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Helios: Seeming Video

Posted by Jakub

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Taken from ‘Veriditas’ LP by Helios out August 31, 2018.

On respective edges of America — Oregon and Maine — Keith Kenniff records quiet music at night. “When things are calmer,” he says. “My mind is less distracted when I know that everything is dark outside.” For over a decade, such has been the mode — nocturnal, unrushed, using the same mini-cassette recorder, “a lovely little imperfect way to treat sounds” — for one of the country’s most understated composers. Kenniff has housed dozens of ambient releases under the name Helios since 2004, alongside post-classical output as Goldmund, shoegaze pop with his wife Hollie as Mint Julep, and commissions for film and television. It is a reliably transportive body of work that’s earned Kenniff a cult following, and a genuine modesty that’s kept him on the fringes, right where he prefers, in the dark.

Kenniff mostly lets his music breathe free of explanation, open to interpretation. As listeners, we follow subtle suggestions — the fiery sky on the cover of 2012’s Moiety, the countryside daydream of 2015’s Yume — extracting meanings from imagery and inscriptions. Veriditas, the sixth Helios full-length, shares its name with twelfth-century philosopher Hildegard von Bingen’s notion of “the greening power of the divine,” the term derived from the union of two Latin words: green and truth. Bingen saw the abundance of the earth as vitality to be cultivated, interconnected with the body and spirit. Take the concept in concert with Veriditas’ vistas of sound, gazing beyond the tree-lined wonder on its artwork, and we undoubtedly recognize the album’s rooting. Kenniff elaborates, “While I’m not a very spiritual person as it relates to a religious belief, I do feel an overwhelming connection between the aesthetics I find pleasing in my experience of nature and my experience of writing music.”

Veriditas introduces unusual shapes and landscapes to the Helios catalog. Whereas past songs have followed traditional structures — discernable bell curves with beginnings, arcs, and ends — the focus here is texture and harmony. “I wanted to explore emotionality within something more static.” Synth-tones radiate and hum as vignettes, often crisp and cloudless, other times smeared to a queasy Boards of Canada-like unease. The latter burbles below the last moments of “Eventually” and looms over the opener “Seeming” like darkness inching across a forest. Tracks cease at will. “Seeming” fades just after a sliver of light cuts through the mossy pillars. “Latest Lost” mists for just one minute. “Row The Tide” for two, hovering like a helium balloon lost to the horizon. “Even Today” hangs above the snowcaps, suspended in an upper arboreal sequence, as shimmering surges of static trace the treetops below.

Moments on Veriditas pass quickly, but as a series of moments, they are fluid, almost regenerative. Disassembling the album by instruments is difficult. Unlike past Helios work, there is no percussion. The one straightforward use of guitar appears on the ambling “Upward Beside The Gale,” strummed solemnly as if over end credits, watching the greenery lapse to grey in the twilight. In the second half of “Dreams,” crystalline piano chords converse with washes of orchestral notes and deep drone, advancing towards temporal clarity, a lookout point, that once presented evaporates.

In a way, Veriditas parallels the path of the Helios project to date: patient, immense, and wondrous without ostentation. Kenniff continues to find a soothing and centering quality in his craft. Aligned with Hildegard von Bingen’s philosophy, Kenniff looks towards sound, like many do to nature, for momentary vigor, for elemental and nourishing prolificacy. Here, in pursuit of viriditas, with precise textures and harmonies, he humbly extends that verdant expression outward, wide and pliable.

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Christopher Willits: New Single

Posted by Jakub

by jasonjko

by jasonjko


As co-founder of spatial audio platform Envelop, pioneering producer and electronic musician Christopher Willits navigates the new universe of three dimensional music composition. The technology positions sound around the listener—full spatial orientation—whether inside an Envelop space or at home with ordinary headphones. A logical step for an artist whose output, spanning over 25 releases, has inched increasingly towards rich, immersive audiovisual experiences. His new project, Horizon, culminates a career-long journey for space, physicality, and serenity in music. Fitting, a decade after Willits marked Ghostly International’s first ever exclusively digital full-length, that he brings the label its first spatial audio album.

Willits began to share his diverse vision of ambient music in the early 2000s, releasing a string of critically acclaimed albums on the 12k label. The minimal sound introduced on those recordings remains at the core of his work: warm guitar tones woven into smooth, harmonic surfaces. Willits would expand the spectrum of his catalog next through collaboration, working with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Zach Hill (Death Grips), Taylor Deupree, and, for 2014 LP Opening, the whole band of Tycho.

In the period since Opening, Willits and friends successfully crowdfunded Envelop, allowing further development of its open source software, which integrates with production tools like Ableton Live as well as virtual reality platforms, and its 3D sound space locations for performance, research, workshops, and other non-profit projects. He also composed the original score for documentary The Art of Listening, and continues to lead music production and meditation classes in San Francisco.
Both Willits’ teachings and his mission with Envelop inform the deep ambient terrain of Horizon. Spanning one hour and thirty minutes, the album surrenders to the sentient fabric of time and space, and by design, aligns with sleep patterns, meditation, and other mindful practices. This is slow music, mapped to surround listeners whether in states heightened or muted. Space, literally and figuratively, to reflect in.

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The innovative 3D mix is evident within the first sweeping, spherical pan of “Comet” (access to Envelop’s software or spaces not required). As one orbits, on occasion the panoramic view touches down to the surface by way of ambisonic field recordings, like the Peruvian Amazon at night on “Return” and the Hawaiian ocean waves of “Waipio.”

This weightless motion—shifting between gaseous and textural, macro and micro—offers a unique and transcendent proprioceptive experience. Listeners are ushered through atmospheres with indeterminate length, breadth and depth. It is as if we are at once above, below, within, and alongside the skylines of sound.

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The Beat Broker: New Mixtape

Posted by Jakub

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The veterans always have the gem tracks, The Beat Broker delivers every time.

Tracklist:
Jex Opolis Presents: In The Nite “Guitar Sands”
Pete Herbert and Martin Denev “Batu Karang” (Joe Morris Balearic Shades Remix)
Chord Memory Band “Donostia”
Coyote “Engineered Garments”
Daniel T “Fahrenheit”
Da Chick “Chick-A-Boom” (Pete Herbert Piano Dub)
Dark Punk Hippies “Funky Universe” (Aimes Remix)
Holm CPU “Fotspor” (Todd Terje Disco Dub)
Dave Allison “Cocktail Blue” (Heion Remix)
Psycho Radio vs LC Anderson “Bad Reputation” (Daniele Baldelli & MarcoDionigi Funkadiba)
Das Komplex “Tonight, Good Night”
Ryan R “Umqondo”
Marvin & Guy “Dancity” (Eddie C Remix)
Komodo “Magic Hour” (The Backwoods Oriental Dub)
Dan Lissvik “D”

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Epoch Vinyl Out Today + World Tour

Posted by Jakub

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Limited Edition Red Vinyl or Black Vinyl
Jacket is a 2-panel printed matte finish jacket with a 3mm spine;
LP inserted into uncoated art sleeve
Artwork by ISO50

BUY COLORED VINYL HERE

Tycho’s Epoch is the final album in the trilogy beginning with 2011’s Dive, then 2014’s Awake and culminating with the new album. This period between Dive and Epoch marks a significant maturation for Scott Hansen’s continually expanding project, one that has taken him from a solo performer and bedroom artist to fronting a live 4-piece band on large stages across the world.

Epoch hones the sonic aesthetic of Dive while drawing on the kinetic energy of Awake, it explores darker themes and new musical territory. Epoch was produced and recorded by Hansen predominantly in his home studio in Berkeley, California. The album was arranged alongside long time collaborator and partner in the project, Zac Brown. Brown contributed bass and guitar parts to the songwriting process while Rory O’Connor performed drums on the album. Hansen sees Epoch as a multi-dimensional artistic vision at the confluence of his graphic design work via ISO50 and music with Tycho. The graphic presentation of album artwork is as important as the music itself. The keystone is the central image of Epoch and the colors scheme red and black. This is a stark contrast to the almost rainbow palette of Awake.

When discussing the surprise element of this release Hansen said, “I’ve never been fond of the ‘hand in the album then wait 4 months for it to come out’ release schedule. I wanted to be more connected to the people consuming the music.” He continues, “There is a kind of visceral fulfillment you get from sharing something that you’ve just created with other people. We just finished mastering the album in late august so it will barely be a month old when people hear it. That’s a very satisfying feeling as an artist.“

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TYCHO WORLD TOUR 2017 – Tickets Here

01 19 – Taipei, TW – Legacy
01 21 – Singapore, SP – Laneway Festival
01 25 – Melbourne, AU – 170 Russell – SOLD OUT
01 26 – Brisbane, AU – Laneway Festival
01 28 – Melbourne, AU – Laneway Festival
01 30 – Auckland, NZ – Laneway Festival
02 02 – Sydney, AU – Metro Theatre
02 03 – Adelaide, AU – Laneway Festival
02 04 – Sydney, AU – Laneway Festival
02 05 – Fremantle, AU – Laneway Festival
02 14 – Budapest, HU – Akvarium Klub
02 15 – Prague, CZ – Meetfactory
02 16 – Warsaw, PL – Worldwide Festival at Niebo
02 18 – Copenhagen, DK – Pumpehuset – SOLD OUT
02 19 – Stockholm, SE – Kagelbanan – SOLD OUT
02 20 – Oslo, NO – Parkteatret – SOLD OUT
02 22 – Cologne, DE – Gloria Theatre
02 23 – Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg
02 24 – Paris, FR – La Gaite Lyrique – SOLD OUT
02 25 – Brussels, BE – Botanique – Orangerie – SOLD OUT
02 27 – London, UK – Electric Brixton
02 28 – London, UK – Electric Brixton – SOLD OUT
03 03 – Hamburg, DE – Uebel & Gefahrlich
03 05 – Leipzig, DE – UT Connewitz (rescheduled from 2/11)
03 06 – Vienna, AT – Flex (rescheduled from 2/12)
03 07 – Berlin, DE – Astra Kulturhaus (rescheduled from 2/10)
03 10 – New Orleans, LA – Buku Music + Art Project
04 15 – Indio, CA – Coachella
04 22 – Indio, CA – Coachella
05 03 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Steel
05 31 – Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound
06 08 – Porto, PT – Primavera Sound

Can’t Believe There’s A New Slowdive Song

Posted by Jakub

Jude Allen

Jude Allen



Can’t believe there’s a new Slowdive song…and it’s soo damn good.

After 22 years, Slowdive return with “Star Roving”, their first new material since 1995’s ‘Pygmalion’, which will be released via Dead Oceans, worldwide. The band has been hinting at new music for some time and now the band can finally satisfy the ears of their patient fans. Featuring Neil Halstead (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Christian Savill (guitar), Nick Chaplin (bass), Rachel Goswell (vocals) and Simon Scott (drums, electronics), “Star Roving” embodies the effortlessness for which Slowdive is known — as the song progresses, it expands and contracts in ways that feel infinite. Singer Neil Halstead says: “When the band decided to get back together in 2014 we really wanted to make new music. It’s taken us a whole load of shows and a few false starts to get to that point, but it’s with pride and a certain trepidation we unleash “Star Roving”. We really hope folks enjoy it, it’s part of a bunch of new tracks we’ve been working on and it feels as fun, and as relevant playing together now as it did when we first started”.

Slowdive’s debut album ‘Just For A Day’ was released in 1991 by Creation Records and was followed by the band’s now revered 1993 album ‘Souvlaki’ and 1995’s ‘Pygmalion’ before disbanding. In the 22 years of their virtual disappearance, compilation albums have been released and the core members of the group have gone on to join other musical endeavours. In 2014, the band announced that they’d reunited and more new music would follow. Faithful fans will herald “Star Roving” as a critically worthy return.

A Summers End from Peoples Palms

Posted by Jakub

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There are plenty of tracks I keep in my arsenal if I need an escape, i’ll be adding this one from People’s Palms. It brings the light in with a bit of haze, sort of slows down whatever you’re doing and invites you into its own groove.

The third album and Hush Hush debut from Oakland-based musician Austin Freese aka People’s Palms.
Digital + Cassette tape release date: October 14th 2016

People’s Palms / Soundcloud – @peoplespalms
People’s Palms / Facebook – bit.ly/2aJLpau

Oakland-based musician Austin Freese aka People’s Palms makes his Hush Hush debut with the cinematic 10-track album ‘Habitatual,’ his third album under the moniker and his first official label release. A thoroughly hypnotic affair heavily influenced by the natural world, the album organically swims through a fantastic mosaic of mallet instruments, long form guitar swells, found sound, and his trusty Yamaha CS-50. Piecing together unique field recordings captured over the last three years during mundane everyday life as well as exotic international travels, and then patiently adding his own instrumental flourishes, ‘Habitatual’ carries a transportive sound that quietly shifts through downtempo, ambient, and New Age styles while simultaneously floating free of rigid genre confines. Shades of Steve Reich, Boards of Canada, and early Tortoise peak through his richly-detailed tapestries, creating a meditative imaginary soundtrack ideal to compliment unexpected excursions. A subtle yet consistent global influence further enhances People’s Palms’ exploratory productions, fueled by a fascination with the globalization of music and traditional international rhythms sparked through his own travels as well as the interconnectivity of our online generation. Fitting right at home on the introspective-inclined Seattle-based label Hush Hush Records, the blissful sonic world People’s Palms has created with ‘Habitatual’ yields a dreamy, immersive, and mesmerizing listening experience.

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Tycho Studio Standouts

Posted by Jakub

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We are living in a golden age of sound technology. The tools we have at our disposal today were only a dream just a decade ago. The industry has found the balance between the power and flexibility of digital and the character and nuance of analog. People generally focus on the end result, but for most musicians, producers and engineers, the process is the product and the tools are the enablers.
The following is an off-the-top-of-my-head gear list for this record, my favorite tools, created by the brilliant engineers who make what we do as recording artists possible.
I used a bunch of other things but these are the standouts, stuff I couldn’t do without. “Best” means “in my opinion this is the best I’ve used, personally” and “new” means “new to me, like I got it less than 18 months ago”. Feel free to ask questions about specific applications and I’ll do my best to answer. Would love to hear your favorites as well.

**DISCLAIMER: In this post I’m mentioning some high end (read: expensive) gear. But I want any of you who are just starting out to know that you should never think that expensive equipment is an answer to anything. All it does it add, incrementally, to your sound. A good engineer / producer should be able to produce quality recordings without the use of boutique or prohibitively expensive gear. I used inexpensive equipment for many, many years before saving up for and spending the time to understand higher level recording equipment. Of course, with the right tools a job can become easier, but it’s not impossible without them (but do invest in a good preamp before anything, that’s really the most important thing). That being said, after 18 years as a recording engineer and musician, these ended up being my go-to tools for this record.

Best New gear overall

Kemper Profiling Amp

Best New FX Unit overall: Strymon Blue Sky

Best New Synth: Korg Minilogue

Best New Old Synth: Moog New Minimoog Model D (can’t believe they actually did it. Just got it a week ago, somehow even better than my original 1972 Model D)
Dangerous 2-Bus+ (if you’re looking for analog summing, this is it)
Rupert Neve Designs Portico II Channel (the perfect balance of color and clarity, a modern classic)

Synths

Most used: Korg Minilogue

Late bloomer: Korg MS-20 (original)

Indispensable newcomer: Sequential Circuits Prophet 5

Staying power: Minimoog Model D (orignal 1972)

Deprecated: Access Virus C (we had a good run, but now I’m using the Kemper — same designer — so I feel we’re even)

Honorable mention: Korg Arp Odyssey

Preamps

Rediscovered an old favorite: Universal Audio 6716

Sadly underutilized: Chandler LTD-1

EQ

Trident 80B 500 Series

Guitars

Got a Gibson Les Paul after having an Epiphone Les Paul for years. Now I get why they’re so expensive.

Hardware

New Favorites: Strymon Timeline and Blue Sky

Stalwart: Ursa Major SST-282

Best new output conversion: Dangerous Convert-8

Best new input conversion: Lynx Aurora 16

Best adapter: Lynx AES16e

Best mixer: Neve 542

Underappreciated: Empirical Labs Distressor EL8-X

Software Instruments

Native Instruments Monark (as close as you’re ever going to get to a Mini in the digital domain)

Arturia Jupiter 8V (stunning clarity, always cuts through the mix)
XILS 3 (warmth)

Software effects

Valhalla Shimmer / Vintageverb, U-He Presswerk, Plugin Alliance VSM-3, Arturia Jupiter 8V, , Waves H-EQ, Waves RS56, Waves Scheps 73, Eventide Black Hole, SoundToys Native Bundle, Acustica Amethyst, Empirical Labs Arousor, Sonnox Envolution, SSL Duende Drumstrip, Kush Omega N&A

DAW

Reaper 5

Monitoring

Controller: Dangerous D-Box

Monitors: Genelec 8330A

Headphones: DT770 Pro 80ohm (great translation to/from speakers)

Sepalcure announce New LP

Posted by Jakub

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Hotflush Recordings is delighted to announce the arrival of a second full length from Sepalcure, the American duo made up of Travis “Machinedrum” Stewart and Praveen “Braille” Sharma. Arriving four and a half years since their acclaimed debut, 11 track album Folding Time is a singular and tender statement that lands in May 2016.

This special coming together of distinctive musical minds produced a much-loved, self-titled debut LP in 2011, plus six EPs between 2010 and 2013, all of which suggested a penchant for broken beats and bright melodics. Both have since furthered their accomplished solo careers – Braille released his debut solo album Mute Swan, while Machinedrum’s experimental exploration of Vapor City landed on Ninja Tune – that have kept them busy in the studio as well as on the road. As such, and owing to their insistence that any production work had to be done in person “since that results in a certain sound and experience you just can’t recreate remotely”, the new record took some time to come together.

The album, written over many bottles of whiskey, is made up of brand new music, but also tracks that have been worked on, forgotten, then revived over many years. Its title comes from the fact that, “it felt like we were connecting the present with the past. Going through each session was like digging through old memories.” Stylistically, of course, this pair have very different musical DNAs, but that means studio work cooks up many surprises along the way and results in an album that is awash with everything from field recordings to guitars and electric piano. It is a mix of playing and programming, has many multilayered tracks full of intimate and personal easter eggs and is, essentially, “two homies hanging out and having fun; a meeting of our minds.”

Right from the distant vocal mutters and blissful guitar licks of opener ‘Fight For Us’ featuring Rochelle Jordan there is a seductive r&b sensibility to proceedings. Tumbling drums and pained vocals have you in a love locked free-fall before ‘Not Gonna Make It’ gets to the point with Sepulcure’s trademark stuttering drums and fractured vox. ‘Devil Inside,’ featuring the pair’s long time friend and collaborator Angelica Bess, is future pop from a perfect world, ‘No Honey’ strips things back to a harmonic headspace of bumpy rubber kicks and percolating jungle percussion, then ‘Been So True’ shows a playful side, lovable sense of sampling and broken reggae rhythm. The second half of the album explores direct dance floor grooves on ‘Hearts in Danger’, snaking synths and reverb rich beats on ‘Loosen Up’ and deeper, more introspective moments on tracks like ‘Dub Of’ and ‘Brother Forest’ before closing down with a brace of blissfully melodic and dreamy excursions to a beach during sun down.

With plenty of well paced peaks and troughs along the way, as well as an underlying sense of humour and a very real human warmth, this is an album that works on both head and heel in equal measure.