Ergo Phizmiz & Friends - The Faust-Cycle

i interrupt this longer-than-expected pause of hiddenplace music posts to feature what is certainly the most astonishing piece of netaudio i have ever come across. "The Faust-Cycle or, The House of Dr Faustus" is definitively the ultimate piece of sound collage.
completed over a period of 3 years, with a playing time of more than 14 hours(!!), and featuring an long list of collaborators, voice actors and guest musicians, words like "epic" do not even begin to describe the mind-boggling expansiveness of this work.
i usually try to listen to a release several times through before writing a review, but i must admit in this case, i have not yet heard the entire piece all the way through. what i have heard so far consists of surreal, dream-like spoken word narratives, interspersed with even more bizarre sample-based "songs" enveloped in extended passages of sound collage and audio pastiche made from a dizzying array of identifiable and unidentifiable musical pieces and sound sources. the moods range from melancholic to nostalgic, insane to inane, dream-like to nightmarish, classical to common; all unfolding like an opium-induced phantasmagoria played through a dust-covered 1920s phonograph found in an eccentric retired circus performer's attic. this is probably the most inaccessible piece i have featured on hiddenplace music, but certainly a thrilling and epic(?) piece of audio art for hardcore fans of avant-garde sound design.

Saine - Clockwork

finnish producer Saine makes some of the most chilled out instrumental hiphop and downtempo music you can imagine. he already put out several tracks on the recently re-opened Tokyo Dawn, and this year he released his second full-length commercial album. as a promo for the new LP, he also put out the excelent Clockwork EP for free download.
stylistically, the ep is similar to his earlier work on TD but now the music has become even more refined and polished. hushed atmospheres, resonant jazz samples and restrained turntable beats make up a supremely classy mood. appropriate purchase links & samples for the full-length albums can be found on his website.

Tracing Arcs - Fin

put out on the excellent Dusted Wax Kingdom netlabel, Fin by Tracing Arcs is quiet, atmospheric and subtle-- a smoky voice and smooth, flowing jazz textures. a fresh, original sound and top-quality production. in short, simply one of the best triphop albums i've heard in a long time.

via Free Albums Galore

hiddenplace music mix 3: pontchartrain

Download mp3 (160kbps, 75MB)
*this mix is currently unavailable for download. contact me if you want to hear it!

this time, an eclectic mix of darker music for autumn and winter..
i've been putting off posting this mix for a while, partly because i hadn't found time to record VOs. so i decided to just post it without any talking, since it seems many people prefer just music anyway.
this mix features some quiet indie rock, some downtempo & triphop sounds, and even some jazzy acoustic pop. something a little different form the electronic music i usually feature...
enjoy!

playlist:
[00:21] Emily Haines - Reading In Bed
[03:06] Kira Lynn Cain - White as a Dove
[06:39] Anna Ternheim - Lover's Dream
[10:32] Björk - I've Seen It All (feat. Thom Yorke)
[15:46] Mika Nakashima - Hitori (endroll ver.)
[20:44] Goldfrapp - Pilots
[25:09] Elsiane - Vaporus
[28:44] Karen Matheson - The Dreaming Sea
[33:19] Jars of Clay - Frail
[40:11] L'altra - There Is No
[44:08] Ida - Moves Through The Air
[49:27] The Cinematic Orchestra - Breathe (live on KEXP)
[54:29] My Brightest Diamond - Goodbye Forever
[58:19] Vienna Teng - Pontchartrain


...

Beyond Absence - Complacency

released on the netlabel Webbed Hand records, Complacency is a collection of quiet, contemplative acoustic jazz pieces by Beyond Absence. the duo takes a very peaceful, thoughtful and simplistic approach to their music- slow, minimal improvisations for acoustic guitar and piano, with some occasional subtle percussion and keyboards. perfectly warm music to shelter from the darkening cold outside.

hiddenplace music mp3 mix #1

Download mp3 (160kbps, 54MB)

things have been a little quiet around here lately because the wizards at hiddenplace music have been preparing something really special: the first official hiddenplace music mix.

sometimes simply listening to the music is the best way to discover and share it. i find a lot of my favorite music through podcasts and dj mixes, plus i really enjoy putting together playlists and 'mixtapes.' i hesitate to call this a 'podcast' because that implies that i plan on doing this at a semi-regular basis. unfortunately time and my obsessive-compulsive tendencies dont permit that, but i have several mixes in the works and i plan on putting them out here as often as possible (ie whenever i feel like it).

at hiddenplace music we like free music, so nearly all of the tracks featured on this mix can be downloaded cost- and guilt-free at the links provided. each release represented is full of excellent music and is most definitely worth your time. enjoy the music!

tracklist:

(00:00) hiddenplace intro
(00:19) Makunouchi Bento - Two Mechanical Snowghosts [pj001]
(02:01) My First Trumpet - Takt Short Takt [aer009]
(03:56) Endlos - Ich bin Dur [1bit028] +welcome
(09:31) The Lymbyc Systym - Astrology Days [live 18 Apr 2007]
(14:01) Re'sequence - Interview [es28]
(17:55) Implosion Quintet - For Sesselja [diginet011]
(21:40) Mr Moods - Variations [DBR005]
(25:24) The Incognito Traveller - Chaleur [konfort016]
(29:42) Owltree - Head Swirlin' [lokw-010]
(32:57) Jah Free - beatcontest (amuses-bouches complete album download)
(37:58) Sel/Reechad - Masterplan [iD.037]
(42:01) Saine - Absent Minds [Imagine This] +tracklist

extra: hiddenplace music on solipsistic NATION

Uniquetunes

the lads of the russian band Uniquetunes have been steadily honing their skills with a series of live recordings released on the ElectroSound netlabel. on their latest, self-titled studio release (as always, freely downloadable from ElectroSound) their endless hard work is in full effect, and listeners are rewarded with an extremely tight set of indie progressive jazz jams. so-called 'jam band' music can often fall into boring, self-absorbed repetition, or pointless technical showing-off, but Uniquetunes hits just the right balance of technical mastery and artful composition, while laying down some seriously deep funk in the process.
the album begins with several seconds of random radio noise. for me, this was the only negative point on the release-- the intro seems rather pointless and a bit annoying if you have to download the tracks individually! but after the intro, Uniquetunes launches into 7 tracks of some of the best psychedelic jams available. according to the release page, the album was recorded without the use of computers, and it sounds great. as with most new releases from the netaudio.ru family of netlabeles, it is offered in 192kbps streaming, as well as 320kpbs mp3 & flac downloads, so the sound quality as well as the musicianship is really stellar. pleasantly chilled grooves, melodic sax solos, lush swirling delays and tight precision drumming make this a perfect release for a warm & active spring evening.

Prologue - Prologue

i have to admit that lately, i had begun to get the impression lately that netaudio is burning out. several of my favorite labels have closed or simply fallen silent, and it seems that its becoming more difficult to find the good quality musical art that we expect here at hiddenplace music. it was just at the right time, then, that a release came on the scene with such stunning originality and inspiration that i can once again say that netaudio is most definitely alive and well.
netaudio.ru is one netaudio collective working hard to keep the scene fresh and interesting. operating with a podcast and three separate netlabels with a balanced mixture of accessible and experimental sounds, along with high quality artwork and sound fidelity, netaudio.ru is becoming one of my favorite destinations for intelligent music. and they have outdone themselves with an absolutely brilliant album by the moscow collective Prologue.
upon listening to the first two minutes of Proluge's self-titled release, my sometimes stormy love affair with russian music was instantly renewed. delicate yet expressive female vocals floating over gentle piano, strings (yes, real live strings!), flute and muted trumpet, peppered with gritty downtempo beats and melancholy yet passionate russian language(?) raps. there are many diverse influences here; naturally trip-hop and downtempo music are the dominant flavors, but theres also touches of film music, debussy, berlin-stlye rap, russian folk, jazz, and drum n bass-- all perfectly melded into a cohesive whole. obviously a huge amount of talent and work has gone into this incredible release; there is simply nothing else quiet like it in the netaudio world.
im tempted to give a run-down of every track because each is so remarkable and has its own unique qualities, but the best way to enjoy this album is to find a quiet place, listen to it all the way through and discover every nuance for yourself. and when its over, sit for some minutes in stunned amazement, then press repeat and dive once again into the beautiful melancholic world of Prologue.

Sasha Ponkratov - Kaleidoscope

i have always had a sort of love/hate relationship with russian music. its frequently ponderous and oppressive moods and its occasionally ear-splitting experimentalism i find both distasteful and fascinating. despite these broad generalisations, there is always more to discover in russian music and i just cant stop listening-- prokofiev, stravinsky and rachmaninoff were staples of my cd collection in my classical music-filled early years, and these days artists such a sleepytown manufacture and unit21, as well as netlables such as electrosound.ru i count among my top electronic music interests.
it is especially interesting to discover a release which breaks the mold entirely. a new release from a blog reader arrived in my inbox the other day and i was pleasantly surprised to discover an eclectic, yet well-balanced fusion of odd acoustic instruments with electronics. the influences are too many to name here- is it early jazz, modern 'post-jazz' or eastern european gypsy music? no matter, a variety of idiosyncratic rhythms and non-traditional scales are employed here with a playful smile and nod, making for another fascinating listen for those with an ear for music which is 'outside the box.' in the coming year, i hope to focus more on musicians who fuse analogue and electronic elements in their music, and Kaleidoscope is a perfect introduction to just that sort of sound.

Proviant Audio - Welcome Wilderness EP

my latest addiction is surfing through the mad bloggings of Phlow Magazine, and i've come accross another great release thanks to our favourite german listening machines! 'Welcome Wilderness' from the long-silent Aquavelvas netlabel, presents slightly bizarre, slightly campy collection of sampledelic cutup elektro-jazz which will make a perfect addition to your afternoon chillout playlist. the release starts out chilled and low-key and develops into trippy freaked-out breakbeat/disco beats. insane catchyness!

Moosefrog - Come EP

on a recently tram ride home, i re-discovered a chillout netaudio gem: the first release from the great little netlabel lo-kiwi. if you enjoyed the downtempo/instrumental hiphop of Mr. Moods which i featured a couple months ago, 'come' from chillmasters Moosefrog will tickle your ears most pleasantly. looped jazzy guitars, soft rhodes and synth chords, groovy brushed drums, a few gritty turntable samples and creepy filtered spoken word samples make for a super-chilled evening listening session.


as with most good eps, this release is a bit of a short listen, so make sure to check out lo-kiwis' back catalogue, such as Moosefrog's Adrift, which includes two songs featuring vocals by Chillcast hostess Anji Bee.