Between The Cracks is a gold mine for passionate audiophiles like you. We aim to bring lesser-known independent artists and hidden gems from across the world right to your ears. From Australian downtempo grooves, to Belgium ambient x spoken word and Polish experimental jazz fusion, we wander off the beaten path and into the often-overlooked backstreets of the musical universe. Dive in – your record collection will thank you!
Albums
Alex Albrecht – Allambie
Albrecht’s ‘Allambie’ triumphantly unveils 2024 for Analogue Attic with an immersive auditory journey spanning house, downtempo, and ambient. Signature field recordings and piano motifs integrate with new synths to form a lush, introspective soundscape. ‘Rail Bridge’ dynamically opens the album as what sounds like a train chugging along fills the auditory space, positioning listeners on an explorative threshold. ‘Green Shade’ deepens the experience through sub-bass and intriguing tonal complexity. The title track encapsulates the narrative by guiding through intimate yet expansive forests of sound. Meticulous production and sound quality fully capture Albrecht’s evolving artistry. ‘Allambie’ is a transportive, multi-dimensional album demanding your ears.
Alex Deforce & Charlotte Jacobs – Kwart Voor Straks
‘Kwart Voor Straks’ is a captivating journey into the intersection of spoken word and ambient music. Belgium artists Alex Deforce and Charlotte Jacobs combine their talents, with Deforce bringing emotive, abstract poetry and Jacobs crafting atmospheric, precise electronic soundscapes and wispy vocals. The album guides listeners into an immersive emotional space. Standouts like the hypnotic opener ‘Kwart Voor Straks (Deel 1)’, the mantra-esque ‘Mantra Voor Mikes’ and ‘Umami’, the album’s most club-oriented cut, showcase the innovative blend of styles. From top-notch production to creative boundary-pushing, ‘Kwart Voor Straks’ is a finely crafted album fusing word and sound to elicit a response. Shifting gears between electronic, spoken word and avant-pop, this is a unique, accessible, and standout experience that warrants your attention.
Dorian Dumont – APhEX
Dorian Dumont is carving his distinctive journey within the Belgian jazz scene, showcasing his remarkable talent and versatility in solo endeavours and collaborative projects. Inspired by his musical idol, Aphex Twin, the incredibly skilled pianist has unveiled APhEX, his latest LP, following 2021’s APHEXionS. The record sees Dumont delving deeper into the realm of Aphex Twin’s work. While still maintaining his unique identity, Dumont effectively immerses himself in the genius of Aphex Twin’s creations. It’s an intriguing trip illustrating Dumont’s immense respect and admiration for Aphex Twin’s oeuvre.
Scotch Rolex, Shackleton & Omutaba – The Three Hands of Doom
Death by Tickling whetted my appetite for Scotch Rolex and Shackleton to conjure more free-spirited musical shenanigans. On ‘The Three Hands of Doom’, the pair enlist HHY & The Kampala Unit’s Omutaba into the fun. A masterful fusion adventure into tumbling polyrhythms, dubbed out vibes and irregular grooves from the minds of Scotch Rolex, Omutaba, and Shackleton. Featuring African electronic and global beats, this eclectic album opens with the wild ‘Ring Dirt’ and its kinetic strings before Omutaba’s thunderous drumming takes over on ‘Burnt Earth’. The title track ties it all together, incorporating rhythms from Congo to Japan for an auditory borderless journey. With daring production and graphics augmenting the experience, ‘Three Hands’ cements this trio as genre-bending innovators. Their symphonic Afrobeat and Ugandan drum orchestration is a thrill ride through uncharted musical terrain. This is no mere album but an immersive avant-garde triumph offering challenging conventions.
Shelter – ACID M:)DES
‘ACID M:)DES’ is Shelter’s left-of-centre tribute to the 1983 ‘Ten Ragas to the Disco Beat’ by the late Charanjit Singh via Antinote Recordings. The limited release of 150 hand-numbered vinyl copies reflects the label’s long-standing attention to detail and craft. Drenched in underground essence, the EP flows between hypnotic soundscapes and uplifting rhythms. The raw, acidic ‘In C 01’ and the trance-inducing ‘In C 03” are two standouts. This unique sonic trip engages the senses with its mystical atmosphere and pulsating beats – a must-have for lovers of left-of-centre dance music.
YOTO – Levure
With an eye for unconventional things, Kit Records effortlessly embraces the bizarre, the weird, and the whimsical. This fascination for the oddities reappears with their first release in 2024. YOTO’s music is an intriguing fusion of South American music tradition, combining voice, guitar, and percussion as its foundation. But here’s where it gets interesting: YOTO ingeniously deconstructs and repurposes these foundational elements to create a head-spinning blend of cutting-edge folk patchwork – quality quirkiness.
EP’s
Lemon Quartet – Lemon Law
Lemon Quartet, a group of gifted musicians from Ohio, cooks up some mellow soundscapes that are just the ticket for those late-night chill sessions. Their tunes are like a warm blanket for your mind as they unhurriedly join the electronic, ambient and jazz dots. Perfect for some quiet self-reflection or just chilling after a hectic day. It’s hard not to love their effortlessly cool style.
Singles
Bloto – Szlam / Ścieki
The talented Błoto crew dropped these two potent tracks at the back end of last year. Szlam / Ścieki sees the Polish jazz troupe continue to spread their wings into a myriad of influences. The two sides of this limited edition 7″ vinyl leave you wanting more and invite many replays. It also earns bonus points for the vivid artwork!
