Warmth - Mourning Ghost

Archvies: 2023

Mr. Mena is nothing if not incredibly consistent. It's probably why I haven't indulged in his output that much despite having an extensive catalogue. You more or less know what you're gonna' get with a Warmth album, which is great for when you're in the mood for it, but how many slight variants of dubby ambient drone do you need, especially from one artist?

Like, I picked Mourning Ghost up when it was newish because it had some cover art I couldn't resist (derelict marine machinery, 'natch), yet Agustín's released around a dozen more items under the alias since! Granted, some of these are collaborations, while others are remix albums (or 'Slowed') – it remains a hefty amount of music to 'dabble in'. Great that he's got a solid work-rate going for him, but when I scope a few of these items out, it remains the familiar lane I've heard from Warmth all along. I guess that's why he's got SVLBRD, to explore other sounds.

Which, again, is just a long way of saying I've come across another ambient record that's difficult to detail since I've long since exhausted the broad particulars with regards to Warmth and his label. Heh, I'm starting to feel like poor ol' Mark Prindle when he struggled continuing his blog by keeping up with Every. Single. Brian Eno. Release. Okay, maybe not that self-destructive, but you get what I mean.

Words can only take you so far when detailing music that, by its very nature, is not intended to have lengthy descriptions about it. The whole point of ambient music is the 'less is more' approach. Why do you think the major rags only ever cover two or three highly prominent ambient artists in their life-span? Even the masters of purple prose exhaust their vocabulary in short order. Then there's me, some two decades on, still trying to come up with fresh angles in covering a genre of music that ranks number two (#2) on this blog's most frequent tags – 688 times, for the record (“Album” being #1 at a whopping 1,512 – heh, I loves me my LPs).

Anyhow, Warmth. There's something of a cold, morning chill vibe to Mourning Ghost, which isn't that large a stretch where Mr. Mena's music is concerned. Much of his muse tends to impart feelings of mist and fog at dawn, the atmosphere slowing heating as the sun pierces the veil. Not quite so with this album though, which you'd expect with a title with 'mourning' in it. Other pieces include Distant Sun, Indifference, Anhelo ('longing') and Presencia ('presence'). A lot of sombre, reflective vibes, is what I'm getting, as though that morning fog never quite lifts. Yeah, having lived by the ocean for most of my life, I know those kinds of days.

So yeah, I liked this, as I usually do whenever I listen to Warmth. Will I get another album from him? I don't know – probably, if the cover art lures me in again.

James Murray - Mount View

Slowcraft Records: 2014

When last I talked up James Murray, it was his collaborative album with Francis M. Gri, Remote Redux on Ultimae Records. That record was something of a surprise to me, far more abstract ambient and modern classical leaning than what I was familiar of James' output to that point, but then I only knew of his works on Ultimae. So you can understand my assumption the minimalist overtones was more of a M. Gri thing than a Murray thing. Had I actually kept tabs on his musical output between Ultimae outings, I'd have realized that wasn't the case at all.

Though to be fair, it's not like his Slowcraft Records was some whirlwind of activity either. Mostly a means of Mr. Murray to self-release his own material (plus a couple others), the label was clearly a passion project where he could indulge in music perhaps not so viable for the prints he was building a name upon. I dunno', having finally taken in some of his works released through Slowcraft, I could easily hear them making rounds on other abstract, modern classical ambient outlets like Dronarivm and the like. Still, something to be said for retaining the rights to the music yourself, especially if you're launching the label with a few sessions that are clearly of a highly personal, almost intimate nature.

Mount View is the third of an introspective trilogy from James, wherein he reflected upon times past. Floods kicked it off exploring the relationship of river overflows in the lands he grew up in, followed upon by The Land Bridge, its theme perhaps not so overt but clearly deeply personal. Thus Mount View claims to “close a circle”, possibly putting some finality on an aspect of Mr. Murray's life he had difficulties moving on from. Again, all highly personal concepts, so understandable he wouldn't be keen on shopping these albums about other labels. Who's to say any would be willing to take them on? That Ultimae Bump could only take you so far.

Anyhow, we're in musical territory that's rather languid and moderate, employing slightly harsh atonal drones as steady rudders while gentle melodic elements (pianos, bells, organs) provide direction and focus. Most pieces play out similarly, a soft lead-in before things crescendo, followed upon by a lead-out. Nothing feels terribly repetitive though, each track offering something unique from the other in its primary instrumentation. Well, aside from the back-to-back of Climb The Rise and Mount View, quite similar in chosen synths and progression, the latter coming off just a tad more chipper given the reflective nature of this music. The arpy nature of the backing synths in closer Remains was also something of a subtle whiplash, following how droning most of the album had been to that point.

While I can't say Mount View (or the others in this trilogy) are as expansive as Mr. Murray's efforts on Ultimae, they're definitely nice additions to his discography, should you be looking for a little more of his music.

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.

Logic Moon - Moonchild

Archives: 2023

For a time, Tobias Lorsbach plied his trade in the minimal techno and tech-haus scene, as most good Germans did throughout the '00s. It's tough gauging his success at it though, as Disoggian data covering his Keinzweiter project reveals only so much. Over a dozen records and a couple full-lengths are respectable enough, but I don't see his name crop up in many significant compilations or DJ mixes either. Nothing immediately recognizable to my North American eyes anyway. He tried going independent with his own spontanMusik print, but that too fizzled out after a while.

I'll assume Tobias grew tired of the club scene, as around the time Keinzweiter was winding down, he debuted Logic Moon. Initially an ambient side-project created to make use of several field recordings he'd assembled, its remained his primary musical output ever since. And while he's shopped the project around on labels like Archaic Horizon, whitelabrecs, and Tecnofonika Records (not to mention a hefty chunk of self-released items), Archives seems to be his stable home for the past decade. And how I stumbled into him, naturally.

I'd like to say I've taken in a fair amount of music from Agustín Mena's print now, though obviously just scratching its surface with it variety of artists - sticking with mostly familiar names and whatnot. Thus much of the label's aesthetic has remain consistent among those artists, particularly dubby drone championed by Warmth. All this is a long way of saying that I was actually surprised by Logic Moon's more... modern classical take on Archive's style of ambient.

For sure there's still plenty of drawn out passages of pads and guitar reverb on Moonchild, just with as much emphasis on prominent melodies grabbing your attention too. As always, I'm drawn to 36 as a comparison point of how 'maximal' drone ambient can be, and while Tobias doesn't go to quite those extremes, the music on this album is definitely of a more 'upfront' nature compared to the typical fare I've heard out of Archives. And he doesn't hold back on this either, first track Star Storm erupting with a shimmering, wailing synth lead not even two minutes in (gotta' give at least a little subtle build to it).

Nearly every track out of Moonchild's dozen does this, some with more grace than others. It lends the album to less of a 'drone out, peace out' vibe than a record you can't help but pay active attention to, even if you try playing it as wallpaper music. And given the somewhat foreboding and ominous tone the album imparts (distortion at the peak of some synth swells doesn't help), not a recommended record to fall asleep to.

But hey, not all ambient must be of such nature. If you're down for something more cinematic in its presentation, Moonchild well serve you well. As for the rest of Logic Moon's catalogue, I'll definitely return to him down the line. Why settle for just one album, right?

Shambhala 2025 - When The Universe Manifests In Ironic Ways

I've been going to the Shambhala Music Festival for nearly twenty years now, though obviously not consistently every time. In fact, pandemic shut-down aside, this year had been the longest gap between attendance, my last visit back in 2022. Part of that is due to its rescheduling into late July rather than early August, placing it a mere two weeks after Basscoast. I like both festivals for similar reasons, but after attempting to do both in such a short time frame, I realized that just wasn't feasible going forward. I was gonna' have to alternate, and when my 2023 Shambs Year got scuttled for Reasons, had to wait until this year to go back.

So it goes, and by g'ar, I was gonna' go back with a vengence. Upgraded a bunch of camping gear for the first time in a decade, saved plenty of money to make the trip, booked an appropriate amount of time off so as not to conflict with Shambs volunteering... Only one thing remained: figuring out how I was going to treat this trip as a unique experience.

Sure, there's always some added wrinkle to going to Shambhala that makes it worth your while, but as I said, twenty years is a long time to keep going, and many aspects of the festival have grown same ol', same ol' for yours truly. Which is fine, some things I specifically look forward to when I return to my Farmily. Even something as simple as sitting in the river post-shift, book in one hand, beer in the other, chit-chatting with various randoms also part of Crew Camping. Other traditional things include testing my dancing endurance during the Ragga Rinse-Out at The Village, or putting in my representation among the Fraggles in the Fractal Forest, or closing the festival off with one last chai at The Grove/Labyrinth/Portal. Everything else, who knows, all dependent on who I end up hanging out with, what chosen adventure I partake in, and all the things that makes festivals such as these worth going to.

In a nutshell, I always look to manifest something new and unique with each round, experience something I never have before. And boy, did this year ever manifest a doozy...

At first I offered help to those struggling to haul their gear into the deeper forested areas of camping. An act of pure altruism, which had more than a few confused. But hey, I knew the struggle (used to camp in those areas before Crew Camping became a thing), and had nothing better to do that afternoon, so why not? After, I wandered about various camp zones contributing to trading posts (had a few trinkets and stickers to offer). I used to wander many such camp zones just meeting folks, so not terribly unique, but still doing something other than my usual routine. By third night, word was out that the 'Ultra-Deluxe' camp zone, beside the Crew Camping, was having a one-night party in there, which included crew to attend. So hey, why not go? That's something different!

All well and good, but this was still pre-show, the festival properly kicking off Friday evening. I worked my morning shift, had my river beer, then went to the Ragga Rinse-Out, as was my tradition for getting my headspace rockin'.

Where, not even an hour in, took a divit in the uneven ground at a bad angle, promptly spraining my ankle, and shelving me for nearly the rest of the weekend.

Now that... That was something new.

I'd sustained injuries at Shambs before: blisters, wasp stings, strained shoulders, and a serious case of knee tendonitis after one particular year. To wreck my foot just as everything was ramping up to high-gear though, forcing me into Tent Casualty status like some punter who'd partied too hard too early... Well, I honestly felt more humilated than upset that something like this happened with my years of exepience at Shambs. Indeed, I'm the one always mindful of potential foot injuries others might suffer, removing loose rocks and stray sticks from walking paths all the time. To say I had a serious case of the Mopes Saturday night is an understatement.

Still, by Sunday night, my foot felt 'healed' enough that I was able to at least put in a few hours out on the festival grounds: my representation with the Fraggles in Fractal Forest, my chai at The Grove. Plus, being unable to comfortably walk, I was reassigned my shift work to Kitchen rather than Enviro, which in of itself counted as an experience new and unique, and may do again when I return. Something I never would have considered had my injury not forced it upon me.

A complete wash then? No, not really, though I can't help but feel this year's Shambhala taken as a mulligan. Still, I always say go not for the music and stages, but for the experience. Just never imagined this year's experience would end up so painfully different than past years.

Various - MO_AMBIENT

Móatún 7: 2023

It's honestly quite remarkable how much music Móatún 7 released in just half a decade of existence. Seemed like so long as Mason Verger could find another quaint picture of Icelandic scenery, Árni would find another artist willing to contribute to his label. Whether much of it was worth your while likely boils down to personal preference, but given the calibre of musician that wandered through (mostly those somehow connected to the Lee Norris Multiverse), I'd wager your betting odds are rather high should you dabble some.

I cannot deny the label's extensive catalogue is daunting to dive into, and though I've dipped a bit here and there, felt it was about time to explore it more proper-like (shame it took Futuregrapher's passing to finally get me to do so). And what better way than via a compilation or two? Well, maybe if I got one that's more representative of the electro, techno, and acid works Móatún 7 typically peddled, but me being me, I had to spring for an ambient collection instead.

Actually, I'm a little surprised MO_AMBIENT, Móatún 7's first foray into such a compilation, came so late into the label's existence. True, this wasn't a focused genre for the print (pretty useless making vinyl of ambient most times), with plenty other outlets catering to those interests from the same artists. Still, so many naturalistic scenery shots, so much in common with labels like Archives and whatnot. Assumptions and all, y'know?

Some names I recognize off here include Futuregrapher, D York, Fallen, and World Circuit (Árni and Lee collab'). That's only four out of fourteen, so great stuff if I'm looking for more new names to discover! Some seem to be artists that had made their home on Móatún or closely affiliated prints like Intellitronic Bubble and Neo Oujia (Self Oscillate, Lovetrip, Mint Deluxe, DJ Dorrit). More are general wanderers over the past decade: Pageant (3) appeared on Omni Music; Peachy (15) appeared on... Oh, hey, he was also UOVI. I remember that album!

Musically, MO_AMBIENT sticks to the dronescape side of things. Some go darker (UNUIT's At The Edge Of Known Space, Self Oscillate's Intercontinental), some go dubbier (Peachy's The Dead Of Winter, Pageant's Just Go To Sleep, Augen's The Mantle Is Asleep), some go tranquil (Juan Moreno's Song For Catedral, Mint Deluxe's Amibohambi), while others get experimental (Badstøf's The Painter, Futuregrapher's Voices In My Head). Lovetrip even gets cheeky with the 'ambient' concept in Home Bakes, a soft electro rhythm firmly placing this outside the realms of proper ambient. Pretty sure it's more typical of the Móatún 7 sound though.

Ribbing aside, MO_AMBIENT is a decently varied compilation, most tracks hovering in the four-to-six minute mark with only two breaching double-digits in length (D York's MFV3 and Amibohambi). If you need a sampler of Móatún 7 to start... Well, maybe try one of their acid collections instead. This one's better served as a companion piece to the label's oeuvre.

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...

Rockers Hi-Fi - Mish Mash

Warner Bros. Music: 1996

Seems ridiculous it's taken me this long to pick up something from Rockers Hi-Fi. As the kick-off artists of the seminal Ambient Dub series from Beyond Records, you'd think they were a shoo-in for top spots on my Want Lists. And indeed, their albums are reasonably cheap on most second-hand markets these days, so hardly difficult in procuring something from their lengthy history. Ah, that may be the kicker though, the bulk of their music coming out under this handle, whereas I was introduced to them by their original name of Original Rockers. That disconnect has always kept them out of my mind as O.G. Ambient Dub artists, even though that's complete and utter bunk.

And it's not like I couldn't have grabbed their first album as Original Rockers - Rockers To Rockers. After all, it got reissued under their upgraded handle of Rockers Hi-Fi a mere two years later once they jumped labels. Yeah, but I wanted the Original Rockers, because, um, purity of memory, or somesuch (original tracks with original uncleared samples too, heh).

Whatever, I'm here talking up their sophomore album, Mish Mash, because I spied it among a Discogs seller's wares while browsing other material. Just because it isn't Original Rockers doesn't mean I can't enjoy some downtempo dub jams. This even has Going Under on it, Glyn and Richard's stab at trip-hop, and their earliest collaboration with future running MC Farda P. And it got a big ol' remix package done by Kruder & Dorfmeister, the far more famous duo who cannot be denied having drawn influence from the Rockers' brand of dubby downtempo vibes. Granted, many future downtempo dub doods would be influenced by them – it pays to be among the first setting the template.

Mish Mash though... Well, it is a bit of a mish-mash of an album. Absolutely you have the reggae inspired tunes, including an eleven-minute opener in The 8th Shade. They also try getting fancy in their sampling, a gentle harp melody quietly playing in Uneasy Skanking before erupting with one of those distorted bass leads. There's even some dabblings of acid jazz with Now I Deliver and 90 Degree Fuzzwalk, including spoken word lyrics from Phoebe One (apparently a London MC of some note). Cool, but as mentioned, all kinda' rambly from an album perspective too, lacking something heavier to stand out from the quickly overcrowded downtempo scene of the mid-'90s.

So I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear Mish Mash go down more techno roads in the back end of the album. Aw man, do I loves me some '90s tribal reggae dub techno. While I wouldn't put Rockers' efforts above those of PWoG and Bandulu, cuts like breakbeaty Paths Of Life, deep groover One With Another, and jungly Queen Of The Ghetto (Ghetto Defendant) are worthy companions to that specifically niche style. Not so much the funk-sampling Copycat (Follafashiondropoffaconkatree) though, but I had to namedrop it here just so you could see how ridiculous the track's subtitle is.

A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders

Jive: 1993

The debate of what, officially, marks the true end of the Golden Age Of Hip-Hop is one that will forever rage to the end of... Well, not humanity, but at least whenever this style of music has completely faded out of public consciousness. However long recorded sound formats are maintained, at least. I'm more curious of what folks would consider the Last Of The Records of this era though, which I'm sure is just as contentious a topic as demarcating a hard-line border to its end. Having finally dug through A Tribe Called Quest's discography (scant though it be), I can't help but feel Midnight Marauders must be up there in the discussion.

Yeah, yeah, a record released late '93 couldn't possibly be such – didn't the Golden Age last well past that? Probably, and I'm not discounting the albums that came after. I feel like those are outliers though, releases that bucked against a general trend in how the culture was evolving rather than defining it. When people talk about records that 'changed the game' - specifically emphasizing street hustle and thuggery with crossover appeal - a lot of those came out in '94 and beyond. Whereas Tribe's third effort feels like a cap on the more thoughtful, conscious, almost innocent side of the genre. Like, when I think of a 'golden age' of hip-hop, it's when all styles were still on equal footing, peacenik lyricists having just as much presence as gangsta' posturing, with plenty of room for variants between.

Anyhow, Midnight Marauders moves the Tribe into slicker territory compared to The Low End Theory, which isn't surprising in the slightest. The previous record seemed almost a fluke of serendipitous creativity, fusing vintage jazz music with hip-hop rhythms. A trick so simple in concept, but so difficult in pulling off while retaining not just critical plaudits, but approving nods from the brothers on the street. How do you even follow that up?

Well, you gotta' maintain that jazzy vibe, no doubt. The cello bass action, the trumpet solos, the flute loops, and so on. Yet they don't seem so obvious and in the forefront as before, heavier emphasis on rugged rhythms and turntable scratchin'. Almost as though Tribe were fully aware of how aggro hip-hop was evolving, so doing what they could to keep pace without losing the laid back identity they'd built for themselves. And lo', it works wonderfully, once again striking a remarkable balance between sounding contemporary without dishonouring the music that inspired them.

Lyrical topics, then? Mostly treading familiar territory, Q-Tip the chill everyman while Phife Dawg gives us a taste of the seedier side of Queens without getting too deep in the gunk. Also, lots more shout-outs to fellow rappers, which seems almost novel given the growing competitive animosity the scene was cultivating at the time. Hmm, maybe that's why Tribe rather faded after this record, unwilling to get caught up in all that mamma-drama. Folks liked their rap drama, after all.

Natural Life Essence - Micro Ambient/MicroAmbient 2

CYAN/Liquid Frog Records: 2019/2021

Can't have a 'macro' without first having a 'micro'. I mean, you technically could, but generally speaking, folks start with the 'micro' before moving on to the 'macro'. Concepts of 'micro' are so common, it's permeated pop culture far more than 'macro'. Gander: microscope, microwave, micro-organism, microphone, Microsoft. Now try flipping those with a 'macro'. Don't work, do it? Instead we get telescope, or mega fauna, or comedy-sized microphone, or Evil Corpo'. Heck, even in units of measurement, we have micrometres and micro-litres, but no 'macro' variant, just 'mega'.

Even if we are to accept 'macro' as an opposite measurement against 'micro', where exactly does the demarcation end and begin? Size is all relative, right? Typically we take a normal human as the median, everything larger being 'macro', and anything smaller being 'micro', which is fair enough. Sure, its completely biased to our perspective, but we're the ones measuring things to our scale. Should we encounter something more dominate than the scale we use, I'm sure we'd appropriately adjust. Or not, stubbornness one of humanity's defining characteristics.

So where does that leave ambient music? Like, it's easy to point out when something sounds 'micro' versus 'macro' (or whatever specific terminology you wish to utilize) - if I was to play a 36 piece after an Andrew Heath composition, the contrast would be stark indeed. At what point does noodly synth drones pass from the 'micro' to the 'macro' though? Can't help but feel like that's one of those impossible lines to pin down, something entirely subjective to interpretation and perspectives of one's own experience with the music. If anyone can point towards The Perfect Ambient Track That Divides Between The Micro & The Macro, let me hear it!

ANYhow, Juan Pablo released the first Micro Ambient while he was still peddling his wares through CYAN, so fairly early into N:L:E's lifespan. I wouldn't really call the music offered on this album especially 'micro', mostly bright synth pads performed in a minimalist fashion – more meditative than anything. I guess compared to his regular output to this point, it's more pure ambient than his forays into downbeat, but even tracks like Micro-Path and Micro-Lake have enough of a rhythmic pulse to keep these being an entirely lowercase session. They sure wouldn't sound of place on one of the Macro Ambient albums.

You'd think Mr. Giacovino would reassess what a 'micro ambient' album should entail after exploring the 'macro' side of things, and he kinda' does with the sequel. MicroAmbient 2 is certainly more subtle compared to the first, though not without its own rhythmic moments too. Just, y'know, performed in a smaller fashion compared to most other N:L:E music.

Having listened to all these 'micro' and 'macro' ambient session, I find the first is the best, if for no other reason than it feels more like a complete album. Which makes sense, since it was released on a different label than Juan Pablo's own.