ASIPV004 / Markus Guentner - Theia

Links to listen+buy

There was chaos and violence, a collision of dark matter and heat.
In the maelstrom, a legacy was created and a new moon born.
She left something here forever.
But amongst infinite black depths,
Theia rages on.

Depicting the legendary impact of the planet Theia, Pop Ambient pioneer Markus Guentner returns to vinyl, with a highly anticipated full-length LP.

The evolution of a historic astrological moment is brought to life through a dramatic, evolving soundscape that only Markus could capture. Drones build upon swathes of light, cut by an ever-present sense of fear. The distant shine of stars puncture a pitch-black canvas, as a force gathers momentum and intensifies. Theia's tortuous movement slowly builds in-front of you, and the inevitable moment of impact creeps closer and louder. The destruction is desolate, dramatic and beautiful all at once.

Markus has become synonymous with this unique style of ambient music over the years, stretching between intensely layered, looping rhythms, and subtle rolling dub-techno. His early releases on Kompakt set the tone for the respected Pop Ambient sound,
through genre defining tracks such as Express Yourself. Markus went on to release albums with Sending Orbs, Ware, Affin and most recently Moodgadget, as well as a Places Series EP for A Strangely Isolated Place (Talking Clouds) and remixes for the label's debut LP, Uncharted Places.

This is Markus' first dedicated vinyl release since 2006, and with it comes the care and attention to detail deserved of such a return. Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll Studio, RAI also lends his hand to one track, manipulating an entire soundscape with nothing but his signature guitar.

Pressed on opaque vinyl allowing the artwork to mimic the shine of the moon, ASIP creative talent Nick Brzostowski has turned the artist's vision into a piece of art, with his meticulous custom design.

Theia is available as double opaque vinyl (with free high-quality download) housed in a matte gatefold sleeve, and as a digital download through Bandcamp.

“The album you’ll need this winter”

— ISO50

“Best ambient album of the year by a long, long way.”

— Igloo Mag

Released: 9th November 2015

Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri
Artwork by Nick Brzostowski

(Vinyl features continuos mixed sides)

“An omnipresent sense of dread and anticipation shadows the release until the primal event arrives in all its monumental glory during the closing “Cavus.” You’d be wise to strap yourself in before undertaking this rather harrowing final journey.”

— Textura