Sunn O))) playing at the Frieze Music Fair at London's Hippodrome back in October 2006.

Burnt Friedman & Jaki Liebezeit: Secret Rhythms (Nonplace) - CD

Burnt Friedman's inventive rewiring of jazz, funk and dub has resulted in some memorable records (that first Nu Dub Players album on ~scape is still pretty astonishing). Can's legendary drummer Jaki Liebezeit has often been referred to as one of the greatest drummers in the world. Both found a common language and this is the first of their three collaborations.

Leibezeit's style of playing has often been called "half-man, half-machine", a reference to his almost inhuman ability to hold tempo; a real life Roland drum machine. Rigid rhythms that neither shift nor sway. It's around this foundation that Friedman weaves his loose-limbed multi-instrumental workouts. The production is nothing short of stunning; Leibeziet's punctuations are loud and clear and thick basslines underpin the analogue melodies. The slow stomp of 'Royal Roost', the lo-slung sub-skank of 'Rastafahndung' and the closing re-interpretations of the uplifting 'Obscured by 5' all get two thumbs up from me.

Sunn O))): White 1 (Daymare) - CD

Takes me a bloody age to get through one Sunn O))) album, like trudging through treacle. Anyway, I've already exhausted 'Black One' for all its worth. This is another album lovingly re-issued / re-packaged by Japan's Daymare Recordings. 'White 1' is notable for the awesome 'My Wall'; where an apocalyptic landscape slowly disintegrates whilst Julian Cope intones a genuinely terrifying lament. His gargled delivery and disturbing content matter only adds to the horror.

The second bonus disc contains an entertaining and pretty honest interview with the band on Resonance FM. But the centrepiece is their Halloween performance of 2003 at London's Underworld. Starting off with a severely wrecked playback of The Beach Boys' 'God only knows' before plummeting headfirst deep into the cavernous cracks of Camden. Disruptive drone being their only guiding light through NW1.