Downbeat | Electronica | Leftfield 49 Items

A massive "Welcome Back" to The G!!! After a span of 3 years plus, the master is finally back with another stellar synth packed album! A must listen for all synth lovers.

A massive "Welcome Back" to The G!!! After a span of 3 years plus, the master is finally back with another stellar synth packed album! A must listen for all synth lovers.

Records are slightly warped but still enjoyable.
Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover as new with faintly worn corners.

Carla Boregas is a Brazilian musician, composer and sound artist. By merging synthetic and acoustic instrumentation and techniques, Boregas builds up sonic scenarios driven by an invisible force, where the sensation of presence and discovery lies between density and delicacy. Her work spans composition, improvisation, performance, sound installation and radio art, and aims to transport the listener to different subjective perspectives of time and space, to invoke memories and to reflect about the nature-human relationship.
Carla Boregas writes: "Using a Tascam Portastudio 4-track cassette recorder, I invited three musicians to improvise alone with the sound recording of the sea that I did in Massaguaçu, the place where I used to live in Brasil. The recorder that I used had a defect in one of its tracks, therefore I could only invite two musicians – Vinicius Cajado (double bass) and Réka Csiszér (cello), plus the sea in another track. While listening to the tracks together, I felt a deep sense of absence ("ausência" in Portuguese). Perhaps due to their sonorous answers surrounded by the tape hiss? Because that's one of the symbolic meanings of the ocean? Maybe "saudades do mar, de estar ao seu outro lado"? Who knows – listening can be something very mysterious. Afterwards I played with and interweaved them all: the sonorous sea, Vinicius Cajado, Réka Csiszér and the absence - "Absência Tape" is the final result." – Carla Boregas, Berlin, 8 August 2024.

Berlin trio Ausklang are back with Kairos, a second superb album that builds on their last effort, 2020's Chronos, also on Past Inside the Present, 2020. It finds the trio of Fabian Koppri, Benjamin Sohn, and Simon Ansing play with concepts of time and entropy across eight movements that balance melodic post-rock and layered ambient soundscapes. It's a deceptively complex blend of glitching electronics, drums, bass and guitar with classically inspired orchestrations that makes for something as immersive and grand as it is beautiful. As the summer fades and autumn arrives, this richly rewarding album is sure to prove a great companion as we spend more time indoors.

Past Inside The Present proudly shares the release of The Worlds We Leave Behind, the second full-length record from the duo of Zake (aka. Zach Frizzell) and Tyresta (aka. Nick Turner). Building on both quotidian and profound contrasts, and blurring their associations - Turner’s day job as a Chicago social worker, Frizzell’s reverent interest in the sublimities of natural lansdcapes - this record continues the theme already played up by the pair’s earlier collaborative efforts, that of personal strife and experiential wisdom, which colour the impressions we derive from our environments. Being a “spiritual sequel” to the pair’s first album Drift (2023), the album educes long, heavy-set, gut-fluttering ambient montages, from aphasic, fragmentary titles, such as ‘The Worlds We Leave Behind’ and ‘You Will Become A Song’.

Secrets Of Sound sold out their first release in quick fashion and now they return with a second instalment in the Exotic Origins series, designed to take you a million light years away from your current reality and deep into the far depths of space with eight superbly cosmic explorations of ambient and downtempo magic. Italians Do It Better man Johnny Jewel kicks off with some sultry sax-laced sounds, David Lynch's musical partner Dean Hurley crushes on shimmering pads and Pye Corner Audio bring a little intergalactic tension. Elsewhere there are sugary synths from Legowelt, suspensory pads from TM Solver and plenty more to help you escape to another dimension. Add to that the fact it arrives on a random variety of different vinyl colours and comes with a download code, and you've got rather a nice package.

Marionette presents 'dessus oben alto up', the first collaborative recording by Andrea Belfi and Jules Reidy. Hailing from different ends of the globe (Australia and Italy) but both longtime residents of Berlin, Reidy and Belfi’s approaches have much in common, bringing together compositional precision and electroacoustic rigour with improvisation freedom, the immediate gratifications of rhythmic pulse, and an overtly lyrical sensibility. Working together during a residency at the sound studio of Berlin’s Callie’s, an arts institution housed in a 19th century machine factory, the pair (with Marco Anulli manning the desk) have conjured up four expansive pieces where the beautifully recorded percussive clarity of Belfi’s drums threads through a sparkling haze of guitars and electronics.

Opener ‘dessus’ begins with Reidy’s distinctive just-intoned guitar figures, shimmering over a delicate substratum of Befli’s brushwork and bass drum accents. As in all of Reidy’s recent work, the guitar is twisted out of cliché by the unfamiliar tuning and electronic processing. Hanging almost inaudibly in the background for much of the piece, a rush of synthetic tones surges into the foreground to end it. ‘oben’ is built from kinetic patterns of picked guitar arpeggios, locking into irregular grooves with Belfi’s drums, which move from elegant rolls and cymbal patter to driving closed hi-hats and explosive rock interjections. Around the traditional instruments and across the stereo field, electronic sounds swarm and swirl, fizzing and popping in a sun-drenched soundscape that at points suggests both vintage analogue synth destruction and glitching harmonies. ‘alto’ begins in similar territory but turned up a notch, eventually settling into a propulsive 6/8 groove of shifting drum accents, manically strummed 12 string acoustic, and burbling synth chords.

The B side is dedicated to the fifteen-minute ‘up’, where the strategies adopted on the other pieces are put in the service of a more relaxed, slowly unfolding epic. Anchored by a steady pulse throughout, the piece combines chiming guitars, dubbed-out bass lines and constantly adjusted percussive details into a complex flux of sound. Change is at once so subtle and so ever-present that, at any given moment, the listener can never be entirely sure quite how they got there.

Blake Lee has always been fascinated by the unknown, and space, in its isolating, mysterious vastness, embodies this theme immaculately. The open void, captured so memorably by Stanley Kubrick in '2001: A Space Odyssey', is Blake's far-reaching canvas on 'No Sound In Space', a cinematic meditation on the cosmos that's painted in nuanced, emotionally sincere colors. The Los Angeles-based composer has been contemplating his full-length debut since 2021, using his guitar as a sonic paintbrush rather than find himself snared in its traditional aesthetic constraints. Transforming its characteristics with effects and subtle processes, he layers sustained tones and intimate improvisations, creating richly visual polychromatic utopias teeming with unknown life.

Since 2011, Blake has been most known for being the guitarist and a music director for Lana Del Rey, notching up three songwriting credits on her acclaimed ‘Ultraviolence’ full length. He sees his solo work is a form of escapism, a place where he can experiment and find comfort and catharsis outside of expectations and formal structure. The album was written instinctively, and Blake made sure he didn't force anything, letting go and getting out of his own way, listening intently as sounds and textures materialized organically. "I didn't want to ruin it by being a perfectionist," he laughs. And his collaboration with Kenyan sound artist Kmru, who runs the Ofnot label and contributes to two of the tracks on the album, occurred similarly organically.

Blake was moved to reach out to Kmru when he caught a performance of 'Natur' at Los Angeles' Zebulon in 2022, leading to a prolonged back-and-forth. They didn't meet in person until earlier this year, by which time they'd become firm friends, continuously sharing music and conversation. Kmru had lent a valuable ear to Blake, who sent early playlists of 'nsis' that, over the months, slowly evolved into the finished album. It's the first release on Ofnot that's not by Kmru himself; the label emerged last year with the release of Kmru's own 'Dissolution Grip', and Blake's debut immediately expands its sonic universe. Alongside the playlists, Blake also provided Kmru with the tracks' raw stems, which Kmru began to edit and expand in his Berlin studio. 'Miura' and 'Waiting' are the result of this process, two sublime abstractions that augment Blake's dreamlike, euphoric tones with Kmru's pebbly distortions and booming low-end rumbles. And this same playful sense of freeness seeps into Blake's other compositions.

On the misty 'In A Cloud', he surrounds cascading string tones with soft-focus pads that swell until they're like crashing waves, and on the two 'Echoplexx' pieces, he uses delay and reverb to smudge his sounds until they're viscous residue, the harmonies obscured by whooshes of white noise and distant chimes. The mood is quieted somewhat on 'Moving Air', as Blake's swirling tones form half-heard lullabies, coalescing into a dense, melancholy crescendo, and he fills out the sound with reverberant airport recordings on 'Pan Am', letting pitchy My Bloody Valentine-esque drones warble beneath the transitory chatter. Each track melts into the next, forming a billowing, cryptic narrative that leaves more questions than answers. Blake is constantly searching, and fills his unoccupied space with warmth, perception and sensitivity.

Blake Lee has always been fascinated by the unknown, and space, in its isolating, mysterious vastness, embodies this theme immaculately. The open void, captured so memorably by Stanley Kubrick in '2001: A Space Odyssey', is Blake's far-reaching canvas on 'No Sound In Space', a cinematic meditation on the cosmos that's painted in nuanced, emotionally sincere colors. The Los Angeles-based composer has been contemplating his full-length debut since 2021, using his guitar as a sonic paintbrush rather than find himself snared in its traditional aesthetic constraints. Transforming its characteristics with effects and subtle processes, he layers sustained tones and intimate improvisations, creating richly visual polychromatic utopias teeming with unknown life.

Since 2011, Blake has been most known for being the guitarist and a music director for Lana Del Rey, notching up three songwriting credits on her acclaimed ‘Ultraviolence’ full length. He sees his solo work is a form of escapism, a place where he can experiment and find comfort and catharsis outside of expectations and formal structure. The album was written instinctively, and Blake made sure he didn't force anything, letting go and getting out of his own way, listening intently as sounds and textures materialized organically. "I didn't want to ruin it by being a perfectionist," he laughs. And his collaboration with Kenyan sound artist Kmru, who runs the Ofnot label and contributes to two of the tracks on the album, occurred similarly organically.

Blake was moved to reach out to Kmru when he caught a performance of 'Natur' at Los Angeles' Zebulon in 2022, leading to a prolonged back-and-forth. They didn't meet in person until earlier this year, by which time they'd become firm friends, continuously sharing music and conversation. Kmru had lent a valuable ear to Blake, who sent early playlists of 'nsis' that, over the months, slowly evolved into the finished album. It's the first release on Ofnot that's not by Kmru himself; the label emerged last year with the release of Kmru's own 'Dissolution Grip', and Blake's debut immediately expands its sonic universe. Alongside the playlists, Blake also provided Kmru with the tracks' raw stems, which Kmru began to edit and expand in his Berlin studio. 'Miura' and 'Waiting' are the result of this process, two sublime abstractions that augment Blake's dreamlike, euphoric tones with Kmru's pebbly distortions and booming low-end rumbles. And this same playful sense of freeness seeps into Blake's other compositions.

On the misty 'In A Cloud', he surrounds cascading string tones with soft-focus pads that swell until they're like crashing waves, and on the two 'Echoplexx' pieces, he uses delay and reverb to smudge his sounds until they're viscous residue, the harmonies obscured by whooshes of white noise and distant chimes. The mood is quieted somewhat on 'Moving Air', as Blake's swirling tones form half-heard lullabies, coalescing into a dense, melancholy crescendo, and he fills out the sound with reverberant airport recordings on 'Pan Am', letting pitchy My Bloody Valentine-esque drones warble beneath the transitory chatter. Each track melts into the next, forming a billowing, cryptic narrative that leaves more questions than answers. Blake is constantly searching, and fills his unoccupied space with warmth, perception and sensitivity.

Rapping at the window / Crying through the lock / Bells and running water / Influence on dusk.

Re-release of Blue Chemise's debut LP, which originally appeared in 2017 as a limited private release of 105 copies. Baadm make this much sought-after record available again on both physical and digital format, with remastered sound by Christophe Albertijn and updated artwork, all true to the original intentions of, and in close collaboration with, the artist.

‘Influence On Dusk’ forms an idiosyncratic cycle of fourteen mysterious, sometimes uncanny electroacoustic compositions, a personal and subdued eruption of 'melancholy of the healthy kind’, suddenly here and suddenly gone…

This is the second release on B.A.A.D.M. by the Australian artist Mark Gomes, following his equally atmospheric but more romantic 'Flower Studies' from 2021.

(Limited run of white heavyweight vinyl, available for the first time, remastered for 2024) After the reissues of The Beloved’s indie–facing compilation of early singles Where It Is and their first studio album Happiness, next up is their second studio album, Conscience. Conscience is a timelessly classic album, still sounding fresh 30 years after its original release.

The PBS series Earth Focus delves into the intricate connections betweenSouthern California's natural landscapes and urban development. Eachepisode explores a specific location, including the Los Angeles River, DiabloCanyon Nuclear Power Plant, Joshua Tree National Park, and the MojaveDesert. The series' soundtrack, composed by Elori Saxl, underscores theemotional narratives of these places, emphasizing the interplay betweenhumans and nature and the impact of human-constructed environments.Drawing inspiration from artists like Alice Coltrane and Hiroshi Yoshimura,Saxl craed the music using digitally manipul...

Original US pressing.

Records with just a few paper scuffs.

close to NM. With insert. beginning seam split

Limited White Vinyl Edition.
Includes OBI and insert.
Cover with a beginning seam split at the upper edge.

Limited Purple Vinyl Edition.
Record is slightly warped but still enjoyable.
Includes original inner sleeve and sticker.

Includes original inner sleeve.

Hyperspace White Vinyl Edition.
Record is slightly warped but still enjoyable.
Includes original insert.

Limited Edition.
Record is close to VG+.

Yellow Vinyl Edition

Blue / Green Vinyl Edition.
Includes original inner sleeve.

Limited Edition.
Record is slightly warped but still enjoyable.

Limited Edition.
Record with just a few paper scuffs.

Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover as new with faintly worn corners.
Includes original insert.
Records are slightly warped but still enjoyable.
Label side A off center, doesn't affect play.

Record with just a few paper scuffs.

Cover with a beginning seam split at the upper edge.

Clear Vinyl Edition.

Small light scuff on side B.
Cover with seam split.

Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Records with just a few paper scuffs.
Includes booklet.

The Chill Pill compilation hits volume VI. By now a stable in the landscape of „summer vibe“ chill out compilations, Public Possession continues to gather artists to create a version of the perfect soundtrack for a „healthy dose of relaxation & hedonism“. As usual the label presents an interesting mix of upcoming and more established artists, always looking for interesting combinations and unexpected twists. The idea to the compilation is clearly inspired by legendary compilation series such as „Cafe Del Mar“ and „Buddah Bar“ but has quickly found it‘s own language: easy listening - slightly oddball - very fun.

Remastered from the original tapes, 180g vinyl!
Includes original inner sleeve.

Vinyl with a couple of small marks on Side D, otherwise NM.

The new label kicks off with a tribute by the late EDO8. Four tracks that get the label started.

Mount Athos, known as the «Holy Mountain,» is a monastic peninsula in northeastern Greece, central to Eastern Orthodox monasticism for over a millennium. Its twenty monasteries house around 2,000 monks dedicated to prayer and worship, which songs have echoed across the Aegean Sea for centuries, heard only by visiting pilgrims, isolated from conventional time and global events.

After several years of research, and several visits to the retired community, we are happy to present our new project «Athos : Echoes from the Holy Mountain» dedicated to this liturgic music and repertoire that seems to be evolving outside the usual boundaries of time and space. Rooted in Byzantine chant, this a cappella tradition essential to monastic life featuring intricate yet serene melodies designed to facilitate prayer and contemplation, using a system of modes and scales to create a meditative atmosphere.

Trans-disciplinary, this effort of documentation also comprehends an artistic re-interpretation aspect inviting contemporary Greek and foreign artists to reflect on the subject.

A musical compilation which captures original field recordings from the 1960s and from today capturing the essence of liturgical music on Mount Athos, but also new compositions inspired by them by artists such as Holy Tongue (UK), Jay Glass Dubs (GR), Prins Emanuel & Inre Kresten Grupp (SWE), Jimi Tenor (FI), Gilb’r (FR), Daniel Paleodimos (GR), Esma & Murat Ertel (TUR) and Organza Ray (GR/US).

A trilingual book in English, Greek and French, featuring essays, articles, photographs and artistic comissions reflecting around the theme giving a voice to contributors such as , Stratos Kalafatis, Theodore Psychoyos, Tefra90, Father Damaskinos Ulkinuora, Prof. Thomas Apostolopoulos, Makar Tereshin, Phaedra Douzina-Bakalaki, Michelangelo Paganopoulos and Alberto Cameroni.

The release of the book and the record will be followed by a cycle of exhibitions and conferences, deploying FLEE’s year-long research on Mount Athos, as well as its numerous commissioned artworks.

Tracklist

A1 Volta Semantron (Inre Kretsen Grupp & Prins Emanuel)
A2 Athos Dub (Holy Tongue)
A3 Garden of Kibele (Esma & Murat Ertel)
A4 Doxology (Daniel Paleodimos)

B1 Idän Kuoromiehet (Jimi Tenor)
B2 Synaptic Riddles (Jay Glass Dubs)
B3 L'île Météore (Gilb'r)
B4 I Swim In Your Dreams (Organza Ray)

C1 Vatopedi Semantron Vespers (Gregoriou Monastery)
C2 Axion Estin, Mode Plagal B (Daniilaioi Brotherhood Choir)
C3 Christos Anesti, Mode Plagal A ((Daniilaioi Brotherhood Choir)
C4 Theoteke Parthene, Mode Plagal A (Daniilaioi Brotherhood Choir)
C5 Doxologia Chourmouzioy, Mode Varys (Daniilaioi Brotherhood Choir)
C6 Osoi Eis Christon, Mode Plagal A (Daniilaioi Brotherhood Choir)
C7 Tas Esprinas Manouel Chrysafis, Mode Plagal A (Daniilaioi Brotherhood Choir)

D1 Doxastikon idiomelon, Mode Plagal A (Father Lazaros of Gregoriou Monastery)
D2 Anoixantos Sou; Koukouzelis, Mode Plagal D (Father Germanos of Vatopedi Monastery)
D3 Cherouvical Hymn, Third Mode (Iviron Monastery Choir)
D4 Axion Estin, Seventh Mode (Father Antipas)
D5 Koinonikon, Mode Plagal A (Simonopetra Monastery Choir)

Limited Pink / Clear Splattered Vinyl Edition.
Includes original inner sleeves.