dusk eater, by krzyzis

Whimsical yet melancholy ambient explorations from Canadian producer krzyzis – dusk eater is a pleasant long-form 7 track album of nostalgic soundscapes.

The central element of this release is pressure and tension. Each track forms around a drone backbone, eventually spurring into more abstract and avant-garde directions. Sudden harmonic dissonance, the occasional plucking of strings, a distant siren crying – all swirling together to create a sound that is somehow both relaxing and exciting.

There is something very grounded about this project as well. I am not sure what it is, but it harkens back to the days of Windham Hill albums – ambient with a purpose and a deep emotion associated with it. Perhaps its the ‘movement’ within each piece – krzyzis does a wonderful job not allowing drone/ambient to become stale or stagnant.

This one is good for mellow late nights or as the perfect soundtrack for whatever book you are currently reading! The album is available now digitally via the artists Bandcamp page.

blood year, by Cyparissus

Luscious lo-fi drones from Cyparissus – blood year is a 4 track album with a heavy, brooding atmosphere.

The style is hazy and rustic – dusty and crusty textures layered atop waves of melancholy synth pads. The melodies and progressions take a backseat to quite prominent “field recordings” and other textural oddities. From dribbling rain and distant rolling thunder to crunchy and compressed tape sounds, Cyparissus utilizes a vast array of audio cues to evoke some potent emotions.

When the calm pads do overtake the noisy drones, they are quite placid and comforting! This provides a beautiful base for the rest of the textural sounds to stretch their legs.

If you’re a fan of slightly-dark ambient, or you’d like some noisy drone music that isn’t too harsh, I highly recommend checking out both blood year and the rest of Cyparissus’ discography, which is available on Bandcamp.

Neon Demons, by Solarein

Released December 22, 2018

music & artwork:
vru patel

J☉ὗℜпҾƔEP by ♡u∫agi幻覚∀∁ⓛᙌ✬

Here is some weirdness for you fam! I won’t waste your time – enjoy the listen!

Guitar Samples, by DR00

Torontos Legendary Entertainment bring us an interesting new project from producer DR00 – Guitar Samples. An experimental 9 track tape that is, according to the creator, made entirely of guitar samples, sans a few bits of percussion on a track or two. The result is a very organic and interesting listen. The vibe is solid whether the track is pulsing with rhythms like the remixed Oak, or simply blissing out over the possibilities of sonic manipulation on tracks such as Beyond Recognition.

You can grab a CD of the project from Legendary Entertainment, there is also a Cassette release available via Æescape Sounds, but either way you will be doing yourself a favor picking this up!

Imaginations, by Alexandre Navarro

Imaginations is an EP of ambient synthesizer music by french producer Alexandre Navarro. 5 tracks packed full of beautiful textures, blipping and buzzing synths combined with tasteful percussion. There is an attention to detail in each sound and tone that only becomes more apparent on repeat listens.

Good For:

• Study Music
• Midnight Drives
• Deep Thought

Favorite Track: 4. Au bord de toi

The Gloom & The Glowing

The Gloom & The Glowing is the first full-length album from the prolific ambient duo now known as Nonconnah ( Lost Trail ). Though on the surface, TG&TG might seem quite similar to the duos former work, but within the folds there are greater forces at work.

The title alone alludes to a theme many people can relate to in these strange times; darkness and light, good and evil, joy and despair. The expressive depths and heights achieved within TG&TG is nothing short of astonishing. The moment when music surpasses mental satisfaction and achieves spiritual satisfaction is both uplifting and grounding.

The album itself is a solid 13 tracks. Throughout, synths churn and bellow between one-another, providing a near constant motion within the drone. The effect is an engaging and easy listen, with songs moving past beautifully like unknown towns through your car window. Tones evoke nostalgia, melancholy, humble warmth and old wisdom. A delicate balance of pain and purity, wistfully guiding the listener in a tour of emotion.

Listening to The Gloom & The Glowing was a rich and satisfying experience for me several times through, and I honestly look forward to enjoying it again many times again. You can have a listen yourself via Bandcamp, or do your stereo a favor and purchase a CD!

Hearth, by Martin Goodwin

Another blissful EP brought to us by Silent Season Records, Martin Goodwin presents Hearth, a wholesome collection of ambient techno.

The album came along after a trip in east Europe (Bulgaria and Romania) I was inspired by beautiful landscapes and a few moments that blew me away. The project “Onkalo” I’m doing on the side with a group of friends is exploring some ideas, one of them being a visitor coming from space and walking around a deserted earth.

I wanted to illustrate this idea of loneliness which is something we can all experience in our daily life. I personally need that time to think and break from society, go deeper within and explore the endless possibilities of the mind. I hope the music can bring a glimpse of that experience to the listeners.

– Martin Goodwin

released June 8, 2017

Written & produced by Martin Goodwin (France).

Mastered by Giuseppe Tillieci at EnissLab Mastering Studio

Varsovie, by Odes Of The Kabatians

British-Colombian Label Silent Season brings us a chilled out ambient-techno treat in the form of Varsovie, by Odes of the Kabatians.

Varsovie is a part of the Labels “SSX“, or Silent Season 10-Year Anniversary, series, which focuses on textural ambience and geography. This installment is no disappointment, with 5 expansive tracks that are all both deep and delicious.

You can grab the digital download via the Labels Bandcamp page, or head over to Juno Records for a copy on wax.

Silent Season 10 Year Collection 2007-2017 [SSX10]

The Silent Season 10 Year Anniversary collection celebrates a decade of deeper electronic music. This special edition vinyl series features artists whose music continues to inspire the Silent Season journey from 2007-2017.

silentseason.com/ssx10/

The SSX series showcases elemental textures found in the nature surroundings of Vancouver Island. The collection features 2 different sleeve colour editions: Dark & Light. The first 5 EPs for Winter share a dark smoke transparent vinyl in a custom 10th anniversary black sleeve emboldened with the Silent Season Tree of Life.

The first 5 x 12″s will be available at Juno and other fine record shops starting Spring 2017. The vinyl series will roll out over the year with the remaining 5 eps coming out in the Fall.

++ VINYL ++

www.juno.co.uk/products/odes-of-the-kabatians-varsovie/637283-01/

credits

released May 24, 2017

French artists PVNV and Amandra work together under the project Odes Of the Kabatians. They are cofounders of Taapion Records and Ahrpe Records. The Varsovie EP has been produced in Amandra’s studio in Warsaw, Poland.

Springthaw I & II, by Coppice Halifax

Dayton Ohio’s Coppice Halifax brings us two long-form projects to ease us into the coming summer. Springthaw is a unique and robust project, utilizing live recordings and improvisation to create vivid soundscapes. With all 4 tracks from the 2 EP’s played back to back, it results in nearly 2 hours of dense sonic exploration, reaching into the dark corners or ambience, electronics and dub tendencies.

Both EP’s are available via bandcamp either as Digital Downloads or Compact Discs.

Initially conceived as a more open-ended project, Springthaw manifested itself as four near-half-hour pieces that herald the arrival of Spring. This second volume contains the third and fourth pieces recorded for the project – Dark Room and Wind Hues – both bubbling over with organic textures and floral hiss. Deep dub techno basslines and rhythms anchor a drifting pastoral landscape of melting ice, blossoming color and bounding green hills.

Springthaw was improvised and captured live in the White Pillar Workshop, using a Gemini PDT-6000 turntable to select sides of heavily processed vinyl (solo piano pieces and chamber music) which set an atmospheric tone above/below a Korg ER-1 drum machine, Yamaha QY-70 sequencer, Grass S10CTCMA and a Unisonic “Chippendale” 8-track receiver (channeling local AM radio stations), augmented by FX units including three Moogerfoogers, Alesis Quadraverb, Pioneer spring reverb box, Boss RV-3, SL-20 & RC-20 and a Behringer US600. Everything was mixed on a Peavey FX24 hybrid mixer, and resident collaborator John-Paul Kramer (Coal, Casio Commander) assisted with pitch and modulation of the vinyl sides during three of the four performances.

Springthaw is (at present) a two-volume set, much like the previous Earthworks, Autochromata and the as-yet-unpublished Cedar Mastodon. Time, and seasonal change, will tell whether or not there will be further installments next year. The two volumes make a solid companion/postscript to the recently reinstated 24xCD-R set Dripping Earth, which also venerates Spring in its own way.

released May 30, 2017

W/P by Brian Grainger. Recorded live at White Pillar Workshop, March 2017. Assisted by John-Paul Kramer on “Dark Room”. Mastered by The Analog Botanist, April 2017. Photograph by Brian, Dayton 2017. This is Milieu Music number ABX63.