Biosphere; Y. Sakellariou; Dave Kirby; Richard Ginns
Catch up with this shortlist featuring installation music from Biosphere, environmental drones from Yiorgis Sakellariou and Dave Kirby, and a reel-to-reel sound wall by Richard Ginns
Tag: field_recordings
Richard Chartier; Pleq+Philippe Lamy; Pjusk+Sleep Orchestra; Thomas Tilly
RICHARD CHARTIER – SUBSEQUENT MATERIALS (2006 – 2012)
Where most releases nowadays are focussed on a physical release on a vinyl album and thus do not cross the 40 minute mark, Richard Chartier chooses a different approach and squeezes the most out of the possibilities of a digital release: Subsequent Materials (2006 – 2012) offers no less than three hours of his characteristic electronic music.
Stefkovic van Interesse – In the Fields
Needless to say that the first interesting thing I noticed was the name: Stefkovic van Interesse.
A surname that sounds quite Dutch…
Or, on second thought, German: van Interesse comes from Leipzig, Germany (I was tricked by the ‘van’).
But apart from his name there’s a lot more interesting to this debut album “In the Fields“…
Various Artists – Earthtones
Tessellate Recordings is a new label started by Harry Towell, well-known for curating tons of fine music for the Audio Gourmet netlabel, ánd of course for his own music as Spheruleus.
“Earthtones” is a massive compilation (26 tracks, over 2 hours) of well- and lesser known artists that all contributed a track to this album which is intended to raise funds for the next CD-releases.
Just picking a few names from the contributor list: Caught in the Wake Forever, Wil Bolton, Maps and Diagrams, Savaran, Ekca Liena, Bartosz Dziadosz (Pleq), James Murray, Damian Valles, Monolyth & Cobalt, Lauki, Offthesky, Radere, The Inventors of Aircraft. – I guess that’s enough to get you interested….
AGF, Simon Whetham
AGF – Source Voice
The LINE SEGMENT series is a series of releases on the LINE label “which will highlight some, perhaps, very non-LINE-like works. Works that stray from the norm…(The LINEnorm, that is, because most music on Line itself definitely strays from ‘the’ norm, too!).
AGF’s “Source Voice“ is the second release in this Line Segment series.
AGF (Antye Greie-Ripatti, born in East-Germany but now living in Finland) has worked for more than a decade “releasing experiments connecting voice, deconstruction of language, perception, and sound processing”.
If her name is new to you, you may have some interesting research to do: she has been working together with artists like Vladislav Delay, Ellen Alien, Gudrun Gut and Eliane Radigue (amongst others),
Cello + Laptop – Parallel Paths
Cello + Laptop first got my attention with their beautiful track, “The Hunt”, featured on the “Escala 2.3” compilation.
This Spanish duo, consisting of Sara Galán (Cello) and Edu Comelles (Laptop) have now released their full debut album on the Envelope Collective label (“The label that is always slipping in the fold of the wave”).
“Parallel Paths“ easily exceeds the (high!) expectation I had based on the single track I knew from Escala 2.3.
Marow; Invisible Hands; Blue Infinite; Illuha; Herve Moire
In the Shortlist sections, I will mention some of the albums that I enjoyed listening to, but couldn’t find the time (or the right words) for a “full” review for. Still, I think they deserve your attention: use the links to find more info and hear previews.
Marow – Inter
“Marow‘s new 6-track release narrates disappearing structures and delusive fears, whose spirit reveals the beginning of a warm experience. Inter invites your consciousness to rest in a cosy moment for a little while. The breathing soundscapes transform life into a transcendental, peaceful journey ~ no grand wisdom ~ just lovely listening.
[Free download]
Invisible Hands – Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep
“Debut from Invisible Hands, an ambient/drone act based in Almere, Netherlands. These three tracks correspond to the stages in sleep called NREM and are designed to be listened while falling asleep or concentrating.”
Sun Hammer – A Dream in Blood
“A Dream in Blood” is the second release on the brand new (and very promising) Future Sequence label (or fourth if you count both massive Sequence compilations).
Operating as Sun Hammer is experimental sound artist Jay Bodley, who previously has also recorded as The Setting Sun.
The album title and the cover experience might suggest some extreme dark ambient here, but the album presents a fascinating mix of experimental and adventurous electronic music. I would not call this ‘dark’ ambient myself – though on the other hand I would not call it ‘light-hearted’ either..
Listening Mirror – Resting in Aspic
Although relatively young (they formed in the beginning of 2010), Listening Mirror (a duo consisting of Jeff Stonehouse and Kate Tustain) is quickly becoming a ‘reference point’ in environmental ambient music.
Basically, their new album “Resting in Aspic“ is a collection of previously released material (although in different versions, remastered by Wil Bolton, and also including a new track: “Without Saying Goodbye”).
But together, these tracks are a perfectly balanced album – a great introduction for those new to Listening Mirror, and a welcome addition to those that were already familiar with their style.