Frenic - Initiation: Monomyth (Part 2)

Frenic - Initiation: Monomyth (Part 2)

This One Records

Neatly following our recent Concept Albums exposé, Bristolian Frenic delivers the second part of his ambitious Monomyth series, Initiation Part 2. We're treated to the chance to own this installment on a gatefold 12" LP via the popular Qrates crowd-funding model. A tantalising prospect for anyone interested in owning genuinely unusual small run pieces of audio brilliance. And you're here, so presumably, you are just such a person.

Musically, we can refer to Frenic's musical pedigree for a sense of the quality, attention to detail and depth of the fare on offer. Trip-Hop, Hip-Hop and lo-fi beats embroil the listener in a weaving, entrancing tale. If one feels they are on a journey, it's by design.

Monomyth is music set to the concept of 'A Hero with a Thousand Faces' by Joseph Campbell, in which the reader is presented with the idea that there is only one real story ever being told; a common theme that runs through all narratives. By understanding and identifying this, we can unlock the power of protagonism in our own journeys (heroic or otherwise)

Whether you wish to entertain such notions is entirely your choice - those choosing to appraise the music without existential debate will find a cohesive and satisfyingly impressive album spanning nearly 20 evocative tracks.

The Money in My Pocket single already introduced us to the sweet voice of Gracie Grey, while te other vocal collaborators, Erik Jackson and Digistep, bring markedly different styles but add shine to an already glossy package.

Your heroic journey presents you with several options to consume this feast: Stream through Apple Music, Download via Bandcamp above (on a Pay What You Want basis) or get yourself a delicious looking Gatefold LP for £15 through Qrates

Chewy Rubs - Free Love

Chewy Rubs - Free Love
Midnight Riot Records

Tom Vine AKA Chewy Rubs is back with a new EP of infectious Disco loops on Midnight Riot. Pleasingly diverse in tone while plying trademark repetition to devastating effect. Disco gold for the dancefloor that carries a refined, modern aesthetic while retaining all the character of the sample source material. Out now exclusive to Juno Download

Atsushi Yano - Rottie Bites EP

Atsushi Yana - Rottie Bites

Omena Records

Japanese producer Atsushi Yano joins the excellent Omena Records clan with a pleasantly unusual EP that sounds like a little bit of Lamb, Fatboy Slim, Romare and John Coltrane all at once.

Quirky, densely-layered and sample-heavy, Rottie Bites is well worth checking out, with the menacing, late-night jazz-in-Harlem Barbital a particular highlight.

Available at Juno here

Freak of The Week - 8 - Yellow Magic Orchestra - Firecracker / Technopolis

Some glitchy, ahead-of-its-time computer game synth pop for this installment of Freak of the Week... all the way from Japan.

Yellow Magic Orchestra (AKA YMO) were (are?) a pioneering group of musicians credited with influencing the early days of synthpop, electro and electronica. Using samples and drum machines before most people considered them 'proper' instruments, they forged sounds that seem less wild today than they would have in 1979, when this particular 12" came out. To be fair, this could have been a Charity Shop Gem of the Week as it was picked up in a bargain bin for 99p many years ago, but I feel its combination of glitchy 8-bit sounds, peculiar synthesis and the ridiculously long build-up to Firecracker make it a glorious candidate for Freak of the Week instead.
Also worth noting there are some serious samples to be pilfered if you're that way inclined!

Each of the 3 tracks is deliciously wonky and has that Japanese sense of wonder - I love it.

And of course you can pick up a copy for peanuts at Discogs

Free - Classic Synths sampled to tape!

At CMFCP, we are not only vinyl enthusiasts - we're also slightly obsessed with synthesizers and drum machines. So we were very excited to see the ever excellent sample house Samples From Mars are currently giving away a sumptuous collection of classic synths, all sampled to reel to reel tape. It's almost too good to be true!

Here's what Samples from Mars are saying:

Not many people multi-sample synths to tape - it's time consuming and can leave a pretty big dent in your wallet. In fact, each synth patch we recorded took up about 1,250 ft of tape! (around 10 - 15 minutes).

But the results sound absolutely incredible! Who cares about time and money when you have sweet, sweet analog synths recorded to a classic reel to reel machine? These patches are truly special. Warm, fat, gritty and pretty. Enjoy :)

What You Get:

• 10 soft synth instruments created by multi-sampling analog synthesizers to a 1/4" mastering reel to reel
• Sounds range from saturated sub bass to epic 80s poly synths, sync leads and dirty FX
• Featuring: Roland MKS-7, Oberheim SEM, Moog Micromoog, and Novation Bass Station
• Ready for Ableton 9, Kontakt 5 and Logic
• 24bit WAV Files for any sampler / DAW
• 737 MB

Grab this stupidly awesome bundle for FREE here