Posts
NovemberNov 14 Saturday 09
20 EPs of 2009 [part 1]
As the year draws to a close, and I start thinking about the upcoming Best of 2009 list, I realize that I haven’t properly covered some 12? singles, EPs and mini albums. These tend to fall off my reviewing queue, mostly because in some cases it’s difficult to do a …
(via Headphone Commute)
OctoberOct 23 Friday 09
Hecq Mixtape One
Oi oi oi! Do I have a treat for you! I'm about to set off for a two week vacation, but before I go, I want to present you with an amazing mix from none other than Ben Lukas Boysen, aka Hecq! As you could have already guessed from these pages, I am a big fan of Hecq's …
(via Headphone Commute)
OctoberOct 21 Wednesday 09
Vladislav Delay - Tummaa (Leaf)
Listening to Tummaa requires preparation. At least, it requires knowledge of the intent behind this album. Let me set the stage. The intent is 'darkness'. And this is its music. Tummaa reflects the mood recreated by Sasu Ripatti, composing under the moniker Vladislav …
(via Headphone Commute)
Two and a Half Questions with Vladislav Delay
Tell us a bit more about the winter that you spent on a remote island. What were you doing there? How did it shape your mind as an artist?
i think location as a direct influence to music is overrated. it's not so important as the end result is almost the same, but at …
(via Headphone Commute)
OctoberOct 18 Sunday 09
Ben Frost - By The Throat (Bedroom Community)
I first listened to Ben Frost when he released his sophomore full length album, Theory Of Machines on Bedroom Community back in 2007. I described his music as ambient hardcore - psychologically raw, punishing, and overdriven guitars, with reverberated pads and rhythms …
(via Headphone Commute)
Two and a Half Questions With Ben Frost
How long did it take you to actually compose this album?
2 years more or less. This is true of most of my work, I would have liked it to be less, as after 1 year it could easily become 3, or 4 and then you start getting into Geoff Barrow/Kevin Shields territory, its a …
(via Headphone Commute)
OctoberOct 15 Thursday 09
Two and a Half Questions with Solo Andata
Tell us about Solo Andata and what the name means to you.
SA (Paul): Solo Andata is a duo from Australia. One-half (Kane Ikin) lives in the East (Melbourne), and the other (Paul Fiocco) in the West (Perth). I discovered the name ‘Solo Andata‘ whilst traveling by …
(via Headphone Commute)
Solo Andata - Solo Andata (12k)
Close the doors and turn up the sound. This is ambiance that needs to be really heard. Quietly chirping submerged engines are silenced by waves of bowed cello. The sound of rippling water seeps through the drones of strings. This is the organic world of Solo Andata - an …
(via Headphone Commute)
OctoberOct 11 Sunday 09
Scanner - Rockets, Unto The Edges Of Edges (BineMusic)
Robin Rimbaud spent his life listening to others. In his early works, Rimbaud tuned into the airwaves to pluck out pieces of radio, mobile phone conversations and police broadcasts. These were intricately edited and folded back into his compositions, producing an …
(via Headphone Commute)
Two and a Half Questions with Scanner
This is the first time we're hearing your voice. What prompted this revelation?
I've always been keen to humanise digital music and technology and have always used voices in my work since the earliest scanned phonecall recordings of the 1990s, but felt that I wanted to …
(via Headphone Commute)
OctoberOct 10 Saturday 09
KiloWatts - Undercurrent (Somnia)
In terms of technique, Jamie Watts, the man behind KiloWatts, is an extremely accomplished producer; he knows how to make music that sounds great. His last full-length album, Ground State, released on Evan Bartholomew's Native State Records, stood out for its fresh and …
(via Headphone Commute)
Two and a Half Questions with KiloWatts
You've talked about the search for timeless melodies being an inspiration for the making of the album. It sounds like you believe that deep within the human subconsciousness there exists something akin to a reservoir of music that we can all tap into. Can you elaborate …
(via Headphone Commute)
OctoberOct 4 Sunday 09
Plastik Joy - 3:03 (n5MD)
Plastik Joy is an intriguing duo, if only for the fact that one of them, Cristiano Nicolini, is from Italy and the other, Fannar Ásgrímsson, is Icelandic. You can’t get any closer to “fire and ice” than that. The two met while studying audio engineering in …
(via Headphone Commute)
Two and a Half Questions with Plastik Joy
The story about how you came to land on n5MD is kind of like an Internet fairytale, isn‘t it?
It definitely was like a fairytale for us because we hadn't even started looking for a label to release our music. We thought that would be the biggest task. But by pure luck …
(via Headphone Commute)
SeptemberSep 27 Sunday 09
Grischa Lichtenberger - ~Treibgut (Raster-Noton)
~Treibgut fits snuggly into the sonic world of Raster-Noton. For this EP, his first release for the label, Grischa Lichtenberger's primary sources are found sounds from the world around him, including the sound of a sliding tabletop, the noise of a radiator and the …
(via Headphone Commute)
SeptemberSep 19 Saturday 09
On Silence and Transition...
Here's a quick update on all the beautiful things at Headphone Commute. First of all, we want to thank you for your patience while enduring the silence during our move. It's not over yet, but we have been slowly settling in at our new home on the East Coast. The …
(via Headphone Commute)
SeptemberSep 8 Tuesday 09
Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto with Ensemble Modern - utp_ (Raster-Noton)
Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto are unquestionably among the masters of modern experimental music. Noto has crafted a musical language all his own based on the most elemental of sound sources - electricity, static, white noise - and helped to raise laptop production to …
(via Headphone Commute)
Two and a Half Questions with Carsten Nicolai
[editors note: below is an edited transcription from an audio interview]
Utp_ is a commissioned work. Can you tell us about the inspiration for the piece?
Utp_ was commissioned by the city of Mannheim. Ryuichi and I were very happy that we got this offer to work with …
(via Headphone Commute)
SeptemberSep 2 Wednesday 09
Rival Consoles - IO (Erased Tapes Records)
Rival Consoles' debut album, IO, comes as quite a surprise after the 'modern classical vs. breakcore' vibe of his last EP, Helvetica. Instead of the rather unique mix of piano and strings on top of drill 'n bass, IO offers up a heap of crunchy analogue synths and …
(via Headphone Commute)
Two and a Half Questions with Rival Consoles
IO is a big change in style and sound compared to the Helvetica EP, which came out just a few short months ago. What prompted you to take such a different route?
The production and ideas on IO is much more defined. It's nice to make music which is in conflict with other …
(via Headphone Commute)