FRESH RELEASES 40 (LAST OF 2023)
Discover the best music releases, every week
We have selected the final 8 of our favourite just-released records for 2023:
Sonny Ism - Dad Zone LP
(42 Records, 2023)
Sonny Ism's fourth album, Dad Zone, is a testament to the producer's immense skills. Spanning genres ranging from classical to deep house, Sonny delivers both “songs” and “tracks” that will move you. Sonny Ism, pseudonym of Xavier Bacash, delves into a charged chapter of his recent personal history: the wife’s pregnancy and the first months of his son's life. This triggered a myriad of emotions, from pure excitement to extreme fear. From this came cozy chords and pseudo-scientific drum machine rhythms. Along with these soundscapes came words, lyrics and a style that had been missing since the breakup of his old band. A hymn to loss, discovery, conflicting emotions and the tyranny of distance.
Samil - Director's Cut, Vol. 1
(Below System Records, 2023)
Samil's Director's Cut, Vol. 1, is a well-curated selection of instrumentals made for other artists. Each piece makes us understand the unique touch that Samil gives to each artist. Samil's meticulous and precise production shines through on every track. Director's Cut, Vol. 1 is not the classic and banal instrumental compilation; it is the heterogeneous and punctual vision of a "musical director" that comes to life through sound, a multisensory experience. Each track brings to the surface the collaboration between producer and artist, a union of rhythms and worlds always waiting to be imagined anew.
Aunt Katrina - Hot
(Crafted Sounds, 2023)
Aunt Katrina was born a solo project by Feeble Little Horse member Ryan Walchonski. The songs blend noisy guitars, punchy synths, distorted samples and breakbeat-inspired drums to create a unique style of enjoyable electronic pop. At the top of this castle made of sound is Ryan's gentle, melancholy voice. After creating a soundscape in his head, he enlisted the help of friends like Ray Brown (Snail Mail), Eric Zidar (Tosser), Emma Banks, Connor Peters and Laney Ackley to bring the project to life.
Tatsuro Murakami - in/naka
(Lontano / ROHS! Records, 2023)
The album analyzes the emotional intersection between inner work and agricultural work, drawing inspiration from Murakami's experience in the Japanese countryside in 2022. Each song is based on stories and teachings learned from farmers and the existence of living creatures and plants he observed. This experience led him to conceive the countryside ("inaka", in Japanese) as a place of interiority, a place of the soul. The musical constructions are a mixture of drone/ambient textures and the influence of Brazilian jazz/choro chord progressions, field recordings and dazzling synthesizers.
slowerpace 音楽 - BELLUM DIVINUM
(My Pet Flamingo, 2023)
Barber Beats is an underground route in the vaporwave journey, a darker nephew of trip-hop, highly dependent on wi-fi connections and the ever-evolving sounds of an international (un)bounded modernity. "BELLUM DIVINUM" is an ancient Greek-themed mix of ambient, vaporwave, and future funk. The music in here, both urban and ritualistic, it's like a disfigured, ever-ending remix of 00s Moby cheesy tunes, but turned evil.
Villager - NOWHERE FM: THE BROOM OF THE SYSTEM
(VESSELBOY, 2023)
European electronic post-rock? Yes, please! This collaboration between Zonevreemd (Marc Ceulemans) from Belgium and Sai (Yasen Penchev) from Bulgaria blended synth pads, guitar ambient, and experimental elements.
"To Stare Blankly in These Empty Spaces" explores new geographies and genre gaps by inviting the listeners on a contemplative journey through hidden emotions and dreams within quiet spaces.
The sound of the album is vivid, fresh and pure.
Siu Mata - Amasia
(Nervous Horizon, 2023)
It can't get any better than Siu Mata on Nervous Horizon. Together, they are among the hottest labels and producers in the World club scene. Amasia EP is a psychedelic blend of tribal dub, 90s breakbeat acid, and hard-Tekno dynamism. Each track is named after geological epochs, reflecting the constant evolution of the Earth's surface.
Bluetoof - NEWT LICKER
(Infa Red, 2023)
NEWT LICKER is a zombified hypnotic tribal techno featuring an array of 'mutated amphibian tracks. With hallucinatory vocals and progressively distorted bass lines, this is a collection of deep, rhythmic percussion specifically tailored for dance floor experiences. Under the leadership of Bluetoof, the label Infa Red is making an explosive impact on the clubbing world, much like a meteor hitting Earth.