It's Thursday, the 19th of September 2024, in Wellington, New Zealand. I'm sitting outside drinking coffee in slightly chilly spring weather and killing time before heading out of town for a few days. When better to write about some recent music releases than just before heading off on an adventure, right? Here's four new (or new old) releases from Leong Lau, D.D. Mirage, Naya Beat, and Alejandro Cohen.

Melbourne, Australia's Left Ear Records, celebrating ten years as a record label, returns to the source with a fresh reissue from the first artist they ever released, the fascinating Malaysian-Australian musician Leong Lau. Originally released on Lau's Sunscape Records label in 1976, "Dragon Man" is, as Left Ear put it, "A raw and electrifying album that continues to stand the test of time."

Built from the bones of psychedelic folk-rock, jazz and funk, across "Dragon Man", Lau flips the script with his half-sung, half-spoken, heavily Australian-accented vocal style. Sometimes, they feel like songs; sometimes, they feel like sermons. "Ghost Drums", in particular, is some really special stuff. The first time I heard it, I got the same feeling I got from "Baby" by Donnie and Joe Emerson.

A huge smile burst across my face when I hit play on this one for the first time. That's what you call vibes! The latest one on Adelaide's Isle of Jura label, "Night Time", is a perfectly formed 7" from the boxfresh Sydney duo D.D Mirage. Drinking deeply from the eternal wells of inspiration found in Lovers Rock and UK Street Soul, "Night Time" sees D.D Mirage teamed up with the Manchester-based vocalist Private Joy for a slice of silly, smooth mid-tempo boogie for the nocturnal hours.

Here's a detail from the sales notes I absolutely had to include: Instruments used - Farfisa, Roland JX-3P, Roland JV-1080, Roland D-50, Roland Juno-6, Hofner Bass, Guitar and various percussion.

If you listened to "Naya Beat Volume 1: South Asian Dance and Electronic Music 1983​-​1992", you know that pre-ordering LA label Naya Beat Records forthcoming new compilation "Naya Beat Volume 2: South Asian Dance And Electronic Music 1988​-​1994" is an absolute no brainer. Naya Beat's pitch here is "South Asian dance and electronic music rarities handpicked, remastered, and occasionally remixed. Featuring a lovingly curated selection of future classics from an overlooked era of South Asian house, street soul, and downtempo originally released between 1988 and 1994."

How good does that sound? For an example of where this is all going, check the sample track, "Sangeeta - Calling (Turbotito & Ragz Remix)". I'm sure we'll be discussing this all further later on.

For his first release under his own name, Los Angeleno (by way of Buenos Aires), composer Alejandro Cohen summons up a heady blend of elegant acoustic guitar and piano figures, malleted bars, field recordings and woozy synthesis. It's melancholic, playful, sardonic and sweet. It's a gentle daydream told in thirteen parts. It's sunlight shining through dust on a warm summer's day. "Chamber of Tears" is all of these things and more. And how good is the cover art? RIYL: Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Gastr del Sol.