N:L:E - Ecovillage

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

Not very often we get an album focusing so specifically on the achievements of mankind from N:L:E. Juan Pablo tends to prefer exploring our naturalistic surroundings, from the micro to the macro, realms unconcerned with humanity's presence. Even Yahgan, a direct reference to a people living in the remote ends of Argentina, is more an homage to their nearly lost culture than an exploration of our species' presence in even the most inhospitable clime's.

And maybe its that concern for the often destructive nature of our adaptive abilities that got Mr. Giacovino feeling inspired by something a little more sustainable in co-existing within our environments. Make no mistake: for as remarkable as its been that we've bent mother nature to our will in service of our survival, its come with many fallouts too. No other animal has so radically altered its living spaces for its own benefit to such a degree as humans have. Even the engineering feats of the mighty beaver pale compared to our concrete fortifications. Heck, given how much Earth's atmosphere has changed during the Holocene Epoch, we just might give even cyanobacteria a run for its money! Okay, maybe not. They had a few hundred million years to do what they did, and we'll be lucky to make it to our first million years of existence.

Where was I? Oh, right, ecovillages. Yeah, that's one way we might stave off our inevitable doom. Dwellings making use of natural energy sources like solar power and windmills and rain floods. All good for small scale communities, absolutely, though you'd really have to dig that isolated trad life while you're at it. And hey, given the ever-increasing stresses put upon us by over-stimulation from ongoing world events, unplugging and retreating to the ass-ends of some corner of Earth does sound tempting. Still, take it from someone who did spend a spell living in one of those ass-ends of the Earth: shit gets real boring real fast. You gotta' be quite content with the humdrum life, because there ain't much else that'll get your jimmies rustled. Not for the ADHD inclined, is what I'm sayin'.

Anyhow, Ecovillage. As this is something of a more 'earthly' concept from Natural Life Essence, the music on hand gets quite groovy and dubby for much of its runtime. Saving Water even whips out the melodica for a jam over its ultra-lazy rhythms, while Chant adds some simulated throat singing (I assume, since it doesn't sound much like a sample). Elsewhere, Fire Storm Ritual ups the tempo to prog-psy levels, though retains rather mostly broken beats for its duration, all the while reminding me of AstroPilot in the process (whoo, acid!).

Overall, a generally uplifting, positive vibe is maintained, as though we're bearing witness to a community in high spirits going about their daily activities. Hey, you didn't have to sell the idea of an Ecovillage that hard, Juan Pablo. You had me at 'environmentally sustainable arable society' alone. How's the internet connection though?

N:L:E - Dune

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

Man, everyone gettin' their Dune on d'eez days, eh? Film makers, musicians, video essayists, and the whole lot. I'd like to say I've been getting down with the Dune just as much, but I can't quite make that leap. Like, the first movie from a few years back, I was a little intrigued, but already knowing the bulk of the story, wasn't that hyped for it either. And to be perfectly blunt, Denis' take on the source material looked almost too reverential, really focusing on the world building to an almost fetishistic degree. Say what you will about the Lynch version, but that movie had some real balls in going so gonzo with set design. David firmly putting his signature on it, catch my drift? Does Villeneuve's Dune have any scene as glorious as Patrick Stewart leading a charge into battle with pug in arms? I think not!

Still, that second movie, that would be the stuff. Those story beats got massively butchered in the Lynch version due to a truncated script, but surely Denis would flesh everything out with all the extra time afforded. Wait, it doesn't feature a creepy little girl murdering the Baron? Well, geez, what's the point, then? One of the best aspects of Dune is just how fucked up the source material really is.

Admittedly, I haven't read the books, mostly digesting the lore through video essays and dense fan wikis. My hesitation comes from being unsure whether Herbert's prose can live up to the premise. I sense Dune is one of those novels that's more fascinating in its ideas and world building than it is in actual execution, and perhaps why its long been regarded as unfilmable. Well, whatever the case, I can at least rest easy understanding every Duncan Idaho meme on the internet.

Oh, wait, I'm supposed to be talking about Juan Pablo Giacovino's take with Dune, aren't I? This almost feels unfair, in that a lot of musicians have taken inspiration from Dune, and how can I possibly compare his to them all? It doesn't sound like Toto. It doesn't sound like Brian Eno. It doesn't sound like Hans Zimmer. And doesn't sound like EON. It sounds like... well, it sounds like one of his Caravan sessions, if I'm honest.

Which is fine in of itself, but doesn't really capture the inhospitable nature of Arrakis, does it? So calm, flowing, and soothing, little of the mystery and ominous feeling of wandering a dry wasteland dominated by impossibly large worms, all the while tripping your dimensional space off to spice. No, this feels more like traversing the gentle waves of fine particulate grains gracefully moving across an arid surface of a mild wind, existing between the two extremes of torturous heat and deathly cold. There is still a sense of the grand in N:L:E's ambient excursions, but more like gazing upon the environment from afar, unaware and unconcerned with the turmoil that lurks within its unique surface.

N:L:E - Docking To The New Space Station

Liquid Frog Records: 2020

Hey, remember Natural Life Essence? Boy, sure has been a while since I last talked about an album specific to this alias of Juan Pablo Giacovino. According to my stats, the last was Botanical Adventures way back in December, which, okay, maybe not that long ago, what with a month off between and all. Still, it feels like I've been focusing more on Juan Pablo's other projects than this one as of late. Except Yahgan, that one's been left out on a limb for a while now.

Oh, and I'm kinda' fibbing on dealing with a regular ol' album from N:L:E in this case, even if the title doesn't imply as such. Way back when Juan Pablo started out, he released a three-part series called Space Caravan (chap loves his caravans), which I assume helped him stand out from an overstuffed ambient market. Nothing gets fans of droning synth tones more amped than adding a little conceptualization of the cosmic grande. Wrapped, he moved onto other sonic pursuits like bio-diversity and adventures of polar peoples, generally leaving the space stuff behind. That didn't last long though, returning to Space Caravan with Docking To The New Space Station, a spiritual sequel in concept if not in title. Not much longer after that, he started an entirely new alias for any and all space ambient music on his mind, H:U:M. But that's getting ahead of things. Or reiterating points I've already made. I'm honestly losing track of all this ten months on.

Calling this an album also may be a slight fib, in that three of the five tracks are billed as remixes of the titular opener. I'm not sure how much of a difference that makes overall, but as I've heard in other releases from Juan Pablo, he isn't afraid of exploring different facets of similar themes over genre variations. Just usually those are distinguished as 'Part's or '[Alias] Remix's, not independently titled remixes in of themselves. Well, I guess he was still sussing all these things out – when one has as relentless a work rate has Mr. Giacovino has shown, things like titling conventions tend to be a little fluid.

As for the main near-fifteen minute track, it's got much of what I've come to expect out of an N:L:E Caravan session: flowing, whispery synth pads, some spritely effects sprinkled about, a little arp action building rhythmic momentum in the back-end. And I swear there's a distant woodwind sample that rather reminds me of the opening refrains you hear on many an Enigma album. The Sounds Of New Sun Mix is much the same, but features bell tones rather than arps, the Error Data Solved Mix brings in some simple rhythms, and the Short Transmission Mix is basically the Original Mix at half the length. There's also a final cut of Ending Transmission which really gets on some proper planetarium ambient vibes, just in case you were feeling well sated on all the layered whispery pad work that preceded it.

Kiphi - Divine Flux

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

Small point of order, an additional bit of info regarding this Kiphi project I've thus far neglected detailing. For you see, this is not just another alias of Juan Pablo Giacovino, one where he indulges in more melodic arps over his other projects. For sure that is an element of it, but there's another crucial tidbit of data that needs illuminating. A second gunman- erm, I mean, contributor to these electronic music pieces.

He's always been there, but for some reason slipped through my name-drops, assuming Kiphi was the same as Natural Life Essence, H:U:M, Spiritual Fields, Yaghan, and so on. Indeed, this particular person could very well be the primary creative force behind Kiphi, with Juan Pablo just hanging out in the same studio as sonic support. I certainly haven't seen the individual's name crop up elsewhere beyond some art and 'thanks' credits, but with a primary producer's role along side Juan Pablo, I have to assume as such. And this entity's name? Jose Carlos Giacovino. Brother? Father? Son? Spouse? Cousin? I haven't a clue, and haven't been able to find any more info. Not that it matters much, but y'know, gotta' be as thorough as one can be with these things. Lord Discogs gets mighty stingy if you submit releases to their database if you're not crossing all the 'T's and accenting all the 'É's.

I guess another reason I felt compelled to clarify the air over how many Giacovinos are contributing to these projects is because this is the first 'solo' Kiphi release I'm finally reviewing. I could kinda'-sorta' get away with assuming this was still all Juan Pablo when it was N:L:E & Kiphi, and such as, but no more! Unless Roberto Giacovino gets in on the act as well. So many Giacovinos running around Argentina. Just... so many.

Anyhow, you can throw that assumption on my part that Kiphi is strictly the 'N:L:E with arps' project, because there's a fair bit of diversity of style even with it serving as something of a rudder. Indeed, opener Ancient Mandala has them in a subtle fashion, but it's as much an ultra-chill ambient dub session with world beat overtones as anything synthy. Ooh, wouldn't that make this a Spiritual Fields jam instead? After World goes more psy-chill, while the titular cut settles into a layered ambient outing with dense, droning pads.

From there, the pace gets a significant boost, the arp work in Civilization far more propulsive than what's come before, while Prana gets into proper prog-psy territory, though is a little herky-jerky in execution. And what N:L:E record (adjacent or otherwise) would be complete without a two-part dub session? Incomplete, says I, so here's Antartica Interstellar 1 and 2, the first half the long ambient build, the second going full on into psy-dub territory. And wow, I've thus far heard plenty finesse with Juan Pablo's basslines, but does this one ever add some tasty stank throughout. I wonder if Jose Carlos was responsible for that?

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.

H:U:M - Dark Matter

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

Back in the summer of '21, Juan Pablo Giacovino released a pair of H:U:M releases simply titled Dark Matter. Only, he didn't title each one distinctly from the other (like Dark Matter II, or such as), creating a glitch in my music library sorting. Thus both Dark Matters ended up in the same 'album' folder, despite being separate sessions.

Or maybe they were all the same session, and Mr. Giacovino sold them separately? Even though each track is numerically titled, it's clear they all flow into each other. Yes, there's a fade between them, but that's more a consequence of the annoying streaming service handicap that doesn't allow for smooth, uninterrupted playthroughs between digital files. You either offer up a single, long track, or do light fades between so they don't abruptly start or end.

And I get that this is a bit of a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation. Not everyone wants to hear a thirty-to-sixty minute session of music in one go, sometimes content skipping to preferred sections. It's the sort of feature even Pete Namlook realized was a nice point of convenience for the listener, many of his older, hour-long ambient jams broken up for easy CD indexing. That simply isn't doable with digital files though, always that micro-second gap lurking between tracks. Hence, all the fades. (note to producers: it's very annoying when that digital file fade makes its way to a CD copy, just sayin').

So I assume it went with Juan Pablo's Dark Matter session. He ended up crafting an hour-plus long piece, but figured folks wouldn't be interested in a whole outing, so split things up into ten-to-eleven minute chunks. Why split them into two separate releases though? Or maybe there was just the first one, and he carried on with another shortly after? I mean, the fade between Dark Matter 3 and Dark Matter 4 isn't so noticeable – indeed, doze and you'll miss it. And the music of Dark Matter 4, 5, and 6 is distinct enough from 1, 2, and 3 such that they could be considered two separate half-hour tracks. Why am I micro-analyzing such things anyway? I dunno', just find it interesting how artists present their art, especially in the fickle environment that is streaming services.

Anyhow, Dark Matter 1-3 is the most ambient of the lot, mostly spacious pads gently floating along for all your stargazing needs. The whispiest of effects gradually emerge in 2, while twinkling synths finally add a little rhythmic momentum in 3. If you are listening to all six parts in one shot, you'll definitely hear a tonal shift in 4, with slightly busier elements coming and going throughout 5 and 6. Oh, and be prepared for a vocal sample that will rudely knock you out of whatever state of bliss you're feeling, so abrupt and piercing compared to the general tranquility as it is. Also doesn't help it always seems to appear when you're least expecting it.

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.

N:L:E - Caravan Of Healing Sounds

So I took a month off to 'recharge' my creative spark and all that, but to be completely honest, it was also partly in fear of dealing with this series. As committed to reviewing Every. Single. Item. in my music collection as I am, I was utterly stumped in how to approach this run of ten albums from Juan Pablo Giacovino and keep it interesting. Even all those Lucette Bourdin albums were reasonably spaced out enough such that I could approach them from a different angle each time. Spending nearly two weeks on just Natural Life Essence ambient music though? Sorry, I got nothin'. I couldn't even think of a clever 'gimmick', like guest reviewers (real or fictional) or turning the process into some fanciful flight of fictional writing. There had to be something I could do though?

Hey, what about that 'sportsing' survey thing I do on the side? Just write concise, micro-blogging length summaries of each volume after listening to them on a stroll, then consolidate them all here in one fell swoop. Yeah, that can work, and at least keep some writing momentum going during this 'downtime'. Besides, I think everyone, Juan Pablo included, would agree Caravan Of Healing Sounds doesn't need that much critical analysis given to it. It's music mostly intended for background play and relaxing thoughts, right? Um, right... 'mostly'. Turns out this series was more diverse than I thought going in, but let's see how it all shook out regardless.










And that's done and dusted. Time to move onto the rest of my 'C' albums in this blog's never ending conquest of my music consumption coverage. A letter block that includes... hrm, more Suntrip CDs, more Speedy J material, and more N:L:E items. Folks, I promise I have more variety in my 'To Review' pile further down the line!

As for my next 'sportsing' survey, I think I need something with some actual pep to it again, a tried and tested, dependable source of cock-rock music as there's ever been, a band that's always heard at every sporting event you'll ever attend. Can you hear it, the 'THUN-DAH' on the air...?

N:L:E - Botanical Adventures

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

You can see how these Natural Life Essence releases kinda' run into each other now, right? This is the third one I'm doing with light green cover art (forth if you want to include the album on Neotantra). All of them featured some sort of naturalistic theme (woods, wetlands, etc.) and came out all within the same year of each other.

Mind, Juan Pablo is quite relentless in his rate of output regardless. I bulk-bought his Bandcamp discography thirteen months ago and he's released an additional twenty-five items since! That's nearly two releases per month! Man, imagine if I'd waited a year to do such a deed – I'd be buried in N:LE and Kiphi and H:U:M and Yahgan, more so than I already am. And while I haven't disliked anything I've covered thus far, it can't all be mint material, can it? I dunno' about that, but considering the reason I did bulk-buy was because I couldn't decide off any particular few sampled, it would be one Hell of a ratio for an artist.

The other thing though, is after a dozen items thus reviewed, I'm starting to hear Mr. Giacovino's sonic tricks and such. And hey, that's not such a bad thing, artists having signature styles and all. If falling back on a successful formula makes it easier for him to keep the creative fires burning, that's totally fine. Unfortunately, it makes individual albums difficult to stand out from the rest, familiarity leading me to believe I've already heard certain ideas explored. I honestly thought as such as Botanical Adventures played out, but comparing it to the last N:LE item I reviewed, Bioluminescent Forest, revealed that not to be the case in the slightest. Hmm, maybe I needed to go all the way back to W:O:O:D to confirm?

I mean, you can forgive for thinking there's some mighty familiar sounds going on. Fluid Transportation has those spacious, flowing pads and dubby melodies gently growing in prominence, the sort of sound that's about as definitive N:L:E as anything I've heard. Then the beat emerges, treading similar ambient dub grooves as- no, wait, all that digital spittering and sputtering in tandem. Huh, that's new. Mind, it ain't a touch on Tipper's digital manipulations, but certainly something unique.

Still, the rest of the album plays out in typical fashion as I've come to know N:L:E albums. The calm ambient pieces that make for lovely meditation music, the ambient dub cuts bringing some rugged contrast to the gentler tracks, the multiple versions of a track showing off either side of Juan Pablo's muse, and that one outlier tracks you didn't expect, in this case drum 'n' bass! Actually, Photosynthesis just barely could be considered as such, the 2-step rhythm and bassline working in spite of itself as the rest of the track is almost too happy and chipper for the totally serious d'n'b scene. Like, imagine if Banco de Gaia did an uplifting jungle tune.

N:L:E & Kiphi - Blurred Milkyway

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

Juan Pablo may have set up a specific alias in H:U:M to explore the space music side of his muse, but he wasn't quite there yet when he released this. Only one month away, in fact. Not that this was the first time he set his sonic sights to the outer cosmos, the three part Space Caravan series making up a tidy chunk of the early Natural Life Essence discography and all. This was his first return to something specifically spacey though, and I'm assuming after completing this three track single, Mr. Giacovino realized, yep, he's got more in the tank for this style of sound, so lets create a whole new alias for it.

I also kinda' 'hummed' and hawed about even doing this one. I've got a lot of Liquid Frog Records material now, maybe even more than Suntrip or Cryo Chamber (!!). Do I need to cover everything? Not really, especially if they're single-song releases. There may even be items down the line which are just re-uploads of prior material, as I've discovered with some of these N:LE & Kiphi tracks. Plus, I've already established a release has to be at least twenty minutes long for me to consider it a proper item worth review, right? Eh, you say I've already broken that rule? Oh, right, that Daniel Pemberton Silent Sky thing... that was barely ten minutes long. Okay, fine, ten minutes is the absolute minimum ...which Blurred Milkyway easily breaches. Ah well.

Actually, this one lasts nearly half an hour, with two versions of the main track, and a lengthier ambient 'b-side' in Deep Breath. Not that the original Blurred Milkyway wasn't ambient in of itself, but as this is partially a Kiphi joint as well, that means we get some nice, rhythmic synth arps joining in on the flowing pads and shimmering sprinkles of spritely synths. Deep Breath is basically the same, but stretched out to a languid pace, the Kiphi arps in no hurry to move along. Much like when actually watching the Milky Way move across the night sky.

If you find yourself in need of picking up the pace (it's not like the universe will last forever or anything), the Fast Star Mix adds a beat. Okay, it's about as slow as a prog-psy rhythm gets, momentum not much brisker than the original Blurred Milkyway. It's also rather deeper than the main cut, lacking the flair of twinkling synths, which really sells that feeling of being lost in the gaze of the darkest portions of our galaxy.

Speaking of, I cannot deny some envy of Juan Pablo's perspective in star gazing. Alpha Centauri, the Southern Cross, the Magellan Clouds, Eta Carinae, Omega Centauri, the Coalsack Nebula... so many object I've never had a chance to see, forever in his night sky. I know, I know, I should just make a trip to the Southern Hemisphere if I really want to see them. I still am overdue for that Kerguelen Island voyage...

N:L:E - Bioluminescent Forest

Liquid Frog Records: 2020

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

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

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

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

N:L:E & Kiphi - Between Dreams Or Reality

Liquid Frog Records: 2020

And now we're introduced to Mr. Giacovino's trance alias, Kiphi! Okay, I use the word 'trance' very loosely here, as there's little on this album that could be considered full-bore club trance or flailing under the stars psy trance. Maybe its more prominent on the 'solo' Kiphi albums, of which there's a handful, but from the few samples I've taken in, it doesn't seem so. Rather, Kiphi is the alias Juan Pablo uses when he makes music with synthy arps and multi-tap delays, tricks of the trance trade for sure, but also quite common in spritely ambient techno and atmospheric Berlin School (and, er, some New Age too). Trance-inducing, yeah, but not really trance.

It also seems he wasn't terribly certain this alternate alias could stand on its own, hitching it to Natural Life Essence for the bulk of its initial run. In fact, if Bandcamp release dates are anything to go by (and it's about the only thing I have to go by on chronological data), this particular album was more a compilation of prior singles, soon after followed by a proper solo Kiphi album called Eternal Molecule. Wait, does this mean I can skip on Random Touch, Twilight and Cycle down the line? I mean, if it's just the same tracks as appearing on this here Between Dreams Or Reality, it'd be highly redundant on my part to review them again, right?

Well, there is a slight difference with Twilight and Cycle, in that only one version from each of those appears here. Cycle is the older of the two, indeed the first N:L:E & Kiphi item released. And as mentioned, it's a pulsing ambient piece with synthy arps and chord progression that wouldn't sound out of place in a pumping trance tune. Much of it fades back for a more prominent melodic lead before heading into a synthy crescendo. Cool stuff, and certainly better than the Ambient Reform version which seems to take the peak and break it up with drone intermissions. Interestingly, Juan Pablo grabs the Panoramic Mix of Twilight rather than the original version for this album, which isn't much different beyond the spritely, bouncing synths getting more focus. Meanwhile, both tracks from Random Touch - Guide Star and Random Touch - make the cut for Between Dreams Or Reality. One's more Berlin School in its opulent synth work, even throwing in some rhythms, while the other is way more chill.

*phew* That's almost the entirety of Between Dreams Or Reality discussed, and I haven't even touched upon the titular track yet. Tracks, actually, as two versions bookend this album, the opener a more upbeat version, the closer a blissier option. The only other track I can tell is unique to here is Kindred Spirit, which is about as close to the realms of trance as Kiphi gets. More prog-psy, I guess. Will be interested to hear whether such a groovy vibe appears in any future Kiphi items, as Mr. Giacovino is more than adept at it.

N:L:E & Yahgan - Antarctica

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

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

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

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

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

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

Yaghan - Yaghan's Land E.P

Liquid Frog Records: 2018

Before you ask, yes, this is titled Yaghan's Land from 'Yaghan', and yes, this is still the same Juan Pablo Giacovino project that would immediately after be referred to as Yahgan. And no, this isn't some weird typo or misprint on his part. Truth is the two had been interchangeable for centuries, with many other variants floating about in that time, depending on era and European interpretation. So it goes with Native American peoples, even ones living in as remote a region of the global south as one can get without crossing into Antarctica. If you want to be respectful and proper-like with their lineage, however, Yahgan is the correct name for history's southernmost mini-civ'. I'm guessing when Juan Pablo launched this side-project, 'Yaghan' was the version he was most familiar with, then promptly switched to the traditional 'Yahgan' after digging a little deeper into the subject. And since The Internet never forgets, just kept the original EP name and title as-was. 'Tis fine, really it is.

As for how early into Mr. Giacovino's catalogue this came out, Yaghan's Land came out quite early indeed. Bandcamp chronology dates this just after Wave Bio Collector, and since this was another release of his I had to submit to Lord Discogs' archives (that whole 'Yaghan / Yahgan' thing is gonna' be a doozy for moderators, no doubt), I have to assume it was self-released. Or maybe it came out on some ultra-obscure netlabel with, like, three releases on it? I'm getting way too deep into the weeds of these details! Somehow seems appropriate given how many of his N:L:E albums focus on micro-fauna.

Anyhow, the EP opens with a titular track, lasting a mere three minutes long. Okay, that may seem long if this was any other dance music genre EP, but as this is a pure ambient piece with cystaline synths and wind-swept atmosphere, you'd think more time would be spent settling us into the frigid Yahgan climate. It's also quite grandiose compared to the rest of the EP, follow-up Travelling a far more subtle affair. There's still that sense of being out on the frontier, but remote and isolated. Soft rhythmic patters and melodic pulses gradually emerge as singular synth strings ebb and flow in support, but never reach a rousing crescendo, keeping things on the calm and tranquil, even if a little epic vibe is implied towards the end.

On the other end of the EP are two parts of Rupture In The Echo, totally some twenty-three minutes of playtime. The first is also a mostly ambient affair, the softest pitter-patter offered as a sporadic rhythm. Simple synth drones and distant waves make up the bulk of this piece, a remarkably soothing journey of minimalist tones. In case you need a little more pep in your tunes though, Part 2 brings in actual ambient techno beat to the fray, dubby effects thrown on for flair. Cool, but I rather prefer the beatless option. Makes for nice dozing music.

N:L:E - W:O:O:D

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

Yeah, yeah, get in your puns here, Beavis. I know you can't help chortling seeing two tracks titled Log, Butthead. I'll grant the dimwitted duo's commentary for the Christmas Yule Fire video is legendary, but not everything must refer back to that. Sometimes, a lump of fallen bark is just a lump of fallen bark. Still, I wonder if ol' Juan Pablo suspected some potential sniggering over titling an album Wood, hence breaking the lettering up with colons (“hehe, heh”). Also, he'd condensed 'Natural Life Essence' to N:L:E by this point, plus would soon adopt H:U:M for his space-leaning works, so maybe he was growing fascinated by the double-dotted punctuation. It must have been a brief flirtation though, as W:O:O:D is his only album released with such quirky titling. So far...

I feel well entrenched in Mr. Giacovino's particulars now, and there's little minutiae I can find surrounding this release. It seems, in his never ending quest to find inspiration in all the ferns and fauna of our realms, he finally found the forests with W:O:O:D. Why, then, does the cover art look like moss on stone? Gotta' save the tree beauty shots for the Caravan Of Healing Sounds series? Whatever the case, it's clear I'm dawdling to burn up self-imposed word count, so enough of that. Let's get into music proper-like.

Following a vigorous two-minute intro of shimmering synths, things get scaled back to chill-out territory on Ancient Echo, a calm, languid pace of digital dub. Eventually layers of bright synths emerge, though not as pronounced as the Intro. A gentle violin adds to the pleasant tone, and that's about it before a nice wind-down. Log gets dubbier with its rhythms, including all the traditional elements like off-beat pulses and endlessly trailing echo with flange thrown on. I've been digging these sounds the earliest ambient dub days, and ain't no way I've tired of them yet. Heck, the Walking Again Mix that closes the album even adds some philosophical dialogue, which is about as cliche as it gets. Ain't no bad thing from my end though.

Appropriately for a track inspired by the little skittering critters you find when you overturn said logs, Drill Bugs goes more minimal with sparse percussion and spritely melodies, while South Winds does the ultra-subtle psy-dub builder business. Speaking of psy-dub – or one-time psy-dub adjacent - Reforest [ Birds And Leaves ] sparks some vintage Ultimae Records vibes from yours truly, including the spacious dub effects that let you hear all the emptiness between bass throbs. Maybe not so widescreen as you typically hear out of Aes Dana's studio, but for a self-produced item, Juan Pablo comes remarkably close. Through The Cracks In The Wood gets back to the groovier ambient dub lane.

Yeah, groovier is a way I'd describe W:O:O:D, at least compared to the other N:L:E albums I've thus far covered. It's been a few since I've started on Mr. Giacovino's catalogue, but there's still a whole lot more to come.

Natural Life Essence - Wetlands

Liquid Frog Records: 2020

Yep, didn't take long at all getting back to a little N:L:E action. This is probably what a hefty chunk of the next year is gonna' look like on this blog: some item from Mr. Giacovino, some random psy trance CD, and whatever else I happen to get sprinkled among them. Hmm, may need to bulk buy something else to break that up even further, but what? A proper dark ambient splurge? Some random retro-jungle net label? Another in the seemingly endless ambient drone options? Or maybe a genre wildly outside my wheel-house, like contemporary outlaw country or Victorian opera! I'm sure there's some Bandcamp newsletters covering such things to get my feet wet with.

Keeping with a somewhat soggy theme of his explorations of our planet's various biomes, Wetlands finds Juan Pablo taking a tour of the marshier realms of our planet. He even recently released a sequel to this, but after I did the full discography purchase of his Bandcamp catalogue, so that won't be getting covered at this time (if at all). For an idea of just how relentless our intrepid Argentinian has been in releasing music, Wetlands 2 came out just a half-year after I bought all he (then) currently had, and is something like the thirteenth item out since. Oh, and another five items have come out on Liquid Frog Records after Wetlands 2! At this rate, by the time I get through all the material I have bought from Juan Pablo, he'll have essentially doubled his discography.

Straight up, there aren't a pile of field recordings in this album, so if you were coming in hoping to hear frogs croaking, crickets chirping, alligators growling, egrets squawking, and mosquitoes buzzing, you've come to the wrong record, my friends. I actually had to look up what variety of sounds you might hear in a swampland, surprisingly few noisy fauna existing in such areas. Not that I was expecting critters like whirligig beetles and water skippers being terribly vocal, but who knew frogs were so dominant?

Anyhow, Wetlands is a tidy little nine-tracker of pleasant chill-out vibes and dubby grooves. Everything sounds nice and spacious, letting echoing synth pulses glide into the distance. Melodies maintain a relatively calm and tranquil atmosphere, with enough variety such that tracks do stand out, even if the overall experience may not (Juan Pablo isn't straying far from the roads typically taken with this genre). I was given hardcore Kitaro flashes in The Bioreserve (those whistling synths!), Liliums features a nice bit of acoustic guitar plucking, and Water Hyacinth [ Moving And Full ] has a surprisingly thick bassline compared to the rest of the album, even getting a little 'croaky' at parts. Huh, would have expected that out of Frog Pond.

So another solid outing from Natural Life Essence. I've a feeling I'm gonna' be typing that a lot, no matter how deep I've gotten into his discography. I mean, that kinda' was a reason I bought the whole damn thing.

Natural Life Essence - Wave Bio Generator

CYAN: 2017

Hm, been a bit longer than I anticipated coming back to Natural Life Essence in one form or another. Maybe going through his entire Bandcamp discography won't be as repetitive as I initially thought. *glances tenatively at the rest of 'W'*.

When Juan Pablo was starting out nearly a decade ago, the bulk of his releases were through CYAN, a free netlabel out of Germany primarily run by Jaja and Marco Köller, which they released their own material through. It was successful enough to lure in a myriad of other artists though, including Natural Life Essence with the album Hidrogenesis. This particular album, Wave Bio Collector, captures about the middle of that run. Which probably also explains why Juan was still using his original alias, not adopting N:L:E until he went fully independent. Hopefully these introductory paragraphs for future Natural Life Essence reviews won't be as boring as this one.

So the music. Looking at track titles, I thought I was in for something super-heavy on the field recordings side. Frogs And Toads (Hipnotic Swamp Choir); Geckos Tangled Trip (On A Confused Turtle); Spiders Trip... While there are samples of forest and swampy critters scattered about, it isn't the album's primary focus. Heck, that 'Swamp Choir' features more chattering birds than croaking reptiles within its peaceful ambient drone. Follow-up Snails Caravan (Snails Down The Mountain Dragonfly's Point Of View) mostly carries on the tranquil ambience with some added buzzing dub treatments, a simple rhythm of tribal drums and... a regular drum kit in a hall? Well, whatever, they gradually emerge with some added melodic bits, then abruptly ends on a hard fade-out. I only point this out as being odd because no other track just... ends like that, most quite content with a gentler fade. Makes me wonder if this was some weird production or upload flub.

Anyhow, the rest of the album mostly carries on in a typical world beat slash ambient dub sort of way. Mosquitos Trip On Train (Green Train Mix) has a fun little groove about it, and includes the requisite last train to the deep forest samples. The aforementioned Geckos Tangled Trip gets even groovier into the reggae dub bounce, while Slugs Caravan (Caravan Is Approaching) opts for more of a meditative vibe. Spiders Trip, meanwhile, does the multi-part thing, the first sticking to pulsing Berlin-School ambience, the second bringing in funkier ambient techno rhythms. Think I rather prefer the beatless version. Finally, Climbing Leaf (Hipnotic Petalum) features more synth pads, tranquil samples, and gentle, echoing rhythms. Really selling the feeling of a wide-open nature, 'tis.

So the base elements are all solid enough, but if I must quibble (and I must, since the title of this blog implies I will), the rhythms do come across rather flat and plastic at times. Like, this album could have used another pass on the mixdown. It's far from a deal-breaker, but if you demand immaculate production, you may not get as much out of Wave Bio Collector .

Yahgan - Ushuaia

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

Can't deny, I initially thought this was a different artist. Like, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for Mr. Giacovino to have a few other acts on his self-release net-label, and seeing a couple collaborations between “Yahgan” and “N:L:E” only solidified that assumption. But nay, once I did a tad bit more research on this (re: submitted this release to Discogs), I realized this is just another alias from ol' Juan. Gosh, are all the items there like that? I see a couple more project names (Spiritual Fields, Kiphi), so maybe so. And here I thought I was buying up a label's worth of new producers. Damn, that actually makes the rate of his output even more impressive!

Still, this alias should have been a small clue out of the gate. Yahgan is a reference to the peoples that lived in the southern end of the South American continent since... well, since peoples ever existed there. Archaeology finds have dated artifacts of the Tierra del Fuego region as some ten-thousand years old, so a hefty amount of time existing in such a remote area of the world. The Yahgan weren't completely isolated though, other tribes dwelling about the archipelago. Being essentially huddled into the southern tip, however, led to a language and culture quite unique to anything else in the area. What I find fascinating is how this latitude compares to its northern counterpart, particularly the contrast between the indigenous peoples from my old stomping grounds. In some ways, the Yahgan and Haida are similar (isolated, seafaring archipelago folk), but how those root cultures evolved over the centuries couldn't be further apart. Maybe if Cape Horn had more lodgepole pine trees.

Anyhow, I assume Juan Pablo was inspired by the O.G. Argentinians to start crafting music with remote vibes in mind. Maybe not so dark ambient as Ugasanie goes, but something that captures the spirit of nomadic wanderings among tundra islands. Which kinda' makes naming a major port city Ushuaia a tad funny, seeing as how the Yahgan didn't really have permanent settlements. Still, the name is apt, more or less translating from the native language as “deep bay”. More proudly, and from which Juan gained his inspiration from, Ushuaia lays claim to being the southernmost city on the globe, “end of the world.”. You go, girl!

Like H:U:M's Universal Code, Yahgan's Ushuaia features four tracks, the first three of which build upon each other. Fortunately, there aren't obvious pauses between them, each piece distinctly their own, even if they're re-using similar sound assets. Once again, Part1 is the pure ambient outing, grand synth pads flowing about while a rather crisp, watery sound drips in the background. Part2 adds rhythmic synth harmonies, giving the piece momentum before brighter synths shower down at the peak. Part3 brings some actual downtempo beats to the fray, while the N:L:E Mix beefs the rhythm into dubbier pastures while adding some mildly glitchy sound effects. Ooh, were these in an Oliver Lieb sample pack?

H:U:M - Universal Code

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

The good news is it didn't take me long to talk up a different project from Juan Pablo Giacovino as I sift through his Natural Life Essence catalogue. The bad news is... wait, is there bad news? Like, I wouldn't call having to add this to Lord Discogs' tomes as awful or anything, and given how this item is only a year old (almost to the day!), I'm not surprised it hadn't been yet added. According to the Bandcamp stats, only eighteen other folks have purchased this mini-album in that time, and odds are fairly high that I'm the only one OCD enough to do the entry. Unless one of them also has a blog where they're reviewing Every. Single. Item. within their collection. And if so... hey, send a link over my way, yo'!

Would be nice if Juan added this to the Discoggian database himself, but I'm sure he's a busy man. Honestly, very few artists have the time to worry about what gets added to internet archives, typically relying on dedicated fandoms to do that sort of thing on their behalf. I imagine the Natural Life Essence brand is still a tad too new to have developed such a thing, though with luck, that exposure on Neotantra has given it a deserved boost. Hell, I know of at least one such chap where it worked out.

Anyhow, H:U:M is the alias Mr. Giacovino adopted when he wanted to specifically focus on space themed ambient music away from his Natural Life Essence moniker. Not that he hadn't done so in the past, indeed the three-part Space Caravan series released early on in N:L:E's lifespan. I guess he felt it somewhat limiting to lump all his muses under one banner, so time to spread things out some, for those fans that prefer certain sounds over others.

Universal Code features four tracks, but really it's two: one thirty-minute excursion with different sections flowing into the next, and one twelve-minute coda. Can I just pause this review a moment and mention my one gripe with Bandcamp, how there's always a pause between tracks? It's especially egregious on re-uploads of albums that I know are meant to be seamless, and thank God some include that option with the download. But yeah, having that digital break throws so many a listening experience off. Okay, gripe over.

Universal Code 1° is the standard ambient lead-in, rhythm only hinted at with the gently pulsing synths as spacey pads and dubby effects ease us in. As we *pause* slide into Universal Code 2°, a soft ambient techno beat joins, and some punctual synths build to something of a mini-climax. The track then fades off again, leading us *pause* into Universal Code 3°, something of a reinterpretation of sounds already heard. Meanwhile, Universal Code 4° goes pure space ambience, a few trace melodies from earlier gently bobbing about in the background before coming forth with its own downbeat peak. A pleasant outing, all 'round.

N:L:E - Uncharted Lands

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

No sooner do I finish one box-set than I start another. Kinda'. Okay, buying the bulk of Liquid Frog Records' Bandcamp catalogue doesn't technically count as purchasing a box-set. Hell, as this was an entirely digital transaction, I have no actual physical copies of any of these items. How can I call this a box-set if there's no literal box? I know! I'll dump all the files into one large .zip! That's like a digital box. Or maybe settle for a folder titled “Natural Life Essence & Co.”, print off a screen-cap of it, then hang it somewhere near my CD shelves. It'd be just like saying you hung out with celebrities, by surrounding yourself with cardboard cut-outs of them. Or Calvin and Hobbes hanging out on top of a ladder when they're told they can't climb trees.

It feels a tad odd starting a near-complete dive into Juan Giacovino's project in this manner. When confronted with so many sound samples of equal value and quality, however, I had a Hell of a time deciding what select few I wanted to indulge in. So I bought them all. And hey, if I didn't think there was enough diversity among these eighty-something releases to warrant individual review of them, I wouldn't have done the deed. At least, I hope there is... *eyes ten volumes of Caravan Of Healing Sounds with trepidation*

And thusly, by arbitrary alphabetical decree, I'm kicking this off with one of Juan's more recent offerings, Uncharted Lands. With cover art of frozen wastes in greytone, this looks to be another exploration of chilly soundscapes from N:L:E, a frequent theme within his archives. And space music, if I'm honest. And micro-fauna, come to think of it. Not to mention macro-biomes. But arctic regions, that, definitely.

The titular opener greets us with soft, velvety pads, eventually giving way to a groovy little downbeat, and oh my God! How wonderful it is to hear rhythm again after so many hours of ambient music! Erm, anyhow, Uncharted Lands adds in fuzzy, dubby effects and a sliding synth lead, almost growing epic in an unassuming way. The Desolate Land Mix at the other end of this EP stretches things out more by remaining mostly beatless, save ambient techno patter towards the end.

Between those two tracks is a three-part excursion called Expedition Caravan (Juan loves his caravans). Part 1 is the sort of moody, slowbeat dub techno that Ultimae Records has made their domain as of late, though at least not quite so vaporous. Part 2 strips things down more, letting layers of voice pads wash the sparse rhythms like waves against a shore, while Part 3 opts for more focus on groove, melodic harmony staying in the background before finally strutting its stuff down the stretch. At over fourteen minutes though, it does drag a little before getting to the goods.

Still, a solid first second impression into the N:L:E oeuvre. Only a couple dozens more to go.