It’s Saturday. I assume you have a bit more time than during the working week. So, here’s 45 minutes of ambient to provide a bit of space for you to unwind. It’s a really rather lovely piece of almost-nothing-there ambient. Some soft chords and a bit of keyboard but beguiling nonetheless. Coraltree says “Music for ‘150 Embroidered Faces’ exhibition by Sasha Braulov, that took place in Taiga Space (Saint Petersburg, Russia) back in December 2016.”
New from Tudor Acid, Imaginacoh sounds rather marvellously like music from a 70s children’s TV show mixed with a bit of Orbital-esque acid.
No doubt there is a proper review to be written of this lovely track. But that person’s not going to be me. I’m too busy smiling and skipping giddily round my kitchen. You carry on.
Blurb: Tudor Acid (Richard Wigglesworth) was born in the year that Kraftwerk’s ‘Autobahn’ was released. He went to school just round the corner from Chenies manor, Henry VIII’s country residence which was rumoured to be haunted by Anne Boleyn’s ghost. Home was a stone’s throw from the newly constructed M25 and when local newspapers started printing lurid stories about drug-addled youngsters dancing to mind-bending music it was clear that they were frankly more terrified by the music itself than anything else round it. This fact itself provided impetus for Richard to make tracks on cheap synthesizers and drum machines after school. Going on to study at Sheffield – a city on the move with a steel techno pulse, Wigglesworth stayed on, ostensibly to do a PhD in Quantum Mechanics but realistically because it was essential to carry on going to electronic music nights for inspiration. This interest in sound shaping led to gigs in London at the turn of the millennium. A highly limited 7″ ‘Time Is A Chasm’ followed. Released under the name, Hysteresis, it was played by John Peel (at the correct speed) in November 2002. Settling in Bristol, which is a city under a variety of grooves, Tudor Acid was gradually brought to life. Initially taking a step back to develop music which worked on the dancefloor, gigs at the legendary acid night, I Love Acid followed. These nascent Tudor Acid sets that involved live 303 and 909 drum machines, drew the attention of Keith Tenniswood (Radioactive Man) and an ecstatic crowd reaction. Tudor Acid then went on to perform a career-defining gig at Lo Motion in January 2008. In recent times, the Tudor Acid sound has been widened to incorporate the sound-shaping and tricks with time that were picked up in Sheffield and these have only served to heighten the audience appreciation. As well as singles and EPs, Tudor Acid has also released the albums, ‘Merri Portland’ (2010) and ‘Chronial’ (2015).
Friday’s finally here. A soothing start with Natriums and River Rave. Not sure what the aquatic theme is in the track. It’s not obvious to me. Nor indeed where the rave is located. This is trip hop but more in an experimental folktronica sense. Bits of guitar elide with chiming keyboards and clattering electronics. It’s a lovely float downriver.
Two techno tunes today. Colin Domigan offers Hard Reset and Dorian Clein brings ARA4.
Hard Reset by Colin Domigan starts off in a way that focuses on the beats and gives a sense that this is going to be punishing going. But that’s a misapprehension. There’s a lot more going on here than the beats. This is inventive in its use of a ‘robot’ vocal and a set of chords used as a teasing melody line. Clever stuff.
Dorian Clain’s ARA4 is less techno than a tech house take on techno. It has some of that tech house repetition but undercut with some synth optimism. Never allows the beats to get out of control. Cool and sophisticated stuff.
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Wednesday is melancholic ambient with sordid and Aonian.
Sordid arrives with Donnie (alone) and talk of dead dogs. The tune has a melancholic ambient edge without quite tipping into melodramatic. The beats are slightly broken and the air of repetition is welcome. Totally chilled.
Aonian offers Woven, a cinematic ambient tune full of piano and long tracking shots. The beats are pushed far, far into the background. The mood is one of endless ebb and flow. Of ceaseless emotional turmoil. The four minutes of the tune can feel like a moment held for an eternity of contemplation.
Stream: fanlink.to/woven
Download: smarturl.it/woven
Punctuation’s a tricky thing. But I am sure that WHATSGOOD is not only missing the space between the words but also the possessive apostrophe. What is the world coming to?
Assuming you don’t care, here’s WHATSGOOD’s tint up. A tune that has a Latin kind of feeling to it but mainly clatters its way past with all manner of pots and pans being battered in a n appealingly experimental way. Slightly chill but not really. Very good definitely.
If your Monday is feeling a bit monochrome, here’s a couple of day glo tunes to brighten your day from Jay Bird and Befoawhle.
Jay Bird First. A tune with Sinoox, Dream Catcher is full of hopeful synths and what he calls a progressive techno sound. The music gradually builds up to a cheery peak, taking some of EDMs styling but without ever quite tipping over the edge. A total Sunny Delight of a tune.
Free Download: www.toneden.io/jayb1rdmusic/post/dream-catcher
Befoawhle offers Still Friends. Takes a similar tack with synths leading up to a peak that has a slightly harder edge than Jay Bird’s one. That edge may come from the duality in the title, which has an ominous ambiguity. That’s confirmed by Befoawhle who says “I made this song for all of my friends. Many of my friends betrayed me. But I don’t regret of being friends with them.”
Download for free : thehusk.ca/gate.asp?t=322092289
