ACE TRACKS: October 2021

And that's another pile done and dusted. Of course, I've gathered a bunch more music since I began that backlog, but I've been more conservative with my music purchases this year, not quite so many random and wild splurges from Amazon and Discogs. Nope, just sticking with the primary labels and artists that have interested me, so this next run won't be so lengthy. After all, this will include the final batch of CDs from my pre-blog collection getting in, the first half of the 'C' albums. It'll be nice to soon tick off another check-box in whatever list of arbitrary goals I set for myself with this ongoing pet project. Let's load 'em up into my 16GB Sony Walkman then!

Uh huh, uh huh. Uh... wait, how is this filling up so fast!? There aren't THAT many 'C' albums included, but I'm already tapped out before getting to the 'H's. What gives? Oh, right. That new Neil Young Archives box-set. And that box-set of Lucette Bourdin. And a couple triple-LP offerings from Drum And Bass Arena. Not to mention a bunch of double-LPs too. I... guess that'll fill up an MP3 player quickly?

Looks like I ain't close to be completed after all, not by a long shot. Anyhow, here's the ACE TRACKS for the month of October:


Full track list here.


MISSING ALBUMS:
Autumn Of Communion - Zosimus Alchemista
The Future Sound Of London - Yage 2019
ASC - The Waves
Peter Benisch - Waiting For Snow

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 0%
Percentage Of Rock: 9%
Most “WTF?” Track: Aside from the Viking metal again? I dunno, maybe a Yage remix?

This playlist opens with a the uplifting vibes of Way Out West's Ajere. It's immediately followed by the sombre urban ambience of Burial's Beachfires. Well, if that doesn't just perfectly sum up the clubbing experience, don't it!

Seriously though, the playlist pretty much plays out like that: some upbeat, peppy tune (yes, even Ensiferum) followed by a string of introspective downtime. A pretty strong outing of tunes, all said, if you have a few hours to kill.

Autumn Of Communion - Zosimus Alchemista

Fantasy Enhancing: 2019

Somehow, I assumed Lee Norris and Mick Chillage were moth-balling Autumn Of Communion for a while, letting other interests carry them forward? One could surmise that after seeing them release not one, but two retrospectives. The first came at the end of their self-titled numbered series, so that made sense. Then in 2018 came Moonstreams, consolidating some twenty CD's worth of AoC music. If that isn't a definitive cap on a body of work, I don't know what is. So naturally, Lee and Mick just kept on releasing more albums in the following years, two in 2019 alone. Gads, lads, I can't keep pace with all this, gettin' picky-choosy about some items. That Folk Etymology on Neotantra sure triggers my FOMO, but I think I'll go with Zosimus Alchemista on Fantasy Enhancing instead, as it looks to have more music for my money's worth.

Also, the title alone made me curious of what it might be all about. It seems like a Latin phrase, “Zosimus” perhaps even Roman in origin, but I couldn't recall if there was a 'Z' in the Latin alphabet. I asked a friend who knows more about these things, to which he replied:

“[The Latin alphabet] has 21 letters -- the "missing" ones are J, U, W, Y, and Z. But the V character can be a U, W, or Y depending on usage. And J and I are the same letter, make a Y sound at the beginning of a word and a long e sound everywhere else. And in some circumstances a soft 's' is used that kind of sounds like a z.”

Thanks, Ish'! That's more info than I'll ever need!

Sleuthing a little more, Zosimus Alchemista is most likely a reference to a Greek-Egyptian named Zosimos Of Panapolis, a Gnostic mystic who was one of the earliest recorded practitioners of alchemy. And now that I know that, I can't not see a beaker in the cover art (was it their intent?). Why Mick and Lee would find musical inspiration in this chap, I haven't a clue. Perhaps interest in his Gnosticism? They have shown fascination with ancient, obscure science-based faiths.

ANYHOW, the music. I don't want to say this album encompasses a lot of AoC's oeuvre, because they've covered acres of ground together, but it honestly does encompass much of what I've heard from the duo. The retro-leaning ambient techno (Keys Of Mercy, Letters To Theosebeia), the pastoral ambient (Zosimus Alchemista), the mysterious, spaced-out detours (Who Goes There?), the brief ear-wormy hooks, and some body-groovin' electro (Divine Water). Two tracks even got the EP treatment on Móatún 7, a first for AoC . There's a fair bit of stop-start song-writing in these five tracks, unsurprising given their lengthy runtimes, but at no point do they grow tedious. If you're late to Autumn Of Communion, Zosimus Alchemista does a solid job of summing up their various sonic strengths.

Oh, and I needn't feel FOMO over Folk Etymology, for I've already MO'd on it.

Humanoid - Your Body Robotic

fsoldigital.com: 2007

The Future Sound Of London have been in the music game for a very, very long time, seen more things than you people would ever believe. Somewhere early on, they saw something that must have unnerved them in ways we couldn't possibly fathom, to such a degree that Garry and Brian never discuss it, never mention it, never even consider it. I am, of course, talking about the Singles Remix.

Oh, they have no problem doing such a dastardly deed themselves, often crafting whole new albums around album singles (a 'translation', if you will), but to licence their music out for other artists to tamper with? They've seen the horrors afflicted upon the world of such endeavours, and save a couple classy anniversary rubs from trusted associates, our intrepid duo has been super-stingy with their back-catalogue indeed. After taking in this double-LP twenty-year anniversary package of Stakker Humanoid, I don't blame them one bit.

Granted, this isn't strictly a FSOL tune, the breakout acid anthem produced by Mr. Dougans from before he properly hooked up with his future partner. He's kept the alias around for his own solo techno work, so I assume he gets some say in how Humanoid music is handled abroad. I've a feeling ol' Jumpin' & Pumpin' hold more rights to the tune though, as I can't imagine some of these newer remixes offered would come with Brian's blessing.

First, let's get into what's dope about Your Body Robotic. The original Stakker Humanoid remains a classic slice of electro-acid, and no matter how those famed vocal samples from the game Berserk get used, I'll never tire of them. As this collection spans the entire Humanoid lifespan, we get many remixes and live jams from over the years, including a couple Graham Massey rubs (808 State fame). I'm quite fond of the Plump DJs go with the tune (WipEout Fusion has that effect), it's neat seeing Legiac show up for rub that's definitely got its FSOL nods going for it, plus it's nice hearing a few more King Roc productions. And whenever a remix goes proper deep into the electro or acid techno hole, we're all the more blessed by it.

Unfortunately, that only happens about half the time with this two-discer. Not that I wasn't expecting a little trendwhoring from a 2007 release, I just wish it wasn't so banal about it. The whole thing kicks off with a Feadz 2007 Mix, and sounds about what Ed Banger posse were doing. Not three tracks later, the Punx Soundcheck Mix goes all super-farty electro house, and Pirate Robot Midget Mix gets back to Ed Banger noise. Arranging these among the older remixes and nifty electro acid techno rubs makes for a rather disjointed listening experience. By the time the lame electro house of Will Propz hit, I gave up any hope the trendy stuff satisfying, but hey, since it was only 2007, at least there weren't any dubstep remi- *Sub-Osc Mix plays* - any brostep remixes.

The Future Sound Of London - Yage 2019

fsoldigital.com: 2019

There had to be an end to all the back-catalogue material FSOL's been churning out for the past fifteen years (holy cow!). After nine volumes of From The Archives, plus six and a half sessions of Environments, it seems Dougans and Cobain are finally moving onto their next venture of future sound creations. And this new phase shall be... remix albums of old singles! Eh? Eh...? Oh c'mon, you know you want it.

As most of their early singles already were remix albums, I wasn't initially sold on the idea. How many more 'paths' could they take these compositions, after all? Turns out, at least a few more, but what initially got me to finally bite was this particular item, Yage 2019.

'Yage' can mean many things, depending how for down the FSOL rabbit-hole you're willing to go. For most it's the pseudonym Cobain and Dougans use as the sound engineer on all their works. Myself, I know it goes way back to their Earthbeat days, where they released an EP as Yage called Fuzzy Logic, and even put out a debut album in 2008 (The Woodlands Of Old). It was with this in mind that I thought we might be in for some additional Yage material on Yage 2019, but no, it's simply a remix album of the tune Yage off Dead Cities. Wait, that never got a single release. What gives?

Not that I want to throw out any wild theories or guesses here, but it wouldn't surprise me if Yage was slotted for EP consideration like My Kingdom and We Have Explosives, but fell through when FSOL's Virgin deal ended. Makes me wonder if any of these new rubs have been idling on harddrives for decades, though I figure such a thing would have appeared on Archives or Environments before-hand.

In any event, if you don't remember Yage, it's that track with the expansive, cascading, shimmering synths, all manner of psychedelic harmonics, clanging sitars, industrial flutes, operatic chants, and that bassline that I can only describe as a heavily manipulated didgeridoo. Basically, a remarkable piece of sample collage that sounds at once primal and futuristic, like discovering an ancient rainforest civilization with space-age technology. Where on earth (and beyond!) can FSOL take this track?

A lot of funky, thrashy, psychedelic places, turns out. Yage 2019 mostly follows a pattern of a more experimental piece followed by a version with mostly familiar sounds from the original, keeping things nicely varied as the album plays out. I can't say every track is a winner, the tune Voodoo Doll seemingly more interested in playing homage to Hendrix rather than maintaining the Yage vibe. And leave it to a Humanoid Rebuild to go as deep in the minimal techno hole as a project like this would allow.

Still, there's plenty of familiar FSOL twists and turns throughout that should interest long-time fans of the duo, even if Yage wasn't the most obvious option for a modern remix album.

Mount Shrine - Winter Restlessness

Cryo Chamber: 2018

Since taking the plunge into dark ambient's domain, I'm consistently fascinated by the varying entry points many of its artists have approached it by. For the longest time, I assumed it was mostly a gothy industrial off-shoot because, for the longest time, it was mostly a gothy industrial offshoot. I've since heard jazz, blues, metal, tribal, field recordings, and even opera music (of a sort) worm their way into the creepy kids' club.

One scene I never expected showing up to the doom 'n' gloom party is the vaporwave one, although I'm not sure why. Like, isn't v-wave all about making existing music all lo-fi and shit? Seems like a natural evolution to some extent, but all that guady, retro artwork vapor's known for doesn't really jive with dark ambient's aesthetic, so you understand being surprised by any connection. Figures Cryo Chamber would find an artist bridging that gap though.

Cesar Alexandre mostly made his name in vaporwave with projects like Lindsheaven Virtual Plaza and Slow Midnight, though had his hand in many other online experimental scenes as well. This led to some ambient releases, including Mount Shrine, which caught the attention of Cryo Chamber, giving Cesar some of his greatest exposure yet, this here Winter Restlessness his debut on the label.

I knew none of this going in, of course, just intrigued by the cover art of a lonesome ruin nestled within an alpine clime'. Figuring I might be in for something on a Ugasanie tip, you can imagine my surprise when I got none of that. Instead, the titular opener brings us a softly crackling fire, impossibly distant radio chatter, and minimalist sombre pads. It's almost something right out of Biosphere's Substrata, though Geir's music paints a remote vista, whereas Mount Shrine seems to impart feelings of remoteness and isolation.

Which makes sense for an album about residing in desolate regions, but as Winter Restlessness carries on, I sense the sonic locale is a little more grounded, almost urban. The hum of traffic far below apartment towers, the synthetic hum of power lines outside your window, the relentless patter of rain on glass patios, all the while sombre pads carry on, always maintaining that sense of isolation, even if civilization exists just beyond your dwelling's walls. It's unlike most dark ambient I've come across, more akin to the sort of droning interludes you might hear on a Burial-clone album. Music for introspection and reflection rather than challenging your sense of being. Future Mount Shrine albums would have titles like Underpass, Outsider Station, and Across Rooftops, further supporting this urban vibe. Then I learned Cesar hailed from Rio De Janeiro, and his approach to dark ambient made perfect sense.

Sadly, I've also learned that Cesar passed away this year, another victim in the ongoing COVID pandemic. Due to its massive population and extreme class disparity (not to mention a retrograde political leader), Brazil has been one of the worst hit countries in the world. Odds were not in Mount Shrine's favour.

Way Out West - Way Out West

Deconstruction: 1997

Even if I came to the Way Out West party a bit later than others, I was still aware of breakout classics like The Gift and Ajare. Having gotten an enjoyable taste of their later productions, it's time I return to the source, their self-titled debut, for the full story. No longer another in a long line of 'whenever I get to it' cases, let's hear some vintage proggy-breaks action as it was blossoming. Throw this bad boy on the digital jukebox then!

Uh huh, uh huh... uh huh... ah, hmm. Umm... is it just me, or does this album sound a rather bit... cluttered?

I think the aforementioned tunes, plus Intensify, spoiled me because truth be told, I hadn't heard much else off this record. Am I once again dashing my expectations? I mean, I kinda' do get tracks of equal calibre, but there's a lack of polish I wasn't prepared for. It's like, Nick and Jody had heard what BT and Blue Amazon were doing, wanted to do the same, but over-stepped what they were actually capable of. They shot for 'immaculate brilliance' when all that was needed was 'damn fine great'.

Blue sets us off on a nice enough footing, more of a chill, Balearic opener with funky drumming, piano flourishes, and flange effects – nothing too overt. The Gift does its lovely little thing in bridging the realms of atmospheric jungle and Ibiza bliss (oh hi, Joanna Law, I remember you from that Coldcut set), then Domination gets this party properly started. It certainly aims at being an epic prog-house outing with many segments building upon the last, but I dunno, it feels like it does too much with all the samples, key changes, beat changes, breakdowns, bridges, and superfluous drippy water sounds.

And this permeates in the following clutch of tracks, such that I'm actually distracted by it rather than letting things flow as Way Out West mean them too. There are things I like in each of them: Dancehall Tornado has a nifty eerie segment towards its end; the piano bridge and vocal sample in Questions Never Answered is some of the best work I've heard from these chaps; the final stretch of Sequoia is prog-trance action at its finest. There's just so much else going on in these tracks that don't build to them in any significant way. If you need an example of where 'simpler is better', just gander at Ajare here, their peppy prog-house hit built around a singular, wonderful vocal sample. All the musical flourishes feed off it, rather than run off doing their own thing. Yes, even the record scratches!

Way Out West is a solid album, still among the best you're gonna' find in this era of progressive house/trance/breaks. It's only true fault is perhaps being a bit of a bandwagon jump of what was popular within those circles (including one (1) big-beat tune), but eh, history's proven that's the Way Out West manifesto anyway.

ASC - The Waves

Silent Season: 2019

I've already blagged on about the wild notion that ASC has racked up multiple ambient albums. Heck, I was astounded by the few he'd released by 2015's Fervent Dream, and Mr. Clements hasn't stopped, pretty much every long-player of his now exploring beatless music. At first I thought, well, that's just what he releases through Silent Season. Surely whatever gets promoted via his own Auxiliary brings the d'n'b or even dub techno (as you do), but nope. You have to go to labels like Horo and Samurai Music to find that (not to mention the oodles of ASC EPs still delivering the broken-beat business abroad).

All well and good then, James finding multiple outlets for his various muses now. I'm not that surprised his past decade of music-making has led to this. No, what's flummoxing my brainpan now is somehow, someway, ASC has become Silent Season's lone Ambient Guy.

And you may ask, how is that possible? There's plenty of artists on the label that offer chill dronescapes with their dub techno beats. Absolutely there are, but in all that time, no other artist has released as many LPs of straight-up ambient music, and nothing but straight-up ambient music. That officially makes ASC their Ambient Guy, all the more remarkable considering James had been a fairly dedicated jungle guy before hooking up with Silent Season.

The Waves marks his sixth outing with the label now, this time an exploration of all things aquatic. Well, maybe not all things, but a pretty good range of regions. From the oceanic surface of the Surface Blue, the the blackest depths of the Hadal Zone, trenches deeper than the abyssal plain. What unfathomable horrors dwell in such unforgiving regions, such that not even the dreaded hagfish wanders forthwith? Slugs, mostly. Some shrimp, probably. Plus that one show-off fish that survives where nothing that size should. Always that one fish...

The music within does impart a sense of gently drifting through various wonders and splendours. From surveying towering Seamounts, to foraging through a mysterious Kelp Forest. Even making one feel nestled within the mechanical confines of a deep sea probe in Echo Location, all the while strange, lovely, bio-luminescent critters float by. Elsewhere, pieces like Nautical Depths, Marine Layer, and Ocean Shadow imparts feelings of isolation, lost adrift in an endless void, but not so cold as space drone goes. No, you still feel the warm embrace of life all around you, but just out of sight, only detectable by those with senses adapted to this aquatic realm. Oh, what wondrous creatures we may see in such- Ahh! A vampire squid!

So another excellent album of ambient from ASC. It almost seems too easy for him now. Is it just a higher batting average because these albums come out on Silent Season? A case of a prestigious label getting the best of what an artist can offer because of the associative rep? May need to scope out his Auxiliary outings to confirm.

Peter Benisch - Waiting For Snow

Fax +49-69/450464/Ambient World: 1999/2007

I feel Ambient World doesn't get the due it deserves. Yeah, it was nothing more than a re-issue print of older Fax+ releases, but given the limited quantities of those initial runs, it at least gave those late to the Namlook party a chance to catch up. Even as the old CDs continued their collector's market inflation, the Ambient World editions remained at a reasonable affordability. Now that the extensive Fax+ catalogue is finding its way onto streaming services, this little off-shoot label seems rather redundant. True collectors want the originals, while others can just play what they want online. For all intents, Ambient World's reason to exist is at an end. 'Cept for those like me, who are fine with (almost) any ol' hard-copy of Fax+ classics.

Like this album from Peter Benisch! Man, I thought I'd never get to hear it in glorious full-CD quality. The original Fax+ version is long out of print, and Mr. Benisch seems hesitant to upload his sparse catalogue abroad. At least the Crockett's Theme single as FPU is finally available on Bandcamp, so maybe some of those other Turbo Recordings classics eventually too?

In any event, I can now enjoy Waiting For Snow via its Ambient World version, itself something of a rarity. Seldom did anyone other than Pete Namlook or one of his many collaborations actually get the re-issue treatment on the label. Tetsu Inoue (of course) and Transonic (a Bill Laswell and Robert Musso joint) were about it for the longest while, though David Moufang, Jochem Paap and Anthony Rother eventually appeared on the label as well. Benisch was the first of these 'non-Namlook associated' artists though, so props for having a Fax+ album in such high demand that it needed the Ambient World re-issue post-haste.

Yet having now heard Waiting For Snow, I can't deny feeling a little letdown by my own lofty expectations. What should I have expected though? Of course it wouldn't be like the peppy electro of Traxxdata, nor even the opulent songcraft of Soundtrack Saga. An extended, downtempo reinterpretation of the FPU song of the same name off, then? A whole lot of those lush pads as heard on Crockett's Theme? It's not like there's an extensive discography of Peter Benisch music out there to draw comparisons from.

Even with that limited framework, there are plenty of sonic markers that identify this as a Benisch work. The sweeping synth strings, the mechanical rhythms, the heart-melting melodies, the groovy electro, the haunting atmospherics. They're all present and correct, but performed in a much subdued fashion when stacked against similar sounds as heard on Soundtrack Saga. Which makes sense for a Fax+ release (especially that one annoyingly experimental track at the end of an album).

Having given Waiting For Snow a few play-throughs now, it's definitely warmed on me for what it is, a lovely collection of gentle, frosty, electro-encrusted ambient techno. It's not Peter's fault his other two albums immediately blew my mind.

Ambidextrous - Vision By Zero

Neotantra: 2019

Oh dear. Oh dear, oh me. When last I talked up Ambidextrous (also the first time), I made mention of wanting his Carpe Sonum Records album Geek Mythology, and now I've done missed my chance, the CD selling out. Sure, I can always pick up a digital version, but man, I never thought Carpe Sonum would run out of stock. On a typical ambient techno label, limited runs are often the norm, interest in the genre remaining rather niche to this day. Carpe Sonum though, they always have copies available through their Bandcamp. Some Autumn Of Communion associated stuff from way back, an Aythar and Motionfield release, that's about it for stock going dry. Maybe I need to get on that drøn CD before it's too late!

I bring this up because in the short time since I reviewed Echoes Of Science (two years is a short time, yes?), it feels like Nick Zavriev's stock has significantly risen. It's certainly deserved, Ambidextrous doing a retro ambient techno stylee that sounds quite modern on the production front. It also explains why Geek Mythology sold out on a label where sold out CDs are rare, so by gosh, y'all better get on anything else released under the Ambidextrous banner before they run out too. Oh no, a release on Neotantra now, where the colour-gradient nature of their cover art triggers one's OCD? The FOMO is real!

Jokes aside, I was quite excited to hear Vision Of Zero, enamoured by Echoes Of Science as I was. Oddly, I've kind of drawn a blank on that album now, maybe over my pining for Geek Mythology ever since. In any case, that has little to do with this record, as Vision Of Zero is a different outing compared to those two.

My assumption that Neotantra is the label ambient techno producers go to indulge their experimental side remains confirmed here, as Nick has crafted a beatless affair of subtle ambient pad work and freeform sound collages. Four lengthy tracks make up Vision Of Zero, with the first three almost forming a singular outing in of itself. Seriously, if you aren't paying attention – and the calming nature of these pieces certainly encourages a drifting sense of consciousness – you'll never notice the brief moment of silence marking each transition. There are attributes between them making each unique: the sampled conversations of Where Are You, the backing synth pads having more prominence in Mind Games Arena, the outworldly feel of Unspoken Word. Okay, all these have an 'outwordly feel', like you're wandering realms of lucidity, but more so there than the others.

Which pale compared to Salvador Ali, the nineteen-minute closer. Every piece had an askew, yet tranquil atmosphere about it, but things apparently go pear-shaped at the end of this sonic journey, with spits of harsh static, abrasive dub, disembodied chants, and even klaxons overtaking the gentle ambience struggling to make itself heard. Dammit, and I was having such a lovely dream too.

Ensiferum - Victory Songs

Spinefarm Records: 2007/2009

The original line-up for Ensiferum looked unbeatable, a promising row of melodic death metallers who'd proven themselves in the field of battle. Then lead singer/screamer Jari Mäenpää left/was relieved when he wanted to work on his Wintersun project, but no worries, just hire another vocalist for replacement. Happens all the time in the world of metal, right? Probably, except Jari's departure seemed to kick-off a mass exodus of band members, original guitarist Markus Toivonen and keyboardist Meiju Enho the only ones left from the Iron sessions. Ah, whoops? I'm not sure what caused such a radical personnel change, but Mr. Toivonen had enough confidence in his band's prospects that it wouldn't be hindered by fresh musicians in the studio.

So new band members came in, Petri Lindroos now the lead wailer. Sami Hinkka picked up the bass-axe, and joined in on the backing vocals with Markus. Janne Pariviainen handled the blast-beats, and the new Ensiferum tested the waters with the Dragonheads EP. If Sputnikmusik is anything to go by (and I see no reason why it shouldn't be a reputable source of metal music opinions), that record didn't do much to convince fans of the old Ensiferum that the new Ensiferum was up to snuff. Well gosh, what hope would the expectant album have then?

But lo', whatever kinks they had to work out must have been solved, as Victory Songs (pronounced 'VI-cTOR-Ree') surprised everyone by being pretty darn good. Certainly different compared to their self-titled debut, but not substantially so such that fans of their heavy folk thrash couldn't still vibe to it. The production is tighter and cleaner, which may turn off some who prefer their death metal rough around the edges, but man, it sure is nice hearing all the instruments in sync with each other, nothing being drowned out. As a 'harsh vocalist', Petri does well, and I can actually understand most of what he's going on about, though that may be in thanks to the better mixdown when stacked against Ensiferum. Still, I find Jari had more presence, more variety in inflection. Yes, even for a form of singing that's generally raspy and guttural. I'm as surprised as you that, even in my extremely limited exposure to it, I've managed to pick out such nuance.

As for the songs, it's more 'melodic speed' (or whatever) as before, with tales of adventure, deeds of war, musings on heroism, and all that fun stuff. Riffage is fast and intense when needed, scaled back for breathers, with traditionalist musicians brought in where appropriate (gotta' get in those bagpipes in the titular finale). Why, there's even a 'clean singing' ballad in Wanderer which still chugs well enough. Strangely, lead single Ahti, with its sea shanty theme (kinda'), didn't do it for me. You'd think that'd be right up my alley but I dunno', that just doesn't feel like Ensiferum's wheel-house. Look at me, acting like some arbiter of proper sound in a Viking metal band.