Showing posts with label dub. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dub. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

George Issakidis & Speedy J - Collabs 400 & 401

NovaMute: 2005

Th'ar be the acid! Just took a French touch to get there. TB-303 action aside, I have to say these Collabs with George Issakidis are the most interesting of the lot, and not just because they stray far from the regular techno workouts as already heard from Jochem's pairing with Adam and Chris. Okay, it's almost entirely because of that too, because in accommodating Monsieur Issakidis' aesthetic into his own, it resulted in some of most unique sounds out of Jochem's discography ever. Which shouldn't come as too much of a surprise considering the former Micronaut was also responsible for the Superior Version of Block Rockin' Beats.

As for how this pairing came about, I assume George was itching to get involved in the 'proper techno' scene after splitting off on his own – anything to escape the big-beat stigma. Some chance meeting with Jochem resulted in the two discovering shared mojo in working on music together, and here we are.

The first cut out of this, Looks Something Like You, is a ten-plus minute outing of steady, noisy bedlam. Really, it sounds like an extended jam session, the two playing all manner of filter and effects over the bare-bones acid house lurking underneath. While of a much lower BPM than the other tracks thus featured in the Collabs series, the intensity is no less gratifying. Hell, some of the percussion could very well be industrial, rattling off like machine gun fire and all. That may just be something for the 'old heads' though, as what was truly blowing up at the time in Francophone lands was sleazy, filthy, abrasive acid, so here's that in the form of Understand What I'm Saying on the flip of Collabs 400. Holy shit, how can this thing go for nearly eleven minutes, and never grow weary or repetitive? The warped vocals are fun enough as it is, but throw in all the distorted, clanking percussion along the way, and you have the closest thing to Speedy J going Ed Banger you'll ever hear!

Okay, maybe that was all a bit much for the techno purists out there, so on Collabs 401, the pair slow things way down on Overblaak, a quite minimalist piece where the TB-303 gets the most shine. Even here though, just the little things, like a mint, crunchy skippity-shuffle on the beat, has you hanging on every minute of its near-fourteen worth. Kaalbrevo, meanwhile, decides to get dubby on the distorted acid vibes, the duo providing a track that would fit snugly in a vintage Swayzak set. This, too, breaches a dozen minutes in length, but somehow holds your attention with every flange and filter effect thrown in. Not that I'd expect anything less ol' Issakidis.

Which is what I should say, if I'd actually heard more of his work outside this and early Micronauts. Time to do some more diggin' and he's got a rather skint discography after all. Mm, well, at least it won't take as long to sift through as Gerd's.

Monday, December 11, 2023

N:L:E - Bioluminescent Forest

Liquid Frog Records: 2020

When I think of a 'bioluminescent forest', I think of the out-wordly foliage of those Avatar movies. Which, y'know, makes one-hundred percent sense, since the alien world of Pandora does feature all manner of indigenous fauna that glows in the dark. It's like James Cameron wandered the woods of an outdoor psy trance party and thought, “This, but naturally grown.” Come to think of it, ol' Jim's been fascinated by bioluminosity since at least The Abyss, a movie featuring an entire underwater realm of beings bespeckled in shimmering lights emitting from their metabolisms. I'm sure its his motivating factor in all those deep sea dives, hoping to stumble upon a true Atlantian civilization hidden within oceanic depths so far uncharted. Eh, we've done an adequate job surveying the abyssal plain thus far – ain't much down there after all.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Bioluminescent Forest. I bring all that Avatar business up because the Pandora forests are what I associate with such a title. Why, then, is the cover art of Natural Life Essence's album so drab and grey? I mean, it's a nice picture of a meadow at dawn, but hardly a forest, much less of a bioluminescent variety. Then again, there aren't any naturally occurring plants that glow in the dark as it is, so it would be a heavy ask for Juan Pablo providing cover art of such a thing. Plus, given the track names of this album, the cover art does make more sense. One doesn't think of shimmering lights when reading titles like Cold Thick Fog, Night, and Rainy Day. Methinks the theme may be a bit muddled here.

The first half at least sets out as it means to, The Autumn Ritual opening with some nice field recordings before settling into a nice, dubby jaunt of glittering synths and groovy rhythms. I wouldn't call this psy dub, but it does remind me some of Sync24's works, just without the added acid. Follow-up Tree Reunion slows things down, even invoking some Amazonian rain-forest vibes ...a vibe I just realized has been noticeably absent from Mr. Giacovino's work considering he resides in South America. True, Argentina ain't equatorial, but y'know what I mean.

Anyhow, as the album plays out, I can't help but feel we're mostly exploring similar ideas over various styles. The three-track run of Night, And, and Day lasts well over thirty-five minutes, and is practically the same musical piece, just progressively more minimalist and ambient. It's neat after a fashion, but rather feels out of place among all the other tracks, especially since the almost chipper reggae-dub of Cold Thick Fog precedes it. More than that though, many of the backing, whispery synth pads sound like they're in the same key, leading to the whole album sounding rather samey throughout. Still, hearing the gentle pitter-patter of percipitation in closer Rainy Day as gentle synths bip and bop about, how can I have negative thoughts about Bioluimiscent Forest? I simply cannot.

Sunday, October 29, 2023

N:L:E & Yahgan - Antarctica

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

What, you thought I was done with Mr. Giacovino? It's only been two months since I last talked him up, a not-insignificant gap of time for sure, but not so long as to grow forgetful. I only just started this discography back in early June, and we've a long way to go indeed before finishing it off. Hell, that Lucette Bourdin box-set took nearly two years to complete, so ain't no way we're wrapping up Natural Life Essence and all his various aliases in due haste. There will just be alphabetically imposed lean times, is all, just as I'm sure there will be with all those Suntrip CDs. I'm sure...

This particular release has a little something extra to talk about though, in that it features both N:L:E and Yahgan, Juan Pablo's project that references the peoples native to the southernmost tip of South America. Naturally, music with a more frigid, arctic theme tends to follow this handle, but sometimes you gotta' get in a little extra pep with those vibes – keep the toes toasty with the tap-dancing, and whatnot. At least, that's what I assume is going on in combining the two projects for this release: a typical N:L:E jam-out, but with something thematically colder than his usual assortment of earthly sounds. I feel like we're cutting the differences between all of Mr. Giacovino's projects down to the slimmest of margins here.

I can't deny having some difficulty discerning the difference between N:L:E and Yahgan with these lengthy pieces. Antarctica features two twenty-minute plus tracks, and a 'bonus' cut of ten-minutes. The first, Antarctic Sun, does capture the feeling of a brightening dawn emerging over a frozen wasteland, chilly pads and glistening synths sparkling layer upon layer. With plenty of time to stretch things out, the piece is well past half-over before a dubby bassline and soft rhythm joins the chill party. Beyond some backing pads growing more prominent, however, Antarctic Sun doesn't really shoot for a rousing climax. Would seem out of place for such a generally tranquil track.

By contrast, Glacial Night keeps things strictly on the down-low and mysterious, the only hint of rhythm being sparse synth heartbeats. While there are similar elements at play as in Antarctic Sun, they're performed so subtly, it truly does impart a feeling of being locked in eternal night. Right, we're not talking dark ambient levels of dread, the shimmering nature of Juan Pablo's music providing too much relative bliss. Think more the twinkling of southern stars, or glistening ice on iceberg-clogged waters. There is a build of rhythm towards the end of Glacial Night, as though the long twilight is coming to an end, but doesn't amount to much on the whole.

Speaking of icebergs, Wandering Icebergs (Hypnotic Trip Mix) closes this album out, though it's just more of the same lengthy, loopy ambient pulses we've heard already, with some added echo and field recordings for flavour. It's fine, just feels like the 'bonus track' its designated as.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Moss Covered Technology - And His Many Seas

Facture: 2018

Of all Greig Baird's album, this one immediately caught my eye. I'll never tire of nautical themed music, whether they be ambient drone or Viking metal, so this was a shoe-in for yours truly. More than that though, I've always envisioned my destiny to be like the chap we see on the cover art, living out my greying days as an old man by the sea. Not that I'm a man of the sea, mind you, though if I could have any job in history, a cartographer from the Exploration Age certainly ranks high up there. For now, I'll suffice living by the sea, gazing wistfully at waves washing upon the shore, and all that chum rot.

While Greig's inspiration for this album had more to do with navigating his stormy feelings over a father's illness, the label that initially picked this up didn't hold back in running with the nautical allegory. Indeed, part of Facture's manifesto is loading their releases up with all manner of vintage swag and paraphernalia, such that it feels like you're unlocking some Victorian Era time capsule. I'm talking post cards, cloth-bound books, weathered prints, celluloid negatives, glass slides, film reel strips... just an insane amount of detail and craftsmanship goes into these. Naturally, they're also a bit pricey, and almost immediately sell out what limited stock they manufacture. Man, good thing I'm no longer so beholden to FOMO of these sort of releases, right? *twitch, twitch*

As with Sodium Light, where I took my Moss Covered Technology plunge, And His Many Seas simply titles each track Sea (his 'many seas', see? Sorry, had to...). For a body of music that supposedly has some narrative to it, Greig doesn't provide many hints of what each piece means. Maybe there were more guiding suggestions as part of the whole Facture package, and you can regardless glean particular feelings and emotions from the eight Seas within. If you need your ambient music more specific of intent, however, this may not be the album for you.

As for the sort of ambience MCT does offer, I found it a surprisingly varied assortment. The first couple were about as I expected, Sea #1 featuring layered, sweeping drones, while Sea #2 goes more dusty and crackly with its delicate organ tones. Neither are terribly long, so just as well Sea #4 brings us the album's centrepiece at eleven minutes. At first quiet and gentle, drones gradually build upon themselves, growing richly dense, but never overwhelming. Sea #5 is almost bright and cheery as a follow-up, and a modern classical sort of way, while the remaining pieces has me reminded of Archives' brand of dubby ambient. Not a bad comparison to make at all.

Can't deny I'm letting some personal bias cloud my enjoyment of And His Many Seas. Such music playing in my head as I rock in an old chair, porch facing west across the ocean, a stiff salty breeze bristling through long, white whiskers upon my cheek.

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Aes Dana - (a) period.

Ultimae Records: 2021/2022

Another CD I didn't expect to get, though for totally reasonable reasons. Plenty of positive buzz surrounding this album led to a quick sell-out, one I'm sure even Aes Dana himself couldn't have predicted. I certainly didn't, letting (a) period. slip by without a buy. Whenever does Ultimae Records sell out of CD stock anyways? Okay, they always did, and still occasionally do. I just wasn't expecting this one too, y'know? It's not like earlier albums from Aes Dana such as Perimeters and Pollen have disappeared from the Ultimae shop.

And because I can't go any review without finding something to get naggy over, let's get my two issues out of the way. First, why has (a) period. gotten a quick re-issue, but nothing from Aes Dana's older catalogue yet? I've hesitated on grabbing the digital versions of Memory Shell and Aftermath and the H.U.V.A. Network albums for a lo-o-o-ong time, always holding out hope they'll see a spiffy CD re-issue again at some point. If Vincent is fine doing the deed with his recent material, why not these out-of-print projects as well?

Moving onto point two, why the change-up in cover art for the re-issue? I know many of Ultimae's re-releases have seen changes to their artwork, but not always. Inks, for instance, has seen a couple re-issues, and retained its lumpy, grooved look through them all. I feel changing (a) period. from a fog enshroud suspension bridge to some surf wash somewhat ruins the vibe of what this album accomplished. Indeed, I'd argue part of the reason this got so much attention was because of that artwork, so perfectly complimenting the moody ambience within. Even the Bandcamp digital version had its cover art changed. Man, I hope that doesn't jack the first edition CD up to ludicrous amounts of second-hand market money.

Okay, I've wasted too many words musing about these things. This album's great, essentially Mr. Villuis going about as ambient as he's ever gone for the duration of a full album. Most of the rhythms used are highly subdued and minimalist, sometimes barely a heartbeat. In fact, the spare times he does use regular beats, such as in the opener Foreword and near-closer Ambivalent, almost feel unnecessary (the requisite dub techno cut of Overpass a lone exception). No, (a) period. is primarily focused on moody tones, rich timbre, glitchy fuzz, overdubbed drone, and tranquil field recordings. Much of it played real quiet too, so you really feel the space between the sounds. And given how expansive Vincent's mastering techniques have always been, you can imagine how much of a feast for the ears this album is.

Seriously, it's as though all those years spent perfecting his studio craft has seen its ultimate form manifest itself with this album. This is the sort of music worth investing in those high-end headphones or expensive surround sound systems, even when it moves at such a glacial pace. Really lets you take in the sonic scenery, it does.

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Dub_Connected - Vol. 1 - Mind The Gab!

Liquid Audio Soundz: 2000

I've dabbled in Gabriel Le Mar's material here and there, but there's more I should be digging into than his prime project and that Saafi Brothers joint. Like, the Ambient Dub compilation (no, not those ones ...Or those other ones). It featured his production on nearly half the tracks. What about Banned-X and Dublocation and such? Just how far deep into the Gabriel rabbit-hole can one go? And how much effort will it take doing so? A little, I wager, but the good news is artists are making things much easier by uploading their back catalogue to Bandcamp. Ooh, I spy a couple Dub_Connected selections there. The track Dublicity got itself an Ace Track honour back on Ambient Dub. Seems an easy choice to start on, then.

And by Ongoing Alphabetical Decree, I'm covering Vol. 1 – Mind The Gab! first. Hey, it's got Dublicity on it as well! Good to know I'm not going into this one utterly blind, then. That said, I can't tell if this is an album or a compilation. Like, I'd assume an album, since most of the tracks seem specific to this release, but Lord Discogs says this is a compilation, and the Lord knows all. Far as I can tell, this was a side project Mr. Le Mar had as The Gab! working with an assortment of other producers. I guess that can make this a compilation, but I dunno'. That would be like saying every album from The Orb is a compilation, what with the rotating cast of artists working with Alex Patterson.

Anyhow, Mind the Gab! kicks off with a collaboration with Ronda Ray called Martha. Oh man, I wonder if Mr. Mastichidis has any idea how much cultural cache that name has these days! Regardless, it's a suitably groovy, dubby little number, closer to the realms of acid jazz really. A 'Dubbed' version closes things out, though it's more like a 'stripped' version. Interesting that Gab' was doing such remixes even this early on.

From there, we get the crunchy techno dub of Dublicity and High Moon with 10Cars. The Rootsman pairings find the two going more tribal techno. Plug-A-Dub with Carson Plug gets minimalist in its dub, while 13 Monde (whom Lord Discogs knows nothing about) coerces the bangier, ravier side of techno dub from Mr. Le Lar with the tracks Drop Worlds and Mental Chant. And finally Jack “No, not that one, obviously” Black provides Gab! with a simple dubby groover in At The End Of The Century.

So a decent collection of techno dub, all said. It won't light your world on fire, but it's fun while it plays. In the end, I'm just glad Gabriel made this available on Bandcamp, as I'd hate to have broken the bank paying huge Collector's Market sums of cash for this. Say, how much is the original CD going for now? *checks*. Huh. That cheap, eh. Well, I'm sure Mr. Dub_Connected appreciates my direct financial compensation.

Friday, June 9, 2023

Sykonee's 'Sportsing' Surveys: KILLING JOKE

I've long admired Youth's work with The Orb, and have even checked out one or two of his other projects, but never the one where he got his start: Killing Joke. I know very little about this band, beyond being one of those Very Influential ones of the '80s, often name-dropped by many big-league players of alternative rock. I felt like I should check them out at some point but wasn't sure if they'd even be my jam, way outside whatever expectations I had for supposed post-punk pioneers. Then again, isn't the whole point of doing these discography dives while demolishing my deltoids to discover music I'd never give a chance otherwise? Most definitely it is, and what better way of truly getting outside my comfort zones than engaging a band while my heart rate and adrenaline are operating at peak proficiency. I mean, it works for dance music, so why not some noisy proto-industrial rock too? So let's get into the epic, oh-my-God how is this band still existing? discography of Killing Joke!





























Another survey that took much longer than I was anticipating. It was an interesting one, and I've come away from it with an appreciation for this band's accomplishments. Aside from a select few songs though (plus that psy dub remix album), there isn't much here I'm eagre to rush out and buy proper-like. Maybe if I find an album or two on the cheap, sure, but for the most part, their style is just a tad too caustic for my regular listening habits. There's only so much aggro rock I make room for these days. At least I feel more sorted for whenever I take a deeper dive into Youth's larger body of work.

Anyhow, I'm sure folks reading this on an electronic music blog prefer it when I stick to electronic music acts, so my next survey will be on one of its most successful artists: Norman Cook. ALL projects!


Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Tomas Jirku - Touching The Sublime

Silent Season: 2020

Continuing my ever so slow backtrack through Silent Season's catalogue, it's time for the third-to-last item the label released before going into presumed mothballs. Look, it's just a weird coincidence things turned out this way - I guarantee my next reviews from this label won't be Night Sea's Still or Yuka's Moon Song. Although, I see no reason why not, both still available as digital downloads. For how much longer though? While Silent Season doesn't look to close shop anytime soon, the lack of recent activity is cause for some concern. I'd hate to pop over to their Bandcamp and suddenly find *Snap!*, as if it never were.

Anyhow, here's Tomas Jirku's Touching The Sublime, a rather unique item in the Silent Season canon, and I'm not just talking the music. No, this album has the distinction of having a photo book tie-in, which... actually makes a whole lot of sense. Think about it: what's one of this label's defining characteristics? The plethora of naturalist beauty shots, of course. Yeah, the music within has always been class, but what really sold the idea of said music coming from some mystical land of the Pacific Northwest was the steady stream of picturesque scenery adorning the cover art. And now here's a whole darn book of them! I was oh-so tempted in buying one, if the $100 price tag hadn't pushed it to the back-burner of my To Buy bin before they were all bought up. Oh well, guess I'll settle for the CD.

It's a hard one to peg down though. Mr. Jirku released a number of items throughout the '00s, but seemed to go relatively quiet on the music front in the following decade. Lord Discogs lists Touching The Sublime as his first album after a ten year gap, though a smattering of singles filled the space between, consisting of everything from microhouse to dub techno to glitch-fuzz. And while what he offers here definitely fits within Silent Season mould, there's a restrained opulence to his productions that places Touching The Sublime well outside their typical dub techno lane.

Seriously, The Iliad & The Odyssey and Pele & Surtr go full-on orchestral in portions, but as filtered through a submarine turbine. And gosh, are Idiis Mortii, Entropy8, and Hypoxia ever getting on some dark ambient drone action. Even the opener, A Warm Place, is all sorts of moody and foreboding, almost deadly silent before blasting you with a massive wave of atonal drone. If Touching The Sublime was that sort of album throughout, this could have gone down as one of Silent Season's most daring albums ever, especially when coupled with a lovely picture book. However, tracks like Tectonic Monument, Eyeless Through Space, and other portions of Pele & Surtr (at thirteen minutes, it's the longest track here – plenty of space to indulge) do get on some 'typical dub techno' breaded butter. Guess the rest was just a bit too much for the label's regulars to handle.

Saturday, May 6, 2023

bvdub - Ten Times The World Lied

Glacial Movements Records: 2020

I feel like I've been name-dropping bvdub forever now, but it's only happened about a half-dozen times, according to internal blog stats. Granted, the first such instance occurred over a half-decade ago, but it's been sporadic since. I cannot deny that assumption in always mentioning Mr. van Wey's project is what led me to finally springing for an album of his. It just didn't make any sense to use him as a frame of reference if I hadn't actually listened to a single CD from the chap.

And as always, if I'm diving into a discography that's nearly fifty albums deep, I may as well do so via one of my preferred labels, in this case Glacial Movements Records. Actually, this choice is as much a statistical certainty as it is practicality, bvdub having featured on the print half a dozen times now, two albums of which were among their first dozen items (sure am dropping 'dozen' by the, erm, dozen this review, huh?). He's a bit of a regular with the label, is what I'm saying, though he has music out on Dronarivm, Kompakt, Darla Records, Quietus Recordings, Auxiliary, and... ooh, Apollo! Not to mention DJ mixes on such trendy music blogs like Resident Advisor, A Strangely Isolated Place, Headphone Commute and the old mnml ssgs. Dude's done the rounds these last dozen years, so plenty of material to gorge myself on should this first outing prove fruitful.

And, well... damn, but is this Ten Times The World Lied ever lovely. For sure it's ambient drone, but done in that melancholic way I typically associate with 36 these days. Not so opulent as Mr. Huddleston's work either, the production deeper and thicker with the layers of timbre – which is about what I'd expect from a project handle with the word 'dub' in it. Can't deny it sometimes gets a bit overwhelming, the endless cascade of reverb and delay almost drowning your senses. Still, it's never so much so that you can't hear whatever piano piece, synth sweep, or string melody is being performed underneath. Like, imagine you were among that herd of blizzard-blasted cattle in the cover art, the wailing winds and frosted ice obscuring your senses, your only warmth a huddle of other beings, weathering the onslaught of the elements. Yeah, it's like that, this album.

Appropriately with a title including Ten Times..., ten tracks make up this album. Brock apparently wrote one on the tenth day of a month, for ten months, spending ten minutes of live improvisation for each piece. Okay, only eight minutes per, because obviously we couldn't fit ten ten-minute tracks onto an eighty-minute CD. Does make me wonder if there's an extended version of this album though, one that could have been digital only.

Regardless, Ten Times The World Lied proved a solid entry point into the world of bvdub for yours truly. Not sure where I'll go from here though, because... well damn, just look at all them albums!

Friday, April 28, 2023

Kinder Atom - Super Nice Hippypants

Hypnotic: 1997

As a fairly dedicated consumer of Hypnotic's CDs for a spell, I crossed paths with Kinder Atom a couple times. The music conglomerate had been active in the Toronto techno and industrial scene for awhile, releasing music under other projects as far back as the '80s. The most prominent member of this group, Heiki Sillaste, also worked in such groups as Digital Poodle, Lazer Caps, and A.S.A. (yes, that's a deep cut) Oh, and they've also worked with Rapoon, on the year 2000 album Rapoon vs. Kinder Atom. Can't say that one's super-high on my 'Must Have' list, but should I ever spot a sweet deal for a copy (re: isn't saddled with ludicrous shipping charges), I may indulge.

Such was the case with this particular double-LP: Super Nice Hippypants. I have to admit, it was far from what I was expecting from Kinder Atom. Oh, not so much the music within, though it too surprised me in other ways. It's just, when you know a techno outfit has ties to experimental ambient and industrial dub, the last thing you'd go looking for in their cover art is something more akin to Japanese electro-pop.

Supposedly this is the logo of the label the group helped set up, Nice+Smooth, also plastered all over the inlay - so a bit of sly marketing on their part. Still, when what you're hearing has more in common with '70s synth weirdness, having something so cutesy as your visual representation probably isn't the best selling point. Like, imagine if Super Nice Hippypants had some vintage Fax+ art instead. I bet this album would be hailed a minor classic! Okay, maybe not, but not so easily dismissed either, I wager.

Anyhow, CD1 is the Supernice album, a seven-track excursion into bleepy electronics, swirly sound effects, and ambient dub. It all has a very Berlin-School feel going for it, spaced-out abstract music that appeals to the retro synth dork in me, some passages getting deep into Tangerine Dream minimalism. Again, had this appeared on a label known for the stuff, like Fax+, I could see it getting more positive attention as the years wore on. On Hypnotic though? Oh man, Kinder Atom's experimental ambient opus never stood a chance, did it?

Fortunately, CD2 Hippy Pants brings some electro boogie (Nipple, One Eleven, Juice Bar) spacey techno (Nikral, titular cut), and trip-hop funk (Phat Pants, June Bug) to the party. They even do a D'n'B in Run In Our Light! Yes, it totally clashes with CD1, such that you wouldn't believe it the same outfit were the two CDs not bundled within the same digipak. Such was the group's manifesto though, never beholden to one particular style. A bit rather like The Future Sound Of London in that regard, though clearly without the obsessive studio polish.

Kinder Atom's first album, Atomika, was more of a blend of their disparate sounds, but if you like your genres distinct and separate, then Super Nice Hippypants may be more up or alley.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Children Of The Bong - Sirius Sounds

Planet Dog/Mammoth Records: 1995/1996

In the great Electronic Music Encyclopedia, the chapter on “What Could Have Been...?” is replete with artists, acts, producers, and projects that never saw their fulfilled potential. In a psychedelic scene with many flash-in-the-pan names and one-and-done wonders, Children Of The Bong's story always felt particularly cruel. A promise of something truly unique and remarkable, cut entirely too short due to circumstances utterly out of their control. Misters Henry and Goganian basically created psy dub years before it ever caught on!

I'll grant there were already tunes on the downtempo side of things within the psy scene, but much of it seemed in flux with already existing genres - ambient dub, world beat, acid breaks, goa trance, and so on. It took a true all-star act like Shpongle (re: Simon Posford and Raja Ram) to essentially set the terms and tropes of what psy dub would go on to entail. Yet for all the groundbreaking ideas those two were credited with, Children Of The Bong got there first, and quite possibly were even more intuitive with said ideas involving improvised analogue gear, as evidenced on their lone album, Sirius Sounds.

All those wiggly, squiggly, free-flowing trippy-drippy sounds psy dub is so often associated with are in full effect here. Hell, there's a track titled Squigglasonica, itself something of a spiritual successor to Ionospheric State (which I touched upon in Transmissions From Planet Dog). Funky, hip-shakin' rhythms coupled with delightfully fun knob twiddling on those wormy acid leads, and how could you not think of a title more appropriate?

These tracks are more representative of the sort of live jams Rob and Daniel would do, but they made room for more traditional takes on psychedelic world beat too. Well, about as traditional as anyone out of the Megadog scene would go, and even then throwing in their wildly warped variations of it. Interface Reality may be comparatively chill, but that don't mean the acid doesn't get a good workout along the way. The Veil has the sort of po-faced spiritual samples coupled with tongue-in-cheek low-ridin' basslines that reminds everyone not to take this scene too seriously. Underwater Dub gets about as deep into the reggae dub side of things as you could possibly go with this album, while Life On Planet Earth... actually sounds like a fairly typical spaced-out psy-dub track, until you remember it came out years before that was really a thing.

Okay, so clearly Children Of The Bong were 'ahead of their time', and all that. Why are they not regarded in the same breath as that scene's major players, then? Two reasons, one clearly being they broke up shortly after Sirius Sounds came out, Rob Henry carrying on with different music after. The second is just bad label luck, Planet Dog/Ultimate already showing strains of mismanagement with their signed acts. Fortunately, tales of the Bong continued to linger over the ages, and Sirius Sounds has seen some expanded re-issues recently. No excuses for overlooking this album any longer then.

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Yamaoka - Short Films For Long Days

Databloem: 2016

Speaking of artists I've neglected, here's Yamaoka again! Sprung for a couple of those Databloem discs, but wouldn't you know it, he's gone and released more since, including another collaboration with Purl (two, if you count Sculpture on Shimmering Moods Records ...must ...resist ...Bandcamp ...page), and another album out on Carpe Sonum. This man's a machine, with a back-catalogue some thirty albums thick now. To say nothing of all the works he did with former partner Yoshinori Yamazaki.

Oh yeah, I haven't actually gotten into the history of this project, have I? Currently helmed by Kenichi Oka, he and Yoshinori had a solid run as Yamaoka releasing several techno records at the turn of the century. If the Discogs chronology is accurate, they took a break in the mid-'00s, after which Kenichi carried on solo, making the name's portmanteau redundant - I assume it was done with Yoshinori's blessing. Debuting on Databloem probably wasn't a breakout for the project, because Yamaoka was clearly successful enough to have such a robust discography behind its back before appearing on the label. Still, it had to be beneficial to his profile, exposing him to more folks than labels like October Man Recordings, Somehow Recordings, Kazumi, and Secret Station managed.

Anyhow, I grabbed the album Short Films For Long Days, not only because it was a namedrop in my last Yamaoka review, but also because it's a double-LP. Sweet, two CDs worth of Kenichi's hypnotic loops and improv melodies echoing for long stretches! Can't wait to dive right into- Holy shit! This album just led-drops you right into it, opener Close Line immediately hitting you with a crash and busy arps. No warning at all. Geez, let me at least get my bearings first, will you Oka-san?

Actually, the track does quickly settle into familiar Yamaoka territory, and at nine minutes, is the longest track on CD1. This disc is essentially the 'techno' half of the album, with loops in play often percolating in intense rhythmic fashion. Some tracks, like To Morning, Expand, and Latch, even get close to having actual drum kicks. Others wouldn't be far removed from trance, if given a bit more bass business (Leap Year, Pict Time). Still, Yamaoka's freeform approach to crafting tracks is in full display here, everything coming off like sketches while jamming with his gear. 'Short films' indeed.

If CD1 is the uptempo side, then clearly CD2 is on the downbeat – or at least as downbeat as Yamaoka can go while still employing endless strings of pulsing loops. The opener here is called Night Train, and if that doesn't feel an apt title for the tunes I've heard thus far, almost like riding along tracks down some dark tunnel. Generally though, CD2 is a calmer session of music, the sketching aspect making more sense with tones lingering longer on drifting echoes. Cool stuff all round, but forgive me for hoping my next Yamaoka outing is a little more structured. Maybe with Purl again?

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Various - Serenity Dub 2.1 p.m.

Incoming!: 1995

Even for short-lived '90s ambient dub and techno labels, Incoming! feels among the most short-lived of them all. I mean, probably not, in that it had a three year run with a few home-grown acts sustaining it in that time. I even crossed paths with the print once, via S.E.T.I.'s The Geometry Of Night, as fine an example of the darker, more paranoid side of downtempo dub as I'd ever heard from that era. That seemed a chance encounter though, so who knows if I'd have stumbled upon any other Incoming! releases in those years, much less be as drawn to cover art. Maybe that Golden Star CD from Nonplace Urban Field? Or the warped speakers from the compilation Submerged – A Collection Of Blooming Breaks + Bulging Beats - that looks a little familiar.

Regardless, as is tradition with many labels starting out, a compilation or two showcasing their musical manifesto doesn't hurt, and Incoming! did the deed with a pair titled Serenity Dub. I got the second one because, well, I knew more names on it than the first. Names like Rapoon, Biosphere, S.E.T.I., Loop Guru, Scanner, and Mouse On Mars.

Those first four, I already had their tracks, though you can't blame me for not recognizing them as such. Like, I find Rapoon's Vernal Crossing a captivating listening experience, even gave Bol Baya Ace Track honours, but that still don't mean I can I.D. the piece blind. As for Biosphere, Botanical Dimensions kinda' gets overshadowed by Novelty Waves as the highlight off Patashnik. Same can be said for Loop Guru's Tchengo as heard of Duniya. That's all the familiar tunes though. Let's hear what fresh dub music I get to experience for the first time on Serenity Dub 2.1 p.m.

The CD opens with Transonic's Low Space Monitor. Hm, I know that name, but from where...? *THAT bass tone emerges* Oh, it's another Bill Laswell joint. Of course it is. Actually, a pairing with Robert Musso, where the two dropped a few albums over on Fax+. Interesting get for Incoming!, but their world beat vibe does fit. The dub business carries over onto Nemesis Dub System's Caravan (In Dub), a rather dated instrumental, even for '95.

Further along, Scanner does another of his noir-ish downtempo tunes as radio chatter chatters about, while the always interesting Mouse On Mars gets in on some early sound experiments with a minimalist dub throb. Their Chagrin grows very chill over time with relaxing layers of reverb and echo – serenity indeed. Following that, Cosa Nostra almost goes pure space noir on This Thing Of Ours, with ultra-dreamy pads and trumpet playing. Damn, now I want to watch some Cowboy Bepop.

Rounding out the rest are Seefeel and Unitone Hifi with some dubby jams (weirdo shoegaze-reggae and world beat, respectively), and you have about as well-rounded a collection of '90s underground dub music as you could hope for. Well, if you're starting a label promoting the stuff, at least.

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Rapoon - Navigating By Colour

Soleilmoon Recordings: 1999

Feels like this has been a long time coming, but I finally get to talk about a vintage Rapoon album! Okay, I've only really been covering the chap for half a decade now, just four albums worth in that time. And even with that scant selection, Mr. Storey's muse has proven a wildly divergent one indeed, such that you'd be hard-pressed to point to any singular sound as That Definitive Rapoon Stylee.

Heck, I'm sure many folks would claim I've already done so, what with having reviewed Vernal Crossing and all. I'll grant his fusion of primal loops with industrial ambient gave Rapoon a significant boost in profile, especially in the wake of his Zoviet France days. Still, it wasn't that sound that first lured me in, but rather a more typical techno approach to the craft. There's still the endless loops and layered dub, just done in a more thumping sort of way. And now with Navigating By Colour, I've finally landed upon an album that delivers it in... well, a couple tracks worth, at least.

First, how does Navigating By Colour fall within the greater Rapoon lexicon. Hell if I know, but here's a basic rundown. Released on Soleilmoon Recordings (where other sonic terrorists like Muslimgauze, Merzbow, and Coil have been comfy), packaged with a dozen postcards featuring art similar to that on the CD slipcase. A real collector's item, this, and by extension not an easy album to find via your usual modern outlets. I feel I lucked out on even finding a seller for this at all, postcards included, but so it goes some days on the Discogs Marketplace.

Opener Blue Hemisphere is the sort of Rapoony music I was introduced to, a brisk rhythm with layered operatic drones ebbing and flowing as things play out. So simple, yet so seductive, losing one's psyche into pure tribalism. Midway through the album, Red Hemisphere gets deeper into the drumming, such that the dub effects morph just as much as the backing pad work. There isn't much else on Navigating by Colour with featured rhythms, though From This Point... does loop mechanical chugging and churning into a rhythm onto itself.

Mostly though, we're in industrial drone territory with this album. Some pieces, like Prussian and Imagine, get weirdly abstract with bits of spoken dialog and layered vocal tones, while The Last Gladding Tide and Winter Shields edge closer to the realms of modern classical. Cerulean and Sienna are pure concrete grinders though, and Eden's Plains is even more punishing in its dark isolationism. Alizarin gets all noisy towards the end of its ten-minute run, and by jove, I do believe we've run the gamut of what one might expect out of a Rapoon joint. If you were expecting anything at all, that is.

Which is half the fun with artists like these, isn't it? Sure, you may have an inkling what to expect, but they'll almost always surprise you just the same.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Encym - Music For Meditation

Neotantra: 2020

Yep, another Neotantra release. Just how many more of these do I have? Not many, though there is a whole box-set lurking further down the queue, so y'all have that to look forward to. Honestly though, I haven't gotten anything new from the label in over a year now, mostly because much of their recent output has been re-issues of Lee Norris back-catalogue. It's honestly a bit weird seeing items like Spacebound and In The Silence Of The Subconscious now on Neotantra, having long ago gathered them on other labels like ...txt and Carpe Sonum Records. Some things like Autumn Of Communion and Understanding Holy Ghosts re-appearing on Fantasy Enhancing, I get, but why not Alien or Abandoned Communities or The Longing Daylight? I'm sure there's a method to Mr. Norris' selection process, but bully me if I can figure it.

Anyhow, Encym. As is too often the case with these Neotantra releases, this artist is a total blank within the Discoggian archives. Music For Meditation is his lone album, though has made numerous compilation appearances in recent years, including plenty on Neotantra's various TÊŒntrÉ™ compilations (which I never indulge in because each volume drops so-o-o-o- much music that I really, really, really fear having to write reviews on). Basically, one working his way from the minor leagues, finally getting his chance on the main-bench rotation. Sorry, this sports analogy sucks, but 'tis the season where all the sports be sportsing.

Anyhow, Mr. Encym does have a Bandcamp, where a whole bunch more music can be found, with links to all other manner of social media. He self-describes as an ambient jazz bass player, which may have your Bill Laswell triggers flaring, but that's alright. Listening to Music For Meditation, I can totally hear some Laswellian influences and connections. Though really, one could toss a rock in Bill's direction and land on any number of musical associations, his sonic reach as vast as it is.

Let me straight up say not everything on here is 'meditation worthy'. Pieces like Imbued, Quietude, and Traffic Kng feature some rather harsh tones and over-cranked dub effects, not exactly the sort of music best suited for relaxing For sure they're interesting sonic experiments to listen to – if anything, Encym knows how to engage the listener in his freeform music making, especially with a good set of headphones on your head (*cough*). At no point was I bored by what I was hearing, enjoying the variety, even if some portions came off more confrontational than others.

That said, there are some lovely pieces of ambient dub and bass tone drone throughout this album. The titular cut is pure minimalist calm, New River and The Wakening Of The Sky are almost playful in its ebb and throes of layered dub pads, while London Departures is the sort of tranquil ambient drone that makes perfect sense watching the sun slowly rise over rolling country-side hills. From within a moving vehicle, that is.

Monday, September 26, 2022

Anzio Green - Lygan

...txt: 2019

You know what this label needed more of? Cover art with the colour blue in it. Yeah, there was a little, scattered about, but I can't say I was compelled to grab these based on cover art alone. Ishqamatics' Waterbound has some blue, but lots of green and aquamarine too, so not a true-blue piece of business there. Hakobune's How Slowly We Regret, that's got a whole lotta' blue, but it's also one of those single-track, hour long drone piece albums, a form of music I'm not keen on grabbing often.

Nay, it seems green has been ...txt's preferred colour of choice (erm, when they do primary colours at all). Plank & Ishq's Zeal Monachorum and Crows An Wra series: lots of green! Reverberant Evenings' After The Silence, plenty of green. Nacht Plank's Echo Ark, a weird green for the sky, but green nonetheless. Wil Bolton's Viridian Loops, green all over that hillside. Heck, even the project I'm dealing with here has 'green' right in their name! Talk about a green agenda!

Anzio Green is a duo consisting of Wil Bolton and Mark Streatfield, who seem to convene for a studio session once every half-decade, this Lygan being their most recent effort. Mr. Streatfield had a rather fruitful career in the '00s making dub techno as Cyan341 and ambient techno, glitchy-hop, IDM musics as Zainetica. Mr. Bolton, on the other hand, has crossed paths with this blog a few times, mostly in collaboration with various Lee Norris projects. Not sure what brings the two together for their intermittent Anzio Green outings, but hey, here's another one for those itching on a follow-up to A Day Without Distance.

Some simple guitar tone plucking and overdub effects opens things up on Marshlands, various layers of droning timbre riding along waves of dub reverb carrying the piece along. Some midway through the eleven-plus minute long track, a melody of sorts emerges, in that abstract, Berlin-School sort of way experimental synth works like to go. Navigations – Part One goes heavier on the abstract layers of sound, but a clear ominous vibe permeates the proceedings. Which is more than can be said for Part Two, getting heavier on the experimental musique concrete blasts of tone and timbre.

I was honestly ready to lump Lygan into my “interesting, but not one worth returning to often” pile of CDs when the titular track caught me off guard. Lovely ambient acoustic guitar playing, building tension through oddball dub electronics, string pads escalating the mood towards the end ...now this I dig. The piece also morphs in such a way that I couldn't tell if the various sounds were either playing regular or in reverse – probably both at times. Final track Bright River features a steady rhythm with a nicely depressive vibe of dub tones, capturing the foggy mood of the cover art better than anything else on the album. Congrats, Lygan, you're rescued for my “interesting, play on rainy days” pile of CDs instead!

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

KMFDM - In Dub

Metropolis: 2020

Industrial rock and reggae dub hand in hand? It's not as daft an idea as first glance suggests. Both have roots in the realm of studio sonic experimentation, and several artists have paid nods and tributes to the other scene's taste-makers. There's even been ample examples of the two merging with winning results, Kevin Martin's The Bug probably the most obvious example, at least where this blog's concerned.

And while KMFDM made their mark in the '90s with a brand of EBM they self-described as Ultra Heavy Beat, Sascha K. wormed elements of dub in sporadic works as early as the 1989 album UAIOE. Clearly that fell by the wayside as thrashy guitars and aggro techno came to dominate the KMFDM sound, but it's never left his muse. All he needed was an opportunity to fully explore it. Eh, some global thing has made touring impossible for a while? That'll do.

Thus unlike many other 'in dub' albums out there, KMFDM's In Dub was produced completely in house, Sascha manning the console himself. While it would have been interesting to hear some radically different takes on KMFDM tunes from some of dub music's prominent producers (ooh, a Bug rub on Anarchy would hit just right, I wager), Mr. K. handles himself well enough. He's got all the standard tropes of reggae down pat – the heavy reverb on languid drums, the wobby-bobby basslines, the trumpet fills, the organ fills... and not much else, to be honest. Sure, he works in his shouty vocals, Lucia's singing, and chopped-up guitar action as featured in the original tunes he's bigging the dub up on, but doesn't push the envelope further than that. I mean, a full-on reggae dub version of KMFDM songs is plenty 'nuff envelope pushing where this band's concerned.

Alright then, which tracks are getting the In Dub treatment then? Some good ol' classics like Juke Joint Jezebel, Power, Glory, Terror, Apathy, Megalomanical? Ah, we kick off with Angst's kick-off, Light. Hmm, don't recognize Superhero, Uranus or Bumaye, but here's A Drug Against War, also from Angst. Then... uh huh... uh huh... huh. I don't recognize anything else at all. I know I've barely scratched the surface of the totality of KMFDM's catalogue, but surely more would have been included from the agreed-upon 'golden era'. What gives?

But yes, aside from the two Angst tracks, everything given a redubbing on In Dub comes from the band's post-2000 era, after En Esch and Günter Schulz had left. Despite some dozen albums being released, I'm wholly unfamiliar with this phase, and I'm not entirely sure I'm inclined to explore it much.

Which doesn't mean I don't enjoy In Dub for what it is. In fact, maybe I like it a little more, convincing myself these are mostly wholly new creations intended for this release? Mm, nah, I'm not so naive. It's a fun diversion, though you definitely need to be on that reggae dub vibe to get much out of it.

Saturday, July 2, 2022

The Bug ft. Dis Fig - In Blue

Hyperdub: 2020

“New Bug, who Dis?”

Sorry, sorry, couldn't resist that one. This isn't even all that new of a Bug album anymore, though I can't help but feel it quickly went by the wayside, especially in the wake of Fire coming out the following year. It certainly isn't much like Kevin Martin's Ninja Tune releases, none of the aggro dancehall and grime raps present. If anything, In Blue has more in common with his other Hyperdub records, the Roger Robinson collaboration King Midas Sound. I'm far from the only person to make that association, though I do wonder if this album started as a King Midas Sound project before morphing into this. Kevin and Roger had taken their work into almost dark ambient pastures by this point though, so a different approach and collaborator was probably called for if Mr. Martin wanted a return to the more soulful side of his muse.

As for who Dis Fig is, she doesn't have much Discoggian data, a smattering of singles and a tape album the extent of her solo work. Known as Felicia Chen on her travel papers, she does appear to have some presence on the Soundcloud DJ circuit, with a contribution to FACT Magazine her highest profile gig. There's definitely an aggro, industrialist approach to her sound, oftentimes coupled with ethereal whispers and tense ambient interludes, keeping you on edge for when the aural assault resumes. Seems like a perfect match-up with Mr. Martin's own brand of industrial dub and dancehall grit. Oh, what's this, a global pandemic has put everyone on lockdown? With nothing better to do, seems time was about right to get that collaboration rollin'.

And if the tunnel artwork wasn't enough, first proper tune Come gets right to work in setting the tone of In Blue. Muted echoes, rumbling bass reverberating off concrete walls, an omnipresent dub wail like wind through confined industrial zones - it's all quite familiar Bug music, though rather muted and suppressed compared to his Ninja Tune outings. All the while Ms. Chen softly croons along, though only provides verses to about half the tracks, sometimes with nothing more than a dubbed-out wail piercing Kevin's grimey murk. Some tunes barely feature her at all, such as the gutter bounce of In 2 U or the diesel-train chugging of Forever. It does leave me to wonder if Dis Fig did any music production for this album. Like, The Bug's work is largely prevalent, but surely a couple of those endless echoes are more than Ms. Chen's soft vocals.

In Blue definitely is a seductive album for those who like their bass music on the ethereal side of things. It's a bit samey throughout though, as though you're travelling through an unending monochrome tunnel. Again, I'm sure that was the intent, and Bug plus Fig pull it off well. It just unfortunately kind of melts into the background after a while. Might have been better served as a couple EPs instead.

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Martin Allin - Impact Release

Neotantra: 2021

Now here's an odd one. Yes, I claim that about a lot of releases – when one has covered upward of around two-thousand items, odds are favourable that a few of them will be 'odd'. Claiming a Neotantra release as being odd is a stretch though. Their ambient manifesto is quite clear and concise, with packaging simple and clear. Seldom does the music within indulge conflicting tonal contrasts or extreme experimentation – by this point, you pretty much know what you're gonna' get out of one of their CDs. And yet, Martin Allin's Impact Release is odd because of its CD, or at least its packaging. For some reason, it's different from its digital counterpart, an almost black navy blue, whereas the latter is much brighter. Even the image preview on Bandcamp features a digipak much closer to the digital colours than what I have in my hand.

Did something go wonky at the printing press, certain colours running out on the assembly line? Are there perhaps a select few 'alternate' versions of this CD floating about now, which will command insanely inflated collector's market prices for a copy? Yeah, yeah, it's silly hyper-focusing on such a thing, but when a label makes colour gradients its distinct and only feature in the artwork, minor incongruities tend to leap out at you. At least Neotantra has evolved to include unique photography for its cover art in recent months.

Anyhow, Martin Allin. There isn't much information on him out there in internetland, so I assume he's a relative newcomer to the ambient-osphere. His Discogs page is basically blank, this album and a couple Neotantra compilation contributions the extent of his discographical data. His Soundcloud page does offer a few more items, but far as I can tell, Mr. Allin hit the road running, getting signed to the label shortly after going public with his musical works.

And what brand of ambient do we have ourselves with Impact Release? Mostly minimalist, lowercase forms, with echoing field recordings, soft pad drones, analogue fuzz and generally unassuming, background sonic padding. It's all rather like Andrew Heath (to namedrop another lowercase composer I've covered), though remixed into the deepest meditation vibes you can imagine. Some pieces, like Homeostasis Friend Weather, Your Father And Nature, and Frustrating, are almost nothing more than ethereal wisps of sound, occasional thrums of synth tone and echo drops the only reminder of a CD still playing. Yet even when there's barely any music at all, Martin Allin somehow sucks you in just the same.

The last couple tracks - I Am Grateful To Her For That Lesson and Merry The Mountain - add actual rhythms. Though they're little more than basic dub techno beats, compared to the utter ambience in the rest of the album, these might as well be storming tech-trance beasts. They honestly almost cause me mental whiplash, being so completely zoned out on the near sonic-nothingness leading up to them. Impact Release indeed.

Sunday, May 15, 2022

The Bug - Fire

Ninja Tune: 2021

Not that The Bug has never maintained a particular vibe throughout his career, but man, do you ever gotta' be in A Mood to enjoy Fire. I'm not even sure if 'enjoyment' is capable here. For sure one could connect or 'get hype' to it, but the apocalyptic tone this album maintains is relentless, almost no hope of rescue in sight. Kevin Martin certainly is no stranger to painting portraits of urban decay, but always tempered with moments of revelation and salvation, an escape hatch available should you be fortunate enough to find it. Not so with Fire, and while I've indulged music of the utterly depressive kind (oh hi, dark ambient!), this seems like quite the extreme turn for The Bug. What could possibly have inspired Mr. Martin to craft such an album like this?

If the opening monologue from Roger Robinson is anything to go by, it was the pandemic. I don't know what Kevin Martin's thoughts about lockdowns and masking and vaccines and whatnot are, but regardless, during the period he made this album, he seemed to envision a near future where everything that could go wrong from this event does. And in a weird way, it's honestly already made Fire a bit dated. Yeah, things looked uncertain and bleak for a while there, but in just half a year after this album dropped, we were already doing are dogged best to get back to 'normal living'. Whether we were premature in doing so remains up for some debate, but there's little doubt the Worst Case Scenario portrayed in Fire has practically no chance of coming to pass. It's like an '80s Cold War movie predicting nuclear holocaust occurring during the '90s, but watching it in the 21st Century.

Speaking of, first proper track Pressure opens as though hearing the blasting klaxxon of the oncoming hellfire, frequent Bug collaborator Flowdan dropping his usual grime bars over distorted bass tones. And it's pretty much the same thing for the rest of the album. Yeah, there's plenty of other MCs on hand, all lending a variety of flows, though no Warrior Queen, sadly. I rather like Nazamba's utterly ragged and raw tone in War, perfectly befitting such a grimy, marching track. Manga Saint Hilare in Bang and High Rise also stood out to me, for no other reason than his higher pitch made for a prominent contrast to The Bug's omnipresent low-ends. Oh, and Daddy Freddy, just because his pure dancehall Ganja Baby seems like such a leftfield peppy tune among all the surrounding despair.

Despair, yeah, that's certainly a vibe on Fire. While The Bug's usual aggression is present, it's also often muffled, as though the righteous call-to-arms is forever stomped out and quashed. Not to mention that ever-present wailing wind, as though blowing dirt and grit through the hollowed remains of urban centres. As I said, certainly an album for when you're in a particular mood, and you don't want to get out of either.

Things I've Talked About

...txt 10 Records 16 Bit Lolita's 1963 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2 Play Records 2 Unlimited 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 20xx Update 2562 3 Loop Music 302 Acid 36 3FORCE 3six Recordings 4AD 6 x 6 Records 75 Ark 7L & Esoteric 808 State A Perfect Circle A Positive Life A-Wave a.r.t.less A&M Records A&R Records Abandoned Communities Abasi Above and Beyond abstract AC/DC Ace Trace Ace Tracks Playlists Ace Ventura acid acid house acid jazz acid techno acoustic Acroplane Recordings Adam Beyer Adam Ellis Adam Freeland Adham Shaikh ADNY Adrian Younge adult contemporary Advanced UFO Phantom Aegri Somnia AEI Music Aes Dana Afgin Afrika Bambaataa Afro-house Afterhours Agoria Aidan Casserly Aira Mitsuki Airwaves Ajana Records Ajna AK1200 Akshan album Aldrin Alex Smoke Alex Theory Alice In Chains Alien Community Alien Project Alio Die All Saints Alpha Wave Movement Alphabet Zoo Alphaxone Altar Records Alter Ego alternative rock Alucidnation Ambelion Ambidextrous ambient ambient dub ambient techno Ambient World Ambientium Ametsub Amon Amarth Amon Tobin Amplexus Anabolic Frolic Anatolya Andrea Parker Andrew Heath Androcell Anduin Andy C anecdotes Aniplex Anjunabeats Annibale Records Anodize Another Fine Day Antendex anthem house Anthony Paul Kerby Anthony Rother Anti-Social Network Anzio Green Aoide Aphasia Records Aphex Twin Apócrýphos Apollo Apollo 440 Apple Records April Records Aqua Aquarellist Aquascape Aquasky Aquila Arcade Architects Of Existence Archives Arcturus arena rock Arista Armada Armin van Buuren Arpatle Artifact303 Arts & Crafts ASC Ashtech Asia Asian Dub Foundation Astral Engineering Astral Projection Astral Waves Astralwerks AstroPilot AstroPilot Music Asura Asylum Records ATB ATCO Records Atlantic Atlantis atmospheric jungle Atom Heart Atomic Hooligan Atomine Elektrine Atrium Carceri Attic Attoya Audiobulb Records Audion AuroraX Autechre Autistici Autumn Of Communion Auxilary Auxiliary Avantgarde Avatar Records Aveparthe Avicii Axiom Axs Axtone Records Aythar B.G. 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