• Music

    Fallen – The Floating World

    July 23, 2023 - By 

    I’ve been a fan of ROHS! Records out of Italy (HT: Ivo Petrov – thanks!) for some time.  They put out consistently good ambient music and organic electronica every month, it seems, and this release from Lorenzo Bracaloni, who goes by the monicker Fallen, is a delight to listen to.  It’s not a normal album for ROHS! – rather, it shifts a lot.  The music starts with what sound like processed field recordings and blend their way into more structured electronic music soundscapes, then drift back into a spacious bit of guitar playing.  There’s a slightly rough edge to the…

  • Music

    Jeff Gburek – Ramifications

    June 29, 2023 - By 

    Though this album is a decade old now, it’s so incredibly well-done that I thought it worth sharing if you like experimental music melded together with field recordings.  Jeff Gburek’s sound art is organic and engaging, the recording was handled so masterfully that one gets the feeling of sitting in the locations listed on the liner notes as Jeff’s Bandcamp site.

  • Music

    bu.re_ – dream sequence ii

    May 12, 2023 - By 

    Too dense and sumptuous to be labeled ambient music, what Los Angeles’ own bu.re_ offers is a ride on the clouds on your way to something approximating Heaven.  The drones emanating from these works are some of the warmest tones I’ve heard this year.  Bravo.

  • Music

    Kink Gong 2017 – Uyghur In Moyu Southern Xinjiang China

    May 1, 2023 - By 

    I don’t know much about Kink Gong, though maybe they have some relations with the legendary Sublime Frequencies record label, but I do like that they’re busy releasing some amazing music from neglected parts of the world.  This installment comes from Xinjang, in the news for all the wrong reasons, yet a fascinating culture worth delving into.  The music shares much in common with fellow Central Asian Turkic groups like the Kazakhs or Uzbeks, but also carries some elements of Mongolian, Persian, and of course, Chinese music.

  • Music

    Chaigidel & Neraterræ – Lama​š​tu

    April 13, 2023 - By 

    Two of Italy’s best dark /ritual ambient projects, CHAIGIDEL and NERATERRÆ, have joined forces and created a deeply evocative ritualistic opus rich in various aural elements and sceneries. The title “Lamaŝtu” pays tribute to the Mesopotamian mythological malevolent goddess, the most terrible of all female demons, daughter of the sky god Anu and lover of Pazuzu. CHAIGIDEL is Mattia Giovanni Accinni, devoted to the most evocative side of music; sonic offerings for Qliphotic rituals from the depths of occultism and the left-hand path. On his fourth release on Cyclic Law, Alessio Antoni’s NERATERRÆ joins compatriot CHAIGIDEL on this trance-like-state inducing aural…

  • Music

    Moughenda Village – Calling the Spirits: Missoko Bwiti Music of Gabon

    April 12, 2023 - By 

    This Moment Records is a record label, “… which is dedicated to producing and promoting field recordings from around the world, in addition to crafting innovative soundscapes for relaxation and meditation,” at least according to their Bandcamp site. As we have never reviewed any music from Gabon before, I looked forward to what I would be hearing, and was, of course, not at all disappointed. Again, from the Bandcamp site: “This collection of music comes from the Missoko Bwiti tradition of Gabon, a spiritual path that includes five different branches, spanning over a thousand years in equatorial Central West Africa.…

  • Music

    Various Artists – Old Heaven Books: 地​方​，​音​乐​与​实​践 Vol​.​1 Region, Music, and Practice Vol​.​1

    April 6, 2023 - By 

    A compilation of new music out of avant-garde China.  From the Old Heaven Books Bandcamp site: “A creative collaboration of producer Tu Fei and artist Liu Qingyuan. Event organization by Tu Fei, artwork for promotion and production by Liu Qingyuan. Event programs include talks, screenings, forums, workshops, musicians’ commission creation and live performance, recording, publishing, and many more. Admiring tradition and exploring the future, the duo’s goal is to bring music to various places, from village to city, from square to factory, from bookstore to family altar, from theater to village hall, and from gallery to drying field…”

  • Music

    Hadi Bastani and Maryam Sirvan – trans​.​placed

    March 28, 2023 - By 

    It’s wonderful to hear one of my favorite sound designers, Maryam Sirvan come up with new material.  She is paired with fellow expatriate Hadi Bastani in this 20-minute mini-LP of electroacoustics and field recordings.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Stretching from Berlin to Tbilisi, trans.placed starts with the simple act of opening a door. This everyday gesture forms the fabric of this dense, meticulous and profound work which obsesses over the dramatic sonic transitions which occur when we move from outside to indoors. What sounds come with us as we make this transition? What new soundscapes do we encounter? And…