Sandwell District - End Beginnings (The Point of Departure Recording Company)

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“Where next?” is a question that longtime followers of the legendary but historically elusive Sandwell District will be familiar with. In 2024, that question became ever more potent, and now it seems to have finally received its answer. Since reigniting the flame in 2023 with the rerelease of the seminal Feed Forward, the collective have decided to keep it diligently burning, first with a compilation (bearing the titular question) of necessary classics and unheard tracks, and now with their first new music since the label closed its doors in early 2012. End Beginnings follows the tragic passing of Juan Mendez AKA Silent Servant, a pillar of the label, and sees Function and Regis re enter the game alongside Mønic and Rivet with reinvigorated purpose: “Having a good time”.

 

Settling into their new home at Point Of Departure, Sandwell District present some of their most focussed and evolving music together. Rhythmically rich from the get go, the album slowly teases out layered thumps and lines of melody and elasticated vocals on ‘Dreaming’, surrounded by wisps of night air. Crisp organic sounds sneak into the beat patterns, but don’t leave them without Sandwell’s signature grit and smoky presence, as with the bubbling Rrose assisted ‘Self-Initiate’ where low sirens intone and usher in urgent percussion, raised to blaring intensity.

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New album available for pre-order from Bleep. First preview track Hidden below. I'm still a huge SD fanboy, and I'm really stoked to see my friend Mika Hallbäck (Rivet, Grubi Kovsh, Grovskopa) added to the roster.

Great news! Can’t wait to pick this up

Nice techno, never listened to these lads before

SD are the best.

  On 1/15/2025 at 5:40 PM, dcom said:

I'm really stoked to see my friend Mika Hallbäck (Rivet, Grubi Kovsh, Grovskopa) added to the roster.

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This is so cool, props, the preview track is dope. Curious to know (if you know) what it's like to get invited into the SD collective? I imagine it's like getting a phone call from Miles Davis back in the day.

24 days till release. Bleep named it record of the month. There's also this which I plan on buying

https://bleep.com/release/497436-sandwell-district-end-beginnings-demos

The digital vinylz available now. Banging stuff as expected.

Surprise, surprise. This is brilliant.

i like it

This is a doozy. 

Yeah proper nice! Interesting that Monic has joined as well. hes previously from d&B/dubstep kryptic minds so seemed a bit of strange fit at first but feel like can hear a bit of his sound in there & it works nicely! 

His ambient drone album from last year well worth checking as well btw 

https://osirismusicuk.bandcamp.com/album/m-nic-where-reality-fades-lp