#mori ra

[shawtytakeadrank]

(Mori Ra)

[thesunlounge]

Nadja - 頬に紅い恋 / Hoho ni akai koi (Polystar 1989)

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 076: Mori Ra

Your milage may vary, but I tend to be very into edits. And almost no one does them better than Japan’s Mori Ra, that weaver of magic responsible for those essential Balearic Social 12”s and the inaugural Tracy Island EP (among quite a few other killer releases). Now we have Reconstruction for a New Age, out this year on the CockRing d’Amore edit sublabel of CockTail d’Amore and seeing Mori Ra offer up three further reshines of some balearic gold. I’m not sure what the sources are here, but it doesn’t matter…just close your eyes and surrender your body to the otherworldly disco delirium.

Mori Ra - Reconstruction for a New Age (CockTail d’Amore Music / CockRing d’Amore, 2018) The A-side is occupied by a single cut, starting with feedback swirls, vibrant cymbal play, and a thick and muddy four-four. A two-note bassline weaves exotic hypnotism alongside disco hats, as beachy hand percussion pushes through the oscillating drones. It’s very tropical in feel and starts taking on some fiery Afrofunk/jazz vibes with the emergence of soaring psychedelic organ, cycling freely between spellbinding runs, reggae chords, and more atonal Irmin Schmidt / Miles Davis “oven glove” style walls of sound. Sometimes the tone of the organ morphs to something flute-like, all dark woodwind tones surrounded by swelling echo arps and bass pads. But the rhythms never give in, revelling in pure propulsive mesmerism while the keys weave their spiritual jazz magic. The beat zones out even further towards the middle as the cosmic organ leads drop away, leaving just prismatic ambient clouds surrounding vibing house rhythmics. And once the organ re-enters, its eyes are trained on the deserts of the Middle East, everything locking in for a section of sun-baked housey exotica before the mystical disco trip of the first half rushes back in, keys soloing ever skyward over the sweaty intoxicating groove out.

The B-side houses two more epic edits, the first of which sees increasingly dreamy layers of new age synthesis fading in and out over a cycling yet static drum loop built from hollow kicks and energetic claps. Shimmering synth bubbles surround atonal synth chords and at some point a playful and journeying marimba line emerges, dropping smooth sunshine jazz atmospheres over the looping beats. Chimes sparkle in the air as deep emotional strings break through the surface of the oceanic synth layers, and though the rhythm seems content to float in place, the track takes on an increasingly colorful energy as it progresses. The final edit here is all about the spellbinding and angelic violin soloing, with Mori Ra gunning straight for the heart as romantic Americana string melodies drift over a breaky and tom-tom heavy percussive tapestry. Dreamtime African spells are woven on kalimbas and other mallet instruments, intermingling with wigged out progsynth noodling. And as the violin continues its ascent towards pure bliss, subtle and zooming outerpsace lasers trail alongside in the background ether.

(images scanned from my personal copy)

[thesunlounge]

Top Singles/EPs of 2017

To keep the pool of candidates manageable, I made the arbitrary choice to restrict my lists to what I purchased on vinyl. As well, these are presented in alphabetical order, because ranking them seems so painful (choosing just ten was hard enough). Each title is a link to some sort of audio sample.

18 Rays - 18 Rays (Antinote) Sleeper hit for me, and “I Feel Rain” is super stoned, sleepy eyed pop brilliance and an absolute ear worm. The rest of the EP is top shelf downtempo, with a melancholic pop edge. Shout out to the bassline in “These Empty Stairs”, huge guitars in “Long Time Ago”, and the (mellotron?) flutes of “North West Plaza”.

Bendith - Bendith EP (Aficionado) Maybe the best release all year. Like a Welsh, mostly acoustic Espers…but better? Baroque, medieval, psychedelic, sad, beautiful. Every track is a standout, including an excellent rendition of the traditional Japanese Takeda lullaby. But it is “Cân Am Gariad”, a cover of Lesley Duncan’s “Love Song”, that brings me to tears.

Earth Trax x Newborn Jr. - Mirage (Les Yeux Orange) The B-side is really fun, getting to hear Newborn Jr strike out alone on a looped country fried jammer bringing to mind Todd Edwards, and Earth Trax laying down a burner. But the A-side is just monstrous, especially the title track. When those absolutely huge ravey chords come in and subtle acidic trails start firing…hands in the air.

Max Manetti - Max Manetti EP (Über) Some awesome combo of Coyote and Mushrooms Project at their most horizontal, but also its own thing. Stoned out tempos, dubby basslines, tons of hand percussion, sun-baked guitar, and lysergic synths and vocal samples all over the place. Its all amazing, toes-in-the-sand beachy brilliance, but the b-side in particular kills.

Modern Manners - Modern Manners 001 (Modern Manners) “Amor y Odio” is just so classic: sparse breakbeat and bassline, trippy synths, and mournful Spanish guitar (shades of Coyote’s “Eve”!!). “Running With Me” has a nice loungey almost bossa nova rhythm with tasteful organ, jazzy laid back guitar, and soulful vocals. “Instant Illusion” finishes with a playful bassline anchoring a relaxed downtempo drift. (MM 002 is also most excellent...bring on 003!).

Mori Ra - Akebono / Tasogare (Balearic Social) Ive played these records ALOT. The most balearic of Mori Ra’s many great edits/reworks. A lot of it sounds like it could come from the early Cafe del Mar volumes. The AA side of Akebono, “Exodus” is a real stand out…hypnotic, floaty, and uplifting. As well as the A side of Tasogare, which is a jammed out jazzy banger.

Nancy Noise - Kaia (Beyond Paradise) “Kaia” should go down as an all timer, all desert swept acoustic, twinkly keys, and muted spaghetti western trumpets. Completely epic. “Azizi’s Dance” also kills it, with perhaps my favorite bassline of the year and those totally classic housey pianos. The remixes of “Kaia” are also on point, with Leo Mas & Fabrice grooving it out and Man Power throwing it all over a breakbeat and upping the cosmic factor. Also a lot of love for Leo Mas & Fabrice’s “Balearic Lovers” mix on the remix EP.

Pender Street Steppers - Pender Street Steppers (Mood Hut) The A-side is jaw dropping and the standout is the synth-saxy house shuffle, spy movie guitar, and hazy vox of “Raining Again”. “Mirror (Dub)” is light-as-air dub that is really compelling, spacey, and easy to fall into. And just try not to tap your toes when the groove kicks in and that whistle melody starts in “Molto Bene”. The B-side has some excellent Hut-style house, but doesn’t quite reach the ridiculous heights of the A-side.

Private Agenda - Dusk/Dawn (NuNorthern Soul) Both “Dusk” and “Dawn” are gorgeous, subdued, catchy, and immaculately crafted. The remixes are the real story however, especially Faze Action’s and Ron Basejam’s takes on “Dawn”. The former has the feel of a White Isle classic, with tropical and percussive synths, a bouncy beat, and Cantoma guitars. The latter gets so much glorious mileage out of a disco leaning break and a delicious sax line.

Various - We’ll Sea Pts. 1 & 2 (Mireia Records) RSS Disco’s “We’ll Sea” lays a catchy vocal hook over an absolutely classic organ-led downtempo groove, and the sum of these simple parts wrenches my heart. Just timeless. “Porto” is more uptempo, with an awesome filtered bassline and mystical and soaring vocals. Conga Fever finishes part 1 with a loungey, noir-esque guitar/organ groover. On the A-side of part 2, the Marcus Worgull edit of Gil Scott Heron’s “I’m New Here” is sublime, layering his dusty acoustic and croon over a subtle and hypnotic shaker-led beat.

(all images taken from my personal copies)

[junk-hed]

[zou-pa]

(Mori Ra)

[resistance765]

“Half Body” - Mori Ra

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 177: Mori Ra

Mori Ra had a great 2018 and finished the year strong with Brasserie Herioque Edits Part 6. Following on from his CockRing d’Amore 12”, a mystical mix cassette on Forest Jams, and his first ever remix on the second Stubb EP, this newest collection of edits sees Mori Ra collaborating once more with the Berceuse Heroique label, having previously contributed the third part of their Brasserie Heroique edit series. And this time around, a dark and mysterious record sleeve accompanies four fiery cuts that move between electrofunk swam over by fairy choirs and strange mouth harp electronics, dub heavy pop exotica with swaying island guitars, cosmic house blasts awash in minimalist patterns and fretless bass enchantment, and ceremonial drum marches led by feverish string swells and sunshine piano cascades. 

Mori Ra - Brasserie Heroique Edits Part 6 (Berceuse Heroique, 2018) Alien synths sounding like molten mouth harps flow continuously through “Half Body” as old skool electro beats skip on the surface the sun. All around the spectrum, percussive rattles fly like cosmic clouds of dust and pixie voices intercut the jam, sometimes in rapid conversations, other times smeared into wordless wailing magic...like some ecstatic choir of rainbow light. At some point a wiggling liquid synthbass line drops, pushing the electrofunk vibes to the max, all primetime breakdancing sorcery overlaid by ecstatic voice layers and shambolic percussion webs. During a break down, hypnotic beats back banging piano chords and melancholic flute descents that transport the mind to a mystical forest. Then comes a dazzling display of overdubbed vocal interplay, entrancing the spirit as the exotic percussion layers groove towards the sky. And finally, the electrified funk bass fluidity returns for a slamming finish where Zheul choirs waver like majestic bodies of gas through which fairies fly and sing, while shimmering chimes and smashed tones of ricocheting metal swirl around adventurous Latin fusion fills and thunderous crashes.

Then in “Cheeks”, a storming bassline, distorted and slithering, sits beneath an effervescent dubpop adventure, with island guitar exotics snaking in and out of squealing synth wiggles and sensual voice coos. Sweeping choruses are dominated by synthetic oboe and clarinet orchestrations that bring tides of spring and perfumes of blooming flowers, while relaxed guitar solos are backgrounded by baked siren blasts. Then the track suddenly explodes...radiant saxophone spirals rain down, the vocals multi-tracked and reaching out towards a golden sky, everything seeming to increase in volume while feverish reverb fx obscure the edges of the mix. After this powerful voice climax, an adventurous and free-form guitar solo works its way over the beachside riddims, eventually leading to another subdued passage of symphonic woodwind love and synthetic majesty. Then everything sharply cuts out as we’re caught in a thrilling moment of silence before the paradise saxophone jam and lush vocal maximalism slam back in, with rhythms pounding violently, the bass stomping through a monstrous groove, and guitars dancing like moonlight reflections off of sea surface motions.

“Plateau” features futuristic marimbas and flutey synths dancing through a minimalist wonderland alongside breaky kicks and Detroit claps. Then a cruising four-to-the-floor rhythm moves over top, with punishing bass drums and hi-hats locking in with their infectious double taps. Further layers of idiophonic beauty flow in tandem with the minimalist repetitions while paradise mermaids sing entrancing songs and at some point, magical fretless basslines slide in with a beautiful fusion performance, sometimes locking in with the body moving grooves as everything launches towards the stars, other times joyously dropping upper register solos and propulsive seaside leads. It’s an adventurous display of bass guitar virtuosity, like Motohiko Hamase chained to a 90s house jam with tropical starlight swirling all around. As the bass guitar sorcery subsides, synthetic woodwinds move in and stoke the vibe of balearic euphoria, with the dreamworld repetitions occasionally mutating into a psychedelic haze. And no matter what, everything follows along with the vintage bouncing house rhythms and blissed out cascades of aquatic mallet instrumentation.

Machine toms in a ritualistic march are given further hypnotic movement by pillowy bass drums while delirious string synths swell, as if fading in from a fever dream. This is “Mirage,” where shakers, maracas, and cabasa wash over the body like rhythmic rain and psychotropic liquids drip upwards. Moaning slide guitars follow alongside dreamworld pianos and it’s all so energetic, with rhythms charging forward through a cosmos exploding with hyperreal colors and childlike fantasy melodies flowing from Afro pianos and looping chord descents. Chimes tapestries riding on squelching static and pounding floor toms carry the soul to harmonious realms of light while filtering voices and their lovely ascents add nostalgic waves of LSD ecstasy. Sometimes the mix chills out into panoramic tom tom bubbles, sliding guitar vapors, drunken string swells, and dripping water tones, giving plenty of space to the repetitious solar pianos and setting up small scale explosions as the shakers, claps, and hypno-kick patterns rush back in.

(images from my personal copy)