So this week's final look at my checkout choices for December's Bandcamp Friday covers the last seven from T to Z, namely
Tambores En Benirras aka Graham Newby came to my attention when he remixed Other Skies by Electric Blue Vison, Jesse Fahnestock's project with Emilia Harmony, in 2023.
Now Jesse's returned with his other partner in crime, Darren Bell, to deliver a lush Jezebell remix for the third and final remix EP of Tambores En Benirras' debut LP, Ondas Horizontales. Just the fact that it's a Jezebell remix is reason enough to buy, but I especially love the tempo changes in their take on Alma Hablando.
Buy this one and you get further remix excellence including 100 Poems and Leo Zero. Buying all three adds the likes of Aim, Andres Y Xavi, Steve Cobby and Marshall Watson. Wonderful.
According to the blurb accompanying 2023's (debut?) EP Unani Pendeza, Urmet K aka Kermann Urmet is a native of Estonia, and a fixture on London’s underground circuit. Having current experience of neither, I can only say that the track Summer Solstice is a banger. Flip side You Know How continues in a similar vein, and slightly edges it for me.
Another recommendation for the Stereo MC's label Connected, too. They sure know how to pick them.
Viktus is a rapper from Bristol... ot at least he was, he appears to have relocated to Brighton since I first featured him in my post in June, which by sheer coincidence also happened to be his birthday.
Big Dawg dropped in November, and all the characteristics are in place: driving piano chords, hefty beats and a rap that covers all the lyrical bases with plenty of effing and jeffing as you might expect. Vocally, swapping the Bronx for a Bristol burr will always get extra points from me.
I'm a huge fan of Luke Vibert's music, my entry point being his releases and remixes in the 1990s, particularly Wagon Christ. I've lost tough in recent years - I have a promo WC album preview from 2011, the last proper track dates back to 2004 - so I'm not sure if this is a Wagon Christ comeback or if I've just not been paying attention.
Planet Roll is a mammoth 16 tracks, so no question that you're getting your money's worth.
Is it a radical departure from the 90s/00s Wagon Christ sound? Hell, no!
Is it great to have a new Wagon Christ album unexpectedly drop in my shopping bag? Hell, yes!
Xavier Corbera hails from Spain and, on the strength of the album Last Exit To Music, is influenced by film soundtrack composers, not least John Carpenter. The album appropriately came out the day before Hallowe'en and features 9 electronic soundscapes. The pulsing Plank is my pick today.
If you believe Discogs, Yellow Ostrich played their final show in 2014. However, main man Alex Schaaf appears to have resurrected the name in 2021 and Trying is his second full length, full band album since.
Lots of naggingly familiar reference points, but it's confessional style and earworm harmonies has won me over.
My final pick of the day and the week is Zaatar aka Marie Benaboud. Based in France, grew up in Morocco, three nationalities (Belgian, Swiss and Moroccan), a love of "blending EBM (Electronic Body Music), electro & North African roots into raw, genre-bending sets."
It certainly scratches my Front 242 itch, not least on the opening track of The Sound Of Z EP, Eyes Like Static. And I'm a sucker for record sleeves featuring big cats, especially when they remind of TV classic Manimal.
Happy shopping!
