Blanket

There's a lot of work behind the scenes in Headphone Commute headquarters. All the email reading, promo sorting, and, of course, the listening and writing take up lots of time to make sure that I can bring you honest music on a regular basis. Sometimes, my "job" is mitigated through the trusted filter of a record label. After all, they invest more than just time into their supported artists. There are many such examples where I can turn to a favourite imprint and pretty much enjoy every single release. For many years now, since 2006 to be exact, I have been following the output of an Italian label founded by Alessandro Tedeschi, which he called Glacial Movements. As the name implies, the music put out by the imprint specializes in glacial and isolationist ambient soundscapes, "places that man has forgotten... icy landscapes... fields of flowers covered eternally with ice..." It's a beautiful place, and I have been a fan of the albums, including that of Tedeschi's own Netherworld project. Today, we're stepping away from these frozen territories of the inevitable future and instead take a look back at the ancestry of the past. In particular, the new album by Massimo Pupillo turns our attention towards the Indigenous people of the Arctic, who have been inhabiting some of these hospitable lands since the dawn of human civilization. The track I am premiering for you today, "Horagalles", is titled after the thunder god, often depicted with a sledgehammer in one hand and a cross-hammer in the other on the Sami shaman drums. It's a beautiful and slightly eerie piece, full of enigmatic worship, belief in the unknown, and of course, the distant rolls of thunder.

Our Forgotten Ancestors

Horagalles

TRACK PREMIERE : Massimo Pupillo - Horagalles

Music, mastering and artwork by Tom Lievens

Decoupling

Atmøsphäre - Decoupling

Following the 130701 imprint for over two decades has been a rewarding experience. After all, this is the same offshoot of FatCat that brought us the best of Max Richter, Hauschka, Jóhann Jóhannsson, and yes, even introduced the world to Sigur Rós. This is what a label does best - it puts a "label" on its output, essentially a stamp of approval, if you will, of what it is excited to support. And this is why I hungrily continue to consume pretty much everything in its catalogue, especially by artists previously unknown to me. [And, secretly, I hope that you can say the same about the purpose of my words]. Today, I'd like to share with you a track by the Danish composers Emil Friis and Patricio Fraile, who are best known for their film and television scores (again, mostly for the Danish audience). For their collaboration titled The Expected Sounds Of Minor Music, the duo composed eleven vignettes with minimal piano melodies supported by a string quartet and solo cello performed by Joe Zeitlin. "The album's layered and intimate sound, along with its ability to encourage contemplation [...] reflect the duality of life, encompassing both the major and minor moments." This is a perfect soundtrack to wake up to and start a brand new day, bringing forth some optimism, serenity, and hope... even as it's mostly based on minor keys.

The Expected Sounds Of Minor Music

Minor Music

TRACK PREMIERE : Emil Friis & Patricio Fraile - Minor Music

This beautiful collaboration between Andrew Heath and James Osland places itself in a dense, fog-like, woven landscape and charts paths that reveal slow moving cloud-like structures and motifs. Informed by muted modular tones, ethereal guitar work and sparse piano with found-sounds and field recordings that dance around the dense air and leaves the listener in a cocooned, dreamlike state.

Elysian Fields is the pair’s second release. They were drawn together by a mutual respect for each others work in the ambient music field. Both are UK based artists. Andrew having released several albums and EPs on Disco Gecko, Whitelabrecs, Rusted Tone Recordings, Elm Records and Chihei Hatakeyama’s Japanese label, White Paddy Mountain. He has collaborated with among others, the legendary Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Dutch ambient guitarist, Anne Chris Bakker and electronica artist, Banco de Gaia. James Osland not only runs the boutique cassette label, Elm Records but releases as an artist in his own right having worked with such labelsu as Unknown Tone Records, Whitelabrecs, Flaming Pines and Rusted Tone Recordings to name a few. His work seeks to explore our relationships with sound, memory and place through a variety of different sonic processes.

Both artists continue to quietly work on material together so expect more from this wellspring of beautiful and dreamlike work.

Mastered by Alex at quiet details studios
Design by Daniel Crossley

Release date:
12.01.24

James Osland & Andrew Heath - Industrial Breathing

The artistic collaboration between Giuseppe Cordaro and Marco Giambrone is an immersion into sonic exploration, born from the convergence of distinct musical perspectives and backgrounds. Despite living in distant cities, both share roots firmly planted in a remote mountainous village in Sicily, a wild terrain that has shaped their work.

The focal point of this musical journey is the Platani River, known in ancient times as Alico (derived from 'Halykòs,' which means 'salty' in Greek). It's from this river that the entire concept takes shape and evolves, following its sinuous course from the source to its mouth in the sea. Each track of the album is named after the river's tributaries, often little more than thin streams of water that dry up in the summer, leaving muddy beds. This intricate and sensitive path culminates with the Alico River finally merging into the Mediterranean Sea, embracing Capo Bianco.

These wild and captivating places have been the source of inspiration for the two musicians, who decided to capture the sensations experienced during their explorations and transform them into a sonic journey. Water, rock, sand, and the vibrant life along the riverbanks are transfigured by modular synths, guitars, and field recordings.

The album was created by adopting an instinctive and authentic approach, avoiding overdubs to favor the genuine essence of analog instruments. The result is a sonic journey that captures the raw and magnetic essence of these places, transforming visual suggestions into an immersive and engaging auditory experience. Listening to this work, one is immersed in a sonic world that mirrors the irregular beauty and wild vitality of the Sicilian landscape, uniting past and present in timeless sonic snapshots.

Written by Giuseppe Cordaro e Marco Giambrone
Recorded by Giuseppe Cordaro at Home Studio Boschi di Puianello - Marco Giambrone at Home Studio San Giovanni Gemini
Mixed by Marco Giambrone
Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi

Credits:

Giuseppe Cordaro : Modular Synthesizer, Programming, Field recordings, (AL)chemy
Marco Giambrone: Guitars, Effects, Autoharp, Solina

"Platanis oritur inter Castrum Novum et Cammaratam, novi nominis oppida, ex parvis quidem fontibus"

Alico

Giuseppe Cordaro & Marco Giambrone - DellaTerra

As I mature and fine-tune my musical journey, I seem to gravitate more and more towards the contemporary classical genre. Why is that, and do you feel the same? I think, for me, it’s all about the connection. I want to feel emotion expressed from the composer’s soul through instruments attached to human hands. They feel like an extension of articulations flowing into sound. I also think that electronic music has that capability as well [I’ve recently acquired the Osmose from Expressive E, and let me tell you – it’s entirely something else]. And then, there is, of course, the blend of both where certain frequencies [especially the low end] can’t be generated entirely by organic means. Or when dense atmospheres and textures cloud the landscape with a gorgeous dew. This is how I feel about the latest album from the Melbourne-based composer Callum Mintzis, who first appeared on these pages a few years ago when I premiered his collaboration with Pat Jaffe in the video for V. Murmur. Mintzis is also collaborating with Tilman Robinson, who co-produced this latest album [and yes, I hear a bit of his conjuring touch]. The album is titled "And the Wind was my Dear Friend, Once Again", and across its seven pieces, Mintzis explores the mysteries of life through many philosophical questions posed alongside the release, but it is the music itself that will make you reach deep inside your own existence for the answers you will find.

And the Wind was my Dear Friend, Once Again

TRACK PREMIERE : Callum Mintzis - Once Again

In the fall of last year, I was asked to participate in Bigo & Twigetti's fifth volume of the Perceptions compilation series, which explores various approaches to piano music. Complimenting the sound of the solo piano, these compositions also utilise nominal processing, sound effects, synthesis, and binaural recording techniques, all aiming to create an immersive listening experience while still showcasing my beloved instrument. As the clock ticked away and the deadline approached, I realised I hadn't found time to compose my contribution. For a few weeks, I've experienced a gnawing feeling of self-imposed pressure, mixed with anxiety and procrastination, that looped on itself and left me fatigued. I'm sure plenty of composers who are reading these words, especially those working on a deadline (like film soundtracks), know what I'm talking about. This, in itself, gave me a taste of this process at work. I learned that I simply cannot try and force things or make them appear. For me, music, as Victor Hugo once said, "expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent…" I needed to have something special to say...

As the end of the year approached, I found myself in that "usual space" of December, where the dark and the cold seemed to mix with my mood, and I recount the days and the moments of passing. There's always reflection on what I've achieved, and of course, I look back at my favourite albums of the year. Somewhere around this time, I arrive at the acceptance of failure, preparing to message the label and withdraw from the project. I think I'm too busy with "all other stuff". Perhaps I'll start over as the new year turns. Perhaps I'll become a bit more organised or not commit myself to the deadlines. In the very last days of the year, I find myself investing time in consoling my friend whose mother has passed away. As always, besides the grief for another, we find ourselves reflecting on our own mortality... and the meaning of it all... As the clock strikes midnight, I am deep asleep. But the morning comes, as it does every morning. And we're at it again, starting fresh and anew. The windows open, and we breathe in and out. Maybe this time, it will be slightly different. Maybe this time we have learned... On the morning of January 1st, I find myself sitting at the piano and playing this simple melody. I hope that you'll hear what I'm saying in music...

Perceptions Vol​​​.​​​5

Morning, January 1st

Mike Lazarev - Morning, January 1st

This morning, I am blissfully spending my time in the company of Swedish composer and pianist Matti Bye, who first appeared on these pages back in 2017 with a video that I premiered titled Melt. Having scored more than a few films and being awarded Sweden’s prestigious Guldbaggen for Best Original Music for Faro, Bye knows exactly how to paint deep atmospheres full of mystery and awe. Listening to his latest album for my beloved Denovali, I am transported into a shadowy speakeasy full of jazzy notes and curling smoke. I find myself comfortably sitting in a corner, sipping on Glenfarclas while Matti plays the piano, just for me. Capri Clouds is the third album in the trilogy, which began with Bethanien (2020) and This Forgotten Land (2020), and until this one drops later in the spring of this year, you may want to start your journey there. All showcase somewhat nostalgic, slightly haunting and serene imagery, barely jazzy, neo-classic, and lo-fi. Today, I am premiering the title track for you, which I hope you enjoy… rain, birds, a bit of chit-chat and all…

"These songs go straight to the heart and to the senses, and create images in your head. Stories from your own memory bank, as well as new visions – music to lean into, meditatively and hopefully longing. But there is also an undertone of something dark and desolate."

Capri Clouds

TRACK PREMIERE : Matti Bye - Capri Clouds

Time is always speeding up. I feel like we just came out of the New Year's celebration, but the truth is, we are a whole quarter done with 2024. It's time to take a break and possibly slow down. I'll be off for a couple of weeks, recharging my batteries somewhere on the coast of France, but before I leave, I've got one more exciting track premiere to share with you today. This one is courtesy of French producer Maxime Dangles, who previously showed up here with a Pavane Remix of his "Operate" back in 2023. I liked the pure energy and musicality of that piece, and I was excited to preview his upcoming new full-length, titled Le Roman De Carpentier, which the French National Cinema Center commissioned as a soundtrack for the 1913 silent film celebrating the first French boxing world champion. Turning to his arsenal of modular synthesizers and club gear, Dangles focused on blending a perfect balance between ambient, electronica and techno across the twelve tracks on the album. The result, full of excitement and, once again, raw energy and grit, is what has genuinely drawn my attention to some of the pieces here, especially the ambient composition titled "Papa", this being Headphone Commute and all...

Le Roman De Carpentier

Papa

TRACK PREMIERE : Maxime Dangles - Papa

International  Space Station

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 : Maxime Dangles - Papa

Headphone Commute

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