[POST-FOETUS] - The Fabric CD Mü-Nest BLESSURE GRAVE - Judged by Twelve, Carried by Six CD Alien8 CINDYTALK / ROBERT HAMPSON split-10" Editions Mego DENSELAND - Chunk CD Mosz DOMINIQUE BASSAL - Ubiquité DVD-A empreintes DIGITALes ELEH - Location Momentum CD Touch FENN O'BERG - In Stereo 2LP/CD Editions Mego FRANCIS DHOMONT - Études pour Kafka CD empreintes DIGITALes FURSAXA - Mycorrhizae Realm CD ATP/R LENA - Circonstances/Variations 1-4 12" Bruit Clair/Sounds Around MATHIAS DELPLANQUE - Parcelles 1-10 CD Bruit Clair MI AMI - Steal Your Face LP/CD Thrill Jockey RASHOMON - The Finishing Line (Film Music Vol.2) CD Hinterzimmer RHYS CHATHAM - The Bern Project CD Hinterzimmer SUDDEN INFANT - My Life's a Gunshot (1989-2009) 2x2LP hrönir THE INTERNAL TULIPS - Mislead into a Field... LP/CD Planet Mu URAL UMBO - s/t CD Utech V.A. / ZKM - trans_canada DVD-A empreintes DIGITALes VEX'D - Cloud Seed 2LP/CD Planet Mu YANNIS KYRIAKIDES - Antichamber 2CD Unsounds ZEITKRATZER - Old School: JAMES TENNEY CD Zeitkratzer ZEITKRATZER - Old School: JOHN CAGE CD Zeitkratzer >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top [POST-FOETUS] - The Fabric CD/DL, Mü-Nest mnc006 www.mu-nest.com www.myspace.com/postfoetus Joy, true joy, is a difficult emotion to genuinely express in music. It reaches beyond those familiar poppish chords and notes and melodies, beyond a mere line of words in a set of lyrics, beyond a mere suggestion. Yet joy is precisely what 20-year-old Will Wiesenfeld, a.k.a [Postfoetus] emanates from his album, The Fabric, a beautifully crafted, multi-instrument emotional music playground of pure joy and absolute beauty. A sonic adventure so pure, so genuine, so intimate yet so magnificent in all its delicate layers of inviting voices, warm sounds, playful beats and dreamy, blissful melodies, that it flows like breaths of splendid zephyrs, wondrous waves and waves of true joy from the speakers straight to that timeless place of smiles we all keep in our heart of hearts. [Post-foetus] presents a perfectly balanced blend of classical instruments and dream-pop electronica, a vibrant sonic tapestry of heart-throbbing viola, piano, upright bass and guitar melodies trailing, cruising and ingeniously intertwined, layered with moving electronic percussions, ambient sounds and sampled voices, as well as a dreamy, expressive and honest vocal performance that wears its heart naturally on its sleeve. This album is mu-nest's first American artiste release. Though still deeply rooted in mu-nest's core niche of sweet, melodious electroacoustic music, it marks an expansion to mu-nest's usual repertoire with joyous, solid sounds that holds a presence in the air while maintaining a strong emotional sensitivity. Smiles. Smiles is what The Fabric would simply render. For joy comes from asserting the longings of the heart, the unspoken hopes, the dreams, the fantasies, the intimate moments we hold dear, and thus is The Fabric. Biography [Post-foetus] is 20-year-old Californian, WILL WIESENFELD. Will was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley just outside Los Angeles. Classically trained, he began studying piano at age 4 in an effort to compete with his brother. He completely abandoned it after 8 years, but then slowly began to rediscover the potential music. He began to seek new explorations and adventurous alternatives to what he had been used to musically all his life. The music of Björk was an invaluable influence that redirected his efforts into composition. He learned how to use sequencer software to record his ideas, and also developed other musical skills in an effort to better his songwriting, including vocals, guitars, viola, upright and electric bass, rhythm / beat construction, production aesthetics, and whatever else... His lyrics developed along the same lines as his musicality; initially they all concerned a yearning for something completely different and new, but grew to include a wide variety of emotional subject matter. He considers performing and recording to be very different but equally valid means of expression, and labors at both with the same amount of love. Nearly 6 years have passed since his first recording, and he already has 4 full-length albums, 3 EPs, and hours of unreleased material in his portfolio. He still has an unquenchable thirst for experimentation in recording and performance, and hopes to find new ways to evoke genuine, emotional substance, however alien or steeped in fantasy his material may find itself. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top BLESSURE GRAVE - Judged by Twelve, Carried by Six CD/DL, Alien8 Recordings ALIEN88 www.alien8recordings.com www.youtube.com/user/downintheground Founded as a duo by T. GRAVES and REYNA KAY in September 2008, Blessure Grave blurs the lines between the Goth, Post Punk and Neo Folk genres. The pair has since developed the project into a full band while building a cult-like following, scattering various vinyl and tape releases on boutique labels around the globe. Citing Killing Joke, Death in June, March Violets and The Cure as influences, Blessure Grave injects a pop sensibility into songs otherwise doomed to dreariness, creating an interesting mix of old and new but dark all around. The music initially appears rather simple, but quickly reveals the fact that the songs are fully fleshed-out and genuinely memorable. Perhaps what is misleading at first is that the recordings sound as though they were created in some kult black metal band's dungeon for maximum fog-at-dusk fidelity. Judged by Twelve, Carried by Six is the debut full-length release by Blessure Grave. While a vinyl edition limited to 500 copies will be issued by Release the Bats in the UK, the CD version will also include 4 tracks lifted from their debut 12" EP Learn to Love the Rope, originally released on Captured Tracks. The album provides the perfect soundtrack for contemplating today's troubled times or for simply being swept away with the nostalgic 80's vibe that permeates much of the recording. The band does not waste a lot a time allowing tracks to drone on: the songs are short and to the point, with the average track approximately three minutes in length. A number of the tracks on the album could be considered singles. Take for example the beautifully haunting duet "Resting Place for Two," where band leaders Grave and Kay share vocal duties. Equally enjoyable are pieces like "Hope for the Worst," "In my Mind," "The Cycle" and "In the First Place." Blessure Grave will initially perform around their native California in addition to concerts in Austin, Texas for the 2010 edition of SXSW, with more substantial touring planned for both America and Europe later in the year. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top CINDYTALK / ROBERT HAMPSON - Five Mountains Of Fire / Antarctica Ends Here 10" Editions Mego eMEGO 105 Release Date: April 2 www.editionsmego.com www.cindytalk.com www.roberthampson.com Cindytalk - Five Mountains Of Fire Gordon Sharp: electronics Paul Middleton: drums Dan Knowler: Guitar Gary Jeff: Percussion Sherrill Crosby: Electronics Pre-mixed /re-played by GS at Roi Vert, Okamoto, Japan, March 2009. Robert Hampson - Antarctica Ends Here Dedicated to John Cale Recorded and Mixed at Thirst 2007-2009 in London and Paris Design: Dave Coppenhall Cindytalk's Gordon Sharp and Robert Hampson (Loop, Main...) are 2 characters of legend circulating on the periphery of London (and beyond) underground music over the last 2 plus decades. It may come as s surprise then that this stunning split 10" is the first meeting of these two singular minds. "Five Mountains Of Fire" by Cindytalk is a cracking track taking their recent brittle electronic experiments and charging them with firecracker like percussion to create a pleasantly disorienting soundscape. Flip it over and Hampson delivers the practical polar opposite with "Antarctica Ends Here." An exceptionally beautiful piece utilizing piano and carefully placed electronics so as not to break the ice, a tribute to John Cale's 'Antarctica Starts Here' (from Paris, 1919). Limited to 500 copies. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top DENSELAND - Chunk CD/DL, Mosz 022 Release date: March 20 www.mosz.org www.myspace.com/denseland DAVID MOSS: voice, percussion HANNES STROBL: bass, electronics HANNO LEICHTMANN: drums, electronics Their music is radically intense, charged with energy, crackling. Yet Denseland's energy doesn't come from what is typically called "power". On the contrary, Denseland masters the art of reduction. There's a brief clattering or scratching over the strings now and then; otherwise, the scaffolding of bass and drums remains skilled yet spare, so that nodes of density emerge even more dramatically. One of the most expressive vocal artists of our time, David Moss, adapts himself completely to this art of restraint, reducing his voice to whispers, murmurs, rasps and mutterings, using it like a code incomprehensible to outsiders. In a kind of secret language, Moss communicates with the other musicians through pithy onomatopoetic play with the voice as resonator, rather than with the expressive vocal extremes he is known for. Stylistically it's impossible to pin down the territory of Denseland. While elements of free improvisation enter into the pieces, they are nonetheless quite clearly structured and self-contained. A powerful bass and driving drums are the deeply anchored framework and starting point for the trio's mutual prowl around each other - hinting at song structures without ever allowing them to coalesce into a conventional song. So the tension remains, filled with "animalistic" and tribal sounds that never become concrete, never refer to anything. This music is evolution and motion. It is activity rather than a product. If you want, you can find references to the gray area between free improvisation and post-punk, bands like Material, The Golden Palominos, The Pop Group ... yet all that only offers at most a vague orientation, since Denseland's form is more open and without a rock-like structure, uses pauses cleverly as a stylistic device to give their music even more presence, and hints here and there at traces of dub. It all creates a seductive groove, never demanding, never pushy, but subtle, dusky, ambiguous and intense. (Denseland) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top DOMINIQUE BASSAL - Ubiquité DVD-A empreintes DIGITALes IMED 09101 www.empreintesdigitales.com www.dominiquebassal.com 1st solo disc by Québec composer Dominique Bassal. This release comes out on the label empreintes DIGITALes based in Montréal. Established 1990, this label is widely considered as the world leader in electroacoustics. In 2010 it celebrates 20 years of activity and a catalogue of more than 100 titles. DVD-Audio - Advanced Resolution: Surround 5.1 (MLP 9624) + Stereo (9624) DVD-Video [NTSC, multi-region]: Surround 5.1 (DTS, Dolby Digital) + Stereo (4824) DVD-ROM: MP3 (320 kbps), AAC (320 kbps) files Mastering: Dominique Bassal Composer and sound engineer Dominique Bassal studied electroacoustic music at a time where that discipline was at the cutting edge of audio technology. He started working in commercial music production as an arranger, producer, and studio manager, where he applied avant-garde techniques to the world of pop music, narrow and conservative at the time. However, starting in the mid-'80s, positions shifted, the music industry taking the lead in assimilating technological progress. When Bassal came back to electroacoustic in 2001, he found himself able to share the knowledge and know-how of the industry with a discipline enfeebled by years of inadequate financing and academic isolation. Since then, Bassal has gained recognition within the global electroacoustic community for his passionate commitment to increase the professional aspect of electroacoustic music production. He is the author of the unique and innovative document The Practice of Mastering in Electroacoustics (December 2002) and its online extension Mastering in Electroacoustics: State of Affairs (eContact 9.3, April 2007; English version: November 2007). Bassal has been empreintes DIGITALes' mastering engineer since 2004; he has mastered a significant number of the label's CD-Audio's and DVD-Audio's. He has also presented his research work in seminars all across Canada. Winner of the 2002 edition of Jeu de temps / Times Play, Bassal has been a jury for this competition since 2003. His works have been performed in various settings, and more recently at a series of ÉuCuE concerts (Concordia University, Montréal) and at the 3rd Festival Musica Acusmatica (Cagliari, Sardinia). Bassal's music is the result of two separate artistic processes, one qualitative and the other proceeding from aesthetics. The qualitative aspect of his work submits the generation and organization of sound materials to production standards inherited from his background in audio production and mastering. A part of these standards are production-oriented and aimed at achieving a general feeling of auditive comfort: rich spectral content, integrity of transients, balanced spatialization, and, most importantly, transparent layers without compromising on density. The other part of these standards are reception-oriented and revolve around the concept of narrative dynamism: visually evocative vocabulary freed from the conceptual diktat, conscious use of the spectacular and the fascinating, maintaining interest, balancing comfortable narrative episodes and elements of surprise & The esthetic aspect of Bassal's artistic process is based on polyphonic ambiences - arrangement of intense spaces that can be cold and relentless, tense and disquieting, or strange and luxuriant. And no compromise whatsoever content-wise: no message of serenity or resignation, no praise for any tangible or "spiritual" power, no toning down the description of a world where cynicism and cruelty seem rampant on a cosmic scale. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top ELEH - Location Momentum CD, Touch # TO:80 www.touchmusic.org.uk www.eleh.org Eleh has been an enigma since the first record under that name was released in 2006. In numbered editions with letterpressed sleeves, usually on Important Records from the U.S.A., these vinyl-only releases were evidently a labour of love and attention. Further recordings have been released on the labels Taiga and Touch, making 11 vinyl editions in all. Eleh began as long ago as 1999 as an exploration of analog synthesis, emphasising low frequency oscillation and resonant acoustic phenomenae. Eleh highlights the physical presence of sound as it has been inspired by the physical world. There is also something "cathedral-like" and cosmos-inducing in the sound built. Following the recent 12" release, Observations and Momentum, Eleh has chosen to release the first digital recordings on Touch - Location Momentum is a set of five new recordings which will be made openly available on CD. "The stuff that Eleh sets in motion from whatever electronic sound generators he/she deploys represents a measured and methodical paring away of all that might appear superfluous, baroque and rococo. Each of the tracks here consists of just a handful and discrete (and discreet) but highly charged sound events that emerge, overlap, recede and reverberate at critical frequencies over extended durations. At certain crucial points this approach serves as a formula for opening a portal what david Top has referred to as the dark void, that spectral realm magicked into being (or exposed by) the drone, in which audio apparitions and chimeras dance through smoke and mirrors, suggesting the existence of occult planes and dimensions, multiple other realities, worlds within worlds." (Tony Herrington in The Wire) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top FENN O'BERG - In Stereo 2LP/CD/DL, Editions Mego eMEGO103 Release date: March 5 www.editionsmego.com Written and performed by Christian Fennesz, Jim O'Rourke & Peter Rehberg Recorded and mixed at Studio GOK Sound, Tokyo, October 2009 Mastered at Piethopraxis, Köln, December 2009 Photos by Shunichiro Okada (Outside) & Ujin Matsuo (Inside) That's right, they're back! After a hiatus of almost 9 years the legendary trio of CHRISTIAN FENNESZ, JIM O'ROURKE and PETER REHBERG have returned with a new studio album. Technically the first studio album as previous releases were edits of live performances. They spent a week in Studio GOK Sound, Tokyo to lay down some stunning electronic works. Whereas previously the emphasis was on a chaotic blend of found samples mangled through their mobile computing systems to create a humorous oddball sound, In Stereo implements a more wider instrumental palette of analogue & digital synthesis, guitar, piano, bass and percussion. What they do maintain is the ability to make a near psychedelic audio blend where its impossible to determine who does what. Released as CD digipack and deluxe gatefold double vinyl which features an extra slice of classic Fenn O'Berg magic beauty. In Stereo ...for you. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top FRANCIS DHOMONT - Études pour Kafka CD empreintes DIGITALes IMED 09102 www.empreintesdigitales.com * Francis Dhomont is turning 83 the week of the pre-launch of his 8th disc. * Francis Dhomont is a master, and a reference worldwide for electroacoustics / acousmatics / musique concrète. * Here are three of these self-standing 'sketches,' these pieces of sonic research and impressionistic approaches of Kafkaian themes & * Three self-standing compositions prefiguring Le cri du Choucas, a long work on the world and character of Franz Kafka initiated twelve years ago. * This release comes out on the label empreintes DIGITALes based in Montréal. Established 1990, this label is widely considered as the world leader in electroacoustics. In 2010 it celebrates 20 years of activity and a catalogue of more than 100 titles. Francis Dhomont studied under Ginette Waldmeier, Charles Koechlin and Nadia Boulanger. In the late 40's, in Paris (France), he intuitively discovered with magnetic wire what Schaeffer would later call "musique concrète" and consequently conducted solitary experiments with the musical possibilities of sound recording. Later, leaving behind instrumental writing, he dedicated himself exclusively to electroacoustic composition. An ardent proponent of acousmatics, his work (since 1963) is comprised exclusively of works for tape bearing witness to his continued interest in morphological interplay and ambiguities between sound and the images it may create. The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec has awarded him a prestigious carreer grant. In 1999, he was awarded five first prizes for four of his recent works at international competition (Brazil, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Czech Republic). In 1997, as the winner of the Canada Council for the Arts' Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award, he was also supported by the DAAD for a residence in Berlin (Germany). Five-time winner at the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition (France) - the Magisterium Prize in 1988 - and 2nd Prize at Prix Ars Electronica 1992 (Linz, Austria), he has received numerous other awards. He is the editor of special issues published by Musiques & Recherches (Belgium) and of "Électroacoustique Québec: l'essor" (Québec Electroacoustics: The Expansion) - for Circuit (Montréal). Musical coeditor of the Dictionnaire des arts médiatiques (published by UQAM), he is also lecturer and has produced many radio programs for Radio-Canada and Radio-France. In 1978-2005, he has divided his time between France and Québec, where he has taught at the Université de Montréal from 1980 to 1996. Since the end of 2004 he lives in Avignon (France) and regularly presents his works in France and abroad. Great traveller, he participates in several juries. He is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre (CMC, 1989) and a Founding Member (1986) and Honorary Member (1989) of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community (CEC). In October 2007, Université de Montréal awarded him a honoris causa doctorate. He is the president of the collective Les Acousmonautes in Marseille (France) and "Ehrenpatron" (honour patron) of the organization Klang Projekte Weimar (Germany). He now focuses on composition and theory. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top FURSAXA - Mycorrhizae Realm CD/DL, ATP Recordings ATPRCD38 www.atpfestival.com/recordings www.myspace.com/tarafursaxa Fursaxa is TARA BURKE. Formerly a member of the Silbreeze band UN, Tara started her Fursaxa project in 1999 after UN disbanded. Since then Fursaxa has released six full length albums on the Acid Mothers Temple label, Ecstatic Peace, Time Lag, Eclipse, Last Visible Dog, and ATP. In addition there have been 3 self released CD-Rs and a CD on the her own Sylph recordings. In the summer of 2008 Fursaxa started recording her seventh full length record Mycorrhizae Realm at Hexham Head studio in Philadelphia. This studio recording is a first, as all of the previous releases have been recorded at home on a four track. In addition to recording, Fursaxa has played live music at venues in the US, UK, and Europe, touring with Bardo Pond, Black Forest/Black Sea, Christina Carter, Jack Rose, Spires That in The Sunset Rise, and Brightblack Morning Light, to name a few. Over the last couple of years Fursaxa has been collaborating more and more with other musicians as well. Espers member Helena Espvall and Tara have a duo called Anahita, and Sharron Kraus and Tara have the duo Tau Emerald. And in September of 2006 Fursaxa became part of "The Valerie Project", which was a live soundtrack for the 1970 Czech film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. Tara really enjoyed playing with these musicians and decided to engage Greg Weeks, Mary Lattimore, and Helena Espvall, all fellow Valerians, for her next album. Greg recorded the album at his studio, Mary played harp on 4 songs and also co-wrote 2 of the songs, and Helena played cello on 3 songs. It is an exercise in symbiosis. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top LENA - Circonstances / Variations 1-4 12"/DL, Bruit Clair/Sounds Around BC02/SAR#25 www.bruitclair.com www.soundsaround.net www.mathiasdelplanque.com Lena is French multi-producer MATHIAS DELPLANQUE's dubby techno project. His previous albums were released on various international labels such as Quatermass, Sounds Around and Plush. "Circonstances / Variations" is a series of variations around the track "Circonstances", from the album Lost-Wax by Lena and the Floating Roots Orchestra (released in 2008 on Plush). Without being actual remixes, yet roaming freely from the original track, these variations give Lena the opportunity to develop long, repetitive electronic layers with dub consonances. This series is co-produced by the labels Bruit Clair and Sounds Around and is to be unravelled on 3 vinyl EPs. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top MATHIAS DELPLANQUE - Parcelles 1-10 CD/DL, Bruit Clair BC01 www.bruitclair.com www.mathiasdelplanque.com Mathias Delplanque is a French electronic musician working since the end of the 90's under his own name and under various monikers: Bidlo, Lena, Stensil & He's also the founding member of several musical ensembles such as The Floating Roots Orchestra, The Missing Ensemble, AAA Men, A.M.R & Amongst his numerous collaborations are performances and albums with Rob Mazurek, Steve Argüelles, Black Sifichi, John Sellekaers, Shahzad Ismaïly et al. Parcelles 1-10 is his 7th solo album under his own name. This album is the sequel of Le Pavillon Témoin, which was released in 2007 on the Greek label Low Impedance; it is also the first part of a trilogy, the second opus of which, Parcelles 11-20 (Stalker), is presently being produced. The Parcelles ("Plots of Land" in French) are musical pieces that are halfway between folk, musique concrète and ambient. They were recorded in studio in live conditions (direct soundtakes, no re-recording). Mathias Delplanque uses the computer as an instrument in itself, along with other tools such as the melodica, the guitar, the zither and small percussions. Instruments are played, treated and recorded in the same process, thus giving birth to protean and uneven musical fragments. The Parcelles series takes place between the last two tracks, n°14 ("Le regard") and n°15 ("Dérivation") on Le Pavillon Témoin. The track "Parcelle 1" marks the beginning of a digression that will terminate - at the end of the 3rd opus of the series - with the last track on Le Pavillon Témoin. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top MI AMI - Steal Your Face LP/CD/DL, Thrill Jockey thrill237 Release date: April 16 www.thrilljockey.com www.myspace.com/miamiamiami In 2010, pretty much every band on the planet has some dub records at home and a few boutique effects pedals in their "rig." The rise of Ethiopiques and high-quality afrobeat-etc compilations, pan-genre tastemaker websites, specialty blogs and a general cultural climate of chic, post-"world music" exploration has rendered normal--even mundane--the multi-culti-record-nerd-musician who was part of an iconoclastic, forward thinking avant-garde only a few years back. Legend has it that when Fugazi came on the scene, the punx were shocked at their incorporation of funky basslines and slower tempos. These days, the tables have turned and a working knowledge of rap, disco, dub, club and world music basics is as pedestrian as eating a burrito for lunch and Thai for dinner. By the same token, the once-stifling constrictions of hardcore so beloved by those self-same punx have mutated into a semi-classical freedom for a few brave souls. As with late-period Coltrane, the ultra-assault of Infest or Negative Approach has become a field of study for those wishing to purify their rage into a constantly accelerating attack. Unlike that musical prophet, however, the ragers of today find the most success (to my ears) in mining a well-established sound and bringing it back to life with convincing fervor. It sounds great, and it's not too muddled by a lot of cumbersome thinking. To wit, the same principle applies to much of the lo-fi, beach-centered rawk 'n' roll that's coming out of the cassette four track nation, with the only important variable being in the actual sound of the music. It is in this climate that Mi Ami defines itself, not by turning forward to the future or back to the past, but rather inward. To reference musical hero (one among countless) Morton Feldman, what if instead of either/or, it's neither/nor? As our new decade dawns, does anyone care about the ingenuity of your cultural grafting? Does anyone need to know which obscure, lost track or "correct" influence you have up your sleeve, paradoxically paraded as a mark of your own impeccable taste while at the same time held close like a secret recipe? The answer is, of course, a resounding "No." But let's not trip ourselves up with reactionary thinking. We each have our station, and Mi Ami begrudges no one who does their own, and by extrapolation, God's work. Taking as given the myriad influences strewn across decades and even centuries past, as well as across continents, language barriers and even in a few rare cases, galaxies, how does one begin to describe the actual sound of the music? Mi Ami is committed to their own particular joyful noise, to the intersection of vicious high-energy playing with ebullient communal experience. To this end, the live shows are about creating a vibrant emotional space in which waves of music/sound guide the band and audience through a psychic space marred with claustrophobia, paranoia and dread, yet emerging into the light of ecstatic being. There are a few key things that distinguish this record from past transmissions. Twelve weeks of touring in 2009 transformed the band from what friends described as a "fun time party band" into a lean, tight, near-telepathic unit, which remains fun. The relentless playing of the past spring, from California to Latvia and back, took the band to newfound depths of nuanced, pre-verbal communication and opened up new neural pathways where creativity had previously been kept from flowing. Upon returning home, confident in their abilities, Mi Ami set out to write the bulk of Steal Your Face. Where before, melodies had been suggested, here they are fully developed. Where structure had previously meandered, here each song uses a minimum of means to "get to there," allowing the playing to fly free. And, where lyrics had been left unprinted, here they are laid out completely, an integral part of the music. Technically, there are four components to Mi Ami's music: Drums, Bass, Guitar and Vocals. And yet, essentially there is only one: the unified sound, more than the sum of its parts, each individual component coming from and returning to the singular whole. The music was recorded once again by Phil Manley at Lucky Cat Studios. As with Watersports, the entire process took five days, with all tracks performed live and vocals overdubbed. Working for a third time with Manley meant that by the time of recording he had acquired a deep and full understanding of Mi Ami's music, and was able to take certain calculated risks other engineers might not. Thus, the album is far and away Mi Ami's finest sounding, and the one which is most aligned with their live show. Each track was approached with unique sonic characteristics in mind, from the claustrophobic mind-scape of "Harmonics (Genius of Love)" to the fading light of "Dreamers" to the sharp, lacerating tone of "Latin Lover" to the avant boogie of album closer "Slow." Anyone interested in understanding what Mi Ami is about would do well to start with this album. More concise than Watersports more confident than their other pre-Thrill Jockey releases and better sounding than anything else they have done, Steal Your Face marks their arrival as a fully-formed, organically mature band. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top RASHOMON - The Finishing Line (Film Music Volume 2) CD/DL, Hinterzimmer Records hint 07 www.hinterzimmer-records.com www.myspace.com/rashomon68 The second full-length album from Rashomon (aka Guapo founding member MATT THOMPSON) follows 2007's The Ruined Map (Film Music Volume 1). Inspired by John Krish's scaremongering public information broadcast The Finishing Line (1977), the record is a sonic re-imagining of the film as a haunted meditation on the power of memory, drawing the listener into a claustrophobic sense of unease and mounting horror. An amalgam of library music, 1970s prog soundtracks, musique concrete and spectral jazz, the music of Rashomon is by turns creepy, terrifying, artless then all the way back to creepy again. This instalment in the ongoing Film Music series is a continuation and reassessment of the ideas expressed on The Ruined Map, applying filmic techniques to music to express the discontinuities of forward-thinking narrative cinema. Instrumentation : Mellotron, MiniMoog, guitar, percussion, organ, Fender Rhodes, bass, vocal, sinewaves, bowed psaltery, zither, violin, vinyl. Rashomon is the solo project of London-based Matt Thompson. Established in 2004, the Film Music project was instigated as an attempt to apply filmic processes to music - re-imagining the underlying psychic meanings of the films, rather than creating soundtracks per se. Mixing together prog rock, electronic noise, waltzes, East European folk, trad metal, drones, psych rock and free jazz, the music is similar in intention to soundtrack innovators such as Toru Takemitsu, Jonathan Bepler and Ennio Morricone. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top RHYS CHATHAM - The Bern Project CD/DL, Hinterzimmer hint 08 www.hinterzimmer-records.com www.rhyschatham.net In the summer of 2008, Rhys Chatham visited Bern, Switzerland for a Guitar Trio performance together with local musicians that the club had recruited for him. They rehearsed during the day and played a fabulous show that night. Rhys was blown away by the skills of the drummer and bass player and talked about plans to form a trio - half a year later he was back in Bern and introduced Julian Sartorius (drums) and Mago Flueck (bass) to new compositions he brought along. Beat Unternährer on trombone joined as guest musician. Reto Mäder recorded many hours of these sessions on a multi-track machine. Over the next few months, Mäder listened to the recordings, separated the wheat from the chaff, selected the best parts and made pre-mixes. He even mixed different parts of the takes together and sent them to Rhys, who noted what he wanted to have changed or replaced. After more than 100 hours of work, a brand new Rhys Chatham album was finally mixed and mastered. Some tracks are only slightly modified from the original recordings, with just a few effects added or small sections from other parts of the recording sessions mixed in. Other sections emerged purely in the mixing studio and were created from different parts of the sessions. And some sections were complemented by extra instrumental tracks played by Mäder himself. The result is an album of new Rhys Chatham tracks with this band - something you haven't heard since the Die Donnergötter recordings of the 80s. Biographical notes: Rhys Chatham emerged from the dazzling New York art and punk scene, but has lived in Paris for the last 20 years. In the 70s, he integrated a rock band line-up with contemporary minimalist composition. After his studies with Morton Subotnick and La Monte Young - one of the inventors of minimal music - he began to play regularly with Tony Conrad and Charlemagne Palestine, two of the earliest exponents of drone music and, like Chatham, key players of American minimal music. Then a gig in May 1976 in Manhattan at CBGBs by The Ramones changed his life, and he began his long love affair with the electric guitar. You will find Chatham's name in history books as part of the so called No Wave scene. Besides people like Arto Lindsay, Lydia Lunch, James Chance, Bill Laswell, Arthur Russell or Brian Eno, he is reckoned as an important influence for bands like Sonic Youth or Godspeed! You Black Emperor, resulting in members of these bands taking part in his recent Guitar Trio revival performances. Over the last twenty years Rhys Chatham has attracted interest with his stunning guitar orchestra live projects for 100, 200 and sometimes even 400 guitarists (in front of Sacré Coeur in Paris). He still performs his legendary 1977 composition Guitar Trio regularly all over the world with locally recruited musicians. The title of a 3 CD-boxset of 2008 says it all: Guitar Trio is My Life. Julian Sartorius is one of the most sought-after improv jazz drummers in Switzerland and plays also often in rock and pop bands. Mago Flueck is part of Bern's Garage Rock scene and currently also plays in an aspiring Dub Electronica band. Besides that he regulary plays music for theatre productions. Beat Unternährer has been a free-improv activist for many years and has taken part in many different jazz projects in Switzerland. Reto Mäder is one half of the Hinterzimmer Records management and musically active as RM74 and with his band projects Sum Of R and Ural Umbo. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top SUDDEN INFANT - My Life's a Gunshot (Retrospective 1989-2009) 2 x 2LP, hrönir 8909 www.hronir.de www.suddeninfant.com "Top shelf all the way - we're all amateurs when he hits the stage!" Ron Lessard / RRRecords Paintings by Joke Lanz Essay by G.X. Jupitter-Larsen Mastered by Rashad Becker Design by Bill Kouligas Compiled & selected by Joke Lanz & Ed Benndorf These two double LP's combine 49 rare and unreleased tracks as well as some of Sudden Infant's most essential and radical work from the last twenty years. Beautifully housed in two fold-out double LP's with original cover paintings by Joke Lanz and an exclusive essay by GX Jupitter-Larsen. No CD or download releases planned. "Born in Switzerland, now based in Berlin, Joke Lanz (aka Sudden Infant) is one of the most prolific and profound artists working in the border zones where performance and body art meet improvisation and Noise. In his Sudden Infant guise, Lanz creates a unique blend of physical sound poetry and epileptic noise bursts, using contact microphones, loops, tapes, etc. The result is an extreme form of musique concrète that juxtaposes spasmodic gibbering with a battery of disorienting electronics." - The Wire Recent selected activities: Artist residencies in Berlin (1999) and London (2004) Composition assignment by Pro Helvetia - Arts Council of Switzerland (2006) Lectures and workshops at: Musicacademy Lucerne Switzerland 2003/05 University of Stellenbosch South Africa 2008 University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna Austria 2009 Noise for kids workshops and presentation at: Avanto Festival Helsinki Finland 2005 Henie Onstad Art Center Oslo Norway 2009 Several compositions for Contemporary Dance, Films, Radioplays and Soundinstallations Innumerable releases on international labels e.g. Schimpfluch, Entr'acte, RRR, Tochnit Aleph, Blossoming Noise, SSSM, Artware, Klanggalerie, MSBR, Some Bizarre, iDeal. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top THE INTERNAL TULIPS - Mislead into a Field by a Deformed Deer LP/CD/DL, Planet Mu ZIQ266 www.planet-mu.com www.myspace.com/9675542 Although Planet Mu is primarily known for cutting-edge material on the fringes of dance music, it's also consistently released interesting electronic pop from the likes of Capitol K, back in the late 90s, to Julian Fane, Leafcutter John, Sunken Foal and even Patrick Wolf more recently. The Internal Tulips is a project from BRAD LANER who was Electric Company and Personal Electronics and ALEX GRAHAM who is Lexaunculpt, they have a history in American Bands such as Medicine and Savage Republic but have also separately released electronic music on Planet Mu in the past. Alex and Brad met in 1998. Brad was in retreat from a life playing guitar in noisy rock bands, publicly learning how to make electronic music. Alex was a rising star in the international electronic music scene, secretly harboring an epic fascination with The Beatles. The two, realizing they had much to learn from one another, were determined to find a way to make music together. This took more than a few years to figure out, and it wasn't until the two conjured up the song "Arlie" in 2004 that the Internal Tulips' sound world began to congeal. A mutual fascination with melody and harmony as well as a serious disregard for the conventions of recording and composition marked the direction of the remaining work. Alex and Brad pieced this record together at a glacial pace, one micron at a time. The devil is in the details. The music has a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson/Beatles influenced vibe, but it manages to avoid being another exercise in retro comfort music, with the whole project having a very modern, psychedelic production, treating their slow burning but gently arranged Americana to unusual treatments that blur the layers between acoustic and electronic sounds, cutting and editing vocals and instruments and adding depth and clarity to the arrangements, giving them an extra sense of the dreamlike. It's an album that feels immediately familiar; we're used to Grizzly Bear and the Fleet Foxes, bands you could superficially compare to Internal Tulips, but after a few listens the modern abstraction and production at the heart of the album will pull you in take you somewhere else. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top URAL UMBO - s/t CD/DL, Utech Records URCD040 www.utechrecords.com www.myspace.com/uralumbo Ural Umbo is RETO MÄDER (Sum Of R, RM74) and STEVEN HESS (On, Haptic, Pan American) electrifying internal music through a broad spectrum of instrumentation. Horns, piano, organ, harmonium, bass guitar, strings, electronics, drums and percussion guide the formation of black, subliminal melodies and slow feedback accompaniments. Each piece consumes the organic and dynamically balanced process that created it. With a nod to 1960s horror movie scoring Mäder and Hess displace sound from the veil of the supernatural and coax it back to our world. Presented in a heavy black/white sleeve with white translucent paper overlay. Photograph by Rik Garrett. Recorded in Bern & Chicago, 2007-2009 Mix & Master by Reto Mäder at Hinterzimmer, Bern >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top V.A. / ZKM - trans_canada DVD-A, empreintes DIGITALes IMED 09100 www.empreintesdigitales.com This release comes out on the label empreintes DIGITALes based in Montréal. Established 1990, this label is widely considered as the world leader in electroacoustics. In 2010 it celebrates 20 years of activity and a catalogue of more than 100 titles. "It all started with a desire to feature the outstanding creativity of Canadian electroacoustic music and and to investigate the trends of its acousmatics and soundscape composition. Eight of the most important or promising composers were selected by co-curators Ludger Brümmer and Sabine Breitsameter and commissioned by the Institut für Musik und Akustik (Institute for Music and Acoustics) of the Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe (Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, ZKM) to create new works in its studios in Karlsruhe (Germany). These new works were all premiered during the trans_canada festival at the ZKM in February 2005. The festival was complemented by a symposium where guest speakers presented their research and points of view on Canadian electroacoustic music. These presentations and additional material produced during trans_canada can be accessed online via the ZKM s website  www.zkm.de/trans_canada/. The ZKM is one of the largest and most active electroacoustic studios in Germany with up to 35 creative residences for composers and 70 concerts, workshops, and talks presented each year. All are centered around electroacoustic music, with a special focus on spatial music provided by the director of the Institute for Music and Acoustics Ludger Brümmer. This is how the 47-loudspeaker installation Klangdom (Sound-dome) and its open source software Zirkonium were conceived and developed to enable an easy yet effective way to perform spatial music. This festival and symposium were successful thanks to the support from the Canadian Embassy in Berlin, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ)." Ludger Brümmer [vi-0] 1. Nicolas Bernier - Writing Machine (2005) 15m29s 2. Darren Copeland - Let Me Out (2006) 34m59s 3. Francis Dhomont / Franz Kafka - Brief an den Vater (2005-06) 17m03s 4. Louis Dufort - Hi_Res (2005) 13m37s 5. Gilles Gobeil - Ombres, espaces, silences & (2005) 23m00s 6. Robert Normandeau - Palimpseste (2005, 06, 09) 14m53s 7. Barry Truax - The Shaman Ascending (2004-05) 15m45s 8. Hildegard Westerkamp / Rainer Maria Rilke, Norbert Ruebsaat - Für Dich - For You (2005) 20m56s >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top VEX'D - Cloud Seed 2LP/CD/DL, Planet Mu ZIQ260 Release date: March 22 www.planet.mu www.myspace.com/vexd Vex'd are a legendary duo. Their 2005 album Degenerate was one of the first and most successful dubstep long players and remains to this day one of the most respected. It bravely re-wrote the rulebook and is lauded for establishing a new template for the dubstep sound, beyond it's roots in 2-step & uk garage skipiness, bringing in the influences of techstep jungle, breaks and apocalyptic noir soundscapes, putting them to use in dubstep's "bass and drums at a 140 bpm" setting, with results that were never less than astounding. Cloud Seed is a follow up of sorts to that album. Selected from original music intended for the second album plus rarely heard remixes from the same era and expertly sequenced to flow like a full album, it's an addendum to the career of Vex'd (who rarely work together anymore), made from the best of their work. Though one might be tempted to think Cloud Seed is an album of unfinished sketches, the result will confound that expectation. It is in fact an incredible album in it's own right. Made with Blake's apocalyptic vision of London in mind, it's atmospheric with an ear for a cinematic intensity that rivals Burial, and a complex darkness that rivals the Bug. It contrasts light and dark, the rough and the sophisticated to amazing effect, drawing you in for repeated listens. The album also features a small selection of guests, from Warrior Queen (best known for her work with the Bug), to the relatively unknown, yet fantastic Anneka and Jestonesart from New York MC collective the Atoms family. If you're wondering why it's taken 5 years for a sequel to Degenerate to appear then JAMIE TEASDALE, one half of the group alongside ROLY PORTER has the last word: "We wrote most of these tracks between late 2006 and early 2007, as part of our second album. Before we could finish the album however, we had moved away from each other, to different cities, in different countries. We wanted to keep writing together, but geography and work made it too hard. Eventually the moment for further work on the album passed and we moved on to other projects, in music and elsewhere and left this album to sleep. In the middle of 2009, the label contacted us to say that they wanted to release this music, unfinished or not. By this point so much had changed we could not go back to the space we were in when writing these tracks. So we didn't try, we let them be what they are. To change them would be to try to rewrite the moment we were in at that time. A lot of people have asked where we went after the first album. Many of them hadn't heard our singles & remixes that followed it. So, this is for everyone who wanted to know." >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top YANNIS KYRIAKIDES - Antichamber 2CD/DL, Unsounds 21U www.unsounds.com www.kyriakides.com A double CD collection of 10 pieces of electroacoustic chamber music by Yannis Kyriakides composed over the last ten years. 24-page digipak with an essay by Bob Gilmore, a text by Yannis Kyriakides and artwork by Isabelle Vigier "It offers a view of a world that is rich both musically and conceptually. For listeners coming new to Kyriakides's music the experience of listening to the pieces grouped together in this way is like exploring an unknown city by drawing a straight line on a map and walking strictly where the line leads; in the process we may miss some important landmarks (Kyriakides's large-scale music-theatre and multimedia works, for example, not represented in this collection), but we get a feel for the "grain" of the territory, which may ultimately provide a special kind of insight..These compositions are small-scale in terms of the number of performers required, but large and imposing in sonority, idea, and emotional intensity. For want of a better term we could call them chamber music: the chamber music of a new century." (Bob Gilmore) YANNIS KYRIAKIDES was born in Limassol, Cyprus in 1969 and as a result of the military occupation in 1974 emigrated with his family to Britain. After travelling for a year with his violin in the near east, learning traditional music, he returned to England to study musicology at York University, later being drawn by the music of Louis Andriessen to move to The Netherlands, with whom he studied under at the Hague Conservatory. At that time he also had the inspiring opportunity to collaborate as composer on three projects with the maverick conceptual sound artist Dick Raaijmaakers and the director Paul Koek. He currently lives in Amsterdam, with his wife and son. As a composer he strives to create new forms and hybrids of media, synthesizing disparate sound sources and exploring spatial and temporal experience. He has focused in the majority of his work on ways of combining traditional performance practices with digital media. The sensory space where music happens is a particular preoccupation, and for this end a way of bypassing the conventional structures of how music is presented is sought. The question as to what music is actually communicating is also a recurring theme in his work and he is often drawn to the relation between emotion and language and how that defines our experience of music. He regularly composes works for ensembles such as ASKO (NL), Icebreaker (UK), Ensemble Integrales (D), and MAE (NL), of which he is the artistic director. Other collaborations include MusikFabrik (D), Orkest de Volharding (NL), Nozferatu (UK), Palmos (Gr), London Sinfonietta (UK), LOOS (NL), Percussion Group Den Haag (NL), Zephyr Quartet (NL), Esprit Ensemble (CA), Nsemble (RU), Ensemble Cantus (Cr), and others. As an improviser he is involved in the Amsterdam electronic improv scene, he has a regular duo with Andy Moor (the Ex) called Red v Green, and is a member of the dance-music improvisation group Magpie Music Dance. In September 2000 he won the Gaudeamus composition prize for his composition a conSPIracy cantata - which was regarded by The Wire magazine as 'a modern classic in the making'. Together with Andy Moor and Isabelle Vigier he founded and runs the CD label for innovative new electronic music, UNSOUNDS. Current teaching activities include 'visiting lecturer' at Birmingham Conservatory (UK) and 'composer in residence' at HKU, Utrecht School of the Arts (NL). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top ZEITKRATZER - [Old School] JAMES TENNEY CD/DL, Zeitkratzer Productions ZKR 0010 Release date: April 16 www.zeitkratzer.de 1. James Tenney - Critical Band [1988] 17:13 2. James Tenney - Harmonium #2 [1976] 19:44 3. James Tenney - Koan: Having Never Written A Note For Percussion [1971] 10:22 zeitkratzer  directed by Reinhold Friedl Frank Gratkowski < clarinet | Hayden Chisholm < alto saxophone | Matt Davis < trumpet | Hilary Jeffery < trombone | Reinhold Friedl < piano | Maurice de Martin < percussion | Burkhard Schlothauer < violin | Anton Lukoszevieze < cello | Uli Phillipp < doublebass | Ralf Meinz < sound recorded live at Philharmonie Luxembourg, Luxembourg, October 3, 2009 recorded and mixed by Ralf Meinz and Reinhold Friedl, produced by Burkhard Schlothauer, executive producer: Reinhold Friedl "zeitkratzer are creating a New Music, worthy of the name!" Rob Young in The Wire The internationally acclaimed "hilarious releases" [vital weekly] of zeitkratzer records will continue with the new series [old school]. The first two CDs, dedicated to the music of John Cage [zkr0009] and James Tenney [zkr0010] are now released together. The collaboration of zeitkratzer with William Bennett /Whitehouse [zkr0007], recorded live in 2009 in Marseille/France and Den Haag/Netherlands, will follow this summer. Later in 2010, the [old school] series will continue with two more releases, dedicated to the music of Alvin Lucier [zkr0011] and Morton Feldman [zkr0012] respectively. James Tenney's music has been part of zeitkratzer's repertoire for almost a decade. This CD presents a new recording of "Critical Band" - Tenney's late classic - with maximum clarity. Also included is the first recording of Harmonium #2. Both works demonstrate the remarkable power and resplendent sharpness which Tenney achieved by composing with pure tunings. Koan: Having Never Written A Note For Percussion for tam-tam completes this CD with an orgiastic listening experience in the form of a huge crescendo on this wonderfully simple instrument - from whispering to singing, culminating in shrill roaring and blustering - and it's dark decay. Tenney's music as a sensual sound adventure! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top ZEITKRATZER - [Old School] JOHN CAGE CD/DL, Zeitkratzer Productions ZKR 0009 Release date: April 16 www.zeitkratzer.de 1. John Cage - Four6 [1992] 30:00 2. John Cage - Five [1988] 5:00 3. John Cage - Hymnkus [1986] 30:00 zeitkratzer  directed by Reinhold Friedl Frank Gratkowski < bassclarinet, clarinet | Hayden Chisholm < clarinet | Franz Hautzinger < trumpet | Reinhold Friedl < piano | Maurice de Martin < percussion | Burkhard Schlothauer < violin | Anton Lukoszevieze < cello | Uli Phillipp < doublebass | Ralf Meinz < sound recorded live at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, UK, November 26, 2006 recorded and mixed by Ralf Meinz and Reinhold Friedl, produced by Burkhard Schlothauer, executive producer: Reinhold Friedl "zeitkratzer are creating a New Music, worthy of the name!" Rob Young in The Wire The internationally acclaimed "hilarious releases" [vital weekly] of zeitkratzer records will continue with the new series [old school]. The first two CDs, dedicated to the music of John Cage [zkr0009] and James Tenney [zkr0010] are now released together. The collaboration of zeitkratzer with William Bennett/Whitehouse [zkr0007], recorded live in 2009 in Marseille/France and Den Haag/Netherlands, will follow this summer. Later in 2010, the [old school] series will continue with two more releases, dedicated to the music of Alvin Lucier [zkr0011] and Morton Feldman [zkr0012] respectively. John Cage's compositions have been part of zeitkratzer's repertoire since the very first day. The pieces presented here justify zeitkratzer's reputation as sound specialists. Avant-garde composer Cage is played in a conservative, precise and sensual way, apart from all philosophical ambitions, and hopefully as seductive as a Schubert quintet! The Wire Magazine acclaimed: zeitkratzer convinced us that Cage's music can still live with all its complexities, stripped of the debris of its iconic-ironic status, if we only give ourselves time, space and ears to hear! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> top We are not responsible for the contents of external internet sites