Today I’m visiting with one of my favourite German labels, Denovali Records, which I’ve been a fan of since its inception, back in 2005. The imprint publishes in a variety of genres, from ambient to post-industrial to modern composition to post-rock and jazz. But the aesthetic of releases is consistent in their mood, their atmospheres and cinematic sense. I can’t even begin to highlight its roster, but names like Subheim, The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Dictaphone, and Bersarin Quartett should speak for themselves. I regrettably admit that somehow I missed LTO‘s debut for the label, Déjà Rêvé (2018), but I’ve caught his Storybook (2017) released on Injazero [and we’re now label mates!]. This sophomore offering, titled Daear, is a darker post-apocalyptic legend, with remnants of electronic and orchestral percussion, sweeping synth pads ala “Blade Runner“, and heavily processed piano. The result is a culmination of imagined landscapes, impregnated with folklore and mythology, observed through the lens of cosmic travels, zoomed in and out of sonic space. “Both images of enchanted forests battling enraged giants from the underworld and unimaginably hostile planetary events guide this work of great magnitude.” It’s a gorgeous soundtrack for these uncertain times, and I enjoyed its mystic story.


In 'Daear', LTO explores an expansive sound pallet of swelling synths and noise, ambiguous string instruments, thunderous percussion, unearthly voices and his signature sound the piano, mostly processed beyond recognition. The result is a mysterious and deeply textured journey that could be set in both the distant past and uncertain future, on this planet or beyond.

Daear

Cad Goddeu

TRACK PREMIERE : LTO - Cad Goddeu

Sky Pad

From the new album Asperities

http://juliakent.com
http://theleaflabel.com/juliakent
https://www.facebook.com/juliakent.music
https://twitter.com/juliakent

Asperities

Heavy Eyes

One of four remixes taken from 'Weightless' by Alex Kozobolis

Preorder LP | CD | DL: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/alex-kozobolis-weightless#/

Weightless is an EP of intricate original piano compositions by UK artist Alex Kozobolis. With a series of solo releases over the past few years and collaborations with artists such as Lee Chapman, Harry Edwards, and Anna Rose Carter, Weightless represents Alex's unique approach to composition and melody.

His touch on the piano is light and fluid; moving between dense sustained runs, which evaporate as soon as they are heard, to spaciously plotted notes. Weightless is the sound of weight itself lifting, of the earthly effect of gravity removed and allowing the listener to be suspended within mid-air, uninterrupted by pressures and restrains of the physical world. Coursing with energy, and running to take flight.

Each of the four tracks have been remixed by Siavash Amini, Tom Adams, Trnspt and Hedia, with very different, but cohesive results, expanding the tone of the EP into new areas.

Weightless will be available on limited clear vinyl, digipack CD and digital editions.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Unravel
2. Closure
3. And Find Yourself
4. Weightless

Side B
1. Weightless (Tom Adams Remix)
2. And Find Yourself (Siavash Amini Remix)
3. Closure (Hedia Remix)
4. Unravel (Transept Remix)

And Find Yourself by Alex Kozobolis (Siavash Amini Remix)

Preview track for Siavash Amini and Zenjungle's stunning collaboration  Topology of Figments out Sept 23  at
https://flamingpines.bandcamp.com/

Descending Days - Siavash Amini & Zenjungle from Topology of Figments out Sept 23

Full album stream of Nest - Retold released on Serein

Kyoto

"Rice flour waterfall" is taken from the album Undeveloped Land by Adzuki

Release date: 18.10.2018
Format: CD/Digital

All tracks by Adzuki  
Artwork: Reo Masuda (SOOY) 
Mastered by Hirotoshi Tsubone

Limited edition of 40, Professionally manufactured high quality CDr's, Handmade packages, hand numbered.
Brown kraft wallets with black envelopes. 
Bigger and smaller sleeves, smallest size in transparant bag.
Photo's.

Order: https://shimmeringmoodsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/undeveloped-land

Adzuki - Rice Flour Waterfall (Taken from Undeveloped Land - Out Now)

Continuum introduces the anthology with a strong sense of anticipation and foreboding, using textured layers of modular synths, ambient drones, clusters of whispering voices and ethereal choral vocals. In the words of composer/producer Jameson Nathan Jones.

"Continuum was inspired by the concept of continuous expansion. My initial idea was to use only the vocals to construct the piece, which ended up being the case with the exception of the bass line that appears later in the track. All of the textures were derived from some lovely soprano parts from Olivia Dunn, including the percussive elements which were created by running her vocals through my eurorack system. The end result seemed a fitting representation of the continuous organic and synthetic expansion of our world."

Scale

Continuum

Jameson Nathan Jones - Continuum

from 'Spectral' [CD|LP|DIGITAL]
Denovali Records · den335
available on all formats at http://denovali.com/robinschlochtermeier

Robin Schlochtermeier is an Anglo-German composer who has written the music for several award-winning broadcast documentaries and features. Classically trained, his music often combines organic sound design elements (and occasionally synthesis) with more traditional instrumentation (piano, orchestra).

Most recently Robin composed the music for 'The Spy Who Fell to Earth', an international espionage documentary which was released on Netflix worldwide in 2019. Robin, among others, also scored 'Virgin Queen's Fatal Affair' (Best Specialist Factual - Royal Television Society Awards), the features 'Queens of Syria' (Black Pearl Award - Abu Dhabi Film Festival), 'Retreat' (Premiere at Screenplay Shetland Festival, curated by UK film critic Mark Kermode), 'Oh No, Not Rudy Again!' (Cannes film festival 2015), and 'Strings' (British Independent Film Award).

"Spectral" is the first solo album of Robin Schlochtermeier. It's a set of slow, sometimes ambient pieces that function like distant echoes of childlike experiences of the natural and material world.

“My inspiration for the album is tied up in having become a father recently,” says composer Robin Schlochtermeier. ”As my daughter’s consciousness was forming I would often catch an amazed look on her face or notice that she stopped and stared at some small detail in her environment. This would frequently evoke a profound sense of mystery in me, and I grew curious as to what was causing her to react in such ways.”

The pieces on Spectral are attempts to capture some of this mysterious, nebulous spirit of bafflement and wonderment. “Seeing the world through my daughter’s eyes reminded me of the experiences the world can produce in our minds when we are open, receptive and boundary-less”, says Robin. “I started to wonder if I was half-remembering my own experiences of the world from when I hadn’t yet been trained to carve it up into neat concepts.” The result are pieces like “Lapping”, which in its slow, circular motion points to a rhythm of life unaffected by expectations of busyness, while rooted in a sense of grandeur and timeless wonder.

Spectral was recorded using a British upright piano from the 1950s with original worn strings, which are occasionally dampened with poster putty. The other elements are all forms of electronics and sound design, including a software synth (Retrologue) and custom programmed sounds generated from the composer’s bank of original sample recordings.

One of the aims for the album was to explore a limited palette of sounds. Some pieces only contain 3 layers of sound, while some are a little more complex. “The intention was to create space and openness in the arrangements”, according to Robin. “This principle also led me to explore longer and longer forms. As I went on I felt increasingly drawn to longer emotional arcs, resulting finally in Sonnenstaub."

Spectral

Robin Schlochtermeier - Woodlouse

Overcoming distance and solitude, Julia Gjertsen and Nico Rosenberg join from across the oceans for a tranquil new project. A precursor to their full EP on Moderna Records later this year, Los Océanos delivers an unmistakable quietude to prepare the mental palette for what is to come.

Find it here: https://bit.ly/2FyJ3Lq

A sense of floating on waves under an illuminated night sky, being rocked to sleep by its gentle caress.

The two started collaborating online, bridging the 8,000 miles between Norway and Chile. Beginning as a MAX/MSP patch designed by Rosenberg, Gjertsen supplied layers of piano improvisations, before the result being recorded to tape at a slower pace, giving it its serene, dream-like quality.

Julia Gjertsen & Nico Rosenberg - Los Océanos

from 'Miscellany' [CD|LP|DIGITAL]
Denovali Records · den348
available on all formats at http://denovali.com/origamibiro

After an almost 6 year hiatus, and the break up of the audio-visual trio it had evolved into, Origamibiro returns with Miscellany, a body of work amassed during the years since the release of 2014’s Odham’s Standard.

Though the group never officially disbanded, a number of life-changing events meant it simply became impossible to continue together. As such, the project organically reverted back to the solo pursuits of composer Tom Hill. Fellow multi-instrumentalist Andy Tytherleigh, however, remains a strong collaborator.

Miscellany comprises a varied mixture of work, ranging from electroacoustic to orchestral chamber music. Drawing upon much of the found-sound style for which Origamibiro became known, the DIY approach to sampling and composing continues to play a central role in the process.

Exploration into the tangible nature of everyday objects and textures - both in and outside of the home - is a theme relished in much of Origamibiro’s work. Forest brambles and plastic toy Easter eggs are examined in surgical detail alongside the debris of demolished piano parts, to be repurposed into whatever sonic potential they offer up.

However, new additions to the instrumental palette - viola da gamba, piano, zither, singing bowl, glockenspiel, drum machines and gongs - contribute to an even broader timbre.

Miscellany will be released on Denovali, March 2021.

Miscellany

Origamibiro - Moiré Uke

some original solo piano pieces...  some mixes from my podcast... some exclusive track premieres...  and some tracks from the albums I review for Headphone Commute... Enjoy!

TRACK PREMIERE : LTO - Cad Goddeu

Headphone Commute

Recent comments

Merak Standard

Related tracks