Issy Wood – If It’s Any Constellation (Zelig)
London-based visual and musical artist Issy Wood releases her self-written/produced EP, If It’s Any Constellation via Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records. The 2021 Artist To Watch wrote and produced the EP in her kitchen using a Juno-106 synth given to her by Ronson. Written during the summer of 2020, the project explores facing inner demons during a particularly isolating time. The EP consists of previously released singles “Muscle” (co-produced by Mark Ronson) and “Fuss,” a “passive-aggressive” ballad, according to the singer. The title of the project ‘ If It’s Any Constellation’ is a play on the phrase “if it’s any consolation.” Says Issy, “I like the accidental poetry of Constellation. Everybody needs consoling, and maybe the dumb mispronunciation is consolation in itself.”
Arthur Tan – After the Party (Tarsier Records)
Manila-born producer and DJ Arthur Tan first made a name for himself DJing all over the Philippines underground electronic house scene with Youngblood PH and the Logiclub Producer Collective. After making his mark in the Philippines, Arthur went on to pursue his craft in New York and quickly found his place performing across Manhattan and Brooklyn in venues like Kinfolk 90, Kinfolk 94, the Vinyl, and Smithfield Hall. After the Party (Tarsier Records) is Arthur’s first official body of work. The project was influenced by his time in New York City and explores themes of city nightlife.
Blood Cultures – Luno (Pack Records)
Blood Cultures identity may be a mystery cloaked with anonymity, but their music tells you all you need to know. LUNO, the latest project from the genre-hopping musical artist, is perhaps their most personal, yet global-facing work yet. Blood Cultures has remained open about the fact that they come from a family of Pakistani immigrants and shows that while their face can remain anonymous, their voice as a person of color needs to be heard: “I don’t want my voice to be hidden. I feel it my responsibility to come forward and represent the people that look like me, who feel like me.” LUNO consists of eight pieces that each exemplify a different phase of the moon. The writing in LUNO was largely influenced by Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, who used this orbital figure as a manifestation of the internal exploration into darkness. Listen to LUNO out now via Pack Records.
