Comit - Trip 001

A new label and series from Texas drum'n bass outfit Warm Communications will debut with a very special colored 7" by ASC under the newly created Comit alias. 

Headed by Heath Looney, the label, Short Trips was originally inspired by mid-nineties electronica /IDM and ambient; no doubt the type we came to recognise from the likes of some of our favourites here at ASIP; City Centre Offices, Morr Music and Warp.

Whilst ASC is no stranger to us, this particular style is a new territory to his ever-expanding catalog. ASC has been producing some of the best drum'n bass, ambient and deep techno for a while now, so the release comes with high hopes of equally high production values. Luckily for us, inspiration and genre may change, but his style is as evident as ever.

Kicking off the release, Under Your Spell begins with a melodic synth reminiscent of the structure and style we found in early Hermann and Kleine tracks, but with the confident spaced-out stride of recent artists like Kiyoko / Bering Strait. The rumbling, creeping
atmospheres are pulled straight from the heart of ASC's deepest moments, creating a wonderful juxtaposition between the old and new styles at play.

On the flip, Contact High, comes closest to the style ASC has carved out for himself, with the echoes of a Drum'n Bass style reformulated into a more subdued style of IDM. The progressive pads we're used to seeing in ASC's ambient work for the likes of Silent Season, play the lead role against a sparse, heavy beat. 

The digital bonus, Soft Focus takes an even more patient, darker stance as the echoing pad is slowly adorned with hi-hats, claps and the undercurrent of heavy bass. Like a purposefully slowed drum'n bass track, it's a modern take on the nostalgic sounds you'll associate with the likes of Boards of Canada. Yet, whilst it's easy to imitate, Comit chooses to innovate - a sound that's evidently his, with a clear nod to yesteryear. 

Trip 001 (and all future Trips) will be pressed on 7" vinyl, with 001 featuring an exclusive digital bonus track. We're lucky enough to hold an exclusive stream of the A side, Under Your Spell below, alongside clips of all three tracks. 

We hear Short Trips has releases by Bering Strait and Ulrich Schnauss lined up for the near future too, so stay close to this one. 

Available May 13th on 7" yellow vinyl + digital. Follow the Short Trips Facebook page for more info or http://warmandred.com/

Aboutface - Are Birds Singing In Their Sleep?

Often comprising of field recordings and live experimentation, we've featured aboutface's sets before on ASIP, but unlike the previous weird and wonderful journeys through electronica and ambient, his latest improvised set is geared towards a recent sleep experiment in London. 

A perfect follow-up to our recent Music For Sleeping feature, Ben and his aboutface moniker recently took part in the below Soporose event which was much more than your regular ambient gig:

“Although many people will encounter a listening phenomenon at some point in their life, little is known about the environment or conditions that create these experiences.

Soporose is a research into the altered listening experiences that can sometimes be had during deep relaxation and dreaming states. It will revive the essence of early sleeping temples, like Asclepion from ancient Greece, and explore a form of secular spirituality through ritual and immersion. Each guest will have an assigned bed where they can rest and sleep while being carefully navigated through a night of film screenings, guided meditation, and live performances from sound artists.

This sleeping research concert is reserved for only 20 participants that will be selected after completion of a research questionnaire.”

— Soporose

Ben's set was designed around the birdsong, "using the rhythm to trigger synths and drums, then improvising with hardware and acoustic instruments against the back drop of field recordings". His set began at 5am and ended at 8am and a result, you'll hear the subtle beginnings and the slightly more detailed ending as people started to wake up. 

The field recordings were made from recent visits in London, Slovakia and India, and some of the instruments used were closely tied to the locations, with the Hapi Drum, Indian Bansuri Flute and a poem all playing parts alongside your more familiar KorgMS2000, a Prophet 8 and an Electro Harmonix 45000 multi-track looper. 

The result is an intrinsic and detailed journey through several different stages; some with nothing but field recordings, and others with slowly churning synths and effects, all set to a very simple yet evolving melody. It's a shamanic experience, requiring an attentive yet relaxing listen. I'm sure this would've been pretty special event to experience first hand. 

More info and future events available through http://www.eightfoldway.org/

Portals: Music For Sleeping

The easiest way to describe ambient music to somebody who isn't aware of it, is often to explain it as background music, or music that puts you to sleep. I find myself in that situation regularly, be it with taxi drivers asking about the show I'm heading off to ("so you don't dance - you just listen?!") family members asking about the music I put on the label, or pretty much anyone who only listens to nothing but pop music and think this stuff doesn't exist... However, when you explain it as "music for sleeping", it doesn't do the genre any justice whatsoever. Just take a look on Youtube, or Google "music for sleeping"; it's packed full of generic new-age type material that probably does the job for the many mums out there, but isn't a true reflection of some of the amazing coma-inducing music available. Let's open this world up a little more.

Music for sleeping doesn't necessarily mean music with the least obtrusive manner, or the most unnoticeable of noise. In my experience, you can probably fall asleep to any music you personally enjoy, feel comfort in, and can zone out to - be it full-on techno, subtle field recordings, ancient chanting or never-ending guitar loops. I think I've fallen asleep to all of the above at some point. 

During this exploration, I found several themes or styles of music that I enjoy falling asleep to. So instead of listing out individual tracks in a random order,  I've separated out the music by the five stages of the sleep cycle and given them each a theme / style of music that matches. 

Sleep cycles are apparently 90-minutes long, so you'll find two mixes accompanying this feature, (two cycles each consisting of 90-minutes) with each mix made up of the five sleep stages. The selection includes some of my favorites, as well as suggestions from a few readers via Facebook and Twitter. Thank you to all who suggested albums, and made compiling this feature a new journey for me in many instances. 
 

Stage 1 "Fragmented Visuals" 

“Light sleep; we drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. Our eyes move very slowly and muscle activity slows. People awakened from stage 1 sleep often remember fragmented visual images. Many also experience sudden muscle contractions called hypnic myoclonia, often preceded by a sensation of starting to fall”

For stage one, I've chosen music that creates detailed and immersive textures. Music that's been crafted with pictures in mind, often including field recordings, giving you the sense of something happening, painting the world you're about to enter. These tracks have just enough detail for you to tune into whilst awake, but enough texture and unknown space to zone out to.

These types of tracks are often in the purest of ambient form consisting of simple textures made famous by many of the early ambient pioneers, such as Brian Eno, Aphex Twin, The KLF and Biosphere. 

To help keep things interesting in this stage, the veterans sit alongside some more recent ambient/experimental artists such as Robert Rich, Gallery Six and Sage Taylor (Textural Being's more ambient guise). 
 

Stage 2 "Slowly floating"

“When we enter stage 2 sleep, our eye movements stop and our brain waves (fluctuations of electrical activity that can be measured by electrodes) become slower, with occasional bursts of rapid waves called sleep spindles. ”

By now, I start to drift off and for this stage I've chosen the purest of ambient music focused on soft melodies and colorful textures - the easiest type of ambient music to fall asleep to due to its cloud-like feelings. It can range from simple synthesizer music, to orchestral scores, all uplifting and comforting in tone and texture; nothing too dark, and all very welcoming. 

This type of music ranges in style, from a more electronic feel to more instrumental. Kompakt's Pop Ambient Series is a great place to start (pretty much any of their stuff) and Pass Into Silence feature here alongside more soft electronic processing from Altus,  Home Normal's, Chronovalve, the widely regarded Disintegration Loops from William Basinski, one of my favourite tracks from Helios and perhaps my most played album at bedtime by Jonas Munk's Billow Observatory project. 

Some of the more instrumental pieces that offer gentle, drifting lullabies include Hammock's inviting guitar drones, or beautiful soundtracks from Jon Hopkins and Stars Of The Lid's, Brian McBride - each a delicate balance between comforting melodies and a poignant attention-grabbing movie score. 
 

Stage 3 "Rhythmic waves"

“In stage 3, extremely slow brain waves called delta waves begin to appear, interspersed with smaller, faster waves.”

After drifting, comes the gentle trance-like repetition. For this stage I've chosen tracks with subtle rhythm, ambient pulses, or the gentle enveloping warmth of beats. It's hard to find music that doesn't disrupt within this style (an art it seems). Some will find this style too busy, whilst some will find the repetition soothing and comforting. 

This stage includes my personal favourite bedtime album from Yagya, the undercurrent of Wolfgang Voigt's, Gas project and fellow german Markus Guentner's pulsing ambient, the ethereal, angelic progression of bvdub and one of Loscil's finest ambient projects to date, Fern & Robin, taken from his album Endless Falls. 

Stage 4 "Into The Deep"

“By stage 4, the brain produces delta waves almost exclusively. It is very difficult to wake someone during stages 3 and 4, which together are called deep sleep. There is no eye movement or muscle activity”

The second stage of deep sleep requires indulging atmospheres, so the theme of this stage suited more intense sounds, erring on the side of drone music in many instances. These are the washes of sound that remove the finer details and blanket you with color and texture to confirm your paralyses. 

This stage includes the deep electronic experiments of Alva Noto, Line's Tu 'M, and Thomas Koner, alongside the drone gods of Rafael Anton Irisarri and the infamous Stars Of The Lid.  

Stage 5 (REM) "The Other Worlds"

 

“When we switch into REM sleep, our breathing becomes more rapid, irregular, and shallow, our eyes jerk rapidly in various directions, and our limb muscles become temporarily paralyzed. Our heart rate increases and our blood pressure rises. When people awaken during REM sleep, they often describe bizarre and illogical tales – dreams.”

By now, you're starting to dream, which calls for new worlds and vivid landscapes. This is perhaps one of the more popular styles of sleep music looking back at what's out there already. The psychedelic worlds and space-like ambient music is often the stereotype for escapism and outer-world experiences and along with meditation and relaxation. 

For this stage I've chosen the space-like sounds of Global Communication, Biosphere, Neel, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Solar Fields and Stellardrone, alongside the eery melody of Aphex Twin's Blue Calx - potentially the softest-ever travel pillow.

~

The list, and the mixes could have gone on forever but I had to stop somewhere, so maybe there will be a time for future sleep cycles if you enjoy them. For now, here's two to see you through a couple of horizontal sessions. 

As described previously, the mixes are split into the above sleep stages in a hope they mirror the overall sleep cycle. I'm no doctor or expert in sleep, so this is by no way mean't to actually be a prescriptive sleep session! It was just a nice way to structure the approach, and you never know, it might work for you. 

Once you've listened, feel free to comment below with your experience and if the mixes did the job. Of course, you probably wouldn't know if they did... 

Cycle 1 (90 mins) Download

astrangelyisolatedplace · ASIP - Portals Episode 3: Music For Sleeping (Cycle 1)

Tracklist:
Stage 1.1 Brian Eno - Drift (Apollo A&S) 
Stage 1.2 Aphex Twin - Rhubarb (SAW II)
Stage 1.3 Sage Taylor - Raintime Ten (Raintime)
Stage 1.4 Gallery Six - The Frozen Lake (The Fogbound Island)
Stage 2.1 Pass Into Silence - Iceblink (Pop Ambient 2006)
Stage 2.2 Chronovalve - The Gravity Of Dreams (Trace of Light)
Stage 2.3 Billow Observatory - Pankalia (Billow Observatory)
Stage 3.1 Gas - Pop 3 (Pop)
Stage 3.2 Yagya - Rigning tiu (Rigning)  
Stage 4.1 Tu M’ - Monochrome #01 (Monochrome Vol.1)
Stage 4.2 Alva Noto - Xerrox Radieuse (Xerrox Vol.3)
Stage 5.1 Carbon Based Lifeforms - Somewhere in Russia (Twentythree)
Stage 5.2 Global Communication - 9.39 (76.14)
Stage 5.3 Neel - The Secret Revealed (Phobos)
Stage 5.4 Biosphere - Kobresia (Substrata) 
 

Cycle 2 (90 mins) Download

astrangelyisolatedplace · ASIP - Portals Episode 3: Music For Sleeping (Cycle 2)

Tracklist:
Stage 1.1 Biosphere - ’t Schop (The Hilvarenbeek Recordings)
Stage 1.2 Robert Rich - Summer Thunder (Echo Of Small Things)
Stage 1.3 The KLF - Six Hours to Louisiana, Black (Chill Out)
Stage 2.1 William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops 3 (The Disintegration Loops)
Stage 2.2 Helios - Vargtimme (Eingya)
Stage 2.3 Brian McBride - Girl Nap (The Effective Disconnect) 
Stage 2.4 Jon Hopkins - Campfire (Monsters OST)
Stage 2.5 Hammock - Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow (Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow)
Stage 2.6 Altus - Sodium Glow (Black Trees Among Amber Skies)
Stage 3.1 Markus Guentner - Dockside (Talking Clouds EP)
Stage 3.2 bvdub - I Would Have Waited (Songs For A Friend I Left Behind)
Stage 3.3 Loscil - Fern & Robin (Endless Falls)
Stage 4.1 Rafael Anton Irisarri - Persistence (Unsaid EP)
Stage 4.2 Thomas Koner - Nuuk Air (Nuuk)
Stage 4.3 Stars Of The Lid - The Artificial Pine Arch Song (The Ballasted Orchestra)
Stage 5.1 Solar Fields - Silent Walking (Origin #1)
Stage 5.2 Stellardrone - Nightscape (Echoes)
Stage 5.3 Aphex Twin - Blue Calx (SAW II)

Spotify playlist featuring a majority of music from this post:

Feature image by Dorian Denes. T-shirts with the Music For Sleeping design are now available on his website.

If you're new to ambient music or would like more of the same, try our in-depth feature, Neither Scene Nor Heard : a journey through ambient music

36 - Seconds & Forever (exclusive stream)

36 has always been one to conjure strong concepts, artwork and feelings amongst his albums. It's an approach I have always respected and as a result, have been a collector of Dennis Huddleston's records since the beginning. From the beautiful picture disc of Memories In Widescreen, the collection of 7" releases,  the Tape Series, or the detailed artwork of Dream Tempest; every releases has a bigger meaning or emotion to communicate. Dennis' latest album is no exception, as he explores an intrinsic and calculated framework to bring his respected ambient sound to life. 

“We stood on the edge of forever
One final dream into time
A silent voice in an empty room
The numbers; We never truly knew”

— Seconds & Forever

On the surface, Seconds & Forever is yet another beautiful 12" that expands the immersive and emotional catalog of 36 sounds. The Eno-esque pads that begin the A-side are soon transformed with the slowly evolving strings we played witness to in Dennis' Places Series release, Heather Spa, and a gentle, shining melody that often evokes the deepest of feelings we come to admire from Dennis' work.

Where past 36 albums would often focus or experiment with just one of the above elements in any-one track, you'll soon start to notice that Seconds & Forever is rapid in progression (where ambient albums are concerned anyway). New transformations become evident to the attentive listener, and if you're the keenest of ears (or mathematicians) you may realize Dennis's composition structure is planned down to the tee. 

“The entire record was recorded at 106.66bpm so that every 16 bars = 36 seconds of music, which is when each segment/loop changes and new elements are brought in, totalling 36 minutes of music. That’s where the title comes from, and the numbers became the concept for the record. When making it, I imagined someone at the end of their life, looking back on the choices they made, and understanding how key moments shaped them into the person they ultimately became”

— 36

To the unknown listener, this is 36 experimenting with the record button to glorious effect - perhaps a live session even, but with Music is Math in mind, and with such consideration, comes a calculated execution that ensures you're drifting for each of the 18-minutes sides. No beats or drastic evolutions, just subtle chords, pads and melodies shifting and playing-out like an extended live score. 

Part equation, part homage; Seconds & Forever is also a nod to some of the early pioneers of ambient/electronic music. As Dennis explains, the record was part-influenced by the "late 70's Tangerine Dream style-LP's, which were always 2 tracks, spread across multiple movements, with the interval occurring when the A side ends and the B side begins. Very few artists work to this standard any more, which is a real shame, as it makes for really enjoyable records in my opinion”.
 
The record also makes a new venture for 36 with the infamous Mystic & Quantum records (home to DMX Crew) who have adhered to Dennis' attentive detail-led presentation with a beautiful white vinyl press in a silk screen printed sleeve, limited to 200 copies.

Stream Seconds & Forever below, with pre-order available now.

Full release arriving 1st May 2016 via M&Q Bandcamp and Juno.

Roel Funcken - Iridium Flare

A perfectly suited aesthetic for the dynamic, every-changing liquid state of Roel Funcken's latest album, Iridium Flare. Roel's previous albums all don a similar look-and-feel, yet the shimmering and twisted metallics on this one are a perfect match for the electronic organism battling to emerge from the steel box that contains it. 

Most IDM can present itself as a mess - a cluster of drums, bleeps and synths that sometimes have no construct whatsoever. Beats stray so far away from the expected repetition; and the LED's light up a path so unclear you're often left wondering where the hell you'll end up - but that's the magic of IDM and what made the likes of Autechre famous in keeping a room full of heads trying to nod to a completely nondescript rhythm. A spectacle to say the least (even when the lights are off).

Iridium Flare has elements of this randomized IDM sound, yet never strays too far off the path, which is the perfect recipe for an IDM album built to be consumed personally.

Arovane'esque tracks like the opener Android Robinson sit at one end of the spectrum, rich in melody and atmosphere pinned against the ticks and punches of an entertaining beat structure. 

Greyzone Baxter's bulbous and engulfing synths play out like a live performance, as delays, echoes and filters toy with the omni-present streams of sound. Leaved introduces a lighter side to the album with a beautiful piano and vocal engulfed in the patterings and tinkering's of drum'n bass. Aggressive sounds are often underpinned with a subtle harmony; the clashing of liquid metal against the tough interior of its captor.

Iridium Flare is a class in balance and restraint. The sounds and manipulations
demonstrated throughout are carefully placed and never feel out of sync, despite the complexity of beats, progression and slowly growing electronic organisms.  It's an album built for intense listening, longing to be played out live in an epic futuristic setting. As far as Intelligent Dance Music goes, this one's begging to escape any confines you dare to place on it. 

Available on Bandcamp as Name Your Price.