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Dizraeli returns with an electrifying new album, and a vital voice in the conversation about mental health.

Poet, producer, MC and multi-instrumentalist, Dizraeli is a genre all of his own. In the past few years, having composed the soundtrack for parallel-universe drama Tripped on E4, won the BBC Poetry Slam Championship and led the groundbreaking band Dizraeli & The Small Gods to underground success, he has built himself a cult following around Europe and played to audiences of thousands around the world. He’s supported Saul Williams and Mos Def on their UK tours, worked with Kate Tempest and Scroobius Pip and had his music played on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, Worldwide FM and 6Music. Now, after 3 years studying percussion in Senegal, immersing himself in the world of London grime and bass music, working with refugees in Calais and finally, living through a mental breakdown, he’s back with The Unmaster, his first self-produced album and an electrifying new sound.

THE UNMASTER
The Unmaster speaks of madness and collapse, struggle and redemption with searing honesty, surreal humour and a soundtrack unlike anything you’ve heard. A dark, fierce hybrid of hiphop, grime & West African percussion, it is music to make sense of an insane world.

Entirely self-produced and steeped in the vibrant London music scene in which Dizraeli moves, The Unmaster was mixed by Dilip Harris (King Krule, Mount Kimbie...) and features heavy synth work from Danalogue (The Comet Is Coming) as well as additional production from Nathan Feddo (Nao).

With the help of his devoted tribe of supporters, Dizraeli raised over £20k through a crowdfunding campaign to fund the project and has since been awarded £15k by Arts Council England to develop a live gig-theatre experience based on the album. The November London premiere of The Unmaster show sold out two weeks in advance.

The first 3 singles from The Unmaster are out now, and have received plays on BBC 6 Music, Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Fm, Radio X and BBC Bristol as well as a raft of reviews in the underground music press.

The full album drops in September, with a launch at the legendary Jazz Cafe in London, followed by a UK Tour for Dizraeli with his new band...

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As you lay on your back in the deep grass on a shadowy late-summer afternoon…tracing the outlines of patterns on the inside of your eyelids illuminated in translucense beneath the sun….ruminating, drifting in and out of sleep. Your dreams flirt with the irrational fears of the dark, of being left alone, of infinity…of being lost in corn fields reaching taller than the sky, of the comfort of feet dangling in a cold lake and splinters from running on a sun-dried summer dock. The world once felt new and alive…now through a haze, lost from the opacity of time.

Ohio is a new project from of 12k founder Taylor Deupree and long-time label-mate and collaborator Corey Fuller. The genesis of Ohio, besides the desire to work on a full album together, was them realizing they were both born in the US state of Ohio, not far from each other, and spent their earlier years crafting young memories there before moving away. This ended up being a simple, but interesting point of departure for the project because these early, hazy memories provided compelling conceptual roadmaps for the album as well as become inspiration for the song titles.

With no lack of irony the project started with a playful cover of singer/songwriter Damien Jurado’s “Ohio.” Deeply loved by both Deupree and Fuller, covering this song liberated them from working in their traditional “ambient” comfort-zone, challenging them with new structures and new directions. Their version of “Ohio” slowed the song down and explored acoustic and electric guitars, vocals, harmonies, pop-centric song structure, field recordings and a plethora of subtle studio fun (the looped clicking motor of a Roland RE-201 Space Echo being used as a “hi-hat” of sorts) and layers.

The project expanded from there and moved gradually as they very much felt working in the same physical space was important to its core. Writing, overdubbing, mixing and editing continued as the two found time to make the journies between Tokyo and New York to share a studio. Each visit the songs would become more refined and be pushed into new and unexpected directions. A cathartic intensity found its way into the music echoing the intensity of life but at the same time remaining grounded.

The four years spent creating Upward, Broken, Always resulted in an album that engages the dichotomy between ambience and intensity. The hazy reworking of Jurado’s “Ohio,” or the duet for acoustic guitars recorded in the woods outside of Deupree studio contrasts with the surprising, beautifully intense swells of overdriven guitar. Faraway drums and Fuller’s ghostly vocals further expand the sonic image.

During one of their final editing sessions, with the accidental muting of musical tracks, the interludes at the end of each LP side were born. Fragments of preceding songs, stripped to a ghostly minimum like those distant Ohio memories.

Upward, Broken, Always is released in online formats and as a limited edition of 125 double 12” LPs. The LP art eatures an aerial photograph of the state of Ohio as well as the barn from Deupree’s childhood home inside the gatefold jacket. There are 3 sides of audio on the release with Side D of the 2nd record being a full-side graphical etching of a topgraphical map. 
Credits

All music * composed, performed & engineered
by Taylor Deupree and Corey Fuller
at 12k, Pound Ridge, NY

* Except “Ohio” written by Damien Jurado
Published by Covertly Canadian Publishing

Piano, Telecaster, vocals & additional synths recorded by Corey Fuller in Tokyo, JP

Published by 12k Music and Hozomeen [ASCAP]

Thank you to James Brown for arrangement edits on “Ohio,” Rafael Anton Irisarri for the guitar, amp, and pedals and to our families for the time spent between New York and Tokyo.

Dedicated to Mark Hollis whose timeless music and exploration of subtlety and nuance will forever be an inspiration.

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Found within the open space of consciousness, Superposition is an immersion into the inner universe, a meditative antidote to a world of digital overwhelm. Created by Justin Boreta and Matthew Davis, this ambient project and record label emerged from the shared search for serenity by two curious artists.

Their first commercial release, A00 / No-Mind, explores the no-boundaries freedom of ambient music, allowing for the holistic integration of disparate genres and experiments. Yet still for Superposition, every element is set with high fidelity, enveloping intention – to fill the void from within.

In addition to their own works, the record label Superposition.world sets out to be a home for producers who want to venture into ambient as a no boundaries artistic outlet. It’s fitting that these endeavours are based at the crossroads of mindfulness, technology, and creative energy: Los Angeles. Close your eyes and listen.
“When we listen to music we are not listening to the past, we are not listening to the future, we are listening to an expanded present.” ~ Alan Watts

Credits:

Many music fans know Justin Boreta as member of The Glitch Mob, a beat-driven electronic group that has been touring for more than a decade. The Glitch Mob have released three albums together as well as official remixes for Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Odesza, Metallica, and TV on the Radio and more. Boreta has also released an ambient, downtempo LP under the name Slidecamp and collaborated with the spiritual teacher Ram Dass on a guided meditation, Imagine. He has also appeared on several podcasts to discuss music, psychedelics and meditation with Tim Ferriss, Aubrey Marcus, East Forest, Duncan Trussell, Third Eye Drops, and Be Here Now Network.
 
Programmer and musician Matthew Davis designs audio-visual experiences at the forefront of digital art and technology. He has programmed music and audio-visual sync software for Drake’s live shows since 2011, and performs computer music and electronics with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Since 2009, his interactive art and technology company [namethemachine] has provided creators and companies (Disney Imagineering, Intel) with trailblazing tools to navigate an ever-changing new media space.

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The recordings on Oneness date from Jan, March and September 2008 and were born from a period of experimentation as Halsall first began to explore the music that would provide the inspiration for his spiritual jazz recordings Fletcher Moss Park and When the World Was One. They also offer an intriguing snapshot into the birth of Halsall’s Gondwana Orchestra and feature many musicians who would go on to become a key part of Halsall’s musical journey, such as harpist Rachel Gladwin, bassist Gavin Barras and saxophonist Nat Birchall. The recordings sat in the Gondwana Records vaults for over a decade before Halsall felt it was the right time to share them. Asked about the recordings Halsall says:

“I’ve always treasured these recordings and loved how vulnerable, open and free they are, but I just felt they were too subtle and sensitive to release early on in my career, so I held them back until now. I also feel now is the right time to release these before I begin a fresh journey with a new bunch of musicians.”

Remarkably, the beautiful compositions heard here were all built around a simple tanpura drone sound. An instrument Halsall heard on Alice Coltrane’s ‘Journey In Satchidananda’ album and then at a later date in a concert featuring Arun Ghosh on clarinet and John Ellis on piano. “I loved the way this instrument created a sort of meditative atmospheric pulse for the musicians to work over and it had this beautiful feeling of togetherness, so after the gig I went out and bought a Raagini Shruti box featuring the tanpura drone and began to practice my trumpet over it and wrote lots of loose themes and melodies”.

The sessions that make up Oneness capture Halsall in the process of building a new band, reaching out to various musicians he’d discovered and admired on the Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds music scene. “I really liked this idea of bringing lots of musicians together from different backgrounds and was fascinated with how they would all react to each other and the tanpura drone box seemed to bring everyone together really well, it was kind of like a nice meditative icebreaker exercise for everyone to loosen up, before we got stuck into the more composed tunes I’d created, some of which ended up on the Sending My Love and Colour Yes albums”.

The album’s title, Oneness, speaks to both Halsall’s conviction that the planet should be shared equally with all of its inhabitants. That no human being or other inhabitant deserves to exist more than the other and that we can achieve far more together than against each other. And also importantly to what Halsall was aiming for musically:

“I really believe in Oneness and I’ve always loved the term ‘greater than the sum of its parts’. I could make music on my own and live a fairly isolated antisocial life, but there’s something far more rewarding about creating things with others. And for me these sessions document the coming together of lots of different musicians in a wonderfully organic soulful way to make egoless music”.

It’s a belief that continues to underpin Matthew’s music making and a message that the word sorely needs right now as we feel more divided and separated than ever. This then is Oneness, a decade in the making and well worth the wait. Enjoy!

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EXTRA INFO:

Lost Tribe Sound (one of our favourite labels) comment on Bandcamp:

"Doesn't get more perfect that this! Seems just a few years ago, Kendall was making some lo-fi downtempo tunes with hints of jazz. Albeit satisfying, he's now incredibly morphed into one of the most quality modern classical, ambient songwriters on the planet. Only critique I could give this beautiful album, please give me more shuffling, rhythmic hybrid folk numbers like "The Times Are Tired" and the title track. These pieces keep this rusty blood wheezing through the pipes. Favorite track: The Times Are Tired."

Credits:
French Horn played by Jay Austin
Cello performed by Raphael Weinroth-Browne
Piano on track 6 written and performed by Owen Vaga
Drums recorded by Dennis Patterson at his home studio in Toronto, Ontario.
Mastered by Taylor Deupree

Alaskan Tapes is an Ambient music project based in Toronto, Canada. The outfit is the brainchild of composer Brady Kendall, who set out to explore different approaches and craft songs the aren’t only about memorable melodies, but also about texture and depth.

Alaskan Tapes releases conventional albums, tracks and EPs, but the project is also busy working on soundtrack work for film and other visual media. With its far-reaching orchestral drones, bespoke arrangements and intimate production aesthetics, the outfit’s recent release, “In Distance We’re Losing”, stands out as a great example of Alaskan Tapes’ work.
Music from Alaskan Tapes can be found in a variety of short films, including “Childhood Trauma” and “Mag Sein” by Director Eliot Rausch, or “ABADDON” by Director Rogerio Silva, just to mention a few.

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Planting a flag in the evolution of the LA beat scene's sound over the last two decades, West Coast beatmaker Elusive returns with his 14th studio album Afterthoughts. Marked by studio contributions from some of LA's finest musicians, Elusive's newest album features Jimetta Rose, Ryan Porter, Niels Broos, and more stalwarts of contemporary jazz. Trumpet, harp, saxophone, bass guitar, and many other instruments extend the musicianship and scope of his latest works, defining a bridge between electronic, hip-hop, and jazz in a very personalized and technical form.

Garnishing recent love from BBC, KCRW, The FADER, L.A. Record, XLR8R, self-titled, WWFM, NestHQ, The Wire, and Amoeba Records, Elusive has become a force to be reckoned with and continues his prolific path of album releases with over a dozen albums, EPs, and singles launched in the last four years alone. As a frequent contributor to Low End Theory's decade-plus run of weekly showcases, Elusive walks in the same footsteps as Ras G, Samiyam, TOKimonsta, Dibiase, Jonwayne, Mono/Poly, Daedelus and so many more.


Track List:

1. SpaceJam (feat. Ian Roller & Niels Broos)
2. Midnight Tokes (feat. Kiefer, Josh Koslow & Natasha Agrama)
3. Cosmological (feat. Bubby Lewis, Niels Broos & Ian Roller)
4. Self Love (feat. Mali Hayes, Ian Roller & Matt Little)
5. Kinetic (feat. Josh Koslow)
6. Afterthoughts (feat. Jimetta Rose, Bubby Lewis & Josh Koslow)
7. Static Harmony (feat. Jonah Levine & Ian Roller)
8. The Wind Will Blow (feat. Nite Jewel & Josh Koslow)
9. Out Of This World (feat. Bubby Lewis)
10. Free Form (feat. Josh Koslow)
11. Take Flight (feat. Bubby Lewis & Josh Koslow)
12. Divine (feat. Deen Anbar)
13. Transcendent (feat. Josh Koslow)
14. Sun Shadows (feat. Randal Fisher)
15. Windchimes (feat. Nikeita Crichlow, Bubby Lewis & Gabe Steiner)
16. Solar Dance (feat. Ian Roller & Josh Koslow)
17. Illusion (feat. Olivia Hale & Josh Koslow)
18. Earth Tones (feat. Josh Koslow)
19. Symmetry (feat. Ian Roller & Emile Poree)
20. Quasar (feat. Jonah Levine & Bubby Lewis)
21. Time Crystal (feat. Todd Simon)
22. Patches (feat. Ryan Porter & Bubby Lewis)
23. Enigma (feat. Bubby Lewis)

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Athens of the North is very pleased to introduce part two of our nod to the world of library. This time round Greg Foat journeys into the world of synthesis with good friend James Thorpe. This new LP was recorded in the old Bees Studio on the Isle of Wight earlier this year,a special, different piece of work which I was delighted to receive on ¼ inch tape without warning. Greg’s output continues to be prolific without ever tiring, he never plays it safe and is always looking forward whilst having an ear for our musical heritage.

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The first album on Numbers from Complete Walkthru aka US producer Max McFerren. Scrolls plays around with themes of privacy, disillusionment and personal development over eleven tracks, representing a transitional time in McFerren's life. During the creation of the album he moved from New York, where he was holding down a residency at Brooklyn’s Bossa Nova Civic Club and playing regularly in downtown Manhattan at the iconic China Chalet and the now much missed Santos Party House, to the open, rural setting of South Carolina.

The album’s personality, and the thematic preoccupations underlying it, reflect the impact of this contrast. Its sound textures cast widely into what McFerren describes as “the ephemera of the saturated digital realm” while moving through arcane rhythms, chiming melodies and expansive, metallically tinged ambient passages.

McFerren refers to his motivations with Scrolls as being “anti-nihilism”, as reacting against a dark emptiness he perceives in certain forms of techno. Ultimately with the record, he is seeking the potential of centring joy in the present moment, in a conscious awareness of now. 

Credits

Artwork by The Rodina
Artist photo by Jesse Pratt Lopez

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“A mechanical ghost in the corner of our room, The Electric Capablanca spins spectres, shades and sonics while nobody looks.

Lifestyle product for a Dolce Vita dreamer, the device – abandoned by one careless owner – now dreams up probable chaos.”

Released September 2019, enjoy these new hallucinations from no known author; a machined mega-puzzle of miscalculated patterns, automatic failures and lost coffee house betas.

Turn the dials to creak splinters of 70s Italian midi classical (Venosta, Musci), imagined mitteleuropa ambient (Froese, Popol Vuh) and spiritual mathematics from the old new world (Spiegel, Hassell, Riley).

CapablancaCapbalancaCapalabancaCapabalanca

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For the latest release in their ongoing ‘International’ series, Into The Light Records takes us to Sydney and the dreamy, softly spun musical world of talented multi-instrumentalist Max Santilli.

“Surface” is Santilli’s debut album following years spent working alongside Jacob Fugar in Ken Oath Records-signed downtempo duo Angophora. It draws on a personal archive of home recordings made between 2016 and 2018 using a range of guitars, synthesizers and acoustic percussion instruments.

As you’d perhaps expect, it’s an intimate and hugely personal set that wraps drowsy, slowly shifting musical flourishes around gentle, sun-kissed rhythms and suitably spacey chords. Santilli offers subtle nods towards his various inspirations – think the mesmerizing ambient-jazz fusion of Michael Bierylo, Steve Hillage’s timeless early ambient works and the intricate acoustic guitar playing of Steve Tibbetts and Miguel Herrero – while forging his own distinctly lo-fi and otherworldly path. As a result, “Surface” is an album of impressive depth and diversity, held together by Santilli’s reflective, emotion-rich vision.