancient oaks whose vaulted canopy casts dappled shadows across the road”. Mirroring the strain of the ascent, “each breath grows heavier, each movement more deliberate, as the solitude of the climb sets in”. Listen to ‘In the Company of Oaks’ below.


Bella Wakame announce self-titled debut album and share lead single ‘Shades of Nambei’

29 March 2025

Photo: Andreas Staebler

After debuting their single ‘Toutpartout PT2’ two years ago, Bella Wakame are gearing up to release their first proper studio album. Andi Haberl and Florian Zimmer, the pair behind the project, have distilled the energy and improvisational spirit of a 2024 live recording (captured in Berlin at Donau115 and Silent Green) into their debut self-titled debut album. The record explores the unpredictable and exhilarating interplay between Haberl’s sensory percussion and Zimmer’s modular synthesizer. Reveling in their musical freedom, the pair have created a sound that is both frenzied and freeing, fresh and untamed, setting it apart from their work with other projects like The Notwist, SUN, Saroos, and Driftmachine. Drawing inspiration from acts like Bitchin Bajas, Jeremiah Chiu, and Groupshow (Jelinek, Leichtmann, Pekler), the ten tracks on Bella Wakame’s upcoming album move “restlessly between motorik club, electro-acoustic jazz experiments, ambient excursions, and fast-paced instrumental anthems that seem to explode at the seams”, as the press release describes.

Ahead of the album’s release on May 30th through Umor Rex, Bella Wakame are giving us a taste of what’s to come with their first single, ‘Shades of Nambei’. The single is offered with an accompanying video made by Daniel Castrejón and Florian Zimmer and you can watch it below.

Tortoise unveil ‘Oganesson’, their first new track in nine years

27 March 2025

Photo: Todd Weaver

Rejoice, for Tortoise are back with their first new music in nine years! The legendary Chicago-based quintet of Jeff Parker, Dan Bitney, Douglas McCombs, John Herndon, and John McEntire unveiled today a new single, ‘Oganesson’, marking the first new music since their album The Catastrophist came out in 2016. Long revered as one of the most innovative and influential groups since their formation in the early 1990s, and undoubtedly trailblazers of the “post-rock” movement, Tortoise have carved a unique path through the landscape of contemporary music. ‘Oganesson’ sets the stage to a forthcoming album through International Anthem & Nonesuch Records, though details are still under wraps.

Exhilarating and dynamic, ‘Oganesson’ is a powerful reminder of Tortoise’s enduring ability to innovate, and we can’t wait for more stuff like this to be sprung upon us. Rob Shaw made an animated video to accompany the track and you can watch it below.

Poppy Ackroyd unveils collaborative single with Norman Ackroyd

26 March 2025

A longtime favourite of ours, incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist and composer Poppy Ackroyd is set to release a new single, ‘Notes on Water’, on March 26th through One Little Independent Records. A deeply personal track, it marks the first collaboration between Poppy and her late father, Norman Ackroyd, a renowned British landscape artist and etcher. Composed by Poppy during her father’s final months, the piece captures the vitality and passion he embodied throughout his life.

Inspired by their shared journeys to remote islands, the piece mirrors the fluidity of the ocean and their shared love for nature, the sea, and their bond as artists. Poppy comments:

“‘Notes on Water’ is our first collaboration, an effort to capture moments we have spent together traveling around the British Isles, both on land and at sea. Our journeys have taken us to Orkney and Cape Wrath, as well as more remote destinations like the Skellig Islands and the Outer Hebrides – the most memorable trips were to the Flannan Isles and North Rona – traversing both turbulent oceans and glassy seas. Although we worked in different mediums, we both expressed ourselves through a collection of black ink marks on paper. This project is a celebration of our love for nature and the landscape, for the sea and its birds, but most importantly, for each other.”

With its dynamic and fluid piano composition, the track embodies the vitality and zest for life that Norman carried until his passing in September 2024. The release will feature both a solo piano version and one of Norman’s final etchings, his final artistic work before passing away in September 2024. This collaboration also serves as a tribute to Norman’s memory, with proceeds from the single going to the Norman Ackroyd Foundation, supporting printmaking and the arts.

Speaking about the piece, Poppy adds:

“This is the best way I could say ‘I love you’, speaking his language, through our work, which is where we always met. He was so thrilled to do this piece. Even at 86, he was young at heart, still exploring new things. It’s a celebration of his passion, our shared experiences, and the unspoken bond we had through art and music.”

Beautiful, radiant and poignant, ‘Notes on Water’ is after your ears.