NSI - A.R.T

Dancefloor techno, and flat-out drone, Tobias Freund and Max Loderbauer, also known as NSI (Non-standard Institute) are hard to pin down with their rare but sought-after partnerships.

Their Resident Advsior episode sparked mixed-emotions, with some calling it out flat-out noise, but for those that can appreciate the industrial techno sound mixed with the unexpected (experimental), their latest collaboration should be just for you. 

The album takes a little while to warm-up, but eases you into ART V - an absolutely beautiful transition around the 3-minute mark reminiscent of Alva Noto. At this point, you realize why these guys specialize in live-sets as NSI - it took a while to get here, but it's the true 'a-ha!' moment. 

This is followed by ART VI - a darker, sci-fi inspired take on a Pop Ambient sound, whos style continues into ART VII  - rolling bells, arpeggios and clashes of sound - harmonious melodies dissected with a gritty, industrial approach that can only be enforced by such producers at the top of their game.  

If for some reason your faith in dark-ambient, or drone music has dwindled in recent years, then give this guy a try.

"The full length release is a true genre tourist, visiting regions of ambient and noise, with glimpses of industrial, along side both strange and familiar tones generated in the analog realm complimented by digital overtones from the artist's own custom Max MSP inventions"

Available on Bandcamp.

Motionfield - Luftrum

Carpe Sonum are a relatively new label, born out of an unusual inspiration following the death of Pete Namlook a few years back.  As the original North American distributor of Pete's legendary label, FAX, the Boulder (Colorado) based company looked to pay tribute to Pete with an 8-CD boxed set entitled Die Wel ist Klang, and since it couldn't be released on FAX, Carpe Sonum was born.

Scanning through the label's back-catalogue, they have a wealth of releases already under their belts. I've happened upon them a couple of times, now, but have never been drawn-in to the extent I have with this release by Motionfield, titled Luftrum.

Motionfield, real name Petter Friberg, has put together a brilliant ten-track album, rooted in lush electronics and varying from Boards of Canada-esque retro (in Luftrum 1), to Ultimae style psy-ambient we normally associate with the likes of Carbon Based Lifeforms (in Luftrum 3).  

Given the influence of the label and its origins in early 90's ambient music, it's an album unmistakably influenced by the likes of FAX, and the many early ambient pioneers of the time - subtle vocal samples, spacey-synths, and the consistent feeling of floating in space. This is a timeless album that will invoke nostalgia, and remind you that there's an ever expanding wealth of music that was born from the great, late Pete Namlook and his notorious FAX label.

Download on Bandcamp.

Big thank you to the always brilliant @sibear71 for the heads-up on this one.

Biosphere - Microgravity (Reissue)

Let’s go back to a time when electronic music was on the cusp of its defining years. A time when I wasn’t even really aware of electronic music (being just seven years old). A time when nobody knew that the artist they were listening to (probably in a chill-out room somewhere) would end up defining an entire genre, and 14 years later, still be pushing ahead.

in 1991, Geir Jenssen released his first ever album under his renowned Biosphere name. Inspired by the likes of Brian Eno, New Order, Depeche Mode and titled Microgravity, it would go on to be a cult classic. And it would be the first of many from Geir that did exactly that - define ambient music as we hear it today. Geir’s sound took techno, acid, and psychedelic /drug induced music to a whole new level; a deeper level; and was undoubtedly the spark to many of the greatest electronic musicians we hear today. 

The years surrounding Biosphere’s debut release in 1991 witnessed the likes of Global Communication, The Orb, The Future Sound of London, Autechre, and even Aphex Twin birth classic albums. That’s not to say that each of these artists were a result or influenced entirely by Biosphere’s sound, but I’d put a wager on it that Biosphere is respected as a pioneer for many of those guys. 

The relationship is more obvious in some than others. Take Global Communication for example and one of their aliases Reload, who remixed an entire Biosphere EP. Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works is packed full of the sound you hear in Biosphere’s Microgravity too - the warped samples, the acid-lined bass and the warm analog sound. 

I’m not writing this to compare, or to say who influenced who - that would be a never-ending debate I'm sure. Let's just say, Biosphere’s first album, Microgravity was a seminal and defining piece of electronic music. And I’ll get to the point... it’s now available to buy in all its remastered, extended, vinyl, CD and digital glory alongside a bunch of unreleased tracks, following a successful Kickstarter campaign.  

Not bad for an album which was originally rejected as unmarketable by Geir's original record label.

Satellites, baby, Satellites. 

Available on Bandcamp. 

You may also want to check out Patashnik 2, also available on Geir's Bandcamp - more unreleased greatness.

Alva Noto - Xerrox Vol.3

After a break of five years, Carsten Nicolai the data-centric mastermind returns with his third instalment of the Xerrox series. The Xerrox series deals with the manipulation of data by means of endless reproduction.

Alva Noto's live shows are often based on this data manipulation, incorporating partnerships with visual artists such as Japan's Ryoji Ikeda, leaving audiences in awe after colour inducing assaults and pixel-perfect manipulation. It's an approach which Carsten has coined, but in my opinion, sometimes at the cost of the listening experience when outside of the 20ft screens and surround sound. Weighing up these live experiences with personal listening sessions, you often wonder if they can ever live apart - and maybe they were never intended to.

When approaching Vol. 3 I wondered if the five years of data manipulation would impact his often minimal approach to the series and we'd be left with clicks and beeps. Tracks like Monophaser 2 are still at the very top for me, and as the series expanded, I had to remind myself of the narrative Carsten had put into play. Volume 1 referred to the old world, volume 2, to the new world. And now, Vol.3, towards space.

It's as if Carsten was inspired by one of my favourite unofficial videos for Monophaser 2 (see above). This video is the perfect match for this track, and as Vol.3 seeps through my headphones, I look back and realize in excitement that the epic-soundtrack style synths that break on Monophaser 2 as the rockets break-off, are just a taster of what we had in store for his next volume.

On Xerrox vol. 3, a new aspect enters the scene. Inspired by childhood film memories from the 1970s including Tarkovsky‘s adaption of “Solaris” and “La Isla Misteriosa y el Capitán Nemo” based on Jules Verne‘s “The Mysterious Island”, the record shows Alva Noto‘s private side. With its very intimate atmosphere, it's a personal reflection of dreams, an imaginary journey through emotional landscapes or, as he himself puts it, a "cinematographic emotion of a soundtrack to a film that actually, does not exist in reality". 

It's a study of the score to our favourite sci-fi film, beginning with an opening theme and subtly breaking into it's own components, chapters and moods. The feeling of expanse is almost palpable as the record sizzles and rumbles alongside expansive washes and tense, distant strings.

“I see Xerrox Vol. 3 as my most personal album so far. I have to admit that this emotional output is a surprise even for myself. it remains exciting how the last two albums of this series will sound like.”

— Alva Noto

Carsten gives each track the space to breathe, with slow melodies, subtle progressions and a recognisable suspense. You sit watching his imaginary film-score anticipating the next move, as the rumbles re-appear; the ship passes camera, voices muted by nothing but black on tracks within Xerrox 2ndevol2nd.

Carsten dances with romance and the longing-stares out into the void with Xerrox Isola. The falling debris, the uncontrollable spinning and changing colors of the horizon are seen in Xerrox Solphaer. And the gentle introduction of a piano on Xerrox Spiegel, spell an ending of hope, or perhaps an introduction to Part 4, as Xerrox Exosphere slowly dissipates - a white dot slowly getting smaller and smaller, the pixels digress, finally blending with the millions of surrounding stars.

Vol. 3 is available to buy and stream in full on Raster Noton - note the limited edition vinyl package!

Tracklist:

01 xerrox atmosphere 01 : 23
02 xerrox helm transphaser 06 : 45
03 xerrox 2ndevol 03 : 44
04 xerrox radieuse 05 : 60
05 xerrox 2ndevol2nd 05 : 05
06 xerrox isola 08 : 07
07 verrox solphaer 06 : 09
08 xerrox mesosphere 05 : 55
09 xerrox spark 06 : 10
10 xerrox spiegel 03 : 33
11 xerrox exosphere 03 : 48

Horizon Fire - Earthlight

A soundtrack from a distant galaxy; a slow-setting sun in an unrecognizable world; a strangely isolated new place. No-matter where Horizon Fire has been since his last release four-years ago, Paul Tebbott returns with another visionary masterpiece, combining his beautiful graphics and warm, vintage electronica sound.

It would be easy to compare Horizon Fire's sound to that of Boards of Canada, particularly Tomorrow's Harvest for example, but there's a much simpler, addictive ploy to Paul's sound. It's fitting that Paul is a talented designer as well as a producer, as the graphics he pairs with his release speak more to the sound that I can. Simple; dream-inducing; nostalgic yet futuristic; Paul could be scoring the next Tron, Blade Runner or other cult sci-fi. Either way you look at it, when you pair his graphics with the likes of Earthlight, you're transported.

I thoroughly recommend listening to the Horizon Fire back-catalog on Bandcamp, all name-your-price, whilst flicking through some of Paul's images on Tumblr. I've taken the liberty of presenting a select few below to accompany your listening experience.

Available on Bandcamp.

http://paultebbott.co.uk/
http://paultebbott.tumblr.com/