Dwight Trible Matthew Halsall
Inspirations

Tenderlonious returns to his own 22a imprint with a brand new collection of lo-fi beats and soundscapes courtesy of the lockdown studio sessions from his home in South London. Lockdown allowed Tender to escape from his busy lifestyle and touring schedule, finally giving him the time to properly explore and experiment with the vast collection of synths, drum machines and instruments he’s built up over the past twenty years. Armed with an arsenal of hardware and inspired by sci-fi & fantasy movies, he has delivered an expansive opus of varying tempos that glide across imaginative synth sculptures and meditative soundscapes. The soundtrack to his quarantine - ‘Quarantena.’When COVID-19 hit the UK back in March this year the music game changed almost overnight - no more gigs, no more studio sessions with the band, many music stores and outlets shutting up shop. This drastic change offered plenty of time for reflection, opening up a new portal of exploration for Tender - he purchased his first piece of studio equipment at the age of 16 and has since then amassed a serious arsenal of studio hardware. Some people collect stamps, some of us collect records, Tender collects synths and drum machines. The lockdown period offered up the opportunity of more time in his home studio, brimming with hardware, that due to his busy schedule, had yet to be exhausted.

The word asterism comes from astḗr (ἀστήρ), the Ancient Greek word for star. In astrology, an asterism is a pattern of stars (that is not a constellation) and can be seen in the night sky. In meteorology, an asterism indicates light snowfall. In typography, an asterism is a symbol consisting of three asterisks placed in a triangle: ⁂. The symbol is a type of dinkus that can be used to divide text to emphasize a passage or a sub-chapter in a book.Sven Wunder celebrates this space in-between by offering a brief hiatus in a gently tinkling jazz-waltz comprised of two variations for small ensemble, that calls attention to the starlit sky and the light falling snow, before resuming.

Gilles Peterson announces the launch of his new Arc Records imprint with a reissue of cult record “Musica Infinita” by Mexican drummer and composer Tino Contreras. A psychedelic, experimental jazz record, originally released in 1978, it marked a daring step forward by the Mexico City-based musician, and is now re-released for a chance to get the widespread dues it deserves. A limited private press, copies of the original are highly sought after, despite the drummer being much overlooked in both his home country as well as abroad, with a career that started in the 1950s, and which has seen him share stages with many of the greats – including Dave Brubeck, Cannonball Adderley and the Duke Ellington Orchestra.Explaining his connection to the record, Peterson says, "This was the first record I heard from that region which had that amazing psychedelic, cosmic jazz sound. It's somewhere between a David Axelrod record and a release on Saturn. I've always had it as one of my secret gems."The story behind Peterson re-releasing the record is serendipitous. Several years ago, he bought a copy before a gig in Japan, and it soon became one of his most cherished discoveries; he was awed by its otherworldly blend of jazz fusion and psychedelia. Years later, booked to play at a festival in Mexico, Peterson was introduced to Carlos Icaza, a record collector and musician, who also had a copy of the record – in fact, he has two – and to whom it was also an extremely special album. To Peterson’s delight, Icaza suggested they meet up with Contreras who, at 95, is still active and based in Mexico City. Soon enough, the three of them were sat down together and agreed upon a plan to re-issue “Musica Infinita”.