Ten years after his first release for Micron Audio, the Detroit techno maverick DJ Stingray relaunches the label with an extended play full of drum kick contortions, juddering bass, and cavernous dub as he seeks to reshape the boundaries of futuristic electro-funk. The accompanying music video, devised and produced by the visual artist Bahar Noorizadeh, finds the intersection between synthetic soundscapes and derelict factory spaces, casting the decline of the Detroit automobile industry as vaporized contemporary myth.
There are new albums this week from the composer and violist Astrid Sonne and the dark ambient master Christoph de Babalon. An environmental nonprofit from Air Texture makes its first stop in Africa, as KMRU curates the best of the Nairobi electronic scene with proceeds going to a continent-spanning reforestation initiative spearheaded by The Green Belt Movement. Native Soul unfurl their teenage dreams with a letter to the King of Amapiano, Phong Tran explores internet ghost towns and simulation theory, and Kevin Whelan of Aeon Station steps out from the shadow of Wrens with a new album of anthemic indie rock.
The rapper Solemn Brigham reanimates his decaying hometown of Albemarle in North Carolina, while the songwriter Ada Lea draws from daydreams and the Neapolitan Novels of Elena Ferrante as she reflects on city life in Montreal. City Morgue member ZillaKami gets up to his knees in grunge and nu-metal, J. Cole speaks on self-doubt over a beat from Certified Lover Boy, Not Waving chops and splices the voice of the fashion director Silvia Fendi, and Wiki continues his fruitful series of collaborations with Navy Blue. Tracks by Lotic, Portico Quartet, Hana Vu, reggie, and Annie Blackman round out the latest selection of music.
Playlists: Spotify Ā· Apple Music Ā· YouTube
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Astrid Sonne – ‘My Attitude My Horoscope’
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Solemn Brigham – ‘Keep The Hope’
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ZillaKami – ‘BLEACH’ (feat. Denzel Curry)
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DJ Stingray 313 – ‘Bioplastics’
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Christoph de Babalon – ‘Ether’
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Native Soul – ‘Letter To Kabza De Small’
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Annie Blackman – ‘Glass House’
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reggie – ‘AVALANCHE’ (feat. Smino)
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Ada Lea – ‘can’t stop me from dying’
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Not Waving – ‘I Wanted To Talk To You’ (feat. Silvia Fendi)
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J. Cole – ‘Heaven’s EP’
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