Sven Laux & Logic Moon - A Cascade Made of Stars (KEXP Pacific Notions, January 16, 2022)

With this latest edition to the Whitelabrecs discography, we welcome back composer Sven Laux with a collaboration with fellow Berliner and musician Fione. This record began from a chance meeting at a party after Fione had discussed her improvisational piano performances and how it might lend itself to Sven’s orchestral Ambient music. After over a year, Fione recorded a track and sent it to Sven, who added layers of additional texture and detail; enough to be a catalyst from which they produced an album.

Each original piano composition was adapted one by one, piece by piece, into its magical whole. Fione tells us that for her, the music was always about what could have been, a sort of pain that we feel inside of us that we know we can’t change, because it is impossible to turn back time. Instead, we live with what we know we have to deal with, facing every day with the uncertainty that something might change in a minute, an hour or, tomorrow. From here, Tomorrow Everything Could Be Different’s concept can be gleaned as we contemplate the past, present and future and it can be interpreted differently by the listener.

Quiet moments of reflection weave a pensive environment in which you can either concentrate your thoughts, or allow them to evaporate. The music feels at times as if it is containing and conserving its energy, only for swells of strings and fleeting crescendos to release the tension. It’s a release which reveals either negative, or positive energy, depending on its listener. The artwork from painter Maliana Wang reflects the album’s themes by offering what appears to be storm clouds or crashing waves.

We all see the future in different ways. Tomorrow Everything Could Be Different doesn’t tell you what will change, that things will get better, or worse. The clouds may thicken, or they may disappear.

Credits
Written and Produced by Sven Laux and Fiona Mortimer
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Painting by Maliana Wang
Art and Design by Andrew Heath

Tomorrow Everything Could Be Different

wlr117 Sven Laux & Fione - Tomorrow Everything Could Be Different

When an artist steps outside boundaries we're accustomed to, we're provided with the opportunity for a deeper understanding of their creative pursuit. The result either brings you closer to the individual, or takes you down a path you're not comfortable following. It's a process that will weigh on any artist's heart, but a necessary part of their inevitable evolution.

Sven Laux has always had an eclectic source of inspiration. Found sound producers naturally have their ears tuned to the possibilities heard in virtually any source of audio. Laux's music has taken an emotional turn over the last couple of years and his latest mix provides a bit of insight into that shift. With nearly an hours worth of heartfelt ambient, drone and contemporary classical sounds, enjoy this unique and personal look into Laux's creative vault.

Photo: Nuno Lopes
http://500px.com/nbplopes

Download:
http://dewtone.fm/#/4/post/30/sven-laux-intermission

Intermission (Dewtone Podcast 047)

Whitelabrecs label owner Harry Towell is perhaps best renowned for his long-standing Spheruleus project, with a discography listing releases on Lost Tribe Sound, Home Normal, Time Released Sound, Hibernate and Eilean, as well as his collaborations alongside Sven Laux, Guy Gelem, Ekca Liena and more. Harry returns to his own label, following 2021’s ‘Canvas Homes + Supplémentaires’ and EPs ‘Absent Frames’ and ‘Inaugurate’, in this special collaborative album called ‘Petrologist’s Lens’.

January is a month we usually reserve for a compilation album, such as our Sleeplaboratory series. This year Harry decided to invite 12 artists who had contributed more than 2 releases on Whitelabrecs to submit a short sketch or sample, and then he developed these into the tracks that make up this album. As with some of his more recent work, this album is created under his own name, but with ‘& friends’ added to credit the label artists and good friends which he has worked alongside.

The title ‘Petrologist’s Lens’ nods to the concept of this body of work, which is rooted in the ancient geological history of the earth. Harry studied the land history of the areas where his collaborators reside, to help form a title for each piece. Tracks are named after particular fragments of rock or sediments, land regions or fossils for example, and the compositions were developed in a way which mimics the layering of these. The layers tell a story, giving clues of how they came to be. Sonically, filigree details and eroded tape textures ride waves of modern classical orchestration, ambient drones and electronics.

The packaging for this release features cover artwork by Soraya Kornblum, an art student in Adrian Lane’s class, submitted to Whitelabrecs as part of a school project. Each of the 200 editions include a 16 page booklet with words provided by Neil McRoberts, who transcribed his thoughts after listening to the music and reflecting on the concept. Physical copies are split into two runs; a standard gold disc version and a special marble print deluxe edition.

Credits:
Written and produced by Harry Towell
Additional production and inspiration provided by Adrian Lane, Andrew Heath, Blochemy, Edu Comelles, Glåsbird, Guy Gelem, James Edward Armstrong, Paweł Pruski, Phil Tomsett, Polaroid Notes, Simon McCorry, Sven Laux

Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Cover Art by Soraya Kornblum
Booklet Notes by Neil McRoberts
Art and Design by Andrew Heath

Petrologist's Lens

Logic Moon - New Beginnings (MIX)

Bartosz Dziadosz - Peace CD / DL

due out on April 28th
dronarivm.bandcamp.com

The concept of the record refers to the tragic events that have been taking place in Ukraine, and the title represents my personal stance on this matter. The record was created at the turn of 2021 and 2022. The individual pieces were composed in several places across Poland, as – due to the lack of a permanent residence – I spent over a year travelling around the country.

The events in Ukraine, as well as the circumstances I was confronted with in my personal life, undoubtedly had a strong influence on the character of the compositions that comprise the record.

- Bartosz Dziadosz

Written and produced by Bartosz Dziadosz at the turn of 2021 and 2022. 
Mastered by Porya Hatami
Cover photo by Agata Grzybowska

Peace

Bartosz Dziadosz - Peace (album preview)

PARTICULATE. A Dewtone Label Showcase in San Francisco.

featuring SVEN LAUX + AEPIEL + LYLI
w/ opening by ALEX BLACKSTOCK

The opening hours from a very special night of intricate, textural dance music, featuring three of the thought-leading producers in the style. In the first two and a half hours, I explored some of the extrema of this style as I have come to love it, ranging from colorful washes to highly structured percussive patterns and broad vocalic melodies, teeing up the energy for Sven, Aepiel, and Lyli to whisk the gathered away.


Live at Particulate: Dewtone Label Showcase 2014-05-09

The first track on our upcoming album, titled “The Quiet Companion”, is called “Together But Apart” (featuring Julia Gjertsen). It will be released on October 13th, 2023.

The Quiet Companion

Shimmering Moods

Sven Laux & Logic Moon - Together But Apart (with Julia Gjertsen)

Sven's compositions often transport listeners to inspiring, ethereal realms. Cellos and pianos paint soft, contemplative landscapes, tinged with underlying angst and longing, showcasing Sven's talent for translating life stories into relatable and evocative music.

With 'The Undefined Feeling of Discomfort', Sven presents an album this time brimming with anxiety, fear, and anticipation. Struggle permeates the music, enhanced by distorted vocals, acoustic guitars and drone pads. Sven once again evokes deep emotions, guiding the listener through a powerful sonic journey.

The album opens with a floating, introspective tone. The atmosphere is dark, and an anxious feeling gradually emerges. As the first city lights appear from afar, a tumultuous force sweeps everything away, like an undertow shattering waves on a coastline. Moving on, choir-like vocals bring in a biblical aspect, adding darker, soul-wrenching depth. It feels like a scream from the abyss, leaving an empty shell resonating with its vastness. Soft guitar notes offer hope, but the passage ends with intense anxiety, and feelings of rapid flashes before one's eyes throwing us off balance.

Further along, a rise from uncertainty hints at a resolution. It starts with a sense of battle and resistance illustrated with hopeful strings and a heartbeat-like backbeat. A force emerges from the dark sonic cloud pierced by a tenacious sun. The second half brings resolution and lightness, offering hope and comforting certainty amidst the alarming tension of this transitional phase. The album leaves us feeling chaos after the storm, atoms crushing into one another. With a calmer end, as if the initial rumble had passed, a scar remains. The memory lingers, but things move forward. 

The Undefined Feeling of Discomfort

wlr180 Sven Laux - The Undefined Feeling of Discomfort

Paper Relics are brothers Harry and Stuart Towell who reside 16.1 miles apart. Their debut album was released back in the summer of 2011 on American imprint Time Released Sound, entitled ‘Over Exposure’. This was a record steeped in the past as they used lo-fi blues and folk guitar Ambience to reflect over childhood memories spent on a farm on which their grandparents live. The farm was set to become a housing development so the memories became all the more cherished through the recordings and accompanying artwork. 

Now nearly 7 years on, the brothers’ follow-up record ‘The Road Home’ traces the journey from that very point of reflecting on childhood memories as young adults circa 2010/11, to now. The title might read to some as a return home, a struggle back to a family abode however, this record deals with the trials, triumphs and time in between, having both set out to forge their own paths to become homeowners with their respective wives. When they began recording, the brothers lived in the same home with their parents, each with a new relationship and a stuttering career. Yet whilst The Road Home tells the story of the last 7 years reflecting on what is now already history - it is an album firmly about the present as they enjoy the foundation for their futures, clinging onto what they’ve worked hard to achieve. The lyrics in 'Timeframing' are about freezing these moments and the dozens of clocks you can hear ticking at the beginning can also be heard in ‘Tinted by Time’ on Over Exposure. Harry revisited the same antique shop where these were originally captured to see if they were still there and was able to re-record them once more. This recording plays briefly as the track opens to focus your thoughts on time once more. 

Opening track ‘Stoke’s Hall’ was something Stuart penned and recorded the night before Harry’s wedding and the title reflects the name of the venue. Likewise, Wyke’s Retreat harks back to Stuart’s wedding from the summer of 2017. Over Exposure was creaking with rustic charm, whereas The Road Home sees a more structured approach to production. There is more variety, as some pieces drone gloriously in an elegant daze, others are more alive as the subtle power of Stuart’s guitar takes centre stage. Then this time around Harry has provided vocals in ‘Timeframing’ and ‘Frost’ as well as building a couple of tracks that use drumloops and percussion, recalling some of his downtempo work as Spheruleus. To give one final twist to the presentation, Harry and Stuart enlisted the assistance of Berlin artist Sven Laux, who provided additional orchestration and sound mixing. 

Paper Relics albums are never likely to be released on a regular basis due to the busy lifestyles the brothers lead, so we felt our usual run of 50 copies wouldn’t be enough to do this album justice. So The Road Home is available in two runs of 50 copies; our familiar ‘white label vinyl-effect CDr’ as well as a special printed CDr edition that looks just like a mini gatefold LP. 
credits
releases March 24, 2018 

Paper Relics are Harry and Stuart Towell 
Tracks were written, produced and recorded by Harry and Stuart Towell with additional sound mixing and orchestration by Sven Laux 

Stuart Towell: Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, eBow, Bass 
Harry Towell: Acoustic Guitar, Voice, Violin, Harmonica, Zither, Electronics, Sampling, Field Recordings, Tapeloop

The Road Home

wlr037 Paper Relics - The Road Home

Whitelabrecs began in January 2016 and since our first limited edition release three years ago, we’re proud to announce our fiftieth edition in the form of a special compilation album. Previously we’d released ‘Whitelabsounds’, which had no particular theme; a cross section of label artists and friends. This time, our label owner Harry Towell wanted to curate something with a specific theme so that this occasion was marked by a concept album.

‘Sleeplaboratory1.0’ is a sixteen track cross section of modern Ambient artists touching on everything from minimalist drone and modern classical cinematics to electro acoustic and synth influenced works. It is released in a run of 100 physical copies, as we’ve chosen to create a ‘gatefold LP’ styled CD package, complete with beautiful artwork provided over 4 panels by our regular collaborator Federica Jeanne de Luca. The album is also available digitally in a range of formats, carefully mastered by Tim Diagram who also contributes a track as Maps and Diagrams.

This album is intended as a relaxing companion for either conscious or sub-conscious listening, with contributing artists briefed to create something vacant which is likely to induce sleep. Harry selected the artists with the theme in mind and to help them understand his vision, he shared a link to Janek Schaefer’s ‘Lay-by Lullaby’ released on 12k back in 2014. It is an album which has been a huge part of his personal sleep routine, with him playing it at low volume on his iPod in bed ever since it was released so it seemed to be the perfect starting point.

Harry’s motivation behind creating this sleepy album was primarily due to his fascination on the relationship between Ambient music and sleep: Robert Rich, Max Richter and Tanner Menard all performed notable sleep concerts for starters. Harry was particularly honoured when Janek Schaefer agreed to provide the opening track to this accumulation of calming works and it was he that introduced the National Geographic edition at the time which had a large article about the science of sleep and how it sits in modern society.
Additionally, Harry was expecting the arrival of his first child during the production stages of Sleeplaboratory1.0 and he wanted the album to be particularly calming for babies.

We will not make any recommendation on how our listeners might best enjoy this record and so it’s down to you to choose the best environment to listen, whether this be late at night with headphones, on a loud system or perhaps played through Bluetooth speakers in and around your home.