Carlos Niño - (I'm just) Chillin', on Fire

Over the past few years, concert patrons have stopped the musician Carlos Niño after gigs to ask two simple questions: “Are you a shaman?” “I hear the medicine in your music, can I come to your next ceremony?” The queries are fair enough: Looking at Niño, a tall man with a wild beard and kind eyes, one would think he’s from some faraway time and could maybe cast spells. Once you get to know him, you find that he’s just an incredibly sweet guy with a laid-back demeanor, and that he isn’t some guru claiming to have an all-access pass to the otherworld.

So what does he say to those wondering if he’s a spiritual teacher?

“I’m just chillin’, on fire,” he declares. “I'm not rolling with or out any kind of religious or traditional focus, rules or doctrine. I'm just presenting something that has a lot of energy, and is intended to be an opening for those of us who are journeying, creating musically, and for those who gather with us.”

Indeed, there’s a communal essence to Niño’s self-described Energetic Space Music. As leader of Carlos Niño & Friends, he encourages his collaborators to improvise without preconceived ideas of what the sound is supposed to entail. His new album, (I’m just) Chillin’, on Fire, features more than a dozen musicians and includes a who’s who of sonic experimentation — everyone from guitarist Nate Mercereau and saxophonist Kamasi Washington, to New Age cornerstone Laraaji and hip-hop legend André 3000 playing his now trademark flute. On purpose, Niño lets the music drift and the unity ensue, making (I’m just) Chillin’, on Fire another highlight in a recent run of sublime work.

But where albums like 2020’s Chicago Waves (with multi-instrumentalist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson) and last year’s Extra Presence hovered in the speakers, (I’m just) Chillin’ forges ahead in certain spots through energetic drums equally indebted to jazz and electronic funk. It eschews genre, but the tenets of ‘70s underground jazz are present. Fifty years ago, acts like Brother Ah, the Ensemble Al-Salaam and Mtume Umoja Ensemble crafted music that scanned as Spiritual Jazz yet flared in many different directions. They leaned into the transcendence of the music overall, not artificial terms used to market it. (I’m just) Chillin’ emits the same emotion: On “Mighty Stillness,” when the experimental violinist V.C.R proclaims her “ancestral right” to rest, she evokes Black women like Jeanne Lee, Jayne Cortez and Beatrice Parker, innovative vocalists from indie scenes who embodied the same freedom. Then on “Love Dedication (for Annelise),” Niño uses subtle bass (from Michael Alvidrez) and a serene piano loop (from Surya Botofasina) to speak of endearment in broad terms. “Love is unconditional — everywhere, everything, flowing always,” he observes. “Totally alive, no upper limit.” Though he hesitates to embrace comparisons to the spacious arrangements heard on indie labels of the ‘70s like Strata, Strata-East and Tribe (only because of how much he respects their legacies, not wanting to claim any space in their fields), there’s no denying his stature as an anchor in the jazz, hip-hop and beat scenes in Los Angeles over the last nearly 30 years, and how his influences are alive in what he makes.

“All of those labels to me are hugely influential,” Niño says. “When I think about Strata-East, I immediately think of Pharaoh Sanders, and I think of one of my favorite albums of all-time, Live at the East (on Impulse!), and how The East and that movement is a huge influence. I'm not from that community. I don't claim any direct connection to it, but my awareness of it and my appreciation of it is gigantic.”

The vocals for (I’m just) Chillin’ were compiled unconventionally. “I was like, ‘I'm going to turn on the mic, and you're going to listen all the way through the album and record anything you're feeling at any moment,’” Niño says of the creative process. “It was completely open to their interpretation.” He found that the vocalists Cavana Lee, Maia, Mia Doi Todd, and V.C.R interpreted the music in similar ways: “People who are not even in the same room, who did not hear what the other person did, they all created these really cool weavings — and it was so fun.”

While the album compiles live and studio arrangements recorded in places like Venice, Leimert Park and Woodstock over the past three years, it feels harmonious, as if captured in one space with all musicians present. This highlights Niño’s ability as a conductor and producer. That he could winnow such vast experimentation into a seamless set is a worthy feat on its own. Much like Niño’s other LPs, (I’m just) Chillin’ is an immersive listen that requires attentive ears to fully absorb. In a world dominated by social media and the 24-hour news cycle, it seems we’re all in a hurry for no reason in particular. By creating music with tender messages and leisurely pacing, Niño nudges listeners to slow down and appreciate life’s natural wonders, to savor the journey and not rush so quickly to the destination. In turn, his art conjures pastoral images — endless fields, boundless oceans, ripples crashing along the shoreline. It urges you to simply look up: notice the wind rustling through the trees, listen to the birds sing a glorious song. This is real life, the stuff you can’t quite capture with a smartphone camera. As a conduit, Niño embodies the water he cherishes so deeply. He’s not just the bandleader, but a vessel for everyone’s ideas to shine through.

“Creativity, to me, is an expression of a being's state, and their states of being,” he says. “It's really reflecting or reporting how they feel. The deeper ‘why’ is what I'm getting to with all this, what is inside that feeling, and it's not uncharted territory. I'm one of these people who's very into organizing, curating and offering; it's a deeply sharing kind of thing. It's a living thing; it grows. Sometimes it gets sculpted. Sometimes it gets rocked by forces outside of its maneuvering. Sometimes it looks one way. Sometimes it looks another way, but it's alive.” 

Tracklist:
1. Venice 100720, Hands In Soil
2. Mighty Stillness
3. Love Dedication (for Annelise)
4. Flutestargate
5. Maha Rose North 102021, Breathwork
6. Transcendental Bounce, Run to it
7. Taaaud
8. Spacial
9. Am I Dreaming?
10. Etheric Windsurfing, flips and twirls
11. Boom Bap Spiritual
12. Woo, Acknowledgement
13. Sandra's Willows
14. One For Derf
15. Conversations
16. Essence, The Mermaids Call
17. Eightspace 082222
18. Credits and Thank Yous for DSP Listening

Matthew Halsall - An Ever Changing View

Trumpeter, bandleader and composer Matthew Halsall announces landmark new album An Ever Changing View, an expansive, immaculately conceived project which presents Halsall’s signature blend of jazz, electronica, global and spiritual jazz influences.

An Ever Changing View will be released on September 8th on Gondwana Records (the label Halsall founded 15 years ago) ahead of a landmark show at The Royal Albert Hall in London on September 21st and UK and EU tour dates.

Halsall who has been hailed as one of the leading figures of the UK jazz renaissance has never seen himself as part of any one sound or scene: he builds his own sonic universe instead. An Ever Changing View finds him at his most experimental yet, once again expanding his sound and production techniques to create his unique brand of deeply meditative music.

During the album's creation, he was staying in both a beautiful architect’s house with breath-taking sea views and a striking modernist house, where he composed what he saw “like a landscape painting”. In these new environments, Halsall wanted to capture “the feeling of openness and escapism” and to approach making music again from scratch. “I hit the reset button and wanted to have complete musical freedom,” he says. “It was a real exploration of sound.”

An Ever Changing View comes in a package as striking as the music, with handmade fonts designed by Ian Anderson of The Designers Republic and the specially commissioned tapestry by artist Sara Kelly is a stunning and harmonious complement to the record's sound. 

Tracklist:
1. Tracing Nature
2. Water Street
3. An Ever Changing View
4. Calder Shapes
5. Mountains, Trees and Seas
6. Field of Vision
7. Jewels
8. Sunlight Reflection
9. Natural Movement
10. Triangles in the Sky

VA - If Music Presents: You Need This: If Music Is 20 compiled by Jean​-​Claude

Celebrating two decades of IF Music's scrupulous curation through its record shop, a thriving website, album reissues and compilations in collaboration with BBE Music, parties and radio shows, “IF Music Presents You Need This: 20 years” is a 9 track, double vinyl LP beautifully put together by Jean-Claude.

Coming, as it does, as the 9th release in the “You Need This” series of compilations curated by Jean-Claude, this album features music that ranges from 1980 (Christine Schaller's spectacular “Fidji”) to exclusive tracks from the likes of Emanative & Liz Elensky (‘Fall Into Me’) and Tenderlonious (‘Dennison Point’) which both bring us up to the present day.

It is Jean-Claude's remarkable ear for music that, as with all the previous “You Need This” releases, creates a wonderfully coherent journey through the decades across the four sides of this masterpiece of a compilation album.

As mentioned earlier “You Need This: 20 Years” will be released as a double LP pressed on 180 gramme heavy vinyl, cut at 45rpm and on digital. Whether this starts, adds or completes your collection of Jean-Claude's “You Need This” series of compilations, “20 Years” is a must-have and indeed, you really do need this!

Tracklist:
1. Tamar Osborn - Sunday Sea Improvisation
2. Christine Schaller - Fidji
3. Emanative;Liz Elensky - Fall In To Me
4. Atilla Engin Group - Turkish Showbiz
5. Tenderlonious - Dennison Point
6. Sylvain Kassap - Adelie (For Lady D.)
7. Ola Szmidt - We Are Not Invisible
8. Greetje Bijma Kwintet - Big Kalimba
9. Sarathy Korwar - At the Speed of Light

Palm Skin Productions - A Swarm In July

Palm Skin Productions – AKA versatile musician and producer Simon Richmond (whose CV includes Mo’ Wax, Depeche Mode, REM, Pulp, Neneh Cherry, and The Bays) – announces a new album ‘A Swarm In July’ a proverbial inspired record.

‘A Swarm In July' is a concept record that offers an alternative set of hacked proverbs to mirror the movement of the music and its path from ambience to rhythm, from harmony to noise, from its closed-in intimacies to its soaring expansions. The album looks at what happens when you choose to shift the crop - when you find the story within the story. As Simon eloquently puts it:

“A proverb. A phrase. A saying. A Say-ing - the performance of that which has been said. A maxim. A truism. True-ism - the ideology or the myth of truth? Whose truth? Who puts you in the picture? What is the crop, the edit? When can you trust a truism in the world of deep fake? If every story is dependent on its beginning and end, how many stories are there, dormant, within the prescribed boundaries? Pre-Scribed - already written - typeset for us.”

‘A Swarm In July’ is a masterclass on how to frame and evolve stories and sound, created and recorded far and wide, while static and on the move. The title itself is taken from the proverbial bee-keepers saying, “A swarm in July is not worth a fly”, meaning that the later in the year it is, the less time there will be for bees to collect pollen from the flowers in blossom. Simon instead recontextualises this within the framework of the politically manufactured UK migrant crisis, dissecting the language used to dehumanise refugees: “When does a group become a swarm? When is a swarm valuable, and to whom? A swarm of bees to the beekeeper? A swarm of people to the forces of repression and hate?”

Lead-single ‘Them That Help’, an orchestral, almost neo-classical, texturised soundscape featuring the transcendent viola of John Metcalfe (Duke Quartet/The Durutti Column), is taken from the false proverb “the Lord helps them that help themselves”, a phrase that originated in ancient Greece as “the Gods help those who help themselves” but has since been weaponised to accelerate neo-liberal agendas. Palm Skin Productions subverts the fictitious biblical reference, turning heresy into class critique:

“Take a set of scales. At one end put the gold-plated pomp of high religion. The acquisition of wealth and people. The colonising forces that helped themselves to vast swathes of the world. At the other end of the scale are the carers, the helpers, the friends. The people. The heavyweights.”

Elsewhere on the record, ‘Need Is A Friend’, partially recorded on headphones in Ralph Lawson’s (20/20 Vision label boss) front room in Leeds, hanging out before a gig, is a play on “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” Simon adds: “How often do we tell a story of obligation to make us feel better? Are these needs, or are they choices? Are these needs the friends we rely on as our alibis? With friends like needs, who needs enemies?”. For ‘We Stand, Divided’, a take on “Together we stand, divided we fall”, Simon contextualises again through the prism of the toxic UK immigration debate, fuelled by the fires of the Brexit referendum: “So many are taught to fear difference, to harden community into a dividing wall, but our strength is in our beautiful variation. Puppets stand in homogenous herds, moulded to a single malleable unit. We stand in celebratory disarray.”

‘I Say Not As I’ harnesses the language of the great British playwright Harold Pinter, a personal hero to Simon: “He can make the most mundane phrase bristle with menace. Ordinary objects and actions become sinister in his hands, just as the forces of oppression and torture get portrayed within the familiarity of cliché and monotony.” Album closer ‘Far From The Tree’ is in memory of Simon’s father who passed away while he was making this record: “It was important for me to finish the record with a piece of music for him that also has something of him in it. I’m so glad the finished piece - ‘Far From The Tree’ - is something that I think adequately fills the space I had in my mind but also makes sense in terms of the rest of the record.” 

Tracklist:
1. We Stand, Divided
2. Himself and The Devil
3. The Sword Will Die
4. Them That Help
5. I Say, Not As I
6. My Bones, But Words
7. Need Is A Friend
8. Far From The Tree

Fabiano do Nascimento - Das Nuvens

Los Angeles-based Fabiano Do Nascimento is a multi-string guitarist and songwriter who melds the traditional idioms of his native Brazil (i.e., samba, choro) with the more contemporary and experimental strains of jazz, pop, and electronic music. Das Nuvens (“The Clouds”), out July 21, 2023 on Leaving Records, is a crisp, frequently blissful, and deceptively groove-oriented showcase from a consummate musician — a rich and varied collection of songs, all of which seem to prioritize, and thrive in, the soft and intentional spaces between notes.

Raised in Rio and São Paulo before eventually relocating to Southern California as a teenager, Nascimento’s approach to guitar and songcraft is informed by an adolescence enmeshed in Brazil’s exceptionally fertile musical environs. His induction into this lineage was organic. With the encouragement and attention of a musical family, a young Nascimento learned to read music, play the piano, and dabbled with the flute before picking up guitar at age 10. His affinity for the guitar was immediate, decisive, and clear. The instrument further catalyzed his decades-long journey into the annals of Brazilian classical music.

Das Nuvens constitutes the free-form, exploratory work of a musician who, having mastered a distinct musical language, seeks to apply his skill towards broader, more experimental modes of expression. Fittingly, track one — built around a contemplative, pointillistic refrain— is titled “Babel,” a reference to the legend of man’s attempt to build a tower to heaven, and how God thwarted this alleged act of hubris by shattering man’s shared language, sowing chaos and confusion. Though a stern parable on its face, it is a myth that enshrines our world’s dizzying array of languages (of modes of being), and the subsequent beauty of cultural exchange through art. In this regard, it is a fitting opening statement for an album that collapses and collages not only contemporary and classical Brazilian and pop idioms, but also the diverse range of indigenous music that Nascimento has encountered and studied in his travels as a touring musician.

Recorded in Nascimento’s home studio with his longtime friend and collaborator, Daniel Santiago (who also designed the album’s art), Das Nuvens evokes windswept vistas (the plaintive “Thrdwrld” lands like Morricone gently flirting with trap), and the lush Latin American forests of Nascimento’s youth (“Aurora” in particular), while simultaneously foregrounding music’s ineffable and universally-felt capacity to sooth and inspire. 

Tracklist:
1. Babel
2. Thrdwrld
3. Train to Imagination
4. Das Nuvens
5. Yûgen
6. Aurora
7. Eterno
8. Stranger Nights
9. Blu's Dream
10. 3 Pontas
11. Amoroso

Felbm - cycli infini

Dutch multi-instrumentalist Felbm returns with the conceptual album ‘cycli infini’ : a 38-minute composition of metamorphosing tape loops, musical patterns and instrumental sketches. Further exploring the concept is the vinyl release which features the track spread over both sides and cut to the end of each locked groove - creating an essentially never-ending piece that challenges the idea of the traditional listening process.

The idea came to fruition by way of a lifelong interest and growing awareness of the cyclical nature of the world around him - be it through observing nature, or the mathematical and mind-bending works of Dutch artist MC Escher, or minimalist composers such as Erik Satie, Laraaji and Melaine Dalibert. “The openness of Laraaji's and Satie's music have also been an influence to create a certain softness and feeling of comfort, as I like this piece to be a place you want to revisit”, says Felbm, real name Eelco Topper.

While Topper's previous releases on Soundway Records comprised series of short, individual sketches, on cycli infini the tapestry is sewn seamlessly together using a step-like progression through the circle of fifths, which as the name suggests, brings the listener back to the musical key and soundscape at which they started. Should the full track be on repeat, it begins anew without being noticed.

The piece began life with a layer of drone loops using tapes and delay pedals, over which acoustic instruments such as flute, saxophone and bass trumpet would playfully but gently interpret a melody - toying with jazz, ambient, fourth world and percussive sounds. As the music evolves through the key progression, organic elements such as birdsong and wind chimes ground the piece in nature. Says Topper: “the never-ending metamorphosis of matter has always fascinated me, the idea that nothing ever really disappears and everything has already been here… just in different shapes.” 

Tracklist:
1. cycli infini

K-Lone - Swells

Wisdom Teeth co-founder K-LONE returns with his second full length project, ‘Swells’: a kaleidoscopic and expansive record that looks to deep house, synthpop, leftfield R&B and beyond for a spellbinding masterwork of melodic electronica. 

His debut @LP ‘Cape Cira’ became the accidental soundtrack of the long strange summer of 2020 - its lush marimbas, hazy atmos and synthesised bird calls providing the ideal soundtrack for some much needed collective escapism. The record was widely deemed one of 2020’s standout electronic LPs, gaining glowing reviews in Pitchfork, DJ Mag, Mixmag and Resident Advisor, and ranking highly in end of year lists by Crack Magazine, Bleep.com and beyond.

Approaching its follow up, the Brighton-based producer felt a fresh perspective was needed. Originally landing on the name ‘Swells’ as a secret pen-name to write the record under, the intention was to keep the project as separate as possible from ‘Cape Cira’ to avoid settling into familiar territories - but as the record took shape it became clear that it made perfect sense amongst his already diverse discography.

Like ‘Cape Cira’, there is a distinct and intentionally limited sound palette at play on ‘Swells’. Looping vocal cuts, rich cluster chords and undulating arpeggios sit front and centre here - as does the lo-fi plonk of of the CR78 drum machine. But while the record clearly takes influence from a range of vintage sound sources, its overall aesthetic is unmistakably contemporary. Sounds are not artificially degraded nor obscured under washes of sampled tape hiss. Rather, everything is processed with a gloss, hi-fidelity sheen. The record’s rhythms are bright, dry and snappy, and its melodies are processed with a neon poppy glow.

The producer’s unabashed love of contemporary pop music is most obviously exemplified by the appearance of British singer-songwriter Eliza Rose. The pair met for a session at a North London studio back in 2021, and the now Brit Award-nominated singer’s warm, emotive vocal takes became an immediate source of inspiration early in the record’s conception. As such, Rose’s voice is heard in various states of manipulation throughout its duration - initially as reduced and looped phrases, and then finally in full form on ‘With U’: a low-lit, dubbed-out slice of leftfield R&B that beckons comparisons with Tirzah, Little Dragon and even Erykah Badu.

Elsewhere, there are references to G-Funk (‘Oddball’), Autonomic drum and bass (‘Shimmer’), hip-house (‘Love Is’) and even Metronomy-era electro pop (‘Love Me A Little’).

As always, the true magic of K-LONE’s artistry is to present complex, subtle and original ideas in ways that feel familiar and immediate. Melodies are introduced as effortless earworms, only to be twisted out of shape into strange and unusual formulations. Looping rhythms unspool into washes of hazy, dubbed-out ambience before rebuilding themselves. Refined and endlessly creative, ‘Swells’ marks a captivating next step for a producer and record label that have both reliably positioned themselves at the very forefront of contemporary electronic music.

Tracklist:

1. Saws

2. Love Me A Little

3. Oddball

4. Strings

5. Shimmer

6. With U (feat. Eliza Rose)

7. Gel

8. Love Is

9. Volcane

10. Multiply

Kieran Hebden & William Tyler - Darkness, Darkness / No Services

The intersection of country with electronica may not seem an obvious one, but Kieran Hebden and William Tyler have tapped into an enticing transatlantic fusion as their worlds collide. The 2020s so far have been abundantly collaborative for both of them: Hebden AKA Four Tet has joined Skrillex and Fred again.. for electrifying DJ sets, and relinked with Madlib, Thom Yorke, and Burial; William’s guitar mastery meanwhile has seen records with Marisa Anderson and his band The Impossible Truth. Now, the duo release the first taste of their talents combined.

‘Darkness, Darkness’ is a generous ten minute introduction to Hebden and Tyler’s musical partnership. Gentle sparks open with the natural plucks of acoustic guitar swimming in the electrical soundbath, the strings rippling tangibly as they are bent and manipulated. Soulful brass loops soon fade in, pouring desert sand onto the track as it shifts from ambiently informed experimentalism to roaring psychedelia with gritty guitars, downtempo rhythms, and a sample of Gloria Loring’s eponymous inspiration.

Meanwhile, ‘No Services’ brings the darkness the A side foretold, but in a much more peaceful manner, going off the grid and painting countryside solitude with a nighttime backdrop of chirping crickets. Glistening piano chords, plucks, and blurry ambience are cut and stitched with smooth edges, as fingers slide down frets mimicking the warm breeze.

Kieran Hebden and William Tyler’s first collaboration is a captivating and evocative synthesis of the two’s individual sounds.

Tracklist:
1. Darkness, Darkness
2. No Services

Baril - For You, Forever

Fast-rising Dutch producer, Baril, returns to Intercept Records with the emphatic release of his debut album, For You, Forever. Set for release June 23rd, the project see’s Baril build upon his chillwave approach to dance music which serves as a warm embrace to listeners. Merging contemporary songwriting with a plethora of electronic influences, the album transcends ambient, breakbeat, and Deep House - the result is one that fits perfectly both on the dancefloor, as well as home listening. The project arrives two years on from his six track EP ‘One More Rush’ which gained the artist worldwide recognition from the likes of Bicep and Fred Again.

What’s instantly clear throughout For You, Forever’s nine tracks is the deeply emotive undertones of the album. Spearheaded by the artist's desire to spend as long as required in the studio, without a deadline, until he was truly satisfied with the messaging behind the release. Through a range of stunning vocal deliveries and an often atmospheric production style, this concept is brought to life. It’s a style reminiscent of Bicep, Caribou, and Four Tet, where the lines between dance music and the mainstream become blurred and the resulting possibilities are endless.

Conceptually, For You, Forever serves as a love letter to the artist’s fans, whilst offering a heartwarming embrace to anyone listening who was unfamiliar with his work prior. Baril’s devotion to all those who consume his creative output is the cornerstone of his artistic identity and therefore he wants to make the best possible music not only for himself, but also for his fans. Such dedication also spearheaded the album title, which openly declares this sentiment to the world.

On his creative thought process behind the album, Baril proclaims:“I wanted to make an album that felt really personal to me. Therefore I really thought about what I find important when listening to electronic music. It had to feel energetic, yet also melancholic. Something you could listen to with your eyes closed on the couch, but also something you could dance to when hearing it live. It had to feel sweet, but also tough. Make you laugh or cry.”

For You, Forever will be steadily released over the course of four months with four emotionally charged singles that offer listeners a glimpse of what's to come. The first of which lands on March 1st in the form of ‘I Need You’. Followed by ‘Are You With Me’ on March 22nd, ‘Something’ is set to land April 26th, before ‘Feel This Way’ completes the run of singles from the album on May 24th.

For Baril, For You, Forever marks the culmination of a lifelong ambition to create an album and one that he’s particularly proud of. In fact, upon Fred Again’s visit to Amsterdam last year, he visited Baril’s studio to create music and was the first person to hear the album in full. After giving his seal of approval, Fred Again shared Baril’s music on Instagram and the young talent saw his followers double overnight. Such feedback gave the artist an additional sense of belief in the album and everyone at Intercept Records is excited to hear people’s response to the project. 
 
Tracklist:
1. Eyes
2. I Need You
3. Are You With Me
4. Something
5. Forever
6. Feel This Way
7. Stay
8. Never Leave Me
9. If You Really

VA - Menace In Sync

Tracklist:
1. Jeremy Talon – Stank Face Patrol
2. Paloma Paloma – Même Heure Même Endroit
3. Jo Wedin – Things Aren’t Getting Better
4. Underground Canopy – Ya Quoi
5. NO(w) Beauty – Cube
6. Hermon Mehari, Hugo LX & Rob Clearfield – Samus
7. NK Music – Memnom
8. Elise Preys – Petites Heures
9. FUZ – First Light
10. Jeremiaah – My Unicorn
11. Marc-Antoine Perrio – Overnight I
12. Antoine Berjeaut – Drownin’

Greg Foat & Gigi Masin - Dolphin

Strut presents an exclusive new collaboration between UK jazz keyboardist Greg Foat and Venetian ambient / electronic maestro Gigi Masin on ‘Dolphin’.

Recorded remotely during 2021-2022 the album took shape in the form of mutual compositions, gradually developed and embellished online. Final recording sessions took place at the majestic Chale Abbey Studios on the Isle Of Wight with Moses Boyd (drums), Tom Herbert (bass) and Siobhan Cosgrove (flute, clarinet) adding elements to several pieces. Tracks include the reflective, wistful single ‘Viento Calido’ and drifting ambient piece ‘Sabena’, a beautiful tribute to Gigi’s wife who sadly passed away during 2022.

Greg Foat has recorded prolifically in recent years for Athens Of The North, Jazzman and Strut including acclaimed albums Symphonie Pacifique (2020) and The Mage (2019). Best known for his 1986 ambient masterpiece Wind and as a member of Gaussian Curve, Gigi Masin has enjoyed a revival in recent years through his Calypso album on R&S’s Apollo label and renewed touring. Dolphin represents Greg and Gigi’s first landmark recording collaboration together. “I first heard Gigi’s album Wind in 2016,” remembers Greg. “I was living in Miami and I heard it playing one Summer evening. Since then, it has always been in my mind to be able to record together.”

Dolphin is mastered by Mark Ashfield at Cosmic Audio with newly commissioned artwork by Niul Foat. The LP comes as transparent vinyl in a thick card outer sleeve.

Tracklist:
1. Lee
2. London Nights
3. Love Theme
4. Dolphin
5. Sabena
6. Leo Theo
7. Viento Calido
8. Your Move

Phaeleh - A New Day

Tracklist:
1. Burning Light feat. Devin Renee
2. Walk Away
3. Outside the Lines feat. Shaunna Heckman
4. Need to Feel
5. No More
6. One Chance feat. Devin Renee
7. Cascades
8. Resolve
9. A New Day
10. Breakout 

Fred P - States of Bliss

‘States Of Bliss’ is the next album by Fred P, his third full length in the last year, following ‘Oasis’ and ‘Abstract Soul’ and the most expansive of the three. In the club or listening at home, Fred’s music makes perfect sense on either side, as 'States Of Bliss' beautifully exhibits.

Produced on the move in hotels and airports, as well as Fred's studio in Berlin, ‘States Of Bliss’ is described by Fred as “a collection of musical imaginations that truly inspire one to actions of positivity and balance, incorporating a range of emotive moods to create an environment for expansion within a sonic structure.” Expanding a little more on this subject, Fred says….

“Whatever music suits your fantasy, the pacing of it makes you feel better and it inspires you to some form of action. It could be dancing, working out, it could be doing your laundry, but it inspires you to some form of movement. With that movement, then your mind starts to open up, and maybe you were having a blue day, and now it’s a sunny day. With the music I play and especially with the music that I make, even if it might seem melancholic, it’s for the specific purpose of releasing that melancholy, and looking toward the possibility of the opposite.”

Within the two parts States Of Bliss becomes a musical landscape spanning dance floor grooves such as ‘In The Flow’ with a vocal sample by Cassy, to the psychedelic acid jazz of ‘Live Your way’ moving into the meditative ambient goodness of ‘Awakening Desire’. There’s also the jazz track ‘NY’ recorded in 2012 that was remixed for the legendary "Selected" compilation. Not leaving any realm unnoticed, ‘River’ is a sought after soundscape and ‘Elevated States’ see’s Fred delves into trippy electronica. 

Tracklist:
1. In The Flow
2. Art Life Music Tribal Dub
3. Elevated States
4. Live Your Way
5. River
6. NY
7. Awakening Desire
8. High Fusion 

Aedon - Musical Memory Garden

It's by listening to his parents' records during car trips that he fell into it.

Starting with Boards of Canada, Röyksopp or Tokimonsta, Adone discovered techno, electronica, break and trip-hop at the age of 9. Since then, he feeds his mind with unstructured rhythms, nostalgic melodies and basically, an abstract universe.

Since 2018, he describes this universe in his musical productions as an inner dialogue, an introspective quest, a journey through his mind.

Music reflects souls and gathers hearts, it is with this idea in mind that in 2021, the young producer gives birth to the project Noise Workers. An audiovisual experience mixing arts and provoking meetings between artists of all horizons through podcasts, interviews, multidisciplinary shows etc.

Today, Aedon proposes his second EP for Matière. Called Musical Memory Garden, it's 7 tracks that perfectly illustrate his influences. The EP also contains a remix of the Parisian founder of Hard Love Motor Love, Trois Quarts Taxi System who released last year his first album on the label.

Tracklist:
1. Strange Ambiance
2. Flower Smell Through The Window
3. Novelty
4. Flanage
5. Faster Days
6. Signius
7. Neighbor's Balcony
8. Novelty (Trois-Quarts Taxi System remix)

Nightmares on Wax - Re-Imagineering Meditation Mix

Tracklist:
1. Chapter 1 - Meditation Mix
2. Chapter 2 - Meditation Mix
3. Chapter 3 - Meditation Mix
4. Chapter 4 - Meditation Mix
5. Chapter 5 - Meditation Mix
6. Chapter 6 - Meditation Mix
7. Chapter 7 - Meditation Mix
8. Chapter 8 - Meditation Mix
9. Re-Imagineering Meditation Mix (Continuous Mix)