Biodive
From The Taxi To The Club

“There was something extra-political, extra-social, almost extra-human about it; it smacked of tidal waves, of natural forces . . . These emotions are my instruments.”— Richard Wright, The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference (1956)The Observatory is one of those last few bands that can change and become your life. Stuck in Singapore, the wilful outlier of Southeast Asia, this ever-shifting group stubbornly evolves past its roots, most recently in an more improvisational, instrumental, and noise-adjacent territories in an EP with collaborator Haino Keiji.In DEMON STATE, Dharma and Cheryl Ong plus Yuen Chee Wai continue The Observatory’s bold partnerships, this time with electronic musician Koichi Shimizu (IMPRINT). Together, they finally reach this long-gestating, total (yet I’m sure temporary), and rhythm-focused, electronic reinvention of The Obs—while briefly nodding to their past. The road is long; DEMON STATE is one pit stop in glorious hell.Partly stemming from a casual, improv studio session with Koichi in early 2020, the eight tracks on DEMON STATE—their first release on the Midnight Shift label—were formed from a gradual accumulation of sonic layers; they were foraged, recycled, and pieced together remotely also from solo bedroom recordings, a historical sample, nonhuman beats and effects, as well as journals and junk.A vinyl and digital release, DEMON STATE features the cover-art illustration of Enka Komariah (Senyawa, Raja Kirik). As they describe it, the “sense of wretchedness in this, the waste of capitalism, the evils of racial discrimination, the ever-spiralling mess, the awakenism of control” are confronted, head on in the band’s pattern, to disturb, comfort, confuse, worship, dance, rest, and resist.Ultimately, the singular form of DEMON STATE refers to our personal, individual, and ineffable states of demonic possession. DEMON STATE embraces us in the independent space of The Obs, where we can be alone together. It offers its listener some type of solace, if not an exorcism. For when the devil has been in us for this long, who’s to say who’s possessing who, who’s whispering sibilant sounds in our ears, who’s wearing the mask, who’s not yet dead and who’s still alive? Who’s still fighting for a just world?

Through Danish label Intercourse, Sofie Birch channels an album of inhabitant sound. A series of cuts that are dominant to a space, but still pregnant with non-invasive gentle care. Like a piece of ghost furniture suspended as an umbilical sphere around the stereo image. Although tiny eruptions of hysterical euphoria do occur, this is an album to soothe, gently turn winds, deepen your perspective on the language you convey, breathe with muscular stretch, to focus energy on that focal point in the middle of your personal perception. Our local sun behind closed eyelids in shimmering orange pink and white. A central focus in the channeling of the intercourse is what sonically resembles this perceptive tranquility.New-Age therapists rejoice, your soundtrack is at hand.

While known primarily for his hybrid halftime d&b and techno sound, Shiken switches it up with new diversions in tempo and rhythm throughout Eternity of Echoes, all the while maintaining his idiosyncratic blend of dystopian soundscapes, industrial drums, and pulsating, deep basslines.

OPIA sister label Euphoric State steps up this autumn with more unearthed gems from the 90s, this time at the controls is Skat aka Andy Panayi & Alec Stone, Skat being their name before they took on what became their acclaimed A2 moniker in 94. The “Skatmode” EP spans across innovative strains of house and electro, packed with energy and charming emotions.On the A side you can find two slabs of reissued heat from the versatile duo, packing more of a punch than ever. Cruising on an irresistible house groove is “Is Dis Love”, tight drum work and elastic bass lines teased by the nostalgic vocal. “Dinowarp” is a pure example of a hazy deep house chugger for the early hours of the morning, taking you on a trip of blissful synths and melt in your mind textures.Taking up the B side are two unreleased diamonds from the vast archives of the UK duo, “Jamaica” and “Jump Around”. The first being a playful and animated outing, classy house dynamics driving the dance floor up a notch. “Jump Around” maintains the depth and emotion but at the heart lays a pulsating sub heavy bass to keep you on the move, conversing with the pacey and crisp drum patterns within.Euphoric State continues to propel dusted off beats for the dance floors of modern day!

Following a four-year hiatus, our main imprint is back with a new outing by our long-time friend, Laslo. His previous works found home on quality record labels like Greta Cottage Workshop, Greta Cottage Woodpile and Soundscape Versions. Now he is delivering three originals, all shaped and arranged along his dub-infused, peculiar sound. As label heads, we rarely focus on remixes, but in the case of this EP we could not resist the chance to get one by the Hungarian drum & bass veteran Ghost Warrior (31 Records, re:st, Well Street Records), who did his first ever remix for Tape Hiss, this time exploring the mid-tempo territory.

Coral Morphologic is the brainchild of Jared McKay and Colin Foord. A mending of minds, the arts, science, and the sea. Their lab in Miami lies close to the Florida Reef just offshore; the third largest coral barrier reef system in the world. This album composed by Jared echoes the voice of the reef. A reflection of its cosmic connection to our moon. A departure from the earth into deep space. We often wonder what intelligent life exists outside of our own aquatic world. Look and listen to the synchronous celestial satellites and the endless love song they sing. *features a foldout poster with album art by Robert Beatty