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Friday 6th April 2012
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On Our iPod

Golden Grrrls - New Pop 7”

Chris Devotion & The Expectations - Amalgamation & Capital (album)

Trailer Trash Tracys - Ester (album)

Throwing Up - Mother Knows Best 7”

Howling Wolf - Complete Chess Masters 1951-60

The Ketamines - A Rotten Bond/1 Yr (from Oddbox Singles Club Pt 2)

Cardinal - Hymns (album)

Proper Ornaments - Taking the Gamble Out of Buying 12”

Darren Hayman - January Songs (album)

Various: Marshall Teller EP 12”

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Album Review

Gonjasufi
A Sufi and A Killer Warp Records

Article written by Ged M - May 11, 2010

Gonjasufi: A Sufi and A Killer

Records like Gonjasufi’s ‘A Sufi and A Killer’ highlights the inadequacy of reviewing language. "Psychotronica" has been coined for records like this and for Flying Lotus’ latest but it falls woefully short of describing how the 19 tracks (almost an hour of music) constantly shift like a sonic kaleidoscope. A Sufi And A Killer sounds like a record made following decades of active listening to music from across the world – and the pleasure of hearing this is in its endless diversity.

You can come at this in the context of Sumach Echs’ 90s hip-hop history, dropping references to Funkadelic and the Roots but it’s equally informed by 60s psychedelia, Middle Eastern musics, blues, jazz and Beatlesy pop. The rapper/singer/ yoga teacher who currently lives in Las Vegas has sketched the strangest journey from Native American chants (‘Bharatanatyam’) to fuzzy garage-rock (‘Stardustin’), Devendra-esque weird-folk (‘Ancestors’), 60s soul meets trip-hop (‘Duet’) and psychedelic funk (‘Candylane’). It’s a constant unearthing of surprises, packed with samples, and produced in analogue style that apparently took longer to mix than to record. A personal favourite is the Beefheartian blues growl of ‘Ageing’ and the Turkish-styled ‘Klowds’ but the whole thing is a joy of discovery. I’d almost overlooked it given its origins but am glad I didn’t, even if I’m reviewing it nearly two months since it “dropped” (is that the right expression, hip-hop heads?), because of its novelty, excitement and refreshing sense of adventure.

Links:
http://warp.net/records/gonjasufi
http://www.myspace.com/gonjasufi