The Unearthed Sounds crew members have compiled their weekly picks containing collectively, in no particular order, their favourite tracks/releases of the week.
Here are the selections individually from the crew:
Triple-handedly reviving uk hardcore from a basement in bielefeld germany, soundcloud elektro superstars bielefeld murder boys take the 90’s back 2 the future with a ruff‘n’ready breakbeat debut mastered by hardcore pioneer and engineer 2 the likes of the prodigy and orbital, simon davey.
a1. Bielefeld Murder Boys - Englische Härte
a2. Bielefeld Murder Boys - Marvin Thru The Roof
b1. Bielefeld Murder Boys - Vata Morgana
b2. Bielefeld Murder Boys - Trip 2 Bielefeld
Calibre - Second Sun LP [4x12" 2019 Remastered Edition]
Calibre's mighty wind has blown through the drum 'n' bass scene ever since his first tentative forays into production in 1998. As a trained musician and student of the genre, he quickly developed a unique sound that was warm, orchestral and hypnotic. Attracting the attention of tastemakers like Fabio, the Belfast-born producer and DJ was encouraged to work harder and faster on this liquid funk, resulting in what would become his signature sound. By the time his sophomore album, "Second Sun", came into orbit, Calibre was recognised as a shining star of the scene.
One of the few who had realised the potential of the album format, he crafted dubbed out house grooves, jazzier downtempo numbers, and introspective vocal-led tracks amongst the more trad tempos the largely dancefloor single-based genre was known for.
The album is awash with high points, from the anthemic "Drop It Down", to the more reflective MC tracks like "Timeout" and "Blink Of An Eye". Most producers would labour over such delicately balanced arrangements for weeks, but the fact that Calibre can knock such masterworks out in a matter of hours tells you how effortlessly and naturally his music comes to him.
"Working quickly gives me a unique and personal sound," says Calibre. "It also helps that I like to sample my own playing. Any type of instrument I could get my hands on, I'd record it live. Maybe quite badly, but I still did it. It helped create my own sound. If you can play an instrument, and you can play it with a little bit of passion and a little bit of love, it'll give you something back."
In the fourteen years that have passed (Second Sun dropped in October, 2005) Calibre has written more material than quite possibly anyone else in the scene, and this year shows no sign of him slowing up. Besides the usual wealth of remixes in the pipeline, and a forthcoming techno album on Craig Richards' label, a sixth Shelflife compilation of unreleased Calibre material will be dropping on his own Signature Records label. But for now, let's rewind the story, as the man himself takes us, track by track, through Second Sun.
Venetian Snares’ classic orchestral 2005 album reissued on limited edition gold vinyl in full-sleeve artwork. What if, for just a day, we could both be pigeons? Sometimes one moment in time can take on such an important significance that it becomes an endless world unto itself and everything outside of that moment, past and future spots in time, become the folklore of that world. What if we could both fly over theKirályiPalotaand see it just as these pigeons do?A beautiful culture of dissimilar angles as donkey angels above this city.But even in the world of the infinite moment, we cannot choose the feather of our bird and the pigeon may long to be the goose, the donkey the pigeon and so on.Furthermore as our world blossoms out of this single tick in time, it is for one pigeon a swirling romantic flood of euphoric possibility and fascination, for the other an inferior life of shitting on everyone from the sky, awkward and ashamed, resigning themselves to be the wretched nuisance they are painted as by those they shit on. Ultimately, as quickly as our world blooms, our world is discordant, and our pigeons are wounded, and as our world dies, we die, and we are extinct. If only we could kill ourselves over and over until we get it right. So just as an entire genre of music can be born out of one sped up ten second breakbeat, a full symphony orchestra can come together in harmonic unison to create that perfect moment in time, thus every moment can give birth to an entirely new world, and every world can house the perfect moment, and just as that breakbeat may be broken beyond any recognition, that orchestra may combine to bring forth a dissonant barrage of colossal sorrow, and so the moment disintegrates it's world and that world suffocates the moment under it's collapse.
a1. Sikertelenseg
a2. Szerencsetlen
a3. Ongyilkos Vasarnap
b1. Felbomlasztott Mentokocsi
b2. Hajnal
c1. Galamb Egyedul
c2. Masodik Galamb
c3. Szamar Madar
d1. Hiszekeny
d2. Ketsarku Mozgalom
d3. Senki Dala
Gilles Peterson - Lockdown FM: Broadcasting In a Pandemic
Lockdown FM: Broadcasting In a Pandemic is a 600+ page cultural documentation of a year in lockdown. Densely populated and rich in imagery, it records the response of London based DJ and Broadcaster, Gilles Peterson and the community network of global music and culture platform, Worldwide FM to the impact of Covid-19 and that moment in time when the world went into lockdown to slow down the deadly impact of the virus.
This radical book project was conceived as the nation emerged from the very first lockdown. It is built around the playlists from eighty Worldwide FM and BBC6 Music radio broadcasts Peterson made, following Boris Johnson’s lockdown announcement on 23 March 2020. As the pandemic closed in, Gilles Peterson retreated to the Brownswood basement and his family “bubble”. He embraced his passion for running. For the first time in a long career of DJ-ing globally, life as he knew it came to a halt so this personal, and often intimate recollection, picks out key cultural moments during what was an incredibly unique time.
Lockdown FM actually kicks off pre-lockdown on New Year’s Eve and provides an insight into Petersons’ packed schedule which included a tour of New York, Chicago, Australia, New Zealand and London before his diary was wiped clean. As the timeline unfolds it’s impossible to ignore the deadly impact of the pandemic. The music world lost a host of great musicians and artists, who were well known and much-loved including McCoy Tyner, Manu Dibango, Tony Allen, Ty, Mike Huckaby… and this book pays respect to their lives and creative output. Offset against the fatalities, Peterson celebrates the birthdays of musicians close to him such as Stevie Wonder and Dee Dee Bridgewater. He also explores different genres via ‘The 20’ series which included Jazz Dance (Combat), Trip Hop, Jazz Funk, Modal Jazz.
The playlists provided the framework to bring in other creatives impacted by the pandemic and contributions to the book are made by Zara McFarlane, Jean-Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick, Simon Emmerson, Rob Gallagher, Emily Moxon, Louie Vega, François Kervorkian, Brian Bacchus, Adrian Younge, Kassa Overall, Jazz Re:freshed, Damu The Fudgemunk and Raw Poetic. To counter life in the basement he enlisted the photography of Dobie who cycled daily through an abandoned city.
As the summer sun shone, the impact of the death of George Floyd spread worldwide. The lockdown crumbled under the weight of the Black Lives Matter Movement and the book engages with its impact through contributions by Erica McKoy, Thristian (Global Roots) and Paul Martin.
Edited by Straight No Chaser’s Paul Bradshaw with design /art direction by Hugh Miller, Gilles Peterson’s ‘Lockdown FM’ concept came to life through a period of intense improvisation. The result is extraordinary. It follows a timeline we all lived through and cements the vital role that music, and those who create it, played – and continues to play– in helping us all get through a genuinely unprecedented time.
FFF always comes with the heat with his unique blend of choppy beats and dual sensibility. The perfect combination of light and dark culminating in a profusion of emotions and euphoric whiplash. Now the Rotterdam junglist makes the step up to heavyweight with his debut on Lobster Theremin, featuring four club-ready cuts.
Title track ‘One Tribe’ builds slowly in anticipation, teasing listeners before being thrown into a cascade of fire. Gnarling synths, nausinating drums and hypnotic vocals acting as the source to create a kinetic, chemical reaction. ‘So Special’ radiates joy as it moves through sound systems with a spring in it’s step; followed up by a magnetic acid switch during the track's second half.
FFF’s music finds the balance between classic sounds with a flare for the enigmatic. ‘It’s Official’ rides a steady 4x4 beat with one of the most ecstatic piano rolls and vocal cuts you’re likely to hear all summer; before being shown the door to an alternate world. The EP comes to a close with ‘Weak Capacity’ a caffeine-charged rhythm inspired by the rave.
A1. So Special
A2. One Tribe
B1. It’s Official
B2. Weak Capacity
Satl - Bedroom Producer With A Dream [Holographic Sticker Edition]
In late 2020 Satl captured the global mood perfectly with his dense and claustrophobic masterpiece ‘Lucid Dreams’. This summer, he flips the script, channeling hope and optimism on a six-track EP – Bedroom Producer with a Dream. A rose-tinted self-reflection, perfectly suited for the summer.
The contrast between projects shows how effortlessly versatile Satl’s productions can be. He perfectly blends influences from Jazz, Hip Hop and Electronica as he connects with vocalists DRS and T.R.A.C. as well as Auckland producer Tokyo Prose. The project shows off his growing refinement and maturity as a producer who has a great future ahead of him.
“This project is a reflection of my story as a producer. Recently I’ve been looking back at how much I have grown as an artist over the years. From making music in my bedroom to being able to live off of music and playing it all around the world,” Satl explains. “This E P is about that journey: the ups and the downs. Since its early stages I knew I wanted to involve some of my favourite people and I’m really happy with how everything came together. From the vocal talents of DRS & T.R.A.C. to production assist from New Zealand's finest: Tokyo Prose. Some of the tracks feature beautiful piano improvisations by talented Leon Cronie which I re- programmed or completely chopped up. I can only say that I'm really proud of this piece of work.”
We Welcome smooth criminals ADMNTi and T. Jacques back to the Dansu Discs family with their split ‘Platform Alteration’ EP.
Both sides providing heavy basslines with added groove. If you’re not already ready to return to the dance-floor, then this one will give you that much needed assist.
