A handful of rocking electro hip-hop tracks. Samples from old movies cut up and glitchified over sampled beats, with minimal, almost house-like synth chord stabs; slow moving, weird, dark and distorted at times; upbeat and funky at others, this little release comes from the heart. Found on Phonotactics, a great netlabel, check out their other releases as well.
Nice Wings, Icarus! – Self Titled
The Ukrainian post-rock crew takes a new style and adds their own old-world flair. This is not to be missed – one of the best post-rock bands I’ve come across since I started this website. Giant builds and drop-offs, guitars and violin mesh together, creating a moving and thoughtful experience. I’ll have this one on rotation for quite a while, I can assure you.
Bartois – Solo Piano
An amazing album of piano compositions, just like the title says. Simple compositions, yet moving, the album brings you an exotic place to rest your mind.
The Silent Ballet Compilation – Volume 14
Lost Children netlabel and The Silent Ballet have put together an absolutely stunning 75 minute long adventure through the universe of post-rock with the release of The Silent Ballet Compilation volume 14. Featuring some very diverse artists from all over the world, the stand out track on the album is from a Ukrainian band called Nice Wings, Icarus! Their track, Eagle, is absolutely superb. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of them here on the orbit in the very near future. Back to the current release, it grabbed me from the very first track – a very ambient piece by The Sight Below – and wouldn’t let go. I literally listened to the entire album as soon as I clicked play – given my schedule, thats a rarity for me. The intensely mellow first track quickly gave way to an onslaught of post-rock, shoegazer, psychedelic and even modern piano composition. Each track is unique, making this a difficult album to describe. I’ll simply say this: it’s an incredible album, and I urge you to give it a listen.
Sliptone – Funk Agent 1
Awww snizzap son, it’s time for some downtempo hip-hop. Check out this funky six-track release from Budabeats. Mixing hip-hop with elements of house and funk, this is an all over the place audio trip that will have you tapping your feet and drumming beats on the desk. Reminiscent of Revolution Void, this style of music features jazzy basslines, breakbeats, wah-wahed synths and funk guitars – you name it, it’s in there. The first track, entitled Birds And The Bees, is a humorous take on ‘the talk’ (don’t worry, it’s family friendly). The other five tracks follow suit, making this an first-class, entertaining and just downright fun release.
DAMOHL33 – ULTRA EP
From the excellent Italian netlabel Deep In Dub comes the artist calling himself Damohl33. His release Ultra EP is a classic example of a house record, polished to the max and adeptly crafted. Only four tracks, but coming in at twenty three minutes long, Ultra is the perfect blend of deep basslines, syncopated melody and repetetive, grooving synth lines that define house music. Be sure to add this release to your collection.
Rho – October Turncoat
A nice little EP that sounds reminiscent of Boards Of Canada or Orange Crush. Mellow electronica grooves with acoustic guitars and chilled, downtempo beats. A nice, relaxing EP.
bad loop – Fragments
Another entry from the Soft Phase netlabel, badloop captures the eardrums with six tracks of smooth electronica with a dream-like quality. Track 1 – Sinner – starts out with a serene pad movement that gradually evolves into a slow beat and big bassline before finally picking up the pace and slamming the end of the track home. Track 2 – Nth – is full of robotic melodies and glitchy elements that move all over the place, each doing their own thing yet remaining coherent as a whole. Track 3 – Sometimes – starts out with a Tron-like pluck sound and quickly gets to the point with a simple bass riff and pleasant synth work. Track 4 – Pinta – is introduced with a sort of old-school radio tuning sound that progresses into a throbbing pad and dub bassline, eventually building into the perfect mix. Track 5 – En Sure Sina – leads out with a mellow, yet dissonant synth that is just on the edge of grating, and then along come the electro beat and acid style synth to create an almost blippatronic track until the final fadeout. (For those of you who know what blippatronics refers to, I say: Much respect!) Track 6 is a remix of Nth by the artist Planet Boelex. All in all, this is a great electro release, and it’s been a long while since I featured this sort of music (too long!) Check it out, as well as the other Soft Phase artists who are all outstanding in their own way.
Nettless – From Beyond
Nettless has created eight tracks of beautifully flowing, ambient space music. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Carl Sagans Ghost – Colonial Spa EP
Starting out with a beautiful and moving ambient texture, the Colonial Spa EP weaves a sonic tapestry of aural textures backed with subtle well timed beats. It’s a 25 minute walk down a road less traveled, with an occasional stop to visit an old friend along the way.