Passing by: Textural Being, Stray Theories, Horizontal Excursions & Applescal

Textural Being – Transmission EP

Our local Portland dub-techno mastermind, Textural Being has released this lovely three-track EP on German label Tiefenrausch, also available on vinyl (dub-techno fans know how hard it is to find decent music of this type on wax). Whilst ‘Safe Places’ is his typical, floaty gorgeousness, ‘Transmission’ pics up the pace a little; perhaps appealing to the DJ’s out there and ‘Descend’ is a thoroughly deep, slow and submerged affair.

Buy on Bandcamp

Stray Theories – We Never Left

Combining cinematic instrumentation with lush ambient soundscapes, Stray Theories hits drama smack bang on the head, and this release featuring remastered tracks of old and new is nothing short of exceptional as usual. I picked the image above whilst listening to his album – enough said. Beautiful.

Buy on Bandcamp

Horizonatal Excursions – Legacy EP

It’s been a while since Roger Martinez has released something on his Horizontal Excursions guise (don’t forget his Places Series EP). This EP however, seems to be built more around song structure than any of his previous work; featuring arpeggiating synths, loops and intense climaxes, sprinkled with subtle samples, and all lovingly wrapped in those luscious soundscapes we love HE for. Roger has a track on the next ASIP vinyl/comp coming soon which will knock your socks off.

Buy on Bandcamp

Applescal – Hyp 192 (Mix)

Pascal’s isolatedmix was heralded as one of the best by many, skilled in track selection and perfect key matching. No surprise to find the same great selection and techniques on this mix – an upbeat electronic journey providing a nice lift as summer comes to a close for many.

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01. Long Arm – Sleepsafe (ft I.V.A. & Ruslan Gadzhimuradov) [PMC]
02. Télépopmusik – L’Incertitude D’Heisenberg [Capitol]
03. Deft – One Eye Open [Self Released]
04. Sau Poler – Juun [Atomnation]
05. Gidge – I Fell In Love [Atomnation]
06. David August – Forgive Me If I Bleed [Diynamic]
07. Arcade Fire – Morning Talk Supersymmetry [Her]
08. I-D [Atomnation]
09. Olaf Stuut – Libre (Applescal Remix) [Manual]
10. Dntel – Anywhere Anyone [Sub Pop Records]
11. Portable Sunsets – Light Switch [Atomnation]
12. Postiljonen – Supreme (Niva Remix) [Self Released]

isolatedmix 47 - Leandro Fresco

I never imagined an artist doing a second isolatedmix, but then again I never imagined the series would grow this big, or that the submissions would be this good.

Leandro Fresco originally contributed to the series over two years ago in January 2012, with a selection of beautiful ambient music; including many inspirations for his productions on Kompakt’s Pop Ambient series. Similar to last time, Leandro deals no complexity this time around, and serves up the perfect ambient mixtape. No thrills, just pure love and inspiration from his hometown of Buenos Aires.

Featuring familiar faces such as, Solar Fields, Markus Guentner, Marsen Jules, Loscil, The KLF and bvdub, we shouldn’t forget that there’s millions of people out there that haven’t heard this type of music, and this kind of mix is the perfect introduction for those unlucky souls who aren’t lucky enough to experience this genre of music we have all come to love.

Lookout for more Leandro Fresco productions in the near future and give his previous isolatedmix a spin here.

“Every time I intend to do a mix of these features, my purpose is the same: to build a journey, be the most artificial and emotional as possible and to have the music lead us to a different and maybe strange place. With so many good artists and good music, it is easy to achieve. I hope you enjoy this new mix, as much as enjoyed doing it. From Buenos Aires, Argentina, I want to send a greeting to all listeners, and to A Strangely Isolated Place and all colleagues for the music!” – Leandro Fresco.

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Tracklist:

01. Murcof – Ooort + Cosmos 2
02. Boards of Canada – Telepath
03. Ulf Lohman – PCC
04. Moshimoss – Travis
05. Jacques Lu Cont – Palindrome
06. Ocoeur – Memento
07. Maps & Diagrams – Ukiyo -e
08. Another fine day – Moving in Stillness
09. Markus Guentner – Shadows Of The City
10. Solar Fields – Sky Trees + Patterns
11. Marsen Jules – The Philosophers Trap
12. Loscil – Charlie
13. The KLF – Six hours to Louisiana, black coffee going cold
14. Maceo Plex – Conjure Balearia
15. The KLF – Dream team in Lake Jackson
16. Bill Laswell – The Heathen Dub
17. Bvdub – Your Loyalty Lies Long Forgotten
18. Ocoeur – Fusion
19. Melorman – Over The Ocean
20. Bochum Welt – La Nuit

Leandro Fresco | isolatedmix 24 | Facebook | Twitter 

ASIP - Gestalt

There’s been some amazing techno coming out recently, and luckily I have another gig lined up in Portland where I get to showcase some of it on a big loud system. Here’s a preview mix in lead up to the Gestalt night on August 26th where i’ll play alongside some of Portland’s finest hardware house/techno musicians including Acid Farm (Live), JAK (DJ), Asss (Live) and Minigorille (Live Parametric Visual Synthesis).

I wanted to highlight a few of the tracks in this mix as they belong within some amazing EPs/albums that have just been released. Check out both the Tozzy and the tdel albums on Bandcamp below – amazing deep techno. A big thanks to Pete Srdic – my very own bandcamp A&R! And of course, the more recent Yuka album on Silent Season is a monster of organic techno.

If you live in or near Portland be sure to come see the night on August 26th at Holocene.

Download

Tracklist:

01. ASC – The Derelict Outpost (Silent Season)
02. tdel – Ascend and Return (Dont Trust Humans)
03. Tozzy – Yavin (Hypnus)
04. A Saggitariun – Sundial (Elastic Dreams)
05. Tin Man – Mystified Acid (Acid Test)
06. Donato Dozzy – Gol (Dozzy Records)
07. Tozzy – Subterrel (Hypnus)
08. Donnacha Costello – Grape A (Minimise)
09. Yuka – First Zoom (Silent Season)
10. Markus Guentner – Shadows of the City (Moodgadget)
11. Caustic Window – 101 Rainbows (Ambient Mix) (Warp)

Substrata 1.4 in review

This was my second year in a row making the trip up to Seattle for Rafael Anton Irisarri’s Substrata Festival, but this year, I approached it a little differently. Whereas last time I put together a festival preview and spent time looking into the artists’ involved, last year had afforded me enough trust in what Rafael would curate, and I put my OCD to one side. Apart from Markus Guentner and Mika Vainio, I wasn’t too familiar with the other artists set to perform from a live perspective – and I felt pretty good about leaving it that way.

The festival was once again held at the beautiful Chapel Performance Space in the Wallingford District of Seattle, perfect for the hazy Seattle summer evenings and an intimate space for the attendees to immerse themselves in over the next three days.

Thursday night began with Gregg Kowalsky taking his performance close to the audience and echoing Raf’s purpose for the night: “The composer as both the outrider and map-maker in their simultaneous manifestation and guidance through geographic, abstract, cosmic, oneiric non-place”. Subtle cracks came to life through numerous tapes played back through the mics – a constant puppetry by Greg as he flicked between minimal analog hardware inputs and three portable tape-decks. Short and sweet, I couldn’t help but want more from Gregg’s creaky, intimate sounds.

New York City-based Julia Kent took to the stage and immediately changed the mood in the room. As the sun began to set, Julia settled down bare-footed with her cello and quickly began looping numerous string parts, conjuring up the presence of multiple instruments and compositions depicting the drama and emotion from an epic film. Gently acknowledging the crowds reaction to each short but sweet performance, Julia played through to a dramatic ending and remains one of my favourite acts from the festival.

There are no headliners at Substrata, but Markus Guentner was my biggest anticipation of the week. The ASIP contributor has long been a hero of mine and this was my first time seeing him live. With his modest set-up, including his notorious PC (Markus loves to sign off emails with “sent from a PC”) adorning an ASIP laptop sticker, Markus wasted no time getting stuck in to his beautifully textured Pop-ambient sound, progressing through layers of signature textures and recognisable elements. It was, as expected a pure joy to consume in this environment.

Friday played host to “the evolving field of electro-acoustic composition in it’s intersection with fringe pop, folk, improvisation and non-rock form” starting with Australian Sanso-Xtro. Her set began with random synth-stabs, never confirming to melody, rhythm or pattern and to be honest, it lost me entirely. But when she picked up her guitar and gently strummed home a repetitive melody peppered with tiny string flicks, (and what i’m sure most people would recognise as great guitar playing), she made amends and I began to enjoy her unorthodox and experimental approach.

Koen Holtkamp followed, sat stern behind his analog equipment to the right-side of the stage. I quickly fell into Koen’s subtle shifts and expansive ambience as he masterfully grew his sound to a cacophony of synths pounding through the speakers from all four corners. By the end of his set I felt like I was sat in the middle of a square room of TV screens, lit with brightly coloured circuit boards. It was a modest yet powerful performance.

Raf’s personal hero Carl Hultgren (from Windy & Carl) closed the Friday evening with an ever expanding wash of shoegaze. It was non-descript, yet perfect – I felt myself nodding off numerous times as he gently caressed his guitar into the ears of an audience lulled into every millimetre his fingers moved across the strings.

If the Saturday night from last-year was anything to go by, it seems like Rafael saves the more epic and immersive characters for the closing night. This was no different, as upon entry, the stage was adorned with hundreds of cables depicting an analog synth heaven- “the night’s performers are all sculptors of ambient sonic narrative created from the colluvium of sound’s rawest materials” and a night in which Raf decided to take up the position behind the mixing board – “Bring earplugs” he said.

Evan Caminiti stood at the front of the stage emotionless as he took to melding, mixing and plugging his world of wires. His pulsating electronics slowly evolved into beautiful landscapes – a feat I still struggle to understand when there’s no single laptop involved – my lack of understanding of analog hardware showing, but my appreciation for it growing, especially after performances like this.

Mika Vainio - one half of the minimal electronic duo Pan Sonic, upon closing all the blinds and turning off the lights, sat in the middle of the stage with just a single lamp shining on his analog synth set-up. Stern faced, the familiar stabs hit hard and I could tell Raf had raised the levels . Non-confirming yet rhythmic, Mika slowly but surely built his glitchy structures from nothingness into full-on head-ringing bangs of the purest, most appreciated sounds possible from the equipment at hand. A true master of his art, there were five seconds in-between beats at times, and I felt myself itching for it go on one more time, harder, louder and bigger as he aggressively plunged and stabbed synth cables, creating a raw and unforgettable musical experience.

Seattle based Mamiffer took to the stage to close Substrata 1.4 – the only use of the grand piano helmed by Faith Coloccia, with Aaron Turner taking the lead-presence on stage behind the guitar. Dark and intense, drones were soon shattering around the space with the subtle and quaint voice of Faith and her keys tinkering in the background; unplugged from the main output, i’m pretty sure this was on purpose to help create a sense of depth for the audience and to let the power of the guitar shine through.

A continuous piano and melody and a sweet looping voice were a stark contrast to the sheer strength coming from Aaron’s guitar, and whilst the first 10 minutes seemed a little unsettling, the next 15 or so absolutely blew my mind as Aaron slowly progressed his drones from high-pitched streaks into raw, bone-rattling depths of solid colour. The contrast worked beautifully and the progression was timed to perfection – injecting subtle tonal shifts as the piece grew higher, louder and bigger. Mamiffer’s performance was dark and poignant.

As I walked out of the space that night, I didn’t hear anyone say a thing. Nobody needed to talk about how good that was; how much better one artist was over another; or what they were doing next after the show. When you are immersed in the performances you see at Substrata, you are paying witness to music in its purest form – a vision that Raf pays very careful attention to crafting and a vision that has profound effects on those lucky enough to enjoy it in these settings. It’s not about the individual artists, it’s the overall experience you walk away with.

isolatedmix 46 - The Green Kingdom

Like a consistent undercurrent, there’s some artists that seem to have been around for years, cropping up with beautiful releases and never failing to please, never straying too far from their craft and consistently earning respect from likeminded producers and listeners. Michael Cottone is one of them. Hailing from Detroit, he dig deeps to find the beautiful textures and sounds of ambient music, sometimes straying into the more dubbier stuff, but always rooted in the softly-softly, dreamy approach we love here at ASIP.

With releases on notorious labels such as Tench, SEM (now retired) and more recently Dronarivm, Michael represents an ever evolving yet timeless genre of music that is designed for escapism, further more described by himself as “optimistic nostalgia”. You’ll find elements of shoegaze, drone, dub, and heavy processing throughout his catalogue, with a desire to “blur the lines between soundscape and structure”. Michael’s latest album ‘Expanses‘ and his previous, ‘Dustloops’ epitomise this approach, with for example, melodic downtempo tracks such as ‘On Golden Swamp’ sitting comfortably next to the processed dubby ambient sounds in ‘Green Being’.

As you can imagine, his influences and his isolatedmix could’ve attempted to summarise his many influences styles and approaches, but instead Michael has chosen to focus on the more ambient side to his music. Those familar with these artists will already be able to feel the warmth and grain in this mix – a homage to the many ambient artists out there that take good care in wrapping you in comforting music.

“This is my take on an ambient mix, although it’s not all purely ambient in the traditional sense. What most of these pieces probably have in common is a certain timeless sound. I love music that has a textural, almost tactile – some grit and dirt. What would it sound like if you buried some of your favorite vinyl, dug it up after 50 years and played it? In my opinion, there is no better way to make something timeless than to remove it from the present, both in terms of genre and time period” – The Green Kingdom.

Download (direct)

Tracklist:

01. Stars of the Lid – Gasfarming
02. The Humble Bee – Other Sleepers
03. John Foxx & Harold Budd – Sunlit Silhouette
04. D_Rradio – Still In A Storm
05. Pawn – Entrance-Stairs
06. The Remote Viewer – Take Your Lights With You
07. Paavoharju – Ursulan Uni
08. ISAN – Cinnabar
09. David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto – World Citizen (Taylor Deupree remix)
10. Skyphone – Dream Tree Lemurs
11. Auburn Lull – Snowtongue [Dub 1_KILN Rebuild]
12. Foxes in Fiction – Static Cults
13. Jan Jelinek – Moiré (Piano & Organ)
14. Andy Stott – New Ground
15. Triola – Das Wunder Der Kulperhutte
16. Pye Corner Audio – Nostalgia Pills

The Green Kingdom Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud