Category: Review

Recommendations to music releases I like. Each review features track descriptions of my favourite tracks. A download link can be found at the bottom of each posting.

  • Crepusculum – [2009] Sing on in Silhouettes

    Crepusculum – [2009] Sing on in Silhouettes

    Ambient guitars. Many of them. Strange, uncommon harmonies that sound uncannily familiar. Multiple acoustic guitars, all recorded by Fred Baty (aka Crepusculum), create a rich soundscape. Rhythmic chords and melody patterns render percussion unnecessary.

  • Virt – [2003] FX EP

    Virt – [2003] FX EP

    Classic(al) chiptunes. Virt is one of the great masters of this genre. Chiptunes are about taking the limited resources of old audio hardware and trying to bend the space of what is possible within these constraints. This EP (and it’s successor, FX 2.0) are soundtracks to imaginary NES (Nintendo Entertainment System, 1980s) games. And then…

  • Rho – [2010] Cedarleaf

    Rho – [2010] Cedarleaf

    Unambient ambient. This release raised the bar for me when it comes to “memorizing” what it sounds like. Should I put it into the ambient category? Or eclectic electronica? Cinematic orchestrations, based on solo guitar melodies, served on a bed of electronic sounds. Not easy to classify. Listen for yourself…

  • Rktic – [2003] Northern Lights LP

    Rktic – [2003] Northern Lights LP

    Frosty minimal techno. This (by online standards) antique release at the Thinner netlabel had a big part in slowly seducing me into exploring the less danceable areas of electronic music. I wonder how this album will sound to me in 30 years. It now feels quite timeless, a bit like some tracks by Kraftwerk.

  • Nic Bommarito – [2009] Harp Fragments

    Nic Bommarito – [2009] Harp Fragments

    Melancholia shoegaze in beautiful cinemascope. Think Ennio Morricone’s classical movie soundtracks, but in today’s style. The same deserted emotions, but mixed with modern post rock. 7 tracks, released at netlabel 12rec, brilliantly show that post rock can be so much more than guitar effect avalanches.

  • Sasha Raskin – [2011] Only Music

    Sasha Raskin – [2011] Only Music

    Electronic soft rock. Jerusalem-based artist Sasha Raskin makes us a great present by releasing his debut album for free at the netlabel diym. To cite French reviewer @adiffuser: Do not rely on the efficiency and the energy of the first title to automatically store the music of Sasha Raskin in the category electro-pop mainstream.

  • Dr. Mindflip – [2014] Every Waking Moment

    Dr. Mindflip – [2014] Every Waking Moment

    Quirky indie pop. Netlabel blocSonic keeps to its mission to deliver solid indie music, this time in form of swingy pop tunes. Acoustic instrumentation (drum, piano, bass, acoustic guitar) + vocals create a solid soundstage and 4 slightly eclectic songs.

  • Boogie Belgique – [2013] Nightwalker (Vol. 1)

    Boogie Belgique – [2013] Nightwalker (Vol. 1)

    Vintage remixes done right. Wow, simply wow. Before encountering this album, I thought that remixing old vinyl recordings necessarily leads to repetitive hip hop background tracks. But this release, presented by netlabel Dusted Wax Kingdom, fortunately breaks with this rule. Modern sounds seamlessly blend with old audio samples.

  • Auditive Escape – [2013] Profound

    Auditive Escape – [2013] Profound

    Convincing downtempo trip hop. Ok, “convincing” might sound a bit too corporate for this lush piece of an album, flirting with ambient genre elements. French artist Jean Patier really knows how to turn the knobs to create deceptively simple chill out tracks. Read on for my two (from 10) favourite tracks and the release link.

  • cantaloup – [2006] tonight it shows

    cantaloup – [2006] tonight it shows

    Acoustic post pop. Airy sound scapes made from guitar carpets and synthetic strings, mixed with mellow vocals make for a soothing ambient album. If these 8 calm tracks are not enough, have a look at cantaloup’s Bandcamp profile, where he has released several albums since.

  • Various Artists – [2009] Netaudio 2009 – Acroplane and The Centrifuge

    Various Artists – [2009] Netaudio 2009 – Acroplane and The Centrifuge

    Classic netaudio sampler. Nowadays, netlabel Acroplane release new albums on Bandcamp. Unfortunately, they did not move all their releases there. Fortunately, their back catalogue is archived at my favourite well-known place. This compilation has 18 diverse tracks from chiptunes over breakcore to glitchy IDM.

  • entertainment for the braindead – [2008] hydrophobia

    entertainment for the braindead – [2008] hydrophobia

    Acoustic dilettante post-something. At least that’s how the Julia Kotowski from Cologne describes her exquisitely melancholic songs. Honest, without fancy effects, simple and heart-warming is her music. This album is a collaborative release by the two netlabels aerotone (out of business, unfortunately) and aaahh-records (up and rockin’). 2 of the 10 songs await you below.

  • Th.e n.d – [2009] Schizophrenic Birth

    Th.e n.d – [2009] Schizophrenic Birth

    Minimal downtempo goodness. Berlin artist Th.e n.d. seems to prefer quality over quantity. This EP, released 2009 at the Acustronica netlabel, only contains 3 tracks. Yet every track is distinct in style and remarkably well produced. Unconventional sound combinations and laidback tunes are the common theme.

  • Aydio – [2009] Deltitnu EP

    Aydio – [2009] Deltitnu EP

    Laid-back trip hop with grooves. Where conventional trip hop serves monotonous boredom, Aydio excels with groovy bass lines, atmospheric guitar samples and a blend of vintage and modern soundscapes. 4 tracks or 20 minutes worth of great background music await you.

  • The Additive – [2010] The Additive

    The Additive – [2010] The Additive

    Edgy techno dance music. Berlin artist Addictive is brought to us by the renowned Italian techno netlabel Sostanze Records. 7 tracks, each more than 5 minutes long, speak for themselves: endless beats and slow transitions.