Category Archives: Blog

Jerusalem In My Heart’s new album Qalaq out tomorrow, listen to opener ‘Abyad Barraq’

07 October 2021

Photo: Isabelle Stachtchenko

Qalaq, the new album from Jerusalem In My Heart, will see the light of day tomorrow through Constellation. The performative audio-visual project founded by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, now comprising new member Erin Weisgerber, had already shared a compelling and entrancing taste from the album with ‘Qalaq 3 (w​/​Moor Mother)’, ‘Qalaq 4 (w​/​Rabih Beaini)’ and ‘Qalaq 5 (w​/​Oiseaux​-​Tempête)’. Ahead of Qalaq‘s release, Jerusalem In My Heart have shared the opening track, ‘Abyad Barraq’, featuring drummer Greg Fox (Liturgy, Ex Eye, Zs, GDFX), who comments:

“Ever since first hearing JIMH, I’ve wanted to collaborate. I’ve always resonated deeply with Radwan’s creative approach to music making, and on a deeper level, I feel we connect regarding what I would describe as a deep urge for justice and liberation on a global scale. I feel close to this work even though I am only drumming on the opening track. It is an honour to be part of this record.”

‘Abyad Barraq’ comes with an accompanying film made by Weisgerber who used the pictures of Beirut-based photographer Tony Elieh taken in the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion. Watch it below.

Mario Batkovic set to release new album, Introspectio, in December

04 October 2021

There’s exciting news from Bosnian-born and Swiss-based musician and composer Mario Batkovic, who is set to release a new album, following his eponymous album which was one of our Album Picks of 2017. Entitled Introspectio, the album arrives on December 3rd through Invada Records and features a stellar cast of collaborators, including electronic maverick James Holden, former BEAK> member Matthew Williams aka MXLX, sax super hero Colin Stetson, drummer Clive Deamer (Radiohead/Portishead/Robert Plant/Roni Size) and concert choir Cantus Domus.

A virtuoso accordion player, Batkovic continues to explore the sonic possibilities of his instrument in an adventurous and unconventional way. The album “is a self-questioning, self-examination of society and the meaning of sound”, describes the press release. “Batkovic questions the place of sound, clichés and prejudices, taking the listener on a journey through infinite universes of sound.”

Ahead of the album release, Batkovic has shared the first spellbinding single, ‘Chorea Duplex’, featuring James Holden. It comes with a video by Lukas Meier. Here it is.

Tanya Tagaq set to release new album, Tongues, in March, shares title track

30 September 2021

With the last stretch of the year upon us, we’re already eagerly looking forward to 2022 with the recent announcement of a new album from Tanya Tagaq. She released an EP, Toothsayer, in 2019, but the new album is her first full-length since 2016’s Retribution, which was one of our 15 Picks of the 2016 and remains an active favourite. Entitled Tongues, Tagaq’s new album arrives on March 11th through Six Shooter Records and was produced by Saul Williams and mixed by Gonjasufi. As with previous efforts, the immensely talented Inuit throat singer and composer taps on environmental and human rights issues, specificialy the struggle for Aboriginal rights in Canada. Featuring excerpts from her book Split Tooth, the album “speaks not to horrors and crisis”, as the label describes, “but directly of these things.” It adds that Tongues “is the soundtrack of righteous taking-back of personhood and power. It is a triumph of strength and intelligence that invites the listener to join her in a personal victory over colonization, over those who take without consent.”

The powerful and poignant title track serves as a phenomenal taste of what Tagaq has in store for us. The track is offered with a video directed by Caitlin Veitch and with 3D Animation by Omar Rivero (Driftnote).

Naytronix announces new album, Other Possibilities, and shares first single ‘Somebody’

28 September 2021

Here’s the thing: we love Naytronix so news of a new record from the phenomenal multi-instrumentalist and producer is something we’re always itching for. He has a new album on the way, Other Possibilities, releasing on October 29th through Overseas Artists Recordings. In the works for four years, Other Possibilities encapsulates and reflects a number of changes and adaptations that occurrred over this period, including a shoulder injury.

“The album started off as a pursuance: a search for the perfect version of whatever it is we’re supposed to be creating”, explains the press release. “But what he found over the course of the four years writing the album, through changes both intentional and circumstantial, was that his strongest work happened when the boundaries came down, the pressure was gone and the process became more enjoyable.”

Along with the album announcement, Naytronix has also revelead the first single, ‘Somebody’, a catchy and feel good song that radiates a breathe of optimism. It comes with an accompanying video directed by Hank + Tank. Watch it below.

Watch the video for Tara Clerkin Trio’s ‘Night Steps’ off upcoming In Spring EP

28 September 2021

This Friday will see the release of In Spring, the new 4-track EP from Bristol based group Tara Clerkin Trio. After sharing the magnificent and mesmerizing title track, the trio of Tara Clerkin and brothers Sunny-Joe Paradiso and Patrick Benjamin have shared another cut from the EP called ‘Night Steps’, and an accompanying video. Speaking about it, the band explains:

“This is a woman, walking through the city at night. She’s thinking deeply about everything, sometimes existing in the present, sometimes in her memories, always set on the same streets. She craves the fleeting feeling when she can so easily mistake herself for anyone else walking by, any of the buildings, a cat in a window. She reaches the beach at the edge of her city as the sun’s coming up. And looks longingly at the horizon as the city wakes up behind her.”

Ron MacRae and Tim Webb animate and direct. Watch the video below.


In Spring is out on October 1st through World of Echo

Manu Delago unveils video for new single ‘Trees For The Wood’; new album Environ Me out now

27 September 2021

Manu Delago‘s much anticipated audio-visual album, Environ Me, came out last week and coinciding with it, the staggeringly talented percussionist and composer has shared a fittingly striking video for new single ‘Trees For The Wood’, depicting deforestation. He comments:

“Imagine a musical forest consisting of 20 double basses, each placed on a tree stump in a felled forest with their players behind them. The piece starts with a chainsaw-esque intro, sonically cutting down a tree. But then the track takes a very calm turn with a soothing handpan pattern accompanied by the double bass forest directly recorded in nature.

All musicians involved donated their fees for the project to plant forests instead. These young Elm trees will store CO2 and protect against storms and erosions as they get bigger, while stabilising surrounding coniferous forests that suffer from global heating.”

Watch the video below and grab Delago’s precious Environ Me now that it’s out through One Little Independent Records.