remote_ thoughts

Remote_ Thoughts Has Moved

2009-10-04T12:37:00.002+01:00

After a lengthy hiatus, Remote_ Thoughts is now up and running again but has moved.

You can find it here:

Remote_ Thoughts

It's in a simpler format and has easier categorisation and I think the improvement is tangible.

Look forward to much more regular updates in the future.

Hope to see you soon!

Fourm / Steinbruchel - Knot 3 - White_Line Editions - 3" CDr

2007-08-23T20:57:00.000+01:00

I'm an unabashed fan of BG Nichols' work whether it's under his Si_Comm or Level guises and now I'm extremely pleased to have experienced his new Fourm project.

Having discovered a recording of a Ralph Steinbruchel live set entitled 'Box' he set about getting permission from the artists to rework the pieces from the CD in his own inimitable style. He duly received a thumbs-up from Steinbruchel and this absolutely marvellous 3" CDr is the end result.

Packaged in a plastic wallet with a set of 4 postcards featuring some rather nice minimalist artwork, the audio content is a re-imagining of the source material using electronic processing to add layers of depth and sparse beauty to the original. Rather than completely deconstructing the work, Nichols approaches the reinterpretations with respect and cunning to provide a compelling series of pieces.

Strictly minimalist, the work is a series of beautifully cultivated layers and rhythmic elements that sits somewhere between his micro-fine high frequency work as Si_Comm and the more lush melancholy ambient sound of his Level project. The effect is strangely soothing, yet has enough edge and background layering to reward thorough listening. That said, however, there's a real ambient overtone, particularly to the first track, 'Knot 3' and this gentle way of easing the listener into the CD pays dividends.

By the time you reach 'Knot 2' you're greeted by an altogether more rhythmic and angular piece of work that, once again, manages to retain a calm and hypnotic feeling whilst dislocating you with off-kilter drops and stutters. The underlying drone is a thing of great beauty and accentuates the overtly a-tonal sound that plays across in tandem with the rhythms.

The final track, 'Knot 1', is yet another superb example of depth in drone. Pulsating and, no doubt bass rumbling bottom end collides with a menacing series of foreground tones that, at times, seem to be trying to communicate with you. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's a hint of manipulated vocal in there somewhere. Sci-fi minimalism with attitude and the sort of oceanic depth that fans of Richard Chartier or NVO will be extremely pleased to hear.

In essence this is a project of some substance and I'll certainly be looking forward to the next instalment in the series.

Once again Nichols delivers a wonderfully thought provoking and engaging piece of work.

Available as a limited edition of 100 copies from Si_Comm's Myspace page as well as Smallfish Records

Mnortham - Automnal 2003 - and/OAR - CD

2006-10-15T09:49:00.000+01:00

And/OAR continues to impress me as a label with its varied, original and extremely high quality release and it’s clear that owner Dale Lloyd takes a great deal of care over every single release.

As such it’s always a pleasure to hear a new CD from such a quality imprint and this release from Mnortham is absolutely sublime.

The three tracks that make up the 55 minute CD are audio snapshots of three different locations in time and reflect the ideas and feelings the artist had whilst relocating around the globe thirteen times in the just two years, culminating in his arrival back home in Autumn 2003.

Prepare to be soothed and engaged by the work on offer here as there’s a tangible sense of difference between the pieces, even though the approach is roughly the same each time with processing of location recordings and found sounds forming the main structures.

‘Glacier Du Trient, Switzerland/France’ is a light, breezy, yet discordant piece that lifts you up with its high end drone sounds and insistent clicks in the background which force you to pay attention. It’s hard tune it out and you’ll find yourself listening to it in depth and discovering more and more resonant frequencies existing than you imagined at first.

‘Eagle Creek, Indianapolis’ has a heavier, more oppressive tone and bears a similarity at times to some of the work of Wolfgang Voigt under his Gas moniker. Combined with the sound of cicadas in the background the organic tone that drives the track forward gives you a palpable sense of a wide open space inhabited by creatures of the night.

The final piece ‘Ils Grosbois, Montreal’ is the most haunting of the works here. A mid/high-frequency drone that works with discordant layers resonates at just the right level to create a sense of dislocation, gradually adding in subtle static sounds and scratchy, gritty tones into the background. Again this give the track a real sense of movement, driving it ever forward.

And it’s this sense of moving and never settling in one place that permeates the whole CD… a feeling of transience captured for eternity on a piece of encoded plastic.

That’s the magic of music and it’s certainly where the magic of this CD comes from.

A delightful, beautiful and very personal piece of work.

Lucky & Easy - Hookahs - Ampoule - CD

2006-10-15T09:45:00.000+01:00

The big question for me has always been ‘Is Lucky & Easy actually Pub in disguise?’

A question that’s never been answered to my complete satisfaction unfortunately… not that it matters a damn, of course, when the music on offer is this fine.

Lucky & Easy have generally provided a more classic ‘Electronica’ sound than Pub’s deeper, more Berlin orientated work and ‘Hookahs’ is as varied and entertaining as you could possibly imagine an album being.

Their (his?) penchant for dreamy melody is very much on show from the very first moments of the CD and is never far away from the centre of things.

Lively, crunchy beats form a cracking backbone for the sounds to weave a magical spell over the top using all the tricks of the trade that higher profile artists such as Plaid have done for years. To be fair, for me anyway, Lucky & Easy are as good as Plaid when they deliver those chord sequences and touches of traditional melody. Plus the cleverly programmed beats give it a life of its own with what seems to be off-time rhythms that soon settle into a real groove.

It doesn’t stop there though as L & E are clearly devotees of the Detroit sound and they embellish quite a few of their tracks with a Motor City lushness that speaks of pure machine funk. ‘Kiss It Better’ is a prime example of this with some seriously hectic percussion and 4/4 beat that’s got more in common with Derrick May or B12 than Black Dog, whilst ‘Night Rainbows’ could have come straight out of 1993.

And these tracks are when they show up the Pub connection (if there is one…) with clattering, beautifully ever-changing arrangements that are far more complicated than they seem. In fact it’s not unusual for the tracks to go through two or three major changes throughout their duration staring out with an ambient flavour that soon turns into rhythmic and melodic and becomes powerfully driven even further forward by the beats.

There’s even an acid track, ‘Chippoke’, that rolls along with a 4/4 beat and an almost House-style feel.

It’s this sense of depth and variety that make this wonderful album shine through and if you’re a fan of good electronic music in any way at all I seriously suggest you hunt a copy of this down without any delay.

Monostation - Alchemy 6: Phosphor - Limit Switch - 3" CD

2006-10-15T09:40:00.000+01:00

I thought it was about time that I reviewed a Monostation station release as this is, in fact, their seventh release of 2006 and forms the sixth part of their ongoing ‘Alchemy’ series and the first release since their superb ‘Greyscale EP’ for London’s Smallfish imprint.

This London-based duo has been experimenting in the realms of processed sound for some time and the Alchemy series is a natural exploration of the resulting tracks.

Thus far the music has been predominantly based around the sounds of processed guitars, but with this release they’ve used a variety of tones to generate the incredible swathes of sound that make up this CD.

Phosphor itself is a slowly evolving and very beautiful track that ebbs and flows with an enchanting resonance that fills your mind quite beautifully.There’s an exquisite noisiness to the background drone that drags you in whilst the flowing overlaid chord has a movement and delicacy all its own.

If you heard this on Kranky, you’d be blown away… let’s just put it that way.

The second track, ‘Firebird’, is generated using piano sounds and has a less obviously drone-based style, instead choosing to use a hypnotic chord motif that repeats and evolves throughout.

Dripping in reverb it puts me in mind of Seefeel way back in the day and you can almost tangibly hear the dub bassline that could sit underneath (good idea for a remix?).

When the searing synth strings make their way into the mix it instantly becomes a majestic piece of music that gives a nod to the Cocteau Twins but keeps it more minimal than they did and allows the sheer simplicity of the music to drift over you like a wave.

As an added bonus you can download two remix tracks based on these originals from their website – www.monostation.net

Monostation seem to be ploughing their own furrow at the moment and I, for one, am glad that they’re still single-mindedly delivering such beautiful and evocative music.

Long may it continue.

Fourcolor - Letter Of Sounds - 12k - CD

2006-10-15T09:35:00.000+01:00

It’s fair to say, I think, that Keiichi Sugimoto is not only prolific, but something of a master of his genre of music as well. It doesn’t seem to matter which of his guises he’s working under, he always just seems to get it right. Whether he’s producing as Fonica, Filfla or as part of four-piece act Minamo, there’s a subtlety and very Japanese beauty to everything he does.

To find that the new 12k release is from his Fourcolor moniker is great news indeed as ‘Air Curtain’, his previous CD for Taylor Deupree’s label, was a delicious slice of low-key, melodic electronic lushness.

Similarly, ‘Letter Of Sounds’ is a work that seems infinitely delicate, yet more than robust enough to stand the test of time.

By opening with the sheer exuberance of ‘02’ it quickly becomes apparent that we’re dealing with a serious album. His use of organically-based sounds which are then constructed into shimmering layers of electronic music is enchanting and, once again, we find him using the sound of guitar harmonics to punctuate his tracks.

Simple, charming chord structures form the basis for a lot of the work here and they have a pleasingly old-school feel with just the right amount of Techno-style soul to keep the purists happy whilst injecting it more traditional instrument sounds.

He never saturates the tracks though, and always gives the tones enough room to weave around the crisp rhythmic elements that creep in from time to time.

In fact there’s enough room on the second track ‘Rowboat’ to allow female Japanese vocalist Piana to breathe some lyrical life into the track.

Her voice acts as a superbly fragile accompaniment and it’s great to see yet another artist who isn’t afraid to use the voice as yet another tool for creating sound, as opposed to relying on it for unnecessary and obvious emotional content.

When he picks up the tempo later into the album there’s an even greater hint of Techno that shines through. You get the sense that he’s a fan of the Motor City sound and some of the rigid structures and tight metronomic clicks definitely give a nod in that direction.

He always adds in his unique melodic chords though and that’s the true strength – there’s always beauty – even when, as in ‘Leaves’, he adds an experimental leaning to the track… in this case a resonant and insistent test tine which gradually builds throughout the track.

Sugimoto should be treasured for his consistently excellent and charming work and this release will certainly go down as one of my favourites.

Chris Herbert - Mezzotint - Kranky - CD

2006-10-15T09:26:00.000+01:00

When I first heard this album I was completely bowled over by its sheer beauty.

Chris Herbert has provided, for me, one of the albums of the year without any question simply because he’s managed to blend Electronica, drones, organic texture and honesty into one simply marvellous CD.

Kranky’s a good label anyway… we all know that (well, I assume we do, anyway)… but the quality of their releases over the last 2 years has become so damn fine that I’m slightly worried that won’t be able to keep up this level of sheer momentum in the future.

For now though I’m revelling in the fact that they keep releasing CDs of this calibre on a regular basis.

Herbert’s sound is immediate, yet subtle. The first time I heard its fuzzy textures I knew I was in love and yet it’s since become my most listened-to album of the year (thanks Last.fm for giving me a rough idea of what I’m actually tuning in to!).

It’s rough around the edges, but I think that’s all part of it. Hints of distortion, a sound out of place here, a crunch there… that’s the charm of it. He doesn’t hide the fact that it’s not perfect and I for one would like to congratulate him for that. Too many artists are utterly obsessed with everything being exactly right and whilst that has its place I suppose, it’s good to know that people still do it the old fashioned way.

The layers of texture that he’s created are dreamy and intense and provide a scintillating ambient backdrop for the more rhythmic or melodic elements that drift into the mix.

When it gets more rhythmic (and I use that term fairly loosely) it becomes ever-so-slightly reminiscent of Loscil getting stuck in the studio with Gas… yes, it’s that good.

Short interlude pieces link the main tracks together to form an engaging narrative throughout and the fact that they sound varied is testament to Herbert’s wonderful production technique.

Essentially you could compare this to several other artists – Gas, Tim Hecker, Loscil - but it’s because it comes across as a blend of them that it works so well.

It’s an album of the year situation for me and I have to recommend you get yourself a copy of this as it’s just quite simply brilliant.

Respect to both Chris and Kranky.

Alva Noto - For - Line - CD

2006-07-24T08:14:00.000+01:00

Line's pedigree as an experimental electronic label is long and extremely impressive. With releases from the likes of Richard Chartier, Bernhard Gunter, Steve Roden, Asmus Tietchens and many more influential artists it has grown in stature over the years.

We come to the 26th release and no introduction is necessary when dealing with an artist of the calibre of Carsten Nicolai - Raster Noton original, micro-composer extraordinaire and visual artist of some distinction.

'For' is a surprising release in many ways as Nicolai's work is often based on a particular theme or concept. Here, however, the only concept is the dedication of each track to a particular musician or artist. It's refreshing to hear an album of variety, beauty and challenge that simply exists because it can - there's no other reason to enjoy these tracks other than they're enjoyable!

'Counter' is a slightly disconcerting intro track which uses a whining, high-pitched squeal to wake the listener up before dropping into some textbook sinewave tones and bass. A perfect way to set you up for the rest of the CD.

From there the tracks become more melodic, strikingly beautiful and full of a delicacy that sits happily with the semi-ambient nature of quite a few of the pieces. The 12 minute long 'Transit', for example, has a classic, gentle progression with all of the hallmarks of Nicolai's sound... yet it's a mellow sound - almost chill out music. There are still elements of high-frequency in there, but they don't dominate and certainly aren't the main raison d'etre of the track.

'Gulf Night' is the only track that really comes across as an experimental piece but it sits quite happily amongst the other gems of shining beauty.

'Flashforward' is simply a divine piece of music that has more in common with the likes of Taylor Deupree or Minamo than the clinical sound of Raster Noton. It weaves an absolutely magical spell over the listener with a hypnotic, shimmering chord loop punctuated by subtle tones and textures.

The album finishes with 'Alva Noto.Z1', a track that sounds like it could form part of the Alva Noto / Sakamoto trilogy with it's piano phrases and bass heavy rhythm. Then you learn that elements of the track date 1999, and it becomes clear that you're listening to a liquidly beautiful prototype of that work.

Undulating, spacious, natural sounding... this CD captures a very real sense of Carsten Nicolai's personality and musical skill. For that reason it becomes ultimately clear that this is a work of great distinction.

Another wonderful and essential release from a deeply impressive label.

Marsen Jules - Les Fleurs - City Centre Offices - CD

2006-05-21T17:38:00.000+01:00

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and after a year of having to deal with no new music from Marsen Jules, I can see how that might be the case.

I'm simply in awe of this work and yet again Martin has produced an album of such consummate skill and beauty that to find any fault with it would be a massive challenge.

Simply put this is some of the finest ambient music around and you'll be hard-pushed to find anything that's this striking or this beautiful in the months to come.

Martin's blend of classical, organic and electronic music is marvellous and there's an easiness and flowing grace that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. From track to track we are treated to a divine collection of instrumental works that owe as much to composers like Satie as they to do to modern musicians such as Eno. The smallest snippet of sound is enough for Juhls to create nothing less than a symphony and it's this spare use of musical elements that, once again, stands out from the crowd.

Arrangements on all of the tracks are airy, light and remarkably mature sounding and his use of space as well as sound is the real key to the atmosphere he creates - for every note on most tracks there is a corresponding space in time that works in harmony with it. That said, there are lush textural tracks as well and they still have the power to recall Gas at his absolute finest. Swathes of sound drenched in reverb serve to hypnotise and entrance the listener and when combined with classical string swells it becomes an incredibly emotional and melancholy piece of work.

As ever with this style of music it's incredibly hard to break it down into its constituent parts as that would shatter the overall balance of the album. Instead I'll just mention 'Ceillet Sauvage' as being a particular standout track with its minimal use of marimba and vibraphone proving that less is most definitely more.

Once more, Martin Juhls has delivered a superb album and his success this year is assured. I know that this will be an album of the year for me for 2006, just as 'Herbstlaub' was for 2005. All we can do is hope that he continues this amazing run of stunning music.

Quite simply an incredible piece of work.

Orla Wren - Butterfly Wings Make - Expanding - CD

2006-05-21T09:49:00.000+01:00

Expanding has delivered two superb albums so far this year, from Miller + Fiam and Modern Institute. Now we are treated to a third release from the little known Orla Wren with the evocative title ‘Butterfly Wings Make’.

It’s a gentle name for a thoroughly beautiful album and is clearly designed to conjure images of nature and fragility. This it does successfully and is accompanied by a series of tracks that are at once familiar sounding, yet invigorating at the same time.

The ill-named sub-genre of ‘Folktronica’ is a much maligned beast at the moment and the waters are brimming with me-too and sound-alike work by a vast number of artists. It’s heartening, then, to hear a genuinely heartfelt album that’s obviously been put together with a great deal of love and attention.

Orla’s sound is organic, yes, but the more electronic side of his sound shines through like a beacon and whilst there are sampled instruments you’re as likely to hear a synthetic tone or a static glitch as well.

‘Closure’ – a superb name for an opening track – kicks things off with a gentle, lilting piano and some delightful, light and very airy electronic percussion sounds. Add to that a hypnotic guitar and spacious strings and you have the kind of intro that gives you a good idea of what’s to follow. And right up to the final moments of ‘Sea Grass’ you’re treated to a work of manifold pleasures and hidden secrets.

It’s the sense of melody that really makes this album and Orla is clearly as at home with marimba sounds and exotic percussion as he is with more traditional sounding instruments. The blend of atmospheres is truly lovely and ranges from Folk influences right through to the work of Murcof or Digitonal. There’s clearly a classical leaning here but it’s nowhere near as overt as the aforementioned artists.

There’s also a lightly glitchy sound that recalls the work of labels such as 12k or Plop and this, combined with the more melodic elements provides a well-rounded experience with all bases covered. It never spreads itself too thinly though and manages to balance all of these influences with style and ease, even down to the inclusion of background field recordings which serve to highlight the natural feel of the album.

This is the type of music that will accompany your summer with ease. Refreshing, mellow, sunny-sounding and with just the right level of sweetness but enough bite to keep you coming back for more.

Expanding once again hit the right spot with another wonderful release.

Taylor Deupree - Northern - 12k - CD

2006-04-26T21:35:00.000+01:00

I think it's fair to say that Taylor Deupree is one of the most highly regarded electronic composers currently involved in the world of minimal, textural and contemporary soundscape music.

Rightly so as he has a wonderful back catalogue on labels such as Audio.nl, Raster Noton, Sub Rosa, Spekk, Noble and plenty of others.

His recent penchant for collaborative work has seen him engaging in musical companionship with artists such as Kenneth Kirschner, Eisi and Christopher Willits, and whilst these are all beautiful examples of how to work together as a unit, there's something exceedingly special about a solo Deupree release - particularly when you consider the last thing he released on his own 12k imprint was the classic 'Stil.' in 2002.

The anticipation for 'Northern' has been nothing short of rabid, to put it mildly.

To break this piece of work down into it's constituent tracks and sounds would be to do it a serious injustice as it seems to have been conceived as a complete work from the very outset. Whether that's the correct assumption or not, I'm not sure, but the tracks on this 51-minute work of sheer brilliance seem to hang together in such a coherent way that it seems impossible to imagine them any other way.

Deupree's work is concerned with the simple, beautiful way that machines can convey an atmosphere or emotion and his well-known love of minimalism is clearly a vehicle for this souful machine-style music - you will always find an element of beauty in his work regardless of whether it's a stripped-down, rhythmic piece or a more texture based, hypnotic work. That's part of the beauty, I always find... the deconstruction of sound and the reorganization that gives every tone its own unique nuance.

'Northern' takes the processed manipulations of his previous work and, in my opinion, steps it up a gear with a wonderful infusion of the synthetic with the quite overtly organic.

From the first notes of 'Everything's Gone Grey' to the final notes of the stupendous 'November' you are treated to a lush, cleverly constructed symphony of sound that feels at once familiar, yet completely refreshing in every way.

Deep, lilting, melodic elements sit happily with drifting textures and slowly evolving digital sounds, creating a sense of timeless beauty and emotional warmth. Lone guitar strums punctuate the sense of melancholy and even the wood flute sounds seem to have a certain mysticism about them. 'Northern' is without doubt Deupree's most musical work to date and, at times, has an almost traditional style to the sounds... something it shares in common with Sebastien Roux's 'Songs' or Sawako's 'Hum', albeit in a very different guise.

The snowy cover artwork perfectly reflects the feelings the album invokes with its heartwarming sound and evocative tones and he's clearly been inspired by his new surroundings as you can genuinely imagine slowly meandering streams and stark forests full of depth and a fragile iciness whilst experiencing the music. It's definitely a world away from the bustle of his old stomping ground in Brooklyn!

Ultimately you need to hear this CD for yourself to appreciate just why it's such an essential and important release. And it merely cements the reputation of one of our most important modern musicians even further.

One of the best releases of the year without a single doubt.

Loscil - Plume - Kranky - CD

2006-04-23T07:17:00.000+01:00

Scott Morgan's Loscil project has grown in both stature and popularity since his earliest releases for Kranky. Something that he fully deserves as every album (and single, on Involve) has been of such a high standard that it's hard to fault any of them.

From the more Basic Channel styled 'Triplepoint' through the varied and deeply beautiful 'Submers' right up to, arguably his finest work so far 'First Narrows' he has a small but expertly crafted catalogue of engaging, beautiful and considered work under his belt.

The fact that 'Plume' is superb from beginning to end is certainly no surprise then and merely reinforces the fact that Loscil is one of the treasures of the Organic / Electronica scene.

Morgan seems to keep a low profile for the most part and there's a real sense of that within his music... understated, unwilling to be tarred with any sort of musical brush - he just writes phenomenally gorgeous music that seems to come straight from the heart.

'Motoc' begins the album with a simple and delicate loop that filters and slowly evolves whilst he adds a one-note bass line and layers of sample and string noise. This is classic Loscil and has an infinitely hypnotic quality that drags you in and washes over you, drenching you in its atmosphere.

There's something reminiscent about 'Rorschach' and you get a pleasing feeling of familiarity as soon as the main meat of the music cuts in. Again, looped sounds and distant tones create a slight feeling of dislocation and the use of a single bass tone reinforces the simplicity of the music. A distorted guitar-style sound plays gently over the music and perfectly complements the lilting piano melodies.

From there the music just grows and grows into a textbook example of how to produce something unique without pandering to any particular style - Morgan clearly just loves writing music and it's this that gives it so much weight.

'Chinook' is a chiming, rolling track with layers of warmth and a lovely bassline whilst 'Charlie' is more downbeat and more ambient. When the background guitar melody cuts in there's a moment of clarity that soon gives way to a delightful sense of melancholy.

'Mistral' ends the album in a similar way to the beginnning with its subtle musical shimmers and an achingly deep chord loop that will leave you wanting, and probably needing, more.

'Plume' displays many of the qualities of classic ambient music and really reminds me of some of Air Liquide's material from their more relaxed works as well as artists such as The Bionaut. It's hard to quantify exactly why that should be, but he's clearly influenced by a world of different sounds and the way the tracks bubble gently under the surface and use a mid-paced tempo is definitely from that particular school of thought.

Every track has a musical feel and they definitely feel as though they have an overall theme - in the same way that the other Loscil albums feel like complete works.

Quite simply it's a wonderful piece of work and, judging by the success of 'First Narrows', promises to do huge things on the Electronica scene, and deservedly so.

Morgan and Kranky really have come up trumps yet again.

Sabi - Nebulous Sights - Cactus Island - 3" CD

2006-04-06T10:45:00.000+01:00

This will be the first time I've written about Cactus Island's series of limited edition 3" CDs even though they are currently on the 15th release. They've all been of a beautiful quality so far and yet, there's a real feeling of progression with the last two releases from Nautilis and Sabi.

I don't know whether they're getting deeper or darker as time goes on, but they seem to have so much substance that I felt it really was time to issue forth my thoughts.

Sabi is a Japanese artist who runs SAAG Records in Tokyo and, amongst other things, has released tracks on Merck, Hydrogen Dukebox and net.label Sutemos and here he delivers a 5-track EP of sonic beauty and warmth with an overriding feeling of melancholy and wistfulness.

In some respects this has a classic 'Electronica' sound - crisp rhythms, sinewave melodies and luscious chord structures. And yet there's a wonderfully contemporary feeling that belies its roots.

The production is, as always, immaculate and from the opening moments of 'Plastic Stains [Hard]' you know you're going to be getting something that will enchant and hypnotize you.

It's all about the musical elements with this CD and the layers of textural sound that provide the intro are simply gorgeous. They flow over a gentle click-style rhythm and there are lots of nice incidental sound recordings present in the background. A perfect way to begin.

'After Ants' takes things in a more structured direction with a recognisably electronic style that's reminiscent of, but not totally similar to, Plaid or Maps + Diagrams. A downbeat rhythm rolls along with its Electro influence in place whilst the musical elements sit atop, majestically weaving a superb spell on the listener. Shimmering sounds and, once again, layers of background sound deliver an engrossing experience.

'Uki Reflection' is conceivably the most organic sounding track on the EP. Starting with field recordings of children and general bustle it's a beatless track that relies completely on the lovely Rhodes piano progression of chords to get its point across... a dreamy, slightly unreal sense of reality. One of the strongest tracks on the CD.

Then we're back to the delightful rhythmic tracks with the delicious 'Matmilk'. This is simply a divine piece of music that anyone with a soft-spot for the likes of Expanding or Toytronic will adore. Simple, effective and well paced, the track is clearly influenced by mid '90's Electronica, yet there's a distinct nod to the sounds of Detroit in the high strings.

Finally 'Early Morning Dusts' brings things to a gentle close. A watery sound prevails and the deft use of analogue synth tones creates an atmosphere that's full of feeling and emotion. To be fair it's a surprisingly low-key way to finish but, cunningly, it really leaves you wanting more.

It's always nice to find genuinely excellent electronic music and Cactus Island once again proves that it's a very fertile source indeed for this type of sound and although it can be hard to find them (due to the limited runs they produce) it's absolutely worth tracking them all down.

Long may they continue to put out releases of this calibre.

Various - Idol Tryouts Two: SMM - Ghostly International - 2xCD

2006-03-26T10:36:00.000+01:00

I have to give a special mention to this absolutely wonderful CD from Ghostly international as it's been playing regularly at my place for several weeks.

'Idol Tryouts Two' actually comes as a double CD - the first being the more dancefloor side of their sound - but it's the second CD, which concentrates on the 'SMM' style of their catalogue.

There were two volumes of the 'SMM' series released on vinyl and they featured artists such as Christopher Willits, Kiln, Twine, Kosik and more. For me they were the absolute highpoint release-wise of an already great and varied label.

So, they already have a good pedigree, but the track-listing for this CD is simply awesome and you're liable to be hearing some of the best quality organic Electronica around.

Loscil, Deru, Sybarite, Cepia, Kiln, Greg Davis, Lusine + David Wingo, Aeroc, Christopher Willits, Terre's New Wuss Fusion, Twine, Tim Hecker, Richard Devine... if that's not enough to get you excited, I don't know what is!

The artists each provide a reason as to why they're so highly regarded within the Electronica scene and whether it's Loscil's low-key, rhythm, ambient sound or Sybarite's more guitar orientated, song-based style, it's all incredibly beautiful and sublimely deep.

Cepia is recruited for 2 tracks, the first being a dense, almost shoegazing, texture of sound, whilst the second is pure, classic, crunchy Electronica... Greg Davis gets it on with a lovely processed guitar track... Deru plays it dubby and downbeat with incredibly intricate programming and a flowing sound... Tim Hecker is on top form with a melancholy, very beautiful processed track with lots of background noise and heart-string pulling chords... Even Richard Devine gets all textural on us with guitar samples and long, resonant chord sounds...

As a compilation of new and previously released tracks it works like a dream and as an object lesson in how to incorporate guitars and organic sounds into Electronica it succeeds with incredible panache and style.

There's not even a hint of a bad track on this CD and my respect has to go to the label and the artists for a well rounded and thoroughly enjoyable compilation.

Marvellous.

Pola - Pola Meets Lyrica - Commune Disc - CD

2006-03-26T09:59:00.000+01:00

Having released an absolutely wonderful CD ['Même - PLIP-3013] on the ever-superb Plop label, Pola now turns his attentions to a new full length piece of work for Commune Disc, another Japanese label that has an interesting and engaging back catalogue.

Describing an artist's sound is never entirely easy and Pola certainly has a feel all of his own, albeit with nods towards experimental musicians such as Snd and Carsten Nicolai. That said, there's a much larger degree of warmth involved with Pola's sound and though they share certain similarities in tone, this is a more melodic piece of work.

Once again, like 'Même', the tracks are digitally edited together to give you an unbroken and very atmopsheric experience. Whilst there are certain obvious changes in the tracks, you're left with a pleasing sensation of completeness.

The CD opens with the ambient beauty of 'Alice Mise À Nu Par Ses Célibataires, Même' which gently guides the listener into the more rhythmic works. Deliciously calming sinewave twinkles and a subtle array of background sound work into the mix at a pleasingly gentle volume ending only when a suitable atmosphere has been constructed.

'Crépuscule' then starts you off on a beautiful journey with hypnotic, processed chord stabs and sweeps along with gentle, click-based rhythms which use a mutant style of offbeat funk to get you tapping your toes (or other body parts).

By the time you get to'Fatal' you've barely noticed that you're on the 5th track - you've been led along in a deeply hypnotic state. 'Fatal' itself brings in the notion of a delicate 4/4 beat, a dub-style bassline and incredible resonant chord textures. There's a beautiful sense of space, yet the track has a lot of sounds going on and it still manages to feel full and complete.

From there the album just continues to grow and creates interesting new forms of electronic ambient funk. 'Jalousie' continues the subtle 4/4 tone whilst 'Lièvre' makes a foray into more minimalistic territory, yet still aches with warm chords and sounds.

There are completely beatless tracks such as 'Nombre Imaginaire' and 'Radis' and they form lovely interludes between the more rhythmic elements... a natural introduction to the invariably funky tunes that follow or precede them. They stand on their own though as they have a density and drama that carries them easily... there's something incredibly beautiful and sad about these tracks and they certainly offer the most melancholy moments of the album.

'Vanité' end the CD on a slightly upbeat note and has a major-chord feel to the meat of the chords and a light, airy and rolling dub-inflected bassline. A positive way to wrap things up.

'Pola Meets Lyrica' isn't the longest album you'll ever hear, but it certainly keeps you listening throughout. There's a crispness to the production and mastering... a beauty to the melodies and chords... a certain funkiness to the rhythmic structures. It's glitch, it's click, it's ambient... it's all of these things and so much more. The fact that it comes with a superbly illustrated cover and liner notes speaks volumes about the production values of both artist and label.

Essentially it's an immaculate, highly engaging and evocative piece of work that's quite superb.

Achrid - Achrid - Benbecula - CD

2006-02-22T11:01:00.000Z

Scottish label Benbecula has had a great reputation throughout the last few years and having released albums by Christ, Frog Pocket, Reverbaphon and many more, they've now turned their attention to a sister project in the form of the Minerals series.

I haven't heard the first couple of releases but I'm pleased to have aquired a copy of this quite frankly brilliant CD by Achrid which marks a real departure from Benbecula's more tradiotional Electronica sound.

Achrid is the duo of Michael Wright and Tadanae Fujimura and, although I've not come across the name before, this could well be a name to look out for in the future on the strength of this release.

Their self titled, 9-track CD is a collection of live recordings and studio improvisations and it strikes a beautiful balance between the more abstract, glitchy end of Electronica with a sublimely melodic undercurrent that keeps the tracks focused and on course.

From the beginning to the end the tracks are crisp, clean and lovingly rendered with a strong attention to detail and a keen ear for hypnotic sound design and whether they use resonant high frequencies and speaker rumbling sub-bass or looping textures, you can tell a lot of love's gone into the production.

For the most part their tracks are gently rhythmic - that is there are no obvious structures. However they occasionally let rip with a spine tingling moment of pure beat trickery and there are actually several cuts that develop into a 4/4 style... not your average 4/4, of course. This is more akin to an artist like Jan Jelinek or Sutekh with layers of sound intertwined into the mix.

There are nods to Berlin and even Detroit at times, but more than anything you get the feeling that Raster Noton or 12k are labels that the artists admire and the way they have combined these influences is remarkable - they pay homage without ever blatantly copying.

The development of each of the tracks is very clever and changes enough to keep you interested at all times, without chopping and changing too much... you get ample time to enjoy each passage before it mutates into something new. Because of this it's the longer tracks that really stand out and form the main focus of most of the CD - the shorter tracks act as abstract interludes before the main performance, if you like.

This is a prime example of the more accessible end of the experimental Electronica sound and the melding of hissy, static samples and sounds, intense moments of white noise and more traditionally deep chords and textures is very pleasing indeed.

Well played to Benbecula for doing something a bit different and props to the artists themselves for producing an album of such quality. My guess is we're going to be hearing more from these guys.

RF - Views Of Distant Towns - Plop - CD

2006-02-11T10:28:00.000Z

There comes a time when every label wants to expand itself... exceed its original programming if you will. Tokyo's Plop imprint has been releasing wonderful Electronica for the past few years to critical acclaim and they've released everything from minimalistic, dubbed-out sounds to a much more organic, guitar based style via sweet toybox music. Now, it's time for a new sound and something of a departure as Plop unveil their latest release... RF's 'Views Of Distant Towns'.

I've always had a slightly skeptical view of electronic Pop music as I feel that generally it's a compromise too far. This album, however, has completely reinvigorated my idea of just how superb the blend of songs, accessible music and electronics can be.

RF is San Francisco's Ryan Francesconi, a multi-instrumentalist and media artist and with this album he's constructed one of the warmest and most likeable albums you're likely to hear this year. Using guitars, horns, strings, live drums and a subtle palette of electronics he delivers an intricate and beautifully arranged series of songs from the heart.

Melancholy seems to be the overriding influence - whether it's in the soaring strings or Sunday afternoon trumpet sounds - and he openly references Haruki Murakami's wonderful 'Wind-up Bird Chronicle' as a source of inspiration, particularly regarding the loneliness and stasis that lead character Toru feels in certain passages of the book (and as an aside, if you haven't read it, you really should as it's magnificent).

The feeling of watching the world passing by is incredibly strong and, for me at least, his use of electronic sounds embedded in the songs really emphasises that... on one hand you have recognisable song structures and tunes, yet lurking in the background is a deep layer of glitch and abstractness which takes a while to come to the surface. Once you lock into it though the whole album takes on a different feeling... still atmospheric but possibly even more melacholic.

Ryan's use of vocals is inspired. Not only does he use them to convey a tangible idea through the lyrics, he also uses them as an instrument in themsleves... breathy, sultry female vocals that sit just a little bit back in the mix and add another layer of intrigue. There are quite a few Japanese vocals as well and yet it doesn't feel impenetrable... you almost understand what's being said on a subconscious level.

To give reference points for this album would be tough. You could say Post-Rock in general, because of some of the structures, and yet I think a more pertinent comparison would be Sweden's Tape as the combination of organic and electronic is in a similar ballpark, albeit with it's own sound. Combine that with Fenton's guitar manipulations, Keiichi Sugimoto's work and the vocals of Piana, and you've got a fair idea of how this sits in the grand scheme of things.

The real beauty of this album is the sheer depth. You'll keep on coming back to it and discovering new and very pleasureable highlights time after time. I would suggest that you'll be listening to this all year.

Simply gorgeous.

Sébastien Roux - Songs - 12k - CD

2006-02-09T10:50:00.000Z

Without a shadow of doubt, 12k continues to lead the field in the world of minimalistic Electronica. With beautiful artwork, exemplary music and immaculate overall presentation, you know you're getting the finest every time you excitedly open one of their releases.

The 36th releases comes from the mind and equipment of Sébastien Roux and a band of players including Stéphane Garry, Laurent Vaissiere and Leonzio Cherubini, who provide the original instrumentation that Roux has then manipulated and processed.

'Songs' is comprised of 7 tracks that each have a unique feeling. They take the form of an instrument (or in some cases two or three) that provide the basis for the work and have then been rearranged, reconstructed and generally tinkered with until they take on an entirely new guise. So, for example, 'The Prepared Piano Song' does, indeed, feature a piano, but this is combined with various other sound sources, both organic and electronic, to form an engaging variation on the theme. Other instruments include cello, piano, harp, Metallophone, electric guitar and drums and that's what gives the CD such variety.

The real beauty of this album is the simplicity with which it actually works. The idea of 'songs' is turned upside down yet, strangely, some of the pieces do retain an almost traditional element to them and you can clearly hear Roux's Folk, Pop, Electronica, and Musique Concrete influences throughout.

Whether you're treated to skittering, high-frequency sounds, barely-there natural sounding recordings and chaotic rushes of white noise, or simply a lovingly played guitar or piano riff, there's a lovely coherence to the sounds that's at once lively, yet extremely soothing. You'll find yourself jumping a little when he hits you with one of those moments of extreme noise but they never last for long and, as ever with this form of music, it punctuates the work beautifully and adds a clearly defined sense of form and space.

The arrangements work on a very 'free' level and, although it borders on abstract a fair amount of the time, there's still a lovely flow to the work which keeps you engaged from the very beginning right to the end.

Ambient, dreamy, challenging, noisy and beguiling - these are all words that amply describe this album and as is always the case with both the label and the artist you should seek out and enjoy this wonderful piece of work.

A remarkable voyage.

Miller + Fiam - Modern Romance - Expanding - CD

2006-02-04T10:49:00.000Z

Expanding are certainly starting the year off in style here with two fabulous releases with the second coming from the excellent pairing of Dave Miller and Harry Hohnen.

This is not the first time the duo have worked together as they've released tracks on both Background and Meupe over the last couple of years, although this is their first full length work.

On the strength of 'Modern Romance' they could well find themsleves being called to work as a duo on a more regular basis as this is simply a gorgeous piece of work which comes across as a real team effort.

Miller's more minimalistic work for Background has always had a strong sense of groove and funk and he's managed to imbue this CD with a surprising amount of that feeling considering it's mostly a downbeat oraganic / electronic piece of work. There are very subtle 4/4 beats lurking in the mix which work beautifully with the live sounding guitars, pianos and even drums.

Light, airy arrangements give it springy step and although the tracks are low-key, there's a feeling of robustness to the sounds and an overall jazzy tinge that keeps things fresh and lively. There's an element of glitch going on (particularly in the percussion) but, once again, this takes a backseat compared to the general melodic nature of the productions and whilst it has a slightly 'free' feeling that borders on abstract at times, it's all amazingly cohesive and tight.

Influences are varied and you can really hear Post-Rock, Folk, minimal Electronica and more all shining through in the mix. This is a deep work with layers that only become apparent as you spend more time with it... I for one would suggest it's well worth spending that time with as it's an incredibly satisfying piece of work.

Once again, Expanding proves that it's a label that's not afraid to release something a little bit different.

Superb.

Richard Chartier - Tracing - Non Visual Objects - CD

2006-02-04T10:40:00.000Z

Non Visual Objects has something of an impressive pedigree as far as releases go. Kicking off with a CD by sound artist Steve Roden, the aim of this particular imprint became very clear early on - to provide experimental works of electronic musical art with distinctive packaging and a varied, often challenging repertoire of artists.

Following that, NVO released works by Richard Garet, Dale Lloyd, Jos Smolders, Ubeboet, Roel Meelkop and label co-owner Heribert Friedl. Now, for the 5th release we are treated to an exceptionally beautiful piece of work by Line and 3particles head Richard Chartier who, by my calculations, is on absolutely top form at the moment.

Well known for his wonderfully difficult sound-works using microtones, fractured electronics and a minimally minimal style which borders on being barely perceptible at times, Chartier is an experimentalist with an incredibly finely tuned sense of space and form.

'Tracing' continues his recent (and hopefully ongoing) trend for producing incredibly deep and melancholy drone-based works. For other examples see 'Set Or Performance' or 'Retrieval 1-5'. In my opinion, this style really suits him and brings a truly emotional side to his sound right to the fore whilst still challenging the listener and pushing towards the edges of the genre.

The piece starts off in a typical Chartier fashion with a long, tantalizingly slow build up which, initially at least, sits so far back in the mix that it's more of a subconscious sound - a slowly evolving, rumbling bass drone layered under a deeply resonant and very atmospheric texture which fades in and out like the ebb and flow of the sea.

The piece continues in that vein throughout using subtle filtering and resonance to amazing effect... the droning sounds almost implying the feeling of wind blowing across stark landscapes... the feeling of being stranded, alone, in space with monolithic, impossibly large spacecraft drifting past you... utter desolation, yet with a surprising amount of warmth in the actual tones he's used. Volumes change radically from time to time and whilst one moment you're hardly aware of anything, the next it's a mind-filling noise which is very moving indeed.

Then, 41 minutes later, you find yourself in another space and frame of mind having been treated to one of the most hypnotic soundscapes you're liable to hear, wondering to yourself where those 41 minutes went... how they could have passed so quickly.

That's the beauty of it - you always want to go back to hear it again and in a similar way to John Hudak's 'Room With Sky' on Spekk, you get the feeling that's exactly what the artist wanted.

Chartier has created a pristine work here and, for me, is conceivably one of his most exquisite works to date.

Bravo to both label and artist.

Modern Institute - Excellent Swimmer - Expanding - CD

2006-02-04T10:28:00.000Z

With this release from Modern Institute Expanding is living up to its name in a big way. The label has always provided a certain type of quality and you always know that you're getting high class Electronica, subtly beautiful artwork and a level of production that is enviable. This album, however, sees them moving away from the pure, crunchy, melodic sound that has been their staple and into uncharted territories of sonic discovery.

Modern Institute is mainly the work of Teho Teardo along with Martina Beroni on Cello and a guest appearance from Rothko's Mark Beazley on 'Post.ino' and essentially this is the most organic, live sounding album that Expanding have released. That's not to say there are no electronics because, as you might expect, there are. Everything has been put together with love, care and attention and there's a lovely amount of manipulation and processing going on throughout - in fact just enough to spice things up without suffocating the instrumentation.

Guitars, Rhodes piano, the aforementioned Cello and Beazley's bass all combine to make a warm, almost traditional sounding album that utilises ambient music, Folk, classical and Electronica to convey a serene type of melancholy.

Every track has a beautiful touch that will keep you coming back for more and the sheer strength of the production is enough to keep you satisfied for a long time to come. With a selection of dreamy, downbeat and mid-paced tracks there's not a wasted moment here with tracks such as 'Not A Word Manni' delivering a more acoustic hit whilst elsewhere there are more pure electronic tracks. Combine that with beatless pieces entirely composed of layers of texture and processed tones and you've got an amazingly varied piece of work.

Considering the popularity of labels such as Plop, Hapna and Kranky, this album is perfectly positioned to appeal to fans of all of them and I for one would applaud the label for pushing the boundaries of their sound.

The first release from Expanding for 2006 is a superb piece of work and judging by this it could well be a great year for them and their artists.

Merry Christmas from Remote_

2005-12-24T08:25:00.000Z

Well, it's that time again.

I'd like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous new year and say a big thanks to all the people who've been reading remote_ thoughts over the last few months. Your support is much appreciated.

Here's to a happy and very musical 2006.

Peace to you all.

Mike.

Steinbrüchel - Opaque (+Re) - Room40 - CD

2005-12-17T11:52:00.000Z

Room40 is a label that has quietly ploughed away releasing high quality experimental Electronica in a variety of styles. Under the guidance of Lawrence English and considerable help from John Chantler they have formed an impressive catalogue of releases including artists such as Tujoko Noriko, Oren Ambarchi, Greg Davis, Dj Olive, David Toop and Scanner, to name but a few. This single-minded dedication to producing the finest releases in lvely packaging is beginning to pay off, and whilst it can be a struggle for small, independant labels to get a foot in the door, so to speak, they appear to be going about it in entirely the correct fashion.

Which brings us onto this latest release...

Steinbrüchel was comisioned to provide a piece of music for an exhibition in Berne, Switzerland during Spring 2003. The concept was for it to played in the surround listening room, so, as you can imagine it has a spacious and wide-open feel. It's very pleasing to discover that the work translates into the stereo domain with a great deal of ease and instantly has the feel of a classic digital minimalist track of the variety released by 12k or Spekk.

Intricately woven and initially full of static, clicks and pops, it soon begins its journey into a more melodic style using pure tones, textures and waveforms. It's subtle and beautiful and has a lot in common with the work of Taylor Deupree using, as it does, the more coherent kind of sounds to envelop the listener. You might say it has a drone feel to it, but with mid-range sounds that penetrate into ones consciousness.

On its own, this track would be superb, but Room40 commisioned five artists to reinterpret the original in a range of different and very intriguing styles.

Chris Abrahams, Ben Frost, Taylor Deupree, Oren Ambarchi and Toshiya Tsunoda were all given three soundfiles to work from and a remit that utilises the particular strengths of each artist. So, Abrahams combines the files with piano, Frost uses only feedback, Deupree works with the melody, Ambarchi works in combination with guitar and finally Tsunoda uses only the field recording aspects.

A fabulous idea and one that reaps massive dividends when listening to the final compositions.

Chris Abrahams' work is delicate yet extremely abstract and combines a freeflowing, unsyncopated style of piano tinkling that's much like a toybox but with an added depth. I won't say 'Jazzy' because I think that's missing the point somewhat, but there's a free feel to it which is very pleasing. Combined with the icy texture in the back ground that works almost as a chord progression, it's an engaging and surprisingly fun piece of music.

Ben Frost opts for a more sub-zero aspect to his version. Using a deep manpulation of the chord sound along with glitch sounds he's created a track that is, conceptually, closer to the work of Ambarchi than the other musicians involved, but has a much lighter feel. The way the texture builds and morphs is something that will keep you coming back to it and the fractured moments of broken clicks punctuates the whole piece very nicely. At ten minutes long it's just the right length to hypnotize you all the way through. A beautiful work.

Taylor Deupree is one of those artists that you can rely on time and again and here he puts together a trademark track that has all the hallmarks of quality from beginning to end. Melodically superb (and it's always worth bearing in mind that 'melody' has a very different meaning in this form of music than the traditional idea what's musical) and as ever just the right side of abstract it has that slightly drone-based feel that hooks you straight away coupled with incredibly subtle bacjkground percussion that's barely there yet entirely integral to the track. Quite superb.

Oren Ambarchi's guitar-based version occupies similar territory to his recent output and immediately delivers a strong hit of layered drone pleasure. It's a very dense sound which combines a deep bass tone with high end frequencies and very little in between. Highly resonant and mind-fillingly potent, it's just a shame it's so short as I could have listened to it for a whole lot longer.

Finally Toshiya Tsunoda works some serious magic with the soundfiles in conjunction with field recordings to give us an environmental sound based piece. A persuasive collection of sounds work together to give the piece a sense of isolation and loneliness that's at once comforting, yet slightly disturbing. At times it's easy to forget you've actually got anything playing as it melds with the general background hubbub of modern life. Every now and again though you'll notice the ultra-high frequency that sits at the very edge of the hearing range and be reminded that you are, in fact, listening to a beautifully put together piece of experimental Electronica.

This, for me, is the finest Room40 release so far and when you consider the label's output up to this point you'll realise that I don't say this lightly. Essentially it's an exemplary collection of forward thinking minimalist music and for fans of 12k, Spekk, Apestaartje, Touch and other such labels, it's simply a must.

Remote_'s favourite releases of 2005

2005-12-11T11:38:00.000Z

It's been an amazing year for the sort of minimal electronic sounds that I hold dear to my heart and picking 10 (why is it always a top 10?) would have menat that I had to squeeze out a few things that I genuinely love.

So, I've decided to do 15 in no particular order to give you an idea of exactly what's been floating my boat in 2005.

Various - Small Melodies - Spekk - CD

Fenton - Pup - Plop - CD

Level - Cycla - Spekk - CD

Studio Pankow - Linienbusse - City Centre Offices - LP/CD

Bretschneider + Steinbruchel - Status - 12k - CD

Filfla - Frame - Plop - CD

Loscil - First Narrows - Kranky - CD

Pub - Liltmor - Ampoule- CD

Deaf Center - Pale Ravine - Type - LP/CD

Minamo - Shining - 12k - CD

Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto - Insen - Raster Noton - LP/CD

Marsen Jules - Herbstlaub - City Centre Offices - LP/CD

Level - Shimmer - Polymorphic Music - MP3

Kyo Ichinose - Lontano - Cubic Music - CD

Rod Modell - Vibrasound (The Deepchord Years 1999-2004) - Silentes - CD

So there you have it. A list of wonderful electronic sounds that have been the soundtrack to the generally rather good year that was 2005.

Hopefully you'll agree with me on most of these, but if not, feel free to tell me why!

Peace and a merry Christmas to you all.

Mark Clifford / Simon Kealoha - Running Taper - Polyfusia - CD

2005-12-11T11:04:00.000Z

For those of us that appreciated the more experimental end of the shoegazing phenomenon there's no doubt a very soft spot indeed for the work of Mark Clifford.

As the leading member of Seefeel and sometime collaborator with the Cocteau Twins, his work had, and still has, an uncanny depth and stark beauty to it that makes him pretty much unique in the world of electronic music.

After a hiatus of several years he re-emerged with the wonderful, but difficult, self-titled Disjecta EP which also came out on his own Polyfusia label.

As a statement of a new intent to be producing again it was bold, brave, engaging and surprisingly abrasive which no doubt put off some of the people who expected an exact re-run of the earlier Disjecta or later Seefeel material.

'Running Taper' is a collaboration, however, and the combination of the artists has brought a new depth and clarity to the sound that works on several levels - all of them appealing.

The over-arching theme is of an abstract yet warm Electronica sound - somewhere between the output of labels such as Plop and Spekk - that's intricate and delicate but with plenty of power behind it to keep it flowing throughout.

You can hear Seefeel in there (and I'm sure that's not going to be taken the wrong way) and you can hear the more fractured tones of Disjecta but there's also a more digital, minimalist sound lurking as well that gives it the feel of something that might be released on 12k. I'm not sure how much music Clifford and Kealoha are listening to at the moment but I suspect that it's entirely incidental that it sounds so current. I just can't imagine them pandering to anyone with their sound.

A happy accident then? Quite possibly. But listening to the lovely textural sounds and fragmented , experimental tones gave me just the right feeling of being caught between the past and the present. And that's why it works so well, in my opinion.

Then, you get halfway through the 8 tracks and suddenly you are assaulted by a massive (and I mean big) guitar chord with a huge fuzz effect on it that belts out in a steady, hypnotic way, filling your head and bringing to mind once again the shoegazing days of old. It's a long track that stays remarkably focused all the way through with minor changes in tone, but essentially is a classic drone piece.

The latter half of the CD is a tad more experimental in tone although there are moments of classic Clifford melody and an almost Aphex-like tone to some of the sounds, but again it all sounds very contemporary and if you're used to listening to Monolake or Shuttle358, for example, there's plenty for you to get your teeth stuck into here.

A massive return to form, then, and an exciting release in general for fans of Clifford. Props must go to both artists, though, lest we forget that this is, in fact, a collaboration.

Available from a small number of outlets including Smallfish, Warp and Polyfusia themselves, this is one to seek out and enjoy.

Pliiant - Soothe The Wound - Ampoule - 2x3" CD

2005-12-11T10:28:00.000Z

Ambient music can be something of a double-edged sword a lot of the time and whilst I've always been a fan of the chilled out sound of Electronica, you can often find yourself bogged down in obvious sounds from obvious artists on obvious labels.

So it's always a relief to hear genuinely interesting music that's laid-back, relaxed, yet engaging enough to not be mindless background music.

Step forward Pliiant...

Ampoule is one of those great labels that doesn't release a great deal, but when they do... my word, you're always in for a treat! And Pliiant is still something of a mystery to me. Is it Pub in disguise? Is it half of Lucky & Easy? I'm just not sure.

Having spent some time with this delectable release, however, I would certainly err on the side of it being Pub-related as it has all the hallmarks of depth and beauty that you would expect from that particular artist.

The release itself is the 3rd limited 'Talent' offering available in very small quantities from a very small number of shops (exclusivity can be a good thing I'm starting to believe, although it has the downside of encouraging a whole heap of downloading and selling for silly prices on Ebay) and, to be honest, this is probably already out of print. If you can track it down though, it's well worth it and you can rest assured that it's a superb quality piece of work.

There are 9 tracks spread over the the two miniature discs and, believe me, there's not a moment wasted. From beginning to end it's a voyage of blissful, textural sound that is probably the most chilled of the releases so far.

The tracks blend into one another thematically and sound-wise so that you're almost never aware of any breaks between pieces.

There's a drifting, ethereal quality here that brings to mind the deeper shoegazing bands of the '90's and combined with the detailed, dense soundscapes it leaves you with a sense of timelessness that's very appealing in these days of disposable music that dates oh-so-quickly.

Rhythmically it's minimal, to say the least. That's not to say there are no beats, but they're there merely as a backdrop for the all important tones and layers and they feel somehow incidental compared to the musical aspects. But, there's a very pleasant surprise in store as Pliiant has picked up a guitar and added a mellow, almost psychedelic set of organic tracks into the mix that use vocals and, again, a slightly indie feel to give it all a human touch. Combining this with the overall Electronica sound works like an absolute dream and punctuates the music beautifully.

Essentially if you're a fan of Pub's work or the Pop Ambient albums, this is for you. If you like atmospheric and densely layered Electronica, this is for you. If you're even remotely interested in just plain great sounds, this is for you.

Delightful, beautifully produced and very desirable because of its scarcity, this is a release that will easily stand the test of time.

Gorgeous.

Antti Rannisto - Ääniesineitä - 12k - CD

2005-11-21T23:05:00.000Z

Antti Rannisto is a relative newcomer to the scene but, for me, made such an impact with his superb 'Rotate' EP for Audio.nl that it was with a great deal of anticipation that I awaited the arrival of this new release from 12k.

As a stalwart label of the digital minimalsm scene, 12k has released some classic and pioneering music from the likes of label owner Taylor Deupree, Kenneth Kirschner, Goem, Shuttle358, Frank Bretschneider and many others. As such it's splendid to see them, once again, going out on a limb to release music from someone on the outer edges of this potent style of music and, certainly, making a departure from their previous work.

Antti's music is cold, icy, intense and so essentially Scandinavian that it's hard not to reference a certain iconic label... Pansonic, Ø, Philus... Do you get where I'm going with this? Sähkö. That's where.

This is the logical successor to the output of that staggeringly innovative imprint and barr the occasional release from Mika Vainio as 'Ø', this is realistically the only thing that's sounded as real or authentic for a long, long time.

From the very beginning this CD says one thing: Depth... and lots of it.

If you're after dense tones and mind-filling noises, this is for you. If you love absolutely strict minimalism, this is for you. If you love dark and intense mind music, this is for you.

He uses harsh, synthesized sounds to create an increasingly tense atmosphere of isolation and industry that melds effortlessly with crisp, yet subtle, 4/4 beats which act as sonic punctuation.

Resonance is another key with dissonant sounds and notes colliding together to create the kind of frequencies that stay with you long after you've finished listening. It's not so much haunting... more frightening how powerful this sound is and the way he uses the simplest of elements to get into your head is devastating.

Deep sine waves, sawtooth loops and out-of-time progressions that sit uneasily over the rigid structure that underpins everything giving it an unbalanced yet perfectly, sublimely out-of sync feel.

There's a real flow, though, and it's essential in drawing the listener in as it can be a lonely and somewhat disconcerting experience listening to this music - you don't neccesarily want it on as dinner music with friends, for example. Short tonal pieces are followed by lengthy and hypnotic tracks that, in a mutant and freaked out otherworld, could be dancefloor music.

A kickdrum... a sound... a manipulation... Antti proves that's all you need to move people, and he does so with an incredible amount of style.

This certainly isn't going to appeal to everyone, but I urge any listeners to go into it with an open mind... you may well be surprised just what you find there.

Richard Chartier Live - LMC Festival, London

2005-11-09T13:15:00.000Z

Wednesday 2nd November 2005.

An extremely wet, windy and unpleasant evening in London.

At the best of times I'm not really that great at going out to events, but on a night like this it was a serious struggle.

God, I'm glad I made the effort.

The LMC is known for its work with and tireless promotion of experimental music in the London area and occasionally, just occasionally they cross over with the kind of minimalistic Electronica that I really love.

For the most part I find a lot of the things they do a little too conceptual for my taste but when I heard they had booked Richard Chartier to perform as part of their annual London festival at the Bridewell Theatre I rushed to get myself and some friends a set of tickets.

It was an interesting and, at times, inadvertantly funny evening, but I'm not going to go into detail about that because that's not why we were there. We went to experience Chartier's music at volume in a live environment.

Coming back from the bar after the interval we were greeted by a completely dark stage with only an Apple Mac logo shining in the middle along with the neon glow of an optical mouse [correction: I'm reliably informed that it actually wasn't a mouse, in which case I'm just not sure what the light was... mysterious!]... this was to be pure Powerbook minimalism, then.

From the opening chord sounds which gently and almost imperceptibly drifted onto the (extremely powerful and amazing quality) sound system we all knew that this was going to special... and it was.

The way Chartier uses microsound samples and manipulations is subtle, inventive and strikingly beautiful. When he produces this sort of semi-melodic noise he's at his best, in my opinion. His ultra high-frequency work is amazing, but in a much colder and more fragmented way. This was just beautiful.

The entire 45 minute set was given over to a slowly morphing and changing drone-based composition with elements of both 'A Field For Recording' and 'Set Or Performance' included as reference points for those who are familiar with some of his work. Deep, dark, resonant drones and chord sequences coupled with high-end static sounds and an insistent high-freqeuncy lurking just at the peak of the human ability to hear it formed the main frame of the piece with an ultra-low bass tone giving a solid grounding underneath. The sort of noise that you can almost feel more than hear, it reverberated through every bone in my body.

From melancholy and beautiful to haunting and moodily atmospheric, the work had elements of everything I love about this music with a wonderfully simple rhythmic passage adding yet another dimension to it - two simple clicks and two simple percussion sounds used to punctuate and accentuate the hypnotic qualities of the music.

For me, it could have gone on all night and I would have sat there entranced, but, as always happens, all good things come to an end and by the time it finished there were quite a few shellshocked and stunned looking members of the audience... myself included.

I would go so far as to say that this is one of the most powerful performances I've ever seen as it still haunts me now and I've barely listened to anything but Chartier's music all week.

A stunning and amazing show.

Make sure you catch him the next time he's in the country - you won't be disappointed.

Various - Pop Ambient 2006 - Kompakt - LP/CD

2005-10-28T22:27:00.000+01:00

Once a year it's worth getting excited about a new album that includes the word 'Ambient' in its title... I'm talking of course about Kompakt's (almost) legendary series of chill-out Electronica albums which have grown in stature, if not in scope, over the last 5 years.

Since day one - or Pop Ambient 2001, to give it its full title - there has been a shift towards the more ethereal, the more breathy and the more downright musical and after a slight blip with '2005' and some initial reservations about this particular edition, I'm glad to say that it is, in fact, a real grower.

Some people may think of it as 'Ambient-lite' and I can kind of see why, but essentially, Kompakt aren't out to challenge the listener and they certainly don't seem to want to be overly experimental. It's simply a great slab of listening music for easy-going afternoons and smoky-hazy evenings.

The one notable absence on this album is that of Wolfgang Voigt - discounting the fact that he did the artwork, of course - which is a bit disorientating at first. What's the point of Pop Ambient without the Godfather of the sound being involved? Luckily there are some new pretenders to the throne as well as some old faces as well.

The Orb get strangely folky with a cute guitar riff and a surprisingly rhythmic sound that is light, airy and actually got me jiggling about in my seat! They win the prize for the most upbeat Ambient track on the album.

Mikkel Metal and Andrew Thomas both deliver gems that fill the gap left by Voigt's absence. Taking over where Gas left off they sculpt wonderfully dense textural tracks with plenty of depth and beauty.

Uli Teichmann (father of Andi and Hannes, by all accounts) really does do a fine job of sounding classical yet utterly contempoorary with a hypnotic loop that has haunting melodic sweeps and a gentle tone.

Ulf Lohmann and Popnoname are responsible for two delightful tracks that are coherently abstract but always melodically, whilst Markus Guentner once again proves that when he's not writing commercially inclined Techno and House he's still perfectly brilliant at putting together lush soundscapes of the highest order.

To be honest the weakest moments for me are Klimek's 'Gymnopedie', which treads familiar ground and doesn't really do anything particularly interesting with Satie's masterpiece, and the version of 'Albatross' by Kohncke & Heimermann... a pretty tune but, unfortunately, due to its blatant associations with Ambient music not terribly exciting.

That said, there's more than enough here to keep the avid fan going and, as always, there'll be plenty of people waiting for this with baited breath.

Will the next Pop Ambient take a slightly different direction? Who knows? Until then however you get a pleasantly horizontal album that will blissfully pass over you, through you and around you, and sometimes, let's be honest, that's all you really want.

Level - Cycla - Spekk - CD

2005-10-15T12:32:00.000+01:00

After the resounding brilliance and beauty of Spekk's 'Small Melodies' compilation [KK:005] comes another gem in the form of Level's superb 'Cycla' CD [KK:007].

There's nothing more pleasing than receiving a piece of work that has clearly been constructed in a thoughtful and knowing way and this certainly lives up to the incredibly high expectations that I had for it.

The only real surprise is that Level didn't have a track included on the aforementioned compilation, although the more you listen to this delightful work the more it becomes clear that this is moving down a substantially different, albeit linked, avenue than the previous Spekk releases.

Taylor Deupree, William Basinski, Richard Chartier and John Hudak have all provided sculpted soundscapes right from the beginning and this certainly follows in those footsteps, but with a different sort of flourish: it's more Berlin-centric, if you will... a slightly dubbier beast, in attitude, if not actual sound and there are certain moments that bring to mind the early (and, conceivably best) works of Vladislav Delay.

Long, heavy and, initially at least, claustrophobic textures are the mainstay of this album and the combination of this with amazingly subtle, clanking, background percussion give the whole thing a mechanical feel that, I suspect, belies its organic roots.

Interestingly, having read an interview with Level (on the excellent Polymorphic Music website) I discovered that the artist considers his sound to be possibly too minimal and that people would imagine his sounds would need extra layers to complete the compositions... a claim that I would utterly refute. If ever there was a full sounding and beautifully layered collection of tracks, this is it.

One can only speculate as to the reason behind this comment, but I for one (and, I suspect, an awful lot of other minimal Electronica fans) would agree that this works on several different layers... none of them too minimal.

From the opening tones of 'Sensit' to the closing moments of 'Ferna' we're treated to an exemplary collection of reduced electronic atmospheres that are crafted with skill and depth to create an instantly hypnotic feel. Manipulated instruments, processed sounds and wonderful hints of wide-open reverb all drenched in a seemingly boundless, and timeless, ambience.

There are no beats to speak of, just hints of rhythmic sound using slowed down beats in an abstract, off-kilter way... but then, this style of music doesn't need the obvious pulsating of a kick drum or a crunchy 8-bit break to drive it forward. It simply has its own momentum which moves you ever forward from track to track until you, inevitably, reach the end and find that you simply must listen to it again.

There are some genuinely heartbreakingly beautiful moments contained within and 'Aler Besc', particularly, is a track that truly aches with a melancholy sense of desolation. This feeling is carried throughout most of the album and for the secret isolationists among us will come as a real treat.

Essentially this is another example of just how deep modern minimalism can and should be and this CD will certainly be a highlight of the next few months listening.

Stadtgruen - Net Label

2005-09-25T20:30:00.000+01:00

There's something incredibly satisfying about discovering a fresh new world, particularly when that world subscribes to an ethic that sits so well and so snugly with your own. Stadtgruen is one of those worlds.

I became interested in Net labels fairly late on and it was only thanks to someone pointing out the merits of Thinner and Autoplate that I discovered them at all.

Thanks to a sniff around the links department of said labels I found myself straying onto Stadtgruen's website and being confronted by a small yet superbly realised collection of internet only MP3 releases.

I can only recommend this website to the fullest as not only is their design sublimely simple and minimal, but the music contained within is absolutely superb as well.

Split into two distinct categories, Stadt deals with a more clubby, Detroit-laced sound and Gruen is the purveyor of deep and ambient soundscapes, with a dubby twist at times.

Featuring internet stalwarts such as Lomov and Krill.Minima, Gruen delivers the real-deal as far as I'm concerned. Not constrained by dancefloor restrictions, it positively revels in the warm, deep, fluid and lusciously atmopsheric with every release having something to recommend it: from Acidrain's light, spacious but still Techno flavour, to the more mood-orientated, downbeat and dubby sounds of Motionfield.

Stadt, on the other hand is more funky, yet retains a depth and overall sense of feeling that keeps it from moving into mundane territory. Releases from Rob Keens, Gurtz and Marco Fuerstenburg are among the highlights, but check all the releases as there's more than one string to this very flavoursome bow.

12 releases on Gruen: 11 on Stadt... and all very, very worthy of your utmost attention.

Pay a visit to http://www.stadtgruenlabel.net/ and see what they can do for you.

Steve Roden - Airforms - Line - CD

2005-09-20T11:48:00.000+01:00

Taylor Deupree and Richard Chartier's Line imprint forms a natural counterpoint to the more streamlined releases of 12k. Each CD has a challenging feel and is often accompanied by an engaging narrative to explain the background of the work.

Steve Roden has been producing installations and audio artwork for many years and he has a catalogue that impresses in its sheer depth and breadth with releases on such influential labels as Trente Oiseaux, Digital Narcis, Meme, Semishigure, Fatcat, 12k and many more.

'Airforms' [LINE_022] is an instantly intriguing hour-long piece that was originally presented in April 2004 at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Arizona. Inspired by a group of houses designed by Wallace Neff in the 1940's using a process he named 'Airform Construction'. These houses were built by spraying concrete over an inflated balloon structure and were themselves imspired by the Nautilus sea shell. They provided a chance for Neff to investigate the aesthetic possibilities of structures formed by air and the knock-on psychological effects of living inside and organically formed space.

Roden's installation reflects Neff's ideas in the use of air as an inspirational skeleton and five objects were built using a similar technique, exchanging concrete for plaster. These objects then each had a speaker placed inside and a multi-channel audio piece was formed using a manipulated sound of breath being blown through and old wooden pipe organ.

As a concept it's thoroughly well researched and incredibly effective, although obviously for this CD release the sounds were reformed to work in a stereo environment instead of a multi-channel sound system.

The work is at once soothing and, as I suspect was intended, a fabulous reflection of sighing wind or breath with its ebb and flow that carries the listener with it. Constructed with multiple layers of sound, from a low sub-heavy drone right through to twinkling top end shimmers, Roden manages to give the piece a head-filling density that requires you to listen to it at a low volume to really get the most from it - high volumes may simply be overwhelming. At the correct level it becomes an amazingly deep background sound that works in such a subliminally beautiful way its hard to resist coming back to it on numerous occasions. It manages to remain, if not completely melodic, then certainly musical in an abstract way and there is a certain amount of progression throughout, although certainly not enough to distract you from the hypnotic nature of the sound.

This sort of music really isn't everyone's cup of tea, I know, but as a CD to work to, to sleep to or even to just daydream to, it's up there with the best of them (see Basinski's 'Disintegration Loops' or John Hudak's 'Room With Sky' for work with similar results) and proves once again that Line is a force to be reckoned with, as is Roden himself.

A genuine pleasure to listen to.

Line

Steve Roden

Pub - Liltmor - Ampoule - CD

2005-08-29T10:44:00.000+01:00

They don’t come along very often, but, my word, when they do, they are worth every single second, minute, hour and month of the wait.

A mouth-watering new CD album from Scotland’s finest, Pub, on his own Ampoule label is a treat to be savoured and this 20 track piece of work will surely go down as one of his best.

Ever since ‘Do You Ever Regret Pantomime?’ surfaced a few years ago, the anticipation of anything new from Pub has been palpable, and whilst the EP ‘Surgery / Cokeshandy’ was a handy stopgap to keep us on our toes, this is truly the moment we’ve been longing for.

And does it disappoint? Not in any way at all. In fact it’s conceivably his best music to date, although that may sit awkwardly with those who still worship the epic ‘Summer’ CD on Vertical Form, or the incredible ‘Single’ – again, on Ampoule.

‘Liltmor’ has a more complete and rounded sound than its predecessors and it certainly covers more ground; from the wistful, Chain Reaction styled rhythmic soundscapes of ‘Motobere’, to more overtly ‘Electronica’ tracks such as ‘Fun Hopper’, you get a sense of an artist who is most happy when mixing it up and shifting styles halfway through a track. Just listen to the way the stunning piano refrain of ‘Luki Luki’ flows in from a seemingly unrelated piece of heavily rhythmic, abstract texture… truly a heartbreakingly beautiful piece of music.

There’s a muted, almost classical feel to the tracks that gives them an instant distance and fragile beauty. Isolation (both geographically and personally, it would seem) are the themes here and for anyone who has ever been lonely or desperate, there’s a good chance that these pieces of music will remind you that you really are never alone… there’s someone else out there who understands.

And that’s always been one of Pub’s strengths; His ability to make music that’s incredibly personal sounding… a link between the listener and the musician that lasts for the entire album… almost as if he’s written it specifically for you.

Best listened to from beginning to end in one sitting, it’s hard not to get caught up in the wistful, melancholy sounds of one of the UK’s most underground, yet celebrated artists.

A dangerously good album.

Filfla - Frame - Plop - CD

2005-08-22T09:27:00.000+01:00

Another Plop CD? So soon after the Fenton 'Pup' album? I wouldn't say Plop was exactly prolific, but when they get on a roll they really do get stuck into their release schedule! Lucky for us though, as this is yet another wonderful album of light, playful and friendly organic Electronica of the highest calibre.

Keiichi Sugimoto is one of those artists who busily works away under a number of aliases and, if you're a fan of this genre, the chances are you will have come across his work as either Minamo (with Yuichiro Iwashita, Namiko Sasamoto and Tetsuro Yasunaga), Fourcolor or Fonica. He clearly spends a great deal of time writing music and the result of this is a tangible mastery of a sound he has made his own.

Filfla follows in the footsteps of his other monikers by using a guitar base for most of the tracks and then electronically tweaking and manipulating the sounds he constructs to form a very pleasing and warm hybrid.

It can be choppy and glitchy at times, which forms an interesting counterpoint to the generally melodic nature of the music, but it never gets too much and remains lively and perky without getting bogged down in overly intricate programming.

The intro track ‘Dx_00’ guides you into the album with a 40 second slice of drifting noise complete with ghostly voices in the background – very much like standing in Kyoto train station and being lulled by the constant announcements and general hubbub of a busy railway environment.

This slips easily into ‘Dx (Distance)’ which sets out the stall for the rest of the musical content of the CD. A subtle high pitched whine works in the recesses of the track to add challenge to the otherwise beautiful nature of the looped chords and melodies which shimmy into the music halfway through. This could easily be a Minamo track in disguise and has the same purity of guitar playing that makes all of Sugimoto’s other work such a joy.

‘”Backyard’ provides the first really rhythmic sounds with yet another uplifting piece of organic-sounding music. It’s the way the plucked strings work with the synthetic sounds, bleeps and melodies that really move it along, and when the shuffly, broken beat arrives it really punctuates the chilled out sounds with a lovely funkiness – not something you can say about a lot of experimental Electronica!

‘Stanza’ is comprised of a deep chord stab with multiple effects and a super stereo feel which wouldn’t be out of place on an Echocord release. It’s then joined by some guitar melodies and a series of Detroit-esque bleeps that could almost be vintage Derrick May before finishing up as pretty much purely a guitar track… a mixture of styles that works like a dream.

‘Epic’ and ‘Nuf’ are the most low-key tracks on the album and use a gorgeous minimal tone to convey their own unique warmth and beauty. ‘Nuf’ in particular has a lullaby quality that’s soothing and soporific.

Upbeat track ‘Coy’ will certainly wake you up from your hypnosis with its quirky and fun feel. Not quite danceable, but certainly one of the most traditional sounding cuts on the album. It has plenty of musical guitar playing and some great Techno-style electronic sounds that are used to give the track a real groove – albeit a subtle one. A lovely tune indeed.

‘Learn’ and ‘Azure’ finish up with more manipulations and reversed guitar notes layered over deliciously warm chord structures to provide a perfect end to a simply marvellous album.

If you’re suffering from the Summer blues (and I know I am because it’s chucking it down with rain outside and it’s August!) this really is a splendid antidote with its light and summery feel.

Props to Keiichi for yet another brilliant album and another reason to admire the sterling work he does for the minimalist electronic scene.

Wonderful.

Various - Small Melodies - Spekk - CD

2005-08-17T10:21:00.000+01:00

Look at the artwork. Just take a good look at how crisp, how beautiful and how thoughtful it is. Stylized, minimalist and just plain delightful... much like the label it's released on.

Spekk is run out of Tokyo by Nao Sugimoto, otherwise known as Mondii and a member of Rdl, and is an avenue specifically created for him to explore the otherworldly sounds of contemporary digital minimalism.

Let’s get one thing straight though, ‘Small Melodies’ is a CD that’s considerably more friendly and warm than the previous releases and whilst it doesn’t so much mark a departure in style, it certainly has a more accessible feel than the ultra-minimal works from artists such as William Basinski, Richard Chartier, John Hudak, Boca Raton and Taylor Deupree – with the exception, maybe, of Andrey Kiritchenko’s superb ‘True Delusions’.

It takes a broad look at the micro-genre of melodic, organic Electronic Minimalism and features such a superb track-listing - by artists both known and not so well known - that one feels it's going to be special even before listening to it... and it really is.

The opening track by the Ultra Milkmaids is a suitably grand beginning with its spatial stereo stabs and flexible programming. It leads you along by building on the chord structures to create an almost symphonic, mid-range drone of sound that’s beautifully melodic without losing any of its edge. Slivers of rhythm cut through and whispers of ghostly percussion become clear. It’s a fantastic intro that hints to the listener of the delights that are coming their way.

Sogar and Tomoyoshi Date provide the following two tracks and, although on the surface they share a similar sound, that of a light and airy organic / electronic hybrid, the tracks are distinctly different. Sogar’s is a more hypnotic, looped style with layers of melodic found-sounds melding into one delightful piece. Micro-textures flow in the background with little captured samples providing punctuation to the flowing chords. Tomoyoshi paints a more overtly melodic picture with a playful, melodic sound that’s not a million miles away from some of Plop’s (another Nao Sugimoto-related label) output. Lustrous strings and reversed instruments create a swathe of fairytale sound.

Leave it to Taylor Deupree to show why he’s easily one of the leading lights of the contemporary digital minimalist scene. His contribution ‘For Nicholas’ is a textbook track that uses incredibly detailed sound design and a cleverly reduced style to convey warmth, depth and emotion through isolationism.

Raster Noton and List’s Hervé Boghossian lends himself to organic manipulations and his previous guitar work has been provoking thoughts and enchanting listeners for some time. His track ‘The Latter’ has a more sculptural feel than some of his other material, but it works so well. The closest I can get to describing it is to compare it to the backing noise of a Seefeel record (‘Time to Find Me’ springs immediately to mind). The swell and flow is incredibly fluid and immerses the listener fully. Guitars are still the source of the sound, but here they take on another dimension.

Following this is a trio of, what I would describe as, pure Japanese Electronica. Aen, Naph and Tape all deliver deeply melodic, organically laced tracks that are delicate, fragile, achingly melancholic and feature some wonderful background found-sounds. Regardless of whether they are Japanese artists or not, they’ve truly found a natural home here and their contributions are immaculate and, again, not too far removed from the Plop label.

Long-standing sound artist Oren Ambarchi is completely at home with his track ‘Thirsty Boots’; a low-key, drone based piece of work that has a gentle touch and an oriental feel. The bell-like tones are as soothing as kneeling at a Shinto shrine and as deep as Lake Biwa.

Fenton (aka Dan Abrams, aka Shuttle358) shouldn’t need much introduction and the track he has produced for this album is very pretty indeed. Guitars are the key element and he has a way of plucking the strings that avoids the clichés of Folk and Country and stays considerably deeper and more hypnotic. Gentle manipulation of the background sounds lends it a slightly eerie feel with a high-pitched whine working its way into the listeners head. Ultimately, the track is friendly and easygoing… surely not a bad thing?

With some subtle filtering and construction, Rdl give us ‘Finale’ a hypnotic, soothing track that uses gentle layering to build the track into a morphing, swaying soundtrack. A soundtrack to what? Your imagination will easily conjure up images that sit with this wonderful piece of music. Re-occurring motifs and loops provide points of reference for the listener to hold onto as the track changes over time becoming almost hymn-like and spiritual by the end. Delicious.

Apestaartje’s Anderegg once more proves that he can manipulate organic sounds and create lush noisescapes with the best of them. This bears some resemblance to Boghossian’s track earlier on the CD, but has a slightly lighter air and an insistent high frequency sound that lurks in the background keeping the listener attuned at all times.

Under his Mondii moniker, Nao Sugimoto gives us one of the highlights of the album with the divine ‘Between’ – a shimmering, shining example of how to coax melody out of machines. Forest floors, sunlight through trees, twinkling stars… all of these things spring readily to mind when engaging with this fascinatingly detailed work. It comes across as effortless, though, and the gentle guitar plucking that makes up the sonic backdrop add a touch of humanity to an otherwise other-worldly piece of work. Haunting.

Finally, Stephan Mathieu sees the CD out with a soft and glistening track that’s full of grace, depth and melody, but always seems to hold itself back – never getting over-the-top or too sweet and sickly – leaving the listener wanting more and more.

‘Small Melodies’ is the kind of album that reaffirms ones faith in music and should easily charm enough people to make this a firm favourite of the year and another supremely confident release from Spekk.

Quite simply superb.

Remote_ - Celestion EP - Meanwhile - 12"

2005-08-11T08:17:00.000+01:00

I feel slightly disingenuous reviewing this record as it's actually produced by me. Does it come across as cheap for me to talk about my own work? I hope not. I must admit though that I'm genuinely enthused by the fact that this record has been released and on a label that I really respect and like... that's the icing on the cake.

Meanwhile has been around for about 18 months and has released 3 records so far. Pleasingly, they are all of an incredibly high standard and constitute a back catalogue of extreme quality.

Detroit and Berlin are the main reference points within the tracks from Murmur and Bovill and there's a deep, minimalistic and very pure Techno feel throughout all of the records. 4/4 beats, vintage chord pads and strings, touches of melody and an old-yet-new sound combine to give a unique feel that's considerably more interesting than pretty much all of the other Techno labels currently doing the rounds.

To have been asked to release an EP on such a label is a thrill and an honour and I just hope that this 12" can emulate the underground success of the releases thus far.

The Celestion EP is a four track piece of work which kicks off with the title track, 'Celestion [Edit]', a dreamy, House-style Techno cut with a relentless build, a dubwise bassline and swathes of full sounding effect-drenched strings... at once shuffling and dancefloor orientated but with a simplicity and melodic nature that certain people have been calling a summer anthem (not sure which summer that would be but, hey...). It certainly has a Detroit-laced sound but there's an offbeat, clicking percussion loop that gives it extra movement. An insistent track that never really lets you go.

Second track 'Celestion [Sound Hacker Mix]' is remixed in the finest of styles by the, as yet, unknown Sound Hacker. You'll be hearing more of them in the near future and on the evidence of this track it's not hard to see why. They've taken the leading elements of the original track and turned it into a jittery, skittering Electronica reworking with some dark, dense atmospherics and some wonderfully intricate rhythm programming. It's fair to say that you can hear a bit of Monolake in there, sound wise, and certainly a hint of Autechre on the rhythms. Cunningly, though, they manage to sound completely unlike either of those artists. A stunning track.

'A-Tonal' kicks off the B-side with the most overtly Berlin influenced track. A metallic stab or two with freeform echoes and heavy reverb build slowly into a 4/4 Techno track that references Basic Channel, style-wise, but has its own feel overall. A big, bad dubby bassline completes the flava and keeps the track rolling along and the progression is simple, minimalistic but very hypnotic.

The last track is 'Permafrost' which, as the name suggests, is an icy cold piece of work. An aquatic sounding series of layers build into a dense, beatless drone with a truly alien feel. Again, there's a nod to the Chain Reaction sound, but without referencing it completely.

So, that's what it sounds like... Hopefully some people are going to like it... I must admit that I do (otherwise why would I have written it?) and I don't think there's anything wrong with admitting that!

Fenton - Pup - Plop - CD

2005-08-10T08:18:00.000+01:00

Dan Abrams is probably better know as Shuttle358 and, judging by the impact that his previous work for both 12k and Mille Plateaux has already had, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch of the imagination to describe him as a very influential figure within modern Electronica circles.

So, it was with a large degree of excitement that I opened up the package of this, his latest project, on the wonderful Japanese label Plop [which already has a high pedigree of releases from the likes of F.S. Blumm, Fonica, :Gel, Sora, Pola and more].

As expected this is everything you could possibly want from a Dan Abrams album and forms a natural and free-flowing follow-up to 'Chessa', released on 12k at the end of 2004. In fact, the last track of that album seems to hint at what lies ahead on 'Pup' and you'd be forgiven for thinking that they have come from the same recording session, so similar in concept are they.

Whereas the delicate ambient electronics of his previous work were very much the product of computers and hardware, the gently lilting tones of 'Pup' are decidedly organic in nature using, as they do, guitars for the most part and a luscious, lightly manipulated feel to add even more depth to the sounds. Every track here could easily be part of an overall theme and the subtle picking and playing of melodies is warm, friendly and very engaging from beginning to end.

There isn't a wasted moment here and when it's not providing deep soundscapes for you to bliss out to, there are tracks that have a structured, song-like quality that almost beg for a vocal interpretation... that would be to miss the point, however. This is instrumental music at heart and should, in my opinion, always remain so.

I'd go so far as to say that this is one of the highest points achieved thus far in the somewhat crowded field of 'organic' Electronica and has seen many repeated plays. And no doubt it will continue to do so for quite some time...