Yui Onodera - Too Ne [Room40 Promo]

Scheduled for release via the Australian Ambient staple that is Room40 on July 1st, 2k22 is "Too Ne", the latest longplay outing conceived by Tokyo-based sound artist Yui Onodera who named his album after the old Japanese word for 'a sound that is sounding from far away' as the accompanying press release states. Following this concept over the course of five subsequently named and numbered pieces - "Too Ne I - V" - and a total playtime of roughly 31 minutes Onodera presents a sonic landscape shaped by comforting, warm and washed out Ambient atmospheres, gently, if at all, moving like the waters of giant streams, accompanied by tender crackles and undefined, mysterious scrapings and surface noises which add additional, yet subtle textures to an entire body of work that evokes certain memories of the unchanging dim and omnipresent twilight of The Backrooms, yet provides more safety and ease even though the innate moodyness of certain tunes like "Too Ne II" might suggest that some things unheard of might be lurking in dark corners, or beneath the visible surface of our reality, whereas "Too Ne IV" presents a soft, yet somewhat lively and frolicking Ambient cushioning for genre aficionados - at least as far as 'lively and frolicking' goes for a genre like Ambient. Deep Listening Music is deep. And timeless. Good stuff.

Nowherians - That Is Not An Acceptable Lullaby [Sound In Silence 092]

Another fresh album coming in from the headoffices of the Athens, Greece-based Sound In Silence-label is "That Is Not An Acceptable Lullaby" by Nowherians, the first album created for the imprint under this musical guise by Crawford Blair, one of the former founding member of late-90s phenomenon Rothko and part, collaborator and initiator of many other things ever since. Over the course of 42 minutes and a total of eleven pieces Blair - alongside contributing musicians Elise Bjarnadottir, Olnur Bjarnadottir and Matthieu Reifler on violin, cello, violo and vocals - provides a slowly meandering stream of rich and atmospherically dense, romantic and almost (Neo)Classical-inspired compositions inspired by the pastures and landscape of rural Norfolk which he calls home as a resident since 2018 as well as the texures of composer William Byrd, overall reminiscent and evoking echoes of the works of German producer Wolfgang Voigt as GAS or his more recent solo pieces like "Rückverzauberung" with the most dramatic ones like "The Testers" fully embracing a large scale panoramic, probably even ecclesiastical quality whilst the subsequent "Honeywell" is on a more solemn, yet angelic tip, "Vancouver... Vancouver... This Is It!" brings to mind the epic cinematography and widescreen camera angles oftentimes used in TV series and feature films of the late 60s / early 70s when geographically set in the rural, sometimes mountainous US of A, a quality and setting that would also apply to the subsequent "Swiss House On Fire" for a reason probably not deliberately hinted at in the tunes title just to name a few personal favorites here. A touching, emotional take on modern composition highly recommended to Ambient headz, collectors of (Neo)Classical / Contemporary Classical music and scores alike. Probably also well suitable as a dreamy complementing soundtrack for an exhibition of paintings attributed to the Romantic due to its overall grandiose nature. Go check.

Propan - Swagger [Sofa Music]

Put out on the CD circuit via the long standing Norwegian imprint that is Sofa Music on May 27, 2k22 with the vinyl version set to follow on August 8th,2k22 is "Swagger", the new, eleven tracks strong longplay outing conceived by the duo Propan consisting of Ina Sagstuen and Natali Abrahamsen Garner who realized this album, originally a piece commissioned by Femme Brutal in 2016, alongside a plethora of contributing guest musicians - or: Propanions, as they're called here. The result is a body of work spanning roughly 35 minutes which opens on a droning, otherworldy and yet deeply spiritual, almost sacred take on Ambient and Deep Listening Music, pairing solemn hums and atmospheres with tongue-in-cheek blips, playful and curious sequences, evolving towards somewhat retrofuturist electroacoustic arrangements evoking memories of minimalist Indietronica and echoes of what could be imaginary Future Tribal, presenting experimental crackles alongside human whispers and non-vocalisms buried deep within the mix along the way, all falling together in an amalgamated form that pays homage to early electronic music composition - think: Stockhausen, Daphne Oram or the BBC Radiophonic Workshop - as well as the oftentimes more playful and tentative approach brought forward by more contemporary artists like Felix Kubin or the now defunct Groenland Orchester or even drifts into dreamy, soft and almost Easy Listening-bordering territories with cuts like "B II" and the spaced out follow up that is "B III" for a surprising, yet well interesting twist. Defo a highly recommended album, yet one that requires multiple listening sessions to fully unfold and reveal all of its layers. Great stuff. Get.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Alessandro Sgobbio - Piano Music [Amp Music & Records]

Scheduled for release via Amp Music & Records on September 16th, 2k22 is "Piano Music", the first full on solo album by the ever active Italian piano player Alessandro Sgobbio. Recorded over the course of two sessions in July 2k20 and October 2k21 respectively the longplay format caters an array of nine piano pieces rolled out over a playtime of roughly 40 minutes, all solely and exclusively performed on a Pianoforte Fazoli F278 instrument. This alone, the choice of one single specific piano to perform an entire album on provides a cohesive and coherent sonic space for Sgobbio's performance ranging from the dreamy, romantic etitudes to be found in "Fireflies" to the tender tones of "Zolla", the touching, agitated and highly emotional melodic waves coming at us in "Acqua Grande" or the beautiful, heartfelt melancholia of the concluding piece that is "Third Ward (Coda)" and beyond. An album to be listened to near an open fire, this. And one that's about to reach a wider audience than the limited realm of die-hard (Neo)Classical or Jazz piano aficionados only.

Album artwork on Instagram!

David Bennet & Vilhelm Bromander - Within The Reach Of Eventuality [Thanatosis Produktion 013]

Put out on the circuit via Thanatosis Produktion on May 27th, 2k22 as their cat.no. 013 is "Within The Reach Of Eventuality", the latest collaborational album created by saxophonist David Bennet and bass player Vilhelm Bromander. Over the course of roughly 50 minutes total playtime the duo carves out a set of four unnamed, yet subsequently numbered movements, roughly guided by a score piece laid out by Bennet which is also included with the CD album as a printed square fold out poster. The sonic result of this exploration is a journey into the world of tender, sometimes longing, sustained notes of droning qualities and outerworldly beauty, partially off-kilter and screeching like the surfaces of humungous metal structures slowly being pushed back and forth against eachother by the forces coming with a large stream of water, partially bringing forth harmonies bordering on the very fringe of the audible spectrum, evoking memories of Ambient, Avantgarde and Deep Listening Music as well as Drone and Dark Ambient reliant on microtonal evolution of sound, respiratory and mechanical noises buried deep with the background of the mix as well as distinct episodes of silence providing structure to this otherwise timeless and barely structured flow of sonic movements. A highly recommended take on a sound that just is instead of following a particular goal, aim or function, providing a sonic state of ultra zen if you will. Check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Jan Klare - Alto Eager - Young U [Umland Records 055]

Released on June 20th, 2k22 via the ever expanding Essen-based label Umland Records is "Alto Eager - Young U", the latest, and well extended..., longplay outing by composer x producer x instrumentalist Jan Klare who - alongside fellow collaborators Elisabeth Coudoux, Joao Sousa and Florian Walter - put together a roughly two hours and 2CDs spanning album effort which sets out to fuse the sound of analogue real life instruments with a foundation laid down by the Akai Electribe S sampler. The journey starts with the touching parallel harmonics brought forward by the opener that is "Alone Muskle", a name most probably referring to the lockdowns, quarantines and periods of isolation throughout the pandemic situation in which this album (...or collection of pieces created over the course of this period, depending on one's very own perspective) came to be followed by brooding, dark crimescene Jazz vibes of "Metapimp" which also employs the principle of parallel, interwoven harmonic threads which seems to one of the main feats and thematic concepts running through this album. Furthermore pieces like "Tesla Vuck" provide a light-hearted, frolicking melodic interplay and winded correspondance, "Blas Mon Candle" caters a deeper, melancholia-infused Jazz approach for intimate late night listening, the "Fires Escape March" even touches on fever'ish DeltaBlues vibes whilst "Amarylis" provides a spiralling, screaming whirlwind of repetetive improvisation climbing up to fever'ish ecstatic heights, "Wolfs Aldi" rocks dancefloors with a proper metallic sci-fi Breakbeat x BigBeat vs Jazz fusion attitude and therefore is our personal favorite on this entire album before the concluding cut that is "Cramp" presents another short, yet well groovy dancefloor excursion atop of heavy, reverberating and almost 808 like beat magic just to name a few. Due to its extended playtime and oftentimes improvisionational nature not necessarily a gateway album that's about to lure novices deeper into the world of Jazz but rather a specialists piece for those well and long acquainted with the subject.

Cath Roberts & Olie Brice - Conduits [Relative Pitch Records]

Oh, what a plethora of technical possibilites that comes with the fascinating thing that is the internet! Put out on the circuit via Relative Pitch Records on March 25, 2k22 is "Conduits", the new conjunctional improvisational album effort created by Cath Roberts and Olie Brice without even sharing a space, venue or exact location throughout the recording process. Linked up via a software known as JackTrip the two artists performed simultaneously in their respective homes in Hastings and London, UK on January 28th, 2k21 with the results coming down to a total of three improvisational pieces rolled out over the course of roughly half an hour. Opening with "Pipework" we find ourselves drawn into a surprisingly calm, warm and playful realm of sax improvisations layered upon intricately moving bass meanderings, sometimes even evoking memories of what could be variations on excerpts of Jazz standards before veering off and exploring further whilst "Peering" opens from a perspective of large scale, partially parallel harmonic movements of sax and what seem to be bowed bass strings only to provide an ebb and flow of a more detailed and agitated performance style giving way to deeper harmonies every now and then. Subsequently, the closing piece that is "Buoyancy Chamber" is following up on a somewhat beaten path, yet delivers a slightly deeper, probably more nocturnal and intimate feel even though this one probably provides the highest dynamic range out of all three pieces on this one. Defo an album to check out for fans of improvised, yet well and actually accessible Jazz.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Autoclav1.1 - Gone Long Before The Death Of The Sun [Audiophob 037]

Put out on the circuit via the Jena-based label that is Audiophob on April 1st, 2k22 is "Gone Long Before The Death Of The Sun", the second full length album piece produced for the imprint by Tony Young a.k.a. Audioclav1.1 after his highly diverse 2k20 label debut "Nothing Outside". With a total of ten new tracks spread over the course of roughly 43 minutes Young opens with a "Long Slow Clap For The Of The Word", a surprisingly harmonic IDM x ChillOut x Downtempo vision featuring effervescent synthesizer melodies and panoramic pads which are setting the scene thematically for more dark visions to come like the frolicking, almost uplifting synthscapades of the BigBeat meets US-American television style melodies of "Fauna Collapse" which are set to resonate with both dancefloors as well as with collectors of classic 80s Library / Production Music alike whilst brooding ambience alongside sparkling, ever cascading synth melodies and emotional piano lines are to be found in the "Plastic Sea". "When The Bee Disappears" deals with further apocalpytic eco horrors in terms of providing an interesing combination of sparse melodic elements, large scale harmonies and a subdued 4/4 foundation, the subsequent "Landfill" weighs in a slightly kitsch-infused variation of Ambient Downbeat x Balearic Electronica, the "Holocene" follows on a similar path, yet adds even deeper, more emotional strings to the mix whereas a "Tsunami" even reveals a borderline (Neo)Classical piano attitude before heavy beats provide a dramatic groove, turning the entire piece into an epic direction. The subsequent tune "Dead Air" featuring Sven Phalanx weighs in more Downtempo drama paired with post-apocalyptic soundscapes and a certain Blade Runner-feel, "Culpability" brings forth a spaced out, hyperharmonic TripHop vibe before "White Into Amber", a collaborational effort featuring Andreas Davids, finally rounds things off on in true IDM x Ambient crossover fashion. Defo a well surprising longplay effort, this, which seems way more cohesive, both sonically and thematically, than its direct predecessor and, in its entirety, would provide a well-suitable soundtrack for a large scale documentary focusing solely on the beauty of the planet we live on - in moving pictures without any further commentary.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Pinkcourtesyphone - All Intensive Purposes [Room40 Promo]

Another fresh one released via the Australian Room40-imprint on June 10th, 2k22 is "All Intensive Purposes", the latest full length album effort created by Richard Cartier under his sonic nom de guerre that is Pinkcourtesyphone. The project, described in the accompanying press release as '...operating at nexus of recollecting 20th century anxiety and opulence...', caters a total of seven brand new pieces rolled out over a total playtime of roughly 38 minutes starting from a point of warm, subaquatic and ever embracing DarkAmbient x Deep Listening Music with "That Intangible Object Of Contempt / The Tenderness Of..." which paves the way for all things to come like the icy, shrieking and sci-fi-leaning ColdAmbient structures of "Drained By The Very Nearness" or the subsequent crackly atmospheres to be discovered in "Serving Autosuggestion" which later serves an eerie climax of reprocessed vocals evoking memories of mid-90s works by acts like Single Cell Orchestra. Furthermore "Out Of Abundance" presents another expertly crafted, well harmonic example of spine-tingling Dark Ambient whereas "Crushing Softness" takes tender, glacial Ambient to a glistening, yet most minimalist level before the "Comfortable Predictability", its rumbling subs and almost (Neo)Cosmic textures provide a new, almost universal perspective on timeless and minimalistic sonic movements whilst the two minutes spanning "Wistful Wishful Wanton *Reprise" rounds things off with fragile, angelic harmonies and echoes of icy winds blown over from afar for closing. Recommended for all fans and followers of Deep Listening Music / Minimal Music.

The Source - ...But Swinging Doesn't Bend Them Down [Odin Records]

Released via the four+ decades strong Norwegian imprint that is Odin Records on April 29th, 2k22 is "...But Swinging Doesn't Bend Them Down", the latest sonic iteration brought to life by The Source, the Nordic Jazz (and beyond) super group which officially entered the album release circuit back in 1994. Currently operating in a quartet setting comprised of Øyvind Braekke, Trygve Seim, Mats Eilertsen and Per Oddvar Johansen the groups latest longplay outing provides an 68+ minutes journey split into 14 individual compositions covering a range from tense, yet melancholia-infused Jazz Noir with slightly Oriental / EthioJazz influences probably originating from the groups traditional christmas concerts which oftentimes invlvd guest musicians and groups from the Arab world to swinging abstractions atop a fascinatingly complex and ever changing drum foundation ("One Step Further - Three Back"), progressing further into touching, nocturnal territories ("Rubicon" / "Dawn" ), even evokes memories of what could be a Jazz interpretation take on Delta Blues in "Spring Psalm", provides nothing short of a killer Jazz groove in the "Big Shuffle" and even aims at advanced Swing dancefloors with cuts like "Momk" just to name a few. Defo a well matured album effort, this.

Album artwork on Instagram!

India Gailey - To You Through [Redshift Records]

Released via the Canadian imprint that is Redshift Records on May 13th, 2k22 is "To You Through", the sophomore full length album effort created by Nova Scotia-based American Canadian artist x musician India Gailey who's presenting a menu of five compositions by the likes of Fjola Eveans, Philip Glass, Yaz Lancaster, Michael Gordon and Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti which she tackles on her instrument of choice, the cello, over the course of roughly 38 minutes with her very own "Ghost" being embedded as an equally important and valuable piece within the albums overall flow. This being said India Gailey, also a core member of the improvisational quartet setting that is New Hermitage, caters a great variety and ark of what modern cello interpretations can provide, from the densely layered, ever interfering and contrapuntal waves of Fjola Evans' "Augun" which truly reflects on an intrinsic Nordic melancholia to the warm, comforting romantic variations of her own composition "Ghost" and the surprisingly accessible (Neo)Classical movements of Philip Glass' "Orbit" which sees the acclaimed staple of so-called 'new music' clearly draw inspiration from Classical greats instead of indulging in avantgarde experimentalism and new compositional techniques. With Yaz Lancaster's "Dieverpeen" India Gailey brings forth a brooding, somewhat agitated aspect of her repertoire accompanied by a floating, levitating and certainly crystal clear vocal performance, her interpretation of Michael Gordon's 9/11 reflection "Light Is Calling" truly brings forth the large scale gravitas, tragedy and hurt of this major turning point in American and probably World history before "Ko'u Inoa", a piece written by Anne Leilehua Lanzelotti, builds up in waves and rapidly moving patterns probably reflecting upon or at least being subconsciouscly influenced by the movement of water around the island of Hawai'i, the home of the initial composer and her ancestors. Defo one to check out for fans of Contemporary x Modern Classical music, this one.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Katharsis - People And Places [Aut Records 080]

Put out on the circuit via the Davide Lorenzon run label that is Aut Records on May 16th, 2k22 is "People And Places", the first ever album outing by the 2k20 formed trio that is Katharsis. Comprised of Joseph Nowell, Giuseppe Sardina and Aut Records-staple Michele Bondesan on piano, double bass and drums respectively the group indulges deeply in tender harmonic structures led by the playful, meandering flow of intricate piano melodies atop a complex, yet subtle and subdued background foundation which provides surprisingly muscular and driving movemens in pieces like "Spider" whereas "Alfred" provides stripped down and classy BarJazz minimalisms with "La Citta Dei Murales" following on a similar, yet more late night-leaning path before "In Pieces" tentatively explores slightly more experimental, or advanced, compositional territories and "Dear Charles" waves goodbye on a deeply melancholic Jazz tip just to pick a few cuts off of this longplayer to provide a general feel of what is happening on this one sonically. One album to listen to in a vintage leather chair. Near a fireplace. With a glass of finest high proof spirits at hand. Nice.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Listen Again: baze.djunkiii presents: The Secret Garden Volume 1 @ Radio Flouka / Paris (16.06.2022)

Radio Flouka راديو فلوكة · The Secret Garden Volume 1 w/ baze.djunkiii - 16/06/2022

Laurent Pernice & Dominique Beven - Le Corps Utopique [ADN Records]

Released via the Italian avantgarde imprint that is ADN Records on April 22nd, 2k22 is "Le Corps Utopique", the first conjunctional album created by long standing producer x composer Laurent Bernice and and multi-instrumentalist Dominque Beven. Based around the idea and concept of recreating a radio lecture by French philosopher Michel Foucault on a theatrical stage as a dance performance the two artists set out to carve out a soundtrack for said performance piece, soon falling back to an arsenal of wind instruments from all over the globe, a musical specialty and focus of Dominique Beven's work. The result is a roughly 50 minutes long journey throughout a total of 15 sonic images, opening with the intense and dark brooding drone layers of "Montagnes Iointaines" accompanied by mystical flutes of yore followed by the deep, minimalist Future Tribal percussions of "L'Instant d'Apres" whereas pieces like "Le Chant De La Terre (quel malheur est-il ?)" are touching base with tectonic DarkAmbient movements and eerie, nocturnal atmospheres of doom, others like "A L'Arrache" are dabbling with slightly dubbed out DarkJazz whereas "Quelques Meneus Avalanches" provides a spine-tingling score for sci-fi b-movie horrors of sorts and the second to last cut named "Devant Les Murs De Troie" once again returns to subsonic DarkAmbient shiftings accompanied by tense and fever'ish Electronica x Future Tribal rhythm sequences just to name a few. File under: Deep Listening Music for Avantgarde-informed consumers. Go check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Alexandra Spence - Blue Waves, Green Waves [Room40 Promo]

Scheduled for release on June 24th, 2k22 via the Australian imprint that is Room40 is "Blue Waves, Green Waves", the latest mini album outing by Sydney's Alexandra Spence who made her label debut back in 2019. With her latest longplay piece rolled out over the course of seven tracks and 24 minutes we see Alexandra Spence focusing on big waters, and especially the Pacific Ocean, as a vast and endless source of inspiration which reflects in elements like a subtle, yet ever present hiss in tunes like "Water Bugs", painting a sonic picture of the sound of surf and waves breaking ashore being blown over from afar as a foundation for the artists whispered Spoken Word fragments and tender atmospheres whereas the "Rock Pool" brings forth a surprisingly fascinating take on crackling minimalisms before the tender pads of "Wind" bring to mind ships horns dampened by dense fog before hovering crystalline tones of almost mythical quality and subtle background warps add a timeless, outerdimensional layer of beauty to this one. Furthermore "Shells" seamlessly continues to follow the path of its predecessor whilst evoking distant memories of works once created by producers like Aube, "Blue Waves" takes nocturnal Ambient melancholia and Deep Listening Music in general to a new level of minimalism whilst "Air Pockets" go deeply subaquatic in terms of stripped down, water-based Electronica experiments whereas the concluding cut that is "Green Waves" approaches things from a warmer, all embracing and most importantly naturalistic angle, once again pairing tender pads and atmospheres with original Field Recordings of small waves and what seem to be slightly reprocessed non-vocalisms for a closing. Beautiful.

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 06/2k22

Architek Percussion - Six Changes [Architek Percussion 001]

Put out on the circuit as cat.no. 001 of their self-titled and self-run label named after the group is "Six Changes", the latest album outing by the Montreal-based quartet known as Architek Percussion. Comprised of Noam Bierstone, Ben Duinker, Ben Reimer and Alessandro Valiante the group caters a total of six sonic explorations rolled out over the course of roughly 33 minutes on their third longplay piece, starting from a point of floating ethereal crystalline melodic minimalisms accompanied by muscular PostRock / Indietronica structures for advanced early morning moshpits in the opening cut before moving on to touching, emotional and well romantic piano etudes and syncopated, complex drum workouts in "Perspective" whereas "When Change Is Bad" presents a warm and somewhat even summery attitude with its intricately layered percussion sequences atop of warm vintage synth basslines. Furthermore the subsequent "Your Definition Of Home Is Dependent On The Constants In Your Life" even dabbles with Future Tribal and Afro x Bass elements riddimwise even though the tunes' main theme is defined by tender, inward-looking and melancholia-inducing pads paired with chiming overtone sections later consumed by overwhelming low end pressure, "Sitting The Next Few Plays Out" indulges in naturalistic, almost folksy athmospheres for warm summer nights whilst the concluding "Dark Horse Fan" goes as deep as most cinematic PostRock can go whilst still being as powerful and epic as it can ever get within this specific genre. Top drawer. A most beautiful album for all fans of everything The Notwist, Tortoise, Weilheim, Morr Music and many a shade in between.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Child Of Illusion - Khimaira [Relative Pitch Records]

Another fresh one put out on the circuit via Relative Pitch Records recently is "Khimaira", the new album conceived by the trio known as Child Of Illusion which hit the shelves on May 13th, 2k22. Comprised of Chris Pitsiokos, Susana Saltos Silva and Torbjörn Zetterberg on alto sax, trumpet and double bass respectively Child Of Illusion cater a 42 minutes spanning one track outing which starts out from a point of what could be described as the gelled, smudged and washed out sounds of native tribal rituals blown over from far afar before evolving into a detailed, highly accentuated vision of nocturnal Avantgarde Jazz atop a bustling, organic and sometimes even funky foundation of expertly performed bass movements leading the way from tender minimalism towards more agitated episodes in which sax and trumpet both move from interplay to parallel movements and back, presenting an increasingly playful and frolicking attitude the further "Khimaira" progresses, indicating the artists ever growing confidence and trust in their complementary sonic visions which even pay homage to the idea of certain elements of club music shortly after minute 30+ with steady bass pulses driving the composition forward until it reaches a final climax. Quite a journey, this one is. Yet one that's worthwhile taking.

Album artwork on Instagram!

16.06.2022 baze.djunkiii presents The Secret Garden Volume 1 @ Radio Flouka / Paris (2200 GMT+1)

The Secret Garden is a beautiful place. A place to chill. A place to listen. A place to lay down and rest your head. Honoring this idea of sonic beauty Hamburg-based Radio Flouka-resident baze.djunkiii dedicates this months selection to most classic Ambient vibes, floating pads and similarly comforting sounds, makes a short stop in the score section and even invites a world famous international superstar over for a short visit before drifting further into complex and highly advanced IDM realms of yore. This one is deep.

decks: baze.djunkiii [Intrauterin Recordings / El Caballo Semental]

file under: Ambient / ChillOut / Electronica / Deep Listening Music

transmission time: 22oo - 23oo GMT+1

get locked via Radio Flouka
Paris

RSS B0Y 1 - Myth0l0gy [Gusstaff Records]

Released via the Polish imprint that is Gusstaff Records on June 10th, 2k22 is "Myth0l0gy", the first ever full length solo album effort created by RSS B0YS-offshoot and sole remaining founding member RSS B0Y 1 who's aiming to explore a different musical path than the one the original project had on offer. Doing so over the course of 8 brand new tracks and a total runtime of roughly 42 minutes RSS B0Y 1 and a solid bunch of participating guest artists from countries as far spread as Iran, Poland, Malaysia and others "Myth0l0gy" bring forth intense, spine-tingling Spoken Word-poetry accompanied by dark electronic textures pointing towards brooding cosmic horrors, brutally morphing layers of Digital and/or Industrial Noize paired with defragmented echoes of (Neo)Classical music and subdued echoes of experimental Techno, hyperapocalyptic Japanese Techno Rap amalgamations for WitchHouse parties at their ketamine peak, atmospheric FutureTribal paired with almost Opera-like vocal layers or processed, somewhat desert-reminiscing string instruments providing melodic layers atop of ever circling and grinding soundscapes as well as most nocturnal and unsettling klaxon'esque low end movements to be found in "Little Mars" which, especially due to its ever repeating counter-motif, easily could end up in a score of a braincell twisting psycho horror flic of sorts before Damiano Notarpasquale cuts through with a longing, yet slightly obscured widescreen panorama saxophone interlude just to provide a brief layout of all the goodness happening on this widely varied longplay piece. Highly recommended and probably one of our favorite Gusstaff Records releases of all time.

Mimicof - Distant Symphony [Karlrecords 093 Promo]

Put out on the circuit via the long-standing Karlrecords label as their cat.no. 093 on June 10th, 2k22 is "Distant Symphony", the latest album outing by Berlin-based Japanes composer Midori Hirano a.k.a. Mimicof. Rolled out over three pieces and a total playtime of roughly 34 minutes Mimicof caters an extended exploration of the scarce and elusive EMS SYNTHI100 instrument she approached as a resident artist at Electronic Studio Radio Belgrade in early June of 2k21, bringing out the devices more experimental side with curious retrofuturist bleeps accompanied by widescreen cinematic dronings and beautiful harmonic layers brought forth in the opening piece that is "Distant Symphony I" whereas the subsequent "Distant Symphony II" serves a glistening ecstatic AmbientRave approach which only lacks an appropriate beat foundation to send punters to a next level of peak time euphoria before "Distant Symphony III" dabbles in epic glacial Ambient streams and expansive chord progressions probably influenced by classical organ composition accompanied by slow pulses of almost physical low end movements to carve out a most tender and solemn piece of timeless beauty and contemplative quality. Highly recommended.

Alessandro Baris - Sintesi [Otono Records 021 Promo]

Put out on the circuit on June 7th, 2k22 via the Mexican imprint Otono Records as their cat.no. 021 is "Sintesi", the six track solo debut release cooked up by Bologna-based Italian-American artist and composer Alessandro Baris. Mainly venturing off into the world of pure electronic production garnished with a few organic elements alongside the drum as his main instrument of choice and reprocessed vocal additions both by Baris' himself as well as collaborating artists like Lee Ranaldo, Emma Nolde and Lisa Papineau Allessandro Baris presents a 27 minutes ride into a world of timelessly floating and overall comforting Ambient polyrhythms from the very first bars of the opener "Unheard" onwards, a tune that takes us way back into beloved ChillOut rooms of 90s rave culture, provides morphing Future Ambient melancholia in the subsequent "Last Letter To Jayne" which somehow perfectly fits into these days of war whereas "Embers" continues on a path of epic score'esque Ambient melancholia paired with emotional vocalisms, yet adds a little more of a Balearic sunset vibe to the mix. Furthermore "All That" weighs in sparse, yet moving IDM / Deep Listening Music of organic, yet somewhat exoplanetary and probably (Neo)Cosmic-infused nature and therefore stands out as our favorite cut on the album before "Nival" brings forth enchanted Fairy Pop of sorts without exactly dabbling with Pop as a genre and the subsequent "Lifetime" amalgamates elements of Classical composition with a deep Synth approach for a closing and might be the one that draws a majority of listeners into this album due to its fascinating, somewhat vintage-leaning and krautsy beauty before evolving into a heavy Leftfield x Alternative Pop cut of sorts, once again sporting a bit of a 90s twist. Go check.

Spherical Disrupted - Basalt [Audiophob]

Put out on the cassette tape circuit via the Jena-based label that is Audiophob on October 1st, 2k21 is "Basalt", a six track EP release which sees the long standing producer Mirco Hentrich a.k.a. Spherical Disrupted collaborate with two different artists for three tracks per side respectively. Whilst the A-side, a joint venture with TC75, provides three variations of the title track that is "Basalt" starting with the so-called 'Xenocryst Edit', a well epic Industrial Ghost fusion ballad for fog-fueled late night dancefloors followed by the hypnotic "Basalt* Instrumental" which might even appeal to crowds fond of classic Belgian NuBeat as well as the 'Trilogy Remix' which brings on a slightly heavier and carefully filtered variation after an extended build-up built around the tunes trademark synth modulation. The flipside opens with the Spherical Disrupted and Darkrad coop that is "Transneptunian Objects (Sednoid)", a spatial and well timeless amalgamation of DarkAmbient and Industrial Electronics paired with hyperdepth and whispered vocals probably performing some dark ritual magick whereas the subsequent "Transneptunian Objects *Instrumental" weighs in more of a widescreen cinematic Electronica approach once again turning towards a classic NuBeat feel before the final version named "Transneptunian Objects *Afterglow Remix by Phasenmensch" keeps up with the slow tempo and NuBeat-references, yet presents more of trancey, spaced out and uplifting vibe before even introducing a chiming little melody towards the tunes very end for a closing. Good stuff, this.

Cassette tape artwork on Instagram!

Der - Supersound [Bisou Records 020 / Beats Records 308]

Released on April 20th, 2k22 as a coordinated joint venture effort between the two labels Bisou Records and Beast Records is "Supersound", the first official album outing by the four piece band outfit Der. Comprised of members Red, Jex, DDDxie and Cosmic Neman their 40 minutes 40 seconds spanning firstling sees Der providing a powerful and breathless ride through a total of 12 songs starting with the dubbed out PostPunk x Garage crossover that is "Normal", one piece that might even incorporate certain influences of genres like Psychobilly whereas "Ready To Founce" brings forth pure smoked out, Blues-infused GarageRock and heavy riffing for motorcycle gangs, "Shark" fullfills each and every lost desert dive bar cliche within its very first minute, "Cactus" turns out to be a candidate for our favorite cut of the album due to its hard hitting Rock drums and sedcutive groove whereas "Screen Kills" provides a proper hot soundtrack for a ride on the fast lane leading straight towards havoc and the imminent apocalypse whilst the "Heartbreak Hotel" even gets into spaced out StonerFunk just to name a few. If you're familiar with bands like Ben Wood Inferno and likeminded artists "Supersound" surely is an album to check out.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Alberto Boccardi - Petra [Room40 Promo]

Scheduled for release as a limited cassette tape edition to come via the Australian staple that is Room40 is "Petra", the latest five track longplay work created and conceived by Italian composer x sound artist Alberto Boccardi who presents a 32 minutes lasting journey into sound mostly influenced by Boccardi's five years stint in Egypt's capital city of Cairo where he resided from 2k15 to 2k20. Opening with "Arenaria 1" Boccardi caters beautifully brittle and tender off-world melodies in combination with echoes of Clicks'n'Cuts and warm, organic, all embracing sub waves to create a comforting, yet also abstract ambience which finds even more minimalist continuation in "Arenaria 2" and its stripped down, ever so slightly varying Electronica pulses and nocturnal atmospheric sweeps. The subsequent "La Testa Cade A Piombo" dives even deeper into a realm of solemn Minimal Ambient x Deep Listening Music,"Silice" pairs more hyperminimalism with dramatic, yet washed out chord eruptions and ASMR-like whispers hidden deep within the very background of the overall mix whereas the final cut that is "Una Variopinta Immagine Divisa" brings forth a chiming, and charming..., melodic sequence of well meditative, probably even ritualistic, quality before taking a turn towards deep, slightly swampy, yet highly comforting Ambient structures for a closing. Beautiful and timeless, this.

V.A. - Exploring Gong Culture In Southeast Asia: Massif And Archipelago [Sub Rosa 509]

Put out on the circuit via the long standing label that is Sub Rosa on May 20th, 2k22 as a massive 2CD anthology accompanied by an introduction by David Toop and a 52 pages booklet incorporating many photos and extended liner notes provided by the projects initiator, Japanese sound artist Yasuhiro Morinaga, is "Exploring Gong Culture In Southeast Asia: Massif And Archipelago", a large scale selection of 35 original gong music recordings captured and preserved in the years 2017 and 2018, covering a wide variety of ethnic groups and gong styles to be found in Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia as well as their presence and function in the everyday musings of the native people within that specific region, from ceremonial pieces for funerals to ritual gong music for offering and sacrifice to protective spells to pieces providing the right rhythm for everyday chores and, ofc, celebratory and festive music, all tied together by hypnotic, percussive (poly)rhythms and a rich variety of mystic, mythical overtones, some rare recordings accompanied by enthralling vocal performances ("Krung - Kids Routine After School")  whilst others present a powerful whirlwind of uptempo rhythm signatures ("Ede - Ghet Khil") or resemble modern electronic music despite being probably century old ("Punong - Offering To The Spirits"). Furthermore we find bits of droning, spint-tingling quality ("Tampuan - Harvesting"), fever'ish and shamanic excursions ("Isneg Grop - Rooster Dance"), more percussive dronings in the subsequent "Music For Funeral Ceremony" by Sumba whereas pieces like "Tadok" by Kallinga even evoke memories of Minimal Music masters Karlheinz Stockhausen for the trained ear just to pick a few. A fascinating glimpse into a sonic realm unknown and oftentime unrecognized by the average Western listener and therefore worth an extended listening session or two.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Gabriel Prokofiev - Howl! [Oscillations 001 Promo]

Set for release via the freshly founded Oscillations label as their cat.no. 001 on June 10th, 2k22 is "Howl!", the latest single by Hackney-based producer / composer Gabriel Prokofiev who's been active on the UK Bass Music circuit as a part of the Medasyn project in the early noughties yet has moved forward towards the exploration of Classical / (Neo)Classical compositional structures ever since. Inspired by both Allen Ginsberg's poem 'Howl' as a way to make sense of the average humans everyday experience as well as the tumultous circumstances of the so-called 'Arab Spring' the five tracks - or parts, or sequels - to be found on "Howl" provide a series of musical iterations oftentime starting with highly digital, yet somewhat electrostatic crackles transforming into dry, harsh and hostile riddim structures evoking memories of futuristic HyperGrime produced by the likes of Basic Rhythm, Peder Mannerfelt or East Man paired with the clean aesthetics of Electronica staples like Autechre and - especially prevalent in "Howl! II - Separation ft. Linus YS Fung" as well as the untitled bonus cut - most beautiful, longing and melancholia-inducing string sequences as a touching atmospheric addition to the otherwise rather cold and brooding overall feel of this EP which in parts even seems to be leaning into Broken Techno / Industrial realms whereas other sequences rather stay within the confines of stripped down Electronica efforts stylewise.

Xotox - Leben Und Sterben Für Musik Aus Strom [Infacted Recordings Promo]

Put out on the digital circuit via German imprint Infacted Recordings on May 27th, 2k22 is "Leben Und Sterben Für Musik Aus Strom", the latest single outing by long standing producer Andreas Davids a.k.a. Xotox. A manifesto of his lasting love and fascination for electronic music the original version of the title track brings forth a high octane variation of Industrial / EBM on hyperspeed incorporating both elements of what could be described as Nitzer Ebb or DAF speeding on a fast lane as well hypermodernist Drum'n'Bass / Neurofunk whereas the subsequent 'Defaults Remix' focuses on brooding, electrostatic basslines creeping up from humungous subsurface vaults accompanied by a foundation of blasting, yet expertly shaped and scattered Rhythm Industrial beats. Furthermore "Leben Und Sterben Für Musik Aus Strom *Anatoly Grindberg Remix" caters a rather abstract, atmospheric, grinding and well eerie Illbient approach towards the original cut which could be well be used in a futuristic horror score of sorts whilst the so-called 'Utopiae Remix' introduces a surprising mixture of Folk- / SingerSongwriter-leaning guitars, heavy Industrial rhythm signatures and cinematic string layers which are bound to rock even die-hard Metal audiences to the max before the additional bonus cut named "Unausgesprochen" provides a proper portion of peak time heat for both Techno and Industrial crowds alike. Go check.

Masked Pickle - 7 [Relative Pitch Records]

Put out on the circuit via Relative Pitch Records on April 8th, 2k22 is "7", the interestingly named six - !!! - track debut album by the trio known as Masked Pickle. Comprised of Clara Weil, Olivia Scemama and Tom Malmendier on vocals, bass and drums in this particular order the group embarks on a roughly 46 minutes spanning journey on this firstling, covering sonic grounds deeply rooted in Avantgarde and FreeImprov with its intense, oftentimes primeval'esque non-vocalisms exploring the more extreme spectrum of what the human voice is able to achieve performance-wise whereas the accompanying musical structures incorporate heavy clatterings, drum excesses, heavy low-end feedbacks and - once again - the fringes of what could be referred to as NoiseRock, extended periods of astoundingly calm electrostatic droning as well as mad violent eruptions going beyond energy levels of PunkRock and Hardcore whilst bits like "300" are dealing with deepest, borderline tectonic Post-PostRock experiments, explore minimalist, sci-fi atmospheres like the mechanical movements and electroacoustic crackles brought forward in "584", laying down the foundation for an ever intensifying NoiseRock crescendo of sorts whereas the concluding cut that is "120" even evokes faint memories of stripped down and experimental Isolationist DesertRock for those few who ever came across this genre. Not for the faint-hearted yet worth exploring, especially for the deeper and hyperminimalist passages to be found on this album.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Listen Again: baze.djunkiii presents Technovision Vol. 19 @ CuttersChoiceRadio / London, UK (30.05.2022)

And here it is once again - the latest hour long Techno x Bigroom x Acid mix contribution put together by yours truly for the program of London-based webradio station CuttersChoiceRadio backed by a second selection of raw Freestyle Breaks x ElectroHouse mixed by Lord Warddd a.k.a. Phil Ward of Lo-Fidelity Allstars-fame in 2k10 which used to be a staple of the Skint labels roster throughout the noughties.

Jarr - Talking About X [Sound In Silence 091]

Another fresh release brought to us by the Greek Sound In Silence-imprint is "Talking About X" which is the first album recorded for the imprint by their newest addition to their roster, Jarr. Comprised of Jon Attwood a.k.a. Yellow6 as well as Ray Robinson who's operating under the artistic guise of Wodwo their label debut, released on April 15th, 2k22, is a roughly 49 minutes spanning affair incorporating a total of nine pieces which interestingly all start with "The One Who..." as the first half of their actual title. But this conceptual, and well interesting..., approach to naming titles aside we see Attwood and Robinson embarking on a journey into the realms of deep and droning, washed out and surely Ambient-infused Post-PostRock and highly atmospheric Desert Blues / Desert Rock, drifting along dusty roads on many a hot summers day and even add slightly twangy, yet slow and tenderly executed guitar melodies to the musical narrative in pieces like "The One With Psychedelic Eyes" whilst bringing forth dreamy, cinematic late night layerings in "The One Who Ghosted You" whereas "The One Who Never Knew" presents a literal wall of sound built from scratch out of distorted, shoegazing feedback drones and echoes and echoes of Psychedelic Rock infusions and "The One Whose Sister Died" is as heartfelt, touching, emotional and melancholia-infused as one might expect it to be after reading its title just to name a few. Defo a dreamy one that well exceeds the labels Ambient realm and is prone to resonate with a well wideranged audience for a reason.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Carl Stone - Wat Dong Moon Lek [Unseen Worlds 042]

The Unseen Worlds label once again is back with a new album outing by 1953-born American composer and sound manipulator Carl Stone which - speaking in terms of release dates only - is one of the crassest examples of the dire and fragile state of the music industry we've seen up until this day with the CD album released on May 20th, 2k22 and the vinyl version roughly announced for January 2k23 which makes us wonder how long customers and fans might be willing to cope with such a gap and, despite the vinyl production delays are not to blame on the label in any way, if a policy of releasing both formats that far apart might actually hurt vinyl sales in the long run. This said, "Wat Dong Moon Lek" sees Carl Stone exploring the world of Max/MSP driven composition over the course of seven pieces and a total runtime of roughly 37 minutes, starting from a point of densely layered, extremely Cut-Up driven superchromatic HyperPop with the albums opener "Rikido", drifting further into a sphere of slightly washed out and diffuse SinoSkweee with "Longo" before "Korzo" presents a highly fragmented take on somewhat cheesy Jazz and choir infused Pop which evokes memories of rapidly decaying CD-r copies dug up from the archives after 20+ years of improper storage. With "Mozell's" Carl Stone presents a more romantic and accessible, yet still rather abstract variation of what could be 50s-leaning AvantgardeJazz whilst the title cut that is "Wat Dong Moon Lek" offers a trip even further down the timeline with its harmonic vintage voice layers whereas "Apsara" weighs in eerily unnerving, quivering frequency workouts alongside indifferent pseudo-percussive shifts and otherwise messy loop (not loop) business for the higly headstrong and the concluding "Jangara" comes at us with more of a Punk / Hardcore-leaning intensity despite seemingly being rooted in fully deconstructed samples of some kind of SouthEast Asian traditional music. Recommended for a reason. Go check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

baze.djunkiii Charts 06/2k22

01. Wolfgang Tillmans - Insanely Alive *Remixes [Fragile 013]
This is nothing but a top notch bang0r. World renowned photographer Wolfgang Tillmans drops a new single on his very own Fragile imprint and somehow manages to get the SynthPop legends that are the Pet Shop Boys to provide not only one but two reworks. This in itself is a big move to pull off but the result even exceeds the biggest expectations by far. Yes, this is ElectroPop music and might even find its way into certified commercial daytime radio playlists but dang... this is one of the most catchy and uplifting cuts we've come across in a long while. Therefore the "Insanely Alive *Pet Shop Boys Maxi Mix" might might be our personal contender for the tune of the year so far.

02. Akustikkoppler - Alles Muss Raus [Block4]
See review for details...

03. CVSO - Garden Scene [Katalog 001]
So the Mainz-based duo that is CVSO which first came to our attention through their 2k20 debut release on Cheezy Crust Records have seemingly decided to embark on a solo independent trip with the launch of their own label Katalog in 2k21. With their six track single "Garden Scene EP" we see CVSO taking a leap of faith stylewise, stepping away from the timeless, slightly Acid-infused TechTrance / Intelligent Techno vibe of their firstling to present a more diverse musical approach, covering a range from super solid, bass heavy ElectroBreaks paired with dreamy vocals to heavy filtered echoes of BigBeat / ChemicalBreaks, spatial late night Techno cuts as well as deep and dreamy Electro with a slightly gooey twist and even NuSkoolBreaks-reminiscing workouts for electroid dancefloors. Good stuff this.

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