I know that this is a silly note, but I’d rather let you know that I’ll be out for two weeks, then have you wonder about the lack of updates on the site. One thing for sure – I’ll be listening to plenty of music. Especially some super relaxing pieces that will go nicely with the sun and the sand…

Meanwhile, here are some earlier articles to keep you busy:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Nineteen Ninety Five

• Headphone Commute’s Best of 2009
• Headphone Commute’s Best of 2008
• Headphone Commute’s Best of 2007

Remember – there’s no such thing as “old music”… Even now, as I was scrolling through these, I came upon a review of an album that I haven’t listened to in a while, and put it on… And that’s always fun…

• First Half of 2008 Reviews Archive (on Blogspot)

Hailing from South Africa, Shukry Adams mixes up his favorite selections of beautiful ambient, modern classical, drone, and dark ambient selections. Just look through the track listing to get a feel of the incoming wave of music which will cradle you for close to an hour. Broadcasting through the slow internet connections, Adams explains: “I tried to create a soundtrack-esque atmosphere and sometimes subtle layering to create mood and to fluctuate the listener’s emotions.” I could tell you more, but in this case music speaks louder.

This mix should also appear in your playlist, if you have subscribed to our Headphone Commute Podcast.

[ S T R E A M ] | [ D O W N L O A D ] | [ P O D C A S T ]

Track Listing:

[ S T R E A M ] | [ D O W N L O A D ] | [ P O D C A S T ]

First up is a five track EP from Clem Leek. Consisting of four numbered Snow Tales and a remix, this collection of modern classical and ambient pieces is a sublime journey into the mind of this up-and-coming musician. Each piece has been composed in just two days, while Leek was observing the snow falling outside of his house. The release is accompanied by six beautiful photos, that Leek took with his Polaroid camera as soon as it started snowing. I close my eyes and listen to the tales. Somewhere in the background there is a roll of thunder. Ambient soundscapes, stringed instruments and endless pads swirl beneath the gentle piano keys and drifting vocals to evoke the feelings of stillness, falling, and contemplation. Oh, and did I mention that the EP is available as a FREE digital download from the one and only Experimedia? What else can one ask for? Don’t forget to also grab Clem Leek’s debut EP, Through The Annular, which is available from his own label, Schedios, and his bandcamp page. Also, looks like Clem Leek will be performing alongside Simon Scott and Machinefabriek on May 19th, 2010 (more info). Fans of Max Richter, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Nils Frahm and Keith Kennif will surely enjoy.

This is the second EP by Rafael Anton Irisarri on the Thrill Jockey distributed label, Immune, and I’m already all over it. His last EP on the same label was a beautifully packaged two-track 7″ vinyl, titled Hopes and Past Desires. With only three tracks, Irisarri crafts one of his best releases. Seductively constrained musical phrases, barely audible scratches, and incredibly tender piano notes encompass sorrow, longing, and nostalgia. Although three years apart, Reverie seems almost an echo of Irisarri’s similarly titled debut full length, Daydreaming released on Miasmah. “Für Alina“, the third 13+ minute track on the EP, makes me feel like I’m eavesdropping on a piano confession, sharing intimate moments of deep solitude through a lens of a vast ambient distance. This piece is a rework of Arvo Pärt’s likewise titled “Für Alina” – I’m pretty sure that Irisarri must be a fan of the Estonian’s tintinnabuli style. And… now that it’s not a secret anymore (since even Wikipedia quotes it), I’ll be happy to reveal that Irisarri’s side project is none other than The Sight Below, for which you must have read many praises already on these and other pages. Speaking of which, be sure to also pick up an upcoming TSB release in collaboration with Simon Scott, titled It All Falls Apart out on Ghostly International in April, 2010.

And that last sentence was a perfect segue into a new EP by Simon Scott – a 16-minute single-track piece, burned on a 3″ mini CDr by Secret Furry Hole. This is the second release by Scott after his critically acclaimed Navigare (Miasmah, 2009). As interesting as it is, the EP was also written during a heavy snowfall late last December in Cambridge. Nivalis is Scott’s “tribute to the winter, the snow and the beauty of how the seasons change here in England“. Swells of strings are drowned in low-fi field recordings of Scott removing ice and snow from his doorstep, repetitive hypnotic patterns of organic soundscapes, and the distant, barely audible, subtle vocals. I mean, if you have to go out and shovel some snow, you might as well have Nivalis on, as a soundtrack. If not, go out and stare at the reflection of the moon, and slowly drift between the spaces. This is all there is – between the now and always – the isness. The EP is available directly from the label, but hurry – it is limited to only 200 copies! Be sure to also pick up other goodies from the label. Open your wallet and grab some limited releases by Buzz Aldrin, Hauschka, Glenn Johnson, Peter Broderick, His Clancyness, and the debut label release with collaboration by Library Tapes / Machinefabriek / Fabio Orsi / Die Stadt Der Romantische Punk - with compositions based on a sampled symphony by Henryk Gorecki.

I pause and think about this for a moment. This morning we had a heavy snow storm. I woke up, and the first thing I did was put on Clem Leek’s “Snow Tales” not realizing how appropriate it was with the weather – it was just something that was perfect. Commuting to work, the music inspired me to start this new section, Sound Bytes. My office was desolate, with many people snowed in, so I kept on listening to the music, migrating over to Rafael Anton Irisarri. I then remembered about Simon Scott’s release, which I also meant to write about, not realizing that it too, was about snowfall. It was written during the snow fall. The three recordings have a definitive theme, and I, not realizing it until this very moment, was in the same world for the entire day. So… I pause and think about this for a moment. Coincidence? I don’t believe it.  ~HC

The musical discoveries I have made because of this yearly release are unparalleled — over the years the series has acted as a who’s who in forward thinking electronic compositions that aren’t concerned with beats, bass, or the dancefloor. Artists like Marsen Jules, Klimek, Andrew Thomas, Markus Guentner, Donnacha Costello, Triola, and Thomas Fehlmann have all been mainstays throughout the decade long series, and all artists I respect and adore.

A quote from press release:

Newcomers may ask – so what is POP AMBIENT? A genre? Possibly. A statement of musical mindset? Absolutely! [...] Throughout POP AMBIENT’s editions, the music has evolved ever so naturally – almost characterizing the blossoming of the floral arrangements that have graced the series covers year after year. [...] We say this every year but POP AMBIENT 2010 is a defining moment for the series – a change in pace but a familiar face for those that have been yearning for our annual remedy.

The opening track for the 2010 edition starts with quite possibly the best Marsen Jules track I have ever heard. The aptly titled “The Sound of One Lip Kissing” sweeps from right to left channel and builds around a single dark and reverberating chord that is accompanied by the hesitant tinkle of piano to amazing effect. Brock Van Whey is welcomed into the Pop Ambient family this year and lulls listeners with two beautiful tracks under his bvdub moniker. “Lest You Forget” follows the opening track and offers a sense of air and light, after Marsen Jules’ somewhat ominous beginning. Van Whey also closes the album with the sprawling “Will You Know Where to Find Me” that features haunting vocals and rich delay that peacefully dissipates as the 17-minute track comes to an end, leaving you calmed and happily brooding.

Kompakt’s own Dettinger, returns with “Therefore” his first new song in nearly a decade – a smooth and droney track, that features a slight hi-hat shuffle buried in the mix. Label head, Wolfgang Voigt also shows up with the excellent “Zither und Horn”, which sounds like nothing I’ve heard from him before. It’s a pastoral and string-based track that feels more traditionally “song-like” in its composition, and much different than his work as Gas. Offerings from DJ Koze, The Orb, and Jürgen Paape are equally as strong, and overall, this is another sterling edition to an already fantastic oeuvre of ambient music. Check it.

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Review by Matt Leslie (Inaudible). Edited by HC. Republished with permission.

See also Two and a Half Questions with Wolfgang Voigt

myspace.com/wolfgangvoigt | kompakt.fm/artists/wolfgang_voigt
myspace.com/kompakt | kompakt.fm

When you founded Kompakt Records in 1998, did you have any idea that the “Cologne sound” would become such an inspirational and driving force in the world of electronic music?
The so called “Cologne Minimal Techno” has been founded in 1991 and had it’s first international peak of success already in 1996. When we founded KOMPAKT in 1998 we just renamed our several activities ( labels like PROFAN, STUDIO 1, NTA,… our recordshop DELIRIUM…., distribution..) under one name: KOMPAKT.
That so many people all over the world, since then like our style of music, makes us still very happy and proud.

The Pop Ambient releases stand in stark contrast to Kompakt’s other annual compilation, the Total series. Was there a conscious decision at the time to promote this more stripped down genre and show people that electronic music doesn’t have to be strictly for the dance floor?
Apart from our main musical goals (Techno…) we have always been fascinated by very elegiac, soft and artful soundscapes. With Pop Ambient we founded a platform for our own idea of Ambient Music as an alternative to music like Chill Out, Lounge or Easy Listening. For us Pop Ambient is stripped down Pop Music under the microscope.

How has the Pop Ambient series evolved over the years, and how do you go about the selection process?
An important thing about Pop Ambient is, that it remains more or less the same, for the last 10 years. We understand it as a timeless genre of music. Once a year we compile our very personal favorites on the compilation. It includes the good old friends from the very first days as well as some interesting newcomers.

With regards to your own music, how do you begin composing a track?
First i program a four to the floor bassdrum. No i’m joking. There is no special method. When i start working i try as much as i can to surprise myself, while i’m playing around with my favorite ingredients to provoke interesting coincidence. The process of theory before i enter the studio is very long and intense. The working time in the studio is short and spontaneous.

I was lucky enough to catch your fantastic live show at Mutek last year. The visual accompaniment you created with Petra Hollenbach was quite stunning and at times really intense. Have you considered releasing a Gas
DVD with the visuals?
Yes, there will be DVD released together with new/unreleased GAS material some day.

Your work as Gas in the late 90’s has become a sort of standard to aspire towards for many artists making ambient music after the year 2000. Are you surprised that your music remains so vital and relevant in the ever-changing world of electronic music?
Yes. I’m surprised as well as i’m happy and proud about it. When GAS was released in 2008, it was interesting to see how timeless and relevant this music still was. In times of great arbitrariness we reached the older GAS fans as well as new young people, who normally forget about music very fast these days.

Where do you see electronica in the year 2020? Embracing greater and new technologies, falling back on “classic” styles of composition, or something beyond our conceptions?
Yes!

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Interview by Matt Leslie (Inaudible) exclusively for Headphone Commute.

Also read review of Pop Ambient 2010

myspace.com/wolfgangvoigt | kompakt.fm/artists/wolfgang_voigt

Hailing out of Epinal (France), Riggio has been producing music since the age of 18. His influences include the above mentioned Amon Tobin, DJ Shadow, and Bonobo. In 2007, Riggio released his debut LP, Visible in Darkness. Soon after, his second digital LP, Symmetric Human Door, appeared on Australian net label, Omelette (available for free). He followed it up with another free digital 7-track release, Noise Thinking (Omelette, 2009), and in December, the Greek label, Spectraliquid, gave us the best Christmas present one would want – the third album from Frank Riggio, Anamorphose, available completely for FREE! What? I would have gladly paid money for this! I guess the motivation here is to fall in love with Riggio’s sound – since he’s got a fourth album on the way on Spectraliquid out in late Spring of 2010. And falling in love with this trip is easy!

Full of orchestral stabs, agitated strings, and an arsenal of  acoustic and digital percussion, Anamorphose is the lost score to my newly found nightmares. With nostalgic passages, scratching at my memory of abandoned dusty films, the beat treads on, like a rusty tank, smothering your neighbor’s obscene American Girl doll into the cold oily mud of reality with its metal claws of freedom, fake lipstick and all… Apple orchards wither, as seen through the sepia filtered lens of an aged camera, then sink into the putrid ground to reveal the lonely scarecrow, its empty mouth dangling by a thread, in which the spider made its nest. The sound is so raw, I can draw these images all day. And the production is superb! The album is so good, it’s tough to pick a favorite track!

Here’s a taste of Zebra Cobra from the Noise Thinking EP mentioned above.

I mean, if I didn’t tell you that this isn’t Amon Tobin, I bet you wouldn’t even know. Even the cover art for this and other albums along with the font, resembles the artwork of Supermodified (Ninja Tune 2000) and Foley Room (Ninja Tune, 2007). And I point that out with the greatest respect. While some may turn up their nose with accusations of a copycat, I happily proclaim – bring it on! More imitations of Amon Tobin, Aphex Twin, and Autechre (just to start with ‘A’s). These are the roots of evolution of music as it splinters into a million little pieces of sound. Permutations, anyone?

See also Two and a Half Questions with Frank Riggio

myspace.com/riggiofrank | frankriggio.com
myspace.com/spectraliquid | spectraliquid.com

What are your reactions when your music is compared to Amon Tobin? How do you feel about being called a copycat?
It’s flattering in a way, because Amon Tobin is a legend.  But sometimes it’s a bit boring too. I think some people always try to compare me to Amon Tobin, even if it’s not comparable. My latest music is not that similar in my opinion. I can understand why some people call me a “copycat”, but to be honest, I don’t really care about people who are not open-minded. He influenced my music a lot, for sure, and that’s not a secret at all. Tobin is a sort of master Jedi to me – a role model. You can treat me as his padawan. We have similar tastes too, I guess. He somehow opened up a new way of creation, and I’m just following in his footsteps. Some follow the dubstep movement, and I follow Tobin’s. But I always try to make my music more personal. And it’s just a matter of time… I’m 29 and still a rookie. There are so many things to learn. I just want to point out that everybody is influenced by everybody on this planet, we do all things together – we are a kind of unity. Even Tobin has his musical influences. Just the fact that Tobin used a lot of samples on his songs can mean that he’s kind of a copycat too. Even if the samples are manipulated in a new way. The main idea is somehow ‘borrowed’.

What are some of the sound samples in your music?
Everything, really, from classical to hip hop, world music, psychedelic rock, hard rock, jazz, blues, experimental… there are good things in everything. I’m a music lover, and I don’t really care for the genres.

How has your music production evolved over the years?
A lot, considering that I started producing at 16. I was focused on hardtekno/acid from 20 to 25, but then I decided to make more complex music. Aphex Twin was my first inspiration and then I fell in love with Tobin’s universe. The previous albums have been produced with the same sensible techniques. For my upcoming music (new EP and album out very soon on Spectraliquid), I developed a new methodology of creation. It was a pain to be honest, it’s like changing your life… but I learned so many new things in the past few years. My music is not 100 percent sample-based anymore. I use real musicians and instruments now. Some of my friends play my own composition, my own melodies. I still use samples but it’s just 30 percent of the whole source now. I always record a lot of stuff with the mics too, for drums especially. I’ll try to improve my skills again and again over the years. I don’t want to stay focused on things that I can do, there is a lot of thing that I can’t do, so I just want to explore the possibilities forever.

What is your studio setup like? What software / hardware do you use for production?
I change my software/plugin setup all the time, I always want to try new tools. But like every musician, I guess, I’m in love with Kontakt, Kontak player. I use Cubase 5, mainly. I use tools from NI, Ohmforce, TC, Kjaehrus, Waves, Izotope as well. I don’t use hardware for production that much now. I still use my sampler AKAI Z4 and my Nord Rack 2 though, TC electronic reverb too. I use hardware especially for mastering. Compressor Avalon for instance. I hope that one day I can buy more of these tools. It’s too expensive to me at the moment. I also use Marantz recorder with quality mics for recording musicians.

What type of movie will your music be best suited for?
Dark FX with a complex story, definitely like Blade Runner, but realized by Tarantino! haha!

Read Headphone Commute’s review of Anamorphose

myspace.com/riggiofrank | frankriggio.com

http://feeds.feedburner.com/headphonecommutepodcast
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So act now, and don’t delay! Click, copy, and paste, and we’ll deliver our favorite selections right into your headphones! Maybe if you guys dig this new feature, our Podcasts will include occasional audio interviews, live shows, and special reviews. The “Mixes” section will continue to stay as is, with free mixes created by and exclusively for Headphone Commute, available for streaming and downloading. You’ll still need to visit the site if you want to get the full track listing ;)

Over and out.
~HC

Mr. Tom drops by with his thoughts on the mix:

“I was inspired to do the mix because of some cold weather we had back in January. London only ever gets one day of snow and then it’s all gone. This time, it stayed around for nearly a week and I hadn’t experienced such an amount of snow for a long time. It made everything seem to slow down and feel a more grounded. I guess the tunes in the mix reflected my state of mind during the snow.”

[ S T R E A M ] | [ D O W N L O A D ]

Track Listing:

[ S T R E A M ] | [ D O W N L O A D ]

If you have a chance, make sure to also check out Music For Crawling Through Abandoned Cities – it contains my selection of favorite releases in 2009 within the same atmospheric mood.

I hope you enjoyed these miniatures. Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on these, and whether I should work on preparing some more in the future.
~HC

2009 was such a hectic year for me having had to sit in front of the computer 12 hours a day which also means I was hearing music for 12 hours a day. wow.. Thus the selections here were my perfect background music during work and it was unfortunate that I didn’t get to listen to much music that requires deep listening. Oh and I also bought music digitally for the first time last year due to lack of time. I guess the music to me in 2009 was more about my situation.

::: Most frequently heard albums + a fantastic music video from 2009 :::

1. “Ra Ra Speaks” Lucky Dragons (Moamoo)
2. “Toeachizown” Dam-Funk (Stones Throw)
3. “When Love” Gaby Hernandez (Armed Orphan)
4. “Unbalance” 2562 (Tectonic)
5. “Japan Tour EP” Kyte (Rallye)

1. “Pico” Samurai Jazz (video clip by takcom) http://www.vimeo.com/6753639

Best wishes
Nao
spekk.net

Favorite 30 of the year (no particular order)

Last Days–The Safety of the North
William Basinski–Vivian and Ondine
William Basinski–92982
Tim Hecker–An Imaginary Country
Olafur Arnalds–Dyad 1909
Danny Norbury–Light in August
Jonsi and Alex–Riceboy Sleeps
Simon Scott–Navigare
Gregory Alan Isakov–This Empty Northern Hemisphere
Peter Broderick/Machinefabriek–Blank Grey Canvas Sky
Phoenix–Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Taylor Deupree–Weather and Worn
TU M’–Monochromes Vol.1
Clint Mansell–Moon
Heather Woods Broderick–From the Ground
the Sight Below–Glider
Matthew Ryan–Dear Lover
Rhian Sheehan–Standing In Silence
Hildur Gudnadottir–Without Sinking
Pillow Diver–Sleeping Pills
the Church–Untitled #23
Pan American–White Bird Release
Sparklehorse/Fennesz–In the Fishtank 15
White Lies–To Lose My Life
Kevin Drumm–Imperial Horizon
Greg Kowalsky–Tape Chants
the Raveonettes–In and Out of Control
Mark Kozelek–Lost Verses Live
Elegi–Varde
Pop Ambient–2009

hammockmusic.net

Like 2008, i spent 90% of my time in 2009 making my own music so there was not so much chance to check out other new music. So it was not really until christmas time, when i finally took some time off, that i decided to go through the new releases of the year and see what is good. I loved the new Phoenix record as well as Animal Collective. But my favorite of the year is probably Mew – *really long bullshit title*. That album is just plain amazing. Also, just realized like yesterday that the XX album is quite good as well. That will also go on my top 5. As for Icelandic music my favorites of the year are Kimono – Easy Music for Difficult People and Bloodgroup – Dry Land. I’m a bit biased on the later one as i arranged strings for it, but still, it’s awesome.

Love, Óli
olafurarnalds.com

2009 felt like a year of saturation, a lot of labels releasing a lot of artists on an apparently open ended basis. The shear volume of output, the unerring stream of accompanying platitudes and the liquid ease of the internet/ipod has lent a certain sense of transiency to the process of music listening. Through the malaise its been lovely to see labels like Home Normal, SMTG Limited and Under The Spire emerge, whilst established favourites like Touch and Raster Noton have flourished apparently undiluted and unhindered by commercial concern. From 2009 I’ll take away the live performances of Philip Jeck, Gavin Bryars, Fennesz, Mountains, Machinefabriek’s wire wool zither, Jasper TX playing his wedding ring, the reverent hush of Boduf Songs. Its been a privilege to share a stage with Isnaj Dui, Simon Scott, Andy Cordle, Lisa Madisson and Jon Meade. A special mention should also go to London venues the Flea Pit and Cafe Oto who have continued to program explorative live events regardless of their meagre financial rewards.

In no particular order, my albums of the year:

Desire, II
Kreng, l’autopsie
Black to Comm, Alphabet 1968
Pillow Diver, Sleeping Pills
Hildur Gudnadottir, without sinking
AtomTM, Liedgut
Ben Frost, By the Throat
Isnaj Dui, Unstable Equilibrium
Simon Scott, Navigare
Kate, Pareidolia

Antony Harrison //konntinent
homenormal.com

The sharp edges that I used to find grating are now so deeply satisfying. Am I hearing it differently? I don’t know. But I do know that for me, listening to music like B.J. Nilsen’s seems to slow the passage of time. Gradually, the sounds combine to build a scene that remains constant over an extended period of time, giving you the time to peel away the surface and submerge yourself in the substance beneath. It really focuses the mind. It’s what I imagine meditation must be like.

B.J. Nilsen is one of the shining lights of the treasured Touch label roster and a luminary of electronic drones and field recordings. I just recently discovered his stunning last album, The Short Night (Touch, 2006), and his latest, The Invisible City, is another high water mark. Nilsen has traveled as far afield as Japan and Portugal for the source material for his field recordings and the track notes provide fascinating insight into the building blocks of Nilsen’s compositions. Along with the electronics, acoustic instruments (Hildur Gudnaudottir makes another appearance on [pitch-regulated] viola) and processors he uses, Nilsen lists the recorded sound sources.

And so, “amplified chair dragged across floor”, “window shutters”, “steel whistle coffeepot” and “birdsong” place their indelible mark on the opening track Gravity Station. A few minutes in, underneath a steady thick metallic drone and the hum of vibrating electrical lines, you can just barely make out what sounds like the weaving tones of a Middle Eastern flute – something you might hear off in the distance in a busy sun-drenched Arabian market. Or is it my imagination? Then, halfway through the almost 17 minute track, the chair and shutters lurch loudly and rudely across the sound field, heralding a rather menacing and doom-laden finale. A frantic chorus of birdsong whips things into a frenzy before the end comes with desperate bursts of twisted noise.

What does it all mean? I don’t know. But on the whole, Nilsen’s sound sculptures – which seems to me a more fitting description than “music” – are ominous. If they are indeed a representation of some aspect of city life, then it must be of an urban underbelly. Of dark things that lurk underneath the surface, like the high-pitched static squeals in Scientia that recall rats scurrying around the sewers beneath our cities. But more than anything, the music evokes industry and technology, from churning motors and machinery grinding to a halt in Phase and Amplitude to a burst of a fax transmission at the beginning of Virtual Resistance. Digital data snaking its way through the invisible passageways that lie behind the walls of our constructions.

The ironic thing is that many of the field recordings originate in nature. Bumblebees, wasps, birdsong, flapping wings, crows, rain, footsteps on snow, “dead trees leaning against each other”. But they are usually manipulated and processed to such an extent that they are unrecognizable. Nevertheless, they bring life, depth and movement to a cold and hard backdrop constructed of wires and steel. And together these elements form remarkable sound sculptures that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.

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Review prepared by Tigon for Headphone Commute.

See also Two and a Half Questions with B.J. Nilsen

myspace.com/bjnilsen | bjnilsen.com
touchmusic.org.uk

So, where is the invisible city?
The Invisible City grew out of material I had been working on for a period of three years. I think this city can be anywhere really, even in the middle of the woods or in the desert. Wherever you want to place it.

The atmosphere on the albums is dark and hard. Is that a reflection of a pessimistic view of the world?
It’s very much linked to the modern city – a busy, abstract, tempting, dangerous and hard but beautiful place where animals and trees have as hard a time in getting by as we do. I don’t want it to be seen as dystopian! Not at all… Life’s too short!

You’ve gone as far afield as to Japan to collect the field recordings for the album. How do you view the role of field recordings in your music?
It’s very important. It’s the core of my work. But I’m not an audio archivist and therefore I allow myself to process the material freely and add whatever sources I want. But I am very affected by the surroundings when I record my source material and sometimes it’s very enlightened and spiritual when you really ‘tune’ in… (without wanting to sound too hippie!).

You seem to have gotten into this kind of experimental music pretty early on. How did that happen?
I don’t really know what happened. But some friend from childhood borrowed an old synthesiser and the way we looked at sounds changed from then on. I knew this was what I wanted to do. Very early on I began to record concrete sounds and make pause button cut-ups from the TV and radio on a tiny cassette recorder. In school, we were a bunch of people who were into the same music so we consumed a lot of records and tapes in a short time.

What are some of your main influences?
The influences change all the time. I love music that doesn’t age. I’m pretty tolerant and can appreciate most music but I don’t like to be force-fed with it. Influences can also be stuff like typography, architecture, space, time, coffee, good food and sound.

Where do you see yourself heading with your music?
I’m not sure but it will change. Possibly I’ll move more towards installations and I would also like to work with other media.

You’ve had some memorable collaborations in the past, such as with Chris Watson on Storm. Are there any particular artists that you would like to work with in the future?
Filmmaker Bela Tarr.

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Interview prepared by Tigon for Headphone Commute.

See also review of The Invisible City

myspace.com/bjnilsen | bjnilsen.com

Imagine dubstep strung up and gutted by space marine rastas, with tense atmospheres, roaring bass lines and raging tempos that can go neck-and-neck with the likes of Excision, Rotator and DJ Hidden, and you come somewhat close to nailing the sound. Pigeonholing it as “darkstep” does a disservice to its unhinged nature. Each track is its own mechanized beast. A rogue unit. Halfway through “Meltdown” the gears noisily shift from a tribal deathmarch to frenetic drum’n'bass warfare. “Pyrotek” machineguns its way into breakcore/gabber territory. The grime of “Dubversion” (which Hecq later re-calibrates in a chop-shop fashion) is caked on so thick, it’s a wonder its tank treads still move. Everywhere is the reek of corpses and napalm.

This isn’t a stealth mission. This is an all-out, take-no-prisoners invasion, chainguns and flame throwers blazing. Were you to send “Zealot” back in time, Terminator style, to anyone listening to Bloody Fist Records or Digital Hardcore Recordings, they’d immediately surrender… after soiling themselves. The future is frighteningly advanced. Broken Note has seen to it. Stop crying and get up, soldier.

Terminal Static is the debut release by the duo on Ad Noiseam. In addition to the above mentioned Hecq remix, the CD contains a rework by Enduser appearing on the album as I Am The Sun. Check out Broken Note’s previous 12″, Let ‘Em Hang / Meltdown (Ad Noiseam, 2009), War In the Making / No Struggle (Ruff, 2008), and  Fueling The Fire EP (Damage, 2008). In addition to the above mentioned names, this release is recommended for the likes of Reso, Innasekt, King Cannibal, and Hektagon.

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Review prepared by Autodestruct exclusively for Headphone Commute

See also Two and a Half Questions with Broken Note

myspace.com/brokennoteuk
myspace.com/adnoiseam | adnoiseam.net

Your music is perfect for the virtual battlefield. I want to blast it in my giant mech suit while mowing down civilians. Can you see yourselves lending your cinematic riot sounds to film or game soundtracks?
Maybe, its been suggested to us enough times by various people. I think it would be fun thing to try but i wouldn’t want it to compromise the amount of time we have to work on music too much. Don’t want to compromise my dignity either- wouldn’t want to sell my soul to the devil (hence- I would consider it for independent media.)

What goes through your minds when you make your music?
A lot of things go through my mind when I write music. I know I am completely engaged with a tune when If im working on a part that is built for a dance floor i might get an image of really large sound system, maybe at a Teknival or something. Once i get that image it helps me to be very objective about what needs to be done to the tune. If im writing something a little more cinematic, i’ll get more epic landscape type images – be it a view over a smogged out city or view in the mountains. Every crowd reacts differently which is one of the best parts of performance – theres no set rules of what is going to go down and what is not. So i just play what i like!! haha

How do dance floors react?
We play at a lot of different kinds of nights with very different line ups some people get it and go nuts, and some people dont get it at all and stand there like a dog being shown a card trick. Over-all we generally get really good response from everywhere we play.

There is a re-tooling of Juno Reactor’s track on here. Can you describe your relationship with Ben Watkins?
I’ve known Ben since i was 15 and when i first met him id never produced a track in my life, i was playing in bands at the time. He introduced me to some of the basics of producing and engineering. Tokyo Dub was a track we really enjoyed remixing on a personal level, it felt like we were giving something back to someone who has shown me so much.

What’s your next tactical strike?
Got a new 12′ single Channel Zero out in feb on Prspct Recordings, thats a kind of half step/DnB banger with a Cooh Remix of Pyrotek on the flip. Been working on and off with MachineCode aka Current Value & Dean Rodell last few months – got some devastating stuff brewing up there!! Starting a collab with Dj Hidden next week, which is properly going to be going out on Ad Noiseam in the near future.

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Review prepared by Autodestruct exclusively for Headphone Commute

See also review of Terminal Static

myspace.com/brokennoteuk

It’s tough to approach the review of this album, especially since it spans across two discs and 18 tracks! I’ll get right down to it, and skip the first volume altogether, which is melodic electronica and light IDM. The only reason I am jumping over the first disc, is because with the amount of great music on this double volume,  I want to get straight to the goodness. Apologies for that, but I do not mean to send a wrong signal. So with your permission I’m moving on to the darker side of Jega, because the second disc is where he truly shines.

Here, the random palette of synth melodies is replaced by the darker strand of electro, that breaks its jagged tooth against  the broken beats. Atmospheric pads still linger in the background, while the front-lines are dominated by impeccable rhythm structures and a heavily processed dose of virtual effects. Synthesis geeks will be proud to hear their brains being tweaked through the naughty twists of Jega’s ridiculously time-consuming production.

I have a feeling that it took Nathan nine years to release this album simply because he chose to tweak every possible VST plug-in out there and throw each and every one of them into the mix. Variance is like a detox manual for DSP junkies on a thousand ways to mess up the beat. Listening to Latinhypercube I find myself cringing my nose and going “What in the world was that?” Drilling rhythms decompose into voices, into flashbacks of a bad trip, into sick mental sound too crippled to dance. A few tracks (like Aerodynamic and Kyoto) remind me of  Chris Cunningham’s short film, Rubber Johnny, where an erratic and delusional mutant child is dancing in his wheelchair to a spasmodic beat of Aphex Twin’s “afx237 v7” track taken off of his album drukqs (2001, Warp). Looks like Cunningham may have a new challenge!

For the full background on Nathan’s history, see my Headphone Commute flashback to Geometry where you will learn of his releases on Skam and Matador, as well as his influence on Mike Paradinas (µ-Ziq) and the beginnings of Planet Mu. This album is a must have for fans of Autechre, AFX, Wisp, Squarepusher, Clark and all things juicy erratic. Come and get your fix.

myspace.com/dylanjeganathan | jega.com
myspace.com/childrenofmu | planet-mu.com

For over a few weeks I worked on this mix, adding one favorite track after another, regardless of genres, yet always trying to keep my finger on the steady beat, smoothing out the peaking spikes of the transients, fading in BPMs outside of their norm. So is it possible to create one seamless journey across a grab bag of my favorite genres, traversing electronica techno, breakcore, drum’n'bass, dubstep, tech-house, and more? I’ll let you be the judge.

The title of this mix, DSM-IV-TR, comes from the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which was republished in the 4th text revision in 2000. If you happen to get your hands on this manual, I suggest that you peak into Chapter V: Mental and Behavioral Disorders, which covers dementia, hallucinosis, schizophrenia, and even sexual dysfunction. I hope you enjoy this trip through the swings of my own moods, even if it is deeply rooted in the Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD.

~HC

[ S T R E A M ] | [ D O W N L O A D ]

Track Listing:

[ S T R E A M ] | [ D O W N L O A D ]

Jeff has been releasing music on a variety of prominent labels, entering the spotlight since his 1999 debut, L’usine. When his music reaches InterContinentaL barriers, he appends an ICL suffix to his alias. Hence, all of his releases on the German Hymen label are under Lusine ICL, including my absolute favorite ambient marvel, and a top favorite of Headphone Commute’s from 2007,  Language Barrier (Hymen, 2007). The Lusine moniker appears mostly on all domestic labels, such as Ghostly International.

Over the contemplating chord progression and occasional vocoder phrases, familiar elements introduced in the above mentioned Language Barrier, appear in a subliminal field of sound. These are the ambient pads, accented with microscopic percussion bits, creased into crumbled lo-fi beats, and smoothed out on a sonic surface. Just as the vocoder maps the frequencies of sampled voice over synthesized chords, Lusine succeeds in “mapping human emotions via technology”.

The Two Dots EP released by Ghostly prior to the album, has set expectations for Certain Distance, with its memorable hook completely consuming my auditory memory until I admitted my defeat on Headphone Commute’s 20 EPs of 2009. The rest of the tracks on the album, deserve a 12″ EP each on their own. Each is a unique exploration of the marriage between organic and laptop, downtempo and dancefloor, tech house and pop. Highly recommended.

Read also Two and a Half Questions with Lusine

myspace.com/lusinespace | lusineweb.com
myspace.com/ghostlyinternational | ghostly.com

The twenty dollar question: would you call your latest release “pop”?
Well, I was focused more on verse/chorus song structures on a few of the tracks, so in that sense yes. That’s mostly how I conceive of “pop” in a musical sense, as opposed to the typical build/break-down song structures in electronic music. But, “pop” means radio friendly to most people, so I guess it depends on who you ask there.

Tell us about the “new direction” on A Certain Distance. Do you think it’s an actual departure from the sound of Lusine?
It’s a departure for me musically, but I’m sure a lot of people that know my music see a lot of similarities with the past. A small change to some ears can be a dramatic difference for me.

I found that each track can stand on a solid ground all on itself. Is there a central theme around the album?
Thanks. I think the central theme maybe is to kind of draw a line from the past to the present. Because I was working with lyrics, there was a lot more of a literal meaning behind specific tracks, so that was interesting. It made those tracks more grounded in actual events and concepts surrounding my life and my collaborators’ lives. It makes for a more interesting song writing experience I think.

Tell us about your collaboration with Vilja Larjosto. How did tracks turn into songs?
I met Vilja at the Red Bull music academy in Seattle in 2005. I was a studio engineer and she was a participant. We recorded a couple of vocal ideas when she had the time. One of them, I made into a track called “Weaver” that I released on the Emerald EP. I had some vocals still sitting on my computer a few years later, and I went back to them and realized I could make a track out of them. That was “Two Dots.” She had structured them differently, so I cut them up and changed the rhythm and then recorded more vocals from her to fill out the vocal track. We worked on “Twilight” long distance. I sent her a musical idea and she came up with vocals, and we went from there.

Language Barrier is still one of my favorite albums. Is there another minimal and ambient album in store for us?
Maybe, but I have no plans for that. It’s a lot of work to keep a consistently ambient mood throughout a release like that. It was a perfect time for that album because I had just finished working on a film score, so I was in that head space already.

Read also Headphone Commute review of A Certain Distance

myspace.com/lusinespace | lusineweb.com

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UPDATE: THE RESULTS ARE IN!

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I really appreciate all of you who took the time to answer these ten questions! These results will really help me optimize my time. I’ve received an overwhelming amount of feedback from all of you, and here are some of the findings that I’d like to share with you!

1. Most of you found Headphone Commute through a variety of places, although a nice chunk of you still got here through Google (of course), about 15% still surf over via last.fm, 10% from Facebook, and the rest via HC reviews on Amazon.com, Discogs, The Music Lobby, and a few of my favorite podcasts – Electronic Explorations and Solipsistic Nation.

2. You guys read the reviews directly on the site – so I’ll keep pumping energy into that, with 27% of you reading via Facebook, and 20% via your favorite RSS reader. Pretty much no one reads on myspace, as I expected, so I’ll probably stop publishing there, as this will save me a ton of time!

3. You do read every few days (35%), so I’ll keep pumping out the content. And even though 20% of you read HC daily, I’ll admit – my goal for 2010 is quality, not quantity.

4. Your favorite feature is, of course, album reviews. 20% of you love everything, with Two and a Half Questions taking the third and fourth place. Only 8% like Label Profiles – to me that means that I should instead make that a bit more exciting. Right?

5. Your favorite feature of the reviews are the references to other artists. This was an overwhelming response, peaking at 48%! I would have thought it’s audio samples, which came in second at 24%. Not surprisingly, the recently added youtube videos are only liked by 3%, so I’ll probably curb my time in digging those up. A few nice ‘other’ comments that warmed my heart included “quality of writing” and “intelligence”. Thank you for that.

6. Oooh, this is my favorite question, regarding the favorite genres. Here’s the roundup in descending order of most votes: Ambient, Minimal and Experimental, IDM, and Modern Classical, with the rest (10%) loving everything! It’s wonderful to know that HC attracts a sophisticated and discerning audience. Not that there’s anything wrong with other genres! At 5% of votes we still captured shoegaze, post-rock, dubstep, trip-hop and breakcore.

7. This one was interesting as well. Regarding questions I should ask the artists more about, you wanted to hear about their production techniques (25%) followed by musical influences (23%), anything at all (17%) and upcoming releases (12%). Some of you recommended that I should also ask about the studio setup, how the artist got started, and their motivation.

8. I’ve got hundreds of submissions on artists that you guys want me to interview. I don’t even know how I’m going to go about summarizing this one. But be assured that I’ll read each one!

9. So who is lurking at these pages? 34% of you turned out to be musical connoisseurs, with 22% being artists. We also have 20% casual listeners, while the rest are DJs, label owners, and other journalists. A few ‘others’ made me smile as well – these are “electronic music addicts”, “half assed artists”, “music geeks”, with one “human”, and even one “motherf—er”. Nice one!

10. The last open ended question allowed you to leave me anything at all. I’m not surprised some of you want more free music – I’ll try my best to provide that when I can [HC mixes are your best option]. But most of you simply thanked me for my work and encouraged to just keep on going! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear! Thank you for all your kind words – this is precisely the kind of thing that fuels my desire to share the words about good music!