Once again, we’re excited to unveil another Polaroid Notes release, the fourth album by this Germany based artist in our discography. Alongside his side-project as Kraut Sounds, editions have also appeared on labels such as Büro Für Erdrotation, Weber & Alcantu and his own label Drone Works International.

In this latest edition ‘Cloud Anthems’, the music takes influence from the packaging photography, which was taken by the artist one sunny January at the Riegsee, a small lake in front of the Bavarian Alps. The entire lake had frozen over due to low temperatures in the weeks before. Later that afternoon fog rolled in and together with the sun, the frozen lake and leafless trees made a wonderful contrast. The whole scenario lasted only a few minutes before everything disappeared into the clouds of dense fog. As beautiful as the whole day was, those few moments were something very special to behold.

Polaroid Notes enjoys these contrasts, both in nature and in music too. ‘Cloud Anthems’ is a series of unique contrasts that harmonise perfectly, remaining in mind for a while after they have passed. Piano sounds and loops interact with flashes of harsh energy and strange experimental sounds from old analog synthesizers. A particular focus for this record is the VCS3 synthesiser, a portable synth from the late 60s; whilst a digital replica was used here, the artist found this to be the perfect way to express the themes for this record. Sounds and melodies flow into each other spontaneously like colours of an abstract painting, layer by layer.

Credits:
Written and produced by Polaroid Notes
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Photography by Polaroid Notes
Art and design by Andrew Heath

Cloud Anthems

wlr123 Polaroid Notes - Cloud Anthems

Tracklist

01. Tomáš Šenkyřík - Noc
02. Monogoto - Seedling (deletion 14)
03. Simon McCorry - Tides
04. Stijn Hüwels - Horizon (edit)
05. KMRU - Other Times
06. Glacis - Somehow I Feel More Shaken
07. Sonmi451 - Lying Dormant And Forgotten
08. Sachi Kobayashi - More Than Just A Dream - 09 Blur (Hilyard remix)

307. Sleepy Sunday Podcast (Elm Records)

Tracklist

01. Observatories - Sapphire Waters
02. Tom Leclerc -  Diary of Lights
03. Fields We Found - Water
04. Katharina Schmidt - Particles (Excerpt)
05. Tomáš Šenkyřík - Noc
06. Steve Pacheco - Himalaya
07. Tomoyoshi Date - 土 Tsuchi (33 rpm)
08. Ghost and Tape - Reyes
09. Morimoto Naoki - Row

312. Sleepy Sunday Podcast (Elm Records)

Tracklist

01. Andrew Heath - Waldeinsamkeit
02. Observatories - The Resistance Of
03. Paperbark - Creek of Intrigue
04. Tomoyoshi Date - Hikari
05. Ghost and Tape -  Reyes
06. Lullatone -  Rainy Season Again
07. The Humble Bee - Manual With Foot Pedal
08. Innesti - Around this Space
09. KMRU - Other Times

313. Sleepy Sunday Podcast (Elm Records)

A little tune to pass the time I made a few years ago. I'm working on so much new music and hope to be able to share more again in the future. Stay tuned - if you want :)

Flower - Han

Mind over MIDI - Elektrical Aktivity EP10
https://mindovermidi.bandcamp.com

Elektrical Aktivity since 1995.

Elektrical Aktivity EP10 (preview)

Tracklist

01. Jogging House - Narrative
02. Weareforests -  Vor___1
03. Miguel Otero - Blooming in Sturton
04. Seaworthy - Distant Hills Burn Bright (Part 6)
05. Melodía - Luna (en el hotel Am Bad, Tübingen)
06. Federico Durand -  Día de nieve
07. Stijn Hüwels - Clouds as seen from an airplane
08. Wil Bolton - Lavender Layer
09. Altars Altars -  Family's Downstairs
10. Norihito Suda - Macrocystis
11. OHIO - Crépescule

322. Sleepy Sunday Podcast (Elm Records)

I believe that music is present in every moment, in every scene. We can feel music relatively easily when those scenes are easy to understand and impressive, of course, but when they are not, for example, I think this is especially true in situations that are too mundane, too ordinary, or seemingly unrelated to music.

I can never hear it, but I think I hear it. Only after it has taken shape as a piece of music do I feel that this is how it must have sounded at the time. And the question of whether it was right or not will never be answered. But by questioning things that are becoming just a shell and looking at things from a different angle, we can gain a new perspective.

Questions always come up and I try to answer them somehow, but they always elude me. So by continuing to create my work, I manage to find my own answers to different questions at different times.

In this day and age, when all that is valued is how easy, quick and simple it is to get answers, it would be nice to have a few more people who are willing to face questions that will never be answered.

Produced by Hidekazu Imashige
Cover Art by Hidekazu Imashige

Angle of Light

Study in Etenraku

The first in a series of tinier bundles of miscellaneous instrumentals, finished in 2025, called Instruminis 01: Spooking My Whole Dang Creepers.

Moss Frequency

長田弘さんの「空と土の間で」を朗読をしています。

sound diary 1013 / Yusuke Sekine - impro

help me help me help me

Elm Records is an independent record label specialising in ambient and experimental music.

312. Sleepy Sunday Podcast (Elm Records)

Elm Records

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