Marc Ertel & Wayne Robert Thomas - "Coronation Ring" (11:56)
Review: This new one from our favourite US ambient outlet takes the form of a selection of long-form compositions from artists who are close to the label. As such it's a perfect reflection of its signature sound - deeply immersive soundscapes, slowly shifting synths and meditative moods made with a mix of hardware tools, guitars, pedals and even baritone vocals. It's named after a Norwegian term for warmth and intimacy, which certainly plays out from the evolving loops of 'A Whisper' to the textured melancholy of 'Canaan' and the reverberant drift of 'Coronation Ring'.
Review: Released to coincide with Japanese musical Goliath Ryuichi Sakamoto's 70th birthday, To the Moon & Back was almost inevitable. Even without worrying reports about the maestro's health, there's no way anyone can have such a significant impact on global music for so long and not have people wanting to pay tribute upon reaching septuagenarian years.
And what a tribute it is. Taking elements from a huge back catalogue that stretches back to the mid-1970s, contemporary greats including Thundercat, Alva Noto, Hildur Guonadottir, The Cinematic Orchestra, and David Sylvian offer new versions and remixes of the master's stuff, with each track here chosen by Sakamoto, which is about as significant a seal of approval as you could hope for. Like the man himself, it's widely varied, consistently innovative and just really, really good.
Review: You had us at hello. Or at least you had us at weird French sounds from the 1970s, a decade that played a pivotal role in modernising musical processes, techniques and instruments, among other things. With names like Gilbert Becaud & Christian Gaubert, Jean Schwarz, Jacky Chalard & Gilbert Deaez and Alain Goraguer, those more in tune with this era in Gallic sound culture will know this is going to be a varied ride. Hence we open on 'The Organization', a piece that nods to the classical heritage of screen scores and captures the laidback attitude of the late-1960s perfectly, before moving through a wealth of styles, including proto-New Wave, post-punk, Kraut and meditative moods. For want of a better description. Nothing you won't have encountered before, but certainly pushing in new directions at the time.
James Hoff - "A Cha A I Feel Like A Ghost Uh" (3:02)
Eric Frye - "Plague Chain" (2:23)
Maxwell Sterling - "Xiahe Tears" (4:26)
Muein - "Creep" (3:56)
James K - "Sketch 4" (4:30)
Review: The brilliantly cultured 29 Speedway is a Brooklyn-based record label and performance series founded in 2020 by Ben Shirken that features cutting-edge improvisational music and multimedia performances. It has hosted shows at venues like Pioneer Works and Public Records and worked with artists like James Hoff, J. Albert, Flora Yin-Wong, and Kamran Sadeghi. This new compilation UltraBody showcases artists exploring the intersection of self, technology, and spirituality and that results in a 13-track collection of out-of-this-world ambient, dub and techno fusions with an avant-garde edge.
Review: The good folks at Discreet Music celebrate its five-year anniversary with a special compilation featuring new and unreleased tracks from an eclectic lineup of artists. As highlighted in the extensive liner notes, this release covers plenty of ground, all of it part of the essence of Discreet Music but with an eye on evolution into new territories. It's a carefully curated collection with endless highlights - Eftergift's 'Demotiv' captures the sombreness of a dark winter night, Shadow Pattern's 'One Of These' is flickering, candle-lit space with distant synth tension and Livskraft's 'Lat Mig Tro' is a new age ceremonial ritual
Jose Val Del Omar - "Aguaespejo Granadino (Fragment Of The Soundtrack)" (6:05)
Eduardo Polonio - "Para Una Pequena Margartia Ronca" (5:57)
Josep Maria Mestres Quadreny - "Peca Per A Serra Mecanica" (3:14)
Juan Hidalgo - "Etude De Stage" (13:56)
Cristobal Halffter - "Lineas Y Punto" (5:06)
Review: This LP uncovers the hidden diversity of Spanish music from the 50s and 60s, all composed under Franco's regime. Curated by musicologist Miguel Alvarez-Fernandez, it represents a significant advancement in understanding this music which struggled to exist until Franco's death in 1975. Released as part of the label's Early Electronic series, it features five pioneering Spanish composers who worked against the odds including Jose Val del Omar, a filmmaker and dreamlike artist linked to Lorca and BuNuel. Eduardo Polonio, known for over a hundred works from the Institute of Psychoacoustics in Ghent, Josep Maria Mestres Quadreny who was founder of the Phonos Electroacoustic Music Laboratory and collaborator with Miro and Tapies, Juan Hidalgo, a Fluxus member who engaged with Cage and Tudor, and Cristobal Halffter, a prominent figure working with Boulez, Stockhausen, and Berio.
Vernal Equinox - "Silent Dream: The Real Dream" (4:07)
Steve Cooper - "Soulmate Suite" (part 1) (3:44)
Peter Davison - "Control" (4:23)
David Storrs - "Night In The Vortex" (3:18)
Iasos - "The Angels Of Comfort" (4:26)
Robert Slap & Suzanne Ghiglia - "Ocean Echoes" (4:10)
Upper Astral - "Crystal Cave (Back To Atlantis)" (5:29)
Alex Johnson - "Music For Earth Orbit" (3:56)
Georges Boutz - "After The Storm" (4:04)
Dervish - "Somebodies" (4:53)
Peter Nothnagle - "New Snow" (4:32)
Jordan De La Sierra - "Music For Gymnastics" (3:22)
Master Wilburm Burchette - "Eternal Light" (4:50)
Review: We have long been big fans of the work done by The Numero Group and now they are back to present a guide to private-issue new-age music that is as essential as you would expect. Featuring trailblazers like Laraaji, Iasos, Joanna Brouk, Don Slepian, Peter Davison, Master Wilburn Burchette, Jordan De La Sierra, David Casper, Robert Slap and others from the Perrier underground, this double LP compilation is adorned with Marcus Uzilevsky's Linear Landscapes and includes a 32-page booklet. Showcasing the essence of a transformative era, the collection invites you to explore the ethereal soundscapes and boundless creativity of the fourth world, and a fine place it is to be.
Dead Connection/Corpse On The Stairs/Ben Arrives (1:11)
Panic (2:19)
Blood From The Landing (1:08)
Smashing The Headlight (1:44)
Tire Iron Attack (2:19)
Don't Look At It! (1:02)
Back Porch Bonfire (0:40)
Searching The House (0:45)
The Music Box (0:22)
Boarding Up The House (3:03)
Fireplace & Torch (0:36)
Kocked Out (1:33)
Lounge Chair Bonfire (1:15)
The Cellar Door (0:30)
Finding The Rifle (2:44)
Ben Comforts Barbara (0:24)
Cleaning Upstairs (2:03)
New Arrivals (0:19)
Attack At The Window (1:36)
Grasping Hands (4:00)
Ghouls Approach The House (0:35)
Down To The Cellar (1:08)
Up From The Cellar (1:36)
Escape Plan (1:32)
Tom & Judy (1:04)
Unboarding (1:16)
Molotov Cocktails (1:48)
Escape From The House (1:52)
Truck Escape (1:14)
Truck On Fire (1:20)
Feeding Frenzy (2:30)
Lights Out (1:22)
Finale Siege (2:16)
Breakthrough (2:18)
Helen's Death (2:18)
Ghouls Overrun (2:18)
Cellar Nightmare (2:18)
The Posse (2:18)
Bonfire (2:18)
End Credits (2:18)
Bonus Night Of The Living Dead 1968 Radio Spot (1:43)
Review: Waxwork Records presents another superb OST here in the form of the complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Released originally in 1968, this groundbreaking independent horror film follows seven strangers trapped in a farmhouse and besieged by flesh-eating ghouls. Made on a modest budget by a group of Pittsburgh-based filmmakers, it became a cultural phenomenon, earning over 250 times its cost and redefining the horror genre. Acknowledged as a cult classic, the film is preserved in the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance and the soundtrack is just as compelling.
Vessel & Rakhi Singh - "It Can't Be Helped (There Is Nothing In The Sky)" (2:50)
Review: It's the first ever compilation from Do You Have Peace?, the celebrated Bristol label spearheaded by Jabu. Originally intended as a project that would link together disparate dream pop artists, things have naturally evolved into a far broader sonic spectrum. There are ties that bind, though, like the 'half awake' vibe running through every track here. On the list, then, you'll find DIY chamber music, cinema-worthy grand arrangements, intimate confessionals, and strange, otherworldly immersive love letters. Vocals dominate the early half, while the second allows us to escape into a mind unfettered by language, presenting sublime instrumentals without voices. Aside from a few half-heard utterances, motifs and fragments. Lush, engrossing and genuinely beautiful, it should be on everyone's list.
Review: Past Inside the Present, Healing Sound Propagandist and Fallen Moon Recordings mark an outstanding year with Past/Present 2024, a new three-hour compilation that spans serene ambience, deep drone and experimental sounds. Featuring scene legends like 36, bvdub, ASC and James Bernard alongside talents like Slow Dancing Society and Black Swan and rising artists such as Innesti and Angela Winter, the collection captures a rich blend of modern ambient music and showcases just how strong these imprints are. Opening with a 71-minute live mix by LA's Inquiri, this compilation has been curated by label founder Zach Frizzell aka zake and highlights like T.R. Jordan's 'Swapped' and Black Swan's 'Perhaps We Never Were' making a lasting impression.
Brad Oberhofer - "I Hugged A Clown In My Dream" (3:20)
Alan Wyffels - "Intermezzo" (3:25)
Laraaji - "Waltz Life" (4:14)
Alice Boman - "17" (2:49)
ML Buch - "Getting To Know Each Other" (3:21)
The Kimba Unit - "Three Sundays" (2:42)
Mark William Lewis - "Josh, This Is Lin, I Accidentally Left My Documents In Your Car Yesterday" (2:02)
Matthew Tavares - "Cool Piano Vibe" (2:17)
Hand Habits - "Not Worth The Lie" (4:58)
Youth Lagoon - "The Harvest" (2:18)
Ichiko Aoba - "2024-06-13" (5:51)
Review: The first in a series of solo piano compilations curated by section1 designed to celebrate the beauty and versatility of piano music. Blending contemporary classical, experimental and ambient styles, these pieces highlight raw emotions like joy, sadness, doubt and certainty. Artists were guided by two rules throughout the process: the piano was the primary instrument and no vocals. All 12 tracks are immersive and showcases the unique creative relationship each artist has with the piano while demonstrating how 88 keys can evoke drastically different moods. It works equally well for active or passive listening with calm and introspective results.
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