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Posts tagged electronic

Muslimgauze vs. Species of Fishes

May23
2010 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

Interesting remix of the original tracks from Species of Fishes albums “Songs of a Dumb World” and “Trip Trap” were utilized throughout this rather lengthy 56 minute jaunt into experimental music land. Muslimgauze is known for their Arabic influences and brooding electronica with an interesting mixing technique. They shed some of that here with shimmering electronic stabs and manic looping techniques that have sometimes only percolated in the backdrop of past endeavors. I found this remix album to be fantastic and totally fascinating. Worth a deep dive for the adventuresome music listener for sure.

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Chris Connelly – How This Ends

May23
2010 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

Two tracks written as a non-song but one long-form poem that is both spoken word and sung lyrics by Chris Connelly and his varied assembly of guests, “How This Ends” is the soundtrack to doom and melancholy. Featuring contributors such as Sugar Bullet’s Izi Coonagh, Tania Bowers of Via  Tania fame, Bill Rieflin known for his diverse work with bands such as R.E.M., Ministry, and Swans, and David Levine, “How This Ends” is a stark soundscape devoid of true composition but glowing red with the pulse of improvisation and controlled chaos. There is more than just harsh white noise and penetrating terror; indeed there are sinewy lines of piano, synth pads, and underlying rhythms. But it all centers around the poem, a flowing free-verse of intrigue and a glimpse inside the melting pot of Connelly’s genius and showcases him as a Renaissance Man and artist. Perfect for the left-of-center crowd who strives to find a unique gem out there.

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Black Sun Productions and Val Denham – Somewhere Between Desire and Despair

May11
2010 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

Trangendered artist famous for paintings for Psychic TV album releases and more recently for her self-released lo-fi albums, Val Denham collaborates with Black Sun Productions for this brooding and dank experimental electronic excursion. Beginning the album is a spoken word reading of Charles Dickens “A Tale of Two Cities” with a Coil-esque backdrop drone. No surprise on the Coil reference as Massimo and Pierce have their tight ties with Coil in the past. Sexual undertones perverse the soundtrack collapsing words into a separate entity that is both instrument and vision all at once. Industrialized rhythms dominate some of the tracks while the druggy green visions of “Absinthe” portend their influence with cooled keyboards and manipulated loops.

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Maurizio Bianchi – YNOHPMYS

May11
2010 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

Astonishingly gripping dark ambient and noise that is filtered through brainy nuances of druggy soundscapes, Maurizio Bianchi’s latest on Tourette Records (I’ve never heard of a more fitting moniker for an experimental music record label). There’s a depth here yet an urgent sense of brevity that counterbalances each of the six tracks. Not to say that these are quick ballads of bright white noise; indeed the shortest is just a tad under 8 minutes in length. Instead each tune focuses on a sense of manic solitude wrapped in looping and manipulated electronic pulses and waves. Beautiful, sad, and emotional, “YNOHPMYS” will challenge everything you previously thought about experimental music living up to ‘symphony’ the backwards album title suggests.

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Slow Six – Tomorrow Becomes You

Jan03
2010 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

Slow Six

When people mutter the word “crossover” in regards to music, I find it usually is a reference to two possibilities – one being that it’s a “nu-metal” type band from the ‘90s in the vein of Korn or Deftones or hell even Limp Bizkit, and the second being even worse, an excuse for not being able to write music that’s good, thus using a genre crutch to get by the simple fact that your band can’t write anything cohesive or imaginative. Slow Six has convinced me that there’s a third; a genuine crossover that crosses the genres of classical in the traditional sense with electronic music in the semi-traditional sense – and I’ve found that more and more bands in this hybrid genre are being self-referential when saying the ‘c’ word. Interesting how music and the verbiage to describe it constantly is evolving, huh?

Slow Sick - Tomorrow Becomes You

Slow Six – Tomorrow Becomes You

The music of this breed is one that is both a stripped down and raw acoustic-electro experiment that refuses to abandon the structures that classical music has eschewed for a handful of centuries now. “Tomorrow Becomes You” is somewhat prophetic in this sense, offering a new style of minimalism that darts and dashes through high-brow melodies harmonious with slow-building cacophonies of sound that simply overwhelm the senses. Crafting soundscapes this rich and surrounding, almost to the point of sonic suffocation is no doubt a challenge, but one that Slow Six has raised the bar in creating. Even more elating that the timeless pieces of music that the group has composed is the fact that Christopher Tignor, who is both the band’s violinist and resident software engineer, has released his custom written music software to the general public available for free on their website. Stunning people, stunning. This is a must-have for 2010 – they’re touring in support of “Tomorrow Becomes You” and if you are lucky enough to see one of their shows, please leave comments, I’d be fascinated to know what that experience is like.

Listen and watch a live rendition of “Echolalic Transitions” as performed on WFMU:

Slow Six – “The Pulse of This Skyline with Lightning Like Nerves” with video art by Shimpei Takeda:

Recommended If You Like: Philip Glass, Brian Eno, Tortoise, and The Dirty Three

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Sektor 304 – Soul Cleansing

Nov07
2009 1 Comment Written by J-Sin

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Frigid synthetic unmelodies collide with industrial-sized caustic noise and abrasive metal clanks and clicks forge the audible nightmare that is “Soul Cleansing”. Sektor 304 is industrial in the vein of early era Einsturzende Neubauten, Godflesh, and Clock DVA (Jeffrey Dahmer’s favorite band). Noise and apocalypse never sounded so uninviting and yet so seductive. Atmospheric blends of soundscapes with percussion that hammers away at your eardrums, tantalizing your soul. If Sektor 304 sounds like a nightmare factory that’s because it is – this assembly line is one that builds the robots of the future that take over Earth and obliterate Mankind.

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Tiesto – Kaleidoscope

Nov05
2009 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

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Tiesto has played all across the globe. He has played the Olympics. The DJ has been nominated for a Grammy for his last artist album, “Elements of Life”. He has also been recognized among his peers as the world’s most renowned DJ with some of DJ’s most coveted awards. And still he does not rest on his laurels. Stick another feather in his crowded cap with the launch of his new gem, “Kaleidoscope”; a full-fledged journey of sound produced and written by this magnificent electronic wizard. Proving he is not just another vinyl slinger, his production, engineering, mixing, and writing is peerless. While often rooting himself in the melodic trance and dance styles, he builds off of it, collaborating with other renowned artists and singer/songwriters from various groups representing some of the best of pop and rock, all along the way to forge perfect odes of electronic joy. This adventure kicks off with a guest spot featuring Sigur Ros’s singer Jonsi Jónsi Birgisson from Sigur Rós – as you may expect, it’s otherworldly and an intriguing listen. Other guests include Bloc Party, Nelly Furtado, CC Sheffield, Cary Brothers, and Tegan & Sara among many others. The big singles are “Escape Me” with CC Sheffield, “ I Will Be Here”, featuring Sneaky Sound System, “Here on Earth” with the Cary Brothers, and “Louder Than Boom” is rumored to big another smash single. Things get really intense around “Fresh Fruit”, a wall to wall banger, that straps you in proper for the rest of the ride of the last half of the album. Tiesto provides a steady rhythm and beat to go along with his smooth melodies and beautifully sung harmonies. It always amazes me how much Tiesto is ahead of the curve in dance music, and “Kaleidoscope” once again provides the framework for the next several years of dance music to build off of.

Follow Tiesto on Twitter.

Watch “Escape Me” w/CC Sheffield:

Watch a great behind the scenes video on making the video for “Escape Me”:

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Dead Voices on Air – Fast Falls the Eventide

Sep05
2009 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

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Mark Spybey is one of the biggest geniuses in the post-industrial music scene. His 11th album under the Dead Voices on Air moniker is yet another giant leap forward for mankind’s adventures in sound. “Fast Falls the Eventide” is a meticulous carving out of aural inspirations dotted with spectral soundscapes, huge rhythms, and masterful experimentations. The 2nd disc is actually a re-release of the long out of print 1994 cassette-only release “Abrader” that was launched on Japanese label G.R.O.S.S. The second disc also features two previously unreleased tracks collaborating with cEvin Key (Skinny Puppy, Download, Doubting Thomas) with Key’s interesting melting of a moog synthesizer and banging on a barrel drum with Mark’s odd backdrop of noise and musical alliteration. Spybey’s music has long been a personal inspiration for me, whether it was his forays with Download, the atmospheric intrigue of :Zoviet France:, or his collaboration with Robin Storey (Rapoon) in his side project Reformed Faction. Ranging from caustic missionaries of mania to nightmarish dream soundtracks or sparsely woven ambient tapestries, Spybey always seems to hit on all cylinders. Catchy it is not, absolutely essential it for sure is. The main disc of the release is a lengthy node of winded and sweeping synthesizers, aural ambience, manipulated samples, and nested noise. Truly a caricature of perfected post-industrial compositions, “Fast Falls the Eventide” may very well be one of the most interesting releases of 2009.

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Paul Van Dyk – Volume

Jul20
2009 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

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“Volume” is Paul Van Dyk’s “best of” album; PVD’s career can be best summed by simply uttering ‘wow’. The first CD are all songs that he produced alongside guest appearances and performers. Simply stunning. This CD is fully mixed so it’s a seamless experience. Ranging from such gems as “For an Angel” that boasts a new mix for ’09 to the melodic uplifting club mix of “Home” to the grimy yet sexy “New York City” featuring Austin Leeds and Starkillers with Ashley Tomberlin, “Volume” churns forth a stew of progressive dance music that is noted as the upper echelon of the upper class of electronic music.

The second disc is comprised of re-rubs and remixes that Paul Van Dyk has compiled over the years. He can even make Britney Spears seem relevant and sound good on his reworking of “Gimme More”. Also noted additions include Binary Finary’s “1998”, U2’s “Elevation”, “Spooky” by New Order, Depeche Mode’s “Martyr”, and Timo Maas’ “Pictures”. Grammy-nominated and known globally as the world’s best DJ (Okay so what if he was only #3 – he was behind Tiesto who played at the Olympics!) – Paul Van Dyk has been at the top of his game for 15 years.

Featuring tracks from his great studio albums, “Seven Ways”, “Out There and Back”, “Reflections”, “In Between”, and 45 RPM”, “Volume” is a testament to the hard work and dedication of a great producer and DJ and points out his extensively grand catalog where each song is just as thrilling on the 100th listen as it was on the 1st. Brilliant and a total must-have for dance fans the world over.

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Silent Killer – Everyone Bleeds

Jul19
2009 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

silent-killer_everyone-bleeds

Drum-n-bass and jungle has found their new measuring stick upon which all future albums will be measured against. “Everyone Bleeds” is a dark journey through breaks, dark jungle, and symphonic electro house. “Rockers” is the defiant stand-out with its sharp cuts, deep drum dives, pulsing rhythm, and house-oriented beats. Sean Shah is Silent Killer and invites fellow act Submerged on for the ride with a fantastic re-rub of “Corpse”. “Savior” starts the album out on a pounce with dynamic jungle cuts and a bunch of stirring melodies. Also mega ups and propers to “The Great Machine” which is armed with lasting synths that are both uplifting and party-worthy. “Everyone Bleeds” is an astonishingly grand entry into the D&B field and will be a permanent member in my music rotation.

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