Cut of the Day: IG88 "Adult Tree," A Loom & Not Me (Nueva Forma)

 For all the press we throw down for local labels like Tender Loving Empire, Hush, Eggy, Marriage, Apes Tapes, etc., you and I have to know that underneath the radar are dozens of smaller independent labels that have rosters just as strong as any of the imprints mentioned above. Hell, a music-hungry town like ours wouldn't have it any other way. 

Still, running across a label that I haven't yet been privy to still gives me that electric charge in my spine like the days when my older brother would send me a mix tape and I would hit upon a song that sent me reeling. Such is the case when I stumbled into the world of Nueva Forma

This "audiovisual label" based in NW Portland says they are "a collective of sound-makers, designers, and ever-evolving digerati. As an eclectic music label, our agenda is simple; to offer you a wide variety of acousmatic pop, IDM, dub, click house, ambient, hip-hop and more." 

A simple agenda, yes, but one that has guided the label into some amazing directions. The releases by glitch-house genius Masmod and the jazz guitar meets ambient beats of Lapse are just two examples of their impressive roster. 

It is the label's upcoming release A Loom & Not Me, by the artist known as IG88 that could help bring some richly deserved attention to this outfit. Created by the Bellingham-based artist Branden Clarke, these 13 tracks have the liquid, enveloping quality of sinking into a warm bath. Honeyed synth melodies play sportingly off of beats that throb with the blood of hip-hop. Check out the track "Adult Tree" to see what I'm talking about. The sandy beat shifts underneath synth lines that have a New Age-y tinge to them. It's the kind of ambient beauty you wouldn't mind having on your iPhone when you're cooling down after a long run or relaxing in a spa. I can only hope Clarke takes that as the compliment it is. 


WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.