Dijf Sanders shares new single ‘Santoshi Mata’

12 February 2020

With only a couple of days to go until the release of Puja, and after sharing ‘Ravana’, Ghent based multi-instrumentalist and composer Dijf Sanders is teasing his upcoming album again with new single ‘Santoshi Mata’. The track comes with an accompanying video directed by Bert Juliaan Vercruysse, who remarked:

“The first time I listened to Dijf’s ‘Santoshi Mata’ was coincidentally in the oldest temple in Nepal, Changu Narayan, a stone’s throw from Baktapur. At that moment everything actually coincided: Dijf who likes to play (music) with Game Boys, his Nepal adventures and this exciting song named after the goddess of sufficiency. It was obvious that I was going to make a kind of Nepalese Game Girl in a pixelated Nepal.”

Watch the video below.

Puja is out on February 14th through Unday Records.

Listen to Sunny Jain’s new single ‘Red, Brown, Black (Feat. Haseeb)’

07 February 2020

Photo: Ebru Yildiz

Following the mighty first single, ‘Immigrant Warrior’, and the title track, Sunny Jain is teasing again his upcoming album, Wild Wild East. The brilliant and acclaimed Indian-American composer and dhol player has shared a third single called ‘Red, Brown, Black’, which features LA-based rapper Haseeb. Jain explains how this collaboration happened:

“A good friend and NYC Basement Bhangra pioneer, DJ Rekha, mentioned Haseeb to me over 2 years ago. I started checking his tracks out and I think what drew me to him was – here’s a South Asian Muslim-American in LA talking about things that I can immediately relate to. I hit him up and he was immediately down to collab on a track. We went back and forth on the subject matter I wanted to address in the song and he did that and more. Red, Brown, Black addresses the concept of this album head on, playing with the words Indian, Cowboy, Native, Sheriff.”

Listen to ‘Red, Brown, Black’ below and grab the album when it’s out on February 21st through Smithsonian Folkways.

In other related news, and in support of the upcoming Wild Wild East, Sunny Jain has announced a string of shows in the US. Take a look at all his stops in his website.

Alabaster dePlume shares video for new single ‘What’s Missing’

06 February 2020

Last month Alabaster dePlume announced a new album entitled To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1 and offered the warm and beguiling first single ‘Whisky Story Time’. As we get closer to release day, the marvellous spoken word artist, bandleader, composer, saxophonist and activist is giving us another tantalizing glimpse at what’s to come with new single ‘What’s missing’. The track comes with a poignant video directed by Daisy Dickinson, featuring words from Chilean President Salvador Allende’s last speech to the nation just before his death in the US backed coup by Augusto Pinochet in 1973. Here it is.


To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1 is out on February 28th through International Anthem, Lost Map and Total Refreshment Centre.

Hanging Valleys share new video for title track ‘Behind The Backs Of Houses’

03 February 2020

Two years on from the release of their Fortaleza EP, Hanging Valleys are set to release a full-length album later this month entitled Behind The Backs Of Houses. The duo of Thom Byles and Michael Phillips have shared the cinematic and sublime title track, explaining that it was inspired by “a little garden behind the backs of terraced houses”. Byles continues: “Having access to this small wilderness has proven to be grounding, restorative and sacred. Each space has its own ecosystem where rhododendrons, snails, cats and foxes compete for territory. Me, I’m just there for the peace & quiet.”

‘Behind The Backs Of Houses’ comes with a gorgeous accompanying video shot by Galo Olivares and directed by Andres Arochi, who had this to say about it:

“I was inspired by the aesthetics of Mexican Classics. The photographs of Graciela Iturbide and the Golden Age cinematography of Gabriel Figueroa. Don Benito and Doña Eva are not trained actors, which is what gives the scenes such a natural feeling, they are simply interacting with places they have known their whole life. We got there with a clear idea of the emotions we wanted to capture, but it was really the town and the Hacienda of Puruagua that told us the story.”

Watch the video below and grab the album when it’s out on February 28th through Pedro Y El Lobo.

Le Guess Who? unveils concert film of Efterklang, featuring three songs off Altid Sammen

30 January 2020

Efterklang never cease to surprise and enthral us and they did exactly that last year when they released their stunning album Altid Sammen. Last November at Le Guess Who?, they offered one of the most wonderful and heartwarming performances of the festival on its opening night. Curated by Iris van Herpen and Salvador Breed, the trio, playing as a seven-piece band, enveloped the audience with songs from Altid Sammen, along with a few older tunes. Now, Le Guess Who? has unveiled a concert film of Efterklang performing three songs from the album at the festival, ‘Supertanker’, ‘Verden Forsvinder’, and ‘Vi er uendelig’. The film was directed by Nick Helderman and recorded and mixed by Marc Broer. Watch it below.

Efterklang are heading back on the road for a European and North American tour kicking off on January 31st in Aalborg, Denmark. Check all their stops on their website.

The 14th edition of Le Guess Who? takes place 12-15 November throughout Utrecht and festival passes are now available on leguesswho.com, where you can also find more info.

Ultraísta return with new album Sister

28 January 2020

Ultraísta are back, eight years from the release of their self-titled debut album. The trio, made up of Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker and Laura Bettinson, have announced their new album, Sister, slated for a March 13th release through Partisan Records. And they have offered the first taste of new music from the album, ‘Tin King’, and an accompanying video. Here it is.