aquatic romance

We love it when family return to ZamZam and #92 welcomes back Blind Prophet & Ishan Sound in their first cross-pond collab.  



Begun in 2019 when Joe & Cris met in Portland for the first time, “The Labyrinth” is a phantasmagoric dream of intertwining melodic figures, buoyant mid-range synth work, bright percussion and piping flutes over a driving steppers riddim. Playful, even spritely, but belying a menacing core.



Flipping the key and darkening the vibe substantially, “Minotaur Dub” strips out the lighter tones, pulsing and pushing through dark tunnels of reverb and echo, deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of refracting drums and relentless bass, the sound of pursuit, predator and prey. Fusing the spectral with the functional, the mythic with the technological, this release is for deep forest dances and subterranean sessions alike. This one is ruff… and tuff!!

Strictly limited to 700 copies for the world. No digital, no repress. Art, design, & screen print by Polygon Press. Mastered by Sam at Precise, pressed at Third Man. Releasing end of July, 2023.

Blind Prophet & Ishan Sound "The Labyrinth" b/w "Minotaur Dub" ZamZam 92 7" vinyl blend

For the past few years we’ve been mesmerized by Elijah Minnelli’s output on his own Breadminster County Council label… a handful of hand-crafted 7”s that live at the foggy intersection of dub, outsider folk, and various strands of Eastern European and South/Central American musics. In hindsight it seems inevitable that he would join the ZamZam family. 

Firmly rooted in dub through its mammoth bassline, ‘Gradually’ is a shaggy, unhurried tune framed by melancholy, almost grieving squeezebox and gorgeous ensemble percussion that reverently recalls early cumbias. The tune is unique for Elijah in that it features fully-sung vocals. Themes of loss, despair, tragedy and coping circle and loop, ironically held in a musical matrix that spirals in deliberate repetition. 

In ‘Gradually Verzion’ the introduction of a minimal melodic figure and long echo trails signal a dramatic shift, going full dubwise steppers without compromising its warm center.  Elijah holds back the wheezy melody, deftly forwarding the percussion in time-honored echo chamber mode.

Our soundcloud clips are always recorded straight from the vinyl with flat EQ so you know exactly what you're getting. 

Strictly limited to 700 copies for the world. No digital, no repress. Art, design & screen print by Polygon Press. Mastered by Sam at Precise, Pressed at Third Man. Shipping early November, 2023.

Elijah Minnelli "Gradually" b/w "Gradually Verzion" ZamZam 93 7" vinyl blend

wrong road

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steady not steady

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Grass Valley feat. Cherushi Die @ Tadioto

https://www.instagram.com/stevelanglang/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6RpdPHGu8YFbO0DNz3ew1F

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