Maps And Diagrams :: Cubiculo

Maps And Diagrams :: Cubiculo
Genre : Electronic, Ambient

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1. The Melancholy of the Weavers 04:28
2. Kopangyang 04:16
3. Gnomish Twang 04:35
4. Fragments of a Former Moon

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Taking some time out from making music with Charles Sage as Hessien, Tim Martin brings his Maps and Diagrams project to the surface with four exclusive songs for Fluid Audio.

'Cubiculo' features a more structured, loop-based arrangement, drawing attention to a rounded and melodic stencil with focus on subtle, micro-crystalised rhythm, surrounded by a self-assurance and tangled textures with a salute towards the work of Oval and their deconstructed works of the 90's.

'Cubiculo' creates a less-harsh listening environment compared to 'The Giant Woods' album on Yuki Yaki released in December 2009 and this is another steadfast release carefully crafted, interwoven with unfolding elements that makes Maps and Diagrams'
compositions so precisely enduring.

Isan :: Glow In The Dark Safari Set

Isan :: Glow In The Dark Safari Set
Genre : Electronic

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1. Channel ten
2. Device
3. Merman Sound
4. Grisette
5. The Axle
6. Greencracked
7. 64 Fire Damage
8. Catgot
9. Dapperling
10. Slurs And Slowly
11. Eastside

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Robin Saville and Antony Ryan, two English gentlemen who create music together under the nom de plume Isan, return with their sixth full length album for their spiritual home of Morr Music. It’s been a few years since Isan’s previous outing, the delectable electronic esoterica of Plans Drawn In Pencil, but our heroes haven’t been lazy. “We played some lovely shows on the back of the album and then took an unintentional sabbatical,” explains Robin. “Antony moved to Denmark and then Sweden where he's now learning to be a glass blower. No really”, he deadpans in as good natured a way one close friend can talk about another. Robin also released a critically acclaimed album himself, the agrarian electronica of Peasgood Nonsuch. No wonder it took them a while to finish Glow In The Dark Safari Set. The results, in (ahem) time-honoured Isan tradition, are certainly worth the wait. Opener, Channel Ten, with its Autobahn-assured poise, appropriately prefigures a body of work that is Isan’s finest to date. Inspiration for this came from ‘emancipation’ as Robin elaborates “It was an attempt to jettison the weight of our back catalogue and get back to the fun of making music. This entailed playing with ancient Casios, mangled tape loops and squidgy noises. Very hands-on. Most of the tracks on the album started life away from the laptop” This giddy sense of enjoyment suffuses the album – from the glistening rush of Merman Sound which segues into the soft focus sound world of its own coda seamlessly to the cinematic, techy strut of Grissette or the calmly oscillating and cascading melodies of Greencracked which evoke images of a retro-futurist utopia. Isan have always excelled at fashioning a quietly awe-inspiring music and Glow... is no exception. Even the title suggests a sense of wide-eyed-wonder “We were playing with lots of ideas around fire, embers, bioluminescence and the title popped into my head one day. It seemed to sum up a lot of the things we like - I like to imagine sitting in a darkened room looking at the gentle green glow of 1970s vu meters, then they all come to life and start crawling up the wall” says Antony. Such is the album’s celestial hot-wired circuit board wizardry; Glow In The Dark Safari Set positively throbs, ebbs and flows with electronically refracted ideas and melodies – a digital tone poem sitting somewhere betwixt the cosy experimentation of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and the exotic sonic emissions of a top secret Düsseldorf studio circa 1975. “I think we'd like to see it as a bit of a reset in terms of the Isan canon” concludes Robin. If that’s the case then Isan fans old and new will be delighted to hear that Glow In The Dark Safari Set points to a beautiful future. Bask in its brilliance. - Rich Hanscomb

Aidan Baker :: Liminoid / Lifeforms

Aidan Baker :: Liminoid / Lifeforms
Genre : Electronic, Ambient, Drone

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1 Liminoid (Part I) 8:17
2 Liminoid (Part II) 6:35
3 Liminoid (Part III) 7:43
4 Liminoid (Part IV) 15:12
5 Lifeforms 29:21

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While Alien8 Recordings has had the pleasure of releasing three full-length albums by Aidan Baker’s ambient doom project Nadja, as well as his collaborative effort Fantasma Parastasie with Tim Hecker, this marks our first solo release with the artist.

Although we consider Liminoid/Lifeforms to be a solo effort, there are in fact no less than eight guest musicians helping out on the recording. These include Canadian noise legend Knurl (a.k.a. Alan Bloor) who has been released three times on Alien8 Recordings prior to this recording, as well as members of Arc, Picastro, Forest City Lovers and Whisper Room.

Liminoid is a composition for large ensemble exploring sonic immersion in drones and textures, rhythms and pulsations. Incorporating composed and improvised segments, the piece uses elongation of sound and layered polyphony in an attempt to create a liminal and/or numinous state. This recording of Liminoid is from its premier at The Music Gallery’s X-Avant Festival in Toronto, October 25, 2008. The piece features a powerful vocal performance with every member sharing the vocal duties. The lyrics have been adapted from 5th-8th century Coptic Christian texts and inspired by the book Ancient Christian Magic by by Marvin W. Meyer & Richard Smith.

The ensemble members for this performance were: Aidan Baker (guitar/voice), Clara Engel (guitar/voice), Nick Storring (cello/voice), Jakob Thiesen (drums/voice), Richard Baker (drums/voice), Tillman Lewis (cello/voice), Laura Bates (violin/voice) and Jonathan Demers (guitar/voice).

Lifeforms is a composition for strings, prepared/effected guitar, and amplified metal works. Likewise incorporating written and improvised material, the piece was originally commissioned and performed by The Penderecki Quartet in 2003. This recording was made in August 2008 at Commonwealth Studios in Toronto. The performers were: Aidan Baker (guitar), Nick Storring (cello), Mika Posen (violin) and Alan Bloor (metal works).

This recording has been both skillfully mixed from multiple recordings and mastered by James Plotkin.

Maps and diagrams :: toopuudus

Maps and diagrams :: toopuudus
Genre : Ambient, Electronic

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1. Urschîpfung
2. Glottal
3. KÑsiraamat

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V.A. songs of twilight

V.A. songs of twilight
Genre : Ambient, Electronic

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1. Snowy Lava (Ametsub)
2. Whim [new mastering version] (Serph)
3. Sparking Swallow (sooner)
4. Apoptosis (Caelum)
5. Winter Dusk [exclusive ver.] (Ametsub)
6. Rowboat [with Piana] (FourColor)
7. F (flica)
8. Hello World (miaou)
9. Chrome Yellow (Lowriders Deluxe)
10. The Stars in Spring (epic45)
11. Love Tendrilises (SUSUMU YOKOTA)
12. Niedola (matryoshka)
13. 1 C B 6002 (aleph-1)
14. Common Colors in the Air (aspidistrafly)

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Clubroot - II: MMX

Clubroot - II: MMX
Genre : Electronic, Dub

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01. Orbiting [05:03]
02. Waterways [05:02]
03. Dry Cured [05:21]
04. Sjambok [01:47]
05. Toe To Toe [04:40]
06. Whistles & Horns [04:41]
07. Running On Empty [05:01]
08. Physicality [05:21]
09. Dust Storm [03:47]
10. Closure [07:08]
11. Cherubs Cry [05:15]

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Deep-end dubstep heads, your time! Clubroot follows up his revelatory debut with a second set of deluxe post-rave for the emotionally scarred stepper. Unlike most producers of his ilk, Clubroot's music is almost defined by the fact that he simply doesn't play livesets. Perhaps it's a homage to that other show-shy figure, Burial, but it's probably more the fact that he'd have everyone in a blubbering puddle in the middle of the floor, meaning these tracks are ideally suited to smoke & whiskey aided armchair sessions. These eleven tracks adhere to the formula of his former set, using spare, dread-reverbed percussion, sweeping subbass harmonics and a framework of late 90's to early 00's warehouse vibes to express a particular sort of smudged anguish. 'Orbiting' starts the rush with a cascade of angelic voices summoned from a Hysteria hyperrave in Milton Keynes circa 1996, while 'Waterways' offers a half-hidden glimpse of fluid tech-step submerged under trolleys and tesco bags at the bottom of an inner city canal. The impressive 'Whistles & Horns', shakes out Orbital-esque rhythmic twists with the kind of synthbass finesse mastered by Teebee, 'Running On Empty' nods to the hanging halfstep of Kryptic Minds and then there's 'Cherubs Cry'. Do we really need to describe that one? Big.

Сеlеr :: Dwеll In Роssibility

Сеlеr :: Dwеll In Роssibility
Genre : Electronic, Ambient

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1. Dwell In Possibility Pt. 1
2. Dwell In Possibility Pt. 2

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I think I'm right in saying that this is Celer's first vinyl album? And unsurprisingly it contains a whole lotta sweet, sweet ambience. When I saw the artwork I wondered if it might be a sort of sister release to the amazing Engaged Touches but it's actually got quite a different, darker, feel on the whole. I guess if you follow through with the travel themes of the photographs on the two releases it might almost seem as if the Home Normal CD was the sound of reuniting with a loved one and this Blackest Rainbow release the sound of departing from them.. That's the beauty of their stuff I guess, they hint at all sorts of things but really you can read into it whatever you like and it'll probably end up being different with every listen. Whatever the intention, this is pretty gorgeous. As always!

Fаbiо Оrsi :: Wintеrrеisе

Fаbiо Оrsi :: Wintеrrеisе
Genre : Electronic, Ambient, Drone

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01-fabio_orsi-part_one
02-fabio_orsi-part_two
03-fabio_orsi-part_three
04-fabio_orsi-part_four
05-fabio_orsi-part_five
06-fabio_orsi-part_six

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Fabio Orsi has been steadily building his catalogue with releases on Students of Decay, Foxglove, Sentient Recognition Archive, A Silent Place, Students Of Decay, Low Point and Preservation. He makes his debut this week on Japan's Slow Flow Rec following excellent releases from Celer and Ian Hawgood. The audio comes in six parts and it's really doing the business for me. It's ultra soothing ambient/ drone of very high quality that just gets you in that zone. He composes using guitar, effects and old keyboards and creates a stirring and emotive sonic landscape. I think I've probably exhausted my vocabulary in terms of writing about this style so I'll spare the adjectives and give this a very high recommendation.

When the clouds :: The longed-for season

When the clouds :: The longed-for season
Genre : Shoegaze, Electronica

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01. The Dawn and The Embrace
02. Rise On
03. Flooding River
04. November Song
05. The Place Where This Path Leads
06. The House of Sleep

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When the Clouds is the recording project of artist and producer Franceso Galano of Salerno, Italy. Francesco has a strong passion for art which has led him from an early age and culminated in his decision to study Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. At age 13, he had his first brush with making music via a broken acoustic guitar which he'd received as a gift from his uncle. From that moment on, his life was divided by two passions: art and music. While playing in several bands as a teenager, he also began composing music on his own. Francesco released his first demo in 2004, under the name Eid Ethyca, called “White Noise, Awake Memories”. This early project was close to the musical dimension he'd later finesse as When the Clouds. One notable difference being, voice was an important component to the song structure. With When the Clouds he's focused more on sound, spending time studying and obsessing over musique concrète's textures, noises and glitches. As a result he's steered towards instrumental music, and began to incorporate acoustic instruments in his sound. His focus on more organic sound, he's started to make extremely narrative instrumental electronic music that in and of itself tells a story. In each of these tracks, each listener could define in words or images something different. Inspired by the pastoral beauty of nature and its evocative power that holds sway over him, When the Clouds' very name can be left open to interpretation, just as any viewer can find shapes or meaning in the clouds themselves as they pass overhead. The Longed-For Season is a six track tapestry that reveals more and more of itself with each listen. Equal parts restraint, masterfully crafted tension and euphoric release that will leave listeners lost in thought. RIYL: Mum, Telefon Tel Aviv, The Soul's Release.

Offthesky :: du soleil

Offthesky :: du soleil
Genre : Electronic, Ambient, Experimental

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1. burning of pella soleil
2. sea ghosts
3. desert poly
4. photosynesthesia
5. du soleil (remixed by darren mcclure)
6. du soleil (remixed by billy gomberg)
7. du soleil (remixed by offthesky)

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Time is a strange thing. Two and a half years ago (65 releases ago, in netlabel-speak) Resting Bell released offthesky’s “rare decay“. A timeless and beautiful 4 song EP. I didn’t hesitate a second when Jason Corder asked me if I’d be interested in a re-release of his musically related “du-soleil” EP which was originally released via atmoworks back in 2007.

“du soleil” is not only fully remastered, but it is also extended with three fine remixes from Darren Mcclure, Billy Gomberg and offthesky himself. So all in all around 54 minutes of pure bliss – not really an EP anymore I suppose. As I listened to “du soleil” it was hard for me to believe that this work is even dated. It sounds fresh, gentle and bright with the same timeless quality, you can find in all of Jason’s releases. “du soleil” is a very calm ambient-work with many subtle melodies and musical ideas hiding inside.

Last but no least, the three additional remixes are quite stunning: Darren McClure’s rework presents a multifaceted structure of evolving and lush tonal climates. Billy Gomberg brings a moody and diffused interpretation with subtle tone resting upon a bed of ash like analog texture. Jason’s own perspective is a soft re-synthesis of compositional elements and samples used throughout all 4 pieces in “du soleil”. This group of additional treats, makes the perfect landing for a work that certainly stems from somewhere above.