Peaking Lights, husband/ wife duo from the US (variously San Francisco, Wisconsin, Los Angeles but now resident in Amsterdam according to Wiki), have been releasing albums since 2008, putting out a lo- fi, trippy, sun dappled type of psychedelic pop, heavily laced with dub. I first encountered them on their 2011 album 936 (Piccadilly Records record of the year I think) and then got the follow up Lucifer and its side version Lucifer In Dub. I've not kept up to date with everything they've released but what I have I love- their sound is a swirling, heady kaleidoscopic brew, the dubbier ones particularly hitting the spot.
Beautiful Dub is from Lucifer In Dub, released in 2012. Tiger Eyes (Laid Back) and All The Sun That Shines were both on 936 which came with a bunch of remixes, including the one here by On U Sound's Adrian Sherwood. In 2015 they remixed four songs by Sinkane, his Sudanese electronic funk- pop splattered with their psychedelic dub. Beautiful Son is from Lucifer- John Talabot's remix is a gorgeous low key thumper from 2013.
I was ploughing through a pile of cds behind the cd player in the kitchen, the spirit of Marie Kondo having entered this house while I was out at work. Most of them were either magazine freebies or mixes I'd burned myself, so inevitably some were keepers and some sent into the bin awaiting their place in landfill. I kept a Piccadilly Records 2017 sampler with an interesting looking tracklist and buried in the middle of it was this.
U'huh is by Sinkane (who made an e.p. back in 2015, four remixes of his songs by Peaking Lights, that was one of my favourite records of that year). Sinkane is Ahmed Gallab, a Sudanese- American, who combines Sudanese pop with whatever takes his fancy- dub, kraut, jazz, electronic music. U'huh is a joyful East African song with upbeat horns and a vocal saying that despite everything 'we're gonna be alright'. Watching the news currently I wish I shared his optimism.
This is from the Mean Dub e.p. which I highly recommend if you haven't got it, four of Sinkane's songs sent through the Peaking Lights dub blender.
Here is my list, self indulgent as Drew says, but fun to do. I've enjoyed more new music during 2015 than any in recent years. These are the albums and songs/singles that have struck a chord with me and that have stuck with me since their release.
Albums
12. Mbongwana Star 'From Kinshasa'
Traditional African forms coupled with electronics. Still startling.
11. Mick Jones 'Ex Libris'
Vinyl only, six track instrumental.
10. MonoLife 'Phrenology'
The skull from Hull with some cracking old school dance music.
9. The Orb 'Moonbuilding 2703AD'
A return to form, four very long pieces full of ambient buzz.
8. Le Volume Courbe 'I Wish Dee Dee Ramone Was Here With Me'
Contains two of my favourite songs of this year- The House and Rusty.
7. Steve Cobby 'Everliving'
It could have been 'Revolutions' as well. Both are full of sumptuous electronic tunes and ideas.
6. Gwenno 'Y Dyad Olaf'
Perfect psychedelic pop sung in Welsh (except for the one sung in Cornish).
5. Crocodiles 'Boys'
Dirty, sexy, brash guitars from San Diego. If you haven't heard Foolin' Around, click play now.
4. Moon Duo 'Shadows Of The Sun'
Loads of uptempo two chord motorik psyche but with In A Cloud they had one of the year's most beautiful, almost Balearic guitar moments.
3. Sexwitch 'Sexwitch'.
Six covers recorded by Natasha Khan, Toy and Dan Carey. The intense stomp of the Middle Eastern songs take some beating and Natasha's vocals are superbly focused while also slightly unhinged. Possessed and obsessive.
2. The Charlatans 'Modern Nature'.
Recorded after the death of drummer Jon Brookes, a band back on form and determined to celebrate life with some of the best, soaring songs of the year- So Oh and Come Home Baby especially.
1. Jamie Xx 'In Colour'
A history of dance music from house to grime, emotionally charged from start to finish, with moments of ecstasy, clarity and genuine beauty. I'm still playing it from start to finish.
Singles/Songs
The hand and influence of Mr Weatherall is all over this section. That's just the way it's been this year. Both lists show I've been veering far more towards dance/electronics this year. A top seventeen for no real reason.
17. Noel Gallagher 'In The Heat Of The Moment' Andrew Weatherall Remix
It came out last year online but was released on vinyl in April. Glorious remix.
16. Dubrobots 'Forever'
This Cardiff based producer sent me two versions of this massively dub influenced song. Still rattling my ribcage.
15. Public Service Broadcasting 'Gagarin' Richard Norris Remix
The album did nothing for me but this remix, full of Spanish acoustic guitars, sent Yuri to Ibiza.
14. jennylee 'Never'
Warpaint's foxy bassist with an early 80s single that pushed the right buttons.
13. Gwenno 'Chwyldro' Andrew Weatherall Remix
Further, stranger, slower.
12. Unloved 'Guilty Of Love'
David Holmes' new project taking in 60s/70s filmscores with a girl group vibe. Also had two long dubby Weatherall remixes.
11. Vox Low 'Cast Upward Through the Waves, A Ruby Glow
Strange stuff from a French duo finding weird spaces between rock and dance.
10. Heretic 'Pollux' Andrew Weatherall Remix
I'm getting repetitive strain from typing those three words- this one took early New Order and merged it with some sparse electronics and a spooky vocal refrain.
9. Timothy J. Fairplay
Timothy J released several superb four track e.p.s this year, full of vintage synths- Stories Of Prison, Love And Columbium, No News From New York. Take your pick. Together they'd make a potential album of the year.
8. Paresse 'Rosita'.
Super smooth stuff from Scandinavia. Wraps your ears up all warm.
7. Haunted Doorbell 'Unconnected Thoughts On Jacking'
I'm cheating here- Fairplay again, this time with Matilda Tristam. Four outstanding instrumentals joining the various dots. The e.p. and title track gave us the song title of the year. Beautiful Sheffield is exactly as it sounds.
6. Patti Yang Group 'I'm Ready'
Chris Rotter, Matty Skylab and Patti Yang with a thumping piece of hymnal house. Do you want a free download?
5. Jamie Xx 'Loud Places' John Talabot's Higher Dub
I posted this last week. It's stunningly good, reworking an album highlight into something else with mesmerising, euphoric peaks.
4. C.A.R. 'Glock'd' Asphodells Remix
Super glam stomp, a massive wobbly bass, dirty guitars, French accented vocals; the sound of the future.
3. Sinkane x Peaking Lights 'Mean Dub'
This ten minute dub version of Yacha was the sound of my summer. All four tracks on the reworked dub e.p. were top quality stuff but Yacha is something else entirely and from somewhere else entirely too. Fast dub.
2. Pearl's Cab Ride 'Sunrise' (MonoLife Extended Trip)
A Humberside funk and soul sixpiece taken on a long trip by MonoLife- trumpet, distorted vocal, two note bass, drifting but always moving forwards. Beautiful.
1. Mike Garry and Joe Duddell 'St Anthony: An Ode to Anthony H Wilson'
This came out in August, an emotional tribute to Mr Manchester set to Joe Duddell's Your Silent Face inspired strings, full of Mike Garry's poetic references to the city and its sounds. All proceeds go to The Christie so if you haven't bought it yet, there's another reason to do so. Almost inevitably, there's a Weatherall remix on the other side (which isn't too shabby either. In fact it's very, very good). Still prone to move me after umpteen listens.
One of my favourite records of this summer has been the Peaking Lights remix of Sinkane's Yacha, which I posted a few months back. Ten minutes long, a beautiful collision of Sudan via Brooklyn versus a Wisconsin version of Jamaica. Despite being a dub mix it's pretty fast, fully coloured in and with a vocal that swims above the rhythm and melody. A proper earworm and a dancer too. Peaking Lights have remixed three other songs from Sinkane's Mean Love album and they all came out on an ep yesterday. As an aside, when did records start being released on Fridays?
Hold Tight is bass led with a stacatto beat and dubby percussion. Galley Boys starts with a dog barking and then rides on for a seven minutes, buckets of echo and delay. How We Be is a bass led beast, funky and insistent. Four forward thinking songs, boundaries removed, fully worked out for the head and the feet.
This remix of Sinkane by Peaking Lights was recommended by Alexis Petridis in the newspaper last week. It's a sweltering piece of summery goodness, ten minutes of uptempo, busy fun with a non-stop vocal coming via Sudan and the Caribbean. Party music.
