Amanda Chaudhary: Meow Meow Band (CatSynth Records, 2021)

January 20, 2022 at 7:49 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Amanda Chaudhary: Meow Meow Band

There’s no way I can resist strange music that’s cat-themed. Chaudhary is a member of bands such as Reconnaissance Fly and Surplus 1980, and she also runs a blog called CatSynth which focuses on both of those things. Her mini-album Meow Meow Band starts with a spacey invocation filled with mutated meowing. The rest of the songs are colorful jazz-funk-fusion jams filled with adventurous time signatures, synths that beam out like holograms, and plush, squishy basslines. There’s a perky theme for public transit (“North Berkeley BART”) and a second song with cat vocals (the new wave disco-funk trip “Donershtik”). Also, the personnel includes Philly bass legend Jamaaladeen Tacuma, composer/vocalist Amy X Neuburg, Rova Saxophone Quartet member Steve Adams, and several others. More than just a funny cat album, there’s some first class musicianship here, and an adventurous spirit which is both infectious and inspiring.

Show #613 – 1/16/22

January 16, 2022 at 11:34 am | Posted in The Answer Is In The Beat | Leave a comment

2:00 am Bonobo feat. Jamila Woods ~ Tides ~ Fragments (new) ~ Ninja Tune ~ 2021
2:03 am Mary Lattimore ~ We Wave From Our Boats ~ Collected Pieces II ~ Ghostly International ~ 2020
2:07 am Beverly Glenn-Copeland ~ Fastest Star (Julia Holter Remix) ~ Keyboard Fantasies Reimagined (new) ~ Transgressive ~ 2021
2:14 am JOYFULTALK ~ Rare Earth ~ single (new) ~ Bandcamp ~ 2022
2:19 am Ebi Soda ~ Yoshi Orange ~ single (new) ~ Tru Thoughts ~ 2021
2:23 am VTSS ~ For Your Safety ~ Projections EP (new) ~ Technicolour ~ 2022
2:26 am Julia Gjertsen & Nico Rosenberg ~ Tilflukt ~ Paisajes Imaginarios (new) ~ Constellation Tatsu ~ 2022
2:33 am Alex Albrecht ~ Twilight Humidity ~ Resolve (new) ~ Constellation Tatsu ~ 2022
2:38 am Wheez-ie ~ Pressure (Aura T-09 x Cardopusher Rmx) ~ Horizons Remixes (new) ~ Evar Records ~ 2022
2:46 am Fly Anakin feat. Nickelus F ~ Ghost ~ single (new) ~ Lex Records ~ 2021
2:50 am Quelle Chris x Chris Keys ~ I Asked God ~ Innocent Country ~ Mello Music Group ~ 2015
2:53 am Vivians (Mndsgn & Koreatown Oddity) ~ Soy Sauce ~ Vivians ~ Akashik Records ~ 2015
2:54 am Lone ~ Realise ~ Always Inside Your Head (new) ~ Greco-Roman ~ 2021
3:00 am Slam ~ Alaska ~ Headstates ~ Soma ~ 1996
3:07 am Underworld ~ Brussels ~ Drift Series 1 – Complete: Ricksdubbedoutdriftexperience (Live in Amsterdam) ~ Smith Hyde Productions ~ 2020
3:11 am Modeselektor ~ Keller (EXTLP Version) ~ EXTLP (new) ~ Monkeytown ~ 2021
3:15 am LeRon Carson ~ Baby Said to Me ~ Under the Conditions ~ Sound Signature ~ circa 1987-1989
3:20 am Sewer Rat ~ Hammerhead ~ Electric Ladyland VI ~ Mille Plateaux ~ 1998
3:25 am Alec Empire ~ Naive Fake Jazzz ~ Electric Ladyland IV ~ Mille Plateaux ~ 1997
3:31 am Harold Budd ~ Little Heart ~ Avalon Sutra ~ Samadhisound ~ 2004
3:35 am Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O ~ Ntate Gwanga’s Stroll ~ UMDALI (new) ~ Mushroom Hour Half Hour ~ 2021
3:41 am Collin Sherman ~ Rival Machinations ~ Suitable Benchmarks of Reform (new) ~ Ex-Tol Recordings ~ 2022
3:49 am John Zorn ~ Poimandres ~ Gnosis: The Inner Light ~ Tzadik ~ 2021
3:53 am Jameszoo & Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley ~ (soup) ~ Melkweg ~ Brainfeeder ~ 2020

Wheez-ie: Horizons Remixes (Evar Records, 2022)

January 14, 2022 at 5:55 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Wheez-ie: Horizons Remixes

This remix EP of tracks by Los Angeles’ Wheez-ie starts off with a characteristically brilliant jungle mix by Tim Reaper, followed by a clanking bit of sideways electro from Detroit’s venerable DJ Stingray. I expected those to be the highlights, but then the mix by Aura T-09 (the label’s co-founder, along with Trickfinger, aka John Frusciante) and Cardopusher came on. Cardopusher came up as a breakcore producer during the 2000s, and he produced some of the most off-the-wall material I’ve ever heard, throwing hooks from ’90s alt-rock radio hits into sliced-and-diced ragga-core anthems. He then moved on from fast, frantic music, drifting into dubstep, then house and garage, then somehow ending up at acid house and finally EBM/industrial. This mix is the first thing I’ve heard by him in ages that flashes back to jungle and rave music, with absolutely vicious breaks and Hoover-like synths, as well as shades of operatic vocals and hard trance energy. It goes on for eight epic minutes, gradually becoming improbably dense until it cools off at the end. Quite frankly astonishing, I was not expecting this at all. Finally, VTSS concludes the set with a crunchy industrial techno surge, which teases a catchy “The Bells”-reminiscent melody without wearing it out. I guess I should finally listen to the original EP now.

Matt Robidoux: At Dust (Already Dead, 2021)

January 13, 2022 at 6:27 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Matt Robidoux: At Dust

Matt Robidoux’s newest album is a suite of deconstructed art-pop pieces, melting from songs into audio portraits. There’s a wealth of acoustic instruments played here, from brass and woodwinds to gamelan percussion, as well as field recordings, but the sounds and voices are often electronically warped, resembling a classic American landscape where half the objects are blurry, flickering, pixelated, or morphing into something else. There’s some vocal melodies that linger with you, like the part on opener “The Bouquet” when he sings about flowers, but other times you’re more likely to be entranced by the detailed layering, the digitally shredded vocals, and just the general surrealness of it all. “Interstitial” is a bit more of a string-based neo-classical piece, while “Sea Wall” is much more of a smeared drift. “So Long” trudges on the bottom of the ocean floor before heavy psych guitar lifts it up closer to the surface. The album seems like it’s wandering in several directions at the same time, yet it’s all clearly mapped out and considered, with a surplus of ideas stuffed into concise running time of just under half an hour.

Collin Sherman: Suitable Benchmarks of Reform (Ex-Tol Recordings, 2022)

January 12, 2022 at 6:49 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Collin Sherman: Suitable Benchmarks of Reform

On his 13th album, New York’s Collin Sherman continues performing as a virtual band, layering synths, horns, guitars, and drums played entirely by himself. Making more usage of modular synths than was noticeable on his previous album, opener “Phalanx Strictures” rolls along with a melodic sequence set in 15/4 time, providing a framework for Sherman’s freewheeling solos. “Rival Machinations” is entirely improvised, however, and sounds totally unhinged, with drums flailing and alto sax careening outward rather than focusing on a recognizable melody. Additionally, the piece incorporates MIDI prepared piano, which sounds stark and percussive. “Worthless Objects and Photographs Thereof” feels more stripped-down and acoustic, consisting mostly of hand percussion and woodwinds, although a glowing synth bassline glues the song together; altogether, it feels like music fit for a thorough investigation scene. The remainder of the album is given over to the four-part “Rumination Suite”, which takes its time to gradually develop, intriguingly built on slow beats on a MIDI tongue drum, resembling an electronic stone object. There’s surf/western-style guitar riffs on “Faults and Missteps”, while “Things Turn Around” is sparse and suspenseful, with some strange resonations. Finally, “Foundations of Serenity” is a piano-driven processional with an erupting sax solo near the end.

Nanoray: Digimaiden (self-released, 2022)

January 11, 2022 at 7:44 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Nanoray: Digimaiden

Nanoray’s discography of neon-streaked ravecore releases has been rapidly expanding the past few years, and Digimaiden is possibly their most exciting album yet. Neither sticking to breakbeats or 4/4 kicks, the tracks are inevitably reminiscent of classic rave but more accurately recall ’00s U.K. hardcore and donk (!), yet with more twisted time signatures and breakcore edits. Some moments are sparkly enough to soundtrack some sort of Christmas-themed cartoon (“Myztic Stage 🜂 Frost & Fire”), yet others have a strangely mystical aura to them (“Inner ⊛ Core”). It’s all massively fun and well produced, and the brief track at the end makes it seem like the journey is far from over.

Alex Albrecht: Resolve (Constellation Tatsu, 2022)

January 9, 2022 at 12:43 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Alex Albrecht: Resolve

Alex Albrecht’s newest album mixes refined instrumentation and field recordings, presenting a series of memories from hotel lobbies, from childhood, from dreams, from the future. A continuous suite rather than a collection of tracks, it flows smoothly with graceful transitions, so that you hardly notice when you’re whisked away into a different scene. Still, there’s moments that stand out, like the jazzy, atmospheric guitars and pianos of “Twilight Humidity” and the cool brittleness of “The Chamber”.

Show #612 – 1/9/22

January 9, 2022 at 11:39 am | Posted in The Answer Is In The Beat | Leave a comment

1:05 am The Bug vs. Earth ~ Cold ~ 12″ ~ Ninja Tune ~ 2014
1:09 am Atrice ~ Q ~ Q (new) ~ Ilian Tape ~ 2021
1:15 am Shafkkat & Rojaz ~ Her ~ mp3 (new) ~ Ditto Music ~ 2022
1:17 am Lone ~ ROYGBIV ~ mp3 (new) ~ Bandcamp ~ 2021
1:20 am Leif ~ Low D ~ 9 Airs (new) ~ AD 93 ~ 2021
1:25 am Body/Dilloway/Head ~ Secret Cuts ~ Body/Dilloway/Head (new) ~ Three Lobed Recordings ~ 2021
1:39 am Laraaji ~ Illusion of Time ~ @0 (new) ~ Ahead of Our Time ~ 2021
1:46 am Trees Speak ~ Mind In Light ~ Vertigo Of Flaws (new) ~ Soul Jazz Records ~ 2021
1:49 am John Dwyer, Ryan Sawyer, Greg Coates, Wilder Zoby & Andres Renteria ~ Oneironaut ~ Gong Splat (new) ~ Castle Face ~ 2021
1:51 am Pamela Z ~ Two Black Rubber Raincoats ~ Echolocation ~ Freedom to Spend ~ 1988
1:54 am Loraine James ~ LAraine James ~ Wrong Name EP (new) ~ Bandcamp ~ 2021
1:59 am Dax J ~ Anthropic Demise ~ Utopian Surrealism (new) ~ Monnom Black ~ 2021
2:04 am Machinedrum ~ Stairzzzzzz ~ Psyconia EP (new) ~ Ninja Tune ~ 2021
2:09 am Dexorcist ~ Centurion ~ Rage Signal EP ~ Ecstasy Garage Disco ~ 2020
2:16 am Mani Festo ~ Hyperion ~ SNKRX007 ~ Sneaker Social Club ~ 2021
2:21 am Clyde automaton ~ TRASHED SON [freezrr] ~ X’d 4 U (new) ~ Bandcamp ~ 2021
2:25 am Nanoray ~ Meter ~ Workbench ~ Digimaiden (new) ~ Bandcamp ~ 2022
2:28 am Swansea Sound ~ Je Ne Sais Quoi ~ Live At The Rum Puncheon (new) ~ Happy Happy Birthday to Me ~ 2021
2:32 am The Philip Glass Ensemble ~ Part 9 ~ Music in Twelve Parts ~ Orange Mountain Music ~ 2008
2:38 am Burial ~ Shadow Paradise ~ Antidawn (new) ~ Hyperdub ~ 2022
2:48 am Birch Cooper ~ Meshing Ladders ~ I Was a Teacher ~ Digitalis ~ 2012
2:55 am Captive Beam (local) ~ side A ~ Passive Demon ~ Easy Listening ~ 2019
3:06 am Mark Broom ~ Away & Beyond ~ Global Technological Innovations Unreleased – II ~ New Electronica ~ 1996
3:11 am The Paradox ~ Residence ~ promo cd-r single (new) ~ Axis Records ~ 2021
3:17 am Theo Parrish (local) ~ Radar Detector ~ Wuddaji ~ Sound Signature ~ 2020
3:23 am LeRon Carson ~ Dedicated ~ Under the Conditions ~ Sound Signature ~ 1988
3:30 am Windy & Carl (local) ~ Intelligence in Evolution ~ Monolith: Earth ~ Music Fellowship ~ 2007
3:35 am The Durutti Column ~ Royal Infirmary ~ Circuses and Bread ~ Factory ~ 1986
3:39 am Vasconcelos Sentimento ~ Movimento ~ Furto (new) ~ Far Out Recordings ~ 2021
3:43 am Steinski & Amon Tobin ~ Ten Piece Metric Wrench Set ~ Verbal Remixes & Collaborations ~ Ninja Tune ~ 2003
3:48 am ASC ~ Spirit Waves ~ Open Spaces ~ Testflight ~ 2004
3:54 am Oval ~ Standard Audio Frontend ~ Dok ~ Thrill Jockey ~ 1997

Crush Collision 1/6/22

January 7, 2022 at 9:16 am | Posted in Crush Collision | Leave a comment

10:00 pm Body San ~ Blue Room Eyes
10:03 pm Cofaxx ~ Multi Purpose
10:07 pm PBDY feat. Anika ~ This State of Mine Mind
10:09 pm Jennifer Loveless ~ Tinnitus
10:14 pm Underground Evolution ~ Soul Searcher (Joe Claussell Remix)
10:19 pm KiNK ~ Rachel
10:25 pm Kid Simius ~ El Rio (Fort Romeau Remix)
10:31 pm dj poolboi ~ Long Way From Home
10:38 pm Carmen Villain ~ Observable Future (Parris Remix)
10:43 pm 2Lanes feat. Kesswa, Shigeto, John FM, Ian Fink (local) ~ Baby’s Born to Fish…
10:49 pm Kelela/DJ Lag ~ ONANON_127 BPM
10:53 pm Four Tet ~ 128 oceans
10:56 pm Jas Shaw ~ Lecturing Birds on How to Fly
11:00 pm A Taut Line ~ The Hollow Lounge
11:05 pm Cosh ~ Untitled
11:09 pm Jabru ~ Ms Jones & I
11:13 pm Ela Minus ~ they told us it was hard, but they were wrong. (buttechno Remix)
11:17 pm T. Jacques ~ Les Nois (Samo Remix)
11:21 pm DJ 3000 (local) ~ Outnumbered
11:27 pm JTC (local) ~ Indigo, Flesh and Fire
11:31 pm IMOGEN & Ben Pest ~ Volts
11:36 pm Special Request ~ Vortex 135 (Mall Grab Remix)
11:40 pm Arnaud Rebotini ~ Minimize Contact Between People
11:43 pm Nikki Nair ~ Power Tool
11:47 pm badsista ~ ZL CLUB MUSIC pt. II
11:52 pm Mathlovsky ~ This Drummachine Kills Fascists
11:54 pm Hypnoskull ~ The Trickster (Setup)
11:57 pm The Body ~ Adamah (Remixed by OAA)

Pamela Z: Echolocation (Z Music, 1988/reissue Freedom to Spend, 2021)

January 6, 2022 at 7:11 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Pamela Z: Echolocation

Composer and performance artist Pamela Z has been a mainstay of the American avant-garde scene for decades, yet her discography of solo releases is startlingly scant. Her first album in nearly two decades, A Secret Code, appeared last year, followed by a long-overdue vinyl/digital reissue of her debut cassette, Echolocation. Using loops, overdubs, and some synths/drum machines, she constructs vast, spacious, ever-shifting sound worlds which express a lot with a limited number of elements. There’s driving minimalist new wave (“Two Black Rubber Raincoats”) as well as strangely affecting operatic Dada (“Badagada”), as well as a mind-melting a cappella piece layering fragmented loops, whispers, and a direct monologue (“Pop Titles “You””). “In the Other World” also loops the slap of a tape reversing or unpausing, and pairs it with more spoken lines describing the alternate reality the piece seems to come from. Pamela’s debut is accessible without being anywhere close to normal or predictable, and well deserving of rediscovery.

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