Karlsen Cowley

Although born in Sweden, Klas Torstensson has spent most of his working life in the Netherlands following his studies in Utrecht in the early 1970s. Stylistically, he may call to mind Varèse, Xenakis and – perhaps more distantly – Stravinsky. First and foremost, however, Torstensson’s music is personal and distinctive. It is often nourished by his experiences of nature: rough granite, the sea, ice in the frozen Baltic inlets, the polar ice cap. His Lantern Lectures were composed in the aftermath of his opera The Expedition, about an ill-fated journey to the North Pole. While occupied with the opera he had received commissions from several different ensembles, and he therefore decided to write a cycle of works for these ensembles – compositions to be performed separately or as ‘movements’ forming a greater whole.

The first Japanese composer to achieve international status, Tōru Takemitsu proposed a fusion between Western music and the culture of his country. His music radiates a lyrical intensity that comes as much from his roots in the early modernists Debussy and Alban Berg as from his affinity with the more overtly experimental mid-twentieth-century styles of John Cage and Morton Feldman. Played throughout the world, he is considered one of the most important composers of the second half of the 20th century.

Issued exactly 40 years after Patrick Cowley's death, Malebox is a set of six previously unheard disco tracks from the heralded producer. Following the release of 2020's Some Funkettes, this EP concentrates on Cowley's disco-funk side, with no shortage of pounding beats and killer synth basslines. "Floating" is more laidback and vibey, but others such as the guitar-laced "If You Feel It" are no-nonsense dancefloor jams. "Low Down Dirty Rhythm" (which LaBelle's Sarah Dash recorded and released as a single in 1983) is the only non-instrumental, with Jeanie Tracy verbally illustrating the song's gloriously sleazy rhythm. "Love Me Hot" is Hi-NRG at its unforgettable best, all pulsating neon synths and electro-disco beats. Cowley's posthumous releases have demonstrated his extraordinary range as an artist, but for those who just want to dance to pure disco, Malebox is where it's at.

This recording presents the entire output to date for guitar of Toshio Hosokawa, one of Japan's most prolific composers for the instrument. His affinity for the guitar stems from his familiarity with popular songs accompanied by the guitar and from his knowledge of the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument from which he has adopted certain playing techniques. Although the works gathered here call for a variety of forces - guitar solo, guitar and voice, guitar and instrumental ensemble - they all present a fundamental aspect of Toshio Hosokawa's output: the music seems to be born like a calligraphic line 'at the limit of time and space'.

In a joyous reunion after a long, 7-year hiatus, the Neil Cowley Trio reconvene giving rise to a creatively inspired recording, Entity, their 7th studio album.