SELECTED WORKS #010
A recap of 2020, the year that has (almost been)
We’re almost at the end of December, another year done. Except, it hasn’t just been another year has it? I’m not sure that there is much left to say about 2020 that hasn’t already been said. I want to think that later on down the line, we’ll remember it as the year when, against the backdrop of a global pandemic, an event that affected us all in different ways, the inequality and injustice that exists everywhere became impossible to ignore. I’d also like to think we’ll be able to remember it as the year when, as these realities sunk in for everyone who had managed to (somehow) conveniently ignore them, we began to make real steps towards even more real lasting change. The thing is, I don’t know how we’re going to remember 2020, or what we’re going to take away from it. All I have is hope and willingness. Fingers crossed.
Personally speaking, I feel like I spent most of this year in extraordinarily fortunate circumstances. I’ve been back in Aotearoa, where we seem to - at least locally - gotten on top of COVID-19. That didn’t make everything about living here perfect, actually, far from it. That said, it gave me the freedom to get on with what I usually do, listen to music, write about music, interview people, put together radio shows, play DJ gigs, and in a recent development, produce podcasts (more details next year). So, being able to get on with it, I got on with it. Below, I’ve put together a chronological recap of some of the key articles, radio broadcasts and DJ mixes I put together this year + a few bonus Easter eggs.
Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter. I’m still not quite sure what I’m up to here, but I’m going to keep at it in 2021 (and hopefully beyond). If you’ve got a break coming up, please enjoy it. If you don’t, I hope we can work towards a world where, in the future, you do.
2020 WRAPPED:
The Vinyl Factory: The insouciant dream pop of cult photographer and musician Steve Hiett
In 1983, fashion photographer, graphic designer and guitarist Steve Hiett released Down On The Road By The Beach, a collection of guitar-led panoramas, oceanic instrumentals, and dreamlike cover versions. In the intervening thirty-seven years, the album became a cult classic, coveted by collectors around the world.
Then, just weeks before Be With and Efficient Space’s long-awaited reissue in 2019, Hiett passed away, leaving an absence – much like the album’s striking cover – at the heart of the whole affair. I traced Hiett’s story through the personal testimonies of those who knew him best.
Bandcamp: The Warm Ambient and New Age Discography of Liquid Liquid’s Dennis Young
“We never thought people would still be listening to our music in 40 years, or make an impact like we did,” admits New Jersey musician and producer Dennis Young of his groundbreaking New York no-wave quartet, Liquid Liquid. “I don’t think any of us had the feeling this would happen. We thought we would be done, and that would be that.” I interviewed Dennis for Bandcamp.
Dazed: 10 under-the-radar releases you may have missed from the last three months (Jan, Feb, Mar)
For the Q1 edition of my new music column with Dazed, I looked at releases from Edge Slayer, Beatrice Dillon, Bullion and seven others.
Bandcamp: Music For Dreams’ “Oto No Wa” Comp Shines A Rare Spotlight on Japanese Chillout Music
In 2009, the UK-born, Tokyo-based DJ and producer, Max Essa, headed into Shibuya to hear some new friends play records at a bar he’d never visited before. “When I arrived, Ken [Hidaka] was up on the roof BBQing and the whole ambience of the place was like nothing I’d encountered in a venue before,” he remembered. “It was very much like hanging out at somebody’s house.” I interviewed Max and the team behind Oto No Wa for Bandcamp.
Cosmic Compositions: Are These My Mem◯ries [Mix By Martyn Pepperell]
Sunrise in Berlin. Wandering through a high-tech street market in Seoul. Sweat dripping from the ceiling of a warehouse rave, neo-jacked swing and off-duty deck jockeys. A picture-perfect, postcard-worthy sunset on a palm tree-lined beach in the Caribbean. ‘Are These My Memories’ is a sixty minute mix I recorded for Cosmic Compositions.
Test Pressing: Nothing Is A Coincidence - A Yumiko Morioka Interview
“Nothing is a coincidence,” says the Japanese pianist, composer, songwriter and chocolate maker Yumiko Morioka. Speaking from her home in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward, Morioka is reflecting on the reissue of her first and only album under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. I interviewed Yumiko for Test Pressing.
“I'm fascinated by how music in its truest form can embody the fabric of culture,” explains Ben Stevens, the founder of open-eared antipodean record label Strangelove Music. Stevens is giving me a window into the thinking behind his label’s first compilation album - “Kiwi Animals: Future/ Primitive Aotearoa ‘82-’91” - a wide-ranging personal catalog of innocent and honest studio experiments recorded in New Zealand during the ‘80s and very early ‘90s. I Interviewed Ben for Test Pressing.
Test Pressing: The Best You Can Is Good Enough - A Kate NV Interview
“There was a moment where my body was like, dude! I need to sing. I was tired of standing in front of a table. On a physical level, my body was like, I want to move more,” said Kate Shilonosova, the Moscow-based music and visual arts multi-hyphenate, better known as Kate NV. When I spoke with her by phone from her home in May, Shilonosova was reflecting on the sequence of events that led to the creation of her remarkable new album “Room for the Moon”, released on June 12 through storied New York label Rvng Intl. I interviewed Kate for Test Pressing.
Dazed: 10 under-the-radar releases you may have missed from the last three months (Apr, May, Jun)
For the Q2 edition of my new music column with Dazed, I looked at recent releases from MICHAELBRAILEY, Bergsonist, Nídia, and seven others.
Test Pressing: Intention - A Laraaji Interview
“Anyone who does inner work sharpens their ability to receive guidance and follow it,” says the legendary afro-transcendentalist, musician and mystic known as Laraaji. “I believe that as a result of doing inner work, I received and followed guidance that allowed me to be pretty prepared for this time.” I interviewed Laraaji for Test Pressing.
Bandcamp: Admas: The Music of the Ethiopian Diaspora in 1980’s Washington D.C.
As a young man in Washington D.C. during the early ‘80s, keyboardist Tewodros “Teddy” Aklilu regularly tuned into WPFW 89.3 FM, a local community radio station owned by the non-profit Pacifica Foundation. “It was a very left-leaning radio station and very Afrocentric,” says Aklilu, on the phone from Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. I interviewed Teddy for Bandcamp.
Cosmic Compositions: Se◯ul Nights [Mix By Martyn Pepperell]
For the Cosmic Compositions mix series, I took an in-depth look into the world of 80's K pop & City Pop. Unearthing some rare finds from digging through markets and record stores in Seoul.
Low End Theorists: NZ Street Soul and Swingbeat with Martyn Pepperell
In 1989 Virgin Records, arguably the biggest label in the UK at the time, released Soul II Soul’s seminal album Club Classics Vol.1. The record’s fusion of piano riffs, drum machine-driven beats and smooth, soulful vocals, alongside its commercial and critical success, marked a pivotal moment in the history of UK soul music, helping popularise a sound and sub-genre more commonly referred to these days as street soul. Soul II Soul’s influence was felt everywhere, as this Youtube playlist I put together for Low End Theorists illustrates.
Dazed: 10 under-the-radar releases you may have missed from the last three months (Jul, Aug, Sep)
For the Q3 edition of my new music column with Dazed, I looked at recent releases from Rui Ho, DJ Swisha, Vanessa Worm and seven others.
RNZ: Roland's TR-808 - the drum machine that revolutionised music
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Roland TR-808, a piece of equipment that changed the sound of modern music forever, giving birth to entire genres along the way. Tony Stamp looks at the history of the device, and its impact on New Zealand music. Thanks to Tony for asking me to contribute to it.
Bandcamp: Special Touch’s “Garden of Life” is a UK Street Soul Classic
“I did it more for passion. I couldn’t honestly say that it was because I thought I was going to strike it lucky and get rich,” says Robert Charles Roper, aka DJ Mastermix, reflecting on why he launched cult UK street soul label TSR (Top Secret Recordings). I interviewed Robert for Bandcamp.
The May Project: Martyn Pepperell - Interview + Playlist
Katie Brown from The May Project interviewed me for her new digital media outlet, The May Project. When you spend all year interviewing people, it’s always interesting to have the tables turned on you. Thank you for the fun questions, Katie. This feature also includes a playlist.
Test Pressing: Many Possibilities, Many Futures - A Klaus Schønning Interview
In the nineteen-seventies, Danish keyboardist and producer Klaus Schønning was living in Copenhagen, touring throughout Denmark and Germany, and building a rudimentary home studio. As jazz, rock and punk music exploded throughout Denmark, Schønning strayed off their well-worn paths. I interviewed Klaus for Test Pressing.
NTS: Closer - Street Soul & Swingbeat from Aotearoa New Zealand
In the late 80s and 90s, a generation of Polynesian musicians took inspiration from UK groups like Soul II Soul, creating their own South Pacific strain of street soul and swingbeat - I explored some of the scene's greatest records in a special 60 minute show for NTS.
Dublab: Seasons - Street Soul & Swingbeat from Aotearoa New Zealand
As a follow up to Closer, I continued to explore the sounds of 90s Street Soul, Rap, Swingbeat and New jack swing from Aotearoa New Zealand in a special for Dublab. Featuring groups and solo artists such as Fuemana, Matty J. Ruys, Unitone Hi-Fi, Sulata, Semi MCs, Upper Hutt Posse, Sisters Underground, Lole, Gifted & Brown, Seasons is a 60-minute celebration of a watershed moment for soulful music from the South Pacific.
WHAT I’VE GOT COMING UP:
Sometime tonight, Dazed Digital will publish my final 2020 new music column. Ten Q4 releases from ten great musicians who I think deserve some extra shine.
At 4pm Bethlehem Time on Sunday 20 December, Palestine’s Radio Alhara is broadcasting another one of my mixes. The Beach: Sixty minutes of ambient, folk, light mellow and balearic cuts with a dash of noise. The beach is blissful, but when you least expect it, those waves can become deadly.
Finally, expect additional EOY recap pieces on Test Pressing and BeeHype before the year is out. I’ll recap those at some point in the future. Thank you!
Lot to revisit and lot I've missed! And great pictures! Bravo Martyn!