Label Watch: Katuktu Collective

One of the greatest aspects of running an online publication is not just the discovery of new music but also the facilitators of it.

Despite its recent ownership upheaval, for better or worse, Bandcamp remains a vital catalyst for the underground. With so much music constantly released, as fun as it may be, most people just don’t have the time to choose their own adventures. Particularly where experimental-based labels are concerned, with many choosing to operate in the shadows. It’s where the best work is often done, and California-based Katuktu Collective is a perfect example of that.

Founded in 2015 by Aaris King, through the Katuktu Collective lens, he’s been able to tell his own story in a beautiful curation designed for outliers across the globe.

For me personally, Katuktu Collective first landed on the radar with the excellent release from Polish duo Fading Tapes, Eastern Red Coast. From there the gate opened to a trove of left-of-centre delights, including Attic Fowler, Touch Test and Senyawa, while King’s offshoot and Katuktu Collective’s sister label, A Red Thread, proved equally vital, with releases from the likes of FACS’ Brian Case, Dustin Wong & Ari Liloia, MAbH, Javye Montgomery, Ekin Fil and many more.

From both Katuktu Collective and A Red Thread, there are rabbit holes aplenty, and despite the economic hardships of running a label in this modern-day landscape, year upon year has seen King’s remit grow stronger. Perhaps there’s no better example than one of Katuktu Collective’s shiniest jewels from the crown in Chinese experimentalists and label lynchpins, Hualun, who released one last year’s best EPs, The Mino Trio I.

As the Katuktu Collective mission statement goes: “Aural refuge since 2015”. And it’s no different in 2024 in what is shaping up to be another strong year.

Here’s a look at what’s been released across both labels so far.

Bobby Jewell: Wind & Water

Environmental-based composition has been something that has grown over the past couple of years, and Katuktu get involved here with Bobby Jewell who presents Wind & Water.

Jewell gives us a slightly different spin on environmental composition with Wind & Water. While there are components not limited to flutes and sing bowls that are foundational to these pieces, there’s also swelling drones and nimble beats that go beyond the general escapism environmental records have to offer.

At its core, Wind & Water really is an ambient record, and certainly one that most have slept on so far this year. The same could be said of Katuktu Collective which makes this a perfect fit.

Rune Clausen: Svartor

Following his release of Mannen Faller, Norwegian experimentalist, Rune Clausen, returns to the label with Svartor (English translation, common alder).

Mastered by James Plotkin (Khanate, MJ Guider), Svartor sees Clausen delve into the dark bourgeoning world of electro-acoustic composition. With creeping minimalism that drones like an echoes, it’s feels like much of Svartor was conceived from the bottom of a well located somewhere in a Norwegian forest.

As its title suggests, Svartor is woodsy in essence, mirroring the cold dark landscapes of his Clausen’s native Norway. The production, as crisps as you’re likely to get in this space, making it essential listening for those who like to explore the inner grains of sound.

Brnjsmin, Til Waldhier & Clause Filsner: Nuit

Released on the Katuktu Collective offshoot, A Red Thread, Nuit is the collaboration between multi-instrumentalist Brnjsmin (Giovanni Raabe), guitarist Til Waldhier and double bassist/ violinist, Clause Filsner.

An EP of improvised recordings from June last year, the basis of these compositions stem from the Skin EP (released under Katuktu Collective), and here the trio carve out the kind of ambient chamber music that massages the mind.

There are subtle inflections throughout these five pieces, morphing into obscure shapes and taking you to different places each time you listen. Essentially, it’s the perfect reason to keep going back.

Hypnodrone Ensemble: The Problem Is in the Sender – Do No Not Tamper with the Receiver

Released by Wolves & Vibrancy, WV Sorcerer and Cruel Nature in other parts of the world, Katuktu Collective are the stateside providers of the almighty Hypnodrone Ensemble. The transcendental collective featuring Nadja’s Aidan Baker and This Quiet Army’s Eric Quash, who return with The Problem Is in the Sender – Do No Not Tamper with the Receiver.

Rounded out by vocalist Lane Shi Otayoni, bassist Gareth Sweeney and the drumming trio of Fiona McKenzie, Angeal Munoz Martinez and Sara Neidorf, The Problem Is in the Sender – Do No Not Tamper with the Receiver, sees the group surpass former efforts by going longer and harder than ever before.

There really is no need to expatiate. Just press play and be taken to the darkest corners on earth, because with The Problem Is in the Sender – Do No Not Tamper with the Receiver, Hypnodrone Ensemble have basically colonised these places.

Bloooom: Dew Life

At the beginning of the year Brazilian sound sculpturer, Carlos Ferreira, unveiled his latest side hustle, Blooom.

Alongside fellow experimentalists, Chuck Soo-Hoo, Devin Blair and Luke Elliott, hailing from different parts of the globe, the four-piece combine for the Dew Life EP. A minimal dreamscape voyage that, by and large, not only searches for peace, but finds it.

Inspired in part by the environment, there’s also a subconscious political influence that informs this collaboration. A borderless notion with the kind of soundscapes that resonate beyond the cratediggers to those who don’t engage with music on an everyday level. With Dew Life, Ferreira, Soo-Hoo, Blair and Elliott pull back the curtains welcoming all and sundry into their world in what is a rainbow collation of sound.

Former Label Watch features:

Bathysphere Records
Ramble Records
Trouble In Mind Records
Strange Mono
Cruel Nature Records
Waxing Crescent Records