Smote - Drommon (Rocket Recordings)
Summoned from the murkier reaches of the subconscious and summoning a powerful aura of twilight communion, Smote’s
Drommon is here to intimidate and enchant. The first Rocket release for this enigmatic Newcastle-based entity is no less than a mystically-aligned voyage into abandon and epiphany.
Spannocchi Siewert Schwarz Jardim - Ease & Ooze (Chant Records)
Ease & ooze is the debut album from four of Europe’s most exciting contemporary improvisers: Guido Spannocchi (alto sax), Martin Siewert (guitar, effects), Gina Schwarz (electric bass, prepared electric bass) and Matheus Jardim (drums). Spanning genres, generations, genders, histories and continents, Spannocchi Siewert Schwarz Jardim had never been in the same room let alone played music together before the recording of this album.
Spiritczualic Enhancement Center - Carpet Album (Kryptox)
Inspired by the 1970s electrified universe of Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul and Frank Zappa, Spiritczualic Enhancement Center meditate on sonic spectrums hoping to achieve “chaotic relief”. Their new album titled
Carpet Album out on the Kryptox imprint is their fourth record to date, compiling material recorded over the last years in the capitals of Romania and Czech Republic, inside a church in Hamburg and while staying with a commune in rural Denmark.
Theodore Wild Ride - Theodore Wild Ride (Icarus Records)
Comprising Christine Ott (on ondes martenot, piano, mellotron and effects), Mathieu Gabry (on piano, mellotron, keyboards and effects) and Ophir Levy (on oud), Theodore Wild Ride blends both Eastern and Western musical codes and references in a strong
coherence.
Tonga Boys, Doctor Kanuska Group - Umoyo Wa Muthempire (Live In the Temple) (1000HZ Records)
The Malawian experimenters Tonga Boys (Albert, Guta, Solomon, Myrias and “MadMax” Peter) join Doctor Kanuska Group on
Umoyo Wa Muthempire (Live In the Temple), a concert held in an unlikely destination: a temple in the Northern Mzimba region. For Tonga Boys’ fourth record, the musicians journeyed to the thempire temple, home to Doctor Kanuska Msowoya, a well-respected figure in Northern Mzimba who deals with spirits, women’s health, and music through the notorious Doctor Kanuska Group.
Various artists from Western Australia - Furchick throws a curve ball (Dog park)
This new compilation of various artists from Western Australia, released by Dog park, comprises several experimental music projects that worth one’s attention: Airlock, Deep Ecology, Times of the Sines, Checkout Chick and Jeremy von Kobra.
Viejas Raíces - De Las Colonias Del Río De La Plata (Altercat Records)
Essentially the brainchild of Argentinian jazz's leading figure Jorge López Ruiz, the project Viejas Raíces marked Lopez Ruiz's departure from the traditional forms of jazz. The trio that recorded this album, consisting of López Ruiz joined by his life-long friend drummer Pocho Lapouble and gifted Chilean pianist Matías Pizarro, created a thrilling blend of jazz and Uruguayan candombe, surrounded by an undeniable cinematic feel spurred by López Ruiz's long experience in the soundtrack field. When read as one element, the cleverly chosen combination of group name and album title (in English: 'Old Roots of the Colonies of the River Plate') readily hints at the kind of sounds the listener will be challenged with when diving into this LP.
V.A. - Zar: Songs for the spirits (JuJu Sounds)
Zār is a possession cult practised on the outskirts of the rapidly modernising societies of North Africa and the Middle East. It’s a phenomenon that crosses not only geographical boundaries but also those determined by the rational mind. JuJu Sounds travelled to Egypt to experience, record, and share this well-hidden culture. This album presents all three varieties of zār still practised today.
