Maybe it’s been a foolish endeavor, and maybe I’m the only one who misses the blog ol’ days, but I’ve been giving it a shot. I’ve been working on restoring some of the old content, though much of it was lost. I’ve slowly been rebuilding the old remix sunday archives, and even posting the occasional new edition. And I’ve been writing again.
You can find all the label’s releases here, on bandcamp, or most anywhere you listen to music these days. I’ve still got copies of some of the old vinyl releases, and I recently released the first in a set of charitable cassette compilations to raise awareness about the continued [mis]use of broken windows policing methods.
Plus, I put together a playlists section with a handful of spotify lists that hopefully start to capture a [slightly] updated version of the moods we used to peddle. Give those a listen and a ❤ if you would be so kind. If you want to get in touch, just give me a holler. Oh, and if you prefer to just start playing all the music on this page before reading any further, go ahead and click ▶︎
I’ve written about Ottawa’s So Durand a few times now, and I recently included an excellent dub of his in the latest Remix Sunday. The guy is always sharp with his breakbeats, but his latest pulls off the difficult trick of balancing the shuffle and deep pocket of an intact pitched hot pants break with the heft and thud of 4×4. Pair that with some extremely chorused and warbly pads and a couple of effectively placed vocal samples, and we find ourselves in some very nice circumstances.
This is out now on Toronto’s 9D5Dance. Grab it on bandcamp or stream it wherever you get your streams.
More genre-bending club destruction from Ottawan So Durand, who I’ve written about a couple of times previously. Hot on the heels of his inclusion on ec2a’s coveted second USB drop (already sold out sadly), “Blue-Tek” just dropped on So Durand’s bandcamp and for streaming. But grab it while you can — you never know how long this sort of ephemera will last.
More fwd-thinking jungle from Ottawa-based So Durand. “Lies II” is a reimagining of one of the tracks from his stellar This Unruly Kingdom release, which I covered earlier in the year. This new version takes what was previously a sludgy codeine trip of an instrumental hiphop track full of warm yellow bulbs, and keys it way way up, substituting all the dope with uppers and throwing it into a strobe filled warehouse night. Roughhouse yet refined jungle for peak time.
It’s out now on Irish label Choki Biki. Grab it on their bandcamp or stream it to your heart’s content.
So Durand – “Lies II” (bc)
Also, while I was on paternity leave, So Durand put out a maxi with a couple of hi-NRG jungle crossovers, and I’d be remiss not to share this one. Grab it on his bandcamp.
“Take Me Back There” is an energetic cut of rave meets jungle meets hyperactive jackin’ piano house from Ottawa’s So Durand. With all those references packed into one song, it’s hard to believe you won’t be taken back there somehow listening to this. The song appears on So Durand’s newest EP, This Unruly Kingdom, which is similarly varied, though generally rooted in an effective use of breakbeats at jungle tempos. It’s solidly forward-looking stuff, while still referencing of the past enough to feel nicely familiar.
This Unruly Kingdom is out now on the excellent Dublin-based Choki Biki, and is available for streaming on bandcamp. I’ve also included my other favorite from the record for good measure, which is a little headier, and features the sound of children playing — which is like a button that, when pressed, makes any song feel instantly cozier (Boards of Canada knew this trick well).
The intention of an artist like NESYA is not to create pure pop music. The daughter of a Nebraskan preacher and subjected to religious and sexual trauma, her aesthetic is wholeheartedly goth, punk, and a little vampiric–she even has a video that borrows liberally from that famous scene in Blade that I love so much. But even though her vibe is dark, I can’t help but get the same thrill from this song as I would from stuck-in-your-hair bubblegum pop. It’s catchy as fuck and reminds me of the electro pop I posted so much on this blog back in the early aughts, when it was at its peak. It hasn’t gone unnoticed over here that there seems to be a resurgence of that sound lately, and it’s not just (or even primarily) about bloghouse nostalgia. I’m not convinced anyone is really that nostalgic for most of that stuff, but there was an underlying freedom about the crassness of that sound and aesthetic that I think is naturally working its way back into the collective consciousness. It was just fun, and so is this. This is the first single from a forthcoming album; no bandcamp, unfortunately, but you can grab the track below, or find it on all the usual outlets.
NESYA – “PUT THE FRIES IN THE BAG.”
So Durand – Downforce / Corners
It’s been a minute since I covered Ottawan producer So Durand (Simon Robichaud-Durand). Too long, in fact; he’s always got something good up his sleeve, and this is no exception. His latest is a two-tracker on Something Public Records that sees him reworking two of the tracks on his Downforce EP from last year. Where the originals were club-focused 4×4 and breakbeat, these reimaginings take the songs far deeper and darker, exploring the peripheries of dub techno, 2000s garage, cumbia, and a bit of everything in between. Durand’s stuff is always correct, but it turns out he shines brightest when he gets a bit weird with it. These are out now on bandcamp, or available for streaming.
So Durand – “Downforce” (Slow Mix)
So Durand – “Corners” (Closing Mix)
SIDELINES – Just Say Yes
Speaking of getting a bit weird in the club, this track from Dublin’s SIDELINES (Jay Childs) is the result of letting your nose (or ears, as the case may be) lead you to whatever works. Created around a voicemail his kids left him unknowingly while having an argument with each other, Childs hummed in a bassline and programmed the rest of the song around that. The result is something simultaneously unsettling and liberated. I suppose it captures well the experience of parenting young children–awe of their visceral abandon and mild terror at the unpredictability of their motivations. Being a young kid is like slipping in and out of an LSD trip every 15 minutes, so a big part of parent’s role is just to ride that wave with them as best one can. I’ve also included Childs’s previous single, which is a little more straightforward but still shows his knack for letting a good sound or sample lead the song-writing process. No bandcamp for these, unfortunately, but you can grab the most recent one below and find both for streaming all over.
SIDELINES – “Just Say Yes”
SIDELINES – “Broken Harp”
More fire from Ottawan stalwart So Durand, who I’ve been following closely the last few years. I’ve covered him a few times, but this is definitely my favorite release from him thus far. 2-step ragga meets revivalist heavy bass. That kick drum also just has a perfect woody stomp. And keep an ear out for some classic loon calls. Out now on bandcamp and for streaming.
So Durand – “Révolte” (bc)
CAPITANA – Real
Next up is this near-perfect tune from Danish-Argentinian producer and pianist, CAPITANA, real name Nanna Fittipaldi Giobbi. Giobbi’s music is meant to reflect themes of rootlessness, as someone whose sense of social identity is divided between Scandinavia and Latin America. I can definitely identify with this notion, as a half-Dane, half-American whose life has been spent grappling with the questions of where my roots run deepest, and where to put down new ones. I may be reading into the music too literally here, but I definitely hear that rootless quality in Giobbi’s music, particularly in the airy untethered quality of her piano melodies. CAPITANA has had some heavy co-signs, having contributed piano to a King Krule record a few years ago, and recently garnering the support of the likes of Erica De Casier. No bandcamp for this, but Giobbi has been generous enough to let me share with you the mp3. It’s also available all over for streaming.
Last up is this lovely cut of lofi house from Belgrade-based producer Scasca. This is like duvet music. True to its title, it’s delicate and warm, with no harsh edges, just comfort. I don’t know much about Scasca, but they’re current with an EP called Spring Station, of which this is one third. It’s out now on bandcamp or for streaming.
One of the many foolish things about the fools who compare writing about music to dancing about architecture is that dancing usually is about architecture. When bodies move in relation to a designed space, be it stage or ballroom or living room or gymnasium or agora or Congo Square, they comment on that space whether they mean to or not.
– Robert Christgau
