Review: Shakti Soundsystem - Shakti Soundsystem (Anova Music)

Trippy space funk for kraut rockers warping in summer enlightenment; Namaste everyone!

Shakti Soundsystem is yoga without Shavasana, Here & Now without punk, Mad Professor vs. Massive Attack, System 7 with Ibiza and countless other spiritual nirvanas for body, ears and minds to dance to.

So it's no surprise to find out that Shakti Soundsystem is a six-piece 'commune' of supergroup of member of Garden City Movement (check out their album, 'Never On Time' - see review HERE), RAS and Alligator Ladies who live an improvised underground live session.

And this album is a bit in the spirit of a 'free' Don Cherry/Headhunters jam session, 'Dream' being the most jazz-funk in the widest sense of Gong goes 'Silver' with kraut-rock of CAN and Berlin squatters favourite band Amon Düül.   

raditionists might argue that there should be a 20 minute plus length opus for true "future-facing psych" but if you're got a Bulbul Tarang and an array of modular sythns,  I'd say you argument stops there: check out 'Ambi'!

Seven tracks for fans of Or Kantor vibes (see review HERE) who will love this and it's got a lot of elements to make it 'Album Of The Week' and a great way to make our way into June.

Did somebody mention Hawkwind vs. Klaus Schultz?

Artist:  Shakti Soundsystem

Title:  Shakti Soundsystem

Release date: 30th May, 2024 

Label : Anova Music

Catalog Number :  TBC

Format:  Digital + 7" single 

Review: Garden City Movement - Never On Time (Anova Music)

You don't have to know your Welwyn from your Letchworth's to be a fan of this Garden City Movement as they release a debut album, 'Never On Time'.

Well I don't know about their time keeping, but they certainly have issues about sticking to one music genre as these 13 tracks are coherently all over the place (which is a good thing).

Picking up on some Or Kantor vibes ('Sarda Sarda' being you current favourite album, see review HERE) to Prince pop-R&B, to duet soul-funk al la MF Robots ('Spinnin') and loads more; that's the 'Allure' of this album.

With a cast of fellow students of Town Planning, sorry I mean cool soul-jazz pop funk, Eden Ladin, Jenny Penkin, Sefi Zisling, Dreamcast, Sefi Zisling, Berry Sakharof this is going to make so many playlists it's like a Garden City Movement re-energised, re-born, re-danced (you get the idea).

Artist:  Garden City Movement 

Title:  Never On Time

Release date: 19th July, 2024 

Label : Anova Music

Catalog Number :  -

Format:  Digital  

Review: Or Kantor - Sarda Sarda (Anova Music)

If there's one modern surf album you need this year, this is it!  In fact, it's the type of album that could change your life!

The cover looks dodgy?  A bit 70s Greek holiday.  Or even Scandavian?  But what's that at the bottom, "The neo-surfterranean sound of Or Kantor"!  Well it's all those cross genre surf meets Morricone/OST to Batov Records to Astake's Ethio jazz as leftfield Balearic soft rocks off baby.

Crazy to find that Or is a London based painter and tattooist.and we're told that the music reflects his artwork of Mediterranen Sea inspired beaches and small towns.

Not sure I'd want Or to permanently mark my skin but 12 track album (not a bad 'un amongst 'em) has left a mark on me; the first vocal track is a bit of a surprise 'Rising Tide' which goes a bit more Hank Marvin 60s but he sounds more like Nick Cave than Cliff.

It's going to be 'Album of the Week' all over as the new the South East Asian psych funk has had it's day and it's time to move to Hoxton (and anywhere else that's trendy with it's own sea side view, twangy guitars and big organs.

Expect to hear this at the Chilled Cider festival as it overlooks the Atlantic all the way to the Brasilian coast; the Med is on your left.  Andrew Weatherall would have loved this.

Artist: Or Kantor

Title:  Sarda Sarda

Release date: 28th July, 2024 

Label : Anova Music

Catalog Number :  -

Format:  LP / Digital / Bandcamp