Welcome back to Press Play with Greg Fenton our brilliant resident contributor, offering you a curated selection of tracks, albums, and performances that embody the vibrancy of music. Whether revisiting timeless classics or introducing ground-breaking new sounds, Greg’s recommendations cater to a diverse audience, from casual listeners to dedicated enthusiasts. His ability to connect the dots between the past, present, and future of genres provides us all with a unique, comprehensive and engaging perspective. Don’t forget when you’re done here to head over to his MagazineSixty site!
"Without music, life would be a mistake."
Friedrich Nietzsche
Here we are with Press Play 003 – our third monthly edition of all that’s vital according to the world of Magazine Sixty to tempt you into the world of electronic music from past to present and future.
Following on from last month we continue with a great variety of music choices this month where will be reappraising King Crimson’s album ‘Discipline’, and discovering new sounds from Acid Love Letters, Spooky Csh Cash and Gai Barone to name a few. Let’s go!
Table of Contents
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Discipline sounds like a meeting and melting of minds. The four members of the newly reformed King Crimson released this album after a decade of silence and along with Talking Heads, Remain In Light (released the previous year) defined a particular moment in time alongside a very definite collection of influences and rhythms that felt vibrant and hotwired to modernity.
All of the musicians excelled themselves but then that goes without saying under the watchful eye of Robert Fripp. You will hear Fripp’s guitar is, as always, insanely hypnotic and electrifying (remember he played the guitar on Bowie’s Heroes), Bill Bruford’s exceptional drumming surpasses the rhythmic possibilities of most, and last but never least is Tony Levin’s wonderful, wonderful bass playing on the multi-layered Chapman Stick which you can witness on the live performances below.
There is a bland criticism of sorts that this album unlike the previous King Crimson incarnations borrowed heavily from other artists ie Talking Heads that is only a surface comparison given guitarist/ vocalist Adrian Belew’s work on Remain In Light plus the fact that this album reached into more rigorous, darker, edgier depths.
The vocals certainly have a much more soulful quality to them as required, while they sound more dangerous on others. Their subject matter varies from paranoid extremes to warmer emotions and teases out the corners in between, leaving a never-a-dull-moment sensation in its wake.
The album is a force of nature from the subtle caress of Matte Kudasai to the brutal excitement of Indiscipline containing the immortal lines:
I do remember one thing
It took hours and hours and
By the time I was done with it
I was so involved, I didn’t know what to think
I carried it around with me for days and days
Playing little games
Like, not looking at it for a whole day
And then, looking at it
To see if I still liked it
I did!
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
Bob Marley
First up is Loraine James excellent follow-up album as Whatever The Weather – Whatever The Weather II on Ghostly International. Defying convention the artist dives deep into her life story full of rich atmospheric release navigating waters filled with sound as thoughts and memories as overlapping electronic motifs. It’s a picturesque, heartfelt listen that fizzes with energy and emotion.
Download/Stream Whatever The Weather II on all platforms
Next is Gai Barone’s sublime remix of Lorenzo Al Dino & Peter Cloud – Mind Eater released by Under The Palm Trees. A certified, breath-taking nine minutes fusing gentle pulses of bass and drums then highlighted by warm rushes of meandering piano primed with the sincerity of purpose.
Download/Stream Mind Eater (Gai Barone Remix) at Beatport
It’s not often I hear music that transports you back to a time and place so effectively as this and in the course of doing so explodes the myth of, it’s not as good as it used to be. This brilliantly brutal mix of intense, pounding analogue and the sleazy temptation of vocals are ignited by fiery Acid lines burning with roaring intensity and breathless release shaped as four different versions of the theme.
Download/Stream Acid Love on Bandcamp
A fine compilation from the Cherry Red Records camp next features a rich selection of music that defined the London club of the same name where DJ and main man Jeff Dexter shaped the soundtrack in late 1960s London. Sounds come from a diverse range of important artists from Traffic to Canned Heat to Soft Machine and beyond providing a tantalising dip into the past at a time when music began to say something about its surroundings.
Download/Stream Middle Earth at Cherry Red Records
“Music is the universal language of mankind.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Sometimes it’s the lack of subtlety that counts which in the case of the title track, Ravers Choice strikes straight to the heart of the matter. Driving drums, punctuating rave-era stabs and old-time vocal samples combine to inject the music with bounce, energy and even an allowable drum roll. For a more delicate proposition try the flipside’s atmosphere-drenched Together reimaging breakbeats alongside soaring pads and voices while deftly capturing the emotional essence of it all.
Spooky Cash Cash on SoundCloud
Inspired by ‘post-ecological breakdown where destruction and re-creation coexist’ is a theme throughout the music as each piece explores different climates encompassing jazz notes on the brilliant 34 to the Acid funk of Poison providing a rigorous mind-bending listen. If you like what you hear we will be hosting an interview with the artist this month at Magazine Sixty.
Download/Stream Cher – C1M3R4 on Bandcamp
The second episode of the monthly Magazine Sixty Radio presented by Sean Holland is up now. Enjoy an insightful conversation with former Radio DJ, Editor and current DSPPR (disappear) Records owner, Chris Coco. The forthcoming third broadcast features an exciting interview with Café Mambo stalwart Pete Gooding.
You can up with all of the latest releases reviewed at Magazine Sixty and an interview with Padre aka Pete Lazonby whose ‘Sacred Cycles’ was the underground anthem released on Braniak Records back in ’94. Here he talks over his latest projects and more.
Recommended releases this month come from reggae and dub maestro Dennis Bovell & Friends: Different – The Singles Collection 1977 -1981 – Doctor Bird, Danny Ward’s brilliant Resolution Revolutions album under his Balaphonic guise and Andreas Tilliander & Goran Kajfes blissfully edgy long player – In Cmin on Kontra-Musik Records.
See you there and see you here next month!!
At the heart of Greg Fenton’s work lies MagazineSixty, an online platform he created to showcase the best in contemporary music. The website is a treasure trove for fans of electronic and alternative sounds, offering a blend of album reviews, artist interviews, and features that delve into the creative processes behind some of the most compelling music being produced today. The site’s mission is to explore the intersection of artistry and innovation, highlighting the transformative power of music in a constantly evolving cultural landscape.
What sets MagazineSixty apart is its focus on quality over quantity. Fenton takes a discerning approach to curation, ensuring that every piece of content aligns with the site’s ethos of authenticity and depth. His reviews are not only detailed but also reflective, often connecting the music to broader cultural and historical contexts. This level of thoughtfulness has earned the website a loyal following, with readers appreciating its commitment to celebrating creativity without succumbing to the pressures of mainstream trends.
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