Ton de Leeuw was a microtonal composer who passed away in 1996. The Netherlands has produced an amazing array of composers and improvisers, but for all their wealth, such luminaries as de Leeuw rarely get promoted. Thankfully, the Dutch Oscillation Series, headed by the legendary Jos Smolders, is rectifying this Continue Reading
Modern Classical
Alessandra Celletti – Lumen
Our beloved friend Alessandra Celletti has graced us with a new piano piece, a single called Lumen. There is a haunting, quiet minimalism on this track. It is dark, somewhat eerie, but achingly charming at the same time.
Karoline LeBlanc, Paulo J. Ferreira Lopes – Frangible Seams of Lore
I wish to thank organist Karoline LeBlanc, who reached out to the blog and sent us her latest album with percussionist Paulo J. Ferreire Lopes. I was expecting improvised music, and I’m sure this is, but the feel of this album is more akin to modern classical music. The depth Continue Reading
Per Texas Johansson – Orkester Omnitonal på Musikaliska Kvarteret
This is pure power if you like brass. The trombone, including the bass trombone, features strongly in this album led by Per Texas Johansson. He has come a long way since his near-minimalist roots in the 1990s. This work is dense, layered, and it swings violently. This album is an Continue Reading
Various Artists – mulemusiq: Enjoy The Silence Vol.3
Fr0m mulemusiq’s Bandcamp site: “Altogether ten tracks by nine children of Brian Eno, Cluster, Arvo Pärt, and Steve Reich, who all express something honest and unsophisticated while using their machines and instruments in a heartfelt way. That is why „Enjoy The Silence Vol. 3“ bewitches in its overall atmosphere as Continue Reading
Wim Mertens & Glenn Branca – Belly Of An Architect (Original Soundtrack)
For no other reason than having a good memory about the great Wim Mertens and the late Glenn Branca, I present you this minimalist classic soundtrack, one of Mertens’ best works.
Francesca Marongiu – Still Forms in Air
Mexican record label Umor Rex has released an album by Italian composer Francesca Marongiu, which is heavily influenced by some spectacular Japanese New Age/Ambient releases from the mid-1980s. This was a wonderful time for ambient music in Japan, and Francesca captures the spirit perfectly while adding her own spin.
Jeff Gburek – Rounded Sleep (for Eliane Radigue)
Perhaps the most important contemporary experimental musician, Éliane Radigue, has passed away. Jeff Gburek offers a wonderful tribute in her honor. Words fail at the moment.
Jeff Gburek & Friends – Decembryonic Journey 2025
As the year heads to a close, our friend Jeff Gburek offers up one of his last releases of 2025. From his Bandcamp site: “Although most of these tracks were realized in October and November, I’ve chosen to give the title over to the coming moon of December and the Continue Reading
Marja Ahti & Manja Ristić – Transference
From the venerable Erstwhile Records’ Bandcamp site: “”Transference is a dialogue of sonic gestures and traces of visits to places and the spirit that occupies them. It unfolds as a map of subtle and drastic differences, a space where the contours of sound and silence merge, and where listening becomes Continue Reading