Contact Sub Focus

There are a lot of headaches that come with this gig. Deadlines, interviews and in some cases reviewing a greater variety of releases than some major publications. As a one man band this gig can work your last nerve at times. I've had the privilege to be contacted from artists and labels all over the world. The Christian Meyers Quintet and East Autumn which streets on 11/02/12 and makes all the headaches well worth the time, trouble and effort to try and share a perspective of what is happening around the globe. While 'European jazz' is often incorrectly thought of as cold and harmonically sterile, The Christian Meyers Quintet turns in a jazz collective of east meets west with a contemporary flair but old school swing that may be one of Neuklang's finest releases of the year.

A curious thing happens to a band as its sound matures. As the voices of its players continue to fuse ever more seamlessly, their individual styles also come into focus with increasing clarity. In its most literal reading, this is the key idea behind MOSAISMIC, the title of the third full-length record from Swiss contemporary / groove / jazz quintet IKARUS. The word itself was created from the combination of the words: “mosaic” and “seismic”. Mosaic, of course, implies a series of independent elements, which form a pattern or a picture. Seismic, on the other hand, denotes the energy expressed in the form of vibration, which is released by the movement, collision or friction of landmasses.

Performing as a permanent "piano duo" ensemble provides fulfilment and obligation in equal measure: it is a rewarding challenge because the two musicians must always seek the right balance and a suitable combination of skills that they can exhibit at one piano or on two identical instruments. "When we sit at two pianos, we cannot see the other's hands, and when we sit at the same piano, we cannot see each other's face – none of that is necessary. We have a sort of body sensitivity that helps us to communicate with one another on a sub-conscious level and to inspire each other."

The soaring choruses, rousing anthems, sprawling guitars and chaotic keys that make up Wolf Parade are on proud display over the course of Cry Cry Cry, the band’s thunderous first album in seven years.

For Us Alone is the new album from Alaskan Tapes. Toronto-based musician Brady Kendall infuses his ambient music with a deeply calming essence, which, as strange as it may sound, ties into his previous musical life as a drummer, when he began his music career back in high school, listening to the metal bands he grew up with – “screaming stuff…as heavy as you can get”.

This album is dedicated to the compositions of Federico Mompou, a composer and pianist of profound sensitivity. He exhibited an early inclination for the piano but, inspired by a Gabriel Fauré concert, he shifted his focus to composition, making his way to Paris to further his study. Mompou’s compositional approach was channelled through the piano, which he considered a fundamental tool for connecting with music’s essence, so he composed primarily on and for the instrument. There are some exceptions, however: notably his guitar compositions Suite Compostelana (1962) and Cançon i Dansa No.13 (1972).

Parallel Times. Dizzying constellations of notes netted within the soundboard of the harpsichord, quill-plucked and sent spinning in darting arcs and ascending steps. . . Harmonic fog adrift from which notes slip out in silvery streaks, gleaming with passion, while some, disconsolate, fall into dark silence snuffing out their glow. . . Cymbals sizzle and resonate, ceding space to the crackle of shells shaken. Wood, skin, clay all brushed, touched and tamped, honed into accents and beats, breathing between the firefly flurries criss-crossing through their time…

For their new album "Mosaic", their first in four years, the German brothers Julian (trumpet) and Roman (piano) Wasserfuhr have put together their personal, international dream band and written music with each special member in mind. The result is music in which all these masterful players put their skills in the service of melody, groove and atmosphere.

Many people consider it the best album New Order ever made, with its various changing moods and songs. Together with the album "Technique" it will be included in the "1001 albums you must have heard before you die" books.