Sonance

~ LAAPS 044 ~ [SEQ.06 - LP44]

artist : Aiko Takahashi
album : The Grass Harp
duration : 41.11 mn
date : June 09th, 2025

edition :
-  vinyl : limited to 200 copies / apricot LP / selective UV varnish (front+back) / hand numbered 
- cd : limited to 150 copies / pantone / hand numbered + handcrafted, sealed

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pre-order : May 02nd, 2025 / official release : June 09th, 2025
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Piano, Tape Loops, Drones recorded by Aiko between March and November 2024 in Aiko's former studio, a secluded spot near the River Isonzo, between Gorizia and Nova Gorica.

Mastered by Taylor Deupree
Artwork by Thomas Ratt
Design by Sprflxgrfzm
 
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Links :
https://laaps-records.com/
https://www.instagram.com/iikki_laaps/
https://aikotakahashi.bandcamp.com/
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℗ & © 2 0 2 5 - L A A P S - L A A P S 0 4 4

Aiko Takahashi - Vases À Iris

I don't think I will ever forget the first time I heard m.=addiction. I can also confirm that every time I played out that record, folks waltzed over to me to find out the name. Something mystical and enigmatic brought them over to music, making me feel like I was a snake charmer enchanting a cobra with the sounds of a pungi. The music of Dictaphone often evoked hazy spaces, full of jazzy smoke, lo-fi textures, and noir voices, occupying those distant corners of your memory where you felt glamorous comfort, charming enchantment, and warming delight. Since the 2002 debut, the Berlin-based duo of Oliver Doerell and Roger Döring released five more albums, all of which I think I have covered on Headphone Commute. And, in my humble opinion, their latest upcoming release is the closest to that special aura I felt nearly two decades ago. Unstable is Dictaphone's 6th full-length, where Doerel and Döring are also joined by Alexander Stoze (on violin) to mesmerise us with that special scent of future-retro nostalgia that seems to drift in the air like thick incense in a temple of soporific ghosts.

TRACK PREMIERE : Dictaphone - Desplendor

performed by Adrian Mantu at Cellissimo Festival, May 2024

In an Occupied Space (for solo cello)

Image (1983-1998)

Nisemono No Uta (2025 Remastered)

After decades of chasing, accumulating, and then sharing new music with you, I think I've hit some saturation point. I think I'm done spinning in the vortex of the "new", being pulled in all directions, catching up on all the "fresh" and "innovative" tracks. I'm not saying that I will stop covering new music. No. But I think I'll focus the virtual lens of my listening on a very narrow point, investing my time and attention over more extended periods. I think I will turn inwards... towards music and the artists that genuinely make me feel. This is the case with Rafael Anton Irisarri's A Fragile Geography, an album from 2015, which captured my attention then as it does now, triggering memories, triggering thoughts, and emotion. A decade ago, during a move between coasts, Rafael lost his possessions - stolen with the moving truck - along with all his audio archives, forcing him to rebuild his studio and sound from the ground up. The pain of this loss is reflected in almost every single track on the album. This music is slightly dark and melancholic. It's visceral, and it gets under your skin. And there it stays with you for ages. Becoming part of you, becoming part of your existence.

On September 19th, the album will be reissued, beautifully remastered by Stephan Mathieu at his Schwebung studio, along with a limited edition cassette of remixes by the most renowned artists, handpicked by Rafael. "This record has always been about letting go of one life and rebuilding another", says Irisarri, "It feels fitting to return to it now - ten years later, in a different country, a different world." These reworks are worthy of your precious awareness as well. I know that there are more than a few in the pipeline (at least six), which will be revealed one at a time. As of this writing, there is already a gorgeous rework by the one and only William Basinski, with his version of "Secretly Wishing For Rain" with Gary Thomas Wright, which incorporates field recordings of Reseda rain and birds captured by Basinski himself. You can check out a digital stream of that track here. *BUT!* Today, I am premiering for you a second rework by Abul Mogard! This piece bears not only the original elements of "Persistence" but, of course, Guido's extremely personal touch that breathes new life into this sound.

Head over to headphonecommute.com to read more about this release, including a quote from Abul Mogard on the rework.

TRACK PREMIERE : Rafael Anton Irisarri - Persistence (Abul Mogard rework)

Tracklist

01. The Humble Bee -  13 jan 2010
02. Seaworthy & Matt Rösner - Whispered Surfaces
03. Ambalek - Heage
04. Darren Harper - Brook
05. Old Amica - Signal
06. Stijn Hüwels - Horizon
07. A winged Victory For The Sullen - Atomos
08. Arovane & Taylor Deupree - Neben_Ghost
09. Wil Bolton -  Skymning
10. Lorenz Weber - Nami-makori
11. Bird Battles - Moth River

432. Sleepy Sunday Podcast (Elm Records)

This is the first single from Yara Asmar's new album. This track features John Murchison and Gideon Forbes.

3 wooden giants and mechanical birds

Ambient minimalism is gaining momentum. Some would argue that evoking atmosphere is harder than sequencing beats, and Fragments of Silence is proof. Laden with lush textures and ambient leanings, the album invites deep listening.

This 8-track LP marks the debut collaboration between Synthbiont, Anassimandrus, and Sacred Seeds: three artists with distinct sensibilities, united by a shared affinity for ambient, experimental, and dub techno sounds. Their convergence sets the tone for a singular, immersive experience.

Fragments of Silence is not background music. It’s a serious body of work that commands attention. It’s an hour-long descent into a vacuum chamber. An environment that evolves, coils, shifts, and builds toward dissonance and stillness.

Each track is grounded in a strong atmospheric character, unfolding with deliberate progression. The album leans heavily into experimental minimalism, imagine dark tunnels, ominous energy fields, and brooding landscapes.

Fragments of Silence is one of those albums that explores the intersection of distinct creative temperaments, marked by structure, mood, and experimentation. The result is an album that flows with intention and feeling, creating a space that listeners can fully sink into.

Description by SreeLakshmy 

Sacred Seeds is an ambient electronic music project by Wasim, founded in 2014 in Calicut, Kerala (India). Blending synthesis, field recordings, and experimental sound design, Sacred Seeds’ music explores the interplay between organic and electronic textures.

Sacred Seeds has performed at renowned festivals such as Magnetic Fields, Hilltop Festival, and Bloom in Green, sharing the stage with influential artists like Gaudi, OTT, Suduaya, and Symbolico, and many more.

Synthbiont & Anassimandrus is the ambient/experimental/dub techno project born at the end of 2018 by the collaboration between Nicolò Faggiani and Tommaso Gobbo. Their musical background comes from different musical experiences as DJs, vinyl collectors, and founders of EMC series. Their performances and music are composed through the elaboration of different digital and analog sources, processed field recordings, and sampling to create unique soundscapes.

Produced and mixed by Nicolò Faggiani and Tommaso Gobbo (Synthbiont & Anassimandrus) (1,2,5,6) and Wasim Raja (Sacred Seeds) (3,4,7,8)
Mastered by Dionis Afonichev (Dionisaf)
Cover picture by Krishnan (Kiss in Silence, Shot on Kodak Tri-X 400, Nikon F100 / 2019, Karnataka)
Cover design by Dionis Afonichev

Fragments of Silence

Warmth in Silence

Need Sleep

Track taken from the new album 'Bring Me The Head of Kyle Bobby Dunn' coming soon via Low Point.

Full review:

www.fluid-radio.co.uk/2012/06/kyle-bobby-dunn-bring-me-the-head-of-kyle-bobby-dunn/

Kyle Bobby Dunn - Kotylak

Focusing on experimental genres, we aim to provide a space to share in the creative process and spread the experience of inner exploration through musical expression.

Kyle Bobby Dunn - Kotylak

Fluid Audio