iqtu - embarrassing triangle

a little something more for those who enjoyed the previously reviewed release by kaneel- the 'embarrassing triangle' LP by iqtu. this time the sound is a little more straightforward and less abstract, but still containing plentiful cheerful 8bit melodies, grooving cutup beats, and glitchy, glittery chiptune-esque soundscapes.
this release comes from a netlabel called II, another music portal with a charming 8bit aesthetic. often i find that such lo-fi, heavily processed music lacks the creativity and variety to sustain a full-length album (or it just becomes annoying after a while) but iqtu infuses the sound with a lush and organic feel that is wonderfully listenable and immensely enjoyable. i will definitely be coming back to it for more repeated listens...

Henrik José

sometimes a simple, heartfelt popsong hits you in just the right spot. so it is with the music of Henrik José. for those of you who havent done your homework, Henrik J. provided vocals for what is possibly my all-time favorite netlabel release, I'll Meet You There by ST, in addition to to his other quality electro/idm/demostyle netlabel releases under the name Bliss. i was quite happy to discover recently that his entire catalogue, as well as some quite excellent new songs are available for download in one place on his brand-new webpage (two of which appear on the afore-mentioned Camomille 100 release). Mr José crafts thoughtful, emotive songs using his voice, acoustic guitar and his demoscene-inspired tracking skills. a somewhat unlikely collision of acoustics and 8bit electronics, but one that works beautifully. Swedish electro-pop to brighten your coldest winters...

Camomille 100 - Cycles

hiddenplace music has recently received word that the long-awaited 100th release from the camomille netlabel has been officially released. normally i dont recommend anything without listening to the entire thing first, but with such an impressive array of artists, i know this will be an excellent and fascinating release. a collection of digital artwork has also been included, and along with the 3,5 hrs+ playing time, there is much to explore here. artists included are:
Lackluster, Twerk, Henrik Jose / Bliss, Julien Neto, Khonnor, Ilkae, Talve, Anders Ilar, Hunz, Jemapur, Proswell, Vim, Epoq,ST, Pocka, Troupe, Makunouchi Bento, Tang Kai / Mikael Fyrek, Blisaed / Seathasky, Sense, Transient, Fah, Planet Boelex feat. Lisa's Antenna, Emanuele Errante, Kaneel, Shiftless, The Open Directory Project, Nil, Hofuku Sochi, Kyle Dawkins, Ks, Slash, Muhr, Papercutz, Imtech, Beatslaughter, The Kodama Institute, Mattia Marchi and MigloJE. astute readers might also note my own humble contribution of bizarre flute samples which have been warped and mangled in a most interesting way in a track by abstract ambient maestro Shiftless.
it seems like many netlabels have been holding onto their best material until the end of the year, so, stay tuned and hiddenplace music will provide you with plenty of music to fill your holidays and warm the dark and cold winter days.

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...