Smart cookies will make it a point to periodically check on what Crammed Discs has on their release schedule, as the entity, founded by Marc Hollander of the often excellent Belgian avant-rock outfit Aksak Maboul, has been one of the more consistently interesting international labels around since its inception in 1980. What’s just landed in the store racks and what’s immediately imminent? Two releases, a various artists collection Fictions, celebrating the return of the Made to Measure series, that’s available now, and Neon Colonialismo by the Angolan/Portuguese electronic artist and producer Batida, that’s out October 21. Both are offered on vinyl, compact disc, and digital.
Of the two releases, Fictions presents the deepest connections to Crammed Discs’ long history, so it makes sense to tackle it first. As Made to Measure 47th volume, Fictions is part of a composer’s series that spans back to 1984, but with ties that are even stronger, as Benjamin Lew and Steven Brown, whose track “A.D. sur la carte” closes Fictions, took part in Made to Measure Vol. 1 (alongside Aksak Maboul and Minimal Compact).
Recorded live at a Made to Measure night in Brussels, “A.D. sur la carte” documents Lew and Brown’s first meeting since the 1980s, with its analog synth and sax working up a potent blend of swirl and drift. And alongside Lew and Brown, Stubbleman, whose Fictions track “Ne pas se pencher au dehors” features the hazy trumpet of Nils Petter Molvaer, has prior Made to Measure experience, as his 2019 album Mountains and Plains is Vol. 44 in the series.
The rest of Fictions’ lineup consists of Made to Measure newcomers, with Hollander’s choices superb, ranging from Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’s opening modular synth weave “Waterways” to the cyclical synth and soaring vocals in Lucrecia Dalt, Camille Mandoki, and Matias Aguayo’s “Sumamone (The Free Flyers)” to the almost environmental sound sculpting of Inne Eysermans’ “Blue.”
Christina Vantzou’s “Museum Critic” begins in a manner similar to Eysermans’ piece before shifting into an almost cinematic feel. But my picks for the standouts are the gorgeous symphonic cascades of harpist Mary Lattimore’s “Bird” and the layered, sustained textures of Félicia Atkinson’s “The Sun, Perhaps Three of Them.” However, every piece on Fictions cuts considerable mustard.
A portion of Fictions’ contributors, specifically Dalt, Eysermans, and Aguayo, are cited by the label as having a pop or club background, but one would frankly be unlikely to get a handle this info by simply listening to their pieces here. This scenario contrasts markedly with Batida’s record, as its tracks make it quite clear that he inhabits the realms of electronic dance.
At first, it seems like Neon Colonialismo is satisfied to navigate the ins and outs of club bangery, but as the set plays and the subsequent listens pile up, the dimensionality of the record becomes readily apparent. And it’s also a coherent listen, which is especially impressive given that every one of the album’s ten songs features a credited guest artist.
Records with that much outside input can regularly become a shuffle of personalities, and with the main musician getting pushed into the background on their own LP. That’s not the case here, though it surely helps that the vocalists aren’t speaking English. Some will argue that the messages are getting lost, but messages aren’t crucial to Batida’s chosen style; inventive execution is, and Neon Colonialismo has it.
V/A, Fictions
A-
Batida, Neon Colonialismo
B+
