Reviews
Sunju Hargun: Extans Mantra (環境) Vol. 5
Bangkok-based producer Sunju Hargun’s fifth installment of their Extans Mantra series is an immersive collection of psychedelic frequencies that brings one down to the ocean floor, as evolving loops and tonalities unfurl into an experience equally calming and sinister.
Sean Sundaran : Irresoluteness
Despite its title being a word used to describe a lack of confidence in one’s purpose, Irresoluteness presents listeners with the opposite of its namesake – being a worthy addition to Sean Sundaran’s diverse repertoire of musical projects and releases.
Viticz : re_build
With its raw honesty accompanying Viticz’s highly polished bookends, re_build’s revelations make a genuinely emotional impact. The result is a statement of personal rebirth for Viticz, and a defining start to a journey that will be exciting to watch.
Heureux Pour Vous : Ants in My Bread
How can you possibly beat a cosmic full meal of lup cheong, char kway teow, cai tao kway and kopi siew dai? For production extraordinaires Heureux Pour Vous, the answer is retreating to a friendlier part of the sonic meal: the artisanal bakery.
Don Aaron : FREEDOM?
On FREEDOM?, dapat music connoisseur Don Aaron ups the ante from its predecessor F A C T S in pretty much every aspect - be it in songwriting, production, or overall cohesion.
MZA: Balmoral
Balmoral – Yen Disco Soundsystem leader and electronic producer Matt Sekiya’s debut EP as MZA – sounds akin to John Coltrane performing a solo in a Buddhist temple with an analog synthesizer. Traversing worlds of downtempo, ambient, to even drum ‘n’ bass, he conjures an effort that reflects his deep-cut expertise.
Ailes: Reboot
With equal touches of Serph-esque electronica and soundtrack-like energy, “Reboot” feels like an entrance to a post-apocalyptic realm, something much closer in spirit with the worlds Ailes originally described to fight. Reboot might just be a much-needed reset for the group’s intentions, and it’s definitely an exciting one.
Avery Fos : Illuminate
Holding no clear destination and devoid of their previous majestic sweep, it’s hard not to perceive Avery Fos' latest as something resembling an interlude. Rather than a wondrous splash, it merely feels like a gentle wave, illuminated by a faint hopeful light.
Don Aaron : ITS UR BODY
Tossing caution to the wind, vaporpop artist Don Aaron’s latest joint, ITS UR BODY, clocks in at a cool short running length of just 2 minutes and 13 seconds. It appears Don Aaron is going for quality over quantity – and oh is it the very definition of.
Planeswalker : Entity
After the odyssey of warping through Planeswalker’s 20-minute wormhole that is Entity, it’s a while before one can awake from its thrilled daze.
KoFlow : Call Me
A dazzlingly enjoyable debut, Tangent bands together two artists from starkly different musical backgrounds in an experimental affair that reaps the best of what both artists have to offer.
ila : naik angin
Armed with a Microbrute and Volca Drum in hand, visual and performance artist ila’s first sound-based works manifest themselves in a spiritual collection of techno-adjacent beatscapes.
MZA : Eldritch Terror (Prelude)
Summoning woozy textures and idiosyncratic sampling over steady downtempo beats, MZA weaves a hypnotic, kaleidoscopic listening experience on Eldritch Terror (Prelude).
Microchip Terror : Illegal Experiments 2
Microchip Terror’s undated sound fills the imagination with the terrors of a System Shock-esque world – with B-movie body horror and haunted Nintendo cartridges alike.
Momo's Keys : Mizu
From dripped water samples to crisp rhythmic breaks, Momo’s Keys’ debut EP distills melancholic beats through airy, cotton-candy like sweetness, keenly aware of future bass’ tropes.
Intriguant : Your Love
Your Love thrives in its garage atmospherics – a nocturnal moodpiece yearning for liminal spaces and dancefloors, waiting to return.
iyer : Skywalker
For iyer, footwork’s frameworks are a conduit for him to pay homage to his Carnatic heritage. He refracts nuggets of Tamil and Indian culture at large, via the lenses of chopped samples and experimental club.
George Chua : Neo Punggol
George Chua’s blistering noise and abstract beatscapes come in the form of punishing, rhythmic grids on Neo Punggol – a slice of no-wave nihilism, channeled through modular synth intensity.