Cherrystones: Critical Mass / Splinters From / Var

2015 release. Cherrystones pulls together the sympathetic sounds of the psychedelic ghetto. London's best kept secret, Cherrystones has been on the underground scene for a while. People kinda speak of his grooved-out genius in hushed whispers. You might remember when he closed down the final night of ATP after a decade long residency? Or when the heat moved from London to NYC which saw our man deliver an epic Morricone-inspired LP while spending time as DJ Harvey's sole label-mate. You might be following his endless list of production and remix work for the likes of Goat, The Horrors and Hospital Productions. Cherrystone explains his work: "... As long as it makes people move on the floor, I'm into it. I've been running a rescue home for the culturally starved and ignored - a sonic soup kitchen within a philanthropic playground. That's the vibe." On Critical Mass, Cherrystones tunes the listener in to fourteen groups, separated by locale but united by a restless urge to create on their own terms. From Rizzo's nihilistic Moogie-boogie to a pre-teen Chandra's isolated no-wave. Through Dojoji's downtown-via-Lagos inspired punk-funk and Fote's dark, industrial groove, Critical Mass presents a snapshot of an international underground enthralled with the possibility of the new. Cherrystones on the release: "This compilation was put together through records I was enjoying at that time - loose chips, fragmented discoveries, random punts and the true excitement from that hit of 'What the fuck is that?!' It is an exercise in the good and the rad - solid jams from all corners of the world. A veritable platter to switch on the uninitiated or those who hear and feel the truth - it is not an exercise in rarity to make people feel alienated. I know what I feel and I hear the messages and feel the vibrations in these very songs - as will you if you allow them to." In a world in search of an instant authentic buzz - this compilation is not a five second internet high. It is alchemy - made out of blood and sweat, and pure knowledge on how to make people move. Let Cherrystones shake your bones. Critical Mass also features: Rheingold, The Tee-Vees, Aksak Maboul, Transmitters, The Method Actors, Crazy House, Bamboo Zoo, The Lines, 39 Clocks, and The Flowerpot Men.