FFN 001 :: The Lights Are On Again

1.1 Do you remember?

It’s shortly after midnight. You’re walking down a gloomy street following a group of people seemingly heading into the same direction. After about half a mile you all turn right into an empty, scantily lit yard. The only thing you notice is the colored light gleaming through the doors of the building ahead of you… and the thundering sound of a bass drum.

1.2 They say that music gives us human beings sense and belonging, pride and accomplishment, significance and contribution.

But is this really true? Can a simple house track really guide us towards a better world, a better self? Can music really unfold the tremendous potential that lies within each and every one of us?

I’ve always been convinced that music is one of the strings that hold people together. Music is about connection, and the more personal it gets, the stronger the connection. But there’s more to it. Music is also about life, life as it ought to be. It’s about memories of moments I had on the dance floor that really resonate with me. Because to me, dance is about freeing yourself and freeing your mind, freeing your body.

But no one seems to dare writing about this. No one seems to dare digging deeper into the life-changing aspects of dance music culture. And if you do, you’re dismissed as an eclectic intellectual.

We all know that music wants to be shared and ppl want to share music. So, move & dare. Move —> away from day-to-day mundaneness. Dare —> to be more poetic. There’s so many little things happening out there, so many exciting stories that want to be heard. Why care about the overabundance of reissues or the cultural importance of an artist, when at best, writers keep on telling us how amazing and important some record/artist was that - back in the days - literally nobody heard.

Give me the whole picture. Tell me about your inner torment. Next time you’re dancing your ass off on a packed dance floor I want you to pay attention to how this makes you feel. How the world opens up, problems dissolve. Tell me your story. Put your feelings into words. One can not dance to architecture but we can express our feelings, our thoughts and the pictures that music creates in our minds. That’s what makes us human.

Be careful though, dear reader, as I am (yet) unsure about both, the deeper meaning of what you are reading as well as my own intentions. I beg your tolerance. For now, you will have to accept being addressed by a disembodied voice just as I accept the compulsion to speak out even though I am painfully aware that I am talking to a yet invisible, perhaps non-existing, audience.

Only this much: you should read these lines, just like all lines you’ll read in (your hopefully very long) life, with a certain grain of suspicion as well as curiosity. The darkness is black already. No need to add another layer of obfuscation on top of it. We’ll find ways to get to know each other better. I’ve been there before.

15 years ago, I turned my back on being an active dance music journalist and magazine publisher. Everything was said, at least that’s what I thought and so I turned off the lights.

Well, the lights are on again.

1.3 Reviews

Te’Amir - Abyssinia & Abyssinia Rise (TruThoughts)

Last year saw the release of both „Abyssinia“ and „Abyssinia Rise“, two wonderful lo-fi beat jazz EPs by Los Angeles-based drummer Te’Amir. Los Angeles always had a rich tradition of fusing traditional African practices with jazz. Groups like The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra led by Horace Tapscott come to mind and Te’Amir continues with this beautiful legacy.

Both records had an unusual, hard to describe vibe sounding ancient and contemporary at the same time. Beat driven, rootsy, soulful. Now, Te’Amir ties both of them together into one body of work which is also released on vinyl for the very first time.

Side A holds the debut EP „Abyssinia“ which takes us right to the Horn of Africa and the Ethiopian Highlands. Inspired by Te’Amir’s Ethiopian heritage it is filled with tonal references to East African culture mingling perfectly with modern electronic sounds, beats, and basslines. Featuring some of L.A.’s finest creatives like Dustin Warren, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Rebekah Raff, and Randal Fisher it takes us onto a metaphysical journey through the winding rivers and busy fields of the old Abyssinian Empire.

Side B consists of those four wonderfully futuristic tracks that have been released as the „Abyssinia Rise“ EP in October 2018. Sonic beats blend seamlessly with traditional Ethiopian sounds creating a soundscape of colorful textures. Dubbed-out samples and oddball synths make for unexpected shifts.

This new, combined LP succeeds perfectly in weaving the traditional legacy of Ethio-jazz with modern-day interpretations of the genre. Another testament to the fact, that high art still resides on the West Coast.

KOKOKO! - Liboso (Transgressive)

The African continent is still one of the strongest sources of music in today’s club music scene, be it old or new, analog or electronic. The Congolese band Kokoko! is another prime example. „Liboso“ is their first EP for British independent record label Transgressive and full of rowdy electronics, intense rhythms, and body contorting lo-fi sounds that will definitely kick ass on every proper dance floor.

A kick coming from a thumb hitting against a cable. Percussive layers and claps which are created using tomato cans. Strange mechanical sounds emanating from even stranger instruments. Hypnotic grooves rattling the concrete walls of every modern club mecca. Kokoko!’s post-punk/post-techno attitude already stirs appetite for the upcoming album due this summer.

Azul Loose Ties - Soul Tape One (Hommes Du Monde)

Azul Loose Ties just released a new album. He calls it „Soul Tape One“ and indeed, it is a cassette tape album, distributed by himself via Bandcamp and, you guessed it, it sold out already.

The fact that Azul produces his music in a shack somewhere along the coastline of Lake Wohlensee, Switzerland adds to the DIY-attitude that make his sensuous house dubs irresistible. His intriguing form of off-kilter deep house gives insight right into his soul. Warm, playful and reduced to the max and yet full of intricate details his music has got so much to tell.

Ruthlessly reduced chord progressions immediately start to calm your mind creating a soothing serenity while at the same time stirring up reality all around you. It’s as if you’re in the eye of a storm. Listen to this on your earphones and I guarantee you will be immediately taken away into another world.

V/A - Two Tribes (Agogo Music)

More jazz-influences, more African heritage, another intercontinental journey in rhythm. Two Tribes, Agogo’s latest release gives insight into how musicians living in Europe today incorporate and transfer musical traditions into their own oeuvre.

This stunning selection of tracks is a prime example for the openness of European music culture and a slap in the faces for any Brexiteers. Like their producers, the twelve tracks gathered on this compilation are versatile multi-beings. (Poly)Rhythmic monsters made for conquering dance floors by means of being different.

Alienated robo-synths mingle with synthetically spiritualized bass lines creating a maelstrom that inevitably sucks your right into their madness. Astralized organs accompanying wildly chattering horns on their journey thru space and time. Electric ghosts playing phantom jazz in tape space-time.

Laroye - EP (Visions Recordings)

Imagine a moment of complete detachment from all earthly worries. Music that makes you feel free and innocent. Cleansing your soul, sending positive vibrations into the cosmos. Dance as inspiration meditation.

The latest missive on Alex Attias’ Visions Inc. label brings us all of this courtesy of Thomas Arroyo aka Laroye who delivers two truly deep and spiritual house tracks. Rich chords and vaderized vocoder voices. Astral string ensembles emitting rays of light, making you feel sun-kissed when listening.

Blissful melodic motifs turning the audience into passengers of an arpeggiated train of thought. That’s exactly what Laroye banned onto the vinyl grooves of this EP. That’s all that needs to be said. Get it. Dance to it. Enjoy life.

1.4 Talk to your controller

Shame is a luxury we can’t afford. I certainly feel nervous about how you liked (or didn’t like) this newsletter but I welcome your feedback, anyway. Let me know what you think or if it struck a nerve with you or if you have any recommendations. I’m here to listen. Just hit reply.

Thanks for reading. I really appreciate that!

Marc aka Bobby Mhark