Jan 4th, 2022

A very Happy New calendar Year to you all.

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.

Hi there,

Technically speaking, I’m still on holiday until the 9th. That said, there were a couple of things that slipped between the cracks after my end-of-year round-up in December, so I thought I’d throw together a quick newsletter for you all. If you’re in the southern hemisphere, I hope you’ve been getting some sun, swimming and rest in. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, I hope you’ve had some downtime and are staying warm. It’s a big world. A small world as well, but mostly a big one.

WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING:

As per, my latest quarterly new music recap went live on Dazed Digital at the end of December. Regardless of the difficulty setting of the moment, new and under-discussed talents from the worlds of underground music continue to use community and craft to find a way. You can read my column here.

Every year, the European music website BeeHype publishes a comprehensive Best Albums of The Year list that draws on contributors from over eighty countries. Long story short, you get tips here you won’t find anywhere else. This year, I contributed six albums from Aotearoa / New Zealand to the list. Read on here.

WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:

RIP Maxi Jazz - The Sacred Voice Of Faithless Who Made Dancefloors Transcendent: Annabel Ross speaks to Sister Bliss and pays tribute to Maxi Jazz, the spiritual messenger who elevated Faithless' music beyond rave bangers. (Here)

A Decade of Peak Oil’s Strange & Mysterious Electronic Music: Despite the glamor and illusory shimmer that defines Los Angeles in the popular imagination, there’s always been a murky weirdness bubbling just below the surface—sometimes literally (take for example the famous La Brea Tar Pits). Andy Beta for Bandcamp Daily. (Here)

Loraine James - the art of instinct: Innovative London producer, live act and Hyperdub affiliate Loraine James has forged her own path with a personal sound that blends IDM, glitch and ambient with math rock, R&B and more. After releasing two albums in 2022 — for Ghostly International and Phantom Limb — and playing the Southbank Centre with the London Contemporary Orchestra, she meets Eoin Murray to discuss reimagining the works of American avant-garde composer Julius Eastman, expressing emotion through music, and staying true to her instincts. (Here)

Tone Glow 089 Mariana Ingold: Mariana Ingold is a composer, singer, instrumentalist, and teacher from Uruguay who has been active since 1977. She’s recorded numerous albums across her career, both solo and in collaboration with others. In 1983 she released the album Ni Un Minuto Más De Dolor in Travesía, a trio that included Estela Magnone and Mayra Hugo. Joshua Minsoo Kim for Tone Glow. (Here)

How Sudan Archives Exploded Her Sound to Make One of the Year’s Best Albums: With her autobiographical opus Natural Brown Prom Queen, Brittney Parks finally collects her crown. Harmony Holiday for Pitchfork. (Here)

WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:

This one really does what it says on the tin. Nigerién techno, wedding rock, Woodabe guitar, WZN, traditional music, Mandingue music, and more. All sourced via the Saharan WhatsApp network. Inspiring and life-affirming music.

Many music lovers are calling this one of their albums of the year. It’s subtle and requires some real attention, but the rewards are rich, deep and ultimately satisfying if you really engage with it.

Now this is what I call music. A jaw-dropping collage of snippets of UK street soul Soundsystem live recordings from the late eighties to mid-nineties. Street Soul has had major comeback in recent years, but hearing those records in context is something else. Wonderful.

If ℍ𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕙 ℙ𝕖𝕫𝕫𝕒𝕔𝕜 is giving an album the hard recommend on IG, I’m buying it on sight. That’s just facts. The vocalist and multimedia artist Jolanda Moletta pays musical tribute to nine of her female ancestors with some lush and haunting vocal compositions. Special stuff.

Pre-pandemic 90's R&B, Gospel and G-Funk revivalist work from the very talented and smooth Devin Morrison, who, of course, hails from Los Angeles, California. I’m new to Devin, but it would appear that most of his discography is crazy. Act right.

FIN.