Jason Sharp’s third album The Turning Centre Of A Still World out next month

08 July 2021

Montréal composer, improviser and saxophonist Jason Sharp has a new album on the way entitled The Turning Centre Of A Still World. Unlike his two previous albums that saw him collaborate with guest musicians, the upcoming album is a solo effort conceived “as an interplay strictly bounded by his own body, his acoustic instrument, and his evolving bespoke electronic system”, as the press release describes. Sharp offered some insight into it:

“This music was developed and composed with the use of a customised electroacoustic interface in which I wear a heart monitor that sends signal to an array of modular synthesizers. All electronic rhythmic elements stem from my real-time human pulse, establishing a fluctuating centre that continually channels and responds to the physicality of the performance. The entire compositional process is given essential shape and colour through biofeedback; the electronics are humanized. The music is orchestrated with my bass and baritone saxophone playing, along with other methods of intentional breathing and heart-rate manipulation, to influence and interact with my electronic/synthetic materials to fulfill the arc of each composition.

In live performance, tempos and other signal-processed components of the music are different each time, directly conditioned by my visceral and emotional presence. My physicality is inherently patched into all aspects of these electroacoustic séances: concentration, vulnerability, emotion, meditation – all are at work in the performance of the music, including at a formal/structural level through biofeedback of constituent sonic materials. As synthesized sound elements shift according to fluctuations in the signal path sourced from my pulse, the performance accommodates and manipulates these responsive variables, continually re-synthesizing the synthesis. These works are always and fundamentally unique to each performed instantiation, in a connective way that encompasses audience, machine and me.”

The Turning Centre Of A Still World arrives on August 27th through Constellation and ahead of it Sharp has shared the first utterly moving ‘Everything Is Waiting For You’. The track comes with an accompanying video created by experimental filmmaker Guillaume Vallée. Watch it below.

New Herbert album, Musca, out in October

04 July 2021

Matthew Herbert has announced a third instalment in his series of domestic house albums under the name Herbert, following 2001’s Bodily Functions and 1998’s Around The House. The new album is called Musca and saw the British electronic composer collaborate remotely with eight singers, Verushka Grebenar-George, Siân Roseanna, Allie Armstrong, Bianca Rose, Melissa Uye-Parker, Daisy Godfrey, Yakoto Kieck and Joy Morgan. Musca also features six other incredible musicians, Tom Skinner, Nick Ramm, Tom Herbert, Finn Peters, Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian and Leo Taylor.

About the album, Herbert commented:

“Like presumably many other albums made during the last year, Musca reflects on navigating the challenges and joys of our most intimate relationships whilst the world is in turmoil. Not just with Covid, but with the rise in state and political violence, facebook-friendly fascism, white supremacy and a climate in crisis.”

Musca will see the light of day on October 22nd through Accidental Records and Herbert has shared a first taste from it, ‘The Way’, featuring Ghanaian-German singer Y’akoto.  ‘The Way’, describes Herbert, ‘is a surrender to the intimacy we found ourselves face to face with on a daily basis’. Listen to it below.

Sam Gendel & Sam Wilkes set to release Music For Saxofone & Bass Guitar More Songs later this month

04 July 2021

Two prominent names in the Los Angeles’ contemporary jazz scene and in-demand collaborators, Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes released Music For Saxofone & Bass back in 2018. The pair are ready to follow it up with Music For Saxofone & Bass Guitar More Songs, a record featuring nine tracks from their live performance archives, including new songs and covers. Music For Saxofone & Bass Guitar More Songs arrives on July 21st through Leaving Records and ahead of it Gendel and Wilkes have shared ‘Cold Pocket’. Take a listen.

Thiago Nassif shares Cornelius remix of ‘Pele de Leopardo’ from latest album Mente

03 July 2021

A year on from the release of Thiago Nassif’s widely acclaimed album Mente, the phenomenal multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer has shared a remix of album track ‘Pele de Leopardo’ by maverick musician and producer Cornelius. DJ and broadcaster Nick Luscombe, who triggered this collaboration, commented:

“So for me, it’s been really wonderful to be able to connect two of my all time favourite artists from each country via this brilliant remix! I’m certain there will be more to follow and I am already excited by the potential of a new collaboration between Keigo and Thiago – which already sounds like a perfect Japan/Brazil duo!”

Reflecting about the remix, Thiago said:

“Pele de Leopardo means Leopard Skin, some would say it’s a method of changing your own skin into something else, like wearing a disguise or an overlapping layer. Somehow Cornelius found my music and posted it on his famous Instagram song playlist. This skin that travelled from one continent to another at leopard’s speed got to Japan! His skin got to me way before with “Sensuous” and “Point”-his way of composing music was like sacred geometry to me. Now, in the form of a remix, here is Cornelius’ way of overlapping his skin on mine. It is not a disguise but something that reveals the song even more.”

Listen to the remix below.

In other related news, Gearbox Records is also releasing Thiago’s third album Três as a Japanese Edition CD on June 30th.

Black Dice return with seventh album Mod Prog Sic

03 July 2021

Photo: Dan Hougland

Long-running experimental art noise outfit Black Dice are back with their first album in nearly a decade, having last released Mr. Impossible back in 2012. Entitled Mod Prog Sic, the new album also marks the first release on FourFour Records, the new label from DFA Records label head and co-founder Jonathan Galkin.

Ahead of the album’s release on October 1st, Black Dice have released the first taste of what’s to come, the bonkers and boisterous ‘White Sugar’. The track comes with an accompanying video directed by Aaron Anderson.  Watch it now.

In support of the new album, Black Dice are hitting the road this Autumn for a North American tour.

ECHT! announce debut full length album Inwane

02 July 2021

Belgian instrumental outfit ECHT! got our full attention a couple of years ago with the release of their first EP, DOUF. They are ready to follow it up with their debut album this Autum. Entitled Inwane, the effort arrives on September 24th through Sdban Ultra. Martin Méreau, Dorian Dumont, Florent Jeunieaux and Federico Pecoraro, who make up the band, had this to say about it:

“For our first album, we wanted to go into deeper beats. We were listening a lot to trap, gritty hip-hop & bass music, and we tried to emulate those kinds of beats on our instruments. The darkish mood of those music genres was fitting for us with this strangest year of 2020. But we also wanted to give a contrast with some brighter parts, where the human feeling is more present. This duality continued in the mixing process by pushing or destroying some sounds, adding electronic textures & effects, but also keeping some sounds really acoustic & organic. The result is for us a mature album: the feeling of electronic music emulated on instruments is confirmed but the human vibe stays central.”

Along with the news, ECHT! have shared the first single, ‘500 gr.’, an intoxicating and hypnotic track that heads straight to the depths of the dancefloor. Here it is.