isolatedmix 60 - Porya Hatami

Porya Hatami first featured on ASIP at the beginning of 2014 as we geared up to his release on Tench, titled Shallow. The interview gave a short and sweet introduction to the Iranian producer and his respected field recording and live sampling production approach. 

Shallow, went on to receive the remix treatment on Dewtone, with many of our favorite artists contributing to a stunning release, including: Loscil, Arovane, Halo, Bjorn Rohde, Purl and The Green Kingdom. Porya also combined forces with Arovane and his analogue, granular style on the brilliant Resonance last year - a finely tuned craft of subtle electronics, as well as a partnership with Darren McClure in a similar vein, on In-Between Spaces.  

These partnerships have allowed Porya's subtle ambient manipulations to combine forces with similar artists to great effect so far, and 2016 sees him continue this trend as part of The Angling Loser, a collective alongside Lee Norris, Gordon Jones and Shintaro Aoki.

With all this pretense, it goes without saying that Porya was an obvious choice for the recent ASIP Arovane & Hior Chronik remix EP, where he adorned the powerful cello and deep drones of Past Creates The Future; creating an enriching, deeper and more minimal take on the original. He possesses an acute and powerful skill to manipulate the most delicate of sounds, drawing on single elements and expanding tones, rhythms and emotion. 

For his isolatedmix, Porya gives us a unique insight into some of his favorite tracks that have influenced his approach over the years. The minimal glitch of Raster Noton and Mille Plateaux, transcend into the ambient beauty of Purl, Markus Guentner and Gas before the warm energy of Gramm and Jan Jelinek's subtle beats complete the proceedings. 

Download.

Tracklist:

01. Shuttle358 - Frame  (Frame) [12k]
02. Modul - Kkun I  (Isol) [Raster Noton]
03. SND - 00039 d.6  (Stdio) [Mille Plateaux]
04. Robert Lippok - Open (Open Close Open) [Raster Noton]
05. Farben - Bayreuth (Textstar) [Klang Electronik]
06. Porya Hatami - White Forest (Purl remix)  (Shallow Remixes) [Dewtone]
07. Markus Guentner - Der Wustenplanet  (1981) [Kompakt]
08. Porya Hatami - After the rain (The Green Kingdom Remix)  (Shallow Remixes) [Dewtone]
09. Gas - Königsforst 04  (Königsforst) [Mille Plateaux]
10. Gramm - Type Eins (Personal Rock) [Source Records]
11. Jan Jelinek - Tendency (Loop Finding Jazz records) [~scape]

Porya Hatami Web/Bandcamp |  Soundcloud | Twitter

Ocoeur - Reversed

Ocoeur's 2013 album Light As A Feather, danced with all variations of electronica in one of the most accomplished albums of the year. Melodic breaks and glitch, crossed with straight-up techno, made this one of my most-listened to albums and is the type of milestone release which has helped define n5MD throughout the years.

Franck Zaragoza is back with his third album on the label titled Reversed, focusing on a beautiful modern classical approach - a stark contrast to the energy in his 2013 release. Only the subtlest electronic sounds emerge throughout the ten-tracks, carrying an understated beauty projected through elegant piano and strings.

This intersection of electronic sounds and modern classical has been made synonymous recently by the likes of Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds and Max Cooper and it's a hard rank to join, yet Reversed is up there with the best of them.

Title track Reversed, Timeless and my favorite piece, Reverse Yourself, blend ambient textures and gently rolling beats, accentuated by strings, with only the smallest signature electronic glitches peppering each piece, reminiscent of Franck's earlier productions and further defining his signature sound. 

Opening track Flxo, and Souffle however, center around the piano and will make any modern classical fan draw the upmost respect for the entirety of the production - the simplicity and earnest approach you'd often expect from the most seasoned composers.

While the likes of Gionis and Time To Go and Chance, delve into more textured soundtracks, painting vivid landscapes and vouching for Franck as a master of soundtrack.

Ocoeur's ability to not only dive into this territory, but draw distinct, original sounds across the album is what demands attention. Subtle changes are all that's needed when you have the skill to let a beautiful piano do the talking. Reversed is an understated blend of my most beloved sounds and will undoubtedly be one of the best albums of the year for many. 

Reversed is currently streaming in full over on xlr8r and is available for pre-order on vinyl + digital through Bandcamp / n5MD. 

Ocoeur recently put together this mix for Self-Titled Magazine, featuring Floex, Nest, Brambles and The Green Kingdom.

Biosphere - The Hilvarenbeek Recordings

As The Sun Kissed The Horizon, is one of my favorite Biosphere tracks. It's a recording of (what to me sounds like) the empty fields after a bustling summer's day, as the sun slowly sets and people leave for home. It reminds me of my summer's youth, and every time I listen, I picture myself in that exact field, the same field I spent my summers playing football in, hanging with friends and generally enjoying my childhood. Music has the power to reinvigorate lost memories and despite me never hearing this until years later, this track brings back memories every time.

Biosphere's, The Hilvarenbeek Recordings were released last week and capture a similar emotional response. Across the four pieces, we're treated to a similar summer's day in 't Schop, which then develops into a warm, repetitive analog piece. Pipistrellus descends deeper into the grass and gives life to the small ticks, tweaks and sounds of the undergrowth as insects and birds come to life. Audax forms a more traditional Biosphere ambient piece with hollow expanses and a subtle melody as bass intertwines with a gaseous exchange, very similar to his N-Plants release. Strigiformes closes the release, with a vivid night-time landscape, featuring the shriek of birds and Owls amongst crumbling twigs and leaves. 

Biosphere is known for his field recordings, but they are sometimes lost amongst his more electronic productions, or in some instances, slightly too focused on extremely obscure sounds. This EP is the perfect middle-ground and defines the Biosphere I enjoy the most. A subtle mixture of beautiful ambient formed from some of natures finest textures - sounds that have the power to transport from your own relatable experiences.

“In 2013 Biosphere was invited by the Incubate festival in Tilburg to spend one week doing field recordings at the organic farm Boerderij ‘t Schop in Hilvarenbeek. These recordings were going to be released as a single-sided limited edition vinyl EP (100 copies) “for reviews/media/relations only! Unfortunately Incubate never managed to get it out. Last month, this record was suddenly released by the Dutch label New York Haunted without the artist´s knowledge and written consent. Nor did the artist get any chance to approve the artwork and the quality of the vinyl pressing. In fact, the artist has not even seen the record. ”

The Hilvarenbeek Recordings are available on the above mentioned limited vinyl and digital through Bandcamp.

ASIP Wantlist #3 Mike Cadoo (n5MD)

Mike Cadoo is a man of many talents and many guises, and I'm sure plenty of you reading this are familiar with his legendary label, n5MD and his post-rock epic-ness as Bitcrush.  

It was a crate-digging session with him and Brock last year at Substrata Festival that part inspired me to start this mini series; intrigued by the many musical influences that have shaped such well-respected people in the ambient community.

Here's five records Mike's on the hunt for, ranging from a classic ambient LP to modern classical, metal and industrial rock - a spectrum that no doubt influenced his interests and output for both n5MD and his own productions. 

1. Autechre – Amber [Discogs]

While my want-list is not in any specific order I think of this one often when I think of record I truly am looking out for in decent quality at price that is not too over the top. I'm not 100% sure if stock of the repress was lost in the Sony DADC warehouse fire in 2011 as it is "plentiful" on discogs. But the prices for decent quality copies are running in the mid to upper 200s not including shipping. I have special place for this album as it was the only CD I had with me on a west coast tour back in '98. The track Slip being the highlight of the album for me even to this day.

2. Skinny Puppy – Last Rights [Discogs]

I often have heated discussions with Skinny Puppy fans about this album and its predecessor Too Dark Park. I find that Last Rights still holds up to this day where Too Dark Park doesn't (please save your complaints - it's just one person's opinion :P ). I feel Last Rights' more decoupage of sound layering that is barely held together by Oglevie's production gives it a more timeless feel than their other more “fleshed out” efforts.   I have never actually seen an original pressing for sale. While even the 2XLP prepress is going for a decent price when they become available. There is also a Capitol Records version, from Germany I believe, where side A was erroneously pressed with music from a live Poison (yes that Poison) album. Not that I would want that one mind you...

3. Brambles – Charcoal [Discogs]

The LP of Brambles' Charcoal on the Serein imprint was crowd funded back in mid 2014. I completely missed out on it as I didn't even know that there was a crowd funding campaign for a vinyl version. Charcoal is very personal listening and there is no better format for heartfelt electro-acoustic ambient music than vinyl in my opinion. I find this release to be very similar in tone and mood to Last Days or Helios whom in addition to Brambles, I often immerse myself in. While the prices for these aren't as astronomical as some of the others on this list, it might not be as out of reach as I originally thought...

4. Swans – Cop [Discogs]

Showing my age? Well, so what... :) this is a record that I've wanted for quite a long time. There was a time when releases from Neubauten and Swans were played so much in my youth the neighbors I'm sure were wondering what the hell was wrong with me. Cop and the other Swans EP at the time, Young God, were so damn bleak and heavy. Cop was the clear winner in its dystopian weight. There is that heavy double drum stupor of Your Property that still gets my head nodding today. And Gira is so damn mad on this EP. He sounds genuinely fed up with something. Cop even out-weighed most of the metal of that era. While not on this list, I later found similar nihilism in Godflesh's Streetcleaner which I sorta think was the point.

5. God Machine – One Last Laugh In A Place Of Dying [Discogs]

The God Machine were a trio originally from San Diego Calif. They moved across the pond to the UK and then released two albums and a small string of eps on the Fiction label. They made a sort of atmospheric rock-quasi-metal that utilized a decent amount of melancholia and personal introspection. This album is their second and was released after the band had disbanded due to the untimely death, shortly after the album's recording, of their bass player Jimmy Fernandez. It came out in 94' when vinyl was less convenient and the vinyl was fairly limited in release. I did own the CD at one time and I remember that even being hard to come by back in 94.

Mark Pritchard, Sasha, Herbstlaub, Echaskech

Mark Pritchard - Under The Sun

Last year, we were treated to a surprise return of Global Communication, and despite the remix of Dusky's, Skin Deep, being just one half of GC behind the controls (Tom Middleton), it was as brilliant as ever. Mark Pritchard can therefore be excused for not making an appearance, as it seems he has been busy prepping a return to his ambient form with an upcoming release on Warp. The teaser track Sad Alron, sounds beautiful, almost Autechre/Aphex in style, but it remains to be seen whether the remainder of the album will expand on this style or veer into his more recent hip-hop style... let's hope the former. 

Available May 12th on Warp. 

Sasha - Scene Delete

Sasha is undoubtedly a massive influence on me and my love for dance music, and given his legendary mixes such as Northern Exposure and Involver often dabbled with the more downtempo of intros and atmospherics, it's of little surprise to see him try a full ambient/downtempo album. The press for Scene Delete is quoting influences from the likes of Nils Frahm and Max Richter yet the preview tracks sound nothing like the minimal modern classical sounds of the infamous Germans... I can't help but think this is just an attempt to sound relevant to the re-emergence of two awesome producers. The teasers sound like the many tracks that have opened or ended an infamous Sasha set, and whether the influences are audible or not, it doesn't really when you're as experienced and reliable as Sasha. Scene Delete sounds like an ambient album he was destined to produce, even if he was locked in a room by himself for the past ten years. 

Available April 1st on a multitude of lavish, expensive formats. 

Herbstlaub - Softly Hidden (Stray Theories remix)

A switch in gears to some ASIP alumni, with Herbstlaub prepping a new album titled Seems Like Time To Remember, Seems Like The Moment To Forget. His bubbly organic sounds and haunting, melodic backgrounds return, alongside a very special remix by Stray Theories.  Both Herbstlaub and Stray Theories have free releases on ASIP as part of The Places Series.

Pre-order on Bandcamp.

Echaskech - Certainty of Tides EP

Echaskech have been a part of ASIP since the very beginning over eight years ago, so it's immensely pleasing to see them still churning out the good stuff, and sticking to what they do best. Their new EP Certainty of Tides is available for pre-order, and in true Echa' style, it's another slice of sublime electronics; hard to pin down, and hard to put down, whether you're at home or dancing the night away. 

Pre-order on Bandcamp.