Albums
February: 18 albums you need to hear this month
That's the month sorted, then
Babe, Terror 'Ancient M'ocean' (Phantasy Sound)
“Lo-fi” is a hideously over-used descriptor, especially in these times of fairly conventional wafty house tracks full of pretend tape hiss. But Brazilian producer Claudio Szynkier really goes the whole hog. His first LP for Erol Alkan’s label might be his biggest release yet, but he’s not compromised one iota: this is all about unplaceable sounds, waves of fuzz, the dreamlike impossibility of distinguishing one thing from another. It’s certainly not for everyone, but there’s a natural flow to his programming that draws you along and into the tonal depths – and even when the sounds are at their most jagged and raw, they’re still laced with ecstatic feeling. Joe Muggs
7/10
