Steven M. Halliday – A Relation of a Journey

Now there’s a cute little package: a 3″ CD packed in a transparent geographical map, packed in a foldout postcard, packed in a beautiful black embossed paper envelope. Oh, the joys of holding a handmade DiY-artwork packages that is obviously created with love..!

Until now I had not heard of Steven M. Halliday in any way, and not much information can be found about him online, although he has “worn many hats throughout his career from producer to sound designer, musicologist to occasional film composer and consultant”.
Also, I did not know anything about “A Relation of a Journey” – it was just someone’s online recommendation that triggered my interest.

All the greater was my surprise when listening to this little gem: within the short timespan of just sixteen minutes, classical music, ambient drones, field recordings and experimental soundscapes merge into an adventurous musical journey.

Machinefabriek + Esther Kokmeijer – Stillness

Sometimes, a certain kind of ambient soundscapes are referred to as “glacial”. Often, these are dark, slowly evolving soundscapes that evoke a desolate, solitary, atmosphere that can be associated with the vast arctic landscapes (although the sounds are not necessarily ‘cold’).

“Stillness” , a multimedia project by Esther Kokmeijer (cinematic landscapes) and Rutger “Machinefabriek” Zuydervelt (music) is literally “glacial”, because it documents Esther Kokmeijer’s journey to Antarctica in january 2013 and to Greenland in june 2013.
The video in 5 parts documenting these trips are subtitled “Millions of Winters, two summers” – with a perfectly fitting musical score performed by Rutger Zuydervelt.

Various Artists – 15 Shades of White

In their relatively short existence (about 1.5 year now), the Moscow based Dronarivm label (curated by Bartosz ‘Pleq’ Dziadosz) has quickly worked itself to the upper category of quality labels focussing on contemporary ambient and modern classical music.

“15 Shades of White“, a collection of 15 tracks (or 17, counting the bonus tracks with the digital download) – “different in atmosphere and sound but united by a common winter mood” – demonstrates why.

Stephan Mathieu – The Falling Rocket

This album is far from recent: I don’t know why but somehow it just slipped through.
Stephan Mathieu’s “The Falling Rocket“ was released in march 2013, followed by a vinyl edition in June.

Of all ‘drone’ albums released in 2013, this must be one of the very best. If not the very best.
So I guess there’s no excuse for not mentioning it now, even if it’s almost a year later. Better late than never, I guess..

Rion – Fireflies

Ian Hawgood will probably be a familiar name to most: apart from making ambient music he’s also running the well-respected Home Normal label. Ryo Nakata’s name might not immediately ring a bell, but he may be better knows as Ryonkt.

With “Fireflies“, released on the Hibernate label, the duo works together for the first time as Rion.

“Fireflies“ is “inspired by the magic of low light periods and the quietude of a summer spent in the countryside.”

While this description may sound like an introduction to any average drone-ambient album, the result of this collaboration is remarkably different from most others.

Rapoon; Aquavoice; Marek X Marchoff

RAPOON – TO WEST AND BLUE
Zoharum is a Polish label releasing experimental music since 2007, its catalogue boasting over 70 titles now, a wealthy collection to explore. It’s remarkable how flourishing the experimental and electronic music scene seems to be in Eastern Europe (Poland, in the case of Zoharum)!
Not all Zoharum artists come from Poland: among the many unknown artists and bands, Rapoon (Robin Storey, UK) might be the best-known.

"Piano Acts"

Nils Frahm - Spaces

NILS FRAHM – SPACES
Possibly the most well-known artist mentioned here is keyboard wizard Nils Frahm. Whoever has seen him perform live will definitely remember that performance clearly. His music can be extremely melodic, making it accessible to a wide audience, yet he’s not afraid to search for some extremes during the process.
After each performance, people often asked him which of his albums best represented what they had just witnessed. Since such an album did not really exist, “Spaces“ was specifically assembled with that question in mind. And indeed it perfectly captures a Nils Frahm performance.

Michel Banabila – Float

Beginning his career in the early 80’s, Michel Banabila‘s albums covered many different styles.
So many, in fact, that his place in music was a bit difficult to pinpoint which sometimes seemed to confuse critics as well as potential audiences.

His albums presented world music, jazz, theatre play soundtracks as well as electronic music of the abstract or ambient kind – all kinds of genres which Banabila seems to be able to cross over with ease.

Various Artists – Liquified Sky

There’s a big different between ‘just music’ and ‘sound art’ – the latter requiring active participation of the listener/visitor.
A release on Richard Chartier’s Line Imprint label is not something you just take for granted, consuming it playing in the background while being distracted by many other things.
So, it may take some time and serious effort investigating the works presented on “Liquified Sky” before these audio-visual works can be fully appreciated. But it’s worth the effort!