Emily Sprague speaks with a new voice, through ‘Chasing Light’

Artist and musician Emily A. Sprague creates a calming multi-sensory experience set to the ambient sounds of an original arrangement crafted with the Moog On...

The musician progresses in a new direction contemplating the ambient

Much of Emily Sprague’s previous experience in music has been rooted in the more tangible world of folk, as both writer and composer for the group ‘Florist’.

The distance to be travelled into more concentrated environments of electronica is not something which has gone unnoticed by Sprague, and the artist has commented on the challenge of communicating through a sonic medium rather than lyrical one. It’s a journey which has been embarked upon with both confidence and excitement however, and the artist’s connection to the iconic Moog Music promises to add fuel to the process.

Her recent track ‘Chasing Light’ gives us a sense of Sprague’s personal approach to producing. The single was released alongside footage exploring natural beauty, with the music manipulated in order to complement and reflect the visuals. The dreamlike ambience diffuses, softening into the atmosphere and reaching us as a multi-layered experience.

Sprague is set to continue venturing down this fresh creative path, already following ‘Chasing Light’ with the ambient electronic album ‘Hill, Flower, Fog’. Again, themes of nature find space to expand in Sprague’s work, developing a warm, comfortable environment in which the artist can patiently bring life to her ideas and chase after curiosities.

Support the new album on Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify

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Audio / Visual Magic from Germany's Skull Sized Kingdoms

Glittermagic is part of the "Altered States" EP by Skull Sized Kingdoms. // Release: 05.10.2018 via Humanized Records // Recorded at Ghost City Recordings // Video by Fabian Willi Simon

Making the jump from electronic producer to a full fledged live act is no easy task. There’s the reinterpretation process to make the songs work in the live setting, there’s more gear, more variables and lots of preparation. Just a couple years back Hannes Hümmer took this leap with his synth-heavy electronica project ‘Skull Sized Kingdoms’, joined by friend and guitarist Tim Schleicher to round out the live experience.

Hannes crafts unique sonic soundscapes using Ableton, analog synths, effect pedals, guitars and field recordings. For his debut release ‘Altered states EP’ Hümmer relied on some classic pieces of gear, such as the Juno 6, Moog Sub 37 and Moog Minitaur to a rich and dynamic listening experience.

The 5 track EP features a choice selection of indie, electronic, techno and idm soundscapes. It’s definitely a start to finish listening journey suitable for fans of both live and electronic music alike. And lucky for us there’s even some visual content to along with the album.

The video above ‘Glittermagic’ is the last track of the album and brings the EP to an epic close. Arpeggiated synths roll through increasingly entrancing progressions accented by crisp percussion and soft, euphoric pads. A kind of meditative state sets in mid way through as the audio/visual experience takes control with hypnotic natural imagery from Fabian Willi Simon.

The Altered States EP is out now via Humanized records
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Debut EP from professional production duo- Dispak

Uploaded by Foil Imprints on 2018-09-01.

DISPAK is the synthesis of electronic music composers/producers Chris Child and Kasson Crooker.

Over the past 20 years, Chris through his moniker Kodomo, and Kasson through Symbion Project, have released a wide breadth of electronic music drawing from ambient, techno, IDM, downtempo, and cinematic soundscapes.

Chris is an Emmy award winning composer and has scored countless films, TV shows and commercials. His music has been featured on shows such as the CBS series ‘CSI’ and National Public Radio’s first news program ‘All things considered’ as well as hit video games such as Rock Band and Amplitude. His Kodomo alias, founded in the year 2000 and originally intended primarily for remix-work, has since evolved into a platform for his original productions of which he has released 3 full length albums alongside a slew of singles and EPs.

Kasson Crooker graduated from Berkley College of music with a degree in music production and engineering. Soon after he found himself entering the video game industry, almost by accident, after being fed up with his current job and seeing an ad for a sound designer position creating sounds for Nascar racing games. But he got his real break upon joining the newly formed Harmonix games (the company that eventually made the smash hit ‘Guitar Hero’’) and began to compose music for their debut title ‘Frequency.’ Symbion Project is the solo electronica alias of Crooker, spanning ambient to techno and downtempo to idm, his sound has been a constant evolution over the past 9 full length albums.

But combining the powers of these two musical mavericks has proven slightly more difficult than expected. After years of struggling to collaborate on opposite sides of the country, it was best to get into the same studio. An intense week of live experimentation using an array of early modulars, pedals, and drum machines resulted in this 3-song EP.

Featuring tracks up in the 6 to 8 minute range, the EP builds on a kind of hypnotic feeling that draws you in as a listener. The track Ozornin builds slowly with a chugging kick drum gradually giving way to classic techno high hats and skittering, delicate percussion. After we pass the midway point and slide into a reverb drenched interlude, the real business gets started as a chunky electro bassline leads the charge. Utilizing some classic hardware pieces, such as the Juno-106 and TB-303, the raw ingredients for the track are just so good that a simple and minimal arrangement really allow these dynamic elements to shine.

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Tape-tinged techno from audio/visual creative- Daniel Brandt

Daniel Brandt, co-founder of acclaimed German ensemble Brandt Brauer Frick, is set to release his second solo album via Erased Tapes on October 12th. Called 'Channels', the new record follows the release of the London and Berlin based producer’s solo debut Eternal Something from 2017. Pre-order 'Channels' on LP/CD/DL: https://www.erasedtapes.com/release/eratp113-daniel-brandt-channels The seven-track LP is Brandt’s biggest statement yet, with the album’s thrilling avant-garde framework interweaving chord-driven techno, orchestral flourishes, rich electronic textures and hints of dark cinematic pop. Following on from Eternal Something, which captured a contemplative kind of isolationism, with Channels Brandt set out to create an album that captures the essence of minimalism whilst lending it to a more playful context. Intricate floor-filler and lead track ‘Flamingo’ synthesises the measured pacing of Detroit techno with an orchestral background. As with all of the tracks on Channels, ‘Flamingo’ began life as a sketch with very basic instrumentation, before taking it into the studio to rehearse with his band members, giving the album a live and visceral sound that sets it apart from his debut; “It was a great experience to do it this way as I have always wanted to have the chance to try out something in a live setting before recording it in the studio and not the other way round,” explains Daniel. “The actual typical rock band recording style that I never had the chance to do before.” With Brandt also being skilled as a filmmaker, directing and producing visuals for BBF and Eternal Something, much of the new album’s creative ideas reference a rich visual palette. He directed the video for ‘Flamingo’, a sideways glance at the art world that takes the concept behind John Cage’s 4’33” and turns it on its head. “The video for Flamingo is deliberately non performance — people sitting in a room and watching basically nothing, never really sure if anything is ever going to happen. It’s also a play on John Cage’s 4’33”, except in this instance there isn’t even a performer present.” — Daniel Brandt Daniel’s passion for film even prompted him to kick start his own online television channel Strrr.tv in 2017 that since attracted a lot of attention with guest moderators including BBC Radio DJ Gilles Peterson, modular synth legend Suzanne Ciani and Berghain bouncer Sven Marquardt counting amongst the most popular episodes. Recorded between Berlin and London, Channels is a deeply enthralling listening experience, which sees Daniel Brandt build upon his distinctive percussive sound whilst exploring new and expansive horizons. Praise for Daniel’s previous album, Eternal Something: “Propulsive, tense, and entirely mesmerizing” 7.6 — Pitchfork “An evocative ray of multi-instrumentalism” 9/10 — DJ Mag “A fizz bomb of overlapping ideas” — Record Collector “Utterly abstract and wholly melodic” — Clash “A cracker” — Electronic Sound Released by: Erased Tapes Records Ltd. Release date: 12 October 2018 P-line: ℗ 2018 Erased Tapes Records Ltd.

London / Berlin based filmmaker, composer, and musician- Daniel Brandt, is set to release his second full length solo album ‘Channels’ on October 12th via London imprint- Erased Tapes. As co-founder of the infamous ‘Brandt Brauer Frick’ trio which has been dubbed by the BBC as “concert hall compositions for the clubbing generation”, Brandt is no stranger to intricate and impeccably executed studio productions and live music performances. As both a filmmaker and musician, this multi-disciplinary creative approach ensures an inventive and original artistic output where boundaries are blurred and inspiration spontaneous.

Take the most immersive, club-ready track ‘Sailboats III’ from the album for example. As Brandt explains:

“The song is named after a painting by Roy Lichtenstein which is not one of his typical ones but rather a kind of abstract cubist painting of sailboats on the sea. I wanted to make a song that feels like an electrified sailing voyage and tried to imitate the feeling of this imagined trip.”

This type of cross-disciplinary creative communication is a common thread throughout the album, with many of the tracks referencing rich visual palettes. The blossoming cosmos of ‘Cherry Dream’ is informed by Tangerine Dream’s iconic soundtrack to the film Risky Business, a compelling reinterpretation of Love On A Real Train replete with darker, electronic elements and live orchestration. ‘Daze’, co-written with guitarist Pascal Bideau, chimes with an acoustic melody and is carried by a rhythmic percussive pulse, whilst the understated ‘Ltd’ was stylistically inspired by Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint.

As we can see the album draws from a variety of sources and creative ideas, but still manages to remain original and organic, with an almost effortless spontaneity to it. Perhaps Lichtenstein said it best when he stated “Art doesn't transform. It just plain forms”.

Pre-order ‘Channels’ over on the Erased Tapes Bandcamp

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