Yes

While you may never own this because of this you can at least listen to it.

Heretics' Gate

It's because of this that I am posting this. Vinyl as artifact of the wealthy. 

The 90s are over and the 'radical' 90s kids are now capitalizing on the old age and bank accounts of the participants who lived through it. Such is the trajectory of all music.

That against which the battle is fought always wins in the end. It's time we admit it and move on.

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A short film clip of the installation itself, which looks pretty cool, can be seen

Here

Oneiric - spaceci (2014)

spaceci, one of my favorite creators of atmospheric sounds and all around good guy, is back with a new release. His releases have been featured on such labels Entropy Records and the seminal though sadly defunct label Other Heights. 

It's at a 'Buy It Now' prices but you know the story, give what you can so the music can continue.

HERE

Jenny I Read

Love this woman.

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Nosferatu

Seemed a fitting tribute to my feelings about the whole holiday madness.

Turn the lights out, the bass up and enjoy.

Primer

Pimping The Sneakers

For the completist, this combines the original release with some bonus tracks found on two different Japanese (they always have the best releases) versions.

Though the extra tracks can be found scattered (another journey in and of itself) throughout the various singles released for this album, it provides five additional songs not present on the original.

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Church Done Gone Techno

Ok, this may seem really out of nowhere but hang with me for a minute...

As noted earlier, I am a spiritual guy and am always in pursuit of that 'higher' thing that we all seek. I've found it in the spiritual path I am currently on which is the context of this track. It's written by the children's pastor from our church who, minus the lyrics/vocals (it's for kid's mind you), has a knack for creating a catchy hook.

So we're watching/listening to this in church this morning and it's all happy and bouncy, especially the kids, and I smile to myself because this track's skeleton has its roots in the electronic 'club' music which really gained traction 25 or so odd years ago. The emotion and enthusiasm this morning was, in many ways, just an extension of that 'club' energy. It's a primal human desire to move to a good beat. Just because there is a 'Jesus stamp' on this doesn't somehow absolve it of its origins in the club.

I've seen this in the Pentecostal/Charismatic church as well. There is a trance-like energy induced by the music and there are moments within such services that a person can get just as 'high' as someone who is at a rave or a well crafted DJ set. 

A preacher, in many ways, is like that DJ who knows how to build a good set and take it to its peak to drive a crowd into a frenzy and bring it back down into that blissed out chill that leaves an afterglow. I remain fascinated by this connection between music and spirituality and the merging of the two and also am amazed that this so easily slips into the church unnoticed by so many. 

So give it a listen, at least once, and see if you hear what I mean:

Church Rave

Matthias Arfmann ‎– Dvořák "Neue Welt" feat. Onejiru (2005)

Another HTCIS exclusive, currently available only as a v2 that's been floating around for years. Just arrived from Germany after months spent tracking it down. Newly added to discogs as well. The Web is an amazing place.

Promo CD issued at the time of the release of the actual album. 

Features versions of perhaps the catchiest tune on the album featuring the vocals of Onejiru, an artist in her own right whose vocals show up in various places and releases across the dub/electronic spectrum.

The whole techno/classical crossover thing is pretty cool if you ask me and seems to be a natural trajectory.

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Bandcamp Recommendations

Not sure how many folks are visiting my feed but there are some amazing releases out there at 'Name Your Price' offerings. I'm having a ball 'virtual' crate digging through these and they show up in my feed because I always contribute something.

Go digging and see who is out there. There is a virtual underground, kind of, so do what you can to show support and drum up some buzz.

Downscope - a regular contributor to the dub techno forum on discogs. Nice when a regular poster is a music maker, adds some legitimacy to the goings on in the forum.

Egg Nebula - a little drum n bass for ya.

Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens - one of my favorite lo-fi artists who has manifest in different styles under various monikers. All of his stuff is well worth checking out, a throwback to a future Americana.

Off Land - artist prominently featured on my latest favorite label discovery, Terminal Window.

Zwei Kreise - a new direction for dub techno artist Axs, also a regular contributor on the discogs forum.

Mobonus

I won't go into the long details here but if you've been here for a while you know that my musical journey and, in many ways, my life with it - not sure the two can be separated easily - revolve around the music of this artist.

Beginning around the time of his first commercial breakthrough there were limited edition 'bonus' editions containing an extra CD of an ambient nature. Say what you will about him and his role in the good and bad of electronic music's trajectory into the commercial mainstream there is no doubt that he is able to create a certain aural ambiance, especially finding the beauty in melancholy, that is inimitable.

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DeepWarmth - Balance (2014)

Stellar release just out from DeepWarmth (aka James Shain, who runs the Cold Fiction Music netlabel).

"A love letter to the Japanese lounge/chillout scene", Balance is a little under 70-minutes of blissed-out downtempo recalling sunlight and streetlights."

Featuring 10 tracks made over 4 years, and ending with a special Coppice Halifax remix by Milieu. A love letter to the Japanese Chillout/Lounge scene I found through the making of the album. 

The album is supported by Sage Taylor and Hiroshi Watanabe (aka Kaito).

A strong ambient flavored release this is an updated throwback to when 'ambient/chillout' music meant something other than schmaltz.

Highly recommended.

'Name Your Price' offering but show some love as this is an artist (and label owner) with a pulse on what music is all about.

HERE

Back To Mine

What started as a 'mix' series morphed into a 'mix tape' toward the end but some of the best collections to ever emerge as electronic music, especially DJ culture, sped headlong over the cliff of mainstream.

R.I.P. (1999-2008)

Essential.

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The Downgrade Complex (2014)

New release from one of the best netlabels on the entire Web, Cold Fiction Music. Usually more 'dub techno' and/or 'ambient' driven, this one is much noisier than the normal fare. And better because of it.

Also featuring some remixes by some more familiar names, this is one for your ears.

It's a 'Name Your Price' offering so please show some support and keep the music alive. If you haven't already, bury yourself in the back catalogue as there is a treasure trove of amazing music to be found.

The CFM website is

HERE

Russian Orthodox Chronicles

Storytime. For those who haven't figured it out I'm a spiritual guy. Though I hate that word because it has come to mean New Agey, cheesy, snake oil, Deepak Chopra/Oprah loving self-centered weirdness I don't know of a better term. I suppose, in the end, like of all of us, I seek Truth and a vehicle to get there.

In essence I'm a sinner saved by grace but that doesn't mean I'm not an idiot most days and it sure doesn't mean I'm perfect nor have I found my way. I still find myself dabbling and non-committing and basically avoiding what I know I'm supposed to do. However, I do have those places to which I can return when my ego isn't in the way.

Such is the tale here. Back when I was pursuing a higher education in things religious, I had a teacher who invited us over to his house for some Buddhist meditation. I was open to and learning about anything and everything religious. I had done that for years anyhow but now I had a cover to do it openly. Pretty trippy stuff that meditation. First time I actually had someone guide me through meditation and when the carpet started to move I was at once entranced and a bit freaked out (mostly because this was chemical free). 

There was this music playing when we had first arrived and I, curious soul that I am, studied the album cover and made a mental note of the Hearts of Space connection. I had gone through a serious HOS phase as I was immersed in my JMJ, Kitaro and Windham Hill phase of looking for higher planes of consciousness through music rather than funneling anger into banging my head and filling my gut with alcohol.

Remembered hearing this little ditty on one of the Saturday mornings with Stephen Hill...

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Though it took a long time to get this one (I started with the second album in this series), I came to realize the radio broadcast was from the same album I heard that night.

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As the Web continued to open up the ability to discover musical mysteries I would never have otherwise discovered, I went through an everything Bill Laswell phase which opened up to me even more genres of music. One of Laswell's trademarks within the musical universe is to mash and meld genres that shouldn't go together. I eventually, perhaps inevitably, stumbled across this little gem which I picked up on CD.

Issued only in Germany (meaning I never would have discovered it before the Web), it remains to me one of the stronger albums in his repertoire and one that I revisit more than others.

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And, eventually,  a more traditional recording of the original.

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So the universe was aligned, my mind was once again slowed down and peace reigned. These tunes still take me back to 'that' place. It's a marvel how, if you allow it, music can transform your world rather than merely reinforce the mood which you are already occupying and seeking something to further fuel it. 

Allow yourself to be transported...

Studio Stereo - 7.1 (2014)

Another sweet compilation just dropped featuring some better known dub techno artists and some other artists making different styles of music. Don't know the label but this one's a "Name Your Price" offering.

“Seven years ago The Studio Stereo was born, and as we know 7 years is the age of reason. To celebrate the event, we have made a big new compilation in two parts around these three axes: dub / experimental / electronic. Here is the first part. We find the spirit of TSS when it was created, oriented towards minimal techno, and experimental dub! With a few touches here and there of House, or deep ambient. Overall, this compilation offers a deep and dark atmosphere.”

Looking forward to some new sounds.

Check it

HERE