Hailing from a world of sea ice and endangered species at the easternmost tip of Hokkaido, now honing her craft between studios in Berlin and her home base of London, and drawing from a diversity of forms stretching from Gregorian and Bulgarian Orthodox chants to avant-garde pop and Japanese imperial court music, this week Hatis Noit relies on ululations of voice to evoke childhood memories of getting lost in the forest. Chip Wickham takes a spiritual trip to the ancient Egyptian town of Sais as the saxophonist and flautist summons the cosmic funk of Lonnie Liston Smith, while Vega Trails split tickets on a whistle-stop train ride to Kyoto.
Kalia Vandever figures the cyclicity of the seasons, inhalations of breath, and experiences of rebuilding in the face of trauma or grief alongside her longtime ensemble which includes Lee Meadvin on the guitar, Paul Cornish on keys, Nick Dunston on bass, Connor Parks on drums, and Immanuel Wilkins on the alto saxophone. David Ralicke strives for a meditative sparseness as Space Between Clouds, Florent Ghys retools the sound of his bass through the quick recursiveness of the ritournelle plus electroacoustic manipulation, and Jessica Pavone traces the skeletal frame and dark timbres of the viola.
Marc Merza, Jerusha Rai, and Taupe Set XL are among the artists supporting the indigenous struggle for land and water stewardship along the Pulangi River on the Philippine island of Mindanao, with their limpid tracks highlighting the first mixtape by the advocacy-based Liyang Network. Leyla McCalla explores the archives and legacies of Radio Haiti-Inter, while from the depths of an East Anglian village church, Laura Cannell unlocks the dormant memories and dank mysteries of a droning 120-year-old pipe organ. 700 Bliss, Otoboke Beaver, Yendry, Vince Staples, N Kramer, and Blunt Chunks complete the roundup of best new music.
Playlists: Spotify · Apple Music · YouTube
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YENDRY – ‘KI-KI’
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Jessica Pavone – ‘Done and Dusted’
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Florent Ghys – ‘Printemps Permanent’
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Space Between Clouds – ‘Space Between Clouds’
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Vega Trails – ‘Train to Kyoto’
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Vince Staples – ‘WHEN SPARKS FLY’
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Otoboke Beaver – ‘I don’t want to die alone’
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Laura Cannell – ‘Lay Down by the Golden Reeds’
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taupe set xl – ‘i saw you in the valley at dusk’
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