Mixing classical and contemporary sound, Mario Batkovic seeks to explore the sonic possibilities of the accordion, without effects or loops, rather through a mutualist symbiotic relationship between man and instrument. Challenging, hypnotic and grandiose; Batkovic’s symphonic vision is unique and he has received widespread critical acclaim, including Rolling Stone magazine who voted his self-titled debut album in the Top 10 ‘Best Avant Albums of 2017’

‘Introspectio’ is a self-questioning, self-examination of society and the meaning of sound. Featuring collaborations with electronic sorcerer James Holden and former BEAK> member Matthew Williams aka MXLX, in addition to drummer Clive Deamer (Radiohead/Portishead/Robert Plant/Roni Size), saxophonist Colin Stetson and concert choir Cantus Domus, Batkovic questions the place of sound, clichés and prejudices, taking the listener on a journey through infinite universes of sound.

Musical contrasts run throughout the album. Sound aesthetics versus compositional ethics play out, it all about creation and destruction as our sound researcher creates his very own macrocosm of music and sound. Whether solo or in collaboration, ‘Introspectio’ invites us on a rhythmically pulsating trip somewhere between dissolution and new beginnings.

TRACK LISTING

SANATIO
REPERTIO (w/ Clive Deamer & MXLX)
CHOREA DUPLEX (w/ James Holden)
QUIS EST QUIS (w/ Colin Stetson)
SURROGATUM
PRIMORDIUM FINALE

‘Fleuves de l'Ame’ is the debut album of Paris-based Tunisan artist Houeida Hedfi, produced with Olof Dreijer of The Knife. Originally a percussionist, ‘Fleuves de l' me’, is an elegant marriage of traditional folk music and contemporary sound design drawing references from Hedfi's drumming expertise and the textures of Tunisian music alongside a startlingly broad array of global genres.

Hedfi came to music late, getting her first drum kit aged 27 when she was already established as an academic in the field of economics / mathematics. Alongside teaching she toured playing a contemporary spin on stambeli, a genre of Afro-Arab sufi trance music heavy on rhythms. “I loved it,” she recalls, “but I had this need for melody. There was no room for that within our group, so I realised I had to start my own project.” She enlisted the help of Tunisian violin player Radhi Chaouali and Palestinian bouzouk player Jalal Nader and began rehearshals. Over nine years of travel between Tunisia, France, and Dreijer’s Berlin studio, Hedfi refined each composition with a perfectionist’s ear and found a home in melody.

During composition it was essential to Hedfi that the songs contained the quarter tones characteristic of Tunisian/Arabic music. “I wanted it to sound like me. In my mind, if you delete these quarter tones, it’s like deleting all the verbs from a sentence.” While her musical influences are not limited to Tunisia, she still views her album as a modern take on Tunisian music. “It’s not just Tunisian,” she adds, “it’s also made by a woman. That makes a difference. My music doesn’t take up so much space, it has nuance. If I had to put a nationality to my music, I would also put a gender to it.”

Each track is named for a different river, referencing both the safety found in the sound of water and the sinuous drama of each composition, which often starts peacefully, before evolving to encompass drama and tension, conflict and resolution. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A beautiful marriage of swooning modern classical and traditional Tunisian folk music, with moments of elegiac pensiveness and more exuberant, shimmering beauty. A wonderfully written and beautifully crafted masterpiece.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Souffles Du Nil
Namami Gange (Obéissance Au Gange)
Side B
Envol Du Mékong
Appel Du Danube
Side C
Baisers Amers De L’Euphrate
Les Cloches De Yamuna
Echos De Medjerda
Side D
Cheminement Du Tigre

Lieve is the long-awaited second LP by British electronic music producer Holy Other. Emerging from an extended stay at Bidston Observatory on the Wirral, Lieve was recorded throughout 2020 in the North West of England.

Using the acoustics of the observatory — the cavernous basement and the geometrically-perfect wooden domes — Holy Other recorded and resampled material that would become the bedrock of Lieve.

A marker in the sand as his first output since 2012’s critically acclaimed Held, these recordings — including the voice of NYX’s Sian O’Gorman, violin from Simmy Singh and saxophone from Daniel Thorne — were cut, manipulated and pieced together to form Lieve.

“How do you break up with a place?”

Have you ever tried to leave your problems behind? No matter how hard you try to reshape yourself, your past remains. This is an album about L(i)eaving, coming to terms with the past, and trying to live in the present.

Much like his past work, Holy Other leaves the listener to draw their own semantic conclusions from the record. The lyrics are ambiguous — ghostly voices, whispers and stutters interwoven with his signature sound palette.

Still, the expressive mood from prior releases remains intact, even if these intimate textures and deft rhythms pick up more mature questions about false starts and failed escapes.

The title track single Lieve breaks almost a decade of silence, finding the language to articulate painful feelings, exhaling, and moving forward.

TRACK LISTING

1. Dirt Under Your Nails
2. Lieve
3. Absolutes
4. Heartrendering
5. Up Heave
6. Whatever You Are You're Not Mine
7. Groundless
8. Refuse
9. Shudder
10. Bough Down

Zola (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), featuring incredible original score by Mica Levi (Monos, Under The Skin, Jackie) intertwined with dialogue from the Janicza Bravo film. Pressed on white vinyl, the soundtrack comes housed in a deluxe spined sleeve featuring original cover artwork by Kezia Harrell, with the records themselves housed in a double sided printed inner sleeve. Includes digital download card. Mica Levi is a musician and composer born in Guildford and living in South East London.

They are currently a member of the groups CURL, Good Sad Happy Bad and Tirzah. Synopsis: Y’all wanna hear a story about why me & this b*tch here fell out? It’s kind of long but full of suspense. Thus began the odyssey of one A’Ziah King, aka ZOLA. From acclaimed writer/director Janicza Bravo, Zola's stranger-than-fiction saga, which she first told in a now-iconic series of viral, uproarious tweets, comes to dazzling cinematic life.Zola (newcomer Taylour Paige), a Detroit waitress, strikes up a new friendship with a customer, Stefani (Riley Keough), who seduces her to join a weekend partying in Florida.

What at first seems like a glamorous trip full of “hoeism” rapidly transforms into a 48-hour journey involving a nameless pimp, an idiot boyfriend, some shady guys in Tampa, and other unexpected adventures in this wild, see-it-to-believe-it tale

TRACK LISTING

1. Wanna Hear A Story?
2. Met This White Bitch
3. Vibing
4. Exchange Numbers
5. Next Day
6. Let's Go
7. Tampa
8. Florida
9. Friday
10. Full Nude
11. Pasties & Boy Shorts
12. What Y’all Make
13. Wanna Trap
14. Mind Blown
15. A Mess
16. Thousands
17. Leave A Message
18. Do It Right
19. 500
20. Dudes
21. That Was It
22. Here We Go
23. WTF Again
24. Lost In The Sauce
25. Lost In The Game
26. DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNN
27. First Client Calls
28. Handgun
29. Trusting U
30. Goes Left
31. Incall
32. I Was Out
33. Mannn
34. Take Off
35. Movie Shit
36. Almost Over
37. Florida Murder