PROUD CREATURE: Opening Creature EP

Todd Brozman is a multi-instrumentalist and music producer with roots in piano. He started playing piano at age 6 after convincing his mother to buy him a little demo Casio at an electronics store. At Wesleyan University, Todd had a radio show which exposed him to a lot of new electronic music and he got more involved in creating new music, fusing electronics and improvisational jazz. Proud Creature is his solo musical project, presenting ethereal and otherworldly compositions informed by jazz, ambient, electronica and psychedelic music.

The EP is mostly down-tempo and ambient, which I can really appreciate with all the noise in the world. Put this one on and you are transported to another dimension, one with muted colors and weird sights to behold, all while this amazing soundtrack is playing and blowing your mind. The EP shows what he can do when left to his own devices and really gets the layering of many sounds to flow onto one another with such ease and skill that you will want to put the headphones on and be selfish and not let anyone else into your headspace while listening to this EP.

Song after song just gets into your head and makes you want to hit replay on this EP over and over again. For his first solo recordings being so good, I can’t wait to see what he will come up with next.

https://www.facebook.com/proudcreature/

 

LES TECHNO: Edge of the World (Single)

Les Techno is a New York City based post-punk electronic rocker that has released critically acclaimed singles “Where were You?,” “Come Along,” “Closer Look,” and “Guilty Pleasure” available on Spotify, iTunes and elsewhere. He made hip-hop tracks with rap artists Run-DMC, Mobb Deep and Onyx, among others. He did a Red Hot Chili Peppers remix (Higher Ground), worked with R&B artist Ava Cherry and with the late, legendary funk master Bernie Worrell. This project is a new mixture of rock guitar sounds, electronics, hip hop beats, live bass, and his satirical lyrics.

The song has an ‘80s feel mixed with industrial and a groove that is impossible to ignore. A funky backbeat will grab you at first, but then the lyrics will keep you involved. Les Techno says this about the song: “Watching the Amazon burn, this song appeared out of nowhere, as an alarm in my head: we are all at the party at the edge of the world. We party and the world hurls into climate oblivion. “Swept over at the end of the road, where you lose control… you’re at the party at the edge of the world…..” Pretty powerful stuff and a fantastic song that takes nothing away from the message.

I can’t wait to hear what he comes up with next since this is a great single and leaves me wanting more from him. Take a listen and feel the pain of the world going to shit, but there are people like him who are trying to do something about it.

https://www.facebook.com/Les-Techno-291590174608246/

https://les-techno.com/

THE COOL MOONMIST MOUNTAIN BAND: Fire Sign EP

The Cool Moonmist Mountain Band is the brainchild of Jared Sand from Seattle, WA who wrote, recorded and produced this trippy collection of songs that are heavily layered with synths and beats. The Fire Sign EP is a perfect follow up to his last recording, Live in Studio 11/14 showing off the fact that Jared has much more to offer by doing things on his own.

The sound is a mix of up-tempo trip-hop, ambient, and electronic that flows from track to track with a consistency and smoothness that really makes it feel like one idea, but not a one-note song. The dubby sound really makes the tracks have a fantastic effect that shows a real talent because there is no extended wanking and overlong songs, matter of fact, it’s almost too damn short and there needs to be more on here. All of the songs are great; especially last song “Let the Dust Settle.” Trippy, psychedelic and just amazing! So much going on that all flow and work together perfectly.

If you want something to put on and give your mood a jump start, this is the EP for you. So much to like on here and so much to look forward to in the future…such a great release.

http://thecoolmmmband.epk.fm/

https://facebook.com/thecoolmmmband

 

dep: We Are The Lights That Will Not Go Out

Asheville, NC-based Danny Peck (aka. dep) has been quietly producing and performing out of Chicago, IL and his current home of Asheville since 2003. He uses an array of instruments, electronic toys, and gadgets to create his music.

Starting with “Inhale, Exhale” the album gets off to a terrific start with the sweeping and grandiose soundscape that emanates from my speakers. The track just grabs you and takes you on a trip and you find yourself floating and just enjoying every second of it. The song is almost 8 and a half minutes long but feels short because of the beauty of it. The album is instrumental and has the feeling of a soundtrack, or at least someone should make a movie and use this as its soundtrack since it is so moving and intriguing. The playing and songwriting is stupendous, something that most people strive for and never achieve, but here it is, all wrapped up just for you. Strangely enough, the album has a number of long tracks, but they never seem long at all, they actually go by quickly and leave you yearning for more. “We Know The Way” has impressive guitar riffs that add to the more quiet pieces of the song.

I was pleasantly surprised that I loved this album so much considering that I usually don’t like instrumental albums too much, but I can’t get enough of this one. This is a keeper and one that I will be playing over and over again.

https://dep.fm/

https://depfm.bandcamp.com/

HEALING SPELLS: Sanctuary E.P.

Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Healing Spells is the solo vehicle of electronica music producer Past Lives. This is his second E.P., and only three months later than his debut, and contains 4 songs of ambient music.

Chock full of trippy and environmental sounds; this is a great little taste that will satisfy your hunger for well done and intriguing music. The album feels like going on a journey into the stratosphere and floating around all blissful and then touching down and having the greatest rest possible. The journey takes you to places that you never thought existed and into new realms that you will want to revisit time and time again. All of the tracks are magical and one stands out now, then the next time you listen to it, another one grabs your attention.

If you are a fan of the golden days of ambient house, think The Orb and you will have a general idea of not just the sound, but of the quality of this E.P. Take a journey and find a new place to hide from the world when you put this one on.

https://www.facebook.com/HealingSpells.music/

H+: Hidden Dimension

H+ is the performance name of Malcolm Brian Swan, a music teacher with a Bachelor’s Degree in performing the double bass and a Masters in Music Composition. He lives in Bermuda, creates IDM/glitch and adds the twist of funk, jazz, dub reggae, and deep dubstep. Malcolm has been writing music under the name of H+ since the end of 2016.

Sounding like a mixture of your computer freezing while playing music, a video game and a sci-fi movie, the music actually has a more warmth then you would think. Adding female vocals from Nicola Swan really helps to give more feeling to the music. “Error In The Standard Model” has a bit of a funky/jazz sound that made it a real stand out. “Dimensiones Ocultas” is another track that really stands out, kind of flamenco and really peppy, it will get your foot tapping and make you hit repeat. The album also has a great flow to it that I enjoyed because it didn’t just sound like random songs; it felt like a complete idea.

While not usually a genre that I would go for, this is an album that will get the replay from me and will be in the car with the windows rolled down and turned up loud. I will be interested to hear what comes next and hope the quality stays as high as it is on this album.

Also posted at: http://ripplemusic.blogspot.com/2018/03/h-hidden-dimension.html

http://hplusmusic.space/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/transhumanglitch/

https://hplusmusic.bandcamp.com/

TURN UP THE STROBE: THE KLF, THE JAMS, THE TIMELORDS – A HISTORY IAN SHIRLEY

The story of two guys who with talent and lots of luck, destroyed people’s expectations, did ridiculous stunts, pissed off people, and created songs that still resonate with listeners and will be played for decades. The one and only flaw is that both Bill Drummond and Jim Cauty both declined to be interviewed for the book, which might have added a bit more to the story.

Starting off with the lesser-known beginnings of the duo, their younger years and meeting each other, the book gives an insight into where they came from and the earliest projects. It gives a lot of background with Big In Japan, Drummond managing Echo and the Bunnymen and Teardrop Explodes while running Zoo Records alongside David Balfe.  Cauty and Drummond don’t actually get together and collaborate on their first project, The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu track “All You Need Is Love,” until almost halfway through the book, but you really need to read about their beginnings to get an idea of where they took ideas to form their later music. I remember hearing about them when they were getting in trouble for including ABBA on their album 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?) and being upset that I couldn’t hear what the commotion was all about, of course now you can just do a search on the interweb and there it is. When I heard “Doctorin’ The Tardis,” I was fascinated, for one, I can’t stand Dr. Who and this was the first and only bit I ever liked and how much I loved the damn thing. I was hooked and had to get more, so I went out and got the Chill Out album and starting buying the singles that I could find from them. When the White Room album came out, I was working in a record store and made a sign with the band’s logo advertising it and sold tons of them. Of course, the sheep blood and burning the money all are in the book as well, but regardless of the stunts, the guys just were talented and make for a fascinating read.

Author Ian Shirley gives the reader a well written and interesting book that will keep you reading and being intrigued by the career of a couple of guys who grabbed the world’s attention and still retain my interest now. With all of the tales in this book about their lives and music, there still is a lot more to them then their past and I’m looking forward to their future.

https://twitter.com/rrpgeditor?lang=en Ian Shirley’s twitter

https://www.facebook.com/CherryRedRecords/

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/

ALIEN SEX FIEND: Fiendology – 1982-2017

Since their emergence in the early ’80s, Alien Sex Fiend have remained one of the most loved and longstanding pioneers of the Goth movement. Fusing themes of horror, humour, inner turmoil and outer space with an industrial and electronic sound years ahead of its time, the band scored countless indie chart hits, found success across Europe, America and Japan and won a dedicated, adoring fan base which exists to this day. The collection is composed of 3 CDs spanning their 35 year history, including five previously unreleased recordings, previously unreleased mixes of “Now I’m Feeling Zombified,” and “I Walk The Line.” There are two brand new tracks from their forthcoming album Possessed, plus artwork by Nik Fiend in the booklet telling the band’s story in pictures, as well as sleevenotes by Kris Needs and Youth.

With the big songs mixed in with album tracks and remixes, this collection gives fans and those curious a look at the band that is without comparison. The band has been in and out of fashion and still marches on to the sound of their own drum machine. Electric and bizarre, they continue to thrill and get people dancing to the mix of strange lyrics and the dance beats that they have been putting out with regularity. The new songs sound right at home, maybe a bit more modern, but fit in perfectly with the sound that they have molded over the years. The booklet has great stories and gives a terrific overview of the band and how they have moved through the years, giving the fans amazing music.

With all of the collections of the band out there, this has to be the one to get, great sound, a collection of obvious and less obvious tracks, and with some rarities added to the two new songs, you just can’t go wrong. Now go out and “Walk The Line” and get Zombified.

https://www.facebook.com/AlienSexFiendOfficial/

http://www.asf-13thmoon.demon.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/CherryRedRecords/

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/

ALIEN SEX FIEND: Classic Albums Volume 2

Alien Sex Fiend is a combination of goth, new wave, and industrial that has been a going concern since 1982 and still continues now. The heart and soul of the band is Nik Fiend and Mrs Fiend who are like the Energizer bunny……..they keep going and going and going…….thankfully for us all. This is a remastered collection of four albums, and the second such collection of their music in this format. You get Here Cum Germs, Another Planet, Curse, and Open Head Surgery, which is their fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth albums. You also get remastered music, bonus tracks, a booklet, mini LP sleeves and a clam-shell box to store it in.

A fantastic collection of albums that showcase the band at the end of the 80’s and the early 90’s when they were getting a lot of interest in North America as well as the UK and Europe. It has them getting deeper into sampling and electronics and doing more experimental things, but still sounding like themselves. The albums have a great mix of cartoonish lyrics and manic music that mesh together perfectly. Here Cums Germs has a great continuation of their earlier albums, and a foreshadowing of the more electronic sounds coming on the next bunch of albums. Another Planet is just Mr and Mrs Fiend and they put together a great album of solid songs. From “Bun-Ho!” to the covers of “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones and Hawkwind’s “Silver Machine,” the album is a treat. Curse has the fantastic “Now I’m Feeling Zombiefied,” and a huge jump into techno, hip-hop style music that is strong on this album, but still retains the feel of the band. Open Head Surgery continues on from the previous album with a similar sound and has the band leaving the batcave/goth sound pretty much in the dust. The remastered sound gives the listener the opportunity to hear the little sounds that got lost on the previous recordings, and the cleaner sound makes for a better listening experience. The bonus tracks are a treat and the information in the booklet is interesting to read.

The band has gone through a lot of different styles and sounds throughout their career, but through it all, they still are Alien Sex Fiend. This band changes, but yet stays the same in a lot of ways………thankfully for us.

https://www.facebook.com/AlienSexFiendOfficial/

http://www.asf-13thmoon.demon.co.uk/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/CherryRedRecords/

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/

BOOZOO BAJOU: 4: CD

It’s been more than twelve years since the duo of Peter Heider and Florian Seyberth put out their  first record, and sixteen years since they got together. This album also features the guitar of Frank Zeidler, the violin and viola and mbira thumb piano of Stefan Pötzsch, the flugelhorn of Markus Stockhausen, and the Armenian duduk of Frank Freitag, as well as the synth playing of Max Loderbauer.

This is not a dance floor shaker of an album, it’s more of an album to put on at night when you come home from work or clubbing. Turn the lights down, grab a glass of wine, or brandy, sit near the fireplace, look out the window at the rain or snow, plug-in the headphones and let the sounds wash over you. The relaxed feeling on this album really takes you away from the crap that life can throw at you and get your mind into a clearer place. Track after track of layered sounds take control of your ears and set a course for pleasure, all except the first track “Jan Mayen” which reminded me of a Herb Alpert track with the horn playing, but I can always skip that one. I can use the word lush for the sounds on this album of interesting and well done instrumentals.

I really enjoyed this album, and will let my wife listen to it, as she has started to have a love affair with ambient music. This makes me glad that there are still people out there doing more than the minimum amount of work to create music, and succeeding so very well at the hard work that they have put in.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boozoo-Bajou/30340212833

http://www.boozoobajou.com/

https://www.facebook.com/randsrecords

http://www.randsrecords.com/

http://apollorecordings.tumblr.com/