Music From Memory is delighted to present ‘Elevations’, a new album from Manchester based artist Tom Burford, aka Contours.

Drawing heavily on his background as a drummer and percussionist, ‘Elevations’ began as an exploration of the Balafon, a Malian tuned percussion instrument, before organically growing into its final form; a delicate suite of compositions centered around rhythmical interactions of percussion, synthesizer and strings.

Recorded during the pandemic and the period following, the album reflects a desire to lose oneself in the expanse of nature - the title ‘Elevations’ being a direct nod to the mountainous area of Cumbria where Tom grew up. The album also represents the joy of creating with friends; it features performances from several of his musical contemporaries, many of which were recorded at his home in Manchester. Slowly taking shape, the final result is a record that seamlessly blends electronic and acoustic, operating at the intersection of Minimalism, Jazz, Fourth World and Contemporary Classical music. More

Band on the Wall's latest 7" release is from producer, musician & DJ Contours. Known for applying his own percussive dexterity, his sound is placed within the intersection of House, Jazz, Broken-Beat and percussive experimentation. Double A-side 'The Programme / Conga Quinto (Dub)' is the latest in an ongoing sonic evolution for Contours, having released music on labels including Rhythm Section, Tru-Thoughts, Anma Records, in turn receiving praise from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Mr Scruff, Alex Nut and Bradley Zero. Premiered by Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio 6 Music, covered by The Vinyl Factory, Music is My Sanctuary, Stamp the Wax, Resident Advisor, Bolting Bits. Airplay from Laani on Worldwide FM, Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio 6 Music. More

After the success of the Henry Wu & Chaos in the CBD releases, Rhythm Section International present their 9th offering, from Mancunian newcomer 'Contours’. ‘Technician' is a percussion led rhythmic exploration, spanning 6 tracks which take in down-tempo grooves to up-beat workouts, all held together by a smooth, lucid sonic palette and arresting, unorthodox live percussive elements. Already an accomplished drummer and percussionist, Contours manages to combine driving rhythm, lush textures and hypnotic melodies to create a sound that feels very much at home as part of the Rhythm Section imprint, while simultaneously pushing it forward into new, undiscovered territory. One for the Heads, one for the Dancers, one for the warm up, one for the afterparty.



More

Former owner of Berlin’s Bass Cadet Records and part of Arcarsenal duo, Solune, joins ANMA with a number of tribal-influenced spiritual tracks.
‘Ceremony’ rolls out the swinging percussion and hi-hats that swoop and sweep across the track. The sub-heavy bass rumbles and adds to the bounce of the track filling in the gaps between the percussion and drums, while crescendo-ing keys add to the flow of the song that quickly create a spiritual vibe that goes well along with the vocal, and bird song, samples; comparable to that of a drum ceremony in the middle of a jungle.
The follow-up track, ‘Colibri In The Urban Zone’, extends on the same musical philosophy by speeding up the pace of the drums and delving deeper into a moody-ier, pad-inflicted, rhythm which is topped off by Rhodes improvisation helping to create a churchly celebratory state of mind.
On the flipside, ‘Colibri In the Sacred Mountain’, drops off the drums entirely and focuses on fusing industrial soundscapes with traditional flute and synthesizers to develop and ever evolving arpeggio embracing rhythm.
The release is rounded up by Detroits’ own Patrice Scott, who brings up his identifying sound in the process of remixing ‘Colibri’. The faster tempo, minimal-electronic percussion and floating keys bump up the release into a different dimension. Main melodic theme of the original version are led by the keys while arpeggio synths reference back to the original while maintain a different pace and adding to the colour of the record as a whole.

More

For ANMA’s sixth outing we see a coupling of two remarkable talents from either sides of the Atlantic, each taking two turns across a side of crisp wax.
First up for the US Side we have New York based Trinidadian Deep. Personally mentored by Chi-Town legend Ron Trent and with his own unique vision of soulful deep house, he has imparted us with two deeply immersive cuts of intense dance floor electricity, laced with his signature percussive club spirituality!
For the UK Flip, London based Will Lister is a name to watch out for, a young producer who can boast his first wax release being put out on Phonica’s own house label! Taking things down a notch on the pitch fader, Will has provided two slow-mo jams that reward the attentive listener with his sensuous and detailed production style. Building tension meticulously before releasing energy with aplomb and polishing things beautifully with his class jazzy flair.
Lovingly pressed on 180g vinyl, hand stamped and labelled on a limited run. More