8. ISLANDS OF LIGHT

By Theo Lawrence 

for Sock Free Hideaway

MASSIV THANKS to Theo for creating this wonderfully calming mix. Sweet, sweet vocals, electronic throb, and virtuoso moments of bliss all collide in a bubbly hour of musical escapism. I was taken aback by the amount of great Japanese tracks Theo shared on Facebook and have been in silent awe, nodding out to his posts and mixes ever since. Run a hot bath and shut out the early autumn.

 

 

https://www.mixcloud.com/david7322/islands-of-light-by-theo-lawrence-for-sock-free-hideaway/

In Theo's own words :

'It was in 2001 that Ii first went to the Mediterranean island of Ibiza, an island that has influenced the way i play more than anywhere.

It was all about us going to the big clubs on our first trip , and then on the holidays that followed, I started to discover the more quiet and spiritual side to the island and also the way that mellow music seemed to blend with the surroundings.

Today amongst other Balearic friends i tend to play a mixture of the type of music heard in both Amnesia and the Cafe Del Mar in the latter part of the 80s and early 90s. Although I have a tendency to lean towards the type of music that can be heard before and in the moments after sunset.' 

    

 

 

WETTER THAN JULY

 

TORN SAIL LP IMMINENT! And me having a blissful year of music loving with the missus, something that looked impossible at the years start. As if there haven't been enough blessings, Votel only went and released Alan Parkers wonderful One Summer score. A veritable masterpiece that somehow traverses the rustic beauty of nostalgia with the raw beat of essential music in the now. I'm transported back to the 2 or 3 sunny days in the 6 week holidays one minute, then feeling all head noddingly righteous behind my turntable the next. Dynamite.

 

Cassettes have been like buses with nothing one minute then 3 the next. Tommy's Session 11 is pretty bloody special. I love the music they create and wish more folk had the sense to appreciate them. Another winner was the self-titled San, which is laced pop vision music with a squinting eye at the sun. Red Moon is a killer. To complete the trio, Maquina Total released a sublime self- titled beauty in a silver foil bag. Urbanitzacio Esmeralda has the most beautiful music on it. And more than ever we need beautiful music.

 

 

Sugai Ken has released some gems this year. On The Quakefish, the debut Lullabies For Insomniacs LP has rightly received its fair share of plaudits but I've been more blown away with the beautiful (that word again) 

Em CD Goto no Yoniwa which utilizes exotic (to my ears) Japanese insects to great effect. Akin to lying in a bath full of Matey, it both soothes and transfixes. Far closer to hom, the wonderful Ruralcolours released a delightful cdr by Sophie Cooper called Count The Days which is bloody fantastic and works similar magic, albeit through more traditional means.

My favourite edits of the year have come courtesy of Tryck & T Ons 2 releases, and surprisingly the A-sides Sunday Morning ? and Old Lady Friend?  are the bombs. Think sunshine and arm waving. Something that's been in short supply. These are just some of the highlights of another incredible 6 months of music. I could write a list for a week but won't.

However, not all good as the engine in my brain that was keeping SFH motoring has switched off. A gig from my 2nd favourite French band was in the pipe-line, as were a few mixes, but then nothing. No word, nothing. It was as if folk were saying 'fuck him, he doesn't know what he's doing,' which was precisely the point of SFH. I don't know what I'm doing; I buy records and think to myself 'I feel bloody fantastic listening to this,' then have the docile notion to try to connect my joy to other people, which is why we're here. Beyond that I try to elicit a bit of social media interest but of late have realized a lot more folk are doing it better. Massiv heads up to What the Freak? for making material a night I was plotting 2 years ago. I asked my pal if he'd drive then let me crash in his car coz I think Khruangbin and Horsebeach are incredible. He messaged me back saying 'student music.' The former also played sunrise sessions in Croatia's Love International festival, as did Begin. I would've loved to have been in attendance for those magic moments. Not the festival mind.   

Oh, did I mention TORN SAIL LP IMMINENT!

7. SUN FANATICS   

By Contralux

 for Sock Free Hideaway

GREAT START to the year with this super drifter of a mix. Many thanks Yorgos! Choc full of atmosphere and blended with love, I feel like I'm on a comfy sofa for a change. Look out for Contalux over the coming months and in the meantime, settle next to the fire and put your feet on a furry foot-stool and drift away for a few hours. Yes, that's right, put it on repeat play.   

Sun Fanatics Mix-Tape by Contralux

In his own words -Contralux - MIXTAPE FOR SUN FANATICS

George made this mixtape specially for Sock Free Hideaway at a time when he is finalising the tracks for his new Contralux release.

https://soundcloud.com/contralux
https://www.mixcloud.com/yorgos-kout/
https://www.facebook.com/Contralux-172079816205651/

"I was never about the avant-guard per se. I grew up listening to the usuall 80s/90s stuff along diverse numbers like electric era Miles. I consider tension in music as a characteristic that seeks to resolve. A little melody here and there, is good to balance tension with release."

Contralux (http://catnappers.net/artists/contralux.html) is the project of Athens based producer/guitarist George Koutalieris aka "Yorgo Kappa". There, he explores new ways of sound making, merging his guitar with vintage analog equipment, and using a modern synthesis approach. Amagalmating his own field recordings, subtle melodies, immersive soundscapes and vocals as the expression of life’s creative energy, he aims to recreate the feeling that is pervasive in all Mediterranean places. He has worked with a wide range of artists, playing guitar live and in the studio, producing etc. Being a member of the very famous Greek band Rififi has given him massive airplay, press and tv interviews as well as high web and especially youtube visibility. His plan is to set up a stage band for Contralux very soon.

ME LIKE YOU

ANOTHER SIX months on the brink with more suffering to come makes music my only ally this year. Without my muse, I'm just looking to road-test ideas and share the music. A mix is on the way.

Whyte Horses debut is choc full of candy psych and is nigh on essential. It took an age to surface, but boy, when it did. Treading an ever earnest path but taking equally long to deliver their wares to market, Kontiki Suite's The Greatest Show on Earth LP shows a maturity and craft that only living in Carlisle, I assume, can help nurture. Great gatefold on Sunstone too. Predictably though Horsebeach's 2nd album is the show-stealer. It's Alright and Midnight Part 2 takes their sound to another level. Ryan, unless the sleeve-notes are mistaken, is controlling everything in the studio which makes the music even more tempered. The north is on the rise.

I got my Len Leise cassette M of M Tape and what a departure from his I-Feel material it marks. Stunning. Only Nmesh's cassette on Dream has challenged for playability thus far. Moon B and Tolouse Low Trax have also been mighty of late. Proper visionary sounds of low thumping echo frenzied ritualistic genius. Check Moon B's No Zu incredible remix Ui Yia Uia for an amalgamation of the aforementioned and the Toresch LP for the best effects of Tolouse Low Trax on offer thus far. Good to see so many exciting artists on top of their game right now.

Props also to the Hibernate stable. Their affiliated Isnaj Dui Diotrics CDR is wonderfully woozy. The 2 Frotee sevens are on fire still, but you know that. Jeb Loy Nichol's Ya Smell Me? mini-album includes the wonderful blue eyed soul that is My Mistake and promises to do more than just fly off the radar. The debut BRKRNDNCFLRS seven contains the Lo-Fi bumper No Pressure, thus marking another big winner. Other sevens that have a wow factor are Finders Keepers fuzzy felt sleeved moomins release and Bing Ji Lings Hangin' on a String Lexx re-contruction. A holy trinity in anyone's book. I was also fortunate enough to bag the incredible Israel Suite and Mariah re-issues too, so, all things considered, I have nothing to complain about. All I want this year is my muse returned safely, and a Torn Sail LP. Fingers crossed.