I don’t know what is going on in France that is drawing in such amazing talent from outside her borders (it’s probably the incredibly good quality of local performers who are developing massive catalogs and worldwide respect for their bodies of work), but the country is seeing a small explosion of creativity. One case-in-point is the Mexican guitarist Hector Javier Ayala. He has begun releasing some incredible CDs recently (his newest will be reviewed here soon, but this particular album was done in collaboration with drummer Cedric Lemaire. The recordings are sparse, but gel together quite nicely. A lot of the material reminded be of Derek Bailey and is free improvisations with percussionists around the world.
Instrumental
[Music] Sonar – Black Light
Cuneiform Records can do no wrong to these ears. Sonar are a band out of Switzerland who produced a tight, punchy post-rock that made for enjoyable evening listening.
[Music] Gary Monheit & Dan Krimm will perform at Yoshi’s 10/03/2016

My Bay Area-based jazz heads will be in for a treat in early October. Gary Monheit and Dan Krimm, who exceptionally talented performers and improvisers, have been playing together off and on for 35 years, and they flow together beautifully. They have a new CD to promote, and Yoshi’s will host their performance on October 3.
[Music] OORSPRONG curators series/OCS edition September 19 2016 — OORSPRONG curators series
[Music] Hoarfrost – Refracted In Illusion
Many thanks to Rafał Kopeć who advised me of this video. Hoarfrost’s newest release on Reverse Alignment, Anima Mundi, came out on my birthday (August 17), and I’m looking forward to picking it up. This is their official video, and the images go well with these bleakest of sounds.
[Music] Psarantonis (Ψαραντώνης) – In A Fake World (Στον Ψευτη Κοσμο)
Antonis Xylouris, the aforementioned Psarantonis, is a wizard of the Byzantine lyra, a musical instrument with powerful roots in Crete. Several friends have introduced me to his work, and it amazes me that I missed this man’s work for so long.
[Music] Сезон Дождей / Rainy Season – Возвращение / Return
Сезон Дождей (Rainy Season) were a Lithuanian avant-progressive band from around 1992. The first time I had come across their music was while working at Aron’s Records in Los Angeles. It came in as a promo, but as I had no Internet access, I was unable to find any information on the band. Thankfully, through the wonders of Youtube, we have information on this album at least:
Artist: Сезон Дождей / Rainy Season
Album: Возвращение / Return
Year: 1992
Genre: Progressive Rock, Space Rock, Ambient
Country: Lithuania
Label / Catalogue: Lituanus / RGM 7006
Line-up:
Максим Пшеничный / Maxim Pshenichny – guitar, bass, voice, Yamaha DX100 & Korg M1 synthesizers
Алексей Петров / Alexei Petrov – percussion, drums, wood box, glockenspiel, triangle
+
Алексей Зубарев / Alexei Zubarev – flute (A1), slide guitar (A2), pizzicato (track B1a), rhythm guitar (A1, A2 & B1b)
Максим Кузнецов / Maxim Kuznetsov – lead guitar (B1b)
Ринальда / Rinalda – voice (B1a)
Tracklist:
A1 Запахи Леcа / Scents Of A Forest 0:00
A2 К чиcтой воде / Towards A Clear Water 7:00
B1 Красная ночь / Red Night 21:19
– a) Часть 1 / Part 1
– b) Часть 2 / Part 2
[Music] Flowers for Bodysnatchers – Memory (Night To Void)
Flowers for Bodysnatchers are the best of a new, burgeoning black ambient scene. I haven’t heard anyone this good since Lustmørd was at his peak a few years ago. I expect Duncan Ritchie to continue on this trajectory. His work, thus far, has been amazing listening.
[Music] Sauce Llorón – Sauce Llorón EP
This charming EP by Sauce Llorón came during a late night stumble on Tumblr. It seems like it’s a combination of Mexican folk music and something that Yann Tiersen might come up with.
[Music] diNMachine News: ‘The Opposites of Unity’ Vinyl @RoughTrade, @RecordGrouch
From our friends at diNMachine Records:
|
||
|


