Category: Drone

Categories
Ambient Avant Garde Drone Electro-Acoustic Experimental Review Synth

Anthology of Electronic Music From Scandinavia

Unexplained Sounds Group – 5/11/21

Fast becoming one of our fave labels for cutting edge electronic and experimental music, Unexplained Sounds Group are consistently curating high quality various artist compilations, organised by global region.

This time, the expanding ‘sound mapping’ collection of CDs lands on the Scandinavian electronic underground as its point of focus.

The album is predominately drone-based excursions, ranging from cold, baron soundscapes, to densely layered synth excursions. However, on my first proper listen through, it’s the tracks that venture into more experimental tonal territory which really piqued my curiosity, with the wonderfully wonky ‘Ilmeisesti’ by vÄäristymä and the hypnotic ‘Nightbreeze’ by Havdis being particular favourites.

Order the CD/Digital now via their Bandcamp.

Categories
Ambient Avant Garde Beats Drone Electro-Acoustic Experimental House Industrial Minimal Wave Musique Concrète Radio Synth

Flatland Frequencies – Mutant Radio Show (Oct 2021)

Out latest session on Mutant Radio is now online, with resident selectors Luke Sanger, Jeran Portis, Toby Tobias and Sseagulls. Only the finest Elektronische, Musique Concrete, industrial no wave, om shanti house and library core.

Categories
Ambient Drone Review

NEVER TEMPLE ~ ‘Throwing Around An Invisible Ball’

Golden Ratio Frequencies – 5/11/21

Soaring, psychotropic drones, which manage to tastefully meld spoken word, cello and synthesised tones into a deep meditative experience.

An entirely mesmerising release which ticks all the boxes (for me) when it comes to drones. Evolving textures and shifting synth tones combine with beautifully ghostly vocal elements, the resultant effect is somewhat intoxicating. Would love to hear this live.

Order the cassette or digital via their Bandcamp

Categories
Avant Garde Drone Electro-Acoustic Minimal Review

Christopher Otto – Rag′sma

greyfade 003 – Release: November 19th 2021

Christopher Otto, the violinist and founding member of JACK Quartet, brings a strict mathematical approach to acoustic composition and performance. Unfurling drones begin at a base frequency and methodically work their way outwards, causing shifts and minute imbalances between the (impeccably) recorded instrumentation. Utilising just intonation tuning techniques, the result is some really interesting and unique timbral combinations.

According to the blurb “Otto drew inspiration from a particularly complex interval known as the ragisma — a ratio of 4375:4374. The size of this interval, 0.396 cents, is so small that most would say it cannot be perceived as such by the human ear.”

The record has a strong mathematical concept, however it works on levels that can be enjoyed purely as a great tonal record and which rewards deeper listening, especially when referencing the sleeve notes. Speaking of which, the sleeve and overall package follows in the gorgeously high production standard as set in previous greyfade releases.

Keep your eyes on greyfade for a copy.

Categories
Ambient Avant Garde Drone Experimental Radio

Luke Sanger – Mutant Radio – August Show

Mutant Radio · Luke Sanger [Flatland Frequencies]

Tracklist:

AntiflowerLewis Hunter
Part 2 (extract)Polypores
Late Night Black NewsProgetto No Name + DuoSerpe
BenelevatoirLewis Hunter
Only Casino For MilesLuke Sanger
Zaruchejnaya feat. Lunar Abyss Deus OrganumSubterranean Source
Part I BDechmont Woods
Epsilove and Ployer Fower- Auguries of InnocenceEpsilove and Ployer Fower
Between This World And The NextGhostwriter
Part I GDechmont Woods
Phrygian PanLuke Sanger

Categories
Ambient Drone Experimental Minimal Musique Concrète Synth

Luke Sanger prepares new LP ‘Languid Gongue’ on Balmat

Balmat – Release: August 13th 2021

Balmat’s first release comes from Luke Sanger, a Norwich, UK-based artist whose two decades of electronic music-making have encompassed a range of tools and techniques, from MaxMSP to modular synthesis. Along the way he has built an extensive catalog encompassing ambient atmospheres, abstract soundscaping, and more. With Languid Gongue, he puts multiple approaches into play. Experiments in microtonal composition balance out pieces in standard tunings, while esoteric electronic machines merge with familiar acoustic treatments and microphone techniques. 

The result is a constellation of his signature sounds: freeform new-age fantasia; spring-loaded toytronic arpeggios; quartz-driven braindance clockworks. Drifting between consonant, almost lyrical compositions and shape-shifting textural sketches, the album drifts with the nonchalance of a sky-high cirrus cloud, and it glows as if illuminated from within. When we heard the material, we knew that it was the perfect choice to launch the label. To us, it sounds like a roadmap for points unknown.

Pre-order now via Balmat

Categories
Drone Experimental Hardware Video

Making Music with Norns Sines, Ciat-Lonbarde Plumbutter and Cocoquantus

A few months back I posted some rambling thoughts on the beguiling Ciat-Lonbarde Plumbutter and Cocoquantus instruments. Along with being the most popular posts on the blog, they generated a few recurring questions from people. Mainly along the lines of “WTF are those things?” and “what do they sound like?”.

Well, I thought I’d do a little follow up vid to give some visual context to the ramblings. Included in this 13 minute improvisation is the Monome Norns Shield, running the wonderful Sines app by Oootini.

Categories
Ambient Drone Experimental Review Synth

Storming Heaven / Demons – The Transcendence Orchestra / Ali Wade

Frequency Domain – June 2021

Split cassette featuring two long form jams from drone duo The Transcendance Orchestra (aka Daniel Bean and Anthony Child) and label owner Ali Wade.

The A-Side features five melded movements: entrance, acceleration, abstraction, revelation and obliteration. Which range from contemplative tones, to hyper spatial widescreen drones. Flipping for Demon’s and Wade goes on an off-grid excursion, visiting some varied and impeccably produced textures, from clean and shiny, to the soft and clouded.

Looks like this is already sold out, that was quick. Digi still available on their Bandcamp.

Categories
Ambient Art Drone Experimental Musique Concrète Review Synth

CHINA Sound Mapping: Anthology Of Experimental Music From CHINA

Unexplained Sounds: May 2021

Since free market reforms and opening up to foreign trade in the late 1970s, China has been among the world’s fastest-growing economies. Along with pulling 800 million people out of poverty, it has also become the world’s largest economy and with it a growing cultural and arts scene.

China’s experimental music and sound art scene began to take shape in the post-Tiananmen era in the late 1990s. A few musicians from the mainland’s underground music scene started to experiment with new ways of making music while the music industry co-opted the once revolutionary and independent rock music scene.

This particular collection of pieces runs the gamut of experimental styles, from music concrete to drones, arpeggiated synth pieces to field recordings. All achieved in a pure and focused dedication to the sound. A really stunning anthology musically and excellent curation from the label.

Recommended.

Categories
Drone Experimental Review

Drew Mulholland – A Trip To Hob Moor / Cambridge Drifts

Woodford Halse – Release: 16th April 2021

Woodford Halse have been rather prolific with their cassette releases this past year or so, putting out a couple of releases a month with a consistent artwork style. Musically, their output is quite varied and ranges from experimental beat driven trax, to sparser, more ambient excursions.

In Mullands’s new cassette, he focuses on two UK locations for inspiration, Hob Moor in York and a trip to Cambridge. Utilising field recordings and dark, drawn out drones. The two long form pieces have a nice dynamic range and move across textures, gradually becoming increasingly smudged in vast swathes of reverb.

The press release refers to ‘hauntology’ (a term which appears to be adopted on various other labels lately). I’m not entirely sure what it means, other than to describe electronic music that contains a ghostly, spooky or gothic feeling (uneasy drones, minor keys and lots of reverb). I’ve heard it disparately referred to in (electro-acoustic) works by Pierre Shaeffer and more recently (garage) artists like Burial, hence my slight confusion. So I guess it’s a descriptive term for music that evokes a certain gloomy vibe?