Aerosol ::: All That Is Solid Melts Into Air

Aerosol ::: All That Is Solid Melts Into Air
Genre : Ambient, Electronic

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01: Aerosol – Excess (06:53)
02: Aerosol – Near by (07:26)
03: Aerosol – Morning is A Blur (03:41)
04: Aerosol – Untie (05:14)
05: Aerosol – Lazy Sunday (04:20)
06: Aerosol – Woke Up in A Dream (08:12)
07: Aerosol – A Slow Beginning (03:33)
08: Aerosol – Being Around (04:18)
09: Aerosol – East of the Comfort Zone (06:10)
10: Aerosol – Saving Air (05:41)

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Aerosol is Rasmus Rasmussen from Copenhagen, Denmark. Rasmus started his solo project in 2000 while working with band mates Jakob Scøtt (syntaks) and Jonas Munk(Manual) in the post-rock band Limp (Morr Music). His debut EP as Aerosol was released on the Active Suspension label in 2001 which was shortly followed by a handful of compilation appearances. In 2006 Rasmus teamed up with the Unlabel imprint to release his first full-length - the limited edition "All that is Solid melts in to Air". In contrast to the minimal electronics of his first material Rasmussen has taken Aerosol to a much grander, warmer, and organic place which now utilizes the guitar as the main Aerosol instrument Whether those guitars are acoustic or heavily processed electric they are thoughtfully aided by gauzy layers of synths and dub-wise electronics. Rasmussen recently signed on to the n5MD imprint and is currently working on his next full-length.
This limited edition repress of Aerosol's debut mini album 'All That Is Solid Melts Into Air' is the final release in our special repress series in partnership with Oakland's Carrot and Stick press. Originally release via the Unlabel imprint back in 2006 this newly remastered and repackaged version features 4 bonus tracks 3 of which are previously unreleased. A special treat for fans of the Limp collective of artists (Aerosol/Manual/Syntaks).

Modeselektor ::: Monkey town

Modeselektor ::: Monkey town
Genre : Electronic

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1 - Blue Clouds - Modeselektor
2 - Pretentious Friends - Modeselektor feat. Busdriver (emergency call by Pillow Talk)
3 - Shipwreck - Modeselektor & Thom Yorke
4 - Evil Twin - Modeselektor (vocals by Otto von Schirach)
5 - German Clap - Modeselektor
6 - Berlin - Modeselektor feat. Miss Platnum
7 - Grillwalker - Modeselektor
8 - Green Light Go - Modeselektor & PVT (drums by Gordon Boerger, additional synth by Siriusmo)
9 - Humanized - Modeselektor feat. Anti Pop Consortium
10 - This - Modeselektor & Thom Yorke
11 - War Cry - Modeselektor (guitar by Sascha Ring)

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Loscil - Coast/ Range/ Arc

Loscil - Coast/ Range/ Arc
Genre : Ambient, Electronic

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01. Black Tusk
02. Fromme
03. Stave Peak
04. Névé
05. Brohm Ridge
06. Goat Mountain

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Loscil is a recording project of the Canadian composer Scott Morgan. His career in the ambient music genre began in 1999 with the debut self-produced work A New Demonstration of Thermodynamic Tendencies which drew the attention of American label Kranky. Working primarily with Kranky and Ghostly International, loscil has released some wonderful works which led him to be defined by worldwide media as one of the most authoritative composers of electronic music of our times. One of loscil’s main features is to write environmental weavings which revolve around a well-defined subject. For example, the subject of thermodynamic principles with Triple Point or the subaquatic work Submers, where every composition takes its name from that of a historic submarine.

This aspect of the Canadian artist perfectly merges with the Glacial Movements theme and philosophy; that of glacial and isolationist ambient music.

In fact, coast/range/arc is centered around the coastal mountains of the Pacific Northwest, studded with glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons and epic views. The majestic ranges form a striking mountain landscape. These tracks explore the timelessness of mountainous elevations; oxygen deprived and surrounded by boundless skies. Mountains are hardly static - in fact they are dynamic on a time scale beyond the human experience. They grow, buckle, twist, erupt and erode at an epic pace. The Coast Range Arc is filled with such mountains and valleys, their dynamics nearly imperceptible. They evoke awe and a connection to an imperceptible past. They are constantly changing, yet represent such a seemingly stoic fixture in our relatively short lives.

Mountains – Air Museum

Mountains ::: Air Museum
Genre : Ambient, Electronic

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01 January 17
02 Thousand Square
03 Newsprint
04 Sequel
05 Blue Lanterns on East Oxford
06 Backwards Crossover
07 Live at the Triple Door

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Mountains have blown me away with every release. After thinking I would never find out anything about the band behind the brilliance of Sewn, they caught me way off guard and dropped the stunning Choral in 2009 (original authorized review deleted from Blogger, eat a dick Google) and now Air Museum takes a new approach, totally exceeding the insanely high expectations I had for it. All you need to do is take a look at my LAST.FM stats to prove I’m not fucking around with this record. Mountains have ditched the electroacoustic computer processing on Air Museum, instead opting for a more analog approach and running their usual instruments (guitar, accordions, etc) through pedals and synths and shit. So this is probably their least electronic based record but easily their most electronic sounding record. It sounds SO goddamn synthy. This is their trip to outer space. They’re not there yet, but they’re en route, soaring through the mesosphere. This is what I want to permeate every moment of my life. Every little detail on this record is pure heaven. The opening track, “January 17,” has this sound that’s so subtle, but it fucking kills me every time. For the first minute, the song is all primer, chill smoothed out organ layers paving the way for the bliss to come, and a split second before it REALLY kicks in and gets all gauzy grandeur, there’s a quick bubbly sonar blip that just floors me. It’s so perfect. Mountains bounce back and forth between straight up drone and pulsing minimal space techno, keeping a nice balance, never cemented in their textured planar earthly past but not jumping ship for the OPN New Age. They mix it SO well, the sterile jet cabin air static on “Newsprint” breathes life into silver woven blankets, preceding one of the most amazing fucking tracks EVER, “Sequel,” with its surging synth rhythm and gut-wrenchingly glorious sprays of warm golden euphoric harmonies, layers upon layers of sun drenched buzz & twinkle, humming the tune of Platonic perfection and painting everything in absolute beauty, mesmerizing & dazzling enough that Death could arrive and you wouldn’t even notice. I had pretty much put Choral on an untouchable pedestal, imagining Mountains would never be able to outdo themselves. However, instead of making another but better Choral, they made something different but every bit as fucking great. Mountains achieved what Belong didn’t. They broadsided me, again, and this time I really thought I was ready for it. Mountains are fucking IT, man. They’re prescient visionaries. I want them to do something, and they say, “Ok, but what you really want is this.” So they do what they want and in the process make the greatest fucking records of our generation.

Implodes ::: Black Earth

Implodes ::: Black Earth
Genre : Drone, Ambient, Experimental

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1. Open the Door
2. Marker
3. White Window
4. Screech Owl
5. Oxblood
6. Meadowlands
7. Wendy
8. Experiential Report
9. Song for Fucking Damon II (Trap Door)
10. Down Time
11. Hands on the Rail

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Implodes are an experimental rock quartet based in Chicago who defy all attempts at pigeonholing… Centred around core members Matt Jencik and Ken Camden in 2009 and began practicing and writing in isolation until becoming the tight unit they are today. Having performed a number of live shows, they then went on to release a self-titled cassette that received positive reviews and it is with great anticipation that fans have awaited a full length album. Black Earth rises to the occasion and is a work which will entice listeners to delve into the band’s world of deep, dark and dare I say it, cinematic music. Though it is a word overused almost to the point of cliche, Implodes are indeed eclectic within the realm of guitar driven Rock and at times the band can sound like the logical successor to early Sonic Youth at their dissonant best. They also contain shades of influential Noise-Rock band Swans and perhaps something of the melancholic ambience of The Jesus And Mary Chain, but they are not reduced to the sum of their influences. No, they appear to learn the lessons of each precursor and move onwards, forging a new sound entirely their own. ‘Open The Door’ serves as introduction with a short atmospheric track of repeated chord progressions hidden beneath a surface of delay, and it is not until succeeding number ‘Marker’ that the band throw themselves into their performance. The guitars are naturally the focal point here and they sound powerful but just out of reach behind echo and reverb, while the bass and drum rhythm section have the difficult task of keeping time with such intangible audio. Despite the discord and frequently unintelligible vocals, usually delivered spoken or snarling, there is most often a catchy melody to encourage spontaneous involuntary head movement. With this mixture of challenging material wrapped in melodic verse, one imagines the band must be a real tour-de-force live. Alongside these heavier tracks and the occasional short piece, there are moments when Implodes veer into a more experimental direction. The band shun percussion and slow down for the ambient soundscape of ‘White Window’, while a Krautrock influence within ‘Wendy’ offers another element to the band’s repertoire. Penultimate track ‘Down Time’ is an ambient piece as beautiful as it is brief and Black Earth then closes with ‘Hands On The Rail’, a noisy dirge steeped in feedback and harmonic lead guitar. That which makes Implodes an exceptional listen also makes for difficult explanation. The band simply refuses to be easily categorised, so before they are arbitrarily tacked on to Shoegaze, Ambient or Rock, a new genre may be needed and Post-Post-Rock just will not do. Released April 20th on Kranky, Black Earth is available in CD and LP editions. - Review by Adam Williams for Fluid Radio

Various Artists – Erik Satie Et Les Nouveaux Jeunes

Various Artists – Erik Satie Et Les Nouveaux Jeunes
Genre : Classic, Electronic, Ambient

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CD1-01 Library Tapes – Satie On Tape
CD1-02 Kyle Dawkins – Danse De Travers
CD1-03 Minotaur Shock – Small Starts
CD1-04 Max Richter – Erik Sleeping
CD1-05 Chessie – Katy (For Satie)
CD1-06 Danny Norbury – Tango Fragment
CD1-07 Julia Kent – Seul, Pendant Un Instant
CD1-08 ww.lowman – Lakegirl
CD1-09 Akamatsu – Gymnopédie 8 (4/4)
CD1-10 Part Timer – A Clumsy But Subtle Technician
CD1-11 Rachel Grimes – Gnossiennes No.3
CD1-12 That Summer – Le Yachting
CD1-13 Monokle – Mist
CD1-14 Sylvain Chauveau – Prélude De La Chambre Rouge
CD1-15 Fred Lonberg-Holm – Le Flirt
CD1-16 Steve Peters – Hymne (Pour Un Fils Des Étoiles)

CD2-01 Rafael Anton Irisarri & Goldmund – Gnossienne No.1
CD2-02 Pan American – Leftalone (2ème)
CD2-03 Moinho – Movements & Variations For Satie
CD2-04 Hauschka – Chat Noir
CD2-05 0 – Gnossienne No.3
CD2-06 Beatrice Martini & Robert Lippok – Je Te Veux
CD2-07 Peter Broderick – Les Trois Valses Distinguées Du Précieux Dégouté 2
CD2-08 Rachel Grimes – Gnossienne No.2
CD2-09 The Boats – Le Yachting
CD2-10 Astrïd – Erik S.
CD2-11 Eluvium – Ogives/Redistributed
CD2-12 Dustin O’Halloran – Opus 33
CD2-13 Nils Frahm – Body
CD2-14 Mr Potier – Le Jars Des Andes
CD2-15 Steve Roden – EIAIE – In His Name, The Vowels Are Also Notes, And A Small Mountain
CD2-16 Inlandsis – Coloquinte

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This really is marvelous. I’ve always got time for some Satie, the legendary 19th Century composer and Pianist. His compositions have been reproduced by many over the years but to my knowledge this is certainly the most comprehensive collection of interpretations by contemporary players. The audio and Satie’s work really speak for themselves so I’ll let you know the important bit and that’s who features across the two discs (32 in all!) including Library Tapes, Kyle Dawkins, Minotaur Shock, Max Richter, Chessie, Danny Norbury, Julia Kent, Part Timer, Rachel Grimes, Sylvain Chauveau, Rafael Anton Irisarri & Goldmund, Pan American, Hauschka, The Boats, Eluvium, Nils Frahm, Dustin O’Halloran etc. A stellar line up I’m sure you’ll agree. A really engaging listen, hearing how these talents add their unique magic to these important works.

Matthew Robert Cooper (Eluvium) – Some Days Are Better Than Others (2011) OST

Matthew Robert Cooper ::: Some Days Are Better Than Others (2011) OST
Genre : Ambient, Electronic

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01 Curious Moments
02 Drifting
03 Pursuance
04 Into Dust
05 Expectation
06 What You Leave Behind
07 Reprieve
08 Worry and Care
09 Time and Abandonment
10 It’s Never What It Seems
11 Camille and the Ocean
12 Some Days Are Better Than Others
13 Katrina Outtake

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We have waited with eager anticipation to release Matthew Cooper's spellbinding soundtrack to Some Days Are Better Than Others since before his creative breakthrough album, Similes (released under his more widely known Eluvium moniker) was even made. The film stars James Mercer (Broken Bells, The Shins) and Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Sleater-Kinney) as strangers whose lives occasionally intersect as they navigate their way through the struggles of personal attachment and disconnection. When viewing the film, Cooper observed themes being presented regarding our throw-away society, and realized that both he and Some Days director Matt McCormick shared a common interest in this world of things left behind and the emotional baggage that is connected to it - whether broken or simply tossed aside for something new; something once considered the future, turning into antiquated rubble. Cooper decided that using a collection of damaged instruments would be a fitting way to underscore this aspect of the film. Here he uses the inherent characteristics of these instruments to create something honest and beautiful, something that is at once familiar, damaged and unique - something we can all relate to.

Epic45 ::: Weathering

Epic45 ::: Weathering
Genre : Post Rock, Electronic

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01. People Say This Place Is Slowly Dying [0:07:07.94]
02. The Village Is Asleep [0:06:37.89]
03. Evening Silhouettes [0:02:31.29]
04. With Our Backs To The City [0:06:22.04]
05. Summer Message [0:02:41.96]
06. Afternoon, Shadowed [0:01:49.68]
07. The Weather Is Not Your Friend [0:02:57.49]
08. These Walks Saved Us [0:03:05.18]
09. Ghosts I Have Known [0:02:34.18]
10. Weathering [0:08:40.94]
11. Washed Up [0:08:48.89]

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I was going to try and write this review without shoe-horning the word pastoral in, just as a bit of a challenge. I've given up pretty quickly as you can see. It's like talking about the Second World War and not mentioning Hitler. You can't do it. Oh and I'm reasonably sure Epic 45 and Hitler have no connections before you try and detect one and accuse them of being a bit dodgy. Nothing could be further from the truth, as the their brand new CD 'Weathering' is sat here all bright and sparkly looking at me. And an epic journey it is I'll tell you that! I've been enjoying this in my car over the last week and it works best at the sun's going down. Suddenly the music comes into its own and you're transported to a place of special. I think this is the bands most cohesive album and also possibly their most adventurous and accomplished. There are tracks on this album which do the Hood and Talk Talk thing (and Sigur Ros at moments) which you'd kind of expect but there's other gems to be found within! For Example 'With Our backs To The City' featuring Stephen Jones (Baby Bird!) on vocals. It's a diamond of a pop tune and by far my favourite one on the album. It just totally works.

Mid-way through the album you get a weird experimental dark ambient number which splits the album up neatly into two halves. I love it, very different for them. The album is rammed full of inventive and interesting ideas, songs are super layered with so many things going on, yet nothing sounds cluttered. Everything has it's place and no particular element impeaches on the other's musical territory. The music is mainly comprised of layered vocals, strings, field recordings, electronics, acoustic guitars, drums, samples but there's plenty more going on!

Essentially though this is an indie pop album with a lot of bells and whistles. It's a gentle record steeped in countryside romanticism and one which I think many people will cherish over the years. Oh guest stars! I knew I had something else to say! The album features Stephen Jones (which you know about!) as well as Richard Vincent Adams (Declining Winter), Antony Harding (July Skies), Andrew Johnson (Remote Viewer), Craig Tattersall (The Boats & Remote Viewer), Sarah Kemp (Brave Timbers) and lots more. A star studded cast playing a whole plethora of different instruments (hammered dulcimer, clarinet, violin, brass, glockenspiel, xylophone etc) as well as the Epic 45 boys playing a million different instruments, using samples, field recordings and all kinds of shenanigans reckon the boys (and girl) have done good with this 'un.

Tape ::: Revelationes

Tape ::: Revelationes
Genre : Electroacoustic, Ambient

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01 - Dust and Light
02 - Companions
03 - Hotels
04 - Byhalia
05 - In Valleys
06 - The Wild Palms
07 - Gone Gone

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Since 2008's gorgeous 'Luminarium', Swedish troupe Tape have been holed up in their Summa studio in Stockholm, studiously busying themselves hand-crafting a follow up. And what a sequel it is; 'Revelationes' is everything you would hope for from the band and more, finding the well-worn sound of brothers Andreas and Johan Berthling pushing into darker, more downtrodden territory. The overwhelming prettiness of Tape's back catalogue has been pushed aside; echoes of Slint's genre-defining 'Spiderland' haunt the opening notes of 'Dust and Light', but when the signature organs and electronics finally make an appearance it is a markedly more subtle and melancholy affair than we might have expected from the band. 'Revelationes' is somehow deeply sad and incredibly affecting, but is a record flecked with hope - the curiously uplifting vibraphones, wavering theramin and jazz-tinged drums offering an occasional and much needed counterpoint to the mood. The band have refined their craft over an enviable selection of full-lengths, and 'Revelationes', which clocks in at an economical thirty-two minutes, is easily their most focused to date. No song drags or outstays its welcome, instead their pieces are pointed and enjoyable, bringing to mind Tortoise at their very best.

36 ::: Cocoon / Saphron 7" Vinyl

36 ::: Cocoon / Saphron 7" Vinyl
Genre : Electronic, Ambient

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1 Cocoon
2 Saphron
3 Drowning

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The “3six Seven” series is a collection of 7″ vinyl releases. These will be limited to 100 copies, in carefully printed full-colour sleeves, matt laminated, with stunning artwork, curated by various artists around the world. Hand numbered by the artist. No represses will be made in this format. The first release features the tracks “Cocoon” and “Saphron”. Artwork by Masaki Okezawa.

“Cocoon” uses low-end pressure and dub-like delay to create an ever-rising, constantly evolving sound, with an intensity matched only by it’s sensitivity. “Saphron” is pure melancholia, with melodic padwork and drifting textures, reminiscent of the most haunting moments from Hypersona, but taken even deeper into the abyss.

The digital version includes the bonus track “Saphron Drowning” which is a moodier, darker edit of the original. It is music for the earliest of hours, lighting a candle of sound that illuminates any headspace.

Stendeck ::: Scintilla

Stendeck ::: Scintilla
Genre : Electronic, IDM

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1 hold my hand high in the sky ready for the deep dive
2 feel the flames burning inside me
3 catch the midnight girl
4 tired figures wave goodbye in the backdrop of a sinking boat
5 tight around her throat she slips away
6 like snowflakes on my fingers
7 run amok (against time rebels)
8 swimmers in a sleepless hour
9 voiceless wishes flicker in the shattered mist
10 six-door bedroom
11 that foolish fascination of a ghost light collector
12 why did we get so far?
13 learning how to walk through walls
14 last night an angel fell on a motorway
15 thieves of watercolour memories
16 the silence after this
17 crimson clouds cascade

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Two years after the release of the widely-acclaimed ‘Sonnambula‘ album, Stendeck returns with his highly-anticipated new full-length titled ‘Scintilla‘. Once again, Stendeck presents another outstanding mix of generous beats and emotional electronica, accentuated by deep, flowing atmospheres, heart-seizing melodies, expertly-placed noise elements, and lush synthlines.

‘Scintilla‘ is an energetic spark of creativity full of passion, life, and hope. The creation of a fantastic blaze of emotion, alluring and serendipitous; a spark that creates an everlasting fire that won’t soon fade away.

17 stunning new tracks on compact disc packaged in a beautifully-designed 6-panel digipak by Kostas K. of Subheim.

Seefeel - Seefeel

Seefeel - Seefeel
Genre : Shoegaze, Electronic

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01 O-on One
02 Dead Guitars
03 Step Up
04 Faults
05 Gzaug
06 Rip-Run
07 Making
08 Step Down
09 Airless
10 Aug30
11 Sway

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Conceived by Mark Clifford and Sarah Peacock in the early 90's, Seefeel immediately became groundbreaking leaders of the divergent quasi-movement known as "shoegaze", by amalgamating electronics in ways most of their peers in traditional bands would never dream of. They managed to fuse the early Acid House and techno sounds with guitar, drums and bass into urgent melodic waves that on early releases like Quique and Succour oscillated between hopefulness, introspection and downright menace. Now comes the all new self-titled full length, as a new generation of young bands the world over look once again to building their own walls of sound, Seefeel stand ready again to play not only the inspired outsiders, but also the inspirational forerunners. With much talk of implied mysticism abound in music these days, Seefeel deals this out in sonic revelations. From the glacial "Airless" to the lumbering intensity of "Dead Guitars" and the ghostly harmonics of "Faults" each step feels of deeply personal progression. Mark Clifford, "There is a real dynamic, creative process that’s exciting. I feel the music we have made for these initial releases is just the very start and we already have a number of ideas/tracks in place for future releases that I feel push our own boundaries even further. As well as this, we are growing as a live band, adding elements of improvisation and looser structures unimaginable to us a few years back, and with continued touring I'm excited to see how we develop in that direction."

Úrsula - Hasta Que La Soledad Nos Separe

Úrsula - Hasta Que La Soledad Nos Separe
Genre : Electronic, Ambient

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01 Capítulo siete
02 Humildad y paciencia
03 Teoría del sufrimiento
04 Insomnio de verano
05 Reflexiones permanentes
06 Un final decepcionante

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Úrsula has managed to move finely between neoclassicism, ambient, minimalism and, enclosed, certain contemporary reminiscences. They have made a simple language which only object is to transport the public across a path replete with sensations in which their participation is going to be indispensable, establishing one dialog sutil and accurately between the musician and the listener. As one of their models, Górecki, Úrsula do not walk among complicated harmonys and have managed to absorb the essence of Bártok's Neoclassicism. Echoes are guessed to Terry Riley and Steve Reich, besides a distant inspiration in Cage, and have assumed perfectly Webern's sonorous economy at the time that they approach to the beginnings of Arvo Pärt. From the beginning they appreciate an extremely precise and imaginative use of the tremolo and the delay, among other effects, which are the base of the sound of the guitar, which constructs, without scarcely developments, clear and superposed textures. It´s here where more we perceive the influence of bands as The Sight Below, whose principal member - Rafael Anton Irisarri - has masterized the record.

Halls - Halls EP

Halls - Halls EP
Genre : Ambient, Electronic, Dub

Halls - Halls EP - 01 Warsaw Radio Mast
Halls - Halls EP - 02 Shiner
Halls - Halls EP - 03 Cave Days
Halls - Halls EP - 04 Chakra Drums
Halls - Halls EP - 05 Kaleidoscope
Halls - Halls EP - 06 Rise

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VA ::: Tasogare Live in Tokyo Folder

VA ::: Tasogare Live in Tokyo Folder
Genre : Electronic, Ambient, Drone

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01-minamo live in tokyo april 11 2010
02-sawako and hofli live in tokyo april 10 2010
03-moskitoo live in tokyo april 10 2010
04-solo andata live in tokyo april 10 2010
05-taylor deupree live in tokyo april 11 2010

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12k compilations are always a treat, and this bumper set of live recordings is no different. Collecting five sets from performances of Tokyo, we get long-form improvisations and compositions from Moskitoo, Sawako + Hofli, Solo Andata, Minamo and Taylor Deupree to boot. Already with names like this you should know you’re getting quality, and the tracks don’t disappoint. Minamo kicks off proceeding with an effortlessly warming ten minutes of guitar drenched electronic bliss. With rotating oscillators and swathes of ambient noise the acoustic guitar soars into the eventual cloud of delicate hum and sublime transcendence. My pick of the set comes from Aussie duo Solo Andata, who continue their streak of top-form business with a twenty minute slice of dark, Thomas Koner-influenced sub-sonic ambience. This is a much-needed yang to the near-twee of Sawako and Moskitoo, and as the disc comes to a close with Taylor Deupree’s gorgeous, dusty fifteen minute composition you’ll know all is right with the world.

V.A - The silence was warm vol.3

V.A - The silence was warm vol.3
Genre : Electronic, Ambient, Drone

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disc 1:
1. melodium – ritournelle
2. taishin inoue - dystopian air castle
3. talvihorros – rusak
4. hakobune - shimokume
5. teruyuki nobuchika - a day
6. shotahirama - conversation peace
7. flotel – yclept
8. konntinent - caster
9. hessien - falling down around us
10. the 2nd colony - yarn
11. melodium - the decline of iron

disc 2:
1. umin - F/re
2. line spectra - III
3. maps and diagrams - a view from below
4. retina.it - we've seen things hit Jupiter before
5. yu miyashita - telomere stop
6. ard bit - tois
7. darren mcclure - shibuya module reform
8. set in sand - relax on a deeper level
9. thisquietarmy - sunday regenerating
10. amorph - waves
11. hopeless local marching band - and the man cannot describe himself

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Consider a Japanese equivalent of the Kompakt’s pop ambient series, but approached through the lens of sound art and experimental domains, and you begin to have an impression of The Silence was Warm Vol. 3. Compiled by Kentaro Togawa this double cd spans 22 tracks that in some manner or form approach the theme of ‘rebuild’. The artists included form three subgroups, Symbolic Interaction artists; Melodium, Set in Sand, Konntinent, Ard Bit, Hakobune and Darren McClure, Japanese artists; Teruyuki Nobuchila, Yu Miyashita, Taishin Inoue, shotahirama , Hopeless Local Marching Band, the 2nd colony and overseas artists; Retina.it, Flotel, thisquietarmy, Maps and Diagrams, Umin, Talvihorros, Amorph, Hessien, Line Spectra.

Edited highlights of the album start with the minimal bright electronic with kooky clatter beat with warbling melody of ‘Ritournelle’ by Melodium. Talivhorro’s ‘Rusak’ plunges into post rock landscape of acoustic guitar meets soundscaping with electronics in a recurring tone and wired out electric guitar playing distant background sculptural noise which becomes more integral to the soundscape. Teruyki Nobuchika presents a more modern classical piano with pristine tonal electronic signals pulsing through the mix in ‘A Day’. Maps and Diagrams ‘A view from below’ is the closest to a ambient groove track on the album with static warmth and crackle and a slow paced dubbed electronic track. Darren McClure produces a full textured ‘Shibuya Module Reform’ with close miked up effects on objects, bells, bowls, scraping of surfaces wielded into sonic shapes amidst drones, weaving guitars in and out, all forming a sharp dimensional form. The Hopeless Marching Band finish off the compilation with ‘and the man cannot describe himself’ a slow slightly off kilter piano and effects moving into a melancholic drumbeat piano denouement of a track, as if signalling the carnival is over but the sound is still fused in their display, playing the downbeat into a post-rock wall of guitar fuzz and the party is over.

It’s a compilation consistent high standards with its production and mastering by Rudi Arapahoe crisp and dimensional. Covering areas of ambient, glitch, modern classical, drone, post-rock and soundart it is a comprehensive round-up of the edge of contemporary experimental ambient in Japan and beyond

Ossining ::: I Will Be Missed

Ossining ::: I Will Be Missed
Genre : Electronic, Ambient, Drone

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01 Mirror Warmer
02 Go For Pinks
03 Moons

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Super-limited pressing of just 150 copies for the world - if you're into Oneohtrix Point Never, don't miss this* Digitalis activist Brad Rose maps out three passages to synthetic galaxies with Kevin Danchisko of Sovetskaya Gone. For the keenest of observers, they dropped two tapes last year, but 'I Will Be Missed' is their first vinyl release, containing three new tracks of vast and mysterious drones punctuated with starbursting synth patterns and a wide-eyed effect harking back to early 90s ambient qualities with a nod to narcotically laced Americana that fand of Oneohtrix will adore. However, as it's a Digitalis release, there's something disturbed and just a little squinted lurking in the background, especially with the lengthy A-side composition 'Mirror Warmer'. The near psilocybic queerness of the melodies and spacious harmonics also recall Leyland Kirby's distorted memories but threaded with howling inhuman voices shrieking way back in the ether while the symphony continues to phosphoresce regardless, almost ignorant of the pain underneath. On the other side the choral voices (or are they just synths?) of 'Go For Pinks' recaptures the spirit of a chill-out room for a midwest American rave, but with a more sinister, brown speckled twist. 'Moons' completes the album with stray arpeggiations, godly vocal harmonics and bloopy sequences masking an underlying tension, perhaps saying that this form of dosed-up, lethargic escapism has something intrinsically wrong and unusually disturbing. Fans of feeling strange should book themselves on this trip without delay...

Tim Hecker ::: Ravedeath, 1972

Tim Hecker ::: Ravedeath, 1972
Genre : Electronic, Ambient, IDM

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01. The Piano Drop
02. In the Fog: I-III
03. No Drums
04. Hatred of Music: I-II
05. Analog Paralysis, 1978
06. Studio Suicide, 1980
07. In the Air: I-III

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Tim Hecker's latest work approaches a form of secular musical transcendentalism from within the battered temple of spirituality. Recorded in a church in Reykjavik, Iceland and using a pipe organ as the primary sound source, this new piece is essentially a live recording. In reality, it exists in a nether world between captured live performance and meticulous studio work, melding the two approaches to sonic artifice as a unity. It is in parts a document of air circulating within a wooden room, and also a pagan work of physical resonance within a space once reserved for the hallowed breath of the divine.

While the title of the piece "Hatred of Music" might be a clue, the album is also partly an attempt to confront a pervasive negativity surrounding music. Historical rituals of destroying pianos, mountains of pirated CDRs pushed by bulldozers in Eastern Europe, or the melancholy of the digital music era began as sideline motifs which quickly informed the work on this record. They also really didn't at all.

Despite that the context is wide open in such a form of musical abstraction, the substance of these immersive compositions showcases Hecker's continued mastery of organizing sound into a visceral near entity. It is an almost physical presence that the listener feels as much as hears. This work is a significant contribution to Hecker's oeuvre, one which spans over ten years of musical production. Ravedeath is an enigmatic document of beauty and force.

Maps & Diagrams ::: A Pulsating History

Maps & Diagrams ::: A Pulsating History
Genre : Electronic, Ambient, IDM


01 The Modern Century
02 Anti-Clockwise
03 First Quarter
04 Drake's Departure
05 On Esquiline Hill (feat Ylid)
06 Particles of Earth.
07 Coming in from the Cold
08 The Lonely Planet

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Fabio orsi ::: Stand Before Me, Oh My Soul

Fabio orsi ::: Stand Before Me, Oh My Soul
Genre : Electronic, Ambient, IDM

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01 All The Trees Of The Field Will C
02 The Dress Looks Nice On You
03 In The Devil's Territory
04 To Be Alone With You
05 Abraham
06 Sister
07 Size Too Small
08 We Won't Need Legs To Stand
09 A Good Man Is Hard To Find
10 He Woke Me Up Again
11 Seven Swans
12 The Transfiguration

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Preservation's latest captures Italian experimentalist, Fabio Orsi in hungry, visceral form. Joined by Rich Baker's original drum loops, Fabio plays guitar, keyboards, voice and effects on eight relatively short, one might even say poppy, rock postures within an immersive ambient sound sphere. Considering that he's best known for lushly textured drone and ambient works 'Stand Before Me, Oh My Soul' is a hugely confident sideways shift into a new realm of more aggressive sonics with a defiantly rocking dynamic. However, he has retained a tangible link with his quieter self through the use of repetitious drum looping and structured arrangements which unfold more like a drone composition than your average rock track. This all results in a sound approaching Seefeel-esque shoegaze in the towering, expansive opener 'Naked Trance', the doomy jazz scapes of Bohren And Der Club Of Gore on 'Folks! My Soul Stands Up Before You!' and narrow-eyed Krautrock on 'Papa, Show Me Your Blues LPs'. In 'Full Metal Flat' in foregrounds tense, ascending synths over crashing, noisy drums for a take on Post Rock while 'My Awesome Drugs Propaganda' is punkier, more visceral, and we return to blissed ambient noise on 'Please Could You Hide That Ghost Noise' and it's proggier counterpart 'Ghost Track', closing to the breathtaking, autofluorescent ambience of 'Soon, I'll Be At Home'. Gorgeous.

Black Swan - In 8 Movements

Black Swan - In 8 Movements
Genre : Electronic, Ambient, Drone

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01 Part I
02 Part II
03 Part III
04 Part IV
05 Part V
06 Part VI
07 Part VII
08 Part VIII

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Majestic and mysterious album of lucid dreamlike dronescapes from an unregistered entity - quite a must for fans of Stars Of The Lid, Leyland Kirby, Phillip Jeck or Indignant Senility. 'Drones For Bleeding Hearts. In 8 Movements' submerses us in a flickering, half-lit world of creaking, unidentified acousmatic sound and orchestrated drones with chillingly tangible atmospherics. When Black Swan drops the temperature, say with a sudden ghoulish howl from the peripheries or a disorientating blast of icy nothingness, you can practically feel your hair moving in kinaesthetic syncopation. To this degree he evokes the psychedelic, gaseous nature of Phillip Jeck's music and also the piloerect effect of Indignant Senility's Wagnerian overtones. But there's something detached, silhouetted and lurking between the lines that suggests something creepier, as though Black Swan is watching you listen to his music with a face caught somewhere between voyeuristic sneer and irreconcilable sorrow. It's too early in the day to be falling into this right now, but once night falls we'd imagine the effect to be massively intensified.

Duckbay - VA

Duckbay - VA
Genre : Electronic, Ambient


01 Tanaka Munechika - Tuner
02 Aquarelle - At The Seams
03 Ian Hawgood - Heather Withdrawn
04 Pawn - Morning Mist
05 Simon James French - Esther
06 Con_Cetta - Defectivus
07 Segue - 25
08 Sublamp - Owldrive (For Ann)
09 Peregrino - Cecilia
10 Hakobune - Unnoticed Envelope
11 Opitope - Our Music
12 Mimosa_Moize - Frosted Window
13 Jasper Leyland - The High Boundary
14 Tanner Menard - Only You Can Know


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Duckbay is an internet based record label that releases one compilation of minimal, ambient and experimental music each year. as a label that releases only compilations, I hope to set duckbay apart from other record labels by fulfilling a niche. These albums will include music from artists all around the world, selected from an ever expanding network of friends and artists who each have their own unique sound and expression. The real difference compared to other compilations, I think, is the personal touch in with each release as all the artists are selected by one person (Jordan Sauer), which means the final product will have a cohesive sound and vision (which only materializes at the very end!).

Shaula - Non_rem_sleeps

Shaula - Non_rem_sleeps
Genre : Electronic, Ambient

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1 Origin Of Mirage 7:35
2 Parachute 3:15
3 Macula 8:48
4 Ghost Type 5:02
5 Lepido 10:01
6 Opaque 5:00
7 You Sleep Like Lyric Poetry 6:19
8 Rem 4:02

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Somehow welcomes shaula to our site with a full length album. Non_rem_sleeps is a hidden treasure of an album and has a different story with every track. From the outset shaula plays with guitars & sounds that eclipse what the listener is hearing. Ghost type strolls, pressing the listening experience, but always reminding you of someplace, sometime…..

Favourite track for us is Lepido, simply stunning. A fine and surreal guitar track layered over beautiful drones that give a sense of today, tomorrow, even yesterday.

We hope that shaula will return with us for another album soon. But for the moment, keep this safe with you at all times….

Ø (Mika Vainio) - Heijastuva

Ø (Mika Vainio) - Heijastuva
Genre : Electronic, Ambient

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1-Heijastuva
2-Anksiolyytti
3-Ensimminen_Valo
4-Hikari

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Something quite exceptional from Mika Vainio - a 17 minute exploration of guitar feedback manipulation plus three further minimalist electronic compositions. Not that it was ever in question, but 'Heijastuva' shows the real scope of Mika's oeuvre from the outset with a lightshow of tenderly harmonised and deftly sculpted distortion referencing timeless music from Robert Fripp and Brian Eno's experiments in the '70s through to modern day Fennesz or Jim O'Rourke, all with a graciously diffident composure and detached beauty. This track could reduce sentimental types to tears. In more familiar, bleak and isolated terrain 'Ankysiolyytti' is eleven minutes of wonderfully alien soundscapes mapping similar zones to Daphne Oram or Rafael Toral. Cleansing the palette, 'Ensimmäinen Valo' redolent of his amazing 'Kantamoinen' tracks may be short but it's also one of the most affecting pieces here, and 'Hikari' is a sublime exercise in ultra-refined, minimalist electronic composition with a crisp and purified finish

Ghost and tape - Ghost and tape

Ghost and tape - Ghost and tape
Genre : Electronic, Acoustic, Ambient

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1. Onesome
2. Bless The Blind
3. Sister
4. Craddle w/Akira
5. To Scratch
6. Ghostday
7. Pretty Drops
8. Automatic
9. It’s Morning
10. Science of Sundays
11. Loop Charm
12. Lorenzos Day

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Lives in Barcelona Spain, “ghost and tape” is a solo unit by Heine Christensen.
His works were well received in both “Note of seconds-schole compilation vol.2-” and a piece which was included in a multi-media “CLARITY (CD+BOOK)”, and finally Schole Records is about to release his long-awaited debut album.

Like its name, “ghost and tape” creates sound like a mirage of perfect lo-fi oriented. Noise sounds like a mixture of old tapes, and invites us to slumber while tracing the middle of Acoustic/Electronica. The opening song “onesome” goes with guitar arpeggio loop which reminds the classic pop. Then, the exhilarating melody “bless the blind” takes listeners to the first climax with noisiness. In “cradle,” the voice of female vocal cut-ups makes people trip in melting. Akira Kosemura’s keyboard adds more to it. As Heine layered his soft vocal with much of floating feelings in “ghostday,” “ghost and tape” expands his popness with putting in some own twists while making listeners glimpsing the country-flavored honest melody line.

The harmony is born between rough texture and noise that covers the whole tracks, a unique electronic sounds, and acoustic instruments to be the supreme relaxing daydream.