Sedibus
SETI 
(Cooking Vinyl)
★★★★★

SETI stands for Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, and in this case is an enchanting off centre musical voyage through the Cosmos. Opening with the majestic drifting deep space tones of Paradise, far off drones, distant voices, high piano lines and processed slide guitar hold long chords over pulsating bass and laser focussed mid dub tones. 

The overall mood, joy and optimism is shrouded in dense layers of yearning echoing the famous words of the 1950’s physicist Enrico Fermi “where is everybody?” Plaintive rag time Edwardian influenced piano and pre-war BBC voice over jinks spills over the album. 

Purgatory has a dusty alien dance hall jazz influence complete with Indian Tabla, morphing into familiar ambient territory as if designed by H. G. Wells. Title track SETI is a three-piece suite beginning with an American space scientist’s voice holding forth on new concepts. 

The album concludes with the spaced out chill of The Armchair Astronaut. 

Burial/Kode9
Phoneglow/Eyes Go Blank
(Hyperdub Records)
★★★★★

EARLY pioneer of dubstep in the 2000’s, Burial continues to thrill and inspire. His latest release is a double header with one side of a 12 inch, his nine minute Phoneglow, and the other side given over to his label mate Kode9. 

Phoneglow blends high pitched R&B time-stretched vocal samples working over icy cavernous held synth pads. Bursts of melodic organ trills and modern synth lead arpeggios are thrown into the mix. Overall, Burial has moved into a commercial sound and his up and coming film score work should be interesting. 

On the flipside is Kode9’s Eyes Go blank. A tasty slice of re-imagined full on Jungle,  Kode9’s sound has blossomed over past years and this is a brilliantly conceived nod to future Sci-Fi music with a healthy respect for the footwork sound and drum’n’bass from the early 90’s. 

Both Burial and Kode9 remain two of electronic dance music’s most vital forces.

Iceboy Violet & Nueen 
You Said You’d Hold My Hand Through The Fire                      
(Hyperdub Records)
★★★★★

A recent signing to the south London Hyperdub label, Iceboy Violet & Nueen’s debut album combines influences ranging from the sound design of David Lynch to glitch inspired dance floors. Nueen is a Spanish producer, Iceboy Violet is a Manchester-based rapper and singer. 

The album kicks off with the foggy, dense, poetic track Heartbreak of a Broken Stitch featuring Harriet Morley on vocals. Things move into a more abstract expressionist, personal, political feel on the following tracks. 

Everything Ends with an Inhale is a surreal love letter list of memories past and mistakes made. Cement Skin a slow mournful lament intent reminiscent of Underworld and Burial. Pixel Petals picks up the tempo into warmer mellow sounds but with no less dramatic effect and heightened emotional impact. 

Closer brings in low-pitch shifted vocal poetic tones over distant industrial drone noise FX and a pop intent chorus hook line.