Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This edition features three electronica artists from the Sunbabe Records stable—Magoose, Caly3r, and Billion Dollar Mind—along with R&B from Vonsiwel and more electronic beauty via Otherseas.

Magoose, Shell
In June, when I praised Maddy Ringo's folk-country Falcon EP and said she's an artist to watch, I didn't realize the release was on a University of Michigan-associated record label and music collective called Sunbabe. Since then, I've discovered several more Sunbabe artists—and just in time for the label's showcase concert at 418 North State Street in Ann Arbor from 3-11 pm, on Sunday, September 1.

Ringo will be performing at the concert, but Magoose doesn't appear to be. But Ringo sings on one Shell song and other artists associated with Sunbabe also help out on this seven-song release from February. Magoose is Atlanta native Evan Magill's project, and while it sounds all electronic, it doesn't hang onto any subgenre for very long, bouncing from house and techno to trip-hop and glitch-tronica.

Caly3r, 1 EP
Brooklyn native Coltrane Gilman, aka Caly3r, will appear at the Sunbabe showcase. His 2023 mini album, 1, sounds like it might be remixes or chops of other songs, but there aren't any credits listed for the seven tracks. Gilman plays with sped-up vocals and quick edits that give his productions an anxious and upbeat vibe derived from Chicago footwork and Detroit techno.

Billion Dollar Mind, The Vision
Both Alden Crago and Joshua Cheng appear solo on Magoose's Shell album, but together they make music as Billion Dollar Mind. Their debut album, The Vision, also features various Sunbabe artists in some way or another, which must add to the record's rampant eclecticism. The Vision veers from vaporwave and hyperpop to psychedelia and blissful noise/ambiance. Billion Dollar Mind doesn't appear to be playing the Sunbabe fest, though label co-founder Crago will likely be there and it's possible Cheng is playing a solo set.

Vonsiwel, "Run 2​"
Vonsiwel, "Blue Flame"
Ypsi singer Vonsiwell has released a handful of singles over the past few years and almost all sound inspired by the quiet storm genre and '80s/'90s R&B. Slow jams and a sweet tenor conspire again on "Run 2" and "Blue Flame," Vonsiwell's latest fab singles. An album would be most welcome.

Otherseas, Travel
Otherseas, 21 years old EP
Tom Maher is Otherseas, and every time I've written about the UMich student's music I come away impressed. His ear for melancholy melodies and texture-rich sound design makes Maher's electronic music deeply emotional. I think I've mentioned Tycho as a touchpoint in every Otherseas blurb, and both the Travel album and 21 years old EP made me think of that project again. But like Tycho's Scott Hansen, Maher has the rare ability to make electronic music sound vulnerable and raw in ways we might normally associate with singer-songwriter music or cello duos. Maher is just so damn good at what he does.

Christopher Porter is a library technician and the editor of Pulp.