And all of a sudden, December is upon us. Time to make that Best of 2008 list, huh? Well, I'll be spending the next couple of weeks catching up to the albums that I may have accidentally missed during the year, so as to make sure and include everyone in my list that deserves for making this year one of the best ones in music. Meanwhile, here's another installment of Rotations, with some interviews linked back to
Headphone Commute. Among the genres covered below, I've got folktronica and laptop americana from Silent Land Time Machine; excellent experimental neofolk from Paavoharju; abstract rhythmic noise from Wurlitztraction; cut-up glitch and IDM from Gescom; floating space music from Benn Jordan; psybient and dark beats from Integral; beautiful piano playing by Goldmund; majestic modern classical from Library Tapes; future jazz from Juxta Phona & Offthesky; ambient downtempo from The Remote Viewer; instrumental hip-hop and turntablism from 40 Winks; experimental modern classical masterpiece from Fennesz and Sakamoto; as well as a compilation of upcoming treats from Neo Ouija and a flashback of early dark ambient from Future Sound of London. Whew! This should be a pretty sonic treat for you. As usual, I would appreciate a comment or two, and would love it if you could
Subscribe to RSS Feed. See you in a few weeks!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Silent Land Time Machine - &hope still (Time-Lag / Indian Queen)
At times mysterious, at times complex, but always relaxing, even during its climaxing moments, Silent Land Time Machine is an instrumental rock project that reminds me a lot of A Silver Mt Zion. Except that... Jon is just one man... But upon your first listen you wouldn't know it... Hailing out of Austin, Texas, Jon is a multi-instrumentalist, and is equally comfortable behind the guitar, piano, accordion, and a wide range of stringed instruments. His motivation to master the musical medium and inspirations are credited to Anni Rossi (recently signed to 4AD) and Sophie Trudeau (member of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and a co-founder of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band), as well as much other output from Constellation and FatCat labels. Jon mangles instrumentals, DSP filtering, and field recordings which create a feeling of a small folksy community gathering, improvising over familiar melodies. The mood of &hope still, is less apocalyptic and political then the above mentioned influences, leaving a lot more room for imagination of the listener. Although some of the sounds appear to be looped, the patterns are not obsessively repetitive and are very organic. Jon takes great care in overdubbing layers and layers of live instrumentation to create his unique blend of post-americana-psyminimal-desktop-folktronica. Yes. I like that for a genre. The debut album has been released this past October, 2008, as a collaborative effort between Time-Lag Records and Jon's very own Indian Queen Records. Recommended if you like experimental pieces from M83, Mogwai, Benoît Pioulard, and Múm.
http://www.myspace.com/silentlandtimemachine |
http://www.time-lagrecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/indianqueenrecords |
http://www.indianqueenrecords.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista (Fonal)
I'll admit - it took me more than a few listens to get into Paavoharju. I almost dismissed the album completely, but my readers kept insisting that I give it another whirl. And here it is, Laulu Laakson Kukista, opening its intricate secrets after careful observation. The crackles, the noises, the lo-fi magnetic tape manipulations dispel, and the inner beauty of modern classical marriage to neo-folk emerges. So how do I begin describing something that is indescribable. An assembly of illusions scratching at deep rooted memories of childhood, a collection of conflicting elements settling into a unique pattern of a snowflake, a kaleidoscope of loose material patched together into a summer dress that is being hung up to dry in a sunlight by a humming villager. Between the digital artifacts and purely organic ambient hymns you find something... spiritual... revived through simplicity of a pure song. And after a few listens it is that song that draws you closer towards Paavoharju's mystical sound. Laulu Laakson Kukista is the second LP from a collective of Finnish born-again Christians (!) initially organized by brothers Lauri and Olli Ainala. Their first LP, titled, Yhä Hämärää, came out on the same label, Fonal Records, in 2005. The group is not a stranger to the scene, and since their debut, Paavoharju landed an EP on Miasmah as well as a 7" on Type Records. It's nearly impossible to draw a comparison between Paavoharju and any other artist, but if I was pressed, I'd perhaps point towards the abstract experimental and psych-folk work from Boards of Canada.
http://www.myspace.com/paavoharju |
http://www.paavoharju.com
http://www.myspace.com/essami |
http://www.fonal.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wurlitztraction - The Star Lit Numbers On Her Fingers (Enough)
Like a buzzing concoction of plaster molded jigsaw, the sound of this abstract and experimental album descends on a creaky base board of musique concrète and gets nailed with percussive staples. The man behind this sound effect rich "soundtrack for late nights/early mornings" is Chris Reid, who goes by the name of Wurlitztraction. Reid compiled his collection of field recordings and unused studio manipulations from the soundtrack pieces he was producing for short films and animations, and wrapped this into an composition, The Star Lit Numbers On Her Fingers. It soon began taking a shape of its own, complemented with rich sound design, glitching electro-acoustic beats and a gentle push towards a darker sonic side of rhythmic noise and experimental electronica. It seems that the patterns never repeat, the melodies never blossom, and the haphazard ticks reappear here and there in a schizophrenic mania of a constantly twitching mass of a dying brain. And Reid doesn't stop there. Here comes in a bass guitar, acoustic drums, and industrial hits with an occasional vibraphone, trip-hop beat and a jittery feedback. Overall it's pretty difficult to pinpoint the style behind Reid's music [and that's a good thing], which is why I hold on to describing tiny mementos throughout the album. The Star Lit Numbers On Her Fingers is Reid's second release on Portuguese net-label, Enough Records, and is available for download for free from the site and scene dot org (catalog number enrmp138). Reid has also previously released an album titled, Lucidity Cue, on the same label.
http://www.myspace.com/wurlitztraction |
http://www.enoughrecords.scene.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gescom - ISS:SA (Skam)
So we'll never know who's behind Gestalt Communications (Gescom), so what? It's pretty obvious that Sean Booth and Rob Brown of Autechre have a hand at this. This 2003 EP only reveals the well respected label, Skam and its title, ISS:SA, and even the latter is slapped as a braille sticker. The release did however follow on the heels of Autechre's DRAFT 7.30 (released only a week later) so many fans pick up the glitchy destroyed patterns, doomed abstract chords, and unrecognized splattered percussion to be as an extension of the album. Unlike any other collective, Gescom continues to lead us into the dark alley of nightmarish pleasures. All the while you're protecting your valuables and trying to scratch your head and place that sound that you've heard before. C'mon brain! Reconstruct this puzzle into a four second jingle! There!!! No, gone again. Smack! The last track, titled Slow Acid is a favorite of mine. This needs to be turned up much louder to hear all the tiny little white noise melodies in the background, while the AE kick progresses forward in a steady beat, and the common acid-house chords are choked up beyond comprehension. Sub woofer required. The artwork contained in the sleeve of the record is a special bonus. Another testimony to why records can offer just a little bit MORE. The insert is a two sided glossy print featuring a digitally modified image of trumpet, or perhaps a polished motorcycle exhaust pipe, creating an astonishingly bizarre brass instrument, the likes of which could only belong to Booth and Brown. The CD version of the record has a bonus track, titled Megamix. This is a 15 minute Gescom concoction which was originally featured on BBC Radio One's show when they did a Skam Records label profile. Here, the metallic rhythms and bit-crushed patterns are continuously looped into tiny fragments. I can only speculate if all the pieces are from previous Gescom releases and if it was performed live by sliding the loop window over an area of some track(s). Only like Autechre.
http://www.myspace.com/skamsmak |
http://www.skam.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VA - Diaspora: Cottage Industries 5 (Neo Ouija)
Neo Ouija is BACK! That's right kiddies. After closing its doors in 2005, the Devon (England) based label originally started by Lee Norris (Metamatics), has re-opened its doors, and is now managed by Martin Hirsch (aka Deer and Random Noise Productions). Propelling many electronic musicians to fame, Neo Ouija is responsible for much output from Geiom, Bauri, Accelera Deck, Kettel, Funckarma, Apparat, Xela, Secede and many others! With this first double disk compilation, Hirsch is introducing us to a brand new roster of musicians. Additional contributions towards the comp include a few notables like Move D, Maps & Diagrams, and Kangding Ray. As with many other collections showcasing the upcoming works, it is difficult to pinpoint a specific genre, especially across a large radius umbrella like Neo Ouija. This fifth installment of Cottage Industries series, titled Diaspora, traverses the styles across its thirty (30!) tracks. Starting off with an excellent IDM track by MXM (an artist I'm planning on watching closely from now on), the selection of tracks on the first disk progresses into tech house, dub techno, and deep house. The second disk is a favorite of mine, and features more experimental, glitchy downtempo and IDM. At number twelve, another favorite of mine, Seven Ark, returns with familiar twisted loops, melodic pads and few remains of bouncing marbles with a track titled Version 2. The compilation signs off with a short ambient interlude from Nacht Plank And Shintaro Aoki that wets my appetite for the things to come. I'm really happy that Neo Ouija is back and I congratulate Martin Hirsch on resurecting the label that will continue contributing towards evolution of sound.
http://www.myspace.com/neoouija |
http://www.neoouija.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Benn Jordan - Pale Blue Dot (Alphabasic)
I guess the reason that I keep listening to Benn Jordan is the fact that he simply makes beautiful music. Period. In fact, I catch myself restraining from listening to Benn Jordan too much. His short, full of witty ideas tracks, produced under The Flashbulb moniker, have already conquered all of my last.fm charts. And the debut album under his real name is quickly gaining ground. Pale Blue Dot is Jordan's entry into building ambient soundscapes, released on his very own Chicago based label, Alphabasic. Composed as a tribute to an astronomer, Carl Sagan, Jordan explores the insignificance of our daily conflicts in comparison to our chance habitat on a tiny planet in the midst of an infinite space. From 6.4 billion kilometers away, Earth is nothing but a tiny pale blue dot. In his book, Sagan invites us to contemplate this miracle. "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar', every 'supreme leader', every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam." The tracks on Pale Blue Dot are titled around an interplanetary voyage. From Ascent, to Infinity Alone, Floating Vacuum, A Distant Earthrise, and finally Safe Landing, the pieces flow fluidly from one to another, capturing a story told without time. And Pale Blue Dot is more than a thematic album. It is an ambient journey through hypnotic sound, quietly drifting you away into space. The transformations are flawless, and many at times I seamlessly reach that sacred place of presence, by the middle of the album. If you are expecting Jordan's playful breaks and acid lines, turn away now. But if you are a patient, pondering listener, then you'll be repeating the album over and over, as I get to do now, for its fourth time this morning. A rewarding experience for a discerning ear. Recommended if you enjoy music from Evan Bartholomew, Biosphere, Christopher Bissonnette, Hammock, Eluvium, Manual and The World on Higher Downs.
Two and a Half Questions with Benn Jordan
http://www.myspace.com/bennjordan |
http://www.theflashbulb.net
http://www.myspace.com/alphabasicrecords |
http://www.alphabasic.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Future Sound Of London - Dead Cities (Virgin)
This is obviously an amazing record to start off my Random Vinyl of the Week adventure, as I dig through my dusty archives. Released in 1996, Dead Cities was Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans' fourth full length album as The Future Sound of London. Dead Cities was that very last record and then there was a torturing silence for six years. Even when the duo returned in 2002 with The Isness, it was ... not the same... How can one describe the layered dark samples with memorable vocal lines that are implanted in my brain? "I have killed a man. A man who looked like me." The album is an absolute classic, and its complex ambient and cinematic fragments continue to offer new insight into the minds of FSOL. Dead Cities was not received with as much success as my absolute favorite, earlier 1994 release Lifeforms [the latter climbed to 6 position on the UK Album Charts, while Dead Cities got up to 22]. The music of Dead Cities features more sampled beats carefully blending in big-beat and bringing trip-hop into the mix. We Have Explosive (which also came out as a single) features several samples from Run DMC's album Tougher Than Leather. The rest of the sounds [all very dear and familiar to my mind at this point] all convey the atmosphere of urban decay. An album from the future that rusted in the past. Like a empty feeling after watching a rerun of Blade Runner [and the sample off Mary Hopkin's vocals from the movie's soundtrack], the eerie nostalgia of revisiting a dirty old friend crackles in the hindsight. Oh, and how's this for a shocker for you. On one of the tracks guess who's playing piano? I'll give you a hint. The title of the track is Max and the pianist's last name is Richter. In addition to restructured MIDI files, Max Richter has also contributed other recordings and "environments". The album cover (and the two inserts that house the double vinyl) feature 3D graphics and digitally processed photography by Buggy G. Riphead. This is one of the albums to hold in your hands and marvel at its grandiose and epic stand in time. Since 2007, FSOL has opened up their vault and released a collection of forgotten tracks from their library, titled From The Archives (it is now up to its 5th volume). I hope I have excited you enough to revisit Dead Cities through my first adventure of Random Vinyl of the Week. I know that I have worked myself up enough to seek out the limited box set release [complete with a booklet!!!], and am now waiting for it to arrive in the mail!
http://www.myspace.com/thefuturesoundoflondon |
http://www.futuresoundoflondon.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Integral - Rise (Tympanik)
Another excellent surprise coming out of Tympanik. And that's twice in one year. First I was completely blown away by Subheim's Approach. And now another brand new group, Integral, hitting me hard out of nowhere with their debut, Rise. The duo behind Integral are Germany based David Rotter and Rafael Milatz. Their sound is dark, cinematic, and simply gorgeous IDM. It feels like these guys are going to be creating soundtracks for melancholic films of other-worldly voyages in no time. Hold on... Someone's knocking on my door. Oh... Never mind. That was in the track. Where was I? Ah, back on the spaceship. Alien insects are crawling upside down on a glass ceiling as we approach a sun rise of a distant galaxy. And when we land on the first favorable foreign planet, its beauty sings in soft sound waves after the electric storm. All the little sounds and patterns on Rise excite my neurons, as my brain races to keep track of all the psychedelic changes and the complicated unfolding layers of sound, even though the rhythm is of a slower downtempo nature. That happens to be my favorite stylistic aspect of this genre: slow spreading ambient melodic soundscapes on one layer and rapid micro precision programmed elementary auditory particles on the other. That is something my mind can never tire of, as there are numerous puzzles to be solved within this cryptic message. And when you're done, you can flip it upside down. Big thanks to Tympanik, once again, for bringing this music to our ears. Seems that the Chicago based label is tirelessly searching in all corners of this planet for the sounds emanating from another. Another great find. Beautiful artwork. Recommended for the likes of Hecq, Kattoo, Ginormous, Nebulo and Lusine Icl.
http://www.myspace.com/integral |
http://www.integralmusic.de
http://www.myspace.com/tympanik |
http://www.tympanikaudio.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goldmund - The Malady Of Elegance (Type)
Keith Kenniff is back on Type Records with his second full length album under Goldmund alias, titled The Malady Of Elegance. A previous EP, Two Point Discrimination (Western Vinyl, 2007), hit the streets on the heels of Kenniff's much anticipated Helios release, Ayres (Type, 2007). Whether Kenniff flips between his more ambient and acoustic electronica works under Helios or modern and contemporary classical pieces under Goldmund, he seems to shine at everything he touches. Especially when it comes to piano keys. The Malady Of Elegance is very cozy, intimate and personal. It is, as if Keith was playing in your own living room and you had your ear against the sound board, picking up each stroke of a hammer, a creek of the pedal, and a soft brush of the finger tips. The melancholic lullabies gently sway the listener into a meditative state of contemplation. It is especially important to recognize how a simple single instrument, like piano, can capture enough emotion to be gently wrapped in an album. The story behind The Malady Of Elegance is a bit of a mystery. But the aged photograph on the cover, the track titles and the music itself, hint at a voyage into the past, suggesting "that the ghosts of old America [still] haunt the keys." And even if this cinematic fantasy creates a world a bit out of reach, it's still comforting to know, that on The Malady Of Elegance Keith Kenniff plays for you. Your own private performance. Incidentally... The album layout and design of The Malady Of Elegance was designed by Erik Skodvin, who is none other than Svarte Greiner and one half of Deaf Center. They must be friends ;). The cover photograph on the album, however, was taken by Linus Lohoff. Meanwhile... It seems that Mr. Kenniff has been a bit busy with yet another release on John Twells' (Xela) Type Records, this time under Helios moniker, titled Caesura. You can be sure I'll grab that one as well. Recommended for the likes of Hauschka, Sylvain Chauveau, Erik Satie, Peter Broderick and Max Richter.
Two and a Half Questions with Keith Kenniff
http://www.myspace.com/goldmundmusic |
http://www.typerecords.com/goldmund
http://www.myspace.com/typerecordings |
http://www.typerecords.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Library Tapes - A Summer Beneath the Trees (Make Mine Music)
All the recent sounds from Hauschka, Max Richter, Peter Broderick, and Eluvium literally guide me towards the latest album from David Wenngren, who is now the single member of Library Tapes (previously joined by Per Jardsell). Well, that's not actually true. On the latest album titled, A Summer Beneath the Trees, released on Make Mine Music (more on this great label later), Wenngren is joined by above mentioned Peter Broderick, who contributed a multitude of instrumentation: guitar, banjo, trumpet, accordion, viola, and others. [Broderick, by the way, I hear has moved to Copenhagen to join Efterklang. So among the many latest releases from this young man (Home being the latest on Type Records), and his collaboration with Library Tapes, I'm sure we'll be seeing his name pop up here and there for years to come]. On A Summer Beneath the Trees, the subtle melodies are woven in between Wenngren's soft piano and Broderick's singing violin, and upon numerous listens begin to implant themselves among the nostalgic memories. The music has a slight contemplative breeze to it - definitely not too happy, yet not too sad - mostly neutral in just being, as is the rest of our perceived reality. These sounds accompany the silhouettes moving in the office windows across the street, the rising white clouds from an industrial factory across the lake, and the slowly falling autumn leaves. Listening to the music gracefully moving my meager existence I am reminded once again that there is no such thing as bad weather. The weather just... is... A Summer Beneath the Trees is a great addition to Make Mine Music catalog, with already an excellent roster of artists like Yellow6, Epic45, July Skies, and Portal. Meanwhile, the latest from Wenngren was his 2008 release on his very own label, Auetic, under Forestflies alias, titled Structure/Chaos - so be sure to grab that as well. Another interesting release from Wenngren is his 2007 Litotes album on Symbolic Interaction, under yet another collaboration alias with Erica, Xeltrei. A Summer Beneath the Trees gets better and better with every single listen. Highly recommended if you like the above mentioned artists plus Goldmund, Deaf Center, Swod and Balmorhea.
Two and a Half Questions with Library Tapes
http://www.myspace.com/librarytapes |
http://www.virb.com/librarytapes
http://www.myspace.com/makeminemusic |
http://www.makeminemusic.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Juxta Phona & Offthesky - !Escape Kit! (Somnia)
With its fifth limited release, Somnia is introducing Juxta Phona & Offthesky to the rest of the world. Starting off with some ambient and modern classical sounds, Somnia delivered a little surprise with their last release by Evan Marc and Steve Hillage. In Dreamtime Submersible the duo has married dub techno and hypnotic ambient sound into a critically acclaimed composition that speaks for itself - the 777 limited copies are completely sold out. With the signing of Juxta Phona and Offthesky onto the label, the dub journey continues, this time with a jazzy swing. On !Escape Kit! the artist experiments with dubbed out, hazy, and definitely groovy beats, lightly sprinkled with tiny glitches and IDM treatments, but nevertheless purely organic sound. Instruments like vibraphone, sax, and jazz guitar quickly find themselves in a surreal atmosphere surrounded by acoustic drums, synth bleeps, clocks and paper rips. As if the local jazz band from the 60s has been secretly miked during one of their nonchalant improvisational coffee house performances, with the cables running through the walls into upstairs laboratory, where Juxta Phona and Offthesky feed the signal into their vacuum tubes, magnetic tapes, and digital machines, to twist, to bend, and warp the time, the sound, and reality. Inconceivably somnific, somniferous, somnolent. Here I want to applaud the art of Ray Massini, who has been printing the recycled paper covers with soy ink for every Somnia release. The illustration depicts an urban city rising above the skies, overgrown with evergreens, all floating on a piece of earth uprooted from its core. I need to get out. I need to withdraw. I need to return to my essential center of being. Where is my escape kit? Pick up your copy of this limited release while it hasn't run out. Clearly, by this point, Somnia is a collectible label, where each release shines on its own. Highly recommended. You will absolutely love this if you enjoy Dictaphone, Swod, Julien Neto, and Porn Sword Tobacco.
Two and a Half Questions with Juxta Phona and offthesky
http://www.myspace.com/offthesky |
http://www.offthesky.com
http://www.somniasound.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Remote Viewer - I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better (Mobeer)
Getting back to melodic electronica, I turn my attention to Andrew Johnson and Craig Tattersall, who go by the name of The Remote Viewer. Their previous releases include two albums on 555 Recordings and three LPs on one of my favorite labels, City Centre Offices. This time, the duo releases their latest album, I Can't Believe It's Not Better, on their very own label, Moteer, that has previously graced our eardrums with Clickits, The Boats, and Part Timer. Well... It's actually released on a sublabel of Moteer, called Mobeer, which [with a pun on a name] they claim to be Moteer's micro brewery. This has been an anticipated release, with the last output from The Remote Viewer being over three years ago. The sound of the album quickly brings back the memories. The clicky ambiance and looping pads are complimented by soft breathy vocals by Nicola Hodgkinson and Andrew Johnson himself. The atmosphere of subliminal sounds and fragile percussion is at one point cut through with folksy banjo strumming. Fragments of piano, broken toys, field recordings and other found sounds recreate an experience of unwrapping dusty memories from within an old suitcase. And here's a collector's dream come true: the copies are limited to only 375 worldwide and happen to be out of stock already on boomkat. The lucky ones received two 3" mini CDrs in a hand made brown envelope and a printed beer mat with a peculiar message : "i went and picked up my complimentary corporate wear today. it came in a big cardboard suitcase. when i got home i unpacked six identical shirts, two suit jackets and two ties. no trousers though. the woman i rang said that trousers were out of stock (as popular now as ever). this could provide everyone with a big problem on my first day. i did however get two belts. one to wear and the other presumably, to hang myself with." That perhaps shines some light on the state of mind behind the ten untitled tracks. Usually I'd compare other artists to The Remote Viewer. But for those just waking up to their sound, I place them in a cloud among Jacaszek, Jasper TX, Peter Broderick, Porn Sword Tobacco, and Machinefabriek.
http://www.myspace.com/theremoteviewer |
http://www.mobeer.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/moteer |
http://www.moteer.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Winks - The Lucid Effect (Project: Mooncircle)
In the mood for some laid back beats and loungy vibes? Let 40 Winks groove you with their instrumental hip-hop rhythms mixed with blues, funk, and soul. The group (also spelled without a space as 40winks, and referring to English idiom for taking a nap for a short period of time) is comprised of two Antwerp based Belgian producers, Padmo and Weedy. With samples ranging from bossa nova beats, sax riffs, and dusty jazzy records, the duo scratches the surface of our minds with old-skool effects and vintage organic loops. 40 Winks previously released More Than Loops (Swamp, 2005) and Sound Puzzle (Merck, 2007), so it's no wonder that I picked them up again for The Lucid Effect, after the duo migrated to yet another home, this time to Project: Mooncircle. The latter is not exactly a surprise, since 40 Winks has already contributed a track to The Heart On The Right Spot compilation (Project: Mooncircle, 2007) where they were showcased among their contemporaries like Mr. Cooper, Lackluster, and Dday One [worth picking up this great collection]. Looks like after thirty releases, this German label will continue to output some quality electronic and instrumental hip-hop material (their latest is a release by CYNE - Starship Utopia). The Lucid Effect continues to explore the head-bopping experimental sounds that will no doubt appeal to fans of Flying Lotus, Blockhead, Daedelus, Sixtoo, Jel and Malcom Kipe. Super fun with that 70's feel, turntablism and all. I only wish that more places in the world played this kind of music in the background (like dentists and government agencies), to take the edge off that unnecessary stress we're so programmed to cope with. I would also love to see 40 Winks branch out to using arranged loops by live bands - even if they don't play any instruments themselves.
Two and a Half Questions with 40 Winks
http://www.myspace.com/40winks |
http://www.40winksmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/projectmooncircle |
http://www.projectmooncircle.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fennesz * Sakamoto - Cendre (Touch)
Here's a 2007 release that I've been meaning to cover in detail for a while. Touch Music was launched in 1982, initially releasing cassette magazines. Twenty five years later, Touch is at its peak, perfecting their output with carefully selected works by Christian Fennesz, Ryuuichi Sakamoto, Oren Ambarchi, Biosphere, Ryoji Ikeda, Philip Jeck, Chris Watson and Mika Vainio, amongst others. Since the 90s, Fennesz and Sakamoto have performed live, with Sala Santa Cecilia being their first collaborative EP (Touch, 2005), recorded live at Auditorium della Parco Musica for the Romaeuropa Festival. Two years later, the duo got together to compose their first full length LP, Cendre. In between these two releases, Fennesz recorded an album with Keith Rowe, Toshimaru Nakamura and Oren Ambarchi, under a collective moniker 4g, titled Cloud (Erstwhile, 2005). Meanwhile, prolific Sakamoto (recording since 1978) released a remix album, Bricolages (Warner Music Japan, 2006) with a collection of reworked tracks by an amazing roster of artists like Alva Noto, Taylor Deupree, Snd, Richard Devine, Slicker and even Craig Armstrong. Needless to say that I was pretty excited to hear what the couple come up with, with such an amazing web of connections and an array of experiences. And Cendre doesn't disappoint. Sakamoto is back at the piano, this time bathed in a warm lush of ambient bliss, as flooded by Fennesz. The reverberations of drone-like pads almost swallow the notes whole, occasionally letting them cut through the descending fog, and shoot up like a sparkling reflection of a dying star. Editors at Boomkat have said it best : "The fact that you're [...] reading this review assumes you're of a certain musical disposition, and if you are in any way interested in the more beautiful things in life, the sensitive yet experimental end of modern music - pay close attention as this album is just about as good as it gets." A modern classical marvel. The latest from Fennesz is Transition EP (Touch, 2008), while Sakamoto released a collaboration with Christopher Willits, titled Ocean Fire (12k, 2008).
Two and a Half Questions with Christian Fennesz
http://www.myspace.com/fennesz |
http://www.fennesz.com
http://www.sitesakamoto.com |
http://www.touchmusic.org.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
last.fm artist and label cloud mentioned in the above post:
40 Winks, 40winks, A Silver Mt Zion, Accelera Deck, Alva Noto, Anni Rossi, Apparat, Autechre, Balmorhea, Bauri, Benn Jordan, Benoît Pioulard, Biosphere, Biosphere, Blockhead, Chris Watson, Christian Fennesz, Christopher Bissonnette, Christopher Willits, Clickits, Craig Armstrong, Daedelus, Deaf Center, Deaf Center, Deer, Dictaphone, Efterklang, Eluvium, Eluvium, Epic45, Erik Satie, Erik Skodvin, Evan Bartholomew, Flying Lotus, Funckarma, Geiom, Gescom, Ginormous, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Goldmund, Goldmund, Hammock, Hauschka, Hecq, Helios, Integral, Jacaszek, Jasper TX, Jel, Julien Neto, July Skies, juxta phona & offthesky, Kangding Ray, Kattoo, Keith Kenniff, Keith Rowe, Kettel, Library Tapes, Lusine ICL, M83, MXM, Machinefabriek, Malcom Kipe, Manual, Maps & Diagrams, Max Richter, Max Richter, Metamatics, Mika Vainio, Mogwai, Move D, múm, Nacht Plank and Shintaro Aoki, Nebulo, Oren Ambarchi, Oren Ambarchi, Paavoharju, Part Timer, Peter Broderick, Philip Jeck, Porn Sword Tobacco, Portal, Richard Devine, Ryoji Ikeda, Ryuuichi Sakamoto, Secede, Seven Ark, Silent Land Time Machine, Sixtoo, Slicker, SND, Sophie Trudeau, Svarte Greiner, Swod, Sylvain Chauveau, Taylor Deupree, The Boats, The Flashbulb, The Future Sound of London, The Remote Viewer, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, Toshimaru Nakamura, Weedy, World On Higher Downs, Wurlitztraction, Xela, Xeltrei, yellow6, 4AD, Alphabasic, City Centre Offices, Constellation, Enough Records, FATCAT, Fonal Records, Make Mine Music, Miasmah, Moteer, Neo Ouija, Skam, Somnia, Time-Lag, Touch, Tympanik Audio, Type, type records
Sixtoo
