Category Archives: Switched On

Switched On – Octave One: Never On Sunday (430 West)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Never On Sunday started as an EP in 2021, headed by the single Contemplate which Octave One recorded with vocalist Karina Mia. Gradually it expanded, with new productions and a clutch of video productions which the brothers are now able to release as an album.

These are the brothers Lenny and Lawrence Burden, who formed Octave One in their Detroit base and have been releasing music for over three decades. Never On Sunday is their first long player in five years.

What’s the music like?

The rolling beats and Karina Mia’s introspective vocal are a good match on Contemplate, and Mia makes a strong contribution to similarly moody cuts The Bearer, where a powerful rhythm gets to the centre of the dancefloor, and Price We Pay, an expansive number.

Lifelike is an evocative instrumental, with metallic glints at the edges, while Tiers gets down to four-to-the-floor business, opening out into a widescreen panorama. Soon After carries a more mysterious profile, as does Mona, while A Moment Of Truth has a relatively coarse string sound, bringing tension to its otherwise foursquare rhythmic profile and building to a powerful finish.

There is a noticeable scene change for Metal Forest, where a serene, fluorescent loop passes between the imaginary trees. Soon a distorted rhythm sets a slow pace, and the area teems with life.

Does it all work?

Pretty much. There is a satisfying ebb and flow in the tempo variations, and also in the blend between instrumentals and vocals, and a an attractive set of bonus tracks which include instrumental versions of the vocal tracks, plus a bruising Skream remix of The Bearer.

Is it recommended?

It is – the Detroit legacy continues to stretch onwards, and Octave One are an outfit right at the forefront of its growth.

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Switched On – Nabihah Iqbal: DREAMER (Ninja Tune)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

DREAMER, Nabihah Iqbal’s follow-up album to her debut Weighing Of The Heart, stands as a story of resolve in the face of considerable hardship.

In early 2020, just as the pandemic was beginning to take hold, Iqbal’s studio was burgled and all her work lost – including the album on which she was working. By this time she was suffering from extreme fatigue and had sustained a broken hand, but worse was to come as her grandfather suffered a brain haemorrhage, and she had to travel to Pakistan to be with the family.

The relocation was unexpectedly beneficial for her music, as she returned to basics away from the electronic trappings, using an acoustic guitar and harmonium to make much of her music. Although the genesis of DREAMER was changed with her experiences, Iqbal found inner strength and power for her music, adding new colours and shades to her sound.

What’s the music like?

Having read the story behind the music you might expect a morose, navel-gazing album – but nothing could be further from the truth. Instead what we have here is music full of rich colours, resolve and positivity, finding an inner strength and power.

The shimmering textures of In Light set the scene, brighly coloured and soaked in heat. This is a theme continued by the sweet melancholy of Dreamer, but which reaches a peak on Sunflower, a heady rush akin to being in the middle of a dancefloor breakdown in the mid 90s. “Count the steps of the sun, comfort me sweet golden one”, speaks Iqbal poetically.

As the album progresses so more acoustic themes are revealed. The descriptive Lilac Twilight presents a rich acoustic picture, while the final three tracks, of a more thoughtful persuasion, offer an aside to self over largely non-digital sound pictures. By contrast, Gentle Heart presents a sumptuous deep house landscape, while Aky River reaches even more vividly for the light, with a strong beat in tow.

Does it all work?

It does. Iqbal’s music casts an unusual light, in a good way – and the lyrical content, while relatively sparse on occasion, is always meaningful. The balance of instrumental and vocal is just right too,

Is it recommended?

It is – this is a rather special album, and responds well to being played at volume!

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Switched On – Kirk Degiorgio: Modal Forces / Percussive Forces (BBE Music)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Kirk Degiorgio has been a musical explorer throughout his long career, and Modal Forces / Percussive Forces finds him turning down a new road. This is an album that turns its head back towards the 1970s, looking to recreate the format of a library music album.

This sort of album could be made by top notch musicians but with their eyes squarely on composing music specially for television or advertisements, providing incidental music or smaller, jingle-sized clips. In making this record Degiorgio set himself some strict criteria, giving himself a maximum of two minutes for the majority of the tracks.

The 16 recordings zip by in the album format, setting scenes and providing a rich tableau of jazz-laced grooves.

What’s the music like?

Authentic. Degiorgio’s grounding in jazz, funk and techno serves him very well here, for he has a great instinct of how to introduce his melodic lines – whether in treble or bass – and how to set them to a rich library of percussion, played live by session drummer Chris Whitten.

They clearly had a lot of fun if these recordings are anything to go by, from the easy disposition of Amurru, a bass-driven number in triple time, to the grit in the groove of Baltimore. There are some really good grooves in Chicago Shift, likewise the percussive Cincinnati Sunrise and Harlem – but by contrast The Oakland Feel is smoother. All are written with an eye on the dancefloor, but they satisfy all sorts of scene-setting criteria too. It’s easy to imagine a few detectives flexing their muscles and cocking their weapons to this music!

Does it all work?

It does. The only regret is that some of the tracks are good enough to run on for at least double the length, and make a few people very happy on a dancefloor somewhere! Maybe Degiorgio has longer edits that might be made available in time?

Is it recommended?

It is. An excellent, fun album – and another musical discipline that Kirk Degiorgio has successfully mastered!

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Switched On – Wata Igarashi – Agartha (Kompakt)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Wata Igarashi makes his Kompakt debut with this multi-dimensional album, the latest chapter in a career that has seen him release for The Bunker NY, Delsin, Midgar and Time To Express, as well as his own WIP net label.

Here he is for a full-blown concept album release, around the mythical secret kingdom of Agartha. In his own words, “Named for the mythical secret kingdom, understood as a complex maze of underground tunnels, perhaps designed by Martians who colonised the Earth tens of thousands of years ago, it’s a similarly mystical, perhaps even cosmic trip – but this time, exploring an inner, deeply personal cosmos.”

On his journey, Igarashi creates scenes from an imaginary film based on the kingdom, teeming with musical incident.

What’s the music like?

Deeply mysterious from the start. Igarashi sets the mood with a thick cloud of ambience, that folds gradually over the music and sets a mood of disquiet through its use of microtones. This unsettled outlook continues when the beats arrive on Searching, but with Subterranean Life it feels as though the explorer has arrived at their destination and are beginning a journey of discovery.

The music becomes more fragmented and improvised, exploring more dimensions with metallic snippets of percussion, but then the mood changes with Ceremony Of The Dead, whose urgency increases as the melodic layers build. This track was originally written as part of a Sony 360 Reality Audio spatial sound concert, and it sounds great on headphones especially when a fresh vocal loop crosses over with Igarashi’s beats. The mood raises still further with Floating Against Time, a beatless number doffing its cap to Steve Reich, while at the same time showing Igarashi’s ability to cross-pollenate a number of different melodic lines with beautiful results. Abyss II runs with similar material, adding electronic sharpness.

Another scene change plunges us into the experimental climate of Burning, where musical activity and syncopation is rife, busy riffs trading off against each other. Agartha itself is the most descriptive scene, Igarashi painting pictures at a slower tempo even with the brush of a hi hat or the crescendo of a drone. This ushers in Darkness, but not the expected downward turn of mood – rather a cosmic interplay from swooping lines on the treble synth over an exquisite held chord. The mood settles towards the end, segueing nicely into Eternally, where the cosmic mood prevails but in much calmer waters.

Does it all work?

It does – though Agartha is definitely best experienced in one listen, so you get the twists, turns and mood changes of the whole journey.

Is it recommended?

It is. This is music of dense textures and intense colours, rewarding the listener who is prepared to revisit on several occasions. That way the secrets of Agartha can be fully unlocked.

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Switched On – The Black Dog: The Grey Album (Dust Science Recordings)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

For The Grey Album, The Black Dog have gone back to basics. Inspired by electronic bands such as Depeche Mode and The Human League in their early years, they went back to much older ways of working, with one keyboard per person and a strict limit imposed on the use of the computers.

These were the confines for an album that continues a rich stream of creativity for the Sheffield trio. Proud of their heritage, they are continuing to explore music and architecture simultaneously – and this latest opus taps into both art forms for its inspiration.

What’s the music like?

As its title implied, this is often an album of sombre colour – but there is also an impressive grandeur to the soundscapes The Black Dog conjure up.

That much is immediately evident from the stark outlines and imposing structure of Ghosts Of Decay, with steely synthesizer sounds reminiscent of the band’s city mates Cabaret Voltaire. As the beats arrive so too does an extra urgency, and the bumpy terrain of Let’s All Make Brutalism draws parallels with the trio’s love of 1980s architecture.

The faster tracks on this album are very impressive. Harder Times puts its pedal to the metal with an excellent, low slung groove, while the cleverly named (We Never Needed This) Fascist Groove Thang is excellent. Thee Difference Ov Girls drives forward with great purpose, as does the superb This Is Phil Talking and I Dare You. The last two are peppered with excellent riffs and generate great momentum – before the album subsides into the attractive coda, Borstal Communications sounding like the throb of steelpans.

Does it all work?

It does. The Black Dog are past masters at gauging the structure of an album and do so again here, moving effortlessly between mood and tempo and peaking with a couple of certified bangers.

Is it recommended?

Yes, enthusiastically – The Grey Album is a fine addition to The Black Dog discography, and confirmation that they are very much at the top of their game.

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