Katatonic Silentio
Les Chemins De L'inconnu

Once upon a time in a strange, distant world... Three characters Anouar, Guillaume, Jacques and their acolytes went in search of the original swamp to make a break with the urban beliefs. From an urgent need to leave town for a journey, they said to me that a call of the forest leads their willing. Le Marais as one named it in French, is a place of stagnant water, generally shallow and invaded by aquatic or herbaceous vegetation. It is an uncommon wetland populated by bacteria... from a distance I would bet I have heard sounds coming from it. The elders alerted the three heroes that the swamp is not a silent space, at night it seems animated by an underground energy. From the depths of the poorly drained areas of the water system, bubbles of gas rise to the surface and sequence a weird melody. Illustration by Ginwawa, graphic design by Del.duc, mastered by Jules Payen.

BIRTHMARK / WITHDRAWN / SUNUN / VMO$ / BOOFYCL 002Cold Light MusicHand-stamped and numbered white label with A4 insert. Edition of 250Dank, modern Bristol trip hop vibes from scene regulars such as VMO$ & Boofy, plus new names Birthmark, Withdrawn, and Sunun, all rounded up by new label; Cold LightOne for the smokers and night owls, ‘CL002’ proves that the enervated energy of Avon’s bassy epicentre is still glowing like embers of an old fire, coming with the blunted shunt and bloo haze of Birthmark, who sounds like he’s got the flu on ‘Haunted’, before lending a slightly less sluggish turn on Withdrawn’s ‘I Have Known Rivers’. Sunun follows on the flip with a findus crispy cut of BoC-like flutes overgrown with vinyl crackle and a web of insectoid percussion, leaving VMO$ & Boofy to shut the lights off with a blushing crush of screwed R&B, Houston-via-Bristol style.

C’est ainsi que le regretté écrivain musical et critique d’art Greg Tate a commencé ses nouvelles notes pour ce numéro d’Americana. « LE PROJET MUSICAL DE KANE RETOURNE AUX ORIGINES DE LA MUSIQUE NOIRE, PARCE QUE LES EXPLORATIONS ET LES RÉALISATIONS MUSICALES DU GROUPE SONT EXCEPTIONNELLES, BIEN QUE VOUS NE LE SAUREZ PAS D’APRÈS L’ACCUEIL QU’ILS ONT REÇU. »Rudy Tambala et Alex Ayuli, les esprits musicaux derrière A.r. kane sont « deux aristos à peine légaux d’ascendance malawi/britannique et nigériane élevés à cockney-sprechen est de londres », comme l’a fait référence à eux : « deux dope boyz qui s’étaient revendiqués par télépathie comme meilleurs amis vers l’âge de 8 ans et qui, en 1986, ont revendiqué toutes les caractéristiques susmentionnées de l’aliénation noire, de la rage noire, du silence noir, du bruit noir et du ragga noir comme leur propre sonore et lumineux.il n’est pas exagéré de dire qu’A.R. kane était l’un des groupes les plus importants de la fin des années 80 et du début des années 90 : ils ont lancé la tendance shoegaze, ils ont inventé la dreampop…Et pourtant, quand est venu le temps pour les masses de se rallier autour d’eux, les grillons.L’industrie de la musique est dans une ère de redécouverte – nous regardons et écoutons tous, déterrons des chefs-d’œuvre négligés et reconsidérons leur importance maintenant. il est temps pour A.R. d’être reconnu.Les révolutions et les évolutions de Kane, des radicaux libres discordants et dissidents du rythme et du bruit noirs aux romantiques de la danse de chambre, des transformations audacieuses et autodéterminées.

Six albums deep and showing no signs of slowing, White Lies are taking things even more confessional than before on their new album As I Try Not To Fall Apart. Don't be fooled by the anthemic tone of the title track, which has been doing the rounds since the release was announced back in September - this is an album which looks inwards with unflinching honesty. From 'Am I Really Going To Die' to 'I Don't Want To Go To Mars', this is a record taking in the heaviness of the human condition in the modern age. Fortunately, such ominous portents go down much smoother encased in the shimmer of plush synth pop, and White Lies do that oh so very well.

Faithful to the ethos of the label to put new talents on the map, the second E2-E8 release comes from newcomer Hems. A regular punter at underground festivals such as Freerotation and Labyrinth, Hems spends some of his time making great electronic music in his East London cave… And we are very happy to be the first to put his music out.A fine connoisseur of ambient and electronica, Hems has sometimes featured on the line-ups of Astral Industries parties. This release covers a wide spectrum of his sound. The almost beatless title track Post Radiance opens things up, followed by the subtle dub techno of I Know This Road and by the raw and relentless beat of Dirty Chords. On the B side, Let It Go is a suspended 15-minutes journey clocking in at 140bpm – arguably the highlight of the EP, sounding like little else out there. Madsituation closes the EP, with a nod at lighter atmospheres and a hint at Detroit-influenced strings.Techno heads will be pleased to hear that the record has already got praises from techno talent Refracted, who loves Let It Go, and from Jane Fitz.