isolatedmix 94 - Brambles

Back in 2012 we were introduced to the work of Brambles. It came through a debut release on Welsh label Serein. From the very first track on ‘Charcoal’, as those beautiful strings hit, we knew we were in for something spectacular. It seems like millions agreed too, with 2.1m people streaming the track on Soundcloud since its upload - a testament to the beauty at hand. The album only got better as it progressed too, with the second track ‘Such Owls As You’ ending up as my favorite.

It wasn’t until 2015 that we were treated with a follow-up arriving as a single, more experimental track in ‘Half Gramme Holiday’, featuring another beautiful composition but this time underpinned by slow heart-beating drums. It was a subtle progression, perhaps enough of a progression after a three-year hiatus. But since then, we’ve been waiting to see where Brambles would land next. A full four years later (and three years after I emailed inviting Brambles to contribute an isolatedmix ha!) we have a new album coming soon, and an accompanying journey in the form of isolatedmix 94.

The lead single from the (yet untitled) album, Spirits may come as a surprise to listeners expecting another Charcoal. But Brambles’ respect for texture, composure and melody is clearly evident throughout this new approach.

… the sound palette has shifted dramatically but the moody and melancholic qualities that made their previous release so resonant remain deeply embedded.

One notable addition is the added manipulation of vocals. In Spirits, this evangelical, alien language is used as an instrument, never quite overpowering, holding enough back to add depth and mysteriousness.

The new balance of ambient and more colorful pop-infused productions comes to life within Brambles’ isolatedmix, showing where the inspiration has arisen from over the past few years.

This mix is a little trip around my current influences. Starting with experimental ambient, to left-field pop and ending with dreamy folky shoegaze. Some tracks are recent discoveries and others are tracks I keep returning to. I love how the internet has spawned so many micro-genres and niches. It's overwhelming at times but also exciting to find a new style and follow that path through the various artists, collaborations and offshoots. I have also included an unreleased Brambles track which will be on my forthcoming album - M.

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Tracklist:

01. Kara-Lis Coverdale - Touch me & die
02. Ryuichi Sakamoto - Fullmoon (Motion Graphics Remix)
03. Natureboy Flako - Gelis
04. Brambles - Out Of Bounds
05. Amnesia Scanner - AS Daemon
06. Aisha Devi - Two Serpents
07. Susumu Yokota - GEKKOH
08. Visible Cloaks, Yoshio Ojima, Satsuki Shibano - Anata
09. Zora Jones - Oh Boy
10. Lorn - UNDEAD DOGS
11. SOPHIE - Is It Cold In The Water?
12. Charli XCX - Cross You Out (feat. Sky Ferreira)
13. Nosaj Thing - How We Do (feat. KAZU)
14. M83 - Corridor
15. Florist - The Fear of Losing This
16. Slowdive - So Tired
17. Julia Holter - How Long?
18. Grouper - I’m Clean Now
19. John Maus - Cop Killer

Brambles | Soundcloud | Discogs | Bandcamp

isolatedmix 93 - Chihei Hatakeyama

Chihei Hatakeyama discovered ambient music accidentally. Growing up enjoying heavy-rock music throughout the clubs of Japan, he would hear basements and secondary rooms playing what he refers to as “softer music”. Chihei originally set out to recreate in the guise of bands like My Bloody Valentine, but the infamous vocals that accompanied the guitars and gazing became something he couldn’t replicate, often leaving him with just the beat and structure. It was this process of elimination that forced him to explore the freeing creativity once you start to remove the idea of any predetermined limitations. Only then did he realize he was making what other people called ‘ambient’ music.

This trial-and-error is coincidentally the perfect elemental breakdown of Chihei’s ambient work. Distant gauzy guitars and finely tuned electronics weave like the waves of his hometown Kanagawa, creating soft and beautiful ambient music that has no limitations in structure or approach. It’s classically Japanese in its calmness, purity, and refinement, and in Chihei’s appreciation for finding beauty in the every-day (the Japanese art of Sen no Rikyū).

Often using paintings as inspiration, Chihei will start in a similar manner as the painter, by setting a tone and color through his “synthesizer, guitar or effects unit”, further improvising on that sound to make the delicate melody and chords.

With releases on Kranky, Home Normal, Hibernate, Rural Colours, Dronarivm, Room40, Constellation Tatsu, and his own label White Paddy Mountain, Chihei is without a doubt a well revered producer within the ambient music world. Chihei’s latest album returning to Room40, titled Forgotten Hill, is the perfect example of this artistic quality and his overarching influences of place, creating an impressionist meditation on his journey through the Asuka region of Japan; an area known for its burial mounds, epic Buddhist monuments and quietly poetic landscapes.

“A few years ago I went on a trip to the Asuka region. This album, ‘Forgotten Hill’, draws all of its inspiration from this trip. The experiences I had on this journey were used as compositional guides to compile the sonic impressions I experienced during this time.” - Chihei

Like most of Chihei’s work, the album is delivered deep within the details, tone and textures. It’s ambient music at its purest that requires attention if you’re to fulfill the gravitas of the story at hand. And similar to a painting, you can stand and stare at it all day, placing yourself in the mindset and eventual place of Chihei. There are no spectacular technique changes throughout the album - a similar palette is used - but the swells, depth and colors draw you in, ask you to look out, reflect or move on.

For his isolatedmix, Chihei draws on inspirations across the ambient music spectrum. From the early pioneers of Robin Guthrie, Harold Budd, Windy & Carl, to more modern approaches from Burial, Ana Roxanne and Huerco S, alongside fellow Japanese producers Motohiko Hamase, Satoshi Ashikawa, Yumbo and Yutaka Hirose and more contemporary pieces from Hope Sandoval and Julee Cruise.

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Tracklist:

01. Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd - Neil's Theme
02. Leif - Loom Dream
03. Wilkes - Descending
04. Julee Cruise - Floating
05. Nivhek - After its own death
06. Yutaka Hirose - Taiko
07. Burial - Ghost Hardware
08. Satoshi Ashikawa - Still Way
09. Les Bertucci - Accumulations
10. Suso Saiz - Mexican Bells
11. Ana Roxanne - Nocturne
12. Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - On The Low
13. Lumens & Profits - Coastin
14. Luis Paniagua - Prepartivos Para El Viaje
15. Motohiko Hamase - Elan Vital
16. Jonny Nash - Shell
17. Huerco S / Lifeblood (Naïve Melody)
18. Leyland Kirby Presents V/Vm - Monroes Stockport
19. Windy & Carl -- My Love
20. Rebekah Del Rio - No Star
21. Yumbo - Ishi Ga Full

Chihei Hatakeyama | Website | Bandcamp | Discogs

ASIP (Live DJ set) Dance Spirit Gallery Experience / World of Light

The scene - a Los Angeles warehouse, adorned with light sculptures and 50ft wall projections as the downtown skyline sinks from day-to-night. Naturally, it called for some Blade Runner inspired sounds.

Live recording from The World Of Light Museum, Los Angeles, where Dance Spirit curated a massive Gallery Experience in August 2019 featuring 50ft wall projections and art exhibits by Purdy Lites + more.

My set came after a beautiful opening modular set by Constant Shapes and was followed by Dance Spirit Live, Philip Jung (formerly of M.A.N.D.Y) and Concret.

Thank you to Dance Spirit and the Space Cadet crew for having me. To stay up to date on events by Dance Spirit related to the Space Cadet magazine, follow the Facebook page here or mailing list.

Tracklist is withheld for now as the set contains some ASIP unreleased works.

Violeta Vicci - Autovia

You often hear me gushing about todos’ mixes. If you don’t then, (lucky you!) you can experience his latest for yourself here. But point being, todos has an amazing ear for creating vivid ambient excursions along with finding beautiful music amongst all the madness.

It was todos latest mix that led me to discover this track (and album) by violinist and composer Violeta Vicci.

Like many violinists and experts in their field, it sounds like Violeta Vicci (full name Violeta Barrena-Witschi) has honed her craft in the presence of the very best. Just a quick glance at her bio reads like a classical-music virtuoso resume, and her Discogs one-liner is a knock out by anyones accounts: “She has collaborated with artists such as Thom Yorke, Elbow, Jonny Greenwood, Clint Mansell, Baxter Dury, One Eskimo, Eliza Doolittle, Sophie Ellis Bextor and Pink” …

But Autovia is surprisingly Violeta’s debut album, produced with the expert hand and ears of Martin “Youth” Glover (Killing Joke), who appears to have pushed from a purely classical world into a more avant-garde, electronic guise.

The track that led me to discover Violeta, ‘Violet Light’ has the innovative and ambient qualities of a Nils Frahm, the poise and talent of a composer like Max Richter (especially his Vivaldi reworks) and the instrumental technique of a cellist like Julia Kent. Those are all references so you know where to start with Violeta, not comparisons - essentially this record continues in this guise to various degrees, some more soundtrack, some even more euphoric, and is not to be missed.

Available via the label Painted Word on vinyl and digital.

isolatedmix 92 - Midori Hirano

Born in Kyoto, Japan and now residing in Berlin, Midori Hirano’s discography has spanned a wide spectrum of experimental electronic music. From her 2016 album on the esteemed Sonic Pieces, to her latest praised work on Australian label Daisart and her beautiful extended piece for the Longform Editions series, Midori’s work is often recognizable when in play due to her manipulation of the piano.

A talented player from a young age, Midori’s work revolves around these classical elements, often told through soft pieces, with added electronic processing and field recordings. The result draws you in through attachment, as differentiating layers and effects change productions from a simple modern classical score, to an engaging experimental piece. Think Steve Reich, or other minimalist innovators, and you’ll enjoy Midori’s experimentations.

For any electronica fans, take Midori’s work as MimiCof however, and these minimalist productions take on new rhythmic layers, often finding themselves in an even more electronic guise, sitting alongside the finest moments of labels like City Centre Offices and Morr Music, the melodies of a Lusine and the classical manipulation and experimentation of a Ryuichi Sakamoto. A high bar by all accounts, but evident in the pieces captured below, where the extremes of this sound have seen Midori’s most energetic piece to date, Moon Synch, expand with rich experimentations originating from the Buchla synthesizer.

Not only is Midori pushing the boundaries of electronic music as her own name and as MimiCof, Midori has recently signed with Erased Tapes Music, and has contributed remixes for the likes of Sonae, Kid 606 and Liars. And of course, the talent doesn’t stop there - Midori has also helped provide some photography for Christian Kleine’s ASIP release, taking pictures of her newly adopted home in Berlin.

But, back to what you’re here for, the music, and here’s what Midori had to say about her isolatedmix which combines the art evident across both her monikers with recent experimental pioneers that stay true to her sound:

“This mix consists of recent favourite tracks of mine including two of my own songs. A few tracks have voices or field recordings which I often like to use also for my music, as I often want to have a kind of feeling of watching films every time I make a mix. It puts me into a place isolated from a world while I’m listening to it for myself” - MH

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Tracklist:

01. Tujiko Noriko - Ride
02. Senking - Ep 4
03. Félicia Atkinson - Valis
04. alva noto + ryuichi sakamoto with ensemble modern - Broken Line
05. MimiCof - Opal
06. Eli Keszler - The Immense Endless Belt Of Faces
07. Caterina Barbieri - Fantas
08. Driftmachine - Shift II
09. Ornate Coldtrain - Powerful Myth
10. Uguisubari - Nanzen-Ji
11. Mark Pritchard - The Blinds Cage (feat. Beans)
12. Amnesia Scanner & Bill Kouligas - II
13. Midori Hirano - Haiyuki
14. Jim O’Rourke - And a 1, 2, 3, 4
15. Yair Elazar Glotman & Mats Erlandsson - Format And Formalize Desire
16. Robert Lippok - Samtal

Midori Hirano / MimiCof | Website | Bandcamp | Soundcloud |