VA - Somewhere III (2017)

Two years after the milestone SOMEWHERE compilations, Something Happening Somewhere is commemorating the times that have passed, returning with a new chapter in the series. Selecting unique pieces of artists known and less known, the SOMEWHERE series continue their sound based confessional. Telling unheard stories, exposing unseen surfaces and unheard sounds.

SOMEWHERE III is set to be released as two vinyl samplers, with a selection of the tracks featured in the full digital compilations, which will feature four extra digital only tracks. A host of familiar SoHaSo figures make an appearance, but there is also room for new faces like Aril Brikha, KAAP, Ripperton in his stunning collab with Love over Entropy, Equus, Tracey and Mulder. Every artist on this SOMEWHERE III compilation is expressing their unique experience through sound waves, telling stories and uncovering a piece of themselves. There are things radiating in the violet fog, waiting to be discovered. Journeys that are worth making, but will not necessarily provide any more answers. Something is happening somewhere, once again and remember: this is only the first part.

Kiani & His Legion’s Motion Academy feels like an exercise in drum pattern programming glued together by his trademark pads and retro synth melodies while synth seagulls swirl around your head. Nuno dos Santos & Quince guide you further on the journey with their rework of Dutch delight Eefje de Visser. Starting with a majestic waterfall of guitar sounds and metallic flanging percussion, it builds up to Eefje’s ethereal voice seducing you like a geisha through the abstract mist before hitting the massive bassline arpeggio.

Quince’s Pelagic Zones leaves you out in the open. No shore or surface close enough for you to escape the dark brooding vibes and muggy atmospheres that engulf you. Kurt Baggaley’s continues the dive with This System. Utilizing a heavy vocoder sound to welcome you into a chaotic dystopian world, pitching chords and multiple riffing synth melodies create a sense of disorientation.

Kaap’s lush Sunset Vertigo feels just like the name implies, being propelled forward by a Testarossa across the Pacific Coast Highway with an orange sunset serving as the melancholic backdrop. Inspired by retro chorus synths, tape noises and cr-78 percussion rhythms, it provides catchy melodies and shimmering pads that accumulate in a feeling of endlessness. A perfect fit to close this first SOMEWHERE III chapter.