Lists
January: 18 albums you need to hear this month
Sven Väth, Fever Ray, Nabihah Iqbal, Björk and more
Various 'Tides' (Subterranean Wavelength)
From the deepest soulful house to the electronic madness of gqom and Shangaan electro, the richness of South Africa’s dance and electronic music cultures can’t be overstated. And that’s just as true away from the dancefloor, too: this new compilation
of female artists and producers is mainly a laid-back affair, ranging from Jill Scott-style neo-soul to wobbly electronica via Flying Lotus-like psychedelic beats – but the quality
is simply astonishing. There’s only one misstep into bland r’n’b-influenced pop included here, and a couple of slightly untrained bits of rough production – otherwise, ‘Tides’ isn’t just a showcase compilation, but an absolute gem of a record in its own right. Joe Muggs
8/10
