DOWNLOAD: Elephant & Castle - En Memoria (feat. Tune-Yards)
Elephant & Castle, aka David Vincent Reep, is something of a wanderer, which bodes well for his sonic cameleon sensibilities. Take this one, "En Memoria," which features Merrill Garbus (Tune-Yards) on vocals and seems to pluck natural sound from all over the globe with an intensely spiritual focus. Atmospheric, lush and dreamy, flutes flicker while hands pound away on the rawhide of drums and keys hang in the wind – a great introduction to what will go down on Elephant & Castle's debut, Transitions, which comes March 13 via Plug Research.
DOWNLOAD: Stepan & Haigaz - Hop Pala
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While much music released these days is closer to a fashion accessory than cultural identity, things used to be different. "Hop Pala," a haunting cut off a new three-disc set of music from the Ottoman-American diaspora between 1916-1929 curated by Ian Nagoski and released by curatorial masters Tompkins Square, is the soundtrack of immigration. We hear this music and think of places and times both strange and foreign, yet the compilation is called To What Strange Place because that place for these musicians was New York City. Artists like Stepan & Haigaz populated small pockets of major Manhattan neighborhoods and eventually Astoria, Queens. This was their folk music, a way to keep their unique culture alive in a strange new world, yet it's still resonant today.
PREMIERE: Angelo Spencer - Tanger, Tanger
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Angelo Spencer seems to embody worldly in every sense of the word. The French native moved to the Pacific Northwest about five years back, and his influences span from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly to Serge Gainsbourg to African and Indian music. The wide range is reflected in his work with Les Hauts Sommets, making for the lively and inventive nature of tracks like "Tanger, Tanger." Whether it's the French lyrics, the fact that they're autotuned or the plucky electric spine holding the whole thing together, it's hard to keep from moving. World Garage is out today on K, and catch the band on its West Coast tour with Earth.
Angelo Spencer - Tanger, Tanger
DOWNLOAD: The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination - Ire
If you have even the slightest interest in rare African grooves, then Strut's Nigeria 70 compilations are essential listening. Their third volume in a few years, Nigeria 70: Sweet Times: Afro Funk, Highlife & Juju From 1970s Lagos, once again compiled by series curator Duncan Brooker, features tracks where traditional guitar music from Lagos further incorporated the rapidly evolving and spreading sound of Western rock n' roll and R&B. On The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination's "Ire," this trio—who often went under the acronym "D.I.E."—play what sounds like Sly Stone producing a jam session between a highlife band and some of James Brown's backing musicians. Sunny, sweaty, languid, and featuring lyrics promoting peace, this is the perfect exotic groove for right now, when summer is just peeking around the corner, and even beyond.
The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination - Ire
DOWNLOAD - Mo Kolours - Biddies
Somewhere between archival recordings of exotic singers and back-of-the-bin dusty grooves lies the music of Mo Kolours. On his debut, EP1: Drum Talking—out May 16th on vinyl and digital via One-Handed—the half-Mauritian singer clouds his singing in fuzz and detritus, while his humid, supple production recalls everything from field recordings to Polynesian folk songs to Tricky to Theo Parrish to Dr. John. But the fluid synthesis of all these different styles is what's so remarkable about Mo Kolours' music—it's something new in so far as it blends sounds so seamlessly. Look no further than "Biddies," where ghostly yawps and murmurs pepper a boxy, weathered drum loop and sleepy bass line, the song slipping off ever so languidly into the ether.
DOWNLOAD: Rainbow Arabia - Without You (Nguzunguzu Remix + Alternate Version)
The thing about kaleidoscope duo Rainbow Arabia’s “Without You,” is that it goes nowhere, until it goes everywhere. Freak-a-deek syncopation burbles through Nguzunguzu’s hypno-world take, while RA’s own alternative version goes the gauzy route, eventually surging into a swell of bliss. For a band that openly draws from the ‘sick and synaesthetic,’ these guys sound awfully chilled out about the whole thing. More music to perform trepanation to is on Boys And Diamonds, out now on Kompakt.
Rainbow Arabia - Without You (Nguzunguzu Remix)
Rainbow Arabia - Without You (Alternate Version)
Find More Free Rainbow Arabia Music Here
PREMIERE: Oceana - Cry Cry (Deichkind Remix)
Wake up Lost finale conspiracists! It’s a new day, and this purdy lady’s name is Oceana (not to be confused with the now-defunct Oceanic Six). Her debut is a fresh take on ‘60s pop—a wide-eyed alloy of funk, reggae and R&B, culling influences from her German/Paris/Martinique roots. Below, tech-step outfit Deichkind takes “Cry Cry “ for a wild and plucky spin. Both versions of the single (plus remixes) are out on June 1; her LP Love Supply will arrive this summer on dance label Ultra Records; and you can watch the utterly catchy, soul-kissed video for the original right here.
Oceana - Cry Cry (Deichkind Remix)
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Tinny - Zingolo (Doorly Remix)
Glass and a Half Full Records (populated by the good people behind this) is a new project supporting the campaign celebrating Cadbury Dairy Milk’s recent fair-trade certification. “Zingolo” features Ghanaian MC Tinny and Paul Epworth (Florence & The Machine, Friendly Fires) and its profits fund educational programs in cocoa growing communities in Ghana—where Cadbury’s been sourcing cocoa for 101 years. Below, check the Doorly remix—a big Afro-beat banger that gets nasty at the two-minute mark, and help the cause by purchasing the original here.
Sounds like: M.I.A., Major Lazer
