Full Circle Handmade Wooden CD Case by Kevin Bryce

What seems to be a tradition now with any ASIP compilation (Europe, Uncharted Places and now Full Circle), we enlisted Kevin Bryce to make a limited, hand-made wooden companion to the main release.

This time, Kevin made five beautiful CD cases, which were modeled off the main Full Circle artwork by Mario Morales. The vinyl artwork was a 3D take on the ASIP logo, and Kevin decided to take the 3D files used to generate the design, and make a real-life wooden version. Like everything Kevin has done for us (the Uncharted Places CD case and the Europe Vinyl Case for example) it turned out absolutely beautiful.

Hours of craft and detail went into it, producing a prototype case which was near to spot on. All we did after the prototype version was deepen the inlay to host two CD’s and add a black felt, and title text on the inside. Then once the design and build was final, Kevin and a friend went to work sanding, detailing, and finally oiling.

The five CD cases were made available with the Full Circle vinyl release and sold out instantly back in December. Since then, Kevin has been busy finalizing them ready for delivery.

A big thank you to Kevin for the outstanding craftsmanship and effort he put into these. And thank you to the five people that snapped them up. We hope you not only enjoy them, but place them with pride for everyone to see. All profits from this, and the main Full Circle release are going to charity - The Harmony Project.

An introduction and overview of the process by Kevin Bryce, including care instructions for you lucky five owners:

This was a difficult but ultimately satisfying project. I had the idea after seeing the artwork for the Full Circle release and tried to think of a way to adapt the original design into a 3-dimensional shape. After a very long time trying to convert the original artwork I was able to get it into a workable albeit somewhat crude physical model. Next came several attempts at figuring out how to machine such a shape on a 3 axis CNC. It would have been handy to have access to a CNC lathe for this project but you have to work with the tools at hand…

I had access to a ton of hard Maple that had been used to make butcher-block style restaurant tables, so I went through several large piles of wood to select some wood that I thought would work for the project. I wanted to find wood with some unusual grain patterns, the main problem being trying to find neat looking wood with wood that would be structurally sound enough to handle being cut into the relatively thin pieces I would need.

Once I had the wood, I began testing the 3D cut file. It took some time to get the optimal balance between time spent on the CNC and a smooth workable finish. I eventually found the right balance (or so I thought) and proceeded to cut all the pieces for the project. Once I had all the pieces cut, it was just a matter of sanding it to a smooth finish. Unfortunately I hadn’t fully grasped just how hard this particular hard Maple was, so after spending more than eight hours sanding the first one, I enlisted the help of an old friend who I had worked with for years and years at a local Vancouver guitar shop.

Finally after countless hours and many profanities and promises to never use this particular strain of Maple again, we had five boxes ready for finishing.

One of the interesting side effects of this design is how the Tung Oil used to finish the wood is absorbed. Generally a box presents a uniform surface to be finished but with this being such an odd 3D shape, the different surfaces all seemed to absorb the oil at different rates, so it took several extra applications in order to give it a uniform finish.

After the oil had been applied and rubbed smooth, it was time to add the hardware. I was pretty nervous that pounding nails into such a thin piece of wood might cause it to split, but I got lucky and after pre-drilling the hinge and lock holes, I managed to get everything installed with no catastrophes.

A couple of notes about the care of these boxes: The hinges are quite small as they had to fit on the side of the two box pieces. So please be careful opening and closing the box. They will not stand up to a lot of abuse if allowed to swing open and rock back against the hinge.

The other important thing to note is that because these are solid wood pieces, they are susceptible to any drastic changes in relative humidity. The best way to care for them is to think of them as people. If they are kept in an environment that you would find uncomfortable, then they will very likely be uncomfortable as well and express that by warping in some way. The good news is if you happen to notice your box cupping or bowing, it can probably be remedied by placing it in a comfortable environment- about 40% relative humidity.

Now available: 36 / Fade To Grey

We’re very excited to welcome back 36 / Dennis Huddleston to ASIP after his outstanding 2016 concept album The Infinity Room.

View the full release page for links to buy and to listen to 36’s new album ‘Fade To Grey’.

~

36’s music is often associated with and influenced by the futuristic, cyberpunk side of ambient music. His ability to transport and portray new worlds evident through his 2016 album for ASIP, ‘The Infinity Room’, or any of his self-released works.

It’s of no surprise then to see his return to ASIP take this exploration one-step further. However, instead of the more obvious themes that come with cyberpunk, such as technological fetishism or vapid aesthetics, Dennis has decided to focus on the isolation of individuals, using (and often abusing) technology as a means of escapism - a side of cyberpunk that often goes unnoticed when it comes to the musical depictions that come with it.

Fade To Grey reflects on current social paradigms, where social media has become a weak substitute for human interaction. Rather than bringing people together, it often makes us feel lonelier than ever. As evident in the album's artwork, technology is shown to be far from benign. The soft, gentle elegance of watercolor is juxtaposed by the violent splatters of machinery. Every vice has its price.

Considering the landscape of our own world right now, where a handful of companies control everything we consume, where convenience is more important than privacy, where personal choice is pre-determined by algorithms analyzing our behavior, and where the internet has become a battleground for influence and propaganda... It's not a stretch of the imagination to believe we're already witnessing our very own dystopia.

Buy.

isolatedmix 85 - r beny

If like me, you often spend time exploring Bandcamp and the genre charts on the homepage, you’ll likely stumble across one of r beny’s albums. That’s not to say he’s a chart topping superstar (he could be our very own ambient equivalent) but more so that he is the type of artist that once stumbled upon, I’d guess people end up buying his entire catalog. There seems to be a steady stream of support behind his albums of late, and 2018 might have been one of his best years yet, with three albums released on top of his previous, one in 2016 and one in 2017. 2018 could be defined as the year Austin Cairns aka r beny found his stride amongst us lovers of deep, textured and extremely engrossing analog wizardry.

r beny made many of last years best of lists, and depending on which list you read it could’ve been any one of his three 2018 standouts popping up: Saudade, eistla and Reasons To Live (alongside Paperbark) all heralded in some shape or form. Austin’s core approach lies amongst the fascinating world of modulars, which he seems to manipulate so much, you’d be hard pressed to know the warmth and color coming through in his music is made from hard electricity. Instead, the ingredients are often bubbled up through the minute details, the outro maybe, as the fuzz of inputs comes to an end. A true master of analog ambient has that capability - bringing out the most unique and unrecognizable feelings from a piece of equipment that on its own, might sound raw and disjointed.

Eistla album opener, 'in the violet and lingering winter dusk’ followed Abul Mogard in our Reflection on 2018 mix - an initial indicator of where his sound can align to in the spectrum of deep, immersive ambient music. That track is a great example of the type of soaring atmospherics he is capable of, all while retaining a subtle sense of attachment and romanticism that keeps it from entering any dark ambient or straight-up drone territory, and keeps the emotional pull firmly within distance.

For his isolatedmix, Austin has continued this meld of melody, texture and granular detail, and as he best describes below, “Rhythmic pulses… Warm, fuzzy and maybe broken textures”, are the heroes behind the story of some his many recent musical inspirations.

This is a mix for contemplation. For staring at the ceiling and wondering if you should get out of bed today. Also, for cooking? This is music that I feel pushes and pulls, in both sound and emotion. Contemplative, looping melodies that reveal rhythmic pulses. Warm, fuzzy, and maybe broken textures. Music to get lost to.

This is a lot of what I've been listening to this winter. A few all-time favorites (Hecker, Caminiti, Microphones), friends and peers that constantly inspire me (Paperbark, Hainbach), and some recent 2018 favorites (Mary Jane Leach, Leon Vynehall, Skee Mask). This is all music that moves me in some way. 

Download

Tracklist:

01. Mary Jane Leach – Dowland’s Tears
02. múm - Hú Hviss
03. Hainbach – Hands on Ears
04. Ant’lrd – Shoulder Width Apart
05. Mark Templeton – Burning Brush
06. Paperbark – Impulse Toss
07. Leon Vynehall – Ice Cream (Chapter VIII)
08. Microphones – Organs & Pianos from “The Moon”
09. Fieldhead - Northern Canada
10. Huerco S – Skug Commune
11. Vladislav Delay – Ranta
12. Evan Caminiti – Bright Midnight
13. Deru – Midnight in the Garden With Ghosts (Remix)
14. Jasmine Guffond – Degradation Loops #2
15. Thomas Köner – Ruska
16. Skee Mask – Soundboy Ext.
17. Dalhous- Methods of Elan
18. Bell Orchestre – Water / Light / Shifts (Tim Hecker Remix)
19. Sinerider – Walking Home Alone

r beny | Bandcamp | Discogs | Facebook | Twitter

Isorinne - Stumhetens Toner

Just when everyone has their end of year lists wrapped up, Isorinne drops what he considers a tape full of tracks that are “pretty frail and unrefined"… Now, I don’t think that’s lost in translation and is actually mean’t to say, ‘a delicate collection of stripped-down ambient tracks’, but that’s exactly what we have on our hands with his latest on Northern Electronics.

Isorinne has been presenting us with these melodic, nostalgic, emotional pieces over his last few albums on Northern Electronics - namely ‘Views from a Balcony’ on Echoic Memoir, and his outing on Field Records in 2016. Stumhetens Toner, is no different in its design or output, despite Michel’s modest introduction. These are romantic vignettes for a voiceless film. The storied strings of Medan världen passerar förbi or the slow-burning-dystopian-style-synthesizers of Efterbild and Upphängningspunkten. The undertow of the guilty and foreboding Evighetsarp - almost ‘Twin Peaks’ theme in its subtle backing-synth. These are moments for future worlds and unwritten love stories.

Available on Bandcamp.

Isorinne also recently put together this beautiful mix (and interview) for Monument which echoes the style describe above in his latest album and also includes a few unreleased tracks, namely a collab with Wanderwelle under his Bandhagens Musikförening duo.

isolatedmix 84 - Black Swan

Black Swan’s music goes back to the early days of discovery here on ASIP. It was our good friend 36 who put us on to the cinematic drones of Black Swan’s 2012 album Aeterna, and by way of an introduction, the musical similarities between the two aren’t dissimilar, especially when concerning some of 36’s earlier works. The pair even teamed up in 2012 for a track called, Mist and are also set to collaborate again this summer. News also just hit that Black Swan and Hotel Neon will be collaborating in 2019. Two artists who are great at creating dense and interesting soundscapes, evident by Hotel Neon’s latest album, ‘Means of Knowing’.

But where Black Swan’s music comes into its own (dark)light, is the continual swirling descent; music that pulls you down deeper, in the very best way. Black Swan is built for cathedrals at night, with mysterious, sometimes religious connotations, and most importantly, epic walls of sound. It’s vivid ambient music that demands your attention.

Given the introduction so far, you’d probably expect a full-on drone isolatedmix to follow, but instead Black Swan draws a certain tense and suspenseful tone through numerous styles. From the recorded manipulations of Chris Watson setting the scene, to the driving pulses of The Field, and the break in the clouds with Jon Hopkins and Aural Method. It’s a journey as emotionally charged as Black Swan’s own productions.

Download

Tracklist:

01. Chris Watson - El Divisadero
02. 36 - Hollow
03. The Field - Made Of Steel. Made Of Stone
04. Witxes - Orients
05. Black Swan - Slow Oblivion"
06. Tomasz Mreńca - Pleasure
07. Jannick Schou - Veldt
08. Jon Hopkins - Feel First Life
09. Aural Method - I Dreamed of Choirs Slow and Steady, The Song Was Ours Its Woe Was Heavy
10. The Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones - Son Mansarde Roselin
11. Adam Wiltzie - Potosi
12. Daniel Hart - Post Pie
13. Burial - Archangel

Black Swan | Bandcamp