Crucial Material – October 13th, 2020

Hope you are doing well and that some of these records will make your day!

Here are our favorite EP’s, Albums and Reissues of the past week. As always we encourage you to buy digital or physical releases if you discover a release you love. Support artists and labels!

JAZZ

Cinephonic — Les Paradis artificiels

Canadian multi-instrumentalist Pierre Chrétien, who also plays with The Souljazz Orchestra, releases his debut album under the alias Cinephonic. Inspired by classic French film and library music, this brilliant recording blends together layered cinematic landscapes, soulful keys and vibraphone-based melodies,  and instrumental hip-hop grooves. 
— Selected by TJ Gorton

Agile Experiments — Edwards​/​Nicholls​/​De Rose

Dave De Rose leads a superb trio with John Edwards on double bass, and Dan Nicholls on synths, samples & FX, recorded live in Hackney at the Empire Bar, now permanently closed. Over the 50+ minutes of improvisation, far from losing all but the most hardcore improv fan, the trio exhibit a strong sense of rhythm and repetition, that practically transform the the listening experience to something akin to a rave, ambient passages included.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti

HOUSE / TECHNO / CLUB-isms

Oveous — Somewhere In America, I am Just like You

New-Yorker Oveous delivers his new EP on Yoruba Records, a powerful spoken-word relating to the injustices of our society. With remixes from  Coflo, Mark De Clive-Lowe, and Osunlade, these two titles will do a lot of good for your feet and even more for your soul.
— Selected by Akpossoul

Jennifer Walton — Flash On

This is a boiled up and refined digital blend of modern UK club culture, virtually filtered through a hyperreal sound designer’s lenses. Think technoid bass, mutant grime, twisted nu club and emotional future garage all tied together by plastic scraping synths.
— Selected by dileta

Ali Berger — inside angles

Through minimalistic choppy sampling, this album mirrors an image of classic Detroit techno into a unique club construction. Somes of the structures used recall Jersey club, UK funky and 2step in the best way. The ambient cuts are also sublime.
— Selected by dileta

Shed — Tectonic EP

Tectonic and Shed is the pairing we never knew we desperately needed. Tense shuffling 2step techno demolition, washed over by overpowering waves of clattering drums, with solace at the end in the form post-dubstep blissfully drowning in a limitless sea of tragic synth chords.
— Selected by dileta

more amazing House/Tech/Club-isms releases

• E-Unity – Duo Road (d)
• Al Wooton – JL (w/ Priori Mix) (L)
• Delay Grounds – Onomatopoeia (d)
• Soso Tharpa – Simon’s Mind EP (d)
• Kindergarten Records – Fluo I (d)
• Ambien Baby – Mindkiss (L)
• Sativa Club – Sativa Trax (d)

SOUL & FUNK

Machinedrum — A View Of U

As impossible to classify as ever Machinedrum continues 20 years in, to bring a pluralistic approach to his sound having touched on the beat scene sound of the 2000’s, to producing R&B records, to the space in between IDM and EDM. Yet, on “A View of U” it feels like his signature sound is becoming ever more precise. Highly loved!
— Selected by Lexis

more amazing Soul & Funk releases

• Budos Band – Long In The Tooth
• George John – Personal Bars
• Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, Kamasi – Dinner Party: Desert
• ES Funk – Funny Feeling (reissue)
• The Leaders – Rat Race (reissue)

RAP & BEATS

KARU — Kuru 

Forward music from Italy’s KARU on Beat Machine on this truly refreshing EP. Experimental hip-hop-leaning beats woven with heavy jazz instrumentation – in particular the vibrant sax tones of Mario D’Alfonso.  This one grooves but with a wild lean. Guedra Guedra mops up on the final track, applying his personal take on footwork to remix KARU. Don’t let this one slip pass without at least giving it a listen. 
— Selected by Oli Brunetti

LEFTFIELD & EXPERIMENTAL & CLASSICAL

Daoui — Message from the Daoui

Born in Chicago, an electric collaboration between Angel (The Oracle) Bat Dawid, here on clarinet and vocals, and Oui Ennui on production and synths. DAOUI hits with an immediate impact of doom-laced synths, modal-sounding jazz clarinet, samples, beats, and half-sung poetry. The project almost sounds produced off-the-cuff, but it’s raw, unrefined sound is to its credit, and retains a live feel.
— Selected by Oli Brunetti

Afrikan Sciences — Survivors

More urgent listening from NYC’s Afrikan Sciences who consistently blurs the boundaries between house music and modern composition; dare I say, high tech classical and industrial music. Definitely one of the few “2020-inspired” records that lives up to the collective angst. “Survivors” challenges just as much as it heals.
— Selected by Lexis

Laraaji — Moon Piano

The companion to the equally beautiful “Sun Piano” record recorded in the same session in a Brooklyn Church is a deeply touching listening session as is always expected from this beautiful musician / mystic’s deep 30+ year discography (Also inviting you to listen to an interview I recorded with him last year)
— Selected by Lexis

more amazing releases

• Mary Lattimore – Silver Ladders
• Maarja Nuut & Sun Araw – Fantasias for Violin & Guitar
• Mr. Mitch – Songs with my sons

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We also invite you to check out our main five playlists where you’ll find our current favorites across Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.