Brother Moves On
João Orecchia: Motel Mari
What are you listening to now?
My current listening habits have no sense: some 1970s disco, some early 1990s hip-hop and I just discovered Mimikry by ANBB — that’s Alva Noto (actual name Carsten Nicolai) and Blixa Bargeld. They do a beautiful cover of One by Three Dog Night.
What were your favourite albums this year?
I rediscovered Digital Underground’s Sons of the P (1991) this year and had it on repeat for a long time. That album is timeless. It’s heavily influenced by funk, Parliament-Funkadelic in particular, which made it unique at the time, but it still hasn’t dated in most parts.
Who is your favourite emerging artist?
I would say The Brother Moves On. They’re on some other shit. They get it.
Who do you never want to hear again?
I don’t have a lot of patience for fluttery singers who never embrace the pause. No need to name names.
What should everyone listen to at least once?
The only thing I could tell everyone to listen to is everything around them.
Raytheon Moorvan:The Brother Moves On
What are you listening to now?
I’ve been persuaded by a good friend of mine, Daniel Zachariah Franks, to invest some time into classical Indian Carnatic traditions. Some artists include R Prasanna and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. This is the beginning of my exploration of this tradition, really. Outside of traditional sensibilities I’ve taken a liking to a Canadian band called The Most Serene Republic. There is a drone-jazz German band that I’m also keen on, called Bohren & der Club of Gore, and as far as guitarists go I’m pretty much in Tosin Abasi’s — founding member of American band Animals as Leaders — back pocket.
What were your favourite albums this year?
I don’t really listen to full albums any more. I usually just pick a few albums and leave them all on shuffle to get a good mix. American band The Mars Volta from El Paso, Texas, spill out into their own individual worlds with such vigour that I just couldn’t ignore them. I was kind of intimidated by the album Noctourniquet before I listened to it and kept it for a while after the release before I put it on. I was not disappointed.
Who is your favourite emerging artist?
The term “emerging artist” effortlessly makes trivial the work of the artists who may or may not have been producing work for many years. But some of the artists I admire right now are known as Bateleur. They are stupefying. The Fridge are a Johannesburg-based band that was founded in 2011. We had a few growing pains in the beginning of our interactions with one another, but since then we’ve grown to love performing with them. We are of the same ilk. Then there are Coals from Juniper. The gods have conspired in their favour.
Who do you never want to hear again?
Die Antwoord. Used to have a message. Got caught up in the world. It happens.
What should everyone listen to at least once?
Devon Marshbank’s Disco Taxi.
Zahara
What are you listening to now?
Mi Casa. Even though they play house music, their songs also have lyrics that are deep and thoughtful.
What were your favourite artists to listen to this year?
The South African band Riot and their album I Am an African, the Soweto Gospel Choir, Nigerian musician D’banj, house music DJ Ralf Gum. There are just too many.
Who is your favourite emerging artist?
The Soil.
Who do you never want to hear again?
I love all types of music, so I can’t really say. That’s difficult.
What should everyone listen to at least once?
My album, of course! Loliwe.