A Hawk In The Heavens, from my home state of NC by the way, brings us a single twelve minute track combining two works. AHITH fits the post rock / shoegaze genre, with a dreamlike melodic overture that leads us to an equally languid, droning piece that can put you in a trance if you’re not careful.
Link: A Hawk In The Heavens
I’ve been all alone here on Rama 3 now for about four weeks.
I don’t know where everyone went, how they left, or why. Just gone, leaving me here – alone? Only minimal life support systems are up, nothing else. Lighting, above all else, is the one system that I have begun to crave. The only light I have left is my flashlight, and batteries are running low. I haven’t explored my crewmates cabins yet, seems wrong to open the door to someone elses quarters. Especially not knowing what I’ll find on the other side. But maybe there are batteries there. Or clues to what happened. Maybe thats what I’m avoiding.
Aside from that, all the logs are updated and nothing is out of place, yet here I am, isolated, hundreds of thousands of miles from anything.
No communications are working – I can’t raise any other outpost, ship, or Earth. I have no way of sending word, no way of receiving information about what may be happening outside…
Oh yes, outside. The noises started six days ago. First, banging. Knocking and banging all over the outside hull, especially near the airlocks. Who – or what – is it? Then came other noises – possibly powered craft of some type, but who is controlling it? Today the banging is so hard that I can actually feel the floor give just a little bit. If it gets any harder, the station will leave orbit… I don’t want to think about that.
I’m waiting for someone to come back, someone to explain to me just what is going on. Because I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t sign up to live the last few days of my life in sheer terror. Terrified of simply not knowing what is out there – what is possibly trying to get in here. I have enough supplies and oxygen to make it another few weeks, after that I don’t know what I’ll do. Although I have a pretty good idea… I promised myself I wouldn’t think of that until I absolutely have to, though.
This is one of my favorite podcasts. Hosted by TC, from (I think) Holland. TC plays outstanding space, ambient, and new age music during his podcast.
From the Kahvi Collective, probably the most prolific outlet of quality artists on the internet for the last decade, comes Mikael Fyrek with his icy set of five tracks. Captivating, glitched drums and thoughtful melodies are the centerpiece of this release. Ambient sounds are integrated with long drawn out themes, funky bass sounds supporting it all. This is one of the best from Kahvi yet.
Audiokonstrukte creates jazzy, noisy electro awash with dub reggae influences. Beautiful deep synth sounds and bouncy, tight drum beats combine with funky square basslines, with some glitched out echoes and bleeps and blips thrown in for good measure. There are also a lot of simulated natural sounds – by which I mean sounds you would expect to hear in your backyard just before the sun touches the horizon. The careful listener will be rewarded by noticing these sounds. Audiokonstrukte sounds similar to Röyksopp. Enjoy!
Audiokonstrukte – Smart Echoes For Sensitive Ears
one bit wonder – Audiokonstrukte’s net-label.
Slava brings us some dark, ambient sounds. I’m not sure how to classify this one, it’s experimental but not *too* experimental. Slava crosses the line into the realm of the weird, but doesn’t go too far on Sunflower. A range of styles are represented here – ambient, breakbeat, electro-blues, jazz, d’n'b, a little bit of everything is on the table. This is a strange pick for me, but it’s doing the job – keeping my ears happy.
Control offers eight tracks of rolling ambient melodies washing over tight dnb drumlines. Think Hearts Of Space with a drum’n'bass flair. While the album overall could do with a bit more variation here and there, it is a completely enjoyable experience that I look forward to again and again.
From the artist:
Seemingly familiar, the shores beckon and beg to meet you again…
How many times before have you been on these beaches?
Perhaps this is your first visit, or perhaps this is your life cycle…
A circle, ongoing…the shores have no end, and they wait…endlessly for your return…
Our time has come around once more…and I have waited a lifetime for you…
In these moments, I sit and smile at a rather striking concept…
The sounds heard here have been heard before, and as always, will be heard again my dear…
In this life, and the next, as the ones before and after…I will wait, on these sandy beaches…
My hand out, heart open and eyes closed…for you…my love, my lover, my Jupiter…
Fire, Water, Earth and Air. The four elements, as described by Altus’ excellent electronic compositions. There are four cd’s worth of material in thirty two tracks here, so get ready for a long listen. Moving atmospheric synths, piano, and orchestral instruments detail various aspects of the natural world, and take you inside each element. Almost minimal in composition, but very moving. Includes printable artwork for each cd.
Mark.Nine brings a great set of tracks to the table. Very reminiscent of BoC, Mark.Nine utilizes breakbeats over washy synths that create a perfect mood for chilling out. This style could be called ‘inspirational breakbeat’. Artificial Horizon contains fifteen tracks that sort of fade into and out of your head, instilling a flying feeling. Very interesting for the detail oriented type, this is one of the best finds in quite a while.
