RELEASE DATE: 11th September, 2000 LABEL: Mute Records PRODUCERS: Will Gregory & Alison Goldfrapp ARTWORK: Alison Goldfrapp / Joe Dilworth /Anna Fox / C. L. Schmidt / Günter Gräfenhain
SINGLES
1. "Lovely Head" Released: 15th May 2000
2. "Utopia" Released: 16th October 2000
3. "Human" Released: 26th February 2001
4. "Utopia (Genetically Enriched)" Released: 11th June 2001
5. "Pilots (On a Star)" Released: 5th November 2001
I am reviving my "Newbies But To-Be's" thread today with the arrival of the enigmatic Otha. Otha follows Smerz, Sassy 009, Lekende Lett, or ARY in the recent invasion of independent Norwegian female artists. Norway has enjoyed a really prolific club and electronica scene for way over 2 decades at this stage, yet each one of these new talents is bringing something fresh to the table. Othalie Husøy's self-released "One of the Girls" has it all. The seductive collage of ambient and deep house, that uncannily crisp Scandinavian synth-pop production, haunting melody and flawless vocal harmonies. It is an instantly captivating composition, complete in every respect. I have lost the play count of "One of the Girls" at this stage as I remain completely mesmerised by the song.
One of Dublin's based kept electronic secrets Ocho return after almost 4 years with an enthralling slice of ice cold electro. Stace Gill's whispery, soulful vocal harmonies intertwine sublimely with layers of intense slow beats and instead of a musical juxtaposition they conceive a celestial unity of sounds and tones. I have been wondering what would the Irish duo have in store for us ever since I have fallen with "Young Hunting" back in 2012 - one of the greatest tracks that year. The remarkable "Vines" floats somewhere between Sevdaliza's "That Other Girl" and Portishead's "Machine Gun". The song is out now on iTunes via Feel Good Lost. Intensive melancholia.
And here's a reminder of the hypnotising "Young Hunting" again:
I have put these two tracks together based on one simple rule. They are the two most original, unclassifiable, genre-bending and categorisation-defying songs I came across in the last few weeks. Instant Club Bizarre essentials too!
First up, all the way from South Africa Okzharp featuring his Johannesburg based dancing muse Manthe Ribane and their fruitful collaboration sung in Tswana "Dear Ribane". Inspired by South Africa's thriving house music scene, "Dear Ribane" mesmerises with its exotic cocktail of tribal beats, unevenly pulsating rhythms and exotic rhymes. Hyperdub has always been unparalleled when it comes to discovering and supporting striking, up and coming artists (Burial, DVA, Ossie, Jessy Lanza to name just a few) but Okzharp's throbbing "Dumela 113" EP could be easily considered one of this prolific, London-based record label's best releases to date. "Dear Ribane" is a surprising, sublimely produced and irresistible invitation to dance.
Where do I even begin with Aïsha Devi's fascinating "Mazdâ"... The Swiss-Nepalese underground producer/conceptual artist has just released her debut LP "Of Matter And Spirit" via London’s Houndstooth label. The record is an uncompromising experiment of abstract electronica, industrial synths, witch house, dark ambient, noise, noir electro with some Oriental reminiscences ("Initiation to an Illusion") and echoes of The Knife's epic "Silent Shout" ("Kim and the Wheel of Life"). Does it sound avant-garde enough to you? Here's what we read about "Mazdâ" in Dazed which premiered this unquestionable contender for the video of the year, directed by Chinese artist Tianzhuo Chen, earlier on this week:
"High-pitched, candy-coated vocals, shimmering synth lines and heart-thumping bass are stitched over images of near-naked people wearing rubber masks, drooling at each other or munching on the carcass of a raw chicken in this completely off-the-wall music video for Aïsha Devi’s electro masterpiece “Mazdâ”."
Brand new Aphex Twin. That is all. Warp Records release "Syro" on 19th September. Aphex Twin's first full album in 13 years! Pure electronic excellence.
It's great to hear some new music from Frankfurt based wizard of minimal house and ambient Isolée! Let's hope the release of the video is a hint for the artist's 4th album. Soothing sounds...
Such an enigmatic and hypnotic journey into the most sophisticated of all electronic soundscapes. Despite of the fact it meant to be just a bonus tracks on one of Boards of Canada's epic albums, it remains my favourite track they ever recorded. Magic!
