Everyday Dust, Girių Dvasios, Virtual Dream Plaza, Yagya

Everyday Dust - Combination Nova

Sparkwood Records have featured in a couple of Passing By features now, through Scyye, and Eyesix if you can recall. Here they return with an multi-disciplined record collating remixes of previously released Everyday Dust records. The floating deepness of John Lemke and the guitars of Zenjungle book-end a rather splendid compilation that will appeal to ambient and dub-techno fans.

Available on Bandcamp.

Girių Dvasios - Ratu

This record has really hit a sweet spot with me. I think it's a combination of the quality dub-techno production that underlays each track, the slightly nostalgic trance-like chants and the complete uniqueness of it all. Girių has combined Lithuanian chanting with dub-techno to form an absolutely brilliant record that will have you mesmerized.

Available on Bandcamp.

Virtual Dream Plaza - Night Lovers

I fell into a untranslatable warp-hole that seems to combine vintage/80's sounds and lush ambient textures, half-an-hour at a time. Virtual Dream Plaza's music is tagged as Vaporwave, which apparently "...sometimes serves as both a critique and a parody of consumerist society, '80's yuppie culture, and New Age music, while sonically and aesthetically showcasing a curious nostalgic fascination with their artifacts" - well ladies and gentlemen, there's something new for us all.

I'm only a couple down from Virtual Dream Plaza's Bandcamp catalogue, but with each one, 30-minutes just washes over me, and those album covers just add to the weirdly juxtaposed animosity and warmth I'm feeling from each record. 

Available on Bandcamp

Joris Voorn - The Wild (Yagya Remix)

Yagya has just turned in this gorgeous remix for tech-superstar Joris Voorn. It's signature Steini, but there's some real up-beat energy amongst the always glorious swathes of pads. There's some other great remixes on this album too, specifically Mathew Dear's and Nobody Home's. 

Available at Beatport. 

Voices From The Lake - Live at MAXXI

I haven't featured Voices From The Lake on ASIP that much, and I have no legitimate reason why really. I was luckily enough to see them play live last year, and individually Donato Dozzy and Neel's albums never leave my most-played pile - Dozzy's 'K' and Neel's Phobos two of my all-time favourites of recent years, and Dozzy's multitude of techno records and Acid Test collaborations are always first in line when I play vinyl out. Their infamous Voices From The Lake guise however, is a more irregular yet always welcoming spectacle. 

After spending hours absorbed amongst VFTL's original self-titled album from 2012, seeing them play live in 2014, and stock-piling as many of their vinyl EP's as possible in-between, I've come to the conclusion that these two are one of the most accomplished duos to grace our ears. They can make a dance-floor shake, they can hypnotise crowds (story for another time) , and on the other end of the spectrum, they create some of the most beautiful ambient music you could wish for. And, yet despite having the talent and skills to unleash infamous tracks one after the other, VFTL currently exist in this 'live' space which ensures that a listen to one of their albums is an unexpected, slow-burning, magical experience, often with one extra caveat...

There's always the one moment or chord change which will hook you forever; that moment of melody amongst a forest of mysterious sound; the appearing light after 30-minutes of progressive, bubbling textures have wrapped you tight.  In VFTL's first album, it was the majestic undercurrent of synth in S.T (creeping in at 1.35 minutes), like a ray of light. For their Live at MAXXI album, the duo restrained to the very last track Max, brought in Brando Lupi for guitar overdubs and unleashed... 

Live at Maxxi is a signature performance with the listeners journey in-mind, and I guess this is what makes these two so special as VFTL. Their appearances together are rare, and their recordings together even more so. But instead of sitting down and jamming in a studio, Dozzy and Neel seem to be true entertainers that thrive as a live duo. They could undoubtedly churn-out studio album after album, but I like it the way it is now - a pure unfiltered live journey with a euphoric ending. This approach made that last track even more special, put the rest of the album into perspective and induced even more respect than I ever thought was possible for the superstar Italians. 

Digital available at Bandcamp, with an LP arriving June 22nd. 

Chasing Dreams, Adverb, Another Fine Day, Arovane & Peter Benisch

Chasing Dreams - Everything Feels Infinite

I'm still in awe of the collaborators that Hior Chronik pulled together on his masterpiece, Taking The Veil, but here we have Chasing Dreams (also known as his previous Need A Name, for his isolatedmix) starring amongst some of my favourite artists including: Moshimoss, Data Rebel Good Weather For An Airstrike and Stray Theories. 

Dario's (Chasing Dreams') style is always hard to pin down exactly, but as you'd expect from such a name and album title, Everything Feels Infinite is an emotional and powerful piece of music. Each song (or idea) that was conceived, was seen through to the end without disregard - a new approach for Dario, along with the 'blind' collaborations. Where many artists will try to balance an album with highs and lows, Dario has created a relentless continuation of beautiful productions, rooted in ambient, but likely appealing to lovers of modern-classical, shoegaze and post-rock. 

Available on Bandcamp.

Adverb - JADI

Etoka Records continue to bolster their already brilliant digital catalogue with Adverb's JADI, their very first CD release. Adverb has been responsible for numerous outputs on the label so far and I'm yet to falter any of them. Textured ambient that plays on it's own simplicity and meticulously manicured textures, you can find something interesting in all of the eight tracks on JADI.

Available on Bandcamp.

Another Fine Day - A Good Place To Be

Another Fine Day, aka Tom Green, is no stranger to many of the ambient/chill-out aficionados. His 1994 album Life Before Land is often placed in the same legendary realms as many of the early 90's ambient pieces we have come to love and Tom is also responsible for playing a part of The Orb's early productions. 

You can tell A Good Place To Be stems from a veteran of the scene, with its timeless feel and quietly confident ploy, each track is based around the piano toying with vivid scenes such as The Spanish Blues, or Child's Play - be it classed as chill-out, downtempo, lounge or simply instrumental, Tom does a great job sticking to the basics and making something great, that will undoubtedly stick around for years to come. 

Available on Bandcamp

Arovane - Woven (Peter Benisch Remix)

Uwe sent me this video recently in lead-up to a new remix compilation for Touched. The label has been releasing some monumental compilations in the past few years with all proceeds going towards Macmillan Cancer Research, and this new upcoming remix compilation is off to a great start with Peter Benisch remixing one of Arovane's previous contributions. Peter Benisch is a Swedish musician who, whilst also making beautiful ambient music, can sometimes be heard prepping electro bangers for Tiga's Turbo Recordings.

Sweeping, epic ambience takes over Uwe's analog plugs, a very similar approach to what you'll hear in Arovane's upcoming release with Hior Chronik. 

You can follow Touched on Facebook to hear news of the next remix compilation.

Hior Chronik - Taking The Veil

When I first listened to the Arovane & Hior Chronik demo many months ago, two things became clear regarding my understanding of Hior Chronik and his music: One, his touches are minimal but complimentary and powerful. And two, he seems to work extremely well with partners, or in collaboration.

Hior's most powerful work to date and his first 'solo' effort, stays true to those two observations. Taking The Veil, recently released by the esteemed Singapore/Tokyo based Kitchen Label, is a series of collaborations that place Hior's minimal, piano-focused compositions front and center alongside a number of talented partners. Included in the modest yet brimming lineup are: Field Rotation (Denovali Records), Aaron Martin, Sophie Hutchings (Preservation), Luup (Experimedia) and Japanese composers Yasushi Yoshida (noble) and Yoshinori Takezawa (Schole Records).

From such an extensive list of artists, you'd expect an album that spanned many styles as each artist took it upon themselves to shine. But here, the duos are never overly present and the album is a masterpiece in complementing Hior's core talent. Taking the Veil comes off in one fell swoop as an immersive journey into delicate and intricate tales told by a truly talented cast.

Hior's beautiful Piano-work is apparent throughout, adorning dreamy vocal tracks such as Between Two Rooms alongside Seiji Takahashi, and patiently backing Luup's enchanting Flute-work. The instrumentalists conjuring the paintings at-hand are unclear - Nest Of Autumn, alongside the uprising Sophie Hutchings (go check her free EP here) floats by so unassumingly that to think the two have only collaborated on this one track, is a crime. Hior makes it clear he has no intention of being the star of the show, but instead, has sought after the very best to help him along these vivid creations - an avid photographer, it's clear that Hior paints with music.

I'm a big fan of Field Rotation, and Oblivion is the defining piece of this album that would put some of the best Motion Picture Soundtrack pieces to shame. Oblivion could live amongst the likes of many Clint Mansell or James Newton-Howard scores - The Village  (a big favourite of mine) actually came to mind as this track unwound across the four, way-too-short-minutes.

Aaron Martin, who also stars on the upcoming ASIP release with Hior, pairs up in a similar manner to provide added texture to one of the most beautiful melodies on the album in Quiet Inside Your Chest. And if you thought the album would continue in a similar vein with the piano taking center-stage, Amber Ortolano provides a wistful and dreamy vocal across the tinkering bells of Sailing Away and Yoshinori Takezawa adds a child-like playful element to an otherwise very serious album in We Are All Snowflakes.

ASIP star Halo also graces us with another masterful composition. When similar talent like Pasquale and Hior collide, the roles in tracks like The Sense We Make become unclear, but as I mentioned earlier - this effect, most definitely intentional, is often hard to contain with such a long roster of collaborators. Hior's hand-picked roster has accentuated each of his productions, allowing every single track to shine in its own unique way - something single artists albums often struggle to do. The smallest of details from the producers featured here are given the room to grow.

What I love most about this album is that despite the intensity, the detail, and the assuming amount of effort gone into collaborating, Hior graces us with a couple of very magical unexpected moments: a short, but very sweet rendition of London Bridge Is Falling Down, and a cover of Little Dragon's track, Twice with album starlet Amber Ortolano giving her own spin on the unique vocals of Yukimi Nagano.

An irrelevant fact: Little Dragon's Twice was the very first track I posted here on ASIP some seven years ago - to see it recreated by Hior at the same time he prepares a release on ASIP gave me a small, token smile - and on a very personal note, sums up an absolutely brilliant album that touches on some of the finest moments of music I often seek. Taking The Veil presents us with thirteen delicate compositions and beautiful hand-crafted melodies, with each tracks' own unique, respected nuances left to shine and revel in the power of the multiple masters at hand. 

Taking the Veil CD available now at Kitchen Label which also includes the above pictured Art Book.

https://soundcloud.com/hiorchronik
Preview Hior's upcoming collaboration with Arovane.

NSI - A.R.T

Dancefloor techno, and flat-out drone, Tobias Freund and Max Loderbauer, also known as NSI (Non-standard Institute) are hard to pin down with their rare but sought-after partnerships.

Their Resident Advsior episode sparked mixed-emotions, with some calling it out flat-out noise, but for those that can appreciate the industrial techno sound mixed with the unexpected (experimental), their latest collaboration should be just for you. 

The album takes a little while to warm-up, but eases you into ART V - an absolutely beautiful transition around the 3-minute mark reminiscent of Alva Noto. At this point, you realize why these guys specialize in live-sets as NSI - it took a while to get here, but it's the true 'a-ha!' moment. 

This is followed by ART VI - a darker, sci-fi inspired take on a Pop Ambient sound, whos style continues into ART VII  - rolling bells, arpeggios and clashes of sound - harmonious melodies dissected with a gritty, industrial approach that can only be enforced by such producers at the top of their game.  

If for some reason your faith in dark-ambient, or drone music has dwindled in recent years, then give this guy a try.

"The full length release is a true genre tourist, visiting regions of ambient and noise, with glimpses of industrial, along side both strange and familiar tones generated in the analog realm complimented by digital overtones from the artist's own custom Max MSP inventions"

Available on Bandcamp.