1st Of Tha Month

A general listening, reading, watching, etc. re-cap from me 2 U.

Selected Works is a weekly (usually) newsletter by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) based freelance music journalist, broadcaster, copywriter and sometimes DJ Martyn Pepperell, aka Yours Truly. Most weeks, Selected Works consists of a recap of what I’ve been doing lately and some of what I’ve been listening to and reading, paired with film photographs I’ve taken + some bonuses. All of that said, sometimes it takes completely different forms.

Wake up, wake up, wake up

It's the first of the month (wake up, wake up)

So get up, get up, get up

So cash your checks and come up (get up, get up)

WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:

Björk: Under the Veil: For over 30 years, the peerless avant-garde star has enthralled millions through electronic futurism, vulnerable songwriting and a generous matriarchal aura. She invited Resident Advisor’s Kiana Mickles to probe deeper. Read here.

The Curious Case of the Channeled New Age Tape: A few years ago, John Brien was digging through some cassettes at a Goodwill store when one tape caught his eye. Its cover read Agartha: Personal Meditation Music at the top and Spiritual Questing: Music for Alignment at the bottom. In between sat a striking painting of a woman flanked on one side by a pastoral lawn-and-house setting, and on the other by cosmic swirls emanating from her body. For Bandcamp, Marc Masters.

How Leftfield's 'Leftism' united electronic music in post-rave Britain: Released on 30th January 1995, Leftfield’s ‘Leftism’ stirred the musical melting pot of post-rave Britain, borrowing from punk, pop and dub to produce a debut album that sounds as bold today as it did back then. For DJ Mag, Ben Cardew.

Five ways David Lynch made his mark on electronic music: In tribute to the legendary filmmaker, we have compiled five ways in which David Lynch’s surreal universe has impacted dance music. For Mixmag.

Longform Editions, a Bastion of Experimental Sounds, Is Shutting Down: After more than 160 releases, the project’s founder talks about its legacy, why it’s ending, and what’s next. For Hearing Things, Ryan Dombal.

WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:

This is just a reminder that Abendmusiken by Green Cosmos is out now through Frederiksberg Records. Life-changingly good ambient jazz-fusion on a global lean from an ‘80s German ensemble with towering musical ambitions.

Consider this your incoming alert. In February, Melbourne’s Efficient Space label is releasing Hashish Hits, a crucial collection of material from the late Sydney by way of Manchester and Liverpool dub rebel MC Ali Omar. A regular on Sydney’s house, dub, jungle, and bass circuits who became a regular fixture at the Bentley Bar, Omar commanded the mic with a versatile, rumbling baritone and buckets of charisma. On the other side of his practice in the studio, he was an early adopter of the Akai sampler and Atari computer-based production techniques, eventually leading to four self-released CD albums between 1998 and 2004. As I alluded to, Hashish Hits collects up some of the best of his stoned, downtempo experimentation and smouldering, midtempo party-rockers. Expect more on this all soon.

Lo Recordings boss John Tye returns to the Music From Memory fold for a new album under his Ocean Moon alias. Music From Memory has described this record as “ambient electronic music that radiates gentle positivity,” which checks out in my books. That said, there’s a lot more going on here than just some background music. Side A is a conceptual exploration of the intersection between A.I. and Buddhist spirituality. Side B is long-form work originally composed for art exhibitions and film scores. Let this one simmer up with you.

For reference:

Interesting, right? Here’s an article about it.

Going down this side wormhole also made me think about the robot monks depicted in Gareth Edwards’s film The Creator (2023).

I’m well aware that The Creator has had mixed reviews, but before I saw it, I was absolutely not expecting the storyline to play out how it did. Anyway, back to music.

The beloved Los Angeles label/party/movement ESP Institute keep it moving with a new album from South African-born, New York-based electronic music composer & performer Brendon Moeller. Sitting somewhere between ambient, IDM, dub techno, drones and bass music, Blue Moon is an ornate, lushly-composed and thoroughly well-listened six-tracker. You don’t need to use a lot to say a lot musically, and Moeller definitely got the memo on that point. It’s complexity disguised as simplicity, offering up something new to obsess over with every listen.

Tāmaki Makaurau Boyz Caru and Brandn Shiraz take a decent swing at mapping out a set of blueprints for what a South Pacific version of UK garage might sound like. I wouldn’t mind hearing some more explicitly structured DJ and radio edits of these tracks, but all in all, the fellas and their guests have landed on a compelling convergence of cultures and sonic aesthetics. My favourite cut is the 6:25 long jam ‘No Time’ featuring EO, who thoroughly knows his way around a simple, emotionally resonant vocal.

It’s RNZŌ SZN.

BOOKS:

In May 2016, Fort McMurray, the hub of Canada's oil industry and America's biggest foreign supplier, was overrun by wildfire. The multi-billion-dollar disaster melted vehicles, turned entire neighbourhoods into firebombs, and drove 88,000 people from their homes in a single afternoon. Throughout Fire Weather, Canadian writer and journalist John Vaillant warns that this was not a unique event but a shocking preview of what we must prepare for in a hotter, more flammable world. If it sounds grim, it’s because it is. More details here.

In Close to the Knives, David Wojnarowicz gives us an important and timely document: a collection of creative essays — a scathing, sexy, sublimely humorous and honest personal testimony to the “Fear of Diversity in America.” From the author’s violent childhood in suburbia to eventual homelessness on the streets and piers of New York City, to recognition as one of the most provocative artists of his generation — Close to the Knives is his powerful and iconoclastic memoir. Street life, drugs, art and nature, family, AIDS, politics, friendship and acceptance: Wojnarowicz challenges us to examine our lives — politically, socially, emotionally, and aesthetically. More details here.

FIN.