Happy new year. Or not. Time is a flat circle. All that's changed is the calendar. We all remain the same. If you want to catch up on Bandcloud's EOY lists start here. Sincerest thanks to everyone who gave their time.
We start the year with an exclusive premiere! Slugabed has a new release out next week called They Exist!!!! and he's given me the chance to share one of the tracks with you. It's called 'Root Rot' and it's a wonderful blend of blissful melody and strange, distorted noise. It's hip-hop, but it's not. It's weird but beautiful. You can imagine the ghostly creatures on the release's cover dancing to it. He also answered some questions from me. I hope you enjoy reading his words and listening to his music.
Slugabed - Root Rot
(Bandcloud Exclusive Premiere)
"Big Fat Plastic Disc that somehow has a waveform carved into it. Literally how?"
You inject a lot of humour into the aspects surrounding your music, from artwork and titles to lines like this on your Bandcamp. How important is this aspect of the Slugabed persona/brand etc?
People seem to talk about my sense of humour. I don’t really like to think of it. I’m deadly serious about what I do, and I am honestly amazed that you can carve music, like physically carve actual music, into big fat plastic disc. that said, I also don’t really appreciate the idea of taking urself too seriously, or subscribing to a set of rules about, for instance, how to write press releases, or how to cultivate a professional artistic persona. normal press releases can be very beneficial in the music world, particularly if people want to copy and paste useful info about why you are very importante. me writing stupid absurd stufand actively not partaking in this is kind of a very quiet protest at those big wigs in Washington. The man, etc. I am, in fact, Quite Political.
What kind of music do you make? Not in a "what genre is this" kind of way but rather how would you describe it?
i think it is experimental music, in the sense that I just muck around. I just start doing something and then if it starts working, then I know what to do next. If it doesn’t start working, then I just keep mucking around. I don’t like the term experimental music because it tends to be used to describe the sound of an end product, but I just mean that the process is: I experiment. I guess everyone does, but to me it is a prominent defining factor of what I do. just mucking around. I just like to muck around. Like a man possessed. Mucking around, me. Mr muckaround. I have tried to make a song that sounds like this and a song that sounds like that, but once it gets going I’m really not driving the ship, the beast takes the wheel and I am sat on his shoulders just going “yea yea yea that bit sounds good”. if I had to describe how my music sounds, I would say I like it! Its kind of electronic music, but also other music. sometimes if you reference jazz then your parents like the sound of it more. If I was writing an article on Slugabed’s music I would say its like Boards Of Canada, On Weed. But I’ve not listened to Boards Of Canada, so I could be wrong.
Both Pandæmonium and They Exist have extreme Hieronymus Bosch vibes on the artwork. If you could be any creature from a Bosch painting, who would it be?
I would like to be the man with a lute for a butt, getting stabbed in the butt with a lute, while a demon bites my butt and I’m also sticking out of a demon’s butt, and that demon is holding a lute.
What's happening in 2020?
im planning to play some music shows and write music lots. Tis is usually my answer to this kind of question. Its very boring sorry. im not much of a planner. except that I plan to do a lot, and do it well, and enjoy it! also I recently got a job helping people and I really like doing that, so I will continue to do that too. also might do a masters. Tis is a new development, and I am very unsure about it. ii have never studied, yet I am remarkably clever. I’ve also got a sort of a jazz band too called Ssaladd, but we are not a jazz band, just some people writing music. Its quite nice music tho. might drop another slugabed album but I haven’t written it yet so I couldn’t be sure. anyway. So that’s a wrap I think. I’m going to stop talking now. Many thanks bandcloud for a short sweet talk about me, and for showing everybody one of my new songs. I appreciate the kind gesture, thank you!
Slugabed - They Exist!!!! is out on January 10. Order here
If this is your first Bandcloud, this is the part where we get to the nitty gritty. Links to music found on Bandcamp and SoundCloud (hence the name). It started in early 2014 and I've been sending music (almost) weekly ever since. Largely electronic, the bulk of stuff featured can loosely be described as either house, techno, ambient or drone, but there are shades of grey, as in life. Hopefully you'll find something you like.
VA - DUB CLUB VOL.1 (THRUST)
This is an Irish compilation that was released to raise money for Inner City Helping Homeless. It features some hot names in the Dublin clubbing scene, like Club Comfort's Selky, Lepton's Ngoni and Flood's Syn, to name a few. Special shouts to DJ GUN EMOJI and their track 'Don't Turn The Canal Into A Hotel You Fucking Dickheads'. It's a nice collection of clubby stuff, from hyperactive breaks and hard drum to electro that looks towards both Miami and the stars.
Luisa - Sunday
El Paso, Texas-based Luisa is podcast manager for Female:Pressure and also a DJ and promoter in her city. This is a sultry, chunky, sun-drenched house gem, short but sweet.
Stephanie Merchak - Winter EP
Fittingly enough, the four tracks on this EP are frosty and glacial. Vast expanses of snow, frozen dew in early morning forests. It's deeply emotive, with muted twinkling melodies dancing amid a sea of drone.
Egon C. (Litt) - Sakres Vurto (B1)
I don't know who this is and there's not much about them. They seem to be part of a group or collective called Fromage Underground but even then I can't be sure. Anyway, this is a thick slice of gnarly, frantic acid.
The Nameless Book - As The Dust Is Beginning To Settle
This actually came out in November but I only came to it last month through the artist, who's also a member of The Leaf Library. It's more beautiful droning ambience, with added birdsong throughout. I could listen to it all day. It was prepared for a live performance but the recording was subpar so it was recreated in the studio. The blurb states that: "The sound effects (taken from copyright-free BBC CDs) were put in place first so the synths react to them, rather than the usual method of being added after the musical content has been finished." That's pretty fascinating.
Laryssa Kim - Chansons De La Pluie
Oooof I was not ready for this. Vocalist and producer Laryssa Kim dropped this set for Christmas, a collection of "demos, try outs, loops, covers or original songs that I've created over the years". There are covers of The Flamingos, Billie Holiday and Mazzy Star as well as her own hazy and refreshing loops. It's glorious. Soft, lilting vocal music that's at once hypnotic and powerful. If you like Mhysa or Anna Caragnano you'll love this.
Dialectic Sines - Electric Valley
Finally, we have a heady collection of floor-ready bangers from Tennessee artist, Dialectic Sines. Focused, direct acid action, it starts with clear intent and doesn't let up. It's all perfectly crisp, airy sounds with just the right amount of bass. I'm particularly fond of 'L Danz' and 'Exxome' but all five tracks have something solid behind them. Tip!
The first DDR show of the year goes out on Sunday night at 9pm Irish time. Lots of new music, some old ones that I just felt like playing and a short minimix that's irreverent yet 100% sincere.