As far as I can tell, Geskia! is a veteran of Japanese hip hop beatcraft, trip hop, IDM, and ambient. He managed to synthesize all of those styles on Muon, building a bliss-scape of radiant tones and sub-liminal pulsation. His sound reminds me of Ultimatum, the recent EP by local underground electronic musician Ghostbug, which I wrote about a few weeks ago.

A few more brief words on Dynamophone. Dynamophone is a music nerd’s record label. They take risks on music largely unpopular, often without even the slightest commercial appeal. (Um, ambient in general . . . ) And not only that—format junkies take note—the albums are immaculately and creatively packaged. A few years back I picked up I dress my ankles with god’s sweetest words EP by folktronica multi-instrumentalist A Lily. The release came on a 3” CDr—and the two sides of the packaging were connected with a richly decorated accordion of lyrics and art. In other words, you get a beautiful product when you support this record label. That’s important, at least to me.

Muon doesn’t come out until February 28, but you can download a preview track from the Utne Reader January digital music sampler here. Stream the album below.

Reliver

It’s easy to forget how quickly computers have infiltrated music, both in the way we listen to it and the process of making it in the first place. Electronica is a category dedicated to music in which computers have been integral to its creation. Distinct from the turntable and other manual editing techniques, using a computer to deconstruct blocks of music and then reassemble them into something new is a mindboggling task, as anyone who has fannied about with Audacity can testify.

Some people have already got the hang of these new techniques and my current favourite is a guy called James Vella, known hereafter as A Lily. There’s only one album around at the moment, mostly because this is really a side-project. He pays the rent- well, it probably helps a little next to some kind of day job or dreaded shift pattern, perhaps too ambitious in this post-rocknroll world (yes, the ROKNROLLDRUGSNPARTIESNGROUPIESWOOOOO reverie is just that these days. Whether it was ever anything apart from a brief glimpse at paradise for a small cluster back then is worth discussing elsewhere.) to say bills are paid by recording and touring- playing guitar in Yndi Halda.*

There are two interesting things about this album, titled Wake: Sleep. The first is the mixture of organic instrumentation like guitars, pianos and homemade percussion with the usual bleeps, swoops and gurgles that distinguish electronica from more traditional genres. The second is the concept behind it. As you’ll see in the interview (linked at the bottom), he wrote the music entirely for his girlfriend. Every note, rhythm and squelch was lovingly crafted for her enjoyment. It’s not explicit (no dirty samples, you sick perverts) when you hear it, as although a few pieces employ his hushed vocals, there is no stomach-turning narrative of how much they weally wuv eech ovah.

If you’re looking for pop hits with obnoxious noises blasted in at inappropriate moments, you’ll be disappointed, though I’d question whether you’ll find much of interest in this blog in the first place. It works best as a complete piece of music- even the extremely testing 30+ minute final track, The Shipwreck. I’ve included two tracks from the nine that Wake: Sleep offers in order to give you an idea of what to expect. As Simon sagely noted in the previous post, it’s absolutely vital that people understand how music is funded- writing, recording and especially touring require time off work and a spider’s web of payment. The proverbial fly is you, the listener/audience member. Everything worthwhile in music begins when somebody gets enthusiatic about a song, band or gig.

Sadly, as I’m increasingly finding while trying to delve further into less obvious music, it’s very difficult to get hold of this album in Britain. In fact, Amazon (never mind the High Street) don’t stock it- not even in the Marketplace! Finally, the third track is a cheeky treat discovered in a secluded corner of Myspace.

2 versions (1920 X 1200)

Delicate aural collages of found sound, toy instruments and voice from London Dada-ist Nao. Her debut album is available as a limited-edition 40p book of collages with CD, or standard ‘Folio’ release.

All pieces performed, recorded and mixed by Nao. Mastered by Æther Bureau. Cover and book art by Nao, Design by Æther Bureau.

Catalog No. DF-008

Working from a core of polished ambient moodscaping, Haskell maintains the listener’s interest by adding unpredictable sounds throughout, whether it be a music box’s chimes, the metallic swoop of an e-bow, cosmic swirls, static-laden voices emanating from short-wave radios (recorded on Mulholland Drive and at the Santa Monica pier) or a smattering of Rhodes, speaking voices, and encrusted guitar drones (“Broken Treasures”). Ambient sounds in “Shallow End” broaden out to include subtle percussive accents and e-bow, while the title cut finds the tinkle of a glockenspiel intoning the main melody amidst droning swirls and haunted presences. Though track titles such as “Drownings” and “Suicide Leap From the Hollywood Sign” don’t indicate that the album will be an exercise in life-affirming uplift, one shouldn’t read too much into titles alone, as the mood of the material is generally serenading and soothing—hardly music to slit one’s wrists by.

[ JUNE | 2012 ]

The debut full length album from Josh Varnedore, following up his sold out EP ’186,000 Endings per Second. Includes a track with Hammock.

Catalog No. DF-010

We are all filters to what we experience, and Josh is no exception: his inspiration is evident coming from his friends, Hammock and Jonsi and Alex, nodding to the organic, expansive and otherworldly nature of their music. Ultimately, his music is, without a doubt, moving yet strangely familiar.