Double bass player and electronic producer Otto Lindholm comes to light with his project and debut LP simply called ‘Otto Lindholm’ is released on Icarus Records | Vynilla Vinyls.
In the mood of bands and projects as Mohammad (Pan) or James Ginzburg & Yair Elazar Glotman’ Nimbes for Subtext, Otto Lindholm debut LP proposes an intense and noir three track LP, comprised by stand-alone experiments coming from a unique producing process elaborated by the artist where each track was played and recorded in one shot. The double bass dialogues in the dark with blinking analogue machines creating beatless but dynamic music, fully habited by plate-shifting bass drones.
Credits | Released May 27, 2016
Music by Otto Lindholm
Mixed by Max Finkle
Masterized by Fred Alstadt
Artwork by Jeroen De Wandel
A brand new mix project/series fronted by OfftheSky & APK (d.b.a. Fictions and Poetics). The series delves into some slightly caustic/glitchy sound (without being a full-on ‘glitch‘ mix) along with a wink, a nod, a drone & a treatment or 2 (O.K., maybe 3).
Atmospheric conditions are, @ times, heavy and then seemingly weightless.
Part 1 of 3; 70:18
01 Brian Eno – LUX 4 [excerpt]
02 Arve Henriksen, Eivind Aarset, Jan Bang & Tigran Hamasyan – Traces III (ghosted layer edit)
03 Teruyuki Nobuchika – Lost in Meditation (redundancy edit)
04 Chris Russell – Refraction
05 OffTheSky – Wool [excerpt]
06 Fictions and Poetics – Too Much Rain
07 Kloob – Echoes of Ignorance
08 Steve Roach – This Place to Be [excerpt]
09 OffTheSky – Gust Form [excerpt]
10 Sendai – Without the Written Word, pt 1 __________(zero gravity smashmouth/techno edit)
11 Indigo Signal – Lost Orbit [treated cameo appearance edit]
12 Otto Lindholm – Caïman [excerpt]
13 Fictions & Poetics – Magnolias
14 Teruyuki Nobuchika – Antilia
Release: 18 November 2016, by Dirk Serries (a.k.a. vidnaObmana) on Tonefloat Records.
“Microphonics XXVI-XXX : Resolution Heart” is a breathtaking farewell to a remarkable series of releases (studio and live) for Tonefloat Records. An album that captures the essence of [Serries’] music.” ~Tonefloat
Resolution Heart, the final offering in Dirk Serries’ ‘Microphonics’ series (Serries’ series, seriously!) is an encompassing minimalistic soundscape & a masterful work of aural art. The listener has their work cut out for them as they parse through the various sounds coming at them, by way of Mr. Serries’ electric guitar, electric violin & fender Rhodes…along with analog and digital effects, which mold the sound-wall (mastered by Taylor Deupree) of this exquisite din.
I use the word “din” with the deepest of reverence for the Ambient genera. Some listeners prefer a smooth, New Age/Ambient Pop sound. I dwell not amidst that group. As with my Jazz, I prefer improvisation as opposed to the popular or mainstream. With Ambient, I
new phone screen saver
prefer a gritty, textural/granular…almost caustic feel…all with a harmonious backdrop of vibrancy that can, at times, border on Neo-Classical tonality. I also like unfiltered tea and French-press coffee – a fact that may help with the direction of this review. Discordancy is a good thing in this listener’s opinion, which is why I like all things, Fripp, Eno, Bowie, Belew and Henry Frayne (relative newcomer & double bass-man Otto Lindholm also comes to mind).
Now back to the album…
The opening track, xxvi Epiphany and Isolation, creates a sonic texture-wall with shards of guitar & violin strings straining through the haze and creating a rhythm against a dense ambient backdrop.
I Communicate Silence (#xxix) seems to bring Dirk’s guitar more to the forefront (though still shaded in ambient gloss) as the track communicates a sort of melancholy & subdued tone with echoes of the same tone repeated in the background.
Swept to the Sky (xxvii), the first album track to appear on an upcoming A.L. mix, brings a subtly searing guitar loop that plays against the most prominent use of Serries’ violin (at least to these ears) string/bow-work on the album. The discordant violin plays devil’s advocate to the beautiful guitar strain (which in my imagination, is attempting to break free) – while a dull, sub-bass, drum-like tone quietly keeps non-rhythm in the offings. This track is my favorite & definitely ends much too soon.
And #XXX, The Deprivation of Heart, which as an aside would seem right at home with Dirk’s 2012 collaboration with Steve Roach, Low Volume Music; on Projekt, is a splendid & meandering ambient composition which dual tracks treated guitar/guitar feedback & a synth-like sound mirroring the guitar, creating a caustic, slightly gritty duet.
So color me a serious Serries fan!
A prime mover in multiple genres, Dirk draws upon influence from Robert Fripp & Brian Eno on the Ambient side & John Coltrane & Arvo Pärt on the Jazz slope. I appreciate his avant-garde jazz offerings on Tonefloat (with several tracks encapsulated on our ‘elements’ series) as well as his cutting edge ambient excursions. He is both innovative & pioneering…which doesn’t always add up to mainstream compositions or fame – then again, if you’re reading this blog then you’re less the chocolate/vanilla smooth-Jazz zombie & more the deliciously adventurous kind of discerning Ambient/Jazz audiophile.
Track-list:
01. xxvi epiphany and isolation
02. xxix i communicate silence
03. xxvii swept to the sky
04. xxx the deprivation of heart
~Construction & Recording 2013-2016. performed, mixed by dirk serries.
~Mastered by taylor deupree at 12k mastering.
~Instruments : electric guitar, electric violin, fender rhodes, analog and digital effects.
~Photography by martina verhoeven.
Swept to Only Skye (a mix utilizing Dirk’s ‘I Communicate Silence‘ track)
Minimal techno + Techno beats for my approaching winter Nordic Track
workouts (I draw the line for running @ 19 degrees & workout in my basement gym). 83:33
01 The Hive Project – Shadows & Dreams
02 Plastikman – Packard
03 Photek – Modus Operandi
04 Add N to [X] – Revenge of the Black Regent
05 Jon Hassell – Power Spot
06 Ken Ishii – Extra
07 Lunatic Calm – The Sound
08 Talvin Singh – Sutrix
09 BT – Orbitus Teranium
10 Modular Systems – Moment 2
11 Astralasia – Third Uncle (Eno cover)
Here it is, the Optimistic Underground list of best ambient albums ever made. Inspired by all the discussion surrounding Pitchfork’s list of the genre, I decided to lay out my favorites. This is a sound that I’ve been in love with my whole life, so the only problem was narrowing it down.
Lots of people like ambient music for lots of reasons. Some love to fall asleep to it. Some are fascinated with the granular detail of slow songs. Some enjoy the way that it can dilate time, shifting perception for vast stretches.
I love it for all of these reasons, and for the way it can utterly transport my mind in a way that frees me to have all sorts of thoughts, the kind of ideas that spring up during a long bike ride or a mediation session. Ambient music is contemplative music, for all intents and purposes. It’s…
Ambient Landscape 