Russian violinist Valentina Goncharova is having something of a renaissance these days. She had an album come out earlier in the year which were unpublished (you can find Volume 1 here and Volume 2 here).
Now, we have a full album of recordings last heard on Leo Records many years ago as part of a box set called Document – New Music From Russia – The 80’s, a pinnacle of Russian avant-garde music. The recordings have been lovingly remastered, and the drony sound is magnificent.
Vangelis has passed away in Paris at the age of 79. His reputation needs no introduction to connoisseurs of music, especially those into soundtracks. For my money, Blade Runner was the jewel in his crown. May he Rest In Peace.
Originally released in 1999, this album by American composers and ambient music legends Steve Roach and John Strate-Hootman (operating here as Vir Unis) combine tribal electronic music with what was then erroneously called New Age music. From the release’s Bandcamp site:
“Steve Roach and Vir Unis combine different rhythmic sensibilities and undeniable soundscapes in an alchemical reaction, creating an aural sensation that is surreal, hallucinogenic, but still organically human. Body Electric is a welcomed edition to the borderless world of new electronic music; this album is a zenith in bio-electronic body music, an evolutionary spark, a focused, high-energy trip of life-affirming, hyper-terrestrial grooves and sustained, soul-expanding sound worlds.
Fresh from an extensive schedule of concerts and traveling, Roach found his energy still simmering and in need of expression. He had been exchanging ideas on tape for several months with Vir Unis. Both were anxious to get together — ideas were sprouting and in need of cultivation . . . the desire to create a new level of bio-electronic body music was clear. The result: an extensive marathon in Steve’s Tucson recording studio, The Timeroom.
The music on Body Electric melded together, relying heavily on what Steve calls “the body clock,” a sense of timing and flow both artists turned towards in shaping the music that evolved from their collaboration. “Chance” situations were explored and combined in an alchemical reaction, often setting a piece in motion – opening yet another zone of sensation to explore. These chance combinations created a powerful and intimate symbiosis for both artists, so powerful that they termed it their “mind link.””
If you have come across the landslide of reissues of stunningly sublime Japanese new age music composed by the likes of Hiroshi Yoshimura, Haroumi “Harry” Hosono (of Yellow Magic Orchestra fame) or Midori Takada, I have a strong suspicion that JUST, just released today by Chinese composer and synthesizer/guitar player Liu Ying is going to appeal greatly to you.
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.
Giedrius Kuprevičius is a Lithuanian composer with roots in theater music. Erotidijos has a rather long history, originally being released on cassette in 1994, but the latest release adds around 30 minutes of music, and is available on vinyl as well as download.
From his Bandcamp site:
Erotidijos is a haunting yet hypnotic tableaux Kuprevičius originally created for a Stanislovas Rubinovas theatre play staged in 1994 in Kaunas, Lithuania. The Lithuanian composer was one of the founding members of the pioneering electronic pop outfit Argo and has written dozens of scores for stage and film over the past several decades, imbuing his soundwork with a multitude of artful moods and emotive depth.
This is really going to appeal to fans of the Belgian record label Crammed Discs‘ sub-label Made To Measure, especially those works (for theater) by Steven Brown and Blaine Reininger.
Li Yilei is a London-based sound artist based whose roots are Chinese. Li’s latest album, Of (Chinese: 之) reminds me of some of the amazingly good Japanese new age ambient releases of the 1980s which seem to be gaining a lot of attention like Hiroshi Yoshimura and some of Haruomi “Harry” Hosono’s more eclectic albums outside of his work with the Yellow Magic Orchestra.
The instrumentation consists of analogue synthesizers, vocal samples, field recordings and string instruments such as the violin and guqin (I was introduced to the instrument while teaching in China back in 2018), and Li is also influenced by art of the Song Dynasty.
According to Li, “I tried to portray each song as a short, scattered poem – a moment that I captured to represent each hour.” The 12 tracks are snapshots which flow elegantly.
Also, notice the artwork. The Song-era Emperor Huizong whose reign took up the first quarter of the 12th Century, was a poor administrator but an astoundingly talented man of culture. He reminds me in some way of Alfonso X “El Sabio,” who was seen in the same light, and was more-or-less a contemporary. The cover art is his painting, titled ‘Finches and Bamboo’, and it adorns the album cover.
There is nothing saccharine or overly dark about this album. It is one of the warmest and most enveloping pieces of music I’ve heard in some time. I look forward to hearing much more.
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 / 紐約
視覺設計：栖崖
Cellist David Darling passed away on January 8, leaving an incredible body of work for ECM Records and other labels. Any of his ECM albums is a worthy listen, but I choose this one not only for the music, but the hopeful title which stands in stark contrast to the disgusting display of mental illness and evil here in the United States.
God rest the soul of David.