[Random records selection of the Week] part 1

Once a week I'll choose various records from many musical genres, so that you can check them out for yourself... I'll only specify the genre, the band's name and the respective record. If you want to download them, click on the album cover.


Artist: Sun Araw
Record: Beach Head
Label: Not Not Fun
Genre: Hypnagogic Pop
(released in 2008)



Artist: The Tuss
Record: Rushup Edge
Label: Rephlex
Genre: IDM / Breakcore
(released in 2007)



Artist: Melvins
Record: The Maggot
Label: Ipecac
Genre: Sludge Metal
(released in 1999)


Artist: Lunar Abyss Deus Organum
Record: Snovidenie
Label: Vresnit
Genre: Shamanistic Ambient / Ritual Industrial
(released in 2006)


Artist: Merzbow
Record: Metal Acoustic Music
Label: Extreme Records
Genre: Noise
(released in 1981)

...keep promoting music: buy records, go to concerts, etc. It is our advice.

UK Virgin Records "Ambient 4: Isolationism"

Regarded as one of the most important means that popularized this genre, isolationism ambient, UK Virgin Records released this in 1994.
If you don't know this genre, I'll explain it to you in a few words, so that you just get a blurred clue of what this sounds are: the main aim is for sure to isolate yourself; this can be viewed as a dense form of meditation through music consisted by microatonality and drones, driving the person to senses of desolation and despair. However, if you can handle what's generally called as "heavy" or "dark" music, you'll feel comfortable with this type of music. It can have a relaxing effect, counterwise.
The track list is the following:

CD 1

1. KK Null & Jim Plotkin: "Lost (Held Under)"
2. Jim O'Rourke: "Flat Without A Back"
3. Ice: "The Dredger"
4. Raoul Björkenheim: "Strangers"
5. Zoviet France: "Daisy Gun"
6. Labradford: "Air Lubricated Free Axis Trainer"
7. Techno Animal: "Self Strangulation"
8. Paul Schütze: "Hallucinations (In Memory Of Reinaldo Arenas)"
9. Scorn: "Silver Rain Fell (Deep Water Mix)"
10. Disco Inferno: "Lost In Fog"
11. Total: "Six"
12. Nijiumu: "Once Again I Cast Myself Into The Flames Of Atonement"

CD 2

1. Aphex Twin: "Aphex Airlines"
2. AMM: "Vandoevre"
3. Seefeel: "Lief"
4. .O.rang: "Little Sister"
5. E.A.R.: "Hydroponic"
6. Sufi: "Desert Flower"
7. David Toop & Max Eastley: "Burial Rites (Phosphorescent Mix)"
8. Main: "Crater Scar (Adrenochrome)"
9. Final: "Hide"
10. Lull: "Thoughts"
11. Thomas Köner: "Kanon (Part One: Brohuk)"

Along the 2 CD's, my favourite tracks are: Ice "The Dredger", Lull "Thoughts", Labradford "Air Lubrificated Free Axis Trainer", E.A.R. "Hydroponic", Techno Animal "Self Strangulation".
This compilation has around 221 minutes.
If you want to download it, click here.

You can hear now Scorn "Silver Rain Fell (Deep Water Mix)":



Below is one of the tracks, Aphex Twin "Aphex Airlines", which he used to tire dancers during his gigs, as he said in an interview:

[gig reviews] Soft Circle at Galeria Zé dos Bois' rooftop

Ok, last sunday, by a pre-dusk part of the day, I filmed Soft Circle (Hisham Bharoocha's project, since he departed from Black Dice). It was a cool gig, that started more or less by 17h:45min. Hisham uses loops with modern music technology, then looping again with his guitar's help and some pedals and finally, he sings and plays drums, while these loops set a dazzling beat, with rhythmic cycles that hypnotize the viewer. Hisham, himself, seems like a spiritual person. A great musician, that excells in good timing while playing his drums, this project that started around 2007 seems to promise us a lot of good music. Soft Circle's second album, with Ben Vida, is scheduled to be released by Spring of 2010.
For more info on Soft Circle, click here.

I'll upload the entire gig, if I can spare some more time... By now, I uploaded this short one:

Tor Lundvall "Ice"

I only found out about this artist when searching some music items on eBay. Tor Lundvall had a magnificente picture disc for sale and I began to feel curious about his works.
Later, I got to know that his also a painter! He does the covers of his albums. He first started painting, afterwards creating music.
I'd label this album has prominently ambient music. Soft, dark and cold music, is what you'll hear: now you see the reason why the album has its title.
Download it: part 1 and part 2.

Jóhan Jóhannsson "IBM 1401, a user's manual"

In case you didn't know, this man that I'm speaking of has collaborated with Marc Almond, Barry Adamson, Pan Sonic, The Hafler Trio, Magga Stina and many, many others.
Jóhan made this album using real peculiar "musical instruments": he used a computer made in 1964 called "IBM 1401 Data Processing System". It was one of the very first computers to arrive in Iceland and also one of the first affordable, mass produced digital business computer.
His father had created a way that could force this machine to produce astonishing sounds: melancholic and powerful sine-wave tones. He also gave one of these computers to him, so it made it possible for us to hear this album that Jóhan would make later then.
Divided into 5 parts, each with its own name, this bohemian musical masterpiece can surely afford your ears good sine waves and other types of more complex sounds. Melodramatic at times, relaxing, I don't know in what genre it fits... ambient music?
You can try finding that by yourself (downloading the album), by clicking here.

You can hear Part 1 next (and check out the cool videoclip):

Jacob's Optical Stairway

I must say that this album impressed me: it showed the softer side of drum 'n bass. It was my philosophy teacher who gave it to me (I gave him a Saat CD called "Emtidi"). It mixes various genres, like old school drum 'n bass and ambient music (can also be categorized as electronica and dance music). Featuring an incredible arsenal of great breakbeats and fabulous synths, this audible artwork is really good to chill-out.
Recorded in 1995, by Mark Clair & Dennis McFarlane, who together make 4Hero (this is an another project of these men), along with other artists (Samantha Powell,Juan Atkins and Josh Wink) this CD is worth hearing. Jacob's Optical Stairway is one of aliases of 4 Hero. Who's into drum 'n bass and similar types of music (like ones played on lounge rooms) should give it a try.
The album's lenght is also quite good: it has 55 minutes and 52 seconds: an average good time for a record that fits this type (jungle, drum 'n bass, etc.).
Now talking about the cover of this album, I don't know what exactly it is, but I presume it's digital artwork. It seems to me there are some cells and on the background a lizard's eye or a cracked red hole.
If you're curious about this work, click here to obtain it (it's a torrent, since I couldn't find a rapidshare or megaupload link).

Next I'll show you a videoclip with the track number 7: "harsh realitys".