Various - Fabric 73: Ben Sims

Fabric: 2013

Quite the time skip here, going from 50 to 73. What's remarkable is this is the first item out of Fabric's '70's block I've tackled. I've been close, what with doing Sandwell District's Fabric 69, but I've even done one in the '90's, Daphni's Fabriclive 93. For a time, that was the biggest gap between editions!

Makes sense that more in between will get filled though, volumes finding their way onto the cheap-o markets as time wears on. There's been items here and there throughout all of Fabric's history that I've nabbed on a pauper's budget, and now that the original run's concluded, more from its latter years will emerge. Will they be from heralded names like Sasha or Skream, or less known ones like Call Super or My Nu Leng? Time will only tell, but I can offer this little spoiler: the '80's will also get some coverage in this round of Fabric On A Budget, thus filling in every single numbers block in some form! Well, unless you also include the two '100's. I won't if you won't, though.

Ben Sims getting tapped in late 2013 for a Fabric seems about right. A stalwart of the techno scene since the '90s, he was one of the few chaps that didn't jump on the minimal bandwagon the same way so many others did. In fact, he found something of a comfy home getting in on more of a Latin and tribal take with tech-house, all the while filling in the gaps with the vintage bangin' bosh old school Drumcode resolutely held true to. As the tide of tastes turned with the 2010s, Mr. Sims found himself a perfect companion to the Berghain sound. I'm actually kinda' surprised he never got tapped for a set on Ostgut Ton as well, but seeing as how many of the club's jocks would regularly rinse out Ben's tunes, I guess that's close enough.

Anyhow, this is a pure bangin' techno set through and through. Just relentless, pounding bosh, tracks dropping one after the other in rapid success, never pausing for a single breakdown. Oh, there's periods where the bass will cut out, feigning a brief bit of tension building, but Ben lets the tracks speak for themselves, for as long as he allows them to anyway. What's most fun about this set is Mr. Sims doesn't even portend any pretension of fancy DJing, mixing seldom more complicated than a hard crossfade. And nor does he need to, these tracks uncomplicated and straight to the point, each unique from the other without ever clashing in tone. Man, after so many years of minimal's homogenized aesthetic, how refreshing was it to hear something like this? Oh, probably not that much by 2013. Can't forget that time jump I just did within Fabric's history.

And there isn't much else I can say about this set. It starts more on a tech-house tip, but soon enough, we're in the good shit, riding it out until the end.

Cymphonic - Dimensionata

Databloem: 2013

Diving deep into Databloem can seem daunting. Yeah, plenty recognizable names have passed through the label's doors over the decades, but I'm talking about all the other names that have come and gone. Your Danny Kreutzfeldts, your Krzysztof Orluks, your Beta Two Agonists, and so on. Of course, you never know who might make it far in this niche business – I doubt anyone had a clue that Daniel Pemberton kid would become a player in Hollywood when he debuted on Fax+ as a teen. Still, its understandable why some artists get bypassed, never gaining the name recognition that comes with a fruitful career. Only to be rediscovered long down the road when folks start truly digging into a long-lasting label in a flurry of “How did we miss this?” excitement.

I'm not saying Stanley Swinkel's Cymphonic project is one such example, but man, listening to his final record Dimensionata, I could see it happening. He didn't release much, just a handful of items on Databloem, but if they're as interesting as this one, they gotta' be worth scoping out.

It isn't even like he's doing something revolutionary or unique with his ambient excursion here, but it's somehow quite captivating for the hour-plus time it plays through. That's not such an easy feat as you'd believe, always those moments in LP-length ambient sessions that will have your attention drifting this way or that. Does it sound like I'm praising a singular track? Yes, because that's what Dimensionata is, even though it's not.

There are separate tracks on here, eleven ranging from three to fifteen minutes in length (mostly on the shorter end). You can hear when each track starts and ends, as there will be a distinct tonal shift between them. Yet everything flows so seamlessly together, you'll swear it's all the same piece with different segments. I know the easiest comparison would be something like an old, lengthy Berlin-School jam, but even those would be structured around a singular concept. Dimensionata is somehow like that, but each segment stands unique from the other, as a skipping session clearly illustrates.

Primavera features ethereal harps and meditative chants, Weaving makes use of distant operatic voices over minimalist pads, Alignment Of Realities grows ominous with dark ambience, Dancing In Purple Light brings tranquil levity with spritely arps, and so on and so on. As described, each piece sounds perfectly fine on their own, yet I can't imagine listening to any of them outside the context of this album as a whole. Yes, that makes Dimensionata the Ace Track of this review, even though it's not a singular track in of itself.

But is it any good though? Well, if you like your ambient music subtle and full of humble grace, absolutely. Whether its a true Hidden Gem of Databloem, you'd have to ask someone who's consumed the label's entire catalogue. From what I've heard out of the print, however, it's definitely one of the more fascinating listening experiences I've had.

Various - Blacklight Moments

Suntrip Records: 2013

And right back to Suntrip again, with yet another compilation at that. I wonder if I should start taking bets from folks guessing how many releases I'll get to cover before the next one crops up. Or maybe enough precedent has been set (roughly 2-1 odds), making bets far too predictable. Perhaps, but surely that's more coincidence of alphabetical stipulation than patterns? Heck, I'll give a freebie: there's absolutely no Suntrip albums in the 'Q' block, and even Cryo Chamber has one of those!

While we're on the subject of my owning excessive amounts of label catalogue, I actually (now) have a larger Cryo collection than Suntrip. The only reason it doesn't seem quite so extensive is because I've gathered their releases in spurts for nearly a decade rather than one huge bundle. If I'd jumped on the Suntrip bandwagon from the get-go (which would have been... gosh, the early TranceCritic years?), I wouldn't be dealing with such ham-handed progression through the label's history. The lesson from all this, then? Don't go bulk-buying music catalogues if you intend to review them right after, or at least with a better contingency plan of breaking potential monotony than “bulk-buy other massive bundles!”.

Anyhow, Blacklight Moments. This was Suntrip's annual compilation contribution for 2013, showing the label exactly where you'd expect it to be: goa trance for days, featuring names familiar and new. Artifact303 is here, with a rub from E-Mantra, and the tune is about as peak time neo-goa as it can possibly get. It almost seems unfair instantly designating this the best track, given how much both these names have stood out thus far in my Suntrip sojourn, but it's hard arguing the pedigree. Khetzal's also here, who I know is Very Important to the history of this label, but I want to save his talking points until I cover his albums. Other names recognized include Cosmic Dimension and Mindsphere, though they weren't exactly Suntrip regulars by this point.

K.O.B. definitely was though, or at least the man behind the alias, Jannis Tzikas with Filtera. This project sounds like a dabbling into something a little more dark-psy, which is nice in providing variety to Blacklight Moments, though perhaps a bit harsh sounding for second track status. And speaking of harsh, it's amusing hearing that classic 'doot-doot' kick in Mindsphere's cut. Surprised it hasn't made more of an appearance but perhaps its too retro sounding for most neo-goa producers.

Most producers on here, like Skarma, Uth, Daimon, and Javi & SkoOma, don't appear to have done much beyond an album and some compilation appearances. Heck, this is Psychic Voyag's lone appearance anywhere (so sayeth Lord Discogs). And frankly, I can hear why, their offerings of goa and psy mostly solid but doing little to stand out from the pack either. Which is about where Blacklight Moments stands in my head as well. It was fine as it played, but its another Suntrip CD I doubt I'll return to much either.

Autumn Of Communion - 3

...txt/Fantasy Enhancing: 2013/2023

I cannot deny a little disappointment in the cover art of these AoC reissues. They're fine as is, but the originals were a class unto themselves. I get why its sometimes done, rights to original art perhaps only valid for the label they're originally released on. I don't understand why this particular release was changed though. The original Autumn Of Communion 3 came out on ...txt, another of Lee Norris' many labels. Shouldn't it track, then, that he could retain the rights to 3's artwork, even if it comes out on a different label? Polydeuces, also initially out on ...txt, kept its Saturn beauty shot for its recent reissue, so why couldn't 3 have kept the image of a wooden skiff in a dry lake at sunset? Right, its mostly playing to my weird fascination with land-locked water craft, while the alpine terrain of the reissue makes better sense as visual accompaniment for the ambient within. Just, y'know... abandoned boats, yo'!

So I didn't have much to say about 3 when talking up the rest of the Autumn Of Communion albums last review. I'll grant this is technically the last of the numbered self-titled albums that I finally heard (do single track 3.5 and remix LP 3.9 count in this? I wager not), so didn't have months or years worth of settling thoughts of it regardless. Even if I had heard this when it was new, however, I'm sure general consensus is this is the black sheep of the original four AoC albums.

I sense Misters Norris and Chillage spent plenty of hours just jamming away with their synths and such while crafting the first two AoC albums. Some structure in the final product had to be maintained though, since they were putting them out on other labels (Fax+ and Anodize, respectably). Same is likely true of Autumn Of Communion 4, initially a Carpe Sonum Records joint, so another LP with more variety of tempos. Something out on one of Lee's prints though? Hell, indulge to your heart's content in lengthy ambient drone sessions, and make a full CD's worth of it.

Right, things don't get too unwieldy on 3, the longest piece being opener In The Valley Of Tanaro at some twenty-three minutes. An ever-evolving track, it runs the gamut of gentle, wispy tones to wide-screen synth pads and burbling electronics, effectively capturing the sensation of being out and about open spaces – or cruising a river of northern Italy, in this case.

Follow-up Shoni provides the most rhythm of any piece, but is little more than the soft pitter-patter of ambient techno buried beneath grandiose synths. Rhea gets more mysterious and crystalline in its use of pads and echoes, is quite lovely, but not sure it needed an hour-plus exploration on 3.5. Disentastra gets back to the more opulent side of this album, while Teles feels of an experimental piece with its discordant layering of tones and timbre. Almost reminds me of Banco de Gaia's more minimalist moments.

Autumn Of Communion - 2

Anodize/Fantasy Enhancing: 2013/2022

For the longest time, I regarded this AoC album as one of their hardest items to procure. Yes, even more than the Autumn Of Communion debut on Fax+. Their second album on Anodize though? Forget about it. Never mind the short-lived ambient techno label is cultish even on the 'cult ambient techno label' spectrum, existing a mere two years and thus rendering their CDs extremely rare. Nay, saddle on the fact Autumn Of Communion 2 was released in a tin box, upping the 'collector's item' factor, creating one pricey item on the resell market. Definitely one in need of a reissue for those desiring a hard copy version, is what I'm saying.

It took nearly a decade (ignore the AoC box-set for now), but we finally got that reissue on Fantasy Enhancing. The first four Autumn Of Communion albums, in fact, with more on the way? Eh, I don't know if 5 and 6 really need them, but I see Polydeuces got one too. Point being, nearly everything worth having gets reissued eventually, if you're patient enough. One doesn't really need to break the bank on out-of-print items if you're a regular consumer of musical products. But man, some of those old, vintage tins, sure look nice and unique on one's shelves...

Anyway, Autumn Of Communion 2 is a great album, possibly the best of the duo's first run of numbered LPs. Not that the first and 4 are slouches, but if I were to do one of my 'Sportsing Survey' rankings, 2 would definitely rank tops.

For one thing, it refines most of what was presented on the debut, creating a much stronger flow between tracks. The Intervals, for example, are more evenly spaced, and feel like proper pauses between centrepiece tracks rather than sonic doodles there for their own sake. And while some may find them hokey, I quite like the included vocal samples of science talk and sci-fi jargon – really lends itself to that classic Fax+ vibe that inspired Lee and Mick's desire to work together in this project.

Opener Interpreter Of The Signs really hits those vintage Pete Namlook notes, what with the soft, slightly dubby beatcraft and spacious, spacey synths. So Powerful In The Mass gets more ambient techno, but does last a tad long at seventeen minutes in length, while Communion Signal does the tranquil, bleepy ambient for about a dozen minutes.

Then 2 practically shifts tone into Goodbye PK, Mick and Lee's tribute to Mr. Kuhlmann's passing. If this piece doesn't tug at all the feels deep in your chest cavity, you just ain't human, man. It kinda' leaves the brisk ambient techno of Cosmic Board Fusion out of sorts as a a follow-up, but the gentle field recordings of closer Perpetua grounds things back to Earth. So yeah, something of an album of two halves with a creamy middle. When most AoC LPs tend to come off just as a collection of tracks though, it's definitely a stronger listening experience.

Yamaoka - Time To Time

Databloem: 2013

Had I come to this album when I first discovered Yamaoka, I could have claimed something like “finally wrapping up his Databloem trilogy”. Assuming I'd already gotten Short Films For Long Days and Simple Songs with Purl, that is. Turns out, merely a month after I dropped a review of the latter, Kenichi dropped another album on Databloem. And then another just last year. And another-another just last year with Purl. So, y'know, good on me being tardy with this discography and all, otherwise I'd have written a completely outdated review of Time To Time, and who'd want to read that?

Actually, I'm a bit surprised Yamaoka's returned to Databloem so often – that label isn't really known for a roster of steady contributors. Indeed, artists come and go from its catalogue like travelling troubadours, releasing an album or three while gallivanting off with their own labels or regular side-hustles.

I know this is far from the case, but since taking in a fair sampling of Databloem's output, it strikes me as something of a 'proving ground' for ambient techno artists abroad. Yeah, you may have a dozen releases on some obscure net-label, but if you get your shit on this label, you've definitively become a made ambient-man within the scene at large. You only need a couple records with them to achieve such status before being set off into the wider world abroad. And here's Yamaoka, throwing my theory out the window by having half a dozen releases on Databloem in nearly a decade's time. Curse you, Kenichi, for ruining my head-canon!

Anyhow, Time To Time is where he made his debut with the label, I assume after shopping around following the folding of his previous two homes, Secret Station and Somehow Recordings. I cannot deny being hit with massive deja-vu on this album's opener, Orion, as it starts similarly to Close Line, the track that opened up his Databloem double-LP Short Films For Long Days. They aren't exactly the same, of course, Orion a bit more stripped and minimal compared to Close Line, but man, did it ever give me a sense of trepidation. That for as cool and unique a sound he had,Yamaoka may have turned out to be a one-trick pony with his use of layered echoing loops. Never mind A Frozen Stream disproved that, it's those initial impressions that unfortunately linger.

Fortunately, Kenichi offers enough variation of sound among the remaining seven tracks that those fears quickly dissipated. Yeah, some tread familiar territory as heard on Short Films, though I can't fault that future album for exploring similar sonic territory. When Yamaoka moves closer to the realms of dub techno (Winter Garden, Radial), trancey loops (Hermes) or waves of melodic washes (Prose, Skylight), it helps stand Time To Time out as it's own entity. Nice and concise, too, because I couldn't help but tap out after two CDs worth of Yamaoka loops in Short Films. Maybe I need more Purl up in this house again.

Daniel Pemberton - Silent Sky

fsoldigital.com: 2013

I had this EP ever since grabbing Space Dive and didn't realize it. I mean, I'm fairly certain I saw it included in the download bundle, but for whatever reason, I never noticed it in my media catalogue. Actually, check that: I did see it, but it was mislabelled, Silent Sky being credited to... Y'know, I forget what the name was. Daniel 'something', but definitely not Pemberton.

Also not doing this EP any favours is just how darn short it is, four tracks in total, none breaking the three minute mark. Heck, it doesn't even make the ten minute mark, it's total running time a svelt nine fifty-two. When tagged along with an unrecognizable Daniel 'whoever', you'll forgive me for thinking Silent Sky just some random bit of sample music Windows sneaked into my media player when I wasn't looking. These computer corporations have been known to do that.

But while we're here, why don't we check in on what ol' Pemby's been up to since I last talked him up. Let's see, that was in 2019, so head over to Discogs and... Oh. Oh wow! He scored that Dark Crystal show? That's dope! I mean, I haven't watched it, because it's on one of those too-many streaming services I haven't a care to subscribe to (D+? Netflix? Peacock? Whatever poor Warner's now called?). Maybe I'll get around to it someday via 'other means', but still, cool project for Daniel to have worked on.

Anything else? Ooh, he scored another superhero movie, that Harley Quinn one, Birds Of Prey. Eh, maybe not as big a get as Into The Spider-Verse, but then, almost nothing else would be (No Way Home? Endgame?). Again, haven't seen it, but then I've got a solid streak of seeing not a single DCEU film since The Dark Knight. Hold strong, Sykonee.

What else...? Hm, some Netflix thing called Enola Holmes, plus Enola Holmes 2. The Trial Of The Chicago 7, also a Netflix joint. Knights And Bikes... The Bad Guys... I might have seen a trailer for that one. Okay, so maybe not huge movies or shows, but just because I've remained somewhat media illiterate regarding that scene doesn't mean Daniel hasn't remained successful. It's clear he's found a footing in his field, and all the more power to him in landing those gigs.

Eh? You say I'm running close to my self-imposed word count limit, and I still haven't talked about this EP? Oh, don't worry, this won't take long. As said, it's four short tracks, each a different part of Silent Sky. I has a high-pitched string to go with its tranquil setting, II follows through with gentle ebbs and flows of pads, III features a more prominent bit of harmonic melody in its use of strings and pads, and IV offers twinkly synths. Ah, night has settled in. What's remarkable is how briskly it all passes by. Yeah, ten minutes ain't much, but I've heard prog tracks of similar length that feel longer.

Dance With The Dead - Out Of Body

self release: 2013

Going all the way back with this album. Back to the beginning. Back to where it all started. Back to the alpha and the omega. Back to your wildest imagination! No, wait, too far back. What is this, an '80s movie advertisement tie-in? Of course not, but as with most things synthwave, you bet Dance With The Dead would love to score an '80s love-in flick, even a video game. Come to think of it, I'm surprised they haven't appeared on something of the sort yet. Could it just be that, *gasp*, there simply isn't any interest in the synthwave scene anymore?

Honestly, I could see it. Yeah, when movies like Turbo Kid and games like Hotline Miami 2 made a splash, it was just about all the internet could talk about for a hot minute there. Lord knows I fell sway to the hype along with everyone else. A scene with that much exposure needs more than hype to sustain itself though. Many artists were able to push forward with their careers, but without that all-important cross-media penetration, it can only go so far before being relegated to faddery. I can't help but feel the game Cyberpunk 2077 was a make-or-break moment for synthwave as a whole, and while it certainly delivered on the musical front, the game's infamously buggy launch kinda' curtailed whatever momentum that scene still had going for it. Unless something truly fresh emerges, methinks synthwave is now and forever relegated to pure niche interests.

Which has absolutely little to do with the debut album of Dance With The Dead, Out Of Body ...or does it? Okay, it really doesn't. Justin and Tony seem to have found themselves a winning formula of synthwave-meets-metal that should keep them active for as long as they wish to pursue this career. You probably wouldn't have guessed it based on this first effort though, Out Of Body showing clear signs of still finding their voices. Frankly, there's little on here that would distinguish them from most up-and-coming synthwavers of the early '10s (and boy were there ever a lot of 'em, believe you me).

Yeah, Tony's guitar solos are present, but far from the prominent feature they would become. In fact, of the fourteen tracks (plus an intro), only five of them have a proper shred-out moment, and only at the climax of a given track. If there's any guitar leads or rhythm support, it's quite buried in the mix, which wouldn't surprise me given that Out Of Body does have that unfortunate bricked mastering a lot of synthwave used early on.

So this may not be Dance With The Dead as they became, but there's still a lot of fun synthy tunes on hand, some brisk, others slowed, a few epic, others sombre, and even a little disco-dancey. Erm, maybe too much, the album dragging a little by the end. Nice of them to pare their LPs down some later on, but hey, growing pains.

Various - Fabric 69: Sandwell District

Fabric: 2013

I've feigned surprise over some of the Fabric CDs that ended up on the used market, but I cannot deny legitimate shock at this one. I'll grant recollection's a bit hazy nearly a decade on, but wasn't Sandwell District's contribution to the series hailed as one of the 'crowning achievements' or something? For sure I remember a lot of hype and promo surrounding it because, goddamn, how are you gonna' forget cover art looking like this? Almost as striking as that one with the octopus on a dude's head. More than that though, most of the major 'zines covered fabric 69, so how could one not just assume Sandwell District was a Very Important conglomerate in the world of techno?

Actually, I'm not sure how accurate that is. Yeah, the label developed a feverish cult following throughout the '00s, but you can say that about any ol' techno label. The main players within the group – Karl O'Connor, Peter Sutton, David Sumner, and Juan Mendez – had all been involved in '90s minimalist techno one way or another (aliases Regis and Function the most famous of the lot). They certainly cultivated a particular sound on their label, keeping the classic, cavernous minimal style alive while other scenes became obsessed with Ableton micro-edits and white noise wank. Then, as Ostgut Ton overtook everything, Sandwell District looked primed to join them as brothers-in-arms. Except they disbanded soon after, everyone going their separate ways, some retreating from the spotlight altogether. And hoo, what a more perfect way to crystallize that cult status than that, eh?

Maybe that's why I've seen mostly lukewarm responses to fabric 69. Fans of Sandwell District wanted an exclamation mark on their legacy, a triumphant modus operani that solidified everything they held noble and true about the group. What they got instead was an interesting minimal techno mix that's more about audio space and head journeys than anything worth rinsing out at 4am on a Sunday morning. At least, that's what I assume fans of Sandwell District wanted.

But enough of that. What's important here is what I think of fabric 69. Me, someone who really only knows of the Sandwell District legacy in passing mention. It's a'ight, I guess. I can't be certain this was the case, but it sounds like each member got to have their own little mini-set within the greater whole. Things tend to reach a narrative mini-conclusion a few times as the CD plays, resetting shortly after for a slightly different techno build while retaining a stylistic Sandwell vibe throughout.

Some tracks like Mary Velo's Detune, Carl Craig's Darkness, and Untold's Motion The Dance work as centrepieces while bits and pieces of others (too many to list) are used as the mixing glue linking everything together. It honestly took me a couple listens for this one to sink in, so I can understand how fabric 69 may have been initially off-putting for some. Even such that they'd be willing to offload it for a fiver.

Technical Itch - Progression Threat - Part One

Tech Itch Digital: 2013

A follow-up to Diagnostics. That's all we wanted. Relentless singles were nice an all, but another long-form outing from Technical Itch was what we craved. Even a consolidation of all those wayward EPs into a compilation would be dope. Just something longer than a two or three track release, feeding us those industrial-grade drums and basses. No, not those Digitally Ascended mini-albums, that's the wrong genre. Heck, the wrong scene, no matter how much d'n'b and dubstep were getting chummy. We was hungry for that darkstep dining, and wanted Technical Itch to keep feedin' us, and feedin' us, and feedin' us with full-course meals.

Ask (beg?), and you shall receive, Mark Caro giving us not one, not two, but three servings of Progression Threat. I wouldn't call these full-blown proper albums like Diagnostics, but at ten tracks each, is plenty 'nuff of the rough and rugged jungle business for folks that need their d'n'b fixes in larger than single-serving portions.

And yes, I'm not calling Progression Threat a proper-proper album roll-out on the same level as Diagnostics. If this were, in fact, a real-real album, there would have been a vinyl roll-out, maybe a box-set with CD option, the whole shebang. Yeah, yeah, the whole point of Tech Itch Digital was to release things primarily in a digital format, but even in ye' olde year of 2013, enough folks would divvy up dollars for hard copies, guaranteeing a return on a run of records. Anyhow...

I know Mr. Caro has flitted about other jungle styles over the years, but when opener Sun Eater, um, opens, I almost thought we'd be in for something on the atmospheric tip. Such a tranquil pad refrain, calm and floating, as though gazing upon Sol from afar. No, wait, here come some menacing overtones, a feral bassline, aggressive drums. Oh no! It's Unicron, come to eat the sun! I should have known better than to expect 'dolphin d'n'b' from an album with titles like Oblivion Survival, Soul Gritter, and Day Sleeper on it.

Jokes aside, this was definitely the Technical Itch, erm, itch that needed scratching after my dashed expectations following Digitally Ascended, Vol. 3. From there we get a nice variety of aggro thrashers (the aforementioned tunes; Code Weave), twitchy tech-steppers (Progress Trap, the titular cut), Led-heavy stompers (Someone Else), and... Gosh, is that a stab at Squarepusher jazz-fusion in My Being? Like, not quite so spastic cut-up as Jenkinson can go, and Mark does bring the beef later in the track, but still, a nice divergence from the norm.

And that's all there is to Progression Threat – Part One. Yeah, little need for deep analysis here. It's Mark Caro dropping nine tracks of what he does best, with one spicy outlier for flavour. Are the other Progression Threats the same? I don't know, I haven't heard them yet. For now, this was enough to sate my appetite. Besides, there's a full-course meal about to get served soon.

La Luz - It's Alive

Hardly Art: 2013

That there would be modern bands making early '60 rock music isn't surprising. They've been doing that since the '80s. But while the surfer style has received minor bumps of recognition over the decades (thanks, The B-52's and Quentin Tarantino), it's never seen anything close to a real revival, forever remaining this quirky niche thing. Still, I'd totally expect a band or three to have their stabs at it, and Bandcamp has proven it to be so. What I hadn't counted on was one of those bands – indeed, one of the highest rated ones – would be an all-girl group called La Luz.

And I know that comes off completely sexist on my part, because I honestly did not even consider this could be a thing. A lady or two in a band, sure, no problem, but for whatever reason (one of its originator's being named Dick?), surf rock has forever remained an extremely male-dominated genre of music. What's great about La Luz, though, is they don't come off like a gimmick in the slightest. Yeah, they're a unique quartet in a relatively obscure music scene, but that's just circumstantial. No one would have bat and eye if they'd gone punk or country instead (well, fewer). It just so happened they were into making these kinds of tunes, and the world of dreamy surf jams is all the more richer for it.

I suppose you could say La Luz isn't a strict surf rock band either, blending somewhat into that nebulous indie dream pop world. The vocal harmonies are certainly there, and I'm sometimes reminded of Khruangbin when they slow the tempo down some. And Khruangbin has that 'lazy times in beach-fronted tiki lounges' vibe going for them, which is surf adjacent, right? Gotta' relax after hitting those waves, dude.

Anyhow, that's beside the point. La Luz has a drummer, a bassist, an organier, and a guitar lead with that distinctive 'splashy' reverb you can't help but think of when surf rock comes to mind. Some light shredding too, though obviously nothing to the level of Dick Dale. Nor is there any need for Shana Cleveland to go there, her guitar strums fun and jammy when called upon, while Alice Sandahl gets occasional turns for solos on the organ too. It's Alive breezes by at eleven songs long, flitting between the peppy upbeat rockers and dreamy downtempo ballads. It may be surf rock with modern indie rock overtones, but it still feeds that need of mine to hear-

No, I can't hide it any longer. There's another reason I dig the La Luz style, something entirely geographical. See, they hail from Seattle, which has somehow imparted a rather... foggy aesthetic, I want to say? Like, surf rock typically has a very sunny, southern California feel to it, but listening to this, I imagine the waves of Tofino instead, surrounded my misty mountains overgrown with thick rainforests. Such an easy sell for a West Coast lad like myself, that.

DJ 3000 - Besa

Motech: 2013

This is the last of the six-CD bundle I got from Motech's Bandcamp, though not the album I thought I'd yet to write about. Okay, DJ 3000's Besa was in that collection too, but what I mean is there was another disc I thought was supposed to be in there, Lionel Weets' Stellar Orchestra. Indeed, it's in the bundle's list of albums, but for some reason, I was sent Galactic Caravan instead. At least, I think that's what happened? It's been so long now. Did I maybe get it, but somehow lost it before I could do a rip of it? No, I wouldn't have done that, no way no how (no... way... *twitch-twitch*). And it's not like I can verify it through Bandcamp, since those CD bundles don't include the download with your purchase. If it did, my Bandcamp collection would be nearly double its size from Cyro Chamber releases alone!

Also, I kinda' forgot about this one, or had it so far in the back of my mind that it never occurred to me that I'd be reviewing Besa as well as Sälis. Maybe I wouldn't have burned through so much detailing of both albums in the Sälis review if I had, but then I never did get around to listening to this one either. Or if I did, I totally forgot about it until now. It all goes back to that 'all you can eat buffet smoothie' experience of digesting these CD-bundle purchases. C'mon, that was a great analogy, no way I wasn't gonna' use it again!

Honestly though, I just don't think Besa is as good of any album as the other two I've heard from DJ 3000. There are good tracks on here, but that's generally all they come across as: tracks. Not even 'peak-hour' tracks either, but those tunes that lead-up to the peak-hour tracks. Say, one or two before, but not necessarily the warm-up ones either. They're just so darn loopy, is the issue, which is kinda' the point of tech-house such as this. Work that groove, work that vibe, then move onto the next track. There are little builds within them too, but they don't really explode or put an exclamation point on whatever's been introduced earlier. I'm hesitant to say they flatline, since that suggests there's no pulse in these jams, but I never feel like I'm going anywhere while listening to Besa as a whole. Galactic Caravan had remarkable vitality and sense of journey (hence why I went and checked for more from Mr. Juncaj), while Sälis showcased enough variety for an engaging listen throughout.

Can't really say the same about Besa though. Yeah, some tracks are peppier than others, while a few more highlight DJ 3000's nifty use of ethnic drumming. Yet they're all structured relatively the same, not even room for a breakbeat or downtempo cut until the very last one. You'd think this was just a singles compilation, which is funny considering that's what Sälis technically was.

Various - Balance 024: Danny Howells

Balance Records: 2013

Did I misremember things? Wasn't Danny Howells part of some famed group, like Nick Warren with Way Out West or Darren Emerson with Underworld? There was Science Department (with Dick Trevor) and Squelch (with Tim Cook), but neither released more than a handful of singles, much less timeless, genre-defining club anthems. Maybe it's just the name “Danny Howells” looking like the most typical of British names you'd find in the credits of so much '90s Britronica.

But nay, Mr. Howells main avenue of revenue is disc jockeying, also among the newer breed of prog DJs that came up in the wake of Sasha and Digweed's dominance. He became a regular contributor to the Renaissance series, did occasional spots for Global Underground, plus had his own short-lived outings called Nocturnal Frequencies (no, not Nokturnel). When those respected series fell by the wayside, Balance was there to scoop up the alum for a rinse out on their brand, and Danny was no less tempted within.

At which we find ourselves at an interesting juncture within the prog-osphere. The dark, tribal sound of yesteryear was long gone, the 'minimal' bandwagon derailed into a ditch, and no clear future of where things would go next. No longer so counted on to be clubbing tastemakers, jocks like Danny could indulge themselves down less-travelled roads, and with Balance still holding onto some rep' as being the series to do as you wish, Danny does indeed.

First though, the obligatory nitpick of both sets: these are some soft-ass beats here. Like, real mellow music, with such smooth mixing even the peaks and valleys are edged down to rolling hills. There are times when I wished things could crank up another notch or three, but it is what it is. If Mr. Howells is feeling chill in his aging years, who am I to complain about tunes kept at a relative simmer.

CD1: That is the disc where Danny does his most exploring, providing tunes that work in small bunches but don't coalesce into a narrative whole. Going from future garage to deep tech to techno to deep house isn't the daftest of directions, and the tunes doing the work all sound fine. I just sense these are tracks being played for their own sake, because Mr. Howells had them, wanted to showcase them, but lacked the time and space to do the styles more justice. It doesn't help that CD2: This starkly contrasts with its laser-focused celebration of all things space disco.

We've heard spots and hints of this stuff in previous Balance sets, but the opening half of disc two goes whole hog on the glittery cosmic funk. Somehow, Danny even throws in Balearic touches, such that you feel like you're disco dancing on an Enceladus beachfront overlooking Saturn's rings. Even when he detours for some de-e-e-ep house (Brotherland) and classic prog (Pages), he brings it back with a pair of Prins Thomas remixes. Overall, a lovely outing, and quaintly retro at a breezy fourteen tracks.

SiJ - Vale Of Forgotten Sounds

Ancient Language Records/Reverse Alignment: 2013/2015

Why raid a label for just one SiJ album when you can get two? Probably because you've gotten all the remaining hard copies of his albums, digital version the only option left for older ones. And because you've some bizarre hate-boner against ever buying digital when physical versions exist, you skip the other albums, forever denying yourself music you know you'll enjoy irrespective of format its played from. Boy, it sure is a good thing I'm not like that! Such a person sounds a right bellend to be around. (*cough*)

Thus, in my last round of Reverse Alignment purchases, I figured it was as good as any time to round out my my collection of albums SiJ released through the label. Vale Of Forgotten Sounds was the first that did, and among the earliest of the dark ambient print's releases. So small wonder its initial, uncertain fifty copies run sold out, despite not being that far into the past. Nice of Reverse Alignment to up their limited runs to at least triple-digits worth now, thus avoiding selling out all too soon with future releases. You can never be too certain of which artists or albums may turn into must-have dark ambient classics, fetching ungodly mark-ups on the collector's market.

Vale Of Forgotten Sounds may have been SiJ's debut with Reverse Alignment, but the album actually came out a couple years prior, digitally released on Ancient Language Records. Not one to let an album languish solely in the domain of ones and zeroes, Mr. Sikach self-released a CDr option, which included a few more tracks not on the original one. Huh, a CD having more tunes than the digital version. As it should be. Anyhow, that was reason enough, out of all his prior works, for Reverse Alignment to choose this particular album for a proper CD re-issue. And now here I am resorting to the digital version of this re-issue, because the CD all sold out. Something seems askew.

As for what sort of inspiration SiJ was drawing from in creating Vale Of Forgotten Sounds, apparently these pieces were made for the 2014 Ambient Music Festival held in Sevastopol. That would why the first few tracks are of a more calming, relaxing nature for a supposed dark ambient release. Yeah, SiJ has often flitted with the melancholy side of the genre, but tracks like Serenity and Forgotten Skramell are very pleasant pieces of gentle pads and timbre – could easily fit within Databloem's catalogue. Even the more mysterious, melancholy compositions like Hysjer and Springtide don't come off so suffocating as other examples of this style go.

But then Path Through The Swamp comes in with all manner of choking, abrasive field recordings and tones, Le Temps des Cathedrales lays the oppressive tones thick, and you're abruptly reminded that, yeah, this is still a dark ambient release. Still, Vale Of Forgotten Sounds offers a nice variety of the various forms it can take, even the softer variants.

DJ 3000 - Sälis

Motech: 2013

I've talked plenty about Motech now (CD bundle purchases help), but it's been a long while since I've gotten back to the man who started it all, Franki Juncaj, in more ways than one. Mr. 3000 was my introduction to Motech, and though I never really followed up on Galactic Caravan until way later, it seems fate (or self-imposed alphabetical constraints) has denied me the chance to return to his musical output. At least until I've given some of his label mates a little shine first. This isn't the last of my Motech material though, another release lurking somewhere along the line. Damned if I can remember what it was.

Have I mentioned buying so many bulk deals in, erm, bulk binges is highly counter-intuitive to actually digesting so much substance in single sittings? It'd be like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet and grabbing one sampling of everything, but putting it all into a blender and slurping it down as some bizarre smoothie concoction. Sure, you've now technically sampled everything, but it's all mushed together into one singular taste. Okay, maybe it's not like that, but damn, what an analogy, eh?

Anyhow, Sälis was the album DJ 3000 released a few years after following Galactic Caravan. Or was that Besa? Both were released the same year, and some promo around the time claimed Sälis was instead a compilation of various digital releases. Sifting through Lord Discogs' database, however, reveals most of these tracks are unique to Sälis alone, save three cuts off the Moroccan Mint Tea EP. Sälis did initially have a Japan-only release, so perhaps it was intended as a compilation for that market, but wound up being a regular ol' album after the fact? Who knows at this point, doubt it matters half a decade on.

What I do know for sure is Sälis was produced when Franki returned to Detroit after some time spent in Europe. Being back in the techno mecca rekindled his faltering muse, from which the album takes its namesake (solace, so to speak). That chiller mindset resulted in an LP that's not quite so dynamic and boisterous as Galactic Caravan, but has its fair amount of choice ethnically-tinged tech-house on offer too. Tracks like Fade Away and Gateway To Mumbai throw in the requisite tribal rhythms, chants, and desert harmonies, while tunes like Shota and Lutë are more subtle about it, letting the Detroit vibe override anything ethnic.

And though there are plenty of uptempo, peak-hour tech-house tunes on offer, DJ 3000 tends to go deeper throughout, treading into the domain of deep-tech, but good! Like, obviously it would be, no European monotony in this Detroit alum's veins. I'd almost fit this with the same style of deep house/tech as whatever Dirtybird often churns out, though less silly about it. Overall, perhaps not the best starting point for folks getting into DJ 3000 – I still rate Galactic Caravan above this - but a worthy album/compilation/whatever from the man behind Motech.

Cosmic Replicant - The Nature Of Life

Altar Records: 2013

This is about where I feel Cosmic Replicant truly came into his own as an artist, which is funny considering it, too, lacks much of style that initially drew me to Pavel's project. Who knew when I started digging deeper into his discography there'd be so much more to discover? He almost reminds me of another Altar Records alum, AstroPilot, in how diverse his various albums have been. Of course, in this early portion of his career, Mr. Shirshin is still playing by the usual psy-chill rules, but even here there are hints of the paths he'd later take.

For instance, the bleepy ambience that had me swooning over Mission Infinity pops up in the track Technological Era. Yeah, it's an appropriate title, definitely of a colder, harsher nature compared to the rest of an album quite fixated on the wonders of organic life. Where else am I gonna' get my acid fix though? Still, those expecting the sophomore effort from Cosmic Replicant to be more of the same as Future Memories had to be caught off guard by that sonic detour. Perhaps, but probably not so much as with Microscopic Structure, which dabbles in that trendy dub techno genre the lads at Ultimae Records were all on about. Hey, a one-off cut's not such a bad thing on an album clearly stretching beyond the norms of one's current scene, but a full record of it wouldn't fit well with the Altar manifesto. Just as well, then, he hooked up with Pureuphoria Records to scratch that particular itch on Landscapes Motion. Uh, nothing here suggests the pure prog-psy outing of his self-released Soul Of The Universe album though. Guess Altar wasn't having any of that from Cosmic Replicant one way or the other.

And now I feel bad because I feel like I've already run out of things to say about The Nature Of Life. What else can I say? As mentioned, it's Future Memories, but better. It has the bookened ambient pieces, the opener Somewhere Beyond more on a dub-drone tip, the closer Rebirth Of Nature opting for the Solar Fields happy feel-good bliss-times vibes. In between those you have the usual assortment of psy-chill (Living Particles, Molecular Compound) chill psy (Song Of The Forests, Morning Horizon), and whatever Sunnarium is. It almost sounds like it wants to be IDM, but just can't quite shake free of the psy shackles. Gosh, makes me wonder whether Pavel started exploring that domain in his more recent releases. Guess I'll find out soon enough!

Oh yeah, as with Distant System, I went and purchased the near-entirety of the Cosmic Replicant digital discography as found on Bandcamp. He's remained quite active since his last album on Altar Records, four items released since 2015. I suppose I could listen to them now and confirm any new developments in his songcraft, but I prefer savouring the anticipation. There aren't many artists left that make it worth my while to wait a little longer, y'know.

Cosmic Replicant - Future Memories

Altar Records: 2013

Now that I've unshackled my restraints in consuming music of a digital-only nature, it's only appropriate that I go back to those labels and releases I stubbornly skipped. For sure prints like Ultimae Records and Silent Season were tops on my 'must-fill' list, but let's not overlook good ol' Altar Records in this discussion. They've release many CDs this past decade, but offered a significant amount of digital items too, mostly singles and EPs. A few full-length items were in this mix though, typically from artists just breaking out, and thus likely an uncertain investment from the label. At least, that's how I assume it went down with Cosmic Replicant's signing on Altar Records, his first two LPs never receiving the CD treatment. In fact, Mission Infinity remains his lone hard copy album, a shame given a ten-album discography to his name. I likes me some Cosmic Replicant though, so if I wanna' hear more (and, um, support the artist), it's the Bandcamp route I must go.

Pavel Shirshin must have had a hefty chunk of music stored up before his break, as Future Memories and follow-up The Nature Of Life were released within months of each other. Comparing the two, however, it's quite clear this album had been gestating a while longer, the songcraft rather simpler and not so subtle in where his influences were coming from. Oh yeah, the Asura stylee's all over this one.

But hey, I likes me some Asura just as much as I like me some Cosmic Replicant, and even though that likesesing is coming from somewhat different origins, meeting them at the centre's not so bad either. So what if Sense Of Life reminds me some of Galaxies, or Morning Star reminds me of Celestial Tendencies. Those are dope tracks to be compared to! Not to say Future Memories is some Life²-redux – it's much too straight-forward as psy-chill to reach that lofty peak, especially for an album released half a decade later – but the sonic markers are enough that it draws me in just the same.

If you've payed attention to previous Cosmic Replicant reviews, you'll remember that Pavel has shown remarkable diversity in his various releases too (just like Asura!). This being his first album though, it's clear he's playing things safe, offering up the sort of music the Altar Records faithful would be most interested in (ain't no dub techno here). Thus we get the pure meditative ambient opener (Rise To Light) and closer (Return to Gaïa). In between there's the gradual build from dubby, psy-chill numbers (Clear Mind, Opening Lotus), the mid-album prog-psy session (Enter The Void, Sunshine Way), plus the downbeat lead-out (Future Memories, White Elephant, with acid!). As said, nothing really out of the ordinary here, the album doing what it must for the intended audience with skill and finesse. Erm, sounds kinda' boring when I put it like that, doesn't it. Fortunately, Pavel realized it too, finding a distinct voice shortly after.

The Circular Ruins and Mystified - Fantastic Journey

dataObscura: 2013

As I said, you can't go three CDs into dataObscura's discography without bumping into Anthony Kerby. As it should be, since it's his print and all. I don't know enough about the man's history to gauge whether The Circular Ruins or Nunc Stans is his primary outlet though, as they both have comparable numbers; nor have I listened to enough to gauge what differentiates each project from the other. As mentioned in my initial introduction to Mr. Kerby, he has quite the extensive catalog of music.

And yet, he may pale compared to the chap he's collaborating with on this particular release, minimalist dark-drone auteur Thomas Park. This Mystified handle lists over three-hundred releases alone with Lord Discogs, and you can add a hundred more including his various other projects. Most of this was accomplished within the past fifteen years, with items out on labels such as Treetrunk Records, Latex Records, Mbira Records, Webbed Hand Records, Enough Records, Phage Tapes, First Fallen Star, Bone Structure, We Are All Ghosts, Smell The Stench, and DumpsterScore. I'm sensing a theme here.

Anyhow, Park had worked with Kerby before, on a Nunc Stans album, so given their relentless work-rate, it makes sense they'd reconvene for another project – law of averages, and all that. This time though, they had a very specific concept in mind, and if the cover art or title wasn't a dead giveaway, you'd better turn in whatever nerd cred you thought you had. This some old school sci-fi stuff, my friends. Though I do have to ask, is that the official design of Captain Nemo's Nautilus, or just the Disney movie version? Or was the Disney model faithful to the original design? Lots of conflicting GIS returns on the matter.

While this isn't strictly a Jules Verne love-in, his works are certainly a heavy inspiration. There's also nods to other retro sci-fi outings like Forbidden Planet, and Star Trek (man, that's a deep dive with Beyond The Farthest Star), with music that befits the score of any of those properties. Naturally, opener Twenty Thousand Leagues works the cavernous dub drone as minimalist pads pierce the layers of sonic murk, all the while light tones flicker by like spritely jellyfish floating past your submersible. The World Beneath features the sort of minimalist musique concrete sounds as found in the actual 'score' for Forbidden Planet, while the track Forbidden Planet features creepy, pulsing synth sounds and drones. Meanwhile, Mysterious Island edges closer to the domain of modern classical synth drone (melody!), while Beyond The Farthest Star has something a more empty and spaced-out in mind. No matter where we go in these fantastic journeys though, we must all eventually take The Voyage Home, the final track almost melancholic in its use of orchestral strings, synth drones, and distant mechanical breaths.

Fantastic Journey isn't an essential listen – too much dawdle for long stretches – but I cannot deny coming away from it feeling like I've seen things you wouldn't believe.

Advanced UFO Phantom - Alliance Of Worlds

Werkstatt Recordings: 2013

What's funniest about this EP is its alphabetical placement in my music directory. I've just completed a run of three 'alien' albums, plus there's a fourth one I reviewed a couple years ago (Nacht Plank's Alien). Come to think of it, it wasn't too far back that I'd revisited Alien Project too (cringe), so there's definitely something of an extra-terrestrial nature lurking in this lump of music of mine. Heck, might there have been some Greys lurking in Air Farina too, some unidentified flying thing that come down from sky? This particular release doesn't have 'alien' in its title, yet here it is, appearing in the list just a couple items after all the others. And I find that hilarious because with cover art like that, you'd just assume Alliance Of Worlds a shoo-in for hanging out with its alien brethren. Not quite, standing between them a pair of robots, a local rocker, some ancient mystics, and those Irish dudes who just won't go away.

That's all I really got for this EP. No, wait, this was also Werkstatt's ninety-ninth release, one shy of hitting the big one-double-oh. Of course, the Greek label is up to three-hundred-five now, but it's always a special moment when you first hit that triple digit achievement. Goodness though, I don't remember what my one-hundredth CD was. For sure I was buying music at a respectable clip for a teenager with almost no significant income, but it wasn't until I started working at a music shop that I truly began indulging my musical consumption habits. My guess it was something from Moonshine. My one-thousandth CD, then? Ah, hm, I don't remember that one either, and it couldn't have been more than a year or two ago that I got it. It all comes in such waves and bunches now.

Anything else? Ooh, the one-hundred-one item in Werkstatt's catalogue was GosT's debut EP, Nocturnal Shift, so that's kinda' cool. Oh, you mean about this release I'm supposed to be reviewing. Well, as Rorschach As Voiced By It'sJustSomeRandomGuy would say, “Hrrm.”

I honestly have nothing to work with here. There's zero information of who Advanced UFO Phantom is, not even a brief blurb on the Bandcamp page. For all I know, this could be Werkstatt head Toxic Razor under another alias. He/She/They/Being-From-Beyond appeared on that Aeon Nemesis compilation I'm sure y'all have already forgotten about, but didn't offer anything worth a namedrop there.

And so it is with Alliance Of Worlds, a four-track EP that musically failed to grab my attention. The titular opener, at not even three-minutes long, is chipper, Alien Combat and Oblivion Oracles Of Beta Orionis work more a New Beat groove, while Empyrean Star opts for a chill closer. It all just sounds like so many other under-produced sci-fi synthwave offerings from this label though, with little unique to say about it. Alien Combat does have a decent New Beat stomp to it, but that's the extent of anything I can recommend about this release.

Moss Garden - Understanding Holy Ghosts

Kaico: 2013

And... we're back to our regularly scheduled ambient excursion via Lee Norris mailing list Bandcamp giveaway! No, no, don't all go cheering all at once, I know how much y'all yearn for me to endlessly wax the bull about dreamy pads, droning layers of timbre, and fuzzy, crackly field recordings. We all have our lanes, our strong suits, our specialties, and for me, this is apparently it. I did not ask for this responsibility – nay, it was foisted upon me, when my ears perked towards the digital winds that binds everyone's interwebs into that which is the grand tubular info super-highway. And as I carry on checking out these musics that Mr. Norris remains a generous gent over, it seems appropriate that I finally return to the project that first clued me into his music, Moss Garden.

Okay, technically I came into contact with his sonic souffle when I got that fantabulous, instipicuous Pete Namlook tribute box set, where he appeared twice as Ishqmatics and Autumn Of Communion. Had no clue who he was at that point though, indeed the main names luring me in old familiar favourites. Man, when I look back at that box set now, and all the artists I've come to learn of since, it feels like Die Welt Ist Klang's become an ambient advent calendar, where I'm slowly ticking off each artist.

Anyhow, despite that box set being my initial lure, I did peruse Carpe Sonum's catalog for anything else that caught my eye, of which the Moss Garden album In The Silence Of The Subconscious did. That was in fact Moss Garden's second LP, their first coming out a year prior on the Japanese sub-label Kaico (that print's first release, apparently – crazy that it was done by a foreigner group). While not vastly limited in its run, it's was still scant and obscure enough that there's no way I'd get to snag a copy for myself, so yay on Lee Norris for providing it this way to hear now!

And might I say, Understanding Holy Ghosts is a smidge better than In The Silence Of The Subconscious? Obviously any album that opens with a track titled No Prayers For The Mosquito is ace in my books (die, blood suckers, die!), but I feel there's more interesting songcraft in this album. Obviously both make wonderful use of dreamy, dubby pad work and droning timbres, though the second album rather blended together throughout. However, each composition in Understanding Holy Ghosts has a unique element standing out from its brethren. Overlooking Oceans has a soft rhythmic clatter as though you're traversing a railroad or bumpy road bridge. Ritual Solitaire and Structures Of Patience features lethargic, dubby metallic percussion, the latter time-stretched into a sonic haze as gentle choir and string pads blanket you. As for that melody in The Fabric Of Sentinal... dear God, my heart turns to melted butter on a fluffy waffle topped with cinnamon icing sugar. Bliss, is what.