Disk Max – it’s a shame (the mixtape)
A disorienting, head-spinning display of sample mangling and MPC fuckery. Rhythmically disorienting and sonically dazzling, the stream-of-consciousness flow of ideas belies any architectural plan but the listener is nonetheless gripped by the ideas presented by this keen ear and musical intelligence.
Disclosure: the producer/composer behind this project is my most-frequent musical collaborator and best friend. When we play together, regardless of instrumentation, it is hard to distinguish where his sounds start and mine end. There is no way for me to be unbiased.
Gangrene – Heads I Win, Tails You Lose
Gangrene is the collaboration between producer/rappers The Alchemist and Oh No and it was the most consistently satisfying Hip-Hop album I heard all year (honorable mention to LL Cool J, who proved he can still deliver lyrically).
Jabu – A Soft and Gatherable Star
I put this album on expecting some post-dubstep UK Bass club music. What I got instead is a lonely-bedroom shoegaze atmosphere worthy of Slowdive or Cocteau Twins, with a little bit of Blonde Redhead thrown in. Marinate in melancholy.
Shane Parish – Repertoire
A solo guitar album from The Ahleuchatista’s Shane Parish. His version of Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman” is worth the price of admission alone. He really captures the spirit of the material he is working with (Ornette, Eric Dolphy, Fred Rogers, Alice Coltrane) and creates something new with every interpretation.
Samuel Reinhard – Movement
Samuel Reinhard’s 2020 release “Miniatures” was one of my most frequent listens last year, whether I needed a soothing balm in the middle of the day or I was trying to fall asleep in bed. His latest, “Movement,” fulfills the same needs for me. The patiently paced, gentle piano core is surrounded and supported by its own natural decay as well as electronically enhanced textures. The macro-lens detail of the string and woodwind instruments bring to mind Ekkehard Ehlers’ 2002 release “Plays.” As with all of the best ambient music, this works in the background but it also rewards close attention.