Björk
Bastards

Själen is a Stockholm-based duo consisting of Johan Jan Jonason and Mats Andberg.Spirit High is their debut album, arriving after the band’s previous Studio Barnhusappearances with 2020’s heartfelt ballad “Älska mig” as well as a single release of thisalbum’s title track in summer 2021.On Spirit High, multi-instrumentalist Andberg together with album co-producer AxelBoman weave a shimmering lo-fi tapestry that frontman Jonason vigorously tears apartusing simple iconic phrases delivered with a unique singing voice – naïvely desperate,delicately forceful. No posing, just transparency! No nuances, just the pure expression ofSjälen! Out December 10 on Studio Barnhus.

Dark Fields stands out from the barrage or recent Spanish experimental-industrial underground re-issues as one of the most obscure and surrounded by mysticism.One massive track with no cuts, recorded in 1979 under the motto "a silence that makes dogs bark" and released by Klamm in 1983 in a tiny edition of 300, the trio disbanded shortly after finishing the recording and never looked back.Darker than tar atmospheres with Resident's like vocals, this is the brainchild of Caballero T's obsessions with Brian Eno's work, who found the perfect partners in Tres' psychotic vocals and the studio wizardry of Señor Nada. Reissued by Madrid's Equilibrio, who already gave us Randomize's ¿Como se divertirán los insectos? Not for the faint of heart. [info sheet from distr.]

Le label Born Bad a sorti une compilation rendant hommage à l’europop et à la proto-house française des années 1990 à 1995.Curaté par les DJs Belec et Sainte Rita, l’album revient sur l’histoire de « la variante franchouillarde de la dance pop anglaise », s’interrogeant sur l’arrivée de la house en France et ses liens avec la variété de la fin des années 80, alors que les premières musiques électroniques étaient à la fois omniprésentes et diabolisées.Au programme : dix pépites nostalgiques francophones agréablement kitsch aux influences new beat, dream house, pop, trip hop et rap, reflétant parfaitement l’ambiance ingénue et rêveuse du début des années 90.While the French were building towards the global explosion of French Touch and the arrival of Daft Punk on the world stage, the British were busy getting off their tits in fields up and down the country to a mix of rave, breakbeat and jungle. This fascinating collection is the sound of a load of French artists essentially having a go at British dance music, aping rave culture and emulating club trends. It's curious and fun, with melodic tracks, expansive grooves and plenty of sinewy synths all making a new dance language that is familiar yet different to the one we all know and love. Importantly, it all works well.

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