Releases from Sound4Good Records, AuralFilms, Phaselock, Garden State, Rumforskning, Elizabeth Veldon, Red Fog and Anyer Quantum
3bc (Don Cook) and William Spivey collaborated on A Passage Through Time, released by Sound4Good Records. Starting with Hiking To Shambala, the album carries you on a journey through varied and really interesting styles. The first track is an energetic piece that leads into Mysterium which is a darker, almost other-worldly and cold track that slowly evolves into something quite different from what it started out as. Lost Again gives a sense of searching, of anxiousness. In Pursuit Of Eden hints at the surreal, then becomes quite contemplative. All in all the tracks are excellent examples of what happens when musicians decide not to conform to the norm and allow their tracks to evolve . Well worth getting.
Another album that throws off the shackles is Phaselock’s One. These people sound like they are jamming purely for the love of jamming. The first couple of tracks are alive and a sense of being carefree and happy clearly carries over to the listener. The last tracks are ambient and comprise almost melancholic piano work which is quite calming. Catch up with Phaselock on Facebook.
Auralfilms have released a compilation from artists which is causing quite a stir. I mentioned the IAM group that was started on Facebook in my last entry and this album is a direct result of the interest it has generated. The album comprises tracks which the artists consider ambient, but which do not fall within the generally defined boundaries of ambient sub-genres. You can download Prehistoric Tar Pit Music from Auralfilm’s Bandcamp portal. Truly, this is highly recommended and has been praised a lot.
I bought a wonderful ambient album from Garden State called Milam. This is another one that stands out from the crowd. The music is lush, warm and seriously good through headphones. Sparkling melodies weave through the album, scintillating the imagination. Awesome stuff.
Going back to a darker style of music, Rumforskning’s 2005 release Fremtiden on DataObscura, comprises sparse glitch and dark ambient cleverly melded to produce some stunning soundscapes. You can preview some of the tracks on the release page. Interested? Check this out as well. More info about this duo here.
For those who enjoy minimal ambient work that slowly (and I really do mean slowly), evolves, check out Elizabeth Veldon’s Maps. All of the music I write about is music that is designed to be really listened to – not background music – and this is one of those that deserves your full attention. When I first heard this I was reminded of Eliane Radigue’s work. It is absorbing and completely selfish listening, and again, listen through a quality pair of headphones to pick up all the nuances. Wonderful! Elizabth Veldon’s Facbook page is here.
Speaking about nuances readers may remember the review I wrote of Red Fog’s Sculpted In Luminol. He has recently released tracks on his Soundcloud page that are to feature in a future DNA Production release. One in particular is a mind-bending piece of work called Above The Storax Sedan Cloud. This track will quite literally shred your conscious perceptions when listened to through a seriously powerful audio system. It will make the hairs stand up 🙂 Red Fog is a master of deep atmosperic drone ambient.
Upping the pace, if you like your trance to be original and fresh and very danceable this is an absolute must. Anyer Quantum’s mix entitled Framework of Veneration to the Sun : Rhythm, Groove and Devotion is available to listen via Mixcloud. Like all his work, this mix comprises top quality trance music that imparts a very positive vibe. Cheer yourself up and give it a listen 🙂
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