ELM - 2026-06-10
Summer holidays are approaching fast, but that's not stopping us from the never-ending search for new sounds - especially now that the longer days give us more time to enjoy beautiful music (much like the characters of DJ Koze's "Music On My Teeth").
Summer holidays are approaching fast, but that's not stopping us from the never-ending search for new sounds - especially now that the longer days give us more time to enjoy beautiful music (much like the characters of DJ Koze's "Music on My Teeth").
This week my favourite is Dusky with their new release "Elm", out on Anjunadeep. Here's how the duo describe it themselves:
"With 'Elm', we wanted to go further still into the depths, bringing some inspiration from classic 70s soul and the slower end of disco, combining it with elements of the more atmospheric and dubby end of house, particularly that from the 90s and 00s. The vocal sample came first and we then found ourselves exploring more organic, acoustic-based textures to accompany it. The result harks back to some of the earliest music we wrote as Dusky on our first album 'Stick By This', which was similarly influenced by the deeper strata of dance music. 'Elm' is a homage to some of our most enduring musical influences and a step away from the high tempo zeitgeist."
The next track is a small jump back in time and into a completely different mood. "Ventura Highway" is a classic of American folk rock from 1972, taken from the second album by the band America. The whole track is essentially a nostalgic evocation of that sun-bleached, breezy Southern California feeling: freedom, the open road, mild winters compared to the harsher places the family had lived (the songwriter's father was in the Air Force, so they moved around a lot, including some cold postings). There's also a thematic tension in it - a dialogue between staying put in a dreary place and chasing the promise of California, where the days are longer and life feels lighter.
And to close, something truly special. "Movement 6" comes from the 2021 album Promises - a groundbreaking collaboration between British producer Sam Shepherd (Floating Points), jazz legend Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra. The whole record is a single, nine-part composition built around a recurring, hypnotic motif, and "Movement 6" is its emotional heart.
Have a wonderful week and, as always, pace yourself
XoXo
