Samuli Tanner
Mutka

boomkat: ...“Incarcerated deejay touts Sikka Rymes as next big thing in dancehall” say the Jamaica Star headlines; referencing Vybz Kartel and Sikka’s cousin Shawn Storm, all of Portmore’s Gaza Nation dancehall royalty……….. So then we have Love Di People EP: Sikka’s first solid gold release after strings of strictly Vevo hits (‘Life of the Party’, ‘Nuh Change’) lie between his previous hook up with producer Genesis Hull (on Duppy’s 2016 Fresh Clipp’d). Genesis’ prods are pure widescreeen sub-tension and speed - now of Mexico City, he carries Sikka’s flow into gleaming new future chrome jobs of the dancehall chassie, the madness of 00s dancehall returns for global review. In This Time Of Many Dancehall Think-pieces: Live Long And Grow Strong. The weight of two year’s of Drive demos caused Miro Tape to spontaneously burst into the world on Bokeh last year, we told you it was just a mixtape - Love Di People is the first wax seal on the Bokeh x Duppy Gun relationship, and not the last one of 2019. Founded by Sun Araw and M. Geddes Gengras, Duppy Gun pairs under-cover West Coast producers with Jamaican vocalists like G Sudden, Early One & others from their island HQs in Portmore & Spanish Town.”

RWD-FWD: ...Reaching level 10 on the barometer of sleaze, sweat & hardcore rhythm, this record recalls the undeniably frustrated, yet care-free anti-establishment energy of the likes of Nitzer Ebb, Spectre, The Mover, Egyptian Lover, DJ Rashad & Techno Animal, while sounding fresh and loaded with the trademark intensity of Anna Funk Damage's unhinged, raw & free-styling production technique.The A side of the disc grinds into gear in slapdash EBM & Industrial styles with 'Badass Bitch' and 'Bloodydeath'. Flip it to the B side for extra doses of speed injected straight into the vein, with the f*cked up trance cut 'Elm Street Faster Edition' and the mangled footwork vs bassbin techno rhythm 'This Is Why I'm Hot', finishing this burner of a record with a relentless staccato of kicks, hi hats and trash-can snares, with the underlying blue chords hinting at a chance of solace amongst the flames.

ORANGE MILK RECORDS: ...Maya’mi is the third release and first LP on Orange Milk from Alex Colombo’s Diamond Soul project. The album continues to experiment with hyper-abstracted electronics and collage aesthetics, which Colombo refers to as ‘mixed media’ music. Even though samples are used sparingly on the album, it retains a sense of micro genres and varied sources colliding on a moment to moment basis, a feel that I alway find comparable to fellow Orange Milk artists Koeosaeme, toiret status, and DJWWWW.

boomkat: ...On their eponymous sophomore outing picnic reveal a fuller picture of their sound. The eight original pieces are given to sensitively mulched textures and softly glowing pads mottled with new age spirited strings and wafting voices. It’s nothing particularly new or inventive but works it’s way under the skin with pharmaceutic efficacy, at its lushest in the descriptive title and feel of ‘drops in the water (with tics)’, and the gently keening, hypnagogic appeal of ‘basket.’ released February 11, 2021Artwork by Rissa HochbergerInner labels by Sam MullanyAdditional artwork by Ken NicoleMastered by Shy (3XL)

Provenance: ...The contemplative and stretched out twin to last year’s A Body of Full Of Tears, Sia Ahmad continues to revisit her most formative inspirations on Facade, blurring aged textures into contemporary expressions on this newest addition to the Shoeb Ahmad oeuvre.Less claustrophobic than ABFOT and clearer in sonic detail, Facade picks up threads of familial reality, gendered safety and mapping place to weave into a tapestry of disembodied found sound, lush harmonies and widescreen metronomic presence. Once forgotten and now again inhabited, the songs here continue a journey to reclaim what drove Ahmad to create and explore.All profits from sales go towards ongoing contributions made to Aboriginal Legal NSW/ACT and Pay The Rent.