Moonbeam Levels – August 2026
Hello friends,Who’s on holiday then? August seems like the month to get away. The city feels quieter, which I’m not complaining about. Well, that’s how it appears from my vantage point in a slighty more moist SE London (hallelujah) as petrichor scents the air.There have been fewer random chats in the park, and fewer dogs for Finchy to antagonise with his big balls and flagrant disregard for personal space.Meanwhile, I seem incapable of booking a break, instead coming up with umpteen reasons to stay put and on the grind. History is repeating itself as my parents’ frugality and excessive prudence possess me.What’s really needed is a circuit breaker so I can think beyond my daily routine and surroundings. To have the opportunity to contend with this ‘orphan syndrome’ I am experiencing now that mum, dad and my brother are no longer with me. Is that a thing 🤷🏽♂️?Also, a chance to really think about what's next for a freelance writer when AI becomes the go-to option for prospective clients who would rather take functional copy in a few clicks, at low-to-no cost. How do we raise respect for the written word in a video-first age and when so many of us are either too tired or in a hurry to read something at length, let alone pay for it?Freelance technology journalist and former Substack employee Jasmine Sun says it’s “one of the best times” to be an independent writer. I wouldn’t go that far, but she has highlighted some key traits that will improve our chances of remaining competitive in a precarious industry.Two that stand out are the rising value of shared secrets over summaries (think old-school sources and on-the-ground reporting outside data sets), as well as having a unique style or weirdness over polish.A previous client did approach me about an enticing project with her new employer but I probably won’t be able to commit to their tight schedule. Anyway, nice to be rated and remembered for the way you write … and how you work in a team. That last bit is also important.People tell me, write a book. Well, I might, once the idea comes to me. Perhaps it will on that remote Greek island I intend to escape to in late September, when the skies turn and everyone else will (probably) be putting away their shorts and flip-flops for another year.In the meantime, we’ll keep this radio thing going, alongside my mentoring with Arts Emergency, volunteering with the Migration Museum and local manoeuvres with Sister Midnight. Take a look inside Lewisham’s first community-owned music venue. We’re getting there…Thanks to those of you who got in touch to say how much you enjoyed my on-air reunion with Basement Soul brother Graham Luckurst last month. We will do it again with the full crew and continue the story of our Brighton club night.In case you missed it, my deep dive into artist and composer Imran Perretta’s coming-of-age movie Ish has also been well received. Please give that a read and tell me what you think. The release date on BFI Player is 7 September.In next month’s show, Imran will be talking to me about his music-making and how he scored his debut feature. Don’t miss it.Ok, that’s all folks. On with this show!✌🏾Amar*****SUN RA – Bluebird Set No 2 Piano Solo [Strut] What better way to ease in than with a Sun Ra solo? Taken from Strut’s expanded reissue of a live recording in Bloomington in 1977, the set reflects the manifold musical bases he and the Arkestra would touch in one night. Anything from the Great American Songbook (‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’) to heavy blasts of swingin’ cosmic mythology (‘Neptune/Voice of Ebah’) and rare original compositions (‘Amen Meni Many Amens’).With Ra on his own, however, without the Arkestra’s sensory overload, we can appreciate what a fluid and emotive player he could be. This edition “restores previously excised material and preserves more of the natural transitions between pieces”. In other words, you will be transported.TEODROS MAKONNEN – Libesh Kabashen [Muzikawi] Teodros, aka Teddy Mak, was a key musical figure in 80’s Ethiopia, among the first to explore the possibilities of drum machines and electric organs in a land of exceptional hotel bands.His father, a chief pilot at Ethiopia Airlines, set him on the way by gifting Teddy his first piano, encouraging him to learn music theory and attend a German school in Addis Ababa. Teddy went on to collaborate with the likes of Dahlak Band, Mulatu Astatke, Aster Aweke and many others as a player, composer or arranger.A chance encounter at Wabi Shabelle Hotel with a diplomat from Saudi Arabia, who owned a Yamaha double-deck keyboard, led to the one-take recording of Tedros Makonnen and His Organ. A cassette steeped in tradition yet cast in oneiromancy, it seems. Let’s go with the magic carpet ride that is ‘Libesh Kabashen’ (‘Wear your Kaba’).AJA MONET – Every Media Minute [drink sum wtr] On perhaps the most urgent track of The Colour of Rain, Monet’s second album, the Brooklyn-raised surrealist blues poet laments the rolling 24-hour negative news cycle that has drained people’s capacity for empathy and made love into work.As if diagnosing the great malaise of these times – a simultaneous collapse of faith and dearth of leadership – she proclaims “We need something, something greater than ourselves,” adding, “There's a whole lot of religion and not enough God.”Monet’s lyrical poise and clarity of thought welcome the listener into this one big conversation of a record. And with the help of Meshell Ndegeocello and Justin Brown as co-producers, she’s managed to find just the right level of instrumental accompaniment to animate each of these poems.‘To Sister’ is a good example, with Brandee Younger’s harp and Ganavya’s ripples of voice helping us locate the core sentiment to Monet’s words and amplify her musicality. But many other superb musicians appear elsewhere including Josh Johnson, Ambrose Akinmusire and Georgia Ann Muldrow.The Colour of Rain is both balm and ballast in the present moment, helping us to come back to ourselves, as Bandcamper Eleonore puts it. By the way, Monet is a great interviewee, generous and wise. Start here or here. And listen to her still-magnificent poem What I've Learned from 2012, filmed at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, where she was the youngest person to win the Grandslam Championship at the age of 19.YOUR BROTHER’S KEEPER & GARY BARTZ – Solar Flare [Brownswood]Gary Bartz continues to search for new possibilities in sound here. Miles would approve. Some of you might know that Bartz played with Davis in the early 70s on Cellar Door sessions, B*****s Brew Live and Live Evil.And we’re not a million miles away from that energy on this new project, which is also very destination out but more meditative than Bartz’s spritely NTU Troop stuff, which I devoured in my 20s.Your Brother‘s Keeper features drummer and producer Jake Long (Maisha), Ali MacSween (piano, synthesizers and modular FX), Axel Kaner-Lidstrom (trumpet), Twm Dylan (double bass), Tim Doyle (percussion) and Chelsea Carmichael (tenor saxophone).KELELA & AK PAUL – outta time [Warp] So many highpoints to replay on New Avatar as Kelela gets in her “white bag”, as she hilariously put it. That’s shorthand for guitars, metal-ic textures, a nod to Linkin Park and the like. This is no cosplay though. She is a beyond-the-binary alt Black girl and who started out in an indie-rock band.And Kelela loves to test sonic boundaries, unwilling to experiment in a new style of music exclusively at the expense of losing other influences. So we get the Cut 4 Me-ish club track ‘point blank’ on the same album as Kerrang catnip ‘linknb’.But the best song on the album is probably the sensual creeper ‘outta time’ – written more than a decade ago – with a plaintive AK Paul sliding into the mix to lay it all on the line. It’s one of my favourite vocal performances of the year and the guy’s barely trying.As for Kelela, she can do anything. I’ll be paying homage in person at Brixton’s O2 Academy this November.NICK HAKIM – Barii [Earseed] Intimacy is a hallmark of Nick Hakim’s songwriting (think ‘Needy Bees’ or ‘QADIR’). But he’s taken it to another level on his latest album I Can See, even finding a new register to convey the nuanced feelings in these lyrics.It’s a proper headphones record, built on accumulated layers of sound and sustained emotion. One to start your morning with and gently rise to. ‘Barii’ is the song that’s stayed with me after multiple plays, with its sonorous starbursts and sonic floaters orbiting that gorgeous melody. It features Abe Rounds (Meshell Ndegeocello) on percussion and June McDoom on backing vocals (look out for her next record in October).DAWUNA – Grabba Boy Problem [True Panther]It’s a hat-trick of appearances on Moonbeam Levels for Baltimore-based Dawuna after Glass Lit Dream (2021) and Naya (2024). Ian makes lo-fi, experimental r&b that feels so out of the box and spontaneous, like demos of one-take studio experiments laid down after all the obligatory stuff has been recorded.He describes African Family Laptop Musick as a concept piece about his family life at the time (“compositionally simple but necessarily abstracted”), but a traumatic head injury suffered afterwards has prevented him from being able to remember much else. Let your own mind fill in the blanks as you bop and sway to hum-along riddims such as ‘Grabba Boy Problem’.SPARKLEMAMI – Fajas [Verve] Texas-raised, Chicago-based and of Mexican and Indian heritage, multidisciplinary artist Ariella Granados is making music from multiple perspectives and with open ears. Across her debut album, one of this year’s most endearing, I hear a strong sense of 70’s Brazil – the sensuality and groove (Azymuth on ‘Grounded’) as well as the percussive fusion (Flora Purim on ‘Penso En Voce’). But then we also get a bolero-like love letter to her mother that reminds me of Kali Uchis (‘Quisiera’) and a radio-like intro with chords loosely inspired by the Bee Gees, though I’m hearing Marcos Valle.Recorded to tape with analogue equipment, In This Body is all about crackly warmth, continuity and physical connection. There is also a deeper purpose to this record for the artist, as it’s a way to access what she calls her confessional subconscious.“This album served as a vehicle of healing my relationship to my voice, my body, and is rooted in my love to myself and my community,” Sparklemami wrote back in April. “I confronted a lot of unresolved childhood grief and have learned so much along the way. Making this album brought me back to my voice and understanding of myself…”THREETWENTY – Could It Be Love [New Century Sound]Husband and wife duo Ivana (formerly of VanJess) and Filip know how to smooth us out with their blend of amorous and intricate neo-soul harmonies and 90’s knock. I’m hearing Groove Theory, late-stage Tribe, and all that good stuff.‘Could It Be Love’ is one to bounce to, in celebration of a life partner maybe, but also because their second album separate from the noise “side b” drops on 21 August. Just look at how they vibe to a track. You know they know how to tap into those feel-good frequencies. Or “downloads” as Ivana calls them, received from above in service to something greater than themselves (FYI their name is a reference to Ephesians 3:20 and the day they met).AISHA – Can You Feel It [Ariwa/Test Pressing] The First Lady of Dub actually recorded multiple versions of this tune with Neil Fraser, better known as Mad Professor (who I discovered through his work with Massive Attack). The digidub reconstruction from 1990 is much-loved but the original UK street soul cut – the first thing they worked on together in 1984 at Ariwa’s Gautrey Road studio in Peckham – is the one this summer. Both feature session don Drumtan Ward on drums, by the way.Aisha went on to work with Fraser on four albums and several more singles. You can get this on a forthcoming Ariwa collection that Test Pressing has carefully curated. Worth it for ‘Can You Feel It’ and Jah Shaka collaboration ‘Only One God’ alone.So glad to see a truckload of Ariwa releases circulating again, like Black Steel’s Jungle Warrior and all the Kofi albums. One of the great UK labels and one of the most successful black-owned businesses.SVITLANA NAINIO / PHANTOM – ManySpace [Stroom]What a good month for obscure compilations offering a portal to a particular cultural moment and scene. Aftermath and Transitions is actually the second batch of releases resulting from the connection between Cologne-based visual artist, musician and producer Guido Erfen and affiliates of the Novaya Scena rock club in Kharkiv. A place that put on bands inspired by punk, Dadaism, the avant garde and even medieval melodies, we’re told in the liner notes.The first collection was released in 1993, selected from tapes handed to Erfen and whatever caught his ear when he went to Ukraine. A visit to Cologne by classically trained pianist Svitlana Nianio (nee Ochrimenko) and guitarist, visual artist and spokesperson Yewgeny ‘Yenia’ Taran catalysed this follow-up, which features four eerie and elusive collaborations with Erfen’s SHM colleague Michael Springer (recording “natural electronic music” under the name of his studio Phanton).It was at Phanton that vocalist and keyboardist Soloveyka met Wolfram Burgtorf, forming Solar who contribute three tracks. Each evokes trip-hop at its most out-there and hypnotic. And don’t sleep on Taran’s original version of ‘Death And The Batchelor’, which comes off as the theme for an exotic murder mystery series.PINEAPPLE 4.9 – Yoruni [Miss You] DJ and producer Yuzo Iwata has compiled a very dubby collection of no wave tracks, made between 1980 and 1985 by members and affiliates of the Tokyo Rockers scene. Japanese New Wave On Dub is available on vinyl only, for the hardcore, but that does mean you can pore over some nice photography and context around the project. It feels even more like an artefact as it spins. Fans of The Slits, New Age Steppers and ESG will really appreciate this one.EAR – F [A24 Music]The machinery in hotly touted album Rumspringa hums such charming melodies under the introverted lyrics of fine artists Yaelle Arvan and Jonah Paz. Ear sounds like twee indie-pop produced by Plaid or Autechre. Yes, A Postal Service for Warp, and I’m into it.As they told Crack earlier in the year, the duo has very different musical persuasions – Avtan is more hardcore and gabber, while Jonah leans towards folk and contemporary classical. So they had to invent their own “shared sensibility”. And the elusive, schizophrenic nature of this record can be explained by their constant need to find the right form for their feelings whenever they make music.ACTRESS – Overchord [Ninja Tune]Every release from Darren Cunningham is a trip and Radical Frame (due on 18 September) will be no different. Put simply, he is one of the most interesting – and therefore exciting – composers of electronic music working today.As the cultural theorist and poet Fred Moten intimates on the release page, we’re talking about one of the modern architects of a black avant garde right here. It still makes my head fizz to think that ‘Rap’, ‘Baby U Lar’, ‘Marble Plexus’, ‘Hubble’ and ‘Its me (g 8)’, were all made (from deep within) by the same artist.His best work sounds like he’s constructing and deconstructing the track at the same time, ringing maximum intensity from the operation and luring the listener out of their comfort zone. And when he collaborates with the likes of London Contemporary Orchestra or pioneer Suzanne Ciani, Actress brings all of himself to the venture, with very little compromise.‘Overchord’ has a serene drift to it, four to the floor, but the strains of strings and ripples of sound keep you on edge.ALEX NUT – Bright (ReFreQ Mix) [Eglo]It seems like every month there’s something new from Mr Nut to play out. The DJ and Eglo Records runner is coming through big time as a producer and The Heat EP is confirmation of his natural feel for groove and warmth in the spaces between jazz, house and broken beat.Frequent collaborators Steve Spacek and Sam Crowe feature, as does Allysha Joy on lead vocals on ‘The Heat’, but the ReFreQ mix of ‘Bright’ takes me a little further out. That’s where I need to be.IBRAHIM ALFA JR – Ikoyi Heat [Tsaigumi]IBRAHIM ALFA – Drifting [Workshop 22]IBRAHIM ALFA JR – CWNG [Mille Plateaux]IBRAHIM ALFA JR – Inwards Reverse [FO]To try and summarise Ibrahim Alfa Jr’s experiences in and out of the music industry would be a fool’s errand. But here is a teaser trailer in verbal jump cuts… From young fatherhood on the South Coast, prolific music-making and DJ’ing as he tried to hold down a factory job, to misadventures in record labels, constant money worries, a stint in prison and multiple heart attacks, this man is a survivor who deserves to be celebrated for his long-applied talent.Around 2022, in a few years alone, he produced more than 500 tracks – idiosyncratic experiments in techno, ambient, breakbeat and bass sonics. But across his overwhelming catalogue, fans of Black Dog, Jeff Mills and Drexciya, as well as Michael J Blood and the aforementioned Actress, will have innumerable opportunities to bug out.There’s more to be said and shared in time. For now, read Joe Muggs’ candid interview from 2014 and then wander through the catalogue, starting with unofficial debut album Hidden by the Leaves. Infinite Black Records 1, due in October, sounds compelling throughout.WILLIAM ORBIT – Last Lagoon [IRS]TORCH SONG – Shine On Me (with Laurie Mayer) [N-GRAM]MADONNA – Drowned World / Substitute for Love (William Orbit’s A Reverie Mix)MADONNA – Justify My Love (William Orbit Remix) [Sire]WILLIAM ORBIT – Into the Paradise (featuring Baby B) [Virgin]PRINCE – The Future (Remix by Mark Moore and William Orbit) [Warner]TORCH SONG – Prepare to Energise [IRS]My introduction to William Orbit was on the first volume of Café Del Mar, a seminal compilation series put together by the downtempo master Jose Padilla. The track was ‘Strings of Light’, credited to Strange Cargo. Even to a novice listener, the hallmarks of Orbit’s production were apparent: a sense of space, reverie, satisfying bottom end and surprises going to and fro in the mix.At the time, I had no idea the East London-born musician was behind the chart-topping ‘Fascinating Rhythm’ as Bassomatic, but there he is on TOTP in 1990, stylin’ behind the keyboards. And again, three years later, nonchalantly tapping on the djembe as he performs ‘Water From A Vine Leaf’ with Beth Orton at the Love Week End.Obviously, his integral work with Blur on 13 and Madonna’s Ray of Light – transitional, departure records for both parties – pushed him much closer towards the spotlight. Not forgetting co-writing and producing a pop classic with All Saints, other cherished collaborations with Orton and his zeitgeisty reinterpretation of Adagio for Strings.However, only those closest to him knew how much of a genius he was. Like Apiento, who used to work with Orbit at Guerrilla Records and go record shopping for him. “Watching William in the studio felt like seeing someone exactly where they should be,” he wrote in a recent tribute for Test Pressing.“He still had a tape machine and then would have everything running through the desk so he would have the tracks down and just be throwing delays and reverbs and just bringing the whole thing to life in a joyful way.”The pair caught up for a chat in 2022. Orbit’s fastidious approach to writing, mixing and engineering came through strongest when reminiscing about Strange Cargo. “When I started, I think some of the things I did were a bit wonky until that Strange Cargo release where I found my feet and I think it was because I trusted that use of almost the atmospheric.“And I would allow myself to become totally obsessed with sound… To the point where every bar had to hold my attention and make me think, I could listen to this forever and ever. It’s an obsession. I mean, I’m just very happy in the world of sound. It’s just colours to me.”One of Orbit’s deep cuts that wowed me was his remix of Prince’s ‘The Future’ from the Purple One’s Batman soundtrack, created with Mark Moore. “Well that was William letting loose, unchained and doing even more of his thing,” the S Express producer posted on Instagram, calling Orbit an enigmatic space cadet. “It’s a darker mix and a lot of people say it was the first progressive house track. To this day I have people coming up and saying they based their whole sound on that remix.”Pete Tong, who worked on the soundtrack for The Beach, which featured ‘Pure Shores’, pinpointed what made Orbit special in terms of his musical sensibility. “William was different, an outlier … who managed to fuse the worlds of electronic, classical, jazz and pop effortlessly. He created unique soundscapes and special feelings. Music that moves you. The very definition of what music should do.”I’ve picked out a few highlights tucked away in his heaving discography. But there will be many more deep dives ahead. PS Did you know he composed the opening score for macho ice hockey movie Youngblood, starring Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze? The man’s been iconic since ’86 🕊️OTHER RECOMMENDATIONSRODNEY FRANKLIN – Endless Flight [CBS]The late pianist, composer and producer had a monster club hit in 1980 with instrumental ‘The Groove’, which kickstarted its own “freeze” dance craze in the UK. He was just 20 years old. Inspired by the likes of Bud Powell and Oscar Peterson, Franklin had both the chops and the modernist sensibility to make tracks that could move body and mind – 70’s Lonnie Listen Smith meets 80’s George Duke. There is no greater testament than ‘Endless Flight’ – written with Phyllis St James – which was like course material for the international nu-jazz to bruk community including Kyoto Jazz Massive and Daz-I-Kue and fellow keys virtuoso Kaidi Tatham (“You know he was one of our heroes”). Whatever they fed on, so did I. Listening to this masterpiece is like having a spiritual awakening every time. Music with a higher purpose.Y-TRIBE – Baby (You Bring Me Up) [Northwest10]I must shout out author jesse bernard, who has written a very perceptive and intimate history of Black British music called Escaping Babylon. A (successful) attempt to fold lived experience into an analysis of the ecosystem, roots and shoots. Soundsystem, reggae, dancehall, soul, jungle, drum n’ bass, drill, grime, UK hip-hop, UK rap, 2-step, house, afroswing and so much more. His scope is ambitious but Jesse is a charismatic and nimble guide, evoking eras (through the fashion, TV shows, radio stations, technology and key personalities of the time), making connections and challenging preconceptions along the way. I like the book’s format, akin to a mixtape with poetry and short stories for interludes, but the occasionally abrupt fader-like cutting between ‘skits’ might disappoint a few readers seeking deeper discussion. The commentary around Black Britain’s contribution to British culture and the social value of this music is particularly interesting. “And perhaps what’s even more sobering about being Black British is how fragile and intangible it actually is as a concept,” he writes. “Black British identity is the very thing that has kept many of us going for so long, especially with the tireless work that many of us have done to ensure life has got better – but Babylon is pervasive, engulfing and suffocating. And sometimes, treading water and finding those moments where joy emerges, such as through dance and communing, is how we can best seek an escape.” The playlist is bangin’ and, like me, you may burn hours on YouTube bouncing from link to link and scrolling through comments. Bernard’s reignited my love for Lynden David Hall, put me onto a Wretch 32 deep cut and revived forgotten classics like this end-of-night garage anthem by Y-Tribe. Writing Escaping Babylon has left him with far more questions than answers, so we can look forward to more reasoning on the page. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amarofpatel.substack.com
