For still there are so many things that I have never seen: in every wood in every spring there is a different green.
Apr 16, 2021
Today’s posts are going to be a hodgepodge of tracks. We’ll start off with a track I found while listening to This Is Sander Kleinenberg, compiled by (you guessed it), Sander Kleinenberg. I stumbled upon him through his album This Is Everybody Too when I was looking up some techno. The track below (which is more in the tech house realm) is part of several personal dance playlists. I’ve truncated it for brevity.
When Modeselektor leads you to Moderat which leads you to Apparat. The video is unsettling but familiar in some ways. If you are prone to epilepsy, do not watch it.
Hailing from Mexico, Girl Ultra puts out “comfortable and passionate” (link) R&B.
Obsequiae’s meloidic approch to medieval metal has been extremely pleasant to listen to. The intermingled harp tracks, the chirping birds in the background, and the album covers paint a picture, to me, of a fantastical forest band. With some of them occasinally yelling into the trees.
I was introduced to Sven Van Hees a long time ago through his album Svengali which, in many ways, fit in perfectly with a type of 90’s electronic movement with peers like Dubtribe Sound System and Groove Armada (favorite tracks on Svengali are Technicolor and Jupiter’s Quest). Recently Sven put out Svensei filled with a more mellowed, ambient take. The whole album is immaculately produced and his sampling work is wonderful.
Over time there have been a couple of standout tracks by Russian rapper Kizaru (below), but none as much as “Narcos” on his most recent album. While there are many tracks and artists in this vein, recently none rub my rap itch quite as well as this track does.
Today’s house music is provided by a Hen & Goose record. This German record label gives us four stellar house tracks from upcoming house artists. I’ve selected my favorite two below.
Ichiko Aoba’s folk music (featuring an impressive lineup of 7 albums and 4 live albums to date) has been making the rounds in Japan. While the guitar is her primary instrument, she frequently works with other instrumentalists in collaborations. With some tracks sombre, others playful or experimental, it’s hard not to notice the beauty in her albums.
