Mondo Times: Rain as Cure
Primavera, Hellfest, Glasto, Confidence Man, Jenny Hval, Al Cisneros, Habibi Funk, RIP Nazamba, Lalalar and more..
Howdy partners,
Quick one here. Been to Primavera and watched Hellfest and Glasto streams from Youtube last month. For me, Little Sims, Idles, DJ Harvey, Tropical Fuck Storm, Shellac, The Caretaker and Jenny Hval were the highlights of Primavera. Couldn’t do any of the midweek concerts I had planned to attend in between Weekend1-2, because I ran out of energy.
I’ve never been a main stage guy really, so I wasn’t blown off by anything I watched on the Glasto BBC streams, but one night got stuck on twitter reading comments on Macca’s headlining set on Saturday; which divided Twitter as Moses did the Red Sea. I think I would have wanted to watch Confidence Man, here on what-s-the-name-of-this-stage.
However the real thing that got me going was, surprisingly, watching Hellfest recaps on ARTE Concert. Seeing all the old metalheads & punks like Megadeth, Suicidal Tendencies, The Toy Dollz, Discharge, The Exploited with 50+ y.o guys on stage rocking 10K+ crowds was both nostalgic and exhilarating.
I had never been interested in going to concerts or festivals as I felt these bands weren’t putting out any relevant material and were past their prime, but I was pleasantly surprised. I guess now I’m about to be as old as they are, and I think I’ll take going to the next Hellfest and listen to Running Wild rocking Under Jolly Roger, rather than going to say the Pitchfork festival and listen to Hyperpop/Latinx electro pop or whatever artists like Bad Bunny or Charli XCX is making.
IN HEAVY ROTATION
Confidence Man
Ok I mentioned them before but I’ll stress once again. We’ve been constantly listening to Australian dance pop quartet Confidence Man, which fuses an ESG like bass heavy funk with the punk front-womanship of X-Ray Spex, and come up with Dua Lipa pop. I’m particularly into the dancefloor destroyers “Toy Boy” and “Angry Girl”.
Al Cisneros
Sleep and Om bassist, the legendary Al Cisneros has his previous Bass heavy stoner dubsolo dub material collected on Drag City. Bass heavy stoner dub with some unreleased material and some old stuff remastered. Read this interview with Cisneros.
Jenny Hval
I’ve always been drawn to the work of the angelic Jenny Hval, yet her previous material has always teetered on the brink of experimentalism, which I guess was the reason she wasn’t yet a household name. Her latest album on 4AD “Classic Objects” might be her most “radio friendly” and integral album. Art pop mixed with personal lyrics & jazzy instrumentation thanks no less to long time musical partner Havard VOlden, an their amazing band. Was one of the highlights of Primavera and a strong contender for the best album of 2022. Don’t miss this one!
Majid Soula
I’ve come to know about the Algerian Majid Soula, thanks to the always on point Habibi Funk releases.
Since then, Soula’s work has largely been a response to what he refers to as the “Arabization” of Amazigh culture. By the late ‘70s, amidst widespread political turmoil and repression of Kabyle artists, Soula felt it was untenable to remain in the country and relocated to Paris, where he’s been based ever since.
Wonderful write up on Bandcamp Daily about this fella, making some kind of hard to describe lo-fi leftfield Arabian disco/punk. Check the song below if you are intrigued..
Lalalar
Our fellow Istanbul psych-rockers Lalalar has their debut album on Switzerland’s Bongo Joe Records. I’ve watched them quite a few times and their energy on stage is unmatched. Do try to catch them on stage they are doing quite a few gigs in festivals around Europe. My Twitter friend Nic Brown has put it better than I can, so I’ll pass the mic.
LIVES LIVED
Nazamba:
I’m extremely sad to hear that the modern reggae prophet, the sage and the voice of our times George Nazamba, has died after an heart attack. His life was cut tragically short similar to dub/reggae/bass poet Space Ape whom we lost a couple of years ago. Please go back and devour his material, he was one of the strongest poets of our times!.
UNDOMONDO DISCOVER WEEKLY
Rain as Cure // Undomondo Discover Weekly, updated 21. June, 25 picks from the last 1.5 months that I've been away.. #ambient #hiphop #jazz #indie #folk #electronic all turfs covered!
Simon Farintosh covering Aphex Twin with guitar, new material from Sofie Birch, Adrian Queseda, Curren$y & The Alchemist, Cate Le Bon, Belle & Sebastian, 80's Japanese adult oriented disco from ARAGON, some dancefloor material from Donny Benet, world dance from Rokia Kone, Teno Afrika, C. Tangana, Warsaw Afrobeat Orchestra, electronic dancefloor fillers from Parris, Overmono, Dam Swindle and a special 80's hit I nicked from DJ Harvey's set at Primavera and a lot more that I haven’t mentioned. 26 songs 1:48 minutes. Share with your friends, if you enjoy!
ELSEWHERE AROUND THE NET
♩Record Labels Dig Their Own Grave. And the Shovel is Called TikTok, [Ted Gioia]
The labels think they have found their savior. Artists will get famous on TikTok, and label execs can just sit back and watch the cash pour into their bank accounts.
I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but it won’t turn out that way. In fact, labels will end up like so many addicts, destroyed by the very thing they crave.
♩Patrice Rushen: “People are leaning into sampling in a way that is not creative. [Mixmag]
♩From labour camp to guitar hero: the abstract beauty of Branko Mataja: [Guardian]
♩The Loft, The Most Influential Dance Party In History, Turns 50 : [NPR]
The Loft subsequently became the rent party celebrated around the world, a launchpad for the musically, ethically and socially progressive wing of DJ and dance culture. It also embodied a hard counterpoint to the popular (and often racist and homophobic) history of disco as hedonistic and formulaic — even as it both presaged its glamorous Studio 54 years, and functioned as one of the disco era's secret engines of creativity. Half a century later, The Loft retains its mystique, while continuing to feed and foster inquiring younger minds.
PARTING THOUGHTS
📼 After a year of radio silence, I did a new mix which was inspired by a loss we had in May. Expect it to be a 90 minutes meditation on death, loss and the afterlife. [Soundcloud]