In memory of Bernard Parmegiani, who sadly passed away on November 22, 2013

This 1975 opus by French composer Bernard Parmegiani is startlingly ahead of its time, even today, nearly 40 years later. Receiving a new restored and remastered vinyl treatment by Recollection GRM [a sublabel of Editions Mego], it’s especially wonderful to hear Parmegiani’s electronic explorations of nature with more brilliant clarity than ever, presented here for the first time with all four of its musical movements.

The electronic and acoustic experimentation that led to the sounds that comprise De Natura Sonorum are bewildering to me considering the time this was conceived and created. At times the organic sound of traditional instruments comes through, like the tooting baritone sax of “Conjugaison Du Timbre,” but even then it’s entirely for the convenience of meditative manipulation per its title. At others, the sounds are predominantly non-musical objects, like the wild precipitation of “Étude Élastique“‘s percussion or its even more confusing succeeding counterpart, “Matiéres Induites.” But the real star of De Natura Sonorum is Parmegiani’s knack for electronic manipulations, heard most clearly on the beguiling sputter of “Natures Éphémères” or on the slick cut-up edits of “Accidents/Harmoniques.”

I’m humbled as someone who makes electronic music (which I’m probably better at than writing!) attempting to even do justice here to what is undeniably a master class in technique and sound design. Parmegiani’s work is a startling testament to his ingenuity, creativity, and mastery of his craft. Anyone unfamiliar with this piece and interested in the history of electronic music should dedicate some serious attention to what is such an expansive and moving musical experience.

editionsmego.com/releases/recollection-grm

Review by Matthew Mercer of Ear Influxion.

ANNOUNCEMENT : Join us TODAY (December 6th) at 12:00 (EST) for a LIVE CHAT with Hammock in Headphone Commute’s Soundrop Room on Spotify here
http://bit.ly/soundropHC

Here is another wonderful record from my favorite stargazers called Oblivion Hymns. This latest Hammock release is full of songscapes with glorious choral passages, such as “I Could Hear the Water at the Edge of All Things.” Choral music sometimes makes me cry, particularly when it emanates from young voices, and the choral accompaniments here are brilliant. The song is stuffed full of emotion, as I can imagine myself standing on the edge of an infinite abyss, marveling at God’s creation. A simple piano line tethers this song, keeping it grounded even as your imagination wants to soar away on gossamer wings.

Musical dawn erupts with the growing splendor of “My Mind Was a Fog…My Heart Became a Bomb.” The strings of the Love Sponge Quartet carry the entire song as feelings build, much as the choral elements slip in and out of other passages. It’s all done so effortlessly that one wonders at the obvious care and precision that went into this recording. I say that about all Hammock records, as they are all beautiful, but each one stands on its own. After the gut-wrenching turn of Departure Songs (2012), it’s no wonder that Hammock might try to lose themselves in oblivion. “Then the Quiet Explosion” (great name for an album) is aptly named piece with a children’s chorus propelling it to lofty heights.

“Shored Against the Ruins…Drowning in Ten Directions” ends with meowing cats, their plaintive cries transformed into yet another part of the sonic palette. I can imagine that cats and dogs would be soothed by this music, and could see them curled up during a recording session. Some of the strings on this album, such as on “Like a Valley With No Echo” were recorded during Departure Songs, so some of this may be slightly reminiscent of that darker record. Tim Showalter (aka Strand of Oaks) performs guest vocals on “Tres Dominé”, buoyed by beautiful trumpet flourishes. Background sounds remind me of a turntable at the end of a record. And given the feeling of loss conveyed by this song, this is fitting.

Hammock’s music draws out such powerful emotions that one can be blinded with joy even while tears blur your vision. Perhaps it’s like witnessing a miracle, albeit a sonic one. If you’re in any way a fan of this wonderful band, don’t let this one pass you by.

hammockmusic.com

Review by Elizabeth Klisiewicz republished with permission of the author.

It’s been more than a few weeks since I really listened to music. I mean it. First a long beach vacation kept me decompressing to the sound of the waves. Then, a nasty flu swept me off my feet and had me bed ridden with a fever. Even now, as I write this, my ears feel clogged due to expansion of the Eustachian tube, and my head feels like a clown balloon stuffed in a bag of cotton balls. So I wouldn’t even know where to begin with the next cycle of listening, let alone writing. Thankfully, I have this beautiful new mix by James Murray queued up for publication just in time with his latest release on hibernate, titled Broken Homes.

This mix draws together fragile, delicate sounds from three continents, with a special emphasis on new and upcoming releases from friends and like minds.

Murray has previously put together a mix called Gestures, and has appeared numerous times on Headphone Commute pages. You can pick up a limited edition Broken Homes (this is number 26 in the label’s postcard series) directly from hibernate. Meanwhile, be sure to catch James Murray live at Cafe OTO in London on December 14th, as part of hibernate charity night!

Cover art by Peter Nejedly

jamesmurray.info | hibernate-recs.co.uk

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Dear friends,

Last year, when Hurricane Sandy drove me out for a week, I couldn’t help but appreciate how fortunate I was to be able to return to an intact home with heat and electricity, knowing full well that there were many others out there, left stranded, hungry and cold. To raise funds and awareness, Headphone Commute spearheaded a benefit compilation, titled “… and darkness came,” to which you have so generously contributed. In less than one month, the release raised $20,000, and as promised, all the proceeds were donated to two charities: Doctors Without Borders and The Humane Society.

After the initial peak of activity the sales have slowed, but I am happy to report that even with a small daily trickle of funds, I am preparing to donate another $10,000 in January of 2014! We are about $1,500 away from meeting this goal, and I’m writing to you today to ask for another little push, either by spreading the word or by grabbing yet another copy of the album as gift for a friend! During the holiday times of giving, what better gift could there be than that of music? This is a modest $10 gift that you can feel really good about

And this is not just about Sandy and the US! The funds are going to charity organizations that are providing humanitarian aid in places like Bangui, Syria, and most notably, the Philippines, where a powerful Typhoon Haiyan has left many homeless. And don’t forget all the animals – over 100,000 animals and pets have received care because of people like you!

Last, but not least, a huge, warm and fuzzy THANK YOU, for all that you have already done! I feel very honored to be acknowledged and supported by you! I wish you all the best in 2014!!!

headphonecommute.bandcamp.com
~HC

The first thing by which I’m struck on Tim Hecker’s latest outing is how much his real-time collaborations with Daniel Lopatin seemed to have affected his process. Virgins is certainly his most performance-oriented album to date, his sound having shifted shape considerably from the faint cirrus clouds of his 2001 debut. At the core of that distinction is Hecker’s invitation for several players to join him in executing the music on Virgins, including talent from Iceland’s Bedroom Community roster such as Ben Frost and Valgeir Sigurðsson. Even Paul Corley appears in the credits as a sound engineer on this yet another, Kranky release.

There is a stop-start quality (in many instances swiftly crossfaded) to some of these tracks that makes them feel like fragments of ideas or stream of consciousness. They don’t necessarily glide into one another as suites like on his Harmony in Ultraviolet (Kranky, 2006) or Ravedeath, 1972 (Kranky, 2011), but instead seem to often simply start and then, just as abruptly, disappear. Even the two-part “Stigmata” that falls toward the end of the album is broken into 2 completely separate halves.

Opening track “Prism” is not only appropriately named, but it also sets the tone quite well in distinguishing Virgins from Hecker’s prior repertoire. Its swirl of sound comes in like an overture, segueing into “Virginal I,” a rhythmic pattern of fortissimo piano chords that feels like a clever diversion from his earlier Dropped Pianos release in 2011 (with a welcome reprise as “Virginal II” later in the album). As it dissipates into something more atmospheric, like the residual images from waking from a strange dream, it also sets the tone even more that this is an ensemble and not just Mr. Hecker alone.

“While this album remains committed to a painterly form of musical abstraction, it is also a record of restrained composition recorded live primarily in intimate studio rooms.[...] At times it points to the theological aspirations of early minimalist music. But it is not ‘fake church music’ for a secular age, rather something like an attempt at the sound of frankincense in slow-motion, or of a pulsing, flickering fluorescence in the grotto.”

The electric dissonance of “Live Room” sounds very much like players improvising off one another, again recalling Hecker’s collaborations with Daniel Lopatin last year; it shares the same combination of melancholy and otherworldliness. Thankfully it’s not all boundless sprawl. “Black Refraction” provides some tender respite in the center of the playlist, again mainly piano but quieter, more introspective. The final stretch of Virgins, consisting of the aforementioned two-part “Stigmata” and closing track “Stab Variation,” is an abstract sort of dénouement, hazier and more elusive than the front half of the album. It doesn’t end with a murmur, but rather an oblique reflection of the swirl that kicks off the album.

Virgins a fairly different beast from the rest of Hecker’s discography, reeling in more dynamic and more taut than ever before. The juxtaposition of chaotic improvisation and layering of recorded sessions with his collaborators lends the album a more ambitious slant, feeling spatially informed by process rather than so intimate or small as his earlier output… it also feels less obviously manipulated compared to, say, the sputtering effects of Haunt Me or the crinkly patterns of Mirages. Instead, Virgins is vibrant and alive, unpredictable and flawed, and undeniably human.

sunblind.net | kranky.net

Review by Matthew Mercer of Ear Influxion.

Hey Bartosz. It’s been a while since we spoke. Three whole years I believe! You’ve definitely been very busy. Care to share your most recent accomplishments?
Hi, yes, we haven’t spoken for quite a while, you’re right. A lot has happened in my life during those several years – some releases of my work and so forth. Many things have changed in my professional, as well as my private life. Since 2013 I have been a curator for a Moscow label called Dronarivm, which have led to many important releases (CD, 3CDr and cassettes). Regarding my solo releases, there weren’t that many of them. I have focused more on making money and playing shows, rather than producing music, which I somewhat regret, and that’s why I have decided to turn full circle and get back to it, which will soon bring about several records I find important, mainly collaborative work. Another essential moment in my life has been a more private one – for a couple of months now, my close friend has been my manager. He is a great guy, we live together, he supports me and helps me a lot. And then the most significant thing for me – since January of this year I have been with my beloved Anna, who is the main reason I do everything I do.

Can you tell us more about Dronarivm and your relationship with the label?
Actually it all started in a very simple way. After I finished my collaboration on two pieces with Pilippe Lamy, I started looking for a label that might release it. Dronarivm picked it up, which led to the release of my collaboration album on a cassette. I got in touch with Dmitry and we started to have long conversations about his label. That’s when I thought I could help him to develop the label. Initially I planned to work there just to push the label a little forward, and it was supposed to last until the end of 2013, but at present I would like to stay with Dronarivm. Maybe I will leave everything to Dmitry when I will create my own label with my manager, but this is a project for a rather distant future. Coming back to Dronarivm – I had offered Dmitry help, then a couple of people recommended me and that’s how my journey with the label started.

Talk a little about the Aquarius compilation. How did that come about?
I suggested to Dmitry that we should create a good compilation, which would include friends with whom I have collaborated, but I also wanted to involve a few bigger names. I didn’t want the compilation to be stylistically homogenous, but rather to present a cross-section of experimental music, mixing drones with glitch, ambient etc. The main object of creating the compilation was the fact that I wanted to promote the label. We started with the premise that it had to be a compilation of 15 pieces, each one 5 minutes long. I dedicated the compilation to my two favorite Polish designers: Nenukko and Konrad Parol.

Since then the label had many great releases! I especially like the split between Aaron Martin and Christoph Berg, as well as Ryonkt & offthesky. How do you go about selecting the artists that appear and what do you have for us in the store next?
It’s hard to say how I go about the artist selection process. Initially I thought mainly of the one’s I met personally, but at present I would like to focus mainly on modern classical and neo-classical, and that’s what led to the release of the Berg & Martin album, which we are very proud of with Dmitry. We have come to the conclusion that we should share the responsibilities – he has his favorite artists and I have mine. That’s why, from 2014, the releases will be very diverse. We are planning to release albums from: Pjusk, Marsen Jules, Marcus Fjellström, Ben Lukas Boysen, Olan Mill, Sophie Hutchings and more… The division of responsibilities in terms of curating doesn’t mean my musical taste is different than Dmitry’s. We simply came to the conclusion that each of us would like to have an equal share of the label’s artistic dimension. Soon we will publish a hell of a compilation. Together with Dmitry, we want to celebrate the growth of Dronarivm, which brought about the creation of this beautiful and intense compilation. Here’s the official line-up: Jacaszek (Pleq Remix), Ben Lukas Boysen, Marsen Jules, Aaron Martin & Christoph Berg, The Frozen Vaults, Kaboom Karavan, Marcus Fjellström, Kreng, Talvihorros, Sophie Hutchings & Peter Hollo, Strië, Anne Chris Bakker, Olan Mill, Orla Wren, Ian Hawgood & The Green Kingdom and two bonus tracks: Zvuku, Tobias Hellkvist (only for digital download).

What about your work with Hakobune on Murmur Records? How did that unfold?
Takahiro is my long-time musical partner and the „0.0” album is one of many that we have co-created. We have a pretty good professional relationship, working fast and with no problems whatsoever. It is a simple album – a lot of drone, ambient and glitch. We have our own distinctive style. A couple of times we were thinking about coming up with a different name, something new for every collaboration and I think it will happen sometime soon. Regarding Murmur, I contacted Yuki Aida and he was interested, so he decided to publish our material.

How would you say your music has evolved over the years?
I think my musical evolution was a major one, mainly thanks to many collaborative albums. I have come to the conclusion that my solo project Pleq is burning out. I know I have to evolve in order to be able to create something fresh and different. That’s how I came up with the idea of collaboration with artists from around the world. I gained a completely new perspective on music while working on my new project, The Frozen Vaults, co-created with Harry Towell (Spheruleus). I invited my dear friend Tomasz Mreńca to take part in this. We play shows and record music together quite often. He is a great, very talented violinist. Another artist contributing to The Frozen Vaults is Dave Dhonau, whom I met in Leicester, when I was playing live there. He is a fantastic cellist. And then there is Yuki Murata, who was no random choice, because Yuki lives in Japan, and the musical climate there is very close to my music. Yuki is a wonderful piano player. That’s the story of the creation of this multinational ensemble, which at present totally sums up my perception of the experimental classical music in terms of the process of its creation in the 21st century.

Tell us about other things you’re working on. I think you have a project for a theater, is that right?
I have already finished working on this one. The performance was held in the Stary Teatr (Old Theatre) in Krakow on November 25 and it was also transmitted as a radio play. The idea was for actors (Katarzyna Krzanowska, Roman Gancarczyk and Jasmine Polak) to read out passages from „A Man Asleep” by Georges Perec, and for me to play live both my own compositions and a field recording I prepared during the rehearsals specifically for the radio play. The field recording was 15 minutes long and comprised the sounds I have recorded on the Krakow’s Main Square. It was one of the most difficult projects I have ever worked on. Afterwards I felt exhausted, both mentally and physically, but the final result was really beautiful. I was invited to this project by a very talented and sensitive director, Lucy Sosnowska, and a playwright, Aśka Grochulska. The rehearsals lasted for 5 days – we were starting at 10 in the morning and sometimes finishing around 2:00 or 4:00 AM. I grew very fond of this theatre and I didn’t even want to go back home to rest. I didn’t change clothes for a few days and I isolated myself from the real world, which helped me to focus exclusively on the radio play.

You also seem to continue and contribute towards many various compilations. How do you find the time for all this?
Actually, I’m not quite sure myself, how I’m able to pull that off, but I love doing it – being part of the creative process that leads to the releases of these compilations. I really like to bring together diverse artists from around the world on one record. It’s amazing how it all plays out. I also love meeting new people, which often leads to further compilations or collaborative records. I love music, it’s my whole life and I involve myself in many projects. Sometimes I turn down offers to appear on some compilation album, but usually it depends on who are the other artists involved.

What do you listen to when you’re not writing music?
Haha, what do you think? Many things, like every other artist, I guess. I spend the most of my time with my love, Anna. If I’m not pressed for time, I try to do everything together with her. She is the most important element of my life, besides music. As a result I often stop creating and focus exclusively on her, trying to find inspirations in her, both positive and negative, which is very important when you’re creating melancholic music. She is a muse for me. She gives me a lot of motivation and support, which is important when you create art – if what I do can be called that. I am a freelancer, so I have complete control over the time I devote to work. It depends solely on me and the projects I choose. Sometimes I am terribly lazy and procrastinate on many projects, haha, just like my manager. We often sit together and ask ourselves when are we finally going to do something. Quite often we start to work around 1:00 AM, finish at 8:00 AM, and then sleep through half of the day.

pleq.bandcamp.com | dronarivm.com

Australia’s Preservation imprint has long been in the “business” of releasing beautiful works of ambient and modern classical pieces, which I always consume. Taking a quick glance at its catalog reveals many admired composers such as Sophie Hutchings, Aaron Martin, Greg Haines, Richard Skelton, Noujuva, and of course, Olan Mill. In fact the latter has only joined the roster this past year, for the Circa For 2012 series, with Home, featuring fascinating artwork by Mark Gowing spelling out the album title in a unique “identity system” of an experimental typeface. Olan Mill’s fourth proper album, Hiraeth, sees him returning to a label, with a newly refined sound, surely worthy of your time.

The atmosphere on Hiraeth is somewhat joyful, blissful, and, dare I say, majestic. The five pieces appear to be joined by a similar aesthetic of major chord strings, delicate piano notes, and a wordless choir. Although the title of the album is a Welsh word with no direct English translation, which closely resembles a mix of longing and homesickness over the lost [Wales of the past], the music on this 42+ minute release is far from being full of sorrow. In fact, the nostalgia is expressed in a euphoric progression of neo-classical harmony, reminiscent of a requiem for the departed: both of grief and celebration for the places, souls and time.

Of course, I am totally partial towards the moments when textural sounds subside and Alex Smalley begins to play the piano. These are the short and fragile vignettes, when the ambitious and the grandiose melt into silence. Here, without the soprano vocals, without the symphonic strings, we are left within. And the true beauty shines through, like a delicate ray in a blizzard. A perfect example of this is showcased in the 10+ minute “Cultivator,” which reveals such delicacy near its end.

“With the resonance of folk melody, [...] the deep focus of Hiraeth is revealed through both intimate detail and sweeping revelations of sound. Whether through a pursuit of travel or the changing face of his native surrounds, Smalley conveys the momentum of transition through the surge and flow of his music with unerring force.”

Although originally Olan Mill project was spawned by Alex Smalley and Svitlana Samoylenko, it appears that Smalley’s now carrying the torch himself. With the release Smalley is taking yet another step towards a full on orchestration, which builds upon progression of his past. Although I wish the sound was slightly sad and darker, it still triumphantly captures wistful woe in joy. The album is mastered by Wil Bolton and Giuseppe Ielasi. Hiraeth is available via Preservation on both, vinyl and CD, with each having a different cover art by Gowing once again…

biglongnow.co.uk | preservation.com.au

Hi Richard. We last spoke more than a year ago, when you unleashed the Pinkcourtesyphone project. What have you been up to since then?
Well my husband and I moved to Los Angeles and I have continued to run my label LINE, and work on new sound projects, including Pinkcourtesyphone. You know… the usual. The long gestating Pinkcourtesyphone + Kid Congo Powers (Gun Club, The Cramps, The Bad Seeds) has finally come out as “Please Pick Up” (on IO Sound, Canada). It also contains a collection of reworks/remixes by Frank Bretschneider, Simon Scott, Pjusk, Robert Crouch + Yann Novak, Yves de Mey COH, Evelina Domnitch + Dmitry Gelfand, and Jimmy Edgar’s Creepy Autograph. It’s divided into two “lines”: The Pink Hit of Space and Phototrash. I am super excited to finally have this unleashed. I love what everyone has done/redone with Pinkcourtesyphone sounds. You can listen to excerpts on soundcloud. My label LINE just released the mesmerizing audio/visual collection “Liquified Sky” by Evelina Domnitch + Dmitry Gelfand, COH, Paul Prudence, Francisco López, and Asmus Tietchens.

I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a more organic ambient sound within Interior Field. I know that it’s supposed to be a follow up to your critically acclaimed Fields for Mixing. Was this a conscious move on your part or would you say it’s just another facet of your repertoire?
I had been gathering new field recordings since the release of “Fields for Mixing” (Room40). I had been working on a follow up for several years, it just made sense. I also enjoyed working with these recordings of different place during a lull in world travels. LINE artist France Jobin inspired me as well.

The album raises more than a few curiosities. First of all, where does the title come from and what does it mean?
The piece was originally presented as a sort of installation at Civilian Arts Projects in Washington, DC. The title is intended to be vague. My idea was that the our minds are a sort of ‘interior field’ where sounds are processed. Since all the sounds were from actual acoustic spaces, the transposition of unrelated spaces on top of each other in a multichannel experience (and in the dark) plays tricks in the listeners heads. People attending the exhibit commented on how the size and pressure in the dark gallery space seemed to shift throughout their stay.

How did you decide on the cover art by Robert Walden titled “Ontological Surveillance”?
I love Robert Walden’s work. He is a former cartographer and makes these ‘imaginary city’ maps where the signifiers of streets, centers, rivers all become abstract images. I though this idea was a perfect match with how the recordings of different places/cities creates a kind of mapping of an experience. More of Robert’s work is here : robertjwaldenjr.com

What are some of the sources of sounds on the first part of Interior Field?
All sorts of spaces, large and small, from my travels. The second part is mainly from the McMillan Sand Filtration site.

I really love the whole idea of binaural recordings at the McMillan Sand Filtration site! Tell us about the concept and how that particular project come about.
I suggest everyone look up pictures of it online. It’s a hard space/experience to describe. Expansive underground cavernous vaulted ceiling dark spaces with four feet of sand on the floor. The acoustics are very strange. It’s closed to the public and tours were held maybe once a year. I had always missed the tours. I was lucky to be able to coordinate with government officials to arrange a solo excursion when a big rain storm was about to hit Washington, DC to do recordings of the filtration process in action. The site is a few blocks from the house we own in DC. After I went the space was again closed to the public as some authority deemed it “UNSAFE” for the public again. Strange how that type of thing happens when developers want to destroy something and replace it with condos, offices, and retail. See friendsofmcmillan.org

How much digital manipulation and additional post production was applied to the captured field recordings?
Most of the processing is very simple EQ and basic effects. It’s not magic but it takes a lot of time :)

Where, how and if at all, would one be able to experience Interior Fields as a multi-channel sound work?
It’s only been presented multi-channel at Civilian Art Projects and Arma17 in Moscow, which was very strange for everyone I think. A multi-channel DVD edition of the installation version exists through Civilian Art Projects.

So, now that you’ve relocated to Los Angeles, how do you like it there?
I LOVE it here. I had been trapped (by my own devices) in DC for too long. It’s odd how you don’t realize how unhappy a place makes you until you leave it and start anew. There is a lot of support for the arts here. The best part is that I am closer to many sound artists and composers, many of whom I work with or have released work by!

I’m really excited about your upcoming Pinkcourtesyphone release on the newly revived Dragon’s Eye Recordings! You think there will be more cross collaboration between you and Yann Novak?
Well he lives 2 blocks away… so of course. We and a few others have a weekly local “wine time” which is really refreshing, sometimes even William Basinski treks out to join. I am very excited about this release as well. We just finished finalizing the design and master and it’s off to the press. It’s a nice continuation of the thematic lineage of Pinkcourtesyphone. “foley folly folio” is ennui and suburban deceit, “elegant & detached” is beauty and desire, “a ravishment of mirror” is hollywood dreams & deception, and the upcoming “description of problem” is obsession and revenge.

And what about William Basinski? You guys are all together now! Anything new cooking since the Aurora Liminalis release?
Billy and I are working on two collaborative pieces, intended for vinyl release. The working title is “Divertissement” and it’s very spacey and mysterious, involving tape loops, site recordings and piano.

What else do you have in the pipeline for personal work, as well as your amazing Line Imprint?
Pinkcourtesyphone’s 3rd full length “A Ravishment of Mirror” will come on in early 2014. And some other collaborative projects and projects on potentially surprising labels. LINE has upcoming works by Francisco López (a data dvd of 7 hours of audio!), Ars Electronica Golden Nica award winner Nicolas Bernier, Seth Cluett… and more. LINE_Segments will release Pinkcourtesyphone’s “Description of Problem” which has guests Cosey Fanni Tutti, AGF, William Basinski, Kid Congo Powers, and Evelina Domnitch (all on vocals!) There are some potential live events being explored for Japan, UK and Europe for 2014.

I really want to do a disco project with someone.

Read Headphone Commute review of Interior Field

3particles.com | lineimprint.com

Well, it’s almost the end of the year, and the Christmas bells seem to countdown things we loved and will leave behind. The Best of 2013 lists begin to flood the intarwebs, but there is still a whole week left before I’m ready to proclaim my own! As a matter of fact, just today, December 24th, Dronarivm celebrates the release of another beautiful compilation, titled 15 Shades of White, featuring tracks “united by a common winter mood” from all of my favorite artists!

“Winter is a favorite season of philosophers and introvert dreamers, a territory of remembrances and quiet reflections, where nonlinear time allows to bring together the disparate fragments of memories and create a multi-layered collage of pieces of the future, present and past.”

As our holiday treat to you, we’ve invited Bartosz Dziadosz, aka Pleq, to showcase a sampler mix featuring pieces from the release! We hope that you enjoy this last minute gift, and as always, support the label and the featured artists!

dronarivm.bandcamp.com | dronarivm.com

[STREAM] | [DOWNLOAD] | [PODCAST] | [iTUNES]

From classical era composers, such as Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Schumann to early electronic experiments by the likes of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Gottfried Koenig, and Klaus Schulze, Germany has been pushing the evolution of sound, and some may argue that it is the catalyst for many of the emerging genres. Today, German electronic music is shaped by the sounds of Apparat, Pantha du Prince, Alva Noto, Gas, Pole and too many others to mention. At the same time Deutsche Grammophon, the oldest surviving recording company (founded in 1898), continues to thrive among the many contemporary labels. So it makes sense that we receive such an advanced album, colliding on both, classical and electronic music, from such an accomplished and experienced authority.

In 2005 the label introduced Deutsche Grammophon Recomposed, a collection of original recordings by Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan as reinterpreted by Matthias Arfmann, a German future jazz and downtempo producer. The following year the label invited Jimi Tenor, a Finnish musician, for another recomposed session. These two releases paid homage to composers ranging from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Steve Reich to Edgar Varèse and Antonín Dvořák. But the label wasn’t done. In 2008 Deutsche Grammophon attracted Carl Craig and Moritz von Oswald to recompose Maurice Ravel and Modest Mussorgsky. Needless to say, that the appearance of these two influential producers of techno, one from Detroit and the other from Berlin respectively, on a classical music label has turned plenty of heads.

Perhaps the pinnacle of the series culminated in 2012, when a German-born composer Max Richter recomposed Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons to a worldwide critical acclaim.

We finally arrive at Shiller. Christopher von Deylen has been producing under the Schiller moniker since the late ‘90s. Those following the project no doubt amassed his numerous releases on Island, Radikal and Sleepingroom Musik, as well as collaborations with fellow progressive house and trance producers such as Ferry Corsten, Danny Tenaglia, Dave Seaman, Sasha and John Digweed. In 2000, Deylen already demonstrated his skill and confidence of fusing electronic music with opera, with his release Ein Schöner Tag, based on the theme of Madame Butterfly‘s “Un bel dì vedremo”. In 2008, Schiller paired with the world famous Chinese pianist, Lang Lang, to record his single, Time For Dreams, which was later used by German television during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

So why did I go through all this lengthy history before even attempting to describe the music? I wanted to take the time and demonstrate the caliber and the commitment to the production values that firmly stand behind this particular release. For Opus, compiling original and interpreted works of classical masters by this platinum-selling EDM act, Deutsche Grammophon spawned a brand new Panorama label (with a publishing license to Universal Music). On his eighth studio album, Deylen collaborated with many contemporary classical performers to deliver an exceptionally well executed union of classical and electronic music. Sure, we have heard such attempts before: a trance anthem melody with a lifted melody of the past, shimmering bright in a new car commercial. But have you ever heard one on Deutsche Grammophon? Believe me, it’s a well sought-after stamp of approval. And the music doesn’t foil.

There are more than a few punchy cuts on the album. Some indeed approach the trancey territory with their lead synths, filtered vocals and progressive grooves, at times diving into a four-to-the-floor beat. Throughout the album, Deylen maintains an organic feel, in part obliged to the fantastic recordings of live violins, piano and oboe. But it is indeed the “recomposed” pieces that stand out as the gems among the 14 tracks (22 if you get the two-disc Deluxe Edition). Perhaps the most interesting interpretation is that of Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédie No. 1” with the French classical pianist Hélène Grimaud on the keys, only to be superseded by a variation of the same, this time with Diana Tishchenko on the violin. For the latter I have to simply proclaim, that among all the renditions that I’ve ever heard of this beloved piece, Schiller’s is my favorite. I have no doubt that you’ll agree.

Similar arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” in two variations grace the album. Deylen’s clean snare falls hard with the rhythm over Albrecht Mayer’s exquisite oboe of this instantly recognizable melody. The music video for this piece premiered on German MTV and immediately climbed to the top of the German singles charts. Russian born Anna Netrebko lends her warm operatic soprano voice for a beautiful cover of Edvard Grierg’s “Solveig’s Song”, punctuated by thick synth pads, slow downtempo bass, and heart-wrenching strings. In addition, Opus celebrates Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini” and Claude Debussy’s “Reverie”. Among the classical depictions plenty of original EDM works by Deylen surface on the album, but as one gets lost in the alchemy of music, it’s difficult to tell the remixes apart—a testament to the quality of production on this monumental release.

musik.schillerserver.de | deutschegrammophon.com

Review by HC previously appearing on PopMatters

I was polishing off my Best of 2013 selections (which, by the way, are going live starting January 1st), and noticed that I haven’t listened to much of dark drill’n'bass and breakcore this year. In fact, so much of the genre has lacked from my rotations that I’ve decided to drop one of my lists, titled Music For Grinding Your Teeth At Night, altogether [please don't hate me!]. This was an annual selection of my favorites from the usual suspects, such as Planet Mu, Hymen, Ant-Zen, Tympanik Audio and of course, Ad Noiseam. I’m not saying that these labels have fallen behind in their outstanding output this year. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, when my best of the year selections come out, you will notice that releases from all the above have been sprinkled across the other many thematic lists. Perhaps it was my personal journey through that distracting thing we call ‘life’, that kept me away from those teeth-grinding sounds…

Well, that… and then there was DJ Hidden. Noël Wessels’ sound has captured my attention from his very first release, The Later After (Ad Noiseam, 2007). This was, I believe still drum’n'bass, but unlike anything I have ever heard before. From a seemingly limited percussive palette of recognizable drum sounds, Wessels managed to sculpt intricate beats laced with tension, intelligence and most importantly, musicality. Subsequently, The Words Below (2009) and his collaboration with Frank Nitzinsky, aka Eye-D, on Peer To Peer Pressure (PRSPCT Recordings, 2011), kept me electrified as I fought my way through the tourist crowd of the awakening city (I don’t think ambient or modern classical would do). So when Ad Noiseam announced a double album this past October, housed in a steel case, featuring a bonus compact disc with a 25+ minute long track, I dropped all introspection and dove right in.

Wessels’ travels take us through the dark alleys of terror ridden cities, nightmarish tunnel chases, and uncomfortable silence laced with venom, blight and bane. Impeccably textured atmospheres unfold into cinematic passages of whispering ghosts, brooding buildups, and chilling samples [this one comes courtesy of 1990 film, Jacob's Ladder] :

“Let’s see, this is your heart line, and your head line, and your life line. You have a very strange line, hon. No, it’s not funny…
You see, according to this…
You’re already dead!”

And that’s where the punishing beats drop in. Here is where Wessels excels at his complex patterns programming, that keep my neurons firing, and dare I say, elevate the evolution of the genre, nay, entire progression of all electronic music, to new uncharted foreign heights. In fact, once again, while surveying my entire collection of this year’s contributors to the transformation of sound, I only notice a few radicals, innovators and pioneers. And Noël Wessels is indeed among them.

Besides delivering an all-encompassing experience, Enclosed offers a conceptual study of its title, by surrounding the listener with music, engulfing in this massive album, and sneaking in a few impulsive twists. The release becomes an extension of this artist, whose many talents can be demonstrated through his other projects, such as Semiomime [see From Memory released by Ad Noiseam in 2011] and The Outside Agency [again with Eye-D, see The Dogs Are Listening on Ad Noiseam, 2012]. But if you’ve never experienced the sounds of DJ Hidden in all his past releases, this third extended full-length will surely blow your mind. Highly recommended, regardless of what your music tastes are. The second disc is worth the purchase alone!

djhidden.com | adnoiseam.net

By now, Mike Jedlicka’s Optic Echo Presents mix is an annual tradition. As the year wounds down to the end, so does the music that has graced our ears. For the third consecutive year, we are proud to share OEP Best Vinyl of 2013, a curated selection of vinyl-only releases. This year’s final showcase features many of the shared favorites which will no doubt make it to HC’s Best of 2013 lists. We hope that you enjoy this final mix and we wish you a very Happy New year!

opticecho.com

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And just like that, another year has gone by… This one seemed particularly like a rapid passing, even though each one appears to hasten all the time. This was the sixth year of Headphone Commute’s existence, during which I published 200 articles, featuring album reviews, artist interviews, free mixes, and even a few write-ups on some hi-fi equipment! The readership continues to grow, and I keep on stressing out over the next big thing that I can deliver. But at the end it’s always going to be just a few more words about some amazing music… which surely will suffice.

In 2013, during a few live shows and festivals that I was fortunate enough to attend, I had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people, among them plenty of musicians, label curators, and fellow sonic connoisseurs that I’ve followed throughout the years, such as Clint Mansell, Max Richter, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Peter Broderick, Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Volker Bertelmann, Ben Lukas Boysen, Carlos Cipa, Thomas Bücker, Christoph Berg, Tim Hecker, Erik Skodvin, Monique Recknagel, JC Chamboredon, Timo Alterauge, Thomas Hack, Marcus Fjellström, Sean Horton, Gabe Koch, Samuel Valenti IV, Travis Stewart, Thomas Fehlmann and seriously too many others to mention! You have all contributed to my quest! Thank you for those fantastic moments, however brief they were!

In terms of music, there were many welcomed come backs! I’m speaking of course of Boards of Canada, Arovane, My Bloody Valentine and even Nine Inch Nails. Plenty of favourite musicians have continued doing what they do best, improving and evolving their sound further. Among these, works by Marsen Jules, Richard Chartier, Daníel Bjarnason, bvdub, Hammock, Olan Mill, Eluvium, Ex Confusion, Ian Hawgood, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Black Swan, The Field, William Basinski, Ryuichi Sakamoto + Taylor Deupree and even Autechre really stand out. A few welcome surprises with many unexpected turns came courtesy of Ben Lukas Boysen, Apparat, Greg Haines, Oneohtrix Point Never and The Stranger. Perhaps no one has evolved the various electronic styles further than Demdike Stare, Diamond Version, DJ Hidden, Machinedrum, Tim Hecker and of course Jon Hopkins! These, and many others, will surely get their due respect in the upcoming Best of 2013 selections!

Among the labels, Glacial Movements continues to march forward with an excellent roster; Dronarivm picked up some amazing artists, with plenty of exciting announcements for 2014 already; 12k, Room40, Touch, n5MD, Home Normal, Kranky, Editions Mego, Oktaf, hibernate and Line continue to deliver consistent quality output, while Sonic Pieces, Preservation, Erased Tapes, Facture, Bedroom Community and Miasmah carry on with pure delight. Raster-Noton, Warp, Hymen, Ad Noiseam, Ghostly International and Modern Love seem to appear on the edge of sonic transformation. Denovali somehow managed to release over 20 albums (or probably more!), each unique in its genre and outstanding in character. These are all the labels that I can’t live without and continue to hungrily consume their every single note! Serein, Low Point, Kesh, Dynamophone, Hidden Shoal and Experimedia have been fairly quiet, with the latter sadly announcing that it will close its doors at the end of 2014.

With your help, Headphone Commute was able to raise and donate a total of $30,000 generated by the sales of …and darkness came benefit compilation! This has been the highest achievement of my lifetime by any means to date! Perhaps there will be more to come… Of course, I can’t thank you all enough for your ongoing and continuous support! What else? If somehow I managed to forget to mention someone, please don’t hold it against me – just look at the above list of names, I’m impressed that I can even keep all of these in my head! With this I want to close this year in review, wishing you a very happy New Year, and finally kick off my Best of 2013 lists which will be published one per day beginning tomorrow, January 1st, 2014!!!

~HC

In this first installment of Headphone Commute’s Best of 2013, I gather my favorite selections of the year, consisting of music that simply makes you feel. The albums in this list should simply be classified as the soundtracks to your life. No other genre is required. I hope that you’ll agree…

ALL ENTRIES ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST

Apparat Krieg Und Frieden Mute		Ben Frost Black Marrow self
Ben Lukas Boysen Mother Nature Hymen		Boards Of Canada Tomorrow’s Harvest Warp
Clint Mansell Stoker OST Milan		Daníel Bjarnason Over Light Earth Bedroom Community
Jon Hopkins Immunity Domino		Jóhann Jóhannsson Prisoners WaterTower Music
Ólafur Arnalds For Now I Am Winter Mercury Classics		Max Richter Disconnect Milan

Sit down. Stop thinking for a while. That thought? Let it go. Let it all go. Call it meditation, call it concentration, call it what you will, but let it go. That thought? Be above it and let it pass. Watch the thought pass through your mind. It passes, as the air through your lungs passes. It passes, as the blood through your heart passes. It goes, as the river through the earth goes. It goes, as the time through the universe goes. So let it go. Now hear this music. Listen. Let the music pass through you as the light passes through the cells. Now turn your head sideways, and bend the light. Slightly. At the bottom of that curve, all ceases to exist. This is where time stops. Now step inside.

Oh… hey there…

ALL ENTRIES ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST

Aidan Baker Aneira Glacial Movements		Gastón Arévalo Rollin Ballads Oktaf
Lawrence English Lonely Women’s Club Important		Marsen Jules The Endless Change Of Colour 12k
Netherworld Alchemy Of Ice Glacial Movements		Rafael Anton Irisarri The Unintentional Sea Room40
Richard Chartier Interior Field Line		Ryuichi Sakamoto + Taylor Deupree Disappearance 12k
Tim Hecker ‎Virgins Kranky		William Basinski Nocturnes 2062

After spending an entire night dancing at an outdoor festival, I wake up in my tent, drenched in morning dew and sound. The music never stopped playing, but it has slowed down in pace. As the sound guides me towards its source, the path winds in between the trees that seem to sway with the rhythm. Suddenly, I’m up in the air, floating towards an open field, where yogis have already began to levitate. But before I circle around a large amanita dancing to the sonic colors, the bass rolls off, and I wake up in my tent, drenched in morning dew and sound. Welcome to the sounds of awakened spirits. You may enter… but only with an open mind…

ALL ENTRIES ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST

Akara The World Beyond Merkaba Music		Aligning Minds My Heart Is Love Gravitas
Bluetech Dreaming Into Being Sounds True		bvdub At Night This City Becomes The Sea AY
krill.minima Sekundenschlaf Psychonavigation		Miktek Elsewhere Ultimae
r.roo Hydref Tympanik		Segue Pacifica Silent Season
Shpongle Museum Of Consciousness Twisted		Solar Fields Origin # 02 Ultimae

Abandoned places and desolate spaces, covered with rain, snow and ash, wrapped in a blanket of white noise and pulsating bass, somewhat metallic, chilly and wet. These are the images for these sounds for these places of my mind. Something is trembling with the beat of my heart. Tick-tock. Time rewinds to the mid nineties, and I’m back in Berlin, and Moritz Von Oswald is cutting the wax on his Basic Channel imprint. Fast forward, and I’m immersed in the DeepChord sounds of Rod Modell and Mike Schommer. Flip to the present, and I am crawling among the empty streets of Detroit, which is slowly receding into the concrete cobwebs. These events may come and go, in an endless cycle of oceanic waves. But the music stays with us. Always.

ALL ENTRIES ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST

Cassegrain Tiamat Prologue		Drumcell Sleep Complex CLR
Holden The Inheritors Border Community		John Beltran Amazing Things Delsin
Marcel Dettmann Dettmann II Ostgut Ton		Marcel Fengler Fokus Ostgut Ton
Mike Parker Lustrations Prologue		Miles Faint Hearted Modern Love
The Field Cupid’s Head Kompakt		Vatican Shadow Remember Your Black Day Hospital Productions

Something warm and crispy is tickling the inside of my ear canal. It travels through my cochlear labyrinth, where the sensory hair cells sway with the vibrations and generate electric signals, which in turn fire the synapse towards my primary auditory cortex. Somewhere within the Wernicke’s area of my cerebral cortex it all makes sense, and my hand moves, and my heart palpitates, and the trees sway, and the leaves fall. When asked if I would rather lose my hearing or my sight, I always choose the latter. In complete and total silence of the world, the void would make my soul implode. Because even the fishtanks need music…

ALL ENTRIES ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST

Diamat Being Is The Sum Of Appearing n5MD		Greg Haines Where We Were Denovali
Kate Carr Songs From A Cold Place Flaming Pines		Last Days Satellite n5MD
Melorman Waves Sun Sea Sky Productions		Orla Wren Book Of The Folded Forest Home Normal
Piano Interrupted The Unified Field Denovali		Seaworthy + Taylor Deupree Wood, Winter, Hollow 12k
The Ashes Of Piemonte Winter’s Fire Time Released Sound		The Seaman And The Tattered Sail Light Folds Facture

My family and friends have long time given up. And even though I listen to everything from beautiful piano music to gorgeous post-rock instrumentals, they seem to think that I like “nails on the chalkboard” with a “bucket falling down the stairs”. I’ve long had a special collection of albums set aside for that occasion when I need to prove them wrong. These are softer textures with some lyrics (they need lyrics, don’t they?) and lullaby qualities (if they fall asleep, I win as well). And it feels like the purpose of any prolonged car ride is to setup an opportunity with no escape and open up their ears. Even if it’s just for an hour. Here’s to that moment when I’ll win them over! Someday… Someday they’ll come around, I’m sure…

ALL ENTRIES ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST

Aidan Baker Already Drowning Gizeh		Arve Henriksen Places Of Worship Rune Grammofon
Atoms For Peace Amok XL		Benoît Pioulard Hymnal Kranky
Grouper The Man Who Died In His Boat Kranky		Julia Holter Loud City Song Domino
My Bloody Valentine mbv MBV		Nine Inch Nails Hesitation Marks Columbia / Polydor
Sigur Rós Kveikur XL		Trentemøller Lost In My Room

Have you ever walked in the autumn rain? Just like the sunshine warms the breezy beaches, and the snow blankets the silent cemeteries, the rain drenches my clothes, and no, you can not tell that I’m crying. Covered from head to toe in the wetness and music, my feet plop through puddles, as my mind flips through memories. An image of a long forgotten night, slightly opened windows, and the sound of the raindrops drumming away at the symphony of choices and regrets. And these sounds blend with the music in my headphones, and I trot through alleys, and my bones are getting chilly, and my clothes are getting heavy, and no, you can not tell that I’m crying, since these are only the tears of rain.

ALL ENTRIES ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST

65daysofstatic Wild Light Superball Music		Grails Black Tar Prophecies Vol’s 4, 5 & 6 Temporary Residence Ltd
Hammock Oblivion Hymns Hammock Music		Jasper TX An Index Of Failure Handmade Birds
Matthew Collings Splintered Instruments Fluid Audio		Mountains Centralia Thrill Jockey
Pan•American Cloud Room, Glass Room Kranky		Rhian Sheehan Stories From Elsewhere LOOP
thisquietarmy Hex Mountains Denovali		Ulrich Schnauss A Long Way To Fall Scripted Realities / Domino