In newsletter form, Common Time lies dormant. Fortunately, it can continue in print via Meakusma Magazine. The following selections serve as a bit of a “best of” list for the first half of 2024. With one exception, it’s all music by current artists - no resissues or older things. A few stem from late 2023, but overall, these are the records that caught my ear over the past six months or so. They’re also largely uncovered by whatever music journalists are left these days.
(Click images to buy/listen.)
Via J.Tripp:
Lolina: Unrecognisable (relaxin records)
Is there anyone better? The latest from Lolina finds her pitched voice embodying a variety of characters within a fictional European city and plays with the ideas of place (Paris, Geneva…), class, identity and fame that she’s explored throughout most of her career. Made almost entirely on a rudimentary Casio SK-200 sampler and bass guitar, the music calls to mind early hip-hop in its playfulness, poignancy, minimalism and listenability.
Erin Hopes: Lucid Dreaming (Lost Domain)
Lucid Dreaming was maybe the most surprising record of the past year. Begging for repeat listens, it’s full of transcendent earworms that you’d never expect from a record that could rightfully be tagged as gabber or trance. Also, a perfect intro to the Lost Domain universe for any newbie.
DJ Manny/TCJ: The Lost Highway (Teklife)
DJ Manny released one of the best records of 2023 (Hypnotized - Hyperdub), disassembling and reconstructing the motifs of footwork into a brand new form. In collaboration with TCJ, the duo push things even further, roughing up the sound and expanding it way past Chicago with more of a London energy that leans into techno, UK bass music, digidub, and grime without any pastiche. Must-listen.
DJ Anderson do Paraíso: Queridão (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
Absolutely crucial collection of moody, refined productions from the 27 year old baile funk DJ from Brazil.
NKISI: The Altar (cortizona)
As a fan of NKISI’s work overall, this outing is exceptional. The characteristic elements are at play - dark pads, galloping drums, wandering melodies, sheets of noise, flickering snares/hats - congealing here into a spellbinding trance.
SHXCXCHCXSH: DO (Rösten)
This new E.P. from the Swedish techno masters builds relentless momentum around the rhythmic repetition of a single syllable (DO), perhaps a distillation and extension of the vocal warping that was the foundation of their remarkable 2019 lp, AÅÄ.
Carrier: In Spectra (self-released)
Most notable for his Shifted alias, the Carrier project from Avian label owner Guy Brewer has made some of the more interesting statements of late at the tail end of the continuum.
litüus: forever (Chained Library)
Finishing in top form, the supposed final release from this singular artist once again strips techno back to its primal essence.
funk.BR: São Paulo (NTS)
There have been a handful of funk comps on Western labels recently, but this collection from NTS is arguably the wildest (see DJ Arana) with the building blocks of the form maxed out in every direction.
Polido: Hearing Smoke (Holuzam)
Mutating organic sampledelic collages from Portugal’s finest. Touching on trap, downtempo, modern classical, and other post-club tropes without ever slipping into stereotype.
Assassin: Immaculate (Wain Records)
Pinning this collaboration between Guy Gormley’s Leeway and Erin Hopes as gabberish, melodic, 160+bpm techno wouldn’t do it justice - you simply need to listen through, get past the speed and genre signifiers to discover a zoned, trance state.
Lord Tusk: Happy Endings (Mida)
More of the idiosyncratic, heavyweight, stepping bass music you know and love. And if you don't…
[..(].: – unnamed (Chained Library)
Haunting, minimal, melodic non-ambient from the Chained Library camp.
Various: Process (ANA)
These days I’d be loath to recommend any sort of reissue nonsense - labels should spend their money on artists who are active. That said, this unGooglable collection of tracks from London and Hamburg circa 1997-2008 sounds straight out of the Seln/Wain/Lost Domain coffers - only 20-25 years prior - and is well worth your time. Compiled by ANA and Seln founder Conrad Pack.
Lil Mack: KOLT 66 (Tsaigumi)
After the turn of the century, Ibrahim Alfa Jr. disappeared for a decade or so. Over the last few years, he’s reemerged with two excellent albums on Mille Plateaux and a slew of releases on his own label, Tsaigumi. I could have picked any for this. Listen through them all.
Roma Zuckerman: Phenomenon of Provincial Mentality (Gost Zvuk)
Siberian producer associated with Nina Kraviz’ TRIP label lands on Gost Zvuk with an endlessly surprising collection of playful DJ tools interwoven with grinding melodies and low-key warped vocals.
Matthew Shipp: New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz (ESP-Disk)
If you’re still scrounging around the bins for every scrap of spiritual jazz/free jazz/etc. that you’d be the 10000th person to uncover, I’d hope at the very least you’re staying up on the living artists of the genre who are still making very good work. People like Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Hamid Drake, Evan Parker, Gerald Cleaver, Daniel Carter. This understated trio record from NYC’s Matthew Shipp is wonderful.
Aleksi Perälä: CHILDREN OF LIGHT 9 (self-release)
Finland’s best artist releases multiple albums every month and they’re all better than 99% of what anyone else is doing in this space. This one leans a bit more into the drums and is an excellent example of one individual’s quietly maniacal work.
A Large Sheet Of Muscle: The Ox Goes Pop (sele-release)
The UK’s father of snark stays active and exciting. This full-frequency collection is a great listen, even tipping into slight danceability here and there. Really good.
Xterea: The Ghost Of X (self-release)
Surprising addition to the more opaque London soundsystem set (Klaus, Fairshare, Lord Tusk, 5 Gate Temple, et al), this self-released CD is half audible with surface noise and wildly fluctuating levels artistically obscuring a collection of floating drifters for the car/club/pods. New one on 5 Gate is also worth seeking out.
Inafer Era: Hapax (self-release)
Raw, loose, murky rhythm statements from a relatively new UK artist about whom I know nothing. Top listen!
Syclops: Black Eye (Bubble Tease Communications)
This ultra-unique, swinging set of head nodders is full of left turns and odd detours yet somehow holds together as a concise statement. It’s all ear candy - rife with humor, musical reference and a deft touch that couldn’t be put together by anyone but the inimitable Maurice Fulton.
Chief Keef/Mike WiLL Made-It: Dirty Nachos (43B/Ear Drummer Records/RBC Records)
On track 2, a Trapaholics drop repeatedly announces “REAL TRAP SHIT.” and that’s what this is. Top-level, raw shizz made by two titans.
James Ferraro: Genware II : Eigen Embryo (self-release)
One of three collections of midi-choral, orchestral air released by Ferarro in January. When you don’t know what to listen to, just listen to this.
DJ Gonz: Messenger (Wain Records)
After standout tracks for Seln and Lost Domain, Gonz keeps the bar high with a disc of highly listenable, scruffy UK bass music via Guy Gormley’s Wain imprint. This incestuous trio of labels is leading the pack for high-energy, club-adjacent music right now.
Boofy & VMO$: Boofy & VMO$ (Sector 7 Sounds)
Like a drowsy, fenty-loaded beat tape but good. A true standout in the downtempo, trip-hop revival that (unfortunately) has been plaguing us lately.
Gunter Herbig: Lux (Cosima Pitz)
Personally, I wish everyone would put down the guitars already. That said, this somewhat traditional, very well-played, expertly-recorded guitar transcription of Thomas de Hartmann’s arrangements of the music of Greek-Armenian spiritual teacher G. I. Gurdjieff is very good and very easy to listen to. An unexpectedly enjoyable artifact from the bowels of the digiverse.
Tot Onyx: T.O. 1
Tot Onyx is half of the wonderful, noisy, art music duo Group A stemming from Tokyo via Berlin. This collection consists of recordings of Tot Onyx in her studio prepping to play live and serves as a window into her creative process.
Terrence Dixon: Studio Space (self-release)
More of the same. Which is to say more of the best. Terrence Dixon is ALWAYS good. His music shifts subtly and evolves over time imbued with a distinct swing and minimal sound palette while remaining somewhat changeless - abstract, danceable, conceptual, exploratory with a clear POV. Stay up-to-date on his releases which tend to eek out quietly at a clip of 3-4 per year.
Chuquimamani-Condori: DJ E (self-release)
The best record of 2023 - it’s been written about plenty. Go listen if you haven’t already. Temple of the Dog FTW…
Struktur: Mycelium (sonidos Del Arbol)
Excuse the played-out New Age title, this is engaging pointillist techno that fell under the radar and deserves a wider listen.
Ekuka Morris Sirikiti: TE-KWARO ALANGO-EKUKA (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
Following up on 2018’s archival collection, Ekuka, NNT presents the first ever studio recording from this lukeme master - hiss, buzz, knock, plonk.
Millsart: Neo Tantric Part (Axis)
Part of Jeff Mills’ Axis Expressionist Series, Mills says it best: “Vernacular creations that fall off from the ‘other side’ of the Electronic Music tree, this project is designed for the experienced Techno music listener, and its goal is to reflect upon the pure artistry of the craft of storytelling. A realization between music and life. Whereas ‘dancin’ is the goal of Dance Music, the goal of this music is about ‘reflecting on the complexity and simplification of life.’” 100% abstract Mills-ian gold.
Tropa do Bruxo: Baile do Bruxo (self-release)
As a survey of the current baile landscape, you’ll do no better than this compilation showcasing a wide swathe of the more notable producers working right now. To go further (and there’s MUCH further to go), you’ll need to talk to bill differen.
