That clunking noise is the sound of some of the lockdown chains being dropped... ;) Pick of the week is Fiery Furnaces' "Down at the So and So on Somewhere": it's nice to have them back after such a long spell away.

Jun 12 - Jun 18 2020

Jamaican saxophonist & arranger Cedric Im Brooks is one of my most cherished reggae artist. Actually, confining him to the reggae scene would be a massive understatement. 
A brilliant musician, he kept on blurring the lines between spiritual Free-jazz (think Sun Ra), Afro grooves (think Fela), Latin rhythms and, of course, Reggae. 
A cornerstone of legendary label Studio One, his musical legacy is impressive and if you're not familiar with him, I urge you to dig into his most famous albums, mostly recorded in the 70's with his band The Light Of Saba ("United Africa", "Im Flash Forward" or "The Magical Light Of Saba") & get ready for some colourful funky journey.

"Africa" is one of my favorite track by him, an afro-funk jam whose joyful & infectious horns chorus is hard to resist. With a clear hint at the "back to Motherland" Rasta myth, "Africa" is also a great example of Cedric's spiritual Rastafari faith, often present in his songs lyrics.
Here is my DJ-friendly nudisco-flavored edit of it.

Cheers,

Jm / V4YS

<a href='https://theartistunion.com/tracks/c95874'>Download for free on The Artist Union</a>

Free Dwnld

Cedric Im Brooks - Africa (V4YS Motherland Edit)

After returning earlier this year to release their captivating single ‘Missit’, Swedish dream-pop outfit Hey Elbow are back once again to share another wonderfully broad and ethereal offering, ‘Nurture/Aptitude’, lifted from their forthcoming full-length ‘WE THREE’.

Created around a loop the band recorded by mistake, ‘Nurture/Aptitude’ sees the group deliver a wonderfully warm and enticing return that manages to juggle deep and emotive atmosphere with a cacophonous symphony of drums and synths. Taking cues from their usually sweeping output, this newest cut sees them showcase a bright and energetic direction as they look to ready us for their highly-anticipated third album ‘WE THREE’, arriving on the 18th September via Adrian Recordings..

Speaking about the new release, the band said, "’Nurture/Aptitude’ is a somewhat catchy track coming from us. The song is based on a loop that we recorded by mistake in the rehearsal place. It was a vocal harmony that by accident was cut to a super short segment at the same time as a coffee cup crashed into a microphone. We can’t really remember but the loop disappeared and we panicked. A few months later in the studio the loop suddenly appeared and we could include it on the recording. It is a pop tune but needed a frame. We did a longer intro and an ambient outro. So it became an Hey Elbow song. For the impatient listener, we also did a convenient but lazy edit.” 

‘Nurture/Aptitude’ will be available everywhere from Wednesday 17th June 2020 via Adrian Recordings.

Hey Elbow - Nurture/Aptitude

Finally! After years of releases on some of the most important labels in electronic music, DFA's Juan Maclean makes his debut on Correspondant with his glorious Manthony EP.

Four slabs of thumping cosmic disco; all modulating basslines and heavy chug dynamics, Juan is a man of many styles but it's clear he's tailored these especially for Jennifer Cardini's label. The primordial acidic soup of opener 'Manthony', the cloud-bouncing dreaminess of 'Bufomania', the tense bewitching adventure of 'She's Breaking Up' (with the purring cat-like vocals of Fantastic Twins) and the creepy, ever-mutating pranged out finale 'In A Minute'.

As an artist who states that DJing is "literally my favourite thing in life", Juan Maclean has once again delivered a collection of transcendent dancefloor moments for both DJs and Dancers alike.

Manthony

I Wanna Lose

Adriaan de Roover, who is also known as Oaktree (check out a few of his excellent mixes for Headphone Commute), announces a new EP, titled Voor anderen, with which he joins a Belgian imprint, Dauw. The label has been on the forefront of delicate ambient music, working with graphic artist Femke Strijbol "to create a unique hand-made piece of art that flatters both the ear and the eye." With this new release, they welcome Maarten De Naeyer as a new in-house graphic designer to continue the visual identity while opening up the door to new artists. I continue to be happy with their choice of album covers, which "engage interactions between different art disciplines." The work of Adriaan nicely slots among the label's catalogue, with its soft blurry hues of minimalism, micro-drone and environmental sound. On the EP, elegantly combined organic textures blend with their electronic parallels, sweeping the wide-ranging frequency spectrum across glitters and bass. The selection features commissioned pieces between 2015-2018 "merging feelings of distance and proximity into melancholic sonic entities."

Voor anderen

TRACK PREMIERE : Adriaan de Roover - Voor Damiaan

Sleep brought with it much needed respite, an escape from his thoughts and emotions. Of late, his dreams had become much more vivid, rife with strange exchanges and far-fetched situations that left a stamp on his waking hours. Amongst the warped and familiar faces he felt both bliss and terror, yet at times he still wished he could stay in this imagined reality.

Danish producer Kasper Bjørke takes a personal approach when it comes to remixes, focusing on enlisting artists who will transform his music into something original and bring their own distinct flavour. His next batch of remixes comes in a two part package, bringing together several artists to put their own spin on his double EP Nothing Gold Can Stay. Part B rallies the likes of Bawrut, Cooper Saver, Panthera Krause, Kasper Marrott and our pick from DFA affiliate Perel.

Nothing Gold Can Stay Remixes (Part B)

PREMIERE: Kasper Bjørke - Dreamers (A Tribute to Laurie) (Perel Remix) [hfn music]

Down at the So and So on Somewhere

Handsome Wife was produced by Tommy McLaughlin in Attica studios. Mastered by Katie Tavini

In Waiting

Handsome Wife

Buy/Stream here: https://orcd.co/therealones
All proceeds from this track go directly to TY’s family.

Durrty Goodz pays tribute to his friend and collaborator TY (Ben Chijioke) in the heartfelt song ‘The Real Ones’, featuring cuts by Shortee Blitz.

TY was a foundation pillar of the UK Hip Hop scene, inspiring myriad artists. Whilst many knew TY for his lyrical ability, few are aware of his production skills, developed alongside longtime collaborator Drew Horley.

It was for that very reason Goodz decided to highlight the fact by using the instrumental version of TY’s own song ‘Me’, taken from his 2010 BBE album ‘Special Kind of Fool’.

Durrty Goodz is a highly respected grime MC, rapper and activist from London, active in the scene since 2003. Under his ‘OG Roots’ alias, he collaborated with on 2018 track ‘Eyes Open’, which was featured on TY’s final album ‘Work Of Heart’.

The Real Ones

Ty - The Real Ones (featuring Durrty Goodz)

Pre-order vinyl of 'Remixes' EP & 'Luv Neva Fades' LP here: https://mutualintentions.bandcamp.com/album/luv-neva-fades

Marking a departure with Jacuzzi Boys (2019), Fades and Rice offer us an insight into the process and landscape of their upcoming LP.  Through an unadulterated Remix EP, a bridge is built between the tight packed aesthetics of their previous LP, to the more emotional minimalism of «Luv Neva Fades»  (June 2020). Bridge builders include Deep88, Hugo LX and Chmmr. Also, it contains an exclusive demo version of some upcoming heat.

Follow the artists:
@fredfades
@jawnrice
@chmmr
@burymeinamink

A1 - Fredfades & Jawn Rice -  Show Me How ft. Dreamcast (Chmmr Remix)

Long-time (3+ years!) curator of a regular weekly 10 track playlist of legit, (mostly) new tracks from Soundcloud, dug up here, there and everywhere. The lists always start out as 10 tracks, but some subsequently get pulled from Soundcloud by the band/artist or the label, so don't blame me for any short lists!

Jun 12 - Jun 18 2020

GordyB