PREMIERE - New Juffage Track 'Fate's Gone Away'

Back in 2011 I really got into Semicircle, a little album by Jeff T Smith AKA Juffage. Mixing the likes of Ratatat, Akron/Family and Animal Collective into his sounds, Juffage is a miasma of electrified wizardry, a solo maelstrom of organic devilry, a creative Loki who refuses to sit still, compromise or to stop having a good time.

This June Juffage has been releasing a series of live tracks from his recent European tour - and Sonic Masala is lucky enough to premiere one! New track 'Fate's Gone Away' was filmed at Rincon Pio Sound in Spain, and showcases Smith's multiple instrumentation changes and looping techniques to great effect. The track is intricate in itself, a math excursion through kaleidoscopic sonics, so to see Smith up there in his lonesome provides both awe and perplexity. So without further adieu, enjoy.



Here are the other two to have been released thus far this month also (both recorded in Lille, France).

Juffage Shows Us His Weakness

I was initially turned on to Juffage - AKA Jeff T. Smith, a solo sound artist and multi-instrumentalist from Leeds, via Chicago, Illinois - through a comment by Loud & Quiet that referred them in the same breath as Mogwai. Now, I wouldn't go down that road - but there is some early Ratatat, some tribal rhythms of the likes of Lightning Bolt and Holy Fuck in the mix, and some of that bizarre anti-folk wizardry that Akron/Family steep their sounds in. Enough touchstones to give him a listen - and to embrace him. Because what we have here is something that, despite the possible attractions to influences, is inherently warm and unique. He utilizes live looping and multitasking of drums, vocals, basses, guitars, keys, omnichord, clarinet, melodica, and manipulated cassettes, all into something that is evocative and yet strangely organic.

His new album Semicircle takes his distinctive larger-than-life performance style to an even grander scale, adding even more instruments to the mix. This debut is both defiantly experimental and unashamedly pop-oriented, with neither feature seeming out of place or at war with the other. We need more of this - seriously.

Semicircle is out now through London label Function Records (Maybeshewill, Shield Your Eyes, Cats Cats and Cats, Nitkowski).

Juffage - My Weakness

Ratatat's forthcoming album, LP4, is now streaming online

Following up on Brendan's post last week on Ratatat's new album, LP4 - you can now stream it in its entirety here, where it will be available until its release on June 8th.
Happy listening!

Ratat at at at at...

On to LP4 for party instrumentalist maestros Ratatat. I love these guys, and am very excited for this album to drop (June 8, XL Recordings). Whilst recorded at the same time as LP3 back in 2008, expect weirder, more intricate arrangements. Much has been made of album single 'Party With Children', but I like to dabble in some non-single territory...

ratatat - Drugs