Subdream - Nameless Constellations

Exosphere: 2023

It's not that I distrust Bandcamp's Recommendation algorithm. I'm sure if I spent some time randomly clicking through on some of those items, I'd stumble upon a number of interesting releases. Still, there's a reason Fantano had a series called It Came From Bandcamp, wherein he'd scrounge about the website's most bizarre music folks would upload. And believe you me, the stray times I have randomly indulged the Recommendation algo', it's led to some very weird, amateurish stuff indeed. No, I'll stick to the artists I'm there to check out, and should their discography direct me to a few labels off the beaten path, all the better.

All that said, I discovered Subdream entirely because Nameless Constellations popped up in the Recommendation feed, and its lovely cosmic art lured me in as so much lovely cosmic art does. Why would this one in particular do so? Probably because, at the time, it was the most recent release from the Exosphere label, so got some preferential attention in the algo'. As for why this digital print would come up, I haven't a clue. Is it because Lingua Lustra's released a few albums there? Perhaps, though it may have more to do with Cosmic Replicant's The Waves, his thus-far last LP, also appears on Exosphere. Yeah, let's go with that. If there's anything Bandcamp knows for certain, it knows I likes me some Cosmic Replicant, though why it wouldn't have recommended that instead of Subdream, who knows.

Anyhow, I sadly don't have much info regarding one Michael Schubert. Seems to have floated about online circles with sporadic releases for the past decade, this and A Tale Of Distant Stars his most consistent presence on a label. Mostly doing ambient, but some synthwave leaning downtempo tunes here and there as well. And boy, I do hope he finds time to make more, because this is some exquisite stuff.

Okay, sure, we're still in the realms of 'planetarium ambient', space music best set to images of deep star fields and flying through colourful nebula. It isn't anything new under the G-type star of one standard luminosity scale. I've heard plenty of stuff like this before, and likely will again. But yeah, this hits just a little sweeter, perhaps a result of those synthwave influences. Heck, we even get a little acid action in Prismatic Forest, inching ever so close to Carbon Based Lifeform's own space ambient outing of Twentythree. Never a bad thing getting an associative namedrop like that 'round these here parts, but Cosmic Replicant works in a pinch too.

So Namelesss Constellations is nice, good even. Yet I'm more eager to start exploring this Exosphere label. Yeah, cool one of my fav's and another enjoyed artist are there, but look at all these new names: Isostatic, Stellarium, Active Region, Remote Vision, Chris Russell, Herne von Bòrmanvs, Transponder (3), Hinterland (7). All I need to do is remember it exists next time a Bandcamp Friday rolls around.

Ray Castle & Collaborators - Mystique Of The Metaverse (An Epoch Re-Envisioned)

Suntrip Records: 2018

I kicked off the start of this summer with a triple dose of Suntrip Records music, care of Mindsphere's Mental Triplex trilogy. And now, at the very end of the season (or right of the start of the next, depending on your timezone when this gets published), I've finally come to another CD from this other catalogue that never seems to end. That these were the only two items (well, four, but run with me here) within the entire 'M' block feels like it should have some sort of significance as well.

I struggle to ascertain one though, other than this simply isn't a psy-friendly letter to name your albums with. I also have that Mechanophobia compilation from Trishula Records, plus assorted stuff that could fit snuggly within the realms of psy-chill. Does Man With No Name's debut album Moment Of Truth cast such a large shadow that no other psy act dares tread within this letter's hallowed halls? Surely there's room down at the bottom end, then, with all manner of 'mystic' variants floating about. The Infinity Project's Mystical Experiences, for instance, or Saafi Brothers' Mystic Cigarettes. Even get a little fancy with it as we have on here, Mystique Of The Metaverse.

As usual, not gonna' front: I had some trepidation going into this one. The main title screamed rather cheesy, with a subtitle of An Epoch Re-Envisioned not helping matters much. Throw in cover art that would be considered garish even at the height of goa's popularity, and having not one damn clue about the artist involved, you can understand why I felt this Suntrip session might be an endurance test.

Then opening track Tribedelic Nomads (Feral Mix) hits, and what's this? A serious tribal work-out, done in that late '90s psy-tekk style that Tristan made hay from? Wow, I don't think I've heard anything like this from Suntrip thus far. Maybe a couple of their earliest releases, when they hadn't yet settled into their comfortable nu-goa niche. If the whole album's like this, then Mystique Of The Metaverse just might land in Top 5 contender from this label!

But nay, that track's a one-off, the other Insectoid tracks stripping things down to acidic essentials, while the Rhythmstec cuts go as retro goa as heard straight from tracks five-through-eight on a standard compilation of the '90s. Which makes sense, since this is a collection of collaborative works one Ray Castle made in those days. The hype-blurb makes a big deal out of his influence as a promoter in the Aussie side of the scene, even getting some market penetration in Japan and thereabouts. Cool, but the music here is pretty typical stuff for the time. The tunes under the Insectoid alias do show creativity in their acid use, and Time Traveler Of Trance as Masaray is one of the definitive goa tracks off the Psy-Harmonics print. Just don't mind me wandering more to his Exotic Matter alias, doing music the likes of Eat Static dared to tread.

New Order - Music Complete

Mute: 2015

Should I be doing a review of this? After all, covering the 'radio friendly' version of this album is rather redundant on my part. The 'extended mixes' of Complete Music are vastly superior to these cuts, even if they are fundamentally the same songs. And given the state of The Backlog That Won't Stop, coupled with my utter tardiness in keeping up with my blog this summer, can I even afford additional indulgences in what I'll commit fingers to keyboard on?

Probably, but damn, I feel New Order's presumptive swan-song deserves more flowers than it neglectfully got. And wouldn't you know it, we're practically nigh upon its tenth anniversary of release (September 25, 2015). No, I did not plan this out, but it's nice that my recent, lackadaisical attention to music writing turned out this coincidence of happenstance.

So why should you give Music Complete another chance, even if it doesn't sound exactly like their iconic '80s songs? How about the fact that this record even exists at all? It had been a decade prior when New Order had released their last album (Waiting For The Sirens' Call), and with the departure of Peter Hook, seemingly putting an end to the band. No one would have thought less of them if they'd rested on their laurels, maybe did some reunion tours playing out the old hits, fading off into the sunset. They certainly didn't need to hit the studio again, missing one of their key members from their earliest days. And even if they did, no one would have batted an eye if whatever resulted from those sessions was just acceptable at best, music that was serviceable but hardly a touch on their best work.

They especially didn't need to make one of the best records in their whole dang discography. But they did.

Dang, maybe that's why they haven't been back to the studio since. Whatever creative spark and serendipitous synergy that resulted in Music Complete (not to mention Complete Music!) simply couldn't be recreated, so why even try? New Order made their 'statement' album, that even after all that time, they still had enough mojo to knock it out of the park. What better way to put a capper on a career than with a near-perfect high note, rather than struggling to maintain that momentum long after. Hmm, sounds weirdly prescient, for some reason...

Anyhow, no need to go into actual music details again, since I already covered that in Complete Music. This 'review' is really just a friendly reminder that, hey, one of New Order's best albums does exist, and it's totally contemporary in style and sound. If you'd rather take it in as shorter, manageable chunks as heard in Music Complete rather than lengthier excursions, that's completely fair. Just don't be surprised if you start jonesing for those more. After all, when the good times are this good, you want them to last as long as possible.

N:L:E - Mushroom Land

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

The Super Mario Brothers movie tie-in soundtrack that was a few years too early! Okay, that's silly even for me, Juan Pablo clearly more interested in actual fungi realms than the ones found on the other side of city sewer plumbing. I think this was the first one he focused more specifically on one of the more dominant forms of that particular kingdom, prior releases Seeds And Spores and Organic Adventures only touching upon them in broad strokes. Which I guess should provide Mushroom Land with some additional talking points beyond the broad strokes I default to with N:L:E reviews now, but... eh...?

Actually, it has been a while since I last talked up Mr. Giacovino's primary project, at least one that wasn't part of some conceptual mini-series. You'd hope some unique elements would be heard if he wanted to assign these pieces their own fungal-based focus. A few, yes, and since I needn't spend a couple paragraphs going over who we're dealing with, maybe it's time for a classic track-by-track review? Yeah, let's go with that.

Opener Entrance sees N:L:E engaging in another session of ambient drone, with dubby treatments on distant bright synths having me reminded of Kevin Braheny's New Age works. As with much of Juan Pablo's work, he never dips all the way there, keeping things just on this side of tasteful meditation, but the vibe remains.

The three track run of actual mushroom music - The Mushroom Guardian, Mushroom Land, and The Red Mushroom - do that N:L:E thing of offering differing styles of a similar musical motif. In this case, ambient version, the ambient dub version, and the psy-chill version, respectively. I cannot deny I was mostly ready to write Mushroom Land (the album) as just more of the same as I've heard from N:L:E for so long now.

Fortunately, things take a more interesting turn in the album's second half. While we're still in familiar sonic territory, at least Nucleus (N Mix) brings the tone down to mysterious realms. Following that with Drought Season (The Mushroom Trip), a track that's quite uplifting in its understated dubby way (it's that lead, harmonic melody, almost sounding like Uilleann pipes) brings welcome contrast to the listening experience.

Mushroom Land finishes similarly to how it started, Mycelium Dream getting in on that Braheny sparkly ambience again, while Spores From Space goes for the minimalist ambient drone, a moment quiet contemplation for the future ahead. Certainly more benign than what most 'spores from space' sci-fi will show us.

Wow, now that I've properly given this album my undivided attention rather than just playing in the background, I've come to appreciate it much more. It's almost like this N:L:E guy is really good at this music thing, and best enjoyed by not bulk-buying his whole catalogue and force-listening to it. Not that it isn't worth it (there's a lot of good stuff for an exceptionally cheap price), just needs smarter consumption scheduling.

Slowdeck - Multiple Offenses

Waveform Records: 2002

Taken at first ear-glance, Multiple Offenses doesn't seem like much. A collection of bare-bones trip-hop tracks that, by the year 2002 when this album was released, would come off way dated, half a decade's worth at least. You might even think this was another case of Waveform Records losing the plot at the turn of the century, lost with regards of where to go next. Considering the string of albums that followed the release of this one – Omnimotion, Bluetech, Phutureprimitive, Pitch Black, plus the start of Sounds From The Ground's best three-album run – maybe this Slowdeck item was just some one-and-done unfinished business, like Skin To Skin, or Kozo, or Ras Command.

Well, partially right, but before getting into that, there's another tidbit of trivial surrounding Multiple Offenses that may surprise you. When I started buying music direct from labels, you bet Waveform Records was among my earliest destinations. They even had bulk deals, some of which you've been privy to post-splurge (it was no coincidence you'd see a few such runs in this blog's history). Yet one item was unavailable, indeed the only one that was sold out from their catalogue: this one.

And I thought to myself, gosh, must be something really special to have sold out. Or maybe prematurely discontinued? What even is this album, with is stark, black cover art and blood-red grimy tunnel with cage doors. Trip-hop, is what, and yeah, for a 2002 release, would have come off rather basic and simple and even dated. The genre had moved onto more ambitious, sleek, and even corporate version of itself at the turn of the century, so maybe this was more of a deliberate return to its stripped down, basic roots? Again, partially right.

So this is actually something of a reissue of several tracks produced by Lascelle Gordon, an individual who was involved in trip-hop's developmental years, if not ever getting much shine for his efforts. He was part of The Brand New Heavies when acid jazz was gaining popularity, and his work with Vanessa Darby as Heliocentric World will have your post Blue Lines Massive Attack triggers flaring. By the mid-'90s, he'd crafted enough music for a debut album of his own called Rock Oil on short-lived Orange Egg Records. I'm assuming Waveform Records had an ear for his stuff, even opening their Frosty compilation with one of his tracks as Eight From The Egg (Fuzz). And when I heard that particular track on this album as Slowdeck (label legal hurdles requiring a name-change, I wager), that's when it all clicked.

All that history, but is Multiple Offenses good? If you're down for a little more Phase 1 trip-hop, sure. It's vibey enough without drifting far from the basics of what you need from the genre, and Ms. Darby offers suitable pipes when called upon. It won't be replacing your Portishead records anytime soon, but there were only so few of those to begin with.

Kiphi - Move The Stars Here

Liquid Frog Records: 2021

I surprisingly haven't had many albums from Mr. Giacovino within this 'M' block. Yeah, there was the double session of Macro and Micro Ambient, but I can't help considering those one conceptual album in of itself. Exploring similar facets of the same idea, and all that. As we move into the back end of 'M', however, there's been little since, and glancing ahead, only one more after. Does this mean the bulk of that Liquid Frog Records bulk-buy is also winding down? Eh, I wouldn't count on it, though I'll probably be highly selective in how to approach a few more releases as they come.

Meanwhile, let's touch base with the artist on Juan Pablo's label that isn't Juan Pablo, but his... I'm still gonna' assume brother: Jose, or Kiphi as he goes by. And hey, great timing on my part here, the chap having just released another album this past week called Glowing Universe. Catch the wake of all that Kiphi media hype I'm certain is flooding the internet this very moment! Okay, that's unfair, pretty clear this remains a highly niche lane of music, no matter how much I may say some of it is worth checking out. Just, y'know, don't go and bulk buy the whole darn thing like I did, much less try to write reviews of it all either. That path leads to madness. Not death, mind you, just madness.

Kiphi though, he at least brings something a little different to the table. If you recall, Jose likes his use of arps, bringing more of a trancey, sometimes Berlin-School approach to the music found on Juan Pablo's label. When they collaborate, these attributes tend to be more window-dressing for your typical N:L:E jam, but here we get them front and centre. And as this is his second solo outing as Kiphi (not to mention about half a dozen collab's with Juan), Jose had plenty of time to hone his own craft with Move The Stars Here.

The album's titular opener certainly suggests he's leaving nothing off the table, doing that gradual build both Giacovinos love deploying in their music. Only this time, the synths are bright, cascading, bold, and even multi-layered as things progress further. And what's this towards the end? Brisk rhythms, inching ever so close to the realms of progressive breaks? Geez, with an opening like that, Move The Stars Here must be in for one rollicking ride of an album.

Yeah, not quite. There's still some nice momentum in the following slew of tracks, but it's all subdued in that psy-chill sort of way most of Kiphi's music tends to go. Only mid-album track Feelings and closer track Flying Angels get close to the same uplifting space as the opener does, which doesn't make Move The Stars Here a bad album by any stretch. It's just when you shoot such a significant shot right from the jump, it does leave the listener wanting after.

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?