Anarchist Mountains is a project recently initiated between brothers Stefan and Jordan Christoff, working on opposite coasts of Canada. Stefan is known primarily for his piano playing and activism, and is a member of the Howl! arts collective in Montreal. In Anarchist Mountains, Jordan uses Stefan’s raw piano recordings as source material to build new compositions, in a much more drone-oriented framework than in Stefan’s previous work, which includes collaborations with Xarah Dion (of Les Momies de Palerme) and many others. Above, you can listen to a reworking of “To Sophia” from Rodina, Stefan’s collaboration with Sam Shallabi (Shalabi Effect, Land of Kush). A song about the difficulties of feeling at home is reinvigorated by the familial connection, a further exploration of the connection between the personal and the political.
A Sacred Cloud is a fascinating Montreal-based ensemble of electronic and electro-acoustic improvisers, working in a psychedelic and free-form mode, bringing together electronic drones, samples, voice, percussion and flute. Their two contributions to this split were recorded during a live performance at a benefit concert for the Awan family, a family from Pakistan seeking refugee status in Canada currently taking sanctuary in a Montreal church to defy a deportation order from the Canadian government. The release was a joint project between Howl! arts collective & Jeunesse Cosmique. (Joseph Sannicandro)
a closer listen 