Only one track on this release, but it’s a winner! La Maison Dieu are a band out of Istanbul, Turkey who combine elements of EDM, old-school lo-fi electronic music and a touch of cheese in the vein of Giorgio Moroder. I’m digging this!
Downtempo
[Music] Various Artists – Anthology of Electroacoustic Lebanese Music
When he’s not working on his own music as Sonologyst, Raffaele Pezzella of Unexplained Sounds captures a lot of attention by releasing travelogue compilations covering the best of experimental and dark ambient music from various countries and regions. This one may well be his crowning effort.
All of these, with the exception of Sharif Sehnaoui, are unfamiliar names, but the sounds, which range from slow, churning, rhythmic drone to post-Industrial noise, the compilation introduces what I’m hoping is an energetic crop of new music composers whose influence will spread quickly both inside and outside the Levant.
Could a Syrian or Iraqi electroacoustic scene be next? I surely hope so!
[Music] bastrd – An Anthology of 16th Century Azerbaijani Classical Works by Fuzûlî
I have a sneaking suspicion that the legendary Divan poet Fuzûlî didn’t dabble in modern hip-hop during the 1500s, though who am I to suggest that the young, enterprising souls in bastrd didn’t go back in time and ask him to sample a few grooves for him?
Rather elegant jazzy lo-fi beat music out of Northern California. A worthy purchase.
[Music] Alexandre Navarro – Imaginations
Checking out the tags at the bottom of his Bandcamp page, I noticed that Alexandre Navarro’s latest release, Imaginations, is listed as post-rock. Absolutely, positively not!
This has more of a feeling brought out in albums by classic artists like Harmonia, a touch of Popol Vuh and maybe even the Russian soundtrack composer Edward Artemiev. This is mellow, has a wonderful 70’s vibe and makes for a nice way indulge in headphone listening.
[Music] Ambient Landscape – Veronica III
Long, slow, elegant, nearly neo-classical ambient music, courtesy of the most appropriately named Ambient Landscape.
[Music] El Mahdy Jr. – Raï Dubs
El Mahdy Jr. is a composer and beatmaker originally from Alergia, but who is now hailing from Turkey. His work is informed by VERY heavy dub (his dad, apparently, had quite an awesome collection) and sampling. Very creative.
[Music] Sean Khan, Hermeto Pascoal – Palmares Fantasy featuring Hermeto Pascoal
Many thanks to Andrew Jervis over at Bandcamp Weekly for not only sharing Sean Khan’s work but for a stellar interview with a young man who will be seen as one of the UK’s leading lights of new jazz.
[Music] Nu Guinea – Nuova Napoli
Nu Guinea are a couple of lads from a city which has given me a lot of pleasure and a fair amount of both headaches and heartaches, Naples. Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina will be releasing their latest album, an homage of sorts to their hometown, on April 7th.
The one track they have offered as a sample of what’s to come is a very funky affair reminiscent of the work of Tony Allen. You hear disco, funk and Afrobeat rolled into a rather amazing package.
[Music] Hidden Orchestra – Wingbeats (Full Album)
Joe Acheson of the Hidden Orchestra come at us with his masterpiece. Soft, subdued, but an absolutely incredible listen.
[Music] Maurice Pozor – 2056
My friend Maurice Pozor has released an intriguing album. Though in the Bandcamp tags the album is listed as a noise or experimental album, this has to be some of the most gentle ‘noise’ I’ve heard in some time. It’s a rather floaty piece, somewhat in keeping with good electronic music from the 1970s and early 1980s, but with a far crisper, cleaner sound.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 