Spiritual Fields - Oddities

Liquid Frog Records: 2019

Though Bandcamp typically catalogues one's discography in chronological order, it isn't always the most reliable of narrators when parsing out an artist's history. Indeed, much of that heavily relies on what date said artist applies to their release when they upload something, with all the caveats that come with it. So when Speedy J made his music available, studious chap that he be, it was all nicely organized as those items were historically released, with 'newer' uploads slotted in wherever they originally should have. Some, however, may be more scattershot, throwing releases up as they can, without much care of those fine particulars.

Which isn't to say that's what Oddities is. I'm just having a hard time figuring out the story behind it, based on the scant information I have to work with. The little blurb included with its Bandcamp page reads “Songs and Oddities that were never recorded”, which makes sense, as this does have something of a b-sides feel to it. Yet Juan Pablo released this under his Spiritual Fields alias, which up to that point had only consisted of two-tracker EP Fields Of Light. That release was tagged as “an oldie rare crazy track”, so am I to believe that 'Spiritual Fields' was just a working name for Mr. Giacovino's early music attempts, before he found his confidence as Natural Life Essence? Then, once he gained enough music-making mojo overall, saw fit to launch Spiritual Fields proper-like with Sacred Trip E.P. (with an N:L:E boost, 'natch)? Again, if I'm just going by the chronology of his Bandcamp page, that makes the most sense.

That all said, Oddities is surprisingly one of the most interesting releases I've heard out of the Liquid Frog Records camp in quite some time. Maybe it's just the simplified, stripped-down nature of it, or the lack of general polish most of Juan Pablo's music carries, but the tracks on here stuck with me far more than the last dozen or so N:L:E albums did.

He's always worn his influences on his sleeve, with '90s ambient dub and world beat being primary ones. And with Magic Herbs, you hear it in spades, the simple, looping samples and spacious sonic ambience calling to mind many a compilation featuring the likes of Bill Laswell or Rapoon. Virgin Lands, however, stretches back further, fusing dub with Berlin-School synth wibbling, crafting a track that sounds rather like if Jean-Michel Jarre and King Tubby had somehow gotten together for a jam. On one hand, I can see why Juan Pablo may have left these on the shelf while honing his craft, but I maintain their primitive nature gives them a unique characteristic outside the established N:L:E tropes.

Two versions of Vision Of Conscience has me reminded of downbeat, squiggly Children Of The Bong (probably because they're so fresh in my musical memory), while closer Ylak has some serious groovy low-end going for it among its Loop Guru charm. Just tickling all my nostalgia triggers here!

Yahgan - Nomads

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

I could have technically knocked this off a while back, tracks from here also appearing on the double-LP collection of Yahgan tracks Land Of Fire. Considering I'd already covered half the music on that release by that point, however, it felt redundant doing so just so I wouldn't have to do this one later. Besides, it's not like this is an alias of Mr. Giacovino's that gets trotted out often. In fact, this is the last release from the project that I got with my initial bulk-buy so many years back, so I guess we can tick another-

Eh, you're saying I missed one? Well, son-of-a... Looks like I did, another N:L:E & Yahgan 'collaboration', Mystycal Journeys. You'll forgive me for doing so. It was a lot of music to download off Bandcamp back when, some releases undoubtedly slipping through the cracks. Looks like it's nothing more than another of Juan Pablo's ultra-long ambient sessions (two tracks, each twenty-six minutes in length). Maybe I'll come back to it should I do another wrap-around, but yeah, not really something I want to backtrack on.

Oh, and because this is the last solo Yahgan release I'll likely be talking up for a while (ever?), here's the obligatory update on how many more items Mr. Giacovino's put out under this side-project since I bought in. Five solos, another 'remix' session of Tribal Trip with N:L:E, and, most recently, a four-track 'single' with N:L:E called Frozen Soundscapes. So keeping the side-project's flame somewhat alive, which makes sense for one dedicated to 'The Fire Peoples'.

Nomads was the second solo Yahgan outing, though Juan Pablo had done a couple N:L:E collabs' between this and the debut LP. Not much else to say about the lead up to it, other than we're reaching the point in the Giacovino multiverse where new projects were flying aplenty. It's almost a small surprise it took him so long to let Yahgan stand on its own again, given how adventurous he was feeling about his music-making abilities.

And yeah, familiar territory as with other Yahgan releases I've covered. The slightly chilled-out downtempo aesthetic, the suggestive melancholic mood of histories lost, a general calm ambience while taking in subtle sonic splendour of unexplored and untamed sub-Antarctic coastal regions. No, really, Cold Sand (Fishing Journey) is the sort of piece I wouldn't have minded having that twenty-six minute long excursion, gentle oceanic tones and timbre gradually leading to a nifty, dubbed-out rhythm as the hunting action picks up. Shame it's the shortest track on this EP.

The rest of Nomads is nice, sure, but as with so many of the Liquid Frog Catalogue now, the unique tracks are the ones that leap out for me. And since Cold Sand didn't make the cut on Land Of Fire, well, of course it'd stand out. (White Field didn't either, but eh, that one sounds closer to an N:L:E track compared to the rest).

EM/FM - Pocket Dimensions

Emubands: 2025

(A Patreon request)

It isn't that I completely abandoned synthwave and other forms of retro-kitch music – I just failed in finding captivating new acts to sustain my interest. Yeah, there was undoubtedly a bit of the ol' burnout after over-indulging for a couple years there, but that could be the same said for other micro-niche genres that caught my fancy. I haven't returned much to Viking metal or dark ambient (save the occasionally Cryo Chamber splurge), so why should it be any different for something like synthwave? Not to mention the sheer glut of releases that were coming out for a spell there, making digital digging for something new ever more pointless, especially when the whole point of the genre was not to sound terribly new in the first place. Refurbished, recontextualized, rebranded, sure, but still adhering to the tropes of yesteryear.

Which is likely why vaporwave never drew me in. I got what it was trying to do, but it was doing it in such a limited way, I simply couldn't buy into its artistic intent. Matters didn't help that it was drawing upon such a weaksauce source of inspiration, audio and visuals that by all measures were rightfully left to the dustbins of time.

Yeah, yeah, for a significant chunk of my peers, growing up surrounded by chintzy tutorial jangles and basic clip art was their jam. Absolutely repurposing it with a hauntological veneer would trigger as many nostalgia endorphins as a Boards Of Canada track would. Just, y'know, not me. At least synthwave presented itself with a straight-to-VHS Cannon Films cool. I can imagine cruising down dark alleys in neon lights, wearing black leather or red duster, dodging jacked-in cyberpunks and whatnot. With vaporwave, I just imagine being in that one really expensive Simpsons Halloween Special bit, but without the erotic cake happy ending.

Pocket Dimensions feels like its trapped between those two extremes: inching somewhere into synthwave cool territory, but also kinda' stuck in vaporwave dorkery. Maybe it's because the first track, Wizarding, reminds me of some C64 game jingle, the sort of thing played during the opening credits. Wouldn't be surprised if that was EM/FM's intent too. Right, it does get more opulent than what the traditional Yamaha FM chip could churn out, even treading close to '70s synth works. But not too close. This is, after all, clearly an '80s inspired project, and all the dated aspects that comes with it.

The other four tracks in this EP work the same vein, with enough musicality on display that could stand out with beefier production. First Flight goes cosmic, Into Atlantis goes Caribbean, What If All Your Dreams Came True goes... street, I guess? However, with EM/FM enamoured with the tonally flat sounds of outdated technology, how much you dig it likely depends heavily on how much you appreciate such synths. Frankly, it's not my thing, a style of retro music I don't jive with. Ooh, just like that cringey bit of slang!

Jamie Myerson - Moonshot EP

self-release: 2019

Though I can't say I was completely blindsided by Mr. Myerson's newfound, unrelenting commitment to cranking out atmospheric jungle cuts, it does feel a bit singular regardless. That's totally on me, my initial exposure to him skewing closer to his jazzy and downbeat efforts as heard on Ovum Records samplers. That his breaded-butter would actually be this lane was honestly not on my radar. And yeah, he's shown some diversity in this comeback as well – just gander at the lone EP I've thus far reviewed from him, The Influence Of Stars – but spacey d'n'b seems to remain his primary focus. Heck, he dusted off another ancient alias – JLM Productions – just to release more of this stuff on Spatial, a sub-label of ASC's Auxiliary.

Okay, all that sorted/confessed, which Jamie single am I checking out now – there's, just, so many to choose from, right? Right, so why not go back to the start, at least of his comeback, a duo release of Layers and Moonshot. At least, I'll assume they were simu-released, since they both have the same Bandcamp dates on them. As for why I settled on Moonshot over Layers, I thought the latter sounded too similar to The Influence Of Stars to warrant another purchase of space-synth noodling, so went with the one with some actual beats. Still not quite d'n'b though. Guess Jamie wasn't sure if there'd be as much interest in it again just yet. Ah, such innocent times, half a decade ago.

Since we are at the Myerson Relaunch, we're also in synthwave influenced sounds that initially caught my attention after I discovered he relaunched his career at all. Thus opener Universe 25 goes more cinematic, a slow orchestral build with requisite synths reminding us that It Is The Future – The Future Is Now, or however your '80s pulp sci-fi tag line went. The pace picks up with a dub techno groover in follow-up Diegesis, though featuring enough melodic momentum keeping it this side of interesting. Then the titular cut considerably ramps the action up, about as brisk a pace I've ever heard Jamie do that doesn't involve an Amen Break. It's almost, dare I say, trance, though more in that space-synth vein much of synthwave cribs from, but wouldn't quite call it an Outrun track. Finally, closer Kami is a fairly standard electro house track, building well enough for the three-plus minutes it runs.

Jamie would explore these sounds a little more in subsequent releases (mostly the ones featuring artwork similar to Moonshot, care of Julianne Elizabeth). For every one that features steady beats or ambient soundscapes though, it seems we're getting thrice as many d'n'b sessions along side it. And hey, that's great if you're down for that sound – Mr. Myerson remains most excellent at crafting atmospheric jungle. Just don't be surprised if I end up digging into EPs along Moonshot's avenue, as I feel there's interesting talking points to be had there.

Derek Carr - Misty Mountain EP

Omni Music: 2016

Another chap I lost tabs on once FireScope shuttered. Not that Derek's been terribly busy on the production front since, releasing a couple records per year, mostly on his own Trident Recordings print. Actually, funny that, in he set it up way back at the turn of the millennium to self-release his debut EP, Copper Beach. I guess that one record was enough a 'proof of concept' to get the attention of other prints (Digital Soul, Geek Records, Nice & Nasty, etc.), thus Trident sat fallow for nearly two decades after. For whatever reason (tired of getting dicked by other prints?), he dusted his Trident off with a soft relaunch of the aptly titled Reset EP in 2019. It's mostly remained his home since, save the occasional contribution to Pariter.

All of which has precious little to do with the EP I'm currently talking up, Misty Mountain. Indeed, the only reason I got this is from browsing Omni Music's wares, then doing a double-take upon seeing Derek Carr's name pop up. Like, obviously I was subconsciously aware he'd released something like this at some point – I had to have noticed it when checking out his Discogs page during his FireScope run. Still, seeing a dude who'd I'd primarily known for tasty Detroit techno, appearing on a label I was discovering as a purveyor of Detroit-leaning d'n'b, with a piece of cover art that suggested something more out of the ambient or folk camps than either... Well, of course I had to snatch that up post-haste.

And upon listening to opening track El Capitano (a... Star Trek reference?), yeah, I can hear why this ended up on Omni Music. Not strictly a jungle track, more a chill spacey breaks session, its broken beat nature still fits with the label's general manifesto. His initial two records for Omni, First and Second Detour, were closer to proper d'n'b (jazzier and atmospheric, respectively), so its interesting Derek steered even further from that on Misty Mountain. And perhaps that's why this ended up being the last of them for Omni, realizing whatever impulse he felt exploring 2-step rhythms had been sated just three EPs deep.

Anyhow, second track Q (yep, definitely a Star Trek reference) gets even more melodic than El Capitano, pretty much maintaining the optimistic retro-future vibe as heard in much of Mr. Carr's work. Just, y'know, with a chill, shuffly 2-step rhythm along for the ride. Not to mention an additional spritely piano hook that'll get all your '90s PLUR-goo feels flowing. The titular third track (no longer a Star Trek reference) brings us back to d'n'b land, sounding not a touch out of a typical LTJ Bukem set of any era, frankly. Cannot deny though, the little melody Derek throws on top of The Misty Mountain reminds me of... some Jam & Spoon song, maybe? Dammit, hold a minute...

~re-listens to Tripomatic Fairytales 2001~

Huh, could have sworn it sounded similar to Path Of Harmony. Stupid Mandela Effect...

Astral Projection - Let There Be Light

Suntrip Records: 2017

A rather obvious release in some respects. Whether as praise or damning with faint praise, one of Suntrip's longest-serving narratives is how much of their output pays homage to goa trance pioneers like Astral Projection, sometimes to a fault. So many reviews of their discography – including yours truly – will have some blurb along the lines of “...sounds like A.P.” And while kudos to the label should be given for always looking to promote newer talent, I'm sure the folks at Suntrip had to be itchin' for the chance of luring the real deal into the fold some way.

Trouble was, Misters Nissim and Perlmutter had essentially retired from the studio after their 2002 album Amen. Sure, they could be counted upon for the odd remix job or collaboration, and they remained plenty active on the touring trails. For the most part though, they seemed content in letting their legacy remain as was, uninterested in changing their style to fit in with the then-current trends of full-on and prog psy. Even for a label catering to a sound they'd made their breaded butter with, convincing them for a proper comeback wouldn't be easy. A tit-for-tat remix EP though? Sure, that's doable.

It's funny that Let There Be Light was chosen as the single's title, as only Filteria provides a remix of the old compilation tune. It's certainly a track that's about as vintage Astral Projection as can be, even finding a place on that burned CD of A.P. tunes I made ages ago. So a fine one for Mr. Tzikas to remix as anything from their discography, and since not as well known as some of their others, deserving of a little modern shine. As for what's different, there's more squiggly sounds, and given the sort of beefening of production you'd expect of a contemporary remix. Beyond that, it hits most of the same musical notes as the original. As for the return-rub, Astral Projection take on the track that opened Filteria's Daze Of Our Lives album, Filtertraces. Here they've sped it up, given it that goa trance kick, smoothed out the overall production, and there you have it. It certainly sounds like vintage A.P., I'll give it that.

Two tracks down, but still two more to go on this Let There Be Light EP, neither of which are rubs of the original either. Instead, Morphic Resonance gets to have a go at another oldie in Enlightened Evolution, one of the duo's more bangin' tracks and definitely not nearly as obscure as Let There Be Light. Seems a shame Morphic didn't have a stab at Light, but Evolution does suit his tougher brand of psy better, and I'm sure he was plumb about having the chance to join this particular party anyway. The final track sees Astral Projection giving the lead titular single from Another World a spiffy upgrade. Cool, I guess, but would be cooler if it was something less known. We Are Controlling Transmission, mayhaps?

N:L:E - Jungle Stories

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

Not only did we kick off this 'J' block with three items from Mr. Giacovino, but we're now wrapping it up too. Yep, it's a complete Natural Life Essence sweep here, which probably isn't that impressive at first blush. 'J' words remain rather limited in the English vocabulary, much less to title one's album with. I've a few 'journey's, and if I was more of a Jazz Guy, Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 wouldn't stand so alone. You'd think I'd have more 'jungle' releases too, but Congo Natty's Jungle Revolution In Dub is about it. Or was, N:L:E's Jungle Stories now joining this jumping 'J' jamboree.

Wait, why don't I have more jungle releases with 'Jungle' in the title? I'll grant I mostly missed the genre's early wave, not cluing into the scene until it had morphed into the more marketable drum 'n' bass label. Yeah, yeah, you can make technical demarcations between the two sounds, but when it came to shoving CDs onto store shelves, d'n'b was what stuck, looking classier than all the renegade 'wude-boys' artwork adorning jungle releases. Does kinda' make me want to sift through Lord Discogs' marketplace now, seeing what cheapy '90s compilations I can find there. Gotta' be a treasure-trove of them!

Anyhow, this has precious little to do with Jungle Stories from Juan Pablo. Not that I couldn't imagine him indulging in some brisk, broken beat action somewhere in his massive discography – every producer gets an itch for the 2-step or Amen break at some point. Generally though, his preferred rhythmic lane is on the dubby downbeat, with the occasional sprinklings of spritely ambient techno.

So imagine my surprise when he actually brings something... well, not exactly d'n'b, but certainly at a higher BPM than his usual fare. Granted, it's just one track out of four on this tidy EP, but it's one track more than I've heard from a lot of N:L:E in a while (ever?). Epic Land does still skew closer to dub at that, but the beats are energetic enough to pull it ever so near the realms of atmospheric jungle. Lovely sweeping synths and a groovy bassline don't hurt either.

That's about it for 'jungle' related sounds on Jungle Stories. Sun And Shadows is more of Juan Pablo's twinkly ambience, Running Through The Jungle is more of his ambient dub. And Night In The Jungle is something of a combo of the two (gentle ambience, big bassline). At no point, however, do we hear any field recordings of equatorial rainforest fauna. No birds of paradise, no incessant insect chatter, not even a jaguar roar. Man, I know Mr. Giacovino originates from Argentina. Is it so hard to bring a giant microphone to the Amazon? Yes, just as easy as it would be for me to bring one to the Cambria Icefield.

Regardless, a nice little EP here, one I was honestly shocked by its shortness, after all those lengthy Jamming Caravan sessions.

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.

N:L:E - In-Organic Adventures / Continue / 3

Liquid Frog Records: 2019/2020/2021

A threefer! Yeah, as I've said, the only way I'm getting through this massive queue in any sort of timely fashion is to consolidate a few of these mini-series into bulk reviews. Honestly, this will probably only effect material from the N:L:E discography because, well, just look at what I've dealt with already! I'm significantly deep enough into Mr. Giacovino's catalogue now to know how these things go, so all that's left is detailing the particulars. I wager there are still enough proper 'albums' among his releases to warrant individual write-ups of those, but for these mini-series consisting of variations of similar ideas, probably not so much.

Which I feel does In-Organic Adventures a slight disservice in of itself. Far as I can tell based on the Liquid Frog Records chronology of releases, In-Organic Adventures was the first album Juan Pablo titled anything with 'organic', one of his favourite go-to words in general. True, 'Caravan' outpaces it by a wide margin, but it was his Organic Adventures on Neotantra that first clued me into his works, and a search of 'organic' on his Bandcamp page reveals ten more uses of it. That's gotta' have some importance to his larger body of work, the sort of stylistic kick-off that would influence much more after.

Or maybe not. The first of these came out in the earlier half of his musical output, when he was still beholden to what a standard album should entail. In-Organic Adventures comes off less restricted in that regard, a chance for Juan Pablo to indulge in some freeform ambient doodling without much need or care for what comes from the session. This approach to songcraft would be more thoroughly explored on his Caravan series, but we hear it best here first. Well, 'best' being something of a subjective stance, depending on your preference for gentle, pulsing ambience such as this. Three tracks, two of which are close to a half-hour combined, though it all plays like the same piece regardless. It's nice in a familiar way, but that's about it.

Juan Pablo must have felt there was more worth exploring with these sounds, as a year later he released In-Organic Adventures Continue (each track still self-titled, but now four through six). It's about the same length, and while still carrying that semi New Age meditative vibe as the first, there is a little more dubby production and naturalist instrumentation going on, making this session far more lively than the first. Then one year after, out comes In-Organic Adventures 3. The melodies and progression are similar, but are far different in terms of production. 7 is almost shockingly clean, lacking any of the dubby tonal depth most N:L:E tracks have, especially when stood in contrast with 8 and 9. These versions all are more rhythm focused too, but again only in contrast to the previous two editions. I suppose its the most interesting collection of tracks of the three, but Continue has the best balance between them all.

Jamie Myerson - The Influence Of Stars

self-release: 2023

I feel fortunate stumbling upon Mr. Myerson's re-emergent discography the way I did. I could have discovered it via some Discogs links or Bandcamp recommendation, but this way felt long overdue, one of the reasons I still maintain such a service among all my others. For you see, somehow, someway, Deezer gets the credit on this one. I can't recall whether it was via some Ace Tracks Playlist maintenance, or the app just happened to luck out when showing me new releases, but upon hearing what the former atmospheric jungle producer had been up to in recent years, I had to scope out some more. Thanks, Deezer!

So what happened to Mr. Myerson anyway? While not exactly a high-profile producer in the '90s, he did release plenty of items on several prominent labels (Ovum Recordings, Sm:)e Communications, S3), and was even playlisted by the big Oakenfield when Paul was dabbling in jazzy d'n'b. For all intents, he should have had a long-lasting career off those accolades, but for whatever reason, the chap receded from the limelight following his self-titled 2004 album. It was nearly fifteen years before he emerged again, self-releasing many new items on Bandcamp. Some of it was a return to the spacey jungle style he was known for, but other singles found him exploring other sounds, including Berlin-School ambience, cosmic disco, and slowbeat dub techno. Whatever happened in that decade-and-half downtime must have truly invigorated Jamie's creative spark, because the guy's been on an absolute tear these past five years.

While many of his EPs look intriguing, The Influence Of Stars stood out the most, what with its vintage representation of gravity wells. Some proper space music from Mr. Myerson, then? Well, the titular opener is definitely on that retro space synth vibe, pure ambience with pulsing, shimmering melodic leads ebbing in and out. Almost synthwave in that regard, the sort of moody introduction you hear before heading into some outrun action.

Overview Effect brings things more to ambient techno's domain though. For sure the synths on use are about as grand and opulent as an Astropilot prog-psy session might go, but the rhythm is more steadying and grounded. Soliton, meanwhile, opts for beats a little more crunchy and subdued, all the while dense layers of pad work wash over you, save the occasional splash of trancey lead. It never takes off in a significant way, which makes the relatively calmer Automaticity feel less significant as a closer. This track probably would have been better served as one of the first couple, but that's just a minor quibble, still a solid slice of deep atmospherics rich in timbre and dubby groove.

Is this the EP you should be checking out, then, if you're curious about Jamie's recent musical developments? I'd say so. For sure you can still get his d'n'b productions among his output, but The Influence Of Stars proves he's not so beholden to a singular style either.

Sound Synthesis - IC 4406

Nebulae Records: 2019

IC 4406 is a planetary nebula, more commonly referred to as the Retina Nebula. As its equatorial plane is about edge-on with our line of sight from Earth, it looks more flat and rectangular compared to the traditionally ring-shaped features we associate with planetary nebula. With a higher concentration of ionized gasses still surrounding the stellar nucleus, it can give the astronomic object the appearance of, well, an eyeball, though modern higher resolutions of IC 4406 tends to blur these edges. If you have good vision and low light pollution, you can spot it with the naked eye, near the constellation Lupus (the Wolf is located between Scorpius and Centaurus), though obviously as little more than a fuzzy star. Oh, and it looks nothing like the image adorning the cover art of this EP.

Don't get me wrong, it's a really neat bit of cosmic design, looking like the core of a blue giant in front of some sort of stellar nursery. Maybe this is what IC 4406 looked like at some point in its history. That's the fun thing about astronomy: for the most part, we're only granted a snapshot of what the heavens looks like, and then as they were in the past. Observed cataclysmic change is rare and infrequent. Much like this label's release schedule!

Right, I don't know that much about Nebulae Records, only happening upon them when doing a little digging into Darren Nye (I think ...memory hazy). Stumbling into their Bandcamp page, you bet your bottom dollar I was instantly attracted to all the fancy, colourful space clouds. As for why I picked out Sound Synthesis' IC 4406 for my initial dive... C'mon, you know by now.

That's right, it's because I was due to get myself some more Keith Farrugia music! Okay, that's more a coincidence, but a happy one, his Unfolding Cycles as Stimulus Timbre a fun romp through more classical styles of synth music. The significant bulk of his recent work has been as Sound Synthesis though, so its only appropriate we look in on this aspect of his sound.

And yeah, we're in spacey electro and cosmic acid with this EP. Opener Expansion 303 is about as vintage early IDM as things get, breaks brisk and crisp, acid squelchy and burbling, and backing synths... okay, they're actually a lot more opulent than the other elements, but hey, space, man.

Noisy Shouts Of Joy gets a little more melancholic in its melody (definite FireScope feels here), Octagon a little deeper while offering a quicker pace, and Breathe chilled-out and charming. Plus, some sci-fi bleeps and zaps, because why not. All solid, all worth a listen if you favour this particular niche of spaced-out electro and acid.

Where to from here, then? Strange question, but I get it: do I dig further into Sound Synthesis, or Nebulae Records. Well, one has more releases, so potentially more variety. The other, however, has prettier cover art. Decisions, decisions...

It's Thinking - Hyperion

Prime/Frame Of Mind: 1994/2018

Whoa, did I just fly through a whole bunch of “I” albums? And who is this Hyperion? No, no, It's Thinking is the name of the group – yes, I know it looks weird, to say nothing of naming the EP something that would make more sense as an alias. Then again, Lord Discogs lists at least thirty-six (36) Hyperions within its tomes, whereas there's only one (1) It's Thinkings. Right, I doubt there were a pile of Hyperions already floating about when this was released, thirty years removed and all – plenty of time for dozens more to crop up. What would one (1) more matter? So props to this Dutch team for thinking this far outside the box in coming up with a grammatically confounding handle when applied to a typical English sentence reviewing it.

This is another Gerd project, and up to the point of me covering his collaborations with Speedy J, the only one I was even remotely familiar with. Not that I was aware of it in that time, and truthfully, there still may be some other alias of his that never realized was him floating about my music collection. Fairly sure I covered all those bases though, so It's Thinking remains it.

As for the particular track I've heard from him, Dirk-Jan Hanegraaff and Mark Ripmeester, it was Afterglow as heard on that Excursions In Ambience compilation that included such luminaries like FSOL, HIA, PWoG, Banco, The Orb (sorta') and a few others. Man, and to think It's Thinking was about the most obscure thing on that CD, perhaps only rivalled by John Selway's Psychedelic Research Lab, and now I have an EP from them. Yay artist discography Bandcamp uploads, and all the legal hurdles they cleared to do so.

Since Afterglow is the only track I have, I naturally picked up the other single in the It's Thinking catalogue, follow-up EP Hyperion. Gotta' explore d'em deep cuts, yo'. The track is a pleasant floaty affair in the vintage Detroit techno vain, though utilizing a standard breakbeat for its backbone. I also love how none of the synth leads are quite aligned to quantized perfection, giving it that real live jam vibe. Imperfections reminding you there's human souls behind the machines. Onto the other tracks, then!

Frame Of Mind is basically Jam & Spoon's Stella, though stripped down to Detroit functionality and less outright Balearic. Love Without Sound gets closer to the seaside resort feels with subtle vocals and effects invoking sunrise in Ibiza. Plus, it's just downright groovy with its rolling rhythms and cascading synths. Funky Finger goes about as deep as you'd expect of a B2 cut on a record with so many shimmering leads, but even it gets in a few bright synth stabs for its back-half.

A charming little gem of a retro EP, Hyperion is. I'd expect nothing less from Gerd's extended discography by this point. Shame it took me thirty years to 'discover' more of it.

Various - Hidden Realms EP

Omni Music: 2019

Sweet, a drum 'n' bass release. Damn, it's been, like, forever since- Eh? Oh, right, Photek's Form & Function, just a couple months ago. Alright, got me there, but since before that one? You'll have to go back a literal year, to Centaspike's Bent Bound Broken, when I last covered the genre. Blame it on all that psy trance making these gaps artificially vast.

Anyhow, Omni Music. This is a label that kicked off at the start of the '10s, a means of producer Eschaton to release tunes that didn't fit on other, established labels. Not sure how accurate that is, but my recollection of the state of d'n'b back then is a bit sketchy now. Probably not so robust for those who were interested in sounds outside the Pendulum or liquid funk oeuvre. Yeah, there will always be Good Looking Records (as well as Looking Good Records), but surely there was demand for more outlets of jungle on the jazzy, intelligent tip, right.

Must be indeed, Omni Music carrying on to this day, with a catalogue of three-hundred plus records. Oh my, where does one even start with this label, then? For our purposes, it's an EP compilation called Hidden Realms. I... have no memory of why I picked this particular item. Oh, there's a specific reason how I came across Omni, but has nothing to do with this. It wasn't a recent item either, so wouldn't have been an impulse buy upon first stumbling in. Heck, it doesn't even have blue cover art! A mystery for sure.

Whatever, I have it now, so let's dig in. Each track is a collab' effort, the first featuring Enjoy and Pariah. Don't know much about the former, but Pariah had been a staple of the aforementioned Bukem prints early on. And if you know anything about that namedrop, then you should know what sort of d'n'b we're in for. Sonic Void is mostly an ultra-deep techy session, though does pick up in the back-half with a little Amen Break action complimenting the minimalist spacey synths leading the melody. Omni honcho Eschaton follows up with Booca (very little Discogs presence) on Behind The Magenta, a far more jazzy, atmospheric outing with broken beats, operatic choirs, heavenly leads, trombones... A real stew of sounds, but darn cool in a blissy sort of way.

Third track State Of Consciousness is another 'veteran meets newbie' session featuring DJ Trax and Infest (3). It, too, follows the vintage LTJ vibe, with busier drum work but no less chill on the melodic side. The final two producers, Parhelia and Dissident, are relative newcomers compared to the '90s folks, but have still been in the game over a decade now. The Day Of 5 Suns is suitably grand in scope for such a title, conjuring sci-fi vistas and all that. Is this the level of quality for the whole damn Omni Music catalogue? Gosh, only one way to find out! ...but I'm not the person to do so.

Erot - Gneiss EP

Ultimae Records: 2021

I guess you can say, at this late stage, my 'relationship' with Ultimae Records has grown... complicated? Like, the honeymoon period is long in the past, but its hard letting go of those feel-good memories. My interest in their output isn't what it used to be, but every so often, something triggers those endorphins again, such that I have to hear if I've missed anything, anything at all, that will bring the pleasant glow back. A seductive revealing of the thigh, a kind word when you need to hear it the most, all the little things that made that initial relationship oh-so worth holding on to. (*whew* good thing this is just a metaphor, right? ...right??)

So it goes with Erot's EP for Ultimae, Gneiss. On the surface, it looks like more of the same low-key, ultra-minimalist dubby downtempo music with a fascination with geological formations. Nothing that sparked my interest but when Aes Dana lured me back in with (a) period., I couldn't help but scoop up more, hoping for another hidden gem like James Murray's Remote Redux.

I mean, this Erot fella', he'd previously released on Altar Records, a label I felt was something of a sister print to Ultimae before the two went down vastly different sonic roads. He'd also put out material on Iboga Records, which is about as hit-or-miss as Ultimae became, true, but there's still some pedigree there. Plus, his thorough Discoggian bio states he was sucked into the wider world of electronic music via the goa trance scene, so maybe some of those influences would find their way into his debut with Ultimae? Ah, no, not really. If anything, he was already on the path of dubby, minimalist music, so getting in with Vincent Villuis' crew seemed... well, not inevitable, but certainly a proper capper in Tore Kofod Hyldahl's career. Which may be the case, considering Lord Discogs lists Gneiss as his last release to date.

Anyway, it didn't take me long to remember that, even if the musical content from Ultimae isn't what it used to be, there's still no knocking that ultra-lush, richly immersive mastering job every single release comes with. By second track Morild, I feel like I'm wandering mysterious caverns, tracing my fingers along veins of metamorphic minerals, Erot's sparse percussion the echoes of my footsteps and distant trickling water. And damn, that endless depth of sonic space. It's been a Villuis staple since forever, but it's still somehow the best mastering job you'll ever hear out of this scene. He's got the secret recipe for this sauce that no one can replicate.

Which, I cannot deny, gives the impression I'm selling Erot's efforts short, that Gneiss wouldn't be as rich a listen if it didn't have the Aes Dana touch. It's not an unfair critique, but then, that widescreen ambience is why I return to Ultimae again and again. Whoever is the lucky chosen artist that receives its blessing is almost inconsequential to my interests.

Natural Life Essence - Forms Of Life (Other Versions)

Liquid Frog Records: 2019

When I saw this was subtitled Other Versions, I thought I might have another skippable item from N:L:E on my hands. Not that there wouldn't be something worth talking about here, but with so much still to get through in this discography (just... so much), cutting corners has become a must. I figured if these were just remixes, I could refer back to them whenever I got around to covering the original tracks proper-like.

After checking through what material of his I did have, however, I realized I didn't have the original tracks! That... couldn't be right? I bought his entire catalogue as it existed on Bandcamp, they had to be there! This being an earlier release, there weren't many options they could be hiding, yet sleuthing through the comparatively scant items available, I found nothing. Could there be *gasp* other Natural Life Essence albums out there, that didn't even reside on his crowded Bandcamp?

Indeed there is, though far as I can tell, this is the only item that exists as such. I can understand why it wouldn't be among Juan Pablo's own catalogue though, one of those 'label rights' things that makes redistribution of one's own music at times a sticky situation in streaming circles. Heck, that might even be why he went about releasing this particular EP, artists doing 're-recordings' or 're-masters' or 're-mixes' that skirt around rights technicalities.

I have no idea if this is the situation surrounding the original Forms Of Life as it appears on Ovnimoon Records, but then I don't know much about that label to begin with. They seem to have a lot of material though, one of those multitude of psy trance labels that sprung up in the past two decades, and still going to this day. I can't say I recognize much of anyone on their roster though: a lone AstroPilot item here, a LemonChill there, and... yeah. Still, they were releasing CDs for a spell, so can't be all netlabel bunk, can it? Haha, oh, if you think that, then you really don't know psy trance labels very well.

Anyhow, I can't be bothered doing a compare-and-contrast between the original Forms Of Life, so here's what we get with Other Versions. Lapse (Little Snail) (Lucky Return Mix) does the N:L:E spritely ambient thing with a little pulse of a rhythm that invokes something more mysterious and Middle Eastern. Liquid Frog (More Rain Mix) does... Hey, that's where Juan Pablo got the name for his self-release label, isn't it! Cool. The track gets closer to the realms of ambient dub, which is pretty much a brand standard for N:L:E even this early in the project's lifespan. Nomad Dragonfly (Tranquil Wind Mix) is the most interesting of the lot, if you like your pure ambience with nice field recordings, sweeping synths, and deep meditative tonal harmony. And finally, Symbiosis (Insects Gathering Mix) gets back to the spritely ambient style as heard in Lapse. Yep, all par for the course.

Spiritual Fields - Fields Of Light

Liquid Frog Records: 2018

Wow, it's actually been a legit two months-plus since I last did a release from ol' Juan Pablo (which means he's released four more items during that period!). I'll grant half that time was taken up by vacations, and at least another third from the return of Fabric On A Budget. Still, any time I can put some space between these endless N:L:E items is a bonus in my books. Not that I've developed a distaste for them, just sometimes you need thoughts on an artist to marinate in your brain before diving into them again. Recharge the talking points, come fresh with new perspectives gleaned from real world events.

So getting back into the Liquid Frog catalogue anew, ready to tackle any and all items waiting alphabetically in my queue. Ooh, it's one of the Spiritual Fields items, the least active of Mr. Giacovino's side projects. Not only that, but this is the first such release he used the alias for, coming out quite early in his musical development. In fact, if the little blurb on the Bandcamp page is to be believed, Fields Of Light was crafted before he even started putting stuff out as Natural Life Essence. Okay, it states “an oldie rare crazy track”, but one doesn't typically call a tune of theirs such a thing unless it was made in the before-times of a career properly starting off. And since it doesn't quite mesh with whatever you currently are making hay off of, here's a unique handle for it so it's distinct from your main output. Maybe file that name for future reference, if something else strikes the muse feeding off of it.

Cool then, some pre-N:L:E material, which should be solid enough if Juan Pablo felt confident to release it regardless. Wait, it's only two tracks? Well, one, as this honestly comes off like an extended jam session like so many of those Caravan Of Healing Emotions did. Combined they do break the twenty-minute mark though, which is enough music for me to come up with something worth writing about ...I hope.

Heck, Fields Of Light Part I almost reminds me of a Caravan session, in that it uses similar, sweeping synth pads performed in an exultant fashion. There's also a lot of busy, dubby rhythm going on, mixing things up here and there in a freeform way – honestly sounds rather like playing about with sample packs, but it's all nicely crafted regardless. There's barely a pause between the two tracks, an ambient fade marking the start of Fields Of Light Part II. The longer session, there's more interesting sounds and melody on display here, but it does kinda' meander about too, in that classic post-Orb sort of way much ambient dub did. Like, you know the more dithering portions of Orbus Terrum? That, but without the eventual conclusion those tracks eventually arrived at. Hell, Part II seemingly ends at various points, only to start right back up again for a few minutes more.

Spiritual Fields - Dharma

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

And finally we come the last of Mr. Giacovino's aliases, Spiritual Fields. Not as robust as Natural Life Essence or as thematically specific as Yahgan or H:U:M, though I'm sure one can easily glean what musical lane this one likes to travel. I'm kinda' surprised we've already gotten to it this far along in this exorbitant coverage of Juan Pablo's entire music catalogue (up to a certain point), somehow thinking it'd be even further down the road. Then again, I think I've gotten through something like thirty percent of his music now, so time seems about right I'd stumble upon Spiritual Fields.

Funny thing is, if I really wanted to, I could skip most of the EPs of this alias, many tracks appearing on the self-titled album released after. That would, of course, slot any significant coverage of Spiritual Fields way down the queue. I don't think it's that necessary to do so – it's not like there's a tonne of Spiritual Fields releases out there anyway. In terms of reviews, it'd really only save me a couple. Yes, I know between this and Suntrip Records CDs, it feels like a never-ending barrage of the same ol' over and over. I'm sure it felt like that with Lucette Bourdin as well. Or those Neil Young box-sets. Or the In Trance We Trust series. Or the Fabric series. Hmm, speaking of, it is spring again, when my fancy thoughts of Fabric start anew...

Anyhow, Dharma. This was the last of the Spiritual Fields EPs before Juan Pablo consolidated a bunch of them onto an LP (released a mere two months afterwards), three out the four tracks making the cut. And I'm not surprised the one that didn't, um, didn't, as it's strictly an ambient affair whereas the other three maintain a groovy, reggae dub rhythm. Yeah, if there's anything I'd say defines Spiritual Fields among all of Mr. Giacovino's works, its the prominent leap into psy dub's territory. That honestly caught me a little off guard, in that I thought this was gonna' be more world beat leaning, and for sure it has those elements too. Just not so prominent as low end vibes these tracks offer.

As is so often the case, I can't help but think of what each particular track reminds me of rather than how it sounds on its own merits. There's elements of the ambient mix of Dharma that have me thinking of the lengthy, tranquil ambient jams of vintage Fax+ material. Happy Monks [ Rising Sun Again Mix ] gets me vibing to some dubby house via The Orb's jams with Youth. And there's just something about Hard Road [ Hard Journey ] that has me thinking more in line with a Loop Guru jam – maybe it's the flute? Really the only track that feels like a typical N:L:E tune is the main one, though obviously with some gentle chants and dubby rhythms differentiating it from actual N:L:E material. Not by much though.

N:L:E & Kiphi - Crystal Vision

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

After kicking off my block of 'C' albums with ten volumes of Caravan Of Healing Sounds, we had to wait until the end of this batch for another item of Juan Pablo's to appear again. Technically, there's two down here, Crystal Vision and Cycle, but the latter was already covered in the consolidation collection of N:L:E and Kiphi material Between Dreams Or Reality. Well, okay, there's one other track on the Cycle single, a shorter beatless version, but doesn't warrant any more attention than what I'm providing in this sentence. The original version is better, and I've done sorted that out. Let's stick to Crystal Vision here, and worry not about redundant releases. I've plenty more music from Mr. Giacovino as it is.

Have to admit, I'm surprised at seeing another 'collaboration' between these two aliases this far into Juan Pablo's discography. I thought he'd fully kept them separate at this point, finding enough distinct characteristics with his Kiphi project (specifically looping melodic arps) such that it didn't need the N:L:E bump helping it along.

Then again, he put out another N:L:E & Kiphi joint just this past December, Lights Between. And another prior in June called Floating Orbs. Hmm, maybe he just likes releasing them around solstices? *checks month of Crystal Vision* Oh, this one came out in May. Welp, so much for that theory. Also, I know I've said it before, but good God is this man ever relentless in his output. My last proper review of one his albums, Botanical Adventures, was late December, and he's added five more releases since. That makes for thirty more releases since I bulk-bought his Bandcamp catalogue! Almost makes me thankful I did buy in when I did.

Three tracks are the main feature of this EP, with alternate versions featured in the back-half. The titular opener certainly imparts visions of shimmering crystals, pulsing bright synths and angelic flowing pads building upon each other, eventually ebbing out for a little gentle piano playing. Follow-up Lifetime ups the energy some, bringing in a simple rhythms and soaring synth work that'll have it nestled nicely within the realms of AstroPilot psy-chill. The tune fades down, and while Ilusion is billed as a separate track, it essentially carries on from Lifetime with similar music themes, going more minimalist and groovy as it does.

And the rubs? Crystal Vision [ Retouched ] brings in an ambient dub groove, Lifetime [ NLE Version ] surprisingly goes beatless (isn't N:L:E the alias with the beats?), and Ilusion [ NLE Version ] extends out with a little Tubular Bells building before going full psy-chill itself. That one at least tracks.

That's another item out of Mr. Giacovino's catalogue covered, then. Still a long way to go before finishing his discography off, but take heart, intrepid readers, there's not a whole lot in the 'D' block coming up. At least, nothing where I'll have to 'cheat' again with a bevy of microblogging recaps.

Sun Project: Marco & Matt - Crazy Stories

Suntrip Records: 2022

In the beginning, there was only one S.U.N. Project, and it was good. Sure, a little silly with the metal guitars mashing with psy trance, but these chaps fully committed to the bit, going whole ham on the shredding action. Not wanting to get type-casted as just the 'buttrock goa' guys, the trio flitted about other forms of psy in the ensuing decade, even getting into that darker, minimalist vein many adopted for a spell there. Maybe hitching onto that potentially lucrative Infected Mushroom hype (“Hey, we guitars too!”). At the turn of the '10s, however, a split occurred, Maik Hinkelmann going off to create McCoy's S.U.N. Project, while Marco Menichelli and Matthias Rumoeller became Sun Project – Marco & Matt.

How... does that even happen? The retention of the project name for both parties, I mean. Like, could you imagine if Metallica split apart, but James and Lars got to both use the band name, save some minor punctuation differences – Hettfield's Metal-Allica versus Lars & The Metallicas. I'm assuming the S.U.N. Project members, not wanting to get all embittered, resentful, and tied up in legal courts over a silly psy trance alias, amicably came to this compromise. Which version should you check out if you want the more 'authentic' S.U.N. Project experience? Heck if I know, I haven't kept that close of tabs on either side. Heck, I only learned of this split when I started my preliminary research into this here Crazy Stories EP. It took me entirely too long to finally understand why it wasn't listed under S.U.N. Project's regular Discogs page.

Which still makes it something of a conundrum. Crazy Stories and the other tracks included on this four-tracker were initially made back when Maik was still making music with Marco and Matt. Although they remained unreleased in all this time, they are not credited to S.U.N. Project, but instead to Misters Menichelli and Rumoeller's Sun Project. And for that matter, why these particular tunes? Best I can glean, Crazy Stories, Space Dwarfs, Casio-Paya, and Out Of My Brain were songs Maik doesn't have writing credits on, so are fair game for Marco and Matt to re-release under Suntrip Records' 'classic goa trance' banner. Always something regarding copyright retention, I guess.

And the tunes themselves? Yeah, it's classic goa trance through in through. Driving rhythm, driving acid, spacey synths and pads. What's most interesting about these cuts is, as they're chronologically sequenced (from '96 to 2000), you can hear how psy was evolving in that time. From the straight-forward trance vibe of Crazy Stories (1996 Mix), to growing ever more darker and twisty by Casio-Paya (1998 Mix), to things getting stripped down by Out Of My Brain (Acid Remix). An intriguing snapshot of a scene morphing before our ears.

Oh, and the guitar action? Only heard on Out Of My Brain. Hey, I said S.U.N. Project wasn't just about the shredding, even if it was their most endearing trait.

George Issakidis & Speedy J - Collabs 400 & 401

NovaMute: 2005

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

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

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

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

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