Intelligent Toys 4 (Sutemos019)

hiddenplace music newsflash: for those of you not on the Sutemos email list, the 4th part of their frequently brilliant all-star idm compilation series was just released. clocking in at 2,5 hours play time, and featuring such favourite artists as Sabi, Esem, Sense, IJO, Machine Drum, and Sleepy Town Manufacture, this compilation is a must-listen. "It's listening time now."

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.

Phrozenlight

[once again abruptly shifting gears, into dark ambient territory] dutch composer Phrozenlight is one of the most prolific electronic music producers ive come across. typically releasing 2 or 3 hour-long compositions per month, most of his extensive catalogue is available for download at archive.org. this is not music for everyone-- slowly evolving, abstract, dark ambient spaces, usually with little or no harmonic or 'musical' elements. yet for fans of the genre, his music is always excellently produced with consistent quality and careful attention to sound and texture. his recent release, Sunday Afternoon recently provided an excellent soundtrack to one hour of my day with the usual deftly sequenced deep spacey textures, accented by an otherworldly melody which slowly evolves into a berlin school-style analogue sequence-- pleasantly and fascinatingly reminiscent of the classic spacemusic series Dark Side of the Moog by veteran producers Pete Namlook and Klaus Schulze (of Tangerine Dream). when the dark autumn months call for a quiet introspective journey into deep space, Phrozenlight's music fits the bill quite nicely.

Noe Venable - The Summer Storm Journals

on the other side of the spectrum of music for autumn, veteran songstress Noe Venable proves that brilliant songwriting and a beautiful, expressive voice never get old. her newest album, 'The Summer Storm Journals' has been stuck in my head ever since it was released earlier this season. even if you are like me and very rarely buy actual cds, i highly recommend adding this album to your collection. along with 'bring me the workhorse' from my brightest diamond, it has become one of my most listened-to releases this year. this is quality music that i believe could appeal to everyone- melancholy without being depressing, dark but hopeful, childlike but not immature, all the while absolutely uncompromising in style, individuality and vision. Noe is kind enough to offer two complete songs for free download on her website. after a few listens, they will most likely be lodged in your head, leaving you with a curious longing to discover more....

Muhr - Poussière

a new release has arrived from one of my top netlabels, serein. this label consistently provides top-quality acoustic/electronic fusions, always adhering to the 'quality over quantity' philosophy. the latest release provides the perfect soundtrack for the decent into the colder autumn days-- dark glitchy electronics, post-rocking guitar drones and accents of orchestral strings, noise and processed field recordings blend into a journey that is at once densely chaotic and bleakly serene; all the while remaining coherent and emotive. netaudio electro-acoustic postrock at its best!

Netaudio-Mixtape IV / t.slubs (thinners slow Dubs)

in case you dont obsessively check the thinner netlabel website for updates, the previously mentioned german music collective Das Kraftfuttermischwerk has released an excellent mix of deep spacey dubby trax pulled from the thinner archive. it made for a most pleasant and nostalgic morning's listen, taking me right back to the original thinner classics like Falter, Selffish, & Digitalverein
viel spaß!

Mikael Fyrek - In riots of color they spin

as i slowly emerge from the world of boxes, suitcases, airports and multi-lingual signs, allow me to recommend an excellent new release from perennial favourite kahvi. for 'In riots of color they spin' Mikael Fyrek creates 4 miniature worlds of idm beauty full of all the best building blocks of intelligent chill- warm atmospheres of breathy pads, delay-soaked mountainous landscapes and soaring leads accented by subtle paintstrokes of filtered beats. another beautiful (if short) glimpse into digitally-created dreamworlds. i think you will find, these landscapes are certainly worthy of many return journeys.

backlog: dont miss Mr Fyrek's previous two releases, St Mare Abelle and i can finally see what darkness looks like, both excellent as well

weigl & hoffmann + krill.minima

two new & notable releases by the legendary netaudio portal thinner today -

for all fans of the most listenable electro-acoustic experimentations, dont miss the brand-new release by a true innovator of netaudio, Philipp Weigl. warm ambient atmospheres, hushed vocals, touches of melodic acoustic instruments, backed by a barely noticeable subtle smooth techno pulse. essential moody listening for all seasons!

also newly released is a dubby ambient LP 'Urlaub Auf Balkonien' by krill.minima (aka Marsen Jules), a worthy follow-up to the minimal ambient masterpiece 'Zwischen zwei und einer Sekunde' slow, quiet and subtle, this lp took me a couple listens to get into, but its beginning to grow on me...

Text Adventure - Fantastic Disaster

i wanted to take a few minutes to spotlight one of my all-time favourite netaudio releases - this little gem by the Glascow duo Text Adventure, released on Observatory Online, a now-silent netlable with a short but sweet selection of releases. glitchy 8-bit electronics, acoustic guitars and timid falsetto vocals make up this a magical little trippy acoustic/electropop gem. although this release is a couple years old now, these songs are still constantly stuck in my head.

it has been rumoured that a new full-length album, charmingly titled 'I Believe in Lassies' will be released soon. let us hope that it doesnt get lost in the infinite 'coming soon' category...

Muxu - Show Us Your Weak Side

Monotonik, one of the first netlables ever, and the netlable that started my netaudio obsession has sadly been pretty dead lately. there has been a few interesting releases, but nothing of the quality and originality of classics like Latatoo, Aze, or Aleksi Virta meets Tortsi at the Space Lounge. (it should also be noted that Monotonik was the portal for most of Planet Boelex's previous excellent releases)

however, i found the latest release from newcomers muxu (noted as Monotonik's first release from Malaysia) to be quite enjoyable. it reminded me quite strongly of The Ablum Leaf or Four Tet, a pleasing mix of subtle beats, piano, quiet guitars and rhodes mixed with warm electronics. like all good eps, it left me with a pleasant feeling but wanting more. perhaps things are looking up for Montonik?

Planet Boelex - Suunta

in case you dont keep up with the Kahvi netlabel, the newest release is an absolute must-have. finnish producer planet boelex is the master of warmly chilled electronic ambient idm, and each release keeps getting better and better. the usual planet boelex devices are deftly employed here - precisely syncopated percussion, endlessly deep bass, wandering warbling pads, delay-soaked glitchy fx and soaring leads, along with a new element - a track featuring vocals from chillout songwriter Krister Linder. also featured in this release is hi-resolution HD 16x9 artwork by a certain designer..
i dont think i am exaggerating in saying, this is so far the best netaudio release of 2007. i dont use such superlatives often, but i have listened to this release practically nonstop since it appeared, and it simply keeps getting better and better. an absolute masterpiece of intelligent electronica.

planet boelex is also offering these tracks as lossless flac downloads. i didnt think that it would be a big difference from the already high quality 320kbps mp3s, but listening to the lossless audio files truly gives that extra special sparkle, tickling the ears in an ever so pleasing way...

KiloWatts - Uprouted

there was an unusual occurrence, i actually payed to download music! once again the riaa is proved wrong, and free downloads [sometimes] encourage the actual purchasing of music. i was listening to a live set by glitchmaster KiloWatts, and two tracks near the end (Weird Little Creatures and One Everchanging) immediately caught my ear. KW was kind enough to offer weird little creatures as a free download(right-click here) and the song was immediately ingrained in my head, thereby giving me the desire to play the track at full volume in my car. i like to support artists who make quality music, and i like download shops that offer lossless flac downloads. the aformentioned tracks are available at an affordable price at the KiloWatts Shop.
normally glitch idm gets on my nerves very quickly, but kilowatts is making some very listenable music...

backlog: and for more glitchy goodness, dont miss the classic 'microcosmos lp' by one of my favourite producers, jason corder (also known as off the sky)

chillout/idm double feature

short feature today - two recent releases by two of my favourite chilled idm artists - Motionfield and Das Kraftfuttermischwerk.

backlog: dont miss motionfield's excellent release from '06, Northern Lights

in other news, Comfort Fit's poor hamster died a few days ago. the world is sad to lose such a being who was witness to the creation of one of the all-time best netaudio releases, Forget and Remember. dont miss the massiv beat Boris created as a eulogy for Bounce the hamster.

Mr Moods - In Love We Trust...

Nothing is better for driving through the city on a hot day than gritty, downtempo beats. this release fits the bill very nicely. mr moods (not to be confused with a certain other very special artist) keeps the beatz rollin and mixes it up with an eclectic array of samples and sound-mashups, along with vocal samples seemlingly centred around illicit relationships. all in all, an excellently produced ep of downtempo and instrumental hip-hop.
if you enjoy this album, also dont miss his side project, Prototype 68, a slightly more ambient and abstract take on the genre. a must for fans of dj shadow and the turntablist pioneers of asphodel records...

shameless self-promotion

in a shameless bit of self-promotion, i've begun to put together a music section of my homepage, including my ambient/worldmusic albums, experimental stuff, and a couple dj mixes. far from perfect, but its a start at least..