Blog Archives

The Slow Music Movement Blog

Mostly we put our daily recommendations here for the blog readers among you, although occasionally we go longform.
Reading about music is a bit like looking at pictures of food - not nearly half as much fun as getting involved, so we scribble a brief intro to hopefully whet your appetite but you're better off just hitting play. Not very "slow" I know but there's a lot of music to check these days & hopefully you'll find the recommendations a handy filter.
Trust your ears, not opinions.

18/2/2021 0 Comments

Reymour - Leviosa (Knekelhuis)

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT WE SAY:

With a nonchalant shrug & sweet but deadpan vocal that gives Germanic countries a bad romantic reputation in the south, Reymour explore synth & other vintage waves, reimagine chanson, digitise the waltz & stand about flicking their fringes near loads of old synths to fine effect for Knekelhuis.

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WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

Reymour packed their bags in the pre-Alps of Switzerland and left to start a new life in Bruxelles. This debut album finds originates in this transition, again in a bilingual environment, by now a Knekelhuis theme. Leviosa documents the emergence of a kind of dance built from chansons, synthpop and cute minimal wave. Luc Bersier’s wide musical spectrum reaches great heights while staying small. He creates the musical bedrock on which Reymour’s cabinet of musical curiosities rests, allowing us to drift away on the unctuous fumes of Lou’s vocals. On these tracks she covers a wide array of feelings, of doubt, sexual orientation, play and melancholia. And it all comes together in the reflection of life. Close friend and family guy Low Bat contributes vocals and gameplay on 2 of the album’s tracks.

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17/2/2021 0 Comments

Lutto Lento - Legendo (Haunter)

WHAT HE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT WE SAY:

I keep coming back to the new Lutto Lento LP for Haunter Records & his less is more approach to deviant electronica. It's a rollercoaster ride through ambient dancehall, odd sounds, raw drums, synthesizer futurism, dystopian soundscapes, whimsical asides & well recommended.

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WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

LEGENDO is a work of sonic weird fiction. A pulp fantasy. A descent through the cracks in reality, punctuated by bizarre encounters and freaky transformations. It oozes an odd mixture of wonder and fear, a fascination with whatever might be lurking around the next unlit corner, met with relentless excitement and leading towards ghastly discoveries. Like a vision of a new mythological age, one that aims more at subverting and making fun of itself than educating towards any kind of
morality. Or a self-conscious fantasy RPG turning into a full-on immersive experience.
 
The author, Lubomir Grzelak AKA Lutto Lento, arranged this eccentric narrative as a follow up to his previous LP, the ominous Dark Secret world, while also settling out to subvert the atmosphere of that record. In his Haunter debut he embraces his own quirkier side, delving further into eerie derision and surreal trickery. He achieves that by remodeling his penchant for heavy bass and gloomy dub into a kind of otherworldly folk music, drawing in deterritorialized string instruments, cheeky digital sound design, Coil-ian horror synths, and drums that remind as much of heavy metal as of Hollywood neo-classicism.
It is by pushing the envelope on the most contradictory elements that LEGENDO ascends to a form of mocking poetry. Many weird characters are encountered through the narrative: from the various musicians that contributed to the music (such as vocalist John Glacier, guitarist Adam Repucha and koto player Katarzyna Karpińska), but also many fringe fascinations that hail from Grzelak’s native Poland: from the 1897 painting ‘Skarby Sezamu' by Stanislaw Wyspiański that inspired the track of the same name, to the delirious paganism of outsider artist Stanislaw Skukalski, to the lullaby referenced in ‘Iskiereczka’. These entities all dwell inside LEGENDO and conduct its chapters, rendering the liminal dimension of its sound as real as it is in its creator’s mind.

Credits:
Written, arranged, produced and mixed in 2019-2020 by Lubomir Grzelak. Mastered by Rashad Becker. Cover design by Lubomir Grzelak. Koto - Katarzyna Karpowicz (tracks: 9)
Vocal - John Glacier (tracks: 10) Adam Repucha (tracks: 5) Bass Guitar - Jan Piasecki (tracks: 1, 6) Guitar - Adam Repucha (tracks: 5) Anatol Malinoski (tracks: 8)
Drums - Jan Piasecki (tracks: 8, 6, 10) Flute and whistles - Kenichi Iwasa (tracks: 8)
Track 3 is an excerpt from one hour long sound piece written for "FOOL’S PROPHECY" exhibition Muzeum Ikon. Warsaw 2018
Track 6 is a live version recorded in London. late 2019. Music Video by Curtly Thomas. Track 7 is based on XIX century's lullaby "Na Wojtusia z Popielnika"
Thank you to people who tirelessly supported me during the conception and creation of this album, exceptionally talented artists appearing on the record,
people I've met in person as well as those who influenced my work without even meeting, thank you Dan & Francesco for trusting me. And thank you who are here now.
Wild wishes and blessing to end all disunities, refrain from harming any living beings. Love, Legendo.

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16/2/2021 0 Comments

Mehrdad Kanani - Forgotten Conversation (Dewtone)

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT WE SAY:

A lot of experimental Middle Eastern music I stumble across tends to the harsh & noisy. Perhaps it was Mehrdad Kanani's relief at finally leaving the Tehran rat race, the fact he ended up in the beautiful Hyrcanian forests or likely a combination, but his new LP for Dewtone is a lovely ambient listen; it certainly sounds like he made the right decision.

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WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

A collaboration with multidisciplinary artist Mehrdad Kanani.

"This album stemmed from a desire to escape urban life in Tehran and reconnect with the natural world.

Tired of life in the city, I quit my job and moved into the mountainous areas of northern Iran where I spent a year finding and feeling the truth in the Hyrcanian forests, an 800 kilometer long of ancient natural broad-leaved forests.

All these sounds recorded and created between the Hyrcanian forests and near the Caspian sea where I inspired a lot by nature and living alone during 2018-2019."

Written and produced by Mehrdad Kanani
Mastered by Jean-Patrice Remillard / audioservices.studio

Photography: Jez Timms / unsplash.com/@jeztimms

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IF YOU LIKE THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS:

An eclectic ambient selection for relaxation, meditation, introspection and contemplation.playlist:

(Smartlink to the playlist on Apple Music, Deezer, Soundcloud, Youtube and Spotify)

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15/2/2021 0 Comments

Kaleiido - Voyage (ExoPAC)

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT WE SAY:

Ambient music on jazz terms from Kaleiido as these Danish ladies dial down the intensity, turn up the atmosphere & unhurriedly lead their quartet with guitar, sax & sacred song into laid-back spiritual lands for ExoPAC.

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WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

Guitarist Anna Roemer and saxophonist Cecilie Strange have joined forces in building a musical vision - to create music that moves in time, space and place.

K A L E II D O pushes the boundaries of improvised music and has, with a starting point in jazz and the tradition of improvisation, created a sonic, electronic and ambient sound that has not been heard before in Denmark.

KALEIIDO is
Anna Roemer Guitar
Cecilie Strange Saxophone

Guests
Kasper Tranberg Trumpet
Stine Steendorph Vocal
Anders Christensen Bass
Jakob Høyer Drums

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IF YOU LIKE THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS:

A journey through smoky, late night underground new jazz fusion. Smartlink to all Deezer, Apple Music, Youtube, Spotify & Soundcloud.

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14/2/2021 0 Comments

IKSRE - Transmission (Hush Hush Records)

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT WE SAY:

Remix LPs are rarely cohesive & often disappointing, usually reminding you why playlisting your favourite tracks is the best thing to happen to music since MIDI, but somehow head chef IKSRE has expertly marshalled a host of talented cooks to reimagine her delicious Intermission broth from last year on this undulating ambient and lazy beat driven tasting menu for Hush Hush Records.

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WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

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Hush Hush is honored to help present 'Transmission,' an exploratory remix collection of songs originally found on IKSRE’s 2020 self-released sophomore album 'Intermission.'

An acronym for I Keep Seeing Rainbow Everywhere, IKSRE is the alias of Melbourne/Naarm-based vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and sound healer Phoebe Dubar. Her music finds inspiration within the intersection of our own natural world and music’s unique ability to soothe, center, and heal. She launched IKSRE in September 2019 with her debut album 'Unfurl,' a beautiful under-the-radar gem that showcased her lush fusion of ethereal vocals, sublime synths, contemplative strings, binaural beats, and atmospheric field recordings.

Here at Hush Hush, we’ve been fans of IKSRE since the release of 'Unfurl' thanks to an early introduction made by our mutual friend Rob Masterton aka Super Magic Hats, a Melbourne-based electronic producer, mastering engineer, and longtime Hush Hush alum. The trans-Pacific admiration grew this past summer with the release of IKSRE’s sophomore album 'Intermission,' a stunning 9-track sonic journey completed during the COVID-19 lockdown that serves as a meditative soundtrack for those in need during an unprecedented and tumultuous year.

An organic communal effort, the pathway from 'Intermission' to 'Transmission' began simply with IKSRE reaching out to artist friends she’s been keen to collaborate with. An early reach-out to British ambient musician JQ proved to be the initial seed, as he returned a magnificent soaring interpretation of “A Storm To Begin” that fittingly opens up the remix collection. IKSRE also connected with legendary British musician and Lo Recordings founder Jon Tye who delivers an exceptionally environmental take on “August” under his Ocean Moon alias. Additional contributions come from Phoebe’s circle of talented Australian musician friends – fellow sound bath performer Mona Ruijs, emerging pianist Lucy Graham under her Luminem moniker, and versatile electro-pop artist Isabelle Reynaud aka Isadoré. New Jersey-based musician Insomniac Hotel also chimes in with a beautifully tense restructure of “Boorangoora,” a track that had given IKSRE frustration upon its original formation, but ultimately proved the classic mantra that “less is more” when she took it to the editing floor to give it its final form found on Intermission.

IKSRE and Hush Hush’s mutual friendship with Super Magic Hats comes through once again in joyous fashion with his own optimistic and colorful flip of early single “Wylah.” With 7 tracks already submitted, and eager to help round out the expansive collection of remixes, Hush Hush reached out to a trio of Pacific Northwest artists on its roster – Kid Smpl, Shelf Nunny, WMD – to join in on the collaborative action and each bedroom producer add their own cinematic aesthetic to IKSRE’s songs.

The end result is a beautiful transformative interpretation of IKSRE’s 'Intermission' album that breathes new life into the song’s original structures. As an artist who records, produces, and plays every layer and sound on her albums, 'Transmission' gave IKSRE an opportunity to allow other artists to add their particular strength, sound, and style to her songs and re-shape it to their liking. It’s a process that has yielded 10 evocative remixes that cohesively come together in harmonious fashion and display the collaborative fruits of trusting in your artistic community.

The cassette tape release of 'Transmission' finds its inspirational 'Intermission' material on the A-side and the remixes on the B-side. The double-album cassette tape release marks the first physical release for IKSRE and her budding catalog.
Credits:
Written, performed, produced and mixed by Phoebe Dubar.
Mastered by Rob Masterton aka Super Magic Hats.
Photography by Phoebe Dubar.
Tape artwork and layout by Michael Tenzer.

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IF YOU LIKE THAT, YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS:

Mostly instrumental, uptempo ambient and slow beat driven, atmospheric electronic music. Perfect headphone music to assist disengagement from the rat race. Equally suited to late night reality escapism.

Smartlink to Deezer, Apple Music, Youtube & Soundcloud.

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13/2/2021 0 Comments

Kiri Ra! - Kiri Ra! (OONA)

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT WE SAY:

More great ambient wanderings from musicians rather than producers today. Get comfortable and check out Kiri Ra!, as they steer their jazz, soundtrack & neo-classical leanings towards the sofa friendly ambient flatlands for OONA Recordings.

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WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

The debut album from Kiri Ra! is an intuitive journey through landscapes of spectral otherness with colors of post classical minimalism, ambient folk and spiritual jazz.

Starting as cross Baltic improvisation group in 2014, Kiri Ra! found form in the winter of 2016 when Finnish experimental artist Lau Nau, Finnish jazz saxophonist Linda Fredriksson, and Swedish pianist Matti Bye were commissioned by The Swedish Film Institute to create music for experimental amateur documentary films from its archive. Their debut album is made up entirely of improvised live studio recordings that stemmed from this film-scoring effort; magical and otherworldly material with a unique narrative voice of its own.

With meticulous attention to detail and a sense of wonder, the players are collective witnesses to what can unfold between three musicians in a room. As illustrated on the tracks “Happlo’os” and “))Glänta//”, softly played piano ostinatos, field recordings and bowed percussion set a visceral foundation for the saxophone to carve melodic tones of tingling melancholia. This warmth and sense of intimacy prevails throughout the album, as illustrated on the serene track “Linnesöndagen Gynnas Icke” whilst “Kites Över Gärdet” is an almost supernatural unfolding of timelessness.

Kiri Ra! approaches each recording session without speech; the players choose an instrument and the journey begins, constructing music around repeated motifs, and the all-important space between the notes. This act of listening and reacting creates a very lucid, intuitive and inviting sonic atmosphere.

Kiri Ra!’s music slides easily between genres, with textures of post-classical, ambient folk and spiritual jazz, taking the listener with them on an unpredictable yet accessible journey.

Credits:
Kiri Ra! is:
Lau Nau - modular synth, live electronics, voice, violin, glockenspiel
Linda Fredriksson - saxophones, bass clarinet, flutes, keys
Matti Bye - piano, keys, live electronics, vibraphone

All songs by Kiri Ra!

Recorded at Barnängen studio in Stockholm on December 2017 & June 2018.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Anders af Klintberg, additional recordings by Kiri Ra!

Cover art by Martina Hoogland Ivanow. Design by Sandberg&Timonen. Thank you to Linje Punkt Repro, Jacob, Anders, Samuli and Lussekatter!
 These recordings were made as live improvisations to selected films from The Swedish Film Institutes archive.

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IF YOU LIKE THAT YOU'LL PROBABLY LIKE THIS:

An eclectic ambient selection for relaxation, meditation, introspection and contemplation.playlist:

(Smartlink to the playlist on Apple Music, Deezer, Soundcloud, Youtube and Spotify)

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12/2/2021 0 Comments

Andrew Tuttle & Padang Food Tigers - A Cassowary Apart (Bedroom Suck)

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT WE SAY:

Another 2020 distant collaboration triumph, this time from Bedroom Suck Records as they encouraged folk boundary pushers Andrew Tuttle & Padang Food Tigers to swap ideas on how to subvert their usually Americana aligned instruments (well apart from the scissors!), into forces for ambient good. They didn't half succeed.

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WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

Credits:
All songs written, recorded, improvised, edited and mixed between March to August 2020 in London and Brisbane (Meanjin).

Andrew Tuttle: banjo, acoustic guitar, electronics, synthesiser, field recordings
Spencer Grady: banjo, harmonica, field recordings, scissors
Stephen Lewis: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro, lap steel, piano

Mastered by Mikey Young, September, 2020.

Cover art by Marisa Lourenço

Thanks to: AM, Frith, Joey, Lawrence, Marisa, Rosie, SASH, the Gradys, the Tuttles, Will, the Lewises.

All tracks © ℗ 2021 Andrew Tuttle & Padang Food Tigers, under exclusive license to Bedroom Suck Records. BSR - 095.

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11/2/2021 0 Comments

Singles & EPs Round Up - 11th February, 2021

N Chambers - Spectrum Garden (Soft Profile)

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Norm Chambers is a rare beast, a hugely prolific electronic music producer who always seems to hold down the quality rather than get caught up in the the churn. Here he explores future worlds through rhythmic, ambient electronic eyes.

RDL - Streets (Bokeh Versions)

With the sweet main cut sounding like an autotuned JA pop chart troubler, things take a predictably leftfield Bokeh turn with the schizophrenic 80s synth cheese meets futuristic leftfield riddim cut before a stripped back, window rattling dub version to round things off. Something for everyone.

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the silver field - in a glass corridor (kpm)

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After recommending her far out and freaky folk LP last year, I've recently taken a deeper dive into the bountiful musical harvest of The Silver Field and am utterly blown away by this release for library stalwarts KPM. I'm struggling to describe it so just pop the pill and go on this hazy multi-instrumental, tape loop saturated trip and let The Silver Field be your guide.

D.A. #012 - A.D. 2020

More tape saturation, this time with an ambient agenda from this mysterious Jakartan crew who have been working on a whole series of these creations over the last year. Here they end the project in style with three lo-fi, metal oxide hissing, late night transmissions that rouse history's ghosts whilst placating the present in equal measure.

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Jpye & Renato - Cosa Ti Va? (Claremont 56)

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I've always been a hip house fan so I'm super tickled by this credibly cheesy slow-mo Balearic Europop take on a genre that definitely needs a major revival. If I ever get round to doing a hip-house mix this will be the opening track just to upset the purists.

SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL - The GUNCONTROLLA (ICS LIBRARY)

Gun shots, gun talk & gun sounds have always played a part in Jamaican musical culture since the days the political parties & foreign agents armed the ghetto youth. Here SEEKERS' subvert gun glorification by cutting up the sounds from a firearm workshop, then reassembling them into a 30 minute dubbed out soundscape - with no casualties.

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Lollise - Looking at You (Kalanga Soundsystem)

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Lollise brings her African rhythms to the New York kitchen and throws them into the mixer with a whole heap of other influences, before baking this lip smacking, hip shaking, experimental pop delight. Serve with ice-cream of your choice & eat whilst warm.

Star Lovers - Boafo ne Nyame (Hot Casa)

Hot Casa have been doing more digging than your average JCB the last few years and here's another gem, this time from the Afro-digital dawn as Manso Frimpong combined the synths of the day with the traditional sounds of Ghanaian hi-life to life affirming, dancefloor driving effect.

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AMOR/LEMUR - AMOR/LEMUR (Night School)

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A great mid-North Sea collaboration between Glasgow's AMOR & Norwegian experimental ensemble LEMUR which has really paid dividends as AMOR are forced into rhythmic variation & stylistic exploration without forsaking their post punk/disco not disco edge & dance pop friendliness.

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10/2/2021 0 Comments

Tarot Plane - Horizontology (12th Isle)

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT WE SAY:

An LP of two halves as Tarotplane, on a mission from 12th Isle, initially sets the synthesizer controls for the heart of the Kosmiche sun, before digging out his guitar & changing course to more temperate, cosmic folk pastures to repair his melted ship.

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WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

WHAT TAROTPLANE HAD TO SAY:

My new album "Horizontology" on 12th Isle Records is available for pre-order . This record has been in the pipeline for a while now and i honestly couldn't be happier with it.

I feel very lucky and honored 12th Isle gave me the chance to get this out into the world . I feel that this record captured something that is quintessentially "me". Not sure what that is exactly but i know that its been finished for over 2 years now. Its sort of my happy place. As a matter of fact i finished one of these tracks in Lisa Dillin and Chip Banisters house during the Obama administration!

Even after all this time, i still get a lot of pleasure listening to it.

I hope some of you will enjoy it to and find a place for it in your collection

IF YOU LIKE THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS:
Mostly instrumental, uptempo ambient and slow beat driven, atmospheric electronic music. Perfect headphone music to assist disengagement from the rat race. Equally suited to late night reality escapism.

Smartlink to Deezer, Apple Music, Youtube & Soundcloud.

0 Comments

9/2/2021 0 Comments

Meril Wubsliin - Alors Quoi (Bongo Joe)

WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:

WHAT WE SAY:

With hints of desert blues & all sorts of psychedelic slurry,
Meril Wubslin's widescreen acid folk album is a fine, far out trip with its French vocals giving it an extra cosmic je ne sais quoi. Big up Bongo Joe Records for dropping this pleasant surprise into the punch.

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WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:

WHAT THE RELEASE NOTES SAY:

Recorded between Lausanne and Brussels during summer 2019, this new series of songs by Meril Wubslin dig deeper in this tribal, rustic and minimal tendency that they had in the two previous albums. It is the desire to search for sounds, to manipulate matter : sound matter, rhythmic matter, to knead it to its hottest point, that guided the work of composition. All vintage guitars were recorded without amps. Tambourines and other maracas were approached as a drum kit. But the harmonies and melodies are still present and sometimes event enhanced by the occasional participation of a choir of female voices or a minimal synth line. Always with this desire to use French, their mother tongue, while trying to avoid the trap of « variété française ».

« With this new album, we wanted to try something slightly different with the sound. Explore new ways to record our instruments and voices. Thus we decided to put away our amplifiers that we used for rockier moods. And we tried the acoustic option. We were surprised by the wide range of possibilities, much more direct and much more emotional actually. About the texts, we still insist with this open way of writing, a mixture between abstract and concrete which offers several understandings. With this liberty in the structure, we avoid the predominance of the message, to go towards a more sensitive and open meaning. »
Christian Garcia-Gaucher

Credits:

Musicians :
Christian Garcia-Gaucher, guitar, vocals, synths, percussions, lyrics
Valérie Niederoest, guitar, vocals, lyrics
Jérémie Conne, percussions, drums

Guests :
Choir : Constance von Braun, Anne Ducret, Anne Hartmann, Valérie Liengme, Laure-Elia Sauthier, Leili Yahr,
Trombone : Jérome Bugnon
Recorded by Jérémie Conne et Christian Garcia-Gaucher entre Renens (Studio Silo) et Bruxelles (Studio Berkendael), summer 2019
Production : Christian Garcia-Gaucher
Mastering : Timothy Stollenwerk at Stereophonic
Painting : Marius Huguenin
Design : Félix Vincent

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YOUR CART

N Chambers - Spectrum Garden (Soft Profile)

RDL - Streets (Bokeh Versions)

the silver field - in a glass corridor (kpm)

D.A. #012 - A.D. 2020

SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL - The GUNCONTROLLA (ICS LIBRARY)

Lollise - Looking at You (Kalanga Soundsystem)

Star Lovers - Boafo ne Nyame (Hot Casa)

AMOR/LEMUR - AMOR/LEMUR (Night School)