Forest Law drops new single, ‘Till The…’, from upcoming debut album, Zero

04 June 2024

Back in February, London-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Forest Law, aka Alexander Burke, dropped his first new music in four years, ‘Ooo, I’, its catchy melodies and infectious grooves leaving us salivating. In less than two weeks, he will release his debut album, Zero, through Swiss based label Bongo Joe and London’s Total Refreshment Centre. With a colourful tapestry of Balearic beats, funk, Tropicalia and bossa nova grooves, Forest Law’s journey and influences shine through on Zero, and “showcas[es] his adept guitar playing, old-school sampling, and UK-styled beats alongside his mellow yet sombre vocals”, as the accompanying blurb describes. In the works for seven years, the upcoming album was recorded in various locations, from Icelandic fish net factories to the warm shores of Portugal, and even his garden shed in Romford, East London.

Ahead of the album’s release on June 14th, Forest Law has unleashed another delirious single, ‘Till The…’, blending broken breaks, groove basslines, Eastern bells, and Japanese vocals. Take a listen below.

Àbáse shares third single, ‘Shining’, from upcoming new album Awakening

30 May 2024

Àbáse, the project of Berlin-based Hungarian producer and keyboardist Szabolcs Bognár, is back with a second album entitled Awakening, following 2021’s Laroyê. Featuring an incredible lineup of close collaborators from Hungary, Germany, Ghana and Australia, the album was recorded live in Berlin’s Brewery Studios over the course of four days. Awakening carries traces from disparate musical influences, including classic Lagos Afrobeat, traditional Hungarian folk, Yoruba rhythms, house, techno and hip-hop.

After sharing a couple of tracks from the forthcoming album, and ahead of its release, Àbáse have shared a final single, the irresistible and exultant ‘Shining’. Take a listen below.

Awakening is out on July 5th through Analogue Foundation x Oshu Records x Bridge The Gap

Le Guess Who? reveals guest curators and initial line-up for 2024 edition

23 May 2024

Le Guess Who? returns to Utrecht from November 7th – 10th for its 17th edition and the first big announcement of 2024 is here. Today’s announcement attests to the organisers’ unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of musical conventions. A sonic odyssey that transcends genres and geography, the festival continues to champion artists and sounds that are often overlooked and provides a platform for fresh perspectives in music. There’s very good reasons to be excited for this year’s edition with the guest curators and first names on the general line up announced today, including a lot of bands that we absolutely love like FYEAR, Patrick Shiroishi, Fuensanta, Nancy Mounir, Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Asher Gamedze.

Le Guess Who? has been a beacon of artistic exploration, transforming the city of Utrecht into a privileged global stage for unparalleled musical discoveries and experiences. Part of what makes Le Guess Who? so unique is the diversity brought in by its guest curators, and this year Mabe Fratti, Bo Ningen, Arooj Aftab, Crystallmess, DARKSIDE, and Touching Bass will help shape and enrich the festival with hand picked selections of their favourite and like-minded artists, in addition to also performing themselves.

Guatemala-born, Mexico City-based cellist and composer Mabe Fratti curates a stunning programme highlighting the rich cultural diversity and spirit of Latin American music. She invited South American artists who have inspired her like Mexican saxophonist and composer Germán Bringas; Amsterdam based Mexican singer, double bassist, composer, improviser and multidisciplinary artist Fuensanta; Colombian traditional folkloric cumbia group Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, who have been active since 1940, London-based experimental vocal ensemble Shards; Luz luz luz!; and, amongst others, Argentine experimental band Blanco Teta, known for their infectious and energetic performances.

Following a blistering show at Le Guess Who? in 2018, London-based Japanese post-punk quartet Bo Ningen are returning as curators, focusing on audiovisual performances. They will present their alternate live score to Alejandro Jodorowsky’s cult classic The Holy Mountain. Their curated programme will also include the likes of experimental saxophonist and electronic musician Helen Papaioannou and visual artist Noriko Okaku, who mix live collaged visuals with accompanying music; experimental soprano Olivia Salvadori, drummer Akihide Monna, and multi-instrumentalist Coby Sey in their new collaborative project GAISTER; the audiovisual collaboration by musicians Klara Lewis and Nik Colk Void with visual artist Pedro Maia; Lunch Money Life, and a performance by London post-rock trio Still House Plants, with a brand new album, If I don’t make it, I love u, released last month.

Arooj Aftab returns to Le Guess Who? after her memorable performance in 2021. As the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy Award, Aftab has captured global attention with her unique musical vision. Her upcoming album, Night Reign, is highly anticipated, and her curated programme reflects her diverse influences. Her bill will included a special filmed performance by her father, Aftab Sr., delivering meaningful love poetry from Lahore, Pakistan. Aftab’s bill will also host the powerful and hypnotic chanting and danceable rhythms of Mauritania’s Noura Mint Seymali; Los Angeles based contemporary poet, writer, lyricist, and activist aja monet, known for her work on Black resistance, love and joy; the sould-stirring compositions of singer, composer and music producer Dina El Wedidi, who’s a star in her native Egypt, and multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer Meshell Ndegeocello, whose latest Grammy-awarded album, The Omnichord Real Book, is a testament to her deep musical roots.

French multidisciplinary artist and producer Crystallmess will bring her interdisciplinary approach to the festival, combining elements of film, music, performance, and visual art. Her curated programme features pop polymath Lafawndah; footwork originator RP Boo; Detroit ghetto-tech group HiTech; experimental musician and choreographer Blackhaine, whose cathartic performances evoke intense physical and sonic energy, LustSickPuppy; Nazar and American singer and Sonic Youth co-founder Kim Gordon, also with a recent second solo album, The Collective, under her belt.

DARKSIDE, the electronic duo of Dave Harrington and Nicolás Jaar, who now count drummer Tlacael Esparza as a new member, present a programme boasting everything from electronic music and disco to prog rock and funk. Their curated lineup includes Japanese American saxophonist and composer Patrick Shiroishi; innovative trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith; Phantom Orchard, the project of two visionaries, harpist and composer Zeena Parkins and electronic music composer and visual artist Ikue Mori; Iranian artist Cinna Peyghamy; percussionist and composer Eli Keszler and transdisciplinary scholar and vocalist and double-bassist ganavya presenting her brand new album, like the sky I’ve been too quiet.

Touching Bass, a South London community-come-club night, record label and NTS Radio show, founded and run by Errol and Alex Rita, have two distinct evenings in store for the festival. Calm Roots, taking place in a church, will focus on meditative performances and the second night, INNA, will celebrate Jamaican soundsystem culture with performances intended for the dancefloor.

There’s a lot more on offer for the 17th edition of Utrecht’s Le Guess Who?, with the first performing artists within the general line-up now also unveiled. Appearing on the bill is prodigious and adventurous musician, composer and producer-in-demand Radwan Ghazi Moumneh; Palestinian producer and rapper duo Al Nather & Shabjdeed; Portuguese musician and sound engineer Rafael Toral and FYEAR, the Montréal-based supergroup led by electroacoustic composer Jason Sharp and poet/writer Kaie Kellough, hot on the heels of a mesmerizing eponymous debut album fusing spoken word, out-jazz, post-classical, drone, ambient metal, avant-rock and modular synthesis. Freshly added to the line-up today is talented and versatile multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and composer Nancy Mounir, whose performance at the festival in 2022 was one of our highlights. Melbourne band Tropical Fuck Storm, who put on a mighty and blistering show in 2019, are also returning to the festival as is visionary and virtuosic South African drummer, composer, writer and activist Asher Gamedze performing with his Another Time Ensemble, the quintet he assembled in Cairo with some of the city’s finest improvisers. Also added is Bolivian singer, songwriter, composer and actress of Quechuan origin Luzmila Carpio, who’s been spreading ancestral Andean knowledge and music since the late 1960s. Other incredible additions include Montréal based Swedish singer/composer Erika Angell presenting the first album under her own name, and Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble on the same year they celebrate their milestone 50th anniversary.

With each passing year, Le Guess Who? cements its reputation as a festival that embraces the full spectrum of musical diversity. This year’s edition promises to be no exception, with an extraordinary lineup that will dazzle and inspire. A myriad of unmissable performances will take place at festival’s idyllic venues across Utrecht, from churches and art galleries to landmark theatres and warehouses.

Head over to leguesswho.com to gaze at the full list of stellar names announced today. For those who have yet to secure their tickets, a very limited number of 4-Day Festival Passes and individual Day Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, May 28th.

 

corto.alto unveils 30/108: a track a day for 30 days

22 May 2024

Glaswegian prodigious multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer corto.alto took us by storm last year with his debut album Bad With Names, which was one of our Album Picks of the Year. Liam Shortall, the trombone wizard at the helm of the project, has today unveiled an ambitious project. Entitled 30/108, it will see him release 30 tracks in 30 days through Bridge The Gap x New Soil. Liam explains how the project came about:

“After an intense 2 years of creating ’Bad With Names’ I was slightly burned out but excited to get back to writing new music. Once that album was finally finished, I knew I had 6 months of promotion before the album was released. During this time I produced 108 new demo ideas. Fast forward to the beginning of 2024, I had 108 ideas in a folder on my laptop that I knew if I didn’t finish they would never be heard by anyone – I then decided to dedicate the following 4 months to finishing 30 of these tracks; recording with some of my favourite musicians.”

Some of the musicians who collaborated with Liam on the project include Graham Costello (drums), Fergus McCreadie (piano) and Mateusz Sobieski (tenor saxophone).

The treasure chest that is 30/108 is unlocked today with lead single ‘Chubbby (48)’. Check it out below and be sure to stay tuned over the next 30 days for a fresh tune dropping every day!

Basher’s new album, May Day, out later this month

19 May 2024

Photo: Camille Lenain

One of New Orleans’ most electrifying free jazz party band, Basher, spearheaded by renowned saxophonist and composer Byron Asher, is back with a thrilling new album titled May Day, following 2022’s Doubles. The upcoming album features six original compositions and two extended improvisations, recorded in one take to preserve the spontaneous, joyous and raw energy they’re known for. Producer Jeff Albert helped shape these sessions into the cohesive and exhilarating soundscape heard on the album.

Whereas on Doubles Basher ask “what might a band called Basher sound like?”, as the press release describes, on the forthcoming May Day they provide a clear response, “This is what Basher sounds like.”

Complementing the music, the album artwork is a striking blend of socialist realist photography taken by Asher on the streets of Prague, CZ and hand-painted tropical flora and fauna painted by friend and experimental pop singer Jess Joy, symbolizing a fusion of struggle and beauty.

The title track, ‘May Day’, was the first single to be let loose and serves as a powerful tribute to workers and organized labour, with powerful saxophone solos by Asher and Aurora Nealand. As the title suggests, its urgency reflects the tumultuous times during which it was conceived. Basher shared a second single earlier this month, ‘Thanks, Trey’, and are offering it with a video made by Noé Cugny. Check out both singles below ahead of the album’s release on May 31st through Sinking City Records.


Elori Saxl announces mini-album, Drifts and Surfaces, and shares final piece ‘Surfaces’

19 May 2024

Photo: Max Basch

Elori Saxl has announced a mini-album titled Drifts and Surfaces, releasing on July 19th through Western Vinyl. The follow-up to her acclaimed 2021 debut, The Blue of Distance, features three-pieces which emerged from various commissions, including commissions from Chicago’s Third Coast Percussion (‘Drifts I’) and Brooklyn’s Tigue (‘Drifts II’), and delves into themes of transient beauty and mundane existence, reflecting Saxl’s experiences on Madeline Island in Lake Superior. She comments:

 “I was trying to capture the sense of disappearing horizon, lostness, awe, and dark power that feels really innate to Lake Superior. It is also constantly changing – drifts change directions, water becomes ice, ice breaks apart and becomes waves. There is constant movement from drifts to surfaces, surfaces to drifts.”

A profound exploration of the ephemeral and the everyday, the upcoming Drifts and Surfaces blends live percussion and collaborative instrumentation, processed through digital manipulation to mirror the fragmented experience of modern life.

The American experimental electronic composer has shared the third and final piece, ‘Surfaces’, a gorgeous track imbued with an ethereal and meditative ambiance. This piece was commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum linked to an Alex Katz retrospective, and captures the subtle shifts in perception and the sense of collective identity among artists. “The ways in which our perception of things change not because they change but because we change,” explains Saxl. “I wanted to have these really minor changes feel dramatic, to mirror the imagined movement in his paintings.” She continues:

“Katz’s depiction of multiple generations of New York City artists inspired me to think about how there is no individual ‘me’ as an artist without both the artists who came before me and the community of artists I’ve grown alongside. The delineation between us blurs, and I feel as though I am carried on an interwoven surface formed by the community around me.”

Saxl has made a video to accompany ‘Surfaces’ and you can watch it below.