Review: Tibshelf - None More Rollers Vol.2 (None More Records)

If you've spotted a review note that says that the artist draws inspiration from his favourite producers like Lee 'Scratch' Perry, RZA and Basic Channel, you're be eager to get it.  

Taking Agile Experiments' elements of Malib/Perry on the album 'Loukoumades' (see review HERE) and moving into a warped bass heavy underworld, Tibshelf has excelled himself.

How can a track entitled 'Cruncher' be so ambient and menacing all at the same time?  Whilst 'Have Your Fun' goes even darker with a non-fun stretched vocal as if LSF didn't paid the electric bill.

You could say there's no logic to this as Tibself, who has performed at the Tusk Festival, can clear mix these disparate influences - throw in early Ninja Tune vs. The Prisoner - for the most dancefloor friendly track, 'Logic&Truth'.

 

Tibself (aka Lee Etherington) is clearly more of a Planet Mu/On-U-Sound fan for the obscure electronic and is a great companion to Vol 1's 3-tracker by Nooson & Johson.

Artist: Tibshelf  

Title: None More Rollers Vol.2

Release date: 14th February, 2025
Label : None More Records
Catalog Number : NMR017
Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Agile Experiments - Loukoumades (None More Records)

None More Records may be a "DIY completely Independent record company" but that doesn't mean they can't release an album that is totally cool and out there at the same time - this is Agile Experiments' 'Loukoumades'.

On the old, "don't judge a book" rule, Agile Experiment is the master chef in the kitchen when it come to these 15 track.

We've just had SHOLTO new album, 'Letting Go Of Forever (see review HERE) with his live performance on Gilles Peterson's Worldwide FM yesterday in an ambient/OST/library style and 'Loukoumades' is like the hip-hop brother that's gone to Madlib via Lee 'Scratch' Perry.

Produced from improvisation by Dave de Rose (drums), Gustac Penka (guitar) and Marius Mathiszik (sound artist), this is the album Jah Wobble/Bill Laswell/DJ Shadow should have produced with ENO in a krautrock/dub/hip-hop style.

Pure co-incidence that both SHOLTO's and this album should be released on the same day but each are brilliant (save for my usual gripe with these type of albums, the tracks are too short!) But hey, if Peterson is a fan of Agile Experiments (as is his fellow BBC 6 Music DJ Don Letts and DJ legend, Bill Brewster), I think we should be too!

P.S. 'Loukoumades' is the Greek word for doughnut with J. Dilla's 'Donuts' album for inspiration.

Artist: Agile Experiments 

Title: Loukoumades

Release date: 15th November, 2024
Label : None More Records
Catalog Number : NMR016 
Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Twospeak - Fictions (None More Records)

Twospeak's third album, 'Fictions' is getting a wider audience with its release on None More Records this week.

We've been constantly impressed by None More Records, especially Joe Woodham's 'Worldwide Weather' (see review HERE) and the jazz-dub-reggae of Monzanto Sound (see review HERE) but it's clear that they do like a modern prog-jazz-rock as Twospeak have more that a forked tongue going on.

There's a hybrid of Portico Quartet, 70s prog a la Camel/Soft Machine with an added hard edge of, say, We Jazz.  

Twospeak are led by Ronan Perrett (sax) with Mike De Souza (guitar), Joseph Costi (keys, synths) and Ben Brown (drums). who have played in many a jazz group.

All tracks seven tracks are instrumentals (Ed. perhaps they should give Norma Winstone a call, apparently she's popular again) and each is based on artwork, be it painting, sculpture, literature or film.  There does seem to be a 'cinematic' Isotope running through the tracks, especially the opener 'Keep The Aspidistra Flying' and the moody, 'The Tower Of Blue Horses'.

As a band, they seem more than happy to go 'out-there', 'For Henry Moore (Reclining Figure 1984)' being an exceptional update of a Zappa/Henry Cow hybird and then pull back with the dreamy progression of 'An Astrologer's Day' with some echos of 'A Love Supreme'.

Cover artwork to match the Canterbury 'art school' vibe expect to hear on all the trendy jazz shows from Jez to Gilles, Patrick to Colin etc.

Artist: Twospeak

Title: Fictions

Release date: 17th November, 2023

Label: None More Records

Cat. No: -

Format: digital / Bandcamp

Review: Joe Woodham - Worldwide Weather (None More Records)

Is this some sort of Gilles Peterson radio program tribute via the Met Office? No, it's the latest album on None More Records.

But don't expect this to sound anything like his label mates Monzanto Sound (see reveiw HERE) as this eight track album is based on the idea of the moon vs. oceans interaction forming an ambience of sound so there's quite a bit of looping and field recording mixed in.

It can be a bit hypnotic/shoegaze at times ('Spring Tides', 'Overcast') and beautiful at others, 'Neap Gloom' and 'Gameplan B' (this one more Gamelan/Paris left bank).

The single, 'In Syzygy' is a mini ambient balaeric rain shower built on field recording loops and a some synthy/guitar dreamscapes that align all his solar ducks - get those Flying Mojito Bros. on speed dial for a remix.  

'Longshore Drift' is the 'folk song' that's harks back to Tuung (who remembers them? As featured on the compilation,'Where The Sea Meets The Sky - see review HERE).

If you're after something close to original Fripp/Eno ('Walrus') or the series of Eno's 'Music For', this is pretty close and worthy of repeated listens.

Artist: Joe Woodham

Title: Worldwide Weather

Release date: 16th June, 2023

Label: None More Records

Cat. No: -

Format: Digital

Review: Monzanto Sound - Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow EP (None More Records)

Last year we were excited about the release of Monzanto Sound's debut on None More Records, 'Time Lapse' EP, asking, "Where has all the post-punk-funk gone?" And even then, the tracks themselves were also neo-soul-jazzy and much more.  

This year, the EP 'Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow', takes on this theme further as on  'The Letter' we take their ESG leanings to more Kraut-rock Can and the Erykah Budu vocals are, at times, an Dagmar Krause operatic avant-garde with space synths too!  Just stunning stuff.

And that's not all as 'The Fool' is the vocal version to the dub that appeared on Mali-I’s debut album 'In Session'. There's no foolin' us they go all reggae/dub; I'd recommend vocal/dub 12" which would be so cool, so come on None More Records!

'Nuff Blues' is just as radio friendly as a neo-soul blues-jazz-funk grooves can be and the 4-tracker is completed with 'Eja' (being in part a tribute to ‘Yemọja’ the Yoruba goddess of the sea).

"Where has all the post-punk-funk gone?" Monzanto Sound are so much more and have passed the 'Gilles Peterson approved' test by a distance.

Artist: Monzanto Sound 

Title: Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow

Release date: 25th November, 2022

Label: None More Records

Cat. No: -

Format: Digital