hiddenplace music mix 4: lessening

Download mp3 (160kbps, 81MB)
*this mix is currently unavailable for download. contact me if you want to hear it!

i almost didnt post this mix because the VOs ended up a bit noisy & i forgot to mention a couple things, but i decided to put it up anyway because the music really deserves to be heard and i didnt want to keep delaying it.
i actually put together this mix and Pontchartrain at the same time; there was simply too much good music to fit into just one mix. but this is definitely not the 'b-sides' mix, its more of a continuation of the same mood and atmosphere as the previous mix-- dark, quiet, and intensely thoughtful music for the colder days of winter...

playlist:
(00:16) L'Altra - Sleepless Night
(05:45) Nanang Tatang - On Me Forever
(10:14) Mar - Patience
(15:49) Weigl/Hoffmann - Country Lane [apl048]
(22:43) Caroline - Sunrise
(26:32) immanu el - Panda [The Silent Ballet vol. 5]
(33:75) A Northern Chorus - This Open Heart
(42:06) Barzin - Past All Concerns
(47:56) stockfinster. - two great lines of light
(52:55) Cibelle - Phoenix
(58:46) Elysian Fields - Narcosmicoma
(64:09) Gregor Samsa - Lessening
...

The American Dollar - A Memory Stream

on my evening commute home on the day of the inauguration of the next US president, it only seemed appropriate to listen to some music by an american band. i found that i have surprisingly little american music in my collection, but thankfully i had loaded my mp3 player with the 2008 album "A Memory Stream" by NY band The American Dollar. this was actually a reader submission- the band sent me the album out of a the blue a few months ago and asked me what i thought of it.
i was really blown away by their work; it is a shining example of cinematic, electronica-tinged instrumental postrock. the duo fuses processed drums, spacious keyboards and powerful organ swells with electric guitar and bass, creating deep sonic textures while maintaining the passion and energy of a live band. the swirling soundscapes build and swell, punctuated by glitchy beats, breathing and expanding into crashing guitars and soaring leads: precisely constructed symphonies for a new era.
unlike most of the music i feature on hiddenplace music, this album is not available for free download, but this excellent music is absolutely worth purchasing- The Memory Stream is most certainly on my "best of 2008" list.

sleepmakeswaves - In Today Already Walks Tomorrow

although its only a few weeks in, 2009 has already provided an impressive list of very promising new music. one of the first releases i downloaded this year was "In Today Already Walks Tomorrow"by by australian band sleepmakeswaves on the Lost Children netlabel. they already put out a fantastic two-song demo and since then i have been looking forward to hearing what this band would do next.
on "In Today..." they continue the epic keyboard-infused postrock sound they established in the demo but this time the production values have been upped significantly, adding even more dynamic complex song structures and a more sharp and polished sound. in the true postrock tradition where the songs have pretentiously long poetic titles, the moods vary from breathlessly quiet contemplative guitar harmonies to blistering explosions of sound. one standout track is certainly "One Day You Will Teach Me To Let Go Of My Fears" which was featured on the demo. this time they have expanded the song to new heights- a tense driving rhythm punctuated by heavy guitars slowly builds into a rapturous climax of soraing violins and crashing cymbals.
this excellently produced ep is an absolute must-have for any connoisseur of the finest epic, cinematic postrock.

sleepy town manufacture - Hello & Goodbye EP

russian collective sleepy town manufacture's classic ep 'latatoo' on monotonik was probably one of the first netaudio, indeed one of the first ambient electronic releases that i really fell in love with, and i still count it among my all-time favorite eps.
stm has been releasing music sporadically since then but has not put out a solo ep in quite some time. with 'hello and goodbye' stm returns to monotonik with a beautifully produced ep of classy ambient idm. precisely sequenced percussion, soft, spacious synths, sparkling textures, and a gorgeous 7-minute environmental ambient closing track-- what more could you ask?

Scott Sherk - Icelandic Air

one of the first podcasts i regularly listened to was One Minute Vacation from sound designer aaron ximm's website, the quiet american, which i discovered thanks to NPR. there is something very evocative about the natural sounds of an environment recorded in high quality and listened to on good headphones. the simple sound has the power to transport you to a place in a temporal way which is not communicated in photography (another favorite medium of mine).
one such collection of field recordings is Icelandic Air. Iceland is certainly a visually stunning landscape but it hadnt occurred to me that the aural environment could be so fascinating as well. the pure field recordings presented here whisk you away to the frigid coastal terrain of icy wind, mountain streams, snow-covered hills and serene lakes, with the human and animal inhabitants making brief appearances as well. a short but refreshing excursion into an exotic locale.

Motionfield - absolute zero

sometimes some of the best albums are hidden away as buried treasures, released in relative obscurity on an artist's own website. one such treasure is 'absolute zero' which is presented on an unassuming page in motionfield's homepage without even a tracklist or description.
motionfield has already released several brilliant albums on stadtgruen, test tube, and autoplate, as well as an especially excellent commercial release (available for full streaming and for purchase on somnia records) , creating some of the best quiet, introspective ambient idm you're likely to hear. 'absolute zero' is no exception. desolate soundscapes of spacious pads peppered with subtle, indistinct environmental sounds and delicate, glitchy percussion grow and evolve with a sensuous, breath-like rhythm. fractured, wandering piano melodies float in and out on gentle digital breezes. supremely chilled organic electronica for thoughtful moments...
EDIT: it seems the download link has been removed. but hiddenplace music has heard from an inside source that this album is slated to be released on thinner some time in the near future. stay tuned!

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.

Tertium Auris - Vox Stridens

on Vox Stridens italian composer, conductor, and vocal researcher Marco Tonini aka Tertium Auris presents a startlingly beautiful album of dark abstract ambient pieces composed entirely of vocal samples. hundreds of carefully edited samples of his own overtone singing, choirs, an opera singer, and other experimental vocal techniques are mixed and processed into deep, sonorous soundscapes of fascinating complexity and chrystaline beauty. at once peaceful and unsettling, somber yet angelic, this brilliantly produced album comes very highly recommended for fans of all types of ambient music.

Lokua - Trails

Trails has quickly become one of my favorite instrumental hip-hop LPs of recent months. chicago artist Lokua deftly combines a myriad of samples- distant voices, echoing pianos, cutup jazz records, even native flutes- into a smoothly cohesive LP filled with ambient textures and head-bobbing beats. the mood is chilled yet vibrant and alive.

found via GOOD NETLABELS

general fuzz - soulful fulfilling

soulful fulfilling finds general fuzz in an especially quiet and contemplative mood. for this album, he has created an absolutely beautiful set of quiet, introspective [mostly] instrumental music.
as he did on his previous album "coolaborations" general fuzz collaborates with several live musicians, adding violin, cello, guitar and vocals to compliment the general's soft keyboards, subtle sequenced percussion and careful production.
this album, along with several other quality full-length albums, can be downloaded for free from general fuzz's website. there is also a fascinating and detailed making-of page explaining the process of the album's creation, along with a custom-build mp3 player with loops and elements from each song.
the peaceful and positive vibe may cause the style to venture a little too close to the 'new age' category for some listeners, but the music is brilliantly produced and supremely chilled, and comes very highly recommended.

Meso - Island Versus City

i made a realisation lately- the meaning and impact of music can dramatically change depending on the environment in which it is listened to. this realisation may seem self-evident, but i find that certain music really comes alive when listened to in the right surroundings.
Island Versus City by Meso is perfect music to listen to while walking through empty city streets at night. the subtle, contemplative ambient idm moods are strongly enhanced by an environment of deep shadows, distant sounds and glowing lights...

Alexandre Navarro - 1001 EP

i had intended to feature some groove-oriented 'summer music' at some point, but the continued cold, overcast and rainy weather of this summer has kept me in the mood for quiet ambient music. and thankfully i have found a lot of great ambient music lately to share with you, my blog readers.
i recently discovered the 1001 EP by Alexandre Navarro on the experimental/noise/field recording netlabel Mandorla ('1001' can be found under audio releases/mandorla net label 006). most of the stuff i have found on Mandorla is a little bit too abstract and 'experimental' for my tastes, but having heard some of A. Navarro's work on the spacemusic podcast, and on the archipel netlabel, i was eager to listen.
the 1001 EP presents a carefully mixed sound collage of field recordings, processed textural noise, and slow motion synths, with very subtle minimal techno influences. long sound fields fade in and out, cascading notes float and spiral above, supported by a slow pulsing undertone. quiet, rainy music for an overcast afternoon, or a damp evening where fog hangs like a ghostly shroud and streetlights become luminous orbs...

Northcape - Some Bright Valley

another treat for those who enjoyed the lush, delicate atmospheres of the last features: the Some Bright Valley ep by UK artist Northcape, put out by the monotonik netlabel. like a pleasant summer's walk through nature, a variety of sensations float through the air, stimulating your senses and relaxing your mind. a bed of long pad and string notes mixed with subtle environmental sounds is accented by almost organic-sounding synth leads, and held together by smooth basses and steady grooves. the short playing time is cause for repeated listening; drifting away on the sound, into a world of light filtered through leaves, gentle rain, and deep reflective pools.
the warmth of summer is not yet completely gone, and Northcape helps it to hold on a little longer...

Planet Boelex & Lisa's Antenna - Little world

my vote for best netaudio release of this year goes to the first release from a humble new netlabel called soft phase: an ep entitled 'Little world' produced by none other than finnish artist planet boelex. last year, planet boelex released a brilliant extended ep called 'suunta' which i gushed about in an earlier post, also lauding it as the best release of that year. that release contained a collaboration with swedish vocalist Krister Linder, and this time, mr boelex works with another swedish singer/songwriter known as Lisa's Antenna. and he has outdone himself once again, creating exquisite, beautifully sequenced soundscapes around Lisa's lovely vocals and and minimal piano chords.
the usual planet boelex elements are here: infinitely reverberating pads, precisely filtered percussion and thick basses.. but planet b has scaled back the sequencing dramatically, providing a subtle, evocative backdrop for lisa's delicate vocals to soar over. truly good vocals and song writing are unfortunately rare in the world of netaudio, but this collaboration finds a rare gem in Lisa's entrancing songs. from time-suspending stillness, building to rapturous crescendos, and fading back into contemplative silence, this beautifully formed Little world provides the perfect peaceful refreshing escape from our own hectic and stressful world.