Shabbos Ranks is an exploratory trip through experimental dub, klezmer, and improvised music, formed by Celeste Cantor-Stephens (Bristol, UK) and Sam Day Harmet (Brooklyn, NY, USA). This borderless collaboration was ignited by a shared interest in the language of Jewish music, spun through a kaleidoscope of experimental influences at the intersection of Bristol and Brooklyn. Here, klezmer meets spaced-out skanking, Downtown jazz, dubby post-punk, and swirling headphone psychedelia.
This debut album features five expansive pieces from Harmet and Cantor-Stephens with musical contributions from noted folk and experimental musicians from the US, UK, and Mexico: Benjamín Shwartz (Klezmerson) on violin, Dan Blacksberg on trombone, César Juárez-Joyner (Nostalgia Huasteca) on jarana/flutes, to name a few. In addition to the original Shabbos Ranks versions, each song has been remixed in a radical new direction — with help from trip hop legend Rob Smith, Jamaican dub originators Scientist and the late Lee Scratch Perry, and up-and-coming producers Mexican Stepper and Drezz Dressler. Putting this record together has been a multiyear collaborative experiment across cultures, and Shabbos Ranks are looking forward to sharing it with the wider world.
credits
released July 7, 2023
Shabbos Ranks:
Celeste Cantor-Stephens - trumpet, cornet, shower hose
Sam Day Harmet - bass, guitar, mandolin, saz, clarinet, keys
All compositions by Sam Day Harmet and Celeste Cantor-Stephens
Mixing and production by Sam Day Harmet
Remix versions by Scientist, Lee Scratch Perry, Mexican Stepper, Drezz, Rob Smith
Mastered by Russell Kearney
A great collection of music. Some understated, some powerful. Hound Trails reminds me of Sci-Fi soundtracks. Striding Edge is a moving soundscape filled with very infectious rhythms. teraley
Loving this. I buy a lot of stuff on Bandcamp and albums from subs appear all the time, sometimes without me even noticing. This is one of those albums.
played it on the bus on the way to work this morning and have played it at least five times since. just up my street. Lovely. torchomatic
Early motorik house with a beguiling mix of chugging synths and simple but effective beats. nowt wasted and all good stuff. It's not all grim up North. da5idh
This stunning, beautiful project from Fujian duo Southeast of Rain 东南有雨 blends field recordings with rippling notes from the pipa. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 8, 2021
This is as good as the officially released WRNTDP titles on CIS. Very pleased to pick it up, where the pieces here are longer than most on the records they benefit from the slow unwinding they are afforded. The 18 minute live set excerpt is particularly immersive. Wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to release this on vinyl as a companion to the inevitable repressing of This Nation's Most Central Location. Great stuff. Oh and you get a cool magazine to read as well. Awesome. shaun rogan