2021 ASIP Label Compilation (mixed by todos)

For last year's label compilation, I mentioned how I hoped to invite a guest DJ to compile the next edition, and here we are! Of course, it just had to be our long-term musical companion, a good friend of mine, and well-respected DJ, todos.

I was first introduced to todos through his well-respected Kilchurn Mix series. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, they remain some of my favorite mixes of all time (listen to them all here). His ability to craft a narrative, manipulate samples and respect the grey area between ambient and electronic music, is second-to-none.

Since blogging about his mixes all the way back in 2008, and inviting him to compile a special isolatedmix a few years later, Doug (todos) and I have stayed in touch and connected further after learning we grew up with very similar musical trajectories. Doug also coincidentally, ended up living where my family is today (and where I spent my life growing up) in a surprising twist of fate. And in 2021, after years of speaking online, we finally got to meet, play records (in real life!), and go for a long overdue beer.

I always earmarked Doug to be a part of ASIP somehow, so it is my absolute pleasure to hand over the DJ reins for the 2021 compilation edition. Doug had free choice over which tracks to choose, as long as he included one track from each release of the year. The result is a very special mix, taking us through the ASIP 2021 release catalog in his unique, signature, todos style.

“2021 has been another tough year but the music that has come out of it has been wonderful. With so many excellent releases on the ASIP label, it was exciting yet challenging to be asked to showcase a few on this mix. Massive thanks go out to Ryan for the opportunity and trust in letting me do this, the artists for their incredible talent and hard work, and lastly all the supporters of this music we love, I hope you enjoy.”

— todos

ASIP 2021 mixed by todos is available on Bandcamp, and the digital is currently name your price, with the mixed CD version also available on Juno (and more stores to follow soon).

Gailes / Session 2 (9128-2)

The very first live stream on 9128.live broadcast from the studio of Rafael Anton Irisarri, as he and Thomas Meluch (Benoît Pioulard) pieced together a completely live improvisation, christening the newly created 9128 airwaves in 2019 and setting the bar for many more live takeovers.

With one album between them as Gailes, and profound work individually (also together as Orcas), Rafael and Thomas are masters of the ambient craft, combining intricate field recordings, guitar, pedals, vocals, and heady reverb across a 40-minute non-stop immersive listen, split into two 20-minute sides for the inaugural 9128 vinyl release.

The 9128 label aims to document significant live performances by artists that previously performed on the 9128.live platform. With recordings initially created for a singular collective listening moment, and often as part of a festival or takeover weekend, label recordings will re-present this music for further listening across various formats that best suit each release.

Gailes - Session Two, is available as a digital download and 12”, printed in a reverse-board die-cut sleeve, black vinyl.

Buy on Bandcamp

Buy on Juno (UK/ROW)

Buy on One Eye Witness (EU)

Video: Markus Guentner / Everywhere

Watch the new video for Everywhere, taken from Markus Guentner’s new album, Extropy.

Video by Markus himself.

Listen to the new album, Extropy below, available on Bandcamp.

36 / Weaponised Serenity 9128-3(6)

As a home for collective listening moments, the 9128.live label encourages artists to push their own creative boundaries by presenting new, experimental approaches. This ethos has been encapsulated perfectly by Dennis Huddleston with his latest album as 36 and the third release for 9128.live.

Weaponised Serenity was originally performed as part of the 9128 2-year anniversary show, as 36 reflects on his rave upbringing, creating what can only be described as an ambient take on the early 90's UK hardcore/jungle sound. 

36’s signature, cinematic ambient music is often instantly recognizable to his most die-hard followers, even when he is found exploring techno under his SYNE alias. With this one-off set, aptly titled, Weaponised Serenity, Dennis has created an entirely new, surprising and innovative approach to his already beloved creative output. 

The 9128 label aims to document significant live performances by artists that previously performed on the 9128.live platform. With recordings initially created for a singular collective listening moment, and often as part of a festival or takeover weekend, label recordings will re-present this music for further listening across various formats that best suit each release.

Now available as a limited edition Cassette Box (white box with metallic foil print) and pro-dubbed Cassette (100 copies), and digital edition. The album will hit streaming platforms in a couple of weeks.

Available on Bandcamp

Now available: Markus Guentner / Extropy (ASIPV032)

If you’d have told me back when listening to Pop Ambient’s early versions, we’d be the future home of three Markus Guentner LPs…well.

Looking back, and with this new addition, I believe Markus’ trilogy will be considered a future defining set of ambient works.

Markus Guentner returns with his signature expansive ambient world-building, and the third concept album on A Strangely Isolated Place, titled Extropy.

Extropy marks the final chapter in an accidental triptych of Astronomy-related exploratory albums on A Strangely Isolated Place. From the creation of the Earth and the Moon in his debut album on ASIP, Theia; to the relationship the Earth holds with the greater Galaxy in the follow-up album, Empire (2018). To now, Extropy, and the indefinite growth of the life we hold so dearly. 

A pseudoscientific prediction that human intelligence and technology will enable life to expand in an orderly way throughout the entire universe, the idea of Extropy has never been more relevant to the pace of today’s world. In what is a significant moment of reflection on the world we live in today, Markus has found comfort in what some may call his early, classic sound. Taking everything he has learned over the years, with ambitious collaborations tabled this time around, Markus has channeled a purer approach to production and the instruments chosen. The result is arguably his most powerful, atmospheric and reflective album to date. 

Life, technology and the human race is changing at an exponential rate, and amongst Extropy’s most absorbing moments, the music encourages a deep need to reflect on where we have come, and where we are today.

Visit the release page for all links to buy and listen