Headphone Commute | honest words on honest music

Bersarin Quartett

Methoden und Maschinen (Denovali)

… das Brausen des Geistes… ach brüllhaftes Leben…

By pulling the Bersarin sound out of the studio and throwing it out onto the stage, Bücker has created an aurally diverse, deeply emotional and hugely impressive work, revealing brightness and brilliance.

Track Premiere

Fluctuate

Shore

“… when you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in…“

Album Reviews

Penguin Cafe

Handfuls of Night (Erased Tapes)

“…even in the most remote silent places, music can still be a huge part of one’s internal world and imagination…”

Album Reviews

Hammock

Silencia (Hammock Music)

… a prelude to silence…

The third and final installment in the trilogy of records – Mysterium, Universalis, and now, Silencia

Sound Bytes

Bluetech, Suumhow, and Lee Gamble

Bluetech Holotrope I feel like the world has moved on from the psy-X influenced post-genres, although, …

Recitals

Marcus Fjellström

Schattenspieler (Miasmah)

Dark and moody, sad and beautiful, organic and ghostly, Schattenspieler, is an incredible achievement, that grows on you with every listen.

Album Reviews

Telefon Tel Aviv

Dreams Are Not Enough (Ghostly)

… hyper-modern sound design and smoky nocturnal emotion…

A complicated and emotional piece, reflecting once again, on time we’ve lost, the predicament which we have found, and the sense of emptiness we tend to fill with music…

Recitals

Biosphere

Shenzhou (Touch)

“… the subliminal waves of euphoria wash over the timeless expansion of sound throughout the universe of the void…”

Track Premiere

Adam Daudrich

Swells (Moderna)

“… meditative textures of the muted upright piano, harmonium, and Wurlitzer electric piano…”

Album Reviews

A Winged Victory for the Sullen

The Undivided Five (Ninja Tune)

…centered around the harmonic perfect fifth, the five senses, the divine interval…

Dynamic and intelligent music which rewards the patient listener while carrying enough emotional weight in its simplicity to be affecting for the listener short on time. In a world of tension, this is a deep breath and a reminder to slow down and take stock…

Sound Bytes

Proem, Silk Road Assassins, and ØxØ

“… contradictions of contemporary society through the dialectics of conceptual music…”

Track Premiere

Bersarin Quartett

Wie von selbst

“… constantly developing and entangling contrasts, paradoxes and contradictions…”

Video Premiere

Julia Kent

Salt Point

“… referencing the patterns and repetitions that exist in nature [which are] often mirrored in human creations…”

Track Premiere

James Murray

In Your Head

“… calm music for chaotic times…“

⟪ REW | FF ⟫

Kangding Ray, Skee Mask, Quench

Three glitchy micro-crafted treats presented by the chefs who’ve earned five stars in HC’s guide for sonic dining

Album Reviews

Grischa Lichtenberger

re: phgrp (Raster)

… electronic no longer cares to be separate from all-acoustic…

Grischa Lichtenberger’s music stands for broken rhythms, for high-density manipulations that emphasize the digital and fractal nature of its working process. A mindset that grew closer to contemporary jazz in recent years.

Studios

In the studio with Grischa Lichtenberger

“… like a suppressed or unconscious trace of invisible relations…”

Album Reviews

Lambert

True (Mercury KX)

… the only real truth is the listener’s perspective…

A brand new record from an enigmatic pianist which is playful and sombre, often composed of both, humour and drama, with a deep-focused emphasis on execution and sense…

Mixes

Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch

Headphone Commute Mix

“… music by contemporary composers […] with a very intemporal quality in its simplicity and harmonic language…”

Studios

In the studio with Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch

“I tend to become quite obsessed with the piece, it just keeps on playing and shifting in my head until I feel I have understood its shape and where I want it to go…”

Album Reviews