Tuomo Väänänen
Topics Ljudverket Records TBR: 5th October Co-captain of Ljudverket Records, Tuomo Väänänen, has produced another glittering sensation. This new album, made in Finland then mastered in Germany by Scape, takes a scenic route through the forests of dub and techno while absorbing natural harmonics that thread through in slow moving stitches. The record label is known for adopting music that puts in extra effort to isolate and define each sound as it happens, mastering the art for the few who really pay attention appeals to the intelligentsia of electronic music. The album begins with Contain. A deep and brassy drone sound gathers amplitude like notches on a spindle string. As the coils grow in width extra contours to the body reveal as interesting harmonisations and warps. Sticky rhythms click in gentle sparks as singing towers of sound waft their voices downward. The droning sound grows further, entering a new phase of existence with humming fizz which crackles with power. New percussion begins to shudder beneath the electrifying harmonics. This builds with intensity as synthesiser washes clean the dusty atmosphere. The next number begins with an ethic sounding percussion that gradually builds with shamanic timbre. Windy sonic castings creep along their trajectories as the sky unfolds with the passing of time. New drums burst into the mix, chatty tribal resonances mix with full-on snare that slaps with expressive vigour. This is Market and it feels like it isn't just for us. All manner of cultures congregate to choose and select within little bubbles of garnered society. New melody rises from the drums with synthesised blips which dripple like rainy windowsills. Cobblestone and tapping canvas dance in the shimmering flap of loosely tied awnings. We're drawn down and in for the third track. Moody chords strike at bass notes as trumpeting emotions sing in wavering lines. Smooth drums with a delicate jazz feel rattle on in neat passages. Rhythmic melody grows and froths in bubbling emphasis as slender rhythms build castles on the layers of harmony. Enclose is like breathing, and as it progresses a wash of moving static envelopes the sound and fills our imagination with formless energy. Sudden lifts in subtle aspects give way to a chaotic order as the track matures beyond its original shape. Garden opens with dampened chimes which shiver in murky atmosphere. As the gentle air moves through hanging metal tubes they clamour with touch-soft strikes in muffled and thick moisture, A gloomy enchantment whispers through the growing kinesis. New tones scoop pastoral fallows in the shimmering footfall. Falling light bounces from uneven surfaces as footstep like scales adapt into odd modes with the spreading of time. As the music shifts and progresses the symphonic quality breathes in discordant stairwells as hazy mirages distort the distances into focus. Angelic spiral journeys rise from the quiet as chirping and harmonics fold together. Drums begin to shuffle in slow yet meaningful paces across the wide-open floor. Extra layers of percussion tingle with vibrancy as minimal bass drags a heady tempo in lieu. Strategy grows like strange plants, leaning and reaching as various rays of light shine in from glassy skies. A thundering drum with tubular resonance starts to plough through the fertile field as it bounces on clods and clumps laid down by the harvester. The album ends with Project. Deep and resonant drums begin to stomp in wooden trenches lines with curls of brambly hedges that tower into watchful barricades. Hypnotic paces pull the energy on into white brilliance as the colours fade with the sonic glare. Like the icy plains of the artist's home, a glittery horizon notches forward as gradual steps traverse the rolling drifts. You can follow Tuomo Väänänen on Facebook and Instagram Listen on Soundcloud Find Ljudverket Records on Bandcamp
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Ladymonix
Club Nowhere Self-Released TBR: 2nd October Ladymonix has been busy with creativity like many of us have been over this awkward year. Each generation has its story to tell and this is sure to be one of ours. The self-soothing elements needed at first that helped to evolve the psychology to positivity in the first chapters has manifested in the first two offerings. The next two have found a place of acceptance and understanding, proving that anxiety, upset, and fear can detract from our ability to party. Club Nowhere opens on a one-two snare and hat bass rhythm. Tuneful bursts then adopt a rhythmic updraught before swaying synthesiser chords as a motion that revolves and dips on each revolution. Vocal adds a sparkle of palette before a new edge to the bass gives way to a deep and danceable pace. The synthesiser takes the lead as a simplification of rhythm breaks the percussion down to simple steps. A throbbing beat pushes each section onward as repeating motifs and looping compositions swap and sneak around the persistent bass-drum. The next number begins with a hollow and heady drum that rattles in a staggering and three legged pace. We enjoy as the rhythm ushers us in to the darkened room and gives us somewhere to stand. Random and chaotic, we all know to keep our distance. I don't know your grandma and I don't want to be the one who makes her ill. We peer around misty dry-ice corners while globules of deep and hedonistic spotlight dampen the shadows with a lush and tender glow. Jittery melodies repeat over drawn out long-distance chords. The music builds, new percussion composition brings out melodic rhythms that elevate the flow of notes and sounds. Mood is a dynamic number, it feels stable which is good to know, and it gradually lifts in spirit to allow for gleeful movement. Gonna Let invites us in with a little more speed. A full-on dance-beat opens with heavy bass and sinister hats with resonant snare. Chords then add a line of mellow emotion that settles somewhere near the middle. Polyphonic aspects then begin to twirl and spin within their neat squares. Extra percussion is added, a great catchy rhythm stretches out like a lazing cat. New phonics then mutter and elocute with poetic sounds without meaning. Gonna Let.. just let all the feels in. A bass then ramps up its power and finds a bouncing floor to tremble on as the track progresses into an upbeat anti-gravity atmosphere. Moving On hits us with yet more classic dancing rhythms. Another full-on speed of tempo reveals a neat little break before some funky chords bring a two-stroke melody. The longer tones reverberate against the faster drum as a chunky bass fills in the voids underneath. The rhythm plays with the stage as elements fade and move to the sides. The pace is given a shove as a small let-down allows a sudden push of all elements tat accompany more abstract vocalisations. This last track has gradually turned up the dance effect from the initial laid-back groove we began with. Self-similar parts keep the consistency solid while a subtle tweak of the delivery grants us the wish of a progressive and evolving set of mixes. You can follow Ladymonix on Facebook and Instagram Listen to Ladymonix on Soundcloud and Spotify
Crosswhen
Crosswhen EP 2020 Out 18th September An exploration of changes and motion within human and musical culture, Crosswhen transcend the usual processes of sound creation. With an ethos to diversify and explore the realms of possible in the process of studio recording, this album is designed for use on headphones. Let's face it, all music sounds better on headphones, but this goes the extra mile. Expect a three-dimensional sound-sculpture that swallows you whole. It begins with Yearning. Strange tinny noises crumble into the stereo which accompany odd rattles and deep resonances that seem to dig trenches. The music thickens gradually, with additive sounds finding all manner of direction within the scope. Humming static then creeps forward and by opening its coat wide, takes over the scene with layerings and pockets that shake with their own possession. Synthesiser then forms, waving notations sparkle in jetties of output as tranquil chordings breath underneath. After a few moments, the flow quickens and brings on a flush of happening formation before voices break free and push the spaces between the bars further apart. It's at this moment when a shuddering bass fills a previously unknown void, and rumbles with clearly defined attitude. This basis for harmony then gives license for the composition to flourish among fluttering of synthesiser and effect. Next, dapper tones sway from nearby walkways into earshot. We listen as dancing melodies playfully gather among self-similar tones. The undertone then grows with a crackling that emerges as a bell like echo that hangs gracefully on the moving form of sound. Rhythmic clingerings rattle as metal-ware crockery tied to a pacing mule. The tempo is fortified as amplitude brings forward the rhythmic melody while spacious sounds grow and shine within confineless captivity. Deep chimes then add a bass to the breathy euphoria before a sudden rush of natural drumming brings out a fantastic energy that so far remained occulted. Repeating and warping bass notes then begin to chatter in a defining melody that evolves into a full-on synthesiser motif that shatters the stillness with piercing beauty. Paradem moves us from the tranquil resonances and into the choppy mountainside that bounces with historical charm. Then comes Mono No Aware. It fathoms slowly, pulsing melodics arpeggio into a rhythmic wave as depth-charging bass plunges with anchoring energy. The tempo builds, the pace is enlivened by energy as extra functions of sound swell and shrill into the airspace. An edgy retro sensation dresses this number, oscillating tones and polyphonic waveforms apply themselves in well-designed patterns of time and pitch. Subtle builds find handholds in which they lift their whole sonic body into position. A knitting of harmony and synthesiser variation enjoys a driving journey into so-far unexplored avenues and valleys. About half-way through, the music boils down to a gentle simmer which grants us access to some of the lighter touches that go into making this monument of sound. A gentle progression then brings all back into clarity as heavy and hearty bass and drum roll with ethereal qualities. Following this, a solitary piano like note drifts in delicate frames of tone that spill into bassy edges and sudden dives through spacial awareness. New parts of our inner psyche are revealed with every ounce of the drum that pounds onward through our hypnotised soul. Hissing and whispery side-effects then coil into a shifting saw that boxes us in and shines bright lights into our face. False Vacuum is like a closing space that doesn't want to hurt us yet we can't help feel unnerved by its ever pressing energy. It breaks loose with high-flying synthesiser tones that throw themselves into kited bursts that dance in rainy skies. We are set free and caught on the thrust of the wind. Frantic and devastating breaks then thrash out the last of our ignorance as wisps and lanterns spiral in gleeful orbs. And finally we are left with Follow. This one breaks into being like the dawning sun over the ice-caps. Cool beams of shining sound flow from distant sources before sweeping us with their gentle warmth. As the body of light lifts higher, bringing its face into view, more rivers of cosmic energy flow and river around us. The ground warms, a thump reveals life in the old and freeze-dessicated rocks. The white shelves of ice twinkle in forlorn glitterings that beckon closer yet warm of deep and unforgiving crevasses. We plunge through the glare with the wind at our faces as the future is determined by our accordance to time. The sounds swirl and collapse as each portion of the arena of impetus shatters under the weight of impending blizzards. Refreshing and emotionally moving, the last track leaves us feeling satisfied and enthralled. You can get your copy of Crosswhen EP 2020 from Bandcamp For more information visit Crosswhen online Follow Crosswhen on Facebook Need headphones? Get anything you like from this link to Amazon and support our journal.
F5point6
KaleidoSound: Space, Time & Frequencies Vol 2 See Blue Audio Records TBR: 25th September R. Cleveland Aaron, AKA f5point6, slowed down and increased his musical resolution to extreme sensitivity. The first instalment of this series concentrated the forces on exploring the formation of the solar system. From the mists of the timeless void, in which conscious thought was alien to us, until the coming together of material and energy over time, the music described the scene. We now have a globe, a body of material to work with. Today we listen as the process of life formation begins. Isn't it amazing that the laws of science permit such a thing? Atoms and bonds are impossible enough when considering the empty void with no time passing, where did all the laws come from that made it happen? Never-the-less, happen it did and those atoms did something incredible. Life was born, perhaps for the very first time. We know through organic amino acid symmetry that all life on Earth came from one left-handed amino group, meaning that life only successfully evolved once on the whole Earth. This album puts such magical processes to sound. Theory of Change Pt. 2 begins with harmonising chimes that resonate through thick clouds of warmth. The stillness is tangible, the potential energy curls and tightens in a sudden influence. Louder sounds drape the hum, unitary sonic juts fill appropriate timings and bubbly realities. As time gradually passes, maturing and finding an acceleration it can rest with, the sounds fill the spaces like growing clouds in an empty sky. We know that aeons occur between the chapters of early Earth, and a 1.11 length intermission adequately marks this effect. Powerful sheets of vibrating sound bounce on shores that grow and shrink in time-lapsed spheres. Blue-Green begins with watery shimmers that tinkle like aqueous bells. Rippling echoes resonate into mysterious pools of sound. The depths increase. As more sonic amplitude builds within the depressions an overflowing symbiosis occurs between them. A rhythmic tingle starts to rumble and pat through various angular entry-points. It is like being in a cave as moist atmosphere spindles along spinning time-frames. Sombre and resonant melody pushes through the riverbed, like sprouts of newly formed chemistry. Another intermission graces us with a woodwind like voice which glides through open space. An underground rumble froths through geysers of implied structure. An ethereal bubbling manifests through slow and gradual rhythms, cast upon wet stone and shallow pools. Semi-organic melodies splash through broken sections and disperse various ingredients into nooks and crevices. Dance of the Molluscs takes us to a world where animal life has begun. Consciousness is in the process of realising itself, the components of the universe find a way to experience themselves and, like gods, travel and interact at will. Sudden pulses of powerful percussion rise from murky areas while bubbling movements dance in synchronised and instinctual choreographies. Intermission Three has a strange and anticipatory edge, it feels like it's building up to something. Are we now awake for the first time? Strange and almost alien tones bounce through a euphoric harmonisation. Slow moving currents carry us across the sandy beds as forests of seaweed flutter like skyscrapers in the summer heat. A deep and gutty melody pounds with an indescribable energy as Trilobites swim in the warm and nourishing water. Are we scuttling or paddling? Perhaps a bit of both, but we have a mind that observes. It is this function of ourselves that seems to point toward the future. No feeling, no culture, but instinct-detached observation. A new intermission once again marks the passage of time. What happens next as we sway in the cradle of what is yet to be? Now we reach the Porifera. It seems that for now we go back to sleep, maybe the world was too frightening and bright. Now as the unconscious sponge we absorb the material and history of our oceanic home. Learning what it means to be part of a system, a multi-cellular and new form of existence, perhaps it is community that matters now. Working together. Slow and meaningful drones flow from left to right then back again in repeating phrases. As the motion builds and progresses over several bars, the music only changes slightly as new forms of harmony grow from the old. The final intermission clicks and crackles under a glaring tropical sun. Radiances of energy penetrate the waters and encourage all manner of life to flourish in the tranquil crucible. The same droplet percussion carries through into this next number. A tempo is guided through echoing corridors as footstep like waters plod through cavernous passages. Stella Marina draws us in and close. It's an enchanting relaxation through strange and slightly warped bars. New percussion sounds emerge and add their energy to the flux of motion. A stream of progress mechanically moves from section to section as a harmony begins to drone in the higher fragment of space. Pushes of air form in humble bubbles which climb, roll, and sometimes burst in the shifting pressures and densities. The Beginning Of The End continues in abstract ambience. By now we're in a dreamy haze that permits time to pass quickly as our minds focus on their own self-created observations. Do we now have the capacity to imagine? It seems that we do as the evolution of sound invokes a multi-tonal hum which feels electric with potential charge. Find f5point6 on Bandcamp Follow See Blue Audio on YouTube and Twitter More information on the See Blue Audio website
Sarmism
Lessons Bricolage Records TBR: 25th September Once again the Bricolage label manifest their dreams through the medium of brilliant electronic music. Glitch, EDM, and complex rhythms combine through hazy and distinguished electronica. This artwork of sound was recorded in Manchester during the Covid-19 pandemic as the mood of the nation and world had turned to concern and anxiety. As per usual, Sarmism utilised live elements during the recording of Lessons as well as programming beats and loops to base the performances on. Let's get going and leave the conscious pandemic behind. It begins with Waiting For A Call. A serenade of blips loop together like peeling bells. Rattling repetitions form a bubbling mixture as other sounds ring through the plucks and pips. Frantic and long, the music combines short and fast with the melodic and composed. Strings blip like plucks on the head-bridge of a guitar. Drums form as the bars echo into obscurity. A child's voice begins the next number. Ghostly string sounds swell in neat motifs as repeating lines enchant with hypnotic allure. Drumming pushes a rhythm to the front, staggering snare hits rattle to a toughened bass that thumps and boings. This is Shame and it has a playful yet phantasmagoric atmosphere. Track three begins with jumpy strings and strange vocal qualities that waver over long distances. Electronic distortive effects bring a warm glow which resonates deeper as each sound manifests through the glare. Life Outside opens calmly then injects a series of topographic rhythms into the rolling hills of sound. Jagged hat and snare sections and emotivated toms rumble with a deciduous tide as the variant tones surrounding fetter into tubes. Bells then clamber over the stacked sonics too revel in their own polished splendour. Full Focus Kite Flyer is next. This one reminds me of Geogaddi from Boards Of Canada. Ambient and dreamy soundscapes form clouds of intent as scattering beats distil the liquid into liquor. Somewhere Someone Cares. We care, don't we readers! That's right, because computer music defines the future of pop, rock, theatre, and everything else that matures in the business. They did it first in their little laboratories with a laptop and a box of dials. We hope in our small way to be able to add to the vocabulary that matters in the genesis of what comes next. Without the cutting-edge underground electronica scene, music just wouldn't evolve in the same way. That said, the music pans out with gentle radiance that shimmers on neat melodics. A rhythm juts out, quick and snappy beats escalate the track as dreamy sensations drift overhead. The melody fades to reveal a framework of regular yet seemingly chaotic beats that percuss and project in academic formulations. Homed Rag begins with a shimmer and a ghostly leap of tiny adjusting bells. Beats begin to form like droplets of dew on heavy green grass blades. A rattle of wooden chimes marks a new section, chatterings of non-phonic meandering walk us hand in hand to a spongy meadow. Each step springs on a spinning under-sound that pushes glimmers of hope into the air. How about some Magical Thinking? This track opens as it it had always been on, only now we can hear it properly. Repeating chimes open the number as a drum pounds a gently moving rhythm. Bass forms in a droning patchwork quilt of buoyant rumbling as new percussion enters. Strings then waver in on vines that swing from glade to glade. The album finishes with Angels In The Wires. A mysterious humming song breaks free from the prison of silence as the sound production swaggers into being. A droning harmony swishes around entwined central points as variations of tonal depth and clarity howl against solid and gated walls. You can follow Bricolage on Facebook and Instagram Listen to Bricolage on Soundcloud and Bandcamp
P. A. Presents
Flight Acid + Salicylic Stimulator U-TRAX Records TBR: 23rd October Utrecht in The Netherlands is the place to be when it comes down to 90s DJ colossus P.A. Presents. Since returning to his city of birth and childhood after over two decades away, the home-town record label is more than happy to re-release his first two offerings. These line-beaters in the jungle of new music have been working together for a long time. These first two P.A. Presents EP releases on the U-TRAX catalogue from 1993 are chapters worth revisiting. Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in the now that we neglect to pay homage to our earlier efforts. After-all, without those where would any of us be? The music starts with Mesomorph. Delicate tones dapple in shady areas as rising pulses and whistles spring from the amalgam. Chattery synthesisers spiral out in multiple directions while distinctive hums and squeals warble together. A fast bass then penetrates the flow, rhythm in the melody begins to become apparent as the tempo rages behind it. Hats then rattle into the mix, spurning with ever-reaching glitter. The wandering melodies spin from centripetal alignments to the centre. The music homogenises, a stream of rhythm and tone flows from the nozzle and thrusts the hypnotic infusion of sound into a full-on dance track. Next, cybernetic sounds clank and squish together to the backdrop of eerie synthesiser. A rhythm suddenly pops up from the clattering percussion. Cymbals and bass find a niche in the flux of digital metalwork and synthesiser. A dirty feel to the notes gives them rough edges which scrape along the sides of their neighbouring tones. A retrotastic element is deep in his mix, old-school synthesiser and mixing principles give arpeggios and harmonies that waver across walking repeat bass and frantic 8 bit drums. This is Pop, and it does seem to burst like multiple bubbles in a row. Next, metallic strikes bash out a graceful rhythm that slenderly falls into place over droning chords. A bass fuels the next motion, it pumps in neat spurts that lift the piece from its gooey entrance. Synthesiser rises in scales and octaves while the rhythm gently adds extra air to the furnace. New cymbals are pushed in, they invigorate a middle area while the tones and rhythms continue to rise and dig. This is Theme and it carries a melodic uplifting phenomenon that holds place as the music sways in the elements. Vera S. is next. It opens with a cheerful melody that pumps with repeating tones. Voice and drum are added which swirl and vortex within the sound. Clattering hats and high-end voice gain brings out a glittering and pointed edge. The rhythm increases, extra bass and cymbals pump the inflatable to full capacity while rhythmic melodies bring out directions to dance to. A minimal feel gives each aspect a framework to be noticed in while the culmination of rhythms and harmonies produces a globule of transparent sound. This is followed by airy synthesisers matched with spongy tones that squash into various crannies left in the sound. Drums invite the tempo to rise, and it meets the intent with a fiery up-burst. Oscillating tones warble on their dials as breathy sounds sweep the cyber-organic emotions of the track through wistful corridors. Experiental throws a bi-polar sound formation into our scope with driving highs and dream invoking depths. The music progresses into a spiral of repeating sounds and forward pushing drums until this breaks down into lighter touches and more delicate sections before rising once more. Short closed hat strikes begin the next track, a solid rhythm on one instrument pushes through the ambient silence left behind. Then, with a switch flick, a volley of extra drumming pounds in like a stream of children. They then disappear again, allowing a synthesiser melody to blurb out a bubbly mixture of sonics before the rhythm builds once more. A push effect shoves the weft of the oscillation into a treble high then into a bass low as the cymbal continues to pound with the bass. Chirrup sounds sparkle as twangy undertones slice away at the carpet. Vexillum is a quickly progressive and dynamic entry. Flight Stimulator begins with a vibrant string bass that sheers across wide open spaces in the wake of the previous track. A resonant background echo crackles alongside the dripping synth. Then, deep and dreamy beams of sonic bass creep out of hibernation. A dark and shadow-laden atmosphere is knitted via the joining of tonal and rhythmic tension. An uneasy stitch is draped across forlorn cymbals that clatter gently in tightly confined spaces. The bass-line forms a directional vector that warps and scoops as various tones form adjacent patterns to its clock-face. Sweeping whispers span out and sparkle in neat lines of airy synthesiser. A rhythmic pulse grows in the gentle background as tapping tempos break from eggshell like fastenings. Metal sections and wooden beats combine with a glassy melody as the synthesiser churns in the cauldron of sound. Various implements clatter along rhythmic textures as seductive composition draws our ears into the depths of the jigsaw like dough which rises bar by bar. Ending with A Grasp, the time of the day is shown to be just as relevant in this modern age. Our technology has changed, our software and sound ethics have matured, but good music is always good music. You can visit U-Trax Records online Find U-Trax releases on Bandcamp Follow U-Trax Records on Facebook and Instagram Currently available from P.A. Presents on U-Trax - Sax Madness EP
Simon Klee
Phototaxis EP Subexotic Records TBR: 25th September Life's natural instinct to move towards or away from light is the theme of Simon Klee's latest sound production. Positive or negative phototaxis is likely to be one of the first self-determining principles developed by our ancient ancestors, right next to movement toward prey and away from predator. Homeostasis has many facets and some of them are fascinating to watch, especially if we do not show them ourselves. From dandelion roots seeking deep soil to birds of prey wanting to dazzle their target, phototaxis can be found everywhere. This EP examines the idea through the medium of sound, stitched with the feeling of walking out into the sunshine. What's more, there is a strictly limited edition vinyl on the way featuring a lathe cut and customised artwork. We are talking just 20 copies of those. The rest of us mortals can get unlimited digital. It begins with Corixidae. Humming drones mingle with sparkling resonances as a tapping drum emerges from the glow. Tempo builds as the swirling sounds dance in abstraction around the pounding percussion. A brief pause makes ways for electronic sounds to begin chiming and harmonising in the same rhythmic direction. Bass begins to fizz while chiming tones make rhythmic melodies across the stereoscape. Next, warping static and humming mechanics bring a strange rhythmic clattering. Drums and engineering break open fulcrums as armatures swing to deliver their changes. Dragging bass sears while strange multiphonic drones swing like skipping ropes across slow-motion melodies. Fern Unfurling takes its time, progresses gently, and then slams into us with a driving spongy tune that lifts the whole piece into the breeze. The third number begins with wavering sounds and digital ocean waves that break upon misaligned sea-sides. A drumbeat creates the bridge between the two and then a throbbing bass provides the breathing space. Blips then sweep into the air from nearby holdings where new sounds wait for their moment to rise. The bass takes centre-stage again, before the melodic blips cause silence to hang beneath their momentum. Sunspots glares with energy while decorating its intent with sporadic lustre. Light Radiates From Within Me shows us the other side of the equation. Charming digital tones with warm fizzy distortion radiate like candle flames and distant fireworks. A harmonising under-layer of stretching sound whistles and sweeps in the complete picture. Effervescent and euphoric glimmers of clarity beam through open curtain cracks within the censored parts of the mind. A darker element is drawn upon as Fireflies becomes the focus. As dusk falls on the moody meadow, semi-precious phonic fractions of music scatter in kites and ribbons that flutter and flick. Drums reverberate in the wetness of the evening while organic mixes with synthetic in the realms of shadow and twilight. Deep blue horizons with silhouetted tree shapes reaching like cracks in ornate glass ring in horizon stretching vibrations that shudder in the ether. The EP finishes with Transcendence. We're lifting with gentle luminosity as humming synthesisers chord and harmonise in warming tones. Smooth and slender streaks of wave slide along rattle sounds and disturbed valve kinetics before a drum-beat enters to fill the spaces. It's left to its own room for a brief pause before long plane droning sounds bring about a new era of synthesised mystique. You can follow Simon Klee / Anticipating Nowhere on Mixcloud and Bandcamp Find Subexotic Records on Bandcamp
Mink Freud
In Isolation EP See Blue Audio Records Out 11th September This fascinating artist of beatless, dream inspiring music is back on form with three sparkling tracks. This North London mix-maker has been working seriously hard behind the scenes for some time. The latest production mirrors the morale of the day with everyone in isolation. As the nation prepares to ride the second wave and hopefully keep it to a minimum, what better than some more sonic cartography in the psyche. Mink Freud provides exactly what we need. It begins with Everyone's Indoors. Looped strums mingle with waxing depths as an electronic melody begins to pulsate in the gloom. Digital strings warp in strange bubbles of anti-tension while the tempo continues to strengthen. Gradual progress brings depth and beauty together as dark-wood staircases lead to mysterious libraries and chambers. An atmosphere of strange exploration permeates the air as we breathe in the mysterious energy. Next is Chrome. This one opens out with a chatty and energetic bass, gracefully muffled to not over-power the warm and inviting strings that accompany it. A clattering hat speaks volumes as it rattles along a gently programmed rhythm. Tones strike mild chords which ghost alongside findings and moor-rope. A mechanical edge fidgets with warm and passive fingers as gentle motion guides the evolution of the track. An imaginary journey with a rough transcript for intrigue ensues. The final offering begins with an organ sound that resonates on spiritual levels. We sit closer as harmonies create polygons of sonic imagery in the air. A glistening bounces from the angular sides as they gently turn to face the shimmering windows. A sincerity builds behind in a smooth and subconscious pressure that adds weightlessness to the sprinkles of expertly designed sound. Hawksmoor transcends our senses and reveals astral objects above our dimension of vision. We sense them, we appreciate they are there. You can get hold of In Isolation EP by Mink Freud on Bandcamp Listen to Mink Freud on Spotify Apple and Soundcloud Mink Freud is on Facebook Visit See Blue Audio online
Shcaa
No Moon At All, What A Night Apollo Records TBR: 9th October The Parisian moving and abstract electronic music producer Shcaa is back with another master-work. The originator of modern electronic blues and known for making use of guitar, electronic music production, plus expert layering in the studio, Shcaa reveals deep and sonically beautiful transcripts of the internal world. Previously featured in catalogues such as R&S, Grow, Archipel, and Sharingtones, Apollo have done well to add their name to this exclusive list. It begins with Faroh's Birds. Whistling chimes open the music as twin vocals delicately scale the framework of sound. Ambient percussion tampers the groove in driplets of impetus. A wholesome guitar begins wandering in artistic frills across pentatonic scales while the density of the backdrop increases. The twin vocals open the next track with an immediate closeness as drums fritter away on a slow burn. Jangling metal-work and wooden chatting taps decanter like soft red wine. Guitar and brass form a dual flame that rises gently and envelopes the ember of rhythmic flow. Auguries transcends into a jazzical pillar that rises over sunny dreamscapes. Moralia opens with a scattering of sound that froths from a humming of potential. Wandering bass forms a neat line of clarity then other instruments flop into place in lazy sections. Drum, piano, odd electronic sheering noises, taps, clicks, and flicks, they all begin dancing to the driving pulse of bass. A tapping drum thumps into the light as buzzing harmonies ride on whistles and swoops. Tones dreamily gambol in as the beats increase and rise through the gloom. Introspective noises sparkle among tentative tempo and progression. A bass grows, it plummets a dish of gravity into the floor as airy synthesisers explore the lofty regions. Oons Ide fizzes with metered power, expertly matured and curdled into butter. If You Fall comes after. It draws in with jangling wooden chimes and breezy blues guitar. Vocal enters with poetic vibrations as chords swish and sit us down next to new friends. Long grasses sway in time to the music as the natural scene reaffirms our right to exist. Long alluring stares from nearby faces cause us to pay attention, yet remain cool as we intently absorb the atmosphere. The next track bubbles into being with a strummed acoustic guitar. A backdrop of sound scatters odds and ends across an unsure platform that wobbles under foot. The music simmers down into trumpet tones that decorate angular emotions. Sometime draws us in a little closer and remains analogue at high resolution. A deep, resonant bass drives Siskor into our presence. Sloshy under-tones reverberate and grow, the ambience coloured by rhythmic direction. Plip sounds and interesting waves streak the mix as direction and motivation decide between themselves. Are we lost or are we simply without an agenda? A stroll through odd architecture and rolling memorable highways gives us plenty to think about. When Eternity, the new addition begins on an adjacent rung. Tones from a keyboard knit new dimensions as guitar and trumpet rise like cake. A voice drizzles over the sweet and savoury mixture in delicate and meaningful bursts. This is followed by a quiet introduction that suddenly blooms with digital jazz. Smooth chords waver out across heat lines in evening tarmac. Odd harmonics warble and bounce through eerie bells and windswept corridors. Until We Meet progresses gently with fragile interludes of breath catching translucency. Fantasia begins and rambling rhythms jingle out on branches of perspective. Dirty notes bend and strike as a vocal line adds humanistic directions. Sleek rhythm boils under slightly adjusted pressures as verses speak softly in poetic phrases. The album ends with Aurora. The music grows like the dawn across distant forest horizons. Hills glisten in golden reflections as birds leap in lines from autumn trees. Huge wafts of curtain sound draw and cover the chaos of silence with strong and meaningful motions of dancing composition. Listen to Shcaa on Spotify and Bandcamp You can follow Shcaa on Facebook and Soundcloud
Forrest Fang
The Book Of Wanderers Projekt Records Out 4th September Out now on Bandcamp and with a limited run of 300 very special CDs is Forrest Fang's The Book Of Wanderers. This ambient and neuvo-avant-garde synopsis of sound and texture once again delivers the goods on a freshly prepared production. Created over Spring and Summer 2020, during the global lock-down, this work instigates wondrous and phenomenal inward journeys that shimmer and sing with their own ethereal splendour. The name-your-price digital release has unlimited plays online so if you want to save up and properly reward the artist, you can still enjoy the music. The music begins with chiming tones that echo in looped progressions backed up by swelling strings. An Atom on a Long Chain takes a repeating phrase and adjusts it with graceful angular diversions along the lines of a warm matrix. Then, heavenly piano tones sprinkle down like spring showers, the energy grows and natural awe shines in with torrents of stratospheric momentum. Perhaps a butterfly is flapping its wings somewhere, the juxtaposition of delicacy and sheer force becomes a pivot of mental stimulation. Smooth and manicured tones peep from sheltered shadows as the next number rises like a hilltop moon. Pillars of sideways light pinpoint wood and metallic sounds which gently rattle to a humming swirl of magnetism. Like wind moving in between branches and windowpanes, a kinesis of subtle intervention flutters in flowing rivers of charming harmony. Song of the Wanderer helps us take steps beyond the initial sentinel of our mind. Tale Of The Egret is next, with open spaces echoing with nature and ambience it unravels like Cleopatra. Strings are plucked and strummed while disparate drums pound in reverberating ranges. Pipe and tempo merges as flute begins to soar above the flurry of complimentary sounds. Upward drifts of impassioned potential blanket the buoyancy in parachutes of melodic exploration. Ethereal and exotic impetus conjures avenues that stretch into historical chapters and fairytale like destinations. A melancholy piano opens the new sounds. Harmonising strings apply a delicate layering that dresses the focus with flowing gowns of silken sonics. Billowing melodics traverse the compass in gentle and moving dances through space. The dimensions of sound are addressed with forlorn mime as individual questions bounce from blank expression to insinuated gesture. Astir walks us through sombre marshes where forests are slowly growing to replace them. Behold, for Atlantis is brought into temporary being as its sound is produced for us. Slender and seductive tones harmonise with brass and string in a breezy lift from the silence. Piano breaks like the white of a wave and sprinkles modes and harmonies across an entire shore-front of moving sound. Tall mountains rise from slumbering earthworks that push from once submerged geography. Ancient ideas are rekindled in the minds of those who walk in step with the vibration of this enchanted island. A slow and progressive tone reaches from the emptiness which becomes entwined with sister sonics as they drift and stretch in unison. A rhythm then casts a shadow like high up canopies sectioning the light. Percussion rises and expands to flow into each accepting dimension of the track, its liquid intensity pouring like clarifying stillness. Elephant Steps carries weight, as jangling symphonic rattles jostle with thumping driftwood bass and whirling choral voices. A magical orchestra of multi-tonal depth reveals the new track. Droning background shimmer patches the arpeggio like forefront as complex harmonies disappear in eternal rebirth. Gradual temperance adjusts fractions of the whole which clink upon the wheels of music to gracefully swing the sound apparatus into dynamic postures. This is Chasing Stars, the slow moving and gentle radiance reflects from angular and beautiful surfaces. From The Hollows begins with a depth in which to clamber down. In we go as plipping drops and shady echoes reverberate with cavernous allure. Heavy and thick dredges of bass sweep the viscous underlayer as flittering leaves and mineral veins glisten and shuffle with every footstep within. Ambient bells decorate the walls, marking various positions within the stony temple. The cool air clings to dank walls which recall the passing lantern light. Tribal bells and conks begins with a cheery motif then strings which chord and waver begin to rise and overpower the initial prettiness. A quality of the ancient invigorates the mix as separate sounds mingle and swish in gently lapping tides. Bells and xylophone sounds continue to jingle along cluttered pathways while gushing sea-breezes add seclusive bubbles to the passing moments of time. Water Pod allows us to float in abstract awareness within aquatic and eventful emotionscapes. The music finishes with Kepler's Return. The iconic space scientist who's name was adopted by one of our most powerful eyes in the sky is reincarnated once again. This time it's ambient space music. We can appreciate the ideal behind this philosophy, with cosmic strings and shaking hands we approach escape velocity. Outward into the psychosphere we drift, visiting lines of sight known to only a select few who dared to venture so high. You can buy The Book Of Wanderers by Forrest Fang on Bandcamp Visit Projekt Records online Follow Projekt Records on Twitter and Instagram Follow Forrest Fang on Facebook |
AuthorRowan Blair Colver for The Electro Review. Archives
December 2020
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