#Matthewdavid

[trevlad-sounds]

Forgotten Mixes

Sky Spa

Anja Garbarek-Sleep 00:00

Jacob 2-2-Fantasiarexia 02:16

Carling Ruse-Be There 06:35

Akira Kosemura-Forest In The Morning 09:46

Stag Hare-Born Into Magic 13:17

Freescha-Every Shiney Night 20:41

Aosoon-Ghost 24:18

Neon Indian-Era Extraña 28:01

Gayngs-By your side 30:16

Claude Larson-Growth Stratum 2 36:21

Teebs-Personal Winter 37:41

Bearhead Tape Sounds-Appear Peering A Pier 38:43

Kosmischer Läufer-Sandtrommel 41:24

Bearhead Tape Sounds-Stay 47:10

Motionfield-Northern sky 51:11

Brian Eno-Bone Jump 55:43

Mieksneak-2MGX3AM 57:46

Matthewdavid-The dublab Decade Proton Drive Theme Song 1:00:09

Black Moth Super Rainbow-Hidamari (Shugo Tokumaru Cover) 1:01:35

Eaves-Leavings 1:03:44

Little People-Unsaid 1:07:21

Owen vallis-Trunk 1:10:45

Autistici-Sixteenth 1:13:19

Fatima Al Qadiri-Hip Hop Spa 1:16:44

Air-The Word Hurricane 1:20:32

Balam Acab-Apart 1:21:15

Thrupence-White Kite 1:23:44

SKYWLKR-Ahhhfcuk 1:26:37

Toro Y Moi-Fax Shadow (Shlohmo Remix) 1:28:22

[6i6jp]

(Matthewdavid)

[feels-like-floating]

Colloboh (a portmanteau of Collins Oboh) is a Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based experimental producer and composer who has spent the past several years cultivating genre-spanning modular wizardry. We had a chance to chat with Colloboh about music as meditation, his summer residency with us, and trusting in the guide and the glide.

Let’s get started. What drives you to make music and what do you hope to share with it?

Collins: Making music is more like a meditation for me. It's just the way I express myself because I'm not the best at verbally expressing emotions, I'm still getting better at that. Music is an outlet for me to express myself.

What do you mean by music being a meditation?

Collins: It's like getting into a zone where I can spend hours listening to one loop. It feels meditative, you know? It's hard to explain. It's getting in a zone where your mind is clear, and you just flow into it. It's a way to practice intuition for me. When I'm making music, something pops out, and I'm like, "Okay, let's keep going with that idea." It's about flowing and practicing intuition, trusting the process of things.

Like being in a stable flow, I totally feel that. Is your interest in loops what got you into synthesizers?

Collins: Not necessarily synthesizers. I just like the idea of sculpting something. It's pretty analogous to being a sculptor with a marble piece: you have this raw thing that you can sculpt into anything you want. That's what attracts me to synthesis and using synthesizers. Starting with raw waveforms like sine waves, saw waves, and square waves, you can sculpt those sounds by filtering, adding delays, and other effects, combining different elements. It's just fun, you know?

Is there anything that led you to start playing with synthesizers in that way?

Well, I started making music with some friends back in high school. I was making beats for them, and we were in a little rap group. Then I watched this one YouTube video that convinced me to get into modular synthesizers. It's been about eight or nine years now. Shout out to YouTube.

Literally. It's free information. Love it. I heard that you used to study some kind of science before?

Oh yeah, I was into data engineering.

Do you feel like that has any crossover with your music practice?

I actually get asked that a lot, but it's funny because it feels like the other way around. When I was doing data engineering for a living, I was already into the synthesizer world. There are similar concepts, like having a sound source or data source, transforming it, and then outputting it in a different way. It was a concept I was already familiar with through electronic music. It actually helped my real life.

That's awesome. You do music full time now though, right?

Yeah, I do music full time. It's been almost a year now since I stopped my day job. We're trying to make it work. It's fucking hard as hell.

What kind of struggles have you experienced, especially with that transition?

Financial struggles, like most other artists. But we're making it work. You know, I have a lot of faith, maybe a foolish amount of faith (laughs), that things work out if you just follow the greater path, just quoting "Trust the Guide and Glide," a record by MatthewDavid. But I feel like it's a true thing. When I had my job, I was financially secure but not happy. Now it's flipped. I'm not financially secure, but I feel very happy and present. It's a priceless feeling. I'd rather have that than anything.

Yeah, I definitely feel there's truth to the idea that as long as you're true to yourself, you spread that energy and attract the right things. And maybe the money will come eventually.

Yeah, I believe in that. Mm-hmm.

I see that you grew up in the DMV area?

Yeah, I was born in Nigeria and then moved to Maryland when I was seven. I lived in Maryland until about a year and a half ago.

Do you feel like moving here influenced the way you see things or make music?

In a way, it's hard to say. I don't really feel like I'm fully American or fully Nigerian. I guess I'm just an Earth person (laughs). It's a benefit because I don't have to align with any particular thing. I can just be myself. 

Growing up in Maryland was cool. There's a lot of diversity, especially in Montgomery County where I grew up. I'm grateful because I got to meet people from different cultures and befriend them. It influenced my taste in music and my openness to different things. Living in Baltimore for five years was a big part of my coming of age. I learned a lot about caring for others, empathy, and music experimentation. Baltimore has a huge experimentation scene. It was a big influence on my creativity.

How was your experience transitioning to LA? What kind of impression did you have of the city?

I feel very lucky because before I moved here, about a month or two before, I came and played one of the park shows for Leaving Records. That's when I got to meet everyone and actually met Sam. Sam was really nice and let me crash at her place (laughs). So I got so lucky because I met so many people at that show who I'm still close friends with today. Moving here made so much sense.

That's awesome.

Yeah, I feel so grateful. Everything feels so right. I have no doubt and no fear.

Being here has taught me a lot about community and the importance of having a shared mindset, shared vision, and uplifting each other to reach our fullest potentials. That's the vibe.

So sweet. For your residency, do you have any particular intention with regards to experimentation or challenging your current practice?

Definitely, I'll be challenged. The first show, which is gonna be on the ship, that's gonna be fucking amazing. I can't even believe that's happening now (laughs). It's been on my bucket list to go whale watching, and it was just a surreal thing when Noah was like, "Yeah, we're thinking about this whale watching thing." It was another moment where I was like, "Oh fuck yeah, this all feels so right."  I'm so excited for that. I have no idea what I'm gonna play. I'm excited to see Green-House play, MatthewDavid is gonna play too. I'm probably gonna mess around with some of the aquatic microphones, but honestly I don't even really care too much about the music (laughs), I'm just excited for the whales. 

And the next show, which is at the Hollyhock, I'm excited for that because I keep hearing how beautiful that space is. I've never been there. It's gonna be a good challenge because it's gonna be like a whole band with me, hopefully Mickey, Qur'an and Spencer. The three of us are gonna play my latest EP front to back, with some other songs here and there.

Saana Sahel is a gorgeous EP. It feels very elegant.

Thank you, I appreciate it. I made that while I was in LA and I was going through a breakup. It was kind of chaotic, but also there were moments of crazy energy and moments of super peacefulness, which is how my emotions were when I was going through all that shit. Living in LA for the first time, going through lots of changes, quitting my job, breaking up, moving to a new place. It's been a huge life change, but also just a blessing.

Totally. Through change, you kind of disintegrate and rebuild yourself, and then you're this new version of yourself, and it feels really exciting and sad. What about your last show in the Japanese Garden?

I'm actually gonna play a solo version of what I play with the whole band, but I'm gonna be on the side, and my friend Stephanie is gonna be doing a dance performance. So it'll be more of an elegant, low-key thing where she dances to it. She's one of my favorite dancers, and I'm just excited to see what she creates.

There's also a legendary poet named Kamau Daaood, and I'm trying to see if I can get him to read some poetry for that last show. So I would do this solo set with my friend Stephanie dancing, and then it would end with a poetry reading from Kamau Daaood. I feel like it would be a special thing, just to pay homage to the Pan African People's Arkestra, which has been super influential to my recent music. From their actual music to my friends like Mickey and Qur'an and Leaving Records. He can have all the money honestly.

It's literally just a labor of love, and I'm excited for the experience of it.

Do you have any particular relationship with the outdoors or sound in the outdoors?

I love being outdoors. The ocean, especially. It's a grounding space for me. I was at the beach two days ago, felt like I was recalibrating my energy. Now I sound like an LA girl.

(Laughs) You're centering yourself in Mother Nature.

But honestly, being by the ocean feels like that. Actually, my EP "Saana Sahel" on vinyl, the tracks are split into two sides. The first three tracks remind me of the desert, and the last three tracks remind me of the ocean. Those are two important spaces for me. When I moved to LA, I had psychedelic experiences in the desert, and I've always loved the ocean. It's one of the main reasons I moved here. The ocean reminds me of my ex because we both loved it. It holds a lot of personal meaning.

They're both endless expanses but extreme opposites of each other.

Beautifully said. I might steal that.

Go for it (laughs). What does "Saana Sahel" mean?

It's something I made up, actually. Making music is like a meditative space for me. "Saana Sahel" represents this place I strive to reach inward, a place of greater peace, higher self, and responsibility as a human. It's a made-up place, like a Mount Everest, where I'm working towards.

Like enlightenment.

Exactly. 

Do you have a favorite plant?

Damn, I love that question. That's tough. Well, I like hydrangeas. I remember when I worked at Home Depot in the plant section, I learned about hydrangeas. They're pretty.

I also like thyme. It's an herb, but it's strong. I planted it, and it made it through the winter. Like, bitch you won't die. It's just always there, I never have to worry. When a recipe needs thyme, I can just go outside. Not like fucking parsley, which might be dead. (Laughs)

It's reliable. It shows up. Is there anything else you want to add or talk about? Anything on your mind?

Yeah, I feel really grateful for this. The Floating community, the staff at Floating, shout out to Noah, Nina, Sam, and everyone else. You guys make this a no-brainer.

Aww, thanks. That's what we try to do.

Hopefully you guys get a bigger budget one day. It's tough right now for what we're trying to do, but if we all believe in it and don't give up, that's what matters.

For sure. Something will manifest, even if it's not what we can imagine right now.

Save the dates for Colloboh’s summer residency! For more info visit our website at https://www.feelslikefloating.com/colloboh-summer-residency

[primitiveprimelab]

AMBIENT OFFERING // HEALERS EDITION

[ Julianna Barwick - Healing is a Miracle (2020) / Matthewdavid’s Mindflight - Care Tracts (2020) / Graintable - Universal Ash (2019) / Sofie Birch - Island Alchemy (2018) ]

[burlveneer-music]

My WVUD playlist and stream, 11/27/2023

André 3000 - Ants To You, Gods To Who ? Matthewdavid - Liquidity V.C.R - Everyday (sunshine) Carlos Niño & Friends - Eightspace 082222 Tetelepta - Flowers Ancient Infinity Orchestra - Michael & Zelah Tengger - VORTEX Fila Brazillia - Lee Van Cleef D. Rothon - Lammas Lands Phil Struck - Blau und Unverhofft Daft Punk - Motherboard (Drumless Edition) Prins Emanuel - Paia Shackleton - The Majestic Yes Marijus Aleksa - Guided By Sensations Nok Cultural Ensemble - Y.T.T.T African Head Charge - Never Regret a Day Ghetto Kumbé - Pila Pila Chouk Bwa & The Ångströmers - Kimelem Ndox Electrique - Ngor Diouf Né Du Wallé Lý Trang - sạp đổ đàn tre Ziúr - Pique El Kontessa - Moka3bat Salamanda - Tonal, Fluid

[13melekradyo]

27 Mayıs 2023 tarihli program kaydı.

Güncel drone/ambient kayıtlarından bir seçki // A selection of recent drone/ambient recordings. Download.

01 – The Black Dog – Ghosts Of Decay 02 – Subheim – Forget 03 – Anthéne & Simon McCorry – Subtle Risings 04 – Blochemy – Pone 05 – Aria Rostami – Thirsty Moon 06 – Matthewdavid – Liquidity 07 – The Album Leaf – Breathe 08 – Tapes And Topographies – Five Year Plans and New Deals 09 – Staran Wake – The Watcher 10 – Ozmotic & Fennesz – Floating Time

[onetwofeb]

Listen/purchase: Mycelium Music by Matthewdavid

[nwdsc]

(▶︎ blueblue | Sam Gendelから)

blueblue by Sam Gendel

blueblue is the latest full-length from multi-instrumentalist and all-around vibe wizard, Sam Gendel. The record, out October 14 via Leaving Records, is a concise, tightly wound song suite whose 14 tracks each correspond to a pattern within sashiko, a traditional style of Japanese embroidery. This conceit remains playfully ambiguous — to what extent, if at all, is Kagome (籠目, woven bamboo) meant to evoke the pattern of the same name, for example? But there is an intuitive sense, throughout blueblue, that Gendel has, in this instance, narrowed his focus. To say that blueblue feels richly textural might be a little on-the-nose, thematically, but alas…it does. There is an intimacy, a humility, and a strength at play here that typifies the work of a master craftsman. Only an artist could make it sound so effortless. A Los Angeleno by way of Central CA, Gendel is by now an institution. Across a dizzying slate of solo releases and collaborations, he has amassed a reputation for not only virtuosic musicianship (primarily as a saxophonist, though the songs that would become blueblue were all initially composed on guitar), but also for his mercurial and prolific output — a corpus of work, which, while obviously indebted to jazz and hip hop (and the farther flung, experimental corners of both) is, in a word, unpindownable. In this regard, Leaving Records, with its cri-de-cœur of “All Genre,” is a natural home for Gendel.   The bulk of blueblue was recorded in isolation in a makeshift studio built in a cabin floating atop a tributary of Oregon’s Columbia River. Having sketched out a set of guitar melodies, Gendel recorded the album in five-or-so weeks, during which time he became well-acquainted with the river’s tidal rise and fall. This organic rhythm, which daily lifted the house to meet the horizon, later setting it down gently upon the riverbed, permeates the record. There are pops and groans and artifacts, and, in Tate-jima (縦縞, vertical stripes)—one of blueblue’s more plaintive tracks—even the faint lapping of water. Equally essential to the feel of blueblue is Craig Weinrib’s kit work. Gendel and Weinrib collaborated long-distance during Gendel’s time in Oregon, with Gendel sending Weinrib half-finished songs, and giving him carte-blanche to record percussion. The end result is a relaxed, confident exchange between two clearly simpatico musicians, particularly evident in Weinrib’s gorgeously attentive brush technique.   blueblue is a conceptually sound, mesmerizing, evocative, and sonically idiosyncratic LP. In keeping with its name, blueblue functions as Gendel’s color study, conveying, through repetition and deviation, his devotion to a certain mood — unnamable, but certainly noirish, nostalgic, quasi-psychedelic, and existing in some permanent twilight. Real ones know, and for those who don’t yet, blueblue is an accessible and intoxicating entry-point into Gendel's ever-expanding catalog. クレジット2022年10月14日リリース all music Sam Gendel drums & additional engineering Craig Weinrib mastering MatthewDavid McQueen bio written by Emmett Shoemaker 7/24/22 ~1pm blue heron illustration Marcella Cytrynowicz

[chrisryanspeaks]

André 3000 Announces New Blue Sun Live Tour

André 3000 is embarking on a tour titled "The New Blue Sun Live Tour" to promote his unexpected solo debut album. This tour, starting soon and running into March, will feature Carlos Niño, Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina, and Deantoni Parks. They will perform songs from "New Blue Sun," which André 3000 released unexpectedly, collaborating with artists like Niño, Mercereau, Botofasina, Parks, Matthewdavid, and Mia Doi Todd. The album, featuring an unconventional 12-minute opening track, made an impressive debut on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, Botofasina, Mercereau, and Niño recently launched their own album, "Subtle Movements." 01-29 Brooklyn, NY - Crown Hill Theatre 01-31 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (8:00 p.m.) 01-31 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (10:30 p.m.) 02-01 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (8:00 p.m.) 02-01 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (10:30 p.m.) 02-02 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (8:00 p.m.) 02-02 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (10:30 p.m.) 02-05 Brooklyn, NY - St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church 02-06 Brooklyn, NY - St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church 02-08 Detroit, MI - Cliff Bell’s 02-09 Detroit, MI - The Chapel at Masonic Temple (7:00 p.m.) 02-09 Detroit, MI - The Chapel at Masonic Temple (10:00 p.m.) 02-12 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall 02-13 Chicago, IL - The Salt Shed 02-15 Chicago, IL - Garfield Park Conservatory (7:00 p.m.) 02-15 Chicago, IL - Garfield Park Conservatory (9:00 p.m.) 02-02 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s 365 Club 02-22 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s 365 Club 02-24 San Francisco, CA - The Independent (7:00 p.m.) 02-24 San Francisco, CA - The Independent (9:00 p.m.) 02-27 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse 02-28 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse 02-29 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse 03-02 Atlanta, GA - Center Stage Theater 03-05 Los Angeles, CA - The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever 03-06 Los Angeles, CA - The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever 03-07 Los Angeles, CA - The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever 03-08 Los Angeles, CA - The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever 03-09 Los Angeles, CA - The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Read the full article

[audiofuzz]

André 3000 Announces New Blue Sun Live Tour

André 3000 is embarking on a tour titled "The New Blue Sun Live Tour" to promote his unexpected solo debut album. This tour, starting soon and running into March, will feature Carlos Niño, Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina, and Deantoni Parks. They will perform songs from "New Blue Sun," which André 3000 released unexpectedly, collaborating with artists like Niño, Mercereau, Botofasina, Parks, Matthewdavid, and Mia Doi Todd. The album, featuring an unconventional 12-minute opening track, made an impressive debut on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, Botofasina, Mercereau, and Niño recently launched their own album, "Subtle Movements." 01-29 Brooklyn, NY - Crown Hill Theatre 01-31 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (8:00 p.m.) 01-31 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (10:30 p.m.) 02-01 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (8:00 p.m.) 02-01 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (10:30 p.m.) 02-02 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (8:00 p.m.) 02-02 New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Club (10:30 p.m.) 02-05 Brooklyn, NY - St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church 02-06 Brooklyn, NY - St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church 02-08 Detroit, MI - Cliff Bell’s 02-09 Detroit, MI - The Chapel at Masonic Temple (7:00 p.m.) 02-09 Detroit, MI - The Chapel at Masonic Temple (10:00 p.m.) 02-12 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall 02-13 Chicago, IL - The Salt Shed 02-15 Chicago, IL - Garfield Park Conservatory (7:00 p.m.) 02-15 Chicago, IL - Garfield Park Conservatory (9:00 p.m.) 02-02 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s 365 Club 02-22 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s 365 Club 02-24 San Francisco, CA - The Independent (7:00 p.m.) 02-24 San Francisco, CA - The Independent (9:00 p.m.) 02-27 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse 02-28 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse 02-29 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse 03-02 Atlanta, GA - Center Stage Theater 03-05 Los Angeles, CA - The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever 03-06 Los Angeles, CA - The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever 03-07 Los Angeles, CA - The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever 03-08 Los Angeles, CA - The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever 03-09 Los Angeles, CA - The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Read the full article

[trevlad-sounds]

Mixtape 327 “Superimposed Forest”

2023-06-21

Slow Ambient Drift

Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays. Support the artists and labels. Don't forget to tip so future shows can bloom. https://www.mixcloud.com/djsofabed/

Matthewdavid-Perpetuity-00:00

KENJI KIHARA-Flow in the Back-04:28

Tayus-Agnostic-07:35

Lori Scacco-Strange Cities-10:23

Philippe Brown-Serenade of the Techno Mystics-14:48

Jogging House-Dancer-16:56

Scanner-Entrance to Listening Forest-20:10

Suzanne Ciani-The Third Wave - Love In The Waves-24:41

Future Children-Cotard's Delusion-29:21

John Haughey-Seamounts-30:34

tadoma-Attic Excavation-32:51

Hiroshi Ebina-Having Superimposed Possibilites-35:24

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 354: Nailah Hunter

As its name suggests, Nailah Hunter’s Spells is a sonic experience devoted to ritual and incantation, one that sees the artist painting the air in restorative hues of new age fantasy and dreamscape ambient via angel voice, effected harp, and a minimal palette of cosmic electronics. As discussed in Leaving Records’ press materials, this luminous journey of vibratory mysticism traces its origins to Hunter’s choice to rethink her approach to songwriting and performance, which then lead to the inspired decision to craft musical spells, where, in the artist’s own words, “each layer is one of the steps in an incantation.” In striking upon this new path, a sense of meditative freedom emerged, for the artist was no longer tempted to overthink things, relying instead on intuition and ritualistic process to create layered ceremonials guided by the flow of the universe. As well, Hunter is here focused on using music to create a sense of place, with each individual spell meant to induce visions of serene natural settings, or, as the artist calls them, "sonic places of rest, places to ponder and consider your feelings.” In fact, several of the otherworldly locations evoked by the music are breathtakingly rendered by Ianna Vasale, whose fantastical paintings of gemstone caverns, sunset beaches, ancient flower field structures, glowing potions, and swordbearing sky goddesses are woven together across the J-card panels with written spells of Hunter’s own creation, so that the textual and visual elements work together to enhance the album’s air of mysterious adventure and its function as a tool for magical healing.

Nailah Hunter - Spells (Leaving Records, 2020) Opening track “Soil” is accompanied by the spell “a seed is sown / a song from silence,” which is fitting, as the composition billows in from the void and immediately establishes an aura of mysticism and wonderment. Harp arpeggios decay into empty spaces…perhaps even into the gem-encrusted caverns depicted by Vasale on the cover art…while heavenly hazes of reverb kiss the flowing melodic clusters and interspersing chasms of silence, which are eventually filled by Hunter’s operatic flutters. The artist’s voice moves through wordless vibrato enchantments awash in atmospheres of mystery and melancholy and eventually, the harps drift away from the mix, leaving druidic vocal incantations that slowly transmute into a resonant shadow. Something else the artist explores throughout Spells is synesthesia, and for second track “Ruins,” Hunter suggests the warming hues of magenta and clementine, colors which radiate off of the song’s smoldering drone clouds…these thick banks of swirling fog suffused with the light of a cinematic sunset, or, ”the dying light of gold” as described in the accompanying spell. Psaltery sparkles like crystal, or like the “dust of rose at dusk,” and sub-bass synthesizers float the body while elsewhere, key changes owing to spiritual jazz change the vibe as synthesizers bend in ways reminiscent of dopamine deep house and 90s extasy ambient, with everything coming together like some lost Beverly Glenn-Copeland meditation. Insectoid streaks of noise thread throughout the mix and pitch-shift over a bank of chirping crickets and tropical birdsong and eventually, the shimmering psaltery chords are overlaid by fantastical harp explorations, with the sparkling diamond cascades and high-note melodics touching on energies both ancient and futuristic. 

The spell for “Enter” involves repeating the phrase “enter in”…a sort of mantric invitation into the track’s filtering galactic wavefronts and modulating color hazes, which swirl together into a psychoactive miasma of deep space drone. Lasers swoosh upwards, streaks of starlight sparkle overhead, and if you listen closely, you can hear Hunter’s harp dancing far in the distance. At some point, the immersive walls of cosmos drone unexpectedly recede, leaving behind a glorious passage of multi-layered vocal fantasy…a sort of gothic expanse of Enya-style singing that invites the mind to picture some goddess of the forest lost in a trance, her mysterious vocal incantations flowing outwards like silver threads, which are then caught by nymphs and satyrs and woven into spectral mirage that slowly fades towards darkness. “Quite Light,” as described by Hunter, is meant to evoke the “feeling of being like golden light in a cold still pool of water.” And in the accompanying spell, Hunter writes: “take up now this silver sword / find yourself restored,” which suggests the aforementioned pool of water is in fact the cave lake depicted on Vasale’s album cover, where hovers the silver sword of restoration. As for the music, plucked harps and barely there keyboard meditations sit above spiritual blankets of soft-focus electronic and prayer bowl-sourced drone. Chittering insects are effected into fractal droplets as the harps continue their dance of dreamfolk romance and a monstrous current of squelching alien acid synthesis emerges randomly to disturb the flow, bringing with it quivering bass synthesizers and their chanted cosmic mantra. Garbled vocalizations are heard amidst the eternally ringing prayer bowl drones and later, as the harps dance on starbeams, they radiate pearlescent colorations in all directions.

Returning again to the album’s explorations of synesthesia, there are mentions of white, navy, and lilac in the spell for “White Flower, Dark Hill.” And going further, Hunter describes the track in the press materials with the following poetic string of thoughts: “the idea of the purples and navies of the night sky and the way that shadows appear under full moonlight, the different shades of moonlight, and how it always brings out the color white.” Sonically speaking, electronic chords flash, bend, and mutate into an ethereal panorama of dream magic while lullaby harp arps dance through washing waves of ambient warmth. Strummed psaltery jangles in the light of the moon while vocals alight on ambient soul and dreampop adventures, which pull my mind towards the work of Grouper. And eventually, almost everything fades way, until all that remains are child-like harp melodies and transmuting vocal babbles. The fact that Nailah Hunter resides in Los Angeles is perhaps most apparent on closing track “Talisman,” which is built around these sparkling synthesizer cascades that overflow with emotional currents of sunset melancholy. In fact, the vibe here is not so far off from the paradisiacal synthwave, both real and imagined, of Cliff Martinez and Symmetry, though of course, Hunter’s harp can be heard glowing deep in the background ether, with all attack sanded away, leaving the instrument to generate muted hues of rainbow warmth. Clouds of of angel mist and solar haze sit over the entire mix and at crucial moments, Hunter executes thrilling key changes that rush the spirit ever closer towards an exploding sundown horizon. And as the track progresses, with hissing wisps of starshine threading around blurred synthetic howls, we find ourselves entering spiritual communion with “soil / air / and sun.”

(images from my personal copy)

[nofatclips]

Come Meh Way by Sudan Archives from the eponymous debut EP - Director: Eric Coleman

[soundaslanguage]

Release Day Picks: 5/22/20

We are late but we are here. Ten releases from last week that are worth your time. Regular posting will resume next week.

Andrea Cortez - The Secret Songs of Plants (Aural Canyon)

- One of two great releases out on Aural Canyon last week. Andrea Cortez is a music therapist who “designs improvisations and compositions with harp, pedal effects and plant generated music.” The Secret Songs of Plants is a soothing introduction to Cortez’s work.

https://auralcanyonmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-secret-song-of-plants

Harrington, Gustin & Zahn - Tura Lura (Cascine)

- Coming completely off the radar for me, Tura Lura is a warm instrumental album with elements of jazz and jam. A late night gem of a listen and one I will be coming back to a lot.

https://harringtongustinzahn.bandcamp.com/album/tura-lura

Mary Lattimore & Mac McCaughan - AVL (Self-Released)

- Another mesmerizing release from Mary Lattimore (harp & effects) & Mac McCaughan (synthesizers & sampling) of Superchunk. AVL is a recording from a live performance by the duo in Lattimore’s hometown of Asheville, NC.

https://marylattimoremacmccaughan.bandcamp.com/album/avl

Matthewdavid's Mindflight - Care Tracts (Leaving)

- Care Tracts comes right on the heels of Matthewdavid’s recent Umor Rex release, Experimental Bliss. Two different ambient journeys from the artist, both worth embarking on.

https://matthewdavidmcq.bandcamp.com/album/care-tracts

More Eaze - Towards A Plane (Aural Canyon)

- The second great Aural Canyon release of the week is the second great More Eaze release of 2020. Towards A Plane follows Mari, released in April on Orange Milk. Mari was an experimental pop thrill ride but Towards A Plane is an ambient emo jazz comedown. Yet another captivating release from More Eaze.

https://auralcanyonmusic.bandcamp.com/album/towards-a-plane

Sunmoonstar - Tirra Lirra (Self-Released)

- A compilation of sorts including released and unreleased material but a new album from Sunmoonstar is always something to cherish. Tirra Lirra is a lovely collection of dreamy ambient gems.

https://sunmoonstar.bandcamp.com/album/tirra-lirra

TALsounds - Acquiesce (NNA Tapes)

- TALsounds takes you on another cosmic ambient trip and Acquiesce might be her most complete and rewarding work yet.

https://talsounds.bandcamp.com/album/acquiesce

Vanessa Amara - Poses (Posh Isolation)

- Vanessa Amara’s Manos was one of my favorite albums of 2018 but Poses is something completely different. 12 songs in 18 minutes, Poses feels like a work in progress, a collection of pieces that feel in motion and alive still. Quite the misdirection release from the Danish trio.

https://vanessaamara-poshisolation.bandcamp.com/album/poses

Ryley Walker - Mirror of the Lowlands (Self-Released)

- Walker has been busy during the quarantine. He follows up his recent brilliant work with Brett Naucke with another fine instrumental EP that is a bit more true to his usual style.

https://ryleywalker.bandcamp.com/album/mirror-of-the-lowlands-ep

Woods - Strange To Explain (Woodsist)

It’s been four years since the last Woods full-length album and with spring here and summer on the horizon, Strange To Explain arrives just in time for beach & porch listening.

https://woodsfamilyband.bandcamp.com/album/strange-to-explain

[nwdsc]

(Perform the Compositions of Sam Wilkes & Jacob Mann | Sam Wilkes & Jacob Mannから)

Perform the Compositions of Sam Wilkes & Jacob Mann by Sam Wilkes & Jacob Mann

Of all the things that can and should and will be said of Sam Wilkes’ & Jacob Mann’s Perform the Compositions of Sam Wilkes & Jacob Mann, let’s begin at the beginning and acknowledge that it is an aptly named record indeed. An ideal collaborative effort (which is to say, greater than the sum of its parts), here we have two longtime friends, two luminaries of the New Weird Los Angeles — the experimental, genre-encompassing underground—who have, at last, devoted a full-length record to their signature musical admixture. Since their meeting as USC music students (Wilkes studied bass, and Mann, jazz/piano), the two have, with a kind of ceaseless abandon, chased the music to the ends the earth — oftentimes quite literally; travel is a recurrent theme in Compositions’ track titles (Pre-board, Soft Landing, and Around the Horn), and the record’s second track, Jakarta, was sketched out in a hotel room in the city of the same name, where Wilkes and Mann were performing at a jazz festival in 2019. Having initially bonded over a mutual and abiding appreciation for the Soulquarians, the two have spent over a decade playing and traveling, together and separately, their styles coevolving all the while. Across its thirteen tracks, Compositions captures the relaxed creative flow of two consummate musicians. Most of the record’s sessions (“four-to-five-day summits” in an apartment studio, occasioned by “blasts of inspiration”) began with casual improvisation, and, indeed, roughly half of the final material was composed in this manner: Wilkes and Mann squaring off, a Yamaha DX7 facing a Roland Juno 106, alternating leads, two co-pilots with no set course. And though the songs are polished to a shine, there are artifacts of the intimacy of these sessions. Yes It Is concludes with a snippet of just-intelligible studio chatter: “…A flat minor, then A major.” A figuring-it-out-as-we-go moment that briefly renders explicit the warmth, friendship, and creative freedom that is the album’s heart. The duo has quipped that Compositions is Mann’s most “serious” project, while simultaneously being Wilkes’ most “light-hearted” — somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but there are certainly two distinct sensibilities at play across Compositions. Their aesthetics collide, coalesce, and diverge, often in a single song. Then the process starts anew. The album begins with the whimsical (exuberant, even!) glitched-out Cricket Club and ends on a note of quiet contentment with Wichita Wilkes, an Earth, Wind, and Fire x shoegaze fever dream. That Compositions coheres as well as it does is a testament to Wilkes’ and Mann’s shared vernacular. Both have expressed a tendency to communicate their musical ideas linguistically, posing questions like “what would the woodwinds be doing here?” Though only the two musicians are credited, the ensemble conjured by their combined imaginary feels infinite. クレジット2022年9月23日リリース - Composed, Performed, Recorded, and produced by Sam Wilkes & Jacob Mann - Recorded in Sam's Apartment - Mixed by Sam Wilkes - Mastered by Matthewdavid McQueen & Sam Wilkes - designed by Miles Wintner - photography by Roman Koval