Beats + Pieces Vol. 73
Kenny Sterling, Windsong, Mokotron, etc
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.
Kia ora. This week on Selected Works, we’re back in the Beats + Pieces recap format. Please enjoy a few recent sales and liner notes projects I’ve worked on, plus a few other odds and ends from me 2 U.
MĀNUKA RECORDINGS: KENNY STERLING, LOVE’S MIRAGE / ISLE OF LIGHT
Once again, I was very pleased to reprise my role as the sales notes writer of choice for the Aotearoa label Mānuka Recordings. This time, they’re headed into jazzy library/lounge music territory via a new double-single from Kenny Sterling.
After shaping the sound of Mānuka Recordings through his production work for Summer Vee, Eo, Romi Wrights, Julian Lubin, and The Hongi Slicker, our co-founder and in-house producer Kenny Sterling steps into our release schedule with a dreamy instrumental jazz-funk two-tracker, ‘Love’s Mirage’ / ‘Isle Of Light.’
Composing and arranging in the same traditions as US, UK and Antipodean solo artists and groups John Carroll Kirby, Greg Foat, El Michels Affair, Clear Path Ensemble, The Circling Sun and The Lahaar, Love’s Mirage’ and ‘Isle Of Light’ find Sterling leaning into his jazzier impulses without forsaking the taut rhythms and funk-fueled basslines of our past releases. “In the absence of vocal melodies, you need to consider the melodies and soundscapes you’re developing in an instrumental,” he explains. “With these two, I focused on warmth in the sound and percussion while making them flow freely between melodic and instrumental solos.
Opening with rolling drums provided by Julien Dyne and Sterling on bass, ‘Love's Mirage’ quickly swells into an expansive concoction of whistling synthesisers, 90s video game soundtrack bleeps, and saxophone and vibraphone from Francesca Parussini and Cory Champion (Clear Path Ensemble), respectively. “Love’s Mirage has a hopeful and playful sound, possibly mirroring the early days of a romance that falters unexpectedly down the line,” Sterling reflects.
On ‘Isle of Light’, a warm bassline played by Chip Matthews leads us into a vividly dynamic array of drums (Dyne), organ, vibraphone (Champion) and electronic chirps, all accompanied by saxophone and trumpets from Francesca Parussini and Liam McGorry. Cruisy and captivating, it plays out like a windswept coastal amble. “‘Isle of Light’ reminds me of driving down the road into Muriwai, on a mission around windy roads with the sunlight peeking through the canopy of the trees above,” Sterling continues.
Both tracks were recorded and mixed by Sterling before being mastered by Downbeat Mastering. Packaged with bespoke art created by Julien Dyne, ‘Love’s Mirage’ / ‘Isle Of Light’ is available for purchase and streaming in digital, or pre-order as a limited edition 7” single.
FREDERIKSBERG RECORDS: WINDSONG
On the liner notes front, I was very pleased to help New York’s Frederiksberg Records tell the story of the little known, but extremely talented 1980s Los Angeles jazz fusion/R&B group, Windsong. More details on this one coming soon.
A rose-tinted intermingling of smooth jazz fusion and R&B that wouldn’t sound out of place in a classic Hollywood film, this self-titled LP is the first and only album from the forgotten Los Angeles quartet, WindSong. Originally released as a private press in 1982 through the band’s own WindSong Productions imprint, the album represents the culmination of bandleader Jordu Sherrill’s collaboration with two songwriters, Carol Becker and Lola Page.
Although they had some play on local radio, the WindSong album never received the recognition it deserved during their run. Over forty years later, Frederiksberg Records is pleased to present the first official digital reissue of their sweetly sentimental and joyously up-tempo songs of love, yearning, reverence, and greater connection.
Pre-orders are up on Bandcamp now. The full digital reissue will be available to purchase from May 2 2025.
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:
Radio New Zealand: Mokotron wins 2025 Taite Music Prize: Electronic musician Tiopira McDowell (Ngāti Hine), better known as Mokotron, has won the prestigious Taite Music Prize for 2025.
How Atlanta developed its own unique dance music sound: Atlanta's under-the-radar electronic music scene doesn't get the attention that cities like New York, Detroit and Chicago receive, but its history runs deep. Operating outside of the limelight, the city has developed its own musical vernacular which blends sonics spanning Detroit techno to Louisiana bounce to gospel house and soul. For Mixmag, Meena Sears speaks to an era-spanning spread of key figures and reports on the evolution of Atlanta's distinct dance music culture.
How Joe Smooth's 'Promised Land' harnessed the unifying power of music on the dancefloor: Created on a simple studio set-up, ‘Promised Land’ is an early Chicago house gem, pop hit, dancefloor unifier, liberation anthem, and timeless classic that has stood the test of time. For DJ Mag, Carl Loben caught up with the song’s creator Joe Smooth at ARC Festival in Chicago to discuss how he made it, its extraordinary history, and how it’s still resonating now.
‘The heartbeat of DIY culture’: How youth clubs shaped UK music: As last month’s BRIT awards were overrun with speeches celebrating youth work, and Netflix’s Adolescence warns of increasing youth violence, For Dazed, Solomon Pace-McCarrick speaks to four artists and youth mentors on how music outreach can shape Britain’s future.
WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:
A genre-bending fusion of jungle, footwork, techno and breaks running at 160 bpm (give or take) from the LDN big boss Sherelle. Trend spotters might say she should have rushed this project out earlier in the piece when the iron was hot(ter), but personally, I think this statement of intent and sound is right on time.
Wow. Siblings Chuquimamani-Condori and Joshua Chuquimia Crampton knock it out of the ballpark with what Pitchfork’s Joshua Minsoo Kim has described as “dense, elaborate thicket(s) of sound, traditional genres and ancestral wisdom coexist(ing) with digital ephemera and rapturous noise.” It’s a wall of noise. It’s an ocean of sound. It’s a portal into the infinite. Not for everyone, but very much for all the someone’s out there.
The post-apocalyptic version of Run DMC, Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals are back at it with another stunning modern rap album full of staggeringly realised narratives and staggeringly arranged and produced music. There are multitudes in this one.
FIN.