• Music

    Various Artists – New State Of Flux

    The second release from Raffaele Pezzella’s Unexplained Sounds Group’s latest acquisition, the magnificently dark Reverse Alignment record label. This is a different affair from yesterday’s compilation, which was more extreme in sound.  New State of Flux doesn’t have the same reach in terms of geography, but it covers music which is more focused, more intense, and gives a feeling of being part of a film-noir soundtrack.  Of particular interest to me was the piece done by Vongoiva called Palovankka, which you can hear below. Well done, as always.

  • Music

    Various Artists – Anthology Of Post Industrial Music From Balkan Region

    The first of two releases related to our friend Raffaele Pezzella (who performs under the name Sonologyst) for today. This release from Unexplained Sounds Group is part of a series of compilations of experimental and dark ambient music concentrated in different regions.  This one is particularly special to me as, though my birth city is Los Angeles, those who know me well know that the Balkans has served as a second home to me over the years.  Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Kosovo, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Albania all seem to be well-represented, and musically, each track is up…

  • Music

    Max Brody – MAXBRODYWORLD TV 2006​-​2007: THE SOUNDTRACK

    If you haven’t heard the name Max Brody before, you probably know a lot of the bands he’s worked with: Ministry, the Test Apes, the Butthole Surfers, Scratch Acid, the Big Boys, Lubricated Goat and so many others.  He was a powerhouse drummer in the Austin Industrial music scene, but has since moved to the state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest, where he has been working on projects such as a rock documentary/travel blog which is, sadly, no more. Of particular interest is the project Fried Smiling which includes my old friend, business partner and a fine video director,…

  • Music

    László Hortobágyi – The Amygdala Expedition

    This is quite a momentous occasion for me, as áMARXE Records out of Galicia, Spain, release an album by Hungarian composer László Hortobágyi which has been shelved since 1989.  The album was programmed specifically for vinyl, and áMARXE are releasing a small edition of 250 copies, no doubt of high quality. The story with László Hortobágyi is quite an interesting one, as I used to work many years ago as an A&R manager for Tone Casualties, a record label run by the animator Gábor Csupó, he of Klasky-Csupo, who released such cartoons as The Rugrats and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, among…

  • Music

    RHaD – Metamusic

    It’s one thing when you’re the impresario of a record label who consistently delivers astoundingly good quality.  It’s quite something else when you make music yourself that is as solid as any of the releases you so lovingly curate. RHaD (Research for Historical Audio Documents) is a side project of Raffaele Pezzella (better known as Sonologyst), and head of so many incredible boutique record labels.  This collection of tracks pulls together influences like radio transmissions, telephonic conversations, hi-fi test signals, old and forgotten documentaries, unknown field recordists, and threads these bits together into wonderfully coherent compositions made for late-night black-and-white…

  • Music

    Ferran Fages – Llum Moll

    I’ve had the pleasure of reading about Farren Fages‘ work for at least 20 years now, but I never had a chance to fully explore his work.  I’m happy to say that I regret not diving into his catalogue earlier.  It’s impressive, to say the least. This particular album, Llum Moll, is a 41-minute audio sculpture which was originally released in 2012.  According to his notes on the Bandcamp page hosting this release, “The composition was made in two parts. The first was to record and then select fragments with different lengths, pitches and textures. The second was to re-adjust…

  • Music

    Gadi Sassoon – Multiverse

    Gadi Sassoon is an Italian sound designer and composer whose latest release comes from the venerable Los Angeles-based record label A Strangely Isolated Place.  I had only heard one track of his work before, this coming from ASIP’s 2020 Compilation.  Though impressive, it didn’t prepare me for one of the bleakest experiences I’ve had listening to ambient music I’ve had since, perhaps, mid-period Lustmord.  If you listen to this album on headphones, be forewarned: the sounds will reverberate in your bones for a while afterward, and I say this as a compliment.  The tracks swell and disperse in a way…

  • Music

    稷廬 / jì lú – 山與客聽 / Mountain, Traveler, Listener

    The Sichuan, China-based Jì Lú (稷廬) are a new project that has connections with one of China’s most innovated bands, Raflum.  The instrumentation on this album is sparse, but it makes for good listening, as bamboo flute and guitar seem to blend pleasantly. Some notes regarding the release: When talking about landscapes in the traditional context, it’s mostly about reclusion.  Although true recluses are rare, the mountains and rivers are always there.  Ironically,  the real landscapes are actually “horrible nature” instead of some leisure place.  The traditional landscape paintings are a kind of “tame nature,” which were described as “To observe with meditation, and lie down to experience” and “Sitting in the forest and spring instead of go to banquet” by ancient Chinese poets.  It emerge at North and South Dynasty, then become a game of finding the essence during the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty, and finally stuck in the static self-development after the Ming and Qing Dynasties.  The development of landscape paintings are just like how people detach with the nature and entering urban life.  This album is the continuation of this thesis.  In a time when the virtual reality are replacing urban life, we attempt to reinterpret this cliche with improvisation that based on the topic of “landscape.”  We also naming the songs by minutes and seconds instead of the traditional way of titling the songs, which is based on its imagery.  That creates interactive between the “teller” and listener, and reflects the beauties for individuals due to their own aesthetic experiences.  At this time, the distant, outmoded, cumbersome and vague image of landscape might leave a huge space for “starting again.” Instrumental by Liu Zhu (bamboo flute) /Qi Ya (Guitar) Recorded by Qi Ya at Ningbo、Hanzhou、 in 2016-2018 and Liu Zhu at New York in 2016 Mixed and Mastered by Qi Ya Artwork and Layout by Qi Ya Released by Pest Productions 在傳統語境中說到山水,多半關乎隱逸,真隱逸不常有,而真山水常有。葉公好龍的是,真山真水其實是「可怕的自然」,並非閒居宴坐的所在。山水畫作為一種「馴服的自然」,即古人說的「澄懷觀道,臥以游之」、「不下堂筵,坐窮林泉」,自南北朝鮮嫩的發端,五代兩宋的窮其理而後成為一種遊戲,到明清之後陳陳相因的體系內繁殖——其蓬勃發展的歷史反而是與人的身體離開自然山林而進入人工城市的歷史併行的。這張專輯也是對這一母題的延續。在人的身體都快離開人工城市而進入虛擬現實的環境下,給重複了上千年的「陳腔濫調」再增添一次重釋,帶著「山水」這一母題,以即興演奏的方式完成整張錄音。在曲目的定名上,也避開中國傳統的「意象命題」式標題,只以分秒為替代,在「說」與聽之間,帶著各自的審美體驗,進行一次互動,映照各自心中的佳山水。此時,山水形象的遙遠、陳舊、累贅和模糊或許又給「重新出發」以很大的空間。 演奏:六貯(竹管樂器)/ 栖崖(吉他) 錄音:六貯/栖崖 混音/母帶處理:栖崖 錄音時間:2016年04月至2018年11月 錄音地點:寧波 / 杭州 /…

  • Music

    Stijn Hüwels & Tomoyoshi Date – 遠き火、遠き雲’ ​(​A Distant Fire​,​ A Distant Cloud)

    laaps Records is a French label releasing quality ambient music.  This one seems to be their latest, a calming wash of sounds composed by Belgian composer Stin Hüwels in collaboration with the Brazilian-Japanese composer and sound artist (and emergency room doctor!) Tomoyoshi Date. The music is a mix of organic and electronic sounds, gentle plonking tones, and a very, very relaxed atmosphere.  This could be music to sleep to, and I mean this as a high compliment. From their Bandcamp site: 遠き火、遠き雲 (Tōki Hi, Tōki Kumo / A Distant Fire, A Distant Cloud) is the second collaboration by Tomoyoshi Date and…