Midweek Beats + Pieces

Listening, reading, living.

Hi there,

I’m currently reporting to you live from the procrastination space. Being here is never great for me, but on the flipside, it means I do things like type up newsletters and mail them out - so maybe it’s good for you. And I hope you like things, because I certainly have a few things to talk about. This week’s photos were shot on 35mm Lomochrome Purple film in Christchurch, New Zealand with a Nikon F60 camera. Here we go.

WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:

Dean Blunt, Black Metal 2

Seven years on, Dean Blunt - the artist of a generation - continues his Black Metal album series with a second volume, Black Metal 2. Loop-based jangle-pop meets softly-uttered spoken word road talk and sweetly sung refrains from Dean’s longtime collaborator Joanne Robertson. Black Metal 2 might be short and sweet, but it’s all enveloping, like a warm fog descending on sparsely lit city streets after midnight. Dean might work to his own clock, but he’s always right on time.

Dennis Young, Under The Stars: The Planetarium Shows

The last edition of this newsletter was an interview with the New Jersey musician and producer Dennis Young, best known as the marimba player in Liquid Liquid. In the interview, Dennis mentions that the peak of his experience with electronic music was a five-night residency he held at a local planetarium in 1994. Although the performances weren’t filmed, they were recorded. I’ve been listening to Under The Stars: The Planetarium Shows for a few weeks now, and if you’ve enjoyed Dennis’ late 80s new age and ambient release series, or even just Liquid Liquid’s classic work, the collection really delivers. Gorgeously toned hardware-led electronica. Please check it out.

WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:

FADER: Megan Mitchell, Corporate giants like Myspace shouldn’t be trusted with your songs

When I saw the news that Myspace had lost 12 years and an estimated 50 million songs worth of music as well as photographs and videos due to a "server migration project," the surly asshole in me was awoken: What a monumental loss to culture that all those embarrassing emo songs and photos of scene haircuts are now gone.

This is from a couple of years ago, but it’s worth revisiting again [click here].

DJ MAG: Robert Kazandjian, The rise of Irish drill

“I felt like there’s a lot of talent in the country but there was no place to showcase it. My vision with New Eire is to showcase the best of the best, so when someone from outside Ireland looks at the channel, that’s the impression they get.” - Sequence

Ireland’s drill scene has been blowing up since 2018, with homegrown rappers and producers putting their own spin on the world-conquering sound. Robert Kazandjian speaks to key figures in the scene about experimentation, accents, and developing a new form of expression for Black Irish youth [read here].

BANDCAMP DAILY: Shy Thompson, Music That Lives With You: Japanese Environmental Music on Bandcamp

While kankyō ongaku, a Japanese term meaning “environmental music,” does to some degree refer to the natural world, the word “environment” in this context is being used much more broadly. Rather than simply meaning “nature,” it is meant to describe any space people inhabit—man-made or otherwise. And it doesn’t exactly mean music inspired by those spaces either, although it can. Instead, it’s a term used to describe music that’s made to supplement the environment in which it exists, and bring out more of its latent character. Kankyō ongaku got its start in Tokyo in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, but you have to look a little further back to see the complete picture of its origins [read here].

ABC NEWS: Alice Fung, From the Beatles to Elton John: Oldest DJ's storied career

Asked if he were to do it all over again if he would pick being a DJ as a career, Ray Cordeiro doesn’t hesitate. “I don’t think I have to actually think about it, the answer is yes,” he said.

In a storied career spanning over 70 years in Hong Kong, Ray Cordeiro has interviewed superstars including the Beatles and Elton John, and even received an MBE — an order of the British empire for outstanding achievement or service to the community — from Queen Elizabeth. On the eve of his retirement at age 96, Alice Fung interviewed him for ABC News [read here].

WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING:

Last week, I interviewed New Jersey musician and producer Dennis Young (of Liquid Liquid) for the previous issue of this newsletter [read here].

Not long after, I recapped a few recently released (or forthcoming) albums I’ve been enjoying for Test Pressing [read here]. I also wrote about the deadstock revival of Roland Ray’s Hot, Cold & Blue album [read here].

I went to Christchurch and took photographs. You’ve been looking at them.

BEATS + PIECES:

Teremoana Rapley, one of the most significant figures in the development of hip-hop, RnB and modern soul in Aotearoa New Zealand, has a three night residency at Circa Theatre in Wellington from the 17-19th of June. The first night is tonight. If you’re in town, you can purchase tickets [here].

Okay, I think I’ve spent enough time in the procrastination space. Enjoy your week, enjoy your life!

FIN.