Originally released back in January via Veinte 33 Records – Modern Prophecy is a 3-track ambient sound-art project from producer and sound-designer Conducive.
Continue reading “Modern Prophecy, by Conducive”Modern Prophecy, by Conducive
Tag: ambient
Fresh Batch – May-June, 2023
Hello music lovers! My oh my, has it been a while. Time passes like water under a bridge, as they say. But who are they, anyway?
Anyway! Welcome to the Fresh Batch – an exhaustive list of underground sounds from the past fort-month. There’s something for everyone in the Fresh Batch – so don’t hesitate to have a click around! We’ve tried to make discovering interesting and satisfying new music as easy as possible for you with this quick list.
visit BNDCMPR for a playlist based on these recommendations!
Infinite thanks to all of our readers and supporters – we hope you enjoy these selections.
Continue reading “Fresh Batch – May-June, 2023”
Music for Magnolia Trees, by Various Artists
Music for Magnolia Trees is a compilation of downtempo and ambient electronic music, curated and presented by TRIP FM and Triplicate Records.
This 15-track project is a pleasant journey, peppered with peaks and valleys of mood and energy. Pinging back and forth between ethereal ambience and chill-out beats, the diversity of the artists work is spread out like a fine mixed-berry jam over crispy toast.
While you could not say this is a purely ambient release, the whole track list exudes an ambiance of warmth and comfort, even when the grooves are hitting. The resulting listen is wholesome and enjoyable, whether passively as background music, or actively, perhaps as soundtrack to an afternoon bike ride.
Several of the tracks stand-out in their splendor and composition – such as ‘I’ll See You When The Rains Come‘ by Johnny Fallout, which travels between heartwarming classic ambient and late 90’s IDM sounds, making for quite the electronica odyssey. ‘Different Vibrations‘ by Cathode Ray Tube is another highlight, packed with deeply satisfying percussion delays and textural synth-work.
‘Gone Without A Trace‘ is a personal favorite, swirling together all sorts of instruments and inspirations to create a head-bopping trip-hop track that would not be out of place in a Thievery Corporation DJ set.
There’s a definite old-school electronica energy to the project, and it would likely sit well with fans of Boards of Canada, Squarepusher and Casino versus Japan.
Between the bliss and the beats – there’s a lot to enjoy in Music for Magnolia Trees. Nearly an hour of lovely electronic music, created and curated by talented folks. Hopefully you can make some time to give it a listen – which can be done via the labels Bandcamp page, or streaming on all the popular platforms.
Cradle, by Solarein
Cradle is a 2-track ambient/downtempo EP from San Francisco’s Solarein, self-released on May 13th, 2023.
The project is tight and lush, with atmospherics and textures taking center stage, surrounded by chilled beats and slowly-evolving synths. Speaking of textures, the sonic feeling of this record is pretty phenomenal, with lots of room in the mix for clicks and pops to fly around in between the more melodic and utilitarian sounds.
Both tracks borrow themes from one-another, from the progression to the vibe, like two sides of the same coin. Heavy yet hopeful. The songs return to motifs seamlessly, looping back around on themselves and their melodies. Some of my favorite moments were when guitar blissfully swept its way into the mix, soaring above the established structure and injecting heavy emotional energy with its distorted riffs.
For fans of downtempo electronics like Boards of Canada, Casino Vs Japan and Kiln – Cradle is likely to put a smile on the listeners face, if only for 15 minutes.
Veiled Witch Dies In Illusion, by Backwire
Chilled and soothing sound experiments from British Colombian producer Backwire.
Coined as “A collection of BACKWIRE material recorded from 2019-2022 using various guitars, pedals, 4 tracks, synthesizers” – Veiled Witch Dies In Illusion is a 6-track project of minimalist tunes that dance between psychedelic soundscapes and percussive ambience with emotional grace.
The short tracks carry a heavy weight – Strident Realm in particular exudes a melancholy mood, allowing the listener to settle in and pontificate as the progression loops for a few meditative minutes.
It’s raw and emotional for sure, and a solid listen for fans of this type of ambient. You can stream/download the digital version of the album now via bandcamp – with a mention of physical editions sometime in the future. Lets hope that means cassettes, I feel like this project would sound great on tape!
Twenty Twenty, by Congregation of Drones
Beautiful off-kilter modern classical from the duo of violinist Pauline Kim Harris and experimental producer Jesse Stiles together as Congregation of Drones.
This 4 track epic is packed with electroacoustic wandering, sonic exploration and drone studies. The densely populated songs take their time making their presence known and settling in, like a friendly poltergeist.
Anyone who reads EternityTree knows that I am a sucker for electro-acoustics – when producers fuse together the ethereal world of ambience with the very tangible and visceral acoustic realm. Bitcrushed pads encircle the listener while scraping and plucking strings push the sonic movement ahead.
Jesse leaves plenty of room for his counterpart to breath and explore the possibilities of a violin – often eschewing traditional viewpoints for more skewed and experimental phrases. Crisp and sharp at times, soft and wholesome at others, perfectly balancing presence between melody and rhythm.
Twenty Twenty is named after the year it was recorded, releasing 2 years later. With a digital edition dropped along side a sleek double-LP, this one deserves a place in your collection.
bulbone, by exm
Prolific Netherlandian ambient producer exm returns with a frosty longform project bulbone.
Self-released via the artists bandcamp page – bulbone takes the form of a 25-minute ambient expedition through crisp arctic wastelands and desolate tundra laden plains. The listener is forced to seek shelter behind the weaved fabric of buzzing tones and pulsing, gritty synthesizers. The ominous and omnipresent drone of the windswept landscape sits comfortably behind an aethereal ensemble of horns, woodwinds and strings whom speak in staggered cadence and wonton trajectory.
Fans of intelligent, outsider ambient will be satisfied with this listen – properly balancing listenability with intriguing sonic exploration.
You can support the artist today by purchasing the project at Name-Your-Price via Bandcamp!
Pure Evil Bliss, by Sulkdrugs
Brand new ethereal dark ambient from Sulkdrugs – presented by Illuminated Paths.
Pure Evil Bliss houses a collection of glowing-yet-gritty ambient songs forged in the fires of terrifying emotion. The duo dives deep into the recesses of the human mind, reaching in and grabbing serious moods and feelings to flip into potent samples. Radios struggle to find a station, instead succumbing to fuzzy aetherwave static. Mysterious choirs sing gently beyond the fog.
Sometimes hopeful, occasionally melancholy, and not nearly as dark as the album name suggests – Pure Evil Bliss is truly a blissful experience in bedroom ambient. Perfect soundtrack for a contemplative, balmy summer night.
You can purchase the Cassette via Illuminated Paths or enjoy the album on your favorite streaming platform.
Fresh Batch – June 2022
Welcome back to the Fresh Batch, music lovers! We return with our monthly new-music column absolutely packed with phenomenal sounds.
With summer coming fast and furious (stay cool out there, folks!), we’ve rounded up a selection of lovely summertime releases. Dig in, swim around and enjoy…
Continue reading “Fresh Batch – June 2022”
Cool Maritime – Big Earth Energy (2022 Western Vinyl)
Artist: Cool Maritime
Album: Big Earth Energy (2022)
Label: Western Vinyl
Genre: New Age / Ambient / Electronic
Record Store: Zia Records, Phoenix, AZ
We’ve all heard the mantra ‘never judge a book by its cover,’ and yet the same rule of thumb could hardly be said to apply to the world of vinyl, where off-kilter, intriguing artwork oftentimes speaks directly about the music contained within. Case in point – Cool Maritime’s glorious 2022 LP ‘Big Earth Energy,’ which I picked up the other day solely because of the wonderful Lisa Frank-esque neon tree frog gracing the front cover, as well as the promotional sticker which promised an experience inspired by ‘Myst and Studio Ghibli.’
The music almost lives up to this high bar, with seven tracks of instrumental electronic goodness that will bring to mind the cushy, muzak-adjacent environments of pre-2000 personal computer game soundtracks like SimCity or, indeed, Myst. Pleasing sin waves, pitched to replicate electronic tom drums, bounce and squiggle around synth pads and buoyant synthesizer melodies. Drum machines are notably absent, and the resulting music works equally well as background tones to do yoga to, or as an active listening experience. It will most certainly pair well with your next session of whatever intense simulation or strategy video game you’re currently obsessed with. Excellent find.
Thomas Jacob Jr is a Producer, Composer, Singer-Songwriter, Music Educator and Digital Artist currently based in Arizona – Bringing us rare and interesting selections from his extensive Vinyl collection! For more content follow his vinyl-dedicated Instagram account
Eternity Tree 