Saturday, November 30, 2013

Vytis- Underground Movement (2013)


Vytis, another dub techno favorite whose works appear on various netlabels, strays from the usual and heads to Detroit.

Just enter '0' for the purchase price, 200 free downloads available. I purchased mine a few weeks ago so snap it up quick 

Friday, November 29, 2013

A Band Called Death (2013)




My purpose for this blog is to bring you something you might not otherwise catch in this media saturated world of ours. I stumbled across this documentary today.

You need to see it.  

Trust me.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Trash Trance (1994)


Finally tracked down a copy of this. This one has eluded me for a while and contains one-offs from some of the label mates from the Dorobo label, now since extinct.

Mid 90s experimental music at its best.

Info

Monday, November 25, 2013

Sensible Soccers - Sofrendo Por Voc (2013)


A couple of days ago I experienced bliss while listening to a mix from a group I had never heard of before, one of those rare moments of ecstasy that only music can bring, removing me from my immediate cares and carrying me away in the groove. The original post and mix can be found here.

Thanks to ltjbukum for pointing me in the right direction.

Found a link to the download for the song in question. It's a 'Name Your Price' deal but chip in some support. A little goes a long way.  You can find it here (but the live version is awesome).


Their bandcamp page is here.

Waveform Voodoo

I had posted the second volume a few years (yes, years) ago. A different kind of chill from Waveform and it even stands out from the glut of 'chill' compilations the 90s would ultimately produce. These have aged remarkably well.

Ohm-G's "Coming Down" and Holger Honda's "Banana Tribbio' are the standouts for me but both compilations work well in full immersion. 

Cheese free.

Voodoo Roux (2001)



Voodoo Roux Deux (2002)



Info

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Variant - Falling Stars and the "Loudness Wars"


I have become more and more interested in the "behind the scenes" aspect of the music I listen to. I'll leave out the details but when I first encountered various, uh, chemical alterations to my brain, I had experiences "seeing" the music I was hearing. I've never been able to get back there and, fortunately, I realized the futility of such a means to do so but it opened a door. With modern technology, even for those with little technical music background other than sheer passion and appreciation for the music, there are many ways of "seeing" what our ears hear.

Variant's "Falling Stars" has been one of my favorite tracks since I discovered it way back when on the digital boomkat release. 52 minutes of bliss that disappeared when the CD was released and was excited when it was re-issued and ecstatic when it was expanded to 62 minutes.

I was working on doing some mixing (it is so much harder than it looks) and noticed the spectrals on the different versions of this track. I post it here because 2013 has become the year of the re-issue and is often tagged with the 'remastered' thing. I've lost track of how many things are remastered and it seems as if the industry repackages the same thing year after year as a 'remaster' to eke just a few more dollars out of old material.

However, as I am learning, remastering can often make all the difference. Sometimes it's just louder. A quick search online will show you the 'loudness wars' are a hot topic when it comes to remastering. It's big business.

Below are the spectrals for a track from Brock Van Wey's White Clouds Drift On And On. The top is from my personal copy of the original CD, the bottom is the digital version (I'm assuming it is the boomkat version that has been available for a long time).


It appears to me that it is 'louder' because it seems that the entire track is 'turned up' rather than fine tuned. To the best of my knowledge this album was not remastered until the vinyl release last year. A remastered Japanese CD version supposedly exists as well.

Below are the spectrals for a track from Variant's Falling Stars. The top one is the final release (my rip); the middle is the "reprise" version from the first version of the CD remaster (one of only 25 copies made, my rip); the bottom one is the original file from boomkat.

There is a huge difference in the 62 minute version, aside from the length, and it is very audible. It is also very visual. I knew it the first time I listened to it. To my ears this is not simply a 'louder' remaster, it is a remaster that is done right. The difference between the original and this one is stunning.


I just thought this might be of interest to some folks here. I may be mistaken since I am no audio engineer and would really love to hear others' thoughts on the subject.

24 Hours


A rather concept heavy project of 24 hours worth of field recordings given the "U-Cover" touch. Styles range from ambient to touches of dub and everything in between.

Long out of print and quite pricey in the resale market.

Info

(I've yet to do the whole day. If anyone has done it, feel free to share the experience)

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Sensible Soccers Boiler Room Lisboa LIVE Show




Guess these guys are shoegaze?  Not sure what that means exactly (yet one more overused tag) and had no idea who they were prior to this but at 18:20 on I was hooked. Some of the best 10 minutes of music I've heard in a while.

Check it...

Thursday, November 21, 2013

variant - thru the cosmos [ison + spica] 44​:​41 (2013)


In anticipation of the new echospace DVD sound library (with a new exclusive variant track), this one just dropped on bandcamp. For those of us who have been waiting with anticipation this was offered up as a gift today.

Live recording reflecting on perhaps the most anticipated astronomical event of the year as Comet ISON makes its way toward the sun, in just a few days it will be the closest proximity to it and should be something worth gazing up at the sky and reflecting on the time, space continuum. By Christmas day, the comet will take its brightest form illuminating the night sky helping us to remember how mystical and magical the universe really is as this comet crosses paths with spica. The recording was made in reflection of this event and meant to score as a soundtrack to it and the constellation of mystical events occurring in the depths of space. 
The content recorded here was made entirely and exclusively using the soon to be published, "echoes in space" DVD sound library. Given the current state and delay on orders we wanted to give a little something back to all you patient fans eagerly awaiting your new music. Most of the releases have been expedited from manufacturing and will be shipping shortly. Enjoy and thanks so much for the world of support!"

Free download but, as always, please do your best to give genuine support.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Derelict World


The "dark ambient" tag is so overused that I generally steer clear. However, this one surprised me. While "dark" may be fitting it is only in the sense of a sound that is atmospheric, cavernous, submerged even.

It doesn't take long for the listener to enter into the soundscape and drift almost weightlessly, aimlessly, into its universe of industrial wreckage.

Highly recommended.

Monday, November 18, 2013

bvdub mixes


I first discovered bvdub (aka Brock Van Wey) with his White Clouds Drift On And On CD right around the time I first stumbled into the dub techno universe when blogging was still in its heyday.

As with many artists I began a full immersion into everything he released (and went near broke trying!). On an old incarnation of his web page I learned about his back history as a DJ with roots reaching into the 90s.

His web site no longer contains these mixes and they seem to have vanished from the Web unless you know where to find them. So for your convenience these are the mixes I have in my archives. Most are from the old bvdub site, some from other sites, but all are essential trips.


As they were released free I don't think that Brock would mind them being posted here. An amazingly talented and prolific artist, I could have his stuff on repeat all day long and be lost in bliss.



Sunday, November 17, 2013

RA.390 - Deepchord


He's back with a new mix under the Deepchord moniker, espousing his sagely, grandfatherly wisdom: 

I think sound design in electronic music is 25 years behind. Everyone's obsession with old analog synths is perpetuating this. Instead of focusing on up-to-date options, everyone is hoping for yet another incarnation of classic gear from the 1970s synthesizer graveyard. It's retarding music.

Get the mix 

HERE

Torn & Burnt - Obsidian Kingdom (2013)


Dropped in my email about 5 minutes ago. Have never heard of them before but I am checking them out based on the following (and a Subheim remix):

Taking a huge step beyond Rock and Metal, TORN & BURNT offers a new and fresh approach towards Obsidian Kingdom's music, giving their fans the opportunity to rediscover these seven songs through the prism of electronic-related styles such as Abstract Hip-hop, Ambient, Breakcore, Idm or Dubstep.

Give it a listen

I'm streaming it as I type this and it has me intrigued.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Bandcamp Collection


In case you're interested, here is my collection so far on Bandcamp:


Perhaps obviously, I highly recommend all of them.

It continues to grow...

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Dubophonic Netlabel


So I received a nice little email during my little trip South introducing me to the Dubophonic Netlabel. Always excited when an artist/label contact me to promote their music/site.

While scrolling through their releases I stumbled across this one and realize I already have it. Serendipity at its finest. You can check this release out 

Don't forget to check out the rest of their site. I've added it to the feed on my sidebar so stay tuned.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Radio Cascára - ionosphere chatter 07


Some of the best mixes and discoveries of new music have been found through the periodic mixes on this site.  Fortunately, he has returned with another mix, just in time for another trip South of the Border.

High recommendation for all the mixes on the site.

You can find this one



Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Miki Nakatani - Vague (1997)


Truth be told I really have no idea who Miki Nakatani is but from what I can tell she is a Japanese actress and pop singer.

All I know about her is this release of remixes featuring names that have some weight: DJ Krush, DJ Cam and Andrea Parker.