23 January 2009







pic: Ian Stevenson via Blunt



It's been a stressful week, i've found solace from listening to a lot of ambient and downtempo music. Here's a round up of the good stuff, so for a moment just relax and unwind.


Telefon Tel Aviv - Made A Tree On The Wold (alt link)


Tim Hecker - Borderlands (alt link)


Alva Noto - Xerrox Monophaser 2 (alt link)


Yagya - Rigning Níu (alt link)


Oblio - Epicureanism (alt link)


Todd Terje & Prins Thomas - Reinbagan (alt link)


The new Telefon Tel Aviv album Immolate Yourself is really something quite special, a far cry from their sound of old I think it is some of the best crafted electronic pop i've heard in quite some time. Just listen.


Telefon Tel Aviv - Birds



We're off to Krakow on Thursday, if you cool kids have any recommendations of places to drink, dine and dance then please feel free to drop a mail. Ta.




21 January 2009









pic: Micah Lidberg



Michael Moorcock's Deep Fix - Time Centre (alt link)


Time Centre originally featured on a 1982 compilation put together by prolific space-rockers Hawkwind. Moorcock himself collaborated with Hawkwind but is mainly renowned for his works as a sci-fi novelist. His own music project was known as Michael Moorcock's Deep Fix, the track Time Centre is an ethereal space beauty.


Surface 10 - Gamma Days (alt link)


Mid '90s space ambience next from Surface 10, an 8 minute piece focused on repetition, boring to some - interesting to me. Taken from the 13 year old Space Box Compilation that also features prog and space jams from the best.


Amon Duul II - Wolf City (alt link)




Bringing it up to now, holding the key to the celestial sounds are the likes of Vincent Markowski and Chateau Flight. With his second release under the Markowski alias he really has hit on an amazing sound, Russians celebrating a successful space test in 1960 would be freaking out to this. Dirty Capsules is out now on DC Recordings. And as for Chateau Flight, well you'll have your chance to catch them at Ether 09 in April alongside The Juan Maclean. I shall be there. Tickets released on Friday.


Vincent Markowski - The Number Arkiv (alt link)


Chateau Flight - GRN Aventurine (alt link)




17 January 2009







pic: Modele Puissance



Full on techno. Heavy stuff.



L-EX - Cuttoff (alt link)



This is the superb latest release from L-EX, a real minimal weapon this. The 12" also features a much deeper interpretation from Pierce which is also well worth checking. Get it here.




Harvey McKay - 69 (alt link)



Released on Soma this is further ammunition from Harvey McKay. It will cut you deep.




More killers:

Paolo Bolognesi - Avances (Tony Rohr Remix) (alt link)

Hugg & Pepp - Smook (alt link)

Rievaulx - Boxing Shadows (alt link)




14 January 2009







pic Art From Code



Music At Nite - Pancake Radio (alt link)




Music At Nite is the work of the Glaswegian brothers Clark, no stranger to working as a team Dave Clark also makes up one half of remix moguls Optimo Espacio. Music At Nite have come up with a killer 12" on Wireblock entitled City To City. Four tracks of glitch infused, Drexciyan styled dancefloor gold. Essential listening, get a copy here.




Elitechnique - Munich Emotions




Sticking with duos this is Dutch disco fiends Elitechnique with Munich Emotions out on Clone. Horns, cowbells, bass guitar and some super synth work make this 9 minutes you'll thoroughly enjoy.





Bobbie Marie - Ship Overboard (alt link)




Tenuously duo related I know, this is the superb psychedelic b-side off of Bobbie Marie's latest release on Whatever We Want records. Bobbie Marie aka Thomas Bullock makes up one half of the renowned Rub-N-Tug.





Jack Arel & Pierre Dutour - Bumblebees Dance (alt link)




Taken from Luke Vibert's Further Nuggets. Jack Arel did some of the soundtracking on the 1960s TV show The Prisoner, a show filmed at a place that filled me with boredom and dread as a child, Portmeirion, looking back now it is a pretty interesting place with a unique background.





10 January 2009






pic: Hayley Silverman via Pootee


I'm not sure how many of you readers use Spotify. Admittedly, I was skeptical at first but now i'm totally won over by it's power and potential. It has transformed the way I listen to music at work. If you're not a registered user and haven't got an invite then fear not, just REGISTER FREE HERE. (invites are available if that doesn't work for some reason, also users outside the Spotify compatible countries may need to use a UK proxy site) Download the small application and away you go, instant access to pretty much whatever song or artist you want with no restrictions, and the ability to create and share playlists with friends. I have set up a Collaborative Playlist which will let you add all of your favourite tracks to said playlist creating a whole bunch of recommendations from fellow readers and friends, easily accessible, anywhere, all in one place, free. You can also sync it all up to your Last.fm so it scrobbles your Spotify plays. /Geek.



United Sounds - Spotify Playlist Link



So yeah, please feel free to add to the collaborative playlist with whatever tracks and artists you love, irrespective of genre or period. Pass it around and in the end we shall have a combined
playlist of sublime quality.



Booka Shade - Outskirts (Trentemoller Remix) (alt link)

Pepe Bradock - Mandragore (alt link)

Super Flu - Mjolk

Tonka - Freeze (alt link)

Carl-Johan Elger - Flight Of The Moon Falcon (alt link)





7 January 2009







pic: Mike Harrison

Laid back.

We all like free stuff. Even better when it's great free content. That's what Faux Pas offers you with his latest EP. Four tracks for free download in glorious high quality. Psychadelic. Balaeric. Straight up pop. Call it what you want, this is memorable music that draws influence from across the whole musical spectrum and fuses it together into luscious slices of electronic melody. You can download the EP from here. There's no excuse not to.


Faux Pas - Rose's Lament (alt link)

Pikelet - Bug In Mouth (Faux Pas Remix) (alt link)




A cosmic slow jam next from Hot Coins. Taken from the Valiant Truth EP on the ever impressive Tirk records. A 100bpm juggernaut, this is what I want to groove to.


Hot Coins - Valiant Truth (alt link)




Bernard Fevre and some tracks from his 1977 LP entitled Cosmos 2043. Much more experimental and cosmic sounding than his Black Devil alias. It's hard not to love.


Bernard Fevre - 2043 (alt link)

Bernard Fevre - Stars Away (alt link)

Bernard Fevre - Ronde Interstellaire (alt link)



Bonus:


Dutch Rhythm Combo - Tune (alt link)

Joakim - Peter Pan Over The Bronx (alt link)





oki-ni sale now on.
Oi Polloi sale now on.
Surface To Air sale now on.




5 January 2009







pic: Pekka Finland



Sound Stream - Live Goes On (alt link)

This is a killer work of loopy piano keys and a laid back disco beat from Sound Stream aka Soundhack. Proof that repetition is certainly a good thing when it's done right.



C. Denner - Not The Indian (alt link)

Out on Moxie this 12" features a couple of tracks from C.Denner who is far better known as Pilooski.



Erik Wikstrom - Marathon (alt link)

Erik Wikstrom had a big hand in the production of Robyn's Number 1 hit With Every Heartbeat. In Septemeber he also had a release of his own entitled Marathon. Good it is.