I Bought These On Bandcamp — Month #5
I wanted to find a way of balancing out my monthly Spotify subscription (£16.99 per month) with money that went direct (or as direct as possible) to the musicians who make music I like. So I made myself a promise that I would spend at least £15 per month on Bandcamp.
The past few months I’ve made some bigger purchases on whole albums or collections from one artist. This time round I’m going to spread the love as wide as possible, and just buy individual tracks. I hope you find something you like, and if you do, support them with your wallet.
— by Ian Dowling.
- B Positive/Okkam “Doubled”
This is one of those ones where the cover piques your interest. I’ve been getting into following a lot of Instagram accounts about Brutalism recently, and there was something about the design that really spoke to me.
Also, the music is excellent. The first track “Rubber Clock Rhythm (Bee Sonic Rhythm Remix)” is the kind of thing that would make any night-time train or bus journey totally epic. It’s easy to imagine street lamps going by in rhythm with it, large buildings or structures looking out of the darkness, the odd dodgy-looking person looking up from whatever dodginess they’re up to, watching you go by.
The second track, “Beyond And Back Again (Okkams Supernatural Rework)” is a different beast altogether. Much more pensive, layered, textured. I particularly like the high synth lines. They sound like a Roland Jupiter-8 or similar to me, but I claim no special powers in this regard.
Two great tunes for £2 (before tax). Bandcamp digging at its finest.
2. Fascia “Turist”
This one is a bit of a grower. Released on the wonderfully named “Fuck Art Let’s Kill” label, based in Reykjavik, this dirty little techno number brings artists like Surgeon to mind. Made for dark, sweaty basements where epileptics fear to tread. The skinhead bloke next to you seems quite agitated, which could be scary, if he weren’t gurning so much. He seems keen to embrace during the ‘rushy’ bits, but you make do with a smile and a thumbs up.
£1 before tax. Lovely.
3. Kai van Dongen “Hold On Tight”
Hold on tight. Well, you can’t say you weren’t warned. If you’re a fan of any of Luke Slater’s work (and if you aren’t, then you should be) then I’ll bet you’ll get on with this too. The production is really well put together, lots of great textures overlapping, some nice glitchy moments. Another late-night train one I reckon, except while listening to this I reckon you’d feel invincible. Nothing bad happens to the hero in the movie while this is playing, right?
This is just one track from an EP called “Don’t Lose Count”. I’d recommend checking out the rest of that EP. If I wasn’t committed to buying as many different things as possible this month I may have bought the whole thing.
£2 for this track, before tax.
4. Pixelord “Vstavai”
First up, the artwork. I’m enjoying all the digital art that seems to be used for cover art now. I like how it’s often a mix of beauty and ‘urrrgh’, garishly coloured and almost completely context free. It only exists in relation other toothy, eyebally, rainbowpuke artworks, which I like, because at least it’s something new, and not as derivative as almost everything else.
Musically this is a beautfully chip-tuney yet emotionally complex one. I’m a massive fan of the Omnichord, and it sounds as if that is what has been used here. To hear harp-like glissandos on something so obviously non-organic is always an interesting and touching juxtaposition. Like a robot trying to prove it has feelings to its human masters. A situation that will be very relevant in a few decades, if the techno-futurists are to be believed. Best start practicing your encouraging face now, as they will already be vastly more powerful than us, and will destroy us all if we aren’t very supportive of their musical endeavours.
Secure humanity’s future and buy this for only $1 plus tax.
5. Julia Govor “Awake”
I’m a sucker for a techno roller, so this pulsing 808 Kick banger from New York’s Julia Govor was a no brainer. It’s playing in the same club as the Facsia track from earlier, except this time the gurning skinhead next to you has got his mate to hoist him on to his shoulders and he’s facing the rest of the dancefloor, punching lumps out of the badly plastered ceiling. His hand is bleeding, but he seems happy enough.
Dum-di-di-Dum-di-di-Dum-di-di-Dum…
$2 plus tax-ax-ax-ax….
Dum-di-di-Dum-di-di-Dum-di-di-Dum…
6. Meat Beat Manifesto “Bo_Bots”
It seems the 90s are about to have their nostalgia moment. Actually it feels like its started already. The stonewash jeans and white trainers are more visible already. Things have been getting progressively more ‘ravey’ in dance music recently. Skateboards are back. My mate’s kid asked for a centre-parting in his hair last week. He’s 10. Roll on the shell-suits, Global Hypercolour etc etc.
So this compilation, BLE-EP from Yellow Machines seems very timely. Well played guys. The Bleep scene in the UK was one of the many colours in the musical kaleidoscope when electronic music took off. It was playing when “Glastonbury was good” according to anyone over 40 now, it preceded the full Oasis vs. Blur thing, so it was okay to wear a bucket hat without seeming like a terrible, mainstream-teat-sucking arriviste. I don’t suit hats, so it was never an issue I had to deal with.
Meat Beat Manifesto inspired much of the music that launched a thousand Ford Fiestas around the M25 — Orbital, The Prodigy, The Orb, et al — they also opened for Nine Inch Nails on their tour in 1990. They’ve been “there” right from the beginning, so it would be fitting for this music to be revisited and properly recognised in its historical context.
With clubs and parties being closed for so long, the time seems right for a return to illicit raving in the woods with flatbed trucks, as opposed to VIP areas or £200 festival tickets. We need to reconnect with what it’s all FOR.
Again, if not for my self-imposed rules this on this occasion, probably would have bought the whole record.
£1.50 plus tax.
7. Nwando Ebizie “I Seduce”
I’ve been enjoying a lot of polyrhythm and syncopation in music recently, so the claps that open this got my attention immediately.
Wonderful, frantic, joyous percussion abounds. It’s hard to keep this kind of energy up and fresh for a whole song, but it never drops, right until the end. The excellent vocal parts have a massive part to play in this. Nwando’s voice occupies so many characters and spaces; twisting, hollering, whirling, swooping, chanting, wailing, tender, warlike. Female artists always seem to have so many more modes of expression open to them vocally. Dudes usually go with “fuck, I am ANGRY!”, or “listen, I’m singing quietly. Am I crying? I also have feelings, see?”. Maybe we men need to step up and try a bit harder. To bring energy without it being overly aggressive. I think Kokoko! are good at this, and Young Fathers. Not many others I would care to mention.
Part of the blurb says:
“In her radically unclassifiable style, the left-field polymath creates a dizzying convergence of experimental electronic music, call-and-response chants, Afro-Cuban drums and layers of dance-inducing, frenetic polyrhythms — spinning speculative fiction with the ritual cultures of the Black Atlantic, refracted through her signature mind-bending sound.”
“Inspired by the writings of poet, writer and activist Audre Lorde, the single dives into the profound sensuality deep within all women and ecstatically declares it as a liberating, poetic force to be embraced and reckoned with.”
She’s PROPER. I expect to be liking many things from Nwando in the future.
£1 plus tax. No-brainer.
8. d:enigma “dots”
There’s a lot of this kind of thing about: low tempo but glitchy, twisted electronics. A lot of it is incoherent bobbins. But not this. It’s a rare occasion when this level of technical complexity is married with an emotional sensitivity — drawing you in, rather than repelling you with its dexterity. As an example, I find a lot of Squarepusher doesn’t connect with me because of this. Very clever, no doubt. But I never find myself wanting to put it on. In contrast, Aphex Twin does it very well. Flying Lotus too. And now I can add d:enigma to that list. Bravo.
$1.50 plus tax.
9. Overmono “BMW Track”
Overmono will possibly be one of the more recognisable names on this list, but its a low bar, so don’t feel bad if you haven’t come across them yet.
The track name makes me wonder whether they pitched it for an actual BMW ad, and got rejected. If so, BMW’s marketing department’s loss is our gain. There’s no blurb, so maybe we’ll never know.
The track is great. I love breakbeats, especially when they’re done like this. Simple, crunchy and with a tuned kick/bass to give a bit of light and shade, to and fro. Shades of early Prodigy (there’s that 90s reference again), early Public Enemy, or maybe a more rough and ready LTJ Bukem. Another one for the nu-Ford Fiesta and M25 crew.
£1 plus tax.
10. Marcus Hamblett “Vibraphone Piece”
In raw pence-per-minute terms this is the best value of the bunch — 11minutes for a quid! But economic pedantry aside, this is just a wonderful piece of music.
The vibraphone is one of those instruments that just seems to have an atmosphere built into it, more so than guitar or even strings, which seem to require extra processing before they really ‘sing’. A vibraphone will get you right into a spot, straight out of the box. Add some wonderfully bittersweet string parts, a few analogue synth sprinkles (MS20 I believe), and some flutes, horns and you have yourself a rich palette to explore, especially in the hands of someone clearly so musically accomplished as Marcus.
Marcus is a behind-the-scenes guy who is stepping out into the spotlight, and deservedly so. He’s already featured on Radio 3’s Late Junction, which is how this track came about, in conjunction with James Holden. As the blurb says:
“You may well have already watched or listened to Marcus Hamblett without knowing it. A highly sought-after session player, collaborator and enabler, Hamblett’s CV boasts a multitude of projects with high profile acts including Villagers, James Holden, Laura Marling, This Is The Kit and more.”
It speaks volumes when so many other artists want a musician on their records, and wonderful when someone clearly so very, very talented gets recognition in their own right.
Also, the man clearly has an indie film soundtrack in him. You wait. I want you to remember I predicted it, and give me mad respect when it happens.
£1 plus tax.
11. Bill Callahan “If You Could Touch Her At All”
If I have to explain to you by Bill Callahan is great, then you need to do some research and come back to this when you’re ready.
Take. My. Money. Bill.
$1 plus tax
That’s it for another month. I’m falling somewhat behind in my timings, so may do a quick and dirty one next to get back on track. Let me know if you enjoyed any of the tunes above, and feel free to recommend stuff to me if you want, on Twitter @atswimmusic
Until next time…
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