NEWSLETTER
ANGE MADAME // SEVERED+SAID // MATTHEW DEAR // CV313 & FEDERSEN // THE RECORDS ARCHIVE DALSTON // BEN KACZOR & NICULIN BARANDUN
FEATURE //
ANGEL-HO TO ANGE MADAME:
RECONSTRUCTING IDENTITY THROUGH FANTASY, REALITY & TRANS-FEMININE EXPRESSION
INTERVIEW BY MATHIAS CHABOTEAUX
South African multi-disciplinary artist Ange Madame steps boldly into the fall with her highly anticipated self-titled album ‘Ange Madame’, a striking reinvention of her alter ego Angel-Ho, whose experimental ventures previously found a home on Kode9’s record label Hyperdub. With her latest album, Ange Madame not only reshapes her musical identity, but offers a full-throttle reset – a calculated rupture with her past that positions her as a genre-defying force within the industry.
2024 marked a profound moment of transformation for Ange, following her award of South Africa’s prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Performance Art in 2023. ‘Ange Madame’ is a 16-track screeching fantasy that bursts forth from a cosmopolitan chrysalis, sitting between dissonant disco oddities and ballroom-infused grooves. A meteorite of influences in its purest form, colliding elements of deconstructed club, P-Funk’s sumptuous eccentricity and obscure R&B, all while orbiting in a realm where cultural boundaries blur and reinvention reigns supreme.
Ahead of the album’s release, we had the privilege of sitting down with Ange Madame to explore the creative forces behind this monumental work. Our conversation touched on her upbringing in South Africa, the duality of navigating cultural expectations and minority struggles, as well as her advocacy for mental health. We also delved into her unique multi-disciplinary approach and how the hidden gems of Cape Town continue to fuel her melodious fire. ‘Ange Madame’ is not just a record—it’s an immersive statement of self-actualisation and radical redefinition, a true reflection of an artist at the height of her refined potential.
FEATURE //
IN PERSPECTIVE: FLORIDIAN PRODUCER SEVERED+SAID TALKS THROUGH ‘END TIME LOOP’ ON NOT NOT FUN
INTERVIEW BY JASON CABANISS
Jacksonville-based producer Severed+Said explores the darker side of the Sunshine State. With longstanding roots in Florida’s DIY underground music scene, John Touchton started the project as an outlet for damaged, goth-adjacent synth instrumentals.
Over the past decade Severed+Said has evolved into a collection of moody, noir-inspired synth works over atmospheric, soundtrack-like ambient drone. His latest cassette album, ‘End Time Loop’, was refined over the past two years, and it scores apocalyptic visions influenced by Touchton’s upbringing in a Pentecostal church. The album stands as the project’s best release to date, unleashing extended, fractured ASMR that puts you in a state of unease with its dark twists and turns.
It was timely that we exchanged messages while a real life apocalypse was occurring in the American Southeast with the dual onslaught of Hurricane Helene and Milton. We caught up via e-mail as Touchton enlightened us with the origins of the project, his recent tour with Akasha System and Justin Depth, scoring the classic silent film ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari‘ and navigating life as a working musician in an increasingly algorithm heavy landscape.
NEWS //
GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL ISSUE 15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY REPRESS OF MATTHEW DEAR ‘BLACK CITY’
Matthew Dear‘s seminal album ‘Black City‘ receives a special transparent silver vinyl repress courtesy of American label Ghostly International, marking the 15 Year Anniversary of the long player.
Released in 2010, nearly a decade into his craft, ‘Black City‘ was a watershed moment for Matthew Dear – who also produces as Audion, Jabberjaw and False. A steely noir album that straddled electronic dance and indie rock classification, earning him Best New Music from Pitchfork and a worldwide tour with a besuited band, the album unlocked Dear’s darkest and most engrossing ideas to date.
Creeping disco tempos, cavernous atmospherics, and strange distortions brought his signature avant-pop sound to a moodier place. Black City wasn’t to be found on any map. It was a composite, an imaginary metropolis peopled by desperate cases, lovelorn souls, and amoral motives, with flashes of sweetness and hope. Recommended if you’re into Death In Vegas, Caribou, Massive Attack, LCD Soundsystem.
REVIEW //
VARIOUS ARTISTS: ALLEY OF THE SUN
REVIEW BY JASON CABANISS
With its inaugural release in 2004, California based Not Not Fun was born as a bedroom operation documenting a growing scene within the greater Los Angeles area. Beneath the glitz and glamor of Hollywood was a sound that reflected the darker edges of the region.
The small collectives operated in the smog-drenched Valley and apartments of Chinatown, in living rooms, makeshift warehouse venues, and DIY spaces such as the Smell. Anchored by Britt Brown’s and Amanda Kramer’s respective projects Robedoor and Pocahaunted, most early Not Not Fun releases featured burnt out psychedelic sludge, bad trip jazz, and tar pit folk. A handful of bands, including No Age, Peaking Lights, and Weyes Blood, to name a few, nabbed the attention of larger publications and labels.
The label’s aesthetic became the subject of academic music conversations with their feature in Simon Reynolds’ 2010 work ‘Retromania‘ and its focus on hypnagogia. While the wider coverage and acceptance from upper level publications and scenes brought larger audiences, Not Not Fun works best when you drop the classroom analysis and embrace the vibes.
NEWS //
BEN KACZOR & NICULIN BARANDUN LINE UP COLLABORATIVE ‘POINTED FREQUENCIES’ LP ON DIAL
Basel deep house native Ben Kaczor joins forces with fellow Swiss musician and artist Niculin Barandun to present their debut collaborative album ‘Pointed Frequencies‘ – a therapeutic potential of binaural beats and solfeggio frequencies, providing listeners with a healing experience through sound.
Stepping away from Kaczor’s usual deep house formula, ‘Pointed Frequencies‘ dives into a bath of ambient, microtonal, field recording and electroacoustic techniques, resulting in a truly introspective album for the cold evenings ahead. By employing the dynamics of free improvisation, Kaczor and Barandun create interwoven sound structures, enveloping listeners in a blanket of immersive soundscapes.
The album marks the only physical release from Dial in 2024 and is adorned with cover art by Warsaw/Berlin-based artist Inga Danysz and graphics from Zurich-based designer Sandro Weber (Atelier Maeve). The album also boasts two video shorts created by photographer and video artist Marie Sutter.
NEWS //
DOMENICO CRISCI & GIOVANNI CALEMMA TO OPEN THE RECORDS ARCHIVE IN DALSTON
Italian artists Domenico Crisci (Semantica, L.I.E.S Records, Jealous God) and Giovanni Calemma are opening a brick-and-mortar records archive in Dalston, East London.
Located in the immediate vicinity of Dalston Junction, The Records Archive has been created through careful research of vinyl records, exploring all the finest genres of electronic music spanning house, techno, progressive, trance and lots more. For a taster, check out their Discogs.
The Records Archive are hosting a launch party from 8pm on Friday 6th December featuring a site-specific work for the space by artist Mariangela Levita. After the launch of the collection, the party continues in the brand new club Sui Generis with music from Calemma and Domenico Crisci.
NEWS //
CV313 & FEDERSEN LINE UP ‘SEQUENTIAL SPACE’ EP ON ALT DUB
Following up the release of ‘Positive Charge‘ EP in May, San Francisco-based dub techno imprint Alt Dub serve up their second platter in the form of a split extended player from Echospace Detroit label boss Stephen Hitchell aka cv313 and Alt Dub boss Federsen.
Pressed on heavy-weight 180g marble vinyl, ‘Sequential Space‘ EP delivers two solo tracks and two dub interpretations from each producer resulting in four dub techno weapons of the highest fidelity from the two artists.
EVENT //
ORBITAL ROTATIONS:
KYLE TOOLE & DJ ANTEPOP AT STARLANE PIZZA BAR
Taking place on Friday 13th December, Orbital Rotations host their fifth event in East London with Kyle Toole and DJ Antepop. Following previous editions at The Goose and The Glove That Fits, Orbital Rotations touch down at Starlane Pizza Bar in Canning Town to present a night of deep house, proggy trance and effervescent techno from UK selectors Kyle Toole and Inverted Audio founder Tom Durston aka DJ Antepop, alongside Orbital Rotations residents. Event commences at 10pm and ends at 6am.
STORE //
BIBIO - PHANTOM BRICKWORKS (LP II)
Bibio's new album 'Phantom Brickworks (LP II)' has landed! Sounding like a dilapidated medley of Aphex Twin’s 'Selected Ambient Works II' and the ballroom ethos of The Caretaker, this is absolutely essential for Winter listening.
STORE //
JACK J - BLUE DESERT
Two years since the release of his playful, simplistic and downright funky 'Opening the Door' LP - ranked #10 in our Best Albums Of 2022, Australian-born Vancouver-based multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer Jack J returns to his own imprint Mood Hut in November with his latest album 'Blue Desert'.
Spanning 11-tracks, the album was entirely self-produced at Mood Hut Studios in Chinatown, Vancouver between 2022 and 2024. According to the press release - "Blue Desert picks up where 'Opening the Door' left off; the songwriting concise and refined, the voice front and centre on almost every song, the pensive mood irresistible and dense."
Everything here is wonderful - everything. Thank you so much for this :)