Boomkat: CDs just arrived

VARIOUS / THAI FUNK - Luk Thung! The Roots of Thai Funk

2010-03-10T11:00:00+00:00

VARIOUS / THAI FUNK
Luk Thung! The Roots of Thai Funk
ZRM
WORLD
CD

*Another killer comp of obscure Thai funk, Housed in a fine bamboo weave from Phanat Nikhom!!!* Zudrangma Records return with a collection scrolling back to the roots of the Thai Funk styles covered on their previous two discs, housed in super-special hand-woven bamboo casing with an A3 poster to boot! Those earlier comps contain some of the most mindblowingly alien and exotic funk that we've had the pleasure of clapping lugs upon so you can probably gauge our excitement over this installation. 'The Roots Of Thai Funk' looks at 'Luk Thung' music, which literally translates as "Song of the child of the fields", or in others words the music of the people. Funk folk. Luk Thung music is symptomatic of the Thai people's character, a heavily defined personality that's still no stranger to incorporating Western culture into it's own heart and soul, making for an infectious juxtaposition of modes. If it wasn't for the vocals, at times we feel like we could be listening to a treasure trove of undiscovered deep funk and soul, but each time after the 8/16 bar intro those vocals shatter any illusions to shock the senses into disbelief. These songs largely deal with matter of the heart and everyday life, just like any other pop/folk music really, but arranged with a unique palette of instrumentation, from the xylophones, strings and flutes of Rungpetch Lamsing's 'Ban Nork Dee Nae (Country Side Is Sure Good) to the wickedly tuned strings and horns of Thepporn Petch-Ubon's 'Jon Thae Nor (So Poor)'. But at the centre of each joint is a deadly rhythmic core that gives this stuff universal appeal, from the percussive overload of Rungfah Puping's 'Puyai Lee Santana' to the surf guitars of Noppadol Duangporn's 'Yaak (Want)' ensuring satisfaction for anyone with a ounce of funk in their trunk. It's a proper object of desire, and as limited as you like. Aces.

BEN SWIRE - From Here To There

2010-03-10T04:00:00+00:00

BEN SWIRE
From Here To There
Preservation
ELECTRONIC
CD

An incredibly strong new entry into Preservation's catalogue, From Here To There is the first long-player from San Franciscan electronic composer Ben Swire. Far from sounding like the work of a debutant, Swire's enveloping ambiences and thoughtfully processed acoustic instrumentation yield startling results. Whether it be the jazzy treatments of 'Passing Through' or the immersive 4/4 electroacoustics of 'And There', Swire seems to be able to conjure something special and surprising from at every turn. The album doesn't quite fit in with the steady supply of ambient/drone records doing the rounds these days, and instead offers something rather more direct and accessible that's never too far away from rhythmic organisation. The record closes with an especially pronounced integration of beats, deploying glitchy micro twitches throughout 'Forever' before embracing the rapidfire step-filtering of 'That One Last Thing', whose wafting, tide-like recordings wrap you up in a cosy auditory duvet during the final moments. One for fans of esteemed Kranky artists like Pan American and Loscil, but also anyone with a penchant for glitchy, beat-led electronica.

VARIOUS / RHYTHM & BLUES - Rumba Blues

2010-03-10T02:00:00+00:00

VARIOUS / RHYTHM & BLUES
Rumba Blues
Rhythm & Blues
FOLK / AMERICANA
CD

JG THIRWELL - Manorexia: Mesopelagic Waters

2010-03-10T02:00:00+00:00

JG THIRWELL
Manorexia: Mesopelagic Waters
Tzadik
HOME LISTENING / MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT
CD

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Happy Birthday

2010-03-10T01:00:00+00:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy Birthday
SUB POP
INDIE / ROCK / ALTERNATIVE
CD

TERRY RILEY - Autodreamographical Tales

2010-03-10T01:00:00+00:00

TERRY RILEY
Autodreamographical Tales
Tzadik
HOME LISTENING / MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT
CD

DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP - The Logic Of Chance

2010-03-10T01:00:00+00:00

DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP
The Logic Of Chance
SUNDAY BEST
ELECTRO / SYNTHPOP
CD

ANGUS & JULIA STONE - Down The Way

2010-03-10T01:00:00+00:00

ANGUS & JULIA STONE
Down The Way
FLOCK MUSIC
FOLK / AMERICANA
CD

VARIOUS / BROWNSWOOD - Gilles Peterson Presents - Brownswood Bubblers Five

2010-03-10T01:00:00+00:00

VARIOUS / BROWNSWOOD
Gilles Peterson Presents - Brownswood Bubblers Five
BROWNSWOOD
BEATS / DOWNTEMPO / WONKY
CD

Brownswood head-honcho Gilles Peterson curates the latest in his annual 'Brownswood Bubblers' series, featuring tracks from Dâm-Funk, Shafiq Husayn and more. The series is intended to "provide a platform for unsung heroes and emerging talent from the Worldwide underground" and without the obvious characters named above, many of these artists won't be hugely recongised outside of Gilles' radio show listeners. We can certainly thank him then for pulling up the delicate electronic soul of Ragen Fykes' 'Love Life', the slow and hazy jazz-house of Ron Basejam's 'Into My Life' and the shy, fractured pop of Samuel & The Dragon's 'Rising Up'...

GOLDEN TRIANGLE - Double Jointer

2010-03-10T01:00:00+00:00

GOLDEN TRIANGLE
Double Jointer
Hardly Art
INDIE / ROCK / ALTERNATIVE
CD