Midweek Beats + Pieces Vol. 44
Tamatha Paul Fundraiser, Listening, Reading.
Selected Works is a regular newsletter by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) based freelance music journalist, broadcaster, copywriter, and sometimes DJ Martyn Pepperell. Yes, that’s me. 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:
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been on the working group for a campaign fundraising concert for a young Wellington politician from the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, Tamatha Paul. For the past four years, she’s represented Wellington’s Lambton Ward as a Wellington City Councillor. This year, however, Tamatha is focused on making the jump into national politics by running to be the MP for Wellington Central.
Tamatha loves and supports the local music scene, so we want to show her some support as well. As such, we’re putting together a concert to support her campaign on the 16th of September, 2023, at the Meow venue. On the night, we’ve got entertainment lined up from the Meeting House Records artists AJA, Mara TK and MĀ, plus a great local DJ named BABETECH. That’s not all, though; we’ll be announcing more performers closer to the date. Anyway, if you’re in the area and want to come along, you can purchase tickets over here.
WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:
The very esteemed Wellington, New Zealand-based guitar experimentalist John Kingston has just released The Lake, his debut album under his Box of Hammers alias. From memory, I first became familiar with Mr Kingston in the late 90s/early 2000s, when he was tearing up the live circuit around town with his improvised psychedelic funk group, The Hairy Lollies.
At the time, The Hairy Lollies were big on playing late-night gigs and raves with DJs and live electronica acts, in the process helping ferment a cultural milieu that gave birth to acclaimed Wellington bands like Ebb, Trinity Roots and Fat Freddy’s Drop.
A couple of decades on, John has found the space to really play around his with guitars, synthesisers and electronics while drawing inspiration from film soundtrack composers such as Ennio Morricone, John Carpenter and Angelo Badalamenti before pouring his own feelings into the mix and landing on a heady blend of glacial drone guitars, fuzzy synthetics, found sound and digital noise.
As his label Strange Behaviour puts it, “[The Lake] envisions a stormy night spent in a cabin by a lake. An imaginary soundtrack to a film that never existed. A haunting yet poetic work that reflects on the environment, equally beautiful and uplifting, yet also dark and traumatic.” I’ve been sinking below the waters with this one, and it’s been worth it.
Lately, Surly and I have been talking about broken beat and bruk, and he’s been sending me some recommendations. I have to say, it took about less than half a listen for this one, Erik Rico’s The Journey Continues to grab me.
As the story goes, Erik was born in North Carolina. While he was growing up between there and New York, he developed into a skilled musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and DJ. In the late 1990s, Erik signed with Columbia Records, where he crafted production for Jurassic 5, Planet Asia, 4th Avenue Jones and Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets. As the new millennium dawned, Erik found himself working with Q-Tip, Jasmine Guy, and Malcolm Jamal Warner.
However, none of that really even gives you an indication or a window into what to expect on The Journey Continues. Over eleven club-tempo tracks, Erik bends together the sounds of soulful house, afro-house, uptempo RnB and broken beat, seasoning his crisp productions with Caribbean touches drawn from the rich histories of reggae, ragga and dancehall. Fittingly, considering his skillset, Erik wrote, played, sang and produced the whole album. That looks impressive on paper, but it feels even more impressive after you listen to it. Two highlights: ‘Show Me’, ‘The Way You Feel’.
Six slices of nightclub-friendly, hardware-heavy, supercharged boogie, synth-funk and street soul grooves from San Francisco’s James Vernon, aka Casual Crypt. From what I’ve ascertained online, James is a home studio musician with a lot of love for artists signed to labels like Music From Memory, LA internet radio, Dublab, Japanese ambient and New Age cassettes, as well as nature and cycling. In the past, he used to make lo-fi psych and indie rock before making a foray into leftfield electronic pop. The list of keyboards, synths, drum machines and pedals he’s put in his release credits is impressive and enticing in equal measure. Cruisy music for our not-so-cruisy times.
Last year, Pacific writer and scholar Lana Lopesi and Faith Wilson asked me and DJ Sirvere if we would contribute an essay about the 90s Pacific hip-hop scene in Aotearoa to a massive tome they’ve been working on called Pacific Arts Aotearoa.
As their publisher Penguin Random House New Zealand puts it, “The book includes images and contributions from more than 120 artists, curators and community voices, providing new and never-before-heard perspectives on this vast and growing legacy. Interwoven with their stories is the narrative of Pacific artists in Aotearoa, from their first arrivals on the shores of this country right up until today – and moving into the future.”
Anyway, after much work, Pacific Arts Aotearoa is now at the pre-order stage. If you’re interested, you can dig in here.
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:
The World of Mutant Disco on Bandcamp: The end of the 1970s represented the death of disco as a dominant cultural force in the United States, particularly in the aftermath of the Chicago White Sox’s ill-fated Disco Demolition Night promotion, which cut a double-header short after plans to detonate a massive pile of 12-inch records devolved into a riot among its rockist attendees. Despite the growing divide between dancefloor devotees and a contingent of rock purists rallying behind the sentiment that “disco sucks”—arguably motivated by underlying racism and homophobia—disco’s innovations had an undeniable influence on the new strains of underground rock music that emerged in its wake. Jude Noel for Bandcamp Daily.
DJ Marky, "I was on Top of the Pops! I didn't even know what Top of the Pops was!": 19 years on from 'In Rotation', legendary Brazilian drum 'n' bass pioneer DJ Marky has returned with another cross-genre revelation — he talks to Megan Townsend about his late friend Marcus Intalex, turning dark times into positivity and finding samples in the unlikeliest of places. Megan Townsend for Mixmag.
Natural wonder, how night drives inspired DJ Python and Ana Roxanne's collaborative album: DJ Python and Ana Roxanne’s new collaborative project was forged from a friendship that began during New York’s pandemic lockdown and blossomed on night drives around the city. Tony Inglis speaks to the duo about their sparkling new album ‘Natural Wonder Beauty Concept’, and discovers how deep chats, listening to music in the car, and the darker side of ambient inspired it. Tony Inglis for DJ Mag.
How Black Musicians Carved Out a Space in Ambient Music: We take a historical look at the relationship between Black music and spirituality, while speaking to contemporary Black musicians about the ways they’re using ambient music as a part of their respective wellness rituals. John Morrison for Okayplayer.
Remembering DJ Deeon, the Low-End King That Brought the Funk: Deeon Boyd wasn't just a pioneer of the Low-End sound, he championed Chicago's many genres until his last breath. When the ghetto house legend passed away last week at the age of 56, he left behind a powerful legacy. Kiana Mickles for Resident Advisor.
Inside the Unmistakable Madness of Milwaukee’s Rap Scene: In Wisconsin, an overlooked rap community is trying to navigate big dreams and harsh realities. Alphonse Pierre for Pitchfork.
FIN.