Plus One
We Out Here

On steady rise following two sublime singles over the past year—Sagano b/w Haru Wa Akebono and Karakuri b/w Michinoku—Tokyo-based artist Hoshina Anniversary elaborates his eccentric musical point-of-view even further with a debut album for the ESP Institute entitled Jomon. Fourteen tracks stir a melting pot in line with our obsessions, a variety of styles which often stay in their own dedicated lanes while here their trajectories collide in demonstrable fusion. Hoshina gleans borderline absurdist qualities from late Jazz hero Chick Corea (evident in his wild and meticulous keyboard runs), calls upon ancient Japanese instruments, shrines and mythologies, and makes sideways nods to early minimal synth productions, yet all of the above are sifted through some granular equalization, an abstract veil that smooths the skin of Hoshina's mutant creation. A weight of experience pervades throughout, a requisite education in the electronic realm and a deep reverence for Jazz and its masters, and in turn this confidence transfers a sense of ease which leaves us poring over alternative approaches to otherwise familiar tropes. Once this conversation with the music is established, a subliminal push/pull tension toys with us across the length of the album, undulating our sense of space. The tonally rich, dynamic and melodic side of the works present a cool sense of depth but are violently contrasted by a slew of over-saturated punches, and at some point an inevitable alchemy casts these disparate expressions into a haunting monolithic array. Some are glistening and smooth, others are porous and jagged, but all amount to a staunch and cohesive work with the ability to transport listeners to regions unknown.

AOTN proudly present a new solo outing from long time friend & contributor to Athens of the North, Other Lands aka Gavin L.Sutherland.Channelling his considerable improvisational skills to evoke notions of island life, his concept was to create something that could work equally well in the wilds of the Western Isles as in the sunnier spots of the world that we all yearned to escape to at that time. The more he played with this idea of groups of islands, of archipelagos the world over, the more it also became about people themselves experiencing isolation as individuals, while still feeling a sense of togetherness with others in the same boat.

TAF KIF Records present their first release: Fools Gold Vol. I, a four track compilation with an eclectic selection of dancefloor-ready cuts for this summer.

conatala · The Dead Goldfish Ensemble - Walking WallsInspired by Kraftwerk's "Autobahn," Southampton-based musician Steve Hartwell, aka The Dead Goldfish Ensemble, started to craft his own music in 1983 using sequencers and the MSX computer, which could be said as the first generation of home computers available for music production. Hartwell made a tremendous amount of recordings in his home studio until 1993, reflecting his take on minimalist music of Steve Reich and Philip Glass, it featured strange imaginative polyrhythms and friendly playful melodies that innocently bounce around.One circumstance that made this possible was the format of cassette tape publication. From the early 1980s to the early 1990s, it was the most inexpensive and easiest way to release works for independent labels and DIY musicians since it allowed them to dub copies at home, all within their production environment. Various labels in Europe, the United States, and Japan offered artists to contribute their works for compilations. As a result, a vast number of cassette tapes were produced around the world. Those releases eventually led the labels to help form some unique local music scenes and communities by connecting enthusiasts through personal contacts. Essentially, since they were international compilations, it contributed hugely to introducing unknown talented artists from each area to the rest of the world.Hartwell released several cassette tapes from his label Peeved Records and also contributed many tracks to multiple different compilations of home-produced music from labels such as Home Produkt (Belgium), Insane Music (Belgium), EE Tapes (Belgium), IRRE Tapes (Germany), Tonspur Tapes (Germany), and others.This record is The DGE's first album released in vinyl format, compiled from those releases from the cassette era.The cover design is by Yu Yokoyama, featuring the goldfish drawing by Hartwell himself. The sound is digitally mastered by Makoto Oshiro using the original master tape.conatala · The Dead Goldfish Ensemble - All The Hands