Best of Year 2019
Anyone familiar with the shop will know of our fondness for Jolly Discs, and particularly the work of Guy Gormley under his various aliases - Special Occasion, Never, Enchante. And now there's RAP. Released earlier this year on Bandcamp and CD, there's finally a vinyl pressing of what will surely (hopefully!) be regarded as one of the records of the year, at least by us anyway. I've often wondered why Gormley changes name so frequently, since much of his work explores similar ideas and textures. Delicate, slightly introverted, outsider electronic music is his MO, and his inspiration seems to be near-endless - his discography is huge, nearing a decade old. I've loved all of the other records, but what makes Export stand out for me is how it feels more cohesive, more complete. I believe it was initially billed as a mixtape, which makes sense to a degree. There's a near seamless flow to proceedings, the songs mutating and shifting around the same lonely sound, always gravitating back to its melancholy centre. I've always heard Jolly Discs' releases as Big City nightime music, alone at dusk in the metropolis type affairs. RAP might just be the highpoint of that sound. Until Gormley does something else... (see also Enchante - Mind in Camden 2)
