Trio Ak’chamel hail from Houston, although you might overlook that fact upon first listen to their new album Lowlands of Hteklum and upon first glance at their Facebook page, which lists their current location as “the tumor in your brain.”
Since 2008, the trio has been playing anonymously and clad in homemade costumes and masks, only recently garnering an internet following and label courtship. Their music runs on a unique engine made up of parts from all over the world, with strong toeholds in American pysch, North African street folk, Thai molam, and South American cumbia. Five-and-a-half minute track “Ghosts of Phi Am” appears on side-A of the cassette release, working its way around a central noir guitar melody before fraying into an unruly solo improvisation with faint brush drumming accompaniment.
Lowlands of Hteklum is out now on cassette from Moon Glyph. Stream more experimental tracks (“Sumatran Sunset” and “Yahval Balamil”)off the cassette on Moon Glyph’s Soundcloud.
