Atelier Pink Noise finds solace in quietude with 'Meditation of silence'

Continuing in the rich tradition of Japanese ambient, environmental, and new age music, Atelier Pink Noise releases a brand new full-length, 58-minute long album titled ‘Draw a Sleeps.’ Today, we get to listen to a selection from the album, a track titled ‘Meditation of silence.’ For the uninitiated, pink noise is a mathematical noise function that is perceived very similarly to soundscapes found in nature, such as waterfalls.

Atelier Pink Noise, however, instead of using pink noise in his compositions, goes straight to the source and samples the world around him. The sounds of forests, water, small animals, and more reverberate through his compositions, processed and warped to evoke new aural worlds, excitingly fresh yet still intimately familiar. APN blends these sources beautifully with rich, uplifting synth chords that are nominally abstract, but still manages to provoke a narrative within the mind, if one focuses clearly enough. Indeed, I would invite you to experience this track, as well as the rest of the album, in a peaceful and intimate setting, with the lights low and your eyes closed. Perhaps you’ll even see the natural sources from which these sounds originated from.

Stream ‘Meditation of silence’ above, and listen to the entire album over on Spotify.

— review by autonomy

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Moshuss and Hanses take inspiration from Japanese pop culture for their beat album 'Poltergeist'

If there was ever any doubt that music styles in our current age are a global phenomenon, let Moshuss & Hanses put that to rest. The German duo’s debut release, ‘Poltergeist’, is classic American west coast beat scene, but produced entirely with Japanese samples. As is common with the style, Poltergeist is composed of 24 rapid-fire beats, none longer than 1:49. But there’s a wide variety of moods and feelings presented here, giving the release weight and texture that pull you in at the start of every new beat. There’s some Dilla-style sampling, some Q-Tip jazziness, classic Madlib texture, and a bit of Knxwledge whimsy to boot.

On the stand-out track ‘Sidmidak’, which you can stream above, Moshuss & Hanses deftly meld a heart-tugging orchestral arrangement with a classic rap beat that dances around the lush string harmonies. Label Fennek Records has pressed a small run of 10” vinyl, with 5 different woodcut-style illustration album covers, which match the timeless mood of the album well.

Slink on over to Bandcamp to hear the album in full, and pick up the vinyl release if you’re really feeling it.

— review by Autonomy

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Beyond The Hill's 'Granular Life' will turn your life into film

The debut EP from Japan’s 丘を越えて (Beyond The Hill), out now on 16:9 Recordings, is the perfect first release for a label ostensibly focusing on cinematic styles of music. 16:9 is of course the standard aspect ratio for High Definition digital video, and the EP’s title of ‘Granular Life’ is certainly evocative of one of the most distinct qualities of film, namely grain. But the title also goes beyond visual qualities, and can be taken more literally: these tracks were produced using granular synthesis techniques.

The opening track, Flicker Wind, (listen above) is a timeless ambient opener that would do well to accompany any number of tasks in daily life. It is at once precise in tone, and also flexible to interpretation. Think Boards of Canada in their more cinematic mode. The rest of the tracks on this EP only strengthen this comparison, expanding the Granular Life cinematic world in all directions. It’s a shame that such a carefully constructed world clocks in at under 15 minutes, just when you start to feel at home in its warm embrace. Nevertheless, it’s a strong first release from 16:9, and we’ll have to keep an eye on the label to see what they conjure up next.

Stream “Flicker Wind” above, and find the whole EP on 16:9 Recordings’ Bandcamp.

- review by autonomy

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Keep up with 16:9 Recordings further releases on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.