Dan Wainwright 'Om Nama Shivaya' Review

Artist: Dan Wainwright

Title: Om Nama Shivaya

Label: Oddball Records

Released: See below

This is the first vinyl outing from Oddball Records head honcho Dan Wainwright. A Liverpool based producer who blends a heady concoction of influences that span the decades, from the psychedelic sounds of 60’s rock and pop, 70’s disco, 80’s electro and 90’s Balearic and electronic dance with a modern twist.

The title track takes the spiritual vibes of the Indian vocals and classical instruments and subtly balances them with synths and electronic percussion. The Rude Audio re-mix is anything but subtle, with slow and hard hitting electronic breaks that make a nest for the Indian chants and sitar.

The flip side ‘Cosmic Conciousness (We Are One) is more of a dubby chugger that travels from speaker to speaker alongside a suitable narrative and lovely percussion. Whilst A Space Aged Freakout retain all the essential elements of the original with a dubby modular synth re-working.

You can listen and choose to fund the records release of through Qrates until the end date of the 8^th of October. With the added bonus of downloading the digital versions while you wait.

Reviewed by Woodzee

Links

https://qrates.com/projects/21149

https://oddballrecords.bandcamp.com/

Grace Barbé meets Charlie’s Flat 'Fanm Dubs' Review

 

Artist:

Grace Barbé meets Charlie’s Flat

Title:

Fanm Dubs

Label:

Afrotropik Records

Released:

14^th August 2020

Alongside the release of Seychelles Afro-Creole singer Grace Barbé latest album ‘Fanm:Woman’, a blend of Indian Ocean rhythms and reggae. Aussie dub outfit Charlie’s Flat have produced two spaced out dubs of the title track which are available on Bandcamp and all good digital outlets.

There’s no doubting the quality of Grace’s vocal ability, that is instantly pleasing to the ear and bursting with tribal soul. While the dub version concentrates on pushing the vocal to the forefront, with the space out dub fx and percussive rolls appropriately placed. While the percussive dub is more balanced tribal number that offers an alternative approach, that is equally as appealing.

To conclude this is good sunshine music. Appropriate for those summer bbq’s soundtracks or chilling on the beach and I’d imagine Charlie’s Flat retain enough of the vocal to hold the interest across a wider audience.

Reviewed by Woodzee

Links

http://www.gracebarbe.com/

https://charliesflat.bandzoogle.com/

The Russian Linesman 'Monomyth V: The Return' Review

Artist:

The Russian Linesman

Title:

Monomyth IV: The Return

Label:

Loki Recordings

Released:

4^th September

As we approach the grand finale in this Monomyth series the pace quickens, and under his own admission this is by far his most dance orientated production to date. After the recent re-mixes by Nick Warren, Nicolas Rada and Patrick Prins it’s not overly surprising.

The release gets underway with ‘The Road Back’ which balances eerie and sweeping synths with a driving techno bassline. While Nottingham based poet Ben Norris returns once again to supply the dialogue, the epilogue of his tale that began with ‘The Belly of the Whale’ on Monomyth II.

There’s more of a light and sunny disposition about ‘Refusal of the Return’ where a long lost musical soul mate returns to an old song and gets caught up in youthful memories of the moment. This is followed by ‘The Magic Flight’ which takes a slightly darker turn both musically and with the tale by a school friend fleeing from an adversary. Although a typical four by four beat is employed this track leans more towards the chilled end of the spectrum.

Last but not least is ‘Rescue from Without’ where the synths are light and float along nicely with the pace of the beat. The narrative is a yarn of a lonely Swedish man ruminating over life’s hurdles on Christmas eve whilst buying fish in Hove.

Reviewed by Woodzee

Links

https://russianlinesman.bandcamp.com/

https://www.beatport.com/label/loki-recordings/15992

Kwali Kumara & Pete Ardron 'Euphoric - Kundalini Yoga Mantras' Review

Artist:

Kwali Kumara &

Pete Ardron

Title:

Euphoric -

Kundalini Yoga Mantras

Label:

Pink Hampster

Released:

21^st August 2020

The third collaboration between Snake Charmer, Fire Artist and Kundalini Yoga instructor Kwali Kamara and Orchid-Star’s head honcho Pete Ardon. Where each of the six tracks are built around a 12’ish minute mantra gliding between chilled and dance passages incorporating world music, psychedelic and orchestral flavours.

The album begins in a dramatic fashion with ‘Sa Ta Na Ma Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung – Possibility’ which soon eases into a wonderfully Celtic sounding piece of chill out. I suppose for the vocal aspect you probably need to be in the right mood to flow with the mantra. However, like their previously collaborations they aim to cover two markets and produce music that appeals to yoga students and those who just like the music. The following pieces are quite laid back and harmonic picking up the pace somewhat by the fifth track ‘Wah Yantee Kah Yantee – Intution’ and finishing as they started with a Celtic vibe on ‘Wahe Guru Wahe Jio – Euphoria’.

As with their previous collaborations I think this album would appeal to practitioners and students of yoga and meditation. As well as fans of the unique blend of music that Pete has constructed over the years with his own productions and Orchid-Star.

Review by Woodzee.

The album is available to pre-order at £8 until the 20^th of August when the price will rise to £10.

Links

http://pinkhampster.com/index.php

https://peteardron.bandcamp.com/

http://www.kwalikundalini.com/

Kukan Dub Lagan 'Searching for the Fogbow' Review

Artist: Kukan Dub Lagan

Title: Searching for a Fogbow

Label: Mikelabella Records

Released: 4^th July 2020

This release has been available for a month now. However, it has been a fare number of years since I’ve heard any of KDL’s productions and I’m pretty impressed with this album. Itay Berger the man behind the project goes to great lengths with eloquent words to explain what a fogbow is and how hard it is to find one, how he is using this as a parallel for ourselves seeking answers in our own existences. That’s all well and good but that is not what impressed me.

What strikes me about this album is the expression in the moods of the tracks. Yes this is chillout. However, like a great movie soundtrack, you can sense not only the calm and joy you would expect from this genre but also elements of dark foreboding almost menacing passages within that carry you through a journey.

From the opening number ‘A Cloud of Candyfloss’ that combines peaceful calm synth voices with thunderous samples and pitch bending chimes. Which sends a slight ripple through the sense of calm yet works in perfect unison. These juxtaposed themes continue in the following number ‘Culture of Extramundane Creatures’, where waves and indistinct voices conjure up visions of fun of the beach set against dark dramatic bass chords and melodic piano. Whilst ‘Surfeit of Happiness and Agony’ blends sci-fi’esque ambient synths with heavy tribal drums. The title track is a more laid back peaceful number then halfway through the cello adds a touch of sadness and foreboding.

My conclusion is this gripped me more so than a lot of the chill out music I have listened to of late. Which in turn has set me in mind to re-discover and dig deeper into the Kukan Dub Lagan back catalogue.

Reviewed by Woodzee

Links

https://kukan-dub-lagan.bandcamp.com/

Gaudi '100 Years of Theremin (the Dub Chapter)' Review

Artist: Gaudi

Title: 100 Years of Theremin

Label: Dubmission Records

Released: Friday 7^th August

For anyone who has seen Gaudi use the Theremin in his live shows, it probably comes as no surprise that he has put together this album of celebration. Invented in 1920 by Russian psychist Leon Theremin the eerie sounds of this electronic instrument became a go-to for classic science-fiction soundtrack production and became the staple for otherworldy sound fx.

Bringing onboard some of the biggest producers of dub reggae in Adrian Sherwood, Mad Professor, The Scientist, Dennis Bovell and Prince Fatty to provide the back drop to his Theremin playing you can rest assured with the quality of the productions. Whilst the otherworldy sounds of the Theremin fuse into the pieces so nicely, it’s a wonder why they aren’t more of a staple in dub production as a whole.

I found it easy to just sit back and relax to the otherworldy sounds of the Theremin float across the reggae backdrops, without the need to know who was providing the sounds at any particular point. That is until I reached ‘Theremin Dub Mafia’ with Prince Fatty at the controls, as he lifts the pace somewhat and really grabbed my attention.

To conclude firstly I ask myself does the marriage of the Theremin and dub reggae work? In my humble opinion undoubtedly so. Secondly how does this album sit within a dub reggae collection? I feel it slots in quite nicely and with the formats stretching over vinyl record, CD and digital it covers all bases.

Reviewed by Woodzee

Links

https://smarturl.it/theremindubs