Last Night on Earth

Album Review: James Teej / ‘Eight Bit Ocean’ (Last Night on Earth)

Matt Oliver 1 Comment

James Teej Eight Bit Ocean

★★★☆☆

Teej fosters a strength setting up a set of deep house that prides itself on the exactness of its level head, the Canadian looking you square in the eye and daring you to test him. Completely, authoritatively in control, he’s not here to lift you up, or maybe even entertain you; his task-mastery, ignorant to the title’s lo-fi suggestions, pays to pay you physical attention. Pro-fortitude without being stiff or tuneless, color is limited to transient flecks (“Right at Home”), making it a perfect disconnection for the end of the day.

“Liking Your Disorder” couldn’t be any more clinical if it had its own waiting room and surgery hours, one loop engineered into a go-getting, deal-crushing Gordon Gekko of the dance floor, popping tech pep-ups to stay on track. A silent fumer, as losing your head gets your nowhere, Teej’s restraint perhaps comes from the imposition of a limited studio set-up to test itself and show its mettle.

“Disclosure,” dusting off a lava lamp to groove to, and “Leaving the Island,” showing signs of comfort and relaxation and perhaps a grudging admiration for rave, are still laced with a grimace that shows that the deck-hand never takes time off. Teej is much happier preaching his wisdom on “The Last Request” and although not adverse to the neon lights of the club, the notion is dismissible like change petulantly chucked to a beggar. Get your game face on in preparation.

File under: My Favorite Robot, The Kings Arms, Âme

Album Review: Ghosting Season / ‘The Very Last of the Saints’ (Last Night on Earth)

Matt Oliver Leave a Comment

★★★★☆

The agenda of Gavin Miller and Thomas Ragsdale would appear clear from the get-go; the Manchester UK duo treat the mixing desk like a Ouija board. The band name, the ghoulish sleeve, titles such as “Far End of the Graveyard” and “A Muffled Sound of Voices”… the spirits have been disturbed. But while restless, no poltergeists throwing furniture across the room are invited here. Deep house with an icy twitch gives admiring glances to atmospheric dubstep in a fine interchange, marking an album with a wispy presence and offering plentiful reassurances despite the subzero temperatures and drawing of knife edges.

Humble and humbling, at times bracing for something so frail and always keeping a cool head when elements around get keyed up and so much seems at stake, the potential of plentiful visual tie-ins comes quickly as Ghosting Season turn themselves into mood music apparitions. The inserts of acoustic guitar are another natural fit, as on the reflective “13,” the beatless dialogue “Lie” and “Lost at Sea” mulling over its next move, but only lock onto the likes of “Time Without Question” if your mindstate is correctly set. Achieving house music pleading for forgiveness at the DJ booth or having you walk into the strobes as if the mothership is calling, the delights of its economical, effective daunting will doubtless draw you in.
File under: worriedaboutsatan, Burial, Pantha du Prince

Big Shot Guest Mix: Ghosting Season

Darren Ressler Leave a Comment

There’s something truly beautiful and majestic about Ghosting Season‘s debut album, Very Last Of The Saints, released on Sasha’s Last Night On Earth label. The musical union of Gavin Miller and Tom Ragsdale (who are also known collectively as worriedaboutsatan), the pair adeptly blend elements of ambient, post-rock, techno and electronica into a quixotic signature while eschewing current musical fads and trends. The result is an album that effortlessly blazes new trails without any pomp and circumstance.

Luckily for us the duo found time to craft an exclusive Big Shot Guest Mix.

“This mix was a bit less hectic than some other mixes we’ve done recently, but really wanted to respect that fact and keep the whole thing going with a pace and groove that runs throughout its 55 minutes. Plus, as always, we wanted to keep it interesting, so threw in a few oldies,” relate the duo.

“Kuedo and Luke Abbott fitted each other so well, like they’re brothers from parallel universes or something. That Jacques Greene remix of Radiohead is a favorite of ours too, and one we love to play out as much as possible — he totally nailed that remix! Youandewan and Blondes are only recent finds for us, but we love their atmospheric, melancholic take on techno so really wanted to include them somewhere. Depeche Mode will always be a firm favorite with us too, and that Grauzone track is just too good to leave out, techno mix or not.”

Download and enjoy.

Big Shot Guest Mix: Ghosting Season (2012) by Big Shot Magazine on Mixcloud

Big Shot Guest Mix: Ghosting Season

1. Kuedo / “Visioning Shared Tomorrows”
2. Ghosting Season / “A Muffled Sound Of Voices” (Luke Abbott remix)
3. Agoria feat. Carl Craig / “Speechless”
4. Radiohead / “Bloom” (Blawan remix)
5. Depeche Mode / “Behind The Wheel” (Vince Clarke remix)
6. Blondes / “Lover” (Dungeon Acid remix)
7. Ellen Allien / “My Tree” (Ripperton’s Backlash remix)
8. Radiohead / “Lotus Flower” (Jacques Greene remix)
9. Youandewan / “1988”
10. Massive Attack / “Paradise Circus” (Gui Boratto remix)
11. Grauzone / “Eisbär”