EP: Elsa Hewitt – ‘Ghostcats’

Whatever your mood, electronic artist & producer Elsa Hewitt has a tune to diffuse it. What she achieves through improvisation many would struggle to create with the most calculated intentions and her dizzying blend of looped synths & vocals on new EP Ghostcats beautifully showcases her intuitive talent.

Described by Hewitt as an “opener” for her next release Lupa (due later this year), Ghostcats is a collection of minimal electronic compositions that have a soothing, almost translucent quality to them. Filled with celestial looping vocal harmonies, the ambient ‘Godly’ opens the EP, followed by the equally ethereal ‘Massive Charade’. It meanders in to brief but beautiful tracks ‘Wave State’ and ‘Mounting Up’. On each of her tracks, Hewitt’s breathy vocals and spacious synthesizers merge together to create a soothing, fuzzy atmosphere reminiscent of a lucid dream.

There’s a pleasantly jarring quality to tracks ‘Still’, ‘Kevlar’ and ‘Easy’, whilst ‘Raspberry’ is sweet and breezy. On ‘Velvet Scrunchy’, it feels like Hewitt is toying with the soft accessory the track is named after; gently opening and closing her palm around the garment. The twinkling sound of ‘Rebird’ closes the EP, which from the opening loop provides a soothing sonic head rush.

A much needed distraction in these strange times, Elsa Hewitt’s Ghostcats is a blissful electronic offering, designed to leave you reassuringly lightheaded.

 

Buy your limited edition Ghostcats cassette via Bandcamp here.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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EP: Sandunes – ‘Spare Some Time’

A calming, electronic mediation on the necessity of expressing emotion; Sandunes has shared her new EP, Spare Some Time. Released today (May 22nd) via !K7, the four track creation is an aural salve for overwhelmed ears, flowing with shimmering synth textures and soothing beats that remind listeners to take stock of the love in their lives.

Based in Mumbai, Sandunes (aka Sanaya Aredeshir) has focused less on musical technicality, and more on emotional catharsis on this collaborative offering. While for some this decision might compromise high production standards, that’s not the case here. Spare Some Time is equally as polished as Sandunes’ previous releases, which are predominantly created from her home studio in Bombay.

Ambient electronics and stretched out beats permeate opening track ‘Love It Less’. Featuring the smooth vocals of Jbabe, the track was crafted from an intimate jam session between the two producers. It blends seamlessly into the atmospheric ‘Burn Every Bridge’. “The only way out is through / Burn every bridge to you”, muses vocalist Landslands, cautiously urging listeners to let go of the past. Sandunes’ tentative beats and fluid synths help to relay this gentle message too.

“Bittersweet acceptance” sounds intoxicating on ‘Fifty Percent’, thanks to the soulful vocals of Mumbai songwriter Ramya Pothuri. The vulnerabilities expresses in the lyrics are softened by Sandunes’ use of bright electronics. Closing track ‘Simple Thing’ sees the producer subtly celebrating the restorative nature of love in all its forms, through uplifting synths and IAMI’s buoyant vocals.

“I feel like it’s very important for me to be prudent, but also celebratory about feminine freedom, as a working, performing, producing, musician from India”, Sandunes explains. Her ability to be clear about her her status, and the emotional response that sparks is what makes Spare Some Time such a cathartic, reassuring listen. “We’re deprived in our isolation of the tremendous benefit that togetherness and connection brings” she continues, but with records like this; that connection is ultimately strengthened.

Listen to Sandunes new EP on Spotify. Follow her on Facebook for more updates.

Photo credit: Viktor Sloth

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Sea Change – ‘Stepping Out’

An electronic exploration of an ambiguous metamorphosis; Norwegian artist Sea Change has shared her latest single ‘Stepping Out’. It’s taken from her new album INSIDE, which is set for release on 15th November.

Through a fusion of disjointed beats and atmospheric synth textures, Sea Change (aka Ellen Sunde) navigates her ideas about transforming into an animal on her new single. The track was written after she relocated to Berlin, and during her many trips to LA, which resulted in the seven tracks that make up her new album.

Following on from 2015’s Breakage LP, new record INSIDE focuses on what happens when Sunde swaps over-thinking for living in the moment. She explains further: “When I made this record I tried to channel the same state of mind I have when I go clubbing – not overthinking everything, like I usually do, but instead embracing my impulses; working intuitively, almost anti-intellectual. I learned that that’s where I am able to get to the core of what I need to express and that I just had to trust those decisions”.

Let your own inhibitions go by listening to ‘Stepping Out’ below, and follow Sea Change on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Immersion – ‘Sleepless’

If your cells are set alight by the sound of analogue synths and ambient electronics, you should invest in Immersion‘s upcoming album, Sleepless, which is set for release on 15th June via swim~ Records. Comprised of Wire’s Colin Newman & Malka Spigel, Immersion specialise in what their namesake describes and their latest record is a shining example of this.

Influenced by German krautrock pioneers such Tangerine Dream and Popal Vuh, Immersion have created their own version of “widescreen music” and opening track ‘Microclimate’ is a gentle electronic plunge in to their sonic world. The cyclical, mesmeric nature of ‘Off Grid’ seeps in to your consciousness, before the rippling synths and percussion on ‘MS19’ keep you suspended in ambiance for a further seven minutes.

Eponymous track ‘Sleepless’ articulates the restless state of mind its named after, with it’s moody brass arrangements and synths, whilst ‘Propulsoid’ – which features Matt Schulz of Holy Fuck – is propelled by the drum pattern Schulz programmed and more layers of synths and guitar. The upbeat ‘Hovertron’ glides by, making way for the smooth waves on ‘The Humming Sea’, before aptly named ‘Manic Toys’ scurries through your ear drums. Penultimate track ‘Seeing is Believing’ – a collaboration with Gil Luz and Asi Weitz of Hexenschuss – could score a dystopian sci-fi flick, whilst ‘Io’ closes the record on a hopeful, celebratory, grandiose note.

If you’re keen to hear Immersion’s music in the flesh, they’ll be performing a free show on 16th June at London’s Rough Trade East. You can pick up your copy of Sleepless there, or you can pre-order it here.

Follow Immersion on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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