Tag: dream pop

Abstract Ambience

This month has seen the latest demo from Maze Car begin its orbit around the internet. You can listen to the juicy new demo here, and look forward to capturing it when it goes on general release, with a partner track, later in the year. However, there will be a pause in the output from Maze Car in the near term as we divert our producer’s attention to some exciting projects with new artists!

We also have plans to set free some previously unreleased tracks by Voxel veterans Varjak, so this year promises to be a celebration of old and new. Watch this space for details!

So, what music have we discovered this month? Well, the world of underground electronica has never been so diverse as it is today. We searched for a common theme, but the tracks on the playlist this month are great examples of abstract songwriting that doesn’t need a pigeon hole to call home …

Psyop by summon.exe is driven by its shuffling rhythm of plastic swing and rubbery-filtered synths. The squelchy notes are close and boxy, but also melodically adventurous to the point that the track becomes beautifully unpredictable. Within the various timbres, there are nods to synthwave, acidic trip hop and glitchy chip tune that altogether make this a long, varied and stimulating listen. This is definitely music that you can’t pin down, but why bother when you can enjoy it bouncing all over the room …?

So New by Pleasance House is an ambient enigma that opens with a fast-paced percussive bass melody beneath a dreamy vocal. The softly glitched rhythms of nut-like timbres pepper the arrangement, along with a merry bedlam of granular vocal samples. As the madness subsides, the track glides into a more traditional acoustic guitar riff and spacious vocal delay. The acoustic licks take over for this middle section, before we are returned to the vocal snippets and soft, pacey percussion. Dreamy and refreshing folktronica epics live in harmony at Pleasance House.

Presently by Azuaverian opens up with trippy rhythms from acoustic percussion. Simple scales and delays accumulate in layers, and a shy vocal is harnessed by reverb, deep within in the mix. The lyrics are hard to isolate, but they exude a hidden beauty, like trying to catch a butterfly, before the track disassembles itself, layer by layer, into the original snare percussion. Much of Charlotte Koch’s work builds complex, implicit melodies from simple layers of percussive instruments, so if you are in search of some therapy from aural acupuncture, why not give this a try?


New Music September 2015

We have once again been ceaselessly searching the sea of electronica to find some excellent tunes to share with you. Also, we have started to generate some playlists, which should make it easier for you to listen to all the wonderful music we find. Check out our ever-growing collections on Spotify and Soundcloud for starters!

Maze Car continues to explore 8-bit chimes and break beats. It sounds like some interesting demo may emerge in the next few weeks – keep checking the Voxel Records demo stream to hear the results!

Here are some more great tunes we heard this month:

The Moon and I by Maebh: This track by Leeds-based composer Maebh and producer Nolasco crafts a dreamy atmosphere that turns gentleness up to eleven. The song tells the story of a lonely moonlit escape across the Asian wilderness, and the smooth arrangement of warm, jazz-tinged organic sounds with sweet meandering vocals is likely to leave you with goose bumps. If this track is anything to go by, we have no doubt these talented musicians will gain rapid popularity. Demand more!

Out of Breath by Baby Bats: This tune starts with a tinny muted filter, but soon builds into a bold, rolling and anthemic riff, rhythmically side-chained by heavily crushed drums. Organ timbres pepper the arrangement, accentuating the moody vocals before the track peaks with a rave-esque octave-leaping break-down. The music captures angelic darkness on a neat hook – hopefully there is a lot more to come from this innovative band.

Mutter by O-Tone: This German producer has a great collection of tunes, all of which ooze with a distinctive character. Mutter is driven by a plodding synth riff sculpted from pure vintage timbres, and the drums are sumptuously thick and close. These simple elements combine with a sinister, whispering vocal to create elektronische Musik with undertones of punk. Why not check out the rest of the o-tone catalog …?

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/146399486″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

 


Warning: Undefined array key 0 in /customers/9/e/e/voxelrecords.com/httpd.www/news/wp-content/plugins/wp-google-analytics-scripts/wp-google-analytics-scripts.php on line 602