#monthlyhomework APRIL 2023
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Our monthly passionate selection of releases
You will never enjoy homework so much.

Monthly Homework - April 2023

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Casting a self-reflexive lens over his roots via the medium of crushing, future-rushing soundsystem sonics, Low End Activist returns to Sneaker Social Club with a full-length of monumental proportions.

When the Low End Activism 12” ignited on Sneaker in 2019, it paid tribute to the Blackbird Leys estate in Oxford, UK, where LEA originates from. In the shadow of social inequality and strengthened by the unity of the multi-ethnic community, Blackbird Leys still imposes a powerful influence on LEA’s work, even as he’s stepped out onto Seagrave for last year’s Game Theory album and notched up the first couple of releases on his own self-titled label.

On this new album, Hostile Utopia sums up the conflicting emotions attached to memories of home – how it’s possible to feel nostalgic for the griminess of urban and suburban Britain, its ordinary tales of bitterness and frustration, but also its intrinsic passion and solidarity. At a time when social division is actively engineered by Machiavellian forces, real conviviality at street level feels like an impossible dream.

LEA communicates these tensions through a style which is becoming his signature – dynamic bass torsion and chiseled, fractalised rhythms slugging around the 130 mark. It’s moody like a UK-themed record ought to be, but it’s not morose. There’s fierceness in every snap and rumble, as the legacies of hardcore, jungle, dubstep and grime pour into the casing prior to the gunpowder lighting.

On previous LEA releases, the MC roll call has pointed to some of the most vital voices touching the mic in the present day. Flowdan, Sikka Rymes and Trim all had something different to impart over the riddims, and now Hostile Utopia expands on that with the most extensive show of lyrical strength yet. Mez lights up the woozy, abstract grime swerve of ‘Mercenary’ in a musical style. Emz brings a ruthlessly sharp verbal steez to ‘GetGet’, Killa P gets busy toasting over ‘DFRNT STYLE’ and ‘Superhighway’ carries the dexterous hip-hop flow of Cadence Weapon.

In between those standout tracks, LEA expresses just as much in the production. Tracks brimming with stories to impart, laden with symbols masquerading as samples and draped in aural garb that firmly places Hostile Utopia in a place, a mood, that could only belong to the UK. It’s a hybrid sound just like the society it sprang from, and therein lies its power.

Low End Activist ft.  Emz - Get Get

Coeur lourd

黑芝麻 (Hēi zhī ma) invites you to retreat inwards - on both the physical plane and within the depths of your psyche - as part of the Pure Space Home Listening series.

Imagined during lockdown, Pure Space Home Listening // 黑芝麻和朋友们 (Hēi zhī ma and friends) probes home listening in the context of isolation.
As an artist, 黑芝麻 leans into the more emotive facets of sound, utilizing sonic and cerebral contrasts to subtly lull the listener into a journey unforeseen. This release sees them infuse this approach within their collaborations with artists Merph, Shoeb Ahmad, Moktar and Zhi.

The artists explore the familiar feelings of solitude, urgency and release firmly etched into our collective consciousness, both synchronously and through their own distinct lens.

“I Miss You” lulls you in with emotive pads that float above a sharp breakbeat and voice notes engulfed with longing. “Take Me Anywhere” provides a feeling of relief, as groove-laden techno bounces off the walls and into the abyss. “Associations” is an introspective, spacious and haunting track you want to float on and on. As you glide between these offerings, the intro and outro tracks hold space for tender ruminations.

The release serves as an archive of a more contemplative and confined period, through the distant murmur of voice notes, the metamorphosing drone of ambient soundscapes, poetic reveries that hang in the air, the rattling percussion of a breakbeat or techno high-hat and the gentle backdrop hums of nature.
This is an immersive audiovisual experience. Filmmaker Jane Inyang reimagines the EP in a short film through different listening contexts during a day in isolation for the protagonist. This short film will be accessible by a QR code in an accompanying poster and zine, which will also feature artist photos, recipes and poetry alongside the work of artist Jacquie Meng and photographer Chanel Nguyen. There will also be a limited run of earrings by Joanne Leong.

@heizhima

Tracklist:
01. 黑芝麻和朋友们 (Hēi zhī ma and friends) - Continuous Mix
02. 黑芝麻 & Shoeb Ahmad - Associations (ft Zhi)
03. bby tek - Take Me Anywhere
04. 黑芝麻 & Merph - I Miss You
05. 莎瑜 (ShaYu) - Surprised Again ~

Format: Digital

Mastered by Wayne Sutherland
Art by Jacquie Meng

100% of profits from this release will be donated to Firesticks Alliance, an Indigenous led network and aims to re-invigorate the use of cultural burning by facilitating cultural learning pathways to fire and land management.

黑​芝​麻​和​朋​友​们 (H​ē​i zhī ma and friends)

Associations

黑芝麻 & Shoeb Ahmad - Associations (ft Zhi)

Timesaver is Xen Model’s third full length album and second release on the Causal Chain imprint. The 9-track LP stays true to the duo’s eccentric sound while delving into the introspective side of their productions. Club-focused head nodders “Pin Cycle”, “Face Forward”, and “Controller” accompany key tracks like “Arm’s Edge Reach” and “Grip Dial”, which channel the duo’s affinity for ambient music. “A Bright Star” spotlights a catchy guitar hook and features close collaborator 11ai. Xen Model’s signature play on halftime structure is engaged in bass-heavy cuts “Ripstream” and “Local Group”. The album comes to a close with a radio edit of their previously released track “Lurch”, which clusters the duo’s myriad styles and influences in an encapsulating statement of the Xen Model sound.

All tracks produced by Xen Model (@xenmodel).
Mixing and mastering by Xen Model.
Released by Causal Chain.
Album art by John Bonetti.

Timesaver

Ripstream

Xen Model - Ripstream

黑芝麻 (Hēi zhī ma) invites you to retreat inwards - on both the physical plane and within the depths of your psyche - as part of the Pure Space Home Listening series.

Imagined during lockdown, Pure Space Home Listening // 黑芝麻和朋友们 (Hēi zhī ma and friends) probes home listening in the context of isolation.

As an artist, 黑芝麻 leans into the more emotive facets of sound, utilizing sonic and cerebral contrasts to subtly lull the listener into a journey unforeseen. This release sees them infuse this approach within their collaborations with artists Merph, Shoeb Ahmad, Moktar and Zhi.

The artists explore the familiar feelings of solitude, urgency and release firmly etched into our collective consciousness, both synchronously and through their own distinct lens.

“I Miss You” lulls you in with emotive pads that float above a sharp breakbeat and voice notes engulfed with longing. “Take Me Anywhere” provides a feeling of relief, as groove-laden techno bounces off the walls and into the abyss. “Associations” is an introspective, spacious and haunting track you want to float on and on. As you glide between these offerings, the intro and outro tracks hold space for tender ruminations.

The release serves as an archive of a more contemplative and confined period, through the distant murmur of voice notes, the metamorphosing drone of ambient soundscapes, poetic reveries that hang in the air, the rattling percussion of a breakbeat or techno high-hat and the gentle backdrop hums of nature.

This is an immersive audiovisual experience. Filmmaker Jane Inyang reimagines the EP in a short film through different listening contexts during a day in isolation for the protagonist. This short film will be accessible by a QR code in an accompanying poster and zine, which will also feature artist photos, recipes and poetry alongside the work of artist Jacquie Meng and photographer Chanel Nguyen. There will also be a limited run of earrings by Joanne Leong.

~

100% of profits from this release will be donated to Firesticks Alliance, an Indigenous led network and aims to re-invigorate the use of cultural burning by facilitating cultural learning pathways to fire and land management.
credits
releases February 17, 2023

Tracks written and arranged by Moktar, Shoeb Ahmad, Zhi, Merph and 黑芝麻

Mastering: Wayne Sutherland

Album Art/Painting: Jacquie Meng

Zine Graphic Designer, Earring Design, IG Filter Creator: Joanne Leong

Sticker Ilustrator/Designer: Lynn Nguyen

Writer: Tanya Akinola

Special thanks to Eugene, Rebecca, Hen, Chanel, Kavya, senzer online and artsACT