Browsing Tag

Ambient Electronica

George Sarpola has released their short, sweet and subversively psychotropic release ‘Kids Are Calling It…’

Beat Laboratory Experiments by George Sarpola

New York-residing drummer and composer, George Sarpola’s latest release, ‘Kids Are Calling It…’ will allow you to imagine what it would sound like if Frank Zappa still walked amongst us and found a penchant for avant-garde ambient electronica.

The short, sweet and subversively psychotropic release utilises vintage drum machines and newsreel samples which tease the dread of realism while George Sarpola stays well and truly in surrealist realms. His production style will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of artists as unapologetically eccentric as Otto von Schirach.

Kids Are Calling It… was released on January 17th, it is now available via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

John McCrea sets a post-classical score with ‘Mantra Mantra’

Dublin-based composer and electronica artist, John McCrea, paints with textures of post-classical, Europop and ambient minimalism, yet his un-constrainable sonic prowess becomes more than just sound through the imagery it inspires and the emotion it evokes. The perfect introduction to their cinematic style is the title single to their latest solo album, ‘Mantra Mantra’.

Mantra Mantra is a progressively sensual whirlwind of intensity which permits flurried piano notes to capture urgency while the low reverberant hum of the bassline is a grounding layer of realism which reflects the dread which is very much a part of our mortal coil.

It’s so much more than your average vibe out playlist essential, crank up the volume and you’ll enter a new world constructed by the enigmatic artist who has made a name for himself writing for theatre and dance. His talent is just as mesmerising as a standalone soundscape, there are a plethora of layers to unpack, any attempt to dissect the soundscape feels like butchery.

Mantra Mantra is available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chords of Eve bring in the future of psych-pop with their intimately ambient single ‘Butterfly Machine’

Psychedelia comes in a spectacular array of guises, making the genre less about the sound and more about the sensation, under Chords of Eve’s nuanced prowess, it’s a meditative foray into electronically-crafted ambience complete with vivid sci-fi imagery.

The delicately inviting vocals meld into breath-arresting synth-led progressions, and despite the sonic quality of the soundscape, there’s a magnetic sense of intimacy which allows you to follow suit and feel without pretence as you listen.

Chords of Eve may have only been conceived in 2019, but the American multi-instrumentalist, Atlas Cage, is already making massive waves with their unique fusion of alt-electro-pop and trip hop.

Butterfly Machine is available to stream via Spotify.

Follow Chords of Eve to stay up to date with news of the forthcoming LP of the same title which is due for release in Summer 2021.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Borealis – ‘Nichtclubbing’: Not a typo, but a dystopian trip through a hypothetical Germany

Siemensdream by Borealis

Ok, kids, grab some dayglo clothing, a glowstick, and a tub of Vicks, and dive into ‘Nichtclubbing’, the new single from Brazilian ambient afficionado Borealis.  A one-man ‘noisy electronica’ project from Rio de Janiero, orchestrated by Marco Barbosa, since 2015 Borealis have released four albums, two EPs, and a separate single; now, released as part of the ‘Siemensdream’ album – a conceptual electronic ride through a theoretical Germany – ‘Nichtclubbing’ is a proper, old-skool lapgaze slice of sparse, echoey Krautrock, all bleeps, swooshes, and reverb-heavy beats. If the Berlin Wall itself released an album, mixed at Oktoberfest, and played loud from the back of Trabants at Checkpoint Charlie, then ‘Nichtclubbing’ is what it would sound like.

Hear ‘Nichtclubbing’ on Bandcamp; check out Borealis on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

beatsage – Kings Will Rise featuring Waywell

‘Kings Will Rise’ is the sensually meditative latest soundscape from LA-based electronica artist and producer, beatsage (AKA Chad Taylor), with the reverb-drenched woozy guitar from featuring artist, Waywell, beatsage’s sound became more luminary than ever.

In the absence of lyrics and vocals, the onus is on the electronic progressions and the lofty mellifluous guitar notes with their hypnotic bends to make Kings Will Rise an evocative experience; beatsage discernibly didn’t fail. From start to finish, the monolithic 7:54-minute mix, will lock you into the alchemy which so easily breathes between the two artists. As the track gears up to reach its climax, elements of funk wind their way into the mix as the electronic elements are stripped back and Waywell’s rhythmic prowess dominates the lush shimmering soundscape.

Kings Will Rise is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

SEBASTIAN MĀRCUS broke the monocultural mould with their reverb-drenched genre-defying single ‘PCG’

SEBASTIAN MĀRCUS

SEBASTIAN MĀRCUS took his experimentalism to ethereal new heights with the release of their single ‘PCG’; a reverb-drenched genre-defying feat of electronica which breaks the monocultural mould.

From bilingual sensually phantasmal harmonies to effect-laden ominous non-lexical vocals, SEBASTIAN MĀRCUS well and truly demonstrated their chill-inducing talents in PCG which melds elements of trap, dream pop and ambient electronica to hypnotic effect. It’s well worth putting a sweater on for; you can expect the entirety of your consciousness to be consumed as you listen to the paradoxically chilling and simultaneously lush track.

You’ll have to wait a little longer before you can check out PCG for yourselves. In the meantime, head over to SEBASTIAN MĀRCUS ’SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Momento has celestially revived Sigur Ros and Devotcha’s ‘Through The Horizon’

Self-described as ‘Genre-Fluid Performers’, childhood friends Jonathan Chan and Jan Bislin – better known as Momento – are multi-instrumentalists, performers, and composers, specialising in a mixture of original and reworked pop and classical compositions. Here presenting their new single ‘Through The Horizon’, a mixture of Sigur Ros’ ‘Hoppipolla’ and ‘How It Ends’ by Devotchka, the classically trained duo mix electric and acoustic violin performances with sequenced electronic drums and synthesiser parts to create a beautiful, entrancing soundscape that is at once familiar and wholly new.

Already well-established as support for acts as diverse as Tim Minchin, James Blunt, and Gary Barlow, and with over half-a-million YouTube views under their belts – as well as regular headline shows on the streaming platform Sofar Sounds – Jonathan and Jan have here created a beguiling instrumental piece which allows both performers to shine, never overly flashy yet clearly demonstrating their supreme musicianship and arrangement expertise. Based on ‘Through The Horizon’, 2021 should be pretty memorable for Memento.

Check out ‘Through The Horizon’ on YouTube, and follow Memento on Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Dark Electro Pop duo Anaté have debuted their emboldening single ‘Confusion’

Confusion’ is the darkly beguiling standout single from lockdown-born multi-national alt-electro-pop duo, Anaté’s forthcoming debut album, ‘Confessions’. It serves as the perfect introduction to the European artist’s empoweringly soulful style. Given the state of collective uncertainty which 2021 has instilled in psyches across the globe, it has ‘playlist staple’ written all over it.

Confusion opens up the conversation about duality and the conflict which courses between our intrinsic desire and the desires we sate because of societal expectation. There’s been plenty of talk in recent years about ‘living your best life’, Anaté put the emphasis on *your* with their exhilaratingly polished track which allows layers of overlapping vocals to trip over themselves, illustrating the essence of the track.

Confusion also lingers in the trippy downtempo production which mimics the disjointing nature of doubt and uncertainty. The glitchy beats are efficacious enough to resonate with your own experiences of confusion and offer consoling validation by the affirmation that the rest of the world feels exactly the same, despite pretences of togetherness.

With their ability to paint a picture of agitation while also allowing the listener to indulge a track which is powerful enough to remove the shackles of societal pressure, we’re all too eager to hear what the rest of the Trip-Hop-inspired album delivers.

Any fans of Hooverphonic, Morcheeba and Massive Attack will undoubtedly want this trailblazingly emboldening artist on their radar.

Anaté’s single, Confusion, is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Find the catharsis in Ric Santos quiescently evocative ambient electronica track ‘Drift’

NYC Electronic artist and producer, Ric Santos, set his own bar exceptionally high with ‘In the Lead Works with the Beast’ which we had the pleasure of reviewing last year, but once again, he’s blown us away with his profound ability to make electronic arrangements bleed pure emotion.

His latest cinematic score, ‘Drift’ is just one of the standout tracks to feature on their forthcoming EP which is due for release in January 2021. After hearing the quiescently evocative alchemy in Drift, it is safe to say that we’re already eager to hear the rest.

The experimentally ambient instrumental mix would be perfectly placed in an OST to aurally narrate fragility experienced in an aftermath. Whether that be an epic battle or an intense interpersonal upheaval. It’s the calm after the storm, a space to breathe, a time to dare to be optimistic, a soundscape to simply exist within; and a stunning one at that.

You can check out Drift via Spotify. Keep up to date with future releases via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Manif – Not Expected: Unimposingly Immersive Ambient Techno

https://manif.bandcamp.com/track/not-expected

UK artist and producer Jon Turner has hit the airwaves under many guises, under his latest moniker, Manif, he’s paid an ode to his own authenticity. Their latest standout track ‘Not Expected’ is a hypnotic blend of unimposingly immersive ambient techno, dubstep and house.

The glitchy beats along with the flurries of light keys ensure that the production will ensnare you right from the intro. From there on out, you’re in for a tantalising ride as Manif takes hold of your rhythmic pulses and uses them to guide you through a sonically cosmic mix which oozes entrancement.

With no lyrics to detract away from the efficaciousness of the progressions, Not Expected is the perfect mix to slip into if you don’t want to be completely in control of your consciousness.

You can check out Not Expected via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast