Everybody in NYC is posting their cherry blossom photos. The puffy pink flowered trees that seem to suddenly be everywhere in Brooklyn are symbolic for the start of Spring. Music hits different this time of year. At some of my favorite record shops like A-1 and Ergot in East Village, Boom Service in Williamsburg, and Human Head in Bushwick, the sun shines in through open doors and windows, their shelves full and listening stations backed up.
Physical media is buzzing right now. I see people young and old starting their collections, be it of vinyl, CDs, cassettes or DVDs (maybe even VHS for my OnCinema buffs). When I was at A-1 the other day, a younger gentleman was flipping through the Dance/House new arrivals section, his phone out as he was taking photos of each record one-by-one while simultaneously Shazam-ing every song playing in-store. It reminded me of some of my first times digging in the stores here, being introduced to new sounds and a new feeling, and a desire to discover more of it.
New shops are popping up every few months, and it feels like a new vinyl/listening bar opens every week - Silence Please is the rage with their sound system blaring ambient dub and $12 teas, and Moondog Hifi’s record fair brunches are fun for a Sunday afternoon dig and hang. All in all, while record prices seem to be soaring year over year, the cross-generational interest and excitement for valuing music and physical media again is something I see as a major positive for artists of old and new.
I’ve also caught a few good shows this past month. Goldie with a live band at Elsewhere Hall was incredible. Few artists if any have the charisma of the 59 year old D&B pioneer, but I can’t help to hope for more Dance/Electronic artists to follow suit with doing similar with live renditions of their music. We also saw one of six sold out shows Saba played at Blue Note. The iconic venue has been a favorite of mine, and these shows felt special with the expanded live band setup in an intimate setting marking the first performances from his new collab album with No I.D.
Another highlight came from a spontaneous walk up Lafayette Street, when Isabel and I poked our heads into The Public Theater and saw Colin Newman (of Wire fame) and Malka Spigel setting up their merch booth. I had recently gotten into Colin’s 1997 album Bastard and Malka’s 1993 album Rosh Ballata, both of which they co-produced together as Immersion and self-released via their Swim ~ label. This night, they were concluding their tour with a performance alongside Ambient Folk trio Suss at Joe’s Pub. As if stumbling into this wasn’t enough, one of the band members left two complementary tickets at the entrance that were gifted to us.
Here are seven songs currently in rotation.
DJ Rasoul - Let Me Love You
While digging at A-1 a few weeks ago they were playing this. I didn’t pick it up at the time but it became an immediate earworm and I managed to find a copy at Human Head this week. It’s everything I love in a Deep House track with driving lounge-y bass and elite vocals from Shanan. It’s a favorite of mine from prolific Bay Area producer DJ Rasoul on the Large Records label, with two cuts on the b-side that continue to grow on me and make for a well-rounded release.
gum.mp3 & dazegxd - Imitator
First heard these guys a year or two ago and
has been playing some of their DJ sets on Elevator Music at home. Didn’t realize they had released on wax so when I was digging at Ergot, I was happily surprised to find a new pressing of Girls Love Jungle, an album that got buried somewhere in my Apple Music library. They have a cool modern sound and style while incorporating some top tier influences. “Imitator” has an atmospheric D&B element that could fit an LTJ Bukem mix, and I remember reading something from gum.mp3 about Kerri Chandler’s Trionisphere Live mix being a favorite of his - respect.Cocteau Twins - Quisquose
I’ve been gradually getting into Cocteau Twins more. Since seeing Elizabeth Fraser perform with Massive Attack in Philly several years ago, I had gotten into some of the mid-90s albums. Now I’m getting around to their various EP releases. After picking up Seefeel’s Quique reissue and learning about 1/2 of the group Mark Clifford being one of the only producers to officially remix Cocteau Twins music on their Otherness EP, it led me on a dive deeper into their world. I picked up their Aikea-Guinea EP, along with the Tiny Dynamite EP, at newish East Williamsburg shop Boom Service. “Quisquose” is a favorite from it.
1morning - Dança da verão
My friend
was visiting a few weeks ago and we had a classic Bushwick night. Two of my creative goals for this year were to start this Substack and to DJ more, and another unspoken goal of making more effort to see friends. So knowing Ash does some DJing of his own, we booked Mood Ring’s happy hour where we could invite some friends and play some music. Afterwards, we stopped at Clara’s for some wings to watch the Warriors - Rockets game. Then we made our way to Bossa Nova where 1morning and Regal86 were playing - “Dança da verão” is a choice cut that captures the sound of the night’s closing set.Ora the Molecule - Is This Love?
Ora the Molecule is a Norwegian artist making funky Art-Pop/Electro music. Her latest album, Dance Therapy, on the iconic Mute Records label has been in heavy rotation since discovering this week ahead of her May 22nd show at Nightmoves in Brooklyn. It’ll be my first time seeing the venue, but Ora playing a show at a James Murphy-owned club feels fitting. “Is This Love?” has been a standout from the album, and though I’m no expert on Norwegian Pop, the album brings me back to fellow Oslo singer Bertine Zetlitz’s 1998 album Morbid Latenight Show that I came across a year or so ago.
DJ Lucas - Sundial
Shoutout to The FADER for putting me onto DJ Lucas almost a decade ago. The guy has consistently been putting out music and music videos since. He’s clearly found and carved out an audience of his own, and his energy has stayed on max - possibly in part due to all the Dunkin Donuts coffee he’s drinking. Dunkin makes an appearance in at least half his videos, which as I understand it is the truest testament to his Massachusetts roots. One of his newer tracks “Sundial” has all the parts that appeal to me in my favorite tracks of his - chaotic adlibs, solid production, lol bars (“jump on the track like a leaf pile”), and even a Sex in the City reference (“we got red heads just like Miranda”).
La Rat - Metal
Generally speaking, I’m trying to use Bandcamp more often. There have been a few recs and things I’ve found through their newsletter, and it’s one of the few streaming platforms where fans can truly support artists and indie labels in a greater way. I was introduced to the Dutch label South of North when I was in Amsterdam last year with my dad. Somewhere between searching Resident Advisor and Instagram for local events, I found the release party event for Brokenchord’s Stone Island Tracks album on the label. It was a great show and led me into other releases from them - this upcoming release from La Rat is sounding sick. RIYL: Quasimoto.
Drop a comment with anything you’re listening to!