Giuseppi Ielasi makes minimalism almost feel maximal. There’s a pillowy base of synths at the bottom of the compositions on Aix, replete with heaving beats formed from calculated adjustments in volumes to create rivers of music that float along like the best Gas (or the Kompact label for that matter) ever had to offer. But above all that is this …
It is sort of comforting to me that when we see our lives stretched and mapped out in an uncompressed waveform that we will see mostly large segments of silence, or almost silence, interrupted by huge, relatively random, peaks of noise that diminish as quickly as they come. Those large peaks in activity where our …
TOMAS PHILLIPS + MARIHIKO HARA – PROSA (TENCH, 2010) Read More »
Klavierwerke is UK electronic artist James Blake’s third EP in 2010. While spread across 12 tracks total this year, his body of work has already established Blake as a game-changing electronic artist navigating in the exceedingly tricky—and dangerous—neighborhood of post-’06 dubstep. While 12 tracks may not seem like an incredible accomplishment, Blake’s three releases show a …
I don’t drink nearly enough coffee. I have a cup in the morning, a cup at lunch… and I’m still exhausted by the end of the day. I need another pick-me-up. Something to grate my nerves just enough, keep me on my toes. Come 3:00, it’s Alphabets. Of course, I need Alphabets. Denver percussionist and …
he phonetically acrobatic, caps lock-challenging oOoOO earn their OOO’s on this mercurial, sludgey-house beat driven, gloomy post-dubstep, iced-out hip-hop informed experimental electronic debut EP. Or you can just call it “Witch House.” …Which I will be doing from here on out. The problem with term “Witch House” is the same problem with the term “hipster” …
To their credit or ruin, when Blue Sky Black Death go in, they go all in. Their absolute dedication to a concept has produced some of the most thrilling and strangest collaborations in the beat-making world. From the most prestigious production work with female hip-hop artist Jean Grae, to the murky, paranoid cuts with early Wu-Tang affiliates Holocaust and Hell Razah, …
BLUE SKY BLACK DEATH – THIRD PARTY (FAKE FOUR, 2010) Read More »
Today I want to talk to you a little bit about the concept of collaboration. It’s something that’s been on my mind as things are happening around my workplace that are a bit troubling… Ryan H. has been anything but shy about what keeps him busy during that big 40, the never ending rat race, …
Pakastani ambient-drone musician Asfandyar Khan plays exclusively in reverential, nearly sacred tones on this auspicious debut. It would be tempting to read too much into where and when this music was recorded. Pakistan certainly doesn’t show up on my radar of hot-spots for glacially paced guitar experimentation, aside from the golden-throated Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Snow Makes …
ASFANDYAR KHAN – SNOW MAKES THINGS PERFECT (SELF RELEASED, 2010) Read More »
I like this trend of harsh noise artists calling it as they see it. You know exactly what you are getting when you bite into Kevin Drumm’s Sheer Hellish Miasma or Merzbow’s Metal Mad Man. There is no false advertising going on here. Similarly, ridiculously obscure CA noise musician Hautain doesn’t go in for the old bait and switch with his …
You know, for not wanting to talk about Witch House, I sure want to talk about Witch House a lot. Posting that Hideous Men video a couple of days ago got me thinking more and more about this mysterious style no one seems to want to be a part of, yet everyone wants to be listening to/watching/grooving with… and …
