New releases last eight weeks: Library/Archive

Review: As part of the RELOVED series from Four Flies - co-curated with fellow indie label Little Beat More - comes one of a handful new reinterpreted versions of Alessandro Alessandroni's 'Tema di Susie', the star soundtrack cut from the 1976 Italian noir film Sangue Di Sbirro. With the film regaling a gangland drama centring on revenge, passion, and the madness of love, Alessandroni's original minute-and-a-half-long cut is an eerily serene counterpoint to its themes and here appears alongside a new remix from French producer Mounika, who fleshes out the original cinematic-soul number's circa-140bpm headnod and serene flauting with beefier drums and wilder piano flourishes; this is a juxtaposition you can hear as clearly as day here, on this A-and-B'd delight.

Review: Cinematic soundscapes, Middle Eastern funk, jazz and breaks make up some of the flavours of the new Havana Syndrome 7", which comes freshly to the repertoire of We Stray True, based in London. On this four-tracker, we hear pristine, front-and-centre library funk delivered straight to the dome; the lead track 'Pink Mist' is indeed a sticky noir-thriller slinker, heavy on the bass and complementary on the Rhodeses and triangles. The ensuing tracks are no less slinky either, with 'Minute Of Angle' as sleuthing and stealthy as a black cat up to no good; then comes 'Cairo Connect' and 'Pea Soup', the first of which brings jazz to the bazaar, while the second mixes back-alleyed night-movements with a flautist's flight of fancy.

Review: A long awaited, bumper six album pack of music and voice assembled by Delia Derbyshire of Radiophonic Workshop fame, and broadcast on four shows between January 1964 and September 1965, collectively known as Inventions for Radio. These experimental, longform shows were conceived by playwright Barry Bermange and were made up of the voices of callers-in, speaking on four themes: dreams, the existence of God, life after death and ageing. The participatory nature of these shows deviated massively from the radio status quo of the time, and the participants were selected to eschew the standard received drawl of most 60s radio presenters.
The music and editing was done by Derbyshire, whose avant garde sonic settings lend the audio an enigmatic, spectral quality. Although she was not credited for her contribution, nor were the broadcasts available commercially, they still developed a cult following. Silva Screen now presents the four broadcasts in their entirety, each on a separate LP, with two LPs of bonus material, and a booklet of detailed notes by producer Mark Ayres and David Butler of the Delia Derbyshire Archive. An elusive and essential landmark of 20th century sound collage.
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Review: Following the recent release of the outstanding 'Top Brass' single, Matt Berry releases a further unique collaboration with esteemed Library Music label KPM: the full-length album Simplicity, on which he follows in the footsteps of library music giants such as Keith Mansfield, Alan Hawkshaw and John Cameron, and presents a worthy successor album to complement them. Embodying the form of KPM's original LPs, geared towards film and television pitching, the album consists of 11 sharp and vibrant instrumentals, all of which will no doubt be heard in productions for many years to come.

Review: Madlib continues to bring things full circle with the series of library music albums on his label Madlib Invazion, inviting contemporary artists to lay down the kind of impeccable instrumentals that formed so much source material for the first wave of samplers and crate diggers in hip-hop and elsewhere. After entries from Dan Ubick, Dan Hastie and Terin Ector, the latest finds Los Yesterdays' Gabriel Rowland laying down 16 funk and soul-informed pieces which would lend themselves to TV and film use as much as someone getting fancy with an MPC. Don't wait until these become coveted treasure for dusty-fingered record hawks - grab those sublime grooves and get busy whether you want to make use of them or simply savour the flavour.

Review: After teasing it for a while with a number of singles, London-based multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer Sholto finally unveils his much anticipated new album. The Changing Tides Of Dreams "refers to the way our lives and selves are constantly transforming, learning and growing" says the artist. It was written while he underwent some personal transformation and is a mix of heavenly and celestial melodies and moods with deep nostalgia and elements of jazz, classical, experimental and film music. It makes for a moving listen with majestic arrangements really making their mark throughout this fine fusion album.

Review: Infamous for being sampled by Chance The Rapper, Sven Torstenson's library music classic, Drugs, has since enjoyed a resurgence in demand, resulting in its reissue here via Be With. Notorious as a loopdigga's fever dream, bursting with breaks for days and featuring possibly the most iconic cover of all library music's cult classics. First released in 1980, it's now a hyper-rare and seriously sought-after electronic album full of experimental soundscapes and samples just waiting to be flipped. It's both terrifying and terrifyingly good.