Lou Rogai
“Implications in D Major; Adagio for Chamber Strings” by Lou Rogai is released on Los Société Expéditionnaire, a label that has been around since 2006 which models itself on inspirational labels such as Dischord, Factory, Stax and Art Monk Construction. Rogai is known for being a composer, producer and musician for Lewis & Clark and their Art Pop/ Avant Folk.
“Implications in D Major; Adagio for Chamber Strings” – I have stated before about my lack of musical knowledge when it comes to things like composition and musical theory. Thanks to the press notes on this I am aware of the change in this string quartet with the substitution of a Double Bass alongside Violin, Cello and Viola.
The first movement in a five movement work, “Implications….” is full of lush strings that layer and weave around each other, with a gentle pace which brings out the quality of the tone of the instruments, but also heightens the moods created. There are sections with emotion dripping from the strings, but it never strays into overwrought territory. The construction of the piece draws the listener in and in a way leaves the listener waiting for the next movement to start straight after this finishes, it is that enticing. Hopefully the remaining movements won’t be left for long as the anticipation is already there to hear them.
Enrico Coniglio and Christian Di Vito present a two-track split digital release on the 1834 net label based in North- Rhine, Westphalia, Germany. Coniglio last featured on this blog with his My Home Sinking release, while Di Vito is a new name for me.
“This Summer” by Enrico Coniglio, the bandcamp page warns of high frequencies and they are not wrong. Coniglio’s piece is full of sine wave tone, glitches and noises at various levels of sound that is constantly evolving and is a style I am not that familiar from him. Definitely residing in the experimental/electroacoustic sphere, this is more listeners who are more interested in textures and sounds than musical progressions.
“That Summer” by Christian Di Vito like Coniglio’s piece is rather minimalist, but his piece has the glacial pace of a forthcoming storm that is enveloped in sound. As a contrast to Coniglio’s which uses high frequencies and has a lot of space, Di Vito uses lower tones with less space, but the subtlety of progressions is more noticeable with headphones. Normally the changes would not be as obvious , but with deep listening their qualities are revealed.
If you are a fan of long form experimental and drone music, this free download release could be for you.
https://soundcloud.com/1834label/et-032-1
https://soundcloud.com/1834label/et-032-2
Dream Logic
“Combining piano, strings, electric guitar and filed recordings with drones and ethereal textures generated by lo-fi sampling and manipulation. Drifting between intimate melodies, warm ambient soundscapes and crushing walls of sound, Dream Logic creates an immersive, emotive experience. “Dream Logic” is the debut release from composer, pianist and guitarist Adam Fulford (formerly of Bristol Post Rock band This Is My Normal State).”
“Take Me With You” kaleidoscope of sound opens the Ep before string drones welcome scattering percussive sounds, dirty bass and drums lead the track in a distinctly post rock vein. The music soars leading to a crescendo as those percussive elements sounding like guns going off explode around and the sound pulls back a series of string and guitar drones alongside a wonky piano which leads the track into a sort of reprise with a sense of finality at the end with the dense piano thumps.
“Voyage” wind squall sounding drones and piano create an introspective opening before the strings come in with long drones at time having an alt country feel about them. Minimal occasional percussion beats in like someone banging a metal bucket. The drones and the piano work exceptionally well together before things start to get warped and manipulated, giving the track an off kilter feel.
“Wilson” howling , strings, electronics, piano, guitars and cello construct a track that is equal parts drone and modern classical. With a twelve-minute duration the track can go through several movements with experimental sections using metallic percussion, piano and backwards electronics leading through to totally orchestral section fusing violin and viola. This leads through to a darker, noisier section that builds texture through the strings and drones with a weight transitioning to a stormy section with minimal stark piano. The final section is a winding down drone with flickers of sound.
“Dream Logic” is good debut, the only thing hampering it is the sound quality could be just a bit more vibrant and clearer, which would make it more effective.
Federico Dal Pozzo
Federico Dal Pozzo is a Turin based concrete composer and musician. With a past based in percussion and musical studies “His works, appointed “Untitled_” are based upon concrete objects and the transfiguration and perception of the sound and audio-spatialization. He’s a Sound Designer in various theatre and dance companies in Italy, France, Belguim and Israel. He works in various Italian Foundations for Audio-Installations and Live Performance (Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Castello di Rivoli, Promotrice dell Belle Arti…)”
“Untitled_VNZ” is a piece coming in at just under 50 minutes that covets a great amount of musical distance mainly broken down into movements or sections that fuse together. It is a free form piece that lies in the experimental / electroacoustic style with field recordings, drones, glitches, noises constantly evolving throughout the piece. There are build ups, use of space, silences and walls of sound. Occasionally more traditional instrumentation seem to come in, but for the whole this feels more akin to the likes of Francisco Lopez and a sound art piece than a musical one.
For fans of longform experimental sounds, this has a particularly clear mastering by label boss Francis M. Gir.
Yndi Halda
“While yndi halda have previously worn the mantles of instrumental and post-rock music, especially with their 2006 debut Enjoy Eternal Bliss, their recent movements have occupied considerably broader territories. The closely crafted vocal harmonies and new musicalities of Under Summer have been continued in A Sun-Coloured Shaker, but their form is now embedded into a symbiotic world in which a love of true songwriting, meticulous post-classical arrangement, contemporary indie, choral music, and transcendent long form structure coexist.”
The Greek Sound in Silence label have a varied roster and not just rooted in Ambient/Drone and have an interest in ‘song’ and ‘lyrical’ music (see the recent Sweeney album for example). yndi halda pursue a lyrical based post rock style with tribal elements. By tribal I am meaning the positioning of the drumming which i feel is central to the track and propels it through the song. The label have brought to focus the repeating lyrical section of “Like a terrible comet coming to hit Earth, and writing a list of things you would save first” as being as descriptive as the band’s music covering “sadness, lament, sorrow, but also full of light and ablutions, delivered with joyousness.”
The twelve-minute track utilizes double vocals, guitar, bass, drums and violin to creative a piece which traverses musical territory, remaining engaging through out. The track includes mournful violin that cuts a swathe across the music, slashing guitar drones, military style percussion, tremolo styled guitar flourishes. It excels in the use of pace and space, with the majority of the track given space to breath, while at times for the music to soar, soar it does indeed without sounding busy. Midway through the track there is a breakdown section which focuses on the violin and then brings back the multi tracked vocals to the fore, focusing on that line and going through an ambient section that introduces piano to the mix and focuses on the guitar and violin drones cascading across the soundscape. The finale section of the track is where the band get cinematic. It would be quite easy to get predictable and head into the quiet/loud dynamic, but they wisely steer clear of it.
“A Sun Coloured Shaker” is right up the alley for fans of melodic post rock that has a touch of lyrical poetry.
øejRum
“Stilhedens Strømmen I Fuglenes Blod” (published as a self-release in 2015) is a brave acoustic guitar suite, delicate and magnetic, recorded in a perfect balance between ambient and folk. The result is spiritual and meditative flow where the listener can dive and let himsel be lulled by repeating melodies, evocative small variations and a great hypnotic style.”
øjeRUM is the work of the prolific Danish artist Paw Grabowski whose music has appeared on labels such as Unknown Tone, Midira, Eilean Rec, Fluid Audio and others. He’s equally known for his collages that have appeared on his and other releases.
“Stilhedens Strømmen I Fuglenes Blod” which translates to “The Flow Of Silence In The Blood Of Birds” is a single thirty minute piece with lo-fi sounds that feel like you are listening to an old warped cassette. Field recordings join acoustic guitar and minor drones to give off a folk feel. Layers of guitars and sounds such as chimes give off a feeling of loneliness and solitude. With the repetition of the piece it can become hypnotic and with the space in the recording, the track allowed to breathe and space for other elements to filter in. That said when it got to the final five minutes is when my interest rose as much as I like minimal music, on this piece I was craving bit more interaction from drones, field recordings or other instruments.
Jules
“Jules is a new anonymous project. Through the use of different kind of technologies, instruments and attitudes, the project aims to create a mysterious and fantastic author, called Jules who will propose to the listeners a dreaming atmosphere and persona far from reality, living in exotic and non-existent spatiotemporal dimensions. Jules is the spontaneity of the imagination and storytelling.”
“Paris, 1870. My first trip in a hot air balloon.” Howling noises and synth drones open this release with an emphasis on long form drone sections that lightly overlap. The music has a muted tone that gives it a cavernous sound with slight little melody touches being added here and there until the track starts adding in lighter tone drones. The drones have a certain weight to them which allows them to resonate. Flickers of electronic change shape and poke through the drones as does dubby percussive sounds. If this is supposed to be a figurative exploration in hot air balloon, the drones are suited to this theme with their howl like sound.
“Stories of long journeys in Indochina” electronic chimes move around with warped electronics that blip and oscillate with a variety of tones from quiet to harsh. Gritty sounds scratch around in the background before a section of beats and more warped electronics remind me of the cult new wave film Liquid Sky and minimal 80’s experimental synth. The music moves more drone sections that sound muddy with clearing undefinable sounds and pulsing warping their way across the remainder of the piece with an electroacoustic touch.
I find it hard to put my finger on the music of Jules as it tends to flirt on different directions, but steers clear of most. I guess experimental/ drone/electroacoustic is as close as you will get while still being miles off the mark.
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Drifting, Almost Falling. 