Forty Minutes Of Music From Reviews At Ban Ban Ton Ton

I’ve been writing guest reviews for Dr. Rob’s Ban Ban Ton Ton website for a few years now, Rob operating out of a remote location in rural Japan (having emigrated there from London) and me in south Manchester. Rob gets sent all sorts of music- Balearic, electronic, cosmische, ambient, jazz, dub, reggae and all points in between- and he passes some of it on to me to listen to and write about. He’s keen that Ban Ban Ton Ton has different voices and I’m happy to receive the music and write about it. I currently have a few things lined up to do not least a review of Contours who me and Martin supported at Soup last night along with the headliners Marconi Union. Full reviews to follow both here at Bagging Area and at Ban Ban Ton Ton . One of the wonders of the internet age is the shrinking of distances and the ease of distribution of music. 

In 2024 I’ve already reviewed seven releases at Ban Ban Ton Ton. I’ve pulled tracks from each of those seven albums/ EPs into one mix below that works both as a sampler and as a forty minute mix in itself, starting out quite chilled with some dub/ post- punk from the early 80s, heading into ambient territory, then becoming more rhythm heavy with some cosmische and some early 90s Italo cosmic disco. 

Forty Minutes Of Music From Reviews At Ban Ban Ton Ton 

• Khartoum: Swahili Lullaby
• Project Gemini: Colours & Light
• Sedibus: SETI Part 3
• Caolifhionn Rose: Constellation
• Kosmischer Läufer: Spargelspiegel
• Sordid Sound System: It’s About Time
• a.s.o.:Go On (Extended Remix)
• Meo And Steve: Global Village (Funk Version)

Khartomb were an early 80s post- punk/ dub/ bossa nova outfit with one 7″ single and a Peel Session to their name. The single- Swahili Lullaby- has been picked up by Jason Boardman’s Manchester based label Before I Die and re- issued along with two new remixes. My review was at Ban ban Ton Ton last week and you can read it here. Before I Die is fast becoming essential, every release testament to Jason’s ability to find new music. Earlier this year he put out the excellent Dubtapes Vol. 1 by KlangKollektor and last year’s Konformer was a superb album too. 

Project Gemini is the freak beat/ funk/ soul/ 60s/ cinematic outfit for Paul Osborne. His new album Colours & Light is packed full of guests and is a trip through the night, a kaleidoscopic night out with a  ’60s flavour, Turkish and Arabic influences and some French vibes. My review is here. 

I’ve written about Sedibus here and at Ban Ban Ton Ton. The latest Sedibus album, SETI, is one of this year’s records that has stuck around my turntable, The Orb’s Alex Paterson and Andy Falconer in fine form. My Ban Ban Ton Ton review is here accompanied by Rob’s own thoughts on the album. 

Caolifhionn Rose is a Manchester based artists and her album Constellation is out now on Manchester label Gondwana.  Previously Caolifhionn (pronouced Kallin) has sung with The Durutti Column. Her musical background is in jazz and folk. The album is a wonderous thing- piano, jazz and folk shades, ambient and classical, samples, saxophone and a lighter than air feel, a response to 2020’s lockdowns and the power of nature. Read my review here. 

Fred Und Luna’s The Future Sounds Of Kraut Vol 2 is a seventeen track compilation of music inspired by the West German bands of the 1970s. I’ve included two of my favourites here, Kosmischer Läufer and Sordid Sound System. My review at Ban Ban Ton Ton is here. 

a.s.o. are based in Berlin and make downtempo, hip hop influenced dance music. They released a remixes EP this year which I wrote about here. 

Meo and Steve’s GLobal Village was one of six slices of Italian cosmic disco/ Afro/ funk/ house from the 1990s, originally out on Riccione’s Tribal Italia label and now re- issued on Dualismo Sound. Read more here. 

Meanwhile At Ban Ban Ton Ton…

In time I’ll post something up about the weekend’s adventures at AW61 at The Golden Lion in Todmorden but in the meantime here’s some Ban Ban Ton Ton related activities. I’ve been reviewing music for Dr. Rob’s Ban Ban Ton Ton for some time now- Rob likes to have a variety of voices at his blog, he gets sent a lot of music and it’s nice to be asked to guest write elsewhere. Back in January I reviewed an EP by a.s.o., a Berlin based collaboration by singer/ songwriter Aria Seror- O’Neill and producer Lewie Day. The EP followed the release of a self- titled album in 2023, five new mixes and versions of tracks from Lew E, Maara, Cousin and Purelink and takes in solar soaring thumpers, trance, dub and trip hop. My review is here and the EP is available at Bandcamp.

In February I reviewed the new Sedibus album SETI, an album that keeps on giving, old Orb friends Alex Paterson and Andy Falconer on an ambient trip into space searching for extra- terrestrial intelligence (hence the album title). The sweeping, enveloping ambient sounds combined with the vocal samples and use of acoustic instruments- pianos, strings, sax- and Niabinghi style drumming make it an emotive listen. I find it so anyway. Rob already penned some notes while listening it it and his musings are presented alongside mine here. This is an edited version of the closing exploration, SETI Part 3. 

In March I reviewed Fred und Luna’s The Future Sounds Of Kraut Volume 2, a seventeen track compilaiton of music inspired by or rooted in the sounds of 1970s West Germany- Can, Neu!, Cluster, Harmonia et al- by artists including Roman Flugel, Sordid Sound System, Thomas Fehlmann, Minami Deutsch and Kosmischer Laufer. The review is here and the album is here. Too many highlights to pick a favourite but It’s About Time by Glasgow’s Sordid Sound System is a groovy treat, experimental and funky. 

At the end of March I wrote about a new six track compilation EP from Riccione, Italy- Tribal Italia started out in the mid- 90s, releasing tunes from Italy’s eastern riviera. The six records re- presented on the new EP, Tribal Italia Breaks out now on Dualismo Records is a heady, far out mish mash of cosmic, Afro, trip hop, Italo and anything else the various producers fancied throwing in for dancing the night away on the beach. My write up is here. Again, difficult to pick a favourite but this one, Punjabi Fantasy by DJ Fary is a mid- 90s blast, combining hip hop drums, Andean pan pipes, and an Indian vocal. 

Lastly and by no means least Rob celebrated Andrew Weatherall’s birthday on Saturday 6th April with a lengthy, personal and brilliant piece of writing, a remembering of his adventures at Andrew’s Sabresonic club held at Happy Jax, including three separate ninety minute mixes of records played there. You can find it here. 

From 1993, signed to Andrew’s Sabres Of Paradise label (release PT004), Musical Science were part of that shift from Balearic and house to techno, a pounding nine minute trance track with a voice intoning, ‘musical science… earthly sensations’. This mix is from the Sabres Of Paradise compilation Deep Cuts.  

Musical Science (Home Economix 1)