honest words on honest music
In the studio with
Yann Tiersen
… I like to be submerged in sounds and the inspiration comes from that…
Best of 2019
Welcome to our 12th edition of Best of the Year selections! This is what you’ve been waiting for! Prepare to open up your wallets and your hearts!
Ambient
“Ambient was designed to throw in some uncertainty. It’s a tool best used experientially – adjusting parameters and making artistic decisions about the sound…”
Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto
In anticipation of the upcoming new album, we celebrate one of our favourite releases from the duo, in this RECITAL of their 2009 album, featuring Ensemble Modern
Plaid – Polymer
… an essential album from the veterans of electronic music…
Immolate Yourself
A RECITAL for Telefon Tel Aviv’s monumental album from 2009.
… hyper-modern sound design and smoky nocturnal emotion…
An excerpt on the history of synthesizers from Modulations written by Mike Berk
Dag Rosenqvist
Fields
“Fields is something different. Something less dark. Less fractured. It’s something warmer and perhaps more calm.”
Dag Rosenqvist returns with his self-released album with tracks featuring Benoit Pîoulard for a match made in Sweden
An excerpt on history of synthesizers from Modulations written by Mike Berk
Everybody Loves a 303
An excerpt on history of synthesizers from Modulations written by Mike Berk
Clarice Jensen
Holy Mother
An exclusive premiere from an upcoming album, ‘The experience of repetition as death’
Aes Dana, Yagya, and Craven Faults
Three absolutely gorgeous albums that you can dive into instead of watching the news…
Michael Vallera
Hours
… a series of vignettes that are unattached to a particular source but instead exist in an emotive and internal state…
Today we’re visiting with Janus Rasmussen, one half of Kiasmos [the other being Ólafur Arnalds], in his Iceland studio
Marcus Fjellström, Actress, and Rrose
The latest from my “one vinyl per day” self-assigned task to stay focused during these anxious times
Rutger Zuydervelt, Jacaszek, Snorri Hallgrímsson
A trio of soundtracks beyond the ‘blockbuster releases’…
Nautilis
Are You An Axolotl (Planet Mu)
“… further deconstruction of the sounds, samples, and the rhythms make this one of the most impressive records from the era of electronic music…”
A flashback to Skyler McGlothlin‘s exciting debut from 2002, full of abstract experimentation, IDM and glitch, for fans of Boards of Canada, Funkstörung and, Skee Mask.
Colin Stetson, Max Richter, Ben Frost
“For those self-isolating in the house, I’ve got three soundtracks to go along these stressful times…”
Richard Skelton, Celer, and Chihei Hatakeyama
A trio of textured ambiance, in space, in warmth, and out of time…
Winterdagen
Clearing
“… it’s a perfect day for something serene, slightly melancholy, and splendidly pure…”
Tilman Robinson
Bartholomew, Glowing
“… an unsettling paradox with sounds constantly on the edge of recognition…”
Snorri Hallgrímsson
Chasing The Present
“… you are now… now… now…”
“… an expression of empathy towards our world…”
Benoît Pioulard, Ecker and Meulyzer, Jaja
A trio of beautiful records, ranging in dynamics, texture, and tone.
Olga Wojciechowska, Pepo Galán, and Robin Saville
“… an x-ray in a musical form… “
Lusine Icl
Language Barrier (Hymen)
“… outer-edges of atmospheric electronica, rhythmic structures, and textured tones…”
A flashback to Jeff McIlwain’s monumental album from 2007 which began my obsession with audiophile-grade electronica, hifi headphones, and sonically-rich atmospherics
Alex Kozobolis
Barcelona
… a 3D model which is frozen in time and thawed by the music…
Paul Haslinger
Valse I
“… a montage sequence of dreams…”
“… a stunning, delicate, and fragile piece, in which you’ll fall in love…“
Interview with Penguin Cafe
“… it was the long, empty days pulling a sled across the ice that had given us all lots of time to think about our lives back home…”
Interview with Alessandro Cortini
“… I spend less time questioning myself and thinking and more time making music…”
Anton Belov
Piano Works II
… leaving impressions that won’t soon fade…
Delicate yet engrossing, the album brings the listener face to face with the past. Its enduring reverberations reach across the threshold of memory to reanimate touching details long forgotten that flicker back to life…
Sylvain Chauveau
The Light That Is Felt
… a continuous mix of dreamy mood pieces, so one may prefer playing it at night, maybe lying in bed…
Kelly James Wyse
ssSwan
“… inspired by repetition in music and the interval of the fifth…”
Dustin O’Halloran of AWVFTS talks about the group’s latest album, the live tour, and the making of Aqualung…
Amulets, Anne Müller, Chihei Hatakeyama
A trio of records highlighted from the late months of last year…
Machinefabriek
Stillness Soundtracks II
… tranquil and gliding sounds…
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.