Makaya McCraven with his band in sensational first concert in Athens.
Scenius Series are grateful!
Audio
Gilles Peterson Presents International Anthem Compilation
The twenty-nine tracks on this compilation chronicle Peterson’s long-standing affinity for and connection to International Anthem’s expansive creative music community, and were chosen by an extensive review of playlists from his broadcasts on BBC 6 Music, Worldwide FM, and various syndicated radio programs.
International Anthem is more than a record label though. It’s a community that is built on the city’s history but has, over the years, championed the spirit of creative music and pushed it forward with an outlook that reaches out to like minded souls regardless of time and space.
Throughout the 10 years of their existence we have crossed paths many times. From being in Chicago to celebrate them as label of the year in January 2020 just before the world shut down, to hanging with the crew in London, to playing so much of the label’s output on both on my radio shows and in my DJ sets.
So it is my pleasure to honour our friendship with a selection of tracks that have soundtracked the journey, so far…
– Gilles Peterson, November 2024
INSPIRATION
The Necks Experiment with Long-Form Minimalism
Disquiet is a genuinely absorbing series of luxuriously paced improvisations from the Necks, who have been doing this kind of thing for decades.
Fred Frith’s Improvised Structures
English guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser, one of the most long-lived and vital characters in a field of action that ranges from pure improvisation to rock, from composition to daring New York and Japanese creative forms.
Erdfisch = Soil Fish
On their self-titled epic, the duo, whose name neologizes the German words for “soil” and “fish”, gifts us with avant and convincingly blended 9 tracks that promise to attract music fans from Post-Kraut and Contemporary Jazz to Experimental Electronic and Sound Art alike.
MATMOS: Metallic Life Review
A “life review” is a phrase used to describe the psychological phenomena reported by people who have survived near death experiences: the sense captured in the phrase “my life flashed before my eyes.”
Ches Smith’s Clone Row
Clone Row is the long-form improvising ensemble led by drummer and composer Ches Smith, featuring Mary Halvorson and an exceptional quartet of New York-based improvisers.
Scientists of Groove, Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin
The series „Scientists of Groove“ offers a transformative cinematic experience, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the spellbinding world of one of contemporary music’s most visionary talents, Nik Bärtsch.
Makaya McCraven’s four-EP project review by Quietus
The drummer-producer’s four-EP project blends live performance and post-production tricknology into a new kind of superstrong musical compound
Tortoise on the changing face of Chicago, Steve Albini and their new-gen fans
Informed by everything from jungle to Krautrock and musique concrète, Tortoise broke new ground 30 years ago. Returning after nine years away, ‘it’s a different world’, they say.