While attempting to recreate the golden yesterdays of Jose Padilla’s White Isle sunsets with the tunes of today, I’ve selected a few favourites from the last 12 months…
NEW LPS
This album, by Will Cookson and Tom Haverly, is sure to top a lot of charts. While a really heartfelt homage to The KLF, it’s not attempting to copy, more take Chill Out’s sonic road journey as a jumping off point. The 2 old school friends producing a very personal map of The British Isles. Screenings of the accompanying film turned the tribute into an event.
Morioka & Kokubo / Gaiaphillia
Two Japanese maestros of kankyo ongaku and new age team up for a blissful blend of modular synths, acoustic keys and field recordings.
Fabiano do Nascimento & E Ruscha V / Aquáticos
A very, very cool Californian collaboration. One of those records you can put on and leave on, which what you really want from an ambient / chillout album. Nascimento’s fretwork throughout is phenomenal and Ruscha’s modular musings sympathetic and always understated. The electro-acoustics bubbling away, totally organic.
Jonny Nash / Once Was Ours Forever
Unhurried, gentle guitar-scapes, picked and plucked peaceful pastorals, from the Melody As Truth main man.
Bhairavi Raman & Nanthesh Sivarajah / Syncretic
Classically trained musicians Raman and Sivarajah keep Tamil traditional music alive and take it into the 21st century.
A meditational musical meeting of Japan and Mozambique. The album features around 50 players, who take in turns to contribute to chants and drum circle rituals.
Classical guitarist Shino’s sublime interpretations of the work of Rei Harakami. More accessible, perhaps, than Shino’s takes on Susumu Yokota. Very Pat Metheny and Cafe del Mar friendly in places.
NEW DIGITAL
Gold Suite / Coast Along (Dan Tyler Remix)
The Idjut Boys’ Dan Tyler takes Bali’s Gold Suite and creates a romantic, dubbed out epic to rival The Idjut’s legendary Lighthouse Family remix.
The Grid / Floatation (Mark Barrott Mixes)
Mark Barrott transforms The Grid’s loved-up Balearic Beat into a 4-part symphonic suite.
One of my favourite contemporary ambient / deep listening artists, with two albums that document her family’s journey though Australia’s awe-inspiring unspoilt nature.
Leon Todd Johnson / wa kei sei jaku
Four cuts of quiet, gentle jazz, based around the ritual of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, and featuring the words of celebrated tea master Mine Somi Kubose.
A cracking Cafe del Mar sunset cover of Orbital’s rave anthem.
Guitar-driven Japanese electro-acoustic intricacy that recalls the detailed dexterity of the country’s techno / IDM pioneers.
Dusan Vranic / Andaluz & FolkLove
Bosnian born, Granada based musician Dušan Vranić released 2 brilliant singles on Chris Coco’s DSPPR. Both bore North African influences and instrumentation. Hopefully there’s an album on the way.
REISSUES
Ashra / New Age Of Earth
Manuel Göttsching recorded New Age Of Earth in Berlin, in 1976. This was the point when his band Ash Ra Tempel was “rebranded” simply Ashra, and the outfit momentarily became a solo project. Here, Göttsching experiments, creating hypnotic numbers for synth and guitar. The highlight is probably Sunrain, which is clearly a precursor of the towering E2-E4, but since I’m not really DJing at the moment, over the last 12 months I got back into spinning long-form stuff like Nightdust at home.
Brian Auger & Trinity / Definitely What!
A 1968 LP – the debut from Brian Auger & The Trinity – which contains a damn fine funky vamp on The Beatles’ A Day In The Life and the definitive version of Wes Montgomery’s Bumpin On Sunset.
Don Cherry & Latif Khan / Music + Sangam
A collection of jams, dating back to the early `80s, between visionary jazz man Cherry and tabla maestro Khan. Airmail has long been a personal favourite.
GT Moore & Shusha / People Of The Wind
Reggae institution Partial Records launched their non-reggae off-shoot, Entire Records, with the reissue of this incredible 1970s Iranian documentary soundtrack. Thanksgiving is a real forgotten gem.
Track-list
The Grid – Floatation (Mark Barrott God’s Cinema Remix)
Bruno Takeda – Hydrogen
Ayane Shino – The Backstroke
Jonny Nash – Moon Seed
Bhairavi Raman & Nanthesh Sivarajah – Seven
Mark Barrott – I Am The Sun, You Are The Moon
Morioka & Kokubo – O KA GU RA
Jonny Nash – The Way Things Looked
Nascimento & Ruscha – Solar
Sasakubo & Zango – Kalamuka
Brian Auger & Trinity – Bumpin On Sunset
Pepe Link – Belfast
Morioka & Kokubo – Gaiaphillia
Ayane Shino – River
Dusan Vranic – Folklove
Nascimento & Ruscha – Rain
Sasakubo & Zango – Kumbomba
Don Cherry & Latif Khan – Airmail
Bhairavi Raman & Nanthesh Sivarajah – Awakening
Ashra – Sunrain
The Grid – Floatation (Mark Barrott Somnolent Remix)
GT Moore – Thanksgiving
Tam Tam – Love Is Stronger Than Pride
Pablo Color – Le Reve (Lexx Remix)
Dusan Vranic – Andaluz
Gold Suite – Coast Along (Dan Tyler Remix)
Cantoma – Before Light (Ambient Intro)
Nascimento & Ruscha – Nascer
Leon Todd Johnson – Wa
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