A rich return to form; Anchorsong with ‘Tunis Dream’

The Tokyo born, London-based producer announces a highly anticipated homecoming, with new paths ahead for the landmark artist

Anchorsong is an artist whose return has been long awaited by fans and critics alike. The work of Tokyo born artist Masaaki Yoshida, Anchorsong is a project which has just reached its 10th year with the Tru Thoughts label. The mixed electronica collections released over the course of those ten years have drawn acclaim from major trend setters and media outlets, particularly from primetime presenters on BBC Radio like Lauren Laverne and Gilles Peterson. Sets for the Boiler Room and Glastonbury have occurred alongside support performances for Bonobo and DJ Krush. It’s been an undeniably strong journey.

The elements in Anchorsong’s music which stir up this attention are manifold, and like many artists there’s no fixation to be found on certain genre in his discography. Ambient and shoegaze form part of his work, downtempo and hip-hop groove also finding a place. The use of an MPC2500 sampling drum machine is a characteristic choice, but hardware is often limited only by creativity which there’s no shortage of here.

Fresh single ‘Tunis Dream’ is the first track to appear from Anchorsong since his third album in 2018. Travel and mindfulness influence the mood, finishing a smooth beat and groove infused melody.

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Time to wander, with Lutes Jennings’ ‘Extensions’

Extensions of a previous sound. Longform, Drone based music out of Toronto. https://lutesjennings.bandcamp.com/

Jennings offers an expansive creation housed within a diminutive discography

For the time being, Lutes Jennings is minimal. It’s an adjective that applies not just to the artist’s sound, but the project’s presence. Only two tracks have currently been released under the artist’s name, but the extended length and sunset slow pace of evolution driving forward the music means that already an environment of sound has begun to form.

Together the two tracks form the EP ‘Extensions’, a collection which reaches over seventeen minutes in total. The tone throughout the release fluctuates, at times contracting with cool waves of synth and crackles of found sound, and then later exhaling, finding warmth and light infused within the electronic glow.

In terms of its genre placement, the work of Lutes Jennings comfortably finds a home in ambient and drone, although tastes from other avenues of sound wander in. ‘Wander’ is in fact a word which seems appropriate for the artist’s style. The tracks are painstakingly gentle, with composed movements lain out across the generous timescale chosen by Jennings. It’s an ambitious release in its slow burn pace, not just bringing an ambience into life, but taking the time to walk moment by moment through the world being created.

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‘Mind out of Joint’; Matt Jencik returns with nocturnal drone

From Chicago Illinois, Matt Jencik has been piecing together a two track release, heady with experimental drone synth. Jencik has previously been involved with a variety of groups in the past, typically contributing his skills as a guitarist. He’s released two albums on the Kranky label with the four-piece group Implodes, in addition to being part of the energy behind the bands Hurl, Don Caballero, Thee Speaking Canaries, and Taking Pictures; connections which go back to the early 90’s.

Jencik continued to develop his sound through performances with Slint and PAPA M while beginning to turn his focus more towards the world of electronic, releasing a collaboration with Jeremy Lemos in 2014. A few years down the line and Jencik dropped the drone and shoegaze LP ‘Weird Times’, taking the curious approach of deconstructing his previously unused guitar riffs to use them as inspiration points for ambient moods.

His next major release was the well-received Dream Character album, and the dual track release now made public on the 5th of May is comprised of two songs produced around that creative era. Discover atmosphere warping, minimalist drone, given form by the organ-heavy synth that lies within this sound.

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City vibes with Parking Lot's Los Angeles drones tape

The artist ‘Parking Lot’ inhabits a large territory, moving through genres such as Shoegaze, Dreampop, Lofi, House and Jungle. Constraints on which area he draws on for inspiration throughout the Los Angeles Drone Tape are relaxed, with five unique tracks twisting around a diverse collection of sounds. The artistic direction of the EP is motivated by experience with Los Angeles, the natural environment surrounding the city, the much more urban area within, and the dance music culture which exists in that space.

Each distinctive song explores a different atmosphere and a difference facet of the city, with subdued rave vibes and more expansive synths earning their own respective places. The heavy, systematic beats present in the tracks 909 and Los Angeles evoke a sense of tribute paid to more classic House, and with the filtering of the deep modulation through a Lofi filter, the result feels like a hazy recollection of the 90’s club scene.

Though there’s diversity within the sound, each track is permeated by Parking Lot’s dreamlike ambience, an underlying characteristic unsurprising considering the Dreampop, Shoegaze and Lofi connection. The release that we’re left with is an aesthetic attempt to capture the spirit of a city.

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The Architecture of Sound with Nicolas Godin

Paris born musician Nicolas Godin, well known for being half of the groundbreaking French electronic duo ‘Air’, delivers his new track ‘The Border’ in anticipation of his upcoming solo album dropping early next year. The title of the track is a reference to an influential architect of the 20th Century, Mies van der Rohe, who built the Barcelona pavilion in 1929 and with it ushered in a new era of paradigm-shifting modern architecture. Godin studied architecture in Versailles and is surely an individual who expresses himself through space and design, sensibilities placed at the forefront of his sonic output.

The uplifting single ‘The Border’ is out now on Because Music, following up his acclaimed solo album debut "Contrepoint" from more than four years ago. The new single features Godin's voice with a touch of vocoder processing, working in harmony with the rich chordal movements, all complimented by a subtle drum beat reminiscent of the many musical gems this man has been a part of in the past. This piece lends itself to the concept of simplicity, with just a few elements building towards a great architecture of its own. Using arpeggiators, strings, plucks and other electronic elements, The Border invites us to explore the minimal qualities of modern architecture with our ears. It is also a very welcomed invitation to the modern sound of Nicolas Godin as we anxiously await his second solo album over the coming months.

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The individual approach of SigObrilllAndo – True Mental

"True Mental" es el primer single del nuevo álbum de SigObrilllAndo, "Cosmic Zoo". Siguiendo la línea experimental de sus últimos dos lanzamientos, Landini agrega nuevos ritmos de percusión latina, sintetizadores profundos y beats electrónicos. Descarga en: https://samsararcds.bandcamp.com/album/true-mental-single - Web: www.sigobrilllando.com - Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/sigobrilllando/sets - Instagram: www.instagram.com/sigobrilllando/ - Facebook: www.facebook.com/sigobrilllando/ Producido, mezclado y masterizado por José Cerda ( ESDLCP / Bruxista ) Samsara Records.

Unlike some of our submissions, True Mental by SigObrilllAndo is a track that’s been given time to spread its wings, reaching a little past six minutes. It’s not the most predictable of productions either. My expectations of a sudden, heavier pulse of bass taking advantage of the song’s build up took a while to recede, as I realised there was no incoming acceleration.

Personally, I tend to hear more songs that have sudden, dramatic changes in rhythm or style, designed to catch the listener and guide their perception. In contrast, there’s a unique kind of value in the way that True Mental seems much less concerned about the audience, and entirely at ease with the sound it delivers. The introductory hits of percussion were something I expected to be quickly discarded in favour of more impactful bass or synth, but instead SigObrilllAndo keeps the faith, letting the percussion roll through as the key player.

That’s not at all to say this is a song without variety. The track brings us through soft vocals, a pleasingly funky shift in the song, and some alien flicks of electronic. There are some moments of intensification, but instead of aggression the focus is on an overlap of the mellow levels developed within the track. Instead of searching for an effective way to make a distinguishable impact through breaks or crescendo the artist builds layers, each creative and confident.

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