15 July 2025: Field Lines Cartographer "Resplendent in the Light of the Universe" (DiN93); Jo Johnson "Escape Now" (Quiet Details 36)

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Resplendent In The Light Of The Universe (DiN93)
Mark Burford aka Field Lines Cartographer 

The second solo album on the DiN imprint from UK synthesist Mark Burford, aka Field Lines Cartographer, sees him venturing even further out into the cosmic void with an hour long suite of modular explorations. His previous DiN release, Portable Reality Generator (DiN85), was enthusiastically received, and as with that release the music on this new album flows seamlessly from one track to the next. Burford has been establishing a fine reputation both as a live performer and with releases on several labels such as Castles In Space, Quiet Details and Woodford Halse. His musicality and deft touch are certainly at the fore on the beautifully named ‘Resplendent In The Light Of The Universe’.

Using a range of analogue modular instruments as well as an array of digital effects Burford weaves music for a deep contemplation of questions alluding to the underlying nature of the cosmos. The eight tracks have such an organic feel and swell and grow like nebulae. With reference to the albums title they have an inner light which shines through the swirling clouds of texture. At times he ventures into Berlin School sequencer territory, especially in tracks such as ‘Various Rotations’ and ‘The Light of Billion Stars’, but it’s never a slavish pastiche of this idiom but rather his own musical voice finding form in this particular style. Elsewhere pieces such as ‘Forever Spheres’ and ‘Gentle Flows’, which bookend the album, are particularly redolent of, in his own words, “the splendour of the luminous universe”.

This new release from Field Lines Cartographer is another fine addition to the DiN canon and takes the labels musical roots forward to a bright future. 

credits

releases July 18, 2025

All music performed and recorded by Mark Burford as Field Lines Cartographer.
Mastered by Ian Boddy February 2025.

Instrumentation:
ARP 2600 and Intellijel Cascadia semi-modular synthesisers
Eurorack and BugBrand modular synthesisers
Buchla 208C Easel Command
Make Noise Strega
Effects processing via Eventide, Chase Bliss, Strymon and Walrus Audio


Thanks to everyone who supports my music and love to my friends and family as always for their unflinching support.
Special thanks to Ian and Wendy at DiN.
FreeForm Radio thanks Ian Boddy for a complimentary copy of this release.

Always strive for the light

ambient em electronic electronic music electronica modular synth space ambient space music Sunderland

 

  Escape Now (QD36)

Jo Johnson 

Credits:
Music by Jo Johnson
Mastered by Alex at quiet details studios
Artwork by quiet details in collaboration with Jo Johnson
Design by quiet details
© quiet details 2025 all rights reserved 

FreeForm Radio thanks Alex for a complimentary copy of this release.
 

Next in the quiet details series is one of the most naturally talented musicians working today, the wonderful Jo Johnson, with Escape Now

Known and loved across the musical spectrum for her transcendent and deeply affecting synthesiser mastery - heard on the albums for labels such a Castles in Space, 9128.live, Apartment, Bleep43, Further, Going In, Mysteries of the Deep and her own self-releases; and in her much in-demand live performances.

Previously also on guitar and vocals in the revolutionary punk band Huggy Bear and other projects, Jo is a true musicians’ musician and has taken all this artistry and experience to create something stunning that goes beyond all expectations.

Escape Now is the music of an artist in brilliantly creative evolution - taking all the elements that make her so widely admired and building on them to take things to a new and mind-expanding sphere.

All the trademark gorgeously nuanced melody and harmony is present, deeply hypnotic and psychedelic - and now her synthesisers combine with a dazzling array of other sound sources and live instrumentation.
Recorder, voice, bells and harp join the analogue and digital synthesis to form a living whole - a vast universe that shows Jo’s unique blend of musical skills - wonderful performance technique, exquisite taste, and the ability to orchestrate it all together in the most elegant fashion.

Ever-shifting melodic sequences come in and out of view, soaring washes of chords mix with endless organic textures - at times a huge sound-world, at others intimate and delicate - always using sonic dynamics to create a beautiful and powerfully mesmerising atmosphere.

The album is perfectly balanced and takes us on a totally absorbing exploration through Jo’s musical mind - it’s a brilliant piece of work that I’m honoured to share with you.

Huge thanks to Jo - an incredible addition to the series.

The artwork was made as always influenced by the music and idea behind the album - originating from a photo from Jo which was then captured with analogue photography and processed here at quiet details studios.

As usual, the album is presented on the physical edition, a custom six-panel digipack with a separate fine art print too.

The CD also has a special long-form continuous mix of the album, created by the artists and representing the music in its purest form.

jojohnson.bandcamp.com  

credits

released July 2, 2025

ambient chill-out downtempo drone electronic field recordings synth synthwave United Kingdom

 

26 November 2024: Garybaldi/Gleemen; Sophos "Sending Signals"(DiN88)

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I am also hosting Rural Electric from 7-9 pm on November 26; tune in for some great (Mostly) Country Music!

 

 

 

Garybaldi "Astrolabio"

 Garybaldi biography
The Gleemen quartet from Genoa is rather a typical for Italian prog groups, generally avoiding the heavily slanted symphonic influences most of their countrymen were choosing and were relying on a heavy guitar-based sound and were often hard rocking. Their first album (1970) is still regarded nowadays as a gem from collectors all over the world, although it will surprise progheads a bit with its very 60's sound and major Hendrix influences, and absolutely stupendous artwork.

Having changed their name to a more Italian sounding name (Garybaldi being some hero of the late XIXth century in Liguria and neighbouring French Provence), they proceeded to record two further album with the same heavily slanted Hendrix influences even if the keyboards are also a good part of the sound). The first one sports an astounding and complex artwork by future Italian comix superstar Guido Crepax. Sidelong tracks are a common feature in those albums and they are self-indulgent, either.

Fosastti then disbanded the group, and with drummer/singer Cassinelli went on to form La Bambibanda E Melodia that released one record late 74. Guitarist Fossati has reformed the group (although he was the only original member) during the late 80's but the general sound was much bluesier and released one album.

Somehow their short career is almost parallel to Flea/Etna group (they also changed their name while retaining the same line-up), developing the same kind of unusual (for Italy) guitarey hard prog during the same years.

Discography:
As Gleemen
- Gleeman - 1970 - CGD FGS 5073 - CD Mellow MMP 168

As Garybaldi
- Nuda - 1972 - CGD FGL 5513 - CD CGD (75262 2)
- Astrolabio - 1973 - Fonit LPQ 09075 - CD Fonit Cetra CDM 2036

As Bambi Fossati & Garibaldi
- Bambi Fossati & Garibaldi -1990 - Artis ARCD 014 

                                                 Sophos - Sending Signals. (DiN88)

As the DiN label celebrates its 25th anniversary it is a real pleasure to introduce a new artist to followers of the imprint. Ulises Labaronnie who hails from Buenos Aires in Argentina has been active in the experimental electronic music scene since the mid-90s and has recorded numerous albums both as a soloist and with his projects triØN, Ensemble Circular as well as Sophos. He has many other musical threads in his life including music and sound design for film which showcases his great love for nature and the wild landscapes around him.

Sending Signals (DiN88) is inspired by the work of renowned British astrophysicist Sir Roger Penrose, in particular the concept that advanced civilisations could leave markers or signals for the next cycle or rebirth of the universe. Indeed his music has its origins in the Berlin School and space music genres but he takes it far beyond their limits with the introduction of intricate rhythms and modern digital textures to produce a sound all his own.

Over the course of nine tracks the music gently meanders through a series of tone poems incorporating Vangelis like lead lines, ostinato sequencer patterns and lush chordal pads. At other times more glitchy textures are introduced as well as field recordings and IDM style drum patterns. This all adds up to a totally unique album that crosses the boundaries of musical genres which is something DiN has always encouraged.

Released in a limited edition Digipak CD featuring artwork by Wendy Gibson Boddy this is another must have album of spellbinding music in the DiN catalogue. 

credits

released October 18, 2024
Our thanks to Ian Boddy for providing us with a copy of this release.
Music composed, performed, produced and mixed by Ulises Labaronnie.
Recorded at U_estudio, Buenos Aires, Argentina between October 2023 and January 2024.
Mastered by Ian Boddy July 2024.

This album is dedicated to the mathematician, astrophysicist and philosopher Sir Roger Penrose for his profound thoughts that have been a great source of inspiration.

Special thanks to Ian Boddy & Wendy Gibson Boddy / DiN Records.


Instrumentation:
Eurorack modular system
Yamaha DX7, SY77 & CS15
Waldorf Blofeld
Korg Monopoly, Opsix, Poly 800 & SQ64 sequencer
Behringer Model D, K2, Pro 1 & Crave
Elektron Model Samples

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18 June 2024: Field Lines Cartographer; Protogonos

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                           Portable Reality Generator (DiN85)

by Field Lines Cartographer

 

Mark Burford, aka Field Lines Cartographer, is one of the new generation of musicians crafting original sonic worlds in electronic music using primarily modular synths. He has garnered quite a reputation both for his live performances as well as a series of releases on labels such as Castles In Space, Quiet Details and Woodford Halse. He has also appeared on a couple of the Tone Science albums, most notably Volume 8, which was the Tone Science Live event from last year. Thus the time seemed right to invite Mark to create a long form solo release on the DiN imprint.

What is particularly fascinating is that Burford seems to channel the Kosmische Musik vibe of early Tangerine Dream without actually trying to copy their style. His music just seems to end up in a similar sound world but via a completely different path. In his words; “I’ve always loved how music creates new worlds -  imaginary environments you can live in. As a listener you become immersed in a new reality for the duration of an album. Fully enveloped by textures, melodies, harmonies and rhythms, new pictures appear in the minds-eye, new dreams … strange & beautiful landscapes sketched in sound. An alternate, portable reality.”

With a running time of nearly 70 minutes this is exactly what FLC achieves on this beautiful album. From the opening gentle undulations of ‘The Sun In Splendour’ the music is both familiar and yet strangely different. The epic, almost 20 minute piece, ‘Collapsable Mantra’ flirts with Berlin School sequencing but adds something new and fresh to the mix. The music has time and space to gently unfold, to grow organically where texture and harmony become one before finally coming to rest on the shimmering shoreline of the final track ‘Interference Patterns’.

As DiN is celebrating its 25th anniversary it’s really satisfying to be able to give such talented artists as Field Lines Cartographer a platform from which to spread the word about their fine music. 

credits

Our thanks to Ian Boddy for providing us with a copy of this release.

releases June 21, 2024

All music performed and recorded by Mark Burford using ARP2600 and Eurorack modular synthesisers.

Mastered by Ian Boddy.

Special thanks to Ian and Wendy at DiN for inviting me along.

Instagram:  field_lines_cartographer 
X: @FLCartographer
Bluesky: @flcartographer.bsky.social

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all rights reserved

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Protogonos - Inretrospection

 

 

A collection of tracks from the last forty [gulp!!] years of Protogonos. Some were unfinished but have been completed for this collection. Some were published in other compilations.

credits

released September 1, 2023

1.	Chlorine Girls 04:00
	2.	Arctic Sunrise 05:38
	3.	A Hand Held Panorama 04:21
	4.	Moceans Of Time 06:57
	5.	Cathedral In The Caves 05:41
	6.	Chapel Of Rest 04:24
	7.	Church Of Fast Living 01:54
	8.	Reverberations In The Realm Of Boundless Light 28:58
	9.	Hypnogogia Claustrophobia 01:42
	10.	The Eternal Return Nightmare Scenario 01:15
	11.	Nirvana Garden 03:52

 

05 December 2023: Benge; A Prog Rock Christmas; Sonologyst

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The music you hear on tonight's show is available on the artists' Bandcamp pages and websites. (links below) 

We urge you to support the musicians you hear on FreeForm Radio. 

I will also be hosting a (Mostly) Country Christmas on the Rural Electric show 

right after the Island Messenger at 7 pm until 9 pm.

Rural Electric Playlist on Spotify                                                  FreeForm Radio Playlist on Spotify

The View From Vega

Benge

Ben Edwards, better known by his pseudonym Benge, has been exploring the sonic possibilities of electronic instruments since he was a young boy, in the1970s. After graduating from art school in 1990 he set up his own music studio and started recording his unique blend of experimental electronica, culminating in his debut album "Electro-Orgoustic Music" and the formation of Expanding Records in 1995. Since then he has released dozens of albums as Benge, as well as collaborating with various luminaries from the electronic music world on many other album projects. He has formed several notable and ongoing bands such as John Foxx & The Maths, Wrangler (with Stephen Mallinder / Cabaret Voltaire and Phil Winter / Tunng), Fader (with Neil Arthur / Blancmange), and his most recent project Creep Show (Wrangler + John Grant). Benge's creative output now centres around his Memetune Studio Complex, located in one of the UKs remotest moorland locations, writing and producing his various music projects as well as making video art and TV programmes about his activities.

“The View From Vega”, his debut solo album on the DiN imprint, is primarily an ambient suite of tracks inspired by the space-music typically produced in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It uses a selection of vintage synthesisers, sequencers and FX units to provide a fertile sonic landscape to explore. The idea was to use simple sequences (using both analogue and digital units), sustained synthesiser pads and electronic piano improvisations, alongside various ancient delay, flange and reverb units. The beautiful, warm quality of the tones that exude from such instruments are very evident on the six tracks that slowly unfold their oscillations in organic, melodic soundscapes.

An unashamedly vintage sounding album in all its analogue glory, “The View From Vega” is released both as a 180g Vinyl edition and a Digipak CD with stunning artwork from Wendy Carroll that matches the music perfectly. 

credits

released October 6, 2023

Written and recorded by Benge at Memetune Studios, England, February 2023.
Mastered by Benge April 2023. 

Our thanks to DiN label owner Ian Boddy for providing us with a copy of this release.

Studio blog: myblogitsfullofstars.blogspot.com

"This is a primarily ambient suite of tracks inspired by the space-music typically produced in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It uses a selection of vintage synthesisers, sequencers and FX units to provide a fertile sonic landscape to explore. The idea was to use simple sequences (using both analogue and digital units), sustained synthesiser pads and electronic piano improvisations, alongside various ancient delay, flange and reverb units”.

The equipment used was as follows:

Synthesisers:
Moog Modular IIIC
Polyfusion Modular
Roland SH5 / System 100 / Piano-Plus-70
Yamaha CP30 / SS30
EMS VCS3
ARP Chroma

Sequencers:
Roland MC4
Moog Dual 960 (Cloned)
EMS TKS

FX Units:
Dynacord TAM21 Stereo Flanger/Doubler
Dynacord DRP16 Reverb
Dynacord DRS78 Reverb / Delay
Polyfusion Modular Phase unit
Electro-Harmonix Smallstone Phaser

Tags

ambient em electronic electronic music electronica downtempo modular synth modularsynth vintage modular Sunderland

 

 

 

We'll be playing various tracks from the 2019 release, A Prog Rock Christmas.

 

 

Shortwave Spectrum

Sonologyst

 We'll end tonight's shows with a track from this new release from Sonologyst.

The new Sonologyst "sonic documentary" delves into the secretive realm of shortwave transmissions; a chronicle of clandestine shortwave transmissions culled from a span of nearly four decades (1982-2021). These mysterious transmissions - repetitive voices, signals, sound pulses, short pieces of music - were collated and edited to compose the tracks of the main album.

Immersed in an isolating fog of dark ambient, deep drone music and cinematic sound art, it provides an auditory exploration of the ongoing Cold War. Originating from covert radio stations engaged in military and espionage endeavours, the tracks unveil a hidden sonic landscape of strategic communication.

The second disc, in its extensive presentation, provides a deeper immersion into these enigmatic broadcasts. Each recording remains unaltered, accompanied only by a ghostly drone. It offers an unfiltered glimpse into the world of clandestine communication, where words are transmitted beneath the radar and in the shadowy confines of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Double CD in a matt-finish gatefold ecopak with graphic design by Abby Helasdottir.

Watch album teaser (YouTube) by Abby...  more

credits

released November 23, 2023 

Our thanks to Raffaele Pezzella for providing us with a copy of this release.

REVIEWS

Nine Circles
ninecircles.co/2023/12/03/rainbows-in-the-dark-sonologyst-shortwave-spectrum

Vital Weekly (excerpt review)

Raffaele Pezzella's musical project Sonologyst doesn't need much introduction. I reviewed several of his works and liked it a lot. You can find an indication of the source material in the title, shortwave sounds, and, in particular, from what is called number stations. This takes us back to the days of the Cold War when secret services worldwide used radio transmissions to communicate with agents in the field—voices reading groups of numbers, Morse codes or otherwise random bleeps and hard to intercept and block. The Cold War may have ended, but the information notes that in recent years, Chinese, Korean and Indian Numbers Stations have been picked up, and I assume these are at the core of the music here and not the 4CD set released by Irdial in the 1990s. It would make a damn good book to describe the use of radio (waves) as a musical instrument and the history thereof, as I believe that, next to the mouth, the radio is one of easiest accessible instruments available for any would-be musicians (if you already wrote such a book, then let me know). That is not to say that it's easy to play great music based on radio waves, but Sonologyst is a true master in crafting deep, dark, and highly ambient music with that ghostly atmosphere lingering in the background. As much as Number Stations are mysterious, so is this music. Oddly enough, maybe, there are six tracks on the first CD, somewhere between five and fifteen minutes, and the oddity is that these are more minimal than the forty-two-minute piece on the second CD. Each of these six stays in stasis and move within the given parameters. The long one, 'Shortwaves', is a piece that moves between many stations, picking up spoken word, classical music, pop music and whatever else along the way, against a backdrop of drones. It shows that one can do many things with radio waves, which is why I'm still fascinated by it. (FdW)

Avant Music News
avantmusicnews.com/2023/11/18/amn-reviews-sonologyst-shortwave-spectrum-2023-cold-spring-records

Luminous Dash
luminousdash.be/reviews/sonologyst-shortwave-spectrum-cold-spring/

This Is Darkness
Well, this is very cool – an album of dark ambient / deep drone, inspired by and using edited shortwave radio broadcasts from the mysterious ‘number stations’ that during the cold war (and beyond) transmitted coded messages for agents deep undercover in enemy nations. The resulting album is a collection of haunting and otherworldly tracks unlike anything I’ve heard in a long time. As a bonus, Sonologyst has included a 7th track that is less filtered – it contrasts beautifully with the six expertly crafted tracks that came before it, and provides an even deeper experience of these ghostly broadcasts. Highly recommended!




Published by Cold Spring Records
Sound, sampling, processing and mastering by Sonologyst.
Equipment: analogue synthesizers, shortwaves radio receiver, analogue tape recorders.
Mastered by Sonologyst.
Graphic design by Abby Helasdottir.

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09 May 2023: Ian Boddy - Modulations III (DiNDDL31)

 KMXT is live broadcasting the Kodiak City Council work session which may run past 9 pm.  

The show will begin as soon as the work session ends or 9 pm if the meeting ends early.

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The music you hear on tonight's show is available on the artists' Bandcamp pages and websites. (links below) 

We urge you to support the musicians you hear on FreeForm Radio.

 Modulations III  (DiNDDL31)

 

The Modulations series is a way for DiN label boss Ian Boddy to showcase his many, varied modular synth concerts and events. The first two released in 2020 & 2021 were released in digital format on the DiNDDL series as well as limited vinyl pressings in conjunction with Greek label Kinetik Records. However all live events came to a sudden end with the Covid pandemic and Boddy like the majority of musicians had to postpone any further Iive shows until this health crisis dissipated.

Resuming toward the end of 2021 Modulations III spans just over three hours of Boddy’s recent modular synth events with concerts in Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. There are also tracks from an art exhibition opening, an outdoor performance and an exclusive track for the Werra Foxma label magazine.

The core of the instrumentation in these tracks are Boddy’s mobile Eurorack cases but this was bolstered by gear from Buchla, Serge and Moog as well as an array of pedals and effects and with the Liverpool concert his beautiful French Connection Ondes Martenot style keyboard.

As ever Boddy builds audio landscapes that organically build, drift and vanish into the ether. Analogue bass lines grow and act as a bedrock for a myriad of scintillating higher register sequencer parts. Mysterious atmospheres evolve and mutate with graceful beauty. Soft focus orchestral string sections emerge from dark spaces and bring light and calm to the music. The audience is taken on a journey which follows a different path on every performance.

A listening guide detailing each track and its associated release alongside exclusive photos accompanies the Bandcamp download. 

credits

released May 5, 2023

Barry West for curating the Earth Requiem show at the Washington Arts Centre.
Tony Adamo and Chris Wave for organising the Seventh Wave Festival in Birmingham.
Alan Hempsall for organising the Subliminal Impulse Festival in Manchester.
Frazer Brown from Werra Foxma.
Neil Campbell for organising the concert at the Capstone Theatre in Liverpool.
Phil Booth for the Seventh Wave concert photo.
Wendy Carroll for cover artwork, all the other concert photos and running the DiN Merch stand.
All of you who attended the shows and concerts.

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all rights reserved

ambient berlin school em electronic electronic music electronica dark ambient downtempo modular synth space music Sunderland