Camomille have released Psychotic Breaks, which I wrote and produced last year. Some of the material is collected from binaural recordings in Derbyshire, and there’s plenty of tongue-in-cheek references to my interests and inspirations. Thanks to Camomille for releasing it!
29/07/2005
19/07/2005
on_14 - Photon
on_14 contacted me to let me know about on_14 - Photon, released on another excellent and promising Japanese netlabel, On-Li. These are re-released, but apparently re-mastered and renamed (see: View/Room).
These are emotional pieces, demonstrating the depth of timbre and range on_14 can get out of a guitar. The re-mastered versions sound crisper than the other release. The cover art for each track, which you can view in some mp3 players like iTunes, encourages the listener to interpret the sound in a certain way; the reds and blues from the skylines in the images seem to suggest a gentle relaxed warmth, and an essentially ambient feel.
I find it encouraging to see people using images within the MP3 files, as it’s all too easy for audio files to slip between the tracks and lose their original context. This kind of meta-data could become a tool for artists to leave some kind of imprint on their work which can become lost when music is distributed digitally.
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Barem - Kleine
Barem - Kleine, released on Unfound Sound Records is a melodic and up-beat set of tracks reminiscent of house, yet with a slightly unusual edge that makes them worth checking out.
Sparse percussion and repetitive beats form the backdrop to some interesting and danceable meanderings. There’s rolling reverberations on “Kleine Kloob” which are particularly pleasant, and the whole album works well played on repeat on a dusky Summer’s night.
03/07/2005
John Holowach - Piano Works
Piano Works is another album by John Holowach, who I’ve reviewed here before. He writes drum loop driven sample-based tracks, reminiscent of DJ Shadow or Four Tet, although this collection is focused on piano, perhaps to exercise or demonstrate his ability to express himself melodically.
My Piano Sings is a simple track, yet sustains interest throughout thanks to an excellent cascading piano riff and catchy rhythmic loops. My Piano Sings (part 2) is more upbeat, with interesting transitions between sections as the piano is layered up with effects. This is much more like big beat used to be, it reminds me of drinking on a Brighton beach on a summer evening, totally forgetting that I missed the train back to London. Luckily, all this drunken happiness doesn’t last for long, because Part 3 is a more melancholic affair. Technically, it’s one of the better tracks on the album, probably demonstrating John’s love for 90s triphop that didn’t suck.
I don’t know why, but the piano in Part 5 reminds me of a Studio Ghibli soundtrack. The string samples are from Logic, I actually used the same sample to make a track for my girlfriend’s amusement recently. Although the sample works well, it would be nice to see a remix of this with some more unique material.
John’s ability to take a catchy, occasionally cliched loops, and sustain a track with that as the backbone is promising. He knows what works, and how to say what he wants, and I think he’ll ultimately see success with his group, Tryad.
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