The Spaceape, who will be most familiar to listeners as the vocal presence in Hyperdub boss Kode9’s music, has just released his debut solo EP for free download. Entitled Xorcism, it contains seven intense and percussive tracks influenced by Haitian music, and <a href="http://labs.topspin.net/daphne/confirm.php?sessionid=b0777ae6d953664d0c845ee81dc5b17d&fb=3
" target="out">can be downloaded here. The EP was preceded by a video for opening track ‘On The Run’, which you can watch at the bottom of the page.
Xorcism‘s title is drawn, says the text accompanying the EP’s release, "from The Spaceape’s (Stephen Samuel Gordon) ongoing experience of living with a rare form of cancer, Neurolymphamatosis, for the last 3 years." His illness also influenced the lyrics of his album with Kode9 last year, Black Sun, and its "sonic fictions of bodily malfunction and radiation." Similarly, the lyrics to these solo tracks on Xorcism are strongly rooted in concerns of the body, the modern world, medicine and mortality. His treatment for the condition is apparently still ongoing, and we wish him a speedy recovery.
Xorcism‘s tracklist runs as follows:
‘Your Angel Has Come’
‘On The Run’
‘Palaces’
‘He Gave His Body Over To Science’
‘The Sound’
‘Spirit of Change’
‘Up In Flames’