Of Earth and Sun - Uncoiled CD



"Ritual Ambient" recorded using "bone trumpets, vocals, drums, oscillators". This vaguely reminds me of things like Zoviet France and Zero Kama but doesn't really sound like that either. Fairly aggressive at times.







Bandcamp Stream/Purchase



Label copy:

A new entry into the Malignant family, Of Earth and Sun is the project of Denver based Matthew Hunzeker, who skillfully utilizes a variety of both organic and electronic instrumentation ranging from bone trumpets, vocals, oscillators, and drum machines to create impressive soundscapes of heavily ritualistic inspired drones and intoxicating, near cataclysmic invocations. These are not intimate, candle-lit ruminations, but something that operates on a much grander, more corporeal level. As Hunzeker describes it, "the music plunges listeners into the depths of the supernatural; into a completely inhospitable environment from the point of view of human understanding, acquiring a dark psychedelic sound verging on noise and doom, which transforms into an unfathomable inner cavity of mystic and ritual symbolism that viscerally affects the energies flowing in the body and mind".

At first, the 9 tracks that comprise Uncoiled seem monolithic and almost overpoweringly dense, but repeated listens reveal them to be intensely hypnotic and mesmerizing, often times starting with singular, elongated vocalizations or slow motion thrums that rapidly blossom into a cascade of swarming drones and thumping pulsations. By the end, they've been transformed into a consuming mass of saturated, turbulent sound, falling somewhere between the visceral, immersive nature of Theologian and the meditative, organic darkness of Halo Manash. Skillfully assembled and evocative, what Of Earth and Sun create is immersive, heavy, and riveting, and represents a unique new vision onto the scene.

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Craig Padilla - The Light in the Shadow CD



Picked this up during a $5 CD sale from the Spotted Peccary label, turned out to be good move. The sound is fairly dark synth based ambient, with some sequencer work going on. The subtle rhythms and loops are very sparse, so as not to disturb the ambient aspect of the album. I was not previously familiar with this artist at all, so this makes me want to check out some of this other work.

Bandcamp/CD Purchase Link

Craig Padilla Website

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Wordclock - Self Destruction Themes



Here is a somewhat recent ambient album that really impressed me. I like the use of cello on this recording.

Bandcamp Purchase/Stream

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Yoshimi - Tokyo Restricted Area - Cassette/Digital



This came out recently on the Dream Catalogue label, normally known for "vaporwave" stuff which isn't my cup of tea at all. This is nothing like that though. It's a combination of dark ambient textures, soundtrack music, and a dash of instrumental hip hop. Really good too. Apparently the guy behind this mainly works in Japanese cinema.

Label copy here:

In 2015, Saiba ’98 brought to our attention Yoshimi Hishida, a Tokyo-born musician who has worked in the music industry in Japan for over two decades now and has a rich history of work in musical scoring for Japanese cinema. On Saiba’s strong recommendation, we checked Yoshimi out and immediately got in touch about him producing an album for us, as the work he had created in recent years was perfect for our vision for “dream music”. Luckily, Saiba had already been pushing Dream Catalogue towards Yoshimi and he was impressed with our approach to “dream music”, and while his own music stylistically comes from a darker and a somewhat different place than many Dream Catalogue artists, that same approach to delivering a dream-like narrative and heavy concept through music and presentation was right in line with Yoshimi's own musical vision.

After our discussions with Yoshimi, he set about working for months on ‘Tokyo Restricted Area’, a deeply inspired album which reflects a more ominous light upon his home city of Tokyo – a story that those who do not hail from there may be unaware of. It is based on a style he has pioneered called “Japanese Hell Trap”, and in a sense its concept is very hardvapour – reflecting upon the esoteric aspects of life that most do not want to explore. At times a very dark listen, the artist’s use of traditional Japanese musical sounds, cinematic effects and futuristic trap-style bass kicks and percussion blend together to create a wholly original atmosphere.

This album is about the city of Tokyo and the ghosts and ancient lore that exist beneath the cracks of the concrete metropolis, the ancient history that paved the way for modern civilisation. It is a very spiritual album, and this is reflected in the music with its sparse organic tones that make the listener reflect, its cyberpunk-like futurism brought out in the hard electronics.

Bandcamp Purchase/Stream Link

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Steve Roach & Robert Logan - Biosonic - CD/Digital



New collaborative album between Steve Roach and the much younger Robert Logan, who I was not previously familiar with. They've put together a very nice album here...beat-driven, ambient techno-ish stuff with some experimental touches thrown in. Highly detailed production work. I'm only one listen in so far, need to try this on headphones next.

Label copy (abridged):

BIOSONIC's labyrinth of bio-electrical rhythmic pieces mixes with passages of deep drifting textural magnetism. Nine tracks possessed with intense fire and driving dynamism push down to the molecular level, while entrancing groovescapes inhabit new textural worlds of mind-expanding power. The music's intention is ecstasy and intensity -- like the frenzied rush of red blood cells, nerve impulses or the firing of pistons -- such tendencies are balanced by an undercurrent of tranquility and yearning.

Bandcamp - Stream/Purchase

SteveRoach.com Purchase CD

Projekt Records - Purchase CD

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