Ancient & modern, acoustic & electronic, sacred & sensual, ethereal & worldly… Joshua Penman’s Akara project collapses dualities and guides the listener into a state of aural samadhi with a sonic ceremony called Extradimensional Ethnography. Composing a team of classical musicians, and sweetened by Femke Weidema’s heavenly chanting, this transcendent album is an absolute must-have for fans of globally-flavored grooves with a psychedelic touch. (review by Travis Nobles)

Mystical dancefloor symphonies.
Akara – The Far Shore
Akara – Gelfling
+ Purchase/Visit

donthink – Classick #57 (58min):

1. Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ [1966]
2. Cujo – Popsicle [2002]
3. Defcon 5 ft Bluu – Goodbye [2002]
4. Louis Prima – Jump Jive an’ Wail (Tranquility Bass Remix) [1956 / 1999]
5. DJ Git Hyper – Just Face It [1997]
6. Henry Mancini – Lujon [1959]
7. Anjali – Lazy Lagoon [2000]
8. Fingathing – Come on Girls [2000]
9. Mo’Horizons – Do the Boogaloo [2001]
10. Shirley Ellis – The Clapping Song [1965]
11. DJ Shadow – The Newborn Hippopotamus Jazz Rock Machine [2000]
12. Louise Vertigo – Où est la Femme? [1998]
13. Jazzanova – L.O.V.E. and You & I ft David Friedman & Paul Kleber [2002]
14. Michael Jackson – Ain’t No Sunshine (SSY Remix) [1972 / 2001]
15. Avia – Exil Exit [1998]

Anchorsong aka Masaaka Yoshida has a way with the MPC, as you can see in the above video. This Tokyo export product shipped to London in 2007 and has ever since been building a live reputation, being famed for an energetic show. His recorded music is as dynamic and energetic as the live performances, with sounds found in lounge music combined with organic soulful layers from various genres and vibrant pulsating rhythms. After having released three EP’s in Japan and one international EP on his own label, the Anchorsong debut album Chapters is out now, from which you can check out the moody sway of ‘Plum Rain’ and the bold rhythm of ‘At the Hyatt’ below.

Japanese quirky & thrilling approach to electronic music.
Anchorsong – Plum Rain
Anchorsong – At the Hyatt (stream only)
+ Purchase/Visit

The music of LA native Sahy Uhns a.k.a. Carl Madison Burgin is a unique blend of West Coast hip-hop, IDM and ambient influenced soundscapes, all topped off with some glitchy beats, organic rhythms and obscure psychedelic beauty. The opening track, a personal favorite, of his recently released album An Intolerant Disdain of Underlings (2011), “Montebello Postpartum”, delivers a dreamy ambient vibe and a gentle midtempo beat. “Anticipation Of The Night, which is named after a 1958 film by Stan Brakhage, showcases Sahy Uhns’ outstanding sound design skills.

Mesmerizing sound collage.
Sahy Uhns – Montebello Postpartum
Sahy Uhns – Anticipation of the Night
+ Purchase/Visit

Sothern rock bursting with soul! Alabama Shakes amplify my love for music. Their powerful groove and vigorous energy makes me a little less sad about great 60′s acts I was born too late to see live. Janis Joplin meets Nina Simone rocking out with The Black Keys, shedding gleams of hope to shake loose dusty spirits.

Turn it up.
Alabama Shakes – Hold On
Alabama Shakes – You Ain’t Alone
+ Purchase/Visit

The transatlantic success of British retro-soul singers is nothing new. From Amy Winehouse to Adele, British female artists have been strongly dominating the musical landscape for nearly a decade. LeaLea Jones delivers that kind of British retro-charm with an über-cool beat that brings to mind such Aurgasm favourites as Anjulie and Corinne Bailey Rae. She first captured my attention back in 2010 with her catchy single “Cake” and is currently working on her debut album. “Dry”, taken from the upcoming album, might be some of the finest urban grooves I’ve been listening to lately, offering some solid yet not overly produced beats and sweet soul vocals.

Sultry doze of neo-soul, jazz and R&B.

LeaLea Jones – Dry

+ Purchase/Visit

Of all the songs I love with endless feeling or thought attachable, Kinnie Starr‘s “Friendship and Creativity” goes beyond; joining core values of who I am. Her confrontational statements unsettle then affirm as she slides between tranquil and stern, with music swelling among concerns, confusion, and vehement frustration. It’s her direct, lively and personal manner that resonates viscerally in me, and this hasn’t been matched since discovery in 2000. She speaks to and of humanity, tying into her honest desires and one simple, nakedly exposing wish. (thx, Nelly)

My favorite song.
Kinnie Starr – Friendship and Creativity
+ Purchase/Visit

An idiophone is any musical instrument which creates sound primarily by way of the instrument’s vibrating, without the use of strings or membranes. Steel drums, or more appropriately known as steel pans, are mallet-struck toned ideophones and seemingly fit extremely well in the post-dubstep world of “future garage”, “wonky” or essentially 2011′s evolution of 2-step. Balanced very well against the gravity percussion, unintelligible vocals and a sweet and salacious bassline provide a warm bed. My recommendation: listen but turn it up and drop in at 3:45. Sublime.

Bendy, bouncy, but based in reality.
Jamie xx – Far Nearer
+ Purchase/Visit

Armed with her distinct multilingual vocals and an array of instruments, including toy piano, accordion, violin and percussion, French-American chanteuse Maïa Vidal crafts sweet and quirky pop-folk songs. Maïa’s debut album God is My Bike (2011) falls somewhere in between the sweet melancholy of Alondra Bentley, charming cabaret pop of Lonely Drifter Karen and Jessica Fichot’s tender waltzes. “Follow Me”, featured here, gives a good taste of Maïa’s quirky, yet accessible and playful songwriting.

Whimsical folksy melodies.
Maïa Vidal – Follow me
+ Purchase/Visit

Between toned white noise, spherical raindrops whet the aural palette. A “precisely manipulated diva wails soon balancing the harsher static sounds. The drop is wonderful, with the static sounds omitted and replaced by a driving 4×4 rhythm that is equal in prominence to the pad arrangement, whilst vocal clips fill atmospheric gaps“.

Sensual, simple, and satisfying. Tones and tastes.
Koreless – MTI
+ Purchase/Visit