Council Meeting Memo #097 — Five for Friday
Ori Barel: Bronze, Beige, Morse (Unseen Worlds, Album)
Super wild mish-mash of styles and instruments all thrown into a blender. Seriously indescribable, but loaded with melody and rhythmic ideas that are at once playful and structured. I can feel subtle nods to super-early Krautrock but also the anarchic spirit of peak Rephlex. Clearly sounds like the LA-based Ori had a blast making this. So you should equally have a fun time consuming it. SA 🇵🇸
Alan Lamb: Archival Recordings — Primal Image / Beauty (Room40, Album)
As London slowly succumbs to low autumn sun, nothing like a dose of dark ambience to soundtrack the shift. Originally released back in ’95 and now re-issued by Room40, this is something quite unique. Out of ear shot laser fire introduce the epic ‘Primal Image’ before lulling you into a false sense of security with calm passages of industrial drone. Where midway through, it violently tears away from its ambient moorings and really lets rip. ‘Beauty’ is its less-angrier sibling, but doesn’t ease off the dread. SA 🇵🇸
Steve Bicknell: Lost Recordings #1 Remastered — Why? And For Whom? (System Revival Recordings, Compilation)
Steve ran ‘Lost’ which was possibly the best ‘back-in-the-day’ techno night in London. Look elsewhere as to reasons why this is the case. But as well as being a first-rate DJ, he also managed to knock out of some half decent experimental techno. Released back in ’96; expect the usual 4/4 clank’n clatter of moody machine abuse. But it gets much more interesting on the moments where rhythm starts inwardly collapsing into inner space. For devotees only. SA 🇵🇸
Anton Friisgaard: Teratai Åkande (Stroom, Album)
Yeah, would have easily been in my top 10 of 2024 if I was more on it. SA 🇵🇸
Kevin Drumm: Sheer Hellish Miasma II (Erstwhile Records, Album)
‘Sheer Hellish Miasma’ is the noise album that everyone should own. No, really. And whilst it’s literally being reissued as I type this, I’m going to focus on the follow up that only took 23 years to deliver. And whilst it’s less impactful, it does hold its own unique power. Only two tracks this time, but each with a generous run time. I recommend listening to this on headphones whilst in transit. It will do things to you. SA 🇵🇸
