Half Moon Bay to Napa: New ambient and techno works by Tomu DJ and Radagast the Brown

New interview and performance by Flung on Lower Grand Radio; plus new releases by Art Moore, Hell Fire, Primus, Quintessential & Eddou XL, Tony Molina, and more

Aug 12, 2022

When did your musical journey begin?
My mom always says that it was when she was pregnant with me and carrying me in Varanasi, India. My parents would go to these all-night concerts on the banks of the Ganga, the river in that city, and so she always says that’s where it started.

And that’s how my most recent interview begins, featuring Oakland-based multi-instrumentalist Flung, whose new album comes out on Virginia/NYC label Citrus City next week. Apricot Angel is a meditative, meandering collage of sparkling experimental pop, an exploration of nature, self, and between states. Ahead of the release, we were proud to host Flung for a live performance and interview on Lower Grand Radio.

Read the interview and listen to Flung’s performance on Lower Grand Radio.

Peace,
ronny

A DREAM OF HALF MOON BAY

Sinuous pathways. Misty sightlines. Woody, leafy, wet brown carpets. The distant crashing of something. Are these the abstract constructions of some imaginary place or simply the sonic reimaginings of one of our favorite foggy, coastal cities? Emotional, upbeat, and subdued all at once, Half Moon Bay is a new full-length ambient techno work by Tomu DJ. Released on LA label Franchise and featuring contributions by DJ Manny, SUCIA!, kimdollars1, and blessingsnore, the album takes you on a psychic journey seemingly outside of space and time.

INDULGING IN THE MELANCHOLY

Another Plane Beyond Empiricism is a gentle offering to past, present, and future selves; a yearning for groundedness, reconciliation, and peace of mind. Napa-based artist Radagast the Brown (aka Ezekiel James Hampton) imparts a complex mythos through this work: Foreign memories seep through consciousness from the interdimensional, rife with a nostalgia that isn’t necessarily your own.

The album is sensitively infused with 20th-century classical music motifs and recontextualized sacred choral textures as well as other experimental renderings of the human voice. Consequently, there is no one genre that can describe this work; just the comfort that comes from indulging the melancholic ache of human experience.

On first glance, the intriguing track titles possess their own luring power: “Succumbing to Forlorn Fantasies” and “A Single Stitch from the Knitting God” invite a curious and open mind, yet one that is unsure of what or whose dream it’ll wake up from once the piece is finished. These are tracks to savor intently so as not to forget them—like holding onto dreams that are about to dissolve, just before waking.

— Elise Mills

MORE SELECTIONS

Art Moore by Art Moore on Anti- Records

alternative, rock, Oakland

—

“I don’t know how to quit, I don’t know how to give up, and that comes from the seed of faith that my grandmother planted in me at a very young age. This industry is cutthroat and full of ups and downs, but those conversations she had with me about faith allow me to keep pushing.”

“GRANNY SAID” by Bryce Savoy, who discussed the track’s new music video in an interview with Oaklandside.

hip hop, Oakland

—

Reckoning by Hell Fire

heavy metal, thrash, San Francisco

—

Conspiranoid by Primus

alternative, metal, rock, Sebastopol

—

“Playful, punchy solo debut from San Jose rapper Quintessential (Broken Aces, Dirty Old Men); veteran Cali beatsmith Eddou XL produces.” My Cheese Budget Is Growing by Quintessential & Eddou XL was featured on Bandcamp’s New & Notable.

boom bap, conscious, hip hop, San Jose, Santa Cruz

—