‘The geomungo is a six-string zither with sixteen frets. The resonating board is made of paulownia wood. Its origins trace back to the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo (37 BCE to 668 CE), which dominated the territory of present-day North Korea and a large part of Manchuria.
‘The geomungo makes dramatic sounds, through the friction created by the plectrum striking the strings, or the rustling created by subtle movements of the left hand over the strings.
‘Here Lee Jae-hwa performs the suites Geomungo Hoesang and Geomungo Sanjo, in the respective styles of the south and north of the Korean peninsula: distinct forms, techniques and rhythms, with a shared subtlety, sensitivity and emotional power.’

The two dubstep pioneers at the top of their game. Truly an album, the music is multi-levelled — dark as anything at times, but engrossingly varied and emotionally shaded, always on the move.

Extra to the LP, with a magnificent, epic, head-scrambling remix, more spaced and spooked than the original. Shackleton’s dream liturgy fully unfolds — an eerie, garbled sublimity, a kind of black-magic plainsong.

With Ekoplekz and Andres mixes.

The harpist from Christian Wallumrod’s ensemble, with the Magical Orchestra singer, plus viola and nyckelharpa — performing Purcell, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, and a couple of Susanna’s.

Tremendous, transformative interpretation of the Bassies at Studio One — mournful, trenchant, rocking, heavy, dubwise… bad.

Killer, full-steam-ahead, Channel One rub a dub, with startling effects, produced by Bebo Phillips and Clive Jarrett.

Celebrated dubplate version of DEB’s Promised Land; and Earl 16 on Trial And Crosses.

Landmark South African jazz from 1974 — spiritual and political, shimmering and surging. Reverbed trad and trap drums, mesmeric bass, soaring flute, rocking sax. Warmly recommended.

E-flat, b-flat and bass clarinets, soprano and alto saxophones, birdcalls, viola, banjo, cymbals, wood, trees, sand, land, water, air.
Recorded outdoors in 1977, in the Black Forest, near Aufen.

Rapturous, turbulent, frank settings of the poet Gunvor Hofmo, and themes of human longing, loss and wonderment before evil and beauty. With pals from Supersilent, Motorpsycho, Madrugada, Deathprod.

Irresistible reggaeficatory bazookaings of Manu Dibango’s Soul Makossa, upping the old-school funk, and garbling extra mamas.