Collected: Vol 2 - DJ Olive

I love the beginning of this video and the sentiment from DJ Olive that describes how music and art can often be perceived. I find it especially relevant when it comes to how some artists try and describe the creation and performance of ambient music. It isn’t something to be looked at and judged, but instead, something to become a part of…

I somehow missed out on deep diving into the works of DJ Olive. He seems to be one of those artists that, if you know you know, kind of thing… Well, it turns out for me at least, it was one of those names always on the periphery of what I was listening to - recommended here and there, skimmed on labels I knew, or compilations I listened to. But for one reason or another, I never took a breath and said, ok, let’s go deep. That was until recently, when I ransacked the DJ Olive Bandcamp page and in particular, his ambient works.

DJ Olive is responsible for coining the term, illbient (according to an impressive and illustrious Discogs bio at least). His influence and presence seem to focus on the East Coast of the US, which may be one reason why I never really went deep with his music in a big way. But diving in recently, there’s lots to admire amongst his more beat-driven, dub styles. It all feels extremely innovative and timeless, perhaps as expected, by someone also noted as an experimental turntablist.

But it’s his ambient works that need shouting out here. A trifecta of albums released on the inimitable label from Lawrence English, Room40 forming a series called Sleeping Pill.

"This is a sleeping pill...
Listen to it as quietly as you possibly can.
Mainly two things are going on at once.
One is a metaphor.
Buoy - an anchored marker that maps the passing waves.
Boringly singular, but never the same twice. There for you in a storm.
The other is an environment.
A sleep over, early morning light across the room, a screen door occasionally whispers as someone moves about.
Light fingers touch something.
Curled in a cosy corner friends near by at the edge of sleep"

I don’t think I’ve ever seen these albums on any best ambient music or best music for sleeping lists - which by no means is ever an indication of success or popularity, but partly why I feel the need to call them out here, as I’ve certainly been road testing them lately for their intended purpose.

Minimal, textured, storied, and experimental, at any one time, and staying true to his sentiment in the video - an experience to become a part of.

The long-form mixes were also recently broken down into individual tracks with additional edits and outtakes on the album Balm - a deconstructed way to experience the brilliance of all 3 albums.

Find these albums and many more over on my Bandcamp Collection.

Collected: Vol 1

It’s been a long time since I’ve done any type of blogging on here. A lot has changed since I was writing reviews more regularly. The last time I did this kind of thing, I titled it “Passing By” (for obvious reasons), and I’m not even sure those posts made it over with the site migration.

Perhaps one of the biggest shifts in the past few years, is that, other than still collecting vinyl, I am collecting more and more music on Bandcamp. And to be honest, I still feel like there’s space for people to be talking about all the great music released on the platform. I see so many brilliant albums come and go, disappear into oblivion. Bandcamp has its columns, but even those don’t scratch the surface (and tend to be a little swayed to certain styles it seems). So, here I am again, hopefully holding up a few more ambient, electronic (or any related genre tbh - you know what to expect by now) gems. Old and new. Let’s hope I can keep this rolling. I’ll keep it to five… for now, with words at a bare minimum. No pressure. No agenda.

You could also follow my collection on Bandcamp, but… maybe this approach will be less transactional.

Inhmost - Breaks and Dreams

Inhmost is a much-admired artist in our small circles, through his many styles and label appearances, his quality rarely dips. His latest on UK label Tonight’s Dream Recordings (many gems to be found in there) is quite fittingly, Simon at his Schnauss-ian best. And by that I mean - yes - beautiful drum (break) programming, nostalgic feels, upbeat, and all the melodies for window watching.

Casino Versus Japan - Tagebuch einer Verlorenen

Within the first 2 seconds of hitting play, you KNOW CVJ is back in the room. That analog whirrrrr, on Schnee… I didn’t realize how much I have missed Casino Versus Japan until I got through this album. Announced without fanfare, and maybe his best work yet, everything about this album harkens back to the early days on this site and stumbling across an agenda-less nostalgic sound that just hits right.

Gimmick - Analog Dream Plants

Acid-tinged electronics on the Sound Synthesis remix come close to succeeding the original from Gimmick, but the pure simplicity and beauty of the original track, retains #1 spot for me. Remix EPs are hard to pull off, but every one of these gems has its own flair (and BPM!). Snagged the vinyl.

Vidění - The Land Of Clouds

I like to think South Korean label Oslated has done an amazing job at continuing the legacy of the much loved yet now hibernating Silent Season label, through its deep techno aesthetics. This latest by Vidění is no exception, with airy dub techno and washes of nature infused throughout. Funny, as I look now, I see Shaded Explorer on mastering duties and a remix to book-end the album (an artist who made appearances on Silent Season). I surprise myself sometimes.

Markus Guentner / Trilogy Mix (ASIP041)

A retrospective 2.40hr mix of all 3 Markus Guentner albums, Theia, Empire and Extropy now available on Bandcamp as free/Name Your Price. Before we present Markus’s next chapter, ‘Kontrapunkt’, absorb yourself in the triptych of music Markus contributed to ASIP over these 3 albums in one extended session.

For fans of long-form ambient, space ambient, and dense atmospheric drone. One to get lost in without interruptions.

~

Markus Guentner presents a long-form mix of all tracks from his trilogy of albums on ASIP, Theia, Empire and Extropy. 

Over eight years and three LPs, Markus Guentner weaved a conceptual narrative that spanned millions of years. The German musician’s first album for the label, Theia explored the legend of the planet believed to have collided with Earth to form the Moon. This was followed by Empire (2018), narrating the creation of life on Earth, and the trilogy concluded with Extropy (2020), centered on the concept of limitless growth and what potentially lies ahead of us all. 

Together, the mix embodies Markus’ most defining chapter in style and sound, available as one complete high-quality and immersive long-form listening experience. 

Original albums:

Theia (2015)

Empire (2018)

Extropy (2020)

Mixed and sequenced by Markus Guentner. 
Original tracks mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri.
Original artwork for albums by Nick Brzostowski and Noah M / Keep Adding.
Trilogy Mix artwork edit by ASIP.

Liner Notes: Comit's 'Remote Viewing' at Five Years (ASIPV017)

Liner notes are printed on thick card inside each of our vinyl releases.
See here for some background on the intention and format. I am publishing Liner Notes from existing and past releases here on Substack for all to enjoy.

Artist: Comit
Title: Remote Viewing
Format: Gatefold Orange 2LP + digital
Released: 2019

This is only my second entry into the Liner Notes series on Substack (I’m in no rush) and this is the first release that didn’t have any physical liner notes (they started around ASIPV020, I think). So it’s a bit of a reflection and trawling back through some emails on this one. With the release turning five years old today, the digital version is also Name Your Price on Bandcamp for the next 24 hours to celebrate this milestone.

Artwork:

Despite James’ brilliance in his music, he doesn't ever give me much to go on with artwork, which is both awesome and tough! He lets his music do most of the talking, and there I go, coming in with a request for something super nuanced and conceptual as always…

For this one, I remember wanting to depict something futuristic and colorful - much like the sound of IDM that James covers in this album. If you look closely at this artwork, you can probably tell what it is, but without giving too much away, it’s a photo of a famous street in Tokyo that I took (maybe the year before this all started), distorted and fractured to hell by Noah M / Keep Adding.

Story:

Before Remote Viewing, James released a small EP under the Comit alias on the now-defunct Short Trips label.

I covered this release in 2016 as one of my favorites, and then in 2017, James sent me an email saying he was working on an album’s worth of new material in a new style (without mentioning Comit), but either way, I was 100% in. Those who know how prolific James is across several styles will come to respect this sound from him. If there were a Venn diagram of James’ music, I think Comit would sit directly in the middle - with ambient on the left (as himself, ASC, Central Industries etc) and then Drum’n Bass on the right. Take the best of both those worlds and you get this magic.

James would go on to release another Comit record with ASIP ‘An Ocean Of Thoughts’ and I hope there are many more to come.

Insight:

Anybody who lived the melodic IDM style of the late 90s and early 00s will know exactly where James’ inspiration comes from. Some called it “Schnauss-esque” (Boomkat, if I remember rightly) and without a doubt the City Centre Offices vibe can be heard in the music, as directly referenced from James, along with many others. But to me, it’s not just a copy cat of that era - it takes that approach, gives you the nostalgia, but propels the sound into completely new, more breaks-forward, territory.

Comit was born out of my love for the music that was classed as 'IDM' during the mid-late 90's. I didn't start releasing music until 1999, and at that time I was heavily into drum & bass, so my production focus was 100% on that. An appreciation of labels such as Morr, City Centre Offices, Merck, Hobby Industries, (to name but a few) was the impetus behind the Deep Space Mix series I started in the early 2000's. I had experimented with producing music that would fit this genre briefly, under my ASC and Intex Systems guises, but it had never become something I'd totally devote an alias too, until I decided to start the Comit project. The core of the Comit sound is broken/glitchy breakbeats and emotive chord progressions with analog synthesizers. Overall, it creates a distinct sound that feels very separate to the music I produce as ASC. - James

Press:

This was one of our first records mastered and cut by Andreas Lupo Lubich, as he was heavily involved in shaping the early IDM era in sound, so naturally he would be at home with this record. With Lupo behind the cut, test presses were approved on the first round back in 2017.

We cut it at 45rpm to maximize the quality of the record (faster rotation = more vinyl surface to read for the needle = better quality). There was a moment when people received the record and would send Instagram videos etc playing the record at the wrong speed. I still see some today. But the best thing is, it works well at 33.3 rpm too. Give it a try.

Markus Guentner / Kontrapunkt (ASIPV050)

Even though we are well over fifty vinyl releases now (thanks to my bad vinyl catalog nomenclature), it’s still a celebratory moment to reach the ASIPV050 milestone. And of course, it had to be with Markus.

Markus has been with the label since our first digital release series - The Places Series, with his Talking Clouds EP. I still remember clearly emailing Markus to see if he was interested in my rather humble proposal, and like the true gentleman he has been ever since, he graciously accepted and turned out an amazing set of music.

Since then, Markus has gone on to release three 2LPs through the accidental triptych of Theia, Empire and Extropy, as well as two digital releases; Gradient Spirits, and a single track for Charity - Overtone (David’s Song). He has become the label’s most prolific partner, and has been a pleasure to work with since day one. So it is my absolute honor to introduce his new album which features eight similarly brilliant producers, in Kontrapunkt.

Markus Guentner returns to his longstanding label, A Strangely Isolated Place, following the triptych of Theia, Empire, and Extropy, presenting eight inspiring collaborations on Kontrapunkt.

Collaborations are nothing new to Markus, but it’s hard to see beyond his strong singular presence as a pioneer of long-form ambient and drone. Collabs have punctuated his albums in various places over the years, and he is no stranger to working as a duo amongst other projects, with such a strong conceptual thread throughout his prior ASIP releases, Kontrapunkt represents a literal pivot and counterpoint in his production approach. Instead of music encapsulating a strong conceptual narrative, Kontrapunkt sees Markus create a dialogue between himself and a collection of inspiring production partners. 

Kontrapunkt opens with ‘Vanish’, a widescreen cinematic odyssey created in collaboration with fellow German and Affin label-head Joachim Spieth, forming the perfect opener with its modest subtleties. Australian-born Karen Vogt, renowned for her voice layering and looping, brings a beautiful, and natural addition to ‘All Light Will Remain’. 

Sonae, who appeared on ASIP’s early digital releases, demonstrates her evolution into experimental flourishes with ‘Farbe Der Nacht’, adding pulsating techno tendencies and a menacing, metallic approach to Markus’ foundations. Multi-instrumentalist Pepo Galán harmonizes beautifully with Markus on ‘Ancestral Images’, adding complex nuances to a slowly evolving euphoric piece. 

A master of synthesis, Arovane delivers a powerful display of supercharged electronics and coils of energy on ‘Utopian Fragments’. Benoît Pioulard's renowned expertise with guitars and tape distortion become a perfect counter to the electronics of Markus, blending styles seamlessly on ‘Father Of Waters’. 

‘An unstoppable force meets an immovable object’ on ‘While Hunting Nightmares And Dreaming For Peace’, as Abul Mogard adds powerful restraint in a meeting of two drone titans. The album concludes with ‘Presence’, where Hollie Kenniff’s uplifting vocals provide a shimmering finish, perfectly bookending an album of perfected counterpoints and evolutions on the Markus Guentner sound.

Kontrapunkt will be available on Gatefold Black/Grey/Blue marble 2LP, digital and streaming on August 30th 2024. Mastered by Gio at Artefacts Mastering, Berlin, and featuring artwork by Noah M / Keep Adding.