Havelok Grim - Chopped Tube/ Church Road

Brighton-based producer Jake Turner has recently compiled a series of recordings made under a former alias, ‘Cunthoof’. If the old name wasn’t enough indication, Havelok Grim’s tracks aren’t seeking major label love or non-stop radio airplay; his jazz-infused, experimental efforts all demand every inch of attention available. Elements of glitch, Flying Lotus-inspired beat-work, together clash heads, forming an impressive portfolio of talents through what appears to be a throwing together of old tracks. Listen to these two back to back if you want the full experience.

Alpha Waves - Analog Girl

Like most unhygienic, spotty teenage boys with a fledging passion for music (at the time, for me, this was only the music of Radiohead), I found myself in a couple of bands. Again, most of the music we made was meant to channel Thom Yorke. This was never as easy as one might’ve hoped. My biggest regret, band-wise, is not forming a big, brash guitar band with friends. A love of No Age ought to have prompted it but nope, without the garage space and without the lo-fi-loving pals, it never happened. Alpha Wavez are another in a long string of jealousy-inducing youngsters who played their cards right. ‘Analog Girl’ is a gradually building, shoegaze-indebted throwing together of every influence within a square mile: My Bloody Valentine, No Age, every Captured Tracks signing under the sun. And it works. If these guys get signed, I’ll know I chose the wrong path in life.

Falcon Lake - Shores & The House Falls Down

A rare week or so of regular sleeping patterns, lack of coffee, not too much beer, has left me feeling strangely balanced. I no longer drift off into a sleep-like state when on public transport. No longer can a song like ‘Shores’ sent me into that sort of trance. All the same, it works brilliantly as a first-thing-in-the-morning glow, an incentive to get outside and explore. Leon Piers’ most recent efforts drift gorgeously between downcast slumber and upbeat, popping excitement; like my past week, they’re strangely balanced numbers. 

O.1 - The Glass Trees

Last night I chatted to Crack In The Road founder Josh about 0.1 and why on Earth he remained under the radar. We both came across him yesterday; he has twenty or so tracks to his name (it was virtually impossible to choose one specific song to feature, they’re all so good); he seems to be extremely prolific and yet, by the looks of it, the Australian is yet to be signed up. My aim this morning was to stop the chat and start writing about him.
For those unfamiliar with the Blue Mountains, it’s a good 50k outside of Sydney and is likely to be one of the first places that students/retired couples hiring Land Rovers will want to venture off into. 0.1 bases himself there and true to his location, each of his songs has an incredibly cinematic quality. Bold, grand offerings are aplenty and it’s not hard to imagine a jaw-dropping album (or several) being stored up in this guy’s locker. Check out ALL of these offerings below:

PARISWHEEL: DRAGON

‘DRAGON’ spends its first 2 and a half minutes experimenting; acquainting itself with all the tools available, so to speak. With thirty seconds left to go, it suddenly unleashes what the listener’s been eagerly awaiting: A flummoxing, gigantic chorus. Pre-explosion, we’re given sonical snippets of what’s to come; tribal drum hits; synths dripping with sweat; bold declarations of “I am fire breathing” from PARISWHEEL’s vocalist. But then it clicks. Everything falls into place like a layered brick formation - perfectly put together pop, albeit the kind you have to be patient with at first. 

Analog d r i f t: Manuel Antonio

It’s possible for me to be enamoured enough with a single second (or in this case, sample) of a song, so much so that I have to post it. ‘Manuel Antonio’, one of many works by Oklahoma producer Brad Holden, draws you in with a sweep (and it is, a literal sweep) of shimmering guitars. He repeats this sample every 5 seconds or so (if you scroll back through the rest of his souncloud page, you’ll see that this is a tactic he employs with several of his otherworldly works), until you’re well and truly shrouded beneath hundreds of layers of dreamy guitars and pent-up drum patterns.