https://solaterrarecords.bandcamp.com/album/amara

Responding to their environment, Amara’s sound is greatly influenced by the cold and dark months of autumn and winter in Glasgow, a city which can be unrelenting in its greyness. It is a product of that. After sifting through hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hours of recordings, a narrative slowly formed and Amara began to revisit some ideas. It is these ideas that make up this album. The album is the narrative.

Amara was formed from a jam, and the music in this album came from many months of improvisation. At gigs, at rehearsals, out and about on the streets, Amara would freely improvise with one another, weaving themselves and their spirits together so that, no longer individuals, the musicians became one.

releases June 30, 2021

+ All compositions by Amara
+ Tracked & mixed by Luigi Pasquini
+ Mastered by Mark Dobson
+ Artwork by Rebecca Ashton
+ Design & Layout by C.O.Turner

Sola Terra 
STR005

STR005 - AMARA - Amara [Preview]

Based on Franco Battiato's L'Egitto Prima Della Sabbia

L'Egitto dopo La Cicala

+

https://solaterrarecords.bandcamp.com/album/flightcase
linktr.ee/solaterra

+

Recorded in a rare moment of freedom between lockdowns, Flightcase represents the joy of collaboration and the importance of human connection.

This is an album of many voices. Influences ranging from Herbie Hancock to Sun Ra, but also from other projects Akin is involved in, Amara & GABO, shine through in an album which acknowledges the various music that inspires and influences Akin, whilst trying to create something new and unique.

Akin Subscribes to the philosophy of allowing each musician to create however they feel to, trying to do little more than create the framework and allow the other musicians to express themselves within this. This felt particularly important in a time marred by restrictions.

releases July 30, 2021

+

Josef Akin - keys, vocals, balafon
Daniel Ashton - flute, guitar
Finn Rosenbaum - drums, percussion
Norman Villeroux - bass
India Blue - vocals, trumpet (3,8)
Harry Weir - saxophone
Suleman "Chief" Chebe - balafon, percussion
Joshua Elcock - trumpet (6)

+

STR006 - JOSEF AKIN - Flightcase [Preview]

From Amsterdam, via Saltillo, Berlin and London, here comes the 31st mix carefully selected for you by Worldwide FM resident Coco María (@cocomariamusic). Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com 

MFM: Hi Ana, welcome aboard the series. How's your been summer so far?

CM: Hi. Thank you! Today, I came back from We Out Here, very inspired and happy. So, right now I would say this summer I have been very lucky. I was able to travel, to play in many nice parties, and festivals with lovely crowds (big and small), met many of my friends, and made new friends.

MFM: You're originally from Saltillo, Mexico. Can you tell us a bit about growing up there?

CM: It is a city in the north of Mexico. Desert and mountains. Quite a big city. My parents are very musical people and I grew up surrounded by music and family and friends. My mom and dad always made efforts to inspire us, triggered our curiosity and they love road trips so we traveled a lot in Mexico when I was a kid.

MFM: I've read you left your studies in Mexico and moved to Europe. What was the reason for this change?

CM: I finished my university studies (Education Science and Psychology) and literally, the day after I got my diploma ( 22nd of June) I left and have been living in Europe since then. I always wanted to travel and get to know other places. When I was 18, I went to Berlin with my friend Olga, and I fell in love with the city immediately. I was very determined to go and live there. I felt it was the city and energy I needed at that time: it worked out, with a 4 years diversion through London.

MFM: Mexico knows a different culture and traditions when compared to Europe. What would you say are the main differences?

CM: At the beginning the differences were very strong to me: food, weather, people, shops, now 11 years later, the biggest difference are the daily life worries. For example, In Amsterdam, I rarely feel unsafe in the street. There are more opportunities to develop, grow and do what you love, without worrying about your personal safety or so much corruption. In Mexico, the weather and nature are amazing. The food and the warmth of the people is something I miss quite often.

MFM: This year saw your compilation 'Club Coco' being released in collaboration with Swiss label Les Disques Bongo Joe and which features all new music. How did you get to this particular selection of artists and songs?

CM: The first song I wanted to include was “A big Brain” by my friend Nic Mauskovic because I felt this had to be out there. That was what initiated the project and I curated it thinking of a line up... Imagine having all these bands together! Most of the bands are my friends or I have worked with them, it went naturally and felt very familiar.

MFM: It also includes a track of yourself, which is a highly rhythmic percussive work out with lots of brass and your vocals dubbed on top. Can you show a bit of insight in the writing and recording process of the song? Did you work with live musicians for example?

CM: The initiative was from my friend Max Weissenfeldt. He is a brilliant musician, composer and runs the label Philophon. We want to make a Jazz album. This is our first song and we recorded it in Berlin. Then he moved to Ghana, I moved to Amsterdam. And the pandemic hit. I have not seen him since january 2020! Max recorded the music with a live band in Ghana and their names are Pitches, Osei and Kung Fu´u. 

MFM: Do you have more ambition in producing your own works? Perhaps there's something in the pipeline already? 
Would love to finish that jazz album with Max, while he is in Ghana: we will work on the distance. 

MFM: Google Translate says the title 'Me Veo Volar' means 'I See Myself Fly'. Is there a nice story behind the title maybe? :)

CM: “Me veo volar” is about getting rid of fears that weigh you down… and making space for what you really want and take off! At that time I was having some realizations :)

MFM Mix 031: Coco María

An aquatic mix pulled from the murky South Pacific depths
One of my recent favorites so I thought I would post it, no infringement intended
Original found here:  http://tropicalhi-fi.bandcamp.com/

Tropical Hi - Fi - Oceanic Mythology

Island Logic

Just a simple tune that presented itself to me when I woke up one morning.
Not sure where I got it from.

Japanese Dream

A tune that came to me when I was out walking in Preston

Westseros

Part of a selection of recent studio experiments I’ve been working on since the start of the year. Working on the palette of sounds and the studio processes rather than the track arrangements or listenability :)

Trying to create an immersive world drawing on images of exotic landscapes, slow-moving patterns and abstract sense of space.

These tracks were never intended for sharing or even completion, but I’ve now moved on to another stage in where I’m going with it all, so it seems a shame to just forget about them.

(All tracks roughly mixed and mastered in the home studio)

Shadow 9

Melbourne recording artist using lo-fi electronics and field recordings to experiment with elements of exotica, ambient, dub and psychedelic sounds. First LP coming out very soon..

Shadow 9

Wu Cloud