Purl & Sinius - Oceans Of Sound

There exists a subtle boundary between ambient music and beat-driven electronica. Dub-techno for example, is an obvious style and by that, I mean it often exists within a particular realm, with particular patterns, instruments and recognizable synths - it's hard to perfect but all too often, easy to replicate. And it's not often you find artists that leave you wondering where a piece fits all-together within that spectrum. Not everything has to be tagged or labelled, or even 'fit', but by the very nature of you struggling to place it, makes it all that more interesting and intriguing. 

One artist that continues to blur the boundaries of ambient music, is Purl. Ludvig's releases on Dewtone and Silent Season, have helped establish this expansive, bubbly, organic style which he is now synonymous for, and his latest album alongside Sinius, on Eternell, is another stamp on his lush, silky take on beat-driven ambient music.

With each track averaging around ten-minutes, Purl & Sinius' music is allowed the time and patience to grow and emerge. Be it a tiny cocoon, or a time-lapse of an entire habitat's emergence, each piece holds a sentiment that stays true throughout, yet develops unto itself as if it were an ever-expanding organism. It's this deep attention to detail that enriches each listen, and the swathes of glistening ambience that continue to carry you through like a bird soaring high in a jet-stream, looking down amongst the minute detail of the earths canopy. Crossing dense jungles, hitting blankets of fog, emerging in-front of majestic plains, this music moves you from all angels, and demands more attention.

It's an interesting partnership on paper, but one that makes complete sense once you're soaring with the transcending pads that no doubt come from Bass 'Flo's (Sinius) previous production experience (and who's Discogs page notes an upcoming album with Ulrich Schnauss no-less). Combined with Purl's organic and nurtured detail, it's a must listen to anyone that cares for ambient music. 

With so much detail amongst the ten pieces, mentioning individual tracks is like reviewing an entire album in itself. Oceans Of Sound, is best left up to you and the majestic night sky; or like the album art suggests, the beautiful dance of mother nature. 

Available on Bandcamp

port-royal - You Ware Nowhere (Remixes)

I'm a sucker for remix albums and I'm certainly a sucker for remixes by  a whole bunch of artists on this remix album of port-royal's, You Ware Nowhere.

With thirteen takes on port-royal's distinct glistening euphoria, you can expect the best of n5MD's powerful roster with a wide array of styles.  However, n5MD also opened this one up to a remix competition, so alongside the likes of bvdub, The Sight Below, Arovane and Ocoeur, comes competition winner Gustaf Fjelstrom. Not content with label regulars in full-force, n5MD also invited the likes of Atomnation's catchy electronica artist Tonik Ensemble and techno legend John Tejada amongst many others.

With Ocoeur's latest album coming down the pipeline soon, I was keen to see how he would handle the port-royal magic, and his take on Ain't No Magician is a nice little taster of Frank Zaragoza's upcoming album Reversed; melding modern classical styles with stripped-back electronica.

Remix competition winner Gustaf Fjelstrom elaborates on port-royal's unique style, taking the trance-like original down a notch and adding a touch of class, replacing the Italian's heavy synths with a subtle bass undercurrent.

Adding space, succinct drums and a twist of analog flair, Arovane opens up the vocal-heavy Alma M into a familiar IDM space, whilst fellow ASIP collaborator Rafael drives home the bubbling, twinkling expanse of Heisenberg as The Sight Below.

Tonik Ensemble lay down a dirty bass-line for Alma M serving up the polar opposite to Arovane's earlier careful caress. And in another similar extravagant take on the original, bvdub raises his notorious imagination level to eleven, with an energetic trip through a multitude of breaks, complex beats, trance-like pads and highly pitched vocals - undoubtedly a palette Brock had fun bringing to life. 

If you're not content with the range of styles so far, there's a touch of 80's flair and pop to a few of the remixes too, with John Tejada and Ambidextrous bringing out the european in port-royal. 

With such a wealth of energy, complexity and power in the original music from port-royal, the remixers certainly had a wealth of material at their fingertips, leaving us with an absorbing and intense listen from start to finish, and an educational journey across one of our favorite labels out there; n5MD.

Available now via n5MD and Bandcamp.

Tracklist:

The Last Big Impezzo (HatGuy Remix)
Disco-Adorno (Ambidextrous Remix)
Ain't No Magician (Ocoeur Remix)
The Last Big Impezzo (Remix by Gustaf Fjelstrom)
Alma M. (Arovane Amx)
Tallinn (bvdub's 46 Pieces of Estonia - feat. Aaron Molyneaux)
The Man Who Stole The Last Big Impezzo (Nseven Remix)
Whispering In The Dark (John Tejada Remix)
Alma M. (Tonik Ensemble Remix)
The Last Big Impezzo (Northcape Mix)
Karl Marx Song (To Destroy A City vs port-royal)
Heisenberg (The Sight Below Remix)
The Last Big Impezzo (Attilio Novellino Rework)

Hecq, Eskostatic, Selles, Low Light, 36

Hecq - Night Falls (remaster / repress)

You may remember Ben Lukas Boysen's epic 2008 album Night Falls as one of the best forays into modern classical by a primarily electronic producer. Haunting and powerful, the album has now been remastered and repressed 'to apply a more contemporary sound standard'. Vinyl copies are just 300 strong so be quick and at the very most, 299 as I just snagged one. Available on Bandcamp.

Eskostatic - Sjoenevad Lake

The first track to arrive from a new partnership between Martin Nonstatic and Marcel (Eskobarba) sees the duo dive deeper into their respective territories as Eskostatic. Evidence and promise of a extremely complementing ambient partnership. Free download available on Soundcloud.

Selles - Sunwarper

I stumbled across this album thanks to the ever-dependable Igloo Mag, who billed it as a combination of Ulrich Schnauss and Tycho, which is sure to get heads-turning. However, unlike many productions that sell this parity, Selles does a good job in spanning the broad spectrum of shoegaze inspired electronica, particularly on the Manual/Schanuss-esque Glass Tourists and Haze of Another Day.  Available from Bandcamp. 

Low Light - Cinema Atmospherica

The Oscars are soon to arrive, but like me you're probably not too excited about the visual feast of celebrities and likely more interested in whether Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto's OST for The Revenant is going to clean-up. It better, because it's one of the finest soundtracks to emerge in a while.  Taking inspiration from this OST, the always great Low Light has put together this emotional scores mix, featuring some of the more recent greats as well as some classic scores. Free download available. 

Talking of soundtracks, you may be interested in this analysis of Howard Shore's genius behind The Lord Of The Rings OST. Amazing.

36 - M&Q Podcast

You can always count on 36 to put together a choice ambient mix. Featuring tracks from Max Richter, Global Communication, Markus Guentner, ASC and Acronym, it's definitely a mix fit for the ASIP world, penned as 'hugely emotional' in style and boundary. Free download available on Soundcloud.

David Elpezs - A Way For The Signal

This live mix by David Elpezs caught my ear recently, due to its breadth of ambient styles - an accomplished sound for a relatively unknown artist. David is however known well in his native country of Spain, and runs a Radio show/podcast called Electromagnética, as well as featuring on John Beltran's Music For Machines last year with, Brisa. So maybe it's just me playing catch up...

The tracks featured in the mix are taken from some his recent releases, which are all available on Bandcamp.

Some beautiful stuff...

Download

Tracklist:

1. JotaPé
2. El cielo de Lugo
3. Aeropuertos en lapso de tiempo
4. Andrómeda desde Villata
5. El vocoder del Big Bang
6. Melodíe pour les doux meduses
6. Pulsar para hablar
7. La semilla del cosmonauta

ASIP Wantlist #2 Jamie McCue (Silent Season)

Our second dive into the Wantlist comes from friend and label-head, Jamie McCue from the well respected Silent Season. I had anticipated these lists to throw out some obscure digs, bringing to life hints of personality from each person featured, and it looks like we're on track to fulfill that ambition. Some lovely hard-to-find selections from one of dub-techno's finest curators. 

1. The Future Sound Of London ‎– Lifeforms. 1994. [Discogs] 

In 1994 while I rolling around on the floor with my punk band screaming about teenage angst I completely was overlooking a genre of music that would later be hugely influential on life. I probably never heard of FSOL until the late 90’s which was maybe a good thing because this album is a masterpiece that deserved my more mature attention. My mom used to listen to Enya in the late 80’s and while it seemed cheesy at the time I think it’s what subconsciously implanted an interest in new age / ambient, which was literally the opposite style of music I was listening to at the time. Anyway, for better or worse I made it out of those years a little wiser and more open minded to downtempo and experimental electronic music. I hope to find this record in a dusty old record store one day.

2. Modern Art - Circuit Lights (1982-1986). 2011. [Discogs]

Growing up I was a huge fan of new wave, synth pop and 80’s music. I loved regularly tuning into the local radio stations and I remember hearing bands like Echo & The Bunnymen, Love and Rockets, The Cure, and similar music. It felt so right given I was listening to punk and ska at the time. It was like this gritty danceable punk influenced sound that still to this day gives me goosebumps when I hear the right song. I first heard Hello/Goodbye in a Silent Servant mix from a few years ago and it really hit home when I hear this track specifically. The Modern Art original was released on tape in 1982 but was re-released in 2011 as Circuit Lights (1982-1986). It’s on my wantlist and I hope to blast it one day.

3. Cymande - The Best Of. 1972. [Discogs]

Hey you can’t go wrong with this classic Cymande record from 1972! It’s a perfect BBQ beats record for those summer afternoon backyard parties. The record is loaded with roots, reggae, funk and soul. Not sure why I never owned a copy. I think maybe I preferred when friends play it while I puffed a spliff and got tipsy on rum. One day I’ll own it, one day. Classic!

4. Murcof - Martes [Discogs]

I completely missed buying Martes on vinyl when it first came out in 2002. I’ve regretted it all these years later until recently when the Leaf Label re-released it as a 3xLP set with Martes + Utopía. Murcof has a sound of his own that is one of a kind. As noted on his Discogs page, Murcof works with orchestral samples, microscopically detailed textures, sounds and rhythms. I”m happy to be a proud owner of the latest vinyl. Check it out!

5. The Dub Syndicate - The Pounding System (Ambience In Dub) [Discogs]

After crawling out of the 90’s with a massive hangover it was time to chill out. A trip to Central America was in order to smooth my rocker edges. What I found while down there was beautiful beaches, cheap weed, and beach bars that played some pretty cool reggae and dub music. Since those hazy days I’ve become a bit of a head for dub. A few years later I started following artists like Bill Laswell, Twilight Circus, Sly & Robbie and Pete Namlook. I loved their use of the studio to create some magical dub and ambient vibes. I first heard of Adrian Sherwood and his label On-U Sound from the Kid Hops radio show on KEXP Seattle on Saturday mornings. Instantly I was hooked on the experimental reggae/dub sounds from the label which led me to the The Pounding System album by Dub Syndicate. I still don’t own a copy, and it’s been on my wantlist for years. Once I own it you can put me in a beach chair with a spliff in hand with this playing out of the tiki bar speakers. 

~

Up next on the Wantlist, we ask another great friend, Mike Cadoo (of n5MD) for his crate digging targets.