'Ultraviolence'
Violet Mist
See Blue Audio SBA 026

1. Ultraviolence
2. Ultrazukunft

Release date: 22 October 2021

lnk.to/SBA026

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

Following the release of 'First Vows' by Sulk Rooms, the new drone-style project from Thomas Ragsdale, See Blue Audio welcomes another much respected figure in electronic music to its roster for the second in a series of releases from artists new to the label. This project goes by the name of Violet Mist with 'Ultraviolence' featuring two tracks of what its creator has dubbed cyberwave for the twenty-six release on See Blue Audio.

Violet Mist is an alias of Manchester-based DJ and producer Jozef K, who will surely need little in the way of introduction to anyone who has followed dance music over the last decade. As a DJ, he has played across the globe alongside summer residencies in Ibiza; as a producer, his records have been supported by a wide range of DJs, and Sasha's Last Night On Earth and Lossless are just two of the many labels on which he has released. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that his productions can take many different turns and assume many different guises, and Violet Mist is the most recent of these.

The Violet Mist adventure began in 2020 with the release of the 'Glimmer' album, followed by 'Prophecy 2096' in April 2021. Both albums came out on the Disintegration State label, close associates of See Blue Audio and co-founded by Steve Hadfield. 'Ultraviolence' is an expansion of the musical ideas expressed on 'Prophecy 2096' with its shadowy synthwave and multiple textures of sound.

At the heart of Violet Mist lies a futuristic world, but a dystopian one. This is a broken future where the bright lights and vivid glare of ever-advancing technology disguise the gloom and conflict within. This imagery is also present in the cover artwork for all Violet Mist releases, and, as the name Violet Mist suggests, rich colours and obscured vision can co-exist. The word cyberwave conjures up many images too: 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Blade Runner', electro-punks and synth hackers, alien video games, sinister technology, and visionary explorers of time and space.

Within this swirl of imagery, many contradictions can be found, which also provide a playful edge, and these are present in the music of 'Ultraviolence'. Nothing is quite what it seems on the title track: luscious sweeps of oscillating effects interplaying with delicate and sombre melodies; birdsong and the harmonies of nature meshing with the sound of sirens; and a hypnotic ambience that is soothing while also warning of a strange and foreboding future. Nature replaced by dark energy.

'Ultraviolence' is complemented and contrasted by 'Ultrazukunft' – a reference to the German word 'zukunft' meaning future – where the beatless soundscape of the title track is punctured by shuddering beats, and the sense of foreboding reaches another level. With their intricate layers of shifting sound, both tracks are a truly immersive listening experience that reveal more with every play.

Imagine walking alone through rain-washed late night/early morning city streets, brightly illuminated but eerily quiet, where danger from unknown forces could approach at any moment. This is the cinematic ambience of 'Ultraviolence' and cyberwave imagination of Violet Mist in full effect.

Mastered by Thomas Ragsdale.

Photography: Harrison Qi.

Ultraviolence

'Ultraviolence' (preview) – Violet Mist (See Blue Audio SBA #026)

'Micro Wanders'
Lyli J
See Blue Audio SBA 035

1. A Song for T (Cicadas)
2. Onsen
3. Ossicles
4. Agave
5. Artemis
6. Anahata
7. Lucarne
8. Lueur

Release date: 20 May 2022

lnk.to/SBA035

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

See Blue Audio continues its exploration of new musical territories with the addition of Lyli J to its roster. Continuing the theme of leftfield turns in direction following the twisted beats, breaks and basslines of the 'Superlunar Lounge' album by Night Sky Pulse (John Sellekaers), and the longform exploration of tonality in 'La Mer' by Tanti Aglaia, the third release in this series of new musical horizons is from an artist who incorporates organic electronic, esoteric chillout, ambient textures, elements of IDM and trip hop, and folk and indie sensibilities into her music. For the thirty-fifth release on See Blue Audio, Lyli J presents 'Micro Wanders', an album suffused with warm atmospherics and a rich emotional tapestry perfectly suited to springtime and the reawakening energy of the sun.

Lyli J is the name by which French American instrumentalist, singer and electronic producer Lily Jordy releases music. Her story is one of a nomadic life – ten countries in three decades – with a classical background in the cello, guitar and composition. It was in Montreal in 2011 when she first discovered electronic music and the way in which it could allow her to truly express ideas. Since then, Lily has put out a series of releases that have gained critical acclaim and captivated the electronic community.

Now based in Grenoble in France, she is fully immersed in music with festival dates scheduled over the summer, radio play, and her work as a sound designer for audio software company Arturia. Tracks from 'Micro Wanders', meanwhile, are also included in her recent live performance at SynthFest France, a streaming event available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/vlb8b9cQBVc

'Micro Wanders' features eight tracks that bring together the many elements that make up Lily's unique musical universe: meandering layers of mystical vocals, Celtic melodies, MicroFreak '90s synth emulations, amped-up acoustic guitars, gamelan and natural element percussion, and field recordings. All the tracks come together to evoke a feeling of daydreaming and the resurgence of memories. As the title 'Micro Wanders' suggests, the technological and the spiritual play an equal role in the aesthetic of Lyli J.

The introduction of vocal, song-based compositions, including 'A Song for T (Cicadas)' and 'Anahata', and the folk sensitivities of 'Lucarne' and 'Lueur' have added a welcome new dimension to the sound of See Blue Audio. Beatless soundscapes, meanwhile, also form part of the musical landscape of 'Micro Wanders'.

This is an album to immerse yourself in; organic and rooted in the natural world, while also contemplative and, at times, transcendental. Lyli J may well be on a personal quest with 'Micro Wanders', but it's also one that we can all join and share with her.

Mastered by Thomas Ragsdale.

Photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

Micro Wanders

'Micro Wanders' (preview) – Lyli J (See Blue Audio SBA #035)

'A Matter of Light and Depth'
f5point6
See Blue Audio SBA 038

1. Synthesis of Internal Matter
2. A Matter of Light and Depth
3. TerraForming
4. Twelve.Three.Three.Three.
5. Chronophotography
6. Forever.Decreasing.Circles.
7. In Order to Funktion
8. In Pursuit of Efficiency
9. The Prometheus Project
10. Shifting Perspectives
11. Message from a Distant Future
12. [Outro – Memoirs from My Inner Voice]

Release date: 23 September 2022

lnk.to/SBA038

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

As the previous release from f5point6 revealed, this is a project in constant flux and evolution. 'The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight' towards the end of 2021 was the first chapter in a new musical quest exploring different directions and unknown territories. It also demonstrated enhancements in sound creation as synthesizer composition, jazz influences and experimentation were added to the artist's audio palette. Now f5point6 returns with a full-length album that picks up from where its predecessor left off, and then transports us to new destinations once again. 'A Matter of Light and Depth' is the seventh collection of cinematic music from f5point6, the thirty-eight release on See Blue Audio, and a finely sculpted, while also intensely personal, way to mark the end of summer's respite and re-examine the world around us.

f5point6 is the musical guise of multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron, but it also operates as a form of storytelling; part of his internal enquiry to try to make some sense of all that surrounds him, including what came before and what will come in the future. As the earlier 'KaleidoSound' series depicted the different stages of evolution on our planet, and then 'The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight' saw us seek out new worlds and parallel universes, so onto 'A Matter of Light and Depth' and something distinct again. A deeply rooted love of science fiction is ever-present in Cleveland's work, but here it's fused with a reflection on where humanity is right now: post-pandemic, environmentally destructive, politically and socially divided, and filled with identity anxiety and fear for the future. On 'A Matter of Light and Depth' he's not afraid to get serious and ask us to think about the growing need for liberty and justice – the Black Lives Matter movement is just one example – and the crisis around mental health. How do you see the future?

As the title suggests, the music across the twelve tracks of this album moves through multiple shades, moods and tones. The twisting and turning opening track, 'Synthesis of Internal Matter' is one of several beatless soundscapes, and the title track follows with its contrasting phases of dark electronic depths and moments of rippling elation. These emotional highs and lows are a recurring motif, and it's clear that Cleveland has poured his heart and soul into this album. Open and honest, sometimes confused and at others angry, but always questioning the technology and narratives we're fed.

As we travel through 'A Matter of Light and Depth' and reach 'Message from a Distant Future', a sense of hope rises; our signals sent out into the universe have finally been detected and returned. "Come" is the only word revealed in the decryption process; the rest is in our hands. The closing track, '[Outro – Memoirs from My Inner Voice]', softens the mood as the artist tries to listen to his own inner voice away from all the clamour around him.

Welcome to the world of f5point6 and 'A Matter of Light and Depth'. Elegantly crafted this album most certainly is, but also suffused with raw emotions and smouldering energy. As with all of Cleveland's music, it travels through space and time, but on this occasion, he pauses, reflects and plants an anchor firmly in the here and now. As such, it represents his finest work to date.

Mastered by Thomas Ragsdale.

Artwork and photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

A Matter of Light and Depth

'A Matter of Light and Depth' (preview) – f5point6 (See Blue Audio SBA #038)

'Kernel Phase'
Rhombus Index
See Blue Audio SBA 041

1. Set Null
2. Eternal Corridor
3. Lemma
4. Float Robot
5. Genki
6. Lepto Run (Anisotropic Reimaging)
7. Spinor (Lyli J's Fractal Remix)
8. Leptosol (f5point6 'Silent' Remix)
9. Axiom (Sulk Rooms Remix)
10. Automata (Fragile X Remix)
11. Axiom (Kuma's Slightly Ecstatic Remix)

Release date: 16 December 2022

lnk.to/SBA041

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

Back in July 2021 Rhombus Index made his debut on See Blue Audio with the 'Planar' EP. This was followed by the 'Diatom' EP in February 2022, and both releases have become an essential part of the label's catalogue, gaining acclaim and support across the ambient electronic music scene. For his next release, it seemed fitting to combine the new with a reinterpretation of what came before. On 'Kernel Phase', the forty-first and closing release of 2022 on See Blue Audio, five new tracks are accompanied by several remixes to create an all-embracing experience representing the multitude of shades, tones and influences that constitute the Rhombus Index aesthetic.

As an experimental electronic musician based in West Yorkshire, Rhombus Index draws inspiration and solace from the natural world that surrounds him. From fragments of sound like water falling on a leaf or the rustling of leaves on a windy day – as captured in field recordings – to the enduring power of the changing seasons, and the hypnotic beauty of the maze of elements that constitute this world and the cosmos beyond. On the flipside, we have the techniques of electronic composition and sound design, and a fascination with emerging technology in general, as well as a deep knowledge and love for dance culture. All these join forces in the sonic landscapes of Rhombus Index, and on 'Kernel Phase', he gives free reign to his imagination and that of like-minded artists.

With these new tracks of varying lengths, there has been deeper focus on ambient textures and tonality, exploring rompler synthesisers and field recordings. Generative sequencers, wavetable synthesis, FM synthesis and computer file data analysed as sound are also used, while there's also a continuing exploration into the sounds of late '90s RPG games, notably on 'Eternal Corridor' and 'Float Robot'.

'Set Null' opens 'Kernel Phase', and it was born out of the idea of creating a sense of seemingly perpetual evolution; it was designed to have an almost constant build-up throughout. This is also reflected in the accompanying video with its evolving geometry; like a creature that consists only of shapes and lives in its own ecosystem.

'Lemma' can be seen as the next step in the journey of 'Axiom' from 'Diatom' with a nod to post-rave relaxation contained within its dreamlike beatless soundscape. Elsewhere, field recordings from a summer trip to North Wales feature heavily in the pastoral 'Genki' as it captures the feeling of a lazy day by the sea with nothing to do. As with all of 'Kernel Phase', it feels like taking a deep breath of clean, fresh air.

To complement these new tracks, the artist returned to his previous releases with 'Lepto Run (Anisotropic Reimaging)', an investigation into mash-ups but based on an ambient paradigm. Non-competing elements in 'Leptosol' and 'Bee Brew Run' – from 'Planar' and 'Diatom' respectively – which gelled between the two tracks, were taken to create a delicate, minimal fusion of both.

Continuing the theme of reinterpreting what came before, See Blue Audio took a step into new territory by inviting other artists from its roster to reimagine the music of Rhombus Index. The result is an expansive, visionary and exceptional body of work that traverses alternate sounds, moods and inspirations. Lyli J, f5point6, Thomas Ragsdale's Sulk Rooms, Fragile X and Kuma provide the remixes. Embrace the ride.

Image: Loui Binns.

Kernel Phase

'Kernel Phase' (preview) – Rhombus Index (See Blue Audio SBA #041)

'I the Storm'
Simon McCorry
See Blue Audio SBA 045

1. The Earth's Sorrow for All Things That Pass
2. Misericordia
3. These Scalding Tears
4. The Ever-Evolving Reflecting Mirror

Release date: 22 September 2023

lnk.to/SBA045

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

As summer fades and the nights draw in, our collective consciousness can take a turn towards the melancholic. We may feel this cyclical change at both a micro, individual level and as part of a greater cosmic dimension, but its presence is undeniable. We can find ourselves in the eye of a storm, and that storm could well be within us. This is the theme of the forty-fifth release on See Blue Audio: 'I the Storm' by Simon McCorry.

Mixed ethnicity, part-British, part-Indian, and "cellist sound-sculptor of ambiguous environments", this is Simon's third release on See Blue Audio. It follows a prolific couple of years of releases on respected labels on the ambient music scene like Oscarson, Shimmering Moods, Whitelabrecs, Hidden Vibes, Rusted Tone Recordings and Polar Seas. As with Simon's first release on See Blue Audio, the 'Nature in Nature' EP from 2021, where the title track was created for a short film featuring Japanese contemporary dance artist Satoko Fukuda, so 'I the Storm' began its life in the theatre. All four compositions were written while collaborating with choreographer Travis Clausen-Knight on 'I the Storm', part of the Fabula Collective production 'Momentum'. Although not originally intended for the show, they ended up using 'These Scalding Tears' in its entirety alongside other original music from Simon, with 'Momentum' receiving its premiere at Sadlers Wells Theatre in London in September 2022.

Another important component in the backstory to 'I the Storm' is the serious health issues and periods in hospital Simon experienced at the end of 2021. As disharmony in the body can also lead to disharmony in the mind, this became a time of deep personal confusion for the artist. Seeking spiritual answers, 'I the Storm' is largely influenced and indebted to the sacred music of the 12th century Benedictine writer and visionary Hildegard von Bingen, even though it has a veneer of contemporary sonic landscapes.

'I the Storm' consists of four beatless compositions of varying length based around asynchronous live looping with the cello, a method Simon has been experimenting with for a number of years. This new work takes the process in another direction as all the loops remain 'open' in overdub mode. Five loops of five different lengths always recording and adding new material as the older material slowly fades away on each repeat. Sounds cascade and circle around each other in a network of loop and delay; sometimes like a call and response, sometimes like reverb or an audio smudge, or a choir of cellos, or dense string orchestration and harmonisation. There are moments where the music is on the edge of going out of control and tipping into chaos; a tightrope is being walked.

All the tracks on 'I the Storm' were played and recorded in one sitting. The chaotic nature of the method means this is the only way, but each piece also exists as its own dramatic whole, while contained within are smaller sections or movements travelling through different emotional states and spaces.

'I the Storm' was not conceived or executed as background ambience; this is not linear or gentle listening. Nothing is hidden, all emotions are raw, and it was designed to be experienced by the listener as such. As the track titles show, ours is a world of tumult and turmoil, of agitation and upheaval, and where the storm that's within us all ebbs and flows throughout life.

Mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12k Mastering.

Image: the Sound Camp.

I the Storm

'I the Storm' (preview) – Simon McCorry (See Blue Audio SBA #045)

'The Spirit of the Young Poets'
D-Fried
See Blue Audio SBA 046

1. The Spirit of the Young Poets

Release date: 20 October 2023

lnk.to/SBA046

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

Following the experimental and improvisational nature of the previous release on See Blue Audio, 'I the Storm' by Simon McCorry, the label continues its exploration of sonic landscapes with 'The Spirit of the Young Poets'. Taking the form of a longform track, Barcelona's D-Fried has created a multi-textured composition free from constraints of form or duration, while still maintaining a bold narrative that flows through many twists and turns. As the forty-sixth release on See Blue Audio, it also marks the first contribution to the label by an artist from Catalonia.

D-Fried is Jordi Saludes, a producer, musician and DJ from Barcelona, who has been releasing music since 2006 on a wide variety of labels in Europe, the USA and Japan. This is complemented by his work for short films, documentaries, performance, audiovisual installations, websites and commercials, all of which have constructed an eclectic career within electronic music that goes from intricate IDM to evocative ambience, or as Jordi himself defines it: "digital soundtracks for urban travellers". Both as a live act and a DJ, he has also performed at major electronic festivals like Sónar, Mutek, MIRA and others.

His most recent release prior to 'The Spirit of the Young Poets' was 'Butō [part 1]' for the French label Kalamine Records with 'Butō [part 2]' to follow. Jordi has also recently remixed tracks from the new album by antennasia from Japan, one half of whom, NRV, released ambient music on See Blue Audio with 'Blue Roofs'. Returning to 'The Spirit of the Young Poets', its freestyle nature doesn't tell the full story; in fact, it's inspired by real events and real people where serendipity played a crucial role.

The concept behind 'The Spirit of the Young Poets' arose after Jordi met up with an old friend who he made music with as teenagers. With a perspective drawn from the intervening years, a yearning for artistic expression filled them, drawing on moments of rich intensity, feelings of deep fascination, and above all, innocence, which provided both infinite and unfathomable motivation.

A few days later, serendipity revealed itself: after reading one of her books, Jordi found himself watching an interview with the poet and writer Sylvia Plath. Suddenly, she was talking about the same ideas that he and his friend had been talking about just days before. At that moment, the ideas for 'The Spirit of the Young Poets' crystallised; of making a piece without defined format, neither in shape nor duration, and in which all those mixed feelings could be captured. Something that would reflect all the multitude of contradictions, achievements, losses, fears and pleasures of the artists during the creative process, and also in the trajectories of their lives that followed. Parts of the interview ended up being incorporated into the music, and they can also be heard towards the end of 'The Spirit of the Young Poets'.

Another element in the creative process behind this 22-minute piece is that as critics consider Plath to be a 'landscape poet', so Jordi thought this composition should have the qualities of 'landscape music'. This quest to evoke the sensation of landscapes in the form of sound is something that he has achieved with startling results.

As the title suggests, the artistry of the poet inhabits the meandering musical river of 'The Spirit of the Young Poets'. From beatless textures to wistful melodies, and from deep ambient pools to gentle swathes of sound that raise the spirits, this is a sensitive and emotional listening experience that borders on the devotional. Embrace and be reminded of the power of words and imagination.

Mastered by Simon McCorry.

Photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

The Spirit of the Young Poets

'The Spirit of the Young Poets' (preview) – D-Fried (See Blue Audio SBA #046)

'Majjie'
Lyli J
See Blue Audio SBA 050

1. Particles of You
2. Tide
3. See
4. Within
5. Lily's Groove
6. Chaconne
7. Vision
8. Ouh
9. Fountain of You
10. Tide (Arovane Remix)
11. Tide (Rhombus Index Remix)
12. Within (cole's Fear of Drowning Mix)

Release date: 15 March 2024

lnk.to/SBA050

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

See Blue Audio reaches its landmark fiftieth release with the welcome return of Lyli J and her album 'Majjie'. This will be the fourth full-length album of her career and the second for See Blue Audio following 'Micro Wanders' released in May 2022. Nearly two years on, 'Majjie' builds and expands on the ideas of its predecessor and creates a musical tapestry that evokes the power of mountains, mystery and magic, and heralds the arrival of spring, while also remaining deeply personal and heartfelt in the way Lyli J brings to all her music. The album is a complete entity in its own right, of course, but the addition of three remixes from kindred artists bring further dimensions of audio expression and emotional energy and to the project.

Lily Jordy is a French American instrumentalist, singer, sound designer and electronic producer who releases under the name Lyli J. With a classically trained background to accompany her love for electronic music, she has crafted a very particular musical sensibility that draws on organic, esoteric and ambient textures as well as influences from IDM, trip hop, folk and indie. All this allows Lily to give full reign to her creativity, and this can be heard throughout 'Majjie' where a multitude of sounds complement, contrast and cascade around us.

'Majjie' is her own creative phonetic spelling of 'magie' – the word for magic in French – and it is dedicated to the breathtaking landscapes of the Alps and how hyperreal they can appear to the naked eye (she lives in the French countryside outside Grenoble). This nine-track collection takes the form of a stream of consciousness and was born in summer of 2022 while preparing for a live show at the Hadra Trance Festival. Some tracks, such as 'Tide' and 'Ouh', Lily imagined as being performed in a hot desert-like setting with just a guitar; then as autumn and the colder months arrived, she added a serene, calming glue to these more extroverted tracks with deep soundscapes like 'Chaconne' and 'Fountain of You'.

"Everything naturally came together as a reflection," Lily explains "as a closing of that year." This sense of long exploration leading to some kind of peace is a strand running throughout the music and gives the album its wonderful sense of identity. Whether with guitar and voice, dub-infused beats or beatless landscapes, every track has its special role in creating the aura of wonder that permeating throughout 'Majjie'.

Turning to the remixes that come with the album, German composer and sound designer Arovane strips 'Tide' down to its core elements to construct a vignette of ghostly ambience. Rhombus Index from the See Blue Audio roster also recreates 'Tide', but in his distinctive pastoral electronic style so evocative of the Yorkshire countryside. To complete 'Majjie', emptyvessel, the acclaimed electronic composer and musician from New Zealand, assumes his cole name for the shapeshifting and orchestral 'Fear of Drowning' reimagining of 'Within'. The result is a fervent invocation that hints at some kind of divine power.

As with 'Micro Wanders', this is an album to immerse yourself in; it's a space where nature, magic and inner reflection exist side by side in the awe-inspiring presence of mountains. 'Majjie' is a celebration of their embrace.

Mastered by Thomas Ragsdale.

Photography: Lily Jordy.

Majjie

'Majjie' (preview) – Lyli J (See Blue Audio SBA #050)

'Seasons Beyond the Ashes'
NRV
See Blue Audio SBA 051

1. Harugasumi (Spring Haze)
2. Rice Fields in May
3. Painless Morning
4. This Rain Announces the Next Season
5. Moon Garden
6. Sokyokusen
7. And the First Snow Touches Your Cheek
8. Endless Snow... or Ashes

Release date: 3 May 2024

lnk.to/SBA051

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

Following the label's landmark fiftieth release, the 'Majjie' album from Lyli J, the next release on See Blue Audio continues the theme of the wonders of the natural world expressed through music. As 'Majjie' evoked the power of mountains, mystery and magic, and heralded the arrival of spring, so 'Seasons Beyond the Ashes' by NRV takes its inspiration from the four seasons and the healing properties of nature. This is the second release from NRV on See Blue Audio, and it follows the widely acclaimed 'Blue Roofs' in 2022. 'Seasons Beyond the Ashes' also examines the relationship between nature and modern society, and the fifty-first release on See Blue Audio is timed to reflect the passage of spring into summer.

NRV is the drone/ambient project from Japanese electronic musician, producer and radio host Nerve, who is based in the city of Sendai and best known as one half of the trip hop, dub and electro-pop band antennasia. 2023 saw the release of their eighth album, 'Warped Lucky'. After its completion, Nerve found himself drawn to making ambient music again and created the first sketches that went on to become 'Seasons Beyond the Ashes'.

'Blue Roofs' features two extended sonic rivers of soft simplicity. Its successor inhabits similar musical territory, but instead takes the form of eight short tracks dedicated to the eternal cycle of spring, summer, autumn and winter with two for each season. They were all designed to soothe and create harmony, even when some of the sounds used have a noisy or abrasive edge.

A thread that runs through both releases is the continuing effects of the earthquake and tsunami, and subsequent nuclear accident, that hit Japan in 2011. Nature may continue to soothe the artist through all its seasons, just as it did when he was a child, but even landscapes that seem the same as they did before the disaster somehow look different now. Perhaps this reflects his own state of mind, the influence of something that has changed in Japan since the catastrophe, or the continuing destruction and tragic events happening in many parts of the world; whatever the case, it's as if a layer of noise, dust and ash has formed between his eyes and the landscape. This is the meaning of the album's title, and what the noise and disturbance heard during the music represents.

Before he began working on the album, Nerve got hold of a small cassette recorder and recorded many synthesizer patterns onto tape. The tapes were old and with irregular wow and flutter, but they felt intensely real and became a 'sound effect' utilised in the music. In this way, the past and the present are symbolically connected, and a kind of reconciliation can begin.

The tracks may be shorter, but each has its own distinct character and mood. At times beatless and as light as a feather, at others with a harder edge to reflect our industrial age. Mournful strings and floating synths, a delicate piano line reminiscent of Ryuichi Sakamoto, and field recordings from the ever-moving world of insects, frogs and plants, but always with a rich undercurrent of energy that comes from our interaction with nature.

See Blue Audio is honoured to present this subtle and sublime musical meditation on the continuous flow of the seasons, and how they can bring comfort and contrast to the fast-paced modern world. 'Seasons Beyond the Ashes' is both a beacon of hope for the artist and those of us who share his concerns, sensitivities and dreams.

Mastered by Simon McCorry.

Photography: Manabu Ito.

Seasons Beyond the Ashes

'Seasons Beyond the Ashes' (preview) – NRV (See Blue Audio SBA #051)

'A World Within Our World'
f5point6
See Blue Audio SBA 052

1. Konis_
2. Clarity in the Dark
3. A World Within Our World
4. Fertile Ground
5. L'Artico Blu

Release date: 14 June 2024

lnk.to/SBA052

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

A year down the line from the last f5point6 release on See Blue Audio, multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron returns with the first in a series of three releases which include a collaboration with another mainstay of the label’s roster, Rhombus Index. During this relatively quiet period, the artist has been working to push his sound forward and outwards, and 'A World Within Our World' reveals a deepening technical maturity as well as a growing confidence in his ability to truly express his ideas and emotions through music. As the fifty-second release on See Blue Audio, this is both a departure from what has gone before and a journey into other worlds.

If the previous release on See Blue Audio, NRV's 'Seasons Beyond the Ashes', took its inspiration from the four seasons and the healing properties of nature, 'A World Within Our World' is concerned with the resilience of nature against human intervention and the wanderings of the imagination. This sense of departure also applies to the existing body of work from f5point6 which has had storytelling at its heart. This reached a peak on 'Clinical Trials', an audio chronicle of one person's struggle to survive in a dystopian world, but with this new collection the emphasis has shifted to individual compositions that stand in their own space and time.

'A World Within Our World' comprises five sonic landscapes with their own unique concepts, but still held together through common musical threads of precise attention to detail, shifting subtleties of sound, and a pervasive sense of unease. It’s almost as if the contrast has been turned up to the maximum, but within this sensory overload emerging new forms can be glimpsed. There are times when the effect can border on the claustrophobic but listen closely and shafts of pale light emerge just as the first rays of dawn pierce the darkness of night.

The opening track, 'Konis_', is based around a continuous process of layers of sound that build up, clear and then start again. Over 16 minutes in length, it sets the scene for what's to come as musical particles float and then disappear from view. Taken from the ancient Greek word 'xóviç' meaning dust, it creeps into our consciousness in a way that's reminiscent of 'Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records', the seminal Jan Jelinek album.

'Clarity in the Dark' follows where fear of the unknown is heightened by exaggerated sounds that have been stretched and amplified by space and the absence of light. The title track, meanwhile, is based around a collection of imagined sounds crafted from their proximity to everyday objects. Throughout these musical landscapes, whether beatless or underpinned by clicks, glitches and pulses, other sounds drift in and out. Seemingly random but also placed with precise attention, they provide points of sharp focus as they glide past.

The unceasing will of nature to survive is imagined on 'Fertile Ground', starting with the soil that supports the growth of flora, onto the first signs of shoots, and ending with a reminder of its power. To conclude, 'L'Artico Blu' is another extended composition of over 12 minutes with an accompanying short film, and a ghostly soundtrack to the melting of the Arctic icecaps expressed through the duality of beauty and danger.

f5point6 has returned but the script has been flipped. Common themes remain – cinematic ambience with enigmatic melodies, a nod towards the more experimental side of jazz, and a passion for sci-fi culture – but everything has moved forward with a sense of urgency reflecting the artist's misgivings about the future of our planet.

Artwork and photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

A World Within Our World

'A World Within Our World' (preview) – f5point6 (See Blue Audio SBA #052)

'Mutual Expression'
Rhombus Index + f5point6
See Blue Audio SBA 053

1. Soft Plane
2. Phase Six
3. Tea Six
4. Floam
5. One Journey
6. Lorentz Force
7. Astra
8. Phase 14
9. Return to

Release date: 12 July 2024

lnk.to/SBA053

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

For the second in the series of three f5point6 releases, R.Cleveland Aaron joins forces with Rhombus Index, another mainstay of the See Blue Audio roster. It closely follows on from ‘A World Within Our World’, and, as the title of their collaboration, ‘Mutual Expression’, suggests, this is a project based around shared methodologies and ideas, while still retaining their individual aesthetics; a reciprocal knowledge and passion for music in its myriad forms; and respect for each other’s perceptions of the world. As the fifty-third release on See Blue Audio, its radiant musical eloquence is also the perfect way to embrace the arrival of summer.

Rhombus Index is an experimental electronic musician from West Yorkshire, who draws inspiration and solace from the natural world. Multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron, meanwhile, is a true Londoner, whose prolific portfolio in music, photography and video includes nine releases on See Blue Audio so far. The two first came into contact on 'Kernel Phase', the last Rhombus Index album, and as part of a reimaging of previous releases, f5point6 contributed two remixes of 'Leptosol' from the 'Planar' EP. The spark had been ignited and 'Mutual Expression' is the result of a shared wish to bring together their musical visions. The result is most certainly that and a whole lot more; the whole is assuredly greater than the sum of the parts. 

The partnership was proposed by f5point6 following the release of 'Kernel Phase'. The idea was to expand their creative relationship and build a full album of tracks and artwork in a collaborative manner. It's worth noting that the cover artwork and video for 'Floam' were also produced together. Work began on the release in spring 2023, and there are some intriguing contrasts that accompany the creation of this nine-track album: light and dark, city and country, industrial and esoteric, glitchy atmospherics and pastoral electronica. Too much should not be made of these, but they do provide a touch of intrigue. 

Their creative process began by sending outlines of tracks and fragments of sounds to each other. Stems were exchanged to build upon the material selected. The results were then sent back and forth to advance further as desired, and with some tracks this process was iterated several times to guide and develop a new and cohesive sound. Various creative tools were employed during the production process from generative sequencers and rompler synthesisers to field recordings and library sounds, while aficionados of Detroit techno and early IDM will also find much to appreciate within the intricacies of 'Mutual Expression'.

As with both artists' solo output, beats of multiple variations provide the foundation of the album. Layered above are a swirling maze of sonic textures, sometimes with almost wafer-thin delicacy, at others with the emotionally charged energy of the dancefloor. To reflect the beatless ethos of See Blue Audio and close 'Mutual Expression', 'Return To' was created as a cerebral ambient track which plays back echoes of the other tracks as it progresses.

The artwork and video were created in the same collaborative vein. f5point6 provided photography work that Rhombus Index used as samples in building the artwork, while Rhombus Index supplied an audio reactive geometry to f5point6 who constructed the final video.

The results are spectacular in every aspect and a tribute to the power of respect and trust. See Blue Audio is privileged to have been able to provide the channel that helped bring 'Mutual Expression' into life.

Artwork and photography: Loui Binns and R.Cleveland Aaron.

Mutual Expression

'Mutual Expression' (preview) – Rhombus Index + f5point6 (See Blue Audio SBA #053)

'A Random Sequence of Events'
f5point6
See Blue Audio SBA 054

1. Flowing with the Phagocytes
2. Endogenesis
3. I Never Got to Say
4. Grey Clouds over Ramsgate
5. Phase Eleven
6. Prelude to the Inevitable
7. And In Came Eddy
8. Un momento pensieroso
9. To Illustrate Her with Sound
10. Midnight Carousel
11. A Random Sequence of Events

Release date: 20 September 2024

lnk.to/SBA054

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

For the third and final instalment in a series of f5point6 releases, multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron presents a new full-length album, 'A Random Sequence of Events'. It also represents another side of his musical personality and while radically different in many aspects from the other two releases in this trilogy – 'A World Within Our World' and 'Mutual Expression' in collaboration with Rhombus Index – a line of continuity remains. As the fifty-fourth release on See Blue Audio and the eleventh from f5point6, it's also a timely reminder that, at his core, R.Cleveland Aaron is a visual artist, so as a producer of music, his aim is to create visual sounds. Reflecting their symbiotic relationship, a new solo album from Rhombus Index, ‘hycean’, will also be released on the same day.

There's a clear statement of intent behind this new album: at this stage in his career, Cleveland felt compelled to reveal more of his musical palate. As the title of the second track, 'Endogenesis' – meaning biological growth from within – suggests, the music comes from his imagination, originating from within his conscious and unconscious mind. On previous releases, the approach has always been to express opposing forces, almost like symbiosis, and apply this to a single genre throughout the project. With 'A Random Sequence of Events', however, Cleveland chose to challenge himself and delve into these forces across a mixture of genres. Followers of f5point6 will already know that his sound is all about light and shadow, colour and contrast, and the juxtaposition of ideas – another reflection of his work as a photographer and video artist.

This process is taken to another level on 'A Random Sequence of Events', and it can be considered as the first true f5point6 artist album. Work began in February 2023 with 'Phase Eleven'. Experimenting with looser arrangements but also intricate patterns, it became a welcome opportunity for Cleveland to tap into his jazz roots. Serendipitously, the more experimental title track is also the eleventh track on the eleventh f5point6 release on See Blue Audio.

The last track made for the album was 'Un momento pensieroso' – translated from the Italian as "a moment of reflection or a pensive moment" – in May 2024. This follows on from 'And in Came Eddy' featuring trumpet playing from Eddy Gray-Aragoneses, which is significant in another respect as it was Cleveland's first experience of recording a live instrument. The results are as elegant as they are almost celestial in quality.

Another departure from previous releases is the absence of field recordings; instead, Cleveland opted to explore and utilise a wide variety of plugins. The beatless aesthetic of See Blue Audio is also heard on tracks like 'Flowing with the Phagocytes' and 'Grey Clouds Over Ramsgate'.

Is this album really a random sequence of events or a reflection of the underlying patterns of the universe? The artist makes no claim to have the answer, but he poses the question through an exploration and personal interpretation of jazz, Detroit techno and ambient electronica set against the backdrop of a cinematic musical landscape. As a listening experience, ‘A Random Sequence of Events’ is as dynamic as it is immersive. Like the drifting sands of an endless desert, or calm water lapping against the shores of the deepest lake, this is music to lose yourself in, suspend time and pause for thought.

Artwork and photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

A Random Sequence of Events

'A Random Sequence of Events' (preview) – f5point6 (See Blue Audio SBA #054)

'hycean'
Rhombus Index
See Blue Audio SBA 055

1. Elytron
2. Giiflora
3. Digital Anemone
4. Polyeme
5. Tine
6. Flotsam
7. Coastal Curve

Release date: 20 September 2024

lnk.to/SBA055

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

Following 'Mutual Expression', his recent collaborative project with f5point6, Rhombus Index returns with a solo album, 'hycean'. This will be his fourth release on See Blue Audio and represents a further step in the artist's musical evolution; this is a world where the interplay between the organic and the digital takes centre stage, and it has a special resonance in these days of artificial intelligence and machine learning. 'hycean' is the fifty-fifth release on See Blue Audio and, reflecting their symbiotic relationship, a new solo album from f5point6, 'A Random Sequence of Events', will also be released on the same day. An art booklet of images generated during the creation of 'hycean' is included with the album.

As an electronic artist from West Yorkshire, Rhombus Index inhabits a geographical and historical space where modern, industrial society and the power of nature collide. It's only logical, therefore, that these contradictory forces come out in his music. 'hycean' is an exploration of sounds that evoke images of organically grown digital creatures and objects. The typically enigmatic track titles, artwork and video for 'Digital Anemone' serve as a guide for the listener: imagine a future evolution of organic beings merging with digital inorganic entities to form a new kind of life.

The production tools used on 'hycean' include generative sequencers, field recordings, wavetable synthesis and rompler synthesisers, while the closing track, 'Coastal Curve', was developed using sonification of coastal path measurement data. These techniques and references to areas like video game technology are a constant thread in the work of Rhombus Index, and the natural and digital worlds are ever crashing into each other in a kind of dance.

Over the seven tracks of 'hycean', the pastoral electronic sound of Rhombus Index is in full effect. The embrace of washes of warm synth chords, beats fall like smatterings of spring rain, and that playful elegance abundantly found in nature. Faster tempos on tracks like 'Flotsam' add another dimension, while remaining essentially ambient. The artist has always drawn influences from the dancefloor and rave culture, and 'Digital Anemone' captures the kind of Balearic aura that is the essence of dance music. The beatless aesthetic of See Blue Audio is also represented on 'Elytron' and 'Polyeme'.

'Digital Anemone' was created in reverse with the video elements made first and then the music written to fit the video. The sounds of digital anemone creatures are heard in the opening minute as high pitch synth warbles. Once the track was completed, it was then fed back into the video to make it audio reactive.

The accompanying eight-page, full colour booklet contains conceptual images that were created using a generative process applied during developing the image for the cover artwork. These images could be seen as depicting the new digital flora and fauna that has evolved alongside the music. The booklet also contains fragments of data, but what these data sets mean and how they relate to the images is for the listener to figure out should they wish.

A gentle harmony runs throughout 'hycean', but this harmony is not without contrast and conflict. The album is a personal reflection on the fusing of organic and digital realities, and the journey of discovery that the introduction of generative artificial intelligence has brought into our lives. We have little idea how it will end. With its lightness of touch and moments of rare beauty, 'hycean' thoroughly deserves to be enjoyed and recognised as a richly insightful piece of work.

Image: Loui Binns.

hycean

'hycean' (preview) – Rhombus Index (See Blue Audio SBA #055)

'hycean revisited'
Rhombus Index
See Blue Audio SBA 057

1. Digital Anemone (NRV Remix)
2. Digital Anemone (Rhombus Index Ambient Mix)
3. Digital Anemone (Lyli J Remix)
4. Digital Anemone (Bagaski's 'Eve' Mix)
5. Digital Anemone (f5point6 Remix)
6. Digital Anemone (Darbinyan Remix)
7. Digital Anemone (Electric Supply Station Reimagination)
8. Polyeme (RoboCrafting Material Remix)
9. Polyeme (Kuma's 'Train to Todmorden' Mix)

Release date: 29 November 2024

lnk.to/SBA057

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

2024 has seen a flurry of activity from Rhombus Index on See Blue Audio. The year started with his remix of Lyli J's 'Tide' from her 'Majjie' album, then came 'Mutual Expression', his collaborative project with f5point6, and finally 'hycean', his fourth release on See Blue Audio and representation of a further step in the electronic artist’s musical evolution. This seven-track solo album is a personal reflection on the fusing of organic and digital realities, and it embraces the full range of the signature Rhombus Index pastoral electronica aesthetic. Two tracks, in particular, express the spark of club culture that runs through his music, and these were selected for 'hycean revisited', a remix collection and the fifty-seventh release on See Blue Audio.

Rhombus Index, a West Yorkshire-based experimental producer and sound designer, is known for favouring of relatively short tracks, understated perhaps but always with an ephemeral charm. Musical ideas quickly come into view, their essence hangs in the air, and then they dissolve into the ether. This has always made them perfect candidates for remixing, and so the idea for 'hycean revisited' was born. 'Digital Anemone', the beating heart of the original album with its Balearic aura, was an obvious choice, but also 'Polyeme' which despite being essentially beatless, is a glorious invocation of the natural world. An international cast from the See Blue Audio roster were then invited to rework, reinterpret and reimagine as they wished.

This isn't the first Rhombus Index release to feature remixes; 'Kernel Phase' at the end of 2022 included several from his back catalogue. 'hycean revisited' takes this one step further with seven new versions of 'Digital Anemone'. As the most uptempo track on the album, it provided a base that could be turned and twisted into myriad shapes. Drone/ambient producer NRV strips the track back and adds subtle melodic touches to create a hypnotic reverie, while Lyli J expands the original into an eight-minute odyssey, rich and warm with a hint of a retro chillout vibe. By contrast, Bagaski's 'Eve' mix is a swirling, atonal reinterpretation in his characteristic vaporwave style.

f5point6 takes 'Digital Anemone' deep into his cinematic world, while Barcelona-based Darbinyan, a newcomer to See Blue Audio, morphs the beats into a dub heavy, spaced out version. In conclusion, the Electric Supply Station Reimagination is an extended narrative where elements of the original are rearranged and interspersed with new sounds and dynamics. Rhombus Index has also created his own slowed down ambient version which allows the melodies to take centre stage. This is one for early Sunday morning as you ease yourself back into life.

A pause for breath follows before Gabriel Slick takes hold of 'Polyeme' and heads dark and techy with his RoboCrafting Material alias. To round things off, Kuma's 'Train to Todmorden' mix goes a little strange and shadowy forces are unleashed. It's the perfect epilogue to this return visit to 'hycean' and embrace of its multiple dimensions.

See Blue Audio is all about light rather than shade, contrast and contradiction, energy and calm, and 'hycean revisited' captures this essence. It's a fine and sometimes darker companion to the original album, and a fitting epitaph for 2024.

Mastered by Loui Binns.

Image: Loui Binns.

hycean revisited

'hycean revisited' (preview) – Rhombus Index (See Blue Audio SBA #057)

'Vestige'
Leit Motif
See Blue Audio SBA 058

1. Aonaran
2. Seva
3. Before You and I Were Us
4. Roots and the Tree of Life
5. Welcome Home
6. Sweven
7. Anam Cara
8. Veni Vidi Amavi

Release date: 31 January 2025

https://lnk.to/SBA058

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

For the opening release of 2025, See Blue Audio sees the welcome return of one its artists, but with a little twist. Glaswegian electronic producer Fragile X contributed three EPs in his characteristically dramatic and atmospheric style to the early days of the label, and his musical themes of journey and inner discovery fitted perfectly within the See Blue Audio ethos. Now he assumes his Leit Motif guise with a new eight-track album, 'Vestige', that expands on earlier releases under this name to create a fully formed and immersive sonic world for the fifty-eighth release on See Blue Audio.

In fact, this is the second appearance of Leit Motif on the label; his 'Dawn Chorus' remix of Bagaski's 'Spring Prayer' was an exclusive track on the 'Shade Rather Than Light: Anthology | Two' compilation and a joyous celebration of nature. So where does Fragile X end and Leit Motif begin? It's no secret that they are one and the same artist, but to think of Leit Motif as the more ambient side of the coin would be misleading, even though it was originally conceived as a mix series, 'Microsleep', studying the relationship between music and sleep. Rather consider Leit Motif to be one branch of the musical tree that is producer, remixer, Bricolage label head and radio show host Fragile X.

The word vestige is rich in nuanced meaning: a trace, a reminder, a residue, a fragment or relic of something that has been left behind, an echo from the past perhaps. There's a time-stretching quality to this idea and things may not always be as they seem in the moment. As the artist explains, "This album is influenced by the many thousands of connections we have with so many people throughout our lives, big and small. These connections may be ephemeral and transient, or they may be long lasting and fulfilling. That all depends on the nature of the relationships we create and sustain throughout life, but either way we display a bit of ourselves in each interaction we have and leave behind a trace. A remnant. A vestige."

Across its eight tracks, this concept is explored and imagined in musical form to superb effect. The trademark Fragile X production techniques of swirling and enveloping swathes of sound punctuated by moments of calm for reflection are fully utilised to create a powerful, at times almost theatrical, depiction of our journey through life. Waves crash against the rocks, the shoreline is weather beaten and battered, but then the heavens open and the light pours down.

There's something timeless and mysterious, even mystical, about the audio landscapes of 'Vestige' as there is with life itself. This is also reflected in the track titles. At times the mood can be brooding – 'Anam Cara', for example – while at others tingling with excitement as on 'Welcome Home'. The beatless aesthetic of See Blue Audio is also well represented on tracks live 'Seva' and 'Roots and the Tree of Life'. As 'Veni Vidi Amavi' closes the album, we're left with a sense of the wonder of life and how we are all just microscopic parts in the grand cosmos of existence.

The meaning of 'leitmotif' is a recurring theme in artistic composition and one that could be associated with a particular person, place, idea or situation. This is a pulsating vein that runs throughout the body of 'Vestige', but what it refers to we can leave to our own imagination and individual life stories. As a musical offering, this album also suits the mood as we enter a new year, and one that may well be riven with change, turmoil and dissent. May it give you a little respite.

Photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

Vestige

'Vestige' (preview) – Leit Motif (See Blue Audio SBA #058)

'Silent Observers' EP
Substak
See Blue Audio SBA 059

1. Voyage Beyond
2. Orbiting Dreams
3. Aurora
4. Nebula Drift
5. Silent Observers

Release date: 14 March 2025

https://lnk.to/SBA059

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

If the opening release of 2025 on See Blue Audio, 'Vestige' by Leit Motif, was an audio journey into the nature of what it is to be human in the chaos that surrounds us, its successor takes a trip into the outer reaches of space and our imagination. It also welcomes a new artist to the label in the shape of Athens-based electronic artist Substak. With the 'Silent Observers' EP, the fifty-ninth release on See Blue Audio, he invites us into his world where sound operates as a form of language.

Kostas Staikos, otherwise known as Substak, began his passion for music as a means of escape from everyday life with a commitment to creative freedom and expression. Since then, he has developed into a fabulously prolific artist on both the dub techno and ambient/drone scenes, releasing music on myriad labels too numerous to mention and from all over the world. The result is a truly impressive portfolio of work. Setting himself no limits and with an artistic vision transcending conventional boundaries, his musical compass points in multiple directions from deep and dubby techno to dark ambient and drone soundscapes. On 'Silent Observers', Kostas takes a further step with sonic explorations that plunge into the depths of space ambience.

Across five short but perfectly succinct tracks, Kostas brings his ideas into being with exquisite clarity. Beatless, shrouded in static and radio interference, and with subtle melodies that seem to almost crawl into life, the effect is soothing and dreamlike, but still demanding of our attention. At times it can be unsettling, but such is the nature of the great, mysterious universe that hovers above us. As the titles suggest, the cosmos is the central theme of 'Silent Observers' and the listener quickly becomes immersed in the Substak interpretation of travelling through endless space to unknown galaxies.

The closing title track hints at a possible alternative view: perhaps we are the observed and not the observers; it's they who are looking at us from afar and wondering who and what we are. This is their radio transmission and at times it's almost as if the signal is breaking up.

Substak has created something very special here and it's a glorious addition to the See Blue Audio catalogue. The 'Silent Observers' EP evokes a sense of reflection and is ideally suited for relaxation and meditation while still retaining a questioning tone. To paraphrase the line from a famous science fiction movie, "In space no one can hear anything at all."

Silent Observers EP

'Silent Observers' EP (preview) – Substak (See Blue Audio SBA #059)

'Cartography of Sleep'
Droning Cats with NRV
See Blue Audio SBA 060

1. When Two Longitudes Overlap
2. Slumbering on a Swing
3. Dreams with Claws
4. Catastrophic
5. Dorian Tapestry

Release date: 12 December 2025

https://lnk.to/SBA060

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

After a short hiatus, See Blue Audio returns with a collaboration between new artists to the label, Droning Cats, and one of our most established names, NRV. In the chaotic and fraught world in which we find ourselves, this partnership has yielded a wonderful musical pause for reflection in 'Cartography of Sleep'. As the title reveals, the sixtieth release on See Blue Audio is a sonic journey through the mysterious realm of sleep. This is an invitation to drift, while still keeping your bearings, as you travel across the blurred borders between waking and dreaming.

Droning Cats are the Brussels-based duo of Christophe Calis (guitar, baritone guitar, electronics) and Jan Delannoy (modular synths), who first met as part of a trip hop band before morphing into solo ambient artists. They came together to create Droning Cats with the emphasis on creating unpredictable and spontaneous music, rather like the curious nature of cats. Their free-flowing approach to creating music is perfectly complemented by the precision and emotional delicacy of NRV, the drone/ambient project from Japanese electronic musician, producer and radio host Nerve, best known as part of the electro-pop band antennasia. NRV has already contributed two exquisite releases to See Blue Audio in 'Blue Roofs' and 'Seasons Beyond the Ashes'.

'Cartography of Sleep' is the debut release from Droning Cats with NRV and was produced entirely by long-distance file exchanges. Across its five predominantly beatless tracks, the improvisational, genre-defying soundscapes of Droning Cats elegantly merge with NRV's finely tuned sense of spacious atmospheres. Drawing on their shared love of sonic exploration, the music charts a course through dreamlike states where languid, luminous passages meet darker, ominous undercurrents, like shifting weather in a strange, imagined land. The combination of shimmering guitar textures, slow-moving drones, gentle rhythmic pulses and textural detail invites the listener to join them in a richly immersive experience where geography is fluid and time dissolves.

As 'Cartography of Sleep' unfolds, it maps out an oneiric terrain where beauty drifts into unease and stillness hides quiet cataclysms. The eloquent interplay between guitar harmonics and subtle electronica gives the music a flavour of the natural world in all its myriad forms. Each track is a stopping point on an uncharted map of dreams, from the vast expanse of the opening 'When Two Longitudes Overlap' to the shadowy elegance of 'Dreams with Claws'.

This collection has a special quality that lent itself to being represented in other artistic forms; the world of sleep and dreams is, after all, also one of images, colours, words and sensations as well as sound. Accompanying the music is a PDF booklet featuring five pieces of text written by See Blue Audio founder Matthew Duffield. Completing the release are images drawn by illustrator Swann Quach. The music, text and images were all created completely independently of each other in different time and space, but they have serendipitously come together. Swann's illustrations adorn the cover artwork of 'Cartography of Sleep' as well as alongside the text in the booklet.

'Cartography of Sleep' is a sublime listening experience and one that gently nudges us into the shapeshifting universes of sleep, dreaming and waking. Take from it what you will as the music washes over you. It's commonly agreed that we all need more – and deeper – sleep; this could help us along the way.

Mastered by Simon McCorry.

Illustration: Swann Quach.

Cartography of Sleep

'Cartography of Sleep' (preview) – Droning Cats with NRV (See Blue Audio SBA #060)

'Empty Halls'
Substak
See Blue Audio SBA 061

1. Empty Halls

Release date: 16 January 2026

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

If the previous release on See Blue Audio, 'Cartography of Sleep' by Droning Cats with NRV, was a soothing, meandering journey through the realm of sleep and a sublime autumn soundtrack, on its follow-up, we find ourselves in the dead of winter. It's also a speedy return for Substak, who reveals another dimension to his music with 'Empty Halls', a standalone longform track of abstract minimal drones with a frosty, detached atmosphere. As the sixtieth-first release on See Blue Audio and the first of 2026, this is an eerie, ghostlike sonic passage drawing on a past time that’s connected yet somehow feels distant from our own.

Back in March 2025, the label welcomed Substak, Athens-based electronic artist Kostas Staikos, with the 'Silent Observers' EP, five short but perfectly succinct tracks and a trip into the outer reaches of space and our imagination. It received much praise for its unsettling but contemplative qualities, receiving extensive radio play on Irish national radio as well as elsewhere. It also came at a particularly prolific creative period for the artist, who has built up an immense body of work across multiple and contrasting labels. Substak operates within three spheres: deep dub techno, meticulous ambient pieces, and extended abstract drone soundscapes. The 'Silent Observers' EP is from the second category and 'Empty Halls' from the third.

A 22-minute beatless drone piece may not be typical for See Blue Audio, but it’s not without precedent: 'La Mer' and 'Animal Carnival' by Tanti Aglaia and longer tracks from Simon McCorry have ventured into similar territory. Experimentation is part of the label's ethos, so 'Empty Halls' has company in the See Blue Audio catalogue. It's unmistakably Substak, however; in fact, one of the most remarkable aspects of his sound is that it is clearly and instantly recognisably Substak, whatever direction it's heading. His musical fingerprint is distinct and unique, even as it is difficult to define.

'Empty Halls' is as the title describes: a large, cavernous space, an ancient place perhaps, long uninhabited, where an eerie stillness pervades. The air is dry, and the sonic crackle serves as a layer of dust. Is that the distant hum of diabolical, archaic machinery in the background? Yet, through all this apparent emptiness, occasional flashes of primordial life permeate the subterranean world. There is a hint of chaos, an anxious moment that grabs our attention amidst the gloom. With every listen, 'Empty Halls' reveals something new and subliminal within its soundwaves. Maybe we hear things that are not really there but conjured from our imagination and transmitted through strange frequencies.

In keeping with the See Blue Audio visual aesthetic, 'Empty Halls' is also notable for its absence of humanity. The music evokes a sense of spaces, filled not with people, but with the echoes of what once was. This is a world of shadows, but where gears also turn and occasionally jolt to disrupt the heavy motion.

'Empty Halls' may function differently to the 'Silent Observers' EP, but they similarly have the ability to draw us deep into reflection. Both are immersive and contemplative, but 'Empty Halls' is a longer meditation, generating a haunting atmosphere that invites the listener to become lost inside its unfolding darkness. In this way, it can also provide peace and comfort in the darkness of wintertime.

Empty Halls

'Empty Halls' (preview) – Substak (See Blue Audio SBA #061)

'Temporary Lapse' EP
Steve Hadfield
See Blue Audio SBA 002

1. Unwitting Accomplice
2. Mind Tricks
3. Don’t Look Back
4. Witting Accomplice (Beatless Version)
5. Breathe

Release date: 14 June 2019

lnk.to/SBA002

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

The second release on the recently launched See Blue Audio imprint comes from Steve Hadfield with the five-track 'Temporary Lapse' EP. Now based in Leeds in the UK, Steve has many years of experience as an electronic producer. Since moving to Leeds from London in 2018, he's ventured into a variety of musical territories, including melodic IDM, haunted ambience, breakneck drum & bass and dub-style techno, as well as developing a live show. Steve is perhaps best known for his more experimental side on Disintegration State, a label he co-founded, which specialises in under-the-radar electronica. Most recently he released 'Battle Royale' in collaboration with Sunbane.

With 'Temporary Lapse' for See Blue Audio, Steve has retained his ambient and glitch sensibilities, but added more melodic and dubbier qualities. 'Unwitting Accomplice' introduces the EP with gentle waves of spectral sound underpinned by a murmuring bassline and soft beats. Swirling synth lines then build the track into a powerfully atmospheric piece.

Both 'Mind Tricks' and 'Don't Look Back' travel deeper into dark space with viscous beats and eerie effects. Trembling with nervous energy and a marked increase in tension, they take the EP in a different direction with references to Detroit techno and the dubby side of downtempo electronica.

Every release on See Blue Audio will include at least one beatless track or remix, so Steve has reworked 'Unwitting Accomplice' into the beatless 'Witting Accomplice', which takes the original down a couple of paces. This alternative version is a wander through distant valleys of fragile loops, trickling sounds and electronic whispers.

For the concluding track, 'Breathe', Steve changes direction again, both to complete the story of the EP and provide a different panorama. As the title suggest, it feels a little like coming up for air with its rolling groove and sensual sounds, and there’s a hint of a Balearic vibe too.

Temporary Lapse EP

'Temporary Lapse' EP (preview) – Steve Hadfield (See Blue Audio SBA #002)

'Displacement Activity Vol. 1'
Steve Hadfield
See Blue Audio SBA 004

1. The Sunlight
2. Tremors
3. Space
4. Reflections
5. Gaze of the Moon
6. Middle Distance

Release date: 31 January 2020

lnk.to/SBA004

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

See Blue Audio begins 2020 with another release from Steve Hadfield following on from the 'Temporary Lapse' EP. 'Displacement Activity Vol. 1' is the first in a series of collections of music with the second volume to be released later in the year and more to follow. Over its six tracks, Steve reveals a different side to his sound and influences, and one born out of his recent personal experiences: ambient/modern classical with glitchy electronics.

Drawing on his passion for defining experimental and ambient artists like Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Murcof, Steve set out to craft his own style which reaches its conclusion with the 'Displacement Activity' series. Field recordings also form part of his musical landscape; likewise, Steve's fascination with space and how Planet Earth could appear as seen from faraway. Displaced, in other words, with the full title referencing a spaceship in Iain M. Banks's science fiction novel 'The Hydrogen Sonata'.

Using his imagination as a starting point – does the Moon view the Earth with the same reverence? – and slowly finding his musical path, Steve was also brought back to reality with the impending arrival of his first child in 2019. An intoxicating mix of excitement, nervousness and uncertainty is reflected in this music, not least as the rise of far-right politics worldwide provided a distressing backdrop. This vast array of ideas and emotions has seeped into 'Displacement Activity', which uses a similarly wide range of sounds and textures from beatless soundscapes to dramatic electronica.

'The Sunlight' opens the collection and, as the title suggests, it's a burst of warm celestial light based around rich synth sounds that slowly transform into something more brittle and with a churchlike intensity. 'Tremors' follows and the theme of space is further explored; this is a journey into the deep beyond where fear and paranoia creep into the edges of your mind. By way of contrast, 'Space' is a short sketch of morphing piano notes that takes us back to some kind of natural world.

'Reflections' continues the piano form but is then slowly enveloped by ghostly electronic fragments. The feeling is one of gentle awakening and the discovery of new life. As the title 'Displacement Activity' suggests, these tracks are also about contrast, and we get that with 'Gaze of the Moon', where our perception of reality is shaped from another angle. Drone-like electronic calm is punctured by sudden rushes of cold, piercing light before sliding back into the shadows.

Completing 'Displacement Activity Vol. 1' is 'Middle Distance' with its shimmering ambience, and its dreamlike quality is a fitting conclusion to this extraordinary collection of music. With this release, Steve Hadfield has pushed through the boundaries of his own musical knowledge and capabilities, but also taken a journey inward and shared his inner psyche.

Displacement Activity Vol. 1

'Displacement Activity Vol. 1' (preview) – Steve Hadfield (See Blue Audio SBA #004)

'Maps for the Lost'
Fragile X
See Blue Audio SBA 009

1. Departure from Nowhere
2. Wayfarer
3. Maps for the Lost
4. Passing the Ley Lines
5. Full Circle (True North)

Release date: 17 July 2020

lnk.to/SBA009

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

For the label's ninth release, See Blue Audio heads over to Glasgow with 'Maps for the Lost' from the accomplished and prolific electronic artist Fragile X. With a sound described as "drifting somewhere in the audio void between the chaos and the calm", Fragile X moves freely between ambient and techno, taking in IDM, breaks, electro, glitch and drone, and experimental electronica along the way.

As well as being the founder, label manager and one of the principal producers on the respected Bricolage imprint, Fragile X has recently released and remixed for labels like Disintegration State, Triplicate Records and Light At The End under his Leit Motif guise. He's also known for his expansive, genre-crossing DJ mixes and podcasts. Now it's the turn of See Blue Audio with 'Maps for the Lost', a collection that reveals what is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Fragile X: he is a sonic storyteller with the enquiring mind of an adventurer. These stories may take the form of underground electronic music, but they are essentially stories, nonetheless.

Over the five tracks of 'Maps for the Lost', the listener is taken on an audio journey where the music flows together using field recordings, spoken word samples, beatless soundscapes and sound design techniques. This goes far beyond being a sequence of tracks as this feeling of transportation is an inherent narrative throughout the music, starting with the wide-open spaces and sense of mystery radiating from 'Departure from Nowhere'.

'Wayfarer' follows with the music taking a subtle shift, almost as if it has been exposed to light and a sense of purpose created. The use of glitch effects heightens this sensation of stepping into the unknown. Next up is the title track, and 'Maps for the Lost' begins with a delicate melody before being consumed by drums and a bassline to dramatic effect. It's knowing the right moment to add these elements that really allows the music to breathe and build the narrative; lost we may be but moving forward with wonder.

On 'Passing the Ley Lines', our feet are planted back on the earth, but as with the concept of ley lines, nothing is quite what it seems. Rich textures of ambient sound shift and realign like the ground beneath our feet, and some kind of equilibrium is established. The conclusion of 'Full Circle (True North)' is exactly as the title suggests: all things must return to their source for harmony to be restored. Based around a simple piano refrain, true north is found again, and we can rest from our travels.

It's as much about the journey as the destination: this may be a well over-used concept, but with 'Maps for the Lost' it feels right. With this release, Fragile X has created a musical travelogue that is far more than just a metaphor. Be transported.

Mastered by Richard Jones at Dark Fidelity Hi Fi Studios.

Photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

Maps for the Lost

'Maps for the Lost' (preview / continuous DJ mix) – Fragile X (See Blue Audio SBA #009)

'Shade Rather Than Light: Anthology | One'
See Blue Audio SBA 016

1. Our Nature – Gabriel Slick, RoboCrafting Material
2. Unwitting Accomplice – Steve Hadfield
3. En mi alma – Khuenzz
4. Reflections – Steve Hadfield
5. Flow – f5point6
6. Displacement Activity – Steve Hadfield
7. Glass and Lasers – Mink Freud
8. Cambrian Radiation – f5point6
9. Passing the Ley Lines – Fragile X
10. Hawksmoor – Mink Freud
11. Trilobite – f5point6
12. Alone, Dark – Steve Hadfield
13. Building Castles in Spain – Fragile X
14. Natural Selection – f5point6
15. Prometheus – Simon McCorry
16. Dream Catcher – Gabriel Slick, RoboCrafting Material
17. See Blue Audio Anthology One Mix – Fragile X

Release date: 1 March 2021

lnk.to/SBA016

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

On March 1, 2019, See Blue Audio was launched with the inaugural release coming from Romanian producer Gabriel Slick. Using his Gabriel Slick, RoboCrafting Material guise reserved for the more experimental and ambient side of his tech house and techno sound, the four-track 'Contact' EP with its futuristic soundscapes perfectly illustrates the See Blue Audio ethos of 'shade rather than light'.

Two years on to the day, the label's second release of 2021 sees the return of Gabriel Slick, RoboCrafting Material with 'Dream Catcher', an exclusive new track only available as part of the first See Blue Audio compilation, 'Shade Rather Than Light: Anthology | One'. The concept is simple: take one track from each release on the label to represent the full spectrum of music on See Blue Audio so far. Completing the picture is 'Dream Catcher' as the sixteenth track on the sixteenth release, which closes the first cycle of the label.

All seven artists are represented ranging from the deep techno and ambient dub of Gabriel Slick and the mysterious Khuenzz to the ambient textures, glitchy electronics and modern classical overtones of Steve Hadfield and Fragile X. The cinematic qualities of f5point6 and shadowy ambience of Mink Freud have added further dimensions to See Blue Audio, while the recent 'Nature in Nature' EP by Simon McCorry with its atmospheric improvisations and analogue modular synthesis has provided a fitting soundtrack to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and strange times we are living in.

One of the principles of See Blue Audio is that every release should include at least one beatless track or remix, and these are also represented on 'Shade Rather Than Light: Anthology | One' with tracks like 'Hawksmoor' from Mink Freud's 'In Isolation' EP and Simon McCorry's 'Prometheus'. All of which leads to 'Dream Catcher', and this new track both complements and contrasts the existing catalogue.

Approaching eight minutes in length, 'Dream Catcher' utilises many of the cosmic and otherworldly sounds found on the 'Contact' EP, wrapping them in gentle ambient waves and harp-like melodies, but this track is also a journey through the producer's influences and inspirations. Old school vocal samples and piano chords hint back to the days of early house, while the track bursts into life with an infusion of drum 'n' bass and dubstep patterns before floating back out to space. The rich history of electronic music is also a vital reference point for See Blue Audio.

As well as 'Dream Catcher', there is also a continuous DJ mix from Fragile X included with 'Shade Rather Than Light: Anthology | One', and the accomplished producer and force behind the Bricolage imprint takes a journey through the See Blue Audio catalogue. At least one track from every release is included in a meticulously crafted and immersive mix, suffused with re-edits and effects, that traces the evolution of the label. At times dramatic and at others dreamlike, it's a swirling mass of musical currents, and runs for almost 80 minutes to capture the vibe of a mix CD. One for the headphones for sure.

Photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

Shade Rather Than Light: Anthology | One

'Dream Catcher' (preview) – Gabriel Slick, RoboCrafting Material (See Blue Audio SBA #016)

See Blue Audio

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