1
Sam Gendel Ugné Uma - S_M
2
Sam Gendel Ugné Uma - T_M
3
Sam Gendel Ugné Uma - N_M
4
Sam Gendel Ugné Uma - U_M
5
Sam Gendel Ugné Uma - R_M
6
Sam Gendel Ugné Uma - A_M
Between improv, pop and r&b abstractions, and contemplative balearics, Sam Gendel and Ugné Uma “Tam tikri objektai erdveje” subtly meanders through a fragile and forward cosmos both inward and out.
Sam Gendel and Ugne Uma’s Tam Tikri Objektai Erdveje album sketches a layered, melismatic and intertextual view on what both performers define as a lightness of being. Ugne Uma’s musical stance is influenced by experimental poetry and Lithuania’s 20th century underground music scene - jazz and folk, resulting from the liberation of the country’s independence movements. Sam Gendel, from Los Angeles, is a saxophonist and producer, proficient on more instruments than the saxophone alone, whose recorded work both solo and collaborative has brought him acclaim as a vital new voice in modern jazz and beyond.
Tam Tikri Objektai Erdveje is Lithuanian and translates as Some Particular Objects in Space. The six tracks on the album stand for every letter of the word Saturn. They sketch out a sound palette both fragile and full of forward momentum. With hints of improv, sampling their own recorded work and sounds of a childhood’s Yamaha Portasound PSS-290 synth into abstractions of pop and r&b, some of these tracks reach an almost balearic feel, the more contemplative end of it. With lyrics delving into cosmic phenomena, Tam Tikri Objektai Erdveje is an album about space, whether cosmic or inward or the one in between. It easily surpasses the sum of its influences and the materials and tactics used to produce it.
A1 ttoe - S_M (0’46)
A2 ttoe - T_M (3’02)
A3 ttoe - N_M (3’55)
B1 ttoe - U_M (4’00)
B2 ttoe - R_M (4’30)
B3 ttoe - A_M (2’38) More
Sam Gendel and Ugne Uma’s Tam Tikri Objektai Erdveje album sketches a layered, melismatic and intertextual view on what both performers define as a lightness of being. Ugne Uma’s musical stance is influenced by experimental poetry and Lithuania’s 20th century underground music scene - jazz and folk, resulting from the liberation of the country’s independence movements. Sam Gendel, from Los Angeles, is a saxophonist and producer, proficient on more instruments than the saxophone alone, whose recorded work both solo and collaborative has brought him acclaim as a vital new voice in modern jazz and beyond.
Tam Tikri Objektai Erdveje is Lithuanian and translates as Some Particular Objects in Space. The six tracks on the album stand for every letter of the word Saturn. They sketch out a sound palette both fragile and full of forward momentum. With hints of improv, sampling their own recorded work and sounds of a childhood’s Yamaha Portasound PSS-290 synth into abstractions of pop and r&b, some of these tracks reach an almost balearic feel, the more contemplative end of it. With lyrics delving into cosmic phenomena, Tam Tikri Objektai Erdveje is an album about space, whether cosmic or inward or the one in between. It easily surpasses the sum of its influences and the materials and tactics used to produce it.
A1 ttoe - S_M (0’46)
A2 ttoe - T_M (3’02)
A3 ttoe - N_M (3’55)
B1 ttoe - U_M (4’00)
B2 ttoe - R_M (4’30)
B3 ttoe - A_M (2’38) More
More records from Meakusma
1
Manuel Troller - Halcyon Future I
2
Manuel Troller - DNA
3
Manuel Troller - Halcyon Future II - I
4
Manuel Troller - Halcyon Future II - II
A bit more than half a decade on from his widely acclaimed debut Vanishing Points from 2018, Swiss guitarist, composer, and improv musician Manuel Troller releases his new record Halcyon Future. A rhythmically dense and ambiguous, yet joyful ride for unstable times, a plea for warmth and hopeful resistance.
Troller’s mode of incorporating, zooming in, and expanding on small elements from improvised sessions creates a multilayered work of driving rhythms and abstract, vibrating textures. Opening with Halcyon Future I’s distinctive open pulse, this first piece guides us through subtle harmonic shifts that are almost unrecognizable as they take place over extended time, overlapping and creating a sense of ambiguity until the piece reaches an almost optimistic level with Mario Hänni’s unexpected introduction of driving acoustic drums. Relentlessly and with increasing excitement, heavy electronic 80s bass drums and an armada of layered hi-hats push them on, leading to the all-incorporating melodic finale.
The two long pieces Halcyon Future I and Halcyon Future II focus on forward momentum. In between them stands DNA, a purposely directionless contemplation on emotion as such. It is raw, naked, and confrontational, with a tender and subtly changing chord progression creating intimacy and proximity, abstraction and warmth, like a beautifully vibrant hologram for the listener to walk around in.
The B-side with its 20-minute Halcyon Future II features playful futuristic guitars, enhancing and challenging the stereo image that Troller is already well-known for. As it’s given time to develop and take root, the ever-varying guitar interactions densify and the staccato patterns jump out of the speakers with joy, creating excitement and building momentum. Compared to Side A, things turn to a slightly more complex rhythmical, melodic, and harmonic feel here. There are easy references, such as Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4 or Pat Metheny performing Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, but Troller goes a different and very much more concrete way. Although the piece has been recorded in various places and through a long process of overdubbing, there is an astonishingly strong live feel to it, from beginning to the end, from the slow rise to the full spectrum and the almost krautrock-like finale. Improvisers Hans Koch on soprano saxophone and Michael Flury on heavily fuzzed trombone join in, while Troller and Mario Hänni on many guitars, bass, drum machines, and acoustic drums provide a joyous driving entity, not giving up until it all breaks down again. There is overkill and brute force, though never without depth and a vision of future.
In the musical scope of Halcyon Future, there is no need for an absolute definition of things. A continuously changing interpretation of repetitive and variable elements fading in and out of focus tells a story of an excited sense of acceptance. Feelings of transcendence stem from Troller’s layering of constantly shifting rhythmic structures with unforeseen improvised harmonic changes. Drum machine parts overlayed with acoustic drums shift between musical modes, anchoring the album on the verge of a jazz-influenced, motorik, post-ECM balearic plateau. Abstract textural elements gently swirl around and behind all that is rhythm, providing a submissive counterpoint. As with much of Troller’s work, Halcyon Future is an album that unfolds slowly, revealing more of its richness, detail, and subtle beauty at each listen.
Halcyon Future is a joint release by three:four records and meakusma.
credits
produced by Manuel Troller
published by three:four records and meakusma
Manuel Troller: guitars, bass, percussion & drum programming
with:
Mario Hänni: acoustic drums and percussion on Halcyon Future I & II
Hans Koch: soprano saxophone on Halcyon Future II
Michael Flury: fuzzed trombone on Halcyon Future II
Recorded during 2021 & 2022 at Suburban Sound, Winterthur by Manuel Egger, additional recordings at Feldbergstrasse in Basel & various places by Manuel Troller.
Mixed December 2022 and January 2023 at Suburban Sound, Winterthur by Manuel Egger and Manuel Troller.
DNA's additional mixing by Leo Abrahams
Mastered by Rashad Becker
Vinyl cut by Rashad Becker
Desing by Mathis Pfäffli, font: Dinamo Typefaces.
Realized with the kind support of Fuka Fonds Stadt Luzern, Fachausschuss Musik Kanton Basel-Stadt und Basel Landschaft More
Troller’s mode of incorporating, zooming in, and expanding on small elements from improvised sessions creates a multilayered work of driving rhythms and abstract, vibrating textures. Opening with Halcyon Future I’s distinctive open pulse, this first piece guides us through subtle harmonic shifts that are almost unrecognizable as they take place over extended time, overlapping and creating a sense of ambiguity until the piece reaches an almost optimistic level with Mario Hänni’s unexpected introduction of driving acoustic drums. Relentlessly and with increasing excitement, heavy electronic 80s bass drums and an armada of layered hi-hats push them on, leading to the all-incorporating melodic finale.
The two long pieces Halcyon Future I and Halcyon Future II focus on forward momentum. In between them stands DNA, a purposely directionless contemplation on emotion as such. It is raw, naked, and confrontational, with a tender and subtly changing chord progression creating intimacy and proximity, abstraction and warmth, like a beautifully vibrant hologram for the listener to walk around in.
The B-side with its 20-minute Halcyon Future II features playful futuristic guitars, enhancing and challenging the stereo image that Troller is already well-known for. As it’s given time to develop and take root, the ever-varying guitar interactions densify and the staccato patterns jump out of the speakers with joy, creating excitement and building momentum. Compared to Side A, things turn to a slightly more complex rhythmical, melodic, and harmonic feel here. There are easy references, such as Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4 or Pat Metheny performing Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, but Troller goes a different and very much more concrete way. Although the piece has been recorded in various places and through a long process of overdubbing, there is an astonishingly strong live feel to it, from beginning to the end, from the slow rise to the full spectrum and the almost krautrock-like finale. Improvisers Hans Koch on soprano saxophone and Michael Flury on heavily fuzzed trombone join in, while Troller and Mario Hänni on many guitars, bass, drum machines, and acoustic drums provide a joyous driving entity, not giving up until it all breaks down again. There is overkill and brute force, though never without depth and a vision of future.
In the musical scope of Halcyon Future, there is no need for an absolute definition of things. A continuously changing interpretation of repetitive and variable elements fading in and out of focus tells a story of an excited sense of acceptance. Feelings of transcendence stem from Troller’s layering of constantly shifting rhythmic structures with unforeseen improvised harmonic changes. Drum machine parts overlayed with acoustic drums shift between musical modes, anchoring the album on the verge of a jazz-influenced, motorik, post-ECM balearic plateau. Abstract textural elements gently swirl around and behind all that is rhythm, providing a submissive counterpoint. As with much of Troller’s work, Halcyon Future is an album that unfolds slowly, revealing more of its richness, detail, and subtle beauty at each listen.
Halcyon Future is a joint release by three:four records and meakusma.
credits
produced by Manuel Troller
published by three:four records and meakusma
Manuel Troller: guitars, bass, percussion & drum programming
with:
Mario Hänni: acoustic drums and percussion on Halcyon Future I & II
Hans Koch: soprano saxophone on Halcyon Future II
Michael Flury: fuzzed trombone on Halcyon Future II
Recorded during 2021 & 2022 at Suburban Sound, Winterthur by Manuel Egger, additional recordings at Feldbergstrasse in Basel & various places by Manuel Troller.
Mixed December 2022 and January 2023 at Suburban Sound, Winterthur by Manuel Egger and Manuel Troller.
DNA's additional mixing by Leo Abrahams
Mastered by Rashad Becker
Vinyl cut by Rashad Becker
Desing by Mathis Pfäffli, font: Dinamo Typefaces.
Realized with the kind support of Fuka Fonds Stadt Luzern, Fachausschuss Musik Kanton Basel-Stadt und Basel Landschaft More
1
Various - Kaa Ye Oyai Don T Be In A Hurry (Mark Ernestus remix)
2
Various - Rekpete (Jimi Tenor rework)
3
Various - Y Yei Baa Gbe Wo (Gavsborg remix)
4
Various - Sacha Todd S Simplex Meets Hedzoleh (Waltraud Blischke remix)
1
Butterfred - Cut 1
2
Butterfred - Cut 3
3
Butterfred - Cut 2
4
Butterfred - Cut 5
5
Butterfred - Cut 6
6
Butterfred - Cut 4
Butterfred has been releasing his atmospheric hiphop, grime, dub and ambient-driven hybrids on his own Butterfred Productions label since 2017. His is a committed update of a breakbeat perspective through moody and hazy ambiences that touch upon neo-noir and the logic of rhythm within. For his first outing on Meakusma, he provides six short, yet wide-ranging tracks with a lot of forward momentum. Voice samples and ambientish scapes give all tracks direction, deceptively downtempo beats are at times driving, at times phased-out into the background. There is a definite mystique to Butterfred's work as it purposely leaves threads unresolved. The focus is on space, a spatial perspective that infuses his music with concrete references to his influences, be it hiphop, dub or even triphop. His sense of space is often very private, yet makes for a kaleidoscopic view, unafraid to be extensive. Butterfred has a very subdued online presence. This EP is his first music to also be released digitally. His work speaks for itself and does so in fragmented jolts of imagination and reduction.
Design: Meeuw More
Design: Meeuw More
1
Philipp Matalla - In Blank
2
Philipp Matalla - Same
3
Philipp Matalla - Willi
4
Philipp Matalla - Lunch
5
Philipp Matalla - Clip Bars
6
Philipp Matalla - Cream
7
Philipp Matalla - Plus
8
Philipp Matalla - Caps
9
Philipp Matalla - Clip Alt
10
Philipp Matalla - North
11
Philipp Matalla - Tarko
12
Philipp Matalla - Theme
13
Philipp Matalla - Out Alarm
Modern Power electronics...TIP!!
Philipp Matalla lives and works in the triangle of Halle, Leipzig and Berlin, in Germany. He has previously released music on labels such as Optimo Music, KANN and Kashual Plastik. His new album on Meakusma delves into some of the themes that have so far defined his work, this time increasing the tension between moments of musical harshness and flickers of introspection, ease and downright beauty. Matalla aims not for perfection, instead deploying the listener's sense of imagination. His work toys with the notion of abstraction in electronic music, often going as far cutting short melodic and other ideas, making for a confrontational stance unafraid of leaving his material in a state of difficult to define rawness, based on versatile ingredients equally rooted in rural and urban territory. Stakes is a gorgeous and gorgeously far out album, integrating elements of psychedelic rock and dub, blending in melodic ideas that are at times abstracted, at times soothing. It is pastoral music for the digital age, where raw bursts of noise and energy dislocate and set the record straight. There is even a croonerish feel to some of its tracks, croonerish from a distorted future that is. Stakes is an experience in eclecticism and musical logic. It dissolves structures and ideas and turns musically recognisable elements on their head. More
Philipp Matalla lives and works in the triangle of Halle, Leipzig and Berlin, in Germany. He has previously released music on labels such as Optimo Music, KANN and Kashual Plastik. His new album on Meakusma delves into some of the themes that have so far defined his work, this time increasing the tension between moments of musical harshness and flickers of introspection, ease and downright beauty. Matalla aims not for perfection, instead deploying the listener's sense of imagination. His work toys with the notion of abstraction in electronic music, often going as far cutting short melodic and other ideas, making for a confrontational stance unafraid of leaving his material in a state of difficult to define rawness, based on versatile ingredients equally rooted in rural and urban territory. Stakes is a gorgeous and gorgeously far out album, integrating elements of psychedelic rock and dub, blending in melodic ideas that are at times abstracted, at times soothing. It is pastoral music for the digital age, where raw bursts of noise and energy dislocate and set the record straight. There is even a croonerish feel to some of its tracks, croonerish from a distorted future that is. Stakes is an experience in eclecticism and musical logic. It dissolves structures and ideas and turns musically recognisable elements on their head. More
1
EC Band - EC Band 1
2
EC Band - Wanneer De Velden Fluiten
3
EC Band - EC Band 3
4
EC Band - EC Band 4
Comes with a fold out A2 sized poster and download card.
The EC Band is a collaboration between American Brussels-based painter, former grindcore singer and musician Luke Calzonetti and Belgian visual artist, performer and percussionist Stijn Wybouw. Their first EC Band outing sees them conjure up four transcendent tracks driven by improvisation. The instruments used and the way the EC Band naturally and fluidly edit their musical output, make for flickers of musical mirages, infusing everything with a sense of space and abstraction. On the edge of what is recognisable emotion and perspective, Calzonetti and Wybouw are soft-spoken yet confrontational. Their music marries the mundane with a stance of understanding and the profound. As musical information fades in and out of focus and a sense of belonging resists clear grasp, The EC Band touches upon the ethereal, with abstract focus.
Design by Meeuw More
The EC Band is a collaboration between American Brussels-based painter, former grindcore singer and musician Luke Calzonetti and Belgian visual artist, performer and percussionist Stijn Wybouw. Their first EC Band outing sees them conjure up four transcendent tracks driven by improvisation. The instruments used and the way the EC Band naturally and fluidly edit their musical output, make for flickers of musical mirages, infusing everything with a sense of space and abstraction. On the edge of what is recognisable emotion and perspective, Calzonetti and Wybouw are soft-spoken yet confrontational. Their music marries the mundane with a stance of understanding and the profound. As musical information fades in and out of focus and a sense of belonging resists clear grasp, The EC Band touches upon the ethereal, with abstract focus.
Design by Meeuw More
1
Michiel De Malsche - Wind Waker
2
Michiel De Malsche - Mourning Silence
3
Michiel De Malsche - Beatrix S Death March
4
Michiel De Malsche - Compulsary Discomfort
5
Michiel De Malsche - Daddy's Breakfast
6
Michiel De Malsche - Mother's Downhill
7
Michiel De Malsche - Awakenings
8
Michiel De Malsche - Mating Season
9
Michiel De Malsche - Sunday Church Day
10
Michiel De Malsche - Smoking Chair
11
Michiel De Malsche - Retaliation
12
Michiel De Malsche - Physical Death
The Discomfort Of Evening is the incredible and original soundtrack by prolific Belgian composer Michiel de Malsche to 2020 International Booker Prize winner The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld. Visceral and virtuosic, Rijneveld's novel follows Jas, a girl growing up in a devout Christian family that runs a Dutch dairy farm, whose brother dies in an accident after she wishes he would die instead of her rabbit. Lost in grief, her family falls apart as she becomes consumed by increasingly dangerous fantasies.
Michiel de Malsche has captured the atmosphere and spirit of Rijneveld's book perfectly, moving through moments of confrontation and introspection, sinking into spirals of despair, stasis and subtle hope and change. Brooding ambient basslines, driven by droning murmurs, are offset with melismatic electro-acoustic pieces that embody the novel's haunting and dissonant world, whilst also incorporating manipulated field recordings such as animal sounds and a church service, allowing for a full manifestation of Jas’s world in a completely new way.
De Malsche achieves this by rallying an unusual combination of acoustic instruments (16 in total) played by top-of-their-field musicians, creating a truly unique sound world and tonal palette, including an Ondes Martenot, a 7-stringed Chinese instrument called a guqin, a marimba, a string 6-tet, a toy piano and a bass flute.
De Malsche always confronts all emotional levels of his source material head-on, making his soundtrack into much more than just a fever dream. It is a precise description of, and accompaniment to, a devastatingly impactful book.
Michiel De Malsche is a Belgian composer, multi-instrumentalist and sound designer. He studied classical composition at the conservatories of Rotterdam and Ghent. His music has been performed all over the world and he has composed and produced dozens of soundtracks for contemporary dance, theatre, movies and documentaries.
Besides his work as a contemporary classical composer, he is active as a studio musician and producer in the world of electronic music. More
Michiel de Malsche has captured the atmosphere and spirit of Rijneveld's book perfectly, moving through moments of confrontation and introspection, sinking into spirals of despair, stasis and subtle hope and change. Brooding ambient basslines, driven by droning murmurs, are offset with melismatic electro-acoustic pieces that embody the novel's haunting and dissonant world, whilst also incorporating manipulated field recordings such as animal sounds and a church service, allowing for a full manifestation of Jas’s world in a completely new way.
De Malsche achieves this by rallying an unusual combination of acoustic instruments (16 in total) played by top-of-their-field musicians, creating a truly unique sound world and tonal palette, including an Ondes Martenot, a 7-stringed Chinese instrument called a guqin, a marimba, a string 6-tet, a toy piano and a bass flute.
De Malsche always confronts all emotional levels of his source material head-on, making his soundtrack into much more than just a fever dream. It is a precise description of, and accompaniment to, a devastatingly impactful book.
Michiel De Malsche is a Belgian composer, multi-instrumentalist and sound designer. He studied classical composition at the conservatories of Rotterdam and Ghent. His music has been performed all over the world and he has composed and produced dozens of soundtracks for contemporary dance, theatre, movies and documentaries.
Besides his work as a contemporary classical composer, he is active as a studio musician and producer in the world of electronic music. More
1
the Idealist - A Lion Eats Its Tail
2
the Idealist - Sliding Between Light And Shadow
3
the Idealist - Actionist Dub
4
the Idealist - The Revelation
5
the Idealist - Church Of The Deep Zone
6
the Idealist - Slow Dub
The Idealist is one of the many projects of Joachim Nordwall who has a long history in Swedish experimental music running the quintessential iDEAL Recordings record label since 1998, as a member of the psych-drone duo Alvars Orkester, avant punk rock trio Kid Commando and ritual drone rock group The Skull Defekts and through his many solo recordings and collaborations with people such as John Duncan, Aaron Dilloway, Mika Vainio, Mats Gustafsson, Leif Elggren, Gabi Losoncy, Mark Wastell and Christine Abdelour.
As The Idealist, he has been delving into an amalgam of experimental techno, dub and industrial music since 2006. His new A Lion Is A Lion And Not A Lamb continues this perspective unabatedly, conjuring up six tracks that shimmer with an almost psychotropic intensity, sometimes including acidic touches, dwelling in a confrontational minimalist musical stance where repetition, bursts of gorgeous noise and dubbed out skeletal rhythms make for wayward yet driving grooves at home on the dance floor and a set of headphones alike. The Idealist looks for engagement within rhythm, in its almost purest form.
Design by Meeuw More
As The Idealist, he has been delving into an amalgam of experimental techno, dub and industrial music since 2006. His new A Lion Is A Lion And Not A Lamb continues this perspective unabatedly, conjuring up six tracks that shimmer with an almost psychotropic intensity, sometimes including acidic touches, dwelling in a confrontational minimalist musical stance where repetition, bursts of gorgeous noise and dubbed out skeletal rhythms make for wayward yet driving grooves at home on the dance floor and a set of headphones alike. The Idealist looks for engagement within rhythm, in its almost purest form.
Design by Meeuw More
1
Lord Tang - Clip Clop
2
Lord Tang - Mountains And Streams
3
Lord Tang - Stamps
4
Lord Tang - Mountains And Streams (Zonedog Dolbytape Mix)
5
Lord Tang - Clip Clop (Weird Dust Clipped Mix)
Prolonged and Sustained sees Lord Tang, real name Dominic Cramp, descend further into his characteristic dub-fused, kaleidoscopic and surreal sound universe. Three deceptively laidback tracks and two remixes conjure up an E.P. rife with contrast and juxtaposition. Cramp is influenced by soundtracks, vintage science fiction, dirty electronics, modular electronic sound, and much more, and within these tracks, all of those influences make total sense. Gritty rhythms and patches and dislocated and almost broken-down melodies push each other in and out of focus. Effects are used to shift attention and to obliterate said effects at the same time. Lord Tang's songs appear and dissipate, they exist and within their short time span lies a conflicting, dub-driven macrocosm that touches upon the dance floor as much as on the avant-garde.
Zonedog, aka Disrupt, gives a more cinematic and at the same time tribal feel to Mountains and Streams. His remix lends the track a linearity it did not have before. It also makes the inherent beauty of the track more outspoken, adding a layer of emotion that feels balanced and daring. Weird Dust reworks Clip Clop into a slow motion, almost house track. His remix takes a subdued stance, blurring the track's original elements into a filtered-down tribute to a lounge dance floor, buzzing with pink champagne. More
Zonedog, aka Disrupt, gives a more cinematic and at the same time tribal feel to Mountains and Streams. His remix lends the track a linearity it did not have before. It also makes the inherent beauty of the track more outspoken, adding a layer of emotion that feels balanced and daring. Weird Dust reworks Clip Clop into a slow motion, almost house track. His remix takes a subdued stance, blurring the track's original elements into a filtered-down tribute to a lounge dance floor, buzzing with pink champagne. More
1
Don't DJ X NWAQ - The Tiger
2
Don't DJ X NWAQ - Green Wolf
3
Don't DJ X NWAQ - Central Bern
4
Don't DJ X NWAQ - No Burn
5
Don't DJ X NWAQ - Vanessa
6
Don't DJ X NWAQ - Rabbits
7
Don't DJ X NWAQ - White Lies
8
Don't DJ X NWAQ - White Lies
Repress!
"A mesmerizing descent into the artistic perspectives of two singular artists active in off-kilter club music !
Some of the eight tracks on this record were recorded live at the festival while others were recorded during the residency. All dwell in distorted and eccentric bliss and play around with rhythmic arrhythmic and post-rhythmic tension. There is happiness in dystopia although the subtle yet intense layering in the music hints at undercurrents that are far from bright. The joyousness of this record lies in the notable excitement Don't DJ and NWAQ experience fusing their modi operandi coming up with a music that shines and distorts. As massive blocks of sound alternate with subtler disorienting parts repetitive vocals create an air of disparate acceptance. It uses club music's template and pushes on. With the kind support of Ostbelgien." More
"A mesmerizing descent into the artistic perspectives of two singular artists active in off-kilter club music !
Some of the eight tracks on this record were recorded live at the festival while others were recorded during the residency. All dwell in distorted and eccentric bliss and play around with rhythmic arrhythmic and post-rhythmic tension. There is happiness in dystopia although the subtle yet intense layering in the music hints at undercurrents that are far from bright. The joyousness of this record lies in the notable excitement Don't DJ and NWAQ experience fusing their modi operandi coming up with a music that shines and distorts. As massive blocks of sound alternate with subtler disorienting parts repetitive vocals create an air of disparate acceptance. It uses club music's template and pushes on. With the kind support of Ostbelgien." More
1
Charlemagne Palestine - A
2
Charlemagne Palestine - B
Repress!
Recorded at Friedenskirche, Eupen during the reiheM showcase at Meakusma Festival 2019
This record comes with a 12-page booklet that features an extensive Interview with Charlemagne Palestine, conducted by Dirk Specht and Hans W. Koch of reihe-M. More
Recorded at Friedenskirche, Eupen during the reiheM showcase at Meakusma Festival 2019
This record comes with a 12-page booklet that features an extensive Interview with Charlemagne Palestine, conducted by Dirk Specht and Hans W. Koch of reihe-M. More
1
Gerald Cleaver - Cooper Moore
2
Gerald Cleaver - Galaxy Faruq
3
Gerald Cleaver - Virelles
4
Gerald Cleaver - Bond
5
Gerald Cleaver - Victor Lewis
6
Gerald Cleaver - Geri Allen
7
Gerald Cleaver - Buena Vista
Repress!
Riots is Gerald Cleaver's second electronic album, jointly released by 577 Records sub label Positive Elevation and Meakusma. It sees Cleaver further exploring the depths of electronic music offered by his hometown Detroit, combining those influences with his personal musical background. A jazz drummer. originally from Detroit, Cleaver has for years been one of the leading drummers and composers in New York's jazz scene. Griots is all about spontaneity, dealing with a wide range of influences and ideas, blending them in an at times gentle, at times ferocious flurry of rowdy synthesis, FM tones and muted drum machines. The album is a challenging listen that offers comfort as well as contorted acceptance. It defines the nature of inspiration as circular. Griots also features Cuban jazz pianist and composer David Virelles and American composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Highly original and striking a unique and informed tone, Griots loops psychedelic sounds and rhythmic ideas, adding a version-like feel to it's IDM and club music influences. Its templates are open-ended and shed light on what is going on around us.
Available on vinyl and digital, with the vinyl version containing seven tracks + four digitalonly tracks that are downloadable upon purchasing a copy. More
Riots is Gerald Cleaver's second electronic album, jointly released by 577 Records sub label Positive Elevation and Meakusma. It sees Cleaver further exploring the depths of electronic music offered by his hometown Detroit, combining those influences with his personal musical background. A jazz drummer. originally from Detroit, Cleaver has for years been one of the leading drummers and composers in New York's jazz scene. Griots is all about spontaneity, dealing with a wide range of influences and ideas, blending them in an at times gentle, at times ferocious flurry of rowdy synthesis, FM tones and muted drum machines. The album is a challenging listen that offers comfort as well as contorted acceptance. It defines the nature of inspiration as circular. Griots also features Cuban jazz pianist and composer David Virelles and American composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Highly original and striking a unique and informed tone, Griots loops psychedelic sounds and rhythmic ideas, adding a version-like feel to it's IDM and club music influences. Its templates are open-ended and shed light on what is going on around us.
Available on vinyl and digital, with the vinyl version containing seven tracks + four digitalonly tracks that are downloadable upon purchasing a copy. More
1
bryce hackford - 100 Grand
2
bryce hackford - Sand
3
bryce hackford - Demeaning
4
bryce hackford - Round Trip
5
bryce hackford - Atlantis
6
bryce hackford - Negative
7
bryce hackford - Transitions
8
bryce hackford - Left
9
bryce hackford - After Flood
Artist, producer and DJ Bryce Hackford will release on November 9th 2015 the nine-track album Behind, his second full length since 2013's Fair, and his first for Meakusma. Behind is an expansive collection for Hackford, who draws from experimental, process-oriented composition techniques to create sensorially engaging dance music. An ethos of presence, enrichment and dissociation pervades Behind - by stripping away the constructed-ness of so much dance music, Hackford allows himself to produce music that is as much a joy to create as it is to share. An ambassador of "ecstatic states" as he calls them, Hackford's music suggests heightened temporal zones may be ubiquitous if you allow them to be. Behind is a proposition of such ecstatic states, its music pulsing vitally at opposite ends of the BPM spectrum. Distinctly unmotivated by polemic dialogues around dance music, Behind seeks a more soluble musical space for unmitigated engagement. It is music inspired by transitions, no less vital before sunset as it is after the curtain call.
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Following up on "Like Comment," last year's excellent full-length by Georgia released on Meakusma, we are happy to present an eclectic and gently schizophrenic remix package, entitled "Like Comment Comments." The 12" features contributions by Bryce Hackford (Prah/DFA), Matt Werth (RVNG Intl.), Afrikan Sciences (DeepBlak/PAN) and Thomas Bullock (Rub-N-Tug), plus two new tracks by Georgia that further develop their informed hypnagogic ambient-pop tendencies. Bryce Hackfod takes Nu-Way Heat into subtle club music territory, conjuring up a distinct, varied and mesmerizing house track that builds and layers into a blissful mini-anthem. Matt Werth puts nu-digidub spin on Abstract High, turning the original into a confrontational and slightly absurdist slab of dancefloor confrontation. Afrikan Sciences deconstructs Mahbunzi Nahgo Pihndi Goes To The Market using his characteristic broken breakbeat approach to create a piece of daft and extremely modern electronic funk. Finally, Thomas Bullock modi-cuddles Haya into an prolonged ambient reverie to bridge and layer between dance floor pulsations.
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On Mix Mup's first outing on meakusma, he once again delves deep into abstracted, bleeped-out house music. His characteristically playful and quirky sound has gained him a loyal following amongst those looking for grooves that are as smooth as they are chopped up. So here come three tracks aimed at adventurous dancefloors and one soulful, ambientish track to top it all off. Mix Mup's gentle and funk- and soul-induced madness is his claim to dance music freedom. For a few years now, Mix Mup has been in cahoots with Kassem Mosse, releasing the highly acclaimed collaborative effort MM/KM on The Trilogy Tapes. He has furthermore released his unique brand of off kilter club music on Hinge Finger and Mikrodisko. This new 12inch sees him develop his style even more, playing around with space and structure. Not straightforward, but ever keen on showing process, these four tracks are all beautiful house music miniatures that surpass readymade consumption, their unspokenness being their loudest plea.
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Tokyo-based Ryo Murakami has been releasing slightly minimal-inflected house music since 2007. His club-oriented work has always been subtly atmospheric and deliberately soft-spoken and non-confrontational, conjuring up an original sound that fits to modern-day house music like a glove. He co-runs and releases on the Panrecords label and has also published his music on Dessous, Poker Flat, Baud, Curle, etc. His 2013 album "Depth Of Decay" signaled a change towards a more experimental, ambient-based sound. Meakusma is proud to present these two new tracks that combine the forward momentum of his previous work with his new-found experimental approach. Both tracks play with atmosphere and impact, are essentially slow burners that through Murakami's subtle play with dynamics and change become incredibly moving and abstracted studies into groove and ambient sound. Cherry on the cake is the Porter Ricks remix, their first 'production under the Porter Ricks moniker si nce their 2002 Nine Inch Nails remix. Here they catapult the Porter Ricks sound into today, without losing their trademark characteristics. A hazy glow that is as revealing as it is mystifying covers the track, whilst the basis of it is, in the best Porter Ricks tradition, a surprisingly funky twist on the rhythm and bass of the original track.
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Georgia is a collaboration between Brian Close and Justin Tripp. On their own Georgia Sounds imprint, they have previously released one album, Asemic Club, a collection of sound recordings from the previous 5 years, woven together into a dizzying stew. Like Comment is their latest offering of polyrhythmic and wayward grooves, a stuttering and strutting exploration of edited improvisation and a comfortable confrontation between playful nonsense and deeper meaning. The album slides across a varied palette of sporadic rhythm pulses, ethno-tourist grooves, spiritual murk and 21st Century electronics, looking decidedly forward while nourished by the bounty of the past. In light of the group's extensive work in film and video for artists such as David Byrne, Lee Perry, Julia Holter and many more, the music on Like Comment often feels intended as an environmental accent or cinematic accompaniment, seemingly inspired as much by a location or visual as by other music. As the f irst full length album released by the Belgian meakusma label, Like Comment is a highly original and sophisticated take on modern club music.
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1
Millsart - The Wise One (Khufu Mix)
2
Millsart - Wind Walkers (Extended Mix)
3
Millsart - Don't Ask Me Why (Extended Mix)
The second EP of the Axis Expressionist series includes two new tracks: ?The Wise One" and "Don't Ask Me Why". "Wind Walkers" original version was released in digital as "Every Dog Has Its Day vol.12" (2020). Here in 2023er mix. All tracks are available on vinyl for the first time and on vinyl only.
TRACKLISTING
A. Millsart - The Wise One (Khufu Mix)
B1. Millsart - Wind Walkers (Extended Mix)
B2. Millsart - Don't Ask Me Why (Extended Mix)
INFO
Axis Expressionist Series
A collection of vinyl and limited digital releases, curated by Millsart, an alias of Jeff Mills, of his most eclectic and transcendent compositions that derive from his Every Dog Has Its Day project as well as new unreleased works. Vernacular creations that fall off from the "other side" of the Electronic Music tree, this project is designed for the experienced Techno music listener, and its goal is to reflect upon the pure artistry of the craft of storytelling. A realization between music and life. Whereas "dancing" is the goal of Dance Music, the goal of this music is about "reflecting on the complexity and simplification of life". Soundtracks for people in their evolutionary process.
"Don't Ask Me Why" by Millsart is conceived, composed and produced by Jeff Mills for Axis Records / Frontcover artwork: Andromède debout et Persée by Félix¦Vallotton (1907).
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TRACKLISTING
A. Millsart - The Wise One (Khufu Mix)
B1. Millsart - Wind Walkers (Extended Mix)
B2. Millsart - Don't Ask Me Why (Extended Mix)
INFO
Axis Expressionist Series
A collection of vinyl and limited digital releases, curated by Millsart, an alias of Jeff Mills, of his most eclectic and transcendent compositions that derive from his Every Dog Has Its Day project as well as new unreleased works. Vernacular creations that fall off from the "other side" of the Electronic Music tree, this project is designed for the experienced Techno music listener, and its goal is to reflect upon the pure artistry of the craft of storytelling. A realization between music and life. Whereas "dancing" is the goal of Dance Music, the goal of this music is about "reflecting on the complexity and simplification of life". Soundtracks for people in their evolutionary process.
"Don't Ask Me Why" by Millsart is conceived, composed and produced by Jeff Mills for Axis Records / Frontcover artwork: Andromède debout et Persée by Félix¦Vallotton (1907).
More
Label:The Very Polish Cut Outs
Cat-No:TVPCLP008
Release-Date:29.09.2023
Genre:Electronic
Configuration:LP Excl
Label:The Very Polish Cut Outs
Cat-No:TVPCLP008
Release-Date:29.09.2023
Genre:Electronic
Configuration:LP Excl
1
PEJZAZ - List I
2
PEJZAZ - Szepty
3
PEJZAZ - Mikrokosmos
4
PEJZAZ - Czwarty Wymiar
5
PEJZAZ - Fata Morgana
6
PEJZAZ - Cargo
7
PEJZAZ - Directions
8
PEJZAZ - Reguly Gry
9
PEJZAZ - Barwa I
10
PEJZAZ - Barwa II
11
PEJZAZ - Barwa III
12
PEJZAZ - Barwa IV
13
PEJZAZ - Barwa V
Pejzaz (aka Bartosz Kruczynski) returns with a captivating new collage album. Divided into two records LIST I (set out to be released end of september) & LIST II (scheduled for end of November), it delves into the realm of 90s/Y2K Eastern European CD releases. Employing hundreds of samples, Pejzaz sculpts a mesmerizing and distinctive body of work.
LIST I, bathed in sun-drenched chords, seamlessly blends pop-rock guitars, soulful drums, and dreamy, pastoral folk elements with minimal music and ambient textures, reminiscent of Baltic Beat (the Polish incarnation of Balearic Music).
Notably, this marks Pejza's first foray into a fully instrumental album. Although devoid of lyrics, the bittersweet blend of samples infuses the music with a profoundly Polish essence, further enhancing its distinctive allure.
Tracklist:
A1 List I
A2 Szepty
A3 Mikrokosmos
A4 Czwarty Wymiar
A5 Fata Morgana
A6 Cargo
A7 Directions
B1 Regu?y Gry
B2 Barwa I
B3 Barwa II
B4 Barwa III
B5 Barwa IV
B6 Barwa V
More
LIST I, bathed in sun-drenched chords, seamlessly blends pop-rock guitars, soulful drums, and dreamy, pastoral folk elements with minimal music and ambient textures, reminiscent of Baltic Beat (the Polish incarnation of Balearic Music).
Notably, this marks Pejza's first foray into a fully instrumental album. Although devoid of lyrics, the bittersweet blend of samples infuses the music with a profoundly Polish essence, further enhancing its distinctive allure.
Tracklist:
A1 List I
A2 Szepty
A3 Mikrokosmos
A4 Czwarty Wymiar
A5 Fata Morgana
A6 Cargo
A7 Directions
B1 Regu?y Gry
B2 Barwa I
B3 Barwa II
B4 Barwa III
B5 Barwa IV
B6 Barwa V
More
1
SEAN LA’BROOY - Snow Storm
2
SEAN LA’BROOY - Cargo
3
SEAN LA’BROOY - Pilot (feat. Joseph Batrouney)
4
SEAN LA’BROOY - Storage Room (feat. Leo Yucht)
5
SEAN LA’BROOY - Helipad
GENRE/S:
Electronica, Ambient, Deep House, Lo-Fi House
TRACKLISTS:
A1. Snow Storm
A2. Cargo
B1. Pilot (feat. Joseph Batrouney)
B2. Storage Room (feat. Leo Yucht)
B3. Helipad
SHORT INFO:
Sean La’Brooy is an Australian producer and composer currently based in New York, who’s work traverses ambient, jazz and house music. He is the co-founder of Australian ambient label Analogue Attic Recordings. With this release, La’Brooy has hooked up with the Scissor and Thread label to put out Merchant - five dreamy and versatile tracks featuring his distinct style of harmonically complex pads mixed with jazz-influenced instrumental melodies and solos. Snow Storm starts the journey, coupling field recordings with snippets of gentle jazz lines and wandering percussion. Cargo is the most dancefloor-oriented of the release, and locks into a driving groove early on, featuring various synth and piano fragments to add and flow through the track. Pilot is a track that also finds an off-kilter groove, embellished with dubbed-out percussion by fellow Australian Joseph Batrouney and samples. Storage too features a guest—New York based drummer Leo Yucht—who delivers a rolling breakbeat which is intertwined with live percussion, airy pads and snippets of piano to build a rich atmosphere. The closing piece is Helipad, a dubby bassline providing the anchor for an intricate rhythm of bongos and synth to support a light-as-a-feather melody.
More
Electronica, Ambient, Deep House, Lo-Fi House
TRACKLISTS:
A1. Snow Storm
A2. Cargo
B1. Pilot (feat. Joseph Batrouney)
B2. Storage Room (feat. Leo Yucht)
B3. Helipad
SHORT INFO:
Sean La’Brooy is an Australian producer and composer currently based in New York, who’s work traverses ambient, jazz and house music. He is the co-founder of Australian ambient label Analogue Attic Recordings. With this release, La’Brooy has hooked up with the Scissor and Thread label to put out Merchant - five dreamy and versatile tracks featuring his distinct style of harmonically complex pads mixed with jazz-influenced instrumental melodies and solos. Snow Storm starts the journey, coupling field recordings with snippets of gentle jazz lines and wandering percussion. Cargo is the most dancefloor-oriented of the release, and locks into a driving groove early on, featuring various synth and piano fragments to add and flow through the track. Pilot is a track that also finds an off-kilter groove, embellished with dubbed-out percussion by fellow Australian Joseph Batrouney and samples. Storage too features a guest—New York based drummer Leo Yucht—who delivers a rolling breakbeat which is intertwined with live percussion, airy pads and snippets of piano to build a rich atmosphere. The closing piece is Helipad, a dubby bassline providing the anchor for an intricate rhythm of bongos and synth to support a light-as-a-feather melody.
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1
Anenon - A01. Untitled Skies
2
Anenon - A02. Moons Melt Milk Light
3
Anenon - A03. Maine Piano
4
Anenon - A04. Night Painting I
5
Anenon - A05. A Million Birds II
6
Anenon - A06. As it is When it Appears
7
Anenon - B01. Champeix
8
Anenon - B02. Night Painting II
9
Anenon - B03. Hand Poetry
10
Anenon - B04. Endings (Solo)
11
Anenon - B05. Sightless Eyes (N16)
LP - Territory: WW Minus UK/Eire,Usa
1. ABOUT
- Limited Edition (500 copies worldwide)
- Transparent Clear vinyl
- Printed on heavyweight reverse board outer sleeve
- Double sided printed vinyl insert featuring liner notes by Brian Allen Simon
- Vinyl comes in black poly-lined protective bag
- Housed in a heavyweight PVC protective outer sleeve
- Hype front sticker
- Vinyl pressed at Optimal media GmbH
- Printed at Delga in the UK
2. GENRE/S: Ambient / Experimental / Jazz
3. TRACKLISTS: see next page
Please add track lists for all listed formats.
Side A
01. Untitled Skies
02. Moons Melt Milk Light
03. Maine Piano
04. Night Painting I
05. A Million Birds II
06. As it is When it Appears
Side B
01. Champeix
02. Night Painting II
03. Hand Poetry
04. Endings (Solo)
05. Sightless Eyes (N16)
4. SHORT INFO:
Anenon's tenor saxophone breathes an emotive contemplation on loss, meshed with sustained piano and field recordings. 'Moons Melt Milk Light' is a hyper-personal statement contained in a visceral beauty.
LA native Anenon returns with a highly anticipated new album 'Moons Melt Milk Light' on Tonal Union, bearing his most personal, expressive, and arresting works to date. Anenon is the ongoing solo studio and live project of Brian Allen Simon, whom since 2010 has released multiple albums and EPs to critical acclaim, including the highly revered 'Tongue' (2018) and 'Petrol' (2016).
'Moons Melt Milk Light' is direct, efficient, and unwavering in its immediacy. Anenon departs from the electronics of previous works, and embarks on a reductive, almost entirely acoustic approach consisting of piano, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, and field recordings. All of the music was improvised with everything recorded as either a first or second take with no edits. Any layering happened fast and in the moment, and yet the sonic architecture of the whole feels both planned and refined.
"I feel a kinetic and messy honesty that doesn't exist in any of the other music I've ever made. There is also a sense of being settled, of calm. There is no faking it here."
Full Press Release here: Click here
5. VITAL SALES POINTS:
- PR + Radio campaign by Five Worlds PR (UK) / Dense PR + Radio campaign (EU)
Anenon - Previous Press / Quotes
"Anenon straddles the line between esoteric and accessible with ease and grace, a trait attributable to Simon's self-taught style" - Pitchfork, Tongue (2018)
"Anenon creates a world built from the snug comfort of rain and the quiet joy that comes from solitude." - Pitchfork, Tongue (2018)
"Anenon straddles the line between esoteric and accessible with ease and grace, a trait attributable to Simon's self-taught style" - Pitchfork, Petrol (2016)
"Petrol finds the artist coming into his own, interpreting his life experience into sublime electro-acoustic music." - RA, Petrol (2016)
"Campana," "Pure" and "Verso" are all exceptional. In its own way, each is exquisitely played and a pleasure to take in. - Exclaim, Tongue (2018)
"The first few listens don't disclose the full complexities of Simon's work - it remains semi-horizontal and distant, like a tired shrug. But after several repeats, the circular motifs begin to, if not get under the skin, then at least claw at it a bit" - The Wire, Tongue (2018)
"There's velocity and suspense in equal proportion" - The Wire, Petrol (2016)
"There's velocity and suspense in equal proportion, a sense of expansion that evokes the metropolitan area's sprawl." - The Wire, Petrol (2016)
"Skittering strings and spectral sax luxuriate in gossamer textures" - The Wire, Petrol (2016)
More
1. ABOUT
- Limited Edition (500 copies worldwide)
- Transparent Clear vinyl
- Printed on heavyweight reverse board outer sleeve
- Double sided printed vinyl insert featuring liner notes by Brian Allen Simon
- Vinyl comes in black poly-lined protective bag
- Housed in a heavyweight PVC protective outer sleeve
- Hype front sticker
- Vinyl pressed at Optimal media GmbH
- Printed at Delga in the UK
2. GENRE/S: Ambient / Experimental / Jazz
3. TRACKLISTS: see next page
Please add track lists for all listed formats.
Side A
01. Untitled Skies
02. Moons Melt Milk Light
03. Maine Piano
04. Night Painting I
05. A Million Birds II
06. As it is When it Appears
Side B
01. Champeix
02. Night Painting II
03. Hand Poetry
04. Endings (Solo)
05. Sightless Eyes (N16)
4. SHORT INFO:
Anenon's tenor saxophone breathes an emotive contemplation on loss, meshed with sustained piano and field recordings. 'Moons Melt Milk Light' is a hyper-personal statement contained in a visceral beauty.
LA native Anenon returns with a highly anticipated new album 'Moons Melt Milk Light' on Tonal Union, bearing his most personal, expressive, and arresting works to date. Anenon is the ongoing solo studio and live project of Brian Allen Simon, whom since 2010 has released multiple albums and EPs to critical acclaim, including the highly revered 'Tongue' (2018) and 'Petrol' (2016).
'Moons Melt Milk Light' is direct, efficient, and unwavering in its immediacy. Anenon departs from the electronics of previous works, and embarks on a reductive, almost entirely acoustic approach consisting of piano, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, and field recordings. All of the music was improvised with everything recorded as either a first or second take with no edits. Any layering happened fast and in the moment, and yet the sonic architecture of the whole feels both planned and refined.
"I feel a kinetic and messy honesty that doesn't exist in any of the other music I've ever made. There is also a sense of being settled, of calm. There is no faking it here."
Full Press Release here: Click here
5. VITAL SALES POINTS:
- PR + Radio campaign by Five Worlds PR (UK) / Dense PR + Radio campaign (EU)
Anenon - Previous Press / Quotes
"Anenon straddles the line between esoteric and accessible with ease and grace, a trait attributable to Simon's self-taught style" - Pitchfork, Tongue (2018)
"Anenon creates a world built from the snug comfort of rain and the quiet joy that comes from solitude." - Pitchfork, Tongue (2018)
"Anenon straddles the line between esoteric and accessible with ease and grace, a trait attributable to Simon's self-taught style" - Pitchfork, Petrol (2016)
"Petrol finds the artist coming into his own, interpreting his life experience into sublime electro-acoustic music." - RA, Petrol (2016)
"Campana," "Pure" and "Verso" are all exceptional. In its own way, each is exquisitely played and a pleasure to take in. - Exclaim, Tongue (2018)
"The first few listens don't disclose the full complexities of Simon's work - it remains semi-horizontal and distant, like a tired shrug. But after several repeats, the circular motifs begin to, if not get under the skin, then at least claw at it a bit" - The Wire, Tongue (2018)
"There's velocity and suspense in equal proportion" - The Wire, Petrol (2016)
"There's velocity and suspense in equal proportion, a sense of expansion that evokes the metropolitan area's sprawl." - The Wire, Petrol (2016)
"Skittering strings and spectral sax luxuriate in gossamer textures" - The Wire, Petrol (2016)
More
1
Sven Wunder - Black Iris
2
Sven Wunder - Tulip
3
Sven Wunder - Magnolia
4
Sven Wunder - Lotus
5
Sven Wunder - Lily
6
Sven Wunder - Red Rose
7
Sven Wunder - Hibiscus
8
Sven Wunder - Magnolia (reprise)
9
Sven Wunder - Morning Glory
10
Sven Wunder - Chamomile
11
Sven Wunder - Hyacinth
12
Sven Wunder - Daisy
13
Sven Wunder - Gilboa Iris
This is the first stop on Sven Wunder’s musical journey. Wunder takes the listener somewhere around the easternmost part
of the Mediterranean Sea, around the Levantine Sea, where he paints a colourful portrait and illustrates the regions flora
through sound.
The fruitage is a vivid bouquet where Wunder fuses colours and pigments by using traditional and modern instruments
merged with arrangements and melodies that stretches from popular to folk music by portraying tulips, red roses, hibiscus,
hyacinths, chamomile, magnolia, daisies etcetera. With both fine and thick brushes are these flowers being pictured in a
both modern and classic idiom.
The outcome is prismatic. It stands between Anatolian rock and European jazz-funk with ponderous drum patterns, groovy
organs, far-out synthesizers, enchanting Saz and impetuous bass lines. Eastern Flowers sweeps through time and space
and points towards the future. It could appeal both psych and prog listeners, folk or jazz aficionados and as well the gourmet
hip hop connoisseurs.
A1. Black Iris
A2. Tulip
A3. Magnolia
A4. Lotus
A5. Lily
A6. Red Rose
B1. Hibiscus
B2. Magnolia (reprise)
B3. Morning Glory
B4. Chamomile
B5. Hyacinth
B6. Daisy
B7. Gilboa Iris More
of the Mediterranean Sea, around the Levantine Sea, where he paints a colourful portrait and illustrates the regions flora
through sound.
The fruitage is a vivid bouquet where Wunder fuses colours and pigments by using traditional and modern instruments
merged with arrangements and melodies that stretches from popular to folk music by portraying tulips, red roses, hibiscus,
hyacinths, chamomile, magnolia, daisies etcetera. With both fine and thick brushes are these flowers being pictured in a
both modern and classic idiom.
The outcome is prismatic. It stands between Anatolian rock and European jazz-funk with ponderous drum patterns, groovy
organs, far-out synthesizers, enchanting Saz and impetuous bass lines. Eastern Flowers sweeps through time and space
and points towards the future. It could appeal both psych and prog listeners, folk or jazz aficionados and as well the gourmet
hip hop connoisseurs.
A1. Black Iris
A2. Tulip
A3. Magnolia
A4. Lotus
A5. Lily
A6. Red Rose
B1. Hibiscus
B2. Magnolia (reprise)
B3. Morning Glory
B4. Chamomile
B5. Hyacinth
B6. Daisy
B7. Gilboa Iris More
1
Dream Dolphin - Gaia (Ethereal Fantasy)
2
Dream Dolphin - Stars
3
Dream Dolphin - Tour 5 Modern Blue Asia ~ Soundscapes For Ocean Therapy (Like A Music Therapy)
4
Dream Dolphin - Healing Moon - Tsuki No Iyashi Umi No Mahou
5
Dream Dolphin - The Genesis: Yoga (New Age Ambience)
6
Dream Dolphin - Voyage (Dive To The Future Sight)
7
Dream Dolphin - Iruka Tachi To Asonda Kioku / Under Water
8
Dream Dolphin - Rain
9
Dream Dolphin - L.E.A. (Mirror Coordinate Mix)
10
Dream Dolphin - The Rebirth / (Jinsei Nante Konnamono) Sou Omotta Shunkan Ni Jinsei Wa Owaru
11
Dream Dolphin - Cosmic Blue Image-Repsect-Love Anata Ga Jiyu Ni
12
Dream Dolphin - Naru Toki / Into The Blue (Haha Naru Umi Ga Rhythm De Oshiete Kureru Koto)
13
Dream Dolphin - Love Ate Alien
14
Dream Dolphin - Daichi No Uta
15
Dream Dolphin - Island Humming
Gaia: Selected Ambient & Downtempo Works (1996-2003)’ is a new in-depth compilation of works by Japanese musician Dream Dolphin. Co-compiled by Eiji Taniguchi, it draws from a vast discography of music oscillating between IDM, Pop and Electronic Dance Music. First appearing on Eiji’s compilation ’Heisei No Oto - Japanese Left-field Pop From The CD Age (1989-1996)’, this selection of rediscoveries, further shines a light on the singular musician known as Dream Dolphin and her place in Japan’s rich electronic music legacy.
Dream Dolphin was originally an Ambient and Electronic project by the Japanese artist referred to simply as Noriko, who moved from studying classic Italian songs as a child, to increasingly being inspired by artists such as PIL, Yellow Magic Orchestra, KLF and movies such as ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Le Grand Bleu’. The music she released under the name Dream Dolphin, from the age of sixteen, is unique and versatile in style, encompassing Ambient, IDM, Techno, Trance and Drum & Bass, whilst fusing natural sounds with her own spoken word lyrics.
Dream Dolphin released an incredible twenty albums in just eight years. In addition to her own projects, she has also put together a number of fascinating compilations herself, as well as composing ambient music to be used in hospitals and other caring contexts. ‘Gaia: Selected Ambient & Downtempo Works (1996-2003)’ contains 15 tracks thoughtfully selected from various albums that until now were only released on CD format. More
Dream Dolphin was originally an Ambient and Electronic project by the Japanese artist referred to simply as Noriko, who moved from studying classic Italian songs as a child, to increasingly being inspired by artists such as PIL, Yellow Magic Orchestra, KLF and movies such as ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Le Grand Bleu’. The music she released under the name Dream Dolphin, from the age of sixteen, is unique and versatile in style, encompassing Ambient, IDM, Techno, Trance and Drum & Bass, whilst fusing natural sounds with her own spoken word lyrics.
Dream Dolphin released an incredible twenty albums in just eight years. In addition to her own projects, she has also put together a number of fascinating compilations herself, as well as composing ambient music to be used in hospitals and other caring contexts. ‘Gaia: Selected Ambient & Downtempo Works (1996-2003)’ contains 15 tracks thoughtfully selected from various albums that until now were only released on CD format. More
1
The Hallways - A1. Rast
2
The Hallways - B1. Ya Garat Elwadi
3
The Hallways - C1. Bayat Re
4
The Hallways - D1. Bayat Sol
5
The Hallways - D2 (Bonus Track). Lego Cemetary
Special remarks: Debut album, Double LP, Gatefold, 180gr, Bonus track on D2 (doesn't appear on the record cover on purpose)
1.
- Debut album from The Hallways
- Band had performed with Altin Gun
- Already maintain mythical status among the fans of the genre
2. GENRE/S: Electronic, Arabic, Drone, Oriental
3. TRACKLISTS:
2LP:
A1 - Rast
B1 - Ya Garat Elwadi
C1 - Bayat Re
D1 - Bayat Sol
D2 (Bonus Track) - Lego Cemetary
4. SHORT INFO:
Homage to Tarab is a journey between cultures, times, places and of course sounds that were molded within the middle eastern orient that had shaped The Hallways' musical perception. All out of tremendous respect to their legacies. Described in one short sentence, Experimental Arabic Drone Music. Picture dark synths, alianted rare drum machines meet ancient organ lamentations, beats the bubble from deep within and such that floats around spaces in circles while constantly changing. Ones that feel like flying on top of a magic carpet ride over deserts, mosques, ancient prayer books while in the background the dimming lights of a mysterious asphalt and concrete covered city.
More
1.
- Debut album from The Hallways
- Band had performed with Altin Gun
- Already maintain mythical status among the fans of the genre
2. GENRE/S: Electronic, Arabic, Drone, Oriental
3. TRACKLISTS:
2LP:
A1 - Rast
B1 - Ya Garat Elwadi
C1 - Bayat Re
D1 - Bayat Sol
D2 (Bonus Track) - Lego Cemetary
4. SHORT INFO:
Homage to Tarab is a journey between cultures, times, places and of course sounds that were molded within the middle eastern orient that had shaped The Hallways' musical perception. All out of tremendous respect to their legacies. Described in one short sentence, Experimental Arabic Drone Music. Picture dark synths, alianted rare drum machines meet ancient organ lamentations, beats the bubble from deep within and such that floats around spaces in circles while constantly changing. Ones that feel like flying on top of a magic carpet ride over deserts, mosques, ancient prayer books while in the background the dimming lights of a mysterious asphalt and concrete covered city.
More
Label:Strangelove
Cat-No:SL115
Release-Date:06.10.2023
Genre:Indie Rock/Alternative
Configuration:2LP Excl
Label:Strangelove
Cat-No:SL115
Release-Date:06.10.2023
Genre:Indie Rock/Alternative
Configuration:2LP Excl
1
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - A1 Alice George Perez & sofa- Little Dogs 2:47
2
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - A2 Jumbrel- Sintidesbald 4:38
3
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - A3 t-woc & Empress of Nature- Rapper's Delight 3:54
4
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - A4 Aroma von Troisdorf (feat. Marla Bereska)- Das Ozeall 3:44
5
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - B1 Puma & The Dolphin- How To Send Email 3:40
6
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - B2 Mytron - Fajny Dzie? 4:19
7
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - B3 Naomie Klaus- How Do We Make The Babies 4:20
8
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - B4 Androo- Police Justice 1:03
9
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - C1 A, C, and The Omni Ox3- Cyril's Stories 2:42
10
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - C2 Felix Kubin feat. Bela Elektra- On y va 2:51
11
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - C3 Sexo Y Fantasia- Gioca All'Amore 5:33
12
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - C4 Conny Frischauf - Ton Tour 5:11
13
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - D1 Das Unkenduo- Fortifrogs 5:14
14
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - D2 Oslo Karamell- t3 4:43
15
Various - Elsewhere Junior II - D3 Little Boy & The Mindful Potheads- Krautkid 5:54
2LP
Belgian producer and curator soFa launches from Strangelove once again, this time with his celebrated compilation series. A second trip round the stars "elsewhere junior Vol 2" features a bunch of unknown and familiar offworld entertainers. Kosmische music lands amongst leftfield club krypton as our crew collaborate with young space cadets.
Tracklist:
Side A
A1 Alice George Perez & sofa- Little Dogs 2:47
A2 Jumbrel- Sintidesbald 4:38
A3 t-woc & Empress of Nature- Rapper's Delight 3:54
A4 Aroma von Troisdorf (feat. Marla Bereska)- Das Ozeall 3:44
Side B
B1 Puma & The Dolphin- How To Send Email 3:40
B2 Mytron - Fajny Dzie? 4:19
B3 Naomie Klaus- How Do We Make The Babies 4:20
B4 Androo- Police Justice 1:03
Side C
C1 A, C, and The Omni Ox3- Cyril's Stories 2:42
C2 Felix Kubin feat. Bela Elektra- On y va 2:51
C3 Sexo Y Fantasia- Gioca All'Amore 5:33
C4 Conny Frischauf - Ton Tour 5:11
Side D
D1 Das Unkenduo- Fortifrogs 5:14
D2 Oslo Karamell- t3 4:43
D3 Little Boy & The Mindful Potheads- Krautkid 5:54
Short info:
Belgian producer and curator soFa launches from Strangelove once again, this time with his celebrated compilation series. A second trip round the stars "elsewhere junior Vol 2" features a bunch of unknown and familiar offworld entertainers. Kosmische music lands amongst leftfield club krypton as our crew collaborate with young space cadets.
The Empress of Nature & t-woc cover the interplanetary boogie hit 'Rappers Delight' , while Felix Kubin & daughter Bela waltz through the stratus. Conny Frischauf and The Mindful Potheads take us to lynchian journeys of kindergarten Kraut. Mytron's motorik moon dance spins past Naomi Klaus' martian punk shuffle, all amongst a stellar double pack of electronics orbiting Uranus.
In these gloomy times some whimsical fun and a little lightness is just what we need right? Put on your space helmets, fly high and enjoy these trippy sonic explorations..
Vital Sales Points:
Follow up soFa's previous Strangelove releases CCCVVV (SL111) and Psychedelic Digestion Therapy (SL109)
More
Belgian producer and curator soFa launches from Strangelove once again, this time with his celebrated compilation series. A second trip round the stars "elsewhere junior Vol 2" features a bunch of unknown and familiar offworld entertainers. Kosmische music lands amongst leftfield club krypton as our crew collaborate with young space cadets.
Tracklist:
Side A
A1 Alice George Perez & sofa- Little Dogs 2:47
A2 Jumbrel- Sintidesbald 4:38
A3 t-woc & Empress of Nature- Rapper's Delight 3:54
A4 Aroma von Troisdorf (feat. Marla Bereska)- Das Ozeall 3:44
Side B
B1 Puma & The Dolphin- How To Send Email 3:40
B2 Mytron - Fajny Dzie? 4:19
B3 Naomie Klaus- How Do We Make The Babies 4:20
B4 Androo- Police Justice 1:03
Side C
C1 A, C, and The Omni Ox3- Cyril's Stories 2:42
C2 Felix Kubin feat. Bela Elektra- On y va 2:51
C3 Sexo Y Fantasia- Gioca All'Amore 5:33
C4 Conny Frischauf - Ton Tour 5:11
Side D
D1 Das Unkenduo- Fortifrogs 5:14
D2 Oslo Karamell- t3 4:43
D3 Little Boy & The Mindful Potheads- Krautkid 5:54
Short info:
Belgian producer and curator soFa launches from Strangelove once again, this time with his celebrated compilation series. A second trip round the stars "elsewhere junior Vol 2" features a bunch of unknown and familiar offworld entertainers. Kosmische music lands amongst leftfield club krypton as our crew collaborate with young space cadets.
The Empress of Nature & t-woc cover the interplanetary boogie hit 'Rappers Delight' , while Felix Kubin & daughter Bela waltz through the stratus. Conny Frischauf and The Mindful Potheads take us to lynchian journeys of kindergarten Kraut. Mytron's motorik moon dance spins past Naomi Klaus' martian punk shuffle, all amongst a stellar double pack of electronics orbiting Uranus.
In these gloomy times some whimsical fun and a little lightness is just what we need right? Put on your space helmets, fly high and enjoy these trippy sonic explorations..
Vital Sales Points:
Follow up soFa's previous Strangelove releases CCCVVV (SL111) and Psychedelic Digestion Therapy (SL109)
More
1
Haruomi Hosono - Ambient Meditation #3
2
Silent Poets - Meaning In The Tone (’95 Space & Oriental)
3
Mind Design - Sun
4
Quadra - Phantom
5
Yasuaki Shimizu - Tamare-Tamare
6
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Tibetan Dance (Version)
7
T.P.O. - Hiroshi’s Dub (Tokyo Club Mix)
8
Okihide - Biskatta
9
Mondo Grosso - Vibe PM (Jazzy Mixed Roots) (Remixed By Yoshihiro Okino)
10
Prism - Velvet Nymph
11
C.T. Scan - Cold Sleep (The Door Into Summer)
Tokyo DJ’s sonic memoir spanning two decades of life and music in Japan - Japan Vibrations Vol. 1 will transport listeners in time to energetic nights at Japan’s legendary club venues and delight with a spirited journey of musical discovery and reflection.
Dive into the exhilarating era of Japan’s electronic dance music scene from the mid ’80s to the mid ’90s with Japan Vibrations Vol. 1. The hand-picked collection by DJ and musical storyteller Alex from Tokyo pays homage to the trailblazers and innovators who shaped the landscape.
Set for release this autumn, the compilation serves as a time capsule recording a vibrant point in Japan’s modern music history. Likewise, a love letter from someone who lived it.
11 newly remastered tracks spanning ambient, downtempo, dub, world beats, deep house, new jazz, and techno. Together they showcase the creative ingenuity and energy of a paradisiac era marked by a symbiotic fusion of international sounds with distinctively Japanese influences. Experience the vibrations of pioneers Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yasuaki Shimizu. Culture-shaping forces Hiroshi Fujiwara, Kan Takagi, Susumu Yokota, Silent Poets, Mondo Grosso and Kyoto Jazz Massive. And new- generation artists Jun CMJK Kitagawa (C.T. Scan), Mind Design, Okihide, and Hiroshi Watanabe. The evolution of a scene, a moment, presented with the progression of a DJ set.
Hi-fidelity remastering by sound engineer Isao Kumano (PHONON). License coordination by Ken Hidaka, album artwork by Takehiko Kitahara.
Photography by Meisa Fujishiro and Beezer, and from Alex and friends’ personal collections.
Pressed by Mother Tongue Records. Distribution by Rush Hour.
Track info:
1. Haruomi Hosono — Ambient Meditation #3
The compilation opens with an invitation to tea in the dream layer. The tranquil track, dedicated to new age legend Laraaji and ambient great Brian Eno, features Hosono on the Prophet 5 synthesizer and the American multi-instrumentalist Laraaji plucking a glittering zither. Hosono released it in 1993 as the closing track of his Medicine Compilation From The Quiet Lodge. True to its title, the album charts the early ‘90s contemplative turn of one of Japan’s most influential musical artists. Recorded in the tea-room modelled RACOON studio in Yutenji, Tokyo, the album weaves together house, techno, and ambient elements with Hosono’s signature eclectic-exotica touch. The result is a divine elixir, and this track is especially captivating.
2. Silent Poets — Meaning In The Tone (’95 Space & Oriental)
The bubbling dub is impossibly vibey on this remix of “Meaning In The Tone” by Japanese electronic duo (turned solo) project Silent Poets. The original track by Michiharu Shimoda and Takehiro Haruno appeared on their 1993 sophomore album, Potential Meeting. This ethereal, downtempo reworking came out in 1995 for the compilation album New Chapter for DJ/artist Nobukazu Takemura’s newly launched label idyllic records. Silent Poets went on to garner international acclaim for its catching sound palette—spanning dub, trip hop, acid jazz, and downtempo like this track—and holistic approach to art fusing music, design, and culture. Shimoda’s original music and brand Poet Meets Dubwise continues to capture the meaning in the tones.
3. Mind Design — Sun
Soft and resonant with a cinematic build up, “Sun” by techno unit Mind Design (Tomonori Sawada and Koji Sakurai) feels like daybreak at Mount Fuji. Sawada and Sakurai made the track (and all their music at the time) using a sequencer to run synths and rhythm machines, and a DAT recorder to capture everything in a single shot. In 1993, Mind Design signed to Transonic (predecessor of Trigger Label), Kazunao Nagata’s underground electronic music label, after the muiltitalented DJ, musician, mastering engineer, and producer saw the duo perform live at a Tokyo techno party. Mind Design’s first and only album View From The Edge followed in 1994, paralleling Sakurai and Sawada’s rising careers as sound composers and designers in the video game industry, where they remain active today.
4. Quadra — Phantom
A rare downtempo gem by Hiroshi Watanabe under his Quadra alias featured on his debut album Sketch From A Moment. With its gently swaying synths and confident percussive stride, “Phantom” is a total vibe. Watanabe, a prolific and versatile artist, is a man of many aliases (Quadra, Kaito, Hiroshi W, Tread [with Takehiko Kitahara], 32 project), label homes (Nite grooves, Kompakt, Third Ear Recordings, Ibadan, Transmat Records), and sound profiles (deep slow house, uptempo, melodic techno, to name a few). The mid ‘90s found Watanabe hard at it, studying composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston, spreading from New York the deep house gospel with EPs released on Japanese label Frogman, spinning hard house and techno at NYC clubs like the legendary “Save The Robots,” and more. “Phantom” captures the spaces between—a mid-album track with a subtle, unrushed flow. Nothing dramatic, everything chill and beautiful.
5. Yasuaki Shimizu — Tamare-Tamare
Few artists create a vibe as timeless, innovative, and totally fun as Yasuaki Shimizu. Singing and sax-ing (he does both on this track), connecting dots across the world, tinkering with scales and studio techniques—Yasuaki’s organic and highly experimental flickering about is an artform itself. Enter “Tamare Tamare,” an electro, world-fusion dance-floor killer featuring renowned Senegalese singer and musician Wasis Diop. Recorded in Paris’ ADS-Colour studio with Martin Meissonier, worldbeat and ethnic music producer extraordinaire (think Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Salif Keita, and Manu Dibango) and released on Shimizu’s 1987 Subliminal, the track shines like the sun. “Tamare Tamare,” as the maestro himself says, is a potent spell in sound form.
6. Ryuichi Sakamoto — Tibetan Dance (Version)
A groovy collage of deep slaps, snappy beats, feathery strums, ethereal windings, rolling keys, and plenty of experimental tweaks, the track feels like a joyful gathering of friends. And it should—Sakamoto invited his YMO colleagues and collaborators Haruomi Hosono (bass), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums), Kenji Omura (electric guitar) and string instrument master Ayuo Takahashi on the Japanese zither instrument the koto into the studio to make “Tibetan Dance”. The revolutionary Fairlight CMI synthesizer joined the party, too, providing the perfect foil for an epically funky, buoyant tune. This slightly stripped down, club-oriented version first saw the light of day in 2015 with the Japan-only re-issue of Sakamoto’s 1984 Ongaku Zukan, remastered in high-resolution format (DSD) by Seigen Ono. Our “professor" Ryuichi Sakamoto, prodigious (and pioneering) musician and beautiful human, passed away in March 2023. His astonishing body of work - some 25 solo albums, 41 albums with YMO, 14 live albums, 19 collaboration albums, and 40 EPs and singles - will enliven and inspire for generations to come!
7. T.P.O. — Hiroshi’s Dub (Tokyo Club Mix)
Thunderclaps and a driving downpour of beats—we’re deep in the club now, Japan vibrations at max amplitude. This atmospheric club classic tells a story of scenes and genres—whole worlds—merging at the close of the ‘80s in Japan. An early release by the powerhouse hip-hop label and posse Major Force, the track is a remix twice over. It started with the uptempo “Punk Inc.” by Tiny Panx Organization” (T.P.O.), brainchild of Hiroshi Fujiwara, Kan Takagi, and K.U.D.O. Next came the dub take by Hiroshi, supreme music and culture tastemaker. And here we have the Paradise Garage-inspired deep-house reworking by Sapporo-hailing DJ Heyta. Got that? Now imagine taking it in at the tiny basement club Aoyama MIX during one of DJ Heyta’s wildly popular Wednesday nights back in the day. Lights out!
8. Okihide — Biskatta
Cycling through sugar cane fields in Okinawa, intense sun overhead and a glistening ocean stretching out into infinity. That’s a sweet memory Okihide Sawaki was recalling when he made this track in his Kyoto “Sleepy Room” home studio. Okihide, a sound otaku since childhood (proud owner of a Korg Mono/Poly at age 12!), caught the attention of Fukuoka’s top DJ and producer Ken Inaoka in 1994 when he was playing live under the moniker Tanzmuzik at Shibuya On Air in Tokyo. Inaoka signed the young artist, now going just by Okihide, to his just-launched techno label “Syzygy Records,” and in 1996 A boy in picca season came out. This smooth, uplifting, Detroit-inspired jam from his eclectic, “intelligent” debut album is full of feeling.
9. Mondo Grosso — Vibe PM (Jazzy Mixed Roots) (Remixed by Yoshihiro Okino)
Peppy, elegant, and massively jazzy bops from 1994 that feel so familiar and fresh. The Kyoto-based acid-jazz collective Mondo Grosso roared to life in the early 90s, led by the multitalented Shinichi Osawa. “Vibe.P.M” (Jazzy Mixed Roots) appeared on the compilation Kyoto Jazz Massive (For Life Records), the brainchild and handiwork of Shuya Okino who, along with his brother Yoshihiro, formed the eponymous musical project (Shuya had been managing Mondo Grosso while working at the Kyoto club “Container”). Yoshihiro’s remix presented here is a slice of Japanese crossover jazz that “makes me feel so alive,” just like American vocalist Brenda Kay Pierce beautifully sings on the track. Thirty years on, Kyoto Jazz Massive and Mondo Grosso, together and as individual artists, continue to evangelize good vibes and heady crossover dance music.
10. Prism — Velvet Nymph
A masterful straight-up deep-house track by one of the masters of Japanese electronic music, the late Susumu Yokota. Working under the pseudonym Prism, and fittingly so, Susumu refracted and refined the Detroit techno sounds he loved into Metronome Melody, released in 1995 on the newly formed Japanese label Sublime Records ran by Yamazaki Manabu. The track and album came on the heels of several pioneering moments for Yokota and, by extension, the Japanese electronic music scene. First, he created a storm in December 1993 performing live at club Yellow as the opening act for Underground Resistance (their first appearance in Japan!). Then, in June 1994, Yokota rocked his unique acid-techno sound at Berlin’s Love Parade to huge fanfare (the first Japanese performer at the legendary technoparade!). The dearly missed Susumu Yokota left us with an amazing, eclectic body of work—some 70 albums and singles over 2 decades.
11. C.T. Scan — Cold Sleep (The Door Into Summer)
The compilation closes with an epic techno gem that spins the story of an era: Frogman Record’s 15-year history as a key incubator of Japanese techno music. Among those discovering techno music in the early ‘90s in Japan was a crew of club-going music writers and industry workers that included Kengo Watanabe, Tsutomu Noda, Dai Sato, and Masakazu Hiroishi who would all in different ways influence and innovate the whole scene. Watanabe and Noda launched the groundbreaking electronic music magazine ele-king. Moved by the Berlin techno scene and spurred on by German-Japanese techno ambassador DJ Toby Izui (aka Tobynation), Watanabe and Dai created the techno label Frogman. They tapped C.T. Scan (better known as synthpop artist and producer CMJK of J-pop fame) for the label’s first and final releases. This version of “Cold Sleep (The Door Into Summer)” appeared on Frogman’s 2008 entering-into-hibernation compilation, Fine – The Best of Frogman. Inspired by Robert A. Heinlein’s sci-fi tale about traveling back in time to find oneself, the track is reflective, floating, and gently futuristic. Looking back to create the future, the highest Japan Vibration. More
Dive into the exhilarating era of Japan’s electronic dance music scene from the mid ’80s to the mid ’90s with Japan Vibrations Vol. 1. The hand-picked collection by DJ and musical storyteller Alex from Tokyo pays homage to the trailblazers and innovators who shaped the landscape.
Set for release this autumn, the compilation serves as a time capsule recording a vibrant point in Japan’s modern music history. Likewise, a love letter from someone who lived it.
11 newly remastered tracks spanning ambient, downtempo, dub, world beats, deep house, new jazz, and techno. Together they showcase the creative ingenuity and energy of a paradisiac era marked by a symbiotic fusion of international sounds with distinctively Japanese influences. Experience the vibrations of pioneers Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yasuaki Shimizu. Culture-shaping forces Hiroshi Fujiwara, Kan Takagi, Susumu Yokota, Silent Poets, Mondo Grosso and Kyoto Jazz Massive. And new- generation artists Jun CMJK Kitagawa (C.T. Scan), Mind Design, Okihide, and Hiroshi Watanabe. The evolution of a scene, a moment, presented with the progression of a DJ set.
Hi-fidelity remastering by sound engineer Isao Kumano (PHONON). License coordination by Ken Hidaka, album artwork by Takehiko Kitahara.
Photography by Meisa Fujishiro and Beezer, and from Alex and friends’ personal collections.
Pressed by Mother Tongue Records. Distribution by Rush Hour.
Track info:
1. Haruomi Hosono — Ambient Meditation #3
The compilation opens with an invitation to tea in the dream layer. The tranquil track, dedicated to new age legend Laraaji and ambient great Brian Eno, features Hosono on the Prophet 5 synthesizer and the American multi-instrumentalist Laraaji plucking a glittering zither. Hosono released it in 1993 as the closing track of his Medicine Compilation From The Quiet Lodge. True to its title, the album charts the early ‘90s contemplative turn of one of Japan’s most influential musical artists. Recorded in the tea-room modelled RACOON studio in Yutenji, Tokyo, the album weaves together house, techno, and ambient elements with Hosono’s signature eclectic-exotica touch. The result is a divine elixir, and this track is especially captivating.
2. Silent Poets — Meaning In The Tone (’95 Space & Oriental)
The bubbling dub is impossibly vibey on this remix of “Meaning In The Tone” by Japanese electronic duo (turned solo) project Silent Poets. The original track by Michiharu Shimoda and Takehiro Haruno appeared on their 1993 sophomore album, Potential Meeting. This ethereal, downtempo reworking came out in 1995 for the compilation album New Chapter for DJ/artist Nobukazu Takemura’s newly launched label idyllic records. Silent Poets went on to garner international acclaim for its catching sound palette—spanning dub, trip hop, acid jazz, and downtempo like this track—and holistic approach to art fusing music, design, and culture. Shimoda’s original music and brand Poet Meets Dubwise continues to capture the meaning in the tones.
3. Mind Design — Sun
Soft and resonant with a cinematic build up, “Sun” by techno unit Mind Design (Tomonori Sawada and Koji Sakurai) feels like daybreak at Mount Fuji. Sawada and Sakurai made the track (and all their music at the time) using a sequencer to run synths and rhythm machines, and a DAT recorder to capture everything in a single shot. In 1993, Mind Design signed to Transonic (predecessor of Trigger Label), Kazunao Nagata’s underground electronic music label, after the muiltitalented DJ, musician, mastering engineer, and producer saw the duo perform live at a Tokyo techno party. Mind Design’s first and only album View From The Edge followed in 1994, paralleling Sakurai and Sawada’s rising careers as sound composers and designers in the video game industry, where they remain active today.
4. Quadra — Phantom
A rare downtempo gem by Hiroshi Watanabe under his Quadra alias featured on his debut album Sketch From A Moment. With its gently swaying synths and confident percussive stride, “Phantom” is a total vibe. Watanabe, a prolific and versatile artist, is a man of many aliases (Quadra, Kaito, Hiroshi W, Tread [with Takehiko Kitahara], 32 project), label homes (Nite grooves, Kompakt, Third Ear Recordings, Ibadan, Transmat Records), and sound profiles (deep slow house, uptempo, melodic techno, to name a few). The mid ‘90s found Watanabe hard at it, studying composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston, spreading from New York the deep house gospel with EPs released on Japanese label Frogman, spinning hard house and techno at NYC clubs like the legendary “Save The Robots,” and more. “Phantom” captures the spaces between—a mid-album track with a subtle, unrushed flow. Nothing dramatic, everything chill and beautiful.
5. Yasuaki Shimizu — Tamare-Tamare
Few artists create a vibe as timeless, innovative, and totally fun as Yasuaki Shimizu. Singing and sax-ing (he does both on this track), connecting dots across the world, tinkering with scales and studio techniques—Yasuaki’s organic and highly experimental flickering about is an artform itself. Enter “Tamare Tamare,” an electro, world-fusion dance-floor killer featuring renowned Senegalese singer and musician Wasis Diop. Recorded in Paris’ ADS-Colour studio with Martin Meissonier, worldbeat and ethnic music producer extraordinaire (think Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Salif Keita, and Manu Dibango) and released on Shimizu’s 1987 Subliminal, the track shines like the sun. “Tamare Tamare,” as the maestro himself says, is a potent spell in sound form.
6. Ryuichi Sakamoto — Tibetan Dance (Version)
A groovy collage of deep slaps, snappy beats, feathery strums, ethereal windings, rolling keys, and plenty of experimental tweaks, the track feels like a joyful gathering of friends. And it should—Sakamoto invited his YMO colleagues and collaborators Haruomi Hosono (bass), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums), Kenji Omura (electric guitar) and string instrument master Ayuo Takahashi on the Japanese zither instrument the koto into the studio to make “Tibetan Dance”. The revolutionary Fairlight CMI synthesizer joined the party, too, providing the perfect foil for an epically funky, buoyant tune. This slightly stripped down, club-oriented version first saw the light of day in 2015 with the Japan-only re-issue of Sakamoto’s 1984 Ongaku Zukan, remastered in high-resolution format (DSD) by Seigen Ono. Our “professor" Ryuichi Sakamoto, prodigious (and pioneering) musician and beautiful human, passed away in March 2023. His astonishing body of work - some 25 solo albums, 41 albums with YMO, 14 live albums, 19 collaboration albums, and 40 EPs and singles - will enliven and inspire for generations to come!
7. T.P.O. — Hiroshi’s Dub (Tokyo Club Mix)
Thunderclaps and a driving downpour of beats—we’re deep in the club now, Japan vibrations at max amplitude. This atmospheric club classic tells a story of scenes and genres—whole worlds—merging at the close of the ‘80s in Japan. An early release by the powerhouse hip-hop label and posse Major Force, the track is a remix twice over. It started with the uptempo “Punk Inc.” by Tiny Panx Organization” (T.P.O.), brainchild of Hiroshi Fujiwara, Kan Takagi, and K.U.D.O. Next came the dub take by Hiroshi, supreme music and culture tastemaker. And here we have the Paradise Garage-inspired deep-house reworking by Sapporo-hailing DJ Heyta. Got that? Now imagine taking it in at the tiny basement club Aoyama MIX during one of DJ Heyta’s wildly popular Wednesday nights back in the day. Lights out!
8. Okihide — Biskatta
Cycling through sugar cane fields in Okinawa, intense sun overhead and a glistening ocean stretching out into infinity. That’s a sweet memory Okihide Sawaki was recalling when he made this track in his Kyoto “Sleepy Room” home studio. Okihide, a sound otaku since childhood (proud owner of a Korg Mono/Poly at age 12!), caught the attention of Fukuoka’s top DJ and producer Ken Inaoka in 1994 when he was playing live under the moniker Tanzmuzik at Shibuya On Air in Tokyo. Inaoka signed the young artist, now going just by Okihide, to his just-launched techno label “Syzygy Records,” and in 1996 A boy in picca season came out. This smooth, uplifting, Detroit-inspired jam from his eclectic, “intelligent” debut album is full of feeling.
9. Mondo Grosso — Vibe PM (Jazzy Mixed Roots) (Remixed by Yoshihiro Okino)
Peppy, elegant, and massively jazzy bops from 1994 that feel so familiar and fresh. The Kyoto-based acid-jazz collective Mondo Grosso roared to life in the early 90s, led by the multitalented Shinichi Osawa. “Vibe.P.M” (Jazzy Mixed Roots) appeared on the compilation Kyoto Jazz Massive (For Life Records), the brainchild and handiwork of Shuya Okino who, along with his brother Yoshihiro, formed the eponymous musical project (Shuya had been managing Mondo Grosso while working at the Kyoto club “Container”). Yoshihiro’s remix presented here is a slice of Japanese crossover jazz that “makes me feel so alive,” just like American vocalist Brenda Kay Pierce beautifully sings on the track. Thirty years on, Kyoto Jazz Massive and Mondo Grosso, together and as individual artists, continue to evangelize good vibes and heady crossover dance music.
10. Prism — Velvet Nymph
A masterful straight-up deep-house track by one of the masters of Japanese electronic music, the late Susumu Yokota. Working under the pseudonym Prism, and fittingly so, Susumu refracted and refined the Detroit techno sounds he loved into Metronome Melody, released in 1995 on the newly formed Japanese label Sublime Records ran by Yamazaki Manabu. The track and album came on the heels of several pioneering moments for Yokota and, by extension, the Japanese electronic music scene. First, he created a storm in December 1993 performing live at club Yellow as the opening act for Underground Resistance (their first appearance in Japan!). Then, in June 1994, Yokota rocked his unique acid-techno sound at Berlin’s Love Parade to huge fanfare (the first Japanese performer at the legendary technoparade!). The dearly missed Susumu Yokota left us with an amazing, eclectic body of work—some 70 albums and singles over 2 decades.
11. C.T. Scan — Cold Sleep (The Door Into Summer)
The compilation closes with an epic techno gem that spins the story of an era: Frogman Record’s 15-year history as a key incubator of Japanese techno music. Among those discovering techno music in the early ‘90s in Japan was a crew of club-going music writers and industry workers that included Kengo Watanabe, Tsutomu Noda, Dai Sato, and Masakazu Hiroishi who would all in different ways influence and innovate the whole scene. Watanabe and Noda launched the groundbreaking electronic music magazine ele-king. Moved by the Berlin techno scene and spurred on by German-Japanese techno ambassador DJ Toby Izui (aka Tobynation), Watanabe and Dai created the techno label Frogman. They tapped C.T. Scan (better known as synthpop artist and producer CMJK of J-pop fame) for the label’s first and final releases. This version of “Cold Sleep (The Door Into Summer)” appeared on Frogman’s 2008 entering-into-hibernation compilation, Fine – The Best of Frogman. Inspired by Robert A. Heinlein’s sci-fi tale about traveling back in time to find oneself, the track is reflective, floating, and gently futuristic. Looking back to create the future, the highest Japan Vibration. More
1
Miles Spilsbury - Cloud Formations
2
Miles Spilsbury - Gratitude
3
Miles Spilsbury - Light Theme
4
Miles Spilsbury - Cyclamen
5
Miles Spilsbury - Water On Water
6
Miles Spilsbury - Tungsten
7
Miles Spilsbury - Uig
8
Miles Spilsbury - En-Vau
Debut album from UK jazz saxophonist and composer Miles Spilsbury, featuring Carlos Niño. Produced by Slugabed.
Light Manoeuvres is about warmth, generosity and openness. The music which would become Light Manoeuvres was sketched in fragments, but began to take shape in earnest during a period of living under the Marseille haze in the South of France.
The specific character and opacity of the light in Marseille inspired the album title which imagines the movement of light passing over different subjects and spaces in intricate motion. Sand blows over from the Sahara on the Sirocco wind and is whipped up by the Mistral, the Marseille sky becomes golden and vapoured, then intermittently pastel blue. That image stuck while shaping this body of work, and became integral to the function of the compositions - which act as jumping off points for the players and myself, vehicles for improvisation and gateways to something else entirely.
Miles Spilsbury is a saxophonist, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Light Manoeuvres may be Spilsbury’s first full-length as bandleader, but the Brighton-based artist brings more than a decade of experience to bear on this record. In addition to a list of collaborators which includes Carlos Niño, Iglooghost, Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina and Yasei Collective, Spilsbury has been a permanent member of celebrated avant-rock experimentalists The Physics House Band since 2018. He has performed at prestigious UK venues such as the Southbank Centre and the London Jazz Festival, and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Japan.
In time between other musical projects, Spilsbury spent several years sketching fragments of solo material. The music which would become Light Manoeuvres began to take shape in earnest during a period of living in Marseille. The specific character and opacity of the light there inspired the album title, which imagines the movement of light passing over different subjects and spaces in intricate motion.
"Brilliant brilliant" · Gilles Peterson
"Out of nowhere Brilliant deep jazz album" · Sounds Of The Universe
"Lovely stuff, so much great new jazz coming out of the UK lately!" · Danilo Plessow (MCDE/SPACE GRAPES) More
Light Manoeuvres is about warmth, generosity and openness. The music which would become Light Manoeuvres was sketched in fragments, but began to take shape in earnest during a period of living under the Marseille haze in the South of France.
The specific character and opacity of the light in Marseille inspired the album title which imagines the movement of light passing over different subjects and spaces in intricate motion. Sand blows over from the Sahara on the Sirocco wind and is whipped up by the Mistral, the Marseille sky becomes golden and vapoured, then intermittently pastel blue. That image stuck while shaping this body of work, and became integral to the function of the compositions - which act as jumping off points for the players and myself, vehicles for improvisation and gateways to something else entirely.
Miles Spilsbury is a saxophonist, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Light Manoeuvres may be Spilsbury’s first full-length as bandleader, but the Brighton-based artist brings more than a decade of experience to bear on this record. In addition to a list of collaborators which includes Carlos Niño, Iglooghost, Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina and Yasei Collective, Spilsbury has been a permanent member of celebrated avant-rock experimentalists The Physics House Band since 2018. He has performed at prestigious UK venues such as the Southbank Centre and the London Jazz Festival, and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Japan.
In time between other musical projects, Spilsbury spent several years sketching fragments of solo material. The music which would become Light Manoeuvres began to take shape in earnest during a period of living in Marseille. The specific character and opacity of the light there inspired the album title, which imagines the movement of light passing over different subjects and spaces in intricate motion.
"Brilliant brilliant" · Gilles Peterson
"Out of nowhere Brilliant deep jazz album" · Sounds Of The Universe
"Lovely stuff, so much great new jazz coming out of the UK lately!" · Danilo Plessow (MCDE/SPACE GRAPES) More
1
Sven Wunder - En Plein Air
2
Sven Wunder - Impasto
3
Sven Wunder - Prussian Blue
4
Sven Wunder - Natura Morta
5
Sven Wunder - Panorama
6
Sven Wunder - Alla Prima
7
Sven Wunder - Umber
8
Sven Wunder - Barocco, Ma Non Troppo
9
Sven Wunder - Memento Mori
10
Sven Wunder - Pentimento
11
Sven Wunder - Natura Morta (reprise)
Throughout human history, we have depicted the world we live in through art. By reworking what we see in the world, the
simplest things have helped us understand the beauty of nature and to evaluate the material world that we have created
around us, as a window to a constantly changing reality, through our own perception. It is that absolute reality that appears
in the seam of human and nature and that can be revealed through art.
Still life painting, also referred to as natura morta (”dead nature”) in Italian, stretches back to ancient times. Some of the
earliest works, found in Pompeii, depict commonplace objects such as fresh autumn fruits alongside man-made objects
such as a small amphora and a small terracotta heap with dried fruits. These two thousand year old paintings give a
snapshot of Roman life, and also creates a link to time and space. A slice of life has been created by binding the earth’s
pigments with extracts of oil, made from nuts and seeds, painted with brushes, made from a variety of fibers, such as trees
and hair from animals. While life wanes with each brush stroke, by shifting reality into past, art exists to make us come alive,
being a living image of a dead thing, a surface and a symbol with symbolic powers of its own. Still life works celebrate
material and ephemeral pleasures by returning to nature as the ultimate source for our standards in art as well as in life
itself.
Natura Morta collects pieces from a continuous variety of melodies — supported by a decisive rhythm section — creating
a musical kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors. Sven Wunder brings life into this rich assortment of musical implications
by fusing and combining melodic instruments with each other in a setting that spans from a classical to a modern idiom.
The author evokes this panoramic portrait by articulating an instrumental dialog between a chamber orchestra and a jazz
ensemble. The result is a musical celebration of material pleasures that also serves as a reminder of the brevity of human
life.
A1. En Plein Air
A2. Impasto
A3. Prussian Blue
A4. Natura Morta
A5. Panorama
B1. Alla Prima
B2. Umber
B3. Barocco, Ma Non Troppo
B4. Memento Mori
B5. Pentimento
B6. Natura Morta (reprise) More
simplest things have helped us understand the beauty of nature and to evaluate the material world that we have created
around us, as a window to a constantly changing reality, through our own perception. It is that absolute reality that appears
in the seam of human and nature and that can be revealed through art.
Still life painting, also referred to as natura morta (”dead nature”) in Italian, stretches back to ancient times. Some of the
earliest works, found in Pompeii, depict commonplace objects such as fresh autumn fruits alongside man-made objects
such as a small amphora and a small terracotta heap with dried fruits. These two thousand year old paintings give a
snapshot of Roman life, and also creates a link to time and space. A slice of life has been created by binding the earth’s
pigments with extracts of oil, made from nuts and seeds, painted with brushes, made from a variety of fibers, such as trees
and hair from animals. While life wanes with each brush stroke, by shifting reality into past, art exists to make us come alive,
being a living image of a dead thing, a surface and a symbol with symbolic powers of its own. Still life works celebrate
material and ephemeral pleasures by returning to nature as the ultimate source for our standards in art as well as in life
itself.
Natura Morta collects pieces from a continuous variety of melodies — supported by a decisive rhythm section — creating
a musical kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors. Sven Wunder brings life into this rich assortment of musical implications
by fusing and combining melodic instruments with each other in a setting that spans from a classical to a modern idiom.
The author evokes this panoramic portrait by articulating an instrumental dialog between a chamber orchestra and a jazz
ensemble. The result is a musical celebration of material pleasures that also serves as a reminder of the brevity of human
life.
A1. En Plein Air
A2. Impasto
A3. Prussian Blue
A4. Natura Morta
A5. Panorama
B1. Alla Prima
B2. Umber
B3. Barocco, Ma Non Troppo
B4. Memento Mori
B5. Pentimento
B6. Natura Morta (reprise) More
1
Bo Harwood & John Cassavetes - No One Around To Hear It
2
Chen Ming Chang - Rainwater
3
Bhairavi Raman & Nanthesh Sivarajah - Bittersweet Reflections
4
The King Of Luxembourg - Poptones
5
Slapp Happy - Is It You
6
O.G. Jigg - Jesus Is My Jam
7
Klang - As It Is
8
Scala - Fuser
9
Soft Location - Let The Moon Get Into It
10
Gyeongsu - YZOBEL (feat. CROCHE)
11
Omertà - Moments In Love
12
Kasumi Trio - Cabbage Butterfly
13
Un - Fast Money Blues
14
Delphine Dora - V
15
Harry Plunket-Greene - The Hurdy-Gurdy Man
2LP
Tracklist
1. Bo Harwood & John Cassavetes - No One Around To Hear It
2. Chen Ming Chang - Rainwater
3. Bhairavi Raman & Nanthesh Sivarajah - Bittersweet Reflections
4. The King Of Luxembourg - Poptones
5. Slapp Happy - Is It You
6. O.G. Jigg - Jesus Is My Jam
7. Klang - As It Is
8. Scala - Fuser
9. Soft Location - Let The Moon Get Into It
10. Gyeongsu - YZOBEL (feat. CROCHE)
11. Omertà - Moments In Love
12. Kasumi Trio - Cabbage Butterfly
13. Un - Fast Money Blues
14. Delphine Dora - V
15. Harry Plunket-Greene - The Hurdy-Gurdy Man
Short info:
Searchlight Moonbeam is the new narrative compilation from Time Is Away (Jack Rollo and Elaine Tierney) whose eponymous monthly NTS Radio shows, tinctured fusions of fugitive sounds and reverie-inducing archival speech, have won them an ardent following. It follows from the London-based duo’s Ballads, a remarkable driftwerk released on A Colourful Storm in 2022.
Searchlight Moonbeam is an autumnal dreamscape, intimate and vespertine, pensive and irresolute. An imagined community where differences drop off and resonances emerge – between Maher Shalal Hash Baz affiliates Kasumi Trio, Taiwanese score composer Chen Ming Chang whose ‘Rainwater’ (written for Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s 1986 film Dust In The Wind) is exquisitely heartbroken, and the plangent improvisations of self-taught French pianist Delphine Dora.
Revelations are frequent: the bedsit isolationism of Bo Harwood and John Cassavetes’ ‘No One Around to Hear It’ (from The Killing of a Chinese Bookie); the narked minimalism of Klang (an early 2000s band formed by ex-Elastica guitarist and featuring prize-winning experimental novelist Isabel Waidner on bass); the etude-grooves and echoic wobble of below-the-radar French avant-gardists Omertà ; the beautiful, plaintively dubby ‘Is It You?’ by Slapp Happy; a psych-tinged reimagining of PiL’s ‘Poptones’ by Simon Fisher Turner (one half of Deux Filles, and here, recording for él as The King of Luxembourg) that's as perverse as the cover of Throbbing Gristle’s 20 Jazz Funk Greats.
Searchlight Moonbeam is the musical analog of an Italo Calvino novel or a medieval fable. Associative, intuitive, borderless. Emotional and mysterious. Endowed with the tactility of Braille. A private language that is both unknowable and understood. It is a record of the seasons, for the seasons.
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of Time Is Away’s first broadcast. Featuring an evocative essay by writer Jeremy Atherton Lin and disarming cover art by Penny Davenport, Searchlight Moonbeam showcases Rollo and Tierney’s still-unrivalled talent for gloaming melodies, disques du crépuscule, ensorcelled storytelling.
More
Tracklist
1. Bo Harwood & John Cassavetes - No One Around To Hear It
2. Chen Ming Chang - Rainwater
3. Bhairavi Raman & Nanthesh Sivarajah - Bittersweet Reflections
4. The King Of Luxembourg - Poptones
5. Slapp Happy - Is It You
6. O.G. Jigg - Jesus Is My Jam
7. Klang - As It Is
8. Scala - Fuser
9. Soft Location - Let The Moon Get Into It
10. Gyeongsu - YZOBEL (feat. CROCHE)
11. Omertà - Moments In Love
12. Kasumi Trio - Cabbage Butterfly
13. Un - Fast Money Blues
14. Delphine Dora - V
15. Harry Plunket-Greene - The Hurdy-Gurdy Man
Short info:
Searchlight Moonbeam is the new narrative compilation from Time Is Away (Jack Rollo and Elaine Tierney) whose eponymous monthly NTS Radio shows, tinctured fusions of fugitive sounds and reverie-inducing archival speech, have won them an ardent following. It follows from the London-based duo’s Ballads, a remarkable driftwerk released on A Colourful Storm in 2022.
Searchlight Moonbeam is an autumnal dreamscape, intimate and vespertine, pensive and irresolute. An imagined community where differences drop off and resonances emerge – between Maher Shalal Hash Baz affiliates Kasumi Trio, Taiwanese score composer Chen Ming Chang whose ‘Rainwater’ (written for Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s 1986 film Dust In The Wind) is exquisitely heartbroken, and the plangent improvisations of self-taught French pianist Delphine Dora.
Revelations are frequent: the bedsit isolationism of Bo Harwood and John Cassavetes’ ‘No One Around to Hear It’ (from The Killing of a Chinese Bookie); the narked minimalism of Klang (an early 2000s band formed by ex-Elastica guitarist and featuring prize-winning experimental novelist Isabel Waidner on bass); the etude-grooves and echoic wobble of below-the-radar French avant-gardists Omertà ; the beautiful, plaintively dubby ‘Is It You?’ by Slapp Happy; a psych-tinged reimagining of PiL’s ‘Poptones’ by Simon Fisher Turner (one half of Deux Filles, and here, recording for él as The King of Luxembourg) that's as perverse as the cover of Throbbing Gristle’s 20 Jazz Funk Greats.
Searchlight Moonbeam is the musical analog of an Italo Calvino novel or a medieval fable. Associative, intuitive, borderless. Emotional and mysterious. Endowed with the tactility of Braille. A private language that is both unknowable and understood. It is a record of the seasons, for the seasons.
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of Time Is Away’s first broadcast. Featuring an evocative essay by writer Jeremy Atherton Lin and disarming cover art by Penny Davenport, Searchlight Moonbeam showcases Rollo and Tierney’s still-unrivalled talent for gloaming melodies, disques du crépuscule, ensorcelled storytelling.
More