Recommendations round up - 2/2/2019

Masaki Batoh - Nowhere (Drag City)

Japan's Masaki Batoh uses his strings of steel to expertly & compellingly fuse English with Japanese, circular with free picking & Delta blues with assorted shades of Americana in this psychedelic folk masterpiece for Drag City Records.

Various Artists - Two Tribes (Agogo Records)

An excellent snapshot from Agogo Records of modern African European musical cross pollination. From Afro electronic fusion to traditional sounds & fertile collaborations, cosmic grooves to club bangers, it's all here.

Mac-tallah Nan Creag - The Sorrow of Derdriu (Firecracker)

A sprawling, quite stunning deconstruction of Scottish folklore told through ancient instruments, field recordings, vocal ingenuity reimagined through the minimal, ambient & electronic eyes of Hoch Ma Toch, Other Lands & Lord Of The Isles for Firecracker Recordings

Julia Kent - Temporal (Leaf Label)

Admittedly the songs were initially composed for visual mediums - theatre and dance, but this original, moving & cultured modern classical electronic fusion LP driven by Julia Kent's consummate cello for Leaf Label really needs its own film.

Building Instrument - Mangelen Min (Hubro)

A real roller coaster LP from Norway as Building Instrument hit the sweet spot between experimental and listenable with their unique blend of Nordic folk rock pop, live drums, synths, sampling & distinctive vocals for HUBRO & travel from the cosmic campfire to the club with ease.

Ed Longo & Applied Arts Ensemble - The Other Fantasy (Early Sound Recordings)

Start your week right with Ed Longo's sultry boogie, sweet soul & cosmic ambient all wrapped up in a warming jazz embrace. The Early Sounds Recordings crew from Naples have done it again.

Kryshe - Hauch (Serein)

Sunday listening sorted with the new ambient Kryshe LP for Serein. Minimally produced with an iPad & tape machine before loops & layers of swirling found sounds, voice, piano, guitar & trumpet vapours circle & soothe.