“Molnija Aura is an electronic ambient/glitch project of Davide Del Col and Andrea Marutti from Milan, Italy.” This is taken literally from the press release, and I agree with all of you that an opening sentence couldn’t have been any more plain than this. But there is something in that line that made me reconsider writing it a few times…
Category: Reviews
Pleq – Sound of Rebirth
The general feeling of this record may seem essentially melancholic and cold but, after a few times hearing it, you might be surprised and realize it’s also full hope and brightness, full of nuances and deep emotions. Actually, the best expression to describe how I felt while listening to it is the title of one of the tracks: “Swell Bliss”.
May Roosevelt – Haunted
Beyond just being an excellent record, “Haunted” expertly and memorably addresses the pertinent question of the role and influence of traditional music in contemporaneous electronic music, and is sure to appeal to a wide and varied audience, from electronic music enthusiasts to appreciators of world music. A showcase of excellent and talented musicianship, its main flaw is its short duration.
Empusae & Shinkiro – Organic.Aural.Ornaments
Though short, this is a great collaboration as a whole, with top-notch production and sound design – as it stands, it feels like an extended EP. Definitely a must for fans of either act; it’s not a typical Ant-Zen release, but if you like the more downtempo stuff they release (Zero Degree, T’zolkin) then definitely give this a listen.
Geistform – Transistor Music
It’s not often that I come across a CD that I have difficulty listening to in one sitting, but Geistform accomplish this on “Transistor Music”, their fourth studio album. Imagine this: high-energy, synth-driven, uptempo stuff, but with an underlying menace that is quite likely to scare off the usual fans of similar offerings.
the_empath – Meanwhile
Five years is a long time to get an album together. Sometimes the time taken is a good thing; otherwise, it’s occasionally disappointing. This is not the case here. This is time travel in music form – a varied, interesting and worthwhile journey for any electronic music aficionado.
Zero Degree – Probe
There comes a point when you just know what to expect from something when the press release quotes that movie, and not just the movie but that one line… “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe…”, etc. It’s the ‘go to’ quotation for something that needs that moody, futurist sheen to it. In this case, the quote is very appropriately used.
FluiD – Envisioning Abstraction: The Duality of FluiD
Though clearly the work of a skilled musician/producer who knows his influences inside out and a technically competent release, “Duality” is not without its flaws, the biggest of which is a certain lack of personality. Something to consider working on when preparing new material, perhaps…
V/A – 2010 Hands
“2010 Hands” follows suit from previous instalments in this compilation series, presenting material by a variety of artists, from relative newcomers to label staples along with material by lesser-known side projects. In the end, most of the contents of this compilation should come across as fairly familiar to those used to the musical aesthetics of Hands Productions. Nevertheless, there are a few surprises which make it worth checking out.
n.strahl.n & Mystified / Mystified / Fieberflug / Andreas Brandal
n.strahl.n & Mystified “Maschinenfugen” Cassette, Licht & Stahl, 2010 www.nstrahln.blogspot.com www.mystifiedmusic.com Before me – or at least hidden in the cassette-player – is a split release between projects from Gemany [ … ]