5 Tewns Vol.9

It’s been a slow week on the blog front — sorry, but I’m not paid for this. The prodigal son’s turned up from Berlin, and we’re going to wander around the mountains while he waxes lyrical about Deutschrap and rating his favourite kebab shops. I still love you though, dear reader — so here’s my tippity-top five for this week. x

Winkles – Semi Stretches [A Sky Full of Numbers]

Long-time friend Winkles finally puts some of his music out — and let me tell you, it’s fucking great. The debut release from Manc/Tokyo imprint A Sky Full of Numbers rests somewhere between the hypnotic techno ambience of Astral Industries and Voices from the Lake, and the sci-fi wonk of the Radiophonic Workshop. Full review to come.

Automatic – Mercury [Stones Throw]

Taken from the band’s album Is It Now?, Mercury has everything this chubby dad could hope for: organ stabs, saturated breaks, lacklustre dreamy vocals drenched in reverb, and some intermittent breakdowns that would make the best Beck releases jealous. Avant-garde pop doesn’t get much better.

Ghost Dubs – Into the Mystic [Pressure]

Taken from the forthcoming Head to Head, Implosion by The Bug and Ghost Dubs, Into the Mystic is a masterclass in control from one of my favourite producers around at the moment. It’s deep, it’s hypnotic, it’s brooding, it’s modern dub perfection.

Misty In Roots – Man Kind

Continuing the mystic, misty theme, I’ve been revisiting this classic. To celebrate their 50th anniversary, the legendary Misty in Roots are reissuing their back catalogue, including ’79’s seminal Live at the Counter Eurovision. If you’ve never seen them live, you really should.

Sessa – Vale a Pena [Mexican Summer]

It’s Friday, life’s good. The beauty of autumn has truly set in here in the valley, and I’m standing on the veranda, watching the rain — the fog rolling in off the mountain range — shedding a tear to this beautiful slice of melancholic tropicalia from São Paulo’s Sessa. Life is beautiful sometimes.