Lattimore, Mary & Growing – “Gainer” – [Silver Current]

cinder   9/23/2022   12-inch, A Library

Mary’s a harpist who resides in Los Angeles, while Growing is an ambient drone band that’s been around for years, originally from Olympia, now in Brooklyn. Unsure how this collaboration came about, but it’s fantastic. Floating in the heavenly golden trimmed clouds, with lush waves of undertones and glorious droned harmonies. Side A wafts in such a comforting way, it sounds like the track itself is breathing. Goosebumps and butterflies. Side B showcases Mary’s harp playing beautifully.

Surreal & The Sound Providers – “True Indeed” – [Abb Records]

cinder   9/7/2022   12-inch, Hip Hop

Jazzy hip hop raps from some crate diggin’ dudes. The Soul Providers are a duo (Jason Skills & Soulo) that hailed from San Diego, citing Gang Starr and the Native Tongue Posse as influences, although I get major De La Soul vibes as well. They collaborated with emcee Surreal for this release, back in 2006. Great storytelling lyrics that seem uplifting and happy, almost wholesome but not like, dorky. He’s not getting gansta….in one song he’s talking about his life and it seems he found God, but it’s not an overwhelming theme throughout. The beats are jazzzzy and sick! Fun rekkid! 

Watkins / Peacock – “Acid Escape Vol. 3” – [Freaks]

cinder   9/7/2022   12-inch, A Library

Jolly-ful playful rhythms layered over a locked beat. Synth kittens on the keys and head knodding knob twiddling squirrels. Psychedelic electronica trips. Flickering MIDI sequencers. An improv duo, usually recorded all live in studio, no dubs. Zachary James Watkins (Black Spirituals) & Ross Peacock, who met in Oakland and started recording together. Excellent!

Montgomerie, Jo – “From Industry Home” – [Helen Scarsdale Agency]

cinder   8/19/2022   A Library, Cassette

Deliciously decayed sounds from Jo Montgomerie, of Manchester. She originally planned on being a concert pianist, but ended up falling into the world of sound design, foley work, and post-production. Utilizing objects around her home as well as connecting contact mics to her own body, she creates snaps, cracks, sizzles and delectable drones that waft through open steel warehouses and cold dark places. Industrial ambience, forlorn fevers. 

Stelzer / Murray – “Commit” – [Helen Scarsdale Agency]

cinder   7/27/2022   12-inch, A Library

Duo project from Howard Stelzer & Brendan Murray. Fogged out, icy drones created by their subconscious. Murky, ominous, haunting and mysterious. Track 2 has a bit of The Black Lodge feel, with whipping shadows and ghostly words. Effected sounds, drenched in pedal delights. Hypnotizing dream states.

Forgiveness – “Forgiveness” – [Not Not Fun]

cinder   7/27/2022   A Library, Cassette

It’s a downtempo, trip hop excursion floating through magic hour pastel hazed clouds, straight from Moscow. Chilled, laid back beats in half time… the feeling after that first sip of Cabernet. Subtle, sublime, summer synthy splendiferous-ness.

Books, The – “Way Out, The” – [Temporary Residence Ltd.]

cinder   7/27/2022   A Library, CD

A humorous blend of electronics, strings, rhythm & cut up sounds. Duo of Paul de Jong and Nick Zammuto, out of New York. The story is that they’d scout out old home recordings, vhs and cassettes from estates, thrifts and sales to use as their samples. It creates a fun listen akin to People Like Us, Negativland & Bran Flakes with a dash of electronic quirk of Matmos. A few have some singing, on the indie tip. Laptop pop, with a twist!  

Tlaotlon – “Squirt Image Flex” – [Trensmat Records]

cinder   7/21/2022   12-inch, A Library

Chaotic yet rhythmically cohesive. Layered sounds, pulsing, throbbing and churning through loopy electronics and sandy beats. Each texture glides through their own world, yet all come together in tendriled form. Vapor waved but with a side of coke. Enchanted vortex of swirls and twirls.

Ana Fosca – “Poised At The Edge of Structure” – [Helen Scarsdale Agency]

cinder   7/1/2022   A Library, CD

Low ambient droned industrial noise portrayed by Ana Fosca (born Linn Hvid) out of Copenhagen. Pedals, computers and synths meld together to create an ominous inferno of destruction. She’s dark and creepy, evil and sinister. Lurches and swells of wafty textures tendril through machinery warehouse echoes. Effected vox with unintelligible words. Cavernous screeches and heavy weight. Fantastic.

Severed + Said – “Tragic Seeker” – [Not Not Fun Records]

cinder   7/1/2022   A Library, Cassette

Solo synth and drum machinery from John Touchton, of Florida. Dystopian midnight hovering car rides in swampy neon-lit cityscapes, 100 degree minimum. Razor sharp melodies intertwine and weave through synth drenched rhythms. Recent descriptions of equal parts synth-wave séance, abduction hallucination, and paranormal noir. Drift + Lift.

Carney, Jeff – “Live Electronic Music” – [Lion Productions]

cinder   5/5/2022   12-inch, A Library

Recorded live in 1989 without any overdubs. Long, ambient slow knob turning and sound shifting electronics. Very much in the vein of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis & Klaus Shulze. Extended notes that intertwine and weave through like stars in light speed. Slithering synths. Sci-Fi soundtracks of the past. Mastered for vinyl by Krautrock musician and sound engineer Eroc.

Astral Social Club & Grumbling Fur Time Machine Orchestra – “Plasma Splice Trifle” – [VHF Records]

cinder   5/5/2022   12-inch, A Library

Collaboration between (Vibracathedral Orchestra) Neil Campell’s ASC and (duo) Gumbling Fur (Time Machine), both English I believe. Four lush, intriguing tracks of lofty ambience, slow electronics, wafting words that echo in the background, rolling Can/Harmonia rhythms, haze and fuzz, psychedelic sounds and daydreaming vibes. 

Shilo, J.P. – “Jubjote” – [Heavy Machinery Records]

cinder   4/13/2022   12-inch, A Library

A nightmare fueled dream state through Twilight Zone-esque themes and forlorn thoughts. As the cover art depicts, there’s beauteous pipe organ (Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ) sounds that drone and float, drifting along with some electronics, guitar and such. It’s glorious. JP deadpans a story akin to Randy Greif, Edward Ka-Spel & Blood Axis/Les Joyaux De La Princess. I recommend laying flat on your back in the dark, closed eyes, and let it soak through your mind.

Loopsel – “Spiral, The” – [Digital Regress]

cinder   4/13/2022   12-inch, A Library

Solo project of Elin Engström from Sweden. Sounds of a fantasy daydream, but also sparked with darkness. There’s light rhythmical tendrils, which then take a harsh right turn into industrial anger. Not noise, not pure evil, but a slight sinister edge behind the guitar and electronics. Experimental haze. A glowing golden hilltop with black storm clouds. 

Russell, Bruce & Wood, Luke – “Visceral Realists” – [VHF Records]

cinder   3/23/2022   12-inch, A Library

Wailing, droning, efx’d and processed guitars and electronics layered over old, scratched records that have been spinning endlessly on the last edge. Sounds like the vinyl side ended, and they used that itchy looping rhythmic pulse as their underlaying beat. Pretty short, each track around 3 minutes long. You can find more Bruce Russell sounds from the band Dead C, and Luke Wood founded Ilam Press Records, both dudes hailing from New Zealand.

Ah Cama-Sotz – “I Believe” – [Hands]

cinder   2/9/2022   A Library, CD

An industrial-techno and dark ambient project by Belgian electronic music producer Herman Klapholz. Blending tribal, ethnic and dark elements with heavy dance floor beats. It takes a seat sometimes and lets the melancholy ambient drones wash over you as you cool down from your teeth grinding two step. It definitely has that basement industrial club vibe going too. Lots of bald heads, black eyeliner and leather pants happening here. Even includes a cover of the classic, Warm Leatherette!

My Cat Is an Alien – “Hypnotherapy” – [Lost Treasures of The Underworld]

cinder   2/9/2022   A Library, Cassette

A duo of Italian brothers Maurizio and Roberto Opalio, from the Torino area. Creating what kitty might be hearing in their head while staring at the wall, wide pupil’d at 3 in the morning. Spaced out strings, gurgling and churning electronics, pedal fx and whistful moaning put you into a stare-down daze. Side long tracks from a cassette, with side B (track 2) picking up right where the first left off. 

Nyoukis, Dylan / Glass, Seymour – “No One Cares About The Drama Queen’s Potassium Intake” – [Chocolate Monk / BUFMS]

cinder   2/9/2022   A Library, CD

Creeky, plunky, itchy, splunky, experimental compositions from Dylan (Blood Stereo, Decaer Pinga, Chocolate Monk) & Seymour (Bren’t Lewiis, Glands of External Secretion, Bananafish). Sounds like they went into an orchestra room, decided to tie one arm behind their back and pick and plunk at things with their nose. There’s all sorts of strings – some close up and some further back in the mix, random animal sounds (cow? bird? honey badger?), possible horn droneage, manipulated found sounds & field recordings, trickling electronics, twisting of things, shaking of other things, skittering and scampering. Maybe it’s just the house mice recording their jams in the middle of night. 

Los Microwaves – “Birth of Techno, The” – [Hyperspace Communications]

cinder   1/26/2022   12-inch, A Library

A trio of David Javelosa (synth and vocals), Meg Brazill (bass and vocals) & Todd “Rosa” Rosencrans (drums). This plops you right down in the glorious new wave/minimal pop era of the early 1980s. The first half is studio, the second half are live tracks, some recorded in San Francisco at a venue called I-Beam. A little Gang of Four, with a splash of Blondie, and a good dousing of The Buggles. Most have vox, but there are a few instrumentals which would work great for electronic shows. I super love this! 

Dreihasenbild – “Visitation” – [Wet Barbed Wire]

cinder   1/26/2022   7-inch, A Library

Endearing, whimsical, delicate recordings of violin, mood, charms, and found sounds. It’s introspective and pondering, definitely has a foreign film score vibe. A soft beauty of sounds, either in enhanced vibrance or wafting droned ambient clouds. A project of Stefan Keydel from Austin.