Haruka Nakamura - Twilight (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Electronic, Acoustic, Japan
Myspace
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Tracklist :

01 夕べの祈り
02 harmonie du so
03 彼方
04 窓辺
05 memoria
06 ベランダにて
07 faraway
08 光景
09 dialogo
10 音楽のある風景
11 twilight
12 カーテンコール
13 The Light

Haruka Nakamura is a composer in Tokyo, Japan, and was born in 1982. As a child, Haruka learned to play keyboard and guitar on his own. He has been weaving his soothing acoustical sounds since 2006.

An emerging talent on the Japanese independent electro-acoustic scene, haruka nakamura's second solo outing refines the lyrical, pastoral imagery that inspired his first album "grace". Recorded in a studio overlooking the ocean as a tribute to the sight of the expiring sun falling slowly over the horizon at dusk, "twilight" is a sustained reverie that mirrors the dwindling rays of light at day's end with its subtle variations in timbre and texture.

The brassy shimmer of ARAKI Shin's sax opens the first track "Yuube no Inori" (Evening Prayer, M1), swelling languidly as the orchestra slowly unfurls around it like a resplendent sunset. Throughout the album, haruka nakamura coaxes a startling range of tonal color out of piano phrases that twinkle, patter and shuffle through a variety of compositions and tempos - the gentle march of "harmonie du soir" (M2); the somnolent haze of "On the Verandah" (M6) punctuated by drowsy stutters and cicadas muttering all around you; the reverberations of your languishing pulse as night starts to fall in "faraway" (M7). isao saito's sensitive percussion offers subdued but confident support throughout - dwindling to a hush as the fading rays of the sun dissipate in the crisp night air.

The middle of the album - "Koukei" (Sight, M8) and "dialogo" (M9), in particular - wanders off on a short jaunt into looser, ethereal territory. The furtive meandering of the soprano saxophone by akira uchida, roving itinerant chords, airy percussion and carefully-spaced sustain and release of the pedal are reminiscent of acoustic ambient jazz of ECM. Closing the album, however, are two melody-driven vocal tracks: "twilight", a gentle flicker of a ballad that rises and ebbs with April Lee's (aspidistrafly) fluttering, half-whispered vocals, and Janis crunch's acoustic arpeggio-driven elegy in tribute to the dwindling of "The Light".　　

Under Byen - Alt Er Tabt (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Experimental, Electrocoustic, Female-Vocal, Denmark
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Tracklist :

01. 8
02. Territorium
03. Alt er tabt
04. Sa?ledes
05. Ikke latteren men ojeblikket lige efter
06. Unoder
07. Konstant
08. Er noget smukt glemt findes det muligvis endnu
09. Kapitel
10. Protokol

Under Byen are a Danish band founded in 1995 mainly by Katrine Stochholm and Henriette Sennenvaldt.

Under Byen (Danish for “Below the City”) are known for producing their own unorthodox interpretation of rock (but it could also be indie, folktronic, trip-hop, post rock or… something else). They rarely use guitars. Instead their soundscape is dominated by piano, cello, violin, electrically-distorted saw, organ, drums and percussion. A somewhat different vein of post-rock, infused with jazzy, folky and classical elements. An important part of the music is also the voice of Henriette Sennenvaldt, whose poetic Danish lyrics add a further mysterious allure to the mix.

The 1999 debut album “Kyst” impressed music critics, who applauded the band for creating their own style and tone. The second album “Det Er Mig Der Holder Træerne Sammen” (2002) was equally praised and has grown to become a hallmark for the band and helped reach a wider audience in Denmark and elsewhere. In 2004 it was re-released outside Denmark. In 2006 the band released their album “Af Samme Stof som Stof” to rave reviews.

Far from being a mainstream act Under Byen has nevertheless attracted a growing devoted fan base following the release of their two albums and intense live shows.

Under Byen’s influences are very diverse. Leadsinger Henriette Sennenvaldt has been quoted as saying she was inspired by traffic. And if “Kyst” would be said to have a theme it would probably be water and harbours. They rarely cite any direct musical influences, but on occasion band members have expressed their fondness for artists such as Stina Nordenstam, Björk, Tori Amos, Sigur Rós, Tom Waits, Mogwai, Mark Hollis and Talk Talk. The band also have strong similarities with Portishead.

Clogs - Veil Waltz EP (2010)

Genre : Electrocoustic, Classical, Experimental
Myspace
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Tracklist :

1. Turn the River: Celeste Theme
2. Turn the River: Mandola Theme
3. On the Edge (feat. Shara Worden)
4. Veil Waltz
5. Turn 13
6. Three-Two
7. Colony Theme
8. Guitar 13
9. Parallel Man

Veil Waltz is the eagerly anticipated prologue to Clogs' fifth album, The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton, a song-cycle composed by Padma Newsome. Their first album of songs after four instrumental releases, The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton includes special guests Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan Stevens, the Osso String Quartet, and Aaron Dessner and Matt Berninger of The National.

Clogs are four musicians from the United States and Australia whose work traverses time and place and through which seemingly disparate influences are seamlessly drawn in. They compose and improvise using sounds and textures from across the musical spectrum - the immediacy of folk and rock music, twisted Americana, the complexity of modern composition.

Flica - Telepathy Dreams (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Electronica, Electrocoustic, Experimental, Malaysia
Myspace
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Tracklist :

1 Commes
2 Drun
3 Hie
4 In Dreams
5 Ind
6 Istatic
7 Midnight Waving
8 Seing
9 Stairs

“IN THE ABSENCE OF TELEPATHY, THERE WILL BE NO TRACES OF US IN OUR HEARTS, AND PERHAPS ONLY IN DREAMS, THE SPLENDOR WILL REMAIN.”

Those are the beautiful words that only Flica can deliver through his music. With the release of Flica’s latest effort, Telepathy Dreams, he explores your soul and mind on a level only he can explore. This self-released ambient and modern classic album takes on a serious musical approach. Telepathy Dreams showcases a darker side of Flica, as compared to his previous releases such as Windvane & Window and Nocturnal.

Listening to this new album would be like a reflection of flipping through black and white photographs, which is both warm and cold. This flipside of intense emotions is prevailed through this 9-tracks album. Flica is taking on an emotional journey and you this album prove to be exceptional. The entirety of Telepathy Dreams is produced, recorded, arranged, programmed, mixed and designed by Euseng Seto a.k.a. Flica himself. Started in November 2008 and completed in June 2009, this album is a musical avant garde. ~whitenoiserecords

Mitsuyoshi Matsuda - Scene (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Electrocoustic, Experimental, Japan
Myspace
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Tracklist :

01. Hirune 1:46
02. Curtain 3:50
03. Park 1:27
04. Evening Melody 3:28
05. Calm 2:45
06. Shizukana Umi 5:48
07. Secret Door 4:20

I don’t have a description for this artist yet, care to help ? :)

A Dancing Beggar - What We Left Behind (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Electrocoustic, Electronica, Experimental, Post-rock, Shoegaze, UK
Myspace
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Tracklist :

1 Prelude
2 The First Day of Spring
3 Sand Between Our Toes
4 Branches and Nettles
5 22 Summers
6 We Flew Over England's Fields
7 Daytrip to Glynde
8 Our Distant Memories, Our Idle Dreams
9 Dawn Breaks, New Beginnings
10 Skinny Trees
11 Llywelyn's Remorse

A Dancing Beggar is the musical project of 21-year-old musician, James Simmons. Having played a mixture of drums and guitar in previous bands, a solo project seemed the next step in achieving other creative goals. Using just a laptop, a couple of guitars and a cheap microphone, everything is written, recorded, mixed and produced in his bedroom.

Influenced by seminal post-rock artists like Maps, Sigur Ros, Amusement Parks On Fire, and Epic45, A Dancing Beggar began in summer 2007. After the purchase of some recording equipment a number of songs were written, recorded and distributed across MySpace. It wasn’t until early 2008 that a collection of songs seemed to link together for a possible release. These were recorded and subsequently turned into the 5 track EP ‘How They Grow’ which has been described by The Stool Pigeon as a ‘post rock treat’. In late 2008 the entire EP was re-mixed, and on the 23rd February 2009 Grand Independent released ‘How They Grow’, as a 6 track EP on iTunes. ‘How They Grow’ takes elements of post-rock and shoegaze and has been compared to the sounds of Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Ulrich Schnauss and July Skies.

As of March 2009, work had begun on new songs for A Dancing Beggar’s eagerly anticipated full-length album, ‘What We Left Behind’. These songs are more acoustic based, less distorted and euphoric with emphasis on a more organic sound. Composed and mixed by James, all eleven tracks were recorded in James’ bedroom again using an acoustic and electric guitar, microphone and laptop, between November 2008 and June 2009. This time incorporating field recordings by artists Peter Caeldries, Adam Danz and Cynthia Lawson, samples of which can be heard on ‘Our Distant Memories’, ‘Skinny Trees’ and ‘Branches and Nettles’. Notably an extract of ‘Day 16 - Recall Your Favorite Childhood Memory’ by Cynthia Lawson, a story about how she nearly jumped into a swimming pool with no water in it when she was very young. Such samples only compliment the ethereal sounds of ‘What We Left Behind’, marking a turning point in the maturity of A Dancing Beggar’s music which in most parts navigates around the concept of nostalgia.

Folkaholic - OneTwoThree EP / Demo (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Soundsacaping, Post-rock, Electrocoustic, Indonesia
Myspace

Tracklist :

01 – niks song
02 – missing football time
03 – rainfall
04 – october sky

Folkaholic was formed in 2009 as an experimental music project from Harriz Jati (mic.o.wave) and Pratomo (As We Are). Folkaholic is a music composition that combines kinds of music genre. They always try to develop their sounds to be more comfortable for those who are listening to Folkaholic songs and to help people rest their minds by hearing Folkaholic songs.

Folkaholic is trying to make some music that definitely describes what message they want to deliver. Each of their songs describes what they feel when they were making those songs. They will always try to make songs that are easy listening and honest.

[me]Despite the low quality of the mp3s, the songs are amazing. Beautiful, Comforting, Relaxing.

Alcoholic Faith Mission - 421 Wythe Avenue (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Electronica, Electrocoustic, Folk, Pop, Ambient, Experimental, Post-rock, Denmark
Myspace
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Tracklist

01 Theme From Soft Ice Cream Products
02 Gently
03 Nut In Your Eye
04 We All Have Your Shortcomings
05 Escapism
06 Guilty Scared Eyes
07 Painting Animals In Watercolors
08 Someone Else
09 Did You Eat
10 Sweet Evelyn
11 Time

Denmark has established itself as a sanctuary for offbeat pop musicians. I was easily won over by Slaraffenland's "Private cinema" and Larsen & Furious Jane's "Zen sucker", to name just a few, and it is within this eccentric, peripheral vein of pop music that Alcoholic Faith Mission exist. On "Gently", which begins (and continues on as) a lavish, beautifully layered composition, a female vocalist delicately sings: "Just 'cause I'm a whore, you know it doesn't mean I don't feel it when you fuck me." This strange juxtaposition of the beautiful and the base continues on in the next track, "Nut in your eye", a track that by name alone should be on a throwaway hip-hop album, but in substance falls not too far from the realm of Broken Social Scene. "421 Wythe Avenue", while moving away from the resplendent/sexual parallelisms, continues on musically in much the same way as the opening tracks -- ethereally layered electronic elements and vocals, solid acoustic and electric guitar work, all tethered to shifting centers and uncertain musical landscapes. There is a tragic beauty here, one that blends the emotional registers of Mixtapes & Cellmates and Moonbabies, yet remains quite distinctively an original construct, and it is this ingenuity that sets Alcoholic Faith Mission apart from many of their contemporaries.

Your Hand In Mine - Every Night Dreams OST (2008) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Experimental, Electronica, Electrocoustic, Greece
Myspace
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Tracklist :

1 Intro
2 Waitress Omitsu Came Back
3 On the Way Home
4 Calendar
5 At the Bar 1
6 Neighbours
7 The Stranger
8 Tea Time
9 Sudative Luminareten
10 Apprentice Workmen Needed
11 At the Bar 2
12 Father & Son
13 At the Bar 3
14 A Walk
15 No Luck With Jobs
16 Dinner
17 Fumio
18 The Decision
19 Siren
20 Please, Surrender
21 Take Care Of Our Son
22 Outro

Your Hand In Mine consists of two students, Manos Milonakis and George Papadopoulos, from Thessaloniki, Greece, and play beautiful ambient, experimental music . They have taken their name from the a song of Explosions in the Sky. Their first self-titled album (EP) was released in 2007 in a 100 handmade cd copies. In the summer of 2007, they composed original music for Mikio Naruse’s (or here) silent masterpiece Every Night Dreams which they presented live at Thessaloniki’s International Film Festival in November. Every Night Dreams was officially released by Inner Ear label in 2008. There were supporting band in important gigs in Greece the past 2 years: Max Richter, Tuxedomoon and Manyfingers. Don't miss this one! Absolutely brilliant!

Wixel - Clouds (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Electronica, Electrocoustic, Downtempo
Myspace
Download
or You can listen to/download the record in its entirety (and freely) Here!

Tracklist :

01. Cloud Formation
02. Rising Clouds
03. Cloud Fields
04. In Clouds
05. Fog Rainbow

Wixel is the indietronica outfit of young Belgian Wim Maesschalck. His music can be described as a warm & organic mix of acoustic instruments and gentle electronic treatments with a lot of care for detail and subtle nuances. Comparisons have been made to bands ranging from Hood to Fennesz, from Manyfingers to Sigur Rós.

From Wixel :
This is the second edition - February - of my awesome and/or stupid 2009 project. For those unaware of the project: It’s a challenge in which I force myself to record and release a record within each month of the year 2009. Read the news about the project, here!

Unlike the January edition called “Winter” there were no constraints for this record, but I quickly felt like I wanted to continue with an idea for music I already touched in “The Aesthetics of Clouds” which you can find on “Winter”. Dense yet soft sounds, slowly moving and progressing, a bit like ... clouds. Most of the songs rely heavily on a sort of tape delay plugin I have, which I fed any sound I felt was appropriate for coloring the cloud. Some compositions are more electronic, others more acoustic, but always cloudy. As you guessed by know, the record is titled “Clouds”. Comparing it to other artists is not so easy, but I would guess a mellow Tim Hecker drone might come close, or maybe you can sense a little bit of similarity to a Stars of the Lid or Mountains composition. I tried to make it drone out, lots of fuzzy/blurry sounds with an undercurrent of melancholic melodies. You should probably listen if this sounds a bit vague.

Paniyolo - I'm Home (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Acoustic, Ambient, Electrocoustic, Experimental
Myspace
Preview

Tracklist :

1. 記憶 (Memory)
2. Green & Cloud
3. 雨 (Rain)
4. Sheep
5. Reverie
6. Onigocco
7. Sunday
8. Snow Country
9. 暮らし (Life)
10. Room
11. おかえり (Okaeri)
12. …
13. 日々 (Daily)

Paniyolo is the working name of a Japanese musician called Muneki Takasaka.

As for schole 8th feature release 1st full album of musician paniyolo of expectation. That timbre which is lined to certain technology exceeding the generation and sex, you see in the chest of the person who is heard cross. Quite, you talk by the timbre of the guitar, it is finished in the masterpiece like one story. Although making the times feel, now, to universality the rare work collection which had the certain story characteristic which is connected. In addition now as a guest also Ryodo Yamamoto of Ayumu Haitani of Kaede Mira and 4 bonjour's parties, Tomomi Shikano and schole superintendence Akira Kosemura and nica, Toshiaki Hamada and Haruka Nakamura and others participate in the work.

[me]Relaxing & Comforting sound... beautiful =)

Wixel - Winter (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Electronica, Electrocoustic, Downtempo
Myspace
Preview

Tracklist :

01. Acoustic Hum
02. The Bergeron Process
03. Winter Waltz #1
04. Dawn Chorus
05. Aesthetics Of Clouds
06. January 4th
07. Stumbling Music #2
08. Melsbroek
09. Winter Waltz #2
10. Vaarwel
11. Stumbling Music #1
12. Aerosan
13. Stumbling Music #3
14. Winter Sun
15. Reading Music

Wixel is the indietronica outfit of young Belgian Wim Maesschalck. His music can be described as a warm & organic mix of acoustic instruments and gentle electronic treatments with a lot of care for detail and subtle nuances. Comparisons have been made to bands ranging from Hood to Fennesz, from Manyfingers to Sigur Rós.

News From Wixel :

Hello there,

As some of you might recall, I had a project this year where I’d be releasing a new record each month. Well.. January comes to an end.. and so I’m happy to say the first record is ready. It’s called “Winter”. Before that: I’ve changed the 2009 project rules a bit. 1) “Record in one month, release in the same”. I thought that would be faster and easier. 2) It’s a limited affair after all, other wise I would get stuck in making extra copies, not having all the materials, worry about that stuff, etc… The limitedness is special though. Each month is limited to the amount of days it has in it. So, that means that for the January record, there are only 31 copies available. At the end of ‘o9, I should have 365 cd’s. :) - I thought that was fitting.

Anyways, without further blabla. You can listen to/download the record in its entirety (and freely) here. There’s the option to pay a little for the high quality download, up to you! Just know that I’m saving every penny I got for a decent pair of speakers. :) - If you want the physical copy, you’re in for a treat. It’s a cd-r in a cardboard box, all hand stamped + an insert + an eight page handmade and numbered booklet with pictures from a snowy belgium during the early days of January. It is really fancy, almost like a coffee table photo book, only a lot smaller. I’m selling them 10 euros a piece (+3 euro shipping). Just e-mail me at wimmaesschalck@gmail.com and we’ll get it sorted. Depending on free time, I’ll make a special page about it etc..

Anyways; below are some pictures of the physical thing + my preferred pieces. Get in touch!

[me]Come on !!! Lets support this awesome artist !!! =)

Hauschka - Snowflakes And Car Wrecks EP (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Experimental, Piano, Classical, Electrocoustic
Myspace
Preview

Tracklist :

1. Ginsterweg
2. Eisblume
3. Wonder
4. Tanz
5. Kindelsberg
6. Hauberg
7. Tagtraum

On the heels of Octobers Ferndorf album, Dusseldorf-based pianist / composer Volker Bertelmann (aka Hauschka) kicks of the new year with a beautiful extended EP of previously
unreleased material, all of which was recorded during the Ferndorf sessions. Featuring seven new tracks (five on the vinyl edition), the EP is a great follow-up to an album which has continued to draw widespread critical acclaim.

Where previous albums comprised mostly solo recordings of Hauschkas prepared piano (with a few electronic and instrumental overdubs), Ferndorf was a far more expansive and fully-realised album, with many of the tracks also featuring a string duo, enabling an increased solidity and an
expanded, rousing dynamism. Still retaining the shivers and tics (as by-products of) of the modified internal workings of the piano - alongside some sweet electronic touches - these are less central and instead whats foregrounded is the melodic / rhythmic push and pull, and a development towards more orchestrated music and notated compositions.

Having studied classical piano for ten years, Dusseldorf-based pianist / composer Volker Bertelmanns work as Hauschka is largely based upon a playful exploration of the possibilities of the prepared piano - an adventurous intervention into the preconceived idea of the piano as a pure-toned, perfected instrument simply waiting for a gifted virtuoso to play on it. His resulting tracks are vivid, unconventional pieces made in a spirit of playful research-enthusiasm.

Flica - Nocturnal (2008) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Electrocoustic, Experimental
Myspace
Preview

Tracklist :

01. all
02. mid
03. walk
04. light
05. well
06. find
07. fucir
08. back
09. say
10. y

flica is an electro-acoustic outfit produced by euseng seto from the evolving music scene of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Born in 1982, he begun his exquisite journey in conceptualizing and producing delicate home-brew music since 2005 with his first electronica duo project muxu with member huat liang.

Having realized the need to explore further and experiment with his own music style, euseng seto started flica in early 2007, solely crafting and producing music on his own. As a result, the subtle sounds that flica creates are exceptionally melodic and uncomplicated, which perfectly mirroring his perceptions towards daily personal feelings on life and nature.

Nocturnal, in much the same vein as his debut, Windvane and Window, is a collection of sparsely-titled snippets of IDM melancholia courtesy of Euseng Seto which promises to warm cockles and melt hearts no matter how low the temperatures outside might be sinking. Fortunately, gone are the wispy and forgettable voices that pervaded his first record and acted as the sole obstacles to its excellence. In their place stand beats of even more delectable glitchiness than ever before and layers of immensely tasteful sampling and keyboard playing, as would perhaps be expected of one for whom both Akira Kosemura and Haruka Nakamura have previously provided remixes.

There is not a single aspect of this album which escapes without being shrouded in a halcyon haze or imbued with a wholeheartedly Keatsian melancholy. Even the kick sounds feel rounded and unobtrusive, in direct contrast to the slightly clinical and aggressive kicks that are often to be found on otherwise similar records. I have no doubt that some will view this similarity of feel and sound across all of the tracks as a hallmark of dreaded predictability, but considering the way in which Flica's work stands out from many others in the IDM crowd in terms of its ability to utilize complexity in an extraordinarily accessible and comprehensible manner, I feel it unfair and, indeed, mistaken to think of it as anything other than consistency.

On the point of complexity, Nocturnal is one of those records which requires particularly intent and repeated listening in order to fully appreciate that it is considerably more elaborate and intricate than first impressions might suggest. ~~ TSB

Giuseppe Ielasi - Aix (2009)

Genre : Experimental, Electrocoustic, Glitch, Ambient
Myspace Last.fm
Preview

Tracklist :

01.
02.
03.
04.
05.
06.
07.
08.
09 .

Apparently mining his own aural Sutton Hoo, Giuseppe Ielasi is an Italian experimental guitarist and electronic botherer, who pulls all sorts of musical styles from the trench labelled ‘Gesine’. Coming across as partially improvised, ‘Gesine’ is Ielasi’s first solo work since 2003’s ‘Plan’s, and is again witness to a veritable cornucopia of finds. Ranging from shuffling Bert Jansch folk and diet-drone, through to glitch plagued bass and waterlogged guitars, ‘Gesine’ is superficially sepulchral, but penetrate the surface and it’s an eclectic oasis of melodious rectitude.

Aix is the latest work from Giuseppe Ielasi and the follow-up to 2007’s August (12k, 12k1044). WIth Aix we see Ielasi building his layered, atmospheric music around rhythmic grids. Most of the time these are quite irregular and the pulses are not neccessarily stable or clear. Where his previous work approached sound in a linear fashion Aix imposes a strong vertical development with the aforementioned grid and a production consisting of ons and offs, employing as much improvisation as Ielasi’s previous work, but in a different way.

Despite the self-imposed grid structure, Aix relies heavily on randomization. Not in the traditional sense of sound placement but instead of the spatialization of sounds, echoes, reverbs and the stereo image. As a result, Aix has an amazing sense and clarity of space as the small fragments of sound breathe and find their own place in the mix, thanks to Ielasi’s sublime skills as a mixer and engineer.

Ielasi relied heavily on numerous short samples and combining them in ways that fell into his groove; some found from others' recordings and many more recorded during the past year. We hear fragments of percussive (acoustic) objects, drums, piano, trumpet, guitar, and, of course, synthetic textures. Although there is a distinct rhythmic pulse to Aix, Ielasi manages to mold it into something wonderfully languid and warm... and strangely inviting.