Pop Ambient 2014

It was just last night that I hit play on Pop Ambient 2007, and began to nod off before a swirl of melody forced me to check which track was providing a rather beautiful sleep song. It was no surprise to learn that it was the legendary Thomas Fehlmann and his track, ‘Next To The Field‘. That shift in pads at 3.53 is simply beautiful.

This is after all, one of the most successful and consistent ambient series of all time; a series that is nearly always packed full of many of the best ambient productions for the year that is to follow. 2014’s edition looks set to raise that bar just a little bit higher.

Starting at the most immediate point of interest – the return of GAS. For those unaware of the finer details us music geeks obsess over, Wolfgang Voigt; one-third owner of Kompakt; Pop Ambient curator; producer in his own right and of course, the man behind GAS, has kept his infamous ambient moniker dormant since 2008. His return comes in the form of a remix of none other than The Field – one of 2013 stand-out records and certainly one of Kompakt’s best. “Cupid’s Head” is deconstructed from it’s driving nature and forced into a swirling, hypnotising oblivion. The chord changes come in the form of the infamous GAS pads and the loops distorted into a pulsating wash of textures.

Wolfgang’s named production on the compilation is a reminder of the intensity he sometimes likes to reach with the likes of Mohn (his production duo with Jörg Burger / aka Triola ). Intense pads create a rush of wind, a tunnel of pressure and ultimately, the darker side of the release.

A Pop Ambient original also makes his return in this 2014 edition: Ulf Lohmann. The elusive German producer always delivers some of the more emotive beginnings to the series and Ulf’s first track ‘Sicht’ is a classic; straight from the Pop Ambient manual. Taught, looping strings dictate a morning’s beginnings and the classic sunshine feel.

Book-ending the compilation; Ulf’s second cut ‘PCC’ is yet another stand-out. Emotion takes over as a story unfolds and soundtrack-esque backings grow into a tear-jerker of a ending – this is one of those tracks that’ll be played time and time again.

A relatively minimal effort from Thomas Fehlmann this time around, the Orb maestro emphasis his organic approach to clicks and beats, with a bubbling flow of texture and distant piano. It’s a far distance from any Orb constellation we know, but the perfect incision to the Pop Ambient series.

Marking a welcome return for quite a few artists, Pop Ambient 2014 also sees The Bionaut’s debut on the series. Jörg Burger’s original moniker, with releases dating back to 1992, remixes the old with the new under the Triola name, in anticipation of a new album due out on Kompakt in the Spring. One of the very few Pop Ambient tracks to feature a vocal, Triola’s intense remix is one of those tracks that epitomises the Pop Ambient approach- simple, looping and focused, it draws you in only to leave you gasping for more.

The consistently expected, more ‘electronic’ side of the compilation comes from Mikkel Metal. No stranger to Pop Ambient, Mikkel’s deep and dubby approach to techno bursts through in this lush, spaced-out production that focuses on a spell-binding guitar and sporadic, computerized samples. I’m hoping someone takes on remix duties for this one, as I can feel a pretty awesome dub-techno track bubbling away somewhere.

Clashing bells, chimes and the synonymous Marsen Jules organics come out to play again in ‘The Philosophers Trap’. Shimmering like a flicker of light amongst a dark, intense chasm, Marsen is once again caught constructing an elaborate novel of instrumentation.

A new one for me – ‘Cologne Tape’ makes it’s debut on the compilation. A “Kraut electronics allstar live project that has been dreamed up for the modern era”, consisting of numerous Kompakt related artists including Axel Wilner (aka The Field), Jens-Uwe Beyer (aka Popnonanme) Jörg Burger, John Harten (aka Cato), Daniel Ansorge (involved in a few productions on Pop Ambient over the years), Michaela Dippel and Volker Pannes. ‘Moorpark’ gives a retro, analog feel to the release, with shuffling drums, a multitude of layered guitar loops and what feels like a bunch of geniuses jamming in a Cologne garage on a warm summers day.

Simon Scott’s beautiful gem, ‘Für Betty’ also makes a gracious appearance. Stripped of his drums, Simon opts for a rumbling bass amongst soaring guitar textures and paralleled, distant vocals. Yes, I’m going to say it – if you’re a fan of Slowdive you’ll relate with this track- there’s just something in there…

With a series that’s over then ten-year mark, it’s easy to lose what you started, or to fade into the distance, especially when trying to run one of the worlds biggest techno labels. But with the revival of classic sounds (GAS, Fehlmann, Marsen Jules, Ulf Lohmann for example) and the pioneering of new (Cologne Tape, Triola, The Field, Mikkel Metal), Wolfgang’s Pop Ambient will always remain one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and 2014’s edition is easily one of their best yet.

Available in all formats on January 27th through Kompakt. Stream the compilation on Kompakt.

Read an interview with Kompakt’s Thomas Fehlmann here.
Listen to Marsen Jules’ isolatedmix here.

Tracklist.

01/A1. ULF LOHMANN – SICHT
02/A2. THOMAS FEHLMANN – TREATMENT
03/A3. MIKKEL METAL – PATIENCE
04/A4. MARSEN JULES – THE PHILOSOPHERS TRAP
05/A5. COLOGNE TAPE – MOORPARK
06/B1. SIMON SCOTT – FÜR BETTY
07/B2. THE BIONAUT – AQUAMARINE / TRIOLA MIX
08/B3. WOLFGANG VOIGT – RÜCKVERZAUBERUNG 8
09/B4. THE FIELD – CUPID’S HEAD / GAS AMBIENT MIX (Preview here)
10/B5. ULF LOHMANN – PCC

Markus Guentner – Shadows Of The City

Progression and fate are two words that immediately come to mind after a few hours spent with Markus Guentner’s new record.

Firstly, I know how proud Moodgadget owner Jakub Alexander must be to have one of his heroes release a record on his own label. Ever since Jakub enlisted Markus on remix duties for his own Heathered Pearls ‘Loyal’ reworks, I had a hopeful feeling it was going to lead to something bigger. With Jakub’s warm, swirling ambient style it’s easy to see how these two have come together – two paths destined to cross.

And secondly, after seeing through a couple of Markus’ own productions recently, namely his Places Series EP ‘Talking Clouds’, and his two stunning remixes on Uncharted Places, it’s clearly evident that his sound is gently progressing into a defining symbol of lush ambient music peppered with hints of techno.

‘Chromatic Fields’, the subtle opener for the powerful six-track EP, with deep tonal-bass changes is a light-hearted lust for more and more…

‘Ashes’ re-ignites the clashing world we saw when Markus took on Heathered Pearl’s music last year, with pale textures, soaring synths and a taught air hanging over a misty landscape.

The title piece, ‘Shadows Of The City’ rekindles Markus’s heritage in techno and his recent travels into beat-driven ambient. A shuffling dark number with simple, dramatic strings.

My favourite of the bunch, ‘The Run’ is one of Markus’ most emotional pieces to date – layer upon layer, the constantly mixing colour palette paints vividness, hope and despair.

‘The Coral Crowd’ is a signature Guentner piece, shrouded in recognisable samples, flat-ended twinkles and a gentle curve upwards into the sky, akin to ‘Saint’.

And lastly, ‘Eternal’. Stepping down from the soaring sky, the focus turns to what seems like a dense jungle floor. Buzzing density and a slow murmuring beat occupy a hazy, very still, shadow-cast lake.

‘Shadows Of The City’ is available to stream on the ISO50 blog and below, and available for just $3.99 on iTunes for the first two weeks. You can also download the title track for free on Soundcloud.

Download Markus Guentner’s Places Series EP for free here. His isolated mix here. Or his two remixes for Uncharted Places here.

Preghost - Ghost Story

I love it when my musical worlds collide. Like an instantaneous moment of record geekiness, I had a minute of joy when reading the press release for what will be, n5MD’s last release of the year; Preghost’s ‘Ghost Story’.

Preghost is also known as Kosuke Anamizu; a name I became familiar with during my years of obsession over Traum Schallplatten (have a read and listen to this feature/mix if you want to dive into that particular world). Kosuke was responsible for one of my favourite tracks, ‘Moopy’ released as part of the Elektronische Musik Interkontinental 3 compilation, but more specifically, the vinyl flip-side to a Process track (at which point I was buying up every single piece of Process vinyl I could find). It was a track I loved but for the life of me, and the one thing I remember about it, could never mix very well (that darn funky bassline).

It was also artists like Kosuke that led me to discover Mule Electronic too, another stunning record label worth trawling through (see this small post from back in 2009). Some years later this musical yellow-brick-road begins to sweep back into a more recent world, as Kosuke took on his new (and more infamous) alias, Moshimoss and released the superb ‘Endless Endings‘ on Ametsub’s label, Nothings66. Mastered by Nils Frahm, it was a dive into the realm of Sigur Ros with gentle electronics and angelic atmospheres.

As if that wasn’t enough for 2013, Kosuke has chosen to debut his latest alias, Preghost on the brilliant n5MD label, with ‘Ghost Story’. Now, I finally made it, apologies it took this long, but it’s worth the read. Now where to begin…

Stunning is a good word to start. Kosuke has gone and mashed every style he’s mastered over the years, From the melodic techno of early Traum, to the atmospherics of Endless Endings, to the beautiful and unique sound which n5MD seem to be cultivating at the moment – a new monster has been born.

A stirring mass of atmosphere and harsh distant guitars give way to a floating, echo of a vocal. What seems like a subtle Saxaphone creeps in the distance, but before you know it, the squelchy warm beats kick off and ‘Seeker’ begins the Ghost Story.

‘Snow Leopard’ begins with a very similar feeling to a lot of recent bvdub work (particularly his productions as Earth House Hold) with a sampled, looping vocal leading up to a stomping dubby-beat and dirty underlying bass – my favourite track on the album.

Intricacies come to clear in ‘Alter Ego’, a dreamy and busy track with a subtle melody and again, a gentle progressive stance that leaves you floating amongst a pattern of violins and complex beat structures.

By ‘Predawn’ I noticed how much of a perfect fit this album was for n5MD’s electronica roster. Elements of Ocoeur, (ghost) and bvdub, shining through by the second, particularly with the clean, clicky ‘Predawn’ beats.

Washes fizzle amongst a mechanical, growing presence on ‘Cliff Edge Ghost’, a dark and haunting repetition that summons you into a euphoric steam of power –  like the morning’s mist rising from the sea over an intimidating cliff-face.

A more conventional electronic beat takes centre stage on ‘Lostus’, prefaced by a creepy vocal and later bathed in swathes of choral ambience – a slightly jarring and uncomfortable juxtaposition that continues Kosuke’s ghostly theme. ‘Siusin’ is also similar in style, with swirling vocals perched on top of a driving dub-techno beat and again, that formidable bass.

Ametsub then provides a remix of ‘Lostus’ staying true to the major elements mentioned above but paying more attention to the complex beat structure. More of a composed ‘song’ structure is present, instead of the long progression you’re used to by now, helped by a break into the main melody half-way through and the keys being pitched slightly higher. It’s the slightly happier version of what is a dark and haunting original by Kosuke.

Ending on ‘Departures’, the album finishes with one of its finest moments. A pounding combination of glittering vocals, melancholic piano, bright ambient pads, and that simple but very present beat you’ve been addicted to throughout the album.

This is definitely my favourite work Kosuke has produced in the nine or so years i’ve followed him, and i’d go as far to say one of the best electronica albums of the year. An insight into the complexities that adorned his early techno work balanced with the hypnotic and atmospherics of his more recent work as Moshimoss.

It also caps off what has been an unbelievable year of releases from n5MD which have all set the tone for a new breed of electronica artists; Ocoeur, (ghost) and a return of some of the best (bvdub, Arovane). If you’re a fan of n5MD’s output this year, then Ghost Story is the unexpected crowning glory of 2013.

Available now on n5MD.

Ulrich Schnauss & Mark Peters – Tomorrow Is Another Day

The last few releases with Ulrich’s name against them have been unlike anything we’ve experienced before, with Ulrich teaming up with ASC for the ’77 EP’ and an enlisting of Arovane and Tycho for remixes of ‘I Take Comfort In Your Ignorance’. His highly anticipated 2013 album ‘A Long Way To Fall‘ marked an evident progression in his sound, which some of his fans didn’t entirely enjoy. However, I for one am relishing in Ulrich’s recent electronic explorations.

His latest project sees The Engineers’ Mark Peters return for a second album and more of the duo’s enigmatic guitar and synth harmonies.Underrated Silence (2012) marked a patient stance in the way the duo were to work together, with much more emphasis on Mark’s guitars and a slower, more ‘shoegaze’ approach to their productions (take ‘The Messiah Is Falling‘ for example). However ‘Tomorrow Is Another Day’ seems to be Ulrich’s time to shine this time around, and plenty of the signature sounds we’ve been missing since the likes of ‘A Strangely Isolated Place’ and ‘Far Away Trains passing By’.

Their sound has matured and a much more natural balance established, allowing Ulrich to bring the best out of Mark Peters and vice versa. Instead of talking about Mark’s guitars taking the lead, or Ulrich’s synths shining stronger – it’s just a better sound overall – a perfect middle-ground. Yet, unmistakably one that reminds you of Ulrich’s early polished work.

The title track ‘Tomorrow Is Another Day’ and ‘Rosmarine’ drive with subtle inflictions and melodic guitar strums similar to ‘Nobody’s Home‘ on ‘Far Away Trains Passing By’, whilst the likes of ‘Das Volk hat Keine Seele’ (The People Have No Soul’) and ‘There’s Always Tomorrow’ is a stark reminder of Ulrich’s famous atmospheric productions such as ‘Molfsee‘ and ‘Monday Paracetamol‘.

To avoid spending this whole review comparing this album to Ulrich’s old works, it’s tracks like ‘One Finger And Someone Else’s Chords’, which help mark a definite progress in sound over the years, with sharper synths, grainy claps and more evident melodies, no longer hidden amongst layer upon layer of progressive synths. It’s the synth-master in his element. All helped of course by Mark’s leading guitar-work and in ‘Walking With My Eyes Closed’, a surprising Depeche Mode style vocal.

The second track to be aired from the album, ‘Inconvenient Truths’ below (exclusive preview), again shows subtle drum patterns to the likes of ‘Knuddlemaus’ alongside some of the best guitar-work on the album.

Ulrich’s progress along the years has been to the dislike of a few of his original fans, but I think everyone can find solace in this latest album. Echoes of his early work, some perfect moments of balance between the two artists and nods towards Ulrich’s more vivid electronic tracks we found on ‘A Long Way To Fall‘. Any which way you look at it, it’s a perfect harmony between an instrumentalist, and a pioneer of the synthetic sound – a ground where many have yet to succeed.

‘Tomorrow Is Another Day’ is out on Bureau B recordings October 25th. Buy direct here. There’s also more previews of the album here on Soundcloud.

Tracklisting:

1. Slow Southern Skies
2. Tomorrow Is Another Day
3. Das Volk Hat Keine Seele
4. Inconvenient Truths
5. One Finger And Someone Else’s Chords
6. Additional Ghosts
7. Walking With My Eyes Closed
8. Rosmarine
9. Bound By Lies
10. There’s Always Tomorrow

Decibel X In Review

After years watching Decibel Festival unfold across the Atlantic from England, I was finally able to attend this year after my recent relocation to the Pacific North West. Five days later, as I sit on the Coast Starlight from Seattle back to Portland, I feel lucky to have experienced a very special tenth anniversary Decibel festival. Here’s my own personal low-down of the week, but I obviously didn’t get to see it all. So for anybody else who went feel free to comment below with your own experiences.

Wednesday: Venue pit-stops. No Order. Performances by Ben Klock & Kode9.

Arriving early evening on the Wednesday, the only performance I was interested in seeing was Peter Hook and The Light, where he was due to perform New Order’s classic ‘Power, Corruption and Lies’. We arrived at around 10.30pm and couldn’t get in as the venue (Neumos) was already at capacity – I expected it to be busy but it was a disappointing start to my festival experience. I later learnt that Moby went up and performed with him on stage, but after a chat with someone later on in the week, apparently any die-hard New Order or Joy Division fans were cringing the whole way through as Moby destroyed Ian Curtis’ unique and legendary vocals…

A quick walk down the road to ‘Q’ Nightclub and it felt like we had walked into a european super-club; with Funktion One speakers adorning each wall, a glitzy light show on the ceiling and Ben Klock getting down to his dirty business. We didn’t stay long, as the sound engineer that night was obviously intent on demonstrating the lowest spectrum of the Funktion One without any treble, and my trousers were rattling against my legs.

On to The Crocodile for a quick blast of Kode9 – it seemed like a good performance and the perfect venue, but we decided to call it a night as the best was undoubtedly yet to come.

Thursday. The kings of improv. Performances by Peter Broderick, Oliveray, Haushka, Moby.

Thursday got off to a great start as my planned interview with Nils Frahm was moved to 1pm. A skip over to the W Hotel to meet the Erased Tapes crew including Peter, Hauschka, Olafur, Nils and label owner Robert, and my excitement for the Optical Showcases that were to begin that night had reached new heights. (More on my interview with Nils and Ólafur to come very soon!)

The Optical Showcase kicked off in the Nordstrom Performance Hall and I was quick to bag a front-row seat. Peter Broderick introduced himself via his choice of outfit – a suit “chosen by a gay friend in Portland” he said. His modest and charming demeanour won the crowd over straight away and his equally brilliant voice was quick to draw gasps from the audience. Switching from the banjo, to acapella and violin, Peter’s warmth and charm shone through as he played new material “he was trying out”. I’m not sure if everything he played that night will make his new album though – his unexpected improvised rapping was the perfect end to his set and the ideal crowd-warmer for Oliveray.

Nils Frahm then joined Peter on stage and as expected took to the piano to accompany Peter’s vocals. What followed, was again more unexpected improvisation as these two musical genius’ decided to tap, drum and loop their way across the stage, intersecting delicate Oliveray tracks with surprise, laughter and smiles from the crowd. Nils was already a magician in my books, but I think he found another partner-in-crime that night.

Hauschka, the legendary king of improvised piano began with an introduction to his work schedule, apparently consisting of many haunting film-scores, he warned the audience he had been in a dark place recently. With a Grand Piano full of unknown gadgets and tidbits, and a full screen linked to a camera peeking inside the hood, Hauschka pelted out a 45 minute, non-stop piece that went from skittering tight notes to blasts of bass and rolling melodies. Mind-blowing and all-consuming, Hauschka took advantage of coins, tins, drumsticks and what I think were a couple of vibrators pinned down with tape (!) to conjure up scores of euphoria, dictating his very own improvised movie soundtrack. Despite his unorthodox approach, he said he “likes the purity” of the piano, and like a musical cleansing process, proceeded to remove the trinkets that adorned the piano, throwing them on the floor for all to see just how much experimentation and ingenuity went into his performance. An amazing first night of Optical performances.

From here, we headed over to Showbox Sodo, mainly because it was right next to where we were staying so we could see the night through in comfort. Also, after our first night’s experience trying to get into Neumos we didn’t want to risk turning up late to see Teen Daze (who I heard had a stormer), but on hindsight we could’ve made a better choice. Whilst Moby’s warm-up act were terrible, The Little Idiot did a good job banging out some dirty techno which at times was just perfect, but some atrocious mixing moments and the weirdest crowd i’ve ever been dancing with, put a quick end to the night. More for the energy bank though and the highly anticipated Friday schedule.

Friday. D-day. Decibel Conferences and Performances by Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds, Dauwd, Beacon, Lusine, Shigeto, Max Cooper.

The big day. My Decibel day of choice, started with a visit to the Broadway Performance Hall to get a download on sound-related topics, which are for the most part over my head. An intimate session with Olafur as he took a crowd of twenty through his Ableton setup, his loops and his very earnest approach to production – a sneak peak into what was to come that evening. This was followed with a lecture by Rafael Anton Irisarri who took a room through his surround-sound manipulation techniques. Then, a quick glimpse into Ghostly’s Dauwd and Lusine’s setup before I made a dash back to the Performance Hall to make sure I was in line for the Erased Tapes special showcase with Nils and Olafur.

Seats taken, and the space filled 20-minutes before the first note was played. Nils and Olafur have become infamous for their performance on this tour and this was destined to be one of the highlights. Nils didn’t waste any time in taking to the piano and beginning his ‘Spaces’ performance with Olafur joining him shortly at the start with a glass of wine (or juice as Nils may have it). My review of ‘Spaces’ pretty much sums up how fantastic it was should you want an overview of the entire performance, however in a twist of fate relating to his album inspiration, a raggae sounding ring-tone interrupted Nils’ flow in the middle of his switch into ‘Hammers’, only for Nils to stop, give a smile to the crowd (as if to thank them for the inspiration of his latest album) and switch from the Rhodes straight back into his emotional flow. This moment happened at almost exactly the same time as it does in his new album ‘Spaces’…

Nils quoted on ‘Spaces’ that the audience are his main inspiration for how a performance will grow and develop, and during “Over There it’s Raining”, the silence felt from the room was almost unreal – it seemed to inspire Nils to approach this particular track even more softly than normal. Some of the most, quiet, delicate and intricate piano playing I’ve ever witnessed, balanced with his multi-piano manipulations.

Nils stood up to end the set with the synth-laden “Says” and powered his way through to a well-deserved crowd joining him with a standing ovation. I experienced his genuine gentleness and humour when i interviewed him the day before, but watching him perform is like witnessing a dark-magician alter-ego conjuring up a musical storm – a genius, mystical, out-of-this-world experience.

Ólafur started with his audience-sample loop, similar to my experience at Hackney Empire last November and continued with tracks from ‘For Now I am Winter’, delivered as always, in spectacular fashion alongside plenty of audience banter. Every girl in the room was swooning at his Icelandic charm and modest jokes. Whilst Ólafur is an easy focus of attention, he gave plenty of room for his violinist to shine, who delivered a ridiculous solo. And the unselfishness continued as Ólafur invited ‘For Now I am Winter’ vocalist, Arnor Dan to the stage to deliver the album’s title track – an amazing voice which really shone on the big stage. As Arnor walked off to leave Ólafur to finsih, he gave a little punch to the air as if to congratulate himself on how well it went.

Like every single Optical performance at Decibel so far, Ólafur was greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd and once again, these musical geniuses had won the hearts of every single person in the room.

The night wasn’t even finished and I was rushing over to The Crocodile for another highly-anticipated showcase by Ghostly International. Label newcomer Dauwd began the night amongst a fire-alarm evacuation and finished on spectacular form with his melodic, layered driving electronica. This is only his second tour with Ghostly and he already looks a part of the Ghostly furniture.

Beacon followed and sent the room into a hazy, dreamy state as eager eyes fixed on the duos silhouettes and angelic vocals. Lusine was quick to follow and like a forgotten godfather of electronic music, laid down the dance-floor friendly electronica law – simple, clean and just damn good, people can’t help but smile and enjoy Jeff’s productions, especially as he debuted some brilliant new material.

Two-years ago, Shigeto was warming up for his label-mates, but now takes centre stage after his recent album has caused a stir. Adorning Portland-esque trendy lightbulbs amongst his synths and drum kit, Shigeto wasted no time in sending an expected Ghostly crowd into a hip-chopped electronic frenzy. Amongst thanks to Decibel and gratuities to the other performing artists, Shigeto, as always, gave it 110% and is now a well-deserved head-liner.

One last performance of the night and I was off to catch Max Cooper at Q. Despite the millions of remixes, live sets and DJ recordings i’ve heard from Max this was to be my first time catching him live. Walking in, and you could immediately sense a different vibe from the first night’s experience at Q – the sound was much better, the crowd were already in full flow and Max was dropping his signature sound from one-track to the next. He even paid homage to the earlier Olafur performance with a subtle little remix from (what I can remember) ‘For Now I Am Winter’ – maybe an unreleased gem we can look forward to?

Saturday. The original heroes. Performances by Juan Atkins, The Orb, John Tejada, Matias Aguayo, Thomas Fehlmann.

There was only really one act I wanted to see on the Saturday – The Orb. Everything else took a back-seat, however it ended up being one of, if not my favourite nights.

I chose to skip the Zola Jesus Optical show at The Triple Door, which going by everyone else’s feedback was a mistake – an acoustic set backed by an orchestra apparently. However, my absence meant I got to the Showbox venue early enough to grab a table and wait for The Orb to appear.

I forgot that Juan Atkins was also on the bill and as soon as he stepped up with his choppy mixing and energetic detroit techno, I was gravitating towards the dance floor. Not a moment too soon and the legendary Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann graced the stage to a rapturous applause.

What followed may not have been an original performance – it was raw, it was familiar, it was swampy, it had Alex Paterson smiling from ear-to-ear and Fehlmann rocking like a possessed doctor, but it was The Orb and it was great. Edits of ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’ amongst other classic cuts, a quick glean at the crowd and every single person, including The Orb were witnessing a rather special reunion set. Apart from the Optical Showcases, this was the only crowd I witnessed at Decibel who seemed 100% obsessed and locked into who they were watching. It was great to see middle-aged balding men (no comment – I’m one of them) and psychedelically dressed hippies grinning and nodding to their heroes from years gone by.

Any tiredness I had collected until that point was replaced with adrenalin and we quickly stomped over to the Kompakt after-hours at Neumos. Thomas Fehlmann was due to perform a live set, but at 5am this seemed a little unrealistic to stick out. However, I have to thank John Tejada and Matias Aguayo for keeping me rocking until the time came. Tejada, with an emphatic minimal techno set that would lead me to buying every single record played if I had a way of finding out, and Aguayo with a unique vocal-looping-latin-inspired performance that kept the energy rolling. Listen to Tejada’s set here.

Fehlmann arrived on cue at 5am and with a half-empty club, proceeded to rip the place apart with edits of his own productions on the likes of ‘Gute Luft’. Again, Fehlmann gently rocking as he stared into his laptop, only to break out into subtle little arm-dances and cheeky smiles as he realised his beloved following had stayed with him until the very end. Listen to Thomas Fehlmann’s set here.

Sunday. A grand-bient finale. Performances by Raime, The Sight Below, Nosaj Thing.

I was tired by now, but there was one last Optical Showcase and it was set to be a stunner. Arriving early at the infamous Triple Door (it was my first time and is quite a legendary place after hearing many ambient live sets recorded here), I had a brief chat with HC (Headphone Commute) and waited out an unexpected delay to the show as Decibel tried to compensate for Oren Ambarchi’s delayed flight.

My venue inexperience showed as the seats we were given placed us at right-angles with the stage – great for a band, not so good for any AV performance. Raime were up first and the english duo wasted no time in delivering a harrowing soundtrack, whilst hunched over their laptops in the stage’s dark corner. You could tell these two hail from a dubstep background with their subtle appreciation of beats, but the progressive bells and washes were from the (twisted and brilliant) mind of a couple of ambient masters.

After a brief break and a well-deserved Decibel thank-you procession, The Sight Below took centre stage, laden with his laptop, numerous loop pedals and his infamous hoodie. I was lucky to see Rafael perform as himself at Substrata a few months back but i’ve never seen him perform as The Sight Below – the guise which induced my entry into Rafael’s productions. His performance can be summed up pretty simply – #dronelife. Rafael shook The Triple Door to the ground, teetering on the edge of the maximum output, as subtle guitar loops grew into an atmospheric monster. My friend had to leave as he said he was getting heart palpitations – no joke – I wasn’t surprised. This gentle dinner setting was being assaulted by a wonderful, rich ambient performance from Seattle’s finest. The subtle introduction of vocals into the last enveloping track blew my mind, and pretty much everything else in sight.

Oren Ambarchi was due to cap the night but couldn’t make it due to a delayed flight, so Nosaj Thing was lined up at last minute to close proceedings with a debut ambient AV set. I enjoyed it. It was unique and melodic as you’d expect from him, similar to the likes of Sun Glitters and Teen Daze, but I couldn’t help but think Oren’s set would’ve capped this night off perfectly. After The Sight Below, I wanted something dark, dramatic and transcending.  But, i’ve been spoilt and had got used to such perfect programming. Decibel did an amazing job getting Nosaj in at last minute and it was a testament to the hard work put into this festival. For a great in-depth review of the Optical 4 night, have a read of Kexp.

From the showcases, to the set-orders, it was an unbelievable week of music and without a doubt the best ‘city’ festivals I’ve been to. It’s not often you get to see the faces of the grafters, nor is it often you see a festival curator such as Sean Horton at nearly every single performance you go to, running around making things happen. Top this off with a dream lineup and it’s one hell of a festival. I missed out on so much; Machinedrum, Aeroplane, Lorn, Âme, Teen Daze, Lapalux, Cajmere, Gold Panda, Zola Jesus to name just a few sacrifices, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Thank you Decibel for a mind-blowing musical week, and here’s to another ten.

Top 5 festival moments (a list of complete performances was too hard)

1. Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann glancing at each other on stage with total satisfaction and happiness (because I was in it with them!)Main picture.
2. The Sight Below rattling the hell out of The Triple Door. Is it still standing?
3. Peter Broderick freestyle rapping at the end of his performance.
4. Singer, Arnor Dan joining Olafur Arnalds on stage – what a voice.
5. Nils Frahm’s emphatic standing ovation at the Optical Showcase. Grins from ear-to-ear.

Five tips for next year:

1. Get to the venue early if there’s something you really want to see.
2. Avoid the pasta at Lost Lake Cafe opposite Neumos.
3. Try not to get a seat down the side of the Triple Door at any AV led performance.
4. Avoid the Neumos / Q area after 2pm. It’s a war-zone.
5. Don’t take a mate with a dodgy heart to see The Sight Below.