MDAC005 - "Monthly Discerning Audio Chart March 2009"

You may have noticed, that rather than posting a chart at the very end of the month, I post it 5 or 6 days before the month expires. The reason for this, is so that if I'm running late and can't get one written in time, I've a few extra days to work on it!
I actually struggled to get a full chart written this month!!! I have of course, been listening to lots of music...but I've mainly been spinning old House classics and working on a mix CD. So in way of Ambient, experimental forms, it's been a quiet month. (Excuse the pun).

But! The few pieces I did get chance to listen to have been extremely pleasant on the ear, as you will learn....I've included a couple of albums from friends in the netlabel scene, so please support them!

ENNIO MAZZON - "Muffled"
First up is my friend Ennio from Italy, a keen netlabel artist. He sent me this album at the beginning of the month, which is out on Spanish label Audio Talaia. I've heard some of Ennio's material before; much of which is powerful Ambient and noisy drones. But this album induces moments of contemplative solitude and sheer desolation, yet still staying true to his classic production method. It's a very well put together album, which I'm sure fans of Ambient will love:
http://audiotalaia.net/at018.htm

THE NATURE OF LIGHT - "Atropos"
Between Brandon Lewis of The Nature Of Light and myself, we've been chatting about our projects and the possibility of getting some material out as a unit for months. We've both been far too busy on our individual projects and have been struggling to get a chance to produce a collaboration. But here is what Brandon's been busy on: his album 'Atropos', a dense exploration of treated guitar work and gritty industrial soundscapes. It's a compelling listen, lightly straddling between the noisy and the plain beautiful. Enjoy it here:
http://www.webbedhandrecords.com/wh114-the-nature-of-light-atropos/

LOW LIGHT MIXES - "Shadows At Midnight"
I've been downloading mixes from both The Lowlight Mixes and the Hydrogen Cafe for a couple of years now. Both blogsites offer tastefully created CD length mixes of a relaxed nature, done in a professional manner. Being an avid fan of jazz, mainly of a subtle melancholy disposition, I jumped at the chance to download this hour-long jazz mix! Very interesting listening music, is this:
http://lowlightmixes.blogspot.com/2009/02/shadows-at-midnight.html

MARKUS FIX - "Collection E.P"
I'll happily publicise the fact that I'm working on a deep/tech House mix CD at the minute, but I'm keeping the subject of which relatively quiet. Be assured, however, that a track from this Markus Fix E.P is to be featured somewhere within this mix! I'm a big fan of Fix's stripped back percussive style, which keeps from being too cluttered; just good House music put simply.

CAVALIER - "Ride 'Em E.P"
On the tip of the House E.P, here's a cracking deep package from Cavalier. My pick of the bunch would be 'The Beat', as it's exactly the kind of Deep House I'm into spinning; something similar to the sort of records Ray Valioso/Agnes would play too.

PAVONINE - "Pavonine"
Here on Webbed Hand Records, is wonderful dark Ambient music from Pavonine. It's so cleverly put together and is every bit the compelling listen. There's so much subtle detail to get to grips with, that it's easy to forget that you're actually meant to drift off to space when listening to this stuff!!!!
Download here:
http://www.webbedhandrecords.com/wh118-pavonine-pavonine/

EMERALD ADRIFT - "The Blue Flower"
This album is available from the very professional netlabel, Earth Mantra. It is light Ambient with a new age feel and is a fantastic restful experience. Quite often stick this one on repeat as a sleep playlist and find myself waking up to it at 7am! It is well worth the download and is available here:
http://www.earthmantra.com/release-detail.php?id=72

EREMOS - "Ubi Caritas"
After a month of retracing steps on the Webbed Hand netlabel, here is an older piece by Eremos. It's a collection of beautiful guitar pieces by the talented Mike Farley, patchworked together in an exquisitely delicate manner...
I listened to this album a lot when it first came out last summer, and as spring is emerging, I was out walking and listening to this again last week. I listened to every second of the album and it is excellent! The beauty of netlabel audio, is that it doesn't sell out...here's the link:
http://www.webbedhandrecords.com/wh106-eremos-ubi-caritas/

ELUDER - "Drift"
Drift is a word stereotypically associated with Ambient music. So does the title live up to the cliche? Absolutely. There are few albums that personify this word better than this release by Eluder on Archaic Horizon. It's perfect for a long walk in the outdoors, through fields and woodland. It's perfect for lounging around, restoring your strength. And it's perfect for low-volume consumption as you drift off to sleep...This is going to be a big classic for me.
http://www.archaichorizon.com/releases/ah030/ah030.html

GORDON EDGE - "Trumpet Funk"
As I've mentioned, this month has been about sifting through my many House records. Here's an old slice from excellent producer and trumpet player Gordon Edge. Nice deep keys, a solid beat and fantastic trumpet work!