Category: Quick Picks

.​.​.​with my friends, by Reversed Reference

Quick Picks

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…with my friends is the latest Full-Length project from producer Reversed Reference – released at the beginning of last month, this one has floated through my airwaves quite a few times. It’s a sprawling collection of ideas – where as the name suggests we find RR collaborating with quite a few fellow artists. The result is a smorgasbord of styles and sounds, flourishing with post-vapor flavor, all very lush and delicious. 

Looks like there are still some tapes available at the time this is published, get your hands on one before they’re gone!

SLIME?COMP. by Vacuum Noise Records

Quick Picks

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Dropped like a bowl of pudding at the fridge in the middle of the night – SLIME?COMP is the latest compilation construction from Vacuum Noise Records (masterminds behind ANYWAVE and much more). Mystery and anticipation swirled around this project for weeks, from the bizarre call for SLIMEPUNK submissions that raised eyebrows, to the shift towards slimeWAVE which raised more than eyebrows! Er, anyways I am probably a bit biased towards these compilations as I have contributed to both, but I really enjoy them both thoroughly. The sounds themselves are quite experimental of course, with such a nebulous slimy criteria who could expect anything else – resulting in a really interesting tracklist this time around – and a satisfying one at that.

Some personal favorites include tracks by doctorb, V ▲ P Y D, b l u e s c r e e n and Reversed Reference, but there is a plethora of jams here to enjoy. Oh and you’d already have this album in your library by now if you subscribed to VNR4LYF

W O R L S D 探査 by Marlowave2 0 9 9™

Quick Picks

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New sounds presented by the BOGUS // Collective team – WORLSD.com by Marlowave2099 is a long-playing epic of ambient vapor and mallsoft styles. Concepts of a lost and lonely virtual world swirl in the minds eye – logging on, creating an avatar, and floating directionless in the cybersea. Some really nice treatment of melodies and moods here – sometimes the soundtrack gets a bit spooky, but never overtly dark. Marlowave2099 has done a great job of constructing a world with these sounds…

Moving On, by Schulz Audio

Quick Picks

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Fresh and flourishing dub-techno sounds from Schulz Audio, brought to us by Kopoc Label out of Spain. The 4 track EP packs a subtle punch – chilled rhythms and mellow synths pluck here and there, maintaining a nice causal energy. It’s pretty lighthearted as well – not overwhelmingly melodic, but also not falling into the doom-dub pit. Kopoc always brings some nice sounds to the table, and with Moving On being available at name-your-own-price, it’s impossible not to recommend!

NAVI elite, by Δελφοί

Quick Picks

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Dropped at the end of last month via DMT Tapes – this debut full-length from Δελφοί brings some wonderful vibes to the table. Fuzzy and blissful vape concepts here, and some heady longforms at that! Generous treatment of the atmosphere makes this one really dense and robust. Some really nice grooves and melodies, with haunting mysterious voices guiding the tracks along… Great background listening, and rewarding when you pay attention!

“”“”毛粥”“”” by 李嘉翎

Quick Picks

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Meandering sonic oddities from 李嘉翎 (puramu) presented by the forward thinking Engram Recordings. This one is packed with some dense and interesting energy – lush drones and bold audio plundering build the atmosphere. Rough and fuzzy, but also quite juicy – maybe it is a new kind of stonefruit?! It’s certainly delicious, and left me wanting more – with the spontaneous tracks never breaching 3 minutes in length. It’s punk-found-sound and I dig it to the max!

Dimensional Shift, by Andrew Mouge

Quick Picks

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Dimensional Shift is a wonderful new long-playing project by Andrew Mouge (ex. Ｄｉｇｉｔａｌ Ｉｍａｇｅ Ｐｌｕｓ ＬＴＤ), released via Vivarium Recordings. Clocking nearly an hour in length, this album is powerful and vast, churning with themes of hope the future, big and thoughtful.

I got a particularly strong adventure vibe from some of the tracks, like Land of Blue Roses, making me feel like I am wandering some dreamlike landscape, attempting to solve inventory object puzzles!

The tracks bounce between post-vaporwave and lush ambient, touches of mallsoft and drone give the project some added depth as well. I often use the word satisfying to describe sounds that make me feel complete, or that help calm the turbulent atmosphere around me – and Dimensional Shift does all of that. Befitting of the name, I feel myself phasing in between dimensions, leaving my worries behind in some faraway place…

Subtraktive, by cv313

Quick Picks

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Echospace kicks back into action this year with an amazing remastered and reimagined project – subtraktive by cv313. A healthy detailed explanation regarding the history of this piece can be found on the albums bandcamp page – recounting the original incarnation from 2007. Subtraktive is a massive atmospheric exercise in dubby ambient techno, with the release highlighting 4 different angles of the same energy. Including unique segments culled from live performances, creating some very enjoyable longform tracks.

The project is available digitally as well as an impressive CD set containing the standard release along with 3×3″ minidiscs.

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Purple e.p. by Pansori/TABQURIA

Quick Picks

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XO Archives (Japan) presents us with this lovely split-EP from Pansori and TABQURIA. Each producer providing around 10 minutes of delicious harsh sounds – buzzing and throbbing all over the sonic landscape with energy and excitement. Thick and satisfying distortion takes center stage in this one as the two go head to head, trading riffs and samples back and forth in a noisy dance of fate!!

The Pink e.p. has already arrived as well….

Four Months, by M L D V R

Quick Picks

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Self-released dark experimental from Sydney based noise producer M L D V R. Stumbled on this one randomly, drawn in by the cover art (no pun intended) – and pleasantly surprised with what I found inside. 3 expansive tracks of rough and satisfying experimentation, folding together dissonance and rhythm in the most addicting way that has left me coming back for more and more. The evolution of tracks is potent, with the first track being ominously deconstructed, leading towards the 3rd track which hits a massive halftime/dubstep beat that packs an intensely subtle energy.

Apparently this is part 1 of 3 in a new series from this producer, I am very excited for what’s to come. Don’t be fooled by the artwork formatting, it would appear this is a digital only release so far. Perhaps we will be blessed when the series is completed with some sort of Tape release….