[bandcamp width=640 height=472 album=2111986195 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=small]
The LA-based label Leaving Records has posted two tracks for free streaming off its latest release, Staying: Leaving Records Aid to Artists Impacted by the Los Angeles Wildfires. That’s two out of just shy of 100 — yes, 100. Wisely, they lead with some strengths, a bubbling track from early ambient master Laraaji, “Joyous Dance ’82,” and a slightly more downbeat but still percolating piece by Baths and Rachika Nayar, “Dried Apricot.” Once you purchase the collection, you’ll have 96 more to listen to. I’m still working my way through all 98, but early favorites include a quick bit of glitchy beatmaking from Glia (“Gaal RDM”), a sedate trance from André 3000 featuring Carlos Niño, Alex Cline, and Pablo Calogero (“This is Where my room used to be.”), a totally warped excursion from Daedalus (“Making the Beat Scene”), lush new age from Cool Maritime (“Freshet”), and a great explorative mix of funky soloing and noisy effects by Sam Wilkes (“Culebra”), a haunting drone by KMRU (“Visions”), and a contribution by Steve Roach that I would call angelic except that the title already does that for me (“For the Angels”). Details on the fund distribution are on the album’s webpage.