Clem Leek and the Schedios label

mp3/320/rs - Clem leek - Through The Annular (Schedios/001, jan, 10)

mp3/320/rs - Clem leek - Snow Tales (Not on label, feb, 10)

Clem Leek and his new label Schedios is a recent discovery for me, and so great this is! personally, his music affects me in a really sad and introvert way, opening up inner doors to my thoughts and feelings. i feel closeness to myself and the ongoing life around me when listening to this. it's both so sad and so beautiful. i hope you check this out, and keep an eye open for both Clem Leek and the Schedios label. and don't miss the second release from this label, the already much talked about debut by Anna Rose Carter, out tomorrow!

here's some links for you to check out:

schedios.co.uk

clemleek.bandcamp.com

myspace.com/clemleekofficial

myspace.com/annarosecarter

and here's a review i read at headphonecommute.com:

"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."

Nos Phillipé - Nos Phillipé (Black Atlas/001, 2010)

mp3 / 320 / 116mb / rs | rel. jan 10 | blackatlas.org

"Nos Phillipé (Jonathan Webb and Robert Hopps) construct highly immersive compositions by combining processed raw material, sound collage and electroacoustic improvisations around a cohesive and focused sonic narrative. Throughout the three pieces on the album, Nos Phillipé interweave an array of carefully crafted drones, tones, heavily distorted effects and detailed layered textures to create an intensely claustrophobic and tangible aural environment. These three pieces act as the constituent parts of the duo’s definitive sound to date. Formed in late 2004 the pair’s recorded output consists of one self released limited edition CD-R and a CD (’Shh… Camille’) released on Mark Wastell’s Confront Collector’s Series label in January 2008. They have also shared live billing with the likes of Oren Ambarchi, Evan Parker, Sudden Infant, Henrik Rylander, Max Eastley, Jason Kahn, Eddie Prevost, Charles Hayward and Lol Coxhill amongst others." - Black Atlas.

Relmic Statute - Morning Tapes (Hibernate/010, 2010)

mp3 / 320 / 138mb / rs | rel. feb 10 | hibernate

it's been on repeat all evening here while i was reading "Garde Manger, the art and craft of the cold kitchen" and sometimes glanced the silent TV picturing moments from the olympics. a lovely album that put me in the best of mood this calm evening at home.

btw, cd of this is still available at the friendly Hibernate

and this is what the Norman says:

"Morning Tapes is a CD by a Leeds based sound artist called David Horner. He's going under the moniker Relmic Statute here, supplying the listener with beautiful, eerie & spacious atmospherics, field recordings, acoustically enhanced industrial tinkering & haunting blankets of audio drift. His music is brilliantly balanced between meditative calm & the poignancy of dawn, another day is awakening and this journey can be seen to symbolise both reflection & hope for the approaching day ahead. Some smashing work here, pretty evocative in all its minimal, ponderous majesty. Ltd to 200 on the ever popular Hibernate."

Relmic Statute live 11th March, Hebden Bridge, UK. more info

Byetone - Feld (Bine/001, 2003)

mp3 / 320 / 85mb / rs | rel. 2003

"Feld was the inaugural release on the Bine label, and it was also the debut full-length from Olaf Bender, one-third of the team behind Raster Noton (alongside Frank Bretschneider and Carsten Nicolai) and, of course, an artist in his own right. Although the glitch-led austerity that's most closely associated with the core Raster Noton sound is very much evident in his work, Bender's music has always leant pronouncedly towards beats and more explicit rhythms. Consequently, micro-electro pieces like 'Land', and the jarringly accessible 'Europa 70' diverge from the sort of sound palette you might associate with the man and his label, but the mesmerising dub pinhole surgery of 'Fremd' is up there with the most precise and infinitessimal Raster Noton output."

Taylor Deupree - Polr (Raster Noton/031, 2000)

mp3 / 320 / 92mb / rs | rel. 2000

Boomkat wrote this for the 2006 reissue:

"Well here’s something I didn’t think we'd have in again. Taylor Deupree’s single Raster Noton album released back in 2000 on the label’s Static series (which saw releases packed in an anti-static bag) has been out of press for years now, totally unavailable to the masses – and now it’s back once again. Since 2000 Deupree has amassed a sizable fan-base, not least due to his ever-reliable 12k imprint. The upstate NY based label has tirelessly amassed a bulging throng of tantalising releases from Shuttle 358’s world beating ‘Frame’ to Ghislain Poirer’s minimal outing ‘Il N’y A Pas De Sud’ but it has been Deupree’s own albums which have shown the most consistency and progress. On 2002’s ‘.Stil’ he showed he wasn’t afraid to move into more melodic territory, and then threw this sentiment even further with ‘January’ (on Spekk), ‘Post Piano’ (on Sub Rosa) and his most recent excursion ‘Northern’. For those of you who have become accustomed to Deupree’s glacial melodic structures and who haven’t ventured too far into his earlier experiments prepare to be confounded – Polr is something different entirely. Taking a chunk of influence from the untouchable Sahko camp with an assured nod to Mika Vainio, ‘Polr’ has melodic elements submerged almost to the point of inaudibility beneath static clicks and pops, electrical pulses and weighty sub-bass blips. Rhythms are formed carefully and precisely, almost urging the tracks into 4/4 territory but never straying into anything that could be mistaken for ‘formula’ – instead Deupree tricks and trips his way through the tracks and ends up with a record that sounds like something Autechre might have made if they had been confined to an icy cave somewhere in Northern Europe. If you are already a fan of Raster Noton’s impeccable output then the fire in your belly should already be burning white hot for this very special cd – and the added interest of it being from the one and only Taylor Deupree should have fans tripping over themselves. A fabulous statement in icy minimalism – buy it before they disappear for another six years."

Donnacha Costello - Together Is The New Alone (Mille Plateaux/104, 2001)

mp3 / 320 / 140mb / rs | rel. 2001

"Easy to see how certain releases have been overlooked on Mille Plateaux – a revered and highly esteemed label whose only shortfall is that of a release schedule that seems to expand with such ceasless enthusiasm and frequency that few can keep up. This, then, is a truly marvellous record, one that seems to stand slightly to the left of much of MP’s clicky output. With an entrenchment inside tone, rather than click, Donnacha’s flavour comes from the same school of electronic drift that has personified Kompakt’s ‘Pop Ambient’ scene. Tracks like ‘In Spite Of Everything’ reverberate with distant Piano’s, hissy chops of rhythm and layers of semi-accoustic ambience. ‘Slowly Sinking in’ revolves in and out of electronic traditions and ends up sounding not-unlike Geiom / Morgan Caney’s forays into organic electronica. The album works incredibly well from start to finish, an emotional exercise in creating ambience that avoids the use of cliché and sinks you into a world of comfort and tired-eyed sleepiness....of the best kind. Don’t make the mistake of letting this slip by. Essential.."-Boomkat

Modul - Isol (Raster Noton/058, 2004)

mp3 / 320 / 105mb / rs | rel. 2004

"Having closely followed and loved the work of Dublin’s Donnacha Costello (with his sublime “Together is the New Alone” album for Mille Plateaux at one end of the spectrum and his killer “Pleite” house project for the Trapez label at the other), we’ve been more than just a little excited at the prospect of the man delivering an album for the mighty Raster Noton. “Isol” largely keeps to the Bretschneider-ian prototype selection of sparse basslines and clicks as the driving force behind the tracks, starting with the opening “Shift I”. There are subtle melodic hums barely moving in tone but doing so with just enough brightness to imbue the track with undeniable warmth, something which is developed magnificently as the track slips into “Shift II”, the beats pattering with more determination as the track progresses. The Kkon tracks (1+2) rely on much higher frequency notes, but once again there is an inescapable warmth that stamps this album with the Costello mark of beauty, forcing you into an emotive rather than intelectual response. Something which, to these ears, should always be aplauded. Highly Recommended."-boomkat

Pliiant - Diipliioviila part 3, 3"cdr (Pliiant/005, 2010)

mp3 / 320 / 50mb / rs | rel. jan 10 | pliiant.com

Smallfish wrote:

"I’m well pleased to be able to bring you the third part of Pliiant’s Diipliioviila series! This is another cheeky, quirky selection of electronic based music with some really quite excellent funkiness going on. Every release has a slightly different vibe whilst keeping the overall flavour of groove intact and, as such, this one kicks off with some extremely toothsome disco vibes. Using that as a basis Pliiant strips it back to basics and then layers up some stupendously dramatic chords and sounds that give it more of a contemporary feel than you might expect. Clocking in at a mighty 11 minutes this is some seriously hypnotic gear and when that Hooky-style bass comes in you can’t help but tap along. The rest of the tracks are given over to varying styles ranging from funk to jazz and on through ambient and soundscapes. What can I tell you about Pliiant other than he’s one unique producer of very cool music. Lovely presentation once again and a killer collection of cuts. Check."

konntinent - Opal island (Home Normal/010, 2010)

mp3 / 320 / 152mb / rs | rel. jan 10 | homenormal.com

boomkat wrote:

"Konntinet is the moniker adopted by Anthony Harrison, previously seen on labels like Symbolic Interaction and Dynamophone Records. This Home Normal release is surely his highest profile work to date however, notably aided by a Taylor Deupree mastering job. In fact, much of the material on Opal Island wouldn't sound too out of place on 12k, although the release strays beyond the parameters of archetypal microsound-based material when Harrison's guitar gets involved. In these moments the album shifts over into a more post-rock styled mode that's perhaps comparable to some of Mark Nelson's Pan American material (listen to the delicate, downbeat tones of 'Frost Fair', for instance). Glitchy micro-rhythms add plenty of texture and rhythmic presence to Harrison's processed ambiences - something that works especially well during 'Dry Eyed', featuring singer Lisa Madisson. Guitars and vocals are sliced into with a digital scalpel, leaving what sounds a little like a chewed-up and dissolved version of a Beth Orton song. Full-blooded beats make an appearance on the record too, with '44 55 33' offering a kick drum backbone while various treated field recordings and blurry guitars slide around in a bath of reverb. For the most part though, any rhythmic elements are confined to irregular loop structures, or occasionally, surges in amp hiss that have been sculpted into percussion, and the record tends to function on a fairly abstract level - albeit one that retains a sense of song-craft and comes with a heavy dose of atmospheric wistfulness."

Microstoria - Snd (Mille Plateaux/025, 1996)

mp3 / 320 / 80mb / rs | rel. 1996

Second album by this German duo of Markus Popp (Oval) and Jan St. Werner (Mouse On Mars).

"Like a sound check for the Big Bang, Microstoria's snd simmers at a level just below consciousness and leaves you teetering on the edge of an explosion.

The album's eight tracks screech, swell, hum and bubble like a cat sauntering along an abandoned Moog. Everyday sounds, from the morning alarm clock to a siren passing under a window, swirl through the tracks as if through barely boiling water. Microstoria could be brainwashing you into donating your dog to the Jehovah's Witnesses, and you'd never know. Your conscious mind would be too busy trying to figure out what that noise was or where one track ended and the next began.

Tracks like "Teil Zeit" and "bpi" have no melody, no rhythm, no discernible instruments apart from the (unidentifiable, at least to these ears) electronic pantheon. On the other hand, Microstoria's defiant antistructuralism can be really rather soothing. Notes infiltrate thought and perception; the walls look a little stranger, outside noises become just another element of the composition."-review from Outer Sound

Microstoria - Init Ding (Mille Plateaux/017, 1995)

mp3 / 320 / 96mb / rs | rel. 1995

"Microstoria is a collaboration between Markus Popp (Oval) and Jan St. Werner (Mouse On Mars). The resulting music is an electronic soundtrack, not without structure, not without melody. The "instruments " used are what could be seen as their successors- machines and digital technology. Where Oval excudes authorship of music, Microstoria explores authorship, especially in relation to improvisation. The tones used in composition are mechanized,yet paradoxically rich. The resulting pieces are organic in feal, a striking result when viewed in context with their origions.

Once instruments were physical entities connecting the creative individual through tuition and technical skill to the almost metaphysical world of music. The distinction between computing device and a "musical instrument" was increasingly blurred since the 1950's; however, it left the composer in charge of his/her machinery. More recently in the 1990's things have merged into one computer-based (formerly "programmable" or "computer controlled") authoring environment-still fully capable of hosting the residual "old" music media as well as its terminology. The transition from the 50's perspective to the 90's put an already well introduced component of music production newly into focus: software-rendering the composer the designer. Atavisitic concepts like an instrument end up as a tutorial vocabulary, or in other words a helpful software metaphore. Microstoria has goals and tasks for the near future: music as organized acoustic and music as software."

VA - Raster-Noton Oacis (Raster Noton/cat003, 2000)

mp3 / 320 / 99mb / rs | rel. 2000

Oacis is an ultra-slick 100 page book from raster-noton. The included CD contains the following:

1 Alva Noto - Impulse

2 Byetone - Form

3 Komet - Band

4 COH - Infra

5 Komet - Log

6 Alva Noto - Prototype B

Kyle Bobby Dunn - A Young Person's Guide To (Low Point, 2010)

removed by request / 320 / 247mb / rs | rel. jan 10 | low-point.com

sad and beautiful. heartbroken but optimistic. peaceful. wonderful.

boomkat wrote:

"This new Low Point edition takes the four original tracks from Kyle Bobby Dunn's Moodgadget album, Fervency, and expands upon them with a whole extra batch of material, enough to fill up a second CD. Perhaps because of the double-length formatting, Dunn's music seems even more closely aligned with Stars Of The Lid, acheving a similarly time-elongating effect with his deeply immersive treatments of guitar, strings and brass. But for the excellent closing track, 'Small Show Of Hands' the first disc corresponds to the Fervency playlist (excluding the Moodgadget-only Viul remix, of course), so let's delve into the second disc for the bulk of the new material: 'Grab (And Its Lost Legacies)' is an incredible opening piece, sounding like a gradually shifting layer of brass overtones, virtually frozen for eleven minutes. Exhibiting a little more variation and a broader tonal palette, 'Empty Gazing' suggests what it might sound like if Biosphere's produced a Harold Budd record, embedding repeated orchestral phrases in a dense clump of processed ambience. The quality keeps on coming with the painfully brief 'Last Minute Jest', which treats half-finished piano phrases in foggy delays, while arguably the finest piece is left until last: 'The Nightjar' rounds off this wonderful collection with a booming low-end presence and a beautifully blurry sequence of bowed chords that eventually dissolve into a mysterious dialogue recording. There are so many drone records around these days - and a good portion of these reach a pretty high standard - but with this one, you can rest assured that you're in for something very special."

Chihei Hatakeyama - Ghostly Garden (Own, 2010)

mp3 / 320 / 112mb / rs | rel feb 10 | ownrecords.com

what the label says:

"Chihei Hatakeyama is a sound artist and musician living on the outskirts of Tokyo. He polychromes memory-evoking soundscapes with various recorded materials of electric and acoustic instruments such as electric guitars, vibraphone and piano. With releases on Kranky, Room 40, Under the Spire, Hibernate Records, Magic Book Records and Spekk (as Opitope), he has quickly established a solid and unique footing in the emotive ambient music genre. RIYL: Stephan Mathieu, Greg Davis, Lawrence English, Celer."

Chihei Hatakeyama - A Long Journey (Home Normal, 2010)

mp3 / 320 / 91mb / rs | rel. jan 10 | homenormal.com

"A delightful way to start the week with this luscious work from Chiei Hatakeyama. As you’d expect this is a beautiful release that’s full of passion and calming, serene tracks with his signature natural flow. With Chihei’s music you can tell where he’s coming from by just reading the tracks titles; Reflecting On The Surface Of The Ocean, A Quiet Pond, Waves… they conjure up images of landscapes and seascapes, tranquil glades and warm afternoons. And the music perfectly suits these titles. Gentle, undulating ambience crafted with care and a lovely sense of charming melody. Mixing slightly more drone-based tracks with uplifting sonic textures, the blend works to create a soothing accompaniment to just about any situation. Whether working to it or simply relaxing and enjoying the friendly and engaging palette, you’ll get an awful lot of this time and time again. So dive in and allow yourself to be swept up in yet another exquisite release from Chihei and a further string to the mighty bow of the excellent Home Normal imprint. Recommended without hesitation." -boomkat

Minamo - Duree (12K, 2010)

mp3 / 320 / 105mb / rs | rel. jan 10 | 12k.com

"It feels like such a long time ago that I last heard any work related to Keiichi Sugimoto and, as he’s one of my favourite artists, it comes as a huge relief to finally hear something new… and so wonderful! 12k delivers yet another superb Minamo release that features everything I love about this 4-piece’s music; depth, warmth, experimentation and a seamless sense of the melodic. Cleverly balancing a keen ear for micro electronics with live instrumentation, Minamo construct pieces of music that are as playful as they are at time dramatic. There’s always a friendly tone waiting around most corners and some of the more overtly tuneful tracks here are nothing short of delightful. Combining folk, post-rock and electronica can be a difficult and demanding job, but Minamo do it with ease allowing tracks such as Helical Scenery to flow along with guitars and melodica, whilst the opening piece is more of an exploration of tonal shifts and fragmented sound, yet it still keeps everything 100% listenable. The piano moments are worthy of a special mention because of their delicate and heartfelt sound and the music box and toy cymbal finale is just plain hypnotic. With the perfect blend of electronic and live music, Minamo once again prove to be masters of their sound. Absolutely gorgeous."smallfish

Lena - Circonstances / Variations 1-4 (Bruit Clair, 2010)

mp3 / 320 / 66mb / rs | rel. feb 10 | bruitclair.com

sound sculptor Mathias Delplanque turns in electronic dub reworkings of his own track 'Circontances' from the 'Lost-Wax' album. Awesome!!

label says:

"Lena is french multi-producer Mathias Delplanque’s dubby techno project. His previous albums were released on various international labels such as Quatermass, Sounds Around and Plush.

Circonstances / Variations is a series of variations around the track Circonstances, from the album Lost- Wax by Lena and the Floating Roots Orchestra (released in 2008 on Plush).!

Without being actual remixes, yet roaming freely from the original track, these variations give Lena the opportunity to develop long, repetitive electronic layers with dub consonances.!

This series is co-produced by the labels Bruit Clair and Sounds Around and is to be unravelled on 3 vinyl EPs."

Ido Govrin - Moraine (Interval, 2010)

mp3 / 320 / 81mb / rs | rel jan 10 | interval-recordings.com

smallfish wrote:

"This is a splendid new release from the excellent Interval label with the man himself, Ido Govrin, delivering a wonderful album of engaging music. A combination of drone, ambient, experimental and live instrumentation, these tracks are thoughtful, at times intense, but generally delicately beautiful. Once again we’re treated to a deep blend that balances neatly between the soaring and uplifting and a more dissonant feel that helps to frame the more melodic pieces. Extended string soundscapes slowly morph and evolve over time with layers dropping in and out to give an almost classical edge to the compositions. The final two pieces, Medial and Recessional, take the sound into new territory, exploring ultra-minimalism on the former and grainy distortion on the latter – a fitting and dramatic end to a another first class releases from this really interesting imprint. For fans of Line, White_Line and Home Normal combined, this is a must-check CD. Tremendous."

Shaula - Haze (Under The Spire, 2009)

mp3 / 320 / 146mb / rs | rel. dec 09 | underthespire.co.uk

smallfish wrote:

"I believe this is Shaula’s debut release and what a way to kick things of it is! Haze features seven gorgeous slices of beatless ambience with electronic and organic textures and layers coming right to the fore. From the very beginning you can tell exactly where Shaula’s coming from sound-wise with an airy and delicate soundscape leading you gently in before allowing you to float softly into a world of sheer beauty. Not content with just putting together drones though, Shaula provides some really lovely purist electronic moments as well that use a more overtly melodic touch to reach out to you. The flow is superb and the longer tracks are deeply hypnotic and, well, overall this is a splendid way to kick off 2010 for Under The Spire. A hearty, well produced and arranged album that leaves me very keen to hear more work from Shaula. Delicious."

BJ Nilsen-The Invisible City (Touch, 2010)

mp3 / 320 / 140mb / rs | rel. jan 2010 | bjnilsen.com

boomkat wrote:

"Exceptional new album from BJ Nilsen featuring the sublime Viola contributions of Hildur Gudnadottir and made with the aid of Tape Recorders, Computer, Organ, Acoustic Guitar, Electronics, Viola, Subharchord and field recordings from Sweden, Iceland, Norway, UK, Japan, Portugal and Germany* Celebrated sound artist BJ Nilsen's last album 'The Short Night' was an endlessly rich and rewarding album, one that's really grown in stature ever since its release a couple of years back, so we've been eagerly awaiting this brand new album - "The Invisible City". Recorded in Berlin, the album explores the potential of one of the very earliest synthesizers, the Subharchord stationed at Berlin's Udk, a relic of former GDR engineering developed to explore subharmonic sound. Nilsen uses these sources and many others to weave complex, anachronistic and challenging narratives which never fail to immerse you into his world, exploring physical and psychogeographic relationships between sounds, whether savouring the crunch of snow underfoot or juxtaposing sheer scales of sound both artifical and supra-natural with a riveting unpredictability. Fast becoming one of our favourite artists on the always-compelling Touch imprint, Nilsen has once again delivered an album that's both fearlessly dark, almost unnervingly so, and yet somehow inherently tender, letting in rare shafts of light through its tight-woven web of gloom. Very highly Recommended."