POSTS TAGGED : Ambient

Kan Wakan – ‘I Would’

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As Kan Wakan, Gueorgui Linev makes music that is simultaneously atmospheric and evocative, skirting the borders of trip-hop, hip-hop, electronica, psychedelia and even folk, and psychedelia.

The Los Angeles based artist/producer is preparing a triple-LP for release in the new year, ahead of which, Kan Wakan has shared a new single ‘I Would’. The new track follows ‘Molasses’, and sees the producer join forces with Elle Olsun once again. Spare, slow-building dramatics trickle into a haunting and absorbing concoction of airy pop, jazz tones and folky strum. Topped off by Olsun’s smoky, smooth and gorgeous voice, ‘I Would’ waltzes by like a wonderful daydream.

Triple LP Phantasmagoria is due out sometime in the new year, so 2017 is shaping to be a big year for the young Bulgarian-born musician. From what we’ve heard so far it seems like a record to look forward to. For now, you can listen to ‘I Would’ below.

Monuson – ‘Firm Grip’ (feat. Kami Diser)

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Scandinavia is famed for it’s quirky, eccentric and forward-thinking music steeped in all manner of experimental tendencies.

Swedish producer Monuson is no exception to this assertion, especially given the evidence provided by his sublime debut single ‘Firm Grip’, Monuson. This one here is a slow churning, gently building, moody and deeply atmospheric blend of downtempo house meets disco. ‘Firm Grip’ is hypnotic, gripping and transportive, it slowly moves through the gears with dark and groovy electro beats toward a climactic build up. Kami Diser’s vocals flit between dazed and dreamy to euphoric vitality, perfectly complimenting Monuson’s craft, who provides brief chinks of light provided by the fluttering samples and stabs of synth to elevate the hazy house vibes. A captivating intro as you’re likely to cross paths with and on this evidence, both Monuson and Kami Diser are names to look out for.

‘Firm Grip’ (feat. Kami Diser) is out now, you can listen to it below.

Mt. Wolf Share New Single ‘Golden’ Featuring St. South

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Mt. Wolf have shared a new single ‘Golden’ – featuring Australian vocalist St. South – it follows this year’s excellent Hex EP and precedes the London trio’s debut album, which is to be expected in early 2017.

‘Golden’ is a majestic, delicate and deeply atmospheric electro-acoustic gem. Perfectly backed by warm, delicate and silky sounds – from soft steely guitar chords and light electronic percussion – the true irresistible nature of this song is derived from the mesmerising vocal duet between the St. South and Fox. Mt. Wolf and St. South should make a habit of collaborating. All in all, this is utterly beautiful, elegant and sophisticated sound.

You can listen to ‘Golden’ below – an excellent bridge between Hex EP (from earlier in 2016) and their forthcoming debut LP, coming in early 2017, we hope.

Introducing: Phare

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Known for his work as one half of atmospheric duo Lyttet, Peadar Kearney, has a new solo-project, Phare.

As Phare, Kildare native Kearney, is leaving the softer elements to one side, preferring instead, to zone in on clubbier sounds, and to say it is fruitful would be an understatement. Phare gracefully floats in an ambiguous hinterland between subtly euphoric and vaguely ambient, sustaining the rhythm and protracting the promise of a euphoric climax, while captivating through repeated propulsive beats and swirls. Mixing warm sounds with a crisp frosty elegance, he creates a hypnotic, comforting sound collage, and none more so than with twinkling crystalline grandeur of debut single ‘UP’. While ‘UP’ chimes and shimmers with a glacial-like sheen, ‘Monday’ continues the trend but raising the tension and intensity somewhat. Chiming notes resonate through every track and the beats are delivered with pin point accuracy – as sublime introduction as there ever could be.

Check out ‘UP’ & ‘Monday’ below. If you’re EP bound next month, Phare will be gracing Saturday’s Oxjam at Electric Picnic, @ 1 am (in association with HomeBeat).

Introducing: Kayla Painter

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Kayla Painter is a Bristol based musician who crafts inventive, experimental and ambient soundscapes.

Signed to Turnstile Music, Painter’s sound draws from techno, garage and post dub, to create intricate, intriguing and curious compositions of restless rhythms, surging deep bass lines and warm flourishes of ethereal ambience. Painter’s latest single, ‘Drones’ demonstrates just that, and more. It is a lush, densely layered piece of ambient excellence, that is beautiful, graceful and bewitching as it glistens with exquisite majesty. Similar exalted praise can be bestowed upon the twitchy, twinkly and divine previous single, ‘Revert’. Also worth your attention is collaborative single ‘Avallaunius’, which saw Painter team up with ex-Trwbador member Accü and released on Turnstile Music in January. This is all rather sublime; music get lost in and simultaneously to be amazed by.

‘Drones’ was released just this week, you check out Painter’s excellent self-directed video below, along with a number of other, choice cuts.

MMOTHS Announces Debut Album ‘Luneworks’, and Shares ‘Deu’

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Three years in the works, Irish producer MMOTHS has announced details of his long-awaited debut album, Luneworks.

With two EPs already under his belt – the self-titled debut EP (2012) and Diaries (2013) – MMOTHS , aka Jack Colleran, admirably took his time with his debut LP. Luneworks is pencilled in for release in March next year and accompanying news of its release is the album’s lead single, ‘Deu’. An incredibly lush, bewitching and utterly beautiful slice of electronica, ‘Deu’ pulses, shimmers and grows, immersing you in a world of thoughtful contemplation. Falling somewhere between ambient and downtempo, and while retaining both the warmth and ambient tag of his earlier work, this is a different animal to what introduced us to his talent some four years ago. Rather than negate him, the time Colleran has taken to craft his debut appears to be paying off, this is magnificent and evocative to say the least; needless to say things are looking well for his debut LP.

Luneworks is out on March 11th 2016 through OYAE/Because. For now, you can check out ‘Deu’ below, along with the Hassan Rahim & Scott J. Ross directed video.

 

Applescal – ‘Japanese Bubbles’

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Dutch producer Applescal will release his new album, For on May 18th through Atomnation and with a week or so to go till the album’s release, he’s revealed his new single ‘Japanese Bubbles’.

As ever with Applescal, the new single is of premium quality. Sitting somewhere between late-night after hours and the dance floor, Applescal weaves his magic with soft, floating melodies, flourishes of playful percussion, a light scattering of keys and warm production, creating a real sense of atmosphere. A lush, late-night lullaby, it sets a mood allowing you to drift into deep, contemplative thought as it trickles through your consciousness. We’ve already had a taste of the album with ‘Airports’ – a vibrant summery mix of floating dreamy synths, bright, airy dance beats and sunny chimes – add to that ‘Japanese Bubbles’, and the follow up to 2013’s rather brilliant Dreaming In Key, is shaping up nicely.

Check out ‘Japanese Bubbles’ below.

Introducing: Benihana

 

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Benihana are Kildare based electronic duo composed of Will Molloy and Billy Archbold, who’ve been steadily releasing some really impressive tracks over the past while.

Together Molloy & Archbold provide us with a triumph of meticulously crafted, emotive and otherworldly electronic music. The tracks aren’t overblown or overproduced, the Naas-based duo have put time and thought in, judging by the sheer depth and emotion that emanates from their music. ‘Claro’ is a laid-back, almost ambient, dreamy track, slowly developing through frosty production that feels like a thick mist,and a shivering sense of euphoria. ‘Nearer’ meanwhile, offers a darker side to their sound. Crunching beats and twinkling synths combine with a subterranean vibe to envelop everything with a sense of eeriness, but rather than fraught with terror or peril, it is imbued with an uplifting sense of optimism, mainly provided through the warmth of the vocal and some heavenly, floaty sounds. This heavy dose of optimism is something continued on ‘Machines’, which features a sample of Charlie Chaplin’s famous and powerful speech from The Great Dictator and backed by airy cinematic production. All in all, it’s supremely evocative and intoxicating.

You can sample some choice cuts below and if they are to your liking? You can download Patterns EP here and double A-side Claro/Nearer here, all you got to do is ‘name your price’. Photo by Olga Kuzmenko.

Introducing: Setline

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Setline, real name Steve Cash, is an Irish Electronic Musician, from Dublin.

Self-recording, producing and performing all the comprising elements in his home studio, he recently released a five track debut EP, These Thieving Streets. Encompassing a wide ranging blend of instrumentation, incorporating varying elements of acoustic and electronic performance, with digital a dash of manipulation; the outcome of which is simply gorgeous. Linking an airy whoosh, rhythmic surges and melodic hooks with the some understated electronic beats to create rather chilled, tranquil dance tracks. Taking all the aforementioned fragments, ‘Speckled’, his pièce de résistance, is a gentle, twinkly and breezy tune which harnesses some sumptuous strings and harp, that work ever so well with the electronic beats. ‘Are We Broken’ meanwhile, is built from a woozy base of squelchy sounds and some light keys, and it sees an injection of increased energy into this mix of understated tranquillity. A fine introduction indeed, and in other news, currently, Setline is studiously writing and recording a debut album, which will be released in 2015.

You can sample some choice cut from These Thieving Streets below or

Albums Roundup: By The Sea, Second Storey & The #1s

 

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Back again with a few more albums that have been keeping me occupied over the past while.

Second Storey – ‘Double Divide’

Formerly going by the name Al Tourettes, London-based Alec Storey began life as Second Storey in 2013 with his Margosa Heights EP. Released but a few weeks ago, his debut LP, Double Divide, is a revelation. Both rich and complex in equal measure, it is steeped in electronic experimentation. Double Divide is a hybrid of styles and influences, shifting from a dreamy ambient side, while others clearly leaning towards the dancefloor, and back again. It success lies in finding a balance, a sweet one at that, between atmospheric soundscapes and ones more at home at a hedonistic club. An album of contrasts, it’s in its infectious, often unusual rhythms too, that binds the entire LP together. A finely crafted debut and an absolutely thrilling listening experience from start to finish.

By The Sea – ‘Endless Days, Crystal Sky’

With their second LP, we find By The Sea sounding bigger and fuller than ever before, as they expanded and refined their wistful yet driven psych-pop undulations. ‘Endless Days, Crystal Sky’ is a magnificent collection of melodic guitar pop songs, illuminated by drifting, dreamlike atmospherics, jangling guitars and bubbly bass. This is an album which should sit proudly with many of the greatest records to emerge from the banks of the Mersey. While the influences are worm well, the understated and shimmering synth work adds a more modern veneer to this retro fitted piece of dreamy indie-pop. This scintillating dreamy indie-pop is sometimes propulsive while punctuated by world-weary vocals, imbued with an aching sense of melancholy, creating a great sense of both depth and warmth. While unquestionably excellent, By The Sea’s debut managed a cult success, released back in August, the Wirral 5-piece’s follow-up deserves far greater acclaim and attention.

The #1s – The #1s

This foursome have been knocking around Dublin for a couple of years now, as The #1s and their various other groups like Cheap Freaks, the Pacifics, and Cian Nugent & the Cosmos. Their seasoned status shines through spectacularly on their self-titled debut, a short and snappy blend of racy punk, power-pop and lo-fi that owes a certain debt to Northern punk bands of the mid-to-late ’70s, like Rudi, The Outcasts and The Undertones. The #1s wear their influences well and openers, ‘I Wish I Was Lonely’, ‘Sixteen’ and ‘Heartsmash’, leave you in no doubt that were headed to a bouncy punk scene from 35 years ago. Frantic and fast paced, it’s all over before you know it, in under 20 minutes in fact but no sooner has it finished and you’ll be hitting play once again. Combing all the finest ingredients, it’s bratty and fun, raw yet tender and simultaneously sugary sweet and sour, they’ve come up trumps with a master class in power-pop punk, and a thrilling debut.