Thore Pfeiffer - Im Blickfeld

Thore Pfeiffer landed unexpectedly earlier this year with two tracks on Kompakt's 2015 edition of Pop Ambient. It's a compilation that has on many occasions, ended up being the first step into the ambient 'mainstream' for artists such as Leandro Fresco, Markus Guentner and even Donnacha Costello. Seeing Thore's name on this years edition mean't only one thing - Mr Wolfgang Voigt had found a new ambient prodigy to help spearhead the already infamous compilation series. 

Following 2015's Pop Ambient compilation, Kompakt announced that the series would be getting its very own artist album releases. Leandro Fresco kicked things off with a stunning sound that we've loved since his first appearance in 2003 and now it's the turn of Thore Pfeiffer.

Im Blickfeld spans 11-tracks of gentle loop-based melodies that softly roll, tease and lull you closer to Thore's delicate and intricate touch. There's an immediate resonance with most Pop Ambient material that seems to play on this type of approach - it's Kompakt's trademark sound after-all, yet Thore has induced a gentle swirl of folk simplicity compared to previous executions.

The opening track, Allzu Nah, is perhaps the finest example and differentiator from previous Pop Ambient sound. Like watching a black-and-white film of a country fairground, that stalls, stops, and injects new faces in an almost playful yet haunting manner. 

Was Ihr Wolt seems to book-end Thore's gentle approach at the start of the album, with a consistent alluring pulse, backed by subtle keys and a slowly emerging high-pitched detail. This track sets up the second section of the album which goes on to focus more on guitar and strings, with Nirgwendo providing the most energy out of the bunch, akin to a dimly lit moment from an 80's film-score, only to then twist into a more avant-garde approach on Kolibri - where plucked strings take center stage. 

The final third of the album then descends into much warmer territory with Ebene - the stand-out track for me, featuring dark, driving swathes of color, transitioning into Falke - a beautiful airy filtered track that immediately revives the more recognized Pop Ambient sound.

Finishing on the fifteen-minute long Gipfel, the looping strings play ode to the addictive simplicity we find throughout the album. Thore's embrace of the Pop Ambient sound is clear to hear, but after years of tinkering from scratch, he's found a perfectly balanced palette that focuses purely on the distinct Pop Ambient sound. His relatively new approach to music production has perhaps, enabled him to focus on the quality and confidence of his approach instead of complicating, layering and diluting years of work. 

Im Blickfeld is available now on Kompakt.

I had the chance to shoot Thore a few questions below to get to know a bit more about how he came to be, and his approach to production. 

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ASIP: Hi Thore, what are you up to right now?

TP: I'm at home resting in my living room and sure enough,  pleased to answer your questions.

ASIP: How did your relationship with Kompkat come about?

TP: I had conventionally sent a demo to Kompakt. After a while, I had already stopped anticipating an answer then there was an email of Wolfgang Voigt and he asked me if I wanted to be featured on the next Pop Ambient compilation. Of course I said yes.

ASIP: There’s hope for us all! How did you begin producing music?

TP: At the very beginning, Thomas Gwosdz taught me everything I needed to know to make my first steps in producing. Everything further came by self-education.

ASIP: And what or who introduced you to ambient music specifically?

TP: In the Nineties I listened a lot of projects like "GAS","Biosphere" and others. Later on Thomas Gwosdz introduced me to the first Pop Ambient sampler. This stuff really fascinated me and got me hooked. From then on I knew it was this kind of music I wanted to make.

ASIP: So where did you go from there? Has this been your focus since the 90’s?

TP: I am open to all kinds of music and always looking for new styles and sounds. I tend to get bored if I would just concentrate on one music genre.                                                                                 

ASIP: You say that old-skool hip hop and rap were one of your first forays into music - do you still like that kind of music today?      

TP: Yes, right, I still like to listen to old material every once in a while. The more recent stuff is not my cup of tea to be honest. I don’t really follow today’s Rap/Hip Hop scene. The last Rap record I bought was “Hotsaucecommiteeparttwo" by the Beastie Boys which I still like a lot.

ASIP: How would you describe your approach to music production?

TP: Almost every time a sample is the initial point of a new track. I experiment with it and manipulate it until I am satisfied with the result. Next I continue to gather further sounds around the sample.

Recently I use Ableton Live 9, FL Studio, Korg Electribe A and some acoustic instruments such as a Chinese flute. Sometimes when I am abroad I record all sorts of sounds with a mobile recording device.  

ASIP: The album sounds like it features lots of instruments - especially strings. Are they played live?

TP: Most of the material I used on the album consists of samples of ethnical/world music, German "Volksmusik" and classical music. Every once in a while I use Korg Electribe, as well as some field recordings.

ASIP:  “Volksmusik” – can you give us an introduction to this type of music?

TP: It’s a traditional German music with a very unique sound, featuring instruments like the Tuba, Accordion and the Zither. It’s the tone of the instruments which resonates with me rather than the music itself. 

ASIP: I sense elements of "The Orb’s Okie Dokie It’s The Orb On Kompakt” on your album, or at the very least, some Thomas Fehlmann in there… where they an influence on this album at all?  

TP: Funny and interesting question! But no, The Orb album and the stuff by Fehlmann did not influence me, at least not knowingly ;-) But these records are in my shelf and I like them a lot.

ASIP: What are some of your favourite records?

TP: There are several records such as: "The Cure - Disintegration, NIN - The Downward Spiral, Depeche Mode - Violator, Grandmaster Flash - The Message and Elvis Presley - That's The Way It Is" All my records were an important part of my early life.

ASIP: So what inspired the album? You reference art and painting as a big part of your approach - can you tell us a bit more about that?

TP: The total package of a record is very important to me. Music and cover art need to match, it needs to be one piece. While I was producing the recent album, pictures of landscapes flashed upon my inner eye, a hunter on a stand, having his eye on everything. Hence the title  “Im Blickfeld” i.e.  “Field Of Vision”. There’s definitely some sort of interplay of music and pictures within my head whilst producing.

ASIP: What did you have in-mind when producing the individual tracks on the album? Do they represent an approach similar to the artwork?

TP: A movie was running through my brain while producing the track “Kolibri” for example. I saw the bird flying from one blossom to the next looking for nectar. Very quickly it became clear that “Kolibri” would be the name of the track.

ASIP: What do you do outside of music to relax or escape?

TP: I am a passionate amateur chef. I love to prepare delicate food with fresh ingredients. Cooking always has a terrifically relaxing effect on me. It is as remedial to me as music. Plus, on sunny days I love to ease off at the Rhine riverbank having a couple of beers.

Portals: The Varpuja of Finland

Our second Portals feature takes us to Finland, where local musician and guest-writer Utu Lautturi dives into some of the many musicians and styles to emerge from this beautiful nordic country. 

Utu Lautturi is a Finnish multidisciplinary artist, composer and experimentalist, living and breathing audio and visual arts since early childhood. Immersed in nature worship, the arcane and mythical, bending all boundaries of auditive self-expression, Utu has slowly gained recognition for his strong organic ambient/experimental releases and intense live performances as well as collaborative works with various native and international artists. Utu's debut album, Nielu, was released in January 2015 through Pale Noir.

With such high regard for the many artists and musicians to emerge from his country, I couldn't imagine a better voice to guide us through the rich spectrum of music that has grown from the mystical rivers and woodlands of Finland in recent years. Utu has selected some of the most interesting artists and styles of Finnish introspective music, portraying acoustic and electronic elements, as well as fusions, landing on a ten-track mix of lesser-known and more internationally popular artists. And as with every Portal's feature, Utu has dug-deep into the featured tracks and given us everything we need to explore even further.

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The Varpuja of Finland, by Utu Lautturi.

In a country as small as Finland, the borders between artists creating different types of ambient/electronic/atmospheric music are artificial at best. Contrary to  Finnish artists' achievements in heavy metal or psy-trance scenes, it is impossible to decipher or pin-point any distinctive style or "sound" in what I like to call, by a broader term, Finnish introspective music (engulfing styles such as ambient, electronic, ethnic, electroacoustic, neofolk and others).

It's common for musicians from different styles to collaborate, creating a plethora of musical fusions. However, I feel Finnish introspective artists have something in common. There is an indescribable melancholic magic present in their music, a fluid solidness, a solemn intent of sorts. To me, this magic is entwined with the awe-inspiring extremes present in Finnish nature. It is the magic of endless mid-summer light when the burning eye of the sky barely scathes the horizon for weeks. It is the magic of the long polar night when even tiny glimpses of the sun might stretch to over a month in-between.  Spring and Autumn in Finland are both short, colorful bursts full of wonder, inducing a strong sense of cyclic change. Perhaps it's this naturally enforced surrender unto the change of seasons, or the fact that even from the largest cities you're never more than half an hour away from vast forests, lakes and rivers, that helps us reflect upon Finnish music as primarily organic, even when produced solely by electronic means.

With the sounds of traditional instruments like the Kantele and Jouhikko (both capable of producing beautiful ambience and droney atmospheres) engraved in our cultural genes it is no wonder Finns are easily drawn towards introspective music. Not to forget, as a natural consequence of living in a country with an often harsh winter lasting up to six months there's a lot of time to sink inward, both to create music and to enjoy the creations of others.

Brelo - Pohjoinen (North)

Brelo is a group of Kantele players exploring the boundaries of traditional and modern composition. In Pohjoinen [North] Brelo do homage to our northern landscape by conjuring simple yet vivid pictures both bright and dim. The track is taken from Brelo's 2009 release Uusikuu [New Moon] which features enjoyable variations of different types of Kantele playing. The versatile Kantele also suits a wider spectrum of ambient music extremely well, as can be heard in the beautiful compositions from the likes of Finnish ambient projects Marrasmaa and Nest (not to be confused with the sublime Norway/UK-based ambient/electronica project of the same name).  Last summer A.T. of Nest invited people virtually to follow a live Kantele performance at his home, which you can watch here.

Pekka Lehti & Outo Voima - Artsi

When it comes to emotional content, acoustic instruments seem to carry more weight than electronics and I feel the following pair of tracks are great examples. Starting off is Artsi (a Finnish nickname), Pekka Lehti's collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Jouko Kyhälä. The same sounds, rhythm and melodies could be produced by various electronic equipment, but I have a feeling the end-result, although certainly beautiful in its own way, would lack the soul it has through this acoustic instrumentation. The track exhibits a rare kind of force; it drives onward; yet guides within; cosmic mysticism blending with humane spiritual longing. As one of Finland's most revered bass players and genre bending composers Pekka Lehti has a colorful musical history. Artsi is a cut from one of his more avant-garde and experimental albums, Sohjo.

Another important Finnish avant-garde artist I want to mention is the widely renown accordion player Kimmo Pohjonen. Kimmo is a virtuoso, taking accordion playing and musical composition through its extremes, as heard through his extensive multidisciplinary career. He delivers exquisite avant-garde performances with Kronos Quartet (the only non-Finnish group/artist mentioned in this article, by the way) - watch them here.

Mir-0 - Liplu

Mir-0 is one of Finland's pioneers in 'looping' and the epitome of a musician creating solely for the sake of art itself. The featured track, Liplu, is a part of Mir-0's debut album Shhh which is very hard to obtain (as are all of his releases).

Using mundane objects, self-made instruments and vocals, Mir-0 creates mind-boggling, rich, trance-inducing labyrinths of sound that he describes as inverse pyramids. In a live situation Mir-0 relies on looping and effects but Liplu and other tracks on Shhh are recorded live performances all the way through. A tiny speck of Mir-0's live magic can be witnessed through a clip from his Recycled project below. 

The underground 'looping' scene in Finland is rich with a range of interesting artists such as Kulkija [Wanderer], looping various acoustic and electronic instruments and Ihmineläin [Humanimal], an acappella loop project, to groups like the electroacoustic rhythm n' dance duo Loop Repeat and the busking trio Juurisähkö [Root Electricity], who combine various ethnic instruments and percussion with throat singing and beat-boxing - watch here.  

Salatullah - Orvokin lehto / Paavoharju - Olet maailman syli

Languages are unique but some have evolved to take uniqueness a step further. The Finnish language is one of the most versatile and difficult languages in the world and I wanted to include Finnish spoken word because of its richness and poetic phonetics. I couldn't think of a more suitable piece to represent this than Yahayakayak & Pinewoods' album Salatullah. This duo, comprised of a respected Finnish rap/spoken word artist and a talented electronic music producer, is what I regard as one of the most amazing ambient & spoken word albums ever created (and as a name your price download!) Orvokin lehto [Violet's Grove], featured here, describes and is dedicated to, Prophet Muhammad by means of a stunning, almost sacred word play. 

Sometimes when mixing, exciting and strange things take place. I had collected various suitable lyrical tracks to my computer and accidentally started playing them all at once. Muting them one by one I ended up with two tracks playing simultaneously - Orvokin lehto from Salatullah and Finnish experimental group Paavoharju's track Olet maailman syli [You Are The World's Lap], a cut from their critically acclaimed album from 2013, Joko sinä tulet tänne alas tai minä nousen sinne [Either You Come Down Here Or I Will Come Up There].

The official music video for Olet maailman syli overflows with Finnish melancholia. 

Arktau Eos - The Urn

Any mix of Finnish introspective music isn't complete without some dark ambient. As with other types of music, some of the most internationally known Finnish groups and musicians tend to be of the darker side,. And one of the most well known Finnish dark ambient groups are Arktau Eos, hailing from the incense filled halls of Aural Hypnox - a harbour for a few other strong dark/ritual ambient acts including Halo Manash. 

Arktau Eos are the very essence of ritual ambient. The trio are best known for their self-made ritual instruments and mesmorizing, powerful live performances which I strongly recommend. The Urn is part of the double-album Ai Ma Ra, released as a limited version in 2009.

In addition to excellent ritual acts, the Finnish dark ambient scene has some lesser known composers such as Ovro (unconventional conjurer of surrealistic soundscapes, and illustrator of dreams and nightmares with a very distinct style), ówt krì (operates between ambient, noise, industrial and darkness exclusively on self -modified or -assembled guitars) and Kausemus (experimental musical project jazzing around weird, ambient and futuristic themes). 

At the end of the accompanying mix, The Urn dissolves momentarily into Kantele artist 
Arja Kastinen's experimental piece Nietsivoo (the name of a traditional wind-instrument, from the album Kajo [Shimmer], 2005). Kastinen was the first person in Finland to earn a Ph.D. in music back in 2000. With an extensive and varied discography in the art of Kantele playing, she specializes in old musical style meditative Kantele improvisation. 

A wonderful example of her playing, below.

Tenhi - Salain

To anybody familiar with the international neofolk scene Tenhi doesn't really need an introduction. Since their first demos in 1997, Tenhi have enticed their audience with immaculate compositions seeping archaic mysticism, nature worship, nostalgia, poetry and musical ingenuity. Their rare live performances (the last two were eight years apart) and virtual silence, have covered the group in an enigmatic aura, leaving their fans on the look-out for more dark pearls to emerge. Tenhi's inimitable sound is immediately recognizable and each of their tracks a masterpiece, so it was extremely difficult to choose a feature.

Salain [Shapeless] is off their phenomenal, perhaps most melancholic, album Maaäet (2006). To those wanting to dig deeper into esoteric Finnish neofolk music I recommend the Anima Arctica label, home to various acts such as Pyhä Kuolema [Holy Death] and Tervahäät [Tar Wedding]. You can go through their wonderful radio/sampler for glimpses into the roster. Other noteworthy artists inhabiting the colorful Finnish neofolk scene include dirty folk/blues artists Pekko Käppi and Faarao Pirttikangas as well as the ethnic fusion group Aalto [Wave].

Ous Mal - Oksat

Ous Mal's work inspires both old and new generations of Finnish ambient and experimental artists.

His meticulous compositions fuse a myriad of elements and styles, breathing tangible life and bright, vivid tales - truly some of the most captivating and interesting sound design to emerge from Finland. Ous Mal's track Oksat [Branches], from his 2009 release Viime talvi [Last Winter] serves as a crux in the accompanying mix, pointing towards its serene end.

Ous Mal's work is at times very experimental, and so I'd like to introduce another very special Finnish experimental artist; the legendary Grand Old Man of experimental self-made instrumentation, Umpio. I've had the privilege of witnessing Umpio perform live, and he is nothing short of phenomenal (as broken, scratchy, delicate, dusty experimental sound design and noise goes). He also makes and sells different types of contact microphones at a ridiculously low-price with international shipping, so do check his stuff out.

Katajamäki - The Song Of Electric Whales / Pan Sonic - Comparative 

One of the first lesser known Finnish ambient artists that made a lasting impression on me was Katajamäki. One of his finest works is The Song Of Electric Whales, released in 2013 on the free download EP What The Swan Saw. The first time I heard this track its eerie atmosphere completely trapped me and hasn't let me go since. Whenever I want to be dragged under the surface of my mind and explore it's caverns in dim light, I listen to this piece. Katajamäki is a good example of the aforementioned high quality present in Finnish underground ambient/electronic music. From old timers
E-Musigruppe Lux Ohr and Nemesis, (both creating classic synthesizer/sequencer based ambient journeys, ranging from minimal to cosmic) to smaller scale composers like Sarana [Hinge] and Mooma.

A Finnish name anyone into ambient, experimental sound design or electronic avant-garde music should know, is of course, Pan Sonic. Nowadays mostly working solo, Pan Sonic member Mika Vainio continues to be one of the most interesting artists in the field of modern electronic experimental and avant-garde. The other half of Pan Sonic, Ilpo Väisänen, is also still active (among other projects) as a part of the Finnish/German duo Angel. 

What happened earlier in the mix with Orvokin lehto and Maailman syli also happened with Katajamäki's The Song Of Electric Whales and Pan Sonic's track Suhteellinen / Comparative (featuring Hildur Gudnadottir on cello, from the album Katodivaihe / Cathodephase). I played the tracks on top of each other and they fit perfectly. It was like they were meant to be played this way. I feel Katajamäki's track creates the emotional stage and pulse for Pan Sonic's hyper-minimalist composition.

Usually I listen to music with the intention of trying to decipher what its creator(s) had in mind and try to reflect my own experience. I don't feel the need to make my mark on other people's work, but this is one of those rare cases when through accident, two completely independent pieces of art brought together, seem to fuse into something more than the sum of their parts.

For those aching to hear Suhteellinen / Comparative in it's plain, even raw, minimal beauty and force, here it is. 

Ari Porki - Spirit Of Ice Lantern

To end this mix I chose Ari Porki's Spirit Of Ice Lantern (from his free download album Waterway, released in 2015). Not only because Ari fits into the theme of this mix perfectly with his musical inspiration of the four seasons, but also because I feel this piece beautifully portrays the two opposites of our Northern climate. The obvious all-encompassing tingling and glistening glitter of ice present, but something else too...

Throughout The Spirit Of Ice Lantern you can hear a warm soundscape reminiscent of oars and a rowing boat; of easygoing summers in a cottage beside a lake. These two opposites create a soothing yet heightening combination I felt was a great place to leave us. At the end, I mixed some of my own field recordings of summer thunder, rain and birds to give you a taste of what Finland might sound like right now, here in the endless light of the Northern summer.

The name of the accompanying mix, Varpuja [twigs], serves as a reminder that however profound and beautiful, all artists and their wonderful music are simply twigs in the huge tree of musical expression expanding through the history of humankind. I dedicate Varpuja to Avaruusromua [Spacejunk], a national weekly radio show that's been exploring and showcasing both native and international introspective music for 25 years. 

“Imagine a clear lake in the midst of a vast forest. Fir, Birch, Aspen and Pine grow on its shore, rising side by side from a lush undergrowth of Blueberry, moss, grass and hay, supporting lichen-bearded branches. Lingonberries flower, the citrus scent of northern Labrador tea. On the shore, a rock to rest upon, to dip your toes from. Fish poking tiny ripples into the lake’s still surface, feeding on water striders nearby. The distant farewell of the cuckoo echoing across a clear sky of burning dusk. This lake is one of thousands of sweet water reservoirs left in Finland after the last ice age, just over 10 000 years ago.

The lake knows all four northern seasons well enough; how, during a few short summer months the sun barely kisses the jagged tops of the forest, driving both elk and man mad. The lake has also witnessed relief from the clutches of the long grey, damp and dark Polar Night arriving in soft, pristine layers and sheets of snow. However, during the last century, snow has arrived even later and the melting ever sooner - the time of White growing shorter year after year. Only dull and dread remain. But the lake remains untouched by the mental turmoils of man. The lakes waters have served as safe haven for massive flocks of migratory birds, and so it will continue to do until it either dries out or eutrophicates. Its ever-vibrant surface will continue to provide a skating alley for water spiders and shelter for all kinds of insect and spider eggs. The lake has seen and reflected all the shifts and shapes of the sky, millennia after millennia of constant change, itself unchanged, only played by the wind at certain moments. The lake knows that in time, even the most ferocious waves will calm, and ripples turn still. This is all the lake knows. But there is one one thing the lake is a completely stranger to: haste. The lake knows no haste. It is always now for the lake, or it will forever be soon enough. Either way there is nothing the lake could, or would do if it had the power to change the course of time.

And so it is, by the shores of this lake I wish to lead you with this mix, to find a space within yourself akin to the lake, to tune into the pulse of seasons.”

— Utu Lautturi

Portals Episode 2: The Varpuja of Finland (by Utu Lautturi) d/l

Tracklist:

01. Brelo - Pohjoinen
02. Pekka Lehti & Outo Voima - Artsi
03. Mir-0 - Liplu
04. Salatullah - Orvokin lehto / Paavoharju - Olet maailman syli
05. Arktau Eos - The Urn
06. Arja Kastinen - Nietsivoo
07. Tenhi - Salain
08. Ous Mal - Oksat
09. Katajamäki - The Song Of Electric Whales / Pan Sonic - Comparative
10. Ari Porki - Spirit Of Ice Lantern

https://soundcloud.com/utu-lautturi
https://www.facebook.com/utulautturiartist

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If you missed the first Portals feature on Modern Classical, you can read it here.

Everyday Dust, Girių Dvasios, Virtual Dream Plaza, Yagya

Everyday Dust - Combination Nova

Sparkwood Records have featured in a couple of Passing By features now, through Scyye, and Eyesix if you can recall. Here they return with an multi-disciplined record collating remixes of previously released Everyday Dust records. The floating deepness of John Lemke and the guitars of Zenjungle book-end a rather splendid compilation that will appeal to ambient and dub-techno fans.

Available on Bandcamp.

Girių Dvasios - Ratu

This record has really hit a sweet spot with me. I think it's a combination of the quality dub-techno production that underlays each track, the slightly nostalgic trance-like chants and the complete uniqueness of it all. Girių has combined Lithuanian chanting with dub-techno to form an absolutely brilliant record that will have you mesmerized.

Available on Bandcamp.

Virtual Dream Plaza - Night Lovers

I fell into a untranslatable warp-hole that seems to combine vintage/80's sounds and lush ambient textures, half-an-hour at a time. Virtual Dream Plaza's music is tagged as Vaporwave, which apparently "...sometimes serves as both a critique and a parody of consumerist society, '80's yuppie culture, and New Age music, while sonically and aesthetically showcasing a curious nostalgic fascination with their artifacts" - well ladies and gentlemen, there's something new for us all.

I'm only a couple down from Virtual Dream Plaza's Bandcamp catalogue, but with each one, 30-minutes just washes over me, and those album covers just add to the weirdly juxtaposed animosity and warmth I'm feeling from each record. 

Available on Bandcamp

Joris Voorn - The Wild (Yagya Remix)

Yagya has just turned in this gorgeous remix for tech-superstar Joris Voorn. It's signature Steini, but there's some real up-beat energy amongst the always glorious swathes of pads. There's some other great remixes on this album too, specifically Mathew Dear's and Nobody Home's. 

Available at Beatport. 

Voices From The Lake - Live at MAXXI

I haven't featured Voices From The Lake on ASIP that much, and I have no legitimate reason why really. I was luckily enough to see them play live last year, and individually Donato Dozzy and Neel's albums never leave my most-played pile - Dozzy's 'K' and Neel's Phobos two of my all-time favourites of recent years, and Dozzy's multitude of techno records and Acid Test collaborations are always first in line when I play vinyl out. Their infamous Voices From The Lake guise however, is a more irregular yet always welcoming spectacle. 

After spending hours absorbed amongst VFTL's original self-titled album from 2012, seeing them play live in 2014, and stock-piling as many of their vinyl EP's as possible in-between, I've come to the conclusion that these two are one of the most accomplished duos to grace our ears. They can make a dance-floor shake, they can hypnotise crowds (story for another time) , and on the other end of the spectrum, they create some of the most beautiful ambient music you could wish for. And, yet despite having the talent and skills to unleash infamous tracks one after the other, VFTL currently exist in this 'live' space which ensures that a listen to one of their albums is an unexpected, slow-burning, magical experience, often with one extra caveat...

There's always the one moment or chord change which will hook you forever; that moment of melody amongst a forest of mysterious sound; the appearing light after 30-minutes of progressive, bubbling textures have wrapped you tight.  In VFTL's first album, it was the majestic undercurrent of synth in S.T (creeping in at 1.35 minutes), like a ray of light. For their Live at MAXXI album, the duo restrained to the very last track Max, brought in Brando Lupi for guitar overdubs and unleashed... 

Live at Maxxi is a signature performance with the listeners journey in-mind, and I guess this is what makes these two so special as VFTL. Their appearances together are rare, and their recordings together even more so. But instead of sitting down and jamming in a studio, Dozzy and Neel seem to be true entertainers that thrive as a live duo. They could undoubtedly churn-out studio album after album, but I like it the way it is now - a pure unfiltered live journey with a euphoric ending. This approach made that last track even more special, put the rest of the album into perspective and induced even more respect than I ever thought was possible for the superstar Italians. 

Digital available at Bandcamp, with an LP arriving June 22nd. 

Chasing Dreams, Adverb, Another Fine Day, Arovane & Peter Benisch

Chasing Dreams - Everything Feels Infinite

I'm still in awe of the collaborators that Hior Chronik pulled together on his masterpiece, Taking The Veil, but here we have Chasing Dreams (also known as his previous Need A Name, for his isolatedmix) starring amongst some of my favourite artists including: Moshimoss, Data Rebel Good Weather For An Airstrike and Stray Theories. 

Dario's (Chasing Dreams') style is always hard to pin down exactly, but as you'd expect from such a name and album title, Everything Feels Infinite is an emotional and powerful piece of music. Each song (or idea) that was conceived, was seen through to the end without disregard - a new approach for Dario, along with the 'blind' collaborations. Where many artists will try to balance an album with highs and lows, Dario has created a relentless continuation of beautiful productions, rooted in ambient, but likely appealing to lovers of modern-classical, shoegaze and post-rock. 

Available on Bandcamp.

Adverb - JADI

Etoka Records continue to bolster their already brilliant digital catalogue with Adverb's JADI, their very first CD release. Adverb has been responsible for numerous outputs on the label so far and I'm yet to falter any of them. Textured ambient that plays on it's own simplicity and meticulously manicured textures, you can find something interesting in all of the eight tracks on JADI.

Available on Bandcamp.

Another Fine Day - A Good Place To Be

Another Fine Day, aka Tom Green, is no stranger to many of the ambient/chill-out aficionados. His 1994 album Life Before Land is often placed in the same legendary realms as many of the early 90's ambient pieces we have come to love and Tom is also responsible for playing a part of The Orb's early productions. 

You can tell A Good Place To Be stems from a veteran of the scene, with its timeless feel and quietly confident ploy, each track is based around the piano toying with vivid scenes such as The Spanish Blues, or Child's Play - be it classed as chill-out, downtempo, lounge or simply instrumental, Tom does a great job sticking to the basics and making something great, that will undoubtedly stick around for years to come. 

Available on Bandcamp

Arovane - Woven (Peter Benisch Remix)

Uwe sent me this video recently in lead-up to a new remix compilation for Touched. The label has been releasing some monumental compilations in the past few years with all proceeds going towards Macmillan Cancer Research, and this new upcoming remix compilation is off to a great start with Peter Benisch remixing one of Arovane's previous contributions. Peter Benisch is a Swedish musician who, whilst also making beautiful ambient music, can sometimes be heard prepping electro bangers for Tiga's Turbo Recordings.

Sweeping, epic ambience takes over Uwe's analog plugs, a very similar approach to what you'll hear in Arovane's upcoming release with Hior Chronik. 

You can follow Touched on Facebook to hear news of the next remix compilation.