“Off The Record” - Makaya McCraven
Released October 29-31, 2025 through International Anthem.File under: jazz/funk
The indomitable powerhouse that is Makaya McCraven and crew have released 4 incredible live EPs through International Anthem, individually titled Pop Up Shop, Hidden Out!, The People’s Mixtape, and Techno Logic, collectively titled Off The Record, giving us the 20 tracks over 87 minutes, and encapsulating his and the band’s riveting live shows collected from the past 8 years.
Known for his incredible improvisational sets, his post production manipulations of sounds and rhythms, and being the drummer and band leader at the front of his band rather than at the rear, these live sets from McCraven and crew offer us a glimpse into the real breadth of the music they perform; everything from Afrobeat to jazz to funk to dance experimental techno to rock and soul, all represented, many with tracks intermingling into one another, and the occasional whoop and holler from the crowd reminding us that this is all performed off-cuff and live. And this is where McCraven truly shines the brightest, performing live. I was lucky enough to see him perform here in Melbourne last year, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.
On the International Anthem Instagram page, McCraven says of the Off The Record EPs “In a time where we’re increasingly connected through phones, in a virtual world where you can’t really tell what’s real or what’s fake, there’s something special where we come together and share space, there is something special where we are sharing music, art. I want to create an energy that amplifies the magic in the underground moments where we come together and we experience something wild, different, off the cuff, human.”
You can listen to the 4 eps on your chosen music streaming service, or below on the International Anthem BandCamp pages, or the myriad ways to enjoy it at the XL portal.
“InitiatriX?” - Ship Sket
Released October 31, 2025 through Planet Mu.File under: experimental electronica
Ship Sket is the alter ego of Josh Griffiths, who on his debut album InitiatriX is joining electronica royalty on the legendary label Planet Mu, and what an arrival it is.
On his BandCamp page Griffiths says “I like happy accidents, messing around and resampling, and kind of seeing how far I can push stuff before it disintegrates in front of me. I’ve heard my tunes on a club system and gone wow that mix sounds bad, but the tune is still popping. My approach is a lot more stylistic than it is technical.”
It’s not an easy listen by any means; like many artists on Planet Mu (Jlin, Ital Tek, Slikback, Speaker Music, Nondi_ and owner and founder Mike Paradinas’ own µ-Ziq) the music is quite experimental, and in the case of InitiatriX, can quickly shift from a soulful tune to an alarming and chaotic noise-scape overlayed with computer-read passages causing varying degrees of discomfort.
But it’s not all scary space noises, there are moments of toe-tapping groove, other times of blissing out to full-headed droning, to classical strings. These are infrequent, but they’re there.
For fans of Aphex Twin, Clark, Autechre, Jlin, Nondi_, µ-Ziq, Blawan and Matmos.
Listen to “InitiatriX” on:Apple Music }|{ Spotify }|{ Tidal
“Tremor” - Daniel Avery
Released October 31, 2025 through Domino.File under: electronic/rock/pop
Known for his edgy electronic and dance music production, Tremor stands as somewhat of a departure for Daniel Avery on this 7th full length album. This album feels like an experiment in production ideas, incredibly eclectic, where each idea is given time to expand to a fully fledged product.
Opening with an uplifting and calm orchestral sounding organ track in Neon Pulse, things quickly get shaken up, following up with a deep pop tune in Rapture in Blue (feat Cecile Believe), then headlong into Haze (feat Ellie), a track that would feel at home on a Deaftones album, complete with driving bass, big rock guitars and slamming drums. And that’s only the beginning. Later the album follows up with breakbeats and swirling guitars on New Life (feat yunè pinku), and the disturbingly whispered and throbbing track Greasy Off the Racing Line (feat Alison Mosshart of The Kills and The Dead Weather) that could have been pulled from a Fever Ray or Debbie Friday album. The album continues to twist and turn throughout, with guest artists including bdrmm (again evocative of Deaftones), Julie Dawson (NewDad), yeule, Walter Schreifels and Art School Girlfriend.
Avery has really dug deep on this one, pulling influences from pop-rock, shoegaze, hard rock, and all with the production qualities of an electronica production. Of the album, Avery says on his BandCamp page “This is a living and breathing collective. Since the earliest recordings, Tremor felt like a studio in the sky, a space in time through which we could all pass as artists” he reflects. “It’s the welcoming spirit of acid house with the doors flung open wider still to allow in every influence from my musical journey: the warmth of distortion, the stillness inside intensity, the transcendental beauty of noise... They have always been there in my music but now it feels like those ideas are being transmitted in Technicolor. This is a record for the post-rave comedown kids, the guitar heads and anyone else who wants to come along for the ride. Everyone is welcome.”
Hard to pin down, but definitely worth the listen.
Listen to “Tremor” on:Apple Music }|{ Spotify }|{ Tidal