The Comet Is Coming set to release new album in March; listen to the first single ‘Summon The Fire’

Three years on from the release of Channel The Spirits, which was one of our Album Picks of 2016, astro-futurist trio The Comet Is Coming are back with a much anticipated new album called Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery. The album´s title, as the band explained, concerns “finding meaning in that which you cannot grasp”, it considers “truth in the existence of a primordial energy” and it asks: “What does it mean to be human?”. On the theme of the album, the trio´s King Shabaka added:

“We are able to catch glimpses of this lifeforce energy during our music-induced trances, and in doing so can contemplate our position as a human species in the context of the vastness of space and the epic scale of its workings.”

Marking their first release on iconic jazz label Impulse!, Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery is out on March 15th. Ahead of it, we can already hear the first cosmic and effusive ‘Summon The Fire’. Here it is.

In other related news, The Comet Is Coming are heading on tour in Europe and the US, including stops at SXSW and Big Ears Festival. Check all their shows here.

Listen to Matmos’ new single ‘Silicone Gel Implant’ off upcoming album Plastic Anniversary

Matmos have been creating music using the most unusual sources and approaches for over twenty years. The duo of M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel, partners in life and music, have to date made music out of anything from washing machines and varied surgical procedures to human skulls and rat cages, usually paired with instrumentation. In line with their love of unconventional sound sources, their upcoming album, Plastic Anniversary, draws from one element, plastic. All the sounds on the record are extracted entirely from plastic objects, including Bakelite dominoes, Styrofoam coolers, polyethylene waste containers, PVC panpipes, pinpricks of bubble wrap and more. There’s human elements as well guest contributing to the album including members of the horn and drumline sections of the Whitefish Highschool Bulldogs from Whitefish, Montana and Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier. The songs on the album are described as “a volatile and vibrant suite of poppy plastic electronics”, with its closing track “end[ing] in an acknowledgement of the planetary price yet to be paid.”

Plastic Anniversary is out on March 15th through Thrill Jockey, and Matmos are teasing it with the brilliant and bouncy ‘Silicone Gel Implant’. Like the title suggests, the bassline sounds derive from silicone breast implant samples. Here it is.

Maurice Louca’s new album Elephantine arrives in February

A gifted musician at the vanguard of Egypt’s flourishing experimental arts scene, Maurice Louca is involved in numerous collaborations, most notably his trio The Dwarfs of East Agouza, multicultural collective Alif and bands like Bikya, Lekhfa and Karkhana. Louca has also contributed his North African percussion loops and scintillation keys to other projects, composing for theatre, film and contemporary art.

February 1st will see the release of his new full-length album, Elephantine, recorded in Stockholm and featuring a 12-piece ensemble. The record “serves as both the pinnacle of his wide-ranging experience and a bold next step in his development as a composer, arranger and bandleader”, describes the press release. “The music — from its pensive lulls through its stretches of hard-grooving hypnosis and moments of avant-jazz catharsis — testifies to that rapport.”

The entrancing and transcending ‘The Leper’ serves as the first taste from the record and we can’t stop playing it.

Elephantine is out on February 1st through Sub Rosa and Northern Spy.

Porto’s Primavera Sound festival releases first wave of acts for its 2019 edition

Artists lined up to play in Porto’s Primavera Sound festival in June include Stereolab, Sons of Kemet XL, Nubya Garcia, Jambinai, Tirzah and more

Primavera Sound Porto has announced the first wave of names for its 2019 instalment, which takes place in the city’s stunning Parque da Cidade June 6th – 8th. The line-up so far is as follows:

Thursday 6th
Solange,  Stereolab, Jarvis Cocker, Danny Brown, Peggy Gou, Yaeji Lizzo, Tommy Cash, Let’s Eat Grandma, Mormor, Ama Lou, Christina Rosenvinge, Job Jobse, Nilüfer Yanya, Miya Folick, Allen Halloween, Photonz, Mai Kino, Roza Terenzi, Dino D’Santiago

Friday 7th
J Balvin, Interpol, James Blake, Courtney Barnett, Mura Masa, Kali Uchis, Liz Phair, SOPHIE, David August, Sons of Kemet XL, Fucked Up, JPEGMAFIA, Helena Hauff, Shellac, Aldous Harding, Lisabö, Jambinai, Courtesy, Surma, Men I Trust, Nubya Garcia, Dr. Rubinstein, ProfJam, Violet, JASSS

Saturday 8th
Erykah Badu, Rosalía, Jorge Ben Jor, Modeselektor, Nina Kraviz, Guided by Voices, Neneh Cherry, Low, Kate Tempest, Big Thief, Joy Orbison, Yves Tumor, Snail Mail, Lucy Dacus, Tirzah, Boddika, Mykki Blanco, Amyl And The Sniffers, Hop Along, Tomberlin, Viagra Boys, Mad Miran, O Terno, Lena D’Água e Primeira Dama, Jackie

Tickets are on sale now via the festival’s website.

Mdou Moctar announces new full-length album Ilana

Tuareg musician Mdou Moctar, an extraordinary self-taught guitarist and singer-songwriter hailing from Niger, is ready to follow 2017’s Sousoume Tamachek. Entitled Ilana, Moctar’s new album is set for release on March 29th through Sahel Sounds. The record is described as “Mdou’s most ambitious record to date, taking tradition into into an ever louder and blistering direction”.

‘Kamane Tarhanin’ serves as the first taste from Ilana and you can listen to it below.

Martyn Heyne unveils accompanying video for ‘Brandung’

Ingenious German multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Martyn Heyne has unveiled a fittingly stunning video to accompany ‘Brandung’, lifted from his 2016’s mini-album Shady & Light. Heyne explains how the video came about:

“A while back, the filmmaker Melinte Reitzema got in touch about some music of mine she wanted to use in her latest work. The film, LUCY – My Transgender Life, is a documentary about her dear friend Lucy Fizz and features some wild and enchanting footage. One batch of material in particular caught my attention: Lucy dancing alone at the famed London venue The Box, shot in super slow motion and close up. Melinte is an angel and turned it into a music video for me.”

Now watch the video for ‘Brandung’.