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From England's south east coast Lambda Sond give notice of next year's LP with an ambient taster menu of succinct sounds, stately atmospherics, affected instrumentation & synthetic chamber music. Sunday suitable, eclectic ambient music of the highest order on Important Records.

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Lost amongst the overhyped hustle of the holidays is this quiet, intense and deeply personal new collection from Lambda Sond. Available on digital compact disc and analog cassette tape. 

Waglands 1921 exists in a vacuum somewhere between Pauline Oliveros, spiritual jazz, analog drone & heavy new age. Unlike the first two Lambda Sond cassettes on the Cassauna label, (2011’s Chronological Compression & 2014’s Chronological Compression II) this work is characterized by unrepeated melodies, unforgettably understated harmonies, timeless drones and feelings made musical. 

This poetic music contains vignettes of emotion, memory and melancholy that are as uplifting, hopeful and grounding as a deep breath. Waglands 1921 exists at the verge of inspiration where hesitation is withheld and truths are articulated once but felt forever. 

Waglands 1921 is Lambda Sond’s first recording for IMPREC and their self titled album will be available in 2022.​

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Laid back jazz meets hip hop grooviness from Shay Hazan for Batov Records, created during Covid restrictions from remote contributions, then lovingly stitched together & given a North African vibe from his jazz inflected sintir/guimbri playing.

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Tel-Aviv based musician Shay Hazan is a composer, producer, bassist & bandleader. His versatile bass is frequently heard on national radio, providing the hits of tomorrow with a foundation in the groove. Hazan’s presence has been felt on major international stages having toured with popular hip hop ensemble, Lucille Crew, and Batov fans will have heard his bass lines propelling the grooves of Sandman Project’s breakthrough EP, ‘Royal Family’. Moreover, Hazan’s straight jazz project, the Shay Hazan Quintet has been heavily playlisted across Spotify editorial playlists and recently released a fast-selling 7” on Jazzman Records. 

Having commenced producing the album during the first Covid lockdown, this process of creating the album was a marked departure from previous projects. Whereas he would normally call and gather his band together to record his new compositions live, Hazan would come up with a groove first before sending the recording parts to a drummer in Berlin or a saxophonist in Tel Aviv to add a complementary rhythm or melody, and then finally editing the results himself. As Hazan puts it, “So technically I had the role of the composer and the producer as well as the Guimbri player.” 

“I made this album In order to satisfy the inner urge for simple grooves and the search for a different and new sound that draws inspiration from ancient places with great tradition but still corresponds with the world and the period in which I live and the way I express myself.” 

Having already mastered the double and electric bass, Hazan learned how to play the three-stringed Guimbri: a camel-skin-covered bass plucked lute used by the Gnawa people of North Africa, as heard on their hypnotic music. Hazan repurposes the unique qualities of the instrument with a jazz approach, no doubt inspired somewhat by his introduction to the instrument: “The truth is that my first acquaintance with the Gimbri was by bassist William Parker, who is not a traditional Gnawan player, but an American musician, identified with jazz and improvised music. that I have been following for years. Once I saw him play with this thing in a show and my mind exploded, I started researching where it came from and listening to music from Morocco and North Africa”. 

The title, ‘Reclusive Rituals’, is inspired by a Jean-Michel Basquiat interview from 1985 where he discusses his reclusiveness and the public demand for gossip on well-known figures. In particular, how advantageous it can be to stay out of the limelight, as the crowd’s very nature is to eventually turn on their idols. Hazan interpreted this to imply that personal behavioral patterns are significantly affected by the fear of negative responses, often leading them to non-action: “Basquiat's words have been resonating in my head for a long time. I see around me a lot of people who for fear of receiving negative criticism, do not initiate or create anything. 
And in a certain place, I'm a little scared to be in this place myself and feel the need to keep searching and creating all the time without being influenced by criticism, for better or worse.” 


The guimbri’s natural inclination to groove is instantly felt on the Gnawa-meets-Afrobeat first single, “Afrobeatz”, which is destined to play a large role in DJs record bags as dancefloors reopen. But the laidback, beat-driven foundation opener “Deloop” and “Pink Collar” reveal Hazan’s affinity for hip hop and RnB, in particular the UK label Village Life, whose cutting edge blend of underground jazz and hip hop was a lockdown favourite. 

‘Reclusive Rituals’ is an exciting new chapter in Shay Hazan’s career. His most personal, hands-on album to date, fusing his love of jazz, hip hop, and Gnawan music. As open-minded purveyors of the finest grooves, Batov Records is its perfect home.  
CreditsShay Hazan - Guimbri, bass, guitar 

Tal Avraham - Trumpet (on tracks #2 #3 #4 #6) 
Eyal Netzer - Saxophone (on track #7) 
Doron Segal - Noise, programming, editing and keyboards (on tracks #4 #8) 
Milton Michaeli - Keyboards (on track #6) 
Nir Tom Sabag - Drums and percussions (on tracks #4 #6 #7 #8) 

Mix and Mastered by Asaf Shay, Halal Studio. 
Album art by Omer Porat. 

Recorded at all participants' home studios (2020) 

℗ © Batov Records 2021 | BTR053 
www.batovrecords.com​

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If you need to wind down your week then Iu Takahashi's Interspace EP is finally out today in all its ambient, minimal, light of touch, precision soundscape glory. She really is cementing her position as one of the leading ladies in the overwhelmingly male Japanese ambient world.

Stream on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2VbA8iS39yqOChWVPxC0kA

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Japan has a long and fine history of ambient music, with environmental, minimal and kankyō ongaku music overlapping, fusing, evolving or regressing as the new generations of producers see fit. What unifies much of the work is an almost ubiquitous sensibility involving a lightness of touch. obsessive attention to detail and rare precision in sound placement, which makes much of the ambient works coming out of the country almost immediately identifiable 

Iu Takahashi: 

"All three tracks I created this time have a small number of notes. 
When I listen to ambient music, and when I turn down the volume, sounds of the outside world, such as the chirping of birds and insects, the sound of car engines and train brakes, will unexpectedly fuse with the music in my headphones. It gives me a different impression of the song, a change in the usual scenery, and a feeling of awareness and richness. 
Therefore, I created gaps (or blank spaces) in all three tracks. This is because I wanted to enjoy the coincidence with the outside sounds, rather than drowning them out." 

More about Iu (taken from her website): 

Born and raised in Kanagawa, Japan, iu takahashi is a sound artist based in Tokyo. She produces her own musical worldview mainly using synthesizers, ambient sounds, and voices. 

iu takahashi used to do her artist activities as a vocalist before, and now she has created mainly ambient music since 2018, provided her tracks to background music such as exhibitions and introduction videos. 

Inspired by Japanese ambient music such as Hiroshi Yoshimura and Satoshi Ashikawa, iu takahashi, too, creates beautiful works based on Japanese ambient music. 

And under the concept of soundscape, she always keeps in mind to deliver music that is considerate of the listener's thoughts and feelings, or music that is conscious of the unconscious mind.
  CreditsProduced by Iu Takahasi 

Website:  iutakahashi.com 
Bandcamp:  iutakahashi.bandcamp.com 
Youtube:  youtu.be/-L540x1j5xQ 
Twitter:  twitter.com/iutakahashi 
Instagram:  instagram.com/iu_takahashi 
Spotify:  open.spotify.com/artist/4UlECRY6JKXwdnZH6ESGuZ 
Apple Music:  music.apple.com/jp/album/depthscape/1536260248 
Soundcloud:  soundcloud.app.goo.gl/a2W7Ur35xk9sgVD69 

Artwork: Harriet Clare (www.harrietclare.com) 
Mastering: Ian Hawgood (www.homenormal.com)

​

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It still surprises me how some ambient can be so stereotypical but next level with it's impact or lack of, (often the point :) ) Well Gallery Six takes lots of familiar sounds & tropes but manages to find that utterly soothing yet simultaneously engaging & enchanting sweet spot that so many can't for Archives

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Written and Produced by Hidekazu Imashige 
Mastered by Ian Hawgood 
Photography by Alexander Kopatz 
www.go70north.com 
ARCHIVES77 // ARCHIVESCD58 
Archives | 2021​

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​Hints of Latin music's folkloric past weave their way through San Ignacio's rich, man & machine made world, warming the electronic ecosystem & adding even more depth to this already lush, intricate soundscape.

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grabado en mi casa y en Estudio Nogal por Jero Escajal, mezcla de Andrés Oddone en Bugambilia Estudio, mastering de Sebastián Cordoves 

diseño de Clau Smith  www.instagram.com/clau._.smith/ sobre un collage de Lenilismo  lenilismo.com.ar 

producción general: Maitén Aimé 

con el apoyo de Ibermúsicas y Fondo Nacional de las Artes 

gracias! 
Estudio El Precioso - Giselle Hauscarriaga - Federico Sanchez - Andres Schteingart - Eva Alonso - Noe Colombo - Laney - Lucía Mayo - Marina & Facu - Matías Avalos - Caro Mele - Ceci Hemming - Luciano García - Cami Conte - Chifle - Paula & Tino - Alexia Muñiz Braun​

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Nice up your day with Soul Sugar as harking back to the Golden Age of reggae as his top ranking crew drop the dub versions of their summer soul & funk vs reggae soundclash LP for Gee Recordings to feel good, hip shaking, toe tapping, vintage vibing effect.

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Six month after the release of their last album "Excursions in soul, reggae, funk & dub", French collective Soul Sugar‬ returns with the dub version of their last lp. 

Released on vinyl limited edition exclusively in Japan for Record Store Day on Nov. 27, 2021, the album features dub versions of all the tracks of the original lp along with two previously unreleased numbers, "Peace Treaty" a Jackie Mittoo cover and "Pablo Dub". 

Dub Mixes by : 
Roberto Sanchez -Axumites Dub, Faith Dub 
Blundetto & Blackjoy - Matumbee Dub, Cool down Dub, Pablo Dub 
Jahno - I want you, Peace treaty 
Booker Gee - Never too much Dub, Out in the rain, Greedy G 

Singers & players of instruments : 
Guillaume "Booker Gee" Metenier : Hammond organ, Piano, Fender Rhodes, Clavinet & Mini Moog 
Roberto "Lone Ark" Sanchez : Drums, bass, guitars, piano, rhodes & percussions on Axumites, Faith 
Blundetto : Drums, bass, guitars & percussions on Matumbee, Cool down, Pablo Dub 
Slikk Tim : Drums, bass, guitars on Out in the rain, Greedy G 
Sly Dunbar : Drums on I want you 
Robbie Shakerseare : Bass on I want you 
Leo Carmichael : Vocals on Never too much, I want you 
Karene Brown : backing vocals on ever too much, I want you 
Carl Lee Sharshmidt : backing vocals on ever too much, I want you 
Thomas Naim : Guitars on Never too much, I want you 
Jahno : Drums, percussions on Peace Treaty 
Grant Phabao : Guitar on Peace Treaty 

Credits : 
Axumites, Faith 
Produced and recorded by Roberto Sanchez at A-Lone Ark Muzik Studio, Santander-Cueto, Spain. 
Organ recorded by Guillaume Metenier at Keyboards Heaven, Paris, France 
Dub mixes by Roberto Sanchez at A-Lone Ark Muzik Studio 

Matumbee, Cool down, Pablo dub 
Produced and recorded by Blundetto at Les Dumands, 
Organ & various keyboards recorded by Guillaume Metenier at Keyboards Heaven 
Dub mixes by Blundetto & Blackjoy at Les Dumands / Felix 

Out in the rain, Greedy G 
Produced by Gee & Tim 
Recorded by Slikk Tim at The Wolfie's Hideout , Guillaume Metenier at Keyboards Heaven 
Dub mixes by Guillaume "Booker Gee" Metenier at Keyboards Heaven 

Never too much 
Produced and recorded by Guillaume Metenier at Keyboards Heaven, Paris, France 
Vocals recorded by Jemoi 'J Twiss' Monteith at Clear Sonix Studio, Kingston, Jamaica 
Dub mix by Guillaume "Booker Gee" Metenier at Keyboards Heaven 

I want you 
Produced and recorded by Guillaume Metenier at Keyboards Heaven, Paris, France 
Vocals recorded by Jemoi 'J Twiss' Monteitht at Clear Sonix Studio, Kingston, Jamaica 
Sly & Robbie sessions recorded at Anchor Studio, Kingston, Jamaica, Heavy Beat Studio, Miami, USA 
Dub mix by Jahno at N.O.F. Studio, Beaumont 

Peace treaty 
Produced and recorded by Guillaume Metenier at Keyboards Heaven, Paris 
Guitar recorded by Grant Phabao at Paris Dj's studio, Paris 
Drums and percussions recorded by Jahno at N.O.F. Studio, Beaumont 
Dub mix by Jahno at N.O.F. Studio 

Mastered by Pete Maher at Topfloor studios, Sam John at Precise Mastering, 
Franck Merritt at the Carvery, Ibon Larrucea at Euridia 

"Never too much" published by EMI April Music, EMI Songs France 
"I want you" published by Almo Music Corporation, Jobete Music Co Inc 
"Cool down" and "Matumbee" published by Lucien Entertainment 
All other selections copyright control 

Original artwork by : Pete Isaacs  www.peteisaacs.co.uk 
Reworked by Naotoshi Takabayashi (428graffi)​

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​Succinct synth & guitar tones from Leo Abrahams flit around this largely convivial sonic gathering hosted by figureight, imbuing a warmth to proceedings & placating the tenser moments which seem never too far away in this age of misinformed opinion.

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Renowned London-based musician and producer Leo Abrahams returns to figureight records for the release of beautiful new album Scene Memory II. 

A profoundly skilled musician and producer, Leo Abrahams’ creative stamp represents a unique excellence. A Royal Academy of Music graduate, a collaborator of Brian Eno, Imogen Heap, David Byrne, Grace Jones, Regina Spektor, Jon Hopkins and Paul Simon (among others), a member of Krononaut with Martin France (and featuring Arve Henriksen and Matana Roberts), and a filmscore composer, Abrahams has released numerous solo albums and is credited with production, performance and arrangement on countless more. Visitations, his previous album for figureight records, a collaborative record with label boss Shahzad Ismaily, was described in review as “the meeting of two virtuosos”. 

“The record grew out of an Ableton Live Set that I built for a solo tour of Siberia in 2019,” Leo writes. “I wanted to create different sonic environments in which to improvise, generating a wide variety of sounds from a single guitar source while avoiding any looping or sequencing. I found the results were most inspiring when the patches had the ability to surprise me. I was seeking ambiguity and liminality in all areas: sound, genre and mood. A live concert was sometimes a challenging environment to explore these things, and the crowd was split every night; reactions ranged from rapt attentiveness from physics students, to outright anger from people who had been expecting ‘real' guitar solos. All the pieces on the record have their seeds in that tour, but were improvised without an audience in my London studio.” ​

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Spirit worldly ambient music from Innesti for Dewtone as benign spectral synth sounds skirt our consciousness & the still resonating energy particles of past lives nudge us toward preordained paths.

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Innesti is quickly establishing a presence among purveyors of deep, ethereal music. In his latest, "Drifting" we are treated to a uniquely delicate and solitary side of the esteemed producer. 

Favoring a collection of generative eurorack patches, Chris allows improvisation to take center stage for a result that is satisfyingly assured. Time stands still; an opportunity to aimlessly wander, elude distraction and simply be. 

Written and produced by Innesti 
Mastering by Francis M. Gri /  krysalisound.com 

Photography by Annie Spratt /  unsplash.com/@anniespratt 

dewtonerecordings.com​

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I'm not big on classical piano but Slow Meadow is hitting all the right notes for Hammock (music), wrapping them snugly in ambient swaddling & nestling them in thermal lined strings. Just the winter warmer I needed after a drizzly dash to complete the Saturday chores.

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Immersing anew into Slow Meadow’s world of nostalgic and awe-struck ambience, Upstream Dream captivates with serene kaleidoscopic beauty. With a core of Upstream Dream composed around the time of 2019’s Happy Occident, this release will feel strangely familiar and new at once, with subliminal recognition piquing curiosity while ethereal soundscapes take shape and an enveloping warmth takes hold. Soft electronics, bearing otherworldly tones and, at times, a sense of playful mischief, subtly shift expectations and bring discovery and wonder at every turn. 

As composer Matt Kidd’s first wholly new music since 2020’s By the Ash Tree, Upstream Dream bookends a period of creative output that introduced Kidd’s vision of calming and meditative ambient music. With a foundation of piano, string orchestration, and an ever-evolving electronic palette, Slow Meadow has traversed the borders of neoclassical and minimalist electronics, delivering a deeply personal and transportive experience that speaks directly to the ebbs and flows and mundanity and marvels of life. With sublime patience, understated elegance, and surreal atmosphere, Slow Meadow savors the present, remembers the past, and imagines what could be.​

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​I hope you've been checking International Anthem become arguably the most important keepers & evolutionary enablers of the jazz flame in the last few years. Well it looks like they're widening their black music scope, so buckle in for the the operatic jazz, sound art & futuristic avant hip pop of the new Jamire Williams LP. It's a thing of wonder.

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'But Only After You Have Suffered' is a densely layered and deeply personal new work from multidisciplinary artist, composer, percussionist & producer Jamire Williams. 

Conceived as a spiritual, autobiographical artistic statement, Jamire applies sound collage practice to modern jazz composition, beat production, MC/vocalist features, and his uniquely impressionistic drumming style – making an album as akin to minimalist painting as an art-house film soundtrack or a classic hip-hop mixtape. A “self-reflective, almost testimonial work” that swiftly cycles across a vast spectrum of styles, it's the culmination of his five-year musical journey to the outer reaches of his own sound. It’s the album he has always wanted to make. 

To do so he engages his faith and the friends and family that shaped him, working with a host of close collaborators in a free and spontaneous manner. The shared musical, communal, and spiritual sensibility gives the album its sense of unity. “It’s a whole work,” Jamire explains. “It flows seamlessly, and it’s meant to keep playing until you really understand all the messages, prayers, and cries.” 

Across twelve multi-faceted tracks, he brings together artists from his hometown of Houston (vocalists Corey King, Lisa E. Harris, Fat Tony, Jawwaad Taylor), those he became close to over several years living in LA (Sam Gendel, Zeroh, Mic Holden, Josh Johnson, fellow International Anthem artist Carlos Niño), and other creative partners from his life-long journey in sound (Chassol, Svet, Kenneth Whalum). 

As such, 'But Only After You Have Suffered' builds its own world from the pull between Jamire’s jazz heritage - eleven years as a drummer in NYC recording with world-renowned musicians like Jason Moran, Christian Scott, and Dr. Lonnie Smith - and the experimental, narrative art-pop of his more recent work with Solange, Moses Sumney, and Blood Orange. 

Its origins can also be traced to his 2016 solo percussion album '/////// Effectual' (released by Leaving Records) - a turning point for Jamire, who has since embarked on a process of stripping back and breaking down his musical identity, creating a new sound from the fragments that most speak to his experience as a musician and a person. 

Rooted in his faith, Jamire opens the album with “Hands Up,” a devotional hymn cut against the stark reality of the modern world that sounds like an apocalyptic middle-grounding of Kendrick Lamar’s 'To Pimp A Butterfly' and Merry Clayton’s “Gimme Shelter.” Whether in the rousing, spiritual “Just Hold On” or the fluid verses of Fat Tony on “Safe Travels,” the music exists in the tension between higher realms and social realities - what Jamire calls the “duality of a personal thing and what I’m seeing in my community, in the Black community, as a Black man.” 

The album reaches its climax on “Pause In His Presence,” which features a chilling operatic performance from Lisa E. Harris, recorded in one take off the back of a single conversation and a shared vision between the two artists. “Every time I hear that song, I cry,” Jamire says. “It’s so real.” 

Having recently moved back to Houston, the release of 'But Only After You Have Suffered' marks a moment of Jamire coming full circle. A literal homecoming and his arrival as an undeniably multi-faceted artist in his own right.  
CreditsProduced by Jamire Williams. 
Recorded & Mixed by Jake Viator at Stones Throw Studios in Los Angeles, CA. 
Mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles, CA. 

Art by Nik Ewing. 
Liner Notes by Charisse Weston. 
Insert Portrait by Ray Neutron. 
Layout & Insert Design by Craig Hansen. 

Jamire Williams – drums, vocals, drum programming, samplers, mellotron, synthesizer, sequencer, electric piano 
Brandon Owens – bass guitar 
Burniss Travis – bass 
Carlos Niño – percussion 
Chassol – keyboards, synthesizer, programming 
Corey King – vocals 
Daniel Aged – bass guitar 
Fat Tony – vocals 
Flash Gordon Parks – turntable 
Jason Arce – bass clarinet 
Jason Moran – piano 
Jawwaad Taylor – vocals 
Joelle Corey – vocals 
Josh Johnson – mellotron, synthesizer, programming 
Kenneth Whalum – vocals 
Lisa E. Harris – vocals 
Matthew Stevens – lead guitar 
Mic Holden – vocals 
Mike Haldeman – guitar synthesizer 
Paul Cornish – midi strings 
Peter Lee Johnson – strings & string arrangement 
Sam Gendel – guitar synthesizer, alto saxophone 
Svet – vocals 
Zeroh – vocals 

"Safe Travels" contains a sample of the recording “I Need Your Love” performed by Skip Mahoaney & The Casuals, courtesy of The Numero Group. Written by Skip Mahoaney & James Purdie. Published by Dust Index (BMI). Used with permission. All rights reserved.​