Atomnation, the Berlin-based label helmed by Applescal and Guido Hollaers, has slowly but surely introduced us to an undercurrent of young burgeoning producers over the past couple of years. Recent releases from David Douglas and Gidge, have truly separated the label from the extensive world of electronica being released right now and Gidge’s debut release is a true testament to that fact.
In what was probably the longest lead-in time to receive a promo, Applescal sent me the debut album by Gidge in March this year. Passing on his excitement over the Nordic duo, it has been on repeat for me ever since. Over seven months later and Autumn Bells has finally been released to an amazing, well deserved reception.
The album flaunts with pulsating techno and a unique style of electronica, through some romantic story-lines, misty landscapes and an overall gleaming, happy vibe. Individual piano performances in I Fell In Love and beautiful trumpet solos in Norrland and Dusk create an air of mystery and an intense narrative to the entire album.
You, borrowing urban vocal influences, muddled with the pulsating beats of Huldra and straight up punches in Dusk and Fauna Pt II, bring energy and a modern taste to the album – unexpected twists and new adventures in every track. It’s the type of album that defies genres.
For their isolatedmix, Gidge do an incredible job of grounding these influences. From the urban pioneers such as Burial and James Blake, to innovators like The Field, and storytellers in Nils Frahm and Julia Kent, the mix spans many styles yet meanders an enigmatic story, much like ‘Autumn Bells‘.
Autumn Bells is available on Atomnation via Bandcamp.
Tracklist:
01. Matti Bye – Across The Sun
02. Gidge – Norrland (Tony Karlsborn Bootleg)
03. Downliners Sekt – Eiger Dreams
04. Airhead – Shekure
05. Burial – Come Down To Us
06. Nils Frahm – Kind
07. James Blake – Pan
08. Loefah – The Goat Stare
09. Shxcxchcxsh – Entering The S-Cloud
10. Cristian Vogel – Seed Dogs
11. Christian Löffler – Young Alaska
12. Herbst9 – Mletkin
13. Eomac – I Love You, I Miss You
14. The Field – No. No…
15. Troy Gunner – Swoon
16. Bell.Gall. – Spight
17. Julia Kent – Tithonos
18. David Douglas – Moon Observations
Tracknotes by Gidge:
Matti Bye – Across The Sun
This song is pure mysticism. Matti is a genius who is able to create songs that seem drenched in mist and memories. The annoying thing about him is that he seems to be able to do this over and over and over again.
Gidge – Norrland (Tony Karlsborn Bootleg)
A bootleg remix of Norrland, sent to us by Tony Karlsborn who is also from Umeå. Makes us proud.
Downliner Sekt – Eiger Dreams
We caught these guys playing live at Sonar in Stockholm. They have a great sense of rhythm and their beats can be out of this world. Top stuff.
Airhead – Shekure
Proper banger, there’s not much more to say really.
Burial – Come Down To Us
It’s no secret that Burial has had a major influence on our music. Ludvig listened to this song almost every day going home from work last winter. You can almost hear the cold in this song. There’s these really subtle bell sounds way in the back that just sound like tiny snowflakes. Winter in northern Sweden is constantly dark, and this tune fits quite perfectly. A lifesaver.
Nils Frahm – Kind
This is how silence would sound if it could be turned into music.
James Blake – Pan
Really cool instrumental tune by Blake. He is a man of many talents, and this song is proof of that. So simple yet never boring.
Loefah – Goat Stare
Dubstep from the early days. Such quality. There’s stuff from 2014 that already sounds older than this.
Shxcxchcxsh – Entering The S-Cloud
A mystic piece by a mystic duo. Majestic in its simplicity.
Cristian Vogel – Seed Dogs
Ambitious track with one kick deeper than the other. A lot of stuff going on in a good way.
Christian Löffler – Young Alaska
A real beauty, one of many by Christian Löffler. It was a tough choice between this and “Notes”, another of his tracks that builds around a simple yet fantastic melody
Herbst9 – Mletkin
Harsh yet still very soothing soundscape
Eomac – I Love You, I Miss You
Last on “Hither, Pappy EP”, this track is far from the typical Eomac darkness, a nice contrast with its romantic two-line lyrics and playful beat.
The Field – No. No…
Repetitive in the best possible way, The Field lets his carefully produced sample-based loop go until you don’t want to not hear it over and over again. And he does this with almost all of his tracks
Troy Gunner – Swoon
A cool beat makes a cool track
Bell.Gall. – Spight
Umeå talent with an ear for for finding melodies and chord progressions you didn’t know that you wanted to hear. Featured in this mix with about one fifth of a massive noisy epos.
Julia Kent – Tithonos
A simple and beautiful cello piece.
David Douglas – Moon Observations
We close our mix with “Moon Observations” by fellow Atomnationee David Douglas. This is one you wish you’d created yourself.
Gidge on Soundcloud | Twitter | Facebook | Bandcamp
