Benn Jordan - Pale Blue Dot (Alphabasic)

I guess the reason that I keep listening to Benn Jordan is the fact that he simply makes beautiful music. Period. In fact, I catch myself restraining from listening to Benn Jordan too much. His short, full of witty ideas tracks, produced under The Flashbulb moniker, …

The Future Sound Of London - Dead Cities (Virgin)

This is obviously an amazing record to start off my Random Vinyl of the Week adventure, as I dig through my dusty archives. Released in 1996, Dead Cities was Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans' fourth full length album as The Future Sound of London. Dead Cities was that …

Random Vinyl of the Week

First, a little preface... I have been very much obsessed about the quality of the sound lately, settling only on lossless files on my iPod. And with the last.fm collecting daily statistics, I have been compulsively feeding everything through its scrobbler. An OCD/ADHD …

Integral - Rise (Tympanik)

Another excellent surprise coming out of Tympanik. And that's twice in one year. First I was completely blown away by Subheim's Approach. And now another brand new group, Integral, hitting me hard out of nowhere with their debut, Rise. The duo behind Integral are …

Two and a Half Questions with Keith Kenniff

Do you have a clear (or imaginary) line for deciding which compositions belong to Goldmund and which to Helios?
It's a pretty clear line for me; the Goldmund material is basically just solo piano, and even though I use some piano in Helios, there it's more centered …

Goldmund - The Malady Of Elegance (Type)

Keith Kenniff is back on Type Records with his second full length album under Goldmund alias, titled The Malady Of Elegance. A previous EP, Two Point Discrimination (Western Vinyl, 2007), hit the streets on the heels of Kenniff's much anticipated Helios release, Ayres …

Two and a Half Questions with Library Tapes

There is a melancholic tone in your music. Do you think there is a specific reason why you identify with sadness?
i think it's easier to make music when feeling a bit sad or melancholic and to make good music when expressing those feelings. i think there's been some …

Library Tapes - A Summer Beneath the Trees (Make Mine Music)

All the recent sounds from Hauschka, Max Richter, Peter Broderick, and Eluvium literally guide me towards the latest album from David Wenngren, who is now the single member of Library Tapes (previously joined by Per Jardsell). Well, that's not actually true. On the …

Juxta Phona & Offthesky - !Escape Kit! (Somnia)

With its fifth limited release, Somnia is introducing Juxta Phona & Offthesky to the rest of the world. Starting off with some ambient and modern classical sounds, Somnia delivered a little surprise with their last release by Evan Marc and Steve Hillage. In Dreamtime …

Two and a Half Questions with Juxta Phona and offthesky

Who is Juxta Phona & offthesky, and where did [they] come from?
Well Juxta Phona and offthesky are two separate entities with one common denominator - my brain.  But other than my vision/ideas there are a whole set of different rules/players for each band.  Of course …

The Remote Viewer - I Can't Believe It's Not Better (Mobeer)

Getting back to melodic electronica, I turn my attention to Andrew Johnson and Craig Tattersall, who go by the name of The Remote Viewer. Their previous releases include two albums on 555 Recordings and three LPs on one of my favorite labels, City Centre Offices. This …

Two and a Half Questions with 40 Winks

Tell us about your upcoming live track on Project: Mooncircle compilation, Silent In Truth.
It's actually something new we wanted to try out: finding a way to incorporate live instruments in our beats. We decided to do a little jam in "the lunar bar" over here in …

40 Winks - The Lucid Effect (Project: Mooncircle)

In the mood for some laid back beats and loungy vibes? Let 40 Winks groove you with their instrumental hip-hop rhythms mixed with blues, funk, and soul. The group (also spelled without a space as 40winks, and referring to English idiom for taking a nap for a short …

Two and a Half Questions with Christian Fennesz

What was one of the most memorable moments from your collaboration with Sakamoto on Cendre?
doing the mixes in ryuichis studio in new york city in winter.

What are some challenging aspects of doing a live performance?
airport security checks.

And what are the rewarding …

Fennesz * Sakamoto - Cendre (Touch)

Here's a 2007 release that I've been meaning to cover in detail for a while. Touch Music was launched in 1982, initially releasing cassette magazines. Twenty five years later, Touch is at its peak, perfecting their output with carefully selected works by Christian …

Plaid - Tekkon Kinkreet (Aniplex Inc.)

I was originally postponing any reviews of Plaid in anticipation of their new album, Scintilli, originally planned to be released sometime in Q4 of 2008. But it seems that it has now been postponed to mid 2009, and I can't wait that long to talk about one of my favorite …

Two and a Half Questions with Hauschka

There is a variery of instruments on Ferndorf. How did the cellos and most interestingly trombone come into this equation?
Well after releasing three piano solo records, two of them were pure prepared piano, i thought to carry on working and maybe push the work with the …

Hauschka - Ferndorf (130701)

When I'm in the mood for classical piano and chamber music, I usually turn to a bottomless repertoire of Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Chopin, Stravinsky and Beethoven. For a more edgier, experimental, and contemporary feel, I queue up modern classical composers like Arvo Pärt,