Elektro Moskva, directed by Elena Tikhonova & Dominik Spritzendorfer, shows the history of electronic music in Russia from the works of Léon Theremin to the ANS synthesizer used by such luminaries as Eduard Artemiev (famous for his soundtracks to the films of Andrei Tarkovsky) and beyond. I’m very much looking forward to seeing this when time permits.
Drone
[Music] Geronimo Arafat – To Writhe Amongst The Lepers
Geronimo Arafat are an experimental music project based in Los Angeles which has been in operation since around 2011. For those of you who remember the experimental music cassette culture of the 1980s and early 1990s, and love bands like The Residents, Sun City Girls, Merzbow or even early Nurse With Wound, this project is VERY much worth exploring.
[Music] Letha Rodman Melchior – Edymion/MWCIE
There’s little worse, from a musical standpoint, than discovering an artist whose work gleams brightly after she has left this mortal coil, and from cancer, that cruel killer. Letha Rodman Melchior was a painter of some renown as well as a composer of fine experimental music. She hailed from Durham, North Carolina, and recorded for Siltbreeze Records, with whom she released two absolutely stunning albums: Handbook For Mortals from 2013, and Shimmering Ghosts, released posthumously in 2015.
[Music] Aaron Dilloway & Jason Lescalleet – Black Mountain
Aaron Dilloway & Jason Lescalleet recording a gorgeous ambient album in 2014 called Popeth, which is sadly unavailable, even as a download, now.
[Music] 36 – Hollow
36 (pronounced three-six) are an ambient drone band based out of the United Kingdom. Heavy duty music for headphones, not quite Eno-esque, but it resides more along the post-rock side of the spectrum.
[Music] Mean Flow – Floating Thoughts
Mean Flow is a project headed by Theofil Tsiolakakis, a multi-instrumentalist out of Thessaloniki, Greece. He collaborates in this latest release with IDTAL (InDusTreeAlLace Productions) and Marco Lucchi, both consummate professionals and incredible musicians in their own right.
[Music] Cooper Raines – Storyland
My friend Cooper Raines goes by so many aliases (and yes, this, too, is an alias) that it’s sometimes hard to keep track of his work. This brand-new release, however, really stands out as a charming paean to old experimental cassette culture and the better, more cheeky work that bands like Nurse With Wound would make.
[Music] Jos Smolders – Nowhere: Exercises in Modular Synthesis and Field Recording
Many years ago, well before I had access to the Internet, I used to collect experimental music cassettes. One of the groups I enjoyed most was a Dutch collective called THU20, who featured Jos Smolders, who was also partially responsible for the seminal VITAL WEEKLY series of newsletters which, to this day, feeds my interest for new experimental music. This is Jos’ newest release, from the Portuguese label Crónica Electrónica, and it’s a lovely piece of work. Pay specific attention to track #3, which is dedicated to yours truly, a most humbling honor from a decent and talented man.
[Music] TeHÔM – Despiritualization Of Nature (part I – IV)
One doesn’t normally mix Death In June and Croatian Catholicism and mysticism. As it turned out, Siniša Očuršćak, who studied Philosophy of Religion during the same time I was doing so, ended up attracting the attention of Douglas P. and releasing one of the unsung dark ambient albums of the 1990s. I understand that the project has been resurrected by another band member, and I look forward to exploring their current work.
[Music] Un Festin Sagital – La Procesion de la Noche Solar
Un Festin Sagital were one of the finest ritualistic ambient bands to ever come out of Chile. In fact, I can’t think of another, save the related band Thanatoloop.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 