Horizontal Excursions - Higher States

A journey into nature is a healing experience, and one that can be married to your own personal health and mentality. At its most symbolic, Roger Martinez’s new album as Horizontal Excursions, not only refers to the mountains, but the higher states of mind through which he channeled to make the music. Whether you find calm and peace through nature, its sounds and presence, or through your own personal journeys, Higher States was built as your accomplice.
 
Through Roger’s own experiences, and by transmitting these higher states of mind through music, "the music then becomes a medicine to bring people together, or to put people more in touch with their emotions”. Not content with the present day spoken language and modern culture that surrounds us, Roger believes music is the missing element in order to achieve lasting happiness and peace within people - “music and the emotional language it conveys is much stronger at bringing people together, communicating states of oneness, peace, love and unity, that could ultimately contribute to a more loving, peaceful humanity”.

As Roger’s fifth release under the Horizontal Excursions moniker, Higher States is an evolution from his previous releases; the self-titled album of 2011, and the long-players of ‘Symphonica Helvetica’ and ‘Enantiodromia’. Atmospheric and organic, Higher States ascends through the many mental and physical layers one would experience when climbing towards fulfillment. Be it the low, swirling mist on ‘Opening Up, the relief and optimism of ‘Balance’ or the distant detail and memories in ‘The Gift’. From lush, warm pads to the sound of the sea, hundreds of feet beneath you, Higher States combines detailed soundscapes with a consistent current of depth, creating a vivid journey - an instrument designed where “higher states of intelligence emotion may flow, eventually towards the hearts of other people”. 

As Albert Einstein once said: “Our separateness is simply an optical illusion of consciousness”. 

Available on Bandcamp.

Download Roger's contribution to The Places Series - Symphonica Helvetica, for free.

ASIPV002 - Europe

After the success of our debut vinyl release, Uncharted Places, I’m very pleased to announce we’ll be returning with Europe, a meticulously curated compilation inspired by some of the most beautiful locations on the continent.

Spanning ambient, modern classical, drone and electronica, it’s a journey experienced through the eyes and ears of the artists, capturing their memories, travels, tributes, and exquisite musical depictions.

Beginning with a peaceful ode to her Greek home, Dalot finds harmony on Kalathas beach, Halo is enraptured by a wet city scene in Zurich, and 36 tries to make sense of London’s countless contrasts.

In more remote parts, Horizontal Excursions (aka Roger Martinez) discovers the symphony of life on the subtropical island of La Gomera,Bjorn Rohde paints a vivid picture of the Pyrénées, and Marsen Jules finds paradise in the Andalusian mountains.

From cosmopolitan utopias to breath-taking cornucopias, every track on Europe is immersed in discovery. Effortlessly traversing geography and emotions, it’s a collection that revels in borderless ambition but also celebrates the intricacies that makes every passage unique.

Closer to sea-level, Dextro finds inspiration in the Isle of Barra’s oceanic panorama, Parks channels the coastal howl of Helsingborg, andCarbon Based Lifeforms uncovers delicate harmonies in the Spring-time forests of East Gothenburg.

Finally, Yagya brings Europe to its beautiful conclusion. Alone on Reykjavik’s north shore, the iconic producer forgets himself, and the city behind him, as the infinite ocean horizon commands his lost gaze.

Personal and poignant, the album artwork also reflects the craft of the music with a specially commissioned, mixed-print and hand-painted piece by Nick Brzostowski created exclusively for the release.

Europe is available on limited edition double-transparent blue vinyl (300 copies with digital download) from January 26th 2015.

There is also a special limited edition wooden vinyl case – just five pieces – made for this release. More details available here.

BUY THE VINYL: *SOLD OUT*
BUY THE DIGITAL: ASIP Bandcamp

TRACKLIST
A1. Dalot – Home
A2. Halo – Rain Says
A3. 36 – London
B1. Horizontal Excursions – Garajonay
B2. Bjorn Rohde – Tour De Pyrénées
B3. Marsen Jules – Andalucia
C1. Dextro – Heaval
C2. Parks – When The Last Ferry Left Helsingborg
D1. Carbon Based Lifeforms – Vakna
D2. Yagya – The North Shore

Reviews: Igloo Mag | Sceen.fm | Boomkat

Europe was manufactured by Furnace MFG / Pallas (DE), distributed by Juno, and mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri (Ghostly International).

More on the artists involved:

Dalot
By blending post-rock and ambient textures, Greece’s Maria Papadomanolaki sculpts a delicate personal sonic territory animated by life stories, experiences, places and people. She has released music on n5MD, Coorecords, Headphone Commute, Radical Matters, This Is It Forever, Sound In Silence, Sun Sea Sky, Futuresequence and Hands Productions.

Halo
A young composer from Italy, now residing in Zurich, Pasquale Riviezzo started Halo as a very personal experience inspired by his thoughts and feelings. Playing piano for 13 years and the guitar for 8, Halo is already gaining acclaim for his beautiful compositions with releases onDewtone Recordings and the ASIP Places Series.

36
36 (pronounced three-six) is the ambient/experimental project of Dennis Huddleston from the United Kingdom. Raised on a healthy diet of old skool hardcore and techno, these days he spends his time releasing highly emotive and melancholic ambient, mainly for his own label 3six Recordings.

Horizontal Excursions
Roger Martinez is a multi-disciplinary artist from the Netherlands. He mainly works in the field of music, but is also an avid painter and poetry writer. His main musical projects include “Roger Martinez LIVE” and “Horizontal Excursions”, with a previous HE project released as part of the ASIP Places Series.

Bjorn Rohde
An elusive and varied producer hailing from the Ruhr Area in Germany, Bjorn is best known for his emotional journeys in dub-techno for the likes of Dewtone Recordings.

Marsen Jules
The German electronic music composer is a poet in sound. Focused on minimalism and abstraction he creates atmospheric and deeply emotional tunes. Since his CD debut on City Centre Offices he released 10 full-length albums and several compilation tracks on labels as12K, Kompakt, Miasmah and Dronarivm as well as his own imprint Oktaf Records.

Dextro
An avid live performer, Scotland’s Ewan Mackenzie has played alongside the likes of Ulrich Schnauss, Loscil, Jacaszek, Amon Tobin and Bonobo to name just a few. His energetic, drum-focused productions have been released through Border Community, and Ninjatune, with ‘Heavel’ recently featured on Nick Warren’s Soundgarden Compilation.

Parks
Composer Igor Bystrov has been releasing music for nearly 25 years and has only recently received deserved acclaim for his warm and emotional, analogue based electronica and ambient soundscapes. Truly unique and original in his approach, Igor has released on Infraction Records, Entropy and the ASIP ‘Places Series’.

Carbon Based Lifeforms
The Swedish ambient duo of Johannes Hedberg and Daniel Segerstad are often cited as one of the original innovators of electronic ambient music, with many acclaimed releases on the legendary Ultimae Records, it’s a rarity and a celebration to finally see CBL’s music on wax.

Yagya
Icelandic dub-techno pioneer, Aðalsteinn Guðmundsson concentrates on atmospheres and moods to reflect the beauty of the world around him. Concentrating on the softer side of music and avoiding heavy rhythms, Yagya finds harmony and beauty in the simple sounds of nature. Previous releases on Delsin, Sending Orbs and Subwax Bcn.

Vinyl photos by Hikaru: www.capturecollect.co.uk. Vinyl Case photos by astrangelyisolatedplace.

Passing by: Textural Being, Stray Theories, Horizontal Excursions & Applescal

Textural Being – Transmission EP

Our local Portland dub-techno mastermind, Textural Being has released this lovely three-track EP on German label Tiefenrausch, also available on vinyl (dub-techno fans know how hard it is to find decent music of this type on wax). Whilst ‘Safe Places’ is his typical, floaty gorgeousness, ‘Transmission’ pics up the pace a little; perhaps appealing to the DJ’s out there and ‘Descend’ is a thoroughly deep, slow and submerged affair.

Buy on Bandcamp

Stray Theories – We Never Left

Combining cinematic instrumentation with lush ambient soundscapes, Stray Theories hits drama smack bang on the head, and this release featuring remastered tracks of old and new is nothing short of exceptional as usual. I picked the image above whilst listening to his album – enough said. Beautiful.

Buy on Bandcamp

Horizonatal Excursions – Legacy EP

It’s been a while since Roger Martinez has released something on his Horizontal Excursions guise (don’t forget his Places Series EP). This EP however, seems to be built more around song structure than any of his previous work; featuring arpeggiating synths, loops and intense climaxes, sprinkled with subtle samples, and all lovingly wrapped in those luscious soundscapes we love HE for. Roger has a track on the next ASIP vinyl/comp coming soon which will knock your socks off.

Buy on Bandcamp

Applescal – Hyp 192 (Mix)

Pascal’s isolatedmix was heralded as one of the best by many, skilled in track selection and perfect key matching. No surprise to find the same great selection and techniques on this mix – an upbeat electronic journey providing a nice lift as summer comes to a close for many.

Download

01. Long Arm – Sleepsafe (ft I.V.A. & Ruslan Gadzhimuradov) [PMC]
02. Télépopmusik – L’Incertitude D’Heisenberg [Capitol]
03. Deft – One Eye Open [Self Released]
04. Sau Poler – Juun [Atomnation]
05. Gidge – I Fell In Love [Atomnation]
06. David August – Forgive Me If I Bleed [Diynamic]
07. Arcade Fire – Morning Talk Supersymmetry [Her]
08. I-D [Atomnation]
09. Olaf Stuut – Libre (Applescal Remix) [Manual]
10. Dntel – Anywhere Anyone [Sub Pop Records]
11. Portable Sunsets – Light Switch [Atomnation]
12. Postiljonen – Supreme (Niva Remix) [Self Released]

Horizontal Excursions – Enantiodromia

Roger Martinez‘s ‘Horizontal Excursions’ project has undoubtedly produced some of my favourite ambient work these past years. Starting with a self-titled album, and then revisiting this guise to create the magical Places Series release ‘Symphonica Helvetica‘, Roger’s been busy working on this release, ‘Enantiodromia’ for an epic two years now.

For those familiar with ‘Symphonica Helvetica’ (and that’s over 12,000 of you on Soundcloud) you’ll know what to expect here. Taking inspiration from shamanic experiences, Roger crafts a vivid, hour-long journey that envelopes your inner-self.

Starting with a sincere, intense combination of pads and slowly plucked strings, ‘Enantiodromia’ descends into a much calmer state, with distant fizzes and balanced chords. This moment of calm quickly develops into a more intense combination of deep washes, short vocal samples and a gentle dripping of keys – sporadic bursts of light amongst a never-ending horizon. This seemingly random progression brings back memories of the KLF’s Chill-out albujm, with new sounds appearing after every 30 seconds – new textures and a deeper listening experience at every turn (just without the sheep and Elvis Presley samples!)

The guitar-manipulation returns, reverberating against a solid, menacing power, only to once again reach a calmer state – a reset before the next unannounced yet now expected wave. Unlike most ambient albums which tally over 60 minutes, ‘Enantiodromia’ is clearly broken up into sections, but meant as an entire listening experience – there’s absolutely no need for this to be track-listed or separated as its engrossing power leaves you hooked, patiently awaiting the next intense wave, trickling water and gentle glistening melodies.

After 30-minutes, ‘Enantiodromia’ takes a more structured progression, with stepped chords complimenting the stark contrast of intricate water trickles and vast swirling pads. High notes from a piano echo and bounce off the increasing ‘Gas’ sound and then, once again you’ve slowly slipped back into yourself, breathing a moment of calm.

This pattern continues, and ‘Enantiodromia’ depicts a rollercoaster of emotion, increasingly intense yet always delicate. Roger manipulates a wealth of sounds, of instruments, and feelings and this hour becomes a vivid landscape of ambient music. “Enantiodromia is all about opposites” Roger quotes, and like the up-downs on the title track, Roger compliments this release with a second track, ‘Close to me’. Like his difference in alias, this one features beats and is a beautiful example of a dub-techno track driven by a master-mind of ambient music.

Listen to the complete ‘Enantiodromia’ below, also available to pre-order, with full release on the 15th June 2013.

I realised that Roger is quite the enigmatic character so I fired a couple of questions over to him to get a little insight into his world.

For those relatively new to your music, can you explain your different approaches and what they mean to you?

Well, there are several ways through which my creative expressions flow. Whatever the stylistic differences, there is always one common factor in each of my art forms and that is the sharing and communication of an experience. Through music, I’ve for example experienced the feeling of true interconnectedness with people on a deep, essential level. Especially during live performances this is possible and it gives me the necessary inspiration and motivation to continue with what I’m doing. So it really doesn’t matter if it’s banging Techno music or contemplative Ambient music, my goals and motivation with both are the same.

Your first self-titled album was quite a beauty, how long does something like this take to put together? Which techniques do you use?

Well, it really depends. My upcoming Ambient album “Enantiodromia” took 2 years to complete. But sometimes I can produce a lot of material in a few months. I don’t have a steady workflow. What’s far more important is being sensitive to the forming of the right circumstances to be creative. Sometimes you’re on fire for several weeks, then you know that it’s time to get going, other times I’m totally drained for months, but for me that’s always a sign that there are other ways to enjoy life, so I travel or visit a good museum. That said, I’m not really obsessed with my music and art.

The techniques I’ve used to create the two Ambient albums are a combination of field recordings, ranging from nature recordings to recordings of shamanic ceremonies.

Was your Places Series release – ‘Symphonica Helvetica’ approached any differently?

More of the same actually. I have a big database of all sorts of recordings I’ve made whenever I’m traveling or visiting special events for instance. There’s a lot of inspiring and one of a kind material in there. For my Places Series project I focused on everything that had to do with the Swiss Alps because they’re a big part of my life at the moment. I often travel to Switzerland to do some intensive mountain hiking and enjoy the fresh mountain air and nature there. The Alps are one of the last places in Western Europe that still have certain very wild, untouched areas. In these areas you can still experience solitude and a deep connection to Nature and everything around you. In general my musical pieces reflect my life and the experiences that I’m having at that moment. In some way every musical piece is a testament to a certain period or experience in my life.

It seems your Horizontal Excursions work is few and far between, so what can we expect in the future?

Who knows, I’m currently busy working on a soundscape to inaugurate the opening of a bridge here in the Netherlands. Also, I’m now very focused on performances with live acoustical instruments. I like to call them musical meditations. I’m always working on what interests me and drives me at the moment, I’m constantly evolving and I am content with that dynamic.

ASIP024 Horizontal Excursions - Symphonica Helvetica

 

The wilderness stirs something primal and unfathomable in us all. We become overwhelmed, awestruck, even emboldened, by these untamed frontiers, content to revel in the unspoiled beauty or compelled to explore what lies within. For some, it’s a cold, harsh reality; an unforgiving tundra of survival and subsistence. But, when afforded the indulgence, this isolation is the purest of them all. 

“There aren’t many places left in Western Europe where you can still immerse yourself in pure wilderness” Roger begins, “in fact, the only environment where I have truly experienced this is in certain parts of Switzerland. My latest trip to Zermatt, located in the canton of Valais, has greatly shaped the music in this symphony and I was reminded that all of nature is something that should be respected and revered.” 

A regular traveller through the country, Roger’s willingness to lose himself (in every sense of the word) in the abundance of natural beauty heralded Symphonica Helvetica – an untainted journey through the mysticism of the Alps, velveteen swoop of Swiss valleys, and the siren-song of nature. 

“Away from the large cities of Zürich and Basel, you enter into a totally different kind of environment,” he states. “For me mountainous areas epitomize something indescribable, something sacred. I lose sense of identity and, sometimes literally, become lost in the landscape around me. 

Inspired by the power of his surroundings, Symphonica Helvetica crystallizes those moments, and Roger captures, and softens, the endeavour of trekking through the terrain. A symphonic soundtrack that casts a heavy ambient blanket, there’s a sense of uphill resistance as the summit nears; the enormity of casting an infinite gaze for miles; the deep, contented inhale as you survey the forest canopy thousands of feet below and feel, for that moment, like it’s all you. 

“In these places you really see nature at work: sculpting, flowing and grinding through the mountains,” Roger explains. “The fruits of my past trips through the mountains of Switzerland have amalgamated into the symphony that I present to you here. This is the musical translation of the visions and experiences I had standing on the edge of mountain cliffs, overlooking valleys, walking through snow-clad forests, enchanted by mountain tops in full view. These are the shamanic songs of Mother Nature still at reign in her grand domain: a living myth put into sound pressure waves.”