Kimatika, the 3rd album by the Slovenian audio-visual trio Etceteral, is a visceral plunge into the raw undercurrents of futuristic jazz, motoric propulsion, free improv and elastic compositions. A growling baritone sax weaves through pulsating electronics and restless drums; the bass frequencies dense and cavernous. It is an arresting and thick tapestry of texture and tension, where noise and polyrhythms collide with urgent, melodic riffs.
A veritable supergroup consisting of Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers), Mario Galeano (Frente Cumbiero) and Pedro Ojeda (Romperayo), Los Pirañas, the Colombian Avant-Latin experimentalists, return with their most formidable and forward-looking album yet. Improvised live in the studio, with each member contributing ideas and interpretive strategies, the result is a masterclass in spontaneous, collective composition. Daring, imaginative, eclectic and always deeply groovy, ‘Una Oportunidad más de triunfar en la vida’ is an infectious trip into the dark, pulsating heart of Bogota’s thrilling underground music scene.
Baba Zula, the legendary Istanbul band, remains the most experimental exponent of the hotly-tipped contemporary Turkish psych-rock scene. BaBa ZuLa are revered sonic trailblazers who have built a cult following in all corners of the globe and have counted members of Einstürzende Neubauten, Can and Nick Cave the Bad Seeds as their fans. Pulsing, hypnotic tracks powered by Turkish percussion, glitched electronics, deep bass, electric saz and dual male/female vocals. İstanbul Sokakları (Streets of Istanbul) is a vivid sonic and political statement from a band that continues to show us the future.
El Khat’s 3rd album ‘Mute’ belies its title as it careens out of the speakers with a raucous intensity. Formed in the garages and warehouses of Jaffa and now based in Berlin, the group’s ever-expanding vision makes a defiant stand against complacency, conflict and division. Skittering drums and brass, a jagged organ, hypnotic Yemeni melodies and one-of-a-kind DIY percussion and string instruments, all meld together in an infectious, heady soundscape. Sometimes wildly raw, sometimes lush and enveloping. Always uncompromised and adventurous.
Sahrawi singer-songwriter activist Aziza Brahim’s fifth album Mawja (Wave in Hassaniya Arabic) is fashioned from a simple but powerful foundational palette: Saharan and Iberian percussion entwining with stately guitars and warm, enveloping bass. The album is co-produced by Brahim with long-time collaborator Guillem Aguilar.
The Turkish-psych band Altın Gün return with a two-song summer remix single. The two tracks feature the remixing talents of Altın Gün band members Jasper Verhulst (bass) and Chris Bruining (percussion). Both Verhulst and Bruining are always searching for new ways of (re) creating music and these remixes were one way to discover new paths in the music they fashion as part of Altın Gün. Kalk Gidelim is a cumbia driven remix, inspired by the cumbia villera of Argentina, while Su Sızıyor is a digidub style remix with lots of King Tubby inspired reverbs and phasers.
The debut release by Glitterbeat Records is a limited edition 12 inch with two dubbed-up remixes by electronic music explorer, Mark Ernestus. The tracks are pulled from Glitterbeat artist, Ben Zabos self-titled and highly touted, 2012 debut album of frenetic, Malian Afro-rock.
The Hipodrome Of Music 