Anne-James Chaton / Thurston Moore / Andy Moor - Heretics [Unsounds 54U]

Put on the circuit via the well artsy, often conceptual Unsounds label only recently is "Heretics", a box set created by long time collaborating artists Anne-James Chaton and Andy Moor which are joined by Ex-Sonic Youth singer and guitarist Thurston Moore. Keen to musically portrait radical heretical figures through poetry and music the whole extended set incorporates an eleven track audio album piece, a full on lyrics book as well as a 'Making-Of...' DVD piece by Benoit Bourreau documenting how this whole piece came together - and an additional quick match. Although we're not able to follow the specific meaning of the individual Spoken Word bits as we don't speak any French at all we're more than awed by the captivating intensity of the raw, often distorted and clearly PostPunk / (No)Wave referencing guitar playing that tells tales of monochromatic days, concrete and an overall tristesse, perfectly falling together with the vocal use and abuse, bringing in a more monotonous, documentary tone or coming across heavily interfered, distorted and noisy like old recordings from faraway radio or TV stations. This well-balanced combination of elements depicts the world in most fascinating shades of grey, perfectly reflects upon the anger and frustration that often lies within the world outlook of those practising heresy to its fullest, most radical extent - radically expressed and cast in the massive wall of sound and brutal distortion that makes for the in- and outro of the bilingual, stereo field exploring  "The Things That Belong To William" or the super energetic expressions of the subsequent greyscale bit entitled "Heidsieck's Chords" whilst "Coquins Coquettes Et Cocus" turns its inherent radicalisms into ruminant, hypnotic minimalism of more ritual nature, bringing artists like Eyeless In Gaza to mind due to the tunes' specific vibe. With "Poetry Must Be Made By All" the artist triumvirate even pays homage to loops and Industrial Music, serving a disturbing anthem for decaying basement dancefloors before "Le Songe De Ludwig" goes back to musical meditation and hypnosis. But these are only a few bits picked from what might be our favorite album of the past month so far. Highly recommended, not only for the music but also for the great 60+ minutes documentary which unveals quite a bit of the compositional process that lead to the recent form of "Heretics".

Album artwork on Instagram!

Unexpected album artwork glitch on Instagram!

The Ramona Flowers - Part Time Spies [Distiller Records Promo]

Scheduled for relase via Distiller Records on September 9th, 2016 is "Part Time Spies", the second album effort by the Bristol-based outfit The Ramona Flowers which was already announced on these pages earlier this month. Going through the eleven songs of the album which are rolled out over roughly fourty minutes we're immediately taken by the massive opener "Dirty World" which is nothing but catchy as fuck on a little 80s tip with a great hookline that immediately sticks in your ears for ages and "Skies Turn Gold" fuses a little yearning feel with delighting, lively IndiePop before "Start To Rust" fuels drama and epicness on a well-ballad'esque vibe, incorporating great plastic sounding drums and sweet cliche piano parts. The title song  "Part Time Spies" continues to ride the midtempo wave and takes the over the top-attitude of many 80s Pop songs to a whole new level effortlessly whilst the instrumental piece "Midnight Express" serves an array of playful, highly chromatic synth melody layers accompanied by dancefloor suitable 4/4 - a tune that's meandering between genres like NeoCosmic and (Neo)Trance for sure. Following up is "Run Like Lola", an uptempo floor filler that will be battered over and over on Indie floors throughout the fall / winter season, "Hurricane" deals with a tender, romantic repetition motif-wise, serves complex, nervous beats on the fast lane as well as rapid tempo changes and several passages that - to us - evoke memories of bands like The Police for some unexplainable reason and "My Weirdo" goes full on in terms of lovely plastic romanticisms. Furthermore we see "Designer Life" enter realms of more discoid, panorama SynthPop for those loving their glitter and glitz to the max, "Sharks" are circling in shallow waters in full on romantic piano ballad mode and the final song "Cold Of The Night" takes us to more kitsch-driven late night territories and makes for a great ending of a well-recommended album effort. They say the second album is the most tricky for a band? Surely not for The Ramona Flowers !

Album artwork on Instagram!

Soft Grid - Herzog On A Bus (Official Video)

When Illbient meets PostRock meets PostPunk things unpredictable and slightly disturbing might happen. For more disturbance check the new Soft Grid album "Corolla" which is due for release via Antime in mid-October.

Lustmord - Dark Matter (Medley)

A fourhundred seconds medley of the forthcoming Lustmord-album entitled "Dark Matter" which is about to see the light (or darkness...) of day on September 30th via Touch. Captivating, this is!

Katie Gately - Tuck

Is this the new IndieElectro sensation? Lo-fi, yet super seductive, incorporating a dancefloor-filling electronic foundation as well as a PostPunk influenced attitude and elements of the SynthPop underground the first glimpse on Katie Gately's forthcoming album "Color" is pretty much promising - we can't wait to come across the full album soon!

45/7 Vinyl Club #29 - Artist: baze.djunkiii

It's here - finally! baze.djunkiii's very own, exclusive contribution to the 45/7 Vinyl Club mixtape series which is fully dedicated to the love of 7" records - get ready for one hour of experimental goodness, Drone, Noize and Mutant HipHop!

Dan O'Connor - IN / EX [Tone List 001]

Coming in from Perth, Western Australia is the solo debut of the 1989-born Dan O'Connor, a professional trumpet player who uses his instrument to create the most unusual compositions we've heard in a while. Instead of catering experimental, highly twisted or complex, Free Jazz-oriented trumpet tones on this limited to 100 copies CD-r edition the artist focuses on the rendering of individual breaths, using each and every one of these 17 single takes to create a unique sequel of often squeezed, high pitched improvisations and / or blow sounds a.k.a. "IN / EX"-halations all reflecting upon the maximum intensity and exhaustion that appears when a trumpet player takes things to, or even beyond, his physical limits. Defo an impressive body of work, especially when considering that the total runtime of the album does not exceed the 13 minutes mark but still feels way longer and defo more intense than the majority of longplay pieces released these days. If you're knee deep into very core of experimental music, this defo is an album to check out for a reason.

Kat Vinter - Pure Luxury (Official Video)

A little more than a year after releasing her "Islands EP" the Australia-born, world travelling artist Kat Vinter is finally back with a new video - and more important, with an epic song that once again porves how very well her glorious voice works alongside deep, Post-Garage / Future Garage influenced beats.

And if you didn't know - we've met Kat Vinter in late 2015 in Hamburg when she was touring alongside German Pop star Lena. If you haven't seen it yet check out  this video on Youtube!

Serph - Plus Ultra [Noble Label 218 Promo]

Released on July 15th, 2k16 via the Noble Label is Serph's new longplay piece entitled "Plus Ultra" which is, to be honest, not exactly an album in its original sense but more of a thirteen track collection selected from former albums and now served in a slightly re-arranged manner. Altogether the bundle of tunes covers of a musical spectrum that can be described as surely influenced by genres like Downbeat, TripHop and NuJazz which are re-interpreted in a rich, more sugar-coated and surely more electronic way that's somehow reminiscent of Rephlex' mid-90s Easy Listening supergroup widely recognized as The Gentle People which awed their audience with their very specific, kitsch-oozing take on the Downtempo / Exotica scene back in the days. In tunes like "Monsoon (Unknown Season Version)" this attitude is even fused with fast-paced, spiralling and ExoPop-influenced IDM, "A Whim (Solid Jam Version)" brings in a mixture of Library Music, Jazz and a synth-driven, hyperchromatic 80s TV show intro - think NEON here! - and "Soul For Toys (Pilgrim Version)" takes the amalgamation of Dope Beats, glitches and scenic melodies to another level for sure - and maybe is the most outstanding track of the album as well which will be - although way happier and positive sounding - defo appreciated by those loving DJ Krush's "Entroducing" album to bits. With "Luck (Darjeeling Version)" cuteness finally goes into overdrive mode due to layers upon layers of sweet, melodic elements and "Memories" somehow manages to invent Balearic Bossa Pop for sunsets on hyperspeed. This album might not cater things unheard of and possibly might seem to be a little too cheesy at first but throughout the journey things slowly start to fall into place and finally it all makes sense, somehow. Do not check if you're allergic to panorama melodies and scenic string arrangements, though.   

Mike & Rich - Expert Knob Twiddlers [Planet Mu 369]

Scheduled for September 2nd, 2016 is Mike & Rich's "Expert Knob Twiddlers", a classic album originally released by Rephlex back in 1996  and now re-released via Planet Mu with an additional bonus cut of seven tracks which are formerly unreleased tracks or alternative versions of original tunes. Crafted in a collaborational - and partly reasonably drunk - session during the World Cup by Richard D. James / AFX and Mike Paradinas back in 1994 on quite basic, limited gear all of the ten, now remastered, tracks found on the original album do prove that both artists were in it just for the lulz at this point. Playful, oozing with Phonk and dabbling with jazzy loops as well as elements of Easy Listening and Exotica tunes like the fully loop-focused, Proto-Proto-BigBeat bit named "Jelly Fish" are both simultaneously stupid and pretty much delightful mustly due to its awkward theremin-emulating space bleeps and the ever repetetive main motif which is surely a brainwashing trap whilst "Eggy Toast" weirdly fuses Bossa bits and 70s Psychedelia to a fascinating effect. Further highly recommended bits are "Winner Takes It All", a super dope take on Electronic Future Jazz meets futuristic TripHop / B-Boy Breaks, the twisted, well-cartoon'esque "Upright Kangaroo" and the concluding  "Bu Bu Bu" which mixes up deep ass sub frequencies, piano-driven Jazz Noir, irritating vocals and space FX to a soothing (not soothing) fusion for those into Easy - and Uneasy - Listening alike. When it comes to the new and / or alternative cuts featured on the second CD of the album which - like all others - have been remastered from original DAT tapes we see "Vodka (Mix 2)" coming  up with a unique vision of exotic, oriental and fast-paced Jungle Phonk a.k.a. glitch based IDM'esque Drill'n'Bass minus the amen break, "Portamento Gosh" serves sweet, slightly kitsch-y and tongue-in-cheek Moog lines with a hint of vintage melancholia and so does the rich, melodic "Waltz" - a musical effigy of retrofuturistic romanticism, dubbed out. Furthermore "Brivert & Muonds" caters most brutal beats on overdrive which are evoking fond memories of the former Chicks With Dicks project or the longtime gone Anodyne label and are best described as heavily distorted TripHop with a dope'n'jazzy twist before the "Clissold Bathroom" provides us with more distorted beats snippetwise. Finally "Jelly Fish (Mix 2)" is on a faster tip, catering the original loop on a more lively, yet more dry beat foundation and serving soft Moog pads as well as the characteristic theremin'isms in puzzling split stereo before "Organ Plodder" waves our dancing braincells goodbye with a more Easy Listening, yet not necessarily soothing attitude. Good stuff for sure and due to its additional bonus tunes defo an album of some historical value indeed. Check!

Album artwork on Instagram!

Zöller & Konsorten - Flucht Nach Vorn [GMO / Rough Trade]

Well, sometime I wonder if music pr companies do even do proper research when they're building their databases and collecting press contacts from allover the place. After we decided to pull our email contacts from this website for being flooded with spam and stuff it has become rare that we've been receiving music that is totally off the beaten path and not nearly close to the focus of what we're taking care of here - mostly electronics with a pretty much experimental twist - but sending us an album like the one we're about to review now is pretty much like a shot to the moon. We're talking about the debut album of Zöller & Konsorten, a four piece band comprised of members of bands like BAP, Udo Lindenberg's Panikorchester, Fury In The Slaughterhouse and Leningrad Cowboys - the first two being well known and praised within the German Rock scene whilst the latter are renowned internationally but all - and that's for sure - lightyears away from what we've reviewed and liked, ever. No more fucking Rock'n'Roll is what German Techno pioneer Westbam once proclaimed and that's the path we're following for sure, plus: we're well skeptical when it comes to the use of the German language in any kind of Guitar-driven music - but these are only a few thoughts before we've even dared to press play. And after the first seconds of "Flucht Nach Vorn" it becomes pretty clear that all our apprehensions were pretty much understated, it's all way worse and this album is a nightmare. To cut things short - a totally dusted and musically outdated fourteen songs longplay effort for smalltown moped riders from German villages, still dreaming of the magic once provided by movies like "Easy Rider" and of America as land of the free whilst never being able to look at the world over the rim of their own tea-cup because they're bound to the old sod. For us there's absolutely no way to make it through the whole 47 minutes of this album so we stopped our review attempt after three and half songs and now we're sad that this kind of music even exists and apparently there are still ppl digging stuff like that. The 60s are over, the 70s as well and even back then this tame germanized counterfeit version of Rock'n'Roll was nothing but a sad mistake. Guess we'll need some Merzbow now to heal our wounded ears.

Dr. NoiseM - The CDr A-B-C: N [Dr. NoiseM Tapes]

To be released on August 23rd, 2k16 is Dr. NoiseM's new album "The CDr A-B-C: N", the next sequel in the ongoing alphabetized series on his very own imprint Dr. NoiseM tapes. After the extremly dark and even slightly threatening approach of its predecessor we see the new episode going back to calmer, not that frightening territories. Still on a very minimalist tip the 74 minutes of this album are still to be filed under the flag of Dark Ambient for sure but bring on a more relaxed feel that might be described best by the metaphor of a bleak sun rising over a fog-covered, but well scarred battlefield. These moments of peacefulness, just before the mist vanishes to unveil the gruesome remains of total hate and warfare are captured in the mood and atmosphere of this longplay piece in perfect fashion, providing an excellent mixture of quietude and simultaneously an unsettling feel of moribundity. Deep.

Gudrun Gut - Vogelmixe [Run United Promo]

Scheduled for September 3rd, 2k16 is "Vogelmixe" - a very special release by Berlin's underground staple Gudrun Gut who has been around in the now-capital's music scene for more than three decades now and left her personal mark on many projects ever since. With her new album she is on a remix tip and reworks a bunch of eight folkloristic songs originally released on the compilation album "Heimatlieder Aus Deutschland", a conceptual work documenting the sound of these specific songs, partly rooted in the 15th century, that have found a new home in Germany due to the traditions of immigrants that brought those with them from their motherland and keep them alive where they're at home now. Coming from regions and countries as different as the Maghreb region, the Beti people in South Cameroon, Cuba, Transylvania or the Arab region, where the religious group of the Alevi hails from and many more, all these are taken out of their original context and more or less drawn onto the dancefloor by Gudrun Gut who mainly uses a straight 4/4 as foundation to de- and reconstruct the original bits which are also to be found on a separate CD in their original form as they were on the  "Heimatlieder Aus Deutschland" sampler. As one might expect from a more concept-driven approach like this we don't get massive dancefloor bangers here when it comes to the results but more like dry and kinda bulky, cumbersome tunes that still are charming and functional in their own way - especially when it comes to multi-layered African SlowHouse of "ZaNeYen" which one easily can imagine to fit in Ricardo Villalobos' most trippy DJ sets or the heavy Rave-emulating sawtooth synth-attacks in the well-pumping rework of "Marhba" which, despite the lack of subs, might drive dancefloors crazy due to its ever spiralling nature in combination with tribalistic chants. With "Dobro Jutro" we're entering more haunting territories that are well informed by Illbient with a steady change of dynamics, use of echoes and backward loops before the mighty 4/4 brings revelation and fever'ish ecstasy to nightmare-inducing rituals, "La Sombra Del Ayer" brings in more of a relaxed but still twisted take on Latin Easy Listening before slowly evovling into dubbed out Minimal House and "Toma Da La Ca" caters the most pounding, yet disturbing variation on Balearic SlowHouse we've come across - like ever. With her rework of "Ein Kleines Waldvögelein" the Berlin-based producer explores a hypnotic and definetely fascinating crossover of Downbeat and distorted Electronica and finally "Dilmano Dilbero" somehow evokes distant memories of misty South American highlands and their ancient rituals whilst flirting with a modernistic take on distortion and echoes of echoes of DiscoHouse, kind of. Fascinating, although not necessarily easily accessible stuff that allows for an interesting one on one comparison of original material and remix not only for those interested in ethnic / folkloristic music but also for electronic music producers in general keen on learning more about an artists individual approach to the theme of remixing in general. 

Album artwork on Instagram!

Vitor Joaquim - Geography [Cronica 117 Promo]

The Portuguese imprint Cronica has become kind of a staple when it comes to releases being reviewed on these pages on a regular and that's why we are looking forward to embrace Vitor Joaquim's upcoming album "Geography" that's scheduled for release on September 13th, 2k16. Vaguely dealing with the concept of how the planets geography has shaped the development of mankind as a whole throughout its entirety the album opening title track embeds fragments of space documentaries in an environment both shaped by organic sounds and glitches falling together in a warm and welcoming, yet also alien way - once again a feel that takes us back to our deeply loved copy of Oval's "Systemisch" album in a way we're sure that we're not the only ones using this classic as a reference. The second cut, "Cantino", starts with piercing digital, heavily disturbed signals that are accompanied by strange chirps, static crackle and other weird interferences, "Ganda" deals with a fusion of cold and sterile mechanic repetitions with additional layers of distorted, blurred Indietronic transmissions from an FM radio station located thousands of miles away and the pulsing, spiralling nature of "Technography" is facing some deep, organic melancholia along the way. With "Cargo" we're taken on a calm and relaxing journey provided by slow, yet steady Ambient movements and a crackly, continous hiss evoking memories of soft, steady rain on vintage autumn afternoons whilst obscured fragments of Alien FreeJazz performances are present somewhere in the background before "Exodus" explores quite minimalistic terrain and provides both an eerie, slightly threatening as well as a quite natural, ritualistic feel due its abuse of heavily and warped vocal bits by Nino De Elche which are taken from a live performance with Vitor Joaquim like many other fragments of the album were originally recorded on stage with artists like Harald Sack Ziegler, Gustava Costa and many more. In "Domo Arigato" more warm, crackly Ambient layers and crystalline glockenspiel sequences make us feel at home in any second of the track that's building up to intense density slowly, providing sampled percussion bits strangely sounding like hydraulic air pops of some kind whilst the concluding 109 seconds of "8'20"" are basicly a sequel / part II of the previous tune as their transition is seamless, bringing in processed bits of a Laurie Anderson interview as additional sonic element instead of morphing into a completely new tune. An interesting concept for a closing bit indeed, yet a well fitting finish to this recommended longplay piece. 

Album artwork on Instagram!

By The Waterhole - Two [Playdate Records 008 Promo]

Scheduled for release on August 26th, 2k16 via Playdate Records is "Two", the second - well... - album by Norwegian singer and composer Eva Pfitzenmaier under her artistic alias By The Waterhole. Within seven songs and a total runtime of 32 minutes we're taken into Pfitzenmaier's very specificly designed sonic world that can be intimate and playful in terms of intimate, Folk-influenced JazzPop ("The End Of It All") or even totally stripped down and Blues-referencing when the singer stacks various layers of her own voice over nothing more than a muffled bass drum in the captivating tune "Rollin'"or its successor "A Thought Caught On Fire" which also reveals the artists love for Spoken Word poetry, kind of. The beautiful "House By The Sea" accounts for a good portion of Synth-driven, yet ruminant Pop stylewise before crackly, droney Ambient sequences provide the tender foundation for more Spoken Word poetry in "I Fall" whilst "I Want To" goes back to the ultraminimalist Blues attitude, although the rhythmic structures are a little more complex in this one and an off-tune Piano adds additional bits here and there. Finally "The Loudness Of No Sound" concludes this way too short album in a tender, Piano ballad manner and we're hitting the repeat button straight a away for a reason. Get!

NA - Too Much Mood (Massacooraman Edit)

Interestingly seductive, this!

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 08/2016

The International Nothing (...And Something) - The Power Of Negative Thinking [Monotype Records 086]

Put on the circuit via Monotype Records in June 2k16 is "The Power Of Negative Thinking", the full length album debut of The International Nothing (...And Something) which is basically an extension of the clarinet duo The International Nothing, comprised of Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke, forming a quartet piece featuring Christian Weber on double bass as well as Eric Schaefer on drums and percussion instruments. Together the quartet creates a feel of deeply felt autumnal melancholia in the stripped down, highly captivating opener "Lokale Gebräuche", transition subtly into the "Golden Age Of Communication", which mainly stays on the plangent main motif of its predecessor but adds ever building, yet separated percussion sequences as a foundation, bringing in a certain amount of Funk but also some influences of Bossa- and related percussion styles before "We Can Name You Their Names" takes the groups minimalism even further, providing a new kind of Blues (Not Blues) for inner city philosophers and rural concretecists that turns into free, high frequency improv and organic Noize at about five minutes, only to pursue its inherent vibe with a more PostRock-related twist after a surprising breakdown to near silence. In "Long Bow Glowing" The International Nothing (...And Something) explores magical, yet slightly eerie ambience and the sinister titled "What You Need To Know About Drowning" makes us wonder how stripped down and droney a fully organic quartet comprised of live instruments can ever get as this piece is the definition of 'stripping down things to the very core' although simultaneously providing us with dark and beautiful layers of clarinets whilst introducing rasping Field Recordings towards the tunes' end. "Something Went Wrong" might be the most dancey song on this debut album, providing a playful, positive vibe oozing off stoically played live loops and a certain Rock attitude when it comes to its drums whilst  "Nothing's Gonna Last Forever" reminds us that even this great album comes to an end, weighing in thundering background percussions and - again - heartfelt, thoughtful melancholy for those who love to stare out of steamy windows into a bleak and rainy world. This is great!

Album artwork on Instagram!

Skadedyr - Culturen [Hubro Music]

Put on the circuit via the ever active Norwegian imprint Hubro Music in mid-May is "Culturen", the sophomore album of the 12-member band Skadedyr whose contributing musicians are, apart from the work in this project, are also involved in musical outfits like Skrap, Moskus, the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and many more - another proof of how interconnected and overlapping the countries Jazz and experimental scene is. Together the twelve musicians take us on a well-captivating trip in the first minutes of "Datavirus" which can be described as a elaborated fusion of Jazz Noir and heavy Phonk before a complete musical plot twist turns the whole thing into a playful and lovely novelty affair for no reason whilst even bringing in elements of Easy Listening and Classical Music. More of a skit is "Muggen Loop", serving a sweet vintage Bar Jazz atmosphere for lovers of  high quality cocktails and rare alcoholic beverages that abruptly comes to a halt after 117 seconds whilst "Bie" fuses influences from Post- and Desert Rock with Indietronic-related experimentalisms hit by amazingly intense pianos and a certain krautsy-ness that - for some strange reasons - evokes memories of both Mouse On Mars ca. "Autoditacker" as well as the very first 7" releases by Jeans Team way before they went into full on Electro / Electroclash later throughout their career. In "Nussi Sinusdatter" we do not only find the most funny sounding track name on this album but also approximately two and a half minutes of droney, organic ambience, "Tralertall" comes more across on a collage like level, being comprised of Field Recordings, Noize eruptions and more of a Free Improvisational approach unveiling only a few glimpses on harmonic well-being with an epicly romantic proportions before the title track "Culturen" fuses uptempo Dancefloor Jazz with a sweet take on Norwegian poetry and Spoken Work approach to an amazing effect, concluding this recommendable album in a well-remarkable way. Check!

Album artwork on Instagram!

Pascal Pinon - Sundur [Morr Music 147 Promo]

Scheduled for release on August 19th, 2016 is "Sundur", the third album effort by the Icelandic duo Pascal Pinon which is comprised of the sisters Jofridur and Asthildur Akadottir whose self-titled debut was released via Morr Music back in 2009.  Now they're back on the Berlin-based imprint with eleven new songs which are basically and mostly dealing with the fact that the pair of sisters have been living apart from each other for the first time in recent years, resulting in a two day recording session covering most of the albums body of work with a little help from their father who, apart from engineering the session, added some layers of unusual percussion bits here and there. The outcome of this recording session is a quite sparse, emotional and very intimate take on modernistic Folk that might rely on guitar or piano only as instrumental foundation or, like in the massive, slow grooving anthem that is "Forest", is built on Electronica-resembling structures that make everyone's head bop for a reason. "Skammdegi", one of a few songs sung in Icelandic, comes across like an old, beautifully executed folksong that's brushed up with organic synth pads whilst a song like "Fuglar" is oozing with deep melancholia and "Spider Light" introduces lovely vintage drum machines and a warm, playful positivity for all those appreciating touching instrumental cuts on usually vocal driven albums. Another remarkable and deeply melancholia-driven piece is "Babies", not only due to its metallic percussions and epic pads that seem slightly out of tune but still are heartwarming for sure, touching our innermost needs before "Ast" brings in more stripped down, ballad'esque and natural pulchritude and the closing "Weeks" pass by on rhythmical and well-twisted sinewave modulations which could also be found in a song written by Iceland's most-recognized female musical export - Björk. So as an overall verdict "Sundur" is another proof of - if any was needed at all - why the islands music scene is praised all over the world and we can't wait to see Pascal Pinon live on tour at some point, hopefully in a city near us, and you, as well! Great album. Check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Wolfram - X [Monotype Records 102 Promo]

Put on the circuit via Monotype Records only recently is "X" , the latest album by the artist recognized as Wolfram after eleven years of near silence which saw only a few scarce and scattered contributions to compilation albums by the producer. But now he's finally back with new material, a mini album of five tracks and a total runtime of approx. 40 minutes pressed on a specially engraved CD of a kind we've never encountered before which adds a nice little visual topping to the music we're about to discuss. With the opening tune "W:X:Swarm" we're diving into a sonic realm of gentle surface noise and what seem to be field recordings of a trip into a summery landscape including, indeed, sound textures of swarming insects which are, throughout the course of the tune, both highly intensifying as well as accompanied by subtle bass droning and tender, metallic pulses whilst the follow up "Introspektiv" leaves us running on beautifully crafted waves of Ambient and Deep Listening Music slowly transferring into the calm and quiet levitation of the "Exploded View" that's interfered with electrical buzzes and perturbing, cold and artificial sweeps of well unsettling nature. Furthermore "N:xizhe" delivers a more angelic, heavenly approach towards Ambient music which is layered over a foundation of heartbeats and might even be referred to as uplifting in direct comparison to its predecessors before a surprising musical plot twist hits approx. half track and the whole thing becomes a quite intense and well threatening  affair, telling tales of darkest vaults and giant, sinister creatures crawling miles and miles underneath the earths surface. Finally a society of "Secret Humans" is working on a secret new world order and the soundtrack to their work is comprised of eerie Drone, high frequency chirps and short bursts of modular synthesis breaking through the seemingly calm surface, revealing unspeakable things happening just hidden in plain sight.If there's any soundtrack to any conspiracy theorist video ever we're calling out this one for a reason. So maybe there's a reason why it took Wolfram eleven years to come up with this?

And just to spark more curiousity here are some interesting side facts: all tracks are transitioning into each other and their subsequent individual runtimes clock in at 5:58, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00 minutes so we're seeing a conceptual pattern coming into play that needs further investigation for a reason.

The Ramona Flowers - Dirty World (Official Video)

Fusing Indie with quite a bunch of epic 80s references and epic Moroder-basslines? Count us in for that, especially when the result is as catchy as "Dirty World"!

Tusks - False (Official Music Video)

Tusks - False from One Little Indian Records on Vimeo.

Tusks' "False" might the most beautiful, yet most intense Underground Pop tune we've come across in a while and the accompanying video causes quite a bit of curiousity about what their forthcoming E.P. on One Litte Indian might have in store in terms of musical greatness.

baze.djunkiii Charts 08/2016

01. Aaron Spectre - Jungle Boots EP [Jahmoni Music]
See review for details...

02. Mouse On Mars - Lichter [Infinite Greyscale 010]
See review for details...

03. Dr. NoiseM / Theo Nugraha [Tandem Tapes 004]
See review for details...

04. Dr. NoiseM - The CDr A-B-C: M [Dr. NoiseM Tapes]
See review for details...

05. Rasalasad - Thismorphia [Thisco 075]
See review for details...

06. Various Artists - Orbital Planes & Passenger Trains Vol. 1 [Serein 010]
See review for details...

07. Lawrence English - Approaching Nothing [Baskaru 040]
See review for details...

08. -

09. -

10. -

Various Artists - Eleven Into Fifteen: A 130701 Compilation [1307101 / Fat Cat Records Promo]

Celebrating its fifteenth anniversary these days we see the Fat Cat-associated and cryptically named imprint 130701 coming up with the new compilation album entitled "Eleven Into Fifteen: A 130701 Compilation" comprised of formerly unreleased tracks from all artists that have been - or still are - part of the label roster so far. Usually connected and associated with so-called PostClassical / NeoClassical music the stylistic range on this one goes far beyond that niche. Olivier Alary's 10 minutes vocal epos "Yangtze" can be filed under the flag of both Indietronics or even most abstract Post-PostRock with a Shoegaze meets Scenic Ambient attitude whilst Dustin O'Halloran brings a fusion of static Noize and angelic Dream Pop vocals into play in "Constreaux  No. 2" and Set Fire To Flames, the all star band featuring members of Fly Pan Am and Godspeed You Black Emperor! which was the original and initial reason for the launch of 130701, caters a solemn and lugubrious ballad graced with subtle Noize eruptions and slo-mo accordion named "Barn Levitate".  Furthermore we'll find mystical, echo-driven Ambient with shamanic qualities in Resina's "June", Hauschka's "Quiet" is an ever culminating array of layers ranging from thundering Clicks'n'Cuts-reminiscing digital feedbacks to fragile strings and, once again, mystery-inducing choir vocalisms, Sylvain Chauveau's "N B" is a beautiful lo-fi version of a Ballad Noir and Max Richter's "Bach Study" doesn't come across as - although one might guess from the titles name - excursion into (Neo)Classical territories but provides more of a familiar, dusty and well-crackling feel evoking memories of Oval aesthetics in Marcus Popp's "Systemisch"-era as well as of vintage, long time lost photographies or Super 8 recordings. But these are only a few tunes picked from many more that are showcasing the stylistic spectrum of the 130701 imprint one needs to examine for more than one reason only.  

Erik Blood - Lost In Slow Motion [Homeskillet Records Promo]

Coming in promowise from the States only recently was Erik Blood's most recent album entitled "Lost In Slow Motion" which has been put on the circuit via Homeskillet Records in late April. After a well mysterious, cryptic and multi-layered Spoken Word-focused and Ambient-infused intro we're immediately drawn into a dreamlike sonic outerworld where all everything is like veiled or feels like packed in thick cotton wool whilst hazy streaks of sound and DreamPop vocals are floating one foot above the ground, adding a new level of density to an already misty air. With more lively songs like "Bloused Up" Erik Blood manages to fuse the overall DreamPop feel with a little Indie attitude in a way that reminds us of contemporary bands like Eau Rouge whilst "Quiet" caters the needs of those craving for ethereal, synth-fueled choirs and hints of WitchHouse before "Remove Control" sets dancefloors in motion with epic 80s references and a good portion of high quality, moony SynthPop influences that defo stick out amongst the other songs of the album stylewise, yet provide some underground hit potential in certain scenes. With "Hold For Laughs" we're having another pretty interesting song that unifies fans of Twin Peaks, Sinkane and Com Truise for a reason and the concluding "Out This Way" waves goodbye in a string-heavy, melancholia-inducing and well ballad'esque manner oozing with romanticism and heartbreak like a vintage love story shot in the heydays of black and white cinematography. Good stuff, this is!

Album artwork on Instagram!

Sascha Müller - Lounge Sessel / Shake That [Sascha Müller Music 1000014]

The man Sascha Müller is back with a new two track digital single for all you club heads out there. Released on August 4th, 2k16  we see the opener "Lounge Sessel" start out on a deep, ambient'esque vibe for the first two minutes or so before more abstract and kinda jazzy beat structures, a funky bassline and playful chords induce a well organic, oldskool'ish Drum'n'Bass feel most suitable to those who've been bopping their heads to tunes by Waldeck, Omni Trio or Four Ears back in the days whilst the follow up "Shake That" rolls out the essence of classic Jazz-influenced DeepHouse over the course of more than 8 minutes, catering multiple layers of percussive grooves and warm organic pads to all them late night connaisseurs. Defo a winner, this.

Various Artists - Orbital Planes & Passenger Trains Vol.1 [Serein 010 Promo]

Scheduled for release on August 19th, 2k16 on the Serein label is "Orbital Planes & Passenger Trains Vol. 1" , a sixteen track various artists compilation meant to serve soothing sounds for long distance travels. Following this concept we see a wide range of artists like Ametsub, Yui Onodera & Chihei Hatakeyama, Otto A Totland, Donato Wharton and many others bring out their very best in terms of classical Ambient, Downtempo and ChillOut music to cater an amazing array of calming and well-comforting sounds that includes everlasting synth modulations of crystalline beauty which e.g. are to be found in Hidden Rivers' "What's Up G?" or slightly kitsch-inducing piano layers like in Dan Abrams' "Floating City" as well as ruminant, yet slightly crackling string arrangements of cinematic qualities which are prominently delivered by Benoit Pilouard's contribution entitled "Alogia". A few more favorite tracks of ours are Strie's slowly pounding "87 Billion Suns" which fuses angelic choirs, fragility and tender piano layers whilst Colorlist even bring in hints of super organic PostRock with their tune "Gone To Ground" and Donato Wharton introduces haunting Drone / Dark Ambient flavours which are to be found in his stunning composition "A Lightless Volume Of Water". But these are only a few tunes picked from this compilation piece that surely will make any journey a better one. Mission accomplished - nice one!

Album artwork on Instagram!

Nagamatzu - Spenkelink & Darden

A lo-fi backflash to the early 80s with an original recording from the Nagamatzu archives. Great stuff.