Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda
After only four years of meeting John Coltrane, Alice lost her soul mate to liver cancer. Weight loss, hallucinations, sleepless nights all characterize this period of her life. It is also during this time that Alice found an Indian Guru, Swami Satchidananda, who became her spiritual ally. During her second trip to India to visit Satchidananda, she had a revelation which led her to abandon her secular life and become a spiritual leader in the Hindu tradition. Upon her return to the US, Alice opened up the Sai Anantam Ashram in nearby Agoura Hills. With music being the foundation of her spiritual practice (from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s), Alice self-released four cassette albums that are inspired by gospel & Indian devotional music. These albums also include Alice singing for the first time in her recorded catalogue. World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda is the first ever compilation of her recordings during this period.
Little Dragon
Little Dragon’s unique sound has made them a KCRW darling since their self-titled debut 10 years ago. The Swedish collective just released their second single ahead of their fifth studio album, Season High (out April 14). “Sweet” features what most of us LD fans have grown accustom to: the signature seductive vocal of front woman Yukimi Nagano, progressive production and dreamy melodies. It’s produced by James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco and his touch creates a dance sensibility that LD isn’t necessarily known for but man, does it suit them well. Try being in a bad mood while listening to this.
Hector Plimmer
If you were to mix Burial with a bit of Bonobo, you’d get Hector Plimmer. Plimmer is a British producer born and raised in South London. He’s a multi-instrumentalist whose compositions reflect a wide array of influences; which include everything from tango to the Los Angeles beat scene to Eastern melodies and instrumentation. Plumber’s unique ability to blend varied soundscapes are on full display with “Eastern System”.