Diwa by IHA

We’re ecstatic to have Vancouver-based sound alchemist, label head (NAGA), and friend IHA on board for Pleasure Management’s second release. This one has been a long time coming. Taking inspiration from Asín tibuok, a filipino salt made from filtering seawater through ashes, the tracks on Diwa see IHA doing with what ash does to sea water. Drawing from cultural memory, dreams, and shifts in perception, IHA sifts through tempestuous swathes of dubbed out matter, turning the raw element of sound into something altogether more textured, granular and effervescent in the process.

Starting the release off, Codei has the uncanny ability to perfume a space. Whether played through a stack in a dimly lit east-van basement, or through headphones atop the ruffled feathers of an unmade bed at 4:39 PM on a Sunday, this one’s diffuse sense of psychedelia, cast by dubbed out chords and bugged out percussion overtop pillows of sub frequency will permeate through every corner of any space you play it into.

Next up, Tuka ratchets up the tension. It’s like the moment before … something. Dazzling helixes of percussion spiral upwards to meet a particularly persuasive lead line, and watching these sounds cavorting through stereo space is exhilarating. And we haven’t even mentioned the breakbeats. We could spend another couple of lines agonizing over how to describe these impeccably programmed, fabric-of-time-disintegrating drums, but listening to it yourself would be a better use time for everyone involved. This one is a heater.

Samahan wraps up the exclusively IHA portion of this release, and it’s aimed square at the foggy delirium of an energy flash deep into the dance. Disembodied voices spit gleaming shards across the spectrum, distorted shavings of synth push, and a reassuringly deep kick and bass keep it all together (so you can let go).

Now, the remixes. Vancouver bass music legend Captivate is first up, and it should be an immediate priority of the reader to get in front of the nearest sound system to hear this one in the dance. The dub power latent in the original becomes manifest, producing a track which is somehow both extraordinarily weighty and light as a feather. Normal constraints of gravity do not apply here.

Brooklyn based Sobolik (All Centre, 3024, Early Reflex, Kindergarten) is up next, and their remix of Tuka takes all that is intense about the original and pushes the envelope just a little beyond. Chameleonic in its dance floor potential, the dancehall influenced beat underneath distorted elements from the original and a euphoric, vaguely flute sounding top line make for a track that -will- do what you want it to.

Finally, we have Pleasure Management’s very own Looting to round off this release with another remix of Tuka. Featuring the west-coast legend’s patented digital tapestry of expertly tuned percussion, damaged audio ephemera and lump in throat intensity, this is pure new-school west coast hands in the air percussive euphoria.

Turtle Island Record Label .⃣

Run by Scree Running, Looting & Pablo Gun .⃣

Stimmy Soundsystem