Taylor Deupree is practically a legend in the world of electronica. Marcus Fischer is a very new name to me. Judging by how well these two work together, I can’t wait to hear more collaborations like this one.
Ambient
[Music] Markus Stockhausen Quartet – A Trumpet For Greece
Mellow, grey-day music from Markus Stockhausen and company.
[Music] Jeffrey Roden – Threads Of A Prayer: Volume 1
A Miscellany of Tasteful… is proud to announce the release today of a record I’ve been waiting to hear for months now. Jeffrey Roden is an old friend from my days working at Aron’s Records and Lumpy Gravy, a restaurant and record shop located in Hollywood, and owned by animator Gábor Csupó. Today is the official release of his latest album, Threads Of A Prayer: Volume 1.
More about the album. Solaire Records out of Germany collaborated with Jeffrey, and the first thing I noticed was the tastefully minimalistic artwork and packaging, which reminded me of something ECM Records would have been proud to release. The notes on the music are copious, but the compositions themselves are the stars of the day.
There is a slow, gently plodding pace to the first disc of this album. Sandro Ivo Bartoli performs the pieces with an understated gentleness that would be comparable to the best of Harold Budd and his collaborations with Brian Eno. I have been fortunate to review a series of truly enveloping music the past few weeks, and this one is the best of the lot.
Disc two is remarkable in a different way. There are elements of the compositions of Arvo Pärt and Henryk Górecki. This isn’t Holy Minimalism, but it is something akin to it. The music is calming, expertly composed, and is perfect for deep listening and thinking the day away.
If this is only Volume 1, I await Volume 2 with a happy anticipation.
[Music] Hans-Joachim Roedelius & Noël Akchoté – Opus (2013)
To review each and every release by Noël Akchoté would be impossible for this one-man blog to do, but I have the luxury of cherry-picking some real treats. This one, in particular, pairs Noël with Hans-Joachim Roedelius of Cluster fame, as well as a maestro in his own right. The album is a guitar/piano improvisation recorded in Vienna, Austria in 2013. Gentle, plucky sounds which cross into fusion territory at times.
[Music] Murkok – My Friend Is Ivan Efremov EP
Something calm, soothing and lovely to relax to after watching people make utter animals out of themselves the last 24 hours. Many thanks to Murkok for this treasure.
[Music] Pahat Kengät – Tanssimusiikkia
I wish to thank my friend Neea for introducing me to one of the most enjoyable pieces of work I’ve heard in some time, allowing me to get lost in my work. Fans of minimalist composers like Steve Reich and the early Berlin Electronic School of Music will enjoy this. Pahat Kengät sit comfortably between Krautrock, contemporary classical music, New Age and a mellow form of techno.
[Music] Cousin Silas – A Quiet Night In Point Pleasant
9 minutes of deep listening, courtesy of Cousin Silas, one of my favorite new ambient artists.
[Music] Jeff Gburek – Sound in the Soluble State
I think Jeff Gburek’s music will merit its own genre. I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing too many people who could blend experimental music, ambient and some indescribably primal music together so seamlessly
I took two deep listens to the album. The first allowed me to listen to the structure of the music as is, and the compositions are sublime. The second listen I did while I finished up a couple of projects, and the sounds felt as though they were perfectly composed for my working space.
[Music] Antifur Want to Shake Vaporwave Out of Its Meaningless Irony — Bandcamp Daily
The creative force behind the hardvapour label discusses politics, identity and what “hard” really means.
via Antifur Want to Shake Vaporwave Out of Its Meaningless Irony — Bandcamp Daily
[Music] Karolina Ossowska/Jeff Gburek – Visitations
The best composers make you forget they’re composing music. They offer something like a cinéma pour l’oreille, or a cinema for the ear, to their listeners. In an age before music videos blighted the listening experience, a great composition would allow you to submerge yourself into a piece and envision a world the composer may be trying to create for you.
This is the experience I’ve had in listening to Jeff Gburek, a true citizen of the world and one of the most interesting experimental composers active today. He and his parter Karolina Ossowska cover a great deal of ground on this release. There are elements of soundtrack music (think 60’s futurist films), contemporary classical music (some pieces reminded me of the legendary Egyptian-Greek composer Jani Christou) and there were even touches of progressive rock and improvisational music which came to mind.
This is easily among the top five releases of the year for these ears. Jeff’s work is worth hunting for, and you can find a good deal of it here on his Bandcamp site.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 