The first mixtape released on Best Effort is by Naarm (Melbourne) based DJ/ writer, Sophie McAlister. A Sooky La La at heart, this mix is comprised of Sophie’s most sentimental songs which seem to exude the palpable feeling of Saudade, a Portuguese word that can be described as ‘a pleasure you suffer, an ailment you enjoy.’
The tracks weave through 110 minutes of unrequited love and melancholic sounds that range from MPB, Psych, Folk, Middle Eastern Jazz and Soul, evoking a deep sense of nostalgia and longing. Crafted with heartbreak from reel to reel, these feelings on tap(e) hope to offer tender respite to the listener’s jaunt down memory lane. With a nod to the past and anticipation for what’s to come, this tape invites you to welcome new spirits from the unwelcomed lull of recent despondency. Sometimes revelling in our most forsaken experiences can spark new life into what used to consume us with grief.
When the opener of your debut album is something as magnificent as...well...'The Magnificent Moon', you know it's the start of something wondrous.
"Phase" is more of a map to the stars than it is a blueprint for anything on the *ground* persay, but regardless, its a proficient groovy display of psychy soft rock, jazz fusion, electronic, and even a tad of disco.
After all, what's a journey into space without a four-to-the-floor soundtracking your way into the deep reaches of the outer cosmos? Xtra Happy
London label Blank Mind takes an unprecedented deep dive into the early-’90s love triangle between breakbeat hardcore, jungle, and new age. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 28, 2024
Pivoting from German to English, disco to soft rock, the groovy Swiss duo branch out on their first album in six years. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 28, 2024