Byetone - Death Of A Typographer (Raster-Noton)

Chemnitz (Germany) based artist Olaf Bender has musically been in the shadow, as one of the co-founders of the Raster-Noton label, together with Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto) and Frank Bretschneider (Komet). Mostly focusing on the visual presentation of the label’s catalogue, he had only produced two solo outings before offering to the world Death of a Typographer. Where his earlier projects presented us with a very abstract experience, filled with static and rhythmic clicks typical to the Raster-Noton sound, the sound of his new album shifts to a more approachable terrain. The first track quickly exemplifies this change of character. An almost danceable bass line takes hold when “Plastic Star (session)” starts, and only slows down four tracks later, when the first segment of “Capture This” sets in. Distorted tones and short stabbing percussion can not hide the melodies that encompass the songs as we move through the album. As Bender balances the distant and cold background, that has typified the label with a sound that scuffs against the techno-genre, the album really unfolds when "Rocky Soft" starts. You can quickly discern the Bretschneiderian jabs to your earlobes, accompanied by an almost funky bass that makes you want to move. “Black is Black” is probably the most accessible track of the album, with its almost threatening build up that finally melts in to the dark dystopic feel that both installments of “Capture This” convey. Rounding up with an almost Alva Noto-esque “Grand Style” and “Heart” filled with rhythmic yet dark percussion this album is something special. Created in the Berlin winter, it is very well suited for those cold days when you are still coming to grips with the fact that the summer is really gone. Play this record when you feel that there is no way you’re getting out of bed. Its energy, even though it is cold and distant, is infectious, and will have you master the cold temperatures of autumn and the upcoming winter in no time. Suited for listeners that are into the Raster-Noton aesthetics, but also listeners of Sleeparchive, SND and Pan Sonic.

- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Review prepared by Caspar Menkman for Headphone Commute.

myspace.com/benderbyetone | raster-noton.net

Nils Frahm & Anne Müller - 7fingers (Hush)

What's great about this album, is that there was more than a few times when I had that "aaaah..." moment. Perhaps what drove me to write this raving review about 7fingers is that there were those moments one too many. On every single track. I first found out about this album when the new release from Nils Frahm popped up on my radar. But as many anticipated moments in life, that July came and went, and another two months went by before I realized that I have missed this Hush Records release. And here I was, listening to Nils Frahms's latest EP on Erased Tapes, Unter | Über, wondering, whatever happened to that collaboration with Anne Müller? And what's this genre that it's listed under - modern classical and glitch. Modern classical and glitch? What what? As soon as the second track on the album, similarly titled, 7fingers, came on, I knew that I was in for a trip down my favorite lane of clicky electronica, glitchy elements and most importantly, elegantly produced musical pieces. Here, in Müller's hands the cello cries, then hiccups, skipping through Frahm's piano notes, and dropping on the floor in tiny granulated frequencies, then re-arranging back and flying up in the reverse, into the wood from whence it came, all obsessively constrained with micro programmed beats and rhythms. The clicks and cuts are composed of chopped up seasoning, gently sprinkled over a smooth, and creamy melody, oozing with melancholy out of every pore. The album's tracks flip between the glitchy tracks that I keep rating with 5 stars, and strictly modern classical pieces, composed of experimental swirling cello work, some field recordings, and of course, Frahm's piano keys. Besides the obvious string arrangements by Müller, and contemporary classical progressions by Frahm, it's tough to tell where the collaboration comes together - where one begins and another ends - it is a single unit. Yet, for a better picture, I'd love to quote this section from the press release: Two heads, four hands, 7 fingers that want to and are able to, that search and that find. Their company are raging and resting machines, algorithms, oscillations and scratches at the window. They create the broken orchestra, the smooth club drive, the acoustic reflections, fireworks, tiny gramophones. „7fingers“ dissolves into sound, combines into rhythm, becomes pulse and motion and sleep and acceleration. Nils Frahm and Anne Müller, cello and piano and all that is good and music. And what is this Hush label? I am embarrassed to admit, but the only artist I seem to recognize from the roster besides Nils Frahm is Peter Broderick. In fact, there's a "free gift" from the two artists titled, Two Tracks, available as a free download directly from the Hush shop. But with over 60 releases, this Portland based label, seems to keep on pumping beauty out of its heart into ours with a great tagline: "Not so much a business as an unstoppable force of nature, not so much a label as a shield, not so much a publisher as a conduit, not so much an enterprise as an uprise, not so much commerce as community, HUSH is here to BRING IT." I've listened over half a dozen times since I got 7fingers, and I can't stop listening!!! I can't recommend it more for followers of glitchy goodness, like Lusine, Ametsub, Arovane, and the beautiful Yasume. Intoxicating and delicious!!! And while you're dropping this into your shopping cart, be sure to grab the latest from Peter Broderick - How They Are released by Hush as well!

See also our Two and a Half Questions with Nils Frahm

nilsfrahm.de | hushrecords.com
myspace.com/nilsfrahmannemueller

Melorman - Out In A Field (Symbolic Interaction)

Before I dive into this melodic and emotional IDM album, I want to talk about the label. Symbolic Interaction is an independent label run by Kentaro Togawa out of his hometown, outside of Tokyo, Japan. Togawa started the label in 2007, and in the last three years released about twenty five albums (Out In A Field is cataloged at SIC024). I first came across the label upon hearing Rudi Arapahoe - Echoes From One To Another (2008). The following release was by my all time favorite glitch masters, Funckarma - Psar Dymog (2008), and then Ard Bit's - Spanon (2009) shook me a bit off balance. So, it's no wonder that I'm keeping my tabs on Symbolic Interaction. Now on to Melorman. Antonis Haniotakis is an Athens (Greece) based electronic music producer with smooth undertones and clicky downtempo beats, who previously released digital EPs on netlabels, such as Summer Rain Recordings, IVDT, and Archaic Horizon. Thus, Out In A Field is Haniotakis' first physical release. His sound is a combination of silky synth lines, hazy soundscapes, and relaxed intelligent percussion. His music is reminiscent of laid back sounds of Boards of Canada, Tycho and Arovane. Hmmm. That should get you excited. Words like 'atmospheric', 'melancholic' and 'cinematic' are begging to find their way into this review, but the music of Out In A Field speaks louder than my words. Personally, I miss music like this. Emotional electronica can not exist without the music that evokes emotion. And on Out In A Field, Haniotakis does just that. Painting a relaxing atmosphere of summer car rides, hammock swings, and morning walks, perhaps somewhere out in a field, with a touch of vocal contributions from Helen Day, Melorman evokes those melodramatic melodies that mellow all the melancholy thoughts away. If you like this sort of sound, be sure to pick up a three-track free digital EP, Expressing Thougths, out on Archaic Horizon. And don't forget to check out Symbolic Interaction's latest release from Melodium, titled Palimpse.

See also Two and a Half Questions with Melorman

melorman.com | myspace.com/melorman
symbolicinteraction.net | myspace.com/symbolicinteraction

Akatombo - Unconfirmed Reports (Hand-Held)

From the mysterious depths of Hiroshima, Japan, arrives an inconspicuous, yet meticulously packaged 10" square packet. Inside is a hand-numbered elaborately printed envelope containing two photographic prints, two random newspaper clippings (I've got a photo of an Italian train station, and a shot of an Asian artisan), and a full length album from Akatombo, titled Unconfirmed Reports. But that's not all! There's also a bonus DVDr with three promotional films featuring music from the album. So why do I begin my review with a description of the packaging? Because the presentation and the appearance of the album plays a considerable role in its initial impact and the overall appeal. How serious are you about your music? This is Paul Thomsen Kirk's sophomore full length release. His debut, Trace Elements, appeared on the London based Swim~ label, in 2003. With this very first catalog release, Kirk propels his very own Hand-Held Recordings, onto the underground electronic music scene. Your attention is grabbed from the very first track, "Friend For Hire", which has a dark, almost industrial, hollow rhythm, a la Pan Sonic and earlier Autechre. Aha! Do I have your attention now? Well, read on... Unconfirmed Reports is a dark, almost gloomy affair, at times sounding tormenting with its brooding guitars. But beneath the layers of thick pads, punctuated with carefully selected percussion, lies an audio/visual travelogue "as seen through the warts-and-all tinted-spectacles of" Paul Thomsen Kirk. More from the press release: "From skimming the surface, to trawling the dank underbelly; the daily minutiae of life in a large Japanese city is duly presented in all its garish hues and faded glories. Accessing all areas, and dispelling numerous urban myths along the way, 'Unconfirmed Reports', allows you, the willfully willing participant, the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself completely in a thoroughly enticing, 360-degree, technicolour, sonic adventure." And a few words about the videos, if I may. These are extraordinary short pieces, which already had numerous screenings at notable Independent Film Festivals around the globe. Along with the nine-track album, Unconfirmed Reports is an excellent addition to any follower of electronic and experimental music. Especially if you're in the mood for post-apocalyptic, urban alienation, and social exclusion themes. Usually, in this portion of my review, I list a few similar artists, but for the ex-pat Scotsman, Paul Thomsen Kirk, it's tough to pick the closest ones. And that's a good thing. Check out something new, for a change.

See also Two and a Half Questions with Akatombo

myspace.com/akatombohiroshima

Roel Funcken - Vade (Ad Noiseam)

Here's my remedy for a sleepy brain. A shot of caffeine with a touch of Funcken in my headphones. First the mixture goes down easy, drifting in and out of my peripheral hearing - then the beat latches into the neuron receptor, and unlocks its secrets with a click. Roel Funcken is one of the Funcken brothers, together releasing as Funckarma, Quench, Shadow Huntaz [as well as half a dozen other monikers]; and Vade is Roel's very first album as a solo artist. Vade is released on Ad Noiseam, where the brothers have already released Dubstoned Vol 2 back in 2008. This album marks a full on crossover between glitchy IDM and gritty dubstep. Delicious. Packed with 16 intense tracks (averaging about four and a half minutes each), Vade is a deconstruction of smooth flowing dubbed out beats, with that familiar Funckarma style. Bringing to the operating table an arsenal of razor sharp DSP tools, Roel cuts deep into the harmonics, pulling out coiled frequencies while keeping his eye on the rhythm monitor. The beat staggers, then skips into the oscillating pattern, spewing out old skool 909 percussion, and leaving stains all over the floor. And just as the melody seems to choke, smothered beneath the metallic wires and valves, Roel shocks it with his sonic defibrillator, giving it another reason to soar, out through the window and into my brain. [I write this as I listen to the title track, Vade, and if these words seem abstract, you must hear the music.] Let me be honest - in my selection of boundary pushing electronic music, the Funcken sound is at the top. Without actually rating the music, it stands alongside output from Autechre, Hecq, Gridlock as well as Deru, Lusine, Proem and Loess. This is that crunchy, glitchy IDM sound that I've fallen in love with from the early days of n5MD, Neo Ouija, and Merck (RIP). Among the latter, only n5MD seems to be still kickin' [still waiting on the return of Neo Ouija], while the Funcken brothers find their albums released by Symbolic Interaction, Skam and thankfully, Ad Noiseam. Music like this deserves to carry on the legacy, as well as the flagship of experimental and ground breaking sound. Let me put it another way - when people ask me for the top notch electronic sound, I always say - Funckarma. And with Vade, I am able to single out Roel as the force behind group. I wonder if Don is working on an independent release - doesn't seem that Vade had any of his input. It does appear, however, that Cor Bolten (who previously worked with the brothers as member of Dif:use and Legiac), has heavily contributed to this release. In the album credits, he appears as a co-writer and a synth player (Jupiter4, Jupiter 8, Arp 2600, System 100, Monopoly, and others) on half of the tracks. I also see an appearance by TJ Dimoon and one of my favorites, Reimer Eising, aka Kettel. And while Roel split off into a single entity in Vade, it doesn't mean that the Funckarma project is over. The brothers will continue releasing EPs in their Dubstoned series on Eat Concrete, with vinyl coming out this summer. Be sure to pick up some of my most treasured Funckarma output: Bion Glent (Sublight, 2006), Hip Hop Instrumentals (FUNCK Music, 2007), Vell Vagranz (n5MD, 2008) and Psar Dymog (Symbolic Interaction, 2008). Really like the last one, although I keep buying a corrupted digital copy with annoying 4-5 sec silence before each track in this continuous play album. Oh well - it's still worth it!!!

See also Two and a Half Questions with Roel Funcken

myspace.com/funckarma | funckarma.com
myspace.com/adnoiseam | adnoiseam.net

Sound Bytes : Blue Hour Sounds, Mille Plateaux, and Sutemos

In this installment of Sound Bytes, I wish to cover a few compilations that recently grazed on the cones of my speakers. I've got some ambient, downtempo, and IDM here for you to munch on. And what's more delicious about this organic cocktail is that a lot of it is FREE! Bon appetit!

Made of Dawn (Blue Hour Sounds)
Kicking off this label's birth is a chill-out 10-track compilation titled Made of Dawn. This very first release from the Italian Blue Hour Sounds label features many well known artists in the downtempo scene, as well as a few newcomers. Followers of psychedelic and morning trance should recognize a few names on here, such as Sebastian Taylor (Digitalis, Kaya Project, Shakta etc.) appearing here as Hibernation; Eliot Morgan Jones and Nick Woolfson appearing as Sounds From The Ground; Michael Hodgson and Paddy Free as Pitch Black; René Gundel Nielsen & Martin Spanner Zimmermann as Beat Bizarre and many others... This is a beautiful selection of psybient vibrations, perfectly curated for the fans of Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 Music For Awakened Spirits And Open Minds. The founders of the label, Luca and Jasmine plan on following up this downtempo release with a psytrance compilation, The Garden of Delights. And if you're not a fan of psychedelic music, well maybe now is the time to check it out, because this compilation is 100% FREE!!! A 128kbps MP3 version is available for download in exchange for your email.

Clicks & Cuts 5.0 - Paradigm Shift (Mille Plateaux)
Mille Plateaux is back!!! That's right, kiddies, this is the influential German label that introduced us to genres like click-hop, glitch-pop, clicks and cuts! Kicking off back in 1993, Mille Plateaux brought us compilations like Modulation & Transformation with appearances by Aphex Twin, Cristian Vogel, and Air Liquide. In 1996, the label released the infamous Gas record, and in 1999 they catapulted SnD. In 2000, Vladislav Delay joined the roster and introduced us to the Clicks + Cuts series! And Alva Noto's debut, Prototypes also came out on Mille Plateaux. In 2004, the label went into hiatus, and now, four years later, it's back with it's fifth installment of Clicks & Cuts, subtitled Paradigm Shift! Now it should be no wonder to you, why I am so excited about this release! Many new and familiar names on here, like Kabutogani, Aoki Takamasa, Kiyo, Gultskra Artikler and of course, Ametsub! As the series suggests, this is a selection of fresh glitch sounds: "from Minimal Clicks to IDM-/Dub-ish tracks via Ambient and Sound Art to the 2 'Evac' tracks going to the Artcore and Organic extremes" that should get your taste buds wet for all the music to come!

Intelligent Toys: We Make Music (Sutemos)
I'm going to start off and state outright that Sutemos is one of the most influential net-labels! A lot of new and established talent has come through the doors of this Lithuanian purveyor of electronic and experimental sound! Its ability to spread the music far and wide, is what makes it 'influential' in the scene - especially since all of the releases can be downloaded for FREE! What better way of putting the music in your ear? The very first volume of Intelligent Toys series was released back in 2004. Eight years later we say the fifth installment, featuring artists like AGF/Delay, Deer, Monoceros, Ulrich Schnauss, Yagya, Swod, Miwon, Funckarma, Sense, Praveen, Kero, IJO, Ruxpin and many many others! This sixth entry, subtitled We Make Music is a three volume compilation with over 50 tracks! That's right, it's over 4 hours of music available to you for free! And the roster? We've got AGF, Monokle, krill.minima, Maps And Diagrams, Jan Jelinek, MINT, Sabi, Esem, Sleepy Town Manufacture and more than a handful of debuts - I can't possibly list all of them here! As with all Intelligent Toys, this release is accompanied by a gallery of nearly 30 images, which in itself makes this compilation a collector's dream. So don't delay, and experience the sound of evolving electronica for yourself! Remember, it's FREE!

Be sure to read this entry directly on Headphone Commute for audio track samples.

Wisp - We Miss You (Rephlex)

Wisp makes laptop music in the same way an armorsmith fashions plate mail, with structural integrity and superb craftsmanship. For the huntsman, it deflects the arrows of the enemy and makes thorny underbrush traversible. For the artisan, it speaks volumes of the wearer's lineage, a coat of arms woven into the filigree. It is a noble work. After all, dragons don't slay themselves. Drawing from his personal experience in the wilderness of Niagara Falls and his reverence for medieval fantasy, Reid Dunn (Esq.) has, fresh from the adventure of his LP The Shimmering Hour (Rephlex, 2009), bestowed us with another chapter in his ongoing braindance epic. We Miss You is Dunn's third release from Rephlex, and has been made available digitally, though it may as well take the form of ink on dried parchment. In this scrolling screed is a collection of bard-y ballads and honour beats, delivered sometimes in haste ("Pogonip"), other times in requiem ("Four Thistles") and even in jest ("Happy Sneakers"). When all appear on a single track ("Moss On Stone") the result is pure wonder. Like his contemporary Benn Jordan (The Flashbulb), Dunn is at home in his element, never once letting formula get in the way of personal expression. What comes through in the music can best be summed up by the six D&D attributes : strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom and charisma. Wisp's character levels up with each album. Recommended if you also dig Kettel, µ-Ziq, Ochre, Squarepusher and of course, AFX. It's about time that Dunn got signed to Richard D. James' Redruth (UK) based label, Rephlex. Welcome home.

- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Review prepared by Autodestruct exclusively for Headphone Commute

See also Two and a Half Questions with Wisp

myspace.com/wisp | wisp.kaen.org
rephlex.com

Frank Riggio – Anamorphose (Spectraliquid)

Like a hungry spider, returning to its nest of venomous eggs, the effect-rich sound of Frank Riggio crawls up your skin, and sinks its fangs in to open up a healed scab beneath your scalp. This album is dark, cinematic, enormous and elaborate. It is absolutely impossible not to compare Riggio to Amon Tobin - so let me just get the similarities out of the way. Saturated with samples, dense percussion, and intense micro-programmed twists and turns through the intricate passages, Riggio seems to have taken the path where Tobin veered off to persuade a more experimental sound. So let us leave Tobin in the studio, composing another video game soundtrack, and turn our ears towards Riggio, who sprung up from the underground last year, like a fresh poisonous mushroom after an acid rain. Hailing out of Epinal (France), Riggio has been producing music since the age of 18. His influences include the above mentioned Amon Tobin, DJ Shadow, and Bonobo. In 2007, Riggio released his debut LP, Visible in Darkness. Soon after, his second digital LP, Symmetric Human Door, appeared on Australian net label, Omelette (available for free). He followed it up with another free digital 7-track release, Noise Thinking (Omelette, 2009), and in December, the Greek label, Spectraliquid, gave us the best Christmas present one would want - the third album from Frank Riggio, Anamorphose, available completely for FREE! What? I would have gladly paid money for this! I guess the motivation here is to fall in love with Riggio's sound - since he's got a fourth album on the way on Spectraliquid out in late Spring of 2010. And falling in love with this trip is easy! Full of orchestral stabs, agitated strings, and an arsenal of acoustic and digital percussion, Anamorphose is the lost score to my newly found nightmares. With nostalgic passages, scratching at my memory of abandoned dusty films, the beat treads on, like a rusty tank, smothering your neighbor's obscene American Girl doll into the cold oily mud of reality with its metal claws of freedom, fake lipstick and all... Apple orchards wither, as seen through the sepia filtered lens of an aged camera, then sink into the putrid ground to reveal the lonely scarecrow, its empty mouth dangling by a thread, in which the spider made its nest. The sound is so raw, I can draw these images all day. And the production is superb! The album is so good, it's tough to pick a favorite track! I mean, if I didn't tell you that this isn't Amon Tobin, I bet you wouldn't even know. Even the cover art for this and other albums along with the font, resembles the artwork of Supermodified (Ninja Tune 2000) and Foley Room (Ninja Tune, 2007). And I point that out with the greatest respect. While some may turn up their nose with accusations of a copycat, I happily proclaim - bring it on! More imitations of Amon Tobin, Aphex Twin, and Autechre (just to start with 'A's). These are the roots of evolution of music as it splinters into a million little pieces of sound. Permutations, anyone?

See also Two and a Half Questions with Frank Riggio

And don't forget, you can preview tracks from the album directly on Headphone Commute!

myspace.com/riggiofrank | frankriggio.com
myspace.com/spectraliquid | spectraliquid.com

Jega - Variance (Planet Mu)

It took almost nine years for Dylan Nathan to return to the scene with his intelligent breaks and glitchy melodies, slapping it across the entire IDM spectrum under his Jega moniker. There were some hiccups in this release - the album leaked back in 2003, and Nathan chose to pull back the tracks, refile the scraps, and rearrange the bits into his third full length, double disk release, Variance. Here and now, Nathan brings back the vigor with which he left us with Geometry, once again selecting Planet Mu as the label of choice for his experimental beats. It's tough to approach the review of this album, especially since it spans across two discs and 18 tracks! I'll get right down to it, and skip the first volume altogether, which is melodic electronica and light IDM. The only reason I am jumping over the first disc, is because with the amount of great music on this double volume, I want to get straight to the goodness. Apologies for that, but I do not mean to send a wrong signal. So with your permission I'm moving on to the darker side of Jega, because the second disc is where he truly shines. Here, the random palette of synth melodies is replaced by the darker strand of electro, that breaks its jagged tooth against the broken beats. Atmospheric pads still linger in the background, while the front-lines are dominated by impeccable rhythm structures and a heavily processed dose of virtual effects. Synthesis geeks will be proud to hear their brains being tweaked through the naughty twists of Jega's ridiculously time-consuming production. I have a feeling that it took Nathan nine years to release this album simply because he chose to tweak every possible VST plug-in out there and throw each and every one of them into the mix. Variance is like a detox manual for DSP junkies on a thousand ways to mess up the beat. Listening to Latinhypercube I find myself cringing my nose and going "What in the world was that?" Drilling rhythms decompose into voices, into flashbacks of a bad trip, into sick mental sound too crippled to dance. A few tracks (like Aerodynamic and Kyoto) remind me of Chris Cunningham's short film, Rubber Johnny, where an erratic and delusional mutant child is dancing in his wheelchair to a spasmodic beat of Aphex Twin's "afx237 v7" track taken off of his album drukqs (2001, Warp). Looks like Cunningham may have a new challenge! For the full background on Nathan's history, see my Headphone Commute flashback to Geometry where you will learn of his releases on Skam and Matador, as well as his influence on Mike Paradinas (µ-Ziq) and the beginnings of Planet Mu. This album is a must have for fans of Autechre, AFX, Wisp, Squarepusher, Clark and all things juicy erratic. Come and get your fix.

myspace.com/dylanjeganathan | jega.com
myspace.com/childrenofmu | planet-mu.com

Lusine - A Certain Distance (Ghostly International)

Has Lusine turned almost pop? Well, not quite. If so, then pop music has never sounded so good! But peel back the vocals from the foreground, appearing on a few tracks by Vilja Larjosto and Caitlin Sherman, and we are left with the good old electronic sound of Lusine, known for his lush ambient soundscapes, organic catchy melodies, and solid punchy beats. With his 9th full length album, A Certain Distance, Jeff McIlwain continues to evolve his production skills, articulate composition, and unique staple sound, creating a downtempo album, with a lighter upbeat feel. Jeff has been releasing music on a variety of prominent labels, entering the spotlight since his 1999 debut, L'usine. When his music reaches InterContinentaL barriers, he appends an ICL suffix to his alias. Hence, all of his releases on the German Hymen label are under Lusine ICL, including my absolute favorite ambient marvel, and a top favorite of Headphone Commute's from 2007, Language Barrier (Hymen, 2007). The Lusine moniker appears mostly on all domestic labels, such as Ghostly International. Over the contemplating chord progression and occasional vocoder phrases, familiar elements introduced in the above mentioned Language Barrier, appear in a subliminal field of sound. These are the ambient pads, accented with microscopic percussion bits, creased into crumbled lo-fi beats, and smoothed out on a sonic surface. Just as the vocoder maps the frequencies of sampled voice over synthesized chords, Lusine succeeds in "mapping human emotions via technology". The Two Dots EP released by Ghostly prior to the album, has set expectations for Certain Distance, with its memorable hook completely consuming my auditory memory until I admitted my defeat on Headphone Commute's 20 EPs of 2009. The rest of the tracks on the album, deserve a 12" EP each on their own. Each is a unique exploration of the marriage between organic and laptop, downtempo and dancefloor, tech house and pop. Highly recommended.

Read also Two and a Half Questions with Lusine

myspace.com/lusinespace | lusineweb.com
myspace.com/ghostlyinternational | ghostly.com

Mr. Projectile - To The West (Semisexual)

Mr. Projectile... He's back! After a five year silence, Matthew Arnold returns with his fourth full length album, To The West, and thrusts it right back up in our $%@#ing faces. The last time I marveled at Arnold's intricate IDM production skills was back in 2004, on the beloved Merck label with his release, Sinking. Following that, there was a two-track 12", Momentary Lapse Of Sensitivity (Semisexual, 2005). In 2007, Merck closed its doors, and for years I mourned the loss of the artists left stranded amidst the disintegrating landscape of dying labels. Until finally, out of nowhere, Arnold drops another bomb on his very own Semisexual imprint, for all the hungry ears. The sound will always find the way. Laced with a few short ambient pieces, To The West plays like a trip through a slinky, wobbling down the psychedelic stairs. Using a few of familiar sounds that my ear got accustomed to from Sinking, Arnold teases us with a few intelligent progressions and then slams a dark electro beat, full of 303-esque acid bass and dazzling arpeggios. Expert knob twiddlers will pick up on the analog sounds of Nord Modular and the unmistakable flavor of x0xb0x (pronounced "zocks box" by the way). Although I can't name the sounds of a drum machine (I'm not that good), the percussion is solid, tight, and very satisfying, ranging from the above mentioned electro patterns to the unrestricted domains of IDM. Arnold's beatless pieces are just as satisfying. Leaving Burning Man uses an accented bass line to set the progressing melody beneath the swirling ambient sweeps. And the mind bending twists of glitching and stuttering rhythms of Information Doubling nod to the sound of Autechre with that hidden gem that only reveals itself upon repetitive listens. And then there is my nostalgic love for all the scents of 303, that gets satisfied with an occasional prairie dogging of sound hiding just beneath the surface. And while the beat carries the movement forward, hazy melodies break through electrified cobwebs of sound to leave their unforgettable imprint. Delicious. Although, as of this writing, the Semisexual label's page is reduced to a sparsely updated blog with past touring schedules, the album can be picked up from a handful of digital outlets, like Addictech. And seriously, while shopping, don't forget to add Sinking (Merck, 2004) to your cart - you will not be disappointed - the album is still in my rotations after all these years.

See also Two and a Half Questions with Mr. Projectile

myspace.com/semisexual | semisexual.com

Plastik Joy - 3:03 (n5MD)

Plastik Joy is an intriguing duo, if only for the fact that one of them, Cristiano Nicolini, is from Italy and the other, Fannar Ásgrímsson, is Icelandic. You can’t get any closer to “fire and ice” than that. The two met while studying audio engineering in Barcelona and began working together on a couple of songs at the end of 2007. Little did they know what a fortuitous decision it would be when they decided to establish a Myspace page shortly thereafter, in January 2008. First, Myspace led them to Swedish singer Sarah K. Hellström, who ended up writing the lyrics and melody and recording the vocals for their first tune, Hands. She didn’t actually meet Cristiano and Fannar in person until months after the song was completed. But more amazingly, in June 2008, they received a message on Myspace from Mike Cadoo, owner of renowned electronic music label n5MD, who had heard their songs on the site and wanted to discuss a record deal! One short month later, Plastik Joy had signed with the label. And now, 3:03, the debut album from the Myspace poster boys is here for all to hear. At first, if you're not in the right frame of mind, the dreamy, downtempo vibe of 3:03 may strike you as a bit too laid back - like the heat from the fire has melted the ice. But the simple, unassuming melodies grow on you. It’s an album that rewards – in fact, demands – repeated listening and immersion. You’ll come to love the undeniably warm, feel-good glow of Sleepy Quest for Coffee and Hands, the opening tracks of the album, which also happen to be the first two songs that the pair wrote together. From there, the rest of the album opens up like a budding flower. The subtle electronics and acoustic instrumentation, with mellow guitar in a prominent role, make for an addictive concoction. Although Plastik Joy employ several singers on the album, it comes across very much as an instrumental album. Rather than leading the way, the vocals more often than not serve like any other instrument, adding one more color to the bittersweet vibe. On Hands, for example, Hellström’s breathy vocals, which hint slightly at Nina Persson of The Cardigans, blend completely into the sonic landscape. There are one or two brief moments on 3:03 where the surface calm is broken by an outburst of noise, like an involuntary release of pent up energy, but in general, subtlety is the name of the game. It takes a great deal of skill and sensitivity to sustain an atmosphere of such refined delicacy throughout a whole album but Fannar and Cristiano carry it off with aplomb. Considering that this is just their first album, it whets the appetite for what's to come. 3:03 gets its name from the time of morning at which recording sessions usually ended and n5MD touts the album's "nocturnal vibe". There's definitely something to that. 63 (she was trying to sleep, I was trying to breathe), for example, is a pure lullaby. But the first half of the album conjures up images of late afternoons lounging on the beach with a cool drink in hand. If you're looking for something to relax to poolside, it'll most certainly do the trick. Just watch out you don't fall asleep in the sun.

- – – - – – - – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – -
Original interview posted by Tigon on Tigon World.
Republished with permission of the author.

myspace.com/plastikjoymusic | plastikjoy.com
myspace.com/n5mafia | n5md.com

Lights Out Asia - Eyes Like Brontide (n5MD)

If it looks like I am desperately trying to catch up on some amazing albums, and tell you about them since they first came out, it's because I am. There is just way too much music for me to go through these days. And let's face it, complaining about too much good music is a sin. Yet the fact that I have already listed Eyes Like Brontide on my Best of 2008 List last year should tell you something about my excitement for Lights Out Asia. Never mind the lack of time on my part to give it a thorough review. So I give you no apologies. But I give you these words. The third full length album by the Wisconsin based band opens up with atmospheric swells and echoes of commentary on music, until the drum machine patterns merge into acoustic percussion along the shoegazing, reverb drenched guitars and then... and then we are in the familiar territory of Lights Out Asia's staple sound, with epic harmony and Chris Schafer's desperate vocals. What continues to impress me throughout the works by LOA is the group's ability to effortlessly maneuver their song structures and production between acoustic and electronic, no doubt only belonging to one of my favorite labels, n5MD. I first came upon Lights Out Asia when they released their sophomore album, Tanks and Recognizers (n5MD, 2008). Since then I've been a follower and a fan. The formula behind their work seems simple, yet the emotion evoking execution is flawless. The sound of LOA falls between lush post-rock, organic ambient, crunchy IDM and ethereal cinematic soundscapes. If just that description gets you drooling, then of course, this album is for you, synthetic strings and all... To hear where it all started, pick up the group's debut album, Garmonia (Sun Sea Sky Productions, 2003). Lights Out Asia even made it on Tympanik's compilation, Emerging Organisms Vol.2, as well as ??record Compilation (Zankyo, 2008) [yes, those are Japanese characters in the album title you're seeing], where they shared the spot among Manual, 65daysofstatic, Bitcrush, Helios, I'm Not A Gun, Do Make Say Think, and many others. This album is seriously recommended for the above mentioned artist names, as well as Hammock, Port-Royal, July Skies, and Jatun. Pick up your copy directly from n5MD's mailorder.

myspace.com/lightsoutasia | lightsoutasia.com
myspace.com/n5mafia | n5md.com

The Archivist – The Keeper Of The Library (Lacies)

Out of a small label in the UK, run by fabulous Miss Alice and Andrew Hargreaves, comes a beautifully crafted release from The Archivist. This is only the second release for the label, but OK, it's got my attention! At first, I was a bit surprised at the intricate production behind the album, The Keeper Of The Library, but once I realized who was behind it, I had that sigh of relief that comes with familiarity of the sound. The Archivist is none other than Craig Tattersall, whose name should be already familiar if you have ever subscribed to his releases as a member of The Boats, The Sea, Famous Boyfriend and of course, The Remote Viewer. As the alias and the title hints, the recordings on the album are compiled from an extensive archive of Tattersall's unreleased material. Some pieces have been scraped from crackling hard drives and hissing cassette tapes, accumulating to over 45 minutes in length. The first lucky 150 collectors were able to secure an additional 3" CDr that came within the handmade package. And the music... well, it speaks for itself. Tattersall uses lo-fi processed scratches and airy filtered percussion which he turns into beats with sparse melodies. Simplicity and elegance are at the core of this recording bringing lightweight electronica back to the home listening experience. Relying on repetition, the tracks roll over in beat with my morning train, glitching on chords, micro programmed rhythms and gentle strums of guitars. Using a coarse brush, the sounds are blotted around the audio canvas with plenty of space in between, leaving just enough room for the mind to rest, and fill in the gaps. This destitute pattern creates music full of fragile memories, elaborate design, and delicate beauty. If you're a fan, make sure to grab Tattersall's release as The Humble Bee, A Miscellany For The Quiet Hours (Cotton Goods, 2009) made from cassette tape-loops, as well as his offshoots and collaborations appearing on the Moteer label. See for example his collaboration with Andrew Hargreaves, where the duo take on the aliases Kibbee Theodore and Bernd Hamblin, to deliver The Scientific Contrast (Moteer, 2007). I also recommend you pick up Lacies' third release by Danny Norbury, Light In August. This album is highly recommended if you enjoy Pole, Arovane, and Yasume.

myspace.com/moteer | myspace.com/bepputheboats
myspace.com/welovelaciesrecords | alicesurlalune.com

Phylum Sinter - From Unity to Segmentation (En:peg Digital)

When Phylum Sinter sent me a promotional copy of his digital release on En:peg Digital, little did he know that I was already a fan. And how could I not be, when his music tickles my spine with triggered percussion jittering across beautiful harmonic atmospherics and refined melodies. Like in Telefon Tel Aviv's Fahrenheit Fair Enough (Hefty, 2001), Christopher Todd uses a light IDM touch and driven bass lines around effected synth lines to slap the confidence back into those solid rhythms. In some places on From Unity to Segmentation, dirty chopped analog acid lines cut through the muddled thick oscillating pads, while the seemingly random drums glitch throughout the frequency space. This is quality electronica, perfectly fitting on n5MD's digital-only offshoot label. Detroit based Todd, has been producing for a while now, getting picked up by net labels like PostUnder and [ai]D['mju:zik] (I have an excellent release from this label by Ed7). He even contributed an outstanding remix to Hecq's 0000 (Hymen, 2007), and it looks like Mr. Ben Lukas Boysen returned the favor by remixing Sedna Demik on the album. Meanwhile, the name Phylum Sinter, may be already familiar to you, if you own a few compilations by Tympanik Audio, IVDT, and Xynthetic Netlabel. I've seen Todd perform before, and I must agree with n5MD's affirmation - he is definitely one of the overlooked and underrated artists. I guess that gives him a little edge. Especially when compared by the latter to µ-ziq, Proem, and even Funckarma. Thanks again to the folks at n5MD for finally giving this artist the proper attention he deserves. For fans of glitchy melodic IDM by artists like SubtractiveLAD, Keef Baker, and Lackluster. If you follow the Kahvi, Monotonik and Sutemos releases, then this release is for you. If not... Well, it's time to check it out! Also, be sure to stop by the above mentioned digital division of n5MD, enpeg.com for the latest FLAC releases from Ruxpin, Fell, Anklebiter, and Todeyoshi.

myspace.com/phylumsinter | phylumsinter.matterwave.net
myspace.com/enpeg | enpeg.com

Hecq - Steeltongued (Hymen)

Hecq... Have you heard? If you haven't, it's time to jump on board. And by the way, you're missing out! After all, this is Hecq's sixth full length release (fifth on Hymen Records). Dare I say it the following way : with Steeltongued, Hecq surpasses the leaders in electronic experimentation, Autechre, leaving them in the dust to scratch their heads in awe of this twenty-seven year old Berlin based musician. Like a villain of traumatized sonic disintegration, Ben Lukas Boysen unwinds the tight coils of sound into distinct entities of material forms and packs them away into carefully allotted spacial frequency shelves. I did not bring up Autechre for mere name dropping. I clearly remember the very first time I heard the decomposition of sound in the Booth & Brown's track Vose In on LP5, (Warp, 1998). I will never forget. Not one release in the last decade has stopped my breath with the penetrating thought of "what the hell was that?". In the last years, steps have been taken to evolve the sound and build upon the solid foundation, with only Autechre occasionally in the lead, piercing the darkness of uncharted territory. They are always allowed. Because, frankly, they are Autechre, right? The one falling in their footsteps is always behind. Apprentice to a skilled magician. Then... BOOM! ... Hecq. I don't know how Lappersdorf (Germany) based Hymen Records had discovered Boysen [that surely deserves an interview question], but when they did, they have struck gold. Quickly demonstrating his abilities with Scatterheart (Hymen, 2004) and Bad Karma (Hymen, 2005), Boysen has landed a coveted spot on a limited Hymen boxset, Travel Sickness (Hymen, 2006), with a mini-EP along with the releases by Lusine Icl, Solar X, Lowfish, Venetian Snares, Psi Spy, Snog, The Manhattan Gimp Project and Mad EP. Mmmm. My copy still smells like cedar... Delicious. Boysen's fourth album, 0000 (Hymen, 2007) made my Best of 2007 list, and in 2008... well... I have lost the words with Night Falls (see my previous review). So what to expect with Steeltongued? Twisted rhythms swirling around your brain like an inhaled sip of wine and a gulped breath of smoke. Divine soundscapes crawling beneath the barbed wire of the restraining acoustic prison, begging to rather be shot in the back then remain draining their minimalism onto the cold surface of tears and blood. I will survive, bounces the reverse reverbed voice of Nongenetic, Late for my funeral, rather be buried alive... Then destruction and mayhem... Then silence... Frost... and the Hypnos trilogy of tracks. Well, that's just gorgeous... This double disk release features twelve remixes of Steeltongued from an eclectic group of friends and collaborators, including Spyweirdos, Si Begg, Black Film, and Team Doyobi among the many. Words are too limited and gentle to describe the range of emotions evoked by Steeltongued. The album is a trip and an unforgettable experience. That one memento that will stay with you for years to come. That one beautiful moment of "what the hell was that?"

myspace.com/hecq | hecq.de
myspace.com/hymenrecords | hymen-records.com

Ametsub - The Nothings Of The North (Progressive Form)

On some level, I'm a little surprised that no one is talking about Ametsub as much as I am. And I'm not just hyping up this Tokyo-based Japanese artist. Even Ryuchi Sakamoto has allegedly proclaimed, "I love this album. I have become a fan". Meanwhile, I've been listening to Ametsub's music since his debut release three years ago, Linear Cryptics (Progressive Form, 2006). For me, the discovery of this artist was totally accidental, and to this day I don't know the original source that incited me to pick up the album. But here I am, raving about his second solo release on Progressive Form, titled The Nothings Of The North. And here's what I love about it. Ametsub's music masterfully incorporates precision glitch into modern classical and future jazz. An accompaniment of tight bass lines and micro programmed rhythm is dominated by Ametsub's beautiful piano playing. The gorgeous and melancholic melodies have been in turn re-sampled, re-looped, and re-triggered to create frantic digital errors that skip across my dazzled memory. The light grooves incorporate elements from trip-hop, dub and abstract idm. The predominant cuts and clips are also extended to vocals, eventually morphing them from words to instruments to choppy bits of percussion. This should keep your cranium busy. Ametsub has already performed alongside respected artists such as Vladislav Delay, Bichi, Numb, and Takemura Nobukaza. His second release to date was actually a collaboration with Jimanica titled, Surge (Mao, 2007). I recommend you pick that up as well, and seriously, get your hands on Linear Cryptics! I guess the single reason why Ametsub has not been completely recognized is the lack of distribution in North America and Europe. It is difficult to get your hands on a physical copy of the album unless you actually order it to be shipped from Japan [I got Linear Cryptics by contacting Ametsub on myspazz]. Digital copies of both albums could be found on iTunes and Beatport. This album is highly recommended for fans of Arovane, Plaid, Murcof and Lusine.

myspace.com/ametsub3110 | drizzlecat.org
myspace.com/progressiveform | dropcontrol.com/~p_form

VA - Intelligent Toys 5 (Sutemos)

The Sutemos collective is a Lithuanian net label which has been releasing free EPs and compilations since January 2004. Intelligent Toys is one of their best series, in which the label collects works from a roster of eclectic electronic musicians across the globe. And this fifth installment is one of my absolute favorites. First of all, even before I go into listing all of the appearances, let me tell you that this selection of tracks spans three logical disks (well, if it was to be printed, it would fit on three physical disks). There are a total of 39 tracks spanning over three hours of music, a nice batch of digital artwork, and an amazing hand-drawn stop-animation video by no_joy covering the track by Sleepy Town Manufacture.

Walkman, the founder of Sutemos, managed to outdo himself this time around with "the biggest number of highly acclaimed artists that aren't collaborating with any of the net labels and who thought that giving their music away for free is stupid. Until now." And now I must finally break down and list all of the appearances. After an opening track by AGF/Delay (Antye Greie-Fuchs and Vladislav Delay) we dive right into Praveen (Praveen Sharma with releases on Merck, Ai Records and Neo Ouija), Gultskra Artikler (Alexey Devyanin, with releases on Autoplate, Other Electricities and Miasmah),  and Deer (yep, this is Martin Hirsch, currently running Neo Ouija records). And I'm only through the first four tracks...

Skip ahead and we fall upon the lovely and delightful tracks by Swod (a.k.a. Dictaphone on City Centre Offices), Miwon (Hendrik Kröz on CCO) and a beautiful glitched out track by a newcomer by the name of NGC 1365 (who is this?). And here comes Yagya (Aðalsteinn Guðmundsson with releases on Force Inc. and Sending Orbs), Maps & Diagrams (Tim Martin on Smallfish and Cactus Island) and... what's this? Ulrich Schnauss is in the house. And if that's not enough, there's more! Few Nodler (Linas Strockis on Planet Mu), IJO (Audrius Vaitiekunas on Plain), and Jvox (Joel Tallent on n5MD and Ad Noiseam).

The Funcken brothers contribute a track by Funckarma (their seven aliases and albums on Sublight, n5MD, Ad Noiseam, and Symbolic Interaction are just too many to cover), RJ Valeo (Type Records), Kero (Sohail Azad on Shitkatapult, Bpitch Control and Neo Ouija), and SubtractiveLAD (Stephen Hummel on n5MD). More! There is Sense (Adam M. Raisbeck with releases on Merck, Monotonik, Neo Ouija, Miasmah and Kahvi), MINT (Murray Fisher on Kahvi, Boltfish and U-Cover), Ruxpin (Jónas Thor Gudmundsson on Mikrolux), and Monoceros (Joan Malé on Expanding).

Irealize that in some ways this writeup is nothing but a three-paragraph-exercise in detailed discography of a tightly coupled selection of talent. But how else am I supposed to convey this much music in one release? Look at the names... ponder at the labels... listen to the music... and you'll be back for more! Be sure to pick up the first four Intelligent Toys volumes from Sutemos, as well as any of their previous twenty-two releases. And yes... all of this is free, so how can you go wrong?

myspace.com/sutemos | sutemos.net

Jega - Geometry (Planet Mu)

Here's a brief history of Planet Mu, which is very much relevant to Jega. Planet Mu was born in 1995, and was originally setup as a sublabel of Virgin Records, on which it initially planned on releasing music by µ-Ziq (Mike Paradinas), and similar artists. The experimental electronic genre that initially was vultured upon by the major labels never took off in the United States, and Virgin gave up spending their marketing dollars on this back-shelf product. In 1998, Paradinas decided to take on the label single-handedly, and, prefixing the releases with ZIQ, released Jega's Type Xer0 as the very first 12-inch. This teaser was followed up with Jega's debut album, Spectrum (Planet Mu, 1998), and from that the rest is history. Prior to his signing on Planet Mu, the man behind the Jega moniker, Dylan Nathan, has already released material on none other than Skam Records. There, with his two EPs, Phlax (Skam, 1996) and Card Hore (Skam, 1997), Nathan fit along perfectly with such contemporary abstract and experimental IDM artists as Bola, Lego Feet, Freeform, Boards of Canada, and of course Gescom. On Spectrum, Nathan rips through melodic breakbeats with newly perfected IDM elements, fitting right at home with Paradinas' µ-Ziq style. Glitched out percussion draws influences from Aphex Twin and even some leftfield downtempo beats ala Amon Tobin, whose first release, Bricolage, came out a year prior on Ninja Tune . Two years later, and a few EPs in between, Nathan releases his sophomore album, Geometry (planet Mu, 2000). This album is much different in tone, and immediately made its impression on me. A lot darker, machine-like chopped up percussion, jitters its way through the cold corridors of sonic spectrum towards the experimental Autechre sound. Although a few atmospheric melodies remain throughout the album, the deep electro beats and metallic effects hold their solid ground. Geometry is definitely among my list of influential albums. In 2004, Jega showed up with a Theme From 1998 on Planet Mu's compilation, Children of Mu. Another track, Aerodynamic, appeared on the label's compilation, Sacred Symbols Of Mu, two years later, in 2006. In 2003, as Nathan was working on his third album, Variance, a copy leaked out onto the sharing networks, and Nathan had to scrap and rework almost all of the tracks. The album is definitely still in the works, and Paradinas mentioned that Variance Vol 1 and Vol 2 will be released as a double album sometime in July, 2009 (!!!). As a matter of fact, Jega showcased his upcoming work during his exclusive set on BBC Radio 1 Experimental on March 11th, 2009 (do your own digging  on the planet-mu.com forums to grab a recording). I hope that bit of news got your juices flowing, as I'm sure I'll be reviewing the album once I get my dirty hands on it.

myspace.com/dylanjeganathan | jega.com
myspace.com/childrenofmu | planet-mu.com 

Rival Consoles - Helvetica (Erased Tapes)

From the label that brought you majestic modern classical music from Icelandic rising star, Ólafur Arnalds, comes a new installment in emotional... wait... what's this? My expectations for melodramatic orchestral stabs are shattered by explosive drums and drilling breaks. Completely unexpected and incredibly welcome, Rival Consoles catches me off guard with his cinematic progressions, which are complemented by breakcore elements a la Venetian Snares. And this is only after I hear a single track on  Erased Tapes Collection I, which is available as a free download from the label's website. And so I reach out for some more. Helvetica is Ryan Lee West's second EP on Erased Tapes released under the Rival Consoles moniker. In only four tracks, the record is enough to grab your attention with delicate classical piano arpeggios, IDM influences deriving from the catalog of Rephlex artists, with acid bleeps, breaks, and beats palatable to fans of the above mentioned V-Snares, Aphex Twin, and Boxcutter alike. Yes, I can honestly admit that I'm excited about this artist, because all of these cutesy frequencies are skipping right down my alley, past the puddles of tears and walls punched with mud. Playful, adventurous, and confident, the tracks produced with intricate attention to detail, are only a teaser for the things to come from this Leicester (UK) based producer. The 7-inch vinyl is quickly selling out (already out of stock on some places I checked), but is still available directly from the label; and then of course there is the [mandatory] digital release. Be sure to also get your hands on Rival Consoles debut release, The Decadent EP (Erased Tapes, 2007). And don't forge to pick up the label's digital showcase compilation, commemorating its 1st anniversary, where, besides the track that tipped me off, Ryan Lee West contributes a remix and yet another track under his alter ego, Aparatec. Remember, it's free! Jump on this wagon. Quick!

myspace.com/rivalconsoles | erasedtapes.com