ASIPV002 - Europe

After the success of our debut vinyl release, Uncharted Places, I’m very pleased to announce we’ll be returning with Europe, a meticulously curated compilation inspired by some of the most beautiful locations on the continent.

Spanning ambient, modern classical, drone and electronica, it’s a journey experienced through the eyes and ears of the artists, capturing their memories, travels, tributes, and exquisite musical depictions.

Beginning with a peaceful ode to her Greek home, Dalot finds harmony on Kalathas beach, Halo is enraptured by a wet city scene in Zurich, and 36 tries to make sense of London’s countless contrasts.

In more remote parts, Horizontal Excursions (aka Roger Martinez) discovers the symphony of life on the subtropical island of La Gomera,Bjorn Rohde paints a vivid picture of the Pyrénées, and Marsen Jules finds paradise in the Andalusian mountains.

From cosmopolitan utopias to breath-taking cornucopias, every track on Europe is immersed in discovery. Effortlessly traversing geography and emotions, it’s a collection that revels in borderless ambition but also celebrates the intricacies that makes every passage unique.

Closer to sea-level, Dextro finds inspiration in the Isle of Barra’s oceanic panorama, Parks channels the coastal howl of Helsingborg, andCarbon Based Lifeforms uncovers delicate harmonies in the Spring-time forests of East Gothenburg.

Finally, Yagya brings Europe to its beautiful conclusion. Alone on Reykjavik’s north shore, the iconic producer forgets himself, and the city behind him, as the infinite ocean horizon commands his lost gaze.

Personal and poignant, the album artwork also reflects the craft of the music with a specially commissioned, mixed-print and hand-painted piece by Nick Brzostowski created exclusively for the release.

Europe is available on limited edition double-transparent blue vinyl (300 copies with digital download) from January 26th 2015.

There is also a special limited edition wooden vinyl case – just five pieces – made for this release. More details available here.

BUY THE VINYL: *SOLD OUT*
BUY THE DIGITAL: ASIP Bandcamp

TRACKLIST
A1. Dalot – Home
A2. Halo – Rain Says
A3. 36 – London
B1. Horizontal Excursions – Garajonay
B2. Bjorn Rohde – Tour De Pyrénées
B3. Marsen Jules – Andalucia
C1. Dextro – Heaval
C2. Parks – When The Last Ferry Left Helsingborg
D1. Carbon Based Lifeforms – Vakna
D2. Yagya – The North Shore

Reviews: Igloo Mag | Sceen.fm | Boomkat

Europe was manufactured by Furnace MFG / Pallas (DE), distributed by Juno, and mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri (Ghostly International).

More on the artists involved:

Dalot
By blending post-rock and ambient textures, Greece’s Maria Papadomanolaki sculpts a delicate personal sonic territory animated by life stories, experiences, places and people. She has released music on n5MD, Coorecords, Headphone Commute, Radical Matters, This Is It Forever, Sound In Silence, Sun Sea Sky, Futuresequence and Hands Productions.

Halo
A young composer from Italy, now residing in Zurich, Pasquale Riviezzo started Halo as a very personal experience inspired by his thoughts and feelings. Playing piano for 13 years and the guitar for 8, Halo is already gaining acclaim for his beautiful compositions with releases onDewtone Recordings and the ASIP Places Series.

36
36 (pronounced three-six) is the ambient/experimental project of Dennis Huddleston from the United Kingdom. Raised on a healthy diet of old skool hardcore and techno, these days he spends his time releasing highly emotive and melancholic ambient, mainly for his own label 3six Recordings.

Horizontal Excursions
Roger Martinez is a multi-disciplinary artist from the Netherlands. He mainly works in the field of music, but is also an avid painter and poetry writer. His main musical projects include “Roger Martinez LIVE” and “Horizontal Excursions”, with a previous HE project released as part of the ASIP Places Series.

Bjorn Rohde
An elusive and varied producer hailing from the Ruhr Area in Germany, Bjorn is best known for his emotional journeys in dub-techno for the likes of Dewtone Recordings.

Marsen Jules
The German electronic music composer is a poet in sound. Focused on minimalism and abstraction he creates atmospheric and deeply emotional tunes. Since his CD debut on City Centre Offices he released 10 full-length albums and several compilation tracks on labels as12K, Kompakt, Miasmah and Dronarivm as well as his own imprint Oktaf Records.

Dextro
An avid live performer, Scotland’s Ewan Mackenzie has played alongside the likes of Ulrich Schnauss, Loscil, Jacaszek, Amon Tobin and Bonobo to name just a few. His energetic, drum-focused productions have been released through Border Community, and Ninjatune, with ‘Heavel’ recently featured on Nick Warren’s Soundgarden Compilation.

Parks
Composer Igor Bystrov has been releasing music for nearly 25 years and has only recently received deserved acclaim for his warm and emotional, analogue based electronica and ambient soundscapes. Truly unique and original in his approach, Igor has released on Infraction Records, Entropy and the ASIP ‘Places Series’.

Carbon Based Lifeforms
The Swedish ambient duo of Johannes Hedberg and Daniel Segerstad are often cited as one of the original innovators of electronic ambient music, with many acclaimed releases on the legendary Ultimae Records, it’s a rarity and a celebration to finally see CBL’s music on wax.

Yagya
Icelandic dub-techno pioneer, Aðalsteinn Guðmundsson concentrates on atmospheres and moods to reflect the beauty of the world around him. Concentrating on the softer side of music and avoiding heavy rhythms, Yagya finds harmony and beauty in the simple sounds of nature. Previous releases on Delsin, Sending Orbs and Subwax Bcn.

Vinyl photos by Hikaru: www.capturecollect.co.uk. Vinyl Case photos by astrangelyisolatedplace.

Rich-Ears – Unlimited Universe

We love a change of pace and an injection of a new music style every now and then. Funnily enough, it nearly always seems to come in the form of Rich-Ears.

No stranger to ASIP, Rich-Ears is pretty much our resident Balearic beat(less) master, bringing his many months spent on the island, and the many hours, days, months and years engrossed in ambient music, to every mix he produces.

After 12 months in the depths of the French Countryside, Rich Ears returns with his trademark style, blending classic chill, ambient, samples and spoken word for Unlimited Universe – a true purveyor of sonic solitude, and a creator of enjoyable narratives mastered in this exclusive mix.

Download.

Tracklist:

01. Claudio Curciotti – 5 A.M. pray number 1
02. Loop Guru – …Katmandu …Crabpeople …The Words Of The All Powerful …Sleep
03. Sigur Rós – Rafmagnið Búið
04. Chakra (Seven centers) – Muladhara Chakra
05. David Toop – Wing Beats (Composed By Jon Hassel With Spirit World)
06. David Sylvian – Words With The Shaman: Pt. 1 – Ancient Evening
07. Chris Coco – Queueing For Shangri-La With A Surprisingly Level Head
08. Original Rockers – Mecca Of Space
09. The Orb – Alles Ist Schoen
10. The Irresistible Force – Sunstroke
11. Mixmaster Morris & Jonah Sharp – Camberwell Green
12. Goldie – Letter Of Fate
13. Haruomi Hosono – Higher Flyer
14. Chris Coco – Rain And Walking and A Strange Moment Of Calm 2
15. Chris Dooks – Gardening as Astronomy
16. Bing Satellites – Awakening
17. Chris Coco – You Parked Your Car In The Spaceport
18. Biosbios – Undan (Purl Remix)
19. Chris Coco – Did You Enjoy The Country_ _ One Song, You’ve Only Got One Song
20. Spectrum – Waves Wash Over Me (remix)
21. Jimi Cauty Streamer – PlutoSleepWalks (rich ears edit)

Rich-Ears on Twitter | Facebook | Mixcloud

bvdub – Tanto

If you’re a fan of Brock’s music, or are even lucky enough to have had conversation with him, then you’ll know a couple of things ring true about this elusive character.

Brock is a genuine artist, doing it for the love – not money or fame. He doesn’t thrive on promotion, doing the latest or greatest thing. He sticks to what he knows and does best, often with only marginal movement either side of his beloved sound and for this reason, he is one of the most respected artists in the industry today.

His music is some of the most thought-provoking and emotional pieces you will come across. His combination of distant vocals, soaring atmospheres and more recently, some very impactful and dramatic beats, have helped establish him as one of the best and most innovative ambient artists of today. His releases go as far as as Kompakt’s Pop Ambient compilations, and as close to home as his own imprint, Quietus.

He’s one of the most passionate people you’ll meet. Just read one of his interviews. There’s not many artists out there who will take the time to go into so much detail, be it a rant or not – it’s passion and it always shows in his music.

He’s productive. Four albums in 2013, two so far this year (and not counting the many before 2012). To quote from his 2012 interview: “What drives me to be so productive, quite simply, and at the risk of sounding trite, is that this music is what I live for. Without it, life for me literally would have no meaning…”

And after his best friend, his cat, Tanto passed away recently, Brock turned to the many aspects above that make him one of today’s greats and channelled his energy and focus into producing Tanto – his latest album and a personal ode to his best friend.

To go into describing this album wouldn’t sound right – it’s a personal journey, and one that is clearly evident upon listening. Fans of Brock’s music will undoubtedly enjoy it – some are calling it a return to his best, but the most important factor here is to support a cause which Brock believes in – and the life of a friend who has indirectly inspired the many Bvdub albums we’ve been lucky to enjoy over the years.

You can buy and listen to samples from Tanto direct on n5MD – 100% of everything from this album will be donated to the UC Davis Center for FIP Research. Available to preorder now and to buy from December 1st.

Passing by: Frank Sebastian, Ourson, Luke Howard, Mr Frankie, Warmth

Frank Sebastian – Towards Distance

Subspiele have begun their first venture into vinyl, and it’s label curator Frank Sebastian who steps up first, with this beautiful journey through ambient and dub-techno. “…a product of my own journey towards distance. My time-out at the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – 6 months in New York“; Franks debut vinyl release is patient, full of warmth and as the detailed description over on Bandcamp implies, a truly personal and introspective piece of work. Subspiele have also made some nice-looking CD cases for the release. Available on Bandcamp.

Ourson – Wanderdrift

We’re long-time fans of Ourson’s work, and his latest, described as ‘spacey and cerebral’ is another dive into some deep and engrossing ambient realms. Available on Bandcamp

Luke Howard – Two & One

Spanning modern-classical, ambient and electronic music, Luke Howard returns with another ridiculously talented album. As with 2013’s Sun, Cloud, this is another collection of emotional and poignant soundtracks. Available on Bandcamp

Mr Frankie – Campfire Stories 7 (Secrets of The Sea)

Silent Season’s Campfire Stories is one of the best mix series out there at the moment. Playing host to mixes from the likes of Jamie McCue and ASC so far, it’s Mr Frankie’s take this time around, who presents to us the delights of AWVFTS, Biosphere, Rafael Anton Irisarri and Deepchord, alongside tracks from Silent Season artists including Purl, Yuka and Adam Michilak. Download.

Warmth – Dopamine

More dub-techno of the superb atmospheric type by Warmth. I’ve seen this picked up by many ASIP regulars already (released in September) – always a sign of a good quality release when you guys get to it before me! Available on Bandcamp.

isolatedmix 49 - Manual

This will be the third time Jonas Munk has graced the isolatedmix series. The first, depicting the many great influences to hail from his native Denmark (isolatedmix 21 – Dreamy Sounds from Odense). The second, alongside Jason Kolb as Billow Observatory (isolatedmix 39 – Summer Memories) and now, as Manual – the very first pseudonym that led me to discover this talented and multi-faceted producer.

October just gone, Jonas released Memory and Matter, a selection of rarities and unreleased tracks that spanned his fifteen-plus-year catalogue as Manual.  It was a culmination of his perfected sound and a compilation of the many shoegaze/post-rock-esque and ambient tracks he has graced us with over the years. If you need to understand how Jonas and Manual came to be, how he pushed his sound, and how far it has come over the years, then this is it.

For many of us however, we can’t settle on the back catalogue alone to truly understand the influences behind some of our favourite Manual tracks like, Summer of Freedom, Tourmaline, Miraparque, and Blue Skied an’ clear. So we invited Jonas back one more time to illustrate the inspirations behind Manual. Jonas has kindly provided an introduction and detailed track-notes to this very special isolatedmix.

Download

Tracklist:

1. Two Lone Swordsmen: ”Hope We Never Surface”
2. Autechre: ”Pir”
3. Pluramon: ”Noise Academy”
4. Morgan Caney & Kamal Joory: ”Blanket”
5. Freeshca: ”Abominable Love”
6. Ulrich Schnauss: ”Einfeld”
7. Franco Falsini: ”Cold Nose pt. 3”
8. Tortoise: ”The Suspension Bridge at Iguazu Falls”
9. Dub Tractor: ”Hum (Part 4)”
10. Sensations Fix: ”Music is Painting in the Air”
11. Durutti Column: ”Bordeaux Sequence”
12. Dif Juz: ”No Motion”
13. July Skies: ”Swallows and Swifts”
14. The Dead Texan: ”Girth Rides a (Horse)
15. Mark Isham: ”Sympathy and Acknowledgement”
16. Simple Minds: ”A Brass Band in African Chimes”
17. Roedelius: ”Veilchenwurzeln”
18. Auburn Lull: ”Shallow in Youth”
19. Ashra: ”Ocean of Tenderness”
20. Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois and Roger Eno: ”Always Returning”

Introduction and track notes by Jonas Munk (Manual)

A couple of these tracks are recent discoveries but the vast majority of them are from records that have had a very distinct and durable influence on the Manual albums. These are some of the essential tracks.

People who have followed my work extensively will surely be able to recognize obvious traits of these sounds in my work. Which is cool. I’ve never felt it was important to maintain any sense of mystery about where ideas come from, or nurture any romantic conception of genius, for that matter – as if inspiration could appear out of nowhere. Besides, the music I’ve produced as Manual for the last 15 years has never sought to constantly reinvent itself, nor has it been my ambition to produce something strikingly original or progressive. Rather, my hope has always been that if I kept my vision long and intensely enough – if I continously starred at the same idea, only changing the angle from time to time, something personal and long-lasting would crystalize. The degree of success, at least in any conventional way, has always been secondary, maintaining the vision primary. In my view originality, at least in the traditional sense, is overrated. The focus on originality as the prime criterion for artistic quality and relevance is a cultural symptom of limited attention span, and a lack of depth. I have always had a quite limited scope for the Manual sound, always returning to a small but well defined set of ideas and sources of inspiration. And everything on this mix is something I’ve kept returning to since discovering the tracks during the last 15 years.

1. Two Lone Swordsmen: Hope We Never Surface
I got deeply into electronic music in early 1999, the result of a musical chain reaction after seeing Tortoise live at Roskilde Festival the previous summer. Looking back it wasn’t the worst time to discover Warp Records who had recently put out BOC’s Music Has the Right the Children, Autechre’s LP5 and Two Lone Swordsmen’s Stay Down, where this track is from.

2. Autechre: Pir
This track nicely captures everything they did so well back then. I was deeply into Autechre for several years and still find their 1995-2000 output hard to beat.

3. Pluramon feat. Julee Cruise: Noise Academy
It doesn’t seem that long ago that it felt like there existed vast possibilities fusing shoegaze with electronic beats and all kinds of digital processing, but for me this album represents some kind of zenith of that fusion. And yes, it’s Julee Cruise of Twin Peaks fame. Lovely track.

4. Morgan Caney & Kamal Joory: Blanket
Thomas Morr from Morr Music gave me this 7” single on one of my first trips to Berlin. Back then discovering music was such a different activity. This track made a huge impression on me and perfectly captured the sound I was aiming for back then, but didn’t fully have the expertise to execute as well yet. Just beautiful.

5. Freescha: Abominable Love
Freescha is another band I discovered early on and have kept coming back to. They create lo-fi synth-scapes that will appeal to any Boards of Canada fan but they have their own distinctively Californian vibe going. This track is from the Slower Than Church Music mini LP – a good place to start for the unacquainted.

6. Ulrich Schnauss: Einfeld
I first heard of Ulrich Schnauss visiting CCO/Baked Goods (now Boomkat) in Manchester in July 2001. We were hanging out in the office on the fourth floor, all windows open due to the intense heat (and due to everybody smoking Marlboro Lights), and Shlom (CCO co-owner) threw on a test pressing of forthcoming LP with the word Schnauss scribbled on it. Halfway through the A-side I knew this was something truly special. I’ve often wondered why the compositional and harmonic elements in electronic music – even the rather good stuff – so often verges on the banal. Ulrich is a rare exception: at the heart of his music lies an insistence on creating interesting chord progressions and compositional structures. His music, as well as his dedication, continues to be an inspiration.

7. Franco Falsini: Cold Nose pt. 3
This is quite a recent discovery. Franco Falsini made a handful of experimental space-rock albums in the seventies, under his own name as well as with Sensations Fix, that would probably have been called ”krautrock” had he originated from Germany instead of Italy. In a weird way this short piece connects perfectly with a lot of the other stuff included in this mix.

8. Tortoise: The Suspension Bridge at Iguazu Falls
TNT must be one of the records I’ve listened to the most times ever. You can hear Tortoise in everything I’ve ever done, but the melodic aspect is probably what’s been cannibalised into the Manual albums. I also love the way they blend very different things in the mix – in this case marimbas, percussion, analog synths, dub effects and a surf-guitar inspired Fender Jazzmaster melody line. The part when the second guitar comes in halfway through the song has to be one of my all-time favourite moments. It kills me every time.

9. Dub Tractor: Hum (Part 4)
Beautiful, moody piece from one of Denmark’s finest.

10. Sensations Fix: Music is Painting in the Air
Another Falsini piece, this one from the first Sensations Fix album Fragments of Light, released in 1974. Music like this will never get old.

11. Durutti Column: Bordeaux Sequence
I simply had to include Durutti Column in this mix. I’ve always imagined the Manual albums to exist as part of an imaginary tradition, or as part of a family tree of sound – a kind of alternative historic line drawn back through the last four decades of music, bypassing most of the stuff that is normally deemed important, whatever that means. If there’s one artist I feel the Manual albums are genealogically connected to it’s Vini Reilly.

12. Dif Juz: No Motion
Much the same can be said about Dif Juz – a band that has remained in obscurity even though they have out some of the finest releases on 4AD in the label’s history and being far ahead of their time (this is from the mid-1980s!). Exceptional guitar-playing.

13. July Skies: Swallows and Swifts
July Skies, a.k.a. Anthony Harding, has built an entire style on records such as Slowdive’s Pygmalion and Durutti Column’s Vini Reilly. The beautiful calm, inwardness and melancholy on albums such as Dreaming if Spires and Where the Days Go is something very unique.

14. The Dead Texan: Girth Rides a (Horse)
As a whole this album probably isn’t among Adam Wiltzie’s (Stars of the Lid and others) finest, but this track does weird things to me each time.

15. Mark Isham: Sympathy and Acknowledgement
Mark Isham is probably best know as a trumpeter and film composer. I got into him via his work on classic David Sylvian records. He has made a couple of very nice electronic works as well, and this track comes from his 1983 album Vapor Drawings, released on Windham Hill, which is an extremely undervalued piece of electronic minimalism from that era.

16. Simple Minds: A Brass Band in African Chimes
When I was a kid Simple Minds and U2 were my favourite bands in the world. And around the time I started working on Azure Vista I got heavily into that big 1980s sound again. During my rediscovery of Simple Minds I also realized they created some amazing instrumentals along the way, where they would really dig into sound-scaping in an interesting way. This is a reworking of Shake Off the Ghosts, released as the B-side to Don’t You (Forget About Me) in 1985.

17. Roedelius: Veilchenwurzeln
Of all the great electronic music that came out of Germany throughout the 1970s the stuff that Roedelius was involved in (along with Manuel Göttsching’s projects) speaks to me the most. There’s an organic quality to his sound and a certain warmth and melancholy that still feels very timeless today.

18. Auburn Lull: Shallow in Youth
Cast From the Platform is one of my all-time favourite albums. It almost feels weird choosing just one track from it as it deserves to be listened to in its entirety. It came out in the early summer of 2004 and since I brought a mini disc (!) with this album with me around the world that summer, it still evokes images of Spain, Tokyo, California and Greece when I listen to it now. After a surf session that summer I was hanging out in Oceanside with James from Darla and Jesus from Acuarela Records, who was on holiday in California at the time. -We were talking about what a wonderful album it was and Jesus suggested we did a Manual/Auburn Lull split EP. The EP never happened but it did bring me in touch with the band and I’ve been working with Jason Kolb for the past eight years.

19. Ashra: Ocean of Tenderness
I’ve always loved Manuel Göttsching’s guitar playing, his sense of melody and the way he used those incredibly lush 1970s ”ensemble” synthesizers – a kind of instrument I cherish deeply and have used extensively myself . He’s definitely another important part of my imagined family tree.

20. Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois and Roger Eno: Always Returning
It’s hard to think of anything more essential than Brian Eno’s, Apollo when considering music that have inspired the Manual sound.

Manual on Facebook | Bandcamp | Soundcloud