In Strict Tempo, vol. 70: News Round-Up
Welcome to this weeks In Strict Tempo - here’s a look at what’s going on with the world of music.
First, a big thankyou to all of you who signed up off the back of last weeks Sandwell District interview. I had a lot of fun speaking to Dave & Karl and I hope that came across in the newsletter. The reception to it was incredible, and it’s been by far my most-read edition of In Strict Tempo. I’ve got a couple more interviews lined up to drop in the next few weeks, I can’t wait to share those with you too.
My friend Luke pointed out to me that last weeks newsletter was edition #69, and Sandwell District’s Fabric CD was also #69. That wasn’t planned, but a nice bit of synchronicity I guess.
Remember that news story about an group of people who broke into Ministry of Sound for an illegal rave? Turns out it was bollocks, and it was actually a publicity stunt to launch a new residency at the club. Still, the idea of it was fun.
I’ll be on a panel at Brighton Music Conference next month. Finding the right Manager/PR/Publisher/Label aims to help artists ask the right questions when looking for a partner to help take their career up a level. There’s some great co-panellists on it with me, be great to see you there.
One thing I’ve wanted to add to In Strict Tempo for a while is Apple Music playlists. As more and more people seem to be deserting Spotify in search of a better alternative I feel like now’s the right time to add them. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the image if you’re an Apple Music subscriber.
Talking of Apple Music, they’ve recently added connectivity with a number of DJ software & controllers. Most of the big ones including Pioneer/AlphaTheta, Serato, Rane, Denon & Numark are all signed up which will allow DJs to stream tracks from Apple Music’s catalogue. Beatport should be very worried about this. It really feels like Apple Music are adding a lot of genuine value to their platform for consumers right now with Dolby Atmos, DJ Mixes, and now DJ integration, plus more detailed credits on jazz & classical. They’re definitely the most innovative DSP right now.
I’ve finally finished Liz Pelly’s Mood Machine book. I’ve been meaning to get my hands on it for a while, and… yeah… I’ve got a lot of thoughts on it. I’ll share them in a more in-depth post next week.
New Music
A nice selection of releases this week, here’s the best of ‘em.
Carrier - Tender Spirits [Carrier]
A new EP from Guy Brewer’s Carrier alias here. The last two Carrier 12”s were some of the biggest surprises of last year and it’s great to see him sticking with the format here. Cold & sparse, this is music at it’s most bare-bones, haunting, moving and better than 99% of what else is out there.
Ploy - It’s Later Than You Think [Dekmantel]
Ploy goes Big Room Tech-House on this new one. Is this what it’s going to take to make RA give a shit about tech-house again? Is this the start of the mainstreams infiltration of the underground. Tech-house tunes sell in massive quantities (look at the Beatport Top 100) but the amount of column inches they get in the dance music press are next to zero. It doesn’t necessarily means it deserves it, but this stuff is infinitely more popular than whatever strain of Chilean Donk the press are pushing as trendy this month.
Barker - Stochastic Drift [Smalltown Supersound]
Whenever I hear the music of Barker I hear something very precise, intricate almost to the point of being scientific. That’s not to say it’s without soul, but this is clearly music designed to make you listen. Smalltown Supersound have been quietly putting out some of the best releases of the last twelve months or so, and that continues with this one.
Hackney Electronica - Synaptic Shadows [Dark Entries]
This is Hackney as I remember it, before the million-pound houses and fancy bakeries of today. Moody, punchy electro rattling out from behind the roller door of an old industrial unit. An old Golf half-stripped of all it’s good parts left in the street. Four cans for a fiver. You know the score.
Index for Working Musik - Which Direction Goes The Beam [Tough Love]
I covered the singles from this a while back so it’s good to hear the rest of the album in full. It doesn’t disappoint. If you heard this with no context you could quite easily plug it as something from the late 70’s/early 80’s era, a bit too punky for Some Bizzarre perhaps, but poppier than the likes of Dome. Either way, if your tastes sit anywhere between those two poles you’ll find something to enjoy here.
Arv & Miljö [Discreet]
A final LP from Discreet mainstays Arv &Miljö here, two long-form pieces made from a decades worth of field recordings from those long Gothenburg nights.
WINO-E [Wah Wah Wino]
You can’t have missed this hot pink sleeved record appearing all over your social media feeds this past week. It’s probably long-gone now, but it marks a return of Ireland’s Wah Wah Wino crew. As out-there as it comes, it sounds a bit like old Underworld in places, and I mean that in a good way. Doesn’t seem to be on Bandcamp either, so you’ll have to hunt it out by some other means.
That’s all for this week, thanks for reading!