Various Compilations

Compilation albums are a nice (and often inexpensive) way to get introduced to new artists you’re not yet familiar with. For a label, they’re a great way to present their artist portfolio. Or a way to raise some money to fund new projects.
Or … they may be used as an auditive sleeping pill…
Prepare for over 15 hours of assorted musical selections:

Elements 1-5

ELEMENTS ONE – FIVE
To celebrate their five years of existence, the renowned Home Normal label presents a massive five-album compilation set.
64 Tracks with an incredible artists line-up (I won’t even begin to start name-dropping here!). Apart from the five album set, the individual albums are also sold separately.
Profits of each album will go to five different charity organisations: one for each separate album.

Micromelancolie – It doesn’t belong here

It seems I have missed some things in the past: Micromelancoliéis a new name to me, but according to the discography on his site, Robert Skrzynski has already released around 30 titles (cassettes and CD/R) since 2009.

Micromelancolié is a great name for his project.
Likewise, “It doesn’t belong here“ is a great album title, since that is exactly how the music sounds: as if it doesn’t belong here.

Yair Elazar Glotman – Northern Gulfs

Glacial Movements – the italian label specializing in “ambient and electronic arctic soundscapes” – is one of those labels where the quality of the releases is so consistently in line with their original mission that they can almost be ordered blindly. Quality glacial music guaranteed!

“Northern Gulfs“, the debut release of Yair Elazar Glotman, is no exception to that rule.

Dat Rayon – Motor City

From Gdansk, Poland comes Dat Rayon.
I have no idea who is (or are) behind that alias, but that only adds to the mystery of this album.

“Motor City“ is Dat Rayon‘s second full album, the follow up of the self-released “Station Wagon” debut from 2012. This time it’s released by Zoharum, with a beautiful 6-panel sleeved physical edition too (limited to 300 and quickly selling out, by the way).

Synaptic Research (Mix)

For this mix I aimed to create a dreamlike and timeless atmosphere – dark (but not too dark). It is calm, yet there are many shifting scenes, many passing landscapes and some conflicting emotions… When it ends, (I hope) it feels as if it was much longer than it actually was …

Monty Adkins – Rift Patterns

After “Fragile.Flicker.Fragment”( 2011) and “Four Shibusa“(2012), “Rift Patterns“ is Monty Adkins‘ third full album release for the Audiobulb label.

It’s a digital download release (no physical counterpart) that comes with an interactive iBook containing music, text, moving image and film, created by Deborah Templeton (writer), Jason Payne (video artist), and Stephen Harvey (photographer, graphic designer) in response to Monty Adkins’ music.

Drones for The Abscence of Thoughts

In the Shortlist sections, I will mention the albums that I enjoyed listening to, but couldn’t find the time (or the right words) for a “full” review for. Still, I think they deserve your attention – with ór without extra words!

Graphein

D’INCISE – GRAPHEIN
“Graphein”is a conceptual soundscape using only sounds from pencils and paper. It was originally created for an audiovisual installation by Delphine Depres, but the subtle sounds also work well when they are detached from its original concept.
The amplified sound of scribbling pencil on paper (a sound that may have become somewhat anachronistic in these digital times) resembles the crackling of a wood fire. Or maybe even the amplified sound of a thousand tiny insects at work.

Aqua Dorsa – The November Earth

“The November Earth“ is Aqua Dorsa‘s second full album, follow up to “Cloudlands“ (2009).
Sadly, it will also be their last: Gianluigi Gasparetti (better known as Oöphoi), died in april 2013.

The album they were working on was finished by his Aqua Dorsa partner Enrico Coniglio and was released later in 2013.

Therefore,“The November Earth“ has become a fitting In Memoriam album to remember one of ambient music’s finest artist.

Boozoo Bajou – 4

The music of Boozoo Bajou (German duo Florian Seyberth and Peter Heider) has always been quite atmospheric.
The three full albums (and numerous 12-inches) they have released since 2001 contained the low-tempo dubby trip-hop often called ‘Lounge’ – the lush kind of sounds that German musicians seemed to master exclusively.

Their latest album, “4“, manages to build on all they did before, and use it as a foundation to create an album that ‘transcends basic categories and expectations’.