Patagonia’s always held a personal fascination. With a small, Welsh-speaking population over 7,000 miles away from Wales, it’s an odd displacement, but for the 5,000 that speak Patagonian Welsh, it’s undoubtedly home.
It’s a theme that poignantly plays out for Leandro Fresco – the lure of his parents’ house providing the happy, creative escape from the frenzy of Buenos Aires.
“I wrote this song in a beautiful small city in Argentinian Patagonia where my parents live,” he explains. “This has been my favourite place to write for a long time, a place where I can escape from Buenos Aires.”
And it was this transition from the hustle of the Argentine capital to the serenity of Patagonia’s San Martin De Los Andes that helped provide the snowy inspiration for 'Almas Sin Prisa' (‘Souls without Haste’).
“I remember sitting in my room facing the window, watching the snowflakes fall and improvising on the keyboard,” Leandro reminisces. “Looking through the glass, I saw two people walking away in the storm, holding hands. These were the first minutes of the night when the sun was just beginning to hide and I kept on thinking about who these strangers were.”
This sense of the unanswered lends ‘Almas Sin Prisa’ a baleful, blissful feel. Beautifully layered, you can almost feel the weight of the snowfall cloud your line of vision, those first delicate snowflakes amassing to become tumbling white walls; the delicate movement and feather-light melodies conveying a distance as they gracefully drift away; the subtle drone lending a dreamy finale as the snowy silhouettes fade out to white.
“I’ll never know,” he smiles, “but while the music played, and I drank my cup of tea, I was happy to be in the warmth of my home and glad that I saw this simple show. Just two people in the storm. Just two souls without haste.”
Leandro Fresco – Sgustok Magazine Podcast 040
In lead up to his eagerly anticipated Places Series release (coming very soon) the Argentinian ambient legend treats us to a superb mix for the similarly legendary Sgustok Magazine Podcast.
Featuring many of his own productions alongside some classics by Autechre, Boards of Canada, ISAN, Donnacha Costello and Arovane this is another essential listen just like his isolatedmix we experienced last January.
You can stream the mix and look up the rest of the Sgustok Mix series here (make sure you listen to Markus Guentner’s contribution).
Tracklist:
01. Marcel Duchamp + Leandro Fresco — Conversacion
02. Autechre — Kalpol Introl
03. Arovane — Good Bye Forever
04. Popnoname — Deutz Air
05. Pass Into Silence — Sakura
06. Leandro Fresco — Nido De Halcones
07. ISAN — Seven Mile Marker
08. Boards Of Canada — Olson
09. ISAN — Immoral Architecture
10. Leandro Fresco — Lo No Perceptible
11. Daniel Melero — Sin Respuesta (Leandro Fresco Remix)
12. Leandro Fresco — Mientras Tanto En Wimbledon
13. Donnacha Costello — Dry Retch
14. Leandro Fresco — Cuando El Sol Grita La Mañana
15. Jürgen Paape — 864m
16. Daniel Melero — Presagio
17. Curd Duka — Traces
18. Michael Mayer — Sully
19. Gustavo Cerati — Alma
Spotlight on Substrata 1.3
After a successful round of funding, Rafael Anton Irisarri’s third Substrata Festival has announced it’s long anticipated line-up. Given many people contributed to this festival without even knowing any performers until now, is high praise for Rafael and his curation skills. But now we’ve got the names, I thought it’d be nice to take a little look into what’s in store.
Some familiar acts for sure, but also some relatively unknown artists that I could do with exploring a bit more and this is the perfect opportunity. I won’t go into too much detail about each of the artists and their background as you can find all of that on the Substrata line-up page. Just think of this as the tip of a very big trove of talented artists you can go away and explore, or even see live this July as part of Substrata.
Grouper
As most of you know by now, i’ve recently moved to Portland, Oregon and before coming here I was fully aware of one of it’s most notorious experimental artists, Liz Harris. I had hoped to see her billed somewhere local but haven’t seen even the slightest of mentions on paper yet, so it was a nice surprise to see her announced as part of Substrata 1.3. I’m no expert of the extensive Grouper back catalogue, but it boasts releases on Type (home of Biosphere) and Kranky (a home to many greats in the past including Loscil, Benoît Pioulard and Tim Hecker).
Liz’s sound is a mixture of ethereal, dreamy vocals and delicate guitars wrapped in warm reverb. Rarely does she stray too far from what she does best, it’s a unique sound that you’ll find many ambient lovers including in their sets as inspirations. Take 36’s or Loscil’s isolatedmixes for example. I’m looking forward to Grouper’s vocals wrapping around the audience of Seattle’s intimate Chapel Performance Space.
Kim Cascone
A bit of digging around reveals Kim Cascone is quite the sound designer. The Substrata line-up page details that Kim’s provided academic studies and developed a sound-art festival alongside his releases on 12K and Raster-Noton. I don’t know much of Kim’s stuff, but going through a few pieces now, it seems like an intimate gig at Substrata is going to be quite the audio experience.
Jacaszek
Jacaszek is one of those artists that I really haven’t given any deserved attention to on his own. Michał is a regular feature in many ASIP mixes (Bulb’s and Rafael’s for example) and this live snippet gives us a taster of his live electro-acoustic work. His most famous piece is the track, ‘Lament’, cited by many as a big inspiration and a defining example of modern-classical or modern-acoustic music.
Jacaszek is planning to play Substrata alongside Kelly Wyse who recently provided some wonderful piano pieces on Loscil’s recent‘ Intervalo’ EP.
Christina Vantzou
I’m pretty excited to see Christina play at Substrata; she’s another artist who is relatively new to me. With releases on Ghostly and Kranky, her back catalogue, additional projects and her creds on the Substrata festival certainly portray her as one heck of a talent.
Below is a piece of her work alongside Adam Wiltzie (of A Winged Victory For The Sullen) as the duo, ‘The Dead Texan’. Enough said really.
Noveller
Sarah Lipstate sounds like another artist who is set to saturate the Seattle Chapel walls with reverb. “Lipstate summons a sonic palette so rich as to challenge the listener to conceive of how it’s housed in a single instrument manipulated by a solitary performer” as quoted from the Substrata site. I’m looking forward to hearing how that one plays out.
Ken Camden
For a man that plays in a rock-band, tracks like the below ‘Birthday’ paint a nice picture of this man’s talent and music taste. ‘Trance-induced moods’ just about sums this one up, alongside quotes such as”…the psychedelic meditations of 70’s krautrockers Popul Vuh and Ash Ra Tempel – producing a charming ambient”. Charming indeed, and after what looks to be a heavily experimental-focused festival, it’s going to be quite the release to hear Ken’s artfully crafted psychedelic pieces played live on stage.
Yagya
It was a nice surprise to see Yagya announced at Substrata this year. Many of you will know how much of a fan of Steini I am, and for years now I haven’t been anywhere close to seeing him live. I could post any number of Yagya tracks, those from Rigning, or the recently repressed Rhythm Of Snow, but instead i’ll go with an instrumental version of a track taken from his latest album, ‘The Inescapable Decay Of My Heart’. This album was met with mixed reviews after the addition of vocals to Steini’s signature sound, but there’s no doubting just how addictive his productions are when you listen to them at the core and I can’t wait to see what he does live.
Sean Curley
A local from Seattle, I haven’t heard Sean Curely’s productions before, so I’m hesitant to dig into his catalogue too much, as it’s always nice to hear an artist for the first time live. Described as “one of the Pacific Northwest’s most interesting guitarists” tracks like the below have certainly got me intrigued and excited.
Ethernet
Another Portland local, Tim has just released an album on the notorious Kranky that i’m yet to wrap my ears around. Going by the below however, it seems as though im missing out on something seriously special so im about to right that wrong. From what i’ve heard so far, Tim is queued up to be one of my favourites at the festival, crossing the ambient/dub-techno divide which suits me down to a T, and in which case i’ll be tracking him down for a beer or two in Portland to talk even more music!
The Sight Below
Last but by no means least, the Substrata curator himself, Rafael Anton Irisarri. I guess Rafael had to make a decision whether to play as RAI or as The Sight Below (or even alongside Benoît Pioulard as Orcas) but i’m pretty pleased i’ll get to see his more electronic, darker side as The Sight Below. Another artist with just too many favourites to choose from, but here’s one from the vaults with Rafael covering Joy Division’s ‘New Dawn Fades’.
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You can read more on all of the artists featured here over at Substrata. And if you fancy joining me on what promises to be a very special week of music, tickets are also on sale now here.
If you need more of the same, try Rafael’s Substrata dedicated isolatedmix.
isolatedmix 38 - Bulb
My first introduction to Bulb was his track, ‘Tenderness‘, one of the most atmospheric and emotional pieces of music I have had the pleasure of discovering. Since then, i’ve stayed close to Daniil Vavilov’s music, both his more beat-orientated electronica as Bulb and his ambient alias, ‘Fill’.
Daniil’s ‘Into The Deep‘ podcast has been my guiding source when searching for new electronic music, sometimes filed under ‘170 bpm electronica’ or ‘autonomic sound‘ – a unique blend of ambient, electronica and drum’n bass styles, that the likes of ASC, Synkro and dBridge have been associated with. When artists like these push the boundaries of genres, opening up new names, new mixes and new styles, I have nothing but appreciation for the people responsible.
Daniil’s ambient work is also pretty special, as previously featured on ASIP ‘Scenes‘ for example. But as Daniil notes below, his two alias’s are increasingly merging together and his latest ‘Insider EP‘ is a great example that I recommend checking out.
For his isolatedmix, Daniil has paid tribute to the many styles described above and his emerging convergence of ‘Bulb’ and ‘Fill’, putting together a very personal journey. Slithers of light and melody cut through this deep and emotional mix – another sublime addition to the series and a genuine insight into one of my favourite producers of late.
Introduction to the mix and track notes by Bulb.
Stereogamia is a reflection of my current state, that’s how I feel now. You can plunge into my world for a hour and look at it through my eyes in some way. I don’t know anything that would have a stronger impact on me than the music. It is my guide. It’s the first time i’m not using my alias ‘Fill’ for this kind of sound. It can be said that this division is disappearing now.
The first track by Accelra is similar to birth and growing up. Something perfect, a beautiful face with the cruel reality of trying to keep to your original self. I see something familiar to me in this, so I can feel it deeply.
Second track called “For” borders with a question: “For what?”. At the end of the track we seemingly near the answer but the conclusion takes us back to the beginning leaving the listener wondering exactly that.
The third track by Jacaszek portrays loneliness through its piano and chords. In addition – rustling, crackling, vocal and strings stir the memories.
For me “Eos” is about the fact that everything is cyclical and everything has its end. I love that low voice in the track. Someone says that I have one too.
‘Hunted Twice’ by Deaf Center reminds me of a chase or a hunting scene. I like how the very stressful and dangerous atmosphere at the beginning changes to a soft and warm sound. It feels like the light on the horizon.
‘Hover’ is a very strong track. I love this song, particularly the evolution in the middle. Sounds like something well hidden trying to break out. Perfect arrangement and effects.
The seventh track by ‘Allez Allez’ is the longest track in the mix. I think there’s an epic progression here. For me, this is not the kind of track that you should unwind in the middle. The transitions helps you float away.
‘Metallic Monks’, is great. It’s the soundtrack of the game of my childhood – ‘Fallout’. The first time I saw this game I was like “What a load of crap”. But shortly I realised it was the greatest game I had ever played and it definitely changed me. There was a huge, complex, exciting and truly post-apocalyptic world. Mark Morgan was responsible for some genius soundtracks.
‘Mistake’ is from my Syktyvkar friend – Volor Flex. I think this is one of his unreleased tracks that he sent to me. You should listen to his first album called “Tramp”.
‘Gravity Jump’, another soundtrack from “Limbo”. It’s a very deep and beautiful game. Yeah, I really love atmospheric games with great sound design…
‘Alpha’ is the atmosphere of inner tension, erupting through melody and sharp fragments of sounds, which refutes the illusion of serenity. The high and distorted guitar in this track is the peak of emotions.
The last one is by my Slovakian friend Keosz. I hear the striking lyricism, tragedy and beauty at the same time in this track. Is this the end of it all? Of the mix maybe…
Tracklist:
01. Accelra – Three Suns [Futuresequence]
02. Nils Frahm – For [Erased Tapes]
03. Jacaszek – Zal [Miasmah]
04. Ulver – Eos [The End]
05. Deaf Center – Hunted Twice [Type]
06. Ferrein – Hover [Farver]
07. Allez Allez – Defeatist (Somfay ‘Doubled Up Foldable Iona Rarity’ Remix) [free]
08. Mark Morgan – Metallic Monks [Fallout OST]
09. Volor Flex – Mistake [dub]
10. Martin Stig Andersen – Gravity Jump [Limbo OST]
11. Talvihorros – Alpha [Hibernate]
12. Keosz – Desire [dub]
Bulb on Soundcloud | Facebook | Podcast | Twitter
Ocoeur – Light As A Feather (Exclusive stream)
“Au coeur” translated into English is simple: “to the heart”, so get ready for yet another great album to hold a special little place in your beloved 2013 music library.
A name which is brand new to me, Franck Zaragoza has previous releases on the Spanish netlabel Musica Vermella, and has now signed his new album with n5MD – a perfect home for such a vivid, melodic piece of electronica and exactly the type of release that helps hold n5MD in high regard amongst us melodic electronica fans.
An organic start, the album begins with ‘Light’, a dramatic soundtrack with quivering strings and a poignant melody – a darker side to something you may come to expect from Rhian Sheehan for example. It quickly takes an even starker dive with squelching beats and a distant echoed tinkering in ‘Resonanace’ which serves as a perfect prerequisite to a lighter track with beautiful instrumentation, ‘Reconstitution'; cello and violins taking center stage amongst an innocent foreground.
Don’t let this fool you into thinking we’re on to another soundtrack-esque album.’Dream Pursuit’ sets the tone for straight up electronic brilliance. If there are any deep techno DJ’s out there reading this, then you’ve just found a killer – ‘Astral Projection’. The dark and dingy club scene is primed and the crowd are gently rocking with the atmospheric chugging. The “holy shit what is this track?” moment. It’s tracks like this that inspire me to revisit my record collection and put together a mix with this as the pinnacle moment.
But don’t be forgetting the very first sentence of this post. This album has emotion and ‘My Love’ is it the heartbreaker. A distant rainy day, accompanied by a soft and gentle piano. Nothing else, apart from a gentle break in the album and sudden recognition that ‘Light As A Feather’ is going beyond your expectations.
The sharp, snappy beats that we come to love from many electronica n5MD artists such as (ghost), Proem and Crisopa, make their mark on ‘1.11’ and the album ends on a sweeping ambient number full of distant children’s voices and deep, prolonged pulses in ‘Envol’. By now,Ocoeur has you dangling from his fingertips, but should you invest in the album and get the two additional bonus tracks, you’ll fall victim to two of it’s finest moments. ‘Kids Playing’ and ‘Out The Road’ – I don’t even want to comment on these two, I just urge you to get this and experience the full journey from start to finish.
Yet another accomplished album which depicts a tale of highs and lows, joyfulness and dark, symphonies and glitches, intelligence and simplification. 2013, and n5MD has adorned us with (ghost) and now Ocoeur; this may be one of the label’s best years yet.
ASIP is lucky enough to have the first full album stream below and you can pre-order with immediate MP3 download now.