ASIP Releases (Previews)

Dennis White, Charlie May, and Dave Gardner return to ASIP with their second Volume, featuring 4 long-form tracks spread across a 2LP. Finding moments of melody amongst the wide landscape of abstract sounds and samples is the only glimpse of reality you’ll find down here. http://asip.me/asipv040

Quiet Places / Volume 2 (ASIPV040) [Previews]

German musician https://soundcloud.com/mary-yalex debuts on A Strangely Isolated Place depicting a storied transition from our recognizable surroundings, into a vision of the future. https://asip.me/asipv042

With releases and music styles across a variety of labels over the years, it has been Yalex’s more experimental ambient work that has stood out amongst her catalog, and in Fantasy Zone, we find Mary fine-tuning this sound to reflect the work of a true architect of storytelling, mood and atmosphere. 

Drawing influences from her day-to-day surroundings, Fantasy Zone begins with more vivid pieces; softer melodies and clearer instrumentation, represented as much in song titles such as Air, After Rain Comes Sun, and Half Light of Dawn. The second half of the album transitions into a future state, as Yalex draws on darker manifestations - perhaps intrinsically influenced by the state of the world, and in particular her love of nature, we play witness to more storied, haunting atmospheres, distant voices and slowly shifting gravitational chord movements. Dystopian-bound or pure fantasy, Yalex depicts a future that mirrors some of the more poignant, thought-provoking work of great synthesizer soundtracks of the past. 

Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri, and featuring artwork by Noah M / Keep Adding, Fantasy Zone will be available on Purple Smoke 12” and digital.

Mary Yalex / Fantasy Zone [Previews] (ASIPV042)

More info and to buy: http://asip.me/asipv043

Alex Albrecht https://soundcloud.com/melquiadesmusic has refined his unique triangulation of ambient, house, and instrumental influences over the years, either as one-half of Albrecht La’Brooy (Apollo) or under his Melquíades alias (Analogue Attic). Combining rich field recordings and hypnotic instrumentation, Alex’s productions are often recognizable thanks to this instantly warm and welcoming combination. Percussive elements and powerful drum patterns sit amongst perfectly executed melodies and dusky atmospheres; Alex’s music is just as suited for the orange hues of dawn as the purple tints of sundown.

A notably shorter album than we may hope, but sequenced as one complete listen, Alex is purposeful and precise in his approach, with every element completely additive to the last. Violet Visionary echoes a moment of organic evolution that disappears as quickly as it came into existence; peaking to a glowing embrace that will undoubtedly leave an impression.

Featuring original artwork by Evie Cahir and mastered by Corey Kikos (Sleep D), Violet Visionary is available on Transparent Orange Smoke (300 copies) 12” and digital.

Alex Albrecht / Violet Visionary (ASIPV043) [PREVIEWS]

Following their 2021 debut album, ‘Brama’, One Million Eyes return with their highly anticipated second album, ‘Iris’, set to captivate us once more through a kaleidoscope of analog and instrumental fragments...  http://asip.me/asipv044

One Million Eyes / Iris (ASIPV044) [PREVIEWS]

A showcase of individual tracks from our 2023 label releases and a special continuous mix of select tracks from https://soundcloud.com/djtodos
It’s become somewhat of a tradition since our first annual compilation release in 2019, and each year I find it tough to separate tracks from their album releases in this way. We pride ourselves on delivering an album format, and more often than not, specifically a conceptual album format that works best as a whole. So I appreciate the artists who allow us to separate their musical children for this worthy annual exercise. It’s so easy to skip over releases nowadays - at no fault of anyone but the pace of life and technology today - and so this compilation not only helps us reflect on the year gone by, but also ensures anyone new to the label, or dipping in and out over time, can get a taste of what we have proudly spent our time and passion presenting this year. Please take the time to visit each respective artist's release to realize its full form. 

Not only is separating tracks from an album format a formidable task, but finding a way to combine them in one seamless mix is even more so. Once again, we’ve asked our esteemed todos to provide the continuous mixed version. Creating a flow using a limited predetermined set of music across a variety of styles, moods, and tones is an almighty feat. But no-one does it better than todos. Here, he is left to his own devices as we have grown to admire time and time again, using snippets and samples from many of the releases, but focusing on delivering a long-form mix that stands on its own, using nothing but the ASIP 2023 library of music. 

It was a year that introduced new faces to the label with Iceland’s Gunnar Jónsson Collider providing a spectacular audio-visual experience in S.W.I.M, and welcoming Germany’s Mary Yalex who explored imaginary worlds of fascinating texture and melody. We fulfilled a long-awaited foray into more classic trance styles through the exciting Mikkel Rev, and finally presented the magical drums of Alex Albrecht’s heart-warming soundscapes. Max Würden continued his foray into expansive sonics with Landmark, and Quiet Places returned with their second Volume of psychedelic long-form trips into the unknown. One Million Eyes returned with more compelling genre-defiant magic, and OKRAA brought his live edits of his debut album 1994 to life once more. 2023 will also be remembered as the year Brock Van Wey’s Earth House Hold project came both full circle, and full stop. The last track title on this compilation coincidentally represents the perfect swan song for a project that has found a home on ASIP for the past five years. 

Thanks for all your support, comments and encouragement this year. We have an exciting 2024 lined up.

Available as Name Your Price on Bandcamp https://astrangelyisolatedplace.bandcamp.com/album/2023-label-compilation-mixed-by-todos

ASIP Label Compilation 2023 (mixed by todos)

https://soundcloud.com/salvatoremercatante arrives on ASIP with a stunning selection of maximalist electronic music. Walls of noise, soaring soundtracks, dense techno, glittering IDM, and minimal glitch, sit side-by-side to present an all-encompassing palette of sonic possibility.

Now available on gatefold transparent white smoke 2LP + digital. http://asip.me/asipv045

Salvatore Mercatante / Ø (ASIPV045) [PREVIEWS]

Mercatante is a New York-based electronic musician with self-releases dating back to 2007, appearing on a handful of boutique and independent labels. For his debut appearance on ASIP, Mercatante takes the concept of Ø [a symbol used in mathematics for an empty set or null] and explores the possibilities of starting out from nothing, "specifically, trying to understand how the idea of ‘nothing’ fits into the realm of sound, and at the same time, exist in a world of influence at every turn." This is an album that could easily appear on the celebrated raster label or get a head nod from the Alva Noto crowd. Across the ten surgically precise pieces, Mercante explores the concepts of meticulously placed sonic elements, investigating void and all that negative space. It is at once minimal in its execution and maximal in the presented sound, occupying frequencies evoked by glitchy IDM [is that still a used term?], post-techno and reductionist soundtracks.

"Beginning with open spaces and allowing sonic textures to live and evolve past where you may expect, Ø allows the space between notes to become equally as important as the notes themselves."

Love Of Lies

TRACK PREMIERE : Salvatore Mercatante - Love Of Lies

More info + links to buy: http://asip.me/asipv047

“Music gives us a place to be lost. Washing away thought, place, time, and identity. It’s in the falling into the river, the dream, that we find just who we could be”. 

Classically trained cellist, composer, and storyteller https://soundcloud.com/lihqun (Lih Qun Wong) presents her debut album, ‘Socha’ for A Strangely Isolated Place. Combining a vast instrumental skillset of piano, cello, electronics, and spoken word, she crafts intensely immersive aural-hallucinatory worlds of intricately shifting landscapes. 

A deeply personal work, Socha explores the ‘diaspora of time and space, and why we all feel so displaced.' Piano chapters capture the meeting place between memory and longing, while explorational vocal and cello textures invoke and echo the ancient, the feminine, and the otherworldly. 

Lihla’s voice guides us, weaving through electronics and field recordings of the ‘real world' to set the path for a poetic and deeply haunting journey through the internal psyche that is truly transportive and escapist. 

‘Socha’ is available on transparent smoke 12” and digital. Mixed by Sebastian Lee Philipp and mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri, featuring artwork by Lihla and Visions of Akira.

Lihla / Socha (ASIPV047) [Previews]

More info and buy links: http://asip.me/asipv046 

As a professional sound engineer by day, Colin Dunkerley aka Lapsed Pacifist, spends much of his time traveling and rarely gets to focus on producing his own music. Despite high praise from those who have become familiar with his work over the years, Colin’s previous productions have mainly consisted of shares with friends and DJs in smaller circles through his Negative Neutron alias. 

Colin envisaged a more pronounced and darker ambient style to emerge one day but struggled to dedicate the time. Hypatia came to life over an extended and fragmented period, with field recordings and loops of audio created on the go, later processed through his modular setup. In the autumn of 2022, Colin spent time collating and listening to these many fragments and field recordings, making notes in a book as he wandered around cold, unfamiliar places with headphones on, trying to shape disparate starting points into something thematically connected.  

The title of Lapsed Pacifist’s debut album, Hypatia is a reference to one of the many fantastical descriptions of imaginary places by Marco Polo in the book, Invisible Cities. Written as a dialogue between Mongol emperor Kublai Khan and Marco Polo, the book became the inspiration and a clear parallel for how Hypatia came to be and what it means to Colin today. 

Attaching music to a place and time can become a very powerful and long-lasting memory. Across its eight tracks, Hypatia depicts fragmented glimpses of color and textures –a scrapbook of senses– traversing the optimistic first steps; the first smell of cold air; cityscapes burnt into your head; and the many emotions from exploring new places that stick with you longer than any photograph ever could. 

“The experience of moving between places so frequently can be fascinating but also dislocating and often quite lonely. I have so many small stories about places I’ve been, but I often think they aren’t necessarily real reflections of anywhere, no more real than anything Invisible Cities author Calvino dreamt up”. - Lapsed Pacifist.  

Hypatia is available on transparent Copper smoke 12” + digital, mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri and featuring artwork by Noah M / Keep Adding.

Lapsed Pacifist / Hypatia (ASIPV046) [Previews]

Sun & Smoke is originally a 2-hour self-produced mix uploaded to Youtube and Soundcloud (https://asip.me/3wvukf4) in 2018 by Greek artist, https://soundcloud.com/dj_theef. Consisting of unreleased productions, the set was uploaded as a safe space, with zero expectations of it ever gaining attention or release.

After many late-night listening sessions, ASIP contacted Theef to discuss how a release might come to life. Originally consisting of 21 tracks in total –with two subsequently released on Morevi Records in 2022– ASIP had the honor of curating and sequencing an album from the remaining 19 unreleased productions, finally landing on those that best represented the intention of the original mix and the feelings it evoked upon those first moments of discovery. 

The appeal of Sun & Smoke can be found in its purity. Built with no intention or audience in mind, the album traverses core elements of deep techno, trance and downtempo. Progressive atmosphere building, addictive underlying grooves, and expansive moments of euphoria; as a mixtape, Sun & Smoke is a zero-visibility haze of eyes-closed, body-moving, forward momentum. As an album, each track is now allowed the space to deliver on its own defining atmosphere. 

From the ambient leaning beginnings of Sky Textures and the title track, Sun & Smoke, to the electro tinges of Primal Age, and the metallic swirls and glistening synths in Approaching Stars, the parts now have the chance to become greater than the sum of its original whole. 

Mastered by Giuseppe Tillieci (Neel / Voices From The Lake) with artwork photography by Juan Fernandez (edited by ASIP), Sun & Smoke will be available on Transparent Red/Orange Smoke gatefold 2LP + digital.

Theef / Sun & Smoke (ASIPV048) [Previews]

Ludvig Cimbrelius returns with his third full-length album on ASIP under his illustrious ambient jungle/drum’n bass alias, https://soundcloud.com/illuvia. Shifting focus from the stratospheric highs of 2021’s Iridescence Of Clouds, Ludvig now reflects on the meaning and spectrums of life on Earth.

Illuvia / Earth Prism (ASIPV049) [Previews]

Markus Guentner returns to the label following the triptych of Theia, Empire, and Extropy, presenting eight inspiring collaborations on Kontrapunkt, including, Joachim Spieth, Karen Vogt, Sonae, Pepo Galán, Arovane, Benoît Pioulard, Abul Mogard, and Hollie Kenniff.
Now available to preorder on Black Marbled Gatefold 2LP + digital. http://asip.me/asipv050

Markus Guentner / Kontrapunkt (ASIPV050) [Previews]

More info: https://asip.me/asip042

A Strangely Isolated Place proudly presents Mirror EP, the first label release from Hungarian electronic artist https://soundcloud.com/swanasa (A. Abigél Bánházi). Following her 2023 debut, When You Need to Rest, Let the Sounds Hold You, released on Budapest’s EXILES, Abigél’s Mirror EP serves as a captivating follow-up and a purposeful first introduction to the world of ASIP, showcasing her ability to bridge experimental sound design with hypnotic, meditative drones.

~

“We begin at the edge, the Sad Sea, where the waves mirror our emotions, a boundary between the conscious and the deep unknown. As we dive, the waters grow wild, swirling in the chaos of our unconscious. But through the storm, we start to see the patterns—guided by the wolf, the soul’s escort through the shadows.

Deeper still, silence falls. In this quiet, the voices of whales, and dolphins become our companions, leading us toward truth. The water washes away the darkness, and in that stillness, the swan rises—a symbol of transformation, of wisdom found.”

~

Mirror EP encompasses a diverse range of textures, from deeply immersive soundscapes to intricate rhythmic elements, reflecting swanasa's dedication to pushing the boundaries of ambient music, informed by the interplay of folk culture, Jungian psychology, and digital experimentation. Each composition is a seamless blend of synthetic and organic sounds, influenced by her connection to nature, creating an evocative experience that resonates with themes of ecological awareness and modern technology’s role in artistic expression.

Featuring rhythmic chanting and layered vocal samples that invoke a sense of ritual and deep introspection, washes of abstract sounds manipulated from the recordings of wolves, and mystical sounds straight from nature’s own. The EPs tracks highlight swanasa's exploration of sound as a symbolic language, inviting listeners into a world where the lines between reality and imagination blur.

swanasa's music is brought to life through her live performances, where Mirror EP and her previous material form the foundation for dynamic, meditative sets. Having performed alongside artists such as Abul Mogard, swanasa’s live shows emphasize deep listening and immersive sound environments, drawing audiences into her unique sonic world.

Mirror EP will be released on November 22nd, 2024, available as a digital download, mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri @ Black Knoll Studio, New York. The artwork, an original texture created by Zsuzsi Palman, continues the theme from Abigél’s first EP.

ASIP042 swanasa - Mirror

swanasa / Swan Song

swanasa / AHO

swanasa / Immersion

swanasa / Sad Sea

A Strangely Isolated Place presents a long-lost collaboration between Polish artists Olga Wojciechowska and Tomasz Walkiewicz as Monoparts—a partnership formed many years ago that resulted in an album once destined to remain unreleased.

Olga Wojciechowska, known for her modern-classical masterpieces such as Infinite Distances (2019) and Unseen Traces (2020), as well as her 2022 collaboration with Scanner, breaks all known expectations with Soothsayers. In a dramatic departure, Olga unveils a new and unexpected side, debuting her haunting vocals—a delicate, spellbinding performance that recalls the golden era of trip-hop, and comparisons to the sounds pioneered by Tricky, Massive Attack, and Martina Topley-Bird.

With Tomasz adding layers of depth through intricate beats and electronics, Olga’s voice becomes the emotional core of the record, conjuring an intimate and nostalgic atmosphere.

"This album is like becoming one with the earth itself—feeling the rawness of the wood, tasting the earth in your mouth, and sensing the presence of ancient spirits. The music carries a deep, primal energy, like being part of the forest, with creatures watching you from the shadows." - Olga Wojciechowska

To complete the journey, ASC lends his signature touch with a stunning drum’n’bass reinterpretation, amplifying the album’s nostalgic essence. Soothsayers emerges as a spellbinding ode to times gone by, in more ways than one.

Featuring artwork by Moon Patrol, with mastering and lacquer by Andreas LUPO Lubich, Soothsayers will be available on 12” maroon smoke-colored vinyl and Bandcamp on February 28th.

Monoparts / Soothsayers (ASIPV052) [Previews]

Following https://soundcloud.com/mikkel-rev's debut album on the label in 2023, ‘The Art Of Levitation’, the Norwegian artist returns with Journey Beyond, a selection of tracks demonstrating his innate ability to conjure the most atmospheric trance music, irrespective of BPM.

Journey Beyond was created from an extensive set of tracks sent to the label that were initially sequenced as two shorter EPs. With the first offering a slower 80bpm trance style, and the second EP, a classic ~130bpm trance style. However, over time, with tracks swapping in and out, ASIP had the idea to create a mixed version, progressing through the tracks and increasing bpm's, showcasing Mikkel’s ability in bridging euphoric worlds - and a style that is often reserved for Mikkel’s live performances amongst the forest raves held as part of the Ute Collective in Norway.

Classic trance and the art of a DJ mix have been influential to ASIP since the label’s inception, making this release and the process of creating it a true reflection of how Mikkel and the label come together to define the end output.

Featuring artwork by Ventral Is Golden and mastered by James Bernard.

Mikkel Rev / Journey Beyond (Mixed by ASIP) [ASIP043]

KILN https://soundcloud.com/kiln return with an opulent new display of hue and swing on Lemon Borealis, a sumptuous gallery of dazzling motifs that display a finely hewn concoction of visual tones and vital pulse.

Across its 12 cuts, this collection utilizes a fresh process of condensing immersive sprawl into compact, punchy and colorful sound. Using aspects of live performance, beatmaking and waveform sculpting, the troika of Kevin Hayes, Kirk Marrison and Clark Rehberg III create evocative and invigorating dioramas, continuing to surprise and enchant listeners after over thirty years into their collaboration.

Deep in waves of Hi-meets-Lo Fi, KILN delivers a panchromatic daymark arranged to biochemically align and stimulate your personal syntax, forging a tapestry of sonic reveries ranging from the aquarium-on-fire radiance of DrnkGrlfrnd, a garden groove of field-recorded percussion in Maplefunk Diptych, to the sizzling guit-noise whiteout of Deacon Rayhand.

Their eighth album, and first for A Strangely Isolated Place, on Lemon Borealis, KILN expands upon the long-explored themes of mosaic texture, subtle melancholy, eroded consonance, and vivid cadence to reveal yet another aperture to their unique magnetic universe.

Lemon Borealis will be available on 12” Transparent Yellow/Ochre Smoke vinyl and digital on July 18th. Lacquer cut by Andreas Lupo Lubich, and featuring artwork by KILN.

KILN / Lemon Borealis (ASIPV053) [PREVIEWS]

sun & smoke
conscious perception
strange nights
approaching stars
machines in love
born in august
ash & dreams
welter
everlast
noxious planet
mass groove
odd entity
endless matter
freed from desire
primal age
long shot
some chords
greatest escape
sky textures
thin ice
last day on earth

composed & mixed by theef
192kbps
recorded somewhere in heraklion, 2018

Sun & Smoke mixtape

Music from A Strangely Isolated Place + 9128.live.

Ambient & electronica music blog, mix series, record label and radio station. Est. 2008.