Louis Xavier
Ladja

In the words of Emma Warren:Alabaster DePlume is not doing things properly, and this makes him very happy.DePlume is a Manchester-born, London-based bandleader, composer, saxophonist, activist and orator. He’s a resident at the legendary London creative hub Total Refreshment Centre, a recording artist for the off-grid, Scottish Hebridean island label Lost Map, and now the latest arrival into Chicago-based International Anthem’s growing family of progressive musical explorationists. Whilst much of his music contains vocals – often whispered imperatives – this is a collection of instrumentals, drenched in feeling and recorded over four albums and eight earth years in cities across the UK.The music of "To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1" contains naturally elegant orchestration wrapped around something visceral and primordial. Swirled inside the 11 pieces are shades of Japanese Min’yo folk, Celtic folk, the Ethio-jazz of saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya and hints of the pan-human ‘ancient music’ that sat underneath Arthur Russell’s melodies on First Thought, Best Thought. The music is filled with space, inspired, he says, by computer games and Japanese animation, particularly Joe Hisaishi’s soundtrack for Studio Ghibli’s Castle In The Sky.The record combines new compositions alongside bygone instrumentals and understated lullabies that feel like they’ve been picked from between the cracks of civilisation. These songs were collected from albums "Copernicus," "The Jester," and "Peach" – under-the-radar records that preceded his critically acclaimed 2019 release The Corner of a Sphere. The new tunes feature Dan ‘Danalogue’ Leavers of The Comet Is Coming and Sarathy Korwar alongside a host of London’s finest musicians. (....)

A collection of 12 taarab songs from 1960s coastal Kenya by Yaseen Mohamed (Mac & Party). Musically rich and unique for its time and place, this compilation is a treasure trove of songs and a feast for your ear.Yaseen’s arrangements drew influences from Indian and Egyptian film music, rhythm and blues, jazz and Latin music. Sung with a characteristic, dark voice, Yaseen’s Swahili poetry was layered over rich percussion patterns, accompanied by the distinctive sound of the Clavioline (a proto-synth) and amplified taishokoto, a novelty harp instrument of Japanese origin that Yaseen helped popularise in Kenya in the 1940s. On many songs he is accompanied by his wife Mimi on vocals.Compiled from the elusive Mzuri catalogue, originally released in Kenya in the 60’s, the LP comes with extensive liner-notes describing the life of Yaseen,his musical background and the early days of the Kenyan record industry.

"Siegfried Kessler played with numerous artists and namely Yochk'o Seffer. Considered as one of the most brilliant pianists of his time, he recorded several albums. Man & Animals is one of his earliest and freshest recordings."

L'idéal ce serait un texte tellement bien écrit qu'on puisse se passer d'écouter la musique qu'il accompagne. Un vocabulaire poétique voire exotique, une syntaxe déroutante et une liste abracadabrantesque de références obscures. On pourrait aussi dire que c'est de la pop. Anglaise ? Américaine ? Name dropping : Brian Wilson ? John Lennon ? Big Star ? Mais peut- être aussi The Flaming Lips ? Tame Impala ? Air ? Non ? C'est chiant, déjà ? C'est vague ? Peut-être. Une histoire ?Monsieur Thibauld Labey écrit des chansons, depuis longtemps, à l'écart mais bien souvent en plein dans le mille, selon certains. Entre pure joie et désespoir, naïveté enfantine et aigre cynisme il trimballe tant bien que mal un spleen qui s'illumine aux couleurs de ses rencontres.Depuis A*Song et ses trois albums jusqu'à TRUMPETS OF CONSCIOUSNESS aujourd'hui, avec Thomas Chignier, Quentin Martinod, Sly Apollinaire, Noé Macary et Mathieu Larue. Après un premier LP éponyme sorti en 2016 (Le Pop Club Records / Echo Orange) le groupe monte sur scène, fait une série de dates au Canada et vend tous ses vinyles. Alors voilà un autre disque, il s'appelle Approximate, il y a deux titres en français, il sort en avril 2019 avec, à nouveau, une pochette signée David Sala.