ASIP @ Muzan Editions + Bar Wols, Osaka

I’m delighted to announce a second night of ambient-ish shenanigans in Japan this month, this time alongside the lovey Muzan Editions crew, where Endurance (Muzan founder) will play live and I will be accompanied by Saki and Dérive on the decks at Wols bar in Osaka.

This follows the show a week earlier in Tokyo - more info on that show here.

Head over to Muzan Editions to hear more from their great catalog and a taster of what to expect from Endurance and Dérive. Saki, I hear is normally more in the techno realm and we will be treated to a very special, rare ambient set!

Hope to see you there.

Mikkel Rev / The Art of Levitation (ASIPV039)

Many of you may know I am a big fan of trance music. The Portals feature alongside todos is probably a big giveaway, but I grew up on the stuff. So it’s a very proud moment to have a record on ASIP that definitely… goes there. Amongst the variety of approaches and styles on this record, Mikkel has truly conjured up some magical moments, and whilst it may not all be high-energy euphoria, it’s definitely all euphoria.

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Norwegian producer Mikkel Rev debuts on A Strangely Isolated Place with his most accomplished album to date; traversing nostalgic chillout, slow-burning downtempo, and euphoric trance, in a similar approach to the diverse styles found within the early pioneering electronic ambient albums of the ‘90s. 

As part of the growing label collective Ute Records, Mikkel Rev can often be found entertaining uninhibited ravers amongst the forests of Norway, where he and his label mates are spearheading one of the many so-called Trance revivals. Just as comfortable releasing high-energy 140bpm electronic music alongside Filip Storsveen as Omformer, or creating expansive space-ambient pieces on the flip for the Sinensis label, The Art of Levitation is the perfect gateway into the diverse array of electronic music to emerge from the world of Mikkel Rev. 

Moving through various energies and BPMs, The Art of Levitation is clearly vivid in approach and concept, based on track titles and art alone. In a similar parallel to the main room and the chillout room often found at raves, the album invites you to take a journey through both over time. Touching on moments of early electronic ambient, to begin with, it soon evolves into a blissful beat-driven progressive chapter, culminating in a nostalgic nod to the very best moments Trance music has to offer. The ending can be found in the back room, as the journey finally tails in to a more emotional point of reflection. 

The Art of Levitation is a mirror to the feelings created, the friends made, the dance floor antics witnessed, and nostalgic moments earned, by everyone who experienced the spectrum of energy and euphoria electronic music can offer during those special times.

The Art of Levitation is available on March 20th, on Gatefold orange 2LP, plus digital. Featuring artwork photography by Wendy Carroll and mastered by Andreas Lupo Lubich.

See the release page to listen and for links to buy.

ASIP @ Liminal Dreams 1st Anniversary Tokyo

I’m very excited to be DJ’ing a couple of shows in Japan in March, my first time playing in this wonderful country. A dream come true in many ways, you probably know from my past endeavors how much I adore the culture of Japan, and no better crew to play alongside than Liminal Dreams, who have hosted some wonderful shows over the past year and will be celebrating their 1st anniversary.

You can catch me alongside yolabmi, Yuto Takei, Lynne and Toner, on March 11th at Spread, Tokyo in the awesome town of Shimo Kitazawa (Tokyo).

Listen to some music from the lineup below.

Radio Tempo Não Pára · Yuto Takei @ Radio TNP 10.12.2021

Mysteries of the Deep · Lynne - Live at Mysteries of the Deep | Vurt (Seoul)

Max Würden / Landmark (ASIPV036)

We are very pleased to welcome back Germany’s Max Würden, and his second album on the label, Landmark.

Following his beloved ‘Format’ in 2019 - “the absolute masterpiece deserves to award Würden a place among the likes of Eno, Laraaji, Jenssen, Budd and Roach” by Igloo Mag, Landmark picks up his abstract ambient atmospheres and intricate sound design once more. One '“for the heads”, as I might say, as Max’s music is hard to describe without over-generalizing as an ‘ambient’ album. Max’s music just hits differently and comes from a place of authenticity, without trends or gimmicks.

Landmark sees Max Würden combine and integrate various external forces into his usual studio production process. Inspired by many paintings of powerful landscapes found in thrift stores throughout his hometown of Cologne, Max set out to bring various elements together as one whole over time - allowing an organic process of experimentation and collage. 

Short phrases of music and field recordings that weren’t originally meant for each other were realized in isolation, such as sounds from his Klangkiste (sound box) built by Max himself, guitars, an old out-of-tune Schimmel piano, and samples of early jazz and classical music. These separate elements eventually, over time, connected and came together as Landmark - a recognizable moment and formation. 

The collage of elements found throughout ‘Landmark’, expresses a number of different vantage points from which to gaze and focus your attention. From the more storied and instrumental-based ‘Reprise’ and ‘Range’, to the wide-scape visions of ‘Summiteer’, or the off-world portrayals in ‘Stereo A’ and ‘Stereo B’. Max can be found depicting a montage of intricately detailed moments that invite you to stand and ponder their storied creation, be it emerging from found sound, synthesizers, guitars, samples, or simply his own production sorcery. 

Landmark is available on gatefold 2LP gold vinyl and digital, mastered by Rafael Anton Iirsarri and featuring original photography by Max Würden, and artwork by Noah M / Keep Adding. There is also be a very special limited framed painting edition (10), created by Max, available to purchase.

See the release page for all links to listen and buy

2022 Label Compilation (mixed by todos)

Our annual showcase of individual tracks from ASIP's 2022 label releases and a special continuous DJ mix of this year's music from todos.

After providing 2021's compilation mix, our esteemed journeyman, todos takes the reigns again to interpret this year's label releases. Containing at least one track from each of our releases along with many snippets and samples from others, todos weaves a tapestry that somehow manages to traverse ASIP's potentially most varied year to date.

From the intricate world-building sounds of Gadi Sassoon, Deepchild and Strïe; to the dramatic synthesizers born from Scanner and OKRAA; the granulated textures of Viul & Benoît Pioulard; the delicate keys of ASC; and Illuvia's illustrative DnB footprint; this year's mix seemed impossible to weave together, but todos tied it together in style.

Available as Name Your Price on Bandcamp

Full todos Continuous Mix tracklist:

01. Gadi Sassoon - ‘Sintetico’ edit /Illuvia - ‘Blue Rays’ edit
02. Deepchild - ‘The Singing Feat. Holly+ / ASC - ‘Third Act’ edit / Scanner -’Nuorp’ edit
03. ASC - ‘Fifth Act’
04. Illuvia - ‘Eagle Vision’ /Gadi Sassoon - ‘Bionico’ edit
05. Deepchild - ‘Dreams Within Dreams’
06. Gadi Sassoon - ‘Sintetico’
07. Strië - Aeroplane Flying’ / Strië - ‘Vogel Wolke’ edit / Deepchild - ‘Now It Is Me Being Breathed The Veil Breaks’ edit
08. Illuvia - Naissance’ / Scanner - ’The Earthbound Fox’ edit
09. OKRAA - ‘Heartless’
10. Viul & Benoît Pioulard - ‘Performance’
11. ASC - ‘Third Act’ / Gadi Sassoon - ‘Collision Suite’ edit
12. Gadi Sassoon - ‘Life On A Tidally Locked Planet’ / Illuvia - ‘Sea Of Vapour’ edit
13. Illuvia - ‘Chiara Springs’

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Listen to all of these releases and find out more on our releases page.

todos on Soundcloud

Mixed version MP3