B-STOCK: Record sleeve damaged, product in working order
Superstructure
Urban Practise
Wolkenbugel
Perspective, Moscow
Habitation
Dirty Realism
Miniaturasition
Review: ***B-STOCK: Record sleeve damaged, product in working order***
Bringing together a joint history that could keep Simon Schama in brogues for the rest of his days, "Superstructure" marks the union of Christopher Dell - author, director of the Institute for Improvisation Technology Insel and, most importantly, World-renowned vibraphone player - and Roman Flugel (aka Alter Ego, Acid Jesus, Soylent Green etc.). The results are predictably awesome. Plundering styles like coked up Vikings, 'Superstructure' flickers into life through the opening title-track, wherein a Jelinek-esque cushion of wing-clipped syncopations and glitch-fed jazz rustle towards a muted conclusion. Preventing any kind of complacency, Dell & Flugel immediately swap scripts, inviting cascading xylophones and throaty breaks for the duration of "Urban Practise"; a sound which is abandoned wantonly for the scattered vibes-drum duet of "Miniaturisation" and the Hancock flirtations of "Wolkenbugel". Dabbling in blue-sky techno on "4 Door Body Cell", hypno-glitch for "Dirty Realism" and jazz-tickled drum & bass "Habitation", Dell & Flugel prove they're jack of all trades, master of, well, most...
Iolaire (feat Morfydd Clark & Mabe Fratti - part 1) (4:52)
Iolaire (feat Morfydd Clark & Mabe Fratti - part 2) (5:22)
Iolaire (feat Morfydd Clark & Mabe Fratti - part 3) (4:10)
Iolaire (feat Morfydd Clark & Mabe Fratti - part 4) (2:41)
Review: Talk about taking risks. Delmer Darion's jaw-dropping second album is like no other you'll hear this autumn. Trust us. Taking inspiration from legendary tales like Jules Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires, the record is split into two powerful halves. On the one side, industrial electronica and bewitching vocals meet in this abrasive but beautiful sonic place that owes as much to darkroom pop as it does experimental synth-dom. Blending elements of shoegaze, ambient and doom folk, it's a place thick with mystery and awe, wonder and, to a lesser extent, fear, and one you want to spend plenty of time in. Part two, meanwhile, does away with what small amount of convention was there before, and opts for an 18-minute spoken word masterpiece, rooted in Arthurian lore but at surface level focused on the 1919 sinking of HMY Iolair, off the coast of Stornoway.
Review: The Delphina James Steel Ensemble's Play Ludo is the follow up record to Pan Machine, a well received and critically acclaimed long player. This one is another unique proposition with rich steel band sounds taking on modern classical compositions. They are all lush in their arrangements, with plenty of moments of intimacy next to rousing melodies. Some tunes shimmer with a wintry chill and others are warm and diffuse like a hot summer's day. Another original work by this fine band.
Across Dunes Of White-Hot Ash Into The Very Mouth Of The Sun (9:03)
Through The Drowned City (7:46)
An Unfamiliar Zodiac (2:42)
Ephemeral Maps (4:23)
Across The Sunless Beaches Of The Time-Sea (10:15)
27th Day (Challenger Deep) (4:34)
Review: Healing Sound Propagandist releases Julien Demoulin's Ephemeral Maps, a beautifully fitting follow-up to Dreams In Digital Dust. This album continues the journey through the same lush soundscapes that captivated listeners on Demoulin's previous work, but this time subverts them to produce a, well, less dusty, more aerial take. The LP, released on cassette and digital only, sounds like it took a long time to make, and as though its drones were being overturned through and out of ancient soils. From the jump of 'Land Before Memory', we're thrust into what sounds like a contradictorily landed but birds-eye-view of an epochal realm, with an atonal drone heard pocketed below a set of slow-release rustlings and leaven fadings-away. Some moments, like 'Through The Drowned City', revel in high pitch and clarity, while chromaticism and tension thrive elsewhere on moments such as '27th Day (Challenger Deep)'. Intended as a challenge to the idea of the anthropocene, this is somewhat abstracting, depersonalising ambient record, so it's not for the faint of heart, but it doesn't come without a deep reserve of human sentiment either.
Review: Back in 2005, Depeche Mode recorded a special live set for broadcast on US radio that - much to most people's surprise at the time - featured fewer synthesizer sounds. Instead, it saw the Essex outfit reproduce many of their classics hits and fan favourites using traditional rock instrumentation (think electric guitars, drums, bass guitar and electric piano), with the addition of more electronics as the set progressed. Now finally released on CD, the set is genuinely excellent, despite the pared-down, altered musical set-up. Highlights include fine renditions of 'Personal Jesus', 'Behind The Wheel' (which here sounds like a post-punk disco throwdown) , 'Enjoy The Silence' and - after a partial take ruined by sound problems - 'I Feel You'.
Review: Modern day Amsterdam is a bit of an oxymoron. On the one hand, the city proudly brandishes its reputation for alternative and sub cultures, pushing back against lawmakers and their incoherent policies to adopt approaches that are more realistic and levelheaded. On the other, its a place of such rampant commercial development the local government actively discourages visitors and new hotel developments. Look closely, though, and you can still feel the spirit of what, during the latter half of the 20th Century, made this place so special. Paradiso is one of those spots. A waterside cultural venue with a history first as a church, then an illegal squat, before becoming what it is today, the walls themselves seem to pervade a sense of brave, adventurous heritage. An ideal place to catch one of the most defining bands of the 1980s in their heyday, then, here Depeche Mode deliver an astounding set in a space with the atmosphere to match.
Review: These excellent live Dutch radio broadcast recordings of Depeche Mode from 1983 are for the first time available here on vinyl. Some of their earliest hits are featured, taken from the British band's first three seminal albums such as Speak & Spell, A Broken Frame and Construction Time Again. Highlights on the A side are the synthpop classics 'Everything Counts' and Get The Balance Right'. While over on the flip there are excellent versions never heard before of 'Told You So', 'New Life' and 'Just Can't Get Enough'.
Review: Talk about creating a universe for yourself. Die Welttraumforscher, or World Dream Explorer, is an imagined musical trio with cosmic tendencies conjured by the mind of Swiss electronic composer Christian Pfluger. Active since 1981, 41 years in and the project is still going very strong and admired by a cult legion of international fans alongside some of the most influential contemporary synth doyens.
Liederbuch is the first new material in some time, an event that will be celebrated by many. Largely rooted in psychedelic indie-tronica, downbeat lounge-worthy beats, and blissful acoustic alt-balladry, it's a beautiful collection showcasing the ingenuity inherent in the music of a truly enigmatic artist who, despite focusing largely on the same endeavour for four decades now, has never remained still for long.
Digital Justice - "Theme From "It's All Gone Pearshaped"" (12:12)
Dorothy Ashby - "For Some We Loved" (4:04)
Frantz Tuernal - "Koultans" (5:55)
Review: Melodies International is a real favourite label here at Juno HQ, headed up famously by Floating Points and finds including Mafalda. The third volume of their Melodies record Club is as good as anything the label has put out to date: it features a trio of jazz cuts selected by the one and only Hunee. First is Digital Justice's 'Theme From "It's All Gone Pearshaped"', a 13 minute live jam packed with synth action. On the flip is a spiritual piece from harpist Dorothy Ashby and Frantz Tuernal's 'Koultans'. Says Hunee, "these three distinct pieces of music tap into different layers of my memory."
Review: Veteran electrohead and former artist on the Rephlex Records roseter DMX Krew's Ed DMX takes the well-known story by Jorge Luis Borges of The Library of Babel, said to contain all the different languages of the earth. Some deep philosophical thought has gone into the album's concept, but we'll leave that to Ed to explain. Instead, we'll tell you that from beginning to end there's plenty of the kind of trademark 80s synth playfulness in evidence, with a generally more mellow and soundtrack-related rather than frenetic and dancefloor-filling vibe in evidence, even on faster tracks like 'The Combed Thunderclap'. Still, Ed knows what he's doing when it comes to this kind of leftfield electro gear, and it's a rewarding, never boring listen.
Lia Kohl - "The Scene With The Void Full Of Choices" (9:13)
Daniel Wyche - "An Old Movie About A Dog, A Man, & Several Horses" (10:10)
Lia Kohl - "The Scene With One Tender Memory" (8:04)
Daniel Wyche - "An Old Movie About A Different Kind Of Artist Who Attempts To Visit The Place Where The Whales Go To Die" (10:18)
Review: Over the past four years and under his Tyresta alias, Nick Turner has been integral to operations at PITP's sister label, Fallen Moon Recordings. His meticulous curation for FMR showcases top-tier sound collages and experimental electronic music and that dedication shines in Lia Kohl and Daniel Wyche's latest release, 'Movie Candy. It's a captivating exploration of free-spirited electronic music that seamlessly blends cello, guitar, synths, voice, field recordings, and electronic treatments into a record that brims with both nostalgia and innovation. Wyche describes it as an homage to the obscure ephemera of films-like the allure of candy wrappers and the mesmerising cinema carpets-forging vivid memories that linger and evolve through time.
Review: Motyl is a brand new creative coming together from DYL and Moll+ and this new cassette Noc has been conceived as a soundtrack to go with a book of 'night' themed poetry and imagery. it's an immersive and evocative blend of ambience, field recordings and moody sound collages that range from serene and peaceful to much more ominous and dark.
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