With the announcement that Bandcamp would continue to support the artists that use their platform through their fee-waiving Bandcamp Fridays – we felt this was the right time to give a little love to our favourite finds across the platform, whether recently or through the year, through some monthly recommendations.
A mix of fast rising statements, comprehensive compilations and blink or you’ll miss it collectibles from more established names, this is Wax Music’s August Recommendations on this Bandcamp Friday.
(Liv).e – Couldn’t Wait To Tell You
Quite quickly becoming of the most underrated albums of the year if slept upon for much longer – Couldn’t Wait To Tell You is a prosperous amalgamation of the liberating release in speaking your mind and the natural coalescing of Jazz, Hip-Hop and Soul. (Liv).e is literally alive across this stunning debut LP – her voice jumping seamlessly from breathy, alluring coos to smoky, fluid raps. The rich nature of the samples – from the attic hue of I Been livin to the sumptuous keys and percussion of Lessons From My Mistakes – makes this a true treasure of a find.
Jackson Veil Panther – Jackson Veil Panther EP
Avon Terror Corps resident in immersive and experimental bludgeoning – the debut EP from JVP is a blistering mix of entrapment and insistency. These tracks were literally never meant to see the light of day – but in their exhibition they are glaring research into forceful release and the subliminal textures of noise. Book of Hammers is a particular highlight – dexterous, caustic notions that melt into a frothing pool of cacophonous lava.
West Friends – Simply The West vol 1.2
Born out of the basement of Rye Wax in Peckham – the collaborators behind the excellent label West Friends have served up the second of their all-encapsulating compilations with this international-reaching collection. A heady mix of trance-inducing anthems and more considered soundscapes – the variety on offer on this short mix is fruitful and exciting – DJ Pollen’s Copenhagen house simmer a particular highlight.
Ric Wilson & Terrace Martin – They Call Me Disco
Producer extraordinaire Terrace Martin has had his hand in many of the best releases not only in these last couple months but of this year so far – this collaborative EP with Ric Wilson perhaps at the top of the list. Combining expressive and colourful contemporary funk and disco with Wilson’s cocky yet assertive delivery – this is a release that’s worth dancing to and standing proudly in affirmation with.
If we told you that the translation of this group’s name into English is Summer In The City, you aptly get the sort of vibe that’s on offer here. Exuberance and warmth fed through the cold industrialism of metropolitan living – this Russian group create atmospheric dark wave and city-pop – the perfect night time drive music that captures the wonder and possibilities that the city lights possess and also the sparse, barren landscape that circulates the world around it. Their record 2 is worth digging out, but this is a particularly fruitful stand-alone single from the group.
Foreboding, anxious techno that consumes the dark reality we inhabit and channels it back out into stark conspiracy and balance of reality and subversion – Lord Tusk’s Paradise Awaits should be tagged with a question mark – is this world ever escapable? While its minimal, low-ebbed foundations capture the immediacy – the stabbing synth does all the talking – an eerie collision between terror-inducing consideration and machine-like instrumentation.
Fever 103 – Dead Men’s Bones / All Is Cold
The welcome return of Fever 103 brings a new double-single – two more teasing introductions into the thumping and haunted work of the Avon Terror Corps duo. ‘Dead Men’s Bones’ asserts itself over a sparse, industrial beat and a wretched Gregorian-esque hymn – before Margot Malle’s stirring evocations lead you into a space of either fear or release. ‘All Is Cold’ immerses itself into something much more direct and mechanic – displaying their alluring ability to coax you into either searching for liberation or allowing neurosis to consume you.
A stunning story of exploration and the undetermined future of personal creativity – with Home, Hania Rani immerses in a precious, intricately considered world – one where both the beauty in texture and space is realised. Accompanied only by the ever playful temperament of her piano playing and the residual hit of the keys, the wonderful layering of her spectral voice and the occasional, pin-point timing of percussion – Rani’s world is one of fruitful possibility and excitement about where things may lead. The double-gate clear vinyl has sadly sold out – but standard edition is still lovingly available.
It was only recently that we were revisiting Night Melody – the intimate and animated EP from Ryan Lee West, the producer otherwise known as Rival Consoles. Articulation, his new album, delves once again into the pool of moving energy – how human ideas are made tangible by artificial means. It’s an enveloping and transfiguring piece – breathing life into the inanimate. There are some 12″ clear vinyl in screen printed PVC sleeves worth certainly worth picking up from the Erased Tapes Bandcamp today.
Keeley Forsyth’s debut album Debris arrived with little fanfare – but has immediately cemented the actor-turned-artist into one of the most evocative and intriguing to arrive in Britain this year. Built on wallowing, longing strings and Forsyth’s wrenching utterance – every crease and tear deserves to be heard in its highest definition. It’s worth noting here there are very few copies of the limited edition Gold vinyl of this stunning treasure left on Bandcamp.
There won’t be many releases you find this year with such comprehensive attention to art and detail like Murlo’s forthcoming ‘Primed For Primal’. The new EP from the Manchester-based producer crafts an idyllic ecotopia from coalescing the tranquil and grandeur – opening track ‘Primal’ warping gospel release with the natural trickling of synth – before exploding with emotion. The limited edition 12″ comes with stunning illustrated prints designed by the artist himself – concretising the wonderful multi-faceted nature of the project.
The third taster of what’s to come from this mysterious yet euphoric Yorkshire project – with ‘Lemon Chic’, Holodrum sound utterly ecstatic across their explorative and rich track. Focusing the lens on the evident union that has blossomed within their work – the single breathes humanity into the electronically designed facets of their sound – the bouncing live recordings of drums and sax utterly encompassing.
Spectres – It’s Never Going To Happen and This Is Why
As shared this morning on Wax – Spectres have announced their return with all the stark vivacity we’d expect from them through ‘Annihilation of The Self’. That first desolate piece is taken from their forthcoming third album It’s Never Going To Happen and This Is Why – which is set to be there most striking moment yet. The incomprehensible Coffin edition of the record sold out in minutes – but there’s still some glaring pink vinyl available.
Set to be released via K-Lone’s Wych label – Bristol-based producer Sir Hiss encapsulates with another hypnotic stand-alone release. Full of minimalistic boom claps and winsome Zelda notions – it’s a gritty reverie that captures the residual heat of where it was created yet allows you to escape from the fortresses of reality. Available on 12″ for a very persuasive price – this is a rare gem worth capturing quick.
Words: Ross Jones Feature Graphic: Amia Watling