Cool Maritime – Big Earth Energy (2022 Western Vinyl)

Artist: Cool Maritime

Album: Big Earth Energy (2022)

Label: Western Vinyl

Genre: New Age / Ambient / Electronic

Record Store: Zia Records, Phoenix, AZ

We’ve all heard the mantra ‘never judge a book by its cover,’ and yet the same rule of thumb could hardly be said to apply to the world of vinyl, where off-kilter, intriguing artwork oftentimes speaks directly about the music contained within. Case in point – Cool Maritime’s glorious 2022 LP ‘Big Earth Energy,’ which I picked up the other day solely because of the wonderful Lisa Frank-esque neon tree frog gracing the front cover, as well as the promotional sticker which promised an experience inspired by ‘Myst and Studio Ghibli.’

The music almost lives up to this high bar, with seven tracks of instrumental electronic goodness that will bring to mind the cushy, muzak-adjacent environments of pre-2000 personal computer game soundtracks like SimCity or, indeed, Myst. Pleasing sin waves, pitched to replicate electronic tom drums, bounce and squiggle around synth pads and buoyant synthesizer melodies. Drum machines are notably absent, and the resulting music works equally well as background tones to do yoga to, or as an active listening experience. It will most certainly pair well with your next session of whatever intense simulation or strategy video game you’re currently obsessed with. Excellent find.

Thomas Jacob Jr is a Producer, Composer, Singer-Songwriter, Music Educator and Digital Artist currently based in Arizona – Bringing us rare and interesting selections from his extensive Vinyl collection! For more content follow his vinyl-dedicated Instagram account

Ingress Egress, by THE GAYE DEVICE

Soothing and wholesome ambient from THE GAYE DEVICEingress egress is a powerful cinematic synth journey.

Stretched over 8 luscious tracks, the album wanders through retro cyberpunk vibes, floating through a glowing synthetic haze.

Sometimes hopeful, sometimes brooding – yet always satisfying on a deep level. There is a mystical and ethereal flavor to the soundscapes while remaining quite synthetic – like a holodeck of lush wonder.

The tracks are long and thoughtful. Blissful even. Perfect to listen with a cup of coffee or light rain-showers outside.

Pick up the digital album via Bandcamp and explore the rest of the discography while you’re there!

New Cascadia, by Transpacifica

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Sultry synthwave with some massive melodies – North Ireland producer Transpacifica presents a new 5-track EP conceptualized around a fictional utopian commune in the not-so-distant future. Retro riffs grab your attention and blasting 80’s drums keep you pinned down for the duration! And ohh my, those riffs, they are both beautiful and bountiful – leaving tons of sonic tidbits lodged in my head. Highly recommended if you dig downtempo synthesizer jams and cinematic synthwave!

You Were Never Here – by Hate Without Love

Kaiseki Digital presents us with a beautiful EP from producer Hate Without Love. The 4-track project has a heavy nostalgic vibe – almost as if the whole thing is being viewed like old home videos from a projector.

Tracks washed in rounded synth tones and soaring vocal abstractions, there is a big vibe within to enjoy..

HWL on Soundcloud

I Thought I’d Never Find You, by Desolate Horizons

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Early Morning Ambience for maximum relaxation. “I Thought I’d Never Find You” is a new 4-track project from producer Desolate Horizons. The release is washed in melancholy yet remains relaxing and melodic through the whole project. With essentially no rough edges, this is the perfect soundtrack for meditations or simply dozing off. With a deeper listen your ears will be delighted at how DH masterfully weaves tones and samples to create a soundscape that leaves you feeling warm and embraced. You can download the release now via Hidden Vibes Label Bandcamp.

HV040 Desolate Horizons – I Thought I’d Never Find You

“I Thought I’d Never Find You” was recorded from December 2014 to February 2015 originally for the split with ‘The Last Before Falling’ but unfortunately, it has never been officially released. And now I decided to rewrite one track called “I Stood There Calling Out Your Name” to finally give a life to this release.

“I Thought I’d Never Find You” is inspired by my own dreams and experiences obtained in them. To some extent, this is quite a sad story, but this story has a happy ending.

This is an archival recording. Thank you for listening

Desolate Horizons is a dronegaze/ambient/shoegaze one-man project from Russia. Side-project of C. Horizon, the only member of thehappymask.

Desolate Horizons on web:
desolatehorizons.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/thehappymask
soundcloud.com/thehappymask
vk.com/thehappymask

AMFH, by Liquid Delay

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Brought to us by London’s Drift Deeper Recordings, AMFH is a 2-track project by producer Liquid Delay. This is a wonderful-if-brief project, with finesse and nearly effortless sounding deep tones, complimented by delicious sunny rhythms and textures. You can download the project now via the labels Bandcamp page and get both tracks for about a dollar!

Deep and Dub Summer 2016

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Tehnofonika Records Brings us a marvelous summer sampler of Dub-Techno tunes, perfect for relaxing while the sun sets on a hot day. Featuring tracks from some of my favorite producers (Martin Frost, Dublicator) as well as a few fresh finds, this sampler is 10 tracks of high-quality techno tunes. Each song fits perfectly with the relaxed, sunny-mellow vibe, steeped in atmospheric flavor and texture. The album is currently only available for download via the Labels Bandcamp page.

infinit-1, by cv313

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Detroits ECHOSPACE label brings us another pleasant and unique project from CV313, infitit-1 which features 4 total tracks (Original, Remodeled, Unreleased and a Remix by STL). For fans of the deeper dub-techno out there, this release is the perfect balance of techno you can dance to as well as meditate to. Between the 4 versions of the titled track, there is an impressive variety and depth in the material presented. Currently you can only download the project digitally as the Limited Edition Red Vinyl has already sold out, so all we can hope for is a re-pressing of this beauty!

released August 22, 2016

w + p by cv313. remixed by stl. mastered in echospace.

Depth of Sadness, by Slownoise

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Depth of Sadness is a new EP by Downtempo-Techno artist Jeremy Davies, better known as SLOWNOISE. This 4 track project was just released by Cold Tear Records of Lithuania, whom always seem to release quality tunes. This brief yet brilliant project is equally satisfying as it is relaxing, like a nice meal and a good beer. Well rounded synths and electronics balance perfectly with relaxed and subdued rhythms, with each track holding an energy of its own. Currently the EP is only available for download via Cold Tear Records Bandcamp page.

released August 22, 2016

Written, produced & performed by Jeremy Davies
Mastered by Steph Graham from Masterco
Cover art photography by John Palmer

bblisss, by Various Artists

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Gorgeous, low-key sounds, a collection from bblisss.

Released June 3rd, 2016