Constellation welcomes The Dwarfs Of East Agouza to the label and will release the Cairo-based trio’s new album Sasquatch Landslide in early October.
Maurice Louca, Alan Bishop, and Sam Shalabi expand on their telekinetic fusion of North African rhythm, heat-haze improvisation, shaabi rawness, free jazz, and psychedelic groove, following acclaimed albums on Sub Rosa, Akuphone, and Nawa Recordings.
Sasquatch Landslide overspills with the group’s signature trance-inducing explorative energies, anchored by Louca’s hypnotic beats and electronics, with Shalabi and Bishop deploying guitar and alto saxophone in a variety of signal-mashing modes. Comprised of seven febrile jams across 42 minutes, this is at once the most focused and twitchiest album in the DOEA discography to date. Recorded by Emanuele Baratto (King Khan, Elder) and mixed by Jace Lasek (Elephant Stone, Sunset Rubdown, The Besnard Lakes), the record will be issued in 180gram vinyl and CD editions, featuring artwork by Mark Sullo.
First single ‘Neptune Anteater’ is a signature example: Shalabi opens with a skittish repeating guitar groove (that draws from his parallel lifelong practice as an improviser on oud) as Louca progressively builds a widescreen 6/8 hand-drum rhythm while oozing bass notes support Shalabi’s excursions around the central riff. This is kinetic trance, East Agouza-style.
AA
Aural Aggravation 