2021 in Review (Part 1)
I regret how much I have been away from The Sun Lounge over the past year, but it was necessary due to some large scale life changes and issues with personal health. However, there was so much amazing music in 2021 that I would still love the chance to write about, and over the coming weeks, I will post a small series of year end reviews cataloging many of my favorite releases from across the year. My hope here is both to get back into the flow of writing, and to clear the slate, so that I can approach the music of 2022 unencumbered. And in some spiritual sense, this is me returning to the source for inspiration, as the very firsts posts on this blog collected together my favorite releases from 2017.
This first part contains 30 releases and reviews, and sometime next week, a second part will follow in a similar format. I cannot commit to anything else beyond that, but there is much more music to discuss than even 60 releases, and I have the sincerest intentions to write about more than this if I can find the time. While these reviews are not near so longwinded as my standard fare, I still tried to be as detailed as possible…at least within reason…and though this is coming a bit late, I figure if most people can get away with posting these lists in early December before everything has finished releasing, then I can do so into late January. Above all, I sincerely hope you find some amazing new music here, or are at least reminded of a cool LP or tape you forgot somewhere along the way.
Fuga Ronto - Greatest Treasure (Phantom Island) If forced to pick a favorite album from 2021, a strong contender would be Fuga Ronto’s Greatest Treasure. Ron Shiller and Tobi Schweizer completely floored me back in 2016 with Invisible Escape, which is about as perfect an LP of White Isle escapism as I can possibly imagine. And somehow with Greatest Treasure, the duo have outdone themselves in crafting a follow-up that is every bit as tropical and tripped out as their debut, yet that also benefits from an enhanced sense of cohesion and a noticeable progression in songcraft. As usual, the Pasador Singers are present with their ebullient vocal patterns, mixing syrupy masculine lows and celebratory feminine highs…all while Shiller and Schweizer craft paradisiacal grooves taking in sun-soaked reggae, islander dub funk, 80s pop exotica, Far Eastern fusion, acid-trip ambient, desert caravan disco, cinematic soundscape psychedelia, world-infused new wave, and much else besides. Stand out moments abound, beginning with the immerse ambient environments and radio broadcasts of the opener, and continuing into the liquid bass grooves, rocksteady skanks, and evolving layers of charismatic vocal magic of the title track…which features hypnotizing group chants, swooning croons, and Sade-esque soul serenades, in addition to light touches of g-funk. Shuffling seaside disco drums dance beneath wordless AOR vocal coos and cascades of crystalline marimba in “Columba de Domingo,” and fourth world fantasy melodies and stoner funk licks accent a slow and low body bop in “Wobble in the Pool”…with heavy soundsystem basslines rattling the chest alongside banging dub drum rhythmics. “Mirror To Water” is pure intoxication, as cosmic ethers pool around a bouncing slap funk dub and balearic soul groove, with almost all the action happening in the completely mesmeric interplay of human voice…the Pasador Singers moving between spiritual chants, hyperventilating hooks, and expressive jazz scats. Horizontal closer “Mystery of Zambio” grows increasingly dramatic as it heads towards the sunset territories inhabited by Art of Noise—including a bewitching choral climax—and whether or not Greatest Treasure was actually my favorite album of 2021, I can definitely say that my favorite track was “Falling Star,” where amongst myriad layers of equatorial groove magic and mystical vocal wonderment sits a truly mind-blowing bassline, which is helped along by prismatic displays of six-string funk riffing and solar organ skank, and a truly wonderful chorus of Talking Heads pop-balearica.
Pablo Color - Hora Azul (Ish Records) Staying in Switzerland, I’ll next discuss Pablo Color’s Hora Azul. True to his name, Pablo’s music is inspired by color—specifically the interplay between color and landscape—and his previous album La Calle Roja took inspiration from the his youth in Puerto Sagunto, with music meant to evoke remembrances of walking home from the beach through a city bathed in hues of shimmering gold and romantic red. Hora Azul, on the other hand, moves later into the evening, when the reds and golds of the setting sun give way to deep purples, pastel pinks, and bold and beautiful blues. And the music reflects this in turn, taking on tones of mystical magic and twilight wonderment…the heart-aching guitar fantasias possessing intertwining airs of ethereality and melancholia…everything windswept, wistful, and vaguely weary. As on La Calle Roja, there is a stunning list of collaborators, perhaps foremost of which is Berlin Lama, who on two tracks adds textures of rhythmic and percussive exotica to Pablo’s flowing guitar webs. The artist is then joined by Lexx on “Aire nocturne,” wherein the duo craft a subdued study for echoing ocean swells, meditative hand drums, and sandy cymbal taps. There is also “Alpha y omega,” which sees Pablo collaborating with Suiso Saiz…two masters of ambient and seaside guitar spanning different generations and uniting together for a deep and dreamy expanse of soundbath esoterica. And its becoming something a tradition to let Chee Shimizu close out a Pablo Color album, and here on Hora Azul—working alongside miku mari—the legendary organic musician delivers a sorcerous and psychotropic remix of “El beso y la noche.”
Buena Onda - Balearic Beats 2021 / Vinyl Sampler Uno (Hell Yeah) No surprise that Hell Yeah Recordings had another stellar year, and I spent a lot of time listening and dancing to the Buena Onda - Balearic Beats vinyl samplers. I am particularly obsessed with “Satellite” by Kayroy, which features a heart-wrenching vocal performance from Jaspar Robinson guiding a downbeat paradise chiller, one where electronics beaming in from cosmic oceans surround sensual fuzz licks and syncopated squelch bass slides. As for the rest of Vinyl Sampler Uno, Feel Fly’s “Esperanto” begins with laid back beachside strut before launching into the stars, as vaporous psych guitars soar above galactic bass pulsations, subdued stellar sequences, dreamchord tracers, and heavy bottomed disco beats. Then on the B-side, Max Essa’s flips The Vendetta Suite’s “Neon Secrets” into a shuffling sunset soother, with bending dolphin song keys, solar chord spells, and liquid guitars pulling the heart towards an impossible horizon. And at the end sits “What is Love,” which finds Chris Coco and Micko Roche crafting an awe-inspiring sunset paean built from wood flutes, mediterranean guitar leads, oceanside field recordings, and hypnotizing beach beats.
Buena Onda - Balearic Beats 2021 / Vinyl Sampler Due (Hell Yeah) Vinyl Sampler Due is equally stunning, and begins as Calm delivers a wondrous remix of Gallo’s “Abysso”…the vibe awash in textures of cosmic acid and disco, with chugging 303 lines and four-to-the-floor beats supporting sighing strings and dreamhouse ivories. Tonarunur’s “Flotholt” is deep trek into the heart of the cosmic ocean, with massive acid basslines and subdued technoid drum patterns eventually giving way to a stunning midtrack expanse of heavenly synthesis and seaside sampling…the whole thing not unlike Farbror Resande Mac. On the B-side, Relative’s “The Healing Place” sees energized chill-out breakbeats accented by subtle future jazz and new age flourishes, as dubwise bass funk, lysergic vocal snippets, and starscape keyboard leads give way to radiant piano chord cascades and wiggling acid displays. Then for the final track, Kayroy appears again, though Gallo is entow, providing one of his ever-wonderful “Tropical Hinterhof” remixes. What results is dreamworld display of future-balearica, with shimmering pianos, serene vocal flows, and intergalactic winds blanketing IDM-indebted drum and acid patterns.
The Vendetta Suite - The Kempe Stone Portal (Hell Yeah) I mentioned The Vendetta Suite a few paragraphs back, and happily, this long-time Hell Yeah associate released a much awaited 2xLP in 2021 entitled The Kempe Stone Portal, in which the artist expertly weaves together the many shades and styles appearing across his scattered discography. It is a kaleidoscopic journey of epic proportions, taking the listener through landscapes of neon-soaked new wave, soothing sunset synth-pop, effervescent krautrock, post-punk drug chug, ecstasy-laced dream house, alien jungle acid dub, and cloudland kosmische. Perhaps most surprising of all is “Who Do You Love?”…a cover by The Vendetta Suite main man Gary Irwin of The Jesus & Mary Chain’s own cover of Bo Diddely’s original, which was the producer’s first non-dance related work from back in 1998. And still sounding fresh and freaked out, the result is a heroin haze garage psych burner that evokes nothing so much as classic Spacemen 3.
Aura Safari - Hotel Mediterraneo EP (Hell Yeah) Aura Safari joined the Hell Yeah family recently, and in 2021 the group released three awesome works: the Hotel Mediterraneo EP and Lagos Connect single—both on Hell Yeah Recordings—as well as the Niagara / Agua de luna 7" on Terrasolare. I’ll focus here on the Hotel Mediterraneo EP, wherein coral crystal keyboards, acid bass, and syncopated beats lead a balearic glide, one accented by tambourines, pan flute accents, and synthetic reeds. Textures of cosmic disco and Italo house are slowed to a dopamine dream dance while guitars and keys smolder, chime, and shine over greasy synth bass funk, and sundowner pads float over a dub disco skank while bending squarewaves merge dolphin song and jazz fusion…all amidst radiant runs of piano. Romantic Latin percussions color a sunset disco dance, the vibe patient, methodical, and ultra-slow, and basslines squelch beneath hopeful keyboard refrains, smooth as silk jazz journeys, and sci-fi laser displays.
The Pilotwings - Les Charismatiques (BFDM) In 2021, The Pilotwings added Lastrack to their ranks, and delivered one of the most stunning album experiences of the year in Les Charismatiques. Here, the trio deliver a candy-colored journey through so many shades and styles, with several parts of the album hitting like Trans Am circa Sex Change and Thing. Sparkling synth pop textures and new wave energy grooves merge together as sassy vocal flourishes, anthemic chants, and slap bass funk lines support sky-ripping glam guitars. Blasted boogie drums bash beneath mystical Eastern melodies and druidic throat chants, and serpentine folk guitars lock into psychedelic riff cycles over a stoner prog drum dirge while galactic synths descend rainbow stairways of light…the effect not unlike Pharaoh Overlord/Circle, though with occasional detours taken into soothing sexual funk. Elsewhere, The Pilotwings craft a headtrip of bonged out digi-dub…a skittering bass and splattered drum riddim panorama embellished by zany sample manipulations, aqueous angel breaths, and exotic telephonic tracer melodies. Tribal drum ceremonials awash in interstellar broadcast noise are joined by pastoral guitars swaying in a warm seaside breeze while South Pacific slide melodies, spaghetti western harmonicas, and hazy acid rock vocals create a cinematic panorama of balearic intoxication. Hand drums intersperse pounding funk grooves from faraway planets, wherein arena rock laser leads shred through moments of silence, and masculine vocal sleaze wafts lazily above majestic brass and choral fanfares. And nearing the album’s end, The Piltowings return to very familiar territory, delivering a chill-out breakbeat banger overwhelmed by baroque atmospherics, galactic electronics, and demonic scratch fx; a galactic dance freak jam that pulls much as from tribal trance as it does gonzo 70s space funk; and a sublime slab of eternal broken beat balearica led by faux-exotica vocalizations, new age chime webs, and spiritual shakuhachi spells.
Kanot / Vidock / The Pilotwings - Hit & Run (Abstrack) The Pilotwings were also involved in Kanot’s Hit & Run on Abstrack, which I reviewed in full here. On the two Kanot originals, Can-style krautfunk basslines ping, pong, and pulse over infectious breakbeats and minimalist jazz fusion grooves, while the background swirls with psychotropic shimmers, LSD-glimmers, and refracting webs of echo. Neon-hued synth leads rocket towards universes unknown, and electric and acoustic guitars color the spectrum via heavy doom riffs, liquid fuzz leads, palm-muted echo patterns, and jangling webs of forest folk psychedelia. As for the remixes, Vidock morphs “Turbulens” into a minimal expanse of tribal club drumming and esoteric dub stimulation, wherein acid lines filter through hazes of fire, basslines rattle the ribcage, and mysterious voices babble into the void. Then, The Pilotwings takes the listener on a horizontal rave odyssey awash in mystical magic, wherein ceremonial drums build ever towards ecstasy, futuristic angel voices are chopped into chill-out trance euphoria, laser light arpeggios fire across parallel dimensions, and spiritual choirs sing hymns of the interstellar abyss.
Soshi Takeda - Floating Mountains (100% Silk) Every time I listen to it, I am reaffirmed that Soshi Takeda’s Floating Mountains was my true favorite album of 2021 (I’ll probably say this a lot, but I really mean it here!). Treading the path forged by Larry Heard in the early 90s and possessing a unique melodic sense awash in vibes of imagined nostalgia and bittersweet melancholia, Takeda uses an all hardware setup to concoct escapist paraisos in the old skool balearic mold, majestically morphing between head nodding dream house zoners, trippy beachside chillers, and wide-eyed vistas of ambient intoxication. Loved up club rhythms and jazzy snare flourishes are guided by a bubble bass jack while deep ocean mists surround mystical panpipe leads, drunken sequence cycles, and swirls of galactic light. Equatorial hand percussions pop beneath a new age of panorama of stunning beauty, with smearing steel pans and angelic pad breaths evoking some epic slow motion sunrise…all before pulsing beats and seascape leads work the body into a gentle state of romantic rapture. Phaser strings, tremolo trills, and melting sonic crystals surround heartbreaking melodies of echo-soaked seaglass as they drift peacefully over a slow and low dancefloor pulse, and mermaid voices background prismatic chime displays while seashell flutes and dub chords alternate over rimshots, cymbal shuffles, and a big bulbous four-four kick. Jazz house drums swing and sway beneath smearing siren serenades as dazzling marimba descents pull the heart towards a heavenly horizon. And at the end, gamelan metals and tropical percussion accents support searching guitar slides and a club drum throb…the effect like being whisked away across an infinite ocean surface, with a sky slowly exploding in every possible color.
Liila - Soundness of Mind (Not Not Fun) Liila is the duo of Danielle Davis and Steven Whiteley, who upon meeting at a Zen Buddhist monastery began constructing the mystical musical forms that would become Soundness of Mind. More specifically, the album was conceived during idle time at the monastery using samplers and synths, and later embellished at home studios with further acoustic treatments. The result is a kaleidoscopic journey of wonderment and mystery, which sees sequential cascades of mallet and voice merging, airy basslines bouncing through growing layers of psych organ luminescence, and majestic melodic motions soothing the soul before shaker rhythms introduce a climactic climactic climb towards realms of transcendental light, wherein rainbow lasers bathe the body in a celestial glow. At other moments, caravan jazz rhythms background displays of fourth world fireworks…these textural panoramas of voice, idiophone, and drum sampled and splayed out across the spectrum…and dreamspace pianos swim and soar amidst birdsong, bowed feedback drone, and a crystalline glow. Mystical chime orchestrations and tones of spiritual wood are backgrounded by animalistic saxophone skronk and arrays of methodical temple rhythms; fractal glimmers, orchestral shimmers, and weeping strings swirl above tick-tock marimba meditations and subdued beat structures; and cut-up voices and all manner of indecipherable samples flow in and out of maddening layers of morphing braindance…like Visible Cloaks constructing IDM-influenced dub. And towards the end, plucked zither strings drift through playful progressions amidst clouds of chromium vapor and looping space telephonics.
Troth - Small Movements in Radiance (Not Not Fun) Troth is another duo crafting bewitching ambiance, and in addition to Small Movements in Radiance on Not Not Fun, Amelia Besseny and Cooper Bowman also released their Oak Corridor LP on Knekelhuis. I’ll discuss Small Movements in Radiance here, and in some sense, the title says it all, as Troth use plucked strings, mallet strikes, field recordings, and droning metals to create hushed and subdued compositions awash in a spiritual light…these quiet spells cast against the negative forces of the world. Temple tones quiver, swells of feedback smolder and disperse, and flashes of lullaby melody thread in and out of an echoing forest drum ceremonial that soon recedes to silence. Faded synths hover in hues of monochrome while birdsongs—both real and synthetic—intermingle over a peaceful new age tone poem…one that blurs and softly smolders while bodies of morphing silver resonance occasionally arc across the stereo field. Wavering psych drones from the Bitchitronics school wrap around wind chimes and lofi piano incantations…the effect like an interlude from Mogwai’s Young Team pitched down to a somnambulant slowburn. Later, sacred idiophones ring into space while drones evoke the rippled landings of liquid droplets…a rainfall of ambiance that soon gives way to avian chatter and resonant wave mutations…everything periodically decaying to silence before being awoken again by rapid repetitions of bell and chime. Soothing bass soundbaths birth flowery growths of wordless voice…like angelic beings mimicking the spiritual breath of the universe…over which harp plucks dance like sunbeams, glockenspiels execute mysterious melodic themes, and kosmische organs flutter through slapback, with time kept by methodical chime strokes.
Andra Ljos - Fountain of Inspiration (Not Not Fun) While there is more Not Not Fun coverage to come in the second part of my 2021 in Review series, I’ll finish out this round by discussing the ancient sound ceremonies of Andra Ljos’ Fountain of Inspiration, which like its predecessor The Oasis of Little Birds, is influenced by mythical wellsprings, and more specifically, tells the story of an island water sanctuary in Ancient Greece…the location of Castalia’s death and transformation, and a bathing ground for those seeking the oracle of Delphi. As for the music, on side A, classical kosmische chord progression swim through rivers of sorrow, kalimbas ascend on currents of ether, and cymbal taps phase and flange while deep space leads thread through the air. Woven folk webs emerge over water, bass, and sitar buzz, and dazzling string harmonizations dance both in duel and in round while cracks in the Earth birth ghostly vapors. Cloudy prog chord progressions stoke ritualized energies while minimalist world drums and golden bells underly quivering organs influenced both by Klaus Schulze and reggae skank, which are further colored by whispers and psychotropic leads swathed in distortion. Mellotron flutes sing songs of deep devotion over sparkling oceans of starlight, while subdued sequencers and minimalist world music rhythms float far in the distance. Over on the B-side, sinister voices vaporize amidst headspinning drone constructions…these psychosomatic organ tones that seem to pulsate across the surface of the mind…and exotic dub chord and tribal tom progressions underly reverberating keys and Arabian desert strings. Further layers of Middle Eastern and Aeolian mysticism emerge as bongos background prismatic string plucks and solar organ seances, and eventually, camel caravan rhythms build in strength and propulsion. Elsewhere, time-lag organ accumulations and tremolo string sunstrokes meditate in hushed tones over water samples and cricket chirps, and anodyne android voices drift over a bed buzzing melodics while folksy strings play occasional ditties for a setting sun.
Li Yilei - 之 / OF (Métron Records) Conceptual sound artist Li Yilei, together with Métron, released one of last year’s most compelling and challenging collections of ambient esoterica in 之 / OF. The album was conceived in and around a time of turmoil and transition for the artist, largely stemming from their exodus to Shanghai from the UK at the onset of the pandemic. Having to quarantine for several weeks upon arrival, Li Yilei used the time in isolation to investigate their relationship to the flow of time and to the natural world, while also using the music as a way to digest a wide range of emotions and concepts…”grief, panic, healing, cessation, melancholy, vastness, hope, joy and emptiness.” What results then is a set of meditations on temporal displacement based on reflective introspection, wherein allegorical sound structures merge with snippets of sound from the natural world…everything intertwining, obscuring, and rebirthing into ever new forms. Fractal bell tones quiver in morning mist, birdsong surrounds minimalist dream sequencing…alternatively smeared out or landing like Reich-ian mallets…folk strings turn to ether beneath a rain of celestial arpeggiation, and shaker sounds and field recordings move like a swarm of swallows. Metalloid globules morph through currents of cricket chirp, music box melodies lose themselves in a storm of reversing siren sound, and waves crash over psychosomatic flanger fog before giving way to swirling galactic mists, water drop melodics, and mystifying whispers. Lullaby electronics malfunction alongside industrial engine drones and chickadee chitters and screaming geese blend with broken satellite transmissions while elsewhere, symphonies built from bowed alloy and vibrating crystal detune wildly, digital marimbas dance amidst typewriter buzz, and voices babble over kosmische tribal.
Sasha Vinogradova & Alina Anufrienko - Oko (Hidden Harmony Recordings) Hidden Harmony Recordings continued to source incredible sounds in 2021, and I was particularly enamored with Sasha Vinogradova’s & Alina Anufrienko’s Oko LP, which merges electronics, voice, and strings to stunning effect. Cello drones and filter sweeps support flutters of wordless vocalization, meditative metalloids melt over subliminal beat structures, and mesmerizing bow strokes refract layers of light as Vinogradova’s singing grows increasingly unhinged…the whole thing not unlike early Charalambides. Wooden drums and dubby downtempo sub bass background moonlit synth leads and careening phaser cellos—and twinkling keys, wheezing reeds, and underwater orchestral accents support a drifting vocal elegy concerned with the strength in sadness and the silence following death, which eventually devolves into a wordless wall of droning terror, wherein unknowable voices speak the secrets of ghosts. Malfunctioning morse codes buzz over broken string seances and modular electronics add a subtle sense of propulsion while anti-musical organs obscure conversational chit chat. Rains of seasick sequencing evoke falling snow as child-like voices grow increasingly unhinged while dancing upon threads of cello-generated serenity…all before rustling tribal beats make an appearance…like a brief astral flight towards some psychedelic forest ceremonial. Exotic percussive whispers support lullaby sequences and strange synthetic squiggles for a fourth world odyssey into the sphere of dreams, with the album’s liner notes suggesting visages of a “giant ship sailing in the distance.” Then, at the end, tick tock taps and flutey synths dance together while strings sing whalesongs over harmonious chimes..the whole thing slowly vaporizing into otherworldly ether.
B'Zircon / Perko - Lazulination EP (Kalahari Oyster Cult) B'Zircon is something of a sonic dream team, pairing as it does two of my favorite practitioners of triptastic rave: Roza Terenzi and Fantastic Man. There are two original cuts here on the Lazulination EP, with opener “Azure” barreling down into a deep trip of progressive house ecstasy that features lysergic vocal cut ups, bugged out acid basslines, and anthemic chord progressions. On the flip sits “Lazulination,” an extended excursion starting its life as a liquid breakbeat trip out before evolving into a zoned out odyssey of progressive, techno, and trance textures…the vibe at once energizing and calming. And as a special treat, Perko’s remix smashes both cuts together into a balmy and futuristic slice of dubwise downbeat.
Fantastic Man - Cloud Management (Test Pressing x Love International) Speaking of Fantastic Man, the artist teamed with Test Pressing and Love International for the excellent Cloud Management 12". Here, Fantastic Man pushes towards some of his most balearic work yet, with euphoria-inducing breakbeats and psychosomatic bass patterns working the body beneath dreamspace pianos, aqueous pads, and polychrome clouds of electro-tracer lysergia. Elsewhere, low slung acid lines grind and growl as slow motion tribal rhythmics and animalistic electronics evoke alien jungle ecosystems. And rounding out the experience is a jacking acid and breakbeat workout accented by flowing melodies of sea-floor crystal.
Peyote Dreams / Roza Terenzi / Alex Kassian - State of Mind (Slack Mix) (Love on the Rocks) “State of Mind (Slack Mix)” by Peyote Dreams was written in 1993 (and remixed in 94), and was put back into the ether last year by Love on the Rocks. The original is a pure adrenaline rush of proto-trance rhythmics, rubber band synth bass, popping tabla rhythms, Goan forest squelch, and cosmic synthesis that doesn’t let up for a single second across its extended run time. Instead, it just continually evolves, working the body into a state of pure ecstasy, and tickling the mind with layers of extra-terrestrial acid psychedelia. On the B-side, Alex Kassian presents a muscular and supercharged update that skews close to the vibe of the original, though a bit slower and more spacious—minimized in some respects, maximized in others—with dopamine vocal samples, cracking dub drum fill fx, and a modernized big room trance feel. And then there is Roza Terenzi, who makes the absolutely inspired decision to slow the track way down into contemporary trance and progressive breakbeat territory, with the subsonic frequencies jacked up and that bassline becoming a slithering dub club head-nodder. Tablas pop slow and low and the beats are bolstered by additional percussive accents, while slow motion space sequences, otherworldly synth fogs, and psychotropic dolphin calls arc across the sky.
Alex Kassian - Leave Your Life (Pinchy & Friends) While on the subject of Alex Kassian, I’ll mention here the artists utterly spellbinding Leave Your Life release on Pinchy & Friends. If “Fallen Star” by Fuga Ronto was my track of the year, “Leave Your Life (Lonely Hearts Mix)” was a VERY close second, and sees Kassian deftly sampling a familiar Jon Anderson vocal hook and then repurposing it into the single greatest pop track of 2021, one that’s earned more than a few Talk Talk comparisons. The drums stomp steadily beneath a rainfall of shimmering guitar, with emotive basslines growling and sliding into the depths of the heart. Multi-lingual vocal samples flow in and out, subdued pads breath in hues of gold and silver, and by the time that anthemic hook hits, there is nothing left but pure surrender, as mind and body succumb completely to Kassian’s blissed out world of wavey art rock perfection. Following an amped up, dubbed out, and tribalized house remix of “Leave Your Life,” Kassian then delivers “Spirit of Eden,” an exotic hammock house sundowner owing a bit to Metheny and Mays, which is subsequently transformed by Bill Laswell into a deeper than deep jazz flute and echo dub odyssey.
Pejzaż - Wyspa (The Very Polish Cut Outs) Bartosz Kruczyński’s sample/edit project Pejzaż released not one but two new albums in 2021, though I’ll only discuss Wyspa here, as Noce i Dnie has yet to arrive. Even for Pejzaż, the range of styles and moods presented across the Wyspa LP is shocking, as Kruczyński expertly weaves together hundreds of samples sourced from forgotten corners of Poland’s musical history, resulting in perhaps his strongest work to date. Woozy rap and lysergic trip-hop rhythms boom and bap, with thrilling transitions and startling cuts giving a continual sense of narrative progression. Forest folk guitars drift over acid jazz breakbeats while emotive soul hooks loop through the air, filmic orchestrations sing through layers of vinyl crackle as sleepy-eyed voices spit lyrical flows, and samples of earnest art-rock ephemera transform into glorious hymns of praise for eternal ocean, while elsewhere, piano loops shower down moonlight and strings sigh beneath layers of falsetto pixie soul. Porn funk wah guitars waver over rain samples and broken downtempo grooves while ivories, mallets, and sax evoke vaporwave sunsets; mysterious drones murmur through stretches of melting ambient; and fried fuzz guitars shred over power trio psych grooves before dropping abruptly into bouncing bubblegum pop exotica. Best of all, minimalist cascades constructed from synthetic FM glass give way to a completely arresting section of DnB and junglist mayhem, the gonzo layers of adrenaline fueled beat science alternaely supporting syrupy raps and heart-wrenching hooks of paradise soul.
Mori-Ra - Japanese Breeze (Rotating Souls / Forest Jams) Turning my attention now to another master of the edit, Mori-Ra released his most ambitious and colorful work to date with Japanese Breeze, which features selections from the artists long running mix series of the same name. Though this is not always the case, Mori-Ra’s productions tend towards the ultra-psychedelic end of the balearic spectrum, with the artist reconfiguring all manner of popular and experimental musical ephemera from his native Japan into far-out drug chuggers, blasted and bass heavy dub disco dancers, slow stoner funk rockers, equatorial exotica boppers, and stretches of hypnotic body music minimalism. And while much of this is indeed present on Japanese Breeze, the artist seems to be operating with a slightly lighter touch at times, and many of the tracks are are suffused with an air of tropical city-pop optimism and a clean jazz fusion sheen, including the ripping phaser leads and adrenaline heavy funk disco rhythms and prog rock progressions of “Sky;” the infectious electrosoul rhythms, slap bass flourishes, photo hip hop hooks, and sky-burning solos of “Suddenly;” and also one of my favorite tracks all year in album opener “Feel”…a fresh blast of bouncing synth bass, fuzz guitar pyrotechnics, and hazy AOR hooks that seem to drift towards infinite horizons. Elsewhere, Mori-Ra barrels down into stretches of sorcerous dance psychedelia and leftfield groove esoterica, such as on “Pygmy,” where chaos clusters of tripped out organ fall over a sweaty and tribalistic house groove; on “Image,” which layers idiophones, desert riffs, and whooshing winds over a Latin-infused drum machine groove; and on “Modern,” with a vibe looking forward to Land of Light’s “Flares” and wherein skeletal beats and squelch bass blasts underly gothic string incantations, mystical piano cascades, islander hand drums, and threads of angel breath…all before ascending to the stratosfear on waves of celestial light…as liquid keys and harmonious chord strokes rain down over a triumphant rhythmic eruption.
Various Artists - Chill Pill III (Public Possession) Public Posession’s Chill Pill series is, at least to my mind, a modern attempt to recreate the vibes of Jose Padilla’s Cafe del Mar mixetapes, as well as things like React’s Real Ibiza series. In other words, they are compilations intent on surveying and collecting some of the finest downbeat, chill-out, ambient, and outsider balearica being made currently. But whereas the first two volumes leaned slightly more balmy and blissful, Chill Pill III at times pushes into psychedelic, rocking, and club friendly territory, and the interplay between the heady and horizontal makes for an extremely captivating listening experience. There are truly too many standouts to name across the 2xCD set, but I will at least mention the Floydian prog funk of Turzi’s “Watermill,” the anthemic downer pop of “White Flag” by 6 Underground, the Ibiza-gazing and jazz-indebted downtempo of Nice Girl’s “Will U,” the supremely stoned fuzz rock cruiser “P.C.H.” by Avocado Highway, and the setting sun soul sway of Mogwaa’s & Xin Seha’s “숨(Breath).“ Elsewhere, there are moments of blissful introspection, such as the organic rhythms of and sleepy-eyed acoustic flourishes of Martin Brugger’s “Fall Out,” and the American primitive and freak folk romances of Suzanne Kraft’s “ChaptersAC464.” Andras deliver krautrock-leaning stretches of cloudform breakbeats in “cp3”…like Harmonia scoring a post rave chill-out room…and R_R_ lets a dusty and jazz-soaked hip hop rhythm walk beneath melting pads, quivering melodics, smearing chime strands, and lullaby arps. And as for one of my absollute favorite tracks all year, Superpitcher’s “Sometimes” lets narcotizing minimalist club grooves and lysergic sample manipulations dazzle the mind and body while kinetic echo guitars, mystical Middle Eastern melodies, and stirring string synths flow in and out of the stereo field.
Various Artists - HOME (Warm) HOME is a towering achievement in the world of compilations, and is that ultra-rare type of collection that functions as a seamless and self-contained whole. Carefully and lovingly curated by Ali Tillet, the album merges field recordings from Gary Moore with exclusive selections from a truly incredible selection of artists, and each side is themed after different scenic locations around Tillet’s home of Dorset. The result is a paean to both landscape and soundscape, as gentle, horizontal, and organic strains of ambient and balearic merge with immersive soundbaths sourced from the natural world. To name some highlights, Natural Calamity deliver a beautiful expanse of Café del Mar-style magic, as jazz cymbals, island hand drums, shakers, and gentle rainfalls of acoustic guitar are overlaid by heartaching string orchestrations and wordless vocal enchantments…the effect not unlike Sth. Notional’s “Yawn Yawn Yawn.” Paqua are here with an instrumental version of “Escondido” from Claremont Editions 2, wherein lofi exotica beats anchor an infectious acoustic guitar, funk bass, and squelch synth sway, one that eventually builds to a climax of oceanic pad layers and a ripping solo of stoner blues. As for Coyote, the pair thread a characteristically lysergic vocal sample through stuttering broken beats and prismatic dub electronics, while overheard, seaglass pianos, currents of brass, and angel breath guitars land like a mirage. Kirk Digorgio presents AS One contributes a stirring post-classical meditation for spectral strings and storming bass, and Brainchild merge chamber orchestrations, jazz rhythms, and fusion piano pyrotechnics, resulting in a rush inducing post-rock epic. Richard Norris lets victorious new age pianos ascend through clouds of galactic ether; Fug craft ambient soul and R&B poetics over minimal arrangements of piano, contrabass, and heavenly voice…all before transitioning into HOME’s second section of emotional post-rock; and Bobby Lee & Mia Doi Todd craft a pastoral psych blues and folk shuffler in the vein of Nev Cottee, Almunia, and Pink Floyd. Appearing again on this list, Pablo Color is joined by HOVE for a study in quiet ambient minimalism and sparkling space drone, which is eventually given motion by currents of deep ocean bass, and to close, Âme create fourth world and minimalist dream music, with smooth brass and balafons dancing…the kind of thing that would fit nicely on D.K.’s Distant Images.
Various Artists - Lucky Are Those Who Hear the Birds Sing (Growing Bin Records) On Lucky are Those Who Hear the Birds Sing, Growing Bin main man Basso has pulled together another surprising set of rarities and forgotten gems dedicated to those chance encounters in life where special records seem to find you, rather than the other way around. Though only progressing across a handful of tracks, the stylistic ground covered is characteristically vast, beginning with the proto-Wolf Müller style tribal dance trance of One Tongue’s “Coffee,” which further features mystical voice samples, Can-style bass mantras, forest flutes, mundane spoken word, and blasts of saxophonic fire. Stars of a recent revival collection on Left Ear, I.A.O. appear next with a track of sunday strolling new age and flowery soft jazz, led by cymbal taps, Afro-folk lullaby melodics, and purring woodwinds. Matthias Raue’s contribution is a joyous set of percussive texture and melodic mirth, as mechanized world drums lock into tribal ceremonial while poorly synthesized orchestras weave hymns of sunshine exotica. “Fruendschaft” by Hardy Kukuk finds mutating sequences tripping and falling over plodding drums and kosmische synths descending like rays of light on a shimmering sea surface, until the whole thing morphs into a soaring slice of pastoral prog balearica. On the flip, Frank Suchland whispers expressively over pan pipes, chime strands, subliminal soul samples, and pooling vortices of reverb in “Schnee,” and on “Conversations of Everyday Lovers,” Die Fische travel to faraway desert oases with their meditative caravan jams…bowed strings, droning organs, and Arabian synths that land like a mirage over methodical world drum structures. And ending the show is perhaps Basso’s finest discovery yet in Hugh Mane’s “Out in the Ether,” wherein liquid future jazz basslines, popping breakbeats, infectious handclaps, morphing space leads, and gemstone idiophonics ride some eternal wave of circular jam fantasy.
Various Artists - Air Waves (Dream Chimney) Dream Chimney made a return to tape in 2021 with the release of Air Waves, and as with their awesome Demo Tracks cassettes from a few years ago, we are treated to an expertly selected set of baked wave chillers, California coastal cruisers, and balearic beaters sourced from all across the world. To be brief, I’ll again mention a handful of highlights, starting with LOVA’s “Lento Levante,” a loved up boogie beat and tropical synth bass groove out surrounded by washing ocean vapors and accented by some of the catchiest guitar hooks of the year…these paradisiacal licks and wailing leads that soar the soul towards a perfect sunset horizon. Also on Side A, Giorgio Lopez lets equatorial idiophones and synthesized ocean crystals sparkle over hyperactive synth bass and desert island dub beats…the whole thing landing somewhere between Fuga Ronto and A Vision of Panorama. Longstanding favorite Faint Waves is also here with a heart-wrenching soft pop sundowner featuring sea samples, symphonic strings, and an understated yet completely dazzling interplay between synth, marimba, and steel pan. Over on Side-B, Sorcerer delivers wiggy, wavering, and futuristic beach funk with some truly stunning whammy bar and surf psych riffadelics, and all-timers Bonnie & Klein amp the energy with hard-hitting slab of mediterranean dance club euphoria led by spacious disco drums, palm-muting riff percolations, glass-toned fusion runs, and galactic descents of synthesized neon. And showing up again to end the show is new favorite Soshi Takeda with tones of spiritual metal and wood falling like a soft tropical storm over a breathtaking soundworld comprised of new age angel pads, minimalist world percussions, sea spray guitar slides, and mutating pan-pipe leads.
Hear & Now - Milvus (Claremont 56) Hear & Now delivered their third immersive long player in 2021, with Milvus landing as always on Claremont 56. The duo of Marcoradi and Ricky L here deliver another stunning collection of spiritual ocean ambient, delirium inducing dreamhouse, funk-infused space disco, and soul-balm balearica, wherein seaside jazz bass walks beneath purring noir brass and fluid blues guitar while cosmic synths and coral-colored pads repeatedly crash like waves to shore. Spaghetti Western whistles flit aside smears of trumpet and sprays of lead guitar over a triumphant Italo house body groove, and melodicas thread through solar organ ska strokes and hovering hazes as dub basslines work the body in support of a rocksteady riddim flow. Seasick pads guide a stretch of Floydian disco and futuristic funk, with thrilling key change basslines and climactic displays of dueling space guitar. Glass pianos climb currents of Adriatic ambient before dropping into chordscape wonderment as everything else transitions towards low down and body banging deep house bliss…a transcendental 90s headtrip perfect for sunset dance escapism…while later, star-dancing disco is pitched down and spread way out, resulting in a head-nodding stretch of slow bass funk and dopamine club drumming overlaid by whalesong guitar ambiance, reverberating reeds, and dub percolations. Metronomic shakers and kicks shuffle beneath subearthen bass slides and raining cascades of seafloor crystal before those infectious whistles return once more, first floating over a beatless paradise, then guiding a sleepy-eyed ambient house dream journey, and at the end sits an engrossing expanse of horizontal romance…a hand drum guided flight into heavenly spheres, with mind and body caressed by angel voices and fuzz guitar vapors, and carried out over the surface of some eternal sea by serene shaker rhythms and pulses of bass sensuality.
Tony Esposito / Hear & Now - Kalimba de Luna (Archeo Recordings) Tony Esposito’s “Kalimba de Luna” is presented here in its long version, and is as searching and sun-soaked as ever, with textures of tropical reggae, cosmic prog, Italo pop, and tribal psychedelia merging beneath colorful woodwind accents and Esposito’s pleading vocal refrains. As for the remixes by Hear & Now—which sound all the more radical and transformative sitting next to the original—we first have the “Land of Sunshine Remix,” which sees balmy sunrise swells and hand drums backgrounded by seaside field recordings while emotive basslines walk white sand beaches. Snippets of voice smear into oceanic fog, gemstone pianos ascend to the heavens, and during a midtrack breakdown, guitars quiver and sing alongside celestial strings and desperate voices…all until hand drums and liquid leads return the spirit to a world of ambi-balearic bliss. Hear & Now’s “Onda Nueva Remix,” on the other hand, immediately launches into narcotizing disco and burning boogie, with syncopated bassline stabs, cracking club drums, Floydian palm mutes, heady future chants, and energized 70s-style piano riffs…everything building and building towards a climactic launch into a neon sky, with interstellar arps firing and galactic blues guitars wailing far in the distance.
L’Eclair - Confusions (Les Disques Bongo Joe) L’Eclair’s newest 2xLP Confusions takes things to a whole new level for the band, as they wrote and produced the album over an extended period of months, which contrasts their usual tendency to record live to tape over the course of a few days. Afforded the space and time to refine their compositions, L’Eclair ended up producing an expansive and awe-inspiring paean to the history of progressive head music, one that—at least to these ears—intersects the various works of a wide range of artists and styles…Emrbyo, Can, Mushroom, Magma, Tortoise, Guapo, The Heliocentrics, Cave, and the entire constellation of artists emerging from Miles’ 70s fusion period. But this is not a simple study in psych music nostalgia, for the group also fold in textures influenced by Artificial Intelligence-style ambient and IDM, by the shadowy melodrama of giallo soundtracks, by production techniques and melodic progressions from the world of reggae and dub, and by a crate diggers sense of rhythmic flow owing something to legends such as Madlib, Doom, and Dilla. And while there’s so much to love here, with the group effortlessly flowing through syncopated sci-fi disco and futuristic boogie, space age lizard lounge, alien ecosystem lovers rock, proto-technoid body funk, tribalistic acid house, squelch bass balearica, desolate desert dirge, kosmische experimentation, first wave post-rock ritualism, and much else besides, I’ll make special mention of sidelong epic “Cosmologies.” Here, the group morphs from angular fusion into a sorcerous spell of heavy breaks, Cuzkay bass, palm muting shadow descents, and filtering synths that burn the air like fire…all before dropping into an extended section of cinematic guitar and piano folk overlaid by all manner of avant-garde melodic magic. And as the filmic ambiance fades away, a slamming section of kinetic breakbeat funk and minimalist drone psychedelia emerges, working both the body and mind into a state of total transcendence.
Maston with L’Eclair - Souvenir (Innovative Leisure) While on the subject of L’Eclair, the group joined together with psychedelic cineaste Frank Maston for one of the years most surprising and exciting outings. On Souvenir, lilting rhythms land like air while plucked electrics background vibraphone enchantments and synthesizer strings…all before a slowburn ascent towards the night sky, as menacing fuzz guitars twang alongside theremin-esque siren spells. Keys and guitar converse across the stereo field as a stretch of Broadcast-leaning psych pop waltzes in support of fluid bass guitar melodics and romantic woodwind leads, and in one of the most stirring moments of the year, Maston pleads “do you feel it working?” atop a mysterious jam of prog-Americana and orchestral Laural Canyon blues, his heavenly hooks wrapping around the heart as the spirit drifts lazily through flower field grooves and tropical jam flourishes…with harp-like tones falling and psychedelic wah licks riding on a head bopping hand drum beat. Daydream organs and bell-tone keys call back and forth over jangling guitar webs, funk basslines, and sunny soul rhythms, and falsetto voices coo softly over a dubby broken beat swing, wherein soaring squelch synths and twang guitars execute magnificent harmonizations…something about the vibe reminding me of Greg Weeks, if only vaguely. Flutes purr and prance over down low tropicalia, as exotica basslines lead shuffling ska funk rhythms, and Canterbury-esque prog folk balladry lilts over equatorial island jazz drum beats and whispering wah guitars while organs play colorful cycles and aqueous chord orchestrations….all as Maston sings with innocent, sweet, and soulful grace. And at the end, buzzing subsonics, stoner prog basslines, and methodical doom rhythms hold the flow beneath menacing guitar twang, string synth melodramas, moonbeam leads, and shades of freakadelic fuzz.
Maston - Darkland (Phonoscope / Be With) Maston’s Darkland also saw a vinyl release in 2021 courtesy of Be With. Culled from the same sessions as the artist’s incredible Tulips LP—and in some sense forming a shadow self to that album—Darkland lands with a similar sense of cinematic grace, as Maston delivers another set of filmic miniatures, library flourishes, and extended songforms influenced by the likes of Ennio Morricone, Jean-Claude Vannier, Piero Umiliani, and of course, the music of vintage KPM. Throughout the album, radiophonic vibrato melodics and baroque keys ring over pulsing prog ballads, church organs sing sorrowful serenades, and martial snares and bell tapes underly fairy flute ascents. Primitive rhythm box beats support carnival basslines and lysergic melodies of childlike mirth, while later, bedroom fantasy orchestrations float above a psych jazz drum swing. Low down stoner funk bass, tight breaks, and solar riffs jam beneath swaying theremin symphonics and lofi western twang, and heading into the B-side, evocations of sunset tropicalia introduce a cinematic pop psych epic replete with desert sand string symphonics and an infectious reverb guitar and swing drum interplay that reminds me so much of Broadcast’s “The Book Lovers” (there is no higher compliment I could possibly pay!). Smokey guitars lead a short stretch of sundowner funk, and dreamy heart & soul melodics transport the mind to a fabled 50s pop paradise. Elsewhere, porn funk wah guitars and space age bachelor pad keys intermingle, twanging surf guitars meander over ethereal jazz pop and doo-wop ephemera, and acoustic guitars sketch out psych folk romantics. Perhaps best of all, there is a chill-inducing melodic callback to one of Tulips’ stand out tracks, with ”Endless” on Darkland referencing the wide-screen Morricone adventures of “Rain Dance.”
Common Saints - Starchild (Starsonics) Following on from a completely stellar debut in Idol Eyes, Charlie J. Perry and his Common Saints project dropped a new set of starry-eyed pop and astral psychedelia in 2021 with the release of Starchild. Ecstatic and wordless vocalisms soar over burning fusion jams that break down into soulful expanses of ambient funk, airy grooves awash in Floydian blues and pastoral prog background ethereal vocalizations and liquid guitar leads, and serpentine basslines slip slide over melodramatic grooves as they vibe between subdued Arabic surf and baroque acid pop…all as Perry flows through hyperventilating hooks, ripping fuzz solos, and shadowy layers of vocal desperation. Elsewhere, smoldering stretches of sundowner soul and islander funk support golden-toned falsettos, spirit-stirring croons, and Laurel Canyon folk harmonies, and doom-tinged dirges are built from epic overdriven riff progressions before giving way to paradisiacal stretches of pop perfection in the style of Hiroshi Sato…that is, until everything builds towards an absurdly anthemic climax of heavy stoner riffing and sorcerous six-string soloing.
(images from my personal copies)
