Articles
2013 Top 10s & 20s
The Knells' The Knells
Spotlight 11

Albums
John Luther Adams
Arovane
Astro Sonic
Avatism
Cakewalk
Mark Cetilia
Ulises Conti
Stephen Cornford
Exercise One
Stavros Gasparatos
Huntsville
itsnotyouitsme
Rael Jones
Jubei
The Knells
Letna
Lord Echo
Selaxon Lutberg
Martin & Berg
Josh Mason
Mem1
Ron Morelli
Nuage
Oiseaux-Tempête
One Far West
Orange Yellow Red
Piano Interrupted
Oleg Poliakov
Recondite
Saffronkeira + Massa
Scarlet Youth
Shifted
Silencio
Burkhard Stangl
Talvihorros
Peter Van Hoesen
Vatican Shadow

Compilations / Mixes
EPM Selected Vol. 2
My Love For You Is Analog.
OFF To ADE 2013
Scope
Tempo Dreams Vol. 2
Transit 2

EPs / Cassettes / Singles
Dalot
Elika
Fighting Lion
Kyle Fosburgh
Fre4knc / Nuage
Rezo Glonti
Halvtrak
Ishan Sound
Jacksonville
Lullatone
Pennygiles & Phil Tangent
Dominic Petrie
Response
Sontag Shogun
Strategy
Thrash Pilot

Ishan Sound: Forward / Koma
ZamZam

Strategy: Clocky Man / Snowdrift Dub
ZamZam

The fact that Paul Dickow's latest Strategy two-tracker appears on ZamZam automatically clarifies that the single's musical focus will be dub rather than house, techno, or whatever other style the Portland-based producer might currently be exploring. The analog hardware dub of the A-side's “Clocky Man” breezily struts into view and settles into position, readying itself for a bass-grooving stream of jangly percussion accents, synth squelch, and echo effects—four minutes of blissed-out dub skank with a soothing edge. A smattering of disco sneaks into the flip's “Snowdrift Dub” in the form of a bouncy dancefloor groove, but Dickow ensures that the material doesn't drift too far from its dub roots by including rollicking keyboard stabs, a nimble bass pulse, and, most of all, echo-drenched melodica phrases. Get it while you can ‘cause ZamZam has issued the release in a (non-digital) run of 500 seven-inch vinyl copies.

ZamZam's final release of 2013 likewise features the work of a contemporary artist, in this case Cris Ebdon (aka Ishan Sound) who's part of the Bristol scene and the Young Echo Collective as well as a member of the Punch Drunk outfit Zhou. Smeared in crackle and conjuring the image of a dark underground club in Morocco, the A-side's “Forward” weds a haunted flute motif to a classic dub pulse replete with piano stabs and bass pulsations, with the result locating itself midway between Trenchtown and Arabia. As heavy is the B's “Koma,” a creeped-out slice of skullduggery spooked by punchy percussive syncopations and shotgun lashings. The sole complaint in this case simply has to do with brevity: at just under eight minutes, the single's far shorter than one would like, suggesting that a better scenario would have involved four tracks (two per side) of similar material being offered instead a modest two. Of course, the complaint has nothing to do with the content of what has been provided, which is satisfying indeed.

December 2013