MOLJEBKA PVLSE > Aningan > (Mystery Sea Belgium, MS54) 31/ago

Already much of a veteran on the experimental music scene, Moljebka Pvlse, Mathias Josefson's main expression tool, is a project combining field recordings, found sounds and uncluttered guitar motifs tending towards a feeling of elevation... Pupil of the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockolm, Mathias has slowly nurtured his sound art with his learnings. With an extensive curriculum of releases on an array of labels like: Cold Meat Industry, Eibon, Segerhuva, Some Place Else, Lona, Gears Of Sand, Fin De Siècle Média, Taâlem, Drone, Mystery Sea and his own imprint Isoramara, Moljebka Pvlse has also a long history of worldwide live performances (USA, Canada, Ukraine, Poland, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, The Netherlands, France, Germany etc...) Aningan is the first sequel to be released on Mystery Sea, a broadening revisitation of its theme, yet a complete new entity... (mystery sea) [s39-9]

NECRO DEATHMORT > This Beat Is Necrotronic > (Distraction UK, DIST19CD) 31/ago

Necro Deathmort (Matthew Rozeik and AJ Cookson) raise their ignoble heads on their first proper release This Beat Is Necrotronic on Distraction Records. Running the full gambit from jittering, skuttering brutal electronics, Earth-style drones (back when they had balls), creamy hiss, turntablist noise pedal effect antics, crushing guitars, elegant ballroom atmospherics, to full-on balls-out full decaying post-apocalyptic doom, this combines analogue and digital noise to devastating effect. The aural equivalent of Satan's own crystallized jizzum, this is the doom's answer to «Entroducing». The most accomplished "noise" release on Distraction yet, this comes in fantastic three-panel double sided packaging by the dudes at Thumbprint Press and utterly superb artwork by Dominic Hailstone. Limited to 500 copies only, so don't sleep on this. (distraction) [s37-9]

EKCA LIENA > Sleep Paralysis > (Dead Pilot UK, DEAD026) ??/ago

Dan Mackenzie aka Ekca Liena's debut album Slow Music For Rapid Eye Movement was described as "music that may alter your perception of the word epic", "with more warmth, depth and soul" than had been heard in a long time. Almost a year later, Dan presents us with the follow up album entitled Sleep Paralysis. The album begins with "Sleep", a ghostly and tension building introduction, with long sustained organ tones and subtle guitar riffs. Crumbling low end kicks in followed by eerie fuzz and static as the second track begins. Waves and swells of textured synths are the prelude to an epic chorus of screaming drones. The mood of the album really sets in place by track 3, entitled "Heavy Weather", a near 14 minute mash of blissful guitar noise and pulsating electronic beats. The depth of detail in this track is incredible and has to be heard through the finest of speakers or headphones to be fully appreciated. The track "Sulk" is a rare acoustic track from Ekca, bringing an organic or 'human' edge to this other wise otherworldly and celestial album. It also acts as a breather between the huge and intense music Ekca has created here. Although that is not to say the track is of any less importance at all. This album represents Ekca Liena's sound polished and honed to perfection, as well as a tonne of new ideas fully realized. It's dark and heavy as well as uplifting and emotional. As the album is book ended by the magnificent "Paralysis" you will want to pick your jaw up off the ground and listen again, just to be sure that the sounds you have just heard are truly real. Limited to 250 copies for the world. Black bottomed CDr housed in standard Dead Pilot windowed sleeve. All artwork and layout by Dan Mackenzie. (dead pilot) [s37-9]

RELMIC STATUTE > Sitting Under The Lantern's Glow > (Cotton Goods UK, COTTONGOODS003LP) 28/ago

Following last month's release by the Tape loop Orchestra, Relmic Statute is the latest addition to the Cotton Goods label, and as ever, the standards of hand-made packaging continue to be raised by the label. This latest edition (limited to 100 copies for the world) comes from Leeds-based artist David Horner, who records under the moniker Remic Statute, assembling lulling, grainy soundscapes based on the splicing of field recordings collected from cassettes and old 1/4-inch tape. The likes of "Cupboard Music" take on a scrapbook-like, collaged approach to sound-sculpting, taking muffled tones, mini-torrents of hiss and lo-fi cracklings as a means of establishing an atmosphere of cosy, domestic calm. Although this sort of material tends to be evocative of a very homely, cocoon-like quality, elsewhere Horner ventures so far as his window, documenting the seemingly endless, trickling downpour of "A Change In The Atmosphere" and "The Leaves Of The Pel Thraine Cemetery". On this latter recording the weather joins with a variety of more musical and manmade sounds; it serves as a great example of how Horner merges his own instrumental dabblings with incidental sounds, where both synthetic and natural timbres seem to mimic one another. In a slightly different strand of his work, Horner draws William Basinski-inspired worn-out loops from "Flor-Ewue1932", droning in a suitably enigmatic, decaying fashion, going on to demonstrate another facet of his talent by the time he reaches pieces such as "Small Song" and "Tapeloop 2" - both of which dig out clear-cut melodies, all channelled through the deteriorating, crumbled tape that adds so much rich character to these compositions. All we can say is, Hurry. (boomkat) [s35-9]

THOMAS KÖNER > La Barca > (Fario France, FARIOCD09) 27/ago

There are few artists in the world of recorded music who have such an innate understanding of the use of silence and atmosphere as Thomas Köner. Next to Helge Sten, The Hafler Trio or Mika Vainio, Köner is an acclaimed master of ultra-subtle ambient acoustics, providing some of the finest records on labels like Mille Plateaux, Die Stadt and Chain Reaction, both under his birth name, and as half of seminal techno act Porter Ricks. Like a friendly apparition emerging from the ether, his latest album - the first in nearly five years - has just dropped into our world, with little prior warning, to completely remove us from our day and place us within an environment coloured with moving air, tones of sublime melancholy and indistinct aural landscapes. The tracks are titled by a set of coordinates, which we're sure the more intrigued folks out there will be researching on Google maps, but those looking to leave the mystery intact can attempt to imagine the locations through their associated voices, languages and surrounding aura. For example, without checking, on "48º 52' N 2º 21' E" you could be standing in a train station in Azerbaijan, wrapped up in an intangible moment of cinematic bliss, while on "31º 46' N 19º 6' E" one feels like a ghost in the midst of a Central American pueblo, or somewhere completely unknown. This is music ripe for the imagination, from an unrivalled mind dedicated to enhanced auditory experience and deserves undivided attention from anyone unafraid to let themselves be taken by it. Amazing music. (boomkat) [s36-9] | video

EKCA LIENA > Drones Between Homes > (Under The Spire UK, SPIRE009) 27/ago

Ekca Liena is the recording alias of Daniel WJ Mackenzie, who recorded this album "in a lifeboat bedroom in Brighton, April 2009". I have no idea what a "lifeboat bedroom" is, but i'd like to think it involved a novelty, nautical bed with 'RNLI' emblazoned across it, much in the same spirit as one of those Formula One-themed bedrooms where small boys get their snooze on in a bed that looks like a car. Getting back to matters at hand, Drones Between Homes is a record of two halves: "The More I Cut From One" and "The More I Add To Another", the sort of titles you might find on a Hafler Trio record. Musically, this has more in common with the kind of sleepy tones you'd find on one of Kranky's more sedated releases, pouring bitcrushed electronic signals into the same melting pot as processed guitars and subdued atmospheric recording fragments. The second piece is especially good, featuring an escalating sense of drama thanks to an all-consuming minor chord that gradually accumulates power across the final third, before dissipating away via a linear downwards slope. A rather mysterious, ever so slightly traumatic example of the drone genre, this album is a peculiar thing but certainly worth spending some time with. Limited to just 100 copies, as per usual. (boomkat) [s35-9]

VLADISLAV DELAY > Tummaa > (Leaf UK, BAY72CD) 24/ago

After several years of releasing albums through his own Huume label, legendary producer Vladislav Delay signs to the Leaf label to release Tummaa, his most organic, acoustic record to date. Sasu Ripatti's landmark work as Vladislav Delay for Chain Reaction and Mille Plateaux has influenced an entire generation of electronic musicians, and The Leaf Label are extremely proud to welcome him aboard with this beautiful album. Tummaa sees him collaborate with celebrated Scottish soundtrack composer Craig Armstrong (on piano and rhodes) and Argentine saxophonist / clarinetist Lucio Capece, with Ripatti returning to his background as a jazz drummer and percussionist. Ripatti's reputation as a genuine musical maverick precedes him, with venerated work as Delay, Luomo, Uusitalo and with partner Antye Greie as AGF/Delay. He has also recently recorded an album for Honest Jon's as part of the Moritz von Oswald Trio. He has collaborated with artists as varied as Black Dice, Massive Attack, Towa Tei, Jake Shears and Robert Owens. (rough trade) [s36-9]

CELER > Brittle > (Low Point UK, LP028) 24/ago

This otherworldly album from Celer marks the summit of the duo's creative achievements, taking the form of a single piece occupying a duration of just under seventy-five minutes. It's a studiously subtle and superficially unassuming body of work, but spending any time in the company of this music will have you rapt under its spell. As a starting point, recordings of piano, violin, cello, bells, harpsichord and whistles were made, eventually being merged with some naturally occurring sounds captured by a room recording. The compositional process continued with these various auditory fragments being structured into nineteen different tracks, all of which were then melted into the single, monolithic whole residing on this disc. It's hard to describe the kind of sounds Celer have conjured for this; on the one hand, Brittle is elusive and reticent, yet it somehow transcends all the quietness and mystery, conveying the sense that this is a living, continually evolving stream of sounds; its serene, unruptured aesthetic comparable to the surface of a mirror, as if reflecting those background noises of everyday life back at you in a transformed state. Tragically, this album is the last by husband and wife duo Danielle Basquet-Long and Will Long, as Danielle passed away last month at the age of 26, having suffered heart failure. Such profoundly sad circumstances inevitably tint the album with an elegiac air, and without question the eerie, ethereal beauty of this music will surely serve as an enduring legacy for Danielle and her work in Celer. Highly recommended. (boomkat) [s35-9]

PULSE EMITTER > Oppressive Nature > (Digitalis USA, ACE024) 19/ago

Daryl Groetsch's Pulse Emitter project has been releasing music for a number of years now, spilling forth superior modular synthesizer music from his Portland, Oregon base-camp, and this new disc for Digitalis shapes up as a treat of significant proportions for all worshippers at the analogue altar. Across five pieces spanning a forty-minute duration, Groetsch transmits waves so tactile and raw you could practically reach out and touch them. From the noisy signals and crossed wires of the album's early stages to its more pastoral exchanges, Oppressive Nature offers a gloriously physical representation of synthetic electronic sound, and certainly, by the end of the disc the music's really starting to accumulate depth and power, sinking into the echo-punctured static ambience of the fourth track before the playful filter-sweeping modulations of the fifth and final entry whisk you away to vintage oscillator heaven. Excellent. (boomkat) [s34-9] mp3

VARIANT > The Setting Sun > (Echospace USA, ECHOSPACEAIR 2CD) 18/ago

The Chicago-based producer has quite a penchant for separating different strands of his work into multiple pseudonyms, with Intrusion for his dub-influenced techno, Soultek for his techier excursions, and now Variant for his more ambient work. The Setting Sun is his first album under the latter moniker, and although it has been digitally released since the end of 2008, the CD package will feature a slightly tweaked tracklisting and running order. Fans of his previous material will be well aware of Steve Hitchell's obsession with vintage analog hardware and reel-to-reel delay techniques, and these tropes are in full force throughout the entirety of The Setting Sun. More of a textural and beatless experience than the rest of his catalogue, the album gently ebbs and flows on a lush dubwise tip, with manipulated piano, guitar and organ samples appearing throughout. (resident advisor) [s36-9]

AUDISION > Surface To Surface > (&nd Music Germany, AND015CD) 17/ago

This is the debut full-length release by Hamburg's deep-techno masters, Audision, for their very own And Music imprint. Bonding over a shared love of Basic Channel and classic Detroit techno, veteran DJs Niko Tzoukmanis and Tobias Schmid released their first Audision EP, "Mean Curvature" in 2001. A subtle, gorgeous blend of sharp beats and deep synths, Michael Mayer picked "Gamma Limit" from the release to appear on his legendary «Immer» mix for Kompakt, introducing the Audision sound to the wider world. Firmly believing in quality over quantity, Audision released only six EPs over the next few years, cementing their reputation as purveyors of subtle, melodic, delicate techno and rich, dub-tinged electronics. Available only on CD, lush tracks such as "Mind Journey" and "Industry Park" abandon the club completely, investigating instead the sensual ambience of second-wave Detroit electro artists like Drexciya. Meanwhile, straighter tracks like "Phase Flow," "Beta Range" and "Forty-One Spalding" reference the ghosts of Maurizio and Mark Ernestus, re-imagined in Audision's uniquely modern, sensitive style. It's the sound of the club that exists in the furthest corner of your mind, the fragments of classic techno that remain long after the party is over. Disappearing further from the dancefloor still, the album is interspersed with ambient moments of reflection, most notably on the beatless closing track, "Aurora," where Carl Craig-esque, timeless tonal beauty meets modern techno's pristine production in stunning, majestic style. While the major inspirations behind Surface To Surface - Basic Channel, Detroit, Warp - are clear, Audision's refined, unhurried sound is also entirely its own. By looking back, Audision are simultaneously pushing things forward, quietly, gently, and in their own time. It's the sound of high-end, deep frequency techno at its very finest. Cover art by acclaimed designer and artist, Stefan Marx. (press release) [s37-9]

COLLAPSAR > Beyond The Event Horizon > (Malignant USA, TUMORCD38) 11/ago

Malignant presents another rising star within the dark ambient scene, this time in the form of French act Collapsar. With their debut CD, Beyond The Event Horizon Collapsar transports the listener on an epic journey deep into the cosmos, forging a path across a vast, inky void, and steering a course around a roiling galactic core of hyper-dense stars and black holes. The sound is epic, expansive, and most of all, 'heavy'. There is beauty and tranquility within these realms, but there is no light – just massive, pulsating textures coalescing into shimmering drones, rippling sound waves, and billowing, multi-dimensional layers of powerful dark energy. Beyond the Event Horizon is without question, dark ambient in its purest form and one of the more genre defining releases of the last several years. In 6 panel digipak, designed by eye:lyft. (malignant) [s40-9]

LUCID DREAM > Recovered Data 95 > (Phthalo USA, PH52) 11/ago

In 1995, under the name Lucid Dream, future techno stalwart John Tejada recorded his first batch of songs, which would help shape him into one of the genre's hardest working and prolific artists. Originally titled Palette, the LP was shelved by original record label A13, which was looking to release music that better fit into the then-burgeoning house scene. Released 14 years later as Recovered Data 95, Tejada reveals a murkier, denser and all around unusual sound as the majority of the songs clash, collide and bounce around at 200 bpms. Sounding remarkably like Autechre's early "beats-in-the front/effects-to-the-rear" manifesto, Tejada's account sounds less sterilized and icy, opting to trade up to an organic, albeit slightly dated, sound. Showing promise even in his early days, Recovered Data 95 shows Tejada as a musician with myriad ideas and influences choosing to leave it all behind for the romance of the dance floor. (exclaim!) [s38-9] | mp3

ROBERT HENKE > Indigo_Transform > (Imbalance Computer Music Germany, ICM08) 4/ago

In early October 2008, Robert Henke was contacted by the Swedish installation artist Frederik Wretman because he wanted to use his Monolake track "Indigo" for an installation. Henke obliged and provided a reworked composition using elements from the original extended sessions, transformed into slowly evolving atmospheres to match the aura of Frederik's calmly contemplative installation, 'Tap Tim'. The piece was originally designed to be played from three CD players, each of them containing a slightly altered version of the soundscape, each with a different playing time and each fed to different speakers located around the gallery. This CD release is a stereo mixdown of the original installation if all three CDs would be playing at once. As to be expected from a Robert Henke production, the results are hugely satisfying. He creates a glacially shifting environment from a minimum of sources, primarily the sound of dripping water recorded in 1993 fed through a matrix of samplers and reverb units. The session runs to one hour exactly, capturing just one segment of the fluidly morphing composition for use in your chosen environment. This is a piece to be absorbed in an open, relaxed and where preferable, altered state to allow yourself to wander through his near-3D zones of tranquil and intangibly ominous sonics. Recommended for fans of his Layering Buddha contribution, or the elevated ambience of Thomas Koner, KTL or Mika Vainio. Recommended. (boomkat) [s32-9] | mp3

... e ainda #32: ago/2009

3 CHAIRS > Spectrum > (3 Chairs Japan, 3CH/CD2JP)

BALMORHEA > All Is Wild All Is Silent: Remixes > (Western Vinyl USA, WEST 064LP)

BLOOD FOUNTAINS > Floods (Utech USA, URCD023 / URSK9)

DAVID DANIELL & DOUGLAS MCCOMBS > Sycamore > (Thrill Jockey USA, THRILL216CD)

EPIC45 > In All The Empty Houses > (Make Mine Music UK, MMM047)

FLUXION > Constant Limber > (Resopal Schallware Germany, RSPDUB01)

HINDZY D > Bass Speaks Louder Than Words > (Dub Inkjet UK, DIJ001CD)

ISNAJ DUI > Unstable Equilibrium > (Home Normal UK, HOMEN006)

JAMIE JONES > Don't You Remember The Future > (Crosstown Rebels UK, CRMCD009)

LOKAI > Transition > (Thrill Jockey USA, THRILL 219)

LUKE VIBERT > We Hear You > (Planet Mu UK, ZIQ240CD)

MIKA VAINIO > Aineen Musta Puhelin: Black Telephone Of Matter > (Touch UK, TO 072CD)

NEIL LANDSTRUMM > Bambaataa Eats His Breakfast > (Planet Mu UK, ZIQ246CD)

NOMMO OGO > Across Time And Space > (Record Label USA, RLR14)

NUDGE > As Good As Gone > (Kranky USA, KRANK134CD)

ÓLAFUR ARNALDS > Found Songs > (Erased Tapes UK, ERATP017CD)

PENTATONIK > A Thousand Paper Cranes > (Hydrogen Dukebox, DUKE149CD)

PORN SWORD TOBACCO > Everything Is Music To The Ear > (City Centre Offices Germany, TOWERBLOCK044)

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE > Luminous Night > (Drag City USA, DC409CD)

JAMIE DROUIN > A Three Month Warm Up > (Dragon's Eye USA, DE5023) ??/jul

The title of sound artist Jamie Drouin's A Three Month Warm Up refers both to the time taken to collect the 124 individual sound recordings, taken from a public square in Drouin's home of Victoria, Canada, which make up this work, and to its inspiration: the 'atonal cacophony' produced by orchestral players before commencing a performance. Drouin's work relates more specifically to the tuning up phase, 'where a single tone emerges out of the various instruments and voices', as that is what happens here: the essential features of these 124 elements are flattened, smeared into one vast, shimmering haze, a 77-minute amorphous drone, endlessly in flux and from which it is impossible to discern its components. It sounds like Thomas Koner, only thicker, and the approach is like that of Jacob Kirkegaard's «Four Rooms», in which Kirkegaard recorded the sound of four now empty public spaces in Chernobyl, played the recordings back in these spaces, and rerecorded the results. If Drouin's work necessarily lacks the – literal – air of alienation and abandonment present in «Four Rooms», the density of his sound more than makes up for it. Layer upon layer of hiss, din, noise, and clamour constantly jostle for attention, all futile; tones creep in and vanish, but its the full mass that's always heard, endlessly shifting, endlessly surging forth. Its deeply, beautifully unsettling, a perpetual approach with no end in sight, like Edvard Munch's infinite scream; the chaos of modern urban life packed into a public square and let loose. (cyclic defrost) [s37-9]

BASS COMMUNION > Chiaroscuro > (Headphone Dust UK, HDBCCD19) 30/jul

Brand new record from dronelord / guitar deconstructionist Bass Communion, aka Steven Wilson, whose day job is playing with prog superstars Porcupine Tree, but who spends the rest of his time, crafting gorgeous sprawling guitardrones and minimal psychedelic landscapes. The latest of which is captured here, Chiaroscuro is a document of the very first live Bass Communion performance, which took place at the Frenzy Of The Absolute festival curated by Fear Falls Burning. And we're happy to report that BC live is something to behold, a buzzing shimmering cloud of washed out psyche guitar drift, dense blackened billows, floating heavenward, while deep downtuned tones keep the proceedings grounded, amidst the swirl and drift, little shards of melody, and high end fragments surface now and again, only to sink back into the glorious druggy haze. The track shifts gears a few times, an acid fried slow burn blow out gives way to soft focus chiming ambience which slips slowly into a deep meditative rumble, finally drifting off in a hushed whir. The second track was originally released on a split 7" with Fear Falls Burning, available exclusively to attendees of the concert, and finds Wilson with his guitar plugged into his laptop, and again conjuring up some haunting otherworldly minimalism, delicate and abstract, before exploding into a wall of crumbling blown out droneblissdoom heaviness, a wild squall of frenzied psych guitar practically melts the speakers. Wow. Would have liked to hear him do that live. Once again, gorgeous stuff, dark and droney and blissed out and occasionally heavy as all get out, essential listening for the guitardoomdronedirge obsessed among you... Packaged in a super fancy, full color mini gatefold LP style CD sleeve. (aquarius) [s33-9]

MICK CHILLAGE > Tales From The Igloo > (Psychonavigation Ireland, PSY 031CD) 28/jul

The debut album from Mick Chillage, Tales From The Igloo is the result of almost 13 years of Mick Chillage experimenting with electronic sounds and structures while constantly redefining and perfecting his vision which draws from many influences, it also showcases an artist who is almost impossible to pigeon hole into any one specific genre. The album is a collection of pieces created between 2005 and 2008 which were carefully chosen to display Mick Chillage's deeper, atmospheric and more emotional side. Mick blends ambient, electro, techno, dub and experimentalism to create a unique mixture of various moods, sometimes reaching epic wide screen scope. From the furthest outpost of distant galaxies on "Gateway Station" while returning to earth gracefully with the soulful electro blues of "Melting Emotion" to the disturbing dark environmental tones of "Disturbed Earth" and "Hypothermia", this is a wonderful trip. The album concludes on a high with a beautiful remix of "The Final Storm" by ambient pioneer Pentatonik. (press release) [s33-9] | video

MARCONI UNION > Tokyo > (Bine Music Germany, BINE020CD) 27/jul

Mancunion electronica mavens Marconi Union drop their latest album for the consistently excellent Bine label, fashioning a Japanese-themed suite of minimalist ambience that's resplendent with a hi-tech sheen. Richly immersive soundscapes are embellished with micro-beats and glitch percussion reminiscent of Frank Bretschneider's impeccable rhythmic designs on opener "Ginza District", and the album just continues to enthrall with its hi-fi, glistening tones: "Lost In Neon" supplies tiny rhythms like the patter of rainfall while "Hatsunori" offers a more propulsive sound, spurred on by Monolake styled dark cityscapes and economical, well-oiled drums. Right up to the awesome filter-sweeping final piece "Temperature Drop" this record makes for a brilliant example of atmospheric home listening, merging luscious ambient constructions with ear-catching beat designs in all the right ways. Highly Recommended. (boomkat) [s32-9]

BOP > Clear Your Mind > (Med School UK, MEDIC15CD) 27/jul

Arriving via Med School, an offshoot of Hospital Records (not to be confused with Dominick Fernow's entirely different Hospital Productions imprint) Bop makes like Rival Consoles and re-introduces us all to the sonic hallmarks of icy IDM templates. Clear Your Mind finds the Russian producer making some rather lovely sounds along the way, maintaining a crisp and nicely proportioned production that's so beguiling it'll distract you from whatever concerns you may have regarding this genre's obsolescence. "Forms, Ideas And Chips" is especially well-produced though it does carry the faintest suggestion that it might be something you'd hear being blasted out at the Ideal Home Show as a soundtrack to an expensive sideboard. Somehow - and against my better judgement, i might add - this very long album works its way under your skin, and anyone who's ever been partial to glitchy, tricksy beat editing and soft, lavish synth designs is likely to find themselves hit by Bop's mighty IDM suckerpunch. (boomkat) [s31-9]

RAPOON > Melancholic Songs Of The Desert > (Soleilmoon USA, SOL166CD) 20/jul

These songs were composed during the last days of the Bush/Blair era and reflect the feeling of isolation and disconnection from any part of the political process and any sense of identification with the prevailing air of hostility and intolerance generated by this pair of religious xenophobes. The unjustified war in Iraq and the subsequent lies and propaganda engendered a feeling of revulsion and powerlessness. Once again it was "unpatriotic" to criticize or protest against the government's actions, and there was a rise in nationalism and extremist views. These songs are a retreat into the one place that no government has yet found a way into, the free and open spaces of the mind. They are spontaneous and mediative reflections looking for an inner peace in a world made ugly by hatred and war. They symbolize a kind of "walkabout" and a reconnection with a lost sense of belonging spiritually, intellectually and physically with the world we inhabit. In a broader sense they also re-affirm long held sympathies with the thoughts of writers and philosophers such as Camus, Sartre and Burroughs, and the profound wisdom of eastern philosophies such as Taoism and Zen. (press release) [s34-9]

FABIO ORSI & SEAWORTHY > Near And Faraway > (Low Point UK, LP026) 20/jul

Italian ambient maestro Fabio Orsi reaches out for yet another collaboration on this, his latest project, teaming up with Antipodean 12k types Seaworthy. There are three individual pieces on the disc: the first is Orsi alone and the last is solely Seaworthy, while the middle track is a collaboration between the two parties. Orsi's "Evening By Evening" is a luscious quarter-hour of drifting synth strings and effulgent major-key timbres - a typically masterful and immersive exercise from the composer - although Seaworthy are keen to tackle their piece from a different angle, embarking upon a more minimal trajectory with "Branch And Stone", using the guitar as a drone-sculpting machine, quietly emitting digitally processed tones over a lovely, very patient piece of music. The collaboration is most consistent with Orsi's sound, taking on a nebulous, densely packed sound that seems to hover enigmatically over the course of its seventeen minutes, brought to life through symphonic minor chords and breakdowns that reveal heavily treated, downbeat guitar fragments. You get a rare sense of cogency from this creative partnership, and the album's three long-form compositions make for rewarding, cohesive listening. Recommended. (boomkat) [s31-9]

ALL HAIL THE TRANSCENDING GHOST > All Hail The Transcending Ghost > (Cold Spring UK, CSR122CD) 20/jul

All Hail The Transcending Ghost is a joint collaboration between Henrik Nordvargr Björkk (MZ.412, Toroidh, Folkstorm, etc) and Tim Bertilsson (Fear Falls Burning, Switchblade). Together the Swedish legends have created arguably one of the most haunting drone-dark-ambient-industrial works in recent years, invoking the spirits of old Nordvargr, meets the sludge-doom vibe of Tim's hellish guitar. This has to be the most unsettling work from Nordvargr, as the man himself states "truly the most scary music I have recorded". An icy chill down your spine... a cold hand on your shoulder... you are never alone in the darkness. (cold spring) [s30-9]

JEGA > Variance (Volumes 1 & 2) > (Planet Mu UK, ZIQ024) 20/jul

Described as the Stanley Kubrick of electronic music, having not released an album in nine years, Manchester's Dylan Nathan AKA Jega finally releases his brand new album Variance on the Planet Mu. In 2003 a draft version of the album was leaked onto the internet forcing Dylan to return to the drawing board and re-write vast chunks of the material. Since then factors outside music have meant Jega's re-location from Manchester to New York and now LA, where he currently lives, and the delay of the project even further. The resulting double album, 18 tracks spread over two CDs / LPs, bears little if any relation to the leaked material of so many years back. The album is split into two nine track journeys each given their own CD / LP. Variance Volume 1 is the light, and Variance Volume 2 the darkness. On Vol. 1 beautiful synth arpeggios battle with sampled flutes and organic sounding hip hop and soul inspired breaks. On "Antiphon" a lone piano weaves around synthetic rhythms that sound like insects chirping and plastic sounding strings impart a real futuristic soul to the song. The overall mood is one of joy and hope with many of the melodies featuring rising cadences of notes, resolving in the major. Vol. 2 is altogether starker. Starting with "Tensor" an electro-acoustic sound sculpture and building up into the dystopian melodies, electro beats and dubstep bass of "Shibuya", In tracks like "Kyoto" and "Hydrodynamic" digital processing and harsh jungle breaks heighten the tempo and the mood towards the end of the disc. (press release) [s30-9]

MICHAEL BROSS > Subway Meditations > (Deep Lever USA, B0026RF8Q6) 14/jul

There are subways in Los Angeles and San Francisco, though they're not as well known as their counterparts in New York City and London. Director Michael Mann focused the climax of his LA-centric film Collateral on the subway there, but the visual impact was about dissociation, not orientation; like much of that film's settings, the subway location provided an unfamiliar, disorienting vantage on an otherwise familiar place. In San Francisco, it isn't called a subway - it's called BART - but that's what it is (even though, as in New York, and London, and Los Angeles, it isn't entirely submerged). These two less celebrated subways provide the initial sound sources for Michael Bross's new album, Subway Meditations, which mixes heavily processed field recordings of subways into a lush, dense sound foundation. As heard on a free track he's made available for download ("Subway Meditations 03"), it's a montage of echoed voices, submerged bleeps, the passing whir of digital insects, and the ongoing deep thrum of dramatic undercurrent. Bross goes into detail on the album's production on his website, at bross.com: "For me, riding a subway train is both hypnotic and calming. The sway of the car. The click of wheels against black metal rails. The long echo of brakes down dark tunnels. It's a space that allows me to think, to contemplate. I'm able to forget myself and, in the process, gain a glimpse of how I fit into what writer Willa Cather called 'the immense design of things.'" (disquiet) [s31-9] | mp3

DELICATE NOISE > Filmezza > (Lens USA, LENS01017) 14/jul

Delicate Noise returns with their second CD - Filmezza - an honest, optimistic and weighted electronica record. The album unfolds like the telling of a dream - warm and sentimental songs wash in and out with lullaby-like melodies, augmented with disembodied voices of children playing. "Butterfly Envy" acknowledges a Boards of Canada influence with a haunting and emotional sound evoking an image of old home movies. "Roundlake Beach" continues the theme while adding a feeling of dusk and darkness falling. A slow motion wave of disorientation populates "We Like Mercury" - the sound of crickets interrupted with pregnant pauses add to the subtle unhinging sensation. Periods of longing and reflection shimmer over the title track looking for a sense of forgiveness. Delicate Noise eloquently phrases personal, thought-provoking, emotional questions with a satisfying richness. And Steven Seibold (Hate Dept.) mixes these songs with kid gloves on, always allowing the delicate and childlike to come through unclouded. Emotive and beautiful, Filmezza provides a soundtrack befitting an old photo of a loved one or a cherished memory with a warmth and satisfaction returning the ears to a sense of wonder. (lens) [s29-9]

LEGOWELT > Amiga Railroad Adventures > (Strange Life Holland, SLR 032) 7/jul

It's inspiring to hear the quality of music that can be produced using "dated" technology. In terms of technological advanced, in an age where we have biblically powerful computers and mind blowingly complex programs and software at our disposal, you really wouldn't think about delving into the past. But then 8bit chiptune music became the "in" thing, and there will always be that one gearhead that refuses to use any piece of equipment made post-1970. Here you will find Legowelt with his latest creation Amiga Railroad Adventures. The name itself speaks for the music. Using the Octamed sequencer on an Amiga 1200, coupled with the Rolls Royce of drum machines, the TR808, Legowelt has gone about making a retro Electronic album that's as much fun as the name would suggest. I can't help but think that Amiga Railroad Adventures would soundtrack a video game perfectly. That is part of the charm as a story seems to unfold as the album progresses. An odd story albeit, but a narrative nonetheless. You can't help but ponder the idea of "Driving Through An Amiga Forest", which plays like an 8bit reworking of a funky number from the 80s that actually fits a driving rhythm. And then there's "Jess The Cat" which could very well be the theme music to a character in one of the early SNES role playing titles. One of the defining points here is that you can make up your own story to follow the music. And that's exactly what we want from Electronic music like this. It should all be this fun! (pinpointmusic) [s32-9]

LEGION OF TWO > Riffs > (Planet Mu UK, ZIQ234) 6/jul

Legion Of Two is a new project from Alan O'Boyle and David Lacey. It pits electronics against live drums and percussion for a dark, dense and noisy dirge. Huge basslines, slow pounding drums and feedback dominate. Industrial, dub and metal influences are shredded through old guitar pedals and cheap reverbs and re-assembled into a driving and melodic force. Alan O'Boyle is best known for his work in electronic music as Decal with a catalogue of EPs and albums on labels like Satamile, Planet Mu and Rotters Golf Club covering electro, techno and experimental music. He has also been involved in recording, production and/or remix duties with the likes of Redneck Manifesto, Two Lone Swordsmen, Jape, Super Extra Bonus Party and many, many more. David Lacey is a Dublin based drummer and percussionist who has been behind a drum kit in some capacity since the late eighties. Since 1997 he has been heavily active in improvised music collaborating with local and international musicians and is also one of the driving forces behind the I+E Festival in Dublin. (planet mu) [s28-9]

ARC OF DOVES > Impressions > (Quietus USA, QUIETUS005) 1/jul

Sublime offerings from BvDub's Quietus recordings, introducing an album of ambient drifts and cinematic scores from Tetsuya Nakamura's Arc Of Doves project. Although producing since the start of this decade, Impressions is Nakamura's first full length album, and a set informed by his background as guitarist in many experimental bands while based around sound structures of minimal dub and a sincere love for the work of Brian Eno and Harold Budd. Impressions is also a fine delicacy for anyone that swooned over Brock Van Wey's recent album, creating the same luxuriant ambience while stirring in trickling pianos and shimmering guitar hazes to great effect. Running at nine tracks deep, the album has an impressive scope, covering blissful solo piano modes in thrall to his heroes (whom you may also recognise inspired the artists name), to a submerged climax on the post dubstep and electronica breaks of "Arabesque". The mood of this set is warmly personal and fits perfectly with the Quietus aesthetic of lovingly hand crafted items to make you feel as nice as they do. Fans of Budd, Eno, Steve Hitchell or Rod Modell will love this - just be warned - this album is available in a strictly limited run of 300 hand-numbered copies only for the world. (boomkat) [s28-9]

... e ainda #31: jul/2009

THE BEAUTIFUL SCHIZOPHONIC > Erotikon > (Crónica Portugal, CRONICA 044-2009 CD)

BIZZY B > Retrospective > (Planet Mu UK, ZIQ145)

BLACK BONED ANGEL > Verdun > (Riot Season, REPOSECD)

BLACK SHEEP > Kiss My Sweet Apocalypse > (Invada UK, INV068CD)

BLASTA > The Incredible Adventures Of Kenzolika & Quetzalcoatl Among The Air Castles > (Argon USA, ARGCD 02)

CLARK > Totems Flare > (Warp UK, WARPCD185)

CLOUWBECK > Wolfrahm > (Shining Day, SHINE11)

DELEYAMAN > Fourth, Part One > (Equilibrium Music Portugal, EQM026)

DENSE VISION SHRINE > Time Lost In Oblivion > (First Fallen Star USA, FFS001)

GREG DAVIS > Mutually Arising > (Kranky USA, KRANK132)

KARSTEN HAMRE > Through The Eyes Of A Stranger > (First Fallen Star USA, FFS002)

OCHRE > Like Dust Of The Balance > (Benbecula Scotland, BEN048CD)

MIKA VAINIO > Black Telephone Of Matter > (Touch UK, TO72)

PAN SONIC / KEIJI HAINO Shall I Download A Blackhole And Offer It To You > (Blastfirstpetite UK, PTYT014CD)

RICHARD YOUNGS > Like A Neuron > (Dekorder Germany, DEKORDER034)

SOCIAL JUNK > Born Into It > (Digitalis USA, ACE018)

ZOMBY > One Foot Ahead Of The Other EP > (Ramp UK, RAMP022LP)

TAPE LOOP ORCHESTRA > 1953 Culture Festival > (Cotton Goods UK, COTTONGOODS002LP) ??/jun

This album comes from Andrew Hargreaves of The Boats, here recording as the Tape Loop Orchestra, fashioning music from muffled analog tones, scratchy, semi-pulverised recordings and above all the rich, static crackle of tape noise. You can hear traces of both electronic and "real" instruments running through these compositions, yet it's the residue left by the magnetic reels that capture those sounds that provides the main focus of the music, presenting harmonious passages in a jerky, crumbling state that becomes the most seductive and tactile element of the album. The saturated, scratchy hues of "Early Summer" sound like the sort of musical antiquities Boards Of Canada, and more recently Bibio have channelled, while the haunting likes of "Yasujiro Ozu" and "Late Autumn" could pass as lost, analogue Vladislav Delay recordings, taking on a shadowy dub-style quality that fits so beautifully with the loop-based structure of the album. 1953 Culture Festival is a must-have for followers of Cotton Goods, The Boats and analog electronic ambience more generally, but as ever, there are only 100 copies in existence, so you best be quick. (boomkat) [s29-9]

STEPHAN MATHIEU & TAYLOR DEUPREE > Transcriptions > (Spekk Japan, KK019) 25/jun

This inaugural collaborative outing from microsound maestros Taylor Deupree and Stephan Mathieu marks a creative partnership between two of the most influential electronic musicians of their generation. Both have made consistently brilliant solo albums over the past decade, and so it's with no small amount of excitement that we set about listening to their first foray as a duo. Transcriptions began as a proposed Stephan Mathieu solo album for 12K, but he soon asked label boss Deupree to get involved with the project, integrating manipulated acoustic sounds (from analogue synthesizer and guitar) into the original thread of Mathieu's music. For much of the album, Mathieu would outwardly seem to be taking the dominant role - his digital processing of wax cylinder and 78rpm records is one of ambient music's most compelling compositional techniques, harmoniously fusing the ancient, dusty physicality of one medium with the malleability and infinite possibilities of another. Deupree adds a whole other dimension to this however, contributing a very human element that interweaves cleverly with the main narrative without ever sounding too explicit. Each piece has its own special qualities and as you'll no doubt have come to expect from these two most esteemed of artists, the production, composition and overall musicality of the project all meet with the very highest standards. Transcriptions is a very special album indeed. (boomkat) [s26-9]

BROCK VAN WEY > White Clouds Drift On And On > (Echospace USA, ECHOSPACE-AIR1) 23/jun

San Francisco's Brock Van Wey (also known as Bvdub) has been spreading his ambient-textured deep techno to the world for the past few years with releases on Styrax, Millions Of Moments, Southern Outpost, Meanwhile, and his very own Quietus imprint. His love of abstract shapes and forms of electronic music caught the Echospace label's attention - so much in fact, that Stephen Hitchell (Intrusion, Echospace) has made his own interpretive versions as an additional CD, included along with the original. This is a soundscape of subtle beauty which paints a picture of lands yet to be explored, a sonic collage filled with heartbreak, love and happiness, all played in the same key. A pure, refined sonic collage, filled with influences that could easily be said to border the surface of works by Steve Roach, Gas, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, John Cage, or even the ambient works of Basic Channel, and yet, this still has an identity all its own. Beautiful layers of sound rush over you like waves in the ocean, a tidal wave of organics and textures so subtle, soft and virtually hypnotizing. There is a sense of space felt here which cannot be described in words, a sense of displacement which takes the listener out of their normal environment and away to someplace else. These spare musical fragments voyage off into the land of dreams, a place where everything appears to move in slow motion and hours feel like seconds. Simplicity in its own world is the most beautiful of things, an art of restraint - not to do too much but to do everything at the same time, which is exactly what Brock has perfected here. This is an absolutely gorgeous gem of the highest caliber and one that the folks at echospace consider an integral part of any ambient or electronic music lover's collection. (forced exposure) [s33-9]

BODYCODE > Immune > (Spectral Sound USA, SPC-72) 23/jun

This is the second full length release by Alan Abrahams as Bodycode for Spectral Sound. Differing from his output as Portable, these tracks have itchy feet and busy brains, chugging along at a brisk clip while cramming in enough rhythmic detail to make one's head spin. Alan grew up in post-Apartheid South Africa, where polyrhythmic percussion first entered his bloodstream; he then lived in Portugal for years, sweating it out in Lisbon's club scene while absorbing the sounds of electronic dance music and releasing tracks via numerous aliases. Three years after releasing 2006's The Conservation Of Electric Charge on Spectral Sound, the man known as Bodycode moved from Lisbon to Berlin. Now, Teutonic house music's taut, jacking rhythms form the core of Immune. The album opens with the super-sub-bass pulse and cool atmospherics of "Meaning And Memory," a track which already sounds worlds away from Conservation's tech-y clicks 'n cuts. Following that track's sleek efficiency is "Hyperlight," a galloping, end-over-end beat chasing endlessly after an elusive vocal sample that always seems one step ahead of the kick drum. Vocal samples humanize Immune's technological edge, providing heavy-lidded narration on lead single "What Did You Say" and lending the click-clacking "Imitation Lover" an old-school diva charm. Immune's closing moments are some of its loveliest, as the title track dresses up its drum-machine beat in chillingly distant piano chords and some low-slung gospel harmonies. Fittingly, Bodycode's biggest musical step forward features a chorus of baritones aptly warbling, "Nothing in this world is immune from change." (ear rational) [s27-9]

CLUBROOT > Clubroot > (Lo Dubs USA, LODUBSD09002) 22/jun

The dubstep and bass sound continues to experience a parallel state of flux, but none of the many new voices and styles are quite like Clubroot. A St. Alban's resident, Clubroot cut his teeth in the early part of this decade listening to drum and bass. As dubstep began to develop its own musical language, its emerging low-end sonic tropes and freedom from rhythmic clutter acted as the catalyst for Clubroot, the moment when he realized what was upon him and was instinctively galvanized into action. His epic debut album is unlike any other yet released in the wider context of dubstep, eschewing high impact rhythmic constructions and muscular bass dynamics in favour of rolling grandeur and elaborately-realised emotive scenes, as thematically profound and vast in conception as it is uniquely expressive. 140bpm tempos and lurching club-tooled sequences are not part of the Clubroot modus operandi: instead we encounter massive bass vistas, intricate garage-influenced spiralling beats, evocative melodic narratives that unwind to reveal fascinating bright flowers and surges of liquid colour, and a sense of stately beauty rarely encountered in electronic music. (piccadilly) [s27-9] | mp3

PLANETARY ASSAULT SYSTEMS > Temporary Suspension > (Ostgut Ton Germany, OSTGUTCD09) 22/jun

Following in the wake of the considerable cleft left in clubs by the preceding 12", Luke Slater dons his Planetary Assault Systems cape for a full album of uncompromising techno on Ostgut Ton. Both of the devastating 12" cuts are included here alongside eight fresh tracks designed to hold you under until you're dripping with sweat and don't know what day it is on the outside. Slater has always reserved his PAS guise for his purist techno productions, returning to it time and again while more folly-like projects have passed by into the anals of record shop bargain bins everywhere. It's one of the few projects that have kept reminding everyone why this stuff is just irresistably f**king effective in the club. If you're into Mills, Surgeon or Steve Rachmad you're probably already very aware of this man, but if not, don't miss. This is sick. (boomkat) [s26-9]

HYIOS > Consuetudines > (Malignant USA, TUMORCD40) 16/jun

The alluring debut from Leipzig Germany's Hyios, Consuetudines offers seven lengthy compositions of cold ritual drones, arching trajectories, and visceral descents into subterranean caverns, where rich, kinetic textures and deep resonant tones move and morph in a fluid, serpentine fashion, sprinkled with the debris of an ancient culture and something more otherworldly and primordial. Leipzig has historically proven to be fertile ground for dark ambient and Consuetudines continues in the fine tradition set forth by such notable acts as Inade and Herbst9. In 6 panel digipak, mastered by Secret Lab. A great new discovery. (malignant) [s40-9]

P. LAOSS > Landscapes & Machines > (Somnia USA, SOMN008CD) 11/jun

Somnia is proud to present an atmospheric and delicate journey through textural dub landscapes and machinistic techno ambience. Exquisite sculptures of reverb drenched chords and clicky percussion wind and float their way through hazy electronic vistas. Representing a palette of restrained minimalism and more beat oriented fragment of the Somnia aesthetic, this 9 track album establishes P. Laoss, a.k.a Vakuum Sounds (Native State Records) as a mature and thoughtful designer of intricate dub and digitalia. Limited to 777 copies worldwide, soy inks on recycled paper, sewn and sealed in wax with incredible cover art by Ray Massini. (somnia) [s25-9] | mp3

GREG DAVIS > Primes > (Autumn USA, AR008) 10/jun

Barely a week has elapsed since Greg Davis' brand new Kranky long-player arrived, and already we have a self-released companion piece to play with. Primes is a more studied, disciplined and academic work than Mutually Arising, made using prime number sets programmed into sine wave generators in Max/MSP. Davis would choose a fundamental base frequency as a starting point and then multiplied that number by each prime number in a given set to determine the "harmonics / partials / overtones". This methodical, mathematical approach is presented within a rhythmic cycle determined by a 3-beat pattern which itself is constructed according to prime number relations. If all this sounds a tad sterile, well, it really isn't. This is magical stuff, deriving its substance from the building blocks of sound in a revealing and (more importantly) beautiful way that follows in a musical tradition that harkens back to Olivier Messaien's experiments with primes in the first half of the twentieth century. This album really shouldn't be allowed to be dwarfed by Davis' higher profile Kranky release: it's surely one of the most fascinating and arresting electronic records of the year so far. Do try and get one while you can. (boomkat) [s29-9]

TU M' > Monochromes Vol. 1 > (Line USA, LINE040) 10/jun

This disc represents the auditory component of a mixed media project from Italian duo Tu M', who describe Monochromes as "a collection of modular audio and video compositions" which create sound and light vibrations that reverberate around the performance space, resulting in "an atmosphere to be contemplated". This being an audio-only CD, Tu M' have in a sense shifted the goalposts somewhat, and the only clue to the visual element you have is the album sleeve, which lifts a still image from the project. Having listened through the disc, it's actually pretty difficult to imagine how any sort of corresponding video might enhance the experience. These compact, finely worked pieces construct an enveloping ambience in their own right. "Monochrome 01" immediately provokes comparisons to William Basinski with its looped, heavily enshrouded loops and ghostly piano gestures, but there's a more digital, less gritty feel to this album that sets it apart from that oft-copied sound. Next comes "Monochrome 02" (unsurprisingly enough), which is far less concerned with constructing any explicit melodic presence, instead content to cast sonic shadows for twelve minutes or so - it's all characterised by a disconcerting intangibility, vaporous and strangely... absent in tone. More overtly musical is the shortest entry here, "Monochrome 03", which unfurls chords that gently swell and fall away like a distant orchestra, only for the final piece to present a more solid block of sound, casting a veil of digital smudges over your ears for a hypnotic half-hour. Abstract and immersive listening from the reassuringly challenging Line stable. (boomkat) [s27-9] | mp3

GREGG KOWALSKY > Tape Chants > (Kranky USA, KRANK131) 8/jun

This incredible follow-up to his Through The Cardial Window album marks something of a departure for Gregg Kowalsky. With a clear change in working methodology, the drone maestro abandons the conveniences and pristine processes of digital technology in favour of tape loops, cassettes, analogue synths and various acoustic sound sources. In his own words, Kowalsky found himself "limited by the limitless possibilities of digital production", and so went back to basics. In actual fact, Tape Chants is far from a simple affair, and Kowalsky's current setup would send a good many minimalist composer types running back to their Max/MSP setups: first, sounds are generated by simple sine wave oscillators, gongs, shruti boxes and various tuned percussion instruments, only to be channelled through Sony TCM 200DV cassette recorders scattered around a performance space. From this point Kowalsky goes about modifying the pitches and playback of the various signals, harnessing subtly manifested rhythmic elements to bring a sense of motion and development to the otherwise glacial confluence of drones. The end result of all Kowalsky's meticulous realtime tweaking and manipulation is every bit as immaculately sculpted as any digitally rendered piece. The patient, fathomless quality to these compositions harks back to Kevin Drumm's «Imperial Distortion» - or more recently Keith Fullerton Whitman's cassette opus «Taking Away», such is the artistry and deftness of execution evident across the album. You'll even hear occasional flickers of William Basinski's genre-defining tape works: 'IX' reveals an underlying piano phrase, wearily blurted out and then dredged through a foggy mass of creaking and hiss; likewise 'V' immerses plaintive half-formed melodies in a pool of eroded C46 smudge. When broadsheet newspapers write about the resurrection of the cassette in 2009 they probably never had this sort of thing in mind, but there can be few finer outlets for the format than Kowalsky's masterful lo-fi soundscapes. Amazing. (boomkat) [s25-9] |

ORBITAL > Orbital 20 > (Rhino UK, 2564689093) 8/jun

To celebrate their 20th year in music, 2009 heralds the release of Orbital 20. Alongside a major UK tour taking in headline slots at festivals such as the Big Chill, Get Loaded In The Park and Global Gathering, the album features a selection of their most celebrated tracks alongside three brand new mixes by Herve, Tom Middleton and James Zabiela (this one exclusive to i-Tunes) as well as two previously unreleased live tracks. Orbital 20 is to be released in conjunction with a 12" single featuring the new mixes. Made up of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll, Orbital were named after Greater London's own circular autobahn, the M25, which was central to the early rave scene and party network in the south east of England during the halcyon 'daze' of acid house. Opening their account with the instant classic "Chime", the duo have gone on to record seven albums, various radio sessions and numerous film scores, crafting some of the most innovative and yet accessible electronic music in the process. One of their greatest achievements is their longevity, which is firmly based on a sound that is recognisably their own. Paul Hartnoll: "This compilation is the most definitive summary of our work since 'Chime' came out in 1989. It's a great introduction, or indeed a reminder, of the story so far..." (press release) [s25-9]

AQUADORSA > Cloudlands > (Glacial Movements Italy, GM006) 5/jun

Cloudlands is the collaborative result of two Italian musicians of the ambient scene - Gianluigi Gasparetti, known as Oophoi and Enrico Coniglio. Unlike the dark and isolationist tendency of most editions from this fine Roman label, this CD shows an ethereal and atmospheric sound that you can guess by its title. The seven tracks of Cloudlands are based on warm drones, often accompanied by metallic bowls and chimes that seem touched by the breeze, with glitches and clicks a bit all over the place, but with great economy of means and a never saturated sound. "Zero Gravity" induces an unhealthy lethargy, evolving in a way that leaves behind the sound elements until there is no more than remaining silence. But it is emblematic of Cloudlands album by its construction at different sound layers, the transparency and depth they have, preserving a complete sharpness. On the other way, "Syhan" is a track that unfolds in four significantly different parts, according the loops and samples which they include. As for "Alone In The Rising Fog", the album's longest track, it is also the most crepuscular, with a mechanical tone and the occasional passage of human figures that suggest the future that never happened - not that future glimpsed through the transcontinental zeppelins of the Thirties, but the a far more daunting future given by the character of Robur, a Jules Verne creation at the end of nineteenth century. Cloudlands is, in short, an album of electronic music that sounds organic, virtually without beats, where the sound of the guitar, the piano, the bowed instruments, and the distant voices, transport the listener to a place without time, into a diffuse dream, where the open spaces of ambient are composed (or decomposed) into particles of microsound. A unique and successful approach, which is the great achievement of this AquaDorsa's CD. (distorsom) [s26-9]

NADJA > Belles Betes > (Beta-Lactam Ring USA, MT170) 2/jun

Warning: not recommended for listening in buildings without earthquake retrofitting: Nadja's doom-fuzz may crack foundations and/or reduce nearby objects to jelly. However, Nadja, here performing a quartet of solo Aidan Baker covers, maintains a certain melodic balance within the throat-clearing guitar lurches which levitates the heavy, like the most graceful pterodactyl-flying-off-with-a-dead-baby-Icthyasaur you have ever seen. Especially when his voice cuts in, the low-end maraud transforms into a sweet continuo that seems like stoner-metal chewing on 4AD's ear. A grinding thump into the clouds which proves there ARE beautiful uglies. (beta-lactam ring) [s26-9]

DESIDERII MARGINIS > Years Lend A Golden Charm > (Eternal Pride Productions Russia, EPP016) 1/jun

To gain a deeper understanding of what is, it is necessary to examine what was – to go to the sources and the origins. With the emergence of this brand new offering by Desiderii Marginis, Years Lend A Golden Charm we are invited to experience the very birth of what is now a well established and worldwide recognised project within the dark-ambient industrial scene. The contents of the new album is made up of some 73 minutes of material from the first three tape releases from 1993. Highly sought after by collectors but only available in a mere dozen of handmade copies, these songs are now finally made available to a greater audience. When you listen to the music with the knowledge that hindsight brings - it is obvious that these are the roots and the foundations, not only of the first full length album Songs Over Ruins, but of every succesive release up to the latest Seven Sorrows. In 1993 there was no set course, no long term plan – and still, maybe it couldn't have turned out any other way? (eternal pride) [s30-9] | mp3

PETER BRODERICK > Music For Falling From Trees > (Erased Tapes UK, ERATP15) 1/jun

By now, Peter Broderick's credentials need no repeating; his solo albums have quickly become among the most respected in the recent modern classical canon, but his talents stretch far beyond that, venturing into singer-songwriter genres for his Type/Bella Union outing Home, and stretching further beyond that for his contributions to the output of Danish post-rock band Efterklang. This latest set of recordings comes from Broderick's score for a modern dance piece, commissioned by London-based choreographer Adrienne Hart of Neon Productions. The brief demanded a piano and strings-based score, and so Broderick sticks diligently to these instructions, creating a sublime thirty-minute piece divided into seven sections. In keeping with works such as Float, Music For Falling From Trees is an album characterised by a languid, supine beauty that drips effortlessly from Broderick's rich, melancholy arrangements. Music For Falling From Trees is a very fine thing indeed, though as ever with multimedia projects like this, you inevitably crave access to the visual component. Nevertheless, Broderick's music paints its own vivid and very opulent picture and makes for another utterly indispensable release from this uniquely gifted artist. (boomkat) [s25-9] |

... e ainda #30: jun/2009

AKATOMBO > Unconfirmed Reports > (Hand-Held Japan, HHR001)

BLACK LUNG > Full Spectrum Dominance > (Ant-Zen Germany, ACT234)

BLACK METEORIC STAR > Black Meteoric Star > (DFA USA, DFA2217)

BLACK TO COMM > Charlemagne & Pippin > (Digitalis USA, ACE026)

CHRISTOPHER HIPGRAVE > Day > (Home Normal UK, HOMEN004)

DIE WEISSE ROSE > A Martyrium Of White Roses > (Cold Meat Industry Sweden, CMI197)

THE EX > 30 > (Ex Records Holland, EX119D/EX120D)

FEW NOLDER > New Folder > (Planet Mu UK, ZIQ238CD)

HAROLD BUDD & CLIVE WRIGHT > Candylion > (Darla USA, DRL221-2)

JASPER TX > Lungs > (Under The Spire UK, SPIRE004)

JASON KAHN > Vanishing Point > (23five Incorporated USA, 23FIVE015)

JIM HAYNES > Sever > (Intransitive USA, INT032)

JON MUELLER > Physical Changes > (Table of the Elements USA, TOECDLP817)

LUIGI ARCHETTI / BO WIGET > Low Tide Digitals III > (Rune Grammofon Norway, RCD2087)

MORITZ VON OSWALD TRIO > Vertical Ascent > (Honest Jon's UK, HJRCD45)

NAVICON TORTURE TECHNOLOGIES > The Gospels Of The Gash > (Malignant USA, TUMORCD39)

RAIN-CLOUD > Kerala > (Under The Spire UK, SPIRE005)

RISIL > Non Meters Vol. 1 > (Important USA, IMPREC218CD)

SILICONE SOUL > Silicone Soul > (Soma Scotland, SOMACD078)

SLEEP CHAMBER > Stolen Sleep > (Inner-X-Musick USA, IX-001)

TARWATER > Donne-Moi La Main (OST) > (Gusstaff Poland, GRAM0901)

TORTOISE > Beacons Of Ancestorship > (Thrill Jockey USA, THRILL210CD)

WILLIAM FOWLER COLLINS > Perdition Hill Radio > (Type UK, TYPE046CD)

YUI ONODERA & THE BEAUTIFUL SCHIZOPHONIC > Radiance > (Basses Frequences France, BF15)

CHIHEI HATAKEYAMA > August > (Under The Spire UK, SPIRE003) 31/mai

Last month's Room40 CD, Saunter, was a joyous romp through organic electronica and this release from new label Under The Spire is every bit as gorgeous. Opening with the intensely lovely 21 minute "Grass Pillow", Chihei sets his stall out in fine style with a deep, uplifting and slightly choral sounding piece. Again, it's one of those tracks that could easily fall under the drone umbrella, but it's more of a drift than a drone if you see what I mean. It soars and glides with consummate ease and really is a captivating and relaxing piece. The second track "Swallow" is shorter but once again concentrates on a textural palette that has exactly the right blend of melancholy and beauty. It's a low-key work and that's probably why I love it so much. Finally comes "A Tube Amp For An Electric Guitar" which moves back into the more organic sound coupled with distinctive field recordings and a beautifully ambient tone. It really is a magical album I have to say and I'm sure you're going to adore it just as much as I did. (smallfish) [s23-9] |

KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN > Taking Away > (Digitalis USA, DIGITALISTLTD40) 27/mai

This new cassette album from Keith Fullerton Whitman is already sold-out-at-source, and copies are a scarce commodity, but anyone familiar with such Whitman gems as Multiples and the sublime Playthroughs will know that this man's electronic compositions are among the very finest of the age, and well worth pouncing on. A studious observance of academic experimental music colours Whitman's career, and even when he's dabbled in very contemporary aesthetics, you always get a sense of where this music fits within the broader historical context of the genre. Taking Away is no exception to this. Spread across two 32-minute sides, the piece surveys the timbral range of a vintage modular synthesizer, embarking upon a steady-handed foray into luscious analogue drone furnished with complex and carefully sculpted melodic forms. The first side is the more minimal of the two, spouting morphing expanses of tonality, laden with fine detail and occasional spurts of acoustic guitar; it's a compacted and beautifully made piece of music, rewarding patience with a glorious overflow of vintage sounds. The second side continues in the same spirit as the first, but this time those big, rotund drones are dropped in favour of intricate harmonic exchanges. Ponderous intervals between bell-like tones characterise the earliest stages before a greater density begins to accumulate, leading up to a midway dirge of tweeting modulations and layered gurgling oscillation. Eventually, sustaining pitches take hold once again, and the final phase of the side takes on a monolithic quality that's a fitting conclusion to such a stately and imposing piece of work. On Taking Away, Whitman transports you back in time to the formative years of electronic music, suggesting the output of composers like Edgard Varese or Eliane Radigue in his discerning manipulations of the electronic signal, and the results are utterly enthralling. (boomkat) [s25-9]

EXERCISE ONE > In Cars We Rust > (Mobilee Germany, MOBILEECD008) 25/mai

Berlin based techno minimalist Exercise One have been evolving a fresh and clinically clean club sound since their debut release in 2004. Since then they've had a string of highly regarded releases on their own Lan Muzic imprint (home to Peter Van Hoesen and Donato Dozzy among others) besides tracks on Anja Schneider's Mobilee label. In Cars We Rust is their debut long player and best display of their precision tooled sound. The disc plays like a mix set, bringing a taste of their celebrated live shows with a seamless blend of cuts weaved with a strong dancefloor narrative. "Circeo" sets the scene with an electro-acoustic studio experiment before plunging deep into the lush string strafes of "1994", darker club techno on "Trapdoor", woozy tech house on "The Drunken Tinman" or deep tripping club tracks like "Sleeper". Refined techno with a club focus for fans of Jacopo Carreras, Luciano or Jay Haze. (boomkat) [s23-9] |

CONCERN > Truth & Distance > (Iatrogenesis / Digitalis USA, IR060 / ACE027) 23/mai

Gordon Ashworth is Concern and this is his manifesto. Truth & Distance is a mini-epic, a minor masterpiece. Within these sonic walls lies a stunning landscape, adrift in golden tones and silver siren songs. Ashworth creates beautiful, shimmering music that defies categorization. It stands on its own, droning away into the furthest reaches of the night. Using only acoustic instrumentation, Ashworth conceives pieces of music in which resonance and timbre mutate and in the air and unfold naturally, organically. Hints of piano glisten like night shadows whispering through the leaves. Strings are bowed and plucked into oblivion. Everything is turned into a pile of reverb. Everyone is a ghost. Concern will shine a light on it all. Truth & Distance indeed. It's all coming up roses this time. (digitalis) [s23-9] |

CLUSTER > Qua > (Nepenthe USA, AMC09014) 20/mai

We are totally in love with this new Cluster album. Not just because they are living legends of krautrock who helped shape electronic music as we know it. Not just because they are in their '70s and still making amazing music. Not just because their instore performance here at AQ a couple years ago left everyone in awe... those are all reasons why we love Cluster in general so it would be easy to just talk about all their past attributes, but the new record doesn't rely on the past, at all! While Cluster have released a few live records recently, this is their first full on studio album in fourteen years! On Qua they do revisit some of the classic Cluster sounds immortalized on records like Zuckerzeit and Sowiesoso, but what we really love about the album is how they aren't just rehashing the Cluster of old. They continue to explore different sound palettes and the musical options and directions those new sounds open up to them. Using their synths they carefully craft these seventeen tracks and while each seems to have a life of its own they are woven together in such a compelling way. Listening to Qua is hearing two masters at their craft weaving sounds together, creating such interesting patterns, shapes and colors. Still at the top of their game all these decades later, Qua ranks high in their mighty back catalog. (aquarius) [s29-9]

Z'EV > Sum Things > (Cold Spring UK, CSR101CD) 19/mai

Through an element darkly... In the fall of 2005 Z'ev began dipping deep into his archives and selecting recordings to produce "sum things / a possible form for cold dark matter", a project reflecting his take on the "dark ambience" genre. Composed between December 2005 and March 2006, these 6 pieces endeavor to transport the listener deep into their long forgotten memories of the primal forces at the dawn of creation. Each piece is based on a single sound source. Absolutely no effects of any kind, not even equalization, were applied to the source recordings. Instead Z'ev relied solely on the stretching of the duration and pitch of the samples and then edited and mixed the results down into the heart of space. Hear then, the state of the art in elemental musics. Not to forget the beautiful packaging by artist Abby Helasdottir. (cold spring) [s25-9] |

RAPOON > Dark Rivers > (Lens USA, LENS0102) 19/mai

One of Robin Storey's many strengths has been to the ability to translate the genius loci of his north England homeland into musical artifacts. Listening to Dark Rivers put me in a headspace of animistic communion with the internal and external landscapes he evokes. As the title suggests, they were mostly of an aquatic nature. These songs are fluid, amorphous, ever shifting, snaking like water from creek to river to ocean, and layered in time (spanning from monolithic rock glyphs to the military-industrial complex of the Cold War) as well as in space. Dark Rivers is filled with many of Storey's patented techniques, his idiosyncratic use of percussion and loops, and sounds culled from various unnamed world instruments. Landscapes, whether natural or altered by man (modern or ancient) are motifs he has explored on his other albums and in his visual artwork. As such this album is a further refinement of his aesthetics and working procedures, and a represented his continued deepening immersion in the environment around him. (brainwashed) [s22-9]

BIOSPHERE > Wireless – Live At The Arnolfini, Bristol > (Touch UK, TONE38) 19/mai

The Touch label releases the first live album by Norway's Geir Jenssen aka Biosphere. Recorded live at The Arnolfini, Bristol on October 27, 2007 by the doyen of environmental sound recordists, Chris Watson, using 2 x Sony ECM 77s with a Nagra P11 Ares flash card recorder, and from desk to hard drive. The recording was mixed, edited and mastered by Touch stalwart BJ Nilsen in Berlin during March of 2009. This concert was part of Touch 25 Live, which also featured a performance of Storm (by Chris Watson & BJ Nilsen). This is Biosphere's sixth release for Touch. In the early 1990s, he was a pioneer of so-called "ambient techno," but since then, he has refined his sound into something more magnetic and enduring. His last album, Dropsonde, wasn't a soundtrack like the interwoven Substrata, nor an episodic journey in the way that Autour De La Lune is. It pushed new directions towards the jazz colors of Miles Davis and Jon Hassell, while re-invigorating the pulse and projection of his signature sound: a hypnotic combination of pleasure and dread. Here, Geir Jenssen takes this further, incorporating samples of field recordings by Jony Easterby and trumpet by Anders Karlskås, invoking a sparser, more arresting sound. A landmark release for Biosphere - his first live album - heralding new beginnings without jettisoning the past. (ear rational) [s21-9]

THE FIELD > Yesterday And Today > (Kompakt Germany, KOMPAKTCD72) 19/mai

The Field, aka Kompakt label boss Axel Willner, follows up his 2007 offering From Here We Go Sublime with another killer long player of shoegazer-meets-techno. On Yesterday And Today Willner expands his palette, continuing the oblique sampling strategy of From Here We Go Sublime while building up the rhythmic architecture. He's joined by a band's worth of live musicians, including ex-Helmet and current Battles man John Stanier on drums, Dan Enqvist (guitar), Johan Grimlund (bass) and Ola Keijer (electric piano), who all work together to create the immense sound offered here. The result is a sublime mix of techno, building sonic layers and the kind of ambience previously used by Krautrock outfits like Tangerine Dream - lush blissed out and electrophoric. (piccadilly) [s21-9]

SUNN O))) > Monoliths & Dimensions > (Southern Lord USA, SUNN100) 18/mai

Sunn O))) present their 7th studio album after 10 years of existence. Work that spanned a year and a half resulted in their most intense, mature work to date. Recorded at various points throughout 2007 and 2008 by Randall Dunn and Mell Dettmer, it features an array of other players including longtime collaborators Attila Csihar and Oren Ambarchi, and other luminaries such as Julian Priester (notable for work with Sun Ra and Herbie Hancock), and slow music God-father Dylan Carlson of Earth. In addition, arrangements were handled by noted composer Eyvind Kang who has worked with John Zorn, Bill Frisell and Mike Patton amongst others. Fleshing out the usual Sunn lineup is an upright bass trio, french & english horns, a harp and flute duo, piano, brass, reed & string ensembles. Despite this, this is not 'Sunn with strings' or 'metal meets orchestra' material, this is something altogether more exciting. (piccadilly) [s22-9]

NATHAN FAKE > Hard Islands > (Border Community UK, 25BCCD) 18/mai

Proggy IDM/techno fans fave Nathan Fake returns after some 2 year hiatus with his latest LP of vast and emotive 'tronica for Border Community. Contained to a very neat six tracks, this is the sound of Nathan moving beyond the clever-clogs dancefloor tracks he produced for Traum and Border Community some years back, and into far more heady music with armchair ravers in mind. Of course that's not to say you couldn't have a shimmy to these cuts, it's just that they're packed with so many corkscrewing turns, IDM-tweaks and software gymnastics that it's just easier to sit back and take it in. Hard Islands is guaranteed to please his legion of devoted fans looking for their next fix of the atmospheric stuff and should also appeal to any fans of the contorted electrotechno of Cane or the widescreen electronica of Jon Hopkins. (boomkat) [s21-9]

ROBERT HAMPSON > Vectors > (Touch UK, TO71) 17/mai

While he first made a name for himself with the balls out psych rock of Loop, Robert Hampson always had an inclination towards the esoteric and avant garde. The slide away from rock into musique concrète for him is pretty obvious to anyone familiar with his Main project, which began as a krautrock inspired industrial band and ended with the pure sonic abstraction that has segued into this new solo work. Rather than working with guitar (as Loop and Main were based upon), these three works, two of which were commissioned by the Group de Recherches Musicales, instead allow for a wider sonic palette to be used, and the results are captivating. This first "true" solo album by Robert Hampson does not really stray far from what anyone would expect who is familiar with the later works of Main, but does show Hampson pushing his sonic vehicle even farther into the dark regions of space. The combination of early tape music, modern digital experimentation, and even a subtle smattering of his "rock" background makes for a sonic excursion that is among the most engaging works of electro-acoustic music I have heard this year. (boomkat) [s23-9] | | mp3

TRAJECT > Birting > (Creative Space Greece, CS017) 15/mai

Excellent electronics from the Greek Creative Space imprint, basically picking up where Strengir Hrynja left off with a new album from Icelandic producer Gisli Thor Gudmundsson. We've heard very little from Traject for a few years, and his fans will be very pleased to know that his style of maudlin post-techno electronics is still as dark and intricate as ever. "Penrose" initiates the session with a tense composition of cinematic atmospheres and contorting rhythm mechanics, both fluid and concrete. "Bjart Er Yfir" follows with more doomy atmospherics of the widescreen and epic kind, weaving in whispered utterances and slow tribal drumming for the full effect. "Samkoman" toys with minimal techno rhythms in a spatially screwed style similar to Vladislav Delay, while "The Horns Are Gone" sets out to sea on pitching electro rhythms and ominous strings. There's a sense of narrative that ties the album togther as a complete package and the production levels are certainly intricate and complex enough to undergo intense scrutiny from the home listening crew. Fans of Robert Logan, Oberman Knocks or the old SpezialMaterial/Skam sound will love this. (boomkat) [s25-9] |

INADE > The Incarnation Of The Solar Architects > (Loki Foundation Germany, LOKI50) 15/mai

There is a world that shadows our world, a world of mysterious design and unspoken secrets, of space that breathes and infinite echoes that never cease to cry. Mirrors that refract images into dark pools of cosmic nothingness. Inade explore these worlds on their latest masterpiece, The Incarnation Of The Solar Architects, in which sound is utilized in a transformative manner, not only to focus on that which lies beyond and that which has never been seen, but to embrace the Darkness and let it wash over one's soul. The mythology that Inade has created touches that place beyond forever, yet now, through the insistence of that which lurks in the margins, a metamorphosis has transpired, in which the cosmos of self has awakened. If one believes that God is everywhere, so is the Darkness that came before Him. A Darkness thriving with anonymous ideals (the possibilities are endless...) and devious intentions, resplendent with mystical creatures that shamble through antediluvian kingdoms constructed from polished metal, luxurious crystals, and unlimited dreams... though one would need new eyes to see them, and new ears to hear them. Inade provide the soundtrack - the frisson of unease is abundant, a churning, seething dread that veers into awe. It's up to the individual listener to listen intently, behind shuttered eyelids... to see and experience the true labyrinthine hierarchy of black splendor that awaits. (loki) [s25-9] | mp3

MANTRA TEMPLE > Temple Soundscapes > (Entropica UK, ENT03330CD) 13/mai

The Mantra Temple is the first release from the Earth Temple, a vibrational sound and healing music project on the Entropica label. These temple soundscapes fuse the sacred resonance of the tambouras with subtle electronica, creating a deep ambient healing experience. The Tamboura's were recorded in the Sri Bal Makunder ashram in Pushka, India which depicts the Hindu muse of creativity and music, Saraswati, who is the inspiration for this album. Originally designed to practise mantras with, it is also ideal for yoga, meditation and holistic treatments or simply as an ambient background to soothe the Soul and bring healing vibrations to an environment. (techno.to) [s21-9]

PROEM > Till There's No Breath > (Nonresponse USA, NR-006) 12/mai

Proem delivers his 8th album and first for the newly awakened Nonreponse imprint. This time out Richard Bailey revisits themes that made his "Darker Still" EP one of Enpeg Digital's most popular releases. Till There's No Breath is somewhere between dream and nightmare and is clearly an album where Bailey takes an honest and emotionally unsettling stab at his take on dark ambient. Somewhere between the undefined washes of Lustmord and the ebb and flow of Eno Till There's No Breath is a much welcomed addition to Proem's body of work. (nonreponse) [s28-9]

LOESS > Burrows > (Nonresponse USA, NR-005) 12/mai

Loess uncovers thirteen tracks including previously unreleased material, released rarities/remixes, and several new compositions. The compilation Burrows summarizes the past eight years of the Loess sound (2000-2008). This collection includes Loess' reworkings of original tracks by Gridlock, Tobias Lilja, and Quench among others along with other original Loess tracks previously only available on vinyl. The latest Nonresponse output also contains five previously unreleased tracks, including two new compositions that point to future inclinations. Burrows spans the Loess sonic landscape; it is both an essential release for fans of the Loess sound, and a perfect introduction for first time listeners. (nonreponse) [s28-9]

WHISPER ROOM > Birch White > (Elevation USA, EV08CD) 12/mai

Whisper Room is a trio based in Toronto, Canada and Berlin, Germany featuring Aidan Baker of Nadja on guitar/effects, Neil Wiernik of NAW on bass/laptop and Jakob Thiesen of Students on drums/electronics. These three creative minds had moved in similar musical circles in Toronto and Montreal for years sporadically sharing stages but did not actively come together to play as a trio until Dec 2006. Since then they have worked as an improvisational unit and combined their disparate musical backgrounds to create music which explores the conjunction of electronic rhythms and textures with the pulsations and psychedelics and shoegaze and krautrock music. After the initial meeting and first set of shows it was clear that the collaboration between the three had a rare dynamism that took the music to another level. (press-release) Birch White seems to be an impenetrable wall. The concept it presents is not explored critically. The sound it pervades is not meant to be digested technically. It's a wall in terms of 'user' penetrability and in terms of sound. It's big, indeed, with a full-blown sound that can only clutter your life. Demystification is not a solution, bedazzlement is. However, it's not really as heavy as Nadja and not really as droney as his solo work. Somewhere between the two, it falls, with its crusts of singular origin. (by chance upon walking) [s22-9]

LUKE HESS > Light In The Dark > (Echocord Denmark, ECHOCORCD05) 12/mai

One of the frontmost exponents of the nu-Dub Techno wave of producers, Luke Hess has built up a solid catalogue for the likes of Omar-S's FXHE, Kontra-Musik and Echocord, who deliver this debut album. Alongside likeminded dub aesthetes like Marko Furstenburg, Quantec or Sven Weisemann, Luke has taken the template of mid-late 90's Berlin Techno and merged it with his native Detroit sound for a purely refined and eternally groovesome sound benefitting from well tailored software enhancements that just weren't available the first time round, allowing him to manipulate the sound to a further extent than his predecessors. Tracks like 'Son Beams' continue in the interstellar tradition of labels like Red Planet with cosmic synthlines given the dub treatment for an engrossing dancefloor experience while efforts like 'Transform' at least match the Berlin school at its own game. All deepchord heads need to pay real close attention to 'Reel Life' tucked away at the end of the album, a real deep winner of a cut sent swimming through tangibly effervescent analog atmospheres in the finest style. Excellent. (boomkat) [s20-8]

... e ainda #29: mai/2009

ALVA NOTO & RYUICHI SAKAMOTO > Utp_ > (Raster-Noton Germany, R-N96)

B12 > B12 Records Archive Vol.7 > (B12 Records UK, B12127)

BARDO POND > Peri > (Three Lobed USA, TLR067CD)

BARDO POND > Gazing At Shila > (Important USA, IMPREC248LP)

BREAK SL > City Wasteland > (Philpot Germany, PHP038CD)

CHIHEI HATAKEYAMA > Saunter > (Room 40 Australia, RM432)

CURRENT 93 > Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain > (Copy Cat UK, NIFE004CD)

THE GOLDEN SORES > A Peaceable Kingdom > (Bloodlust! USA, B!126)

INTEGRA TV > A Morning Announcement > (Alex Tronic Scotland, ATRCD111CD)

ISIS > Wavering Radian > (Ipecac USA, IPC-113)

JACASZEK > Pentral > (Gusstaff Poland, GRAM0902)

JOHN FOXX & ROBIN GUTHRIE > Mirrorball > (Metamatic UK, META23CD)

KRENG > L'Autopsie Phénoménale De Dieu > (Miasmah Norway, MIA010LP)

MACHINEFABRIEK > Shuffle > (Machinefabriek Holland, no cat. #)

NADJA > When I See The Sun It Always Shines On TV > (The End USA, TE134)

PLASTIK JOY > 3:03 > (n5MD USA, MD167)

THE SEASONS > Undone > (City Centre Offices Germany, CCO 040CD)

SEASONS (PRE-DIN) > Har Habayit BeYadeinu > (Thy-rec UK, THY-007)

SPYWEIRDOS > Ten Letters > (Creative Space Greece, CS019)

STARVING WEIRDOS > Into An Energy > (Bo' Weavil UK, WEAVIL38CD)

STEVE ROACH > Dynamic Stillness > (Projekt USA, PRO228)

TROUM > Eald-Ge-Stréon / Abhijnâ > (Beta-Lactam Ring USA, MT181/MT183)

YELLOW TEARS > Don't Cry > (Hospital Productions USA, HOS-246)