A collaborative effort from ANTI-MASS residents; @turkana_ss , @authenticallyplastic and @nsasi_ug. DOXA emerged from a year of group experiments & listening sessions between the three artists. It reflects their common interest in shaking up traditional forms, techniques & palettes; exploring them in all directions, discovering new tensions in familiar methods, always with an eye towards the alien & disorienting. The opening track “Galiba” takes its inspiration from “Kadodi”, the male circumcision ritual from Eastern Uganda, and “Baksimba”, a royal dance from the Buganda region, and reconstructs them through a decidedly perverse lens.

A newfound affinity for the music of the Diaspora also serves as a motor for these collaborative experiments. Authentically Plastic recently spoke to Borshch Magazine about:

“discovering the ghost of one genre in the other…all the industrial potentials of Gqom waiting to be actualised, and all those 'Gqom tendencies' in Industrial & Noise that usually go unnoticed. It has nothing to do with merging, or combining, but gliding; drawing a line between the two that is an expression in its own right."

The lead single “Diesel Femme” draws from Turkana & Authentically Plastic’s interest in Techno, Industrial & Gqom; making connections between these disparate worlds. Nsasi’s playful solo track brings to mind the loose arrangements of Chicago House, just as much as it does the polyrhythmic percussion of their culture. There’s an undeniable joy here, that comes from assembling sounds or phenomena that have nothing to do with each other, stacking them, stretching them, distorting them; sometimes beyond recognition, and other times accidentally arriving at something vaguely familiar. This openness to unpredictability is generally fuelled by Kampala’s young, but thriving underground music scene; as well as the resilient, queer friendships that have emerged from this small collective; its ethics of care & mutual support.

DOXA

V/A - Kikommando
Label: PAN / Hakuna Kulala 
Cat.No. PAN 124 / HK029 
Format: DL / Book
Release Date: 6 August 2021
Purchase: pan.lnk.to/Kikommando
Video: https://bit.ly/3i2EgSg

A collective effort from a vital scene in Kampala, KIKOMMANDO takes its name from Ugandan street food of flat bread and beans. As a ‘food of soldiers’ offering maximum energy for minimum funds, the eponymous mixtape, video series and book project is an equally nourishing and ambitious proposition. It all began in the East African summer of 2018, during a two-month residency at the Nyege Nyege label and collective’s villa, in collaboration with their sublabel Hakuna Kulala. Producer and PAN artist Simone Trabucchi (aka STILL) opened the door to his temporary studio in the city and a crucial cross-cultural collaboration was born.

“The intention was to record as much as possible,” Trabucchi says about KIKOMMANDO’s musical showcase of eight Kampala-based artists, coming from the spectrum of musical influences, crossing trap, drill, cut ups, kuduro, electro, smooth jams—the list goes on. In creating a sonic space to support the expression of its featured singers, poets and emcees, the mixtape ties countless styles and flows into a single snapshot of a particular part of the Kampala music scene, at a particular point in time. The invective of rapper and street legend Blaq Bandana’s “Nkwaata” is laid over a spare and brooding ambient. Kampala Unit trumpet player and first-time singer, Florence, rolls a thick melodic texture through the organic clicks, knocks and atmospherics of “Bae Tasanze”. Jahcity’s unique lyricism combines a personal take on traditional music and soulful-reggae with a jerky, wobbly collection of drops and donks.

Meanwhile, Ecko Bazz applies his grimey vocals and rhythmic, introspective words to lead single ‘Ntabala (Rolex Riddim) at a particularly pertinent moment of self-reflection. “I was trying to listen to the voice inside myself and wanted to achieve a higher level of understanding of things, life,” he says about the themes that he felt inspired to explore with Trabucchi at the recording desk. The accompanying video, shot on a rooftop in the Kampala neighborhood of Ggaba, is one of a series of slick and high-definition films complementing each one of the KIKOMMANDO tracks. These also include contributions from Ugandan emcee and key Hakuna Kulala member Biga Yut, don dada of the GabaGaza gang Swordman Kitala (with Omutaba on percussion) and South Sudanese poet and singer Winnie Lado.

Also accompanying a ‘visual mixtape’ of moving images for each song on KIKOMMANDO is a recording diary of sorts, where Trabucchi compiles a vibrant collection of pictures, colours and textures reflecting the its heterogeneous sonic palette into a book. Together this multifaceted, interdisciplinary project showcases, what Lamin Fofana’s liner notes describe as, “amazing originality, complexity”, while “embracing dissonance”.

Trabucchi’s personal take on a kind of ‘digital dancehall’ defined the sound of his ground-breaking rumination on Italy’s colonial history on debut STILL album, I, in 2017. KIKOMMANDO is a different proposition entirely, where he finds new ways to complement the personality and skills of its contributors sprung from a constant stream of visitors arriving at the Nyege Nyege Villa’s makeshift studio. “It was a dialogue,” stresses Trabucchi, who has always preferred collaboration as a means to escape branded and stereotypical identities, while creating something new. “I created the musical platform to make the singers confident, and challenged them at the same time. Working together accelerates ideas and reveals that nothing is your invention alone. That’s why KIKOMMANDO is a mixtape to me, and not an album.”

The mixtape is mastered by Rashad Becker, featuring artwork by NMR. Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11 & 12 mixed by Ville Haimala. Tracks 5, 6 & 8 mixed by Lorenzo Dal Ri.

@hakunakulala

KIKOMMANDO

STILL, ECKO BAZZ - Ntabala (Rolex Riddim) (PAN 124 / HK029)

Single by Turkana & Authentically plastic, off forthcoming Split EP "DOXA".

As a collaborative effort from ANTI-MASS residents; Turkana, Nsasi, & Authentically Plastic, DOXA emerged from a year of group experiments & listening sessions between the three artists. It reflects their common interest in shaking up traditional forms, techniques & palettes; making them leak in all directions, discovering new tensions in familiar methods, always with an eye towards the alien & disorienting. The opening track / video “Galiba” takes its inspiration from “Kadodi”, the male circumcision ritual from Eastern Uganda, and “Baksimba”, a royal dance from the Buganda region, and reconstructs them through a decidedly perverse lens. 

A newfound affinity for the music of the Diaspora also serves as a motor for these collaborative experiments. Authentically Plastic recently spoke to Borshch Magazine about: 

“discovering the ghost of one genre in the other…all the industrial potentials of Gqom waiting to be actualised, and all those 'Gqom tendencies' in Industrial & Noise that usually go unnoticed. It has nothing to do with merging, or combining, but gliding; drawing a line between the two that is an expression in its own right."

The lead single “Diesel Femme” draws from Turkana & Authentically Plastic’s interest in Techno, Industrial & Gqom; making connections between these disparate worlds. Nsasi’s playful solo track brings to mind the loose arrangements of Chicago House in the vein of Hieroglyphic Being, or Mutant Beat Dance, just as much as it does the polyrhythmic percussion of his local culture. There’s an undeniable joy here, that comes from assembling sounds or phenomena that have nothing to do with each other, stacking them, stretching them, distorting them; sometimes beyond recognition, and other times accidentally arriving at something vaguely familiar. This openness to unpredictability is generally fuelled by Kampala’s young, but thriving underground music scene; as well as the resilient, queer friendships that have emerged from this small collective; its ethics of care & mutual support.

Turkana & Authentically Plastic - Diesel Femme

Nsasi & Turkana - Binia Yei

Turkana - Influencer Convention

Nsasi - Grind

Authentically Plastic & Nsasi - Galiba

Taken from SBKT048: 33EMYBW & Gooooose - Trans-Aeon Express

Artwork: Weirdcore
Design: Luke Griffiths
Mastering: Raphael Valensi
Release Date: 25th March 2022

In late 2020, in the midst of lock downs and worldwide uncertainty, London based visual artist Weirdcore presented his first solo exhibition, ‘Orient Flux’, at SKP-S in Beijing, supported by Kennedy London. Developed and produced remotely due to travel restrictions, the exhibition spanned 7 interconnecting audio-visual installations forming a ‘train station from the future’, with music and sound design by 33EMYBW and Gooooose. Initially arriving at the ‘Stellar Lounge’, passengers traversed through the ‘Oblique’ security checks, decompress and adjust their bodies for travel in the ‘Microcosmic’ zone, and pass through the ‘Infinity Gates’ and ‘Dimensional Horizon’ to finally board the ‘Trans-Aeon Express’, an illusory bullet train, to embark on a spatio-temporal journey through time.

‘Trans-Aeon Express’ by 33EMYBW and Gooooose is a continuation of this project, with music and sound design from the exhibition, as well as new tracks inspired by and sampling elements/ambience from the various installations. Released on a limited-edition LP, as well as digitally, the album features new artwork by Weirdcore, updating and evolving the original Orient Flux emblem, with graphic design and layout by Luke Griffiths.

Special thanks to Kennedy London and SKP-S Beijing.

Trans-Aeon Express

33EMYBW - Macrocosmic

Animistic Beliefs - MERDEKA

With their profound take on electronic music, Animistic Beliefs have steadily solidified their spot in the global underground. Influenced by cultural concepts such as ancestry, animism and mythology, as well as the languages of political techno, punk, bubbling and IDM, Linh Luu and Marvin Lalihatu consistently translate their visions into sensitive productions as well as high-octane live performances. On their new record, MERDEKA, the artists explore and embrace their cultural heritage in all of its pride, pain and complexity. MERDEKA symbolizes Animistic Beliefs’ breaking free, coming to terms with their changing selves and letting go of external expectations. The record rethinks childhood memories, confronts the generational trauma left by (post-)colonialism, and re-connects Linh and Marvin – respectively of Vietnamese-Chinese and Dutch-Moluccan descent – with their formative cultures. 

MERDEKA marks their first step in an overall departure from western club music. For its layered sound, Animistic Beliefs once again draw from the past, present and future of global club music, creating a sonic space where fast techno, warped breakbeats and ambient soundscapes make way for the augmented influence of (Southeast Asian) tribal music. 
The record incorporates Indonesian scales and recordings of 
the Tahuri (a wind instrument made out of a conch shell), Totobuang (Gamelan-like gongs) and Tifa drums, known as ‘the Moluccan heartbeat’. 
There is no audible distinction between old and new, between organic and digital, between instrumentation and voice. 
It is through words that the artists further touch on their experience; To Dream About Water opens with a stirring spoken word fragment by Marvin, marking the first time his voice is recognizably featured, whereas Khi Minh Gap Lai (‘Until We Meet Again’) centres on a Vietnamese poem by Linh, in which she beseeches her ancestors and finds a safe haven for unanswered questions. 

In true Animistic Beliefs fashion, MERDEKA will set fire to sweltering clubs and (sleepless) dreams. Yet, for the artists, it is essential to amplify the stories that spark that flame and keep it burning. 
The release of MERDEKA follows CACHE/SPIRIT, their ongoing collaboration with visual artist Jeisson Drenth, which extensively explores the artists’ intersectional identities. As such, the latest album is the next step within a bigger, introspective investigation. More unapologetic than ever, MERDEKA embodies a turning point on Animistic Beliefs’ ongoing journey towards self-acceptance – fuelled by the sound of urgency. 
credits
released August 26, 2022 

Written and produced by: Marvin Lalihatu and Linh Luu 
Artwork by: Don Elektro 
Mastered by: Rashad Becker

Unspoken Truths

Call Of The Tahuri

La primera colaboración entre el productor veracruzano Sonido Berzerk y la productora de Chicago, Zvrra.
El beat inicial fue idea de Berzerk, quien no es usual en el ámbito de creación del techno, produciendo los dos primeros minutos de la pista con una base influenciada por el hard techno. El track permaneció así por un tiempo hasta que el jarocho mostró su idea a la productora, la cual ha desarrollado gran parte de su carrera como creadora de techno y quien aceptó desarrollar y finalizar la pista. Una colaboración sui generis muy bien lograda por este par de productores con estilos tan diferentes.

Compra, apoya: https://sonidoberzerk1.bandcamp.com/track/no-game

PREMIERE #42 Sonido Berzerk & Zvrra - No Game

https://questionmarqdj.bandcamp.com/track/signal
http://linktr.ee/questionmarq

Buy on Bandcamp

Signal

Glacial Industries returns for 2019 with a club focused 12” from Cork born, Berlin based composer ELLLL.

ELLLL follows up outings on Art For Blind and First Second Label with “CONFECTIONARY”, a trio of technoid mutations. “PEPSI” + “SKITTLES” provide club ammo with their pulsing hard drums, whilst the eerie, off-kilter “JAWBREAKER” rounds off the release.

“CONFECTIONARY” releases worldwide on Glacial Industries on February 22nd. Available digitally and with a limited edition, full colour sleeved white 12”.

Turkana & Authentically Plastic - Diesel Femme

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