Russian cutting-edge Netlabel Musica Exentrica publishes four free downloadable mixes that give you a good impression what the ADD NOISE-festival(s) did sound like. Alongside the audio-documentation, a lot of beautiful photos are online on the website. Impressive work, guess Moscow wouldn’t be the same without the netaudio.ru-crew!
ADD NOISE 1 (10.2006)
ADD NOISE 2 (05.2007)
ADD NOISE 3 (09.2007)
ADD NOISE Sessions (11. – 12.2007)
Filed under: Media
Our man James Gardner a.k.a. Giraffe has been to Africa, bringing back disturbings pics like this… without further commentary.
After his portrait at the Phlow Advent Calender, Roland from the Machtdose-crew releases a beautiful Downbeat-/ Ambient-/ Minimal-mixtape at Loopzilla. Skip the borderline artwork and listen to 65 minutes of underwater-music.
Featuring Lipo (Sub Machine), Ian D. Hawgood (Resting Bell), Herzog (12rec.), Random Angels (Groovecaffe), Volker Selzner (Broque) and many more… soothing.
Filed under: Media
This is the recent live-lineup for KES – Kleines Einmannsportsegelboot, rocking hard in their wood-planked rehearsal room. KES is the main band by Bernhard Bauch and Simon Usaty you know for his awesome solo project Protestant Work Ethic (accidentally the most recent release at 12rec.net). The devilish fellow to the right is the enigmatic David Schweighart of Tupolev. Maybe you hear from him in 2008, maybe not… well. KES got a new record done (“Tous Les Soirs”) and it’s awesome. They are looking for a hardware label, and if you’re A&R at Sony, EMI, Warner or Universal, get back to me. Thanks.
Luke Vibert, IDM-visionary and Warp-artist of first row teamed up with electronic music-guru Jean Jacques Perrey to record on album of 100% Moog Acid. Nostalgic sounds mix with contemporary Techno- and Acid-styles, rich and inspiring. The record is out on Lo Recordings and it features a delightful and exclusive artwork by Dan McPharlin (see above) who also did the front for my Boring Music Vol. IV-compilation (see below). Three cheers for Dan!
“Sand and Loam” is the debut by Leipzig-based Markus Held a.k.a. Porcelain in the Backpack. The record is out on Zymogen Netlabel and it’s awesome. I post it here because many 12rec.-fans will probably dig the PITB-sound and I did the mastering or Markus, so… grap it! Here’s what Zymogen says about it:
“Marcus makes a very special blend of electronic music, combining strange instruments, field recordings, and hyper processed sounds. However, what we feel is most important about his music is the emotional emphasis placed in each of his tracks, regardless of the sonorous differences between them.
His particular approach to making music involves taking sounds from an array of sources, particularly acoustic instruments. The composition process which follows involves a kind of granular synthesis, whereby he creates a unique flow of organic and nearly tangible sound. Tracks like ‘The Burrowbuilder Comes Home’ and ‘The Branch was High and the Way was Long’ are perfect examples of this, as melodies are lost in waves of overlapping sound.
Sand and loam is another moving piece of work, both evocative and haunting. Each track seems to tell a nostalgic story of the past, with some deep seeded melancholic significance, that the listener is never meant to let go of or forget.”
How does that sound? Switch over!
Just in case you haven’t seen it already: right over at Phlow Magazine, mo. and me put up a Netaudio Advent Calender, featuring the Top Five-list of 24 Netaudio-celebrities for 2007’s free music. Every day, a new portrait is put online and at the end of the month, a huge report of all submitted lists will be published. Start with the vote of Jan from Aerotone (the Starbucks-drinking guy on the picture) or check my choice.
Austrian Autumn Pt. II
Protestant Work Ethic is Simon Usaty. Simon is songwriter and one quarter of KES (alongside Bernard Bauch), eventually Vienna’s finest alternative Rock- and Country-outfit and long-time inside tip (listen to “Nordwaggon” on 12rec.032). According to the name of his solo-project, Simon stripped of every superfluous knick-knack, focussing on a few acoustic instruments and his juvenile voice. But as a protestant work ethic might imply a success-orientated, rather rational concept for life, Simon decided to break with the cultural surplus of his moniker in this point. His work ethic is an emotional one.
In North America, kids grow up with Folklore and Country-music. And although 99% of the commercial Western & Country-genre is bullshit, one percent settles seed in bands like Wilco, Califone or the Bright Eyes. Right here, Simon Usaty manages what so little European musicians achieve: authentic, alternative Country-music. His voice has a certain moment of failure, still he’s an awesome vocalist, on stage and on his recordings. The chords he picks draw influence from Folk and Blues, the instruments are well chosen: acoustic guitar, banjo next to harmonica, cymes, accordion and bits of percussion. The overall feel of his EP is melancholy, but every now and then Simon pushes aside the clouds (“Walk the Plank”), at least a bit. Beach Boys-style vocal harmonies (“Weather Side”) take turns with introspective instrumentals (“Duba Ktana”) and shyly shivering gems of Pop-songwriting (“Set Out to Take on”). If you’d like to see Protestant Work Ethic compared with other 12rec.-artists, you can imagine Simon’s music standing between UK-based Crepusculum and Californian Giraffe.
The “Turned, and Turning EP” is a destillate from Simon’s self titled debut-album released back in 2005. The CDr-version won’t include the outtakes, but you can ask for the whole thing if you dare. Furthermore, look out for the magnificent new KES-longplayer “Tous Les Soirs”. We’ll keep you posted.
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Turned, and Turning EP @ 12rec.net (hit this link for direct download)
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