Beats + Pieces Vol. 67
Ivy Barkakati’s Desplazamiento, listening and reading tips.
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.
WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING:
Earlier in the year, I wrote the liner notes for my friend Ivy Barkakati’s long-awaited second album, Desplazamiento, which, after spending a period in limbo, will be coming out on the 15th of November through her Release Yourself imprint. Here’s an excerpt from the text.
Her second album in a decade, Ivy Barkakati’s Desplazamiento, sits at the cosmic intersection of minimalist composition, analog synthesizer music, drone, and rhythmic noise. Recorded at home over two sleepless weeks in June 2021 with a Dave Smith Mono Evolver Keyboard, a borrowed MFB-522 drum computer, and Ableton Live, Desplazamiento’s six instrumental pieces represent an unmediated expression of the raw, internal feelings that lurked below the surface of Ivy’s subconscious mind during the early years of the global pandemic.
From the opening notes, the music operates in dualities, balancing darkness with light as Desplazamiento unfolds with the logic of a dream, the whisper of a half-recalled memory, and the promise of music as magic and a portal into other worlds or realms of possibility. Fittingly, throughout the album, Ivy’s tracks traverse a range of moods and atmospheres spanning the oceanic trench ambiance of ‘Tímida,’ the childlike, bell-toned melodies of the title track, and the squelchy synth-pads and dubby machine beats that drive ‘La Misma Onda.’ If there’s a common thread, it’s her desire to explore and let the music take her where it needs to go.
Check out the full details here.
WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:
Gerald Cleaver is a Detroit-based jazz drummer who has recast himself as a hi-tech[no] soul music maker. Across The Process, his fourth album with 577 Records and Positive Elevation, Cleaver pays homage to the rich culture of the city that raised him through a 35+ minute mix of an unreleased song titled ‘El Permanente’. Hence, The Process. This is jazz-adjacent improvisation that never loses sight of the dancefloor. Machine beats powered by a real human soul. All of the good stuff and more.
Umar Zakaria is a New Zealand jazz bassist and composer of Malay descent who writes, records and plays music that aspires to reach across borders (geographic, cultural and stylistic) in pursuit of an optimistic future. On his latest record, Family Music, Zakaria teams up with a cast of players, including Elizabeth Hocking (Alto Saxophone), Louisa Williamson (Tenor Saxophone), Ayrton Foote (Piano) and Shaun Anderson (Drums).
Dedicated to the bonds of love, support, acceptance, belief, and safety that make great music-making possible in the first place, Family Music ripples with a leafy, autumnal feeling. This isn’t jazz from New York’s Central Park, but I have listened to it while walking through Wellington’s Central Park.
Virtual Dreams II: Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, Japan 1993-1999 is the final project Music From Memory co-founder Jamie Tiller worked on before tragically passing away in 2023. Co-compiled and curated with Revelation Time’s Eiji Taniguchi, the compilation delivers exactly what the title promises and more - an ambient exploration into the ‘90s house and techno age in Japan. Think: Sublime Records, Transonic Records, Syzygy Records, Frogman Records, Form@ Records, etc.
The great Shy Thompson has written an absolutely belting review of it, which you can read over on Pitchfork. Here’s an extract from that text.
Rave culture got a late start in Japan, gaining traction in the early ’90s as club music was changing overseas. Having reached a point of critical mass, dance genres were seeking to reinvent themselves. Some artists were dialing back the momentum and turning their focus to ravers seeking an escape from the energy of the floor. British duo the KLF pivoted from the booming stadium house they’d helped pioneer and dreamed up the woollier ambient house. Soon after, Warp released the first of their Artificial Intelligence series, planting the seeds of what would eventually become known as IDM. These records resonated with Japanese producers as they prepared to build their own scene from the ground up.
This is modern jungle/drum & bass music that makes me want to listen to a lot more modern jungle/drum & bass music and even more artcore/intelligent/liquid jungle/drum & bass from the mid ‘90s. Tim Reaper and Kloke knock it out of the ballpark on In Full Effect. Amazing to note this is the first jungle album to ever be released through Kode9’s Hyperdub Records.
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:
Serum’s winning formula: Two decades since his debut release, Serum is at the top of his game. A flagbearer for drum & bass, who’s as respected by old heads as he is the teenage fandom, for DJ Mag, he tells Dave Jenkins how constant innovation, staying true to himself, and playing the long game are the secrets to his success. Read here.
Ka Gave All of Himself at His Pop-Ups: Remembering the late indie rap hero, who was a scarce public presence but always made time for his devout fans. For Hearing Things, Dylan Green. Read here.
'A Hostile Takeover': Animosity and Betrayal at The Loft: David Mancuso's ethos of universal love fuelled one of history's most cherished parties, The Loft. A succession drama now clouds the future of the event and its protected legacy. For Resident Advisor Nyshka Chandran reports. Read here.
Getting cooked with Confidence Man: Confidence Man are the unruly Aussies whose penchant for partying and infectious dance-pop bangers has made them dual stars of the underground and mainstream. To figure out the recipe to their success, for Mixmag, Louis Anderson-Rich joins them on a night out to discuss their come-up, cooked sessions, and whether there’s more to life. Read here.
CS + Kreme - The Butterfly Drinks the Tears of the Tortoise: Talking with the Australian duo about their new record on The Trilogy Tapes. For Nina Protocol, JB Jobson. Read here.
The strange, sorry saga that is Act’s obsession with Tusiata Avia: A bleak walk through Act’s nearly two-year vendetta against one poet. For The Spinoff, Madeline Chapman. Read here.
FIN.
❤️