Latency Vinyl, CD & Tape 9 Items

‘Estradas’ is an electrifying dance music album by multi-instrumentalist Valentina Magaletti and Afro-Portuguese beat-maker Nídia. The album follows the footsteps of Moritz von Oswald, Laurel Halo, Duval Timothy, Angel Bat Dawid, Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, and more on the label.

‘Estradas’ (“roads” in Portuguese), born from the Sicilian heat and refined under English rain, transcends cultural and environmental barriers, showcasing the duo’s rhythmic expertise and connection through intricate beats and infectious melodies. The album celebrates the universal language of music, immersing listeners in a world where rhythm reigns supreme and movement is inevitable. Nídia and Valentina continuously meet ​“on the road,” sharing a sonic adaptation to the urgency and context of different environments. Their exchange of vibes and beats resonates with all these diverse places. Produced by Tom Halstead (Raime/​Moin), ​‘Estradas’ masterfully blends syncopated drum patterns, pulsating marimba lines, and melodic interludes.

Valentina’s inventive approach to percussion, incorporating marimbas, contact microphones, and found objects, allows her to seamlessly traverse alternative and mainstream music landscapes. Her extensive collaborations include artists like Holy Tongue, Vanishing Twins, Jandek, Pat Thomas, Deb Googe, Thurston Moore, Mica Levi, Sampha, Nicolas Jaar, Upsammy, Charles Hayward, Wire’s Graham Lewis, and Thighpaulsandra (Coil). Magaletti has performed at prestigious venues and festivals such as Sónar, the Lincoln Center, LAX Art, Unsound, Berlin Atonal, Dekmantel, Le Guess Who?, Rewire, Cafe Oto, The Barbican, and Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum to name a few.

Nídia, Príncipe affiliate, has significantly influenced the global alternative dance scene with her progressive Kuduro beats. Her collaborations with Fever Ray, Yaeji, and Kelela have earned her international acclaim, including a Grammi in Sweden and an AIM award in the UK. Nídia has performed at London’s Southbank Centre, Sónar, Lowlands Festival, Red Bull Music Festivals, and more. Her 2023 album ​“95 Mindjeres” delves into her fiery nature and mixed roots in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, celebrating the role of women freedom fighters in PAIGC’s struggle for independence. Acclaimed by The Guardian, Resident Advisor, and Pitchfork, Nídia’s influence extends across the globe.

‘Estradas’ was featured in 2024 Best Music at Pitchfork, Resident Advisor, Artforum, Bandcamp, and more.

Written and composed by Nidia and Valentina Magaletti. Edited, mixed and produced by Tom Halstead (Raime). Marimba, percussion, drums, synth and flute by Valentina Magaletti. Mastering by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering. Cover art by Daniel Shea. Design by Johannes Schnatmann.

"Following the resonating success of their initial collaboration, the TLF Trio—comprising Danish cellist Cæcilie Trier (ctm), pianist Jakob Littauer, and guitarist Mads Kristian Frøslev—reunites on Latency with electronic music legend Moritz von Oswald for the follow-up to their debut album, 'Sweet Harmony.'

TLF Trio, along with Moritz von Oswald, once again delves into the realm of chamber music, this time with two new songs further exploring the intricate acoustic dynamics of their instruments with electronics. As the second instalment in this musical journey, 'New Songs & Variations' builds upon the minimalistic, sculptural, and narrative qualities of its predecessor, weaving a tapestry of expressive and plural voices.

Moritz von Oswald, a central figure in the electronic music scene since the early '90s, brings his wealth of experience to the project, reinterpreting two of TLF Trio's previous works. From his early days as a classical percussionist to groundbreaking collaborations in the techno sphere, von Oswald's influence has left an indelible mark. His role in co-founding Basic Channel/Rhythm & Sound and contributions to the Berlin-Detroit-Chicago axis have defined various strains of modern music.

'New Songs & Variations' not only captures the rich history and influence of Moritz von Oswald but also showcases his ongoing exploration into classical, experimental, and improvisational contexts. From recomposing Ravel and Mussorgsky’s music for Deutsche Grammophon to acclaimed collaborations with jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær, composer Laurel Halo, or Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen, von Oswald's versatility continues to evolve.

TLF Trio and Moritz von Oswald invite listeners to embark on a sonic journey that bridges the past and the present, mirroring the transformative essence of Louise Lawler's distorted image, which graces its cover—a testament to the delicate fluidity and shape-shifting nature of the music contained within.

Compossed by Moritz von Oswald, Cæcilie Trier, Claus Haxholm (beat on Chrome), Jakob Littauer and Mads Kristian Frøslev. Mastered by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering. Artwork by Louise Lawler. Formica (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times, slippery slope 2), 2011/2012/2015/2017. Courtesy the artist and Sprüth Magers. As adjusted for Latency.

“After a banner year that witnessed Lafawndah release her first album Ancestor Boy, the debut of her soundsystem Fara Fara, and further incursions into film, contemporary art and fashion, the ceaseless artist returns with another plot twist: The Fifth Season.

Inspired by her encounter with author NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy, Lafawndah both pays homage to and extends further the elemental, emotionally charged myths of Jemisin’s books. These are stories where a broken heart can tear apart a continent. In contrast to the precision- tuned industrial productions of Ancestor Boy, The Fifth Season breathes a different kind of volatility. Inviting a new degree of spontaneity and freedom into her process, Lafawndah’s collaborators - Theon Cross (tuba), Nathaniel Cross (trombone), Valentina Magaletti (percussions), and Nick Weiss (keyboards) - encircle her confrontational character studies with iridescent, cinematic chamber-bass moves.

These are torch songs for when it rains ash, creation ballads for when the earth turns inside out. Ghosts of Art Ensemble of Chicago and Rahsaan Roland Kirk color the air, yet Lafawndah’s mastery of pop songcraft, vocal production and razor-honed clarity of purpose cut through. In addition to the Lafawndah originals, The Fifth Season features interpretations of hybrid-folk godfather Beverly Glenn Copeland’s “Don’t Despair” and acid-impressionist prodigy Lili Boulanger’s “Old Buddhist Prayer.” Album highlight “You, at the End” deploys a poem by poet-performer Kae Tempest to aching, rift-tearing ends, and french dream-trap wraith Lala &ce features on “Le Malentendu”.

The Fifth Season anchors Lafawndah as a descendent of forebearers Brigitte Fontaine and Scott Walker - a born theatric whose acid humor warps the sub-continental undertow of her emotive storytelling. Lafawndah’s elementalism on The Fifth Season finds her imagination more agile than ever, and recent live shows have evinced a drive to push these compositions further out, deeper, and more aflame.”

Latency 009, from Tokyo serves us four eerie, multi-rhythmic, bass-heavy excursions, with roots in abstract hip hop and the classic D ‘n’ B of Photek and Source Direct.

Revolving Cæcilie Trier (cello), Jakob Littauer (piano) and Mads Kristian Frøslev (guitar), the trio present their debut album, moving between written composition, improvisation and de-construction; channeling free jazz and minimalism and playing with the stiltedness of Central-European Classical of the Late Renaissance and Early Baroque.

Named after the 1991 hardcore rave classic by Liquid, this acoustic almost beatless album contains music that is more sculptural than narrative and that fluidly shapeshifts from being an object in the room to being the room itself - just as Louise Lawler’s distorted image from the Stedelijk Museum that adorns its cover.'

Written, performed and produced by Cæcilie Trier (cello), Jakob Littauer (piano) and Mads Kristian Frøslev (guitar). Beat on track 3: Claus Haxholm. Organ on track 6, track 8: Jakob Littauer. 2nd cello on track 7: Agnete Hannibal Petri. Viola on track 7: Mads Kristian Frøslev. Mixed by Jakob Littauer. Mastered by Enyang Urbiks. Recorded in 2021 at Urbiks Studio, Funkhaus, Berlin.

Cover art: Louise Lawler. Produced in 1988, Purchased in 1989; Produced in 1989, Purchased in 1993 (adjusted to fit), 1995/2010 (distorted for the times). Courtesy of the artist and Sprüth Magers.

“Mohammad Reza Mortazavi is a virtuoso percussionist known for playing traditional Persian instruments such as the tombak and daf. After developing more than thirty new striking techniques and progressing to be one of the most prominent players in Iran, Mortazavi travelled to Germany, eventually settling in Berlin to record and perform regular concerts the world over. His acclaimed performances have taken in venues such as Berlin Philharmonie and Sydney Opera House. In recent years, he has been embraced by the experimental electronic music community, collaborating with Burnt Friedman, Fis and Mark Fell.

Ritme Jaavdanegi is Mortazavi’s sixth LP, and his first one available on vinyl. The album came together from recordings made in Berlin in June 2019, inspired by Mortazavi’s vivid reminiscence about profound experiences he had listening to music as a child. As he drifted in this time-slipping reverie, the phrase ‘ritme jaavdanegi’ or ‘rhythm of eternity’ came to mind, and he found the phrase itself to match the 11/8 metre he was striving for. As such, all eight pieces on this album adhere to this time signature, which in itself harks back to the Aksak, a rhythmic pattern based on the alteration of binary and ternary quantities executed in a fast tempo, intrinsic to traditional music from Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and the Balkans.

In the same way these non-standard folk rhythms started to impact on Western music in the early 20th Century, so now you can hear an ever-increasing embrace of polyrhythms and metres that break away from the dominant 4/4 ideology. What’s most striking about Ritme Jaavdanegi, perceived through a lens of modern Western experimental music, is how Mortazavi’s virtuosic playing rivals the intensely programmed dynamics of electronica. His rapid, needlepoint drum hits bend their tonality in incredibly musical ways, but there is still an underlying focus on cyclical repetition that encourages the same ancient transcendental quality that so many contemporary artists strive for.”

Martina Lussi’s second album fuses together disparate sound sources with a disorienting
quality that reflects the modern climate of dispersion and distraction. The Lucerne, Switzerland- based sound artist released her debut album ‘Selected Ambient’ on Hallow Ground in 2017, and now comes to Latency with a bold new set of themes and processes.

The range of tools at her disposal spans field recordings, processed instrumentation, synthesised elements and snatches of human expression. The guitar is a recurring figure, subjected to a variety of treatments from heavy, sustained distortion to clean, pealing notes. Elsewhere the sound of sports crowds and choral singing merge, and patient beds of drones and noise melt into the sounds of industry and mechanics. The track titles manifest as a compositional game of deception complete with innuendos, empty phrases and claims – flirtations with perfume names and ironic assertions.

From the volatile geopolitical climate to the changing nature of music consumption in the face of streaming and digital access, ‘Diffusion is a Force’ is a reflection on fractured times where familiar modes and models change their meaning with the ever-quickening pace of communication.