Nadah El Shazly previews forthcoming album, Laina Tani, with first single ‘Ghorzetein’

04 March 2025

Eight years on from the release of Ahwar, Egyptian-born, Montreal-based composer, producer and vocalist Nadah El Shazly has announced its follow-up. Entitled Laina Tani, her upcoming album arrives on June 6th through her new label, One Little Independent Records, and Backward Music in Canada. Known for her sultry and soul-stirring vocal abilities, on the upcoming album Nadah weaves between classical Egyptian improvisation, voice manipulation and electronic beats. An album of contrasts, Laina Tani “captures not only the chaos and beauty of urban life but also the private battles and triumphs within it that define the human experience”, as the press release describes, “inviting the listener to lose themselves in its enchanting rhythms while deciphering the deeper truths woven into its fabric.”

Nadah enlisted her long-term collaborator Radwan Ghazi Moumneh to record the album and Sarah Pagé on harp and electronics, as well as 3Phaz as co-producer and Heba Kadry on mastering duties.

Album closer ‘Ghorzetein’, which means ‘Two Stitches’ and “explores the double wound of a heart that has loved and been broken twice”, is the first single to emerge. A riveting and rousing track, it comes with an accompanying video directed by Selim El Sadek. Watch it now.

Geir Sundstøl to release new solo album, Sakte Film, in May; shares new single ‘Beveg’

28 February 2025

One of Norway’s most esteemed and beloved guitarists, Geir Sundstøl, who’s also a instrument collector, has appeared in hundreds of albums as a session player and sideman before stepping into the spotlight in 2015 with his first solo album. He has announced the release of his sixth solo album, Sakte Film, arriving on May 23rd through Hubro. Speaking about it, Geir comments:

“While working on Sakte Film, I first built the framework for each track. I played my instruments —on Beveg, for example, you’ll hear National guitar, marxophone, timpani, pedal steel, bass harmonica, and optigan. Then, I tweak and edit until it sounds right. After that, I invite musicians whom I believe can add that little extra touch.”

“For this album, I got help from the band Spirit In The Dark—or rather, I got help from Anders Engen, David Wallumrød, and Audun Erlien. I’m not sure what happened to that band during the holiday party season, but they offered to play for cheap if they could switch instruments and record separately. The result was… decent. In the end, they came back and played their usual instruments —though with a week’s break between sessions. It turned out great, but next time, I hope we can play together!”

Geir has shared the absolutely gorgeous and shimmering ‘Beveg’, and his own words, “is a good representation of what you’ll find on the album.” He continues:

“Sakte Film moves even slower than my previous records. Despite my young age, my finger dexterity is in decline—which I’m totally fine with. Instead of trying to hide this fact, I ‘embrace the limitations of my joints.’ The music gains an unintended, yet ever-increasing, sense of calm.”

Listen to ‘Beveg’ below.

ECHT! unveil video for final single ‘Boilerbeek’

28 February 2025

Ahead of the imminent release of Boilerism, the new album from ECHT!, and having already unleashed two singles, ‘Wacky Wave’ and ‘Highed’, the quartet have just shared ‘Boilerbeek’ as the final single. An ode to the neighbourhoods of Schaarbeek and Molenbeek in Brussels, where they are based, ‘Boilerbeek’ strikes as “sometimes industrial and grungy, yet also complex and intriguing due to its diverse influences”. The track also refers to the pop culture status of Boiler Room, as is blatant in the video that accompanies the song, with direction and 3D animation from Rocco Manta. Watch it below and watch out for the release of Boilerism on March 7th through Sdban Ultra.

ECHT! are due to take their mind-altering live show to London’s Bricklane Jazz Festival on April 25th, marking their UK festival debut.

David Longstreth shares three-song suite, ‘At Home’, ‘Circled in Purple’ and ‘Our Green Garden’

27 February 2025

Last month, producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter David Longstreth announced the release of Song of the Earth, a song cycle for orchestra and voices performed by him with his band Dirty Projectors and Berlin-based experimental ensemble s t a r g a z e, and conducted by André de Ridder. The forthcoming Song of the Earth features a stellar cast of guest contributors including Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie), Steve Lacy, Patrick Shiroishi, Anastasia Coope, Tim Bernardes, Ayoni, Portraits of Tracy, and it also includes words by journalist David Wallace-Wells.

Following ‘Uninhabitable Earth, Paragraph One’, Longstreth is teasing the album again with a three-song suite from the album, ‘At Home’, ‘Circled in Purple’ and ‘Our Green Garden’. Of the suite, he says:

“Past reports of Dirty Projectors going full prog are greatly exaggerated; until now I’ve never released an album with a straight-up suite of songs. As the slashes in the title imply, this is a three-song suite. It’s just the way it happened. Consider it an entry in your ‘A Day in the Life’ / ‘Paranoid Android’ / ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ / ‘Sicko Mode’ category: a sprawling journey that feels like slipping into a dream. A kaleidoscopic river-of-consciousness.”

The suite is offered with an accompanying lyric video and you can watch it below.

Song of the Earth is out on April 4th through Transgressive Records (UK) and Nonesuch/New Amsterdam Records.

Violeta García & Hora Lunga team up for collaborative album, I’ll Wait For You In The Car Park

26 February 2025
Violeta García & Hora Lunga

Photo: Victoria Papagni

Last month, Violeta García announced the release of her new solo album IN / OUT. The Argentina-born, Spain-based cellist, composer and curator is on a roll as of late, as she has another exciting release on the horizon that has piqued our interest, this time a collaboration with Swiss musician and composer Hora Lunga. Entitled I’ll Wait For You In The Car Park, it marks their first joint album and is set for release on April 25th through -OUS. The album was birthed after the two met in 2023 and the exchange of sketches and demos developed spontaneously from there. They bounced ideas off each other between South America and Europe, leading to several studio sessions in 2024. “We made most of the decisions impulsively without much questioning. That takes a lot of trust,” says García. Described as a “work of extremes”, on the upcoming I’ll Wait For You In The Car Park both artist’s ideas mix together and complement each other. They unravel fragments of everyday life through musical layers laced with field recordings and audio notes they gathered throughout the year.

Conjuring both a sense of unease and hope, the enveloping ‘i think i just died a lil bit’ is the first single to emerge from the album and you can listen to it below.

Erlend Apneseth announces new LP, Song over Støv, and shares first single ‘Spring’

25 February 2025

Photo: Signe Fuglesteg Luksengard

Composer, bandleader and master of the Hardanger fiddle Erlend Apneseth is one of Norways’s leading folk musicians. The recipient of numerous awards, Apneseth boasts an incredibly diverse CV that includes numerous collaborations and critically acclaimed albums with his trio and also his own solo projects. He has announced the release of his new album Song over Støv [Song over dust], whose “title reflects a dialogue between past and present, both personally and musically.” Initially conceived as part of a commission for Oslo World and Riksscenen in 2023, the project weaves together elements of folk music, jazz, and contemporary music, whilst also keeping its connection to the Hardanger fiddle tradition.

To bring Song over Støv to life, Apneseth enlisted a cast of outstanding Norwegian musicians, including Mats Eilertsen, Hans Hulbækmo, Veslemøy Narvesen, Selma French Bolstad, Helga Myhr, Rasmus Kjorstad, Henriette Eilertsen, Anja Lauvdal, Rolf-Erik Nystrøm, and Frode Haltli. Apneseth comments:

“What’s important to me is that the musicians feel a sense of ownership over the music, that they feel integrated into it and are able to express themselves in their own way. So, I tend to compose more for musical personalities than for instruments in a traditional sense—people who I believe will discover something in the music I bring to them.”

Speaking about his idea to write for a larger group of fiddles, he says:

“Fiddles tend to get a bit drowned out in larger ensembles, so it was really refreshing to have three more on “my” team. With a quartet of Hardanger fiddles in the band, I’ve also felt more comfortable including more specific elements from tradition than before —like ornamentation and various springar rhythms— because I know they’ll come through clearly. I really enjoy unison playing and allowing things to repeat over time, which might stem from my own background.”

Song over Støv will see the light of day on April 4th through Hubro but we can already hear the radiant and absolutely beautiful first single ‘Spring’. Of the track, Apneseth says:

“The track is based on a traditional ‘springar’ rhythm, which the title reflects. At the same time, the music has a youthful and fresh quality, much like the feeling of spring finally arriving after the long winter here where I live. In this band, there are three Hardanger fiddles in addition to my own, and this is one of the tracks where the instrument truly gets to shine.”

Listen to ‘Spring’ now.