• Music

    Roedelius & Arnold Kasar – Zensibility

    November 28, 2023 - By 

    On December 1, the maestro will again collaborate with Arnold Kasar (whom he paired with on a Deutsche Grammophon release 5 years ago) on a new album of piano and electronics.  Judging by the two tracks available for listening, this will be perfect winter music to meditate to. From the Bandcamp release site: “Five years after their first and critically-acclaimed collaborative work in the form of their full-length album “Einfluss” (Deutsche Grammophon), Roedelius & Arnold Kasar now release their second album “Zensibility” on the Berlin-based label 7K!. This new work encompasses eight collaboratively composed instrumental tracks, eight modern call-and-response pieces…

  • Music

    Shane Beck & Michael Brückner – Extended Sigh

    June 9, 2023 - By 

    There’s little I can add to my dear friend, the Last American Poet, Shane Beck, and heir to the Berlin-School throne, Michael Brückner, so I will let the gentlemen speak for themselves.  You can read further at this release’s Bandcamp site: In what turned out to be a spontaneous burst of inspiration, poet / lyricist / spoken word artist Shane Beck and electronica composer Michael Brückner created this circle of five pieces together that are based as much around the mystical splendor of nature as on the vast inner landscape of human longing for eternal love, spiritual transcendence and integration of…

  • Music

    Ясный — Svetly – Project 0

    October 18, 2022 - By 

    Our friends at the ever-brilliant Russian record label, internet radio station and magazine Meticulous Midgets continue to work with interesting bands within the country and (now) internationally. Ясный — Svetly are a Moscow-based band which has a very forward-looking sound, yet the music they produce sound incredibly nostalgic, with wisps of Berlin School electronics, NDW industrial elements and post-punk beats which makes this sound like a marriage between Suicide and Tangerine Dream.  A brilliant release.  

  • Music

    La Compagnia Digitale – La Compagnia Digitale

    September 5, 2022 - By 

    This is a weird little gem.  The three tracks on this album point not only to La Compagnia Digitale’s roots as an Italian progressive rock band, but there are even elements of the Berlin School which would make Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream proud.  Think of this as a more Krautrock-infused Goblin.

  • Music

    Various Artists – REQUIEM: Klaus Schulze Tribute

    August 4, 2022 - By 

    This release, procured by Aural Films, is a tribute to Krautrock and Berlin-School legend Klaus Schulze, who passed away in April of 2022, and who would have been 75 years old today, far too young to have left us.  From the compilation’s Bandcamp site: “Over a year ago, Jack Hertz approached me with the idea of following up his popular Klaus Schulze tribute compilation IN LOVE WITH THE MOON (2018) with a sequel. I suggested waiting a little longer and to focus on Klaus’ upcoming 75th birthday. Jack thought it was a great idea – who could have guessed that…

  • Music

    Lauri-Dag Tüür – Waves Of Silent Whispers

    July 1, 2022 - By 

    Lauri-Dag Tüür appeared on my previous blog in 2020 with what I believe was his debut album, and he’s gotten better since.  This album clocks in at a bit over 40 minutes, and it’s one of the better examples of Kosmische Musik I’ve heard in some time done by a modern composer.  The album is spacious and roomy, and takes a leisurely pace winding and unwinding while it travels around the universe, reminding me of artists like the late Klaus Schulze, Robert Rich, and in parts, fellow Estonian Sven Grünberg and his project, Mess.

  • Music

    Dragon & Jettenbach – Tales from the Algorithm

    February 2, 2022 - By 

    This is so pleasantly dark and focused that I don’t think calling it ambient would do it justice.  Dragon & Jettenbach are a project out of the United Kingdom who produce a sound that, while bleak, is also musically organized, reminding me of some of the modern Berlin School electronic artists of the 1980s, mixed with a vibe one would have heard from post-Industrial music on cassette during the same time period.  As this is the period where I was reared on great music, it brings a sense of nostalgia to me, and I feel that, for those between 40…

  • Music

    Hualun (花伦) – Wuhan Wuhan (武汉武汉)

    November 16, 2021 - By 

    It’s a shame that Hualun, and electronic music artist from Wuhan, China, has only one track available to peruse on his latest CD.  By the sound of it, the album is going to rival the slew of Japanese New Age reissues that have been coming out recently on various labels.  It’s a mish-mash of synths, cosmic vibes and a light, airy drone which was pleasing to my ears.  I await the full release, which is due on December 10, 2021.

  • Music - Spoken Word

    Oceanic Vibrations – Vol. 1

    October 19, 2021 - By 

    This is one I’ve been waiting to hear for some time, and it did not disappoint. American poet Shane Beck (who happens to be a very old friend) paired up with British electronic musician Dave Onley as Oceanic Vibrations to join their worlds together elegantly.  Beck’s voice lends itself to the soundscapes Onley produces, melding a clear, heartfelt and pensive poetry draped on top of music that reminded me of early-period Tangerine Dream or even Cosmic Jokers in the more pulsating parts.