Araceae - Nothing Will Last

Faint: 2022

Techno can be an uncompromising genre on the psyche. The robotic rhythms, the mechanical fetishism, the dehumanizing concepts, all notions leaving some feeling spent and depleted at a psychological level. The original Detroit maestros, they understood this 'duality' quite well, always looking to find the humanity in technological dystopia, but others sought to take things down the dankest, dark alleys you could find sexbots and cyborgs strung out on circuit boosters.

So it seemed was the lane Ryan Malony made for himself under the alias Uun. Though he technically traversed in dub techno's domain, it was less atmospheric in the ambient sense, going harder and grittier as you'd expect in a post-Berghain realm (think Black Asteroid). He farmed his music about several labels, some via his own means (Ego Death... *sigh* Another into the Bandcamp bookmark folder...), even getting a nod from Soma Quality Recordings. Maybe though, just maybe, all that unfeeling techno left Mr. Malony anxious, a desire to flex his muse away from something so primal and raw.

Ambient then, but he couldn't just abandon da' beats, so how about dub techno of that atmospheric vein? Sure, let's go with that, and wouldn't you know it, there's a label promoting the stuff too! Ultimae? Silent Season? Heck, DeepChord (got a Soma connection there)? Nope, going with Faint instead, the offshoot of Warmth's Archives print. Ah, well guess that'll do. Besides, Agustín needs more artists on his sub-label so it doesn't come off as a pure SVLBRD showcase.

This is the third album Ryan's released as Araceae, and possibly the most melodic of them. While Lunae Semita mostly stuck to your traditional 'dub techno as found on an ambient dub sub-label' style (a very particular niche), second LP Resonance Of The Absolute went harder and darker, the sort of sound you'd expect as the 'experimental' side-project of Uun. So it makes sense that Mr. Malony would wrap around to something resembling tonal harmony and, dare I say, relaxing mood music – can't knock those subtle chirping bird field recordings, even if the cover art is about as barren as frozen wastelands can be.

And Nothing Will Last starts out as you'd expect from a Faint release: ultra lush padwork, crisp atmospherics, and just enough of a rhythm to register as a heartbeat. Ryan definitely has that Archives aesthetic on lock. After an ambient interlude in Christmas Shadow (about as much an interlude as a four-and-a-half minute long track can be), the album gets more cinematic in the back-half with prominent use of orchestral strings and richly textured piano chords. Then final track Three Years basically gets its neo-trance vibes on, eleven minutes of simple escalating chords and arps over steadily building techno rhythms. It's a lovely piece of music, but kinda' sticks out in stark contrast to everything that came before, the thick sonic textures scaled back. Then again, you could say the same thing about most of Ryan's work as Araceae compared to Uun.

N:L:E - Macro Ambient & 2

Liquid Frog Records: 2020/2022

Y'know, when I think 'Macro Ambient', I'm thinking, like... MACRO. Ambient music that's almost the opposite of what its original aim t'was. Synth pads and droning harmonics so upfront and in yo' face, you're almost overwhelmed by it. Nothing so ignorable such that it could ever dissolve into wallpaper music or abstract conceptualization. Ambient so overwrought, you wonder how it could ever be technically classified as ambient music, beyond its beatless nature. So Dennis Huddleston's 36 project, then. Yeah, pretty much.

Was I expecting that going into N:L:E's duo Macro Ambient releases? Not really, no. Of the various sonic avenues I've heard Mr. Giacovino explore now, going something as 'maximal' as the Dreamloops series was never on the radar. For sure he could lay some dronescapes on rather thick, particularly several of his Caravan Of Healing Sounds releases, but to really tug at those heavenly, emotional heartstrings too? As I said, not typically the lane Juan Pablo traverses.

So I was honestly surprised when I did hear something that gets pretty darn close almost right from the jump. Macro Ambient 1 starts with gradually emergent bleepy notes, soon joined by a requisite pad that sounds rather like an ethereal flute or similar woodwind. Really lovely stuff, but also remarkably familiar too. It didn't take me long to remember whear I heard it too, a tune so memorably burned into my membrane from repeated plays. T'was towards the end of Moss Garden's The Fabric Of Sentinel, a dang-near perfect capper on their debut album Understanding Holy Ghosts. Is it one-for-one? Not quite, no, but darn close enough that I can't help but suspect Juan Pablo was at least inspired by it, if only subconsciously (he had to at least be aware of it, given he's come within the orbit of Lee Norris now). Or maybe it's a certain preset common in synths ambient producers use, which just happens to sound dang-near perfect when played in a particular chord sequence.

That's about the biggest talking point I have for Macro Ambient though. The first four tracks mostly build upon that, though recede deeper into the more meditative side of N:L:E's muse, 4 bringing back more of the bleepiness while going extra 'macro' for a climax (re: adds some beats). The second of these two releases surprisingly brings some variety among its four tracks, each track distinct from the other rather than continuations of the same theme. 5 is the most typical of a chill N:L:E cut, but 6 gets almost electro, beats incredibly crisp and punchy compared to his usual dubby rhythms. Almost reminds me of the Subnautica score. Following that is a twenty-two minute long pure ambient outing, nothing 'macro' about it beyond its length, while 8 gets back to more standard N:L:E fare, just on the proper dubby side of things.

I guess between the two, I liked the second one more, just for the variety. But man, the way that first one triggers my memories... So it goes.

Filteria - Live With The Lag

Suntrip Records: 2022

I'm honestly surprised Mr. Tzikas had such a significant gap between albums, nearly a decade long. Right, he did put out that K.O.B. record between his two most recent Filteria LPs (wow, is it weird calling the twelve year old Lost In The Wild 'recent') but I'm confident most folks don't really count that.

And yes, as your keen eyes undoubtedly caught, both these albums are currently slotted one after the other in my alphabetical queue, which tempted me to maybe do a double review of them just to plug on through. However, the fates intervened, or rather a Reader Request did, slotting something else between Live With The Lag and Lost In The Wild. Guess I'll have to give each record their due, but given how influential yet skint Filteria releases have become, is perhaps fair.

So what to say about this one? Well, as said, it's fairly recent, less than year old when I bought that CD. Not that age has much of anything to do with anything when it comes to neo-goa, so many releases quite dedicated to sounding as '90s as they can get away with. And boy is Live With The Lag no exception, all the usual namedrops of Etnica and Pleiadians springing to mind with this. Understandable with Conquer Gravity though, as they actually contribute to the track.

Speaking of, some of their old stuff's gotten a remaster again, both the debut Pleiadians album I.F.O., and the Etnica album Alien Protein in another massive triple-disc bundle. And guess who's handling the distribution of those! Man, I know I've gorged myself on Suntrip to a ludicrous degree but that 30 Years looks mighty tempting...

Oh, sorry, Filteria. Yeah, I honestly don't have too much to say about Live With The Lag that isn't a repeat of other Suntrip reviews. This is all solid stuff, plenty of energy among the nine cuts, all doing all the things you'd expect of the sound. Some lay the acid on thicker (Crimefighter Frog), but most stick with squelchy synth leads keeping the energy always on the up and up. I was actually listening to this while working the elliptical machine for the first time in many months, and it was definitely the perfect music to keep my pace up. Heck, had to reign it in a little, not wanting to exceed my recommended heart rate after so long away from doing that particular workout.

That's the problem with Live With The Lag though. It's great music for in the moment of doing something rigorous and active, and not much else. Little really stuck with me beyond some of the usual gimmicks you can expect (key change at a climax here, a funny twisting of a synth sound there) and while I understand this is primarily a 'go-go-GO!' type of goa album, it flatlines the whole listening experience too. Or I dunno', maybe I'm just tempering expectations knowing I'll be doing another Filteria album in short-order.

Bias & Jose Diaz - A Life Story

Espacio Cielo: 2022

I have to confess to some burnout. Oh, not so much for this blog, the recent gap of reviews more due to seasonal allergies kicking my ass than anything. No, I'm talking about Discogs submissions, mostly of the N:L:E variety. I used to be pretty gung-ho about contributing to the Lord's tomes, but gads, there's just so much redundancy in some discographies, it kinda' makes the eyes go bleary, y'dig? Especially when it feels like you're the only one doing it, and for but a scant few souls who care.

What does this have to do with A Life Story, then? This digital single comes care of Espacio Cielo, a net-label that was already two years old by the time I'd stumbled into them on Bandcamp. When I went to scope out their Discoggian data, I was shocked to find very little had been added to their page, and was happy to contribute VVAA – The Sky Sampler Vol. 2 after I did my review of it. I thought, by the time I'd get to A Life Story from Bias & Jose Diaz, surely this print would have amassed more interested folks into their fold.

And maybe they have, but you sure as shit wouldn't know it from their Discogs page, remaining as bare as I last visited it eighteen months prior. It's not like they folded either, consistently releasing music in all this time, just recently celebrating a five year anniversary with a three-hundred n' sixty track bundle of their catalogue. They got the material, just for whatever reason, not the obsessive fanbase anxious to submit their details to the most comprehensive online music database.

And sadly, I can't say I'm up for the task either. I like what I've heard out of Espacio Cielo, but I know jack and squat about any of their featured artists, to say nothing of needing to do the arduous work of verifying them against all other, similar-named artists already existing in Lord Discogs' tomes. Especially ones with names as generic as Bias and Jose Diaz. Okay, I'm sure they're fine chaps, but seriously, just try searching for either at Discogs.

Anyhow, A Life Story. The duo bring two versions of the titular track, an Italo Mix that feeds into Espacio Cielo's fondness for nu-italo vibes, the Valencia Mix getting in on some extra synth solo and atmosphere. Man2.0, meanwhile, takes the track into more anthem fare, though gotta' love the extra rhythmic stretch with some flange stank thrown on.

B-side track Last Word has almost a proggy groove going for it, and is certainly moody enough for such a set, even if the production still leans retro. The remix is handled by label-head Parissior, who gets all electro-acid breakbeaty with it. A fun one, this, adding a little spicy flavor to the end of the five-tracker. Enough to give A Life Story a high recommendation? Absolutely! I don't want to still be the last soul to have bought this off Bandcamp.

N:L:E - Jamming Caravan / Digital Adventures / Live At Lofi Temple

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

Juan Pablo seldom posts notes or factoids regarding his releases, such things typically left blank on his Bandcamp pages. And I understand why, the music mostly self-explanatory by title alone. Here he was inspired by micro-fauna. This one by space. That one by ancient peoples. Another of space. Sometimes just a free-flowing composition with no particular aim beyond enjoying the process itself. Why bog the listener down with paragraphs of copy when such things are generally moot? It's clear Mr. Giacovino wears his artist's heart on his sleeve – what you hear is pretty much what he intends, no need for obscure, abstract concepts guiding you along the way.

So I was a little intrigued by the fact he included some liner notes for these Jamming Caravan releases. It was clear they were outside his usual norm, cover art featuring images of gear rather than naturalistic settings. Apparently he was just having fun with a few of his synths and such, nothing directly inspiring their use beyond whatever sounds he could make at the time. Maybe not the most luring concept among his many releases, but when you clearly have little filter in what gets uploaded to your webspace, what care is there in why the art was created beyond for its own sake. Surely some folks will like it, if not for the music itself, than for the gear used. Gear hounds love hearing their preferred tech-specs in action!

Oh, I guess I should actually mention what Juan Pablo used in these sessions, since he was so keen on sharing that info. One (1) Korg NTS1. One (1) Korg Volca fm. A Pocket Operator Pro 32 Tonic. Some NTS1 effects. “Many Other FM Virtual Synths.” How cool is that, eh? Eh? Okay, I can't fake that funk, my knowledge of gear rather limited – never got into it because good Lord is that ever an expensive hobby. I'm sure there's some folks reading this who'll be all like, “Pft, what amateur hour kiddie-toys this be, harrumph harrumph”, but scene snobs exist everywhere, no matter your niche interests. Let them be, and have fun with the toys and tools you enjoy.

And as for that all-important musical result of all this jamming? The first two Caravans feature two tracks apiece, each breaching half an hour in length (save Jamming Caravan 2, running a svelte twenty-five minutes). Yeah, these are jams alright, mostly ambient noodling with light pulsing melodies and sparse rhythms. Vintage Fax+ stuff, if you get my drift. It's pleasant enough as background music, but in being so freeform in craft, will likely only hold your attention intermittently before fading off again. The third session, Live At Lofi Temple, at least breaks things up into four parts (most lasting about a dozen minutes), each exploring different facets of the same basic musical motif. Doesn't hurt these lean more into psy-chill and dub than the lengthier outings, always good for keeping the reptile brain entertained, a fussy one to please.

Scott Grooves - ITMS (Is This My Sound)

Natural Midi: 2022

I honestly can't remember what prompted me to scope out Scott Grooves again. Though I've liked the music I've heard from him, he hasn't been high on my 'must get everything!' list of artists. Whenever I felt an itch for Detroit tech-house, I tended to drift towards DJ 3000 and his Motech roster. Granted, I haven't really returned to them either for a spell, so maybe I was just feeling fallow for anything in this vein. Could be, or perhaps the cover art of this EP caught my eye when it popped up in my Bandcamp mailing list that continuously sends me notifications.

It's definitely more distinctive among the rest of the Natural Midi releases, a portrait of the man himself drawn by “Chris The Artist”. Most items from this label tend to be minimalist and vinyl friendly, easily ignored when sifting through endless emails. With its slightly cybernetic style, however, I can imagine ITMS drawing me in for a closer look. At least, its the only reason I can think of why I checked it out. Either that, or I just had a random thought of “I wonder what Scott Grooves has been up to?” and this was his latest release at the time. Yes, that long ago now. Time flies when your rate of reviews slows down.

I also get a sense of Mr. Grooves releasing something a little more definitive here than his usual output. The chap's put out a lot, much of it serving more as techno tools or artistic indulgences. Right before this, for instance, he release a four-part mini-series of dialog pieces called Spoken Art, not to mention some forty-five tracks initially exclusive to tape called Machinik. He can be a bit all over the place, is what I'm saying, which is wonderful for satisfying one's muse, but be a bit daunting for those just looking to dabble in a discography. So if going to the source isn't quite enough for you (re: scoping out Pieces Of A Dream), then a tidy EP offering a potential look into his sound seems appropriate enough.

Though honestly, I'm not so sure how accurate this sound is to the grander Scott Grooves lexicon. I've heard some deep, minimalist material from him before, but opener Cookies & Cream is real deep, very loopy, barely bloopy, and just a little synth-sinewy. Fine as a first track, I guess, but doesn't really get the mood movin' either. Gettin Started is aptly titled, then, as the pace picks up, even if we're still in relatively deep Detroit vibes. H.O.W. (Horses On Woodward) has more a shuffly, suttery rhythm going for it, and at eight-plus minutes long, more free-flowing jam with the sparse synths used. The vibe's just as deep too, but feels better earned than the previous two. Meanwhile, closer Driven is a fairly straight-forward loopy rhythm workout – nothing too fancy, but if you needed a simple transition track in your Detroit techno set, this will do the trick.

Various - Isolated

Ultimae Records: 2022

This has been a surprisingly difficult compilation to tackle. Not so much for detailing the music within, fairly straight-forward for a latter-day Ultimae release. Not even for what I intend to say about it, the particulars again simple enough. No, the difficulty lay in sitting down and listening to the damn thing for a deeper analysis. A sort of... trepidation, if you will, in where my headspace might go as it plays. Just the title alone - Isolated - invokes feelings of being cut off and distant from your fellow man. And hey, if I'm in that specific kind of mood, I'll fire up a Cryo Chamber CD, right? Absolutely, but I want a little more from my Ultimae releases, a chance to get swept up in widescreen sonics, even if the scenery tends to be more desolate than years past.

Still, can't fault the label for putting out a compilation such as this. It's been an avenue Mr. Villuis has long been fascinated by, finally reaching its creative high-point with the Aes Dana album (a) period. May as well bring in a bunch of other fellow ambient drone and downtempo dub artists to explore it further, though having psy-chill journeyman DJ Samsara in for the compiling duties is an interesting choice. No matter how hard he tries, Vincent will never be shed of his former links to the psy scene.

So I throw Isolated on, and the first track is Solitude from ASC. Hey, James Clements making his debut with Ultimae! That's pretty dope in of itself, his style of ambient more than suitable for their 'panoramic music' manifesto – only took a decade-plus to get there. Following that, there's many familiar names making up the track list: Erot, Martin Nonstatic, Miktek, plus Aes Dana himself.

And, almost immediately, I find myself drifting off, overcome by an overwhelming urge to hibernate. Is it the music that's doing this, or am I just feeling the depths of winter doldrums, the bitter cold even reaching my relatively temperate region of the Pacific northwest? Almost certainly the latter, but man, Isolated isn't helping either. Do you now see why its been a hard one to get into? I just can't sit still with it long enough without crashing out!

It's not all minimalist synth pads and ultra-deep dub tones, Claudio PRC's Arctic Movement offering a lone 'uptempo' track even if it sounds just as sparse as everything else on Isolated. Elsewhere, Aes Dana and Miktek's Lavender brings more skittery beatsmith, the sort of style you'd probably more quickly associate with ASC, if you were doing a blind guess of who's tracks are who's on here. Beyond that, its mostly glitchy downbeat and expansive drone tones, the usual fare from Ultimae. And as always, it sounds lovely when you have the right set of gear to play it on (super-deluxe home studio, Sennheiser headphones, etc.), but loses a lot of depth on lesser equipment (earbuds, laptop speakers, etc.). Basically music best served when in exsquisite isolation.

H:U:M - Invisible Universe

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

She seems to be an invisible u-ni-verse
She reaches in, grabs hold of your soul
She seems to be an invisible un-ni-verse
The gravity force slowly tears you apart

Mm, no, doesn't quite work out like I thought it would. You know how it goes though. An idea pops in your head, it germinates for a while, contorting into something that makes some kind of sense, even as an abstraction. The only way to know you might have something, however, is to actually commit to the bit, see how it plays out, where it might take you. And for whatever reason, seeing Invisible Universe constantly had me thinking about Genesis' Invisible Touch.

Not just because the two albums are side-by-side within my music library, but something else. Something interconnected. Something that just rolls off the mental tongue. I mean, it's not like I get the same synaptic response with Voyage's Invader, Hollywood Burns' Invaders, and The Prodigy's Invaders Must Die. There's gotta' be something here, between Invisible Touch and Invisible Universe. There's just gotta'!

Oh, the music itself? Well, can't make any kind of connection there. Everybody knows what Genesis' most '80s album is all about, and that's definitely not what Juan Pablo's space ambient side project is. Come to think of it, did anyone from Genesis ever do ambient music? Surly Tony Banks did at some point, being the synth guy in the band and all. His solo stuff doesn't suggest so, running the gamut of prog rock to modern classical. Maybe Peter Gabriel then, on some b-side collection? An artist as eclectic as him must have dabbled in synth doodling.

Right, Invisible Universe. There isn't too much I have to say about it, having already covered the range Mr. Giacovino typically takes his H:U:M sessions. This is basically more of that, consisting of two 'short' tracks at the start, and two very long tracks at the other end (twenty minutes and twenty-five minutes). They do that usual N:L:E 'caravan' thing of slowly building, at times hinting more melody with shimmering synth pulses, hitting a bright crescendo, but generally staying tranquil for the duration. It's all very nice but extremely familiar to my ears by now, even with the cosmic aspect of it. Can you see why I'd be more drawn to a weird tangent into a Genesis song, then? Hmm, maybe I need another go of it?

She don't like losing, this cosmic game
And though she will mess up your life
You'll want to explore that space just the same
And now I know she has that built-in ability
To take all that you see
And now you're falling, falling for her
Deep within her invisible u-ni-verse!

No, no, I'll get there, just give it time. I've got all the time in the world. But not all the self-imposed word count in the world. Ah well, so it goes.

ALPHAXONE - The Infinite Void

Cryo Chamber: 2022

Been a while since I last talked up Mr. Saleh, 2018's Edge Of Solitude the last item I covered from him. Granted, I wrote that review a few years after it came out, but it's been a few years since then, so the point stands. It's not like he hasn't kept busy, continuously releasing albums at as steady a pace as ever. He even released an album on ...txt, under his Spuntic guise (Silent Escape), so definitely colour me intrigued by that – always neat seeing these artists cross-pollinate upon labels I'd never associate them with (Purl and Dronarivm springs to mind). So if everything seems hunky-dory in Alphaxone land, why have I not come back to him more frequently?

Honestly, I kinda' burnt myself out on him during my initial Cryo Chamber splurges. He was not only one of the label's most prolific artists in their early years, but also one of their only ones that got me itchin' to dig further. And as his records steadily drifted from outworld dimensions to cosmic soundscapes, they were diverse enough to keep me invested. With Cryo's roster expanding with more and more unique offerings, however, I felt compelled to explore those rather than stick with what I was already familiar with. Like, after seven albums from Mehdi, I was plenty sated for the time being.

Which brings me to The Infinite Void. Kind of. Sort of. Okay, not directly in any sense. It just happened to be his latest offering when I last bulk-bought from Cryo Chamber, and seemed appropriate I should check it out. Another space-themed session at that? Hell, I'm already checking out a bunch along those lines (Exo, Quasi, Beta Pictoris, Xenoplanetary), what's one more?

The Infinite Void is aptly titled, because this is one darn minimalist album of cosmic drone. Yeah, drone music is generally minimalist by default, but I'm talking quiet too, tones and timbre seldom escalating beyond a simmer of soundscape. There's ample use of Apollo mission chatter, but even that is barely audible, only the faintest traces of actual dialog discernible. For sure you know what they're saying, as the radio chatter is some of the most iconic radio chatter ever, but you only recognize it as that, nothing specific to the music (such as it is) supporting it. Like memories of mankind's greatest achievements forever drifting lost and trackless in the void above.

While there are periods of foreboding drone throughout this album, a feeling of melancholic loneliness tends to override it. With how sparsely it all plays out, however, I can't say its a terribly engaging listen, more suited for background mood than anything. That is, until the titular closer, where the horrible serenity of cosmic isolation hits you with about as many feels as anything I've heard from Alphaxone's body of work. I'm forever alone, and I'm perfectly content with it in this infinite void within my mind. Not so crushing as the Silent Universe would have you believe.

KEDA8 - Inertia

Intellitronic Bubble: 2022

Releases like this remind me why its so important that I maintain a wide variety of musical styles for my regular rotation. It's all the difference in having something sound fresh and vital upon first play-through versus just more of the same in a run of similar sounding CDs. As I've been so immersed in Suntrip Records' neo-goa for the last little while, getting back to some acid electro and techno is a godsend to my ears, at least a month since I covered any. Yet for as wonderful as KEDA8's Inertia currently sounds, I can't help but suspect, had I listened to this shortly after, say, that run of Intellitronic Bubble compilations, it wouldn't have as much initial lustre.

Which would have been a shame, because this is a darn good album, perhaps one of the best outings from this label I've heard yet. And that's saying something, considering the high pedigree most of the releases I've thus far scoped out have been. When you consider most of the artist albums I have reviewed off Intellitronic Bubble are from established names like Lee Norris, Mick Chillage, Devin Underwood, and Kenneth Werner (not to mention Futuregrapher adding his mastering touch to everything), the fact this near-unknown in KEDA8 dang nearly outshines them all in his debut is something special indeed.

Okay, Xander Brown isn't completely new, having quite a few releases already under his belt on his Bandcamp page. For some reason though, none of those have been added to Lord Discogs' tomes. Dang, does someone need to bulk-buy his Bandcamp catalogue and do the deed for him? Hmm, it's only ten releases for a fifty spot. Hhhmmmm.....

Right, I wouldn't be even thinking of this if I didn't think his music's not worth digging further. Besides, it's not like I'm hearing much on Inertia that I haven't heard before. Intellitronic Bubble prides itself on being apologetically retro with its sound, sometimes almost to a fault (that Floating In An Acid Can record, for an example). KEDA8 though, is just so damn good at this.

Like, right from the jump in Mirage, if those vintage Detroit vibes don't hook you, then I have no clue how you've been a fan of techno in any fashion. Then Nail Acid gets right into the ganky muck of back alley acid, while Precept gets about as proper electro as the Belleville Three ever did. And then Xander follows that up with trance! Okay, Prism and Proto Acid aren't really trance, but with that much melody coupled with 303s drenched in reverb, I'll allow it. Yes, I'm acting as the acid trance arbiter.

Some dubby leftfield tracks (Whale Dub, Being), something a little twee (Yuki), and something lowridin' (Auro) round things out for a tidy nine-tracker. And now I want more from KEDA8. Moar! When's that next Bandcamp Friday again...?

(note: while writing this review, I learned that Árni Grétar, aka: Futuregrapher, died from a car accident on New Year's. It's a terrible loss for everyone involved in these labels, Árni not only giving shine to many talents on the fringe of techno, acid, electro, and chill-out, but often providing wonderful mastering jobs for them too. He will be missed)

宇多田ヒカル - BADモード

Epic: 2022

(a Patreon request)

The record that finally had Resident Advisor talking up one of Japan's biggest pop stars, for what that's worth. Probably because of Floating Points' contributions to the album, especially so that Somewhere Near Marseilles closer which got everyone remembering acid house's hypnotic potential as it gestates and simmers for ten-plus minutes of improvisational groove. They might have even given Bad モード a sideways glance for the A.G. Cook tunes, what with him being among the earliest proponents of the hyperpop movement. Eh, the Skrillex track? Well, maybe if there's some Kingdom Hearts fanbois lurking.

Truthfully, I only found out about Sam Shapherd's involvement after I'd listened to this album, preferring to go into these things mostly blind. Yeah, I knew Sonny Moore was here, just because his name gets a big ol' Featuring credit tagged to Face My Fears. The rest though? Not so much, even though Floating Points is just as big a name in certain circles of electronic music (let's call them the 'prestige rags') as Skrillex is elsewhere.

When I threw Bad モード on, and started hearing the dance influences, I couldn't help but think, “Oh, Utada hopped on that retro-house revival Beyoncé's made a thing back in '22.” Never mind this album came out before the Queen B's did, that's the discourse that's permeated a few years on, not that Japan's all-time best-selling artist technically got there first.

Utada's always had an ear for the clubs though, even if stabs at American R&B didn't net the same sales results as ballads would in Japan. So hearing a steady house rhythm on Find Love or a trip-hop beat on 気分じゃないの (Not In The Mood) or a tropical house build on One Last Kiss didn't throw me out for that much of a loop, Hikaru's vocals fitting in just as snug as any traditional J-pop jangle from back in the day. Sure, I could tell whoever was producing 気分じゃないの (Sam) was adding a little extra shine on their studio talents towards the end, but it wasn't obnoxious about it. Not the Skrillex track though, Skrillexxing all over the main hook in the overproduced way so much of his music goes. Damn, if you were gonna' have stuff like that on here, why not have the guys from Wednesday Capanella come in. Eh, additional producer Nariaki Obukuro has worked with them? Well, there you go.

So a good album, definitely justifying whatever hype you've stumbled upon. Maybe even make Bad モード your introduction to Utada if you haven't played their music yet. And hey, don't take my word for it, just see what prestige rag Pitchfork has to say about it! Their opening sentence: “The path to understanding one’s identity is circuitous and without clear instructions—a never-ending process.” Geez'it, just as pretentiously odious as I remember. I closed the tab right after.

Jeannine Schulz - Humble

Polar Seas Recordings: 2022

Now there's a word that's kept me down all my life. Why couldn't I have been born with total narcissistic tendencies, throwing myself out there without a care in the world of how others think of me, deluding myself into believing everyone needs me in their lives? No, I had to be born a humble person, appreciating the positive reinforcement I receive for my creative efforts, but never actively seeking them. Humbleness may sound good for the soul, but is damn near disastrous for marketing. Unless... you can parlay that into its own form of marketing! Certainly worked for a couple famous philosophical folk, but could it in this day and age, where sociopathic influencers rule the world? Heck, I'd accept that challenge, but y'know, humble to a fault and all.

Anyhow, Jeannine Schulz. Can't find much info surrounding this German artist, but she managed herself a fairly steady musical output this past half-decade, a Bandcamp catalogue consisting of some fifty items to date. Granted, many of them are two-to-four track releases of minimalist, abstract ambient music seldom breaching twenty-minute lengths, but there are a few scattered albums about her discography too. Three of those have appeared on Polar Seas Recordings, this here Humble being her second effort for the Toronto label. That's... about all the background I have on this release. Talk about your humbleness.

As said, this is some very minimalist music from Ms. Schulz, though not without its intuitive charms. Opener Home mostly offers what you'll hear from her quite succinctly. Lots of analog churning and fuzz, a gentle tone echoing and flowing through the layers of dubby static. Eventually soft acoustic guitar strums take the lead while resonate pad drone wraps everything together. It'd almost make for the perfect closer on most albums, but we're only seven minutes deep into this forty-five minute long album.

Variety, then. Does Jeannine toy with this formula some? Ichi, The Wind Blows Over The Earth, Resting Place, and the titular track let the more melodic side of this sound carry forward. A Certain Mood And Moment and Presence go more for abstract drone. gm and I toy around with analog effects. Everything's spaced out enough so it doesn't feel like we're spinning wheels with any particular approach to her songcraft. We're still dealing with very subtle sounds though, so differences between pieces will boil down to just how much attention you're paying to it. Which sometimes defeats the purpose of the 'abstract sonic wallpaper' music ambient music of this sort intends to be.

That Home could have closed Humble wasn't just a one-time thing either - every piece was like that. Like, upon my initial playthrough, I kept thinking the album was already wrapping up after each track. Some of that may have to do with how disarming they are, putting you in a sense of ease such that you're content with your listening session. Great for sleepy-time, then.

Urban Meditation - Headspace V

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

Here's a tiny morsel of information I haven't touched upon yet, in that I only just discovered it. Apparently the whole Headspace collection wasn't released as a one-shot within a big ol' box-set. Initially, it trickled out over the course of a few months as digital items on Urban Meditation's own Bandcamp. Once all five were out, they were consolidated into a single release, finally culminating in the physical medium made available through Carpe Sonum Records.

See, if I'd been following Charles' music from the start, I would have known this, likely subscribed to his Bandcamp or whatever. But no, I follow Carpe Sonum, so didn't learn of Headspace's existence until they put the box-set together, which is where you'll find everything now anyway. So redundant info all around, which is par for the course whenever I get deep into covering Every. Single. CD. of a box-set.

Thus we come to the end of the Headspace saga, and what a journey it's- Wait a minute! It's already over? Feels like I just started! Oh, right, it's that whole 'actually writing a review every single day' thing I did there, speeding up the process. Kinda' forgot how brisk the process could be when I just focus on something rather than let a zillion ADHD distractions dominate my brain matter. Like what's happening right now!

Anyhow, Headspace V, the finale, the coda, the answer to all your lingering questions. Or, y'know, just a charming collection of ambient techno vibes. Mostly that, not really going anywhere this series hasn't gone before. There's a few more collaborations, a returning Rayspark Industries, and an added Sven Kössler, though it's Michael-Turner Craig who gets the most shine here. No, seriously, at twenty-five minutes long, Space & Time easily takes the crown for longest Headspace piece – only Mr. Urban's solo session of Cranial Atmosphere comes close, lagging a good ten minutes behind. As for the track itself, well, it's definitely got that vintage Fax+ thing going for it, in that it really meanders about in a jam session sort of way. The liner notes claim Si Matthews and Dan Armstrong hopped in as well, but they don't get a Bandcamp credit. Odd.

Oh, the track itself? Yeah, it's spacey, floaty, timey-wimey, spritely, kinda' split into two-halves. Sorry, I know a centrepiece composition like Space & Time should be the main talking point, but I just prefer the gentle ambience of In Dreams or Forever Adrift, the peppier Ocean Of Consciousness (with Sven ...and acid!), and closer Embrace's piano touches and synthy arps. Not to mention their shorter runtimes.

So that's a wrap on Headspace V, and Headspace overall. A cool collection of tunes, if at times overindulgent, though never tastelessly so. Could this have been pruned down to at least a double-LP? Sure, but we live in an age of absolute creative freedom with the outlets to present it. As Pete Namlook would say, “Just release whatever you make, bro'. Someone will like it.” [citation needed]

Urban Meditation - Headspace IV

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

Ah, here's where I thought things were headed. Honestly though, having the 'peak time' CD be the fourth one out of five does make the most sense. All the build-up leading to the climax, with a nice coda following, its a classic five-act structure, even spread out across five-plus hours of music. I guess you could treat Headspace like a streaming mini-series then, including that one episode in the middle that seems to lose the arc of the meta-plot for a time, the unnecessary bit of padding to reach an episode quota.

So if the radio telescope on the cover art wasn't a clue, technology is the theme of Headspace IV. And to make sure you know that's where we're going, the CD opens with a musique concrete ditty of various digital noises and effects, including that classic internet dial-up noise. Fair enough, but was four minutes of this really necessary? Whatever, Cranial Atmosphere properly kicks things off, and mostly follows upon similar neo-trance vibes as the Si Matthews collab's from Headspace II do. Percolating synth leads, steady techno rhythm, consistent escalation of mood and tone, and dang near sixteen minutes of it too. Again, there's some vintage Jarre songcraft going on, but this feels more modern than those seminal '70s works.

Now for this CD's guest artist, this time being Ambidextrous. Okay, second, Futuregrapher having a credit on that experimental opener, but I'm talking 'real' tracks here. I haven't kept tabs on Nick Zavriev since my mini-splurge on his music a couple years back, finding his sound at times a bit too clinical for repeated plays. He's remained active though, and Simulacrum finds him and Charles working a nice spacey electro vibe, while Thought Network towards the end gets more opulent with the synth work. Dang near overtly happy, come to think of it. Really selling that 'Utopian future' sentiment, eh? Maybe to serve as a contrast to the harsher electro between those two tracks.

Well, 'harsh' is doing some heavy lifting there. Nothing I've heard Urban Meditation would ever suggest negative or pessimistic outlooks, and the only criticism of Data Age is being somewhat aimless as techno. Information Super Highway though, ain't nothing but chipper, happy vibes with a bell melody as a lead and bouncy rhythm like that. Man, the '90s were so optimistic about our technological marvels and possibilities, weren't they.

Or maybe not, closer Searching For Connection a little more sombre and reflective as an ambient piece. That no matter our achievements in the digital realm, we'll always yearn for intimacy in meat-space. Relations not defined by scrolling and follower counts, but those all-too brief moments of soulful meaning. Gosh, when did Headspace IV turn into a Vector Lovers album?

Anyhow, this is probably my favourite of the five, though it's not without its minor issues either. Like, how does it feel shorter than the actual shortest Headspace III? One too many experimental interstitials? Weird how that works.

Urban Meditation - Headspace III

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

Well, I thought things were gonna' ramp up with each CD in this multi-disc album, and the start of Headspace III certainly portends as such. Another two-part track, the first At Home features more soft electro rhythms while bright and bold synths weave a charming melody. Actually, some of these synths are almost too garish, in the same way some early Berlin-School sounds weren't quite refined yet. Not really a deal breaker for the track overall, but I cannot deny being relieved you don't hear them as much in Part 2. And as for this track, if it doesn't get your ol' school Jarre triggers flaring, then you have some homework to do, son.

So a solid set of openers for this CD, but then Mr. Urban scales things right back with Inner Circles, a minimalist piece of ambient music with gentle piano and field recordings. Hey, it's like an urban meditation! Feels kinda' funny it took this long into Headspace to feature a track that lives up the project's name. I kid, but it is a surprising downswing in tempo from the opener, and when I spotted Canopy Of Stars as a guest feature for follow-up Lost In Thought, I started wondering if we were remaining in ambient's domain after all. Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy hearing more of Mr. Wheeldon's sense of cosmic grandeur, even as subtly tempered as they are here.

Yet after that, we're treated to another beatless piece leaning into modern classical's domain. Well, okay then, if this is how we're doing Headspace III, so be it. Just thought it'd be better to keep the momentum going after Headspace II. Like, if the whole of Headspace was to be taken as one, singular listening session, having this much downtime in the middle could lose folks. Perhaps that's the intent, offering a gentle respite where you can maybe catch a quick cat nap in this marathon of music without missing much. Or maybe one should just listen these individually as the appropriate mood arises. Which variant of Headspace ambience do you prefer this evening: the spacier I, or the more grounded III?

So you can imagine my whiplash in hearing Myriad Things going even more opulent with the synth work than At Home. Who'd think the groovy acid featured in follow-up Reflected Within would be the comedown I needed after (thanks, Si Matthews, I wager). A weird diversion from the tone thus far established in III, especially when closer Nightfall brings things right back down to piano doodling again.

There is something of a naturalistic theme going for Headspace III, whenever it goes there. Other times though, it feels like the CD that has the 'leftovers' of this whole project lumped into, the tracks that simply wouldn't fit elsewhere. Something as ambitious as this was bound to have pieces like that, especially when including collaborations with others. Does this hold true for the remaining two? Stay tuned...!

Urban Meditation - Headspace II

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

This is the part where, when doing a box-set, I wax extended info about the artists involved, or the label supporting it. Maybe even digging a little deeper into the genre itself. Y'know, anything to fill self-imposed word count as I carry on. I don't really have much more I can detail with this one though. As mentioned, Urban Meditation is a relative newcomer to this scene, having initially made his mark on some Carpe Sonum compilations before getting the green light to release full-lengths. He did float around a couple other labels after (Fantasy Enhancing, Móatún 7, that one that released the Adykt double-discer), but the Sonum crew seems to be his primary residence for now.

And as for the label itself, well, I've been covering them for almost as long as they've existed – think I was only a year behind their launch. *checks* Okay, technically two, as Carpe Sonum spent 2013 releasing a few items that got lost in the wake of Fax+'s shuttering, but I'm talking when they properly launched, with original material intended to follow the success of the monumental, compendious Pete Namlook tribute box-set Die Welt Ist Klang. Boy, it always comes back to that, doesn't it? Not with Charles Urban though, having missed the big ol' Irish wake of a musical party that was.

Was he not yet confident in his music-making ability to contribute to it? Or didn't quite make the cut? I mean, yeah, there were a lot of artists that had their tracks added, some for the first time ever having material officially released. Even with four CDs worth on non-Fax+ alum included though, some had to be left behind. Hm, makes me wonder if Mr. Urban was one such artist, and having a quintuple-LP album released is sort of Carpe Sonum's way of making it up to him. Now that's a silly conspiracy!

Anyhow, Headspace II is where things start kicking off with higher tempos. Even opener Thought Garden brings da' beats! Okay, I'm exaggerating, the rhythms mostly a light pitter-patter of electro, spritely synths and arps the main driving force of momentum. Even when things 'calm down' in follow-up Cloud Terrain (real floaty arps) and Into The Void (darker experimental piece that goes a tad too long), there's still some continued sense of pace throughout.

The centrepiece of Headspace II is easily the Si Matthews double-collab' of Dreaming Of The Stars and New Horizons, and not just because both feature a steady techno pulse as layers of synth arps dance along. Okay, it's primarily that, but also that twenty-minute plus runtime between the two tracks, which really makes the whole session feel like one long neo-trance jam. Final track Flight Home tries ending Headspace II on cosmic Berlin-School ambient grandeur, but doesn't quite hit the same hypnotic high as the Si Matthews tracks achieved. Still, a solid finish for this CD, building upon the very ambient first. Dang, just how peppy will these get?

Urban Meditation - Headspace I

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

You'd think releasing a five-LP album is utter overkill, but that's just how Urban Meditation rolls. Come to think of it, that's how a number of modern electronic music producers roll. Readily to mind comes Autechre's elseq and NTS Session runs, or even Underworld's Drift series. And who's to say any number of noodly ambient composers couldn't consolidate their two-to-three albums per year into a single package? To actually have a spiffy box-set of the stuff released, however, takes a little more gumption, not to mention the blessing of a label willing to finance said hard-copy roll-out.

Charles Urban somehow got the deed done though, Carpe Sonum Records serving up a five-CD extravaganza of Headspace. He'd already made a debut there with 20 Years In Space, an item I've had my eye on for a long time, but simply haven't committed to yet. Like, it looks right up my alley, space music and all, but perhaps that's the reason why? Too obvious a pick, so lets put that on the back-burner while I explore some other items from the label. CD of that still hasn't sold out, so I can wait it out, especially now that I've got this multidisc release from him to gorge myself in the meanwhile.

What is Headspace, then? Five albums bundled into one package, or a singular album broken up into five long-play tracks with smaller compositions within? Kinda' yes to both. Mr. Urban claims these are best enjoyed as five singular tracks, and even offers the digital option of singular playthroughs of each CD. There are tracks within each Headspace though, making them distinct albums with distinct compositions. So, a bit like those Dark Side Of The Moog sessions between Klaus Schulze and Pete Namlook, except bound together as one box-set rather than individually released albums. Have I not mentioned said artists being an inspiration for ol' Charles, even going so far as to name one of his albums The Dark Side Of The Mix? Well, this is a Carpe Sonum release, thought that went without saying.

And yes, because you can take each Headspace as its own album, I'll be reviewing Every. Single. One. Starting with Headspace I. Shocking, I know.

Actually, I don't have too much to say about it, being the most ambient of the quintet. If the space theme wasn't apparent to start, track titles like Detach – Adrift, Interstellar Dust, Voyager I, and Voyager II should clue you in. It's all very calm, introspective, with moments of grandeur, and even a little rhythmic in Voyager II.

I fear going into more details than that, however, as it may leave me with little else to review in the following CDs. Gotta' save some of that vocabulary verbosity for later. After all, I've learned the hard way that getting deep in a particular artist's sonic tricks too early doesn't leave much material for later. How many more N:L:E releases do I still have to cover again? That many? *sigh*

Nebula Meltdown - Gloria In Excelsis Lumen

Suntrip Records: 2022

This album feels all over the place. Makes me wonder if it had one concept going for it, got course adjusted on the fly, then kinda' slap-dashed for the final lap. Not that it makes for a bad album, just one difficult parsing out. With most Suntrip CDs, you know what you're gonna' get within the first couple tracks, many releases sticking to their chosen micro-niche of psy trance. I've come across a few outliers, sure, but as label standards became normalized, these tropes are well familiar to me now.

Gloria In Excelsis Lumen is different though, in that what started out as something rather unique settled into that familiarity, then took a swerve I wasn't expecting. If this all made logical sense within the context of the album, I'd be singing its high praises, but clearly I'm not, so something must have gone askew in the process. Better get into particulars before all this preamble blather begins to bore.

Things open on a fairly standard goa trance number. Nothing wild, nothing harsh, Unfolding Light a nice, little spacey number with deep atmospherics, tasteful acid, and melodic leads content riding out in the background. Oh, and dynamic range! Gotta' love hearing space between all the sounds, even with the beefy modern production standards. Follow-up Bless This Dream looks to up the tempo and energy some, but doesn't get more complicated than its predecessor, keeping things simple as the ol' school could. All well and good, but gosh, this track sure isn't letting up, and we're nearly done. Is it heading for an abrupt end? Ah, not quite, next cut The Origin picking up almost immediately after. Oh... Oh! And it's an even peppier track than the last! Dude, is this album gonna' play out like a live PA? That'll be awesome if so!

Sadly, no. The Origin ends, then we're treated to something completely different in Luminous Configuration. I was not ready for a lengthy trip into triplets, nosiree. I'll give credit for even throwing in a track like that in the middle of an album, but coming off the high energy two-combo punch of Bless This Dream and The Origin, can't help but radically alter the album's momentum.

Following that, we're treated to some fairly standard retro goa trance – the typical Suntrip fare. I figured it was the lane we'd remain for the duration of the album until another curveball is thrown, a remix of Cosmicman's Back To Unity. The name may be wholly unknown to most, and certainly is to Lord Discogs, his biggest claim to fame being a remix of Lange's Don't Think It. And yes, even with Nebula Meltdown doing a rub, this track is totally in that epic melodic trance vein you'd associate with Lange.

A titular psy-dub closer does lends credence there was some effort to making Gloria In Excelsis Lumen a complete album experience. The way it all comes together though, just feels too scattershot for that classic front-to-back listening session.

GGGG - Gazé

FireScope: 2022

Not the actual final item from the FireScope camps, but it functionally may as well be. It was the last record to feature the label's brand of vintage IDM, electro and techno, and looks to remain as such for the foreseeable future. Yeah, Kirk Degiorgio released an album of ambient doodles the following year, but that seemed like a bit of obligatory business from FireScope, not a continuation of the print's manifesto - a coda if you will. Will Steve Rutter's label ever make a comeback though? Well, he'll need to rediscover the creative spark that got it going in the first place. That... may take some time, unfortunately. Even scene veterans can feel the crushing weight of apathy, more so when you're being counted upon to give up-and-comers some increased shine.

Gabriel de Varine chose an... unusual alias for his techno work (man, I hope Google doesn't decide to flag me for it), though I don't know how dedicated to the project he is. Lord Discogs doesn't list many items to his name or any other, instead spotlighting his D.KO Records as his career highlight. A humble little Parisian print, it mostly focused on house throughout the '10s, but it wouldn't surprise me if Gab' felt as much an itch for the other side too. Create a new alias to explore it, get the attention of one of that scene's luminaries, and before you know it, you've got a spiffy double-LP on the market with a cosmic kitty on the cover art. Guess there was worse ways to spend the Pandemic Years.

As mentioned, if Gazé is among the last of FireScope's releases, it's about as perfect an encapsulation of the label's legacy as I've heard (well, save another B12 outing, but y'know what I mean). Opener K-Robot OG feeds off classic electro while beefing it with IDM trickery and ambient techno warmth, while follow-up Cas Contact sounds like a spiritual successor to Aphex Twin's Heliosphan. Which is either a testament to the lasting influence SAW 86-92 imparts three decades on, or how insanely ahead of the curve Mr. James' music remains. Then Broutine Lamé goes beatless, spritely pulsing synths and delicate melodies shimmering about, and oh man, we're not in for a strict genre exercise with this album, are we!

If there was ever any specific criticism I've had with FireScope, it was that many of their releases tended to sound samey throughout. If Gazé is gonna' give us some diversity though, then yes, I can legit say this is will be a great final album for the label. If the rest of the music holds up to its promising start, anyway.

Fortunately for fans of the original Artificial Intelligence, it does. The variety carries on, some tracks getting heavier with robo-funk (120U Piano), dubby electro (Slowdry), spacey IDM (Trip 2 Delinc), ultra-melodic arps (Mudla 2.2), and even ambient drone (Sac Ala Blofel). Man, kinda' makes me wish more of FireScope's output had showed this much of a stylistic smorgasbord.

N:L:E - Gaia

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

Yay, a new letter! Boy, it felt like forever fumbling through the 'F' block. Like, did it take longer than my first run through my 'F' albums over a decade ago? Well, yes and no. Yes, in that it was one more month to do it, but there was nearly double the amount of reviews written in that first batch. Want some numbers? Of course you do! 56. That was the O.G. block, which included a complete coverage of Ultimae Records' Fahrenheit Project compilation series, plus the original Fabric On A Budget, not to mention that Final Fantasy VII box-set, where I detailed each individual CD.

By contrast, this run of 'F' albums featured 32 reviews, which... Okay, that's actually pretty impressive in its own right, even if a hefty chunk of them were Fabric CDs as well. This run also had five varieties of albums with 'form' in its title, compared to just one in the initial session. Stand proud with whatever laurels you've earned, 2024 'F' album reviews!

Okay, that was a fun divergence into statistical bollocks. What do I get to kick off the 'G's with? Oh, another Natural Life Essence album. Well no wonder I wasted all that word count up there.

I really feel like I'm almost picking on poor Juan Pablo now. Not that I'll have anything bad or mean spirited written about his music – I still enjoy hearing what I'm playing at any given time. As he's remained so musically consistent for much of his output though, I'm all but tapped out on fresh angles detailing his usual stuff. Like, there's a few concept sessions down the discography that I'll have some unique talking point for (I hope...), but for standalone items such as Gaia...?

Well, I can at least highlight what leaped out at me in of itself. Lots of field recordings in opener Intro, which makes sense. He didn't dawdle that long before introducing some rhythms, the first instance of such emerging in the back-end of the titular second track. Was quite impressed how, despite its lengthy eleven-minute plus runtime, the rather minimalist The Happiness Of The Simple kept me engaged for its duration. It's that ever-so gradual build in harmonic tension, teasing things out just enough to feel you're on some sort of journey, even if the destination doesn't feel as important as taking in the scenery passing you by. The Chant Of Welcome gets dubbier, which I'll never tire hearing from the N:L:E camp.

And then Gaia loses me in the second half. Again, there's nothing fundamentally poor about the music here, and if this is one of your earlier explorations of Mr. Giacovino's works, will likely sound quite pleasant and all. It's just old hat for me now, and not much different between this and any other number of his naturalist ambient dub outings. Not the best sign when I'm more anticipating the next CD to review over engaging with what I'm currently listening to.