After the Rain: A Sun Is Shining Late Summer Sampler

 After the rain:

A Sun is Shining late Summer Sampler

I compiled this selection of tracks I feel represents the ethos of this blog from albums that have been on rotation recently. For those of you who listen I hope you find something that you enjoy and that you will support the artists and purchase their work if you can.

<iframe width="80%" height="120" src="https://www.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&feed=%2Fwoodzee%2Fafter-the-rain%2F" frameborder="0" ></iframe>

As this new interface from Google doesn't seem to want to display embedded HTML code for the Mixcloud player. Here is the link https://www.mixcloud.com/woodzee/after-the-rain/

Track List:

1) Matt Coldrick – Uncertain Waves on Soft Shorelines

After Nineteen years Matt utilised the lockdown period to compose the sequel to the Absolute Ambient release ‘Music For A Busy Head’. The concept is simply an album to unwind from the stress we can build in our day-to-day lives in modern times. I selected this track (the longest featured) for the nod towards progressive rock both in the synth sounds, piano and soothing guitar licks, that in my humble opinion achieves the goal he set out to achieve.

2) Erothyme feat. Jessica Borth – Tale of the Misty Veil

Taken from the album ‘Steep Dreams’ and only the second I have brought (or heard) from a number of releases. However, this fusion of glitchy low bass electronics and orchestral strings, is one of two really strong tracks that have pulled my interest back towards his productions.

3) Tor.Ma In Dub – The Dream of Anaho

Taken from the album ‘Among Aliens and Gods’ inspired by his love of Sci-Fi movies, H.P. Lovecraft and the recent birth of his daughter. This track isn’t one of the harder hitting tracks of the release. However, I felt the mood of the piece and its subtle 80’s sci-fi sounds that slowly unfurls and rise throughout the track was apt for this occasion.

4) Entheogenic – Celestial Mechanics

A welcome return with the album ‘Animism’ and for me this is the stand out track. From the moment that Floyd’esque guitar drops in the intro, the piece carries you through a wonderful journey combining guitar and electronic synths perfectly.

5) Kukan-Dub-Lagan – Sufeit of Happiness and Agony

Taken from the album ‘In Search of the Fogbow’ this haunting piece of electronic music rips along slow and heavy tribal’esque drum patterns, whilst the synths build to a wonderful, yet dark crescendo.

6) Terra Nine – Dub Terratory (Kuba Re-mix)

Alongside the Kaya Project this is my favourite from the ‘Eternity Re-mixes’ album, Kuba takes the original (which on it’s own is a good track) and flutters between the sounds of Jamaica and India lifting it to even greater heights.

7) Gaudi meets Prince Fatty – Theremin Dub Mafia

Taken from ‘100 Years of Theremin: The Dub Chapter’ a celebration album where Gaudi plays the theremin (a go to instrument for many classic Sci-Fi movies) alongside some of the giants of dub reggae. This is my personal favourite from the release and really hits the spot.

8) Irfan – Salamander

This is the first of two Bulgarian acts featured here. Taken from the album ‘The Eternal Return’ which isn’t new but I’d been meaning to purchase something of theirs for years and recently found them on bandcamp. Very similar to Dead Can Dance but unlike Lisa Gerrard they don’t invent the words this is the real McCoy.

9) Black Bombay – Rice Field Chant (Shanghai Edit)

Taken from the compilation Shanghai Chill. There is something of a retro feel about this track, where I feel would easily slotted into a Buddah Bar compilation in the past with it’s touches of dub and Chinese vocals.

10) Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria – Retour a la Vie

The second act from Bulgaria and once again this isn’t new. A recent discovery for me that originally featured on Armand Amar’s soundtrack for the 2010 French film ‘AO Le Dernier Neandertal’. 

Tor.Ma in Dub 'Among Aliens and Gods' Review

Artist: Tor.Ma in Dub

Title: Among Aliens and Gods

Label: Dubmission

Released: Friday 21^st July

This Mexican solo producer has added life experiences to the various styles of music he has developed over the years, creating a biography of bass that incorporates his love of sci-fi movies, the books of H.P. Lovecraft, the recent birth of his daughter and a spectrum of other life experiences.

The titles of the first two tracks ‘The Colour of Space’ and ‘The Elder Gods’ will be clear to fans that it’s a nod to the aforementioned H.P. Lovecraft. As I pressed play after the first few notes I established that the music doesn’t reflect the macabre. With soaring synth passages nestled between bass heavy dub reggae. Whilst the latter track is a tad slower to begin it’s just as bass heavy with aggressive drum patterns at the climax.

Moving forward is pretty much of a muchness. Which is no bad thing if you’ve been hooked in by the previous two tracks. Although dub reggae is at the heart of the productions there are some quite individual twists, with tracks like ‘The Waiting’ and ‘Dreams of Anaho’ for example incorporates 80’s retro synth sounds commonly heard in synthwave. While the final track of the album his re-mix of Jumpstreet’s ‘Little Bot’ where the looped bassline builds and drops amongst the harmonica and psychedelic glitches.

Reviewed by Woodzee

Links

https://smarturl.it/aliensandgods

https://tormaindub.bandcamp.com/

Pitch Black 'One Ton Skank'

Artist: Pitch Black

Title: One Ton Skank

Label: Dubmission Records

Released: 8^th November

The second single to be released from their highly recommended recent album ‘Third Light’ and features re-mixes from Tor.Ma in Dub and Robot Riddims.

Now as you can probably gather from the title of this track it was made with heavy bass in mind and I was intrigued as to how these re-mixes would fare. Tor.Ma immediately drops a heavy bass line and eases in the aspects of the original piece. utilising subtle echoes and fx that rise and fall as the journey progresses. For me he’s nailed it I’d even go as far to say I prefer it.

Now the 10K Skank Remix by South London’s Robot Riddims totally flips the script. Initially they up the pace and take the piece into a ska number, then surprisingly apply the brakes in the interludes with low-frequency dub-step, and it works.

So if you’re questioning is it worth buying the single and the album in my humble opinion if your a fan of Pitch Blacks sound then without a shadow of a doubt.

Review by Woodzee

Links

https://smarturl.it/onetonskank

Suns of Arqa 'All Is Not Lost, All Is Dub:The Remixes' Review

Artist: Suns of Arqa

Title: All Is Not Lost, 

All Is Dub

The Remixes

Label: Liquid 

Sound Design

Released: 

28^th November

The Suns of Arqa's released 'All Is Not Lost, But Where Is It?' On Liquid Sound Design back in April this year. This wasn't a stereotypical S.O.A. release of Carnatic Indian music fused with Rastafarian Niyabinghi drumming but enhanced and focused on the dub elements with Youth, the Orb and Raja Ram on production. Label manager Robin Triskele has drafted in a wealth of talent to dub-the-dub so to speak and add a fresh lease of life to the tracks.

The proceedings kick off with Total Eclipse's version of 'Mother Tongue' which initiates with a tripped out raga fused with NASA samples and fades in and out of some beautifully melodic synth sequences and guitar licks. I must confess I'm not really familiar with Total Eclipse but I like the way they've stepped back and mellowed this track out but retained the original drive of the piece. The Saafi Brothers put their stamp on 'Sadrayama' which again seems to take a step back into a more eastern dub and dropping the squelch of the original.

Following on Kakan Dub Lagan add's his magic to 'Eramus Dub' which retains plenty of old skool reggae dub flavours alongside laid back synths, samples and scratches which he modesty but effectively tweaks I definitely got a soft spot for this one. Tor.Ma In Dub's take on 'The Fool Ascends' begins with a dark atmospheric intro with slow piano bass notes, before the reggae is slowly introduced, gaining volume and then is dubbed out in alluring and dream like fashion along with the eastern instruments and vocals.

Once again it seems like a step back from the initial release with Kuba's version of 'Discordant Dream' with a more dream like quality to the piece and the tribal drumming more of a pitter patter nestled amongst the dub. This theme follows once again somewhat surprisingly with Eat Static on 'The Truth Lies Therein' where you might expect a more full on approach he utilises the poetic spoken word perfectly throughout this frankly excellent eastern dub. The release concludes with Youth's re-mix of 'Pablo's Lament' which if you've brought either of the two previous S.O.A. releases on L.S.D. you will already have if not it's a harmonica fused piece of reggae dub with some interesting twists and turns.

As I mentioned previously this is not a stereo-typical S.O.A. release however, I would imagine most long-term fans of Michael Wadada's Suns of Arqa are fans of dub and will accept this for a S.O.A. in dub release. Personally, I'm definitely taking that view even though the Indian vibes take a back seat and I have to say I actually prefer this re-mix album to the original release.

Reviewed by Woodzee.

Links

 https://liquidsounddesignuk.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LiquidSoundDesign/?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/RobinTriskeleDJ/?fref=ts