Yukon Youth, by TEN

Released October 31, 2016

Dominic Deane – Piano, Synths, Guitar, Field Recordings and Percussion
Alex Hannan – Violin
Sarah Tyler – Clarinet
Tim Hann – Electric Guitar

Recorded by Ross Halden at Ghost Town Studio, Leeds between
November 2014 and Febuary 2016. Mastered by Tim Hann

All songs written by Ten (Dominic Deane)

Pop Ambient 2018

Our POP AMBIENT compilation series returns for its 2018 instalment, with series curator Wolfgang Voigt presenting another batch of hand-picked recordings from genre veterans and newcomers alike. The more seasoned among this year’s contributors are easily identified by their individual artistic sensibilities, ranging from the morphing, organic rhythms of THE ORB’s sample collages (on SKY’S FALLING) to KAITO’s ethereal, trance-infused soundscapes (TRAVELLED BETWEEN SOULS) and MIKKEL METAL’s intimate ambient songwriting (SHAME).

They join the ranks of Pop Ambient scholars such as MAX WÜRDEN & THORE PFEIFFER (co-authoring the sparkling PANORAMA), Magazine’s JENS-UWE BEYER (creating rich drama out of cinematic textures on ATHOS) or Adjunct’s KENNETH JAMES GIBSON (who pairs soaring strings with bubbly percussion on DISINCLINED TO VACATE). Pfeiffer can also be found working with genre mainstay LEANDRO FRESCO on opener SPLINTER, crossing the growth rings of the Pop Ambient family tree with a subtle, atmospheric collaboration. Another welcome return to the roster, Jörg Burger dusts off his iconic TRIOLA project last heard on Pop Ambient 2013 (KOMPAKT 269 CD 103) with the floating, echo-drenched cut L’ATALANTE.

After making his Pop Ambient debut on last year’s instalment (KOMPAKT 365 CD 135), YUI ONODERA continues his exploration of deep, intricate string sounds on PRISM and NINE CHAINS TO THE MOON (CD only) – it’s compelling material that shows the Tokyo-based musician and architectural acoustic designer as a strong addition to the Pop Ambient talent pool. He’s joined by the two latest recruits to the series, both well- established artists in their own right: techno provocateur T.RAUMSCHMIERE flexes his drone muscles on the elegiac ETERNA, while pedal steel guitar maestro CHUCK JOHNSON creates expanding sonic spaces on the meditative BRAHMI – a uniquely immersive cut that draws from the idiosyncratic country post-rock he established on his acclaimed “Balsams” full-length released earlier this year.

ethereal skyline

ethereal skyline | ambient/drone | 71:57

With Thanksgiving upon us (USA). . .here’s an ethereal, meandering, tryptophan-laden mix for headphone use after you..[begrudgingly] push away from that last slice of pie @ the holiday table & locate a comfortable, pillow-enabled couch for your post meal nap…Zzzzzzzz
;- )

01 Loscil – Sous Marin
02 Bing Sattelites – Cloud Surfing (excerpt)
03 Emil Klotszch – Tiefe Berge, part 2
04 metlay! – On Little Cat Feet (excerpt)
05 Eyes Cast Down – Exquisite Divination of Patterns
06 Julio Di Benedetto – Still Quiet After
07 Brian Eno & Harold Budd – The Plateaux of Mirror
08 Leonardo Rosado – Upon Contact Reworked
09 Chris Russell – Phlox
10 Dead Beat – Open My Eyes that I May See
11 Mathieu Lamontagne – Pourquoi Faire
12 Bienfay – Mein Entschluss Anders zu Leben
……………………..(My decision to live differently)
13 Aphex Twin – Blur

Ex-Easter Island Head; Sixteen Snares

http://www.exeasterislandhead.com/

Provenance, by Björn Meyer

There is a distinguished tradition of solo bass albums on ECM, but Provenance is the first to be devoted to the electric bass guitar. Björn Meyer, Swedish-born and Swiss-based, has shaped a unique voice for his instrument inside the most diverse contexts, working alongside Persian harpist and singer Asita Hamidi, Swedish nyckelharpa player Johan Hedin, and Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem.

For a decade he was a member of Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin, in which his bass guitar was frequently the lead instrument. His solo work is concerned with the experience of sound in acoustic spaces: “Even though the instrument is technically non-acoustic, the music is deeply influenced by the properties of the space where it is played. The many different ways in which acoustics affect my compositions and improvisations have always been sources of surprise and inspiration.

There is definitely a second member in this solo project – the room!” The participating room on Provenance is the highly responsive Auditorio Stello Molo RSI in Lugano, its rich acoustics helping to bring out all the fine detail in Meyer’s subtle playing.

• Released September 15, 2017
• Reviewed on All About Jazz

s e n d u s t . 1

Rough edges & magnetic resonance, capped off with a slightly undertoned caustic sheen make this a mix right in my “wheelhouse”. I don’t go much for “smooth” with my Jazz, Ambient or Classical music. I like the dissonance; because ONLY by understanding the dissonant edge can we truly appreciate the beauty that its resolution brings.

Thanks to Draeger Gunn, @ Kim Cascone‘s Silent Records, for reaching out with several of the label’s excellent offerings – which laid the foundation for this project. After receiving the tracks from Silent, it was a matter of crafting together a like-minded assemblage of tunes to best represent both the Silent artists and what best complimented them from the non-Silent universe.
This mix includes 5 tracks* from Silent Records artists.
Part 1 of 2 | 77:12

01 Michael Seta – Doesdust*
02 Lustmord – Deep Calls to Deep (Psalm 42-7) (excerpt)
03 Pleq & Hakobune – Depths Of Immersion (Philippe Lamy remix)
04 Björn Meyer – Aldebaran  [added, post-production] +
05 Mike Rooke – Tulpamancingsparkles*
06 Carbon Sigma – Lights Fade in the Distance of an Empty Shoreline (excerpt)
07 Lucid Nation – Mars Opposition Pluto*
08 Brian Eno & Harold Budd – Wind in Lonely Fences
09 Saul Stokes – Quiet Antenna
10 Fictions and Poetics – Underlying Substance
11 Grey Frequency – Phantom Cosmonauts
12 Scott Gibbons – Flowering Vibratory Clavicle*
13 Lingua Lustra – Ice Age*
14 Trent Reznor – Showdown (‘Quake’)
15 Lowell Levine-Sims – Fear Creates Danger, Courage Dispels It

~excerpt from “The ‘s e n d u s t’ project studio interview, 11.10.17

Black Soma, by 36

 “Black Soma concludes my space-inspired series of releases, following the ‘Sine Dust’ and ‘Tomorrow’s Explorers’ EP’s. Whereas those records were often romantic and other-worldly sounding, I wanted ‘Black Soma’ to be more grounded in the realities and struggles of people living on our own planet, today.

Tracks like ‘Black Soma’ and ‘Black Halcyon’ see a return to the emotionally-charged choral sound of classic 36 tunes like ‘Reunion’, whereas, the synth-dominated ‘Black Sun’ and ‘Black Future’ radiate with the kind of mechanical warmth I just love. For me, the most memorable music skirts the line between sadness and exhilaration, and I feel this has always been at the core of my music, just like it’s at the heart of all people.

It’s been ten years since I first started the 36 project. Here’s to the next ten.”
–36

Released September 12, 2017