Lichter is the first piece in a new series of electroacoustic dub compositions by Mouse on Mars. It is a massive, lurching, up-tempo percussive epic – a long-haul runaway train that keeps switching tracks without ever losing sight of its destination. Like much of Mouse on Mars’ output, Lichter deftly traverses a varied sonic landscape, encompassing elements of jazz, dub, krautrock juke and psychedelia. 

Lichter incorporates trigger robots built by Sonic Robots’ Moritz Simon Geist and features Andi Toma & Jan St. Werner’s long time collaborator Dodo NKishi on percussion. The basic layers were produced with a feedback software called smrph, and were edited, arranged and used as a foundation for various live and studio improvisations. The 13min track, Lichter, is a concentration of these various layers. Lichter is also a highly visual piece, and performed live it employs a bespoke network of light-bulbs triggered by data derived from the sounds and pulses of the composition.

Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner have been recording and playing live as Mouse on Mars since 1993, and have released over a dozen albums. In 2014 the duo celebrated their 21st birthday with a curated festival at Berlin’s HAU theatres, and an accompanying compilation which showcased the band’s numerous collaborations. 

*This is an edited version of Lichter. The vinyl version is 13 min*


Lichter

Mouse on Mars – Lichter (excerpt) IGR10

Taken from the album 'Hubris' released as LP, CD and Download,
Players: Oren Ambarchi, Crys Cole, Will Guthrie,  Arto Lindsay, Joe Talia, Ricardo Villalobos, Keith Fullerton Whitman

Hubris

Oren Ambarchi 'Hubris Part 3 (excerpt)' (EMEGO 227)

*coming late september on LTD CD/LP through Miasmah rec.

You might be familiar with Matt Christensen as singer and guitarist of atmospheric masterminds Zelienople. His most recent solo endeavour however embodies a song writer deeply involved with his own vision of sound, resulting in an accomplishment strong enough to stand on its own. Matt delivers a longing and emotional outreach through Honeymoons’ six delicate songs and immersing into them provides a feeling of understanding and affiliation that turns solitude into a state of awareness and insight. 

The sparse instrumentation of broad guitar/effects and incisive drum machine adds immediacy to this recording and the airy arrangements keep the perfect balance between song structure, free-form playfulness and silence. Accompanied by Matt’s echoing voice and personal lyrics, his recipe is being formed and dilated into an experience that requires devotion to be fully perceived and appreciated. "Im See-Through" may be the protagonist's self-perception but by guiding his compositions through foggy, pliant tone constellations he leaves us in doubt that Matt's output could ever be considered transparent.

His new album and first for Miasmah is a perfect reminder of how interfering contradictions can make the most interesting installations. The confrontation of organic guitar movements, stirring poetry and patterns of beat arrangements create fascinating tension: Honeymoons’ full scale won't unfold instantly but you will be captivated right away. We’re allowed a deeply moving glance into a contemplative musician's mind by witnessing an outstanding statement for imparting the feeling of companionship.

Honeymoons

Matt Christensen - Honeymoons

Sound excerpts from the track "The Marble" appearing on the forthcoming Svarte Greiner LP "Moss Garden", following in the footsteps of 2013´s "Black Tie" with 2 new sidelong pieces of zen music for disturbed souls. 

Miasmah records nov. 25th

Svarte Greiner - The Marble (excerpts)

Free Download
Unreleased Demo
Anduin: Jonathan Lee
Drums: Patrick DeWit
Mastering: James Plotkin

Conducting A Shadow

Artist: Grails
Title: Chalice Hymnal
Album: Chalice Hymnal
Release Date: February 17, 2017

Pre-Order: store.temporaryresidence.com/products/trr279

When Grails dropped their fifth studio album, Deep Politics in 2011, it was instantly hailed as a cult classic and became the moment when Grails truly cultivated a sound all their own. Six years later, they advance that sound with their most lush, expansive album of their inspired career, Chalice Hymnal.

Rather than pick up where they left off, Grails take the sky-high riff-based heaviness of their earlier albums and distill it into a nuanced, widescreen opus. The perennial influences of mid-20th century Western film scores, obscure library music, and psychedelic krautrock are indelibly imprinted, but Chalice Hymnal exudes an eerie patience in unfurling the many layers of its subtle details.

Produced by the band over the past five years, Chalice Hymnal bears some of the European psych and experimental hip-hop production techniques of founding members Alex Hall and Emil Amos' other group, Lilacs & Champagne. Amos' meditative metal band, Om, and longtime singer-songwriter project, Holy Sons, also naturally find their way into the Chalice cauldron. Rounding out their leaner line-up, cofounder Zak Riles (also of experimental kraut-psych trio, Watter) layers synths and programming into an electronic-prog hybrid that pushes Grails further into the deep end, displaying a profound resonance, both musically and emotionally. No one else sounds like Grails, and on Chalice Hymnal they sound more like themselves than ever before.