Holy Tongue

Last week David Holmes returned to NTS for his two hour expedition into music that is God's Waiting Room. The set is constructed partly around the psychedelic soul, global/ dub and eletronic end of things- the first half hour alone starting with Autarkic is a trip down the river. Later on Sly Stone turns up along with Holy Tongue, Sault, Sly and Robbie, Hugo Nicolson and a host of others. It's deep and can be listened to here with the tracklist here. 

Holy Tongue have been taking over my listening time a little. Holy Tongue began as a studio project between percussionist Valentina Maggaletti and producer Al Wootton. After releasing a handful of EPs since 2020 they have become a three piece for live shows with Susumu Mukai joining them on bass and guitar. The sound they cook up is a stew of drone, psychedelia and spiritual dub- think On U Sound especially African Head Charge, the expressionism and freedom of Alice Coltrane and early 80s punk- funkers like 23 Skidoo but with a very 2020s production feel, a sound built around echo and groove. 

This half hour film captures them playing live in their East London studio in early November 2021, a mesmerising thirty minutes of drums, percussion, synth and bass guitar. 

Earlier this year they released a 7" single on Trule, the A- side Ambulance Dub a serious slice of experimental, spiritual dub. The 7" and digital are at Bandcamp. Heads set to nod. 

In August 2024 they hooked up with Shackleton, sharing a festival line up. Initially they wanted to remix each other but soon went beyond that and recorded an album, The Tumbling Psychic Joy Of Now. On this track, Blessed And Bewildered, they drop eight minutes of righteous free form dub- jazz soundscapes, all of them locked in tightly to the rhythm. The album is here.