Author: Harry Browne

Echo Mountain Sessions – Sylvan Esso

Sylvan Esso are a lovable duo from North Carolina. Listening to them always makes me feel some mix of nostalgic, happy, hopeful and wistful. In this live EP they invited a group of their musician friends to perform their tracks for a day – they only did a few takes to make sure the compositions feel fresh, and it really really works. If you know the band the tracks are instantly recognisable, but still feel completely new. To be honest, they are worth listening to for the sax alone.

The Thief That Stole My Sad Days – Moodymann

Who doesn’t love Moodymann? Kenny Dixon Jr. has been making weird, funky house from Detroit since 1992. 1992! Anyway, here he delivers 8 minutes of blissed-out piano chords and one of those euphoric vocal samples that makes you glad to be alive.

If house dripping in piano is your thing, check out this playlist I made with some of my faves. Perfect for your Saturday between the hours of 7-11pm

Don’t Lose – Elder Island

New music from Bristolian three-piece Elder Island! Their music is tough to describe, so I’ll leave it to them: “raw electronic pop with a soulful house, indie persuasion”. Can’t say fairer than that.

If you are new to the band, check out Elder Island, their first EP release from 2014 for a taster.

These guys sound great in your headphones, and even better live. They embark on a UK tour in early November (including a sold out gig at Village Underground). If you can’t get your hands on tickets for that, they’ll be back in London in February at new Hackney venue EartH (tickets on DICE).

Two Bar House Music & Chord Stuff, Vol. 3 – Frits Wentink

Okay, so I’m pretty sure this guy is a visionary. If you aren’t familiar, Frits Wentink makes his very own peculiar brand of dusty, wonky electronic music. His latest release on WOLF Music Recordings is a little more dancefloor-ready than his previous stuff but hasn’t lost any of its bizarre charm.

Lucky for us, he’s playing an EP launch party at The Waiting Room in Stokey in two weeks time. It’s a small venue and tickets are going for a fiver(!!) so I’d recommend haste https://www.residentadvisor.net/events/1155551

If you haven’t heard his only full-length release, Rarely Pure, Never Simple from 2015, get to know.

Cuidado, Peligro, Eclipse – Agar Agar

mmm… chuck some ominous, siren-like vocals over a cheeky LCD-style synthy bassline and you have yourself a sexy, brooding, sweltering number that’ll fire you through a Tuesday. Or any day for that matter. Enjoy.

Like what you hear? You can catch the French duo live at the Village Underground in late October. It’s a steal at just over a tenner. Their track Prettiest Virgin from the same album is another beaut.

http://www.villageunderground.co.uk/events/agar-agar/

P.S. This is how the duo describe their artistic influences: “Clara comes from a family of apes so her influence is pretty varied, like trees, bananas, dried fruit, and Armand quite likes paintings but not their frames.” Genius.

Feelin Blue – Aldous RH

I don’t know much about Aldous RH, other than that this track sounds a lot like a mixture of Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Mac DeMarco – which can only be a good thing. If that brand of quirky indie-pop is your bag, get ready to groove.

And speaking of Mac, he and Aldous RH have a tour starting next week, with a few dates in the UK. Mac is the master of the live show. If you can go, make sure you don’t miss it. Here’s a track from a demo album, out last week.

 

Murmurations – Simian Mobile Disco

Every Sunday I am going to bring you something a little more downtempo to ease you back into the world.

Everyone has heard of Simian Mobile Disco. But no-one has heard Simian Mobile Disco sound like this. They have collaborated with all-female vocalist group Deep Throat Choir to put together this eerie, magical album. Sometimes soothing, sometimes unnerving, it is adventurous, super original and a really rewarding listen.

In particular, watch out for Caught in a Wave and Defender – the two highlights.