After his inclusion on Helios’ brilliant compilation ‘For Nihon‘ last year, Ex Confusion was finally given the platform he deserved with an album on the legendary N5MD label. Released at the end of March, Embrace is a perfect example of simple, touching ambient music. So, needless to say, I couldn’t be happier that Atsuhito has produced two tracks for the Places Series. For many people, ‘Where The Time Goes’ will form the perfect introduction to Atsuhito’s music, or an extension to an already proud, Ex Confusion library.

Atsuhito’s work is a double dose of gentle, indulgent ambience. Distant and wistful, it retreats to a time of safety and comfort when your parents were the gentle giants that made the world a smaller, safer place.

Drawing inspiration from conversations outside his room, they provided a reminder of childhood memories “when everything was perfect and I wasn’t afraid of growing up”. There’s purity and a heart-breaking naivety to the soft reflection of both ‘Before We Begin’ and ‘If Only’ as Ex Confusion cocoons us from the world and finds sanctuary in the hometown recollections of Nara, Japan.

Guided by voices, Where The Time Goes is an ode to appreciating the value of what’s passed but it’s also a tender edict to seize every moment. Wherever that may be. “I heard voices in my head, telling me how things are hard to take back and how important each moment we have right now, is. Then I took my guitars and piano to record everything in my heart”. Words by Reef Younis.

Download 320Kbps MP3′s via Soundcloud players below 
Download all other formats inc FLAC + WAV (via Bandcamp)

Artwork photo courtesy of Iker Cortabarria under a CC license.

Ex Confusion on Soundcloud, Twitter, Bandcamp, N5MD.

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A rare treat arises once again in the form on the much loved Russian artist, Parks. Igor’s music is without a doubt one of the best things i’ve discovered in recent months and i’ve purchased every-one of his available albums, including Hidden and Umber, re-released on Infraction and the four available direct on Igor’s Bandcamp. If you’ve listened to any of these, then you’ll know that Parks is one hell of a talent, if you haven’t, then don’t be hesitating…

Spanish website Relevant BCN has snagged an interview with Igor and a mix – the first since his isolatedmix. Featuring an unreleased number from Igor, the mix is depictive of his music style and includes a variety of approaches, from vocalist James Blake to a live orchestral version of Brian Eno’s ‘An Ending’ and an amazing untitled Gas dub-techno track. There’s also a great interview with Igor in which he discuss the inspiration for the name, and another talent in his family… his son Max. Both of which may, possibly, might… be featured on ASIP in some other shape or ‘place’ pretty soon!

See the original post on Relevant BCN for the full interview.

Download

Tracklist:

01. Parks – Wings Of Desire (00:00)
02. Belong – Common Era (06:26)
03. GAS – Zauberberg 4 (10:16)
04. Parks – The Cotton Bell And Rhino (15:39)
05. Immune – Lie Awake (18:32)
06. Orla Wren – A Wren Coloured Fable (24:59)
07. James Blake – I Mind (27:15)
08. Parks – The Renaissance (30:35)
09. Immune – Streams go blind (37:29)
10. Emanuele Errante – Made To Give (41:32)
11. Max Richter – Maria, The Poet (46:12)
12. Stars of the Lid – Even If You’re Awake (48:07)
13. Belong – Very Careful (54:43)
14. Parks – Franja (57:39)
15. Metropole Orchestra (Live at Paradiso) Brian Eno – An Ending (Apollo) (65:52)
16. Gavin Bryars – Opening Part II (1969)(70:30)
17. Jonny Greenwood/Krzysztof Penderecki – 48 Responses to Polymorphia Overhang (75:30)
18. GAS – untitled (77:54)
19. Untitled – Untitled (85:47)
20. Parks – Unreleased (92:38)

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I remember looking at the Bloc lineup in 2009 and seeing Ulrich Schnauss scheduled for what must’ve been a very rare festival appearance at the time. Needless to say I didn’t get to go, but I won’t be making the same mistake this time around given Bloc 2012 is right on my doorstep in sunny-old London.

Not only that, but Bloc 2012 is being held at a truly original location. Unlike most ‘festivals’ that London hosts, this one looks set to break the Hyde Park / Clapham Common trend and treat us all to a brand new art space called The London Pleasure Gardens – a sixty thousand square metre site of Victorian Docklands, featuring steel shipping containers, water-side venues, floating bars and last but not least – a 2,541 tonne shipping vessel named MS Stubnitz (pictured).

And on to the line-up. Friday doesn’t look too shabby, with Steve Reich, Amon Tobin and Nathan Fake, but I think i’ll be heading down for the Saturday. Squarepusher, Four Tet, Jon Hopkins, Oneohtrix Point Never, Monolake and Alva Noto (as part of a Raster Noton showcase). Pretty much all of these guys have new material in the pipeline (or have just recently released new material) so I thought it would be a nice idea for a little reminder of some – if nothing else, with a hope to persuade you to come and have a beer with me dockside. One track from my library, and one that is likely to be (or I hope is) dropped at Bloc.

For the full line-up (I haven’t even mentioned half of it) and tickets see http://www.blocweekend.com | 6th+7th July | London.

Jon Hopkins

After seeing Jon rip through some of his classics and numerous unrecognised tracks at XOYO late last year, i’m looking forward to hearing even it even more honed and perfected bouncing off 2,541 tonnes of steel. Apparently, a new album is set to be finished by the end of May. Track choices include the aptly named, and one that I always love hearing loud, ‘Vessel’, and of course, the blindingly brilliant Four Tet remix of the very same song.

One from the library: Vessel

One for Bloc: Vessel (Four Tet remix)

Oneohtrix Point Never

‘Rifts’ remains one of my favourite electronic records of recent years and i’ve picked one of the greats from that album below. I’ve also picked-out Daniel’s latest preview which is a unique and interesting approach, to new material. I doubt OPN’s going to knocking this kind of stuff out when blowing out the hulls of the MS Stubnitz, but still…

One from the library: Zones Without People

One for Bloc: I Only Have Eyes For You

Monolake

With a new album out, all eyes will be on the legend that is Monolake at Bloc. Take his mid-90′s approach to techno in tracks such as ‘Arte’ and imagine the experience Robert Henke has locked away ready for moments like this. He’ll no doubt be debuting plenty of material from new album ‘Ghosts’, but that’s fine by me… tracks like ‘The Existence Of Time‘ and ’Hitting The Surface’ are sure to blow the Stubnitz’s cobwebs away.

One from the library: Arte

One for Bloc: Hitting The Surface

Alva Noto

I’ve got to admit – I haven’t indulged in as much Alva Noto as I should have. I’m not a massive fan of his stuff with Sakamoto for home listening (although in theory it should hit the note given I love both individually and this video from Sonar looks pretty special) but i’ve heard that Carsten’s live stuff is where it gets a tad good. Give me Alva Noto’s ‘Xerrox Monophaser 2′ any day on the headphones, (just how good is that video!?), and i’ll start preparing to be blown away by Carsten Nicolai and the Raster Noton live showcase.

One from the library: Monophaser 2

One for Bloc: Live at LUFF 2011

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Now, Sage Taylor has released what I think, was a pretty old EP, but a very special one at that, on the newly formed Fundii Recordings. More upbeat that his two tracks on Energostatic, these are 4am dub-techno destroyers. Spaced out, melodic and addictive.

Preview all four tracks with the youtube playlist below or purchase for a couple of pounds on iTunes - worth every penny. Thanks to Dubtechno blog for the original post.

I’m tracking Sage down for an isolatedmix when i’m next in Portland – I need more of this in my life!

Tracklist:
01. Insight – 8:06
02. Cables – 6:26
03. Experience – 7:21
04. Hypnosis – 7:32

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Quite simply, a stunning EP by two of today’s greatest modern-classical composers, Nils Frahm & Ólafur Arnalds. This is one of those records which you *need* in your collection and will undoubtedly be looked-back upon come the end of the year as one of the greats.

It’s great to see Max Cooper remixing ‘a2′ as it’s the most beautiful track on the record, and probably the least ‘electronic’ remix friendly… ‘b1′ for example, is hypnotic, driving, dramatic and just itching for a dubby bass line or techno-twinge of some type. Whereas ‘a2′ is pretty much perfect without any meddling – a masterclass in washes of ambient textures, yet Max Cooper has managed to turn this track into one of the most beautiful ambient/techno tunes you’ll hear, and it’s free to download via XLR8R.

You can grab the EP from Erased Tapes on a limited 10″ with free digital download code – just how I like it.

Download (Via XLR8R)

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The fourth and final Secret Station ‘Broadcast‘ compilation hit the airwaves a few months back in February, and since then, you could say things have slowed down a little for Eric Watson and the label. I for one miss this label’s regular output. But, with time, Eric’s creativity has been put to good use on the beginnings of a Secret Station mix series, and the first two are stunners.

To summarise these mixes, you just have to look at the photos below and be safe in the knowledge that Eric Watson has pulled on his extensive musical wisdom to formulate two special ambient/experimental sets. I regularly see updates from Eric after he’s just found some rarities at a local record store and with such effort, comes some spectacular track lists. Classic Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream and Vangelis, even a clip of the emphatic Barbers Adagio For Strings. I even see that Eric managed to get hold of the Casino Versus Japan ‘Night On Tape’ LP (Eric I hope you’ve been wearing the t-shirt?!)

“The music will cover a wide variety of styles, all representing the influences that have helped shape Secret Station. (Note- Unless otherwise specified the mixes will be compiled from vinyl records only, most of which came from deep in the crates of thrift stores, junk stores, antique shops, flea markets, etc., so record noise may be prevalent on some tracks.)”

Mix two has been designed to follow on from the first, and after listening back to them tonight, i’m tempted to put them together and go in for another two-hour epic. An amazing start to what I hope, is a long-lived mix series and a tribute to crate-diggers.

Secret Station Mix 1: – Download.
1- Alan Parsons Project- Nucleus (clip)
2- Kraftwerk- Tongebirge
3- Kona Triangle- Mango Rubicon
4- Tim Weisberg- Conception
5- Lonnie Liston Smith- Between Here and There
6- Matthewdavid- Tomorrowspirit
7- William Orbit- Barbers Adagio for Strings (clip)
8- Seven Fields of Aphelion- Cloud Forest(The Little Owl)
9- Lone- Midnight Feast (Bibio Remix)
10- Henry Mancini- Spaced Out
11- Tangerine Dream- Trap Feeling
12- Casino Vs Japan- Skitwise
13- Stevie Wonder- Voyage to India
14- Dick Hyman- Total Bells and Tony
15- Hrvatski- Gemini (revision)
16- Vangelis- Mare Tranquillitatis
17- Rhythm Time Band- Star Waltz
18- Kona Triangle- Mauna Loa
19- Environments- Dawn at New Hope Pennsylvania
20- Morton Subotnick- Silver Apples of the Moon pt.2 (clip)

Secret Station Mix 2: Download.
1- The Digital Domain (clip)
2- Alien Community- Interdimensional Communication (clip)
3- Reagenz- Ö
4- Aquasky- Images
5- Final- Fall
6- Spacetime Continuum- Simm City (OST Remix)
7- Eat Static- Uforic Undulence
8- Fibla- Anh
9- Velocette- Space Q
10- Dykehouse- Lost Copy
11- SETI- Signal 5&6 (clip)
12- Digital domain- Venice Beach
13- The Auteurs vs u-ziq- Underground Movies
14- Aphex Twin- Analogue Bubblebath 3
15- Jonah Sharp/Bill Laswell- Zurvan Akarana (clip)
16- Liminal Lounge- Hush
17- Dykehouse- Elk Rapids
18- Deepfried Toguma- Suiso
19- Mika Vainio- Dayak

If you like these, don’t forget Eric’s isolatedmix as Lunar Testing Lab.

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I’ve just spent the evening backing-up a load of my files, but that’s only in preparation for the worst. But for some, the worst has already happened, and unfortunately for Leonardo Rosado, his apartment was broken into whilst he was away, with some of his most valued items taken, including his laptop. Being a musician, Feedbackloop label owner and artist in many other senses of the word, something like this is crippling.

I’ve been meaning to get around to posting up some tracks from Leonardo, so there’s no better time than now when he needs the support for his music, both financially and morally. Luckily, he had just released his latest album, ‘The Blue Nature of Everyday’ before the event. But we shouldn’t forget Leonardo’s earlier work, ‘Mute Words’ either; both albums are packed full of beautiful textured atmospheres that are very easy to get lost amongst. Mute Words is my favourite of them both, with drowning, drawn-out vocals hidden amongst lingering drones and the odd light tinkering bell or piano, forming a stark contrast between the light and the dark and placing you smack-bang in the middle to make up your own mind.

Listen to both below and if you would like to support Leonardo, then purchase the albums on Bandcamp.

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The majority of you will read this and needn’t go any further. There’s nothing new here i’m afraid. No secret bootlegs or tribute mix. The only news is that one of the best (if not the best) ambient electronica albums to be made has been repressed and now available to buy again (I snapped mine up from the brilliant Norman Records). So, if you’re feeling a little nostalgic and have been lacking in the Aphex ambient love department recently, read on!

Listening back to this record on a turntable, with subtle and very pleasing vinyl crackles as opposed to slick MP3s, reminded me just how great this album is (yes I finally made the decision to remove the plastic wrapper from the LP). And, if for some reason, someone was to stumble across this post not having listened to this album before, then, well i’ll be damn pleased I made the effort to put this together, because you (if that is you) will be just as pleased you started reading and listening.

And, if like me you listen to this release like a christian reads a bible, then let this be another excuse to listen to the work of a genius. I could talk about every track on the album but in the interest of not over-aphexing, here’s five tracks either from, or associated with the album.

1. Rhubarb - one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. Not to forget some amazing remixes of it too.

2. Stone In Focus – this track was only available on the vinyl and cassette versions so is likely to be one of the lesser known on the album, so just in case you haven’t heard it… here it is.

3. Fourtet remix of ‘Cliffs’ – Released in 1999 – a perfect example of why Mr Hebden is so talented, even when producing in his teens. This is by no means better than the original (and I would include the original), but I wanted to feature this remix as it’s not that well publicised.

4. Blue Calx – my second favourite track on the album, and the first track to successfully use a ticking clock/metronome sound which hasn’t sent me insane, followed by none other than Global Communication’s 14:31.

5. Z-twig. An amazing example of how a repetitive melody, in a short space of time, can be so utterly beautiful, and one of the shortest tracks on the album which I wish went on forever.

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ASIP003 is a 45-minute dive into pure ambience from Anders Peterson under his relapxych.0 moniker. Featuring selected parts from a previous album titled ‘City Nightlights’, Anders has revisted, remixed and added new recordings to form an even sharper depiction of his chosen inspiration, an area in the very centre of Stockholm City named, Tegelbacken.

Anders grew up near this area and describes it as ‘empty by day, and inhabited by lost souls at night, for well over 100 years the area has been despised by most. The area consists of spaces, scattered almost, with a canal, water and concrete, beneath bridges, rails and just a few tall buildings’. The photo taken for the artwork has a purposeful blur, as if what lives here is unknown and what is yet to be discovered is unclear.

Characterised by space, abandonment and dormancy, ‘Tegelbacken Nightlights’ takes its cues from urban decay. Crafted around a shifting scene of emptiness and dereliction, light and dark are intertwined, shifting between night and day; letting the darkness seep and the light carve through.

It’s a slow, languorous metamorphosis that revels in eerie sensibilities created by creaks and groans, ominous echoed footsteps and an unmistakeable sense of isolation. But it’s one that’s built on exploration and an acceptance of being engulfed by the unknown; of going deeper into a place that only serves to pull you further away from the familiar.

Within it all, there’s also unintentional beauty, the sort that can only be unwittingly appreciated or uncovered and it makes ‘Tegelbacken Nightlights’ a foreboding ode to the everyday. Inspired by the prospect of regeneration and recovery, even in the greyest wastelands, there’s hope. This is a tribute to finding salvation in the forgotten. (Words by Reef Younis).

Download 320Kbps MP3 (via Soundcloud)
Download all other formats inc FLAC + WAV (via Bandcamp)

http://www.ghostsounds.net
http://soundcloud.com/ghost-sounds

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Rich-Ears, with his many mixes, tribute sets and mind-bending journeys (half of which have featured on ASIP over the years), definitely falls into this category. His curations are reminders of just how expansive ambient, chill and electronica can be. They are packed full of crate-diggers gems and nostalgic samples. There isn’t a set that goes by without new music to my ears, classics re-emerging or favourites re-imagined.

And like all good journeys, it’s better experienced with a good friend. Rich-Ears’ parallel mind from across the ocean, DF Tram, joins him on this one, to rekindle a very special partnership which was evidently brilliant through their last masterpiece, Lunar Fizz.

This mix, titled Earth Apogee, is another dive into a vivid spectrum of ambient, chill, downtempo and samples that co-exist between two die-hard music fans. Their collections are expansive, their taste immaculate and this mix is a testament to their extensive music libraries and skills in curating a all-immersing musical journey.

Download.

Tracklist:
01. David Axelrod – The Warnings Part 1
02. David Axelrod – The human abstract
03. Carlos Niño -Rabbit Island Featuring Jesse Petersen
04. DF Tram & Future BC -Sonic Breakfast
05. Brian Eno & David Byrne – America is waiting (DF Tram edit)
06. Donovan – Barabajagal
07. Air – Modular mix
08. Ursula Rucker – 7 (feat. M.A.D.)
09. Carlos Ciño and Miguel Atwood Ferguson – Fall In Love
10. Mort Garson – Symphony for a Spider Plant
11. Wild Rumpus feat. Cosmo and Gary Lucas – Tikkety boo
12. Animat – Gogo’s dub (DF Tram & Future BC remix)
13. The Doors – Riders of the storm (DF Tram’s Dirty Windows edit)
14. Sense – Praise
15. Linah Rocio / Gigi Masin – Love Letter
16. Gigi Masin / Charles Hayward – Clouds
17. Daphne Oram – Lego Builds It
18. Kid Koala – Emperors Main Course In Cantonese
19. Abel – Skipping Puddles
20. Small Black – Intro
21. Schubotter – No Healing Through Pharma
22. XNTR – Bell Mountain
23. DF Tram & Future BC – Rue De Musique
24. Unknown – Nude Interlude #1 (Kinky Ladies of Bourbon Street)
25. Lush – Stray (Hole In The Sky Mix)
26. Amorphous Androgynous – Another Fairy Tale Ending
27. Barbarix – With Every Waterfall Comes A Rainbow
28. Dave Greening & Owsey – Purgatory (Owsey cover)
29. Scanner – Sounds Of Love
30. Kid Koala – Vacation Island
31. Eprom – If
32. Loop Guru – Katmandu…Crab People…
33. Ajanta – Perception of Time
34. The Normalites – The Sun Rising (Afterlife Remix)
35. Maps & Diagrams – Jupiter Incidental
36. Pharaoh Sanders – Astral Travelling (Boozoo Bajou Remix)
37. Saturn Never Sleeps – DRK
38. ActivePhaze – Soaring (Deep Haki Remix Pt2)
39. Maurizio Miceli – The Hope
40. The Orb – Pluto Calling (Twinkle)
41. The Beatles – A Day In The Life (Terminus/JFK Edit)
42. The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – Yellow Submarine

Rich Ears on Soundcloud | Twitter | Facebook
DF Tram on Soundcloud | Twitter | Facebook
Artwork photo courtesy of Hikaru Funnell http://capturecollect.co.uk/

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