Top of The Week

New Interviews, Reviews and the like.

Good afternoon, good morning, or maybe good evening. I’ve got a few bits + pieces of my own writing for you this week, plus some reading and listening recommendations. I’m thinking about including a personal essay I’ve drafted about a weird experience I had twenty years ago, but that might be for another issue. This week’s photos were taken on Ilford Delta 3200 film with a Nikon F60 camera. They’re all night shots, mostly taken around the Te Whanganui-a-Tara waterfront. Here we go.

WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING:

I profiled the Mexican-American music artist Debit for Mixmag. Ostensibly, the reason for our interview was the release of her stunning new album, The Long Count, but I had to take the opportunity to take it all the way back and flesh out the outline of her life story. You can read the feature here.

Thirty-eight years ago, Japanese composer, saxophonist and producer Yasuaki Shimizu recorded a very prescient album of left-of-centre dance music titled Kiren. Although due to label issues, it wasn’t released at the time, Kiren has just found its way into the world through New York’s excellently curated Palto Flats label. I wrote about it for Test Pressing here.

In other Test Pressing related news, I also wrote some notes on two 7” EPs Melbourne’s Efficient Space label released recently. They’re the latest instalment in the label’s ongoing OZ Waves/Echoes series. Heady stuff.

WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:

In the weekend, the Whakatū (Nelson) music journalist and DJ Grant Smithies shared an excellent profile on the legendary Aotearoa singer-songwriter, producer, rapper, visual artist, film/television maker, you name it, Teremoana Rapley. I love Teremoana’s music a lot. Last year I saw her make a very rare live performance. It was special, to say the least. Read the story here.

Vanessa Ague interviewed the Kenyan electronic music composer Nyokabi Kariũki for Bandcamp. They discussed how her arts practice uses electronic composition to celebrate Kenyan languages and places. Read here.

My friend John Morrison spoke with RZA and DJ Scratch about their new album Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater and the important role that martial arts cinema has played in their lives. Read the story over on Okayplayer here.

In Southeast Asia, decades-long deals stymie shift away from coal. Nyshka Chandran takes a look at how power purchase agreements that ensure “coal lock-in” for decades are complicating the region’s transition away from fossil fuels. Read the story here.

Elijah, label head of Butterz, a stalwart of Grime music, and the man behind the yellow and black Instagram images a lot of people have been sharing lately, is guest editing Resident Advisor this month. More details here.

Tara Joshi hears from the former 'daytimer' regulars about the secretive music events that formed a seminal era in British South Asian culture. Live on Rolling Stone UK now.

Philip Sherburne reviewed Debit’s The Long Count album for Pitchfork. In his close read, he looks at how the chilling and provocative new album from the electroacoustic producer is a work of speculative sonic fiction, reimagining the sounds of ancient Mayan musical history. Read here.

WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:

The Tāmaki Makaurau-based instrument-maker, instrumentalist, vocalist and producer Mokotron returns with another EP of Māori electro and breakbeat. When I say electro, I’m talking about the vintage hardware sound of the eighties, and by breakbeat, I mean something closer to the 90s Warp/Rephlex/Ninja Tune kinda soundworld (I think). Mokotron being Mokotron, all of this comes wrapped up in Taonga pūoro (traditional Māori instruments) and Te Reo Māori language vocals. It’s local, but it also completely pays homage to Detroit, and I guess, the 90s UK scene in a sense. Really moving music.

Wave Your Moonlight Hat for the Snowfall Train is the new album from You’ll Never Get To Heaven (Alice Hansen and Chuck Blazevic aka Slow Attack Ensemble). We’re talking about eight slices of spare (minimal) dream-pop rendered in a genuinely ethereal style. Séance Centre’s RIYL for the release includes Broadcast, Weekend’s ‘81 Demos, Chantal Weber, Orquesta de las Nubes, Hydroplane, The Moon and the Melodies, Eberhard Weber, which should give you some idea of the sort of wheelhouse we’re in here.

Te Whanganui-a-Tara producer and DJ Benny Salvador step up with his first full-length album, Family Fruit. Released through Salvador’s own Aunty Records, Family Fruit sees him collaborating with a laundry list of Aotearoa music session players from well-known bands such as Fat Freddy’s Drop, Phoenix Foundation and Eru Dangerspiel. The tracks are all named after some of Benny’s family’s favourite meals, and the downbeat, smooth jazz, synth-funk, krautrock, boogie and breakbeat on offer sure are flavoursome.

ODDS + ENDS:

Read an excerpt from the liner notes to Yasuaki Shimizu’s Kiren here.

Listen to Elise from Juke Bounce Werk’s birthday mix for Juanitas here.

Sui Zhen’s latest NTS mix is rather special. Listen here.

Bandcloud is always worth a read. Check out issue 381 here.