Sometimes inspiration peeks out of the ordinary, finding you at a point where you least expect it. It doesn’t always have to be the flash of the Eureka! moment, just the growing creep of realisation and a willingness to look beyond the standard wash of the everyday.
“Sometimes I take a particular street, leading away from the city, when I walk. It has these old wooden sheds all the way down along one side and I was immediately drawn to this mysterious feeling, as if somebody was trying to hide something on this empty street with all these poorly constructed sheds,” Asger explains.
It’s a feeling that underpins the eerie dissension and mystery of ‘Desert Plant’. Humming with a dark tension, Asger’s field recordings of a busy city contrast against the desolate, rail track-guided path on its outskirts.
“The street is close to the rail track and at some point it becomes a path, which lets you cross under a bridge,” he continues, “under that bridge, I recorded these great low-frequency sounds – a mix of the cars going over and the wind blowing beneath the bridge, with the sirens and city noises contributing to the soundscape.
“As I went along the road, literally, the ideas started building up inside my head. I remember feeling like slowly returning to reality when walking back that day.”
Those field recordings create an angry dissension, the agitated whip of the wind interrupting the mournful call of the vocals, gnashing over the dead space between stabbing, percussive beats.
A track wired by dark and low frequencies, it feels like you’ve stumbled across a place where horrible things happen and are hid, the ghosts of those actions lingering only until they’re discovered.
“It's called Desert Plant because of the place feeling like it was completely deserted, yet it offered me so much in the form of atmosphere and inspiration. There’s life but you have to find it, and acknowledge it.”
Erased Tapes 5th Anniversary Tour at Hackney Empire
I’m not an expert at reviews, especially gig reviews, but on Thursday I was lucky enough to go see the Erased Tapes 5th Anniversary Tour at Hackney Empire in London, and I feel compelled to put down my thoughts after one witnessing a rather special evening.
I have to admit, before Thursday’s concert, I wouldn’t have claimed to be a typical fan-boy of any of the artists on the lineup. I love Erased Tapes as a whole, A Winged Victory For The Sullen released one of my favourite albums of late, Nils Frahm has conjured some of my favourite pieces to date, and Ólafur Arnalds has master-minded many-a-gem recently, especially when collaborating with Nils on ‘Stare’. But, unlike most of the gigs I book-up months in advance, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you every song which is being played, and I could be mistaken for walking past any of these guys at the bar….
I could tell you what their twitter profile looked like, what the last thing posted to their Facebook page was or how long each MP3 is on their latest album [I have iTunes OCD] but, this was for me, an experience that the digital age is guilty of overshadowing and the type of gig that needs to be treasured, respected and above-all, experienced by everyone who loves this type of music. Erased Tapes, and its more-impressive than ever roster showed me what it truly means to have talent, and what no Soundcloud waveform will ever be able to communicate.
A Winged Victory For The Sullen began the night. Taking to the stage, were around thirteen performers, flighted by Dustin O’Hallaran on Piano and Adam Wiltzie on guitar accompanied by a cello and numerous violinists. What followed were tracks from their much-respected self-titled album, blanketing the anticipating crowd with emotion from the-off. Every performer on the stage was absorbed and the crowd quickly followed. The immense force of the combined strings, piano and feedback amid touches of delicacy was enough to make you sit back in your seat and just smile.
Every good performance has an unexpected moment, and for AWVFTS it came with a cover of Gavin Bryars “Jesus’ Blood (never failed me yet)“. A little jarring at first, the crackling sample was the first non-instrument to grace our ears, but it soon became enveloped in what seemed like an eternity of beautiful instruments.
I was with a friend who was relatively new to everyone she was about to see, and both her and I were astounded at such a start. Dustin ended by saying ‘we’ve only got one record’, and this was the only moment of disappointment I felt all night.
Ólafur Arnalds followed, and immediately charmed the crowd with his Icelandic wit. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Ólafur and as if to take advantage of this unknowing, he began by getting the crowd to ‘arrrrr’, recorded and looped it, creating the first texture to then lay his delicate piano on to. Several tracks featured my much loved electronic ‘punches’ of his, carefully balanced by Anne Müller on cello along with violinist, Viktor Orri Arnason, who also played an unbelievable solo piece. Olafur had continued the night with examples of beautiful piano playing and his emotional, self-immersed stature peaked at a ‘song for Grandma’, where I paid witness to the many memories flowing from his head to his hands. I was on the front row, and after each of their performances I could often hear the faint gasp of breathe as another spellbinding moment came to an end.
Nils began with more comedy introductions and by now, I was just blind-jealous of this super-talented, down-to-earth collective. Everyone who took to the stage was genuinely having the time of their lives, and this made the performances and overall night, that extra bit special.
Yet more unexpectedness followed, as Nils began to use the Piano as percussion, drumming the wood, the mics and anything else which was just out of my sight to an amazing beat. His following set was quite simply unreal. I’m no piano-player, and I haven’t seen many ‘pure-piano’ performances like tonight, but I was lost and mesmerised in Nils’ talent. I don’t think I blinked, and I probably didn’t even take a breathe through his whole set. Music that progressed from simple piano chords took whole new meanings, new journeys and when he began playing two pianos at the same-time I had to laugh… this was ridiculous. I was paying witness to a talent that has undoubtedly taken years to develop, and i’m not sure if this was him at his peak, but I couldn’t imagine it being any better. Nils was in his own world, sweat dripping from his forehead as he smashed the keys and put the entire audience in a trance, gently rocking back and forth with the odd glance at the accompanying Anne Müller – he was playing a masterpiece.
The night ended with the collective on stage playing together. But by now, the solo pieces were still racking around in my head as I took a prolonged few minutes to gather what had just happened. It was big, it was loud and of course it was a perfect end to the night, but I would prefer to see every person on that stage play alone again.
The unexpected simplicity of the entire night was what made it so special. Never before had I witnessed such talented people portray so many beautiful moments, and often just with one instrument. This was a night which was as far away from the electronic world as you may wish for, and it couldn’t have been any better. Erased Tapes proved that a live performance by a talented musician will always be a world apart from any recording you’ll ever own.
ASIP019 Norge - 165 Minutes With You
Beauty has always had a poetic power. Whether it’s slowing time to a stand still or offering a striking contrast to the aesthetics of the ordinary, it’s a quality Norge is mesmerised and seduced by.
“It was about 10:30 pm and I was walking down the street with a young lady, near my house at Stachek Prospect,” he explains. “I was walking, looking into eyes of this girl, dissolved in the atmosphere of the beautiful streets. I think the architecture of this district is just unbelievable as the houses there were built in time of USSR.”The surrounding beauty isn’t immediately apparent in ‘165 Minutes With You’, even if the track’s title casts a lovelorn shadow. Darkness lurks in the dense slow build of the eight minutes, the drone of traffic and insect-song washing over a passionate sense of anticipation.
“I was inspired by the atmosphere of that evening and the sounds that you can hear in my track are vibrations which were occurring in my head that night,” Norge adds. Saturating ambient static makes this an immersive listen, with the subtle details buried deep within. And while you’d presume he didn’t count down the minutes, the force of feeling makes it feel like a lifetime.
isolatedmix 32 – Good Weather For An Airstrike
isolatedmix 32 comes from one of my favourite artists of recent years, Tom Honey, who records as Good Weather For An Airstrike; a project which was born in 2009 as a result of Tom trying to alleviate the issues of suffering caused by Tinnitus. He also holds, in my opinion, one of the best artist names there is – a name which immediately transports you to a open field, looking skyward at clear-blue skies, a glistening sun and that feeling of dizzyness as you tilt your head back that little too far – a feeling which is common through Tom’s delicate field recordings, post-rock stylings and ambient backings.
Tom is relatively new to all this but has some solid releases under his belt from the past few years; one with the prestigious hibernate recordings, Rural Colours, and an album on his own label, ‘Hawk Moon Records‘. But, if you’re looking for an intro to GWFAA, his most recent EP on the Audio Gourmet netlabel should be your starting point – a free download too. Number of releases aside, every single one has been carefully and meticulously crafted into his own signature sound, combining some of the most elegant guitars with hazy ambient field recordings to transport you into that very field I described above. He’s also branching out with his brother Rob under the alias ‘Damn Robot!’ – Tom’s moving fast and i’ve been loving every part of it so far.
The mix, is a perfect intro to Tom’s inspirations. Starting off with his more ambient side, the mix progresses through more guitar-led tracks, introducing vocals, harmonies and always retaining a blend of melody and escapism. There’s some big, epic moments in here, sat alongside some very tranquil and calming instrumentals. Fans of post-rock and shoegaze fan will enjoy this one, and hopefully many-an ambient fan finds a new solace in Tom’s love of guitars.
“A collection of tracks from signed and unsigned artists who I’ve been listening to pretty regularly over the last 6 months or so, some of whom have been pretty strong influences on Good Weather for an Airstrike and Damn Robot! material, I hope you enjoy them as much as I have been recently.”
Tracklist:
01. Hammock – Ten Thousand Years Won’t Save Your Life
02. Apparat – Black Water
03. Ashtar Command – Into Dust
04. Drops – Autumn Walks
05. Good Weather for an Airstrike – Goodnight, Boogaloo (Free Download)
06. Moving Mountains – Furnace Woods (acoustic version)
07. Owen – A Bird In Hand
08. Frou Frou – Hear Me Out
09. SPC ECO – Spotlight
10. Message to Bears – Daylight Goodbye
11. Oathless – Summer Haze
12. Anathema – Untouchable, Part 2
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GWFAA on Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud
36 – Secret Thirteen Mix
My favourite Vinyl purveyor is fast becoming one of my favourite mix curators too. A superb isolatedmix, several within his own mix series, and now a mighty-fine curation for the ever-brilliant Secret Thirteen music and art journal.
Dennis’ music straggles between many a haunting and beautiful place. His music can be deep, and at the same time contain some of the most euphoric pieces of ambient you’ll ever hear. His mixes mimic his production approach too. Just a scan of the track list and you’ll notice this one crosses every path between ambient and techno and you’d be forgiven thinking this was going to go off on some full-speed techno assault with the likes of Plastikman, Basic Channel and Convextion. But Dennis keeps us on the edge; that feeling of falling into the dark only to be pulled straight back out again. Textured pads and atmospheres which his releases are renowned for, are finely balanced with dubby undertones. If you’ve listened to any of my mixes, you’ll know this is my kind of journey.
“‘Secret Thirteen Mix 036′ is a sensuous and nebulous musical compilation that fulfills autumn with more nostalgic memories and harmless depression than colorful leaves and rain can bring. The selected music is chivalrous, emotionally powerful and liberal so it should find a straight way to every intellectual music lover’s heart”.
Use the Official.fm player below to download. View the original post on Secret Thirteen.
Tracklist:
01. Martin Stig Anderson – Sounds of the Factory (Limbo OST, 2010)
02. Irezumi – Untitled 6 (Snowblood, 2008)
03. Deepchord – Vantage Isle (Echospace Glacial) (Echospace, 2007)
04. The Nautilus Project – Back To Civilization (Unreleased, 2012)
05. EUS – Estos Bon Mis Ojos (EUS, 2012)
06. Stars of the Lid – Articulate Silences Part 2 (Kranky, 2007)
07. ASC & Bvdub – Symbol 2.2 (Auxiliary: Symbol, 2011)
08. Biosphere – Vi Kan Tenka Digitalt, Vi Kan Tala Digitalt (Biophon, 2012)
09. Jesus Jones – Zeroes and Ones (Aphex Twin Reconstruction #2) (EMI, 1993)
10. Basic Channel – Radience III Edit (Basic Channel, 1995)
11. Plastikman – Consumed (M_nus, 1998)
12. Convextion – Equanimity (Down Low Music, 2006)
13. Coppice Halifax – Dancehall (Original) (Wil-Ru Records, 2011)
14. The Sight Below – At First Touch (Ghostly International, 2008)
15. 36 – Nistarim (3six Recordings, 2011)
16. CV313 – seconds To Forever (Echospace, 2010)
17. ASC & Sam KDC – Vapour Lock (Auxiliary, 2012)
18. Tim Hecker – Trade Winds, White Heat (Mille Plateaux, 2003)
19. 36 – Deluge (3six Recordings, 2011)
20. Massive Attack vs Burial – Four Walls (The Vinyl Factory, 2011)