isolatedmix 118 - Pan American

Our latest isolatedmix comes from Mark Nelson, who as Pan•American, or as part of Labradford or even Anjou, has garnered relative cult status amongst the ambient and experimental lifers and tape community. Forming a big part of the Kranky label history from its very first release, Mark recently returned with a new album after a three-year hiatus, and the mature, refined instrumentalism on The Patience Fader is a subtle reminder of the quality Mark has retained over the years - quite an achievement, given his first Pan•American record on Kranky goes back to 1997. I took the chance to send over some questions to Mark to shed some light on the new record and the music that exists in his life right now, alongside his tasteful and electic isolatedmix.

Hi Mark, where are you right now and what have you been listening to lately?

I'm at home in Evanston IL-just north of Chicago. Drinking coffee after work and listening to the water running through the filter of our pet turtle's tank and the music of Mette Henriette. If you're not familiar with her she's a Norwegian composer and saxophone player who put out a  record on ECM a couple of years ago it’s so beautiful-one of those records I only let me listen to occasionally because I don't want to become too familiar with it. worried the magic might lessen-but magic never really does.

Last few days I've been listening to lots of the music that made it onto the mix-Mike Cooper, African Head Charge, Ulla, my friend Robert Donne's incredible track Touch my Camera Through the Fence, Takagi Masakatsu.  The most recent music that I've really liked are the 3 cd comp by Fubutsushi on Cached Media and my friend Francis Harris' beautiful new record Thresholds that I was lucky enough to contribute to.

Running a label myself, and given you had the honor of being the very first release on Kranky, with Labradford, I’m interested in the details of how that very first album and relationship came about?

It's hard to believe but back then you could put out a 7" single-maybe 300 copies-and be pretty confident all the key distributors, zines, record store buyers and radio stations would find out about it and boost it up if they liked it.  Joel and Bruce worked at Cargo-an independent distributor based in Chicago.  Our single came across Joel's desk and he felt good enough about it to set in motion the plan he'd been forming to start a label.  I remember my friend Andrew who put the single out told me a guy from Cargo was going to call me and I stayed close to the (landline) phone for the next couple days.  Joel called, we talked and the rest has unfolded very naturally. A blend of luck and trying to manifest something in the world around the music.

“Romantic minimalism” is used in the text for your new album The Patience Fader, and it’s an apt term for the delicate, perhaps even more ‘focused’ approach on this one. Do you think there is a clear connection between the effects of the past year and the type of music it inspires? Was that the case here?

Yes-absolutely in my case.   Both from within and without.  Not consciously of course, but Patience Fader was made during the summer and fall of 2020, so  Covid,  Trumpism, BLM/George Floyd protests were all in full flight.  At the same time, my father was dying in a hospice in Virginia that we couldn't visit because of Covid.  In some respects, emotions were very simple for me in this time. Right and wrong, life and death joy and sorrow seemed very plainly mapped out.

The album features some smaller ‘vignette’ type tracks, which I personally love. What was your intention behind these as part of the greater album flow? Is there a hidden narrative?

Not a narrative really, no. I would say there's a theme of Roots throughout the record and trying to find different ways to approach what roots and being grounded can mean. So guitar and harmonica as the instruments used speak literally to the basic grounding of American music. The field recording of a summer afternoon and slamming screen door on Baitshop is evocative to me of childhood.  There's even a song called Grounded.  We were all literally grounded by Covid and I was searching for a  sense of Grounding amidst the unraveling.

It seems like you come from the ‘instrumental first’ school of ambient music (as I sometimes like to put it), integrating your instruments as source material, especially on your latest. What does the process for creating a PA album usually look like?

It tends to come out of the daily practice of playing. I like practicing and trying to be "better" as a guitar player.  Sometimes it can even feel like if I get an idea I need to dig into, it interrupts just simple, repetitive practice that in some ways I enjoy more. I think I've gotten pretty good at recognizing when an idea needs to be followed through and I do feel like I have an obligation to not let it go.  Although in the end, most don't make it.  Eventually, I tend to establish something that feels like the first song for an album and the last song, and that's when I know that something new is really emerging.

The Lapsteel / Pedal steel was perhaps brought to ‘ambient fame’ by the KLF’s Chill Out, especially to those who run in more general ‘ambient’ music terms. And I definitely get a similar vibe to that album with The Patience Fader. …“the ghost of rust belts and dust bowls looming in a horizon of deepening dusk.” as the press text puts it. As a foreigner in the US, I’ve always wondered about this romanticism and never really experienced it outside of trips to the desert here in the west. How does this come to life for you personally? Is it something you seek out?

I'm a big fan of Chill Out-but I think Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois got there first on Apollo! Also, the Paris Texas soundtrack and Ry Cooder's slide playing cemented some of those connections that I guess now verge on cliche. Funny enough I'm a bit of an outsider here as well-my Father was a US diplomat and I didn't live in the US until I was a teenager.  I've always looked for a way in I guess, and music-rock n roll, country, blues, jazz seemed like a kind of skeleton key. A key to a series of doors that open and close constantly and I seem to remain disoriented.  I certainly returned to these roots (literal and figurative) in music for an explanation or comfort as Trump set fire to whatever remained of the Better Angels of what (for some reason) is referred to as the American Experiment. Mixed results.

You speak of the notion of “lighthouse music,” radiance cast from a stable vantage point, sending “a signal to help others through rocks and dangerous currents.” My perception and ‘unromanticizing’ of this after listening to the album, is that you have tried to create very clear, and comforting music, something that will cut through easier and not need too much thought for it to work. I love this overall sentiment - could you expand upon it in your own words?

It's an effort to be uncluttered and go straight for the heart. The beauty in country music is the same effort or effect.  It's ok if it's a formula to an extent that's comforting! The songs on my record share a very similar structure and palette to one another-I really wanted to create a world that would be very quickly recognized-meaning the boundaries would be clear right away-and the work could be done within those boundaries.  There's certainly much to recommend pushing beyond known boundaries and limits-for me though it's where known elements within a world blur, overlap, merge, surrender and change like water that's what I'm interested in! New possibilities come from new combinations, and new layering of familiar material. Hybrid forms, mutations.  I think what we're looking for is here-it's just up to us to make it visible.

~

astrangelyisolatedplace · isolatedmix 118 - Pan•American

Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

Download

Tracklist:

01. Willie Nelson- Sad Songs and Waltzes
02. Ulla - New Poem
03. Michael Grigoni - Little Cliffs
04. Sosena Gebre Eyesus - Seqelew Eyalu
05. Maurizio - MO7A (edit)
06. Mike Cooper - After Rain
07. African Head Charge - Bazarre
08. Takagi Masakatsu - Uter 1
09. Mary Lattimore - We Just Found Out She Died
10. Loren Connors - Blues #5
11. Robert Donne - Touch My Camera Through the Fence
12. Lokai - Histoire DS

Pan•American: Website | Bandcamp | Soundcloud | Discogs

isolatedmix 78 - Goldmund

We welcome Keith Kenniff back to the isolatedmix series under his post-classical moniker, Goldmund. 

A master of many styles of ambient and instrumental music, be it textured ethereal daydreams as Helios, shoegaze inspired ambient alongside his wife, Hollie, or his more instrumental, post-classical side as Goldmund, Keith's output is somehow always outdoing his last note. As a result he has grown a significant following and appreciation over the years, me included.  

It's the latter of those three guises that we find ourselves being presented with another beautiful album of late, titled 'Occasus'. Released earlier this month, the album is another fine collection of minimal piano pieces. Staying close to some of his more melodic and infamous productions as Helios, boasting a grainy texture and more analog stylings throughout, Occasus presents numerous uplifting moments - a collection of short stories if you will, amid layers of dusty keys. 

A master of his instrument, Keith is one of only a very few musicians who can walk us through a myriad of emotions in one album, evident yet again on Occasus. The piano, playing a key part in every chapter, but each track boasting something unique to the hands of Goldmund that others simply cannot match. His sound, a blueprint for many artists striving for that rare combination of emotion, melody and immersive, lost-in-a-daydream-feels. 

Unlike his first isolatedmix back in 2010, which focused on some of his favorite soundtracks and compositions, Keith now chooses to embellish on some of the many styles that likely go into a Goldmund production. You may be expecting a masterclass in modern classical music given that introduction or the moniker find ourselves under, but mixed amongst the many pivotal instrumental moments, are textured elements and softly painted melodies - the two added influences and key ingredients that you can always hear within any Goldmund production. Add to that, a man that knows the secret behind an emotive score; applied to the mix format, and you're in for a beautiful journey. 

Download.

Tracklist:

01. 0:00 - 1:04 - Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Graves (end melody)
02. 1:04 - 3:46 - Scott Gilmore - Things Forgotten
03. 3:46 - 5:18 - Monster Rally - Love
04. 5:18 - 7:32 - Limalo - Viewing Growth (w-Botany)
05. 7:32 - 10:09 - Yuutsu - Familiar
06. 10:09 - 13:37 - Mary Lattimore - Hello From The Edge of the Earth
07. 13:37 - 15:28 - Michael Andrews - Goldfish
08. 15:28 - 18:48 - Martin Glass - Floating To Work
09. 18:48 - 23:54 - Lexaunculpt - Emori Dixon Renamed
10. 23:54 - 26:55 - Jóhann Jóhannsson - Odi Et Amo
11. 26:55 - 30:17 - John Dowland - A Pavan
12. 30:17 - 35:32 - Virginia Astley - With My Eyes Open I'm Dreaming
13. 35:32 - 36:48 - Karen Peris - Wales Because the Sun Will Shine
14. 36:48 - 41:14 - Hollie Kenniff - Home Will Follow
15. 41:14 - 43:42 - Ben Lukas Boysen - Eos
16. 43:42 - 46:06 - Dan Romer - Guns Up

Goldmund / Keith Kenniff | Web | Twitter | Bandcamp/Store 

Listen to Keith's first isolatedmix as Helios, here. 

Portals: Music For Mindfulness

Mindfulness, is undoubtedly subjective and situational. But one thing I’ve noticed, is that most of the material you hear on this topic often has a stereotypical sound; normally new-age, and often yoga or meditation focused with buddhist chanting, or crashing waves. Sometimes, you might be lucky enough to find a sweet-spot with Brian Eno, and with it, you draw a sigh of relief. 

I've often wondered how (or why) hotels and spa's choose their music and how this 'background style' has become so mistakenly synonymous with ambient music. Ask anyone who isn't familiar with ambient music is and they’ll likely say "spa music" or "meditation/yoga stuff". No digs on that type of music, I mean some elements even find their way in here - it's the root to many ambient concepts, and I could sit and listen to the sound of the sea and waves crashing for years on end. But as with all of these Portals series, I try to find and explore a different perspective where possible. 

The goal of this feature and accompanying mix was to create a journey of escapism and comfort. Whereas the previous Portals feature, ‘Music For Sleeping’ could be deemed very similar, the approach here focused on keeping an attentive layer/s that ended up being more pure to Brian Eno’s definition of ambient music: “As ignorable as it is interesting”, which aligns very well with the definition of what it means to be mindful; "the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something”. 

There’s a lot of ambient music that fulfills this goal, so what’s different here? As I was curating tracks for this mix, I found common themes that resonated with me personally when it came to mindfulness, which I tried to reflect throughout, and ultimately formed a filter for what should be included. Perhaps you’ll identify with one or more and can descend into a rabbit-hole of exploration, or hopefully you'll enjoy it as a whole. 

Nature
Field recordings and the pure sound of the outdoors is undoubtedly calming and reassuring. It’s an escape from our busy lives, and a reminder of what’s good in our world. The mix opens with my favorite field recording from Biosphere that somehow encapsulates the exact sound I used to hear from the field behind my childhood house. Nature sounds are a common theme throughout this mix, whether on purpose or inadvertently as an intro or ending to certain tracks. 

Submersion
The warm, blanket-like approach to ambient music is a favorite of mine, often created through analog equipment, or layers of undulating synthesizers that build, wrap and immerse. Markus Guentner, Donnacha Costello, Marcus Fischer, Heathered Pearls, bvdub, and Billow Observatory are just some of the many moments in here that keep you warm and comforted. 

Subtle/subliminal layers
The KLF’s ‘Chill-out’ album is one of ambient music’s most pioneering pieces, and on paper, it really shouldn’t be. The sound of trains, sheep and Elvis Presley are not the first ingredients that come to mind for relaxation, but the key here, is how they’re interwoven into a moving piece of musical art - an undercurrent of subtle moments that on their own would be distracting, but together form a story. They provide moments of interest and escapism - enough to keep one foot in the door, and one foot in a world of your own. I’ve tried to replicate this approach in this mix, by lowering volumes of certain tracks into the background, or including something a little unexpected in a few places, so if you see something you like in the track-list, don’t assume it will feature prominently. 

Choral sounds
Beautiful, emotional choir singing is pretty cliche, but who can argue against it when it comes to feeling good? Whether it’s the religious connotations, or just the simple realization that the sound you're hearing is coming from a person, is as stunning as it is comforting. Moments from Hammock and Jonsi & Alex provide the highs in this instance. 

String instruments
Whether it’s a slowly drawn cello, a harp, or a lone guitar pluck, there’s something about string instruments when it comes to reflecting positivity (and in the right context, ultimate sadness!) However, I often associate these sounds with light - I have no idea why - but perhaps thats why they feature in here so heavily. Be it the acoustic version of Aphex Twin’s ‘Rhubarb’, Mary Lattimore’s beautiful harp, or Kit’s portrayal of a walk on the beach as fireworks light the horizon. 

Strong-sounds can also go to the other end of the spectrum too, with reverb-laden guitar-haze forming complex palettes that you’d normally expect to come from synthesizers. Examples in here being Manual and to a simpler extent, Neozaïre. 

Repetition
We’re creatures of habits, and the beat of the drum is what makes all music so special. When it comes to ambient music, this often comes to life in loops, or slowly evolving textures that do just enough to keep you intrigued, yet are familiar enough to hypnotize and make you feel comfortable. Given its minimal nature, most ambient music is repetitive, but sometimes it can become more evident in its form, for example, a track here Klimek that anticipates each evolution and movement with a similar instrumental pluck of strings. 

Overall, I have tried to avoid anything that can be seen as daunting, intriguing or so vividly different that you switch into new worlds with every track. You may notice some distinct phases throughout the mix, where similar sounds are tied together, and you may prefer certain phases to others, but eventually I hope you finish on an extremely positive note. Just sat here listening back and writing this, I’m feeling better than I was a few hours back...

Thanks to everyone who commented on the original Facebook post with their own suggestions, a few of which made it into the final journey. 

Download.

Tracklist + links to buy/download:

01. Biosphere - As The Sun Kissed The Horizon [Biophon]
02. Ourson - Mountain, Calm Day, Birds, Saw [Self]
03. Brian Eno, Roger Eno, Daniel Lanois - Deep Blue Day [EG / Polydor]
04. Parks - Forest [Self]
05. Kit - Girl Walking on The Beach Wearing A Skirt [A Strangely Isolated Place]
06. Sage Taylor - Raintime Ten [Cold Fiction Music]
07. Bjorn Rohde - Intentionally Gone [Self]
08. Billow Observatory - Calumet [Felte]
09. Hammock - Now And Not Yet [Hammock Music]
10. Heathered Pearls - Glass Routine [Self]
11. Donnacha Costello - This Way [Ursa/Self]
12. James Devane - Rhubarb (Acoustic) [na]
13. Aphex Twin - Rhubarb [Warp]
14. Marcus Fischer - Arctic 2 [Luxus-Arctica records International]
15. Helios - Halving The Compass [Type/Unseen]
16. Yeter - Dart 2 [A Strangely Isolated Place]
17. bvdub - 10 [Self]
18. Markus Guentner - Express Yourself [Kompakt]
19. Leyland Kirby - Polaroid [Ghostly]
20. Martin Glass - Welcome To The Four Seasons [Kit Records]
21. David Bowie & Brian Eno - Moss Garden [RCA]
22. Klimek - Sun Rise [Kompakt]
23. Mary Lattimore & Jefre Cantu Ledesma - Borrego Springs [Soap Library]
24. Brian Eno - Music For Airports 1/1 [Polydor]
25. Jonsi & Alex - Boy 1904 [XL/Parlophone]
26. Neozaïre - Blue Bell Treasure [Fauxpas]
27. Manual - Azure Vista [Darla]
28. Peter Broderick & Nils Frahm - Sketch 24 [Fugues]

If you enjoyed this, dive deeper into ambient music with our in-depth introduction 'Neither Scene Nor Heard: An Introduction to Ambient Music', or some of the other Portals series, below. 

Substrata 1.5 - The Final Immersion

The esteemed Substrata festival has come to a close after an epic, final weekend in Seattle. Rafael Anton Irisarri’s yearly ambient/experimental festival, which has been pushing some of the best music to grace this style, and the many (both unknown and known) associated artists, labels and projects, was highly regarded from all corners of the world, and as a result will leave a big hole in the ambient community.

I was lucky enough to attend the past three years, making the journey up from Portland to immerse myself over the long weekend of evening shows. This year was no different, but ultimately very different in meaning. Being the last show, many friends made the trip from across America to show their support and catch the last edition, and it was the first time I got to meet some of them after speaking on email for years. It was a community - a gathering of likeminded friends, more than a festival. We didn’t need to hang out the entire weekend, but we still made the time to grab a beer, a slice of pizza, or go record shopping, then sit and enjoy some beautiful music. 

The opening night always seemed to be one of my favourites at Substrata, and 1.5 opened with Tara Jane O’Neil’s murky drones and angelic voice. Rauelsson surprised many with his experimental approach to the piano, harmonica, xylophone, a tape recorder and audience participation - echoes of "Nils Frahm live" heard throughout conversations after, and the epitome of Rafael’s curation - he was one of the lesser known artist's on the bill, but will undoubtedly be one of the remembered. bvdub then closed the evening with his immersive soundscapes and some haunting visuals from Leo Mayberry. Inverted silhouettes, inspired from many of Brock’s album artwork, crossed with slowly descending cats and intense fire-scapes framing the euphoria and concentration emitting from Brock’s on-stage presence. 

The Friday night opened with a 7ft Gold Harp alongside Mary Lattimore, plucking and looping, twinkling notes, shimmering around the Chapel space. The highly anticipated Lubomyr Melnyk then took the stage, and began by explaining how scientists had got it wrong - sound, was much more than waves, and he was about to prove it to you.  Two pieces of “Continuous Music” in, and Lubomyr preceded a final third piece with a story of a windmill. The story was transferred to his magical fingers and throughout what seemed like a 45 minute spell (it was a little long), page-by-page came to life throughout an entrancing piano master-class. It was then the turn of 12k’s Taylor Deupree to close. More stunning visuals, triggered live by Marcus Fischer, accompanied the descending sunset, with Taylor's intrinsic meddling of the many synths, patches and unknown mechanics laid on the floor in-front of him, showing us a world of delicate sounds you’d likely find hidden amongst the undergrowth on a warm sunny day. 

Melodic drones and the warming sounds of both Tiny Vipers and Panabrite teased the highly anticipated Rachel Grimes, where she would be accompanied on stage by Substrata Alumni, Loscil. With Scott’s laptop turned towards the audience, Rachel poised stern behind the grand piano, and the summer heat finally getting to most of us, the stage was set for the most dramatic show of the weekend. The warmth and undertones resonating from Loscil, complimenting the stark beauty of Rachel’s Piano that we’ve heard on many of their collaborations. It could’ve been the finale to end all finales, but that was left to the legendary Shuttle 358 and his graceful return to music after many long lost years - Paul Clipson’s stunning visuals resonating from 16mm film, complimenting the shimmering beauty resonating from Shuttle 358; the perfect drones to signal another legendary weekend in Seattle, and the celebrated end for one of the most important festivals to ever grace the ambient, modern-classical and experimental community. 

~

You can read about a little Crate Digging trip I took whilst at Substrata with bvdub and Mike Cadoo here , and features on previous Substrata Festivals 1.3 (preview), 1.4 and 1.5 (preview). Please note, the lack of photos for this post was on purpose - I decided to keep my attention focused on the music this year.

Spotlight on Substrata 1.5 - the final edition

This years ambient pilgrimage to Seattle will thankfully happen after festival curator Rafael Anton Irisarri pulled out all of the stops from the other side of the country. 

After a painful year in which his entire studio was stolen prior to his move to New York, the annual intimate sound and visual art weekend was at risk of never seeing a fifth edition. But after months of hard-work, Rafael has managed to pull together one of the best line-ups yet, all for what seems to be the final Substrata.

The curatorial once again sees Rafael mix-up the bigger names of ambient and experimental music alongside local artists and well-respected yet perhaps lesser-known musicians. Out of the five editions, I'm yet to be familiar with every-single artist on the lineup, so once again I'm going to take a dive into what's in-store for what's set to be a very special fifth and final edition to the Pacific North West's (and probably one of the world's best) small festivals dedicated to this type of music. 

A very limited amount of tickets are available for the weekend at Substratafestival.com

Arovane

With ASIPV003 set to be released in a few months time, Uwe's release alongside Hior Chronik titled In-between, will mark a very special occasion for ASIP. It will be our first dedicated artist release, and it will also see Uwe move away from his more recognised IDM style, into ambient music. Perfect timing, as Uwe is set to play a rare and exclusive ambient set for Substrata, hopefully echoing some of the approaches we'll witness on the album, alongside "entirely new material based on field recordings, treated with granular synthesis and electroacoustic/computeracoustic sounds".

Uwe has been releasing snippets of his studio work on his Soundcloud over the past few weeks, which might be the workings of what we can expect on the night. You can also listen to a couple of tracks from his upcoming ASIP release  here.

Taylor Deupree

Taylor Deupree runs the infamous 12k record label (home to Marcus Fischer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Marsen Jules and Simon Scott (of Slowdive fame) to name just a few. A producer in his own right, Taylor's responsible for a plethora of experimental and ambient albums over the years, and this intro could be a pretty massive rabbit-hole for anyone new to the name. 

Below, I've decided to showcase Taylor's Shoals, an album which might closely mimic the type of performance or sound we're likely to hear at Substrata. "After the first day in the studio, Deupree quickly realized that he was less interested in the traditional ways these instruments were played and more fascinated by the sounds of the surfaces of the 
instruments. And so he began to utilize their edges and undersides and find their flaws, such as broken strings. These instruments, played by scraping, tapping, or with an eBow, became the basis for long and meditative looping beds of sound".

Rachel Grimes

A pianist, composer and arranger, Rachel Grimes is someone I've come across regularly, but unforgivably failed to look further into. She has a wealth of experience working on film scores, commissions, and collaborations and has played at some of the worlds most diverse music festivals. 

Rachel's upcoming release on Temporary Residence is what may interest most of us. In collaboration with the likes of Loscil, Scott Moore, Kyle Crabtree (Shipping News), Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Jacob Duncan (Liberation Prophecy), and Helen Money, The Clearing represents "a wide spectrum of textures in strings, harp, piano, woodwinds, and percussion".

It'll be interesting to see who, and exactly what turns up on stage for Rachel's performance with such a variation of experience to choose from. 

Lubomyr Melnyk

Known for pioneering 'Continuous Piano Music' (and to some, as one of the worlds fastest pianists) the Ukrainian is a recent addition to the brilliant Erased Tapes label and a match-made in heaven for Substrata. I can't wait to sit back as the evening sun descends on the Chapel, and absorb the never-ending paintings that Lubomyr constructs. The video below should give you the best insight into what to expect. Rumour has it, he'll be leading an advanced piano-class on the Saturday of the festival.

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma

Known by name to me, but not with as much familiarity as I would've hoped, Jefre is another artist which has been floating on my periphery for quite some time. He is known to many for his work in bands such as Tarentel, the co-founder of the Root Strata label and has also partnered with Substrata veteran Grouper as Raum. 

The below video is taken from his February 2015 release, A Year With 13 Moons. Going by this album and his production roots, it sounds like we'll be treated to a wall of glorious and colorful sound come festival-time.

Tiny Vipers

Bringing it home for Seattle is local acoustic singer Tiny Vipers. Similarly to Jefre above, Jesy Fortino has also partnered up with Liz Harris (Grouper) on one production in the past, but is perhaps better known for her solo acoustic performances, often seen playing live across Seattle on Kexp, or at the infamous Triple Door. For her performance at this Substrata, Jesy is set to play all new music made for analog synthezisers & tapes, in a similar vibe to German music like Tangerine Dream or Popol Vuh.

Below, her 2009 album Life On Earth seems a good place to reflect on what's she's done before, but it sounds like we'll be treated to something completely new at the festival. 

Tara Jane O'Neil

With a release on Mississippi Records dating back to 2006 - an infamous record store and label here in Portland, we could ascertain what kind of sound Tara may have in-store for us. Fast-forward to 2014 and it's Tara's release on Kranky which might have peaked the ears of festival curator Rafael, but similar to the above Tiny Vipers, Substrata will pay witness to a newly commissioned ambient and drone set. 

Rauelsson

The beauty of this feature helps me get to grips with the type of music I can expect at Substrata, but as Rauelsson is likely to prove in a few months time, it will probably be the performance, not just music that becomes engrained in my memory.

A multi-instrumentalist, combining modern-classical with subtle electronics, it could be the type of performance I've witnessed from the likes of Nils Frahm and last years Evan Caminiti, judging by the below video and his latest release on Sonic Pieces (home to Otto A Totland).

My most anticipated performance of the festival for sure, we'll no doubt be welcomed with a stage-full of instruments for Rauelsson's return to the Pacific North West. 

Mary Lattimore

We'll be treated to a dedicated Harp performance this year by Mary Lattimore, and just like last year's solo cellist, Julia Kent, I'm hoping for another educational yet encapsulating performance on an instrument I very rarely get to see live. 

Mary has 'performed, collaborated, and recorded with who’s who of the indie rock scene: Jarvis Cocker, Thurston Moore, Sharon Van Etten, Meg Baird, Kurt Vile, Steve Gunn, 
Ed Askew, Fursaxa and many others', and this is one of the many reasons I enjoy and respect this festival. I would never choose to go and see a Harp player playing solo, yet I'm pretty sure we'll experience something unforgettable and perhaps, my musical senses will broaden just that little bit further.

Below, Mary playing alongside Jeff Zeigler in a mesmorizing and hypnotic performance.

Panabrite

Another local Seattle musician with a healthy back-catalog. Norm Chambers' latest release Disintegrating Landscape is a 47-minute long journey, beginning with very obvious rattling field recordings and slowly evolving into an intensely varied electronic spectrum - from organic instruments, through to atmoshperic washes into bleeps and synthesizers. This kind of extended, probably improvised set, is perfect for the attentive audience at Substrata. 

The last two artists on the lineup, Paul Clipson and Leo Mayberry are set to provide the visuals to the weekend's performances. With such an intimate space, and an audience looking to exploit such detailed and immersive music, artists such as Paul and Leo play a critical role in the experience and the vision Rafael seeks.

Leo Mayberry's local experience has previously seen him take the role of Decibel Festival's Visual Coordinator alongside gigs in pretty much every local Seattle venue, and San Francisco's Paul Clipson has featured within the New York Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, and the Rotterdam International Film Festival to name just a few.