Alan's Free [Prog.] Electronic Blog

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble is a group that I've been following for about a year now, but somehow their recent live album I Forsee the Dark Ahead, if I Stay had completely been missed by my radar - luckily I finally learned about it. The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble play in what I like to think of as an electronic ambient jazz noir style, which is somewhat close to post-rock but engaging and progressive enough to not sound stagnant. Essentially, this is nu-jazz in the same vein as Nils Petter Molvaer and Eivind Aarset but amplified in murky drama. Also, the lineup isn't just simple rock instrumentation; there are brass instruments, strings, piano, in addition to guitar, upright bass, drums, and the obligatory electronic elements. It might be worth mentioning that these folk aren't actually Japanese. If you like this live album (doesn't sound live at all, due to studio trickery), then you should check out their other albums and also their is a live improvisational/doom/jazz offshoot called The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation. Enjoy!

Did you know that the beginning of the title track on Massive Attack's Mezzanine sounds just like Between the Wheels by Rush? Anyway...

I've got a couple of new things to share today. First, brought to my attention by my friend Polo, is a grumbly noise-influenced drone album called Levante created by artist Matt Beattie under moniker Mane. In the artist's own words, 

"A piece of music inspired by and devoted to the victims of the Levante phenomenon in Tarifa, Spain" 

, which is something I know absolutely nothing about but I'm sure it was devastating. I've never been to Spain, personally, but I've seen TV specials and read about Spain and it seems like a place that is definitely worth visiting and I hope the people are Tarifa have been doing well since the "Levante phenomenon". As for the music itself, it's very rumbling and brooding, and the only real harsh noise element is the constant popping effect that isn't unlike the sounds heard naturally while flying in a commercial airplane. The three lengthy tracks run together as a single epic with occasional breaks of neutral "door ajar" type ringing that adds a little variety to the mix. Everybody say "thanks Polo!"

I'd also like to share with you a more commercially accessible album, which will also be my second featured album to be stolen from Anthony Fantano. Before today, I hadn't heard of producer Evian Christ, but I saw Fantano's video review, saw that it was a free download, and decided that it sounded pretty good. So I present to you Kings and Them, essentially a chill dubby and instrumental hip-hop album with bass heavy enough to rattle your brain until the resulting goo oozes from your face. Some of the tracks feature rather annoying rapping that is seriously uninspiring, but the instrumentals sound good and fun, in my opinion. Still, it's free. Why not waste some time giving it a listen? If it's not already obvious, this album isn't very progressive. You can listen to this album on the link provided below, and the new download link (mediafire) is located in the comments section.