26 October 2021: Adrianne Lenker; Michael Oscillate

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Due to the City Council Work Session broadcast on KMXT, tonight's show may begin later than 9 pm.  We'll start the show immediately upon adjournment of the Work session.

Adrianne Elizabeth Lenker (born July 9, 1991) is an American musician from Indianapolis, Indiana, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of Big Thief.  On October 23, 2020, she released two albums, Songs and Instrumentals, through 4AD.

It was early March 2020 and the Big Thief tour had just been cut short, so I flew from Europe to NYC. It just so happened that there was a little cabin available for rent right next door to Zoe and Brian in the mountains in Western MA. So I grabbed my truck and drove out to the country. As I settled into the cabin over the course of a month, I grew really connected to the space itself. The one room cabin felt like the inside of an acoustic guitar -- it was such a joy to hear the notes reverberate in the space . I got a hankering to capture it, so I called my friend Phil and asked “How’d you like to get outta the city and make a record that sounds like the inside of an acoustic guitar?” Phil said “100%” and by the grace of some of our dear friends, we were able to gather the materials needed. Brendan lent us about 45 tape machines. Eli lent us a binaural head (which looked remarkably like Phil), and Shahzad lent us a pile of XLR cables. I drove into the city at 5am on the 20th of April, scooped up Phil and then we filled my truck to the brim as we stopped and gathered the gear along the way back to Massachusetts.

We unloaded all of the equipment into the small cabin and began setting up. Unfortunately, one of the first things that happened was the unstable electricity fried four of our tape machines, including the Otari 8 track. Bill tried to fix it at his shop in Sturbridge, but it was beyond repair.

After almost three weeks of setup and troubleshooting, the studio finally was operating -- although the only functioning tape recorder we had was Phil’s battery powered Sony Walkman. We felt at peace with the idea that we might just be recording the whole record on cassette tape, but that would have meant no overdubs, so I’m grateful for the rescue Otari 8 Track that Brendan was able to dig out of storage and deliver to us right before we had lost all hope.

I had a handful of songs that I was planning on recording, but by the time Phil arrived I was on a whole new level of heartsick and the songs were flying through my ears. I was basically lying in the dirt half the time. We went with the flow. A lot of the focus was on getting nourishment from our meals. We cooked directly on the woodstove, and we went on walks to the creek every day to bathe.

Nine of these songs were written freshly during the recording session. We began and closed each day with an improvised acoustic guitar instrumental, and we made a collage of our favorite pieces, which became the first side of the instrumentals album.

I’m grateful that this music has come into existence. These songs have helped me heal. I hope that at least in some small way this music can be a friend to you.
 

Webpage:  http://www.adriannelenker.com/

credits

released October 23, 2020

All songs performed and written by Adrianne Lenker and published by Domino Publishing Company of America, Inc. (ASCAP)

Recorded/engineered by Philip Weinrobe in Westhampton, MA in the Berkshire Mountains from April 22 - May 23, 2020.

Mixed by Philip Weinrobe at Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn, NY at the end of May 2020.

Mastered by Scott Hull at Masterdisk in Peekskill, NY in the middle of June 2020.

Acoustic guitar, paintbrush, needles of a white pine tree, and vocals performed by Adrianne Lenker.

Co-Produced by Adrianne Lenker and Philip Weinrobe.

Additional sounds provided by mother nature.

Cover and back painting by Dianne Lee.

Design and layout by Sarah Schiesser.

2020, 2020 Adrianne Lenker under exclusive license to 4AD Ltd

license

all rights reserved


 

 


The second part of tonight's show will feature Michael Oscillate's recent release, Hyperbolic Hypnosis of Luminescence.

Back with another full-length release, Michael Oscillate brings chaos and order together in a Yin and Yang formation in his 8-track album “Hyperbolic Hypnosis of Luminescence”.

The compelling artwork is enough to capture one’s attention, and the music behind it is sure to make listeners want to stick around.

As mentioned, the album tackles both chaos (“DORgone”) and order (“Cloud Condensation with Resonation”), but also goes on to combine features like spoken word (“Dislodge”) that are yet to be explored through Oscillate’s extensive catalogue. Oscillate toes the line between melody and dissonance in an innovative display of talent and creativity, in what is perhaps his most complete project yet. The inspired choices of audio sampling make for an auditory experience that just about covers the entire spectrum of human emotion, in an album that is almost as philosophical as it is musical.

The overall composition of this album is not unlike a “good life” itself; with moments of peace and moments of chaos and uncertainty that all combine to capture the beauty of our
existence.

credits

released October 1, 2021

Michael Bargen

license

all rights reserved

 

 

 

19 October 2021: The Pineapple Thief; Richard Barbieri

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The first half of tonight's show is an outstanding release from The Pineapple Thief


Over the last half-decade, The Pineapple Thief - led by musical polymath Bruce Soord and bolstered by the involvement of master drummer Gavin Harrison - has rapidly ascended to the upper echelons of Europe’s Alternative Rock scene.

Versions Of The Truth - out on September 4th through Kscope - is the latest installment in the band’s deserved (and welcome) rise to success.

The band's anthemic 2018 release Dissolution garnered worldwide acclaim. Earning TPT its highest chart positions to date and the album led to two extensive European headline tours (including a headline show at London's prestigious O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire) and a hugely successful tour of North America.

With the release of its new album, The Pineapple Thief is set to raise its exceptional standards once more, having produced what may be one of the most important albums of 2020.

Versions Of The Truth represents a conceptual progression from Dissolution (a contemplation on our ‘post truth’ world)... and lyrically tackles similar themes, but from a more personal perspective. Reflecting on how there can be more than one ‘version of the truth’, the album’s songs revolve around the impact the media can have on our lives and the people we love.

Recording began at Bourne Place (London) and Soord Studios (Yeovil) after the band had completed its US tour (October 2019 to April 2020), with engineering handled by Bruce Soord and Gavin Harrison. The album has been mastered by Steve Kitch.
 

credits

released September 4, 2020

 

The second half of tonight's show is dedicated to ambient artist, Richard Barbieri.

The “Planets + Persona” album from 2017.

The Japan and Porcupine Tree keyboardist Richard Barbieri releases his most sonically expansive work to date, with a brand new album entitled Planets + Persona. It is the third Barbieri solo album, but the first to feature such a wide pallet of instrumentation. Vintage analogue synthesisers combine with acoustic performances and jazz elements. Twisted voices are always present, though not in a language we can recognise. Barbieri skilfully utilises the talents of a pan-European core of musicians to produce an album that marries synthesised sounds with organic instrumentation to conjure up vivid, colourful and allusive soundscapes. It’s a skilful commingling of texture and tone, mood and musicality.

Recorded in London, Italy and Sweden, this is Barbieri’s most ambitious solo work to date with a central theme of duality that runs through the album. The title alone – ‘Planets and Persona’ alludes to this, and the dialectic theme is a constant throughout the contrasting and shape-shifting sounds of the album. Take, for example, Night of the Hunter – inspired by Charles Laughton’s only directorial movie , the piece moves through subtle shifts of atmosphere and emphasis, through melodic, dream-like sequences through to harsher tones; it’s a piece that builds to a profound cumulative effect. Elsewhere, Solar Storm shifts gears artfully, with Percy Jones’ sometimes percussive bass work contrasting to the smoother synthesiser textures incisively. Barbieri’s purely solo Interstellar Medium shows that his ability to develop and realise a theme under his own auspices that underscores his innate creativity. It’s but one aspect of a thoroughly engrossing and immersive album.

Mastered by Simon Heyworth.

credits

released November 5, 2020

Written, arranged and produced by Richard Barbieri

Lisen Rylander Löve - voices, sound design, omnichord, saxophones
Luca Calabrese - trumpet
Christian Saggese - acoustic guitar
Kjell Severinsson - drums, percussion
Klas Assarsson - vibraphone
Percy Jones - bass guitar
Axel Croné - bass guitar
Grice Peters - kora
Richard Barbieri - synthesisers, keyboards, sound design, sampler and percussion programming

Recorded at The Artillery (London), Forward Studios (Roma) and IB HQ (Halmstad)

Engineers - Richard Barbieri, Andrea Secchi, Stefano Quarta, Axel Croné, Mats Johansson
Mixed by Richard Barbieri
Mastered by Simon Heyworth at Super Audio Mastering

Cover photography - Clive Maidment
Booklet photography - Clive Maidment, Luigi Colasanti Antonelli
Design - Bill Smith

My thanks goes to the following vocalists whose voices i have used, abused and often morphed into instruments and textures -
Suzanne Barbieri, Steve Hogarth, Tim Bowness, Yukiko Taniguchi, Grice Peters

Special thanks to the following people whose help in various ways enabled me to expand the possibilities with this album -
Massimo and Rmanuele Scarparo, Mats Johansson, Paul Rymer, Thomas Olsson

Samples used under the creative commons license -- 260563 patricklieberkind (small piano motif) 80399_benboncan (radio interference)

Published by Orange Asylum Music, administered by Universal Music Publishing Group

Ⓟ© 2017 Richard Barbieri
all rights reserved
electronic ambient electronica progressive London

12 October 2021: Patrick Moraz; Renaissance

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Due to the City Council Work Session broadcast on KMXT, tonight's show may begin later than 9 pm.

The first half of tonight's show celebrates the 45th anniversary of Patrick Moraz's first solo album, The Story of I.

 After the success of Relayer, Yes next made a decision that each member would make a solo album. The Story of I is the first solo album by Patrick Moraz. By the time the album was released, Moraz was still touring with Yes but he was let go by the band in late 1976 after Rick Wakeman was booked on a session musician basis during the Going for the One recording sessions in Switzerland.

The album is based around a romantic story of a massive tower in the middle of a jungle. The tower lures people from all over the world to go inside it. Inside the tower, people are able to experience their wildest desires and fantasies. The only rule is that the people inside the tower may not fall in love with each other. However two people inside do so and decide to escape since the tower acts also as a prison which inhabitants are slaves of their own desires.

The album consists of fourteen tracks related to the story. The album, particularly the percussion section, is strongly influenced by Brazilian music. Much of the Latin percussion was recorded in Rio de Janeiro over two days in August 1975 and dubbed on to the tracks. The album uses pitch-bend controls on the synth/organ notes. The Story of I was chosen as the album of the year by Keyboard Magazine.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic3/5 stars[1]

Allmusic's retrospective review praised the album's blending of styles, finding in the various tracks "hints of funk and marimba, Caribbean and South American styles, and even flamenco, all guided by Moraz's whirlwind keyboard playing." They also made special note of Andy Newmark's drumming and the strong variety of instruments, and concluded, "The Story of I is a refreshing twist from this progressive craftsman and can sincerely be appreciated by all audiences."[1]

If time permits we will play some tracks from 50th Anniversary - Ashes Are Burning - An Anthology Live in Concert. This release is a perfect celebration of a legendary and treasured body of music. 2019 live show featuring a set list which included songs which had never been orchestrated or performed with an orchestra before. The most memorable concert took place at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA on 12th October 2019. This sold-out concert saw the band perform a set which included such classics as 'Carpet Of The Sun', 'Ocean Gypsy', 'Running Hard', 'Day Of The Dreamer' and 'A Song For All Seasons' and also saw a special guest appearance by Renaissance founder JIM McCarty who performed on the song 'Island' and the epic closing piece 'Ashes Are Burning'. It was a truly magical evening. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the formation of Renaissance, vocalist Annie Haslam and band performed a series of concerts with an orchestra in the USA in October.


05 October 2021: Ian Boddy DiN69 "Nevermore"; Bernhard Wostheinrich and Ombient

 

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 Our thanks to Ian Boddy and DiN with providing us with a copy of this release.
 
 
The DiN label, established in 1999, reaches something of a milestone with “Nevermore” (DiN69) as it represents the 100th release on the esteemed British electronic music label. This equates to this, the 69th album on the main DiN imprint as well as 26 digital only releases on the DiNDDL sub-label and 5 Tone Science albums.

It seems only fitting then that this release comes from DiN label boss Ian Boddy. Performed live at DiN HQ the performance was videoed and streamed on March 27th 2021 as part of the three day Soundquest Festival. This was organised by ambient luminary Steve Roach and had an audience watching and listening of 1000+ music fans across the globe coming together in these strange days of a global pandemic. This surely inspired Boddy to conjure up a mesmerising tour de force of a live show that shows all his skills and experience built up over a life time of performing.

Boddy’s set up was centred around his large Serge modular system supplemented by three cases of Eurorack. Eschewing the presence of a laptop this allowed him to sculpt and evolve a series of engaging electronic soundscapes. Ranging from the spacey and eerie to beautifully pastoral with his Ondes Martenot style French Connection keyboard featured at several points with its hauntingly beautiful tones. Novation & Moog keyboards fill out Boddy’s arsenal of instruments and the video shows him in constant motion playing, tweaking and sculpting the hour long set. In the two rhythmic excursions “From Here To There” and “Nevermore” one can literally hear Boddy build the complex, intertwining patterns brick by brick before launching out with some inspired solo playing that can only really happen in a live performance.

Released in a limited edition digipak with beautiful artwork by Wendy Carroll this is music that not only celebrates the work of one of the UK’s leading exponents of electronic music but also the label he has curated with such love and care for the last 22 years.
 

credits

releases October 15, 2021

Performed live by Ian Boddy in the DiN Studio & recorded / videod in February 2021.

Streamed live on March 27th as part of the three day SoundQuest Festival 2021.
Multi-track mix, video edit & mastering by Ian Boddy.


Instruments:
Serge Modular
Eurorack Modular
Analogue Systems French Connection
Make Noise 0-Coast
Moog Matriarch
Novation Summit
Folktek Resonant Garden
Moog MF-104M Analog Delay

Thanks to:
All the SoundQuest team for making this amazing event happen:
Steve Roach, Serena Gabriel, Eric Freeman & Mavromedia.
soundquestfest.live
all rights reserved

ambient em electronic electronic music electronica soundquest downtempo modular synth synthwave Sunderland

 


BWMAT201918 | released June 8, 2019 | Materiaal Series, Part 018 | Recorded live on the 14 April 2019 broadcast of STAR’S END Ambient Radio on WXPN 88.5FM in Philadelphia , USA


“In tones edged in platinum the collaboration between Bernhard Wöstheinrich & Ombient rings of a far-ranging sonic intelligence – which is felt in its unrestrained directness of expression. By overcoming the limitations of contemporary music this duo better expresses their un-conforming ideas of the cosmos and infinite space” – Chuck van Zyl
 
Bernhard Wöstheinrich elicits meaning from abstraction in electronic music and painting. He has studied graphic design and has created an eclectic body of work in both graphics and music.
Bernhard speaks in his own musical voice; the musical arc of his work often moves from the curiously beautiful to the beautifully curious.
 

credits

released June 8, 2019

Bernhard Wöstheinrich – Keyboards and virtual synthesizers, Live-Sequencing
Ombient / Mike Hunter - Maxikorg, Minimoog, Meris Polymoon


Audio recorded by Roycee Martin & Jeff Towne
Editing and mastering: Markus Reuter
Cover drawing: Christine Kriegerowski

Video by Chuck van Zyl

Special thanks to Chuck van Zyl and the whole crew that was around at the studio of WXPN in Philadelphia & George “G$” Bley

www.starsend.org
www.ombient.com
all rights reserved
ambient ambient electronic big beat big beat electro electronica Berlin

 

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