Fill - broadcasting Deeep Space, Monday 02 Jan. 2023 @106.7PBSFM

Great to fill-in for Lloyd's Deeep Space it was a buzz. As I was putting this together, I was thinking it's somewhat of a new-age fever dream. And ... well, ok. So it is, three sets and a song, sharing connections through sound, circumstance and orbiting satellites. 

Playlist linkage - remains for three months (sometimes more) after broadcast.

Opening with Leviot, a Jerusalem based improvisational ensemble that released their debut album through the French Akuphone label in the closing months of 2022. Leviot translates from Hebrew as Lionesses, it's the project of creatrix, composer and multi-instrumentalist Yael Lavie. Her approach is to bring modern composition, electronic sounds and an extended take on classical kanun tradition together. So, nods to tradition, while moving futureward. She is joined by percussionist and educator Cnaan Canetti and synth wiz, Yishay Seroussi. Perhaps the best example of their glorious hybrid are the two tracks, Garger ( A Tribute to Mohammad Abdo Saleh ) and Land. Both songs feature deeply resonant synthery (some reallly deeep drone), which sing through an awe in tandem with the traditional instrumentation. Then clocking through with Shriekback cycling funk through Bricks and Whistles - it's featured on the 2015 remastered edition of their first ep, Tench. Tench, rel.1982, was a glorious beast by my reckoning and this slight contribution, far outweighs my respect for the Shrieks. Next up is another recent Akuphone release from Eka Faune, a project created by Seika Faune. Exploring a mystical, heady brew of sounds imbibed with shamanic visitations, Seika plays "sound n'rhythm boxes", tambourin, sarod, bass and vocals. The song Dehli's Dogz features some great sampling of, well, dogs punctuating a ritualistic drum and cow bell bedrock rhythm. This builds into a mantric incantation that turns the already otherworldly feel into ... yeah, kinda ecstatic - I'm reminded of Prince Rama. It's lifted from the album, Healing of the Nation. Then, Bennie Maupin and Adam Rudolf with a track lifted from the sprawling, Symphonic Tone Poem to Brother Yusef, released through META/Strut Records mid 2022. Wow huh, two huge musical elders and explorers of musical realms. Their song, Fifth Movement then segues into Hindewu, a track featured on the equally sprawling, El Hal: The Feeling by Electric Jabala. It's an a-capella number sounding very similar to Mbuti polyphony with a zephyr like Islamic cry drifting through the mix and closing the set.

Opening the second set with South African jazzer, composer/multi-instrumentalist Shane Cooper, with his recent single Water Signs, tasty grooves happening here. Then, jumping continents to Brazil through the music of composer Priscilla Ermel and a track called Meia Noite, translating as Midnight. I am new to Prisilla's music, my familiarisation was assisted greatly by the Dutch, Music From Memory label who released a curated retrospective of Priscilla's music, Origens Da Luz. From this point we get jungle vibed continuing on from Priscilla to Finis Africae from Spain paying tribute to the Amazon in Suite Amazonica, lifted from a Koki Emura curated collection, Finis Africae - A Last Discovery: The Essential Collection, 1984-2001, through EM Records . Notching the jungle vibe up a touch with quietude through the improvised solo piano responses of Fabio Caramuru. Fabio has released two albums inspired by various Brazilian birds on the fab Flau label, the track, Uiapuru features the enchanting song of the bird of the same name, accompanying Fabio's responses. From languid, pianicised avian song, we exit the jungle through Osaka based Takao's Crystal Tunnel, brief and sweet, it's lifted from the divinely realised and reissue of 2018's Stealth, Stealth [Gold Edition], on EM Records. I can think of no better way to exit a crystal tunnel than through core new-age, nuevo-bhakti intonations via Laraaji. He enchants with Om Namah Shivaya, lifted from the Numero Group reissue of his 1984, Vision Songs, Vol.1. Yikes. 

For the final set we ventured into dub territories, getting kinda epic to start through 7FO. Not the usual bass guitar, drums, studio beastie, Ryu No Nukegara, is a cyclic electro kookfest of chillishness - y'know, sequencer cycles and cheek pop elastics populating the mix. Fun had. As much Kraftwerk as, well, 7FO. Then to some post-new-age/electronica via Sydney based percussionist Holly Conner, recording as Ilex. What is Soft is Also Strong is the name of the song, it comes in on a wave of gentling analog era sounding shoosh and birdsong. Then, subtle sequencer peppering away as pulse thrum balm the grey matter. Calming.Chill room? Maat is next, spooked song amidst a slow advance on XI Sie: A-Way, featured on '93's Sie album through Dragnet Records. Back to dubwise through David Gould and a remix of his 2001 album, Adonai, titled, Adonai in Dub. Here's the thing, aside from being a great album, it was remixed by Jamie Saft. Yeah huh. Playing Etz Chayim Hee Dub, David's intention was to create musical form through the spiritual connections between Judaism and Roots Reggae. Which is interesting because otherwhere, I have heard of a supposed link between Rasta and Sadhu cultures through Indian immigration to Jamaica. Food for thought? And. Closing the set with a track from Dutch musician Michel Banabila, getting 4th World satellite with, Coral Reef, from the Echo Transformations album. 

So, to go out we get jazzwise, through a musical meeting between Mashiko Tagashi, Don Cherry and Charlie Haden. The track, lifted from another great reissue through We Want Sounds, Song of Soil is an exploratory feast, the song - Oasis. 

Hope you enjoy/enjoyed it all.