MDAC001 Monthly Discerning Audio Chart, 'NOVEMBER 2008'

I decided to broaden the features on this blogspace by adding a monthly list of pieces/albums I've been particularly enjoying over the month. In the past, I've tried writing charts and lists on previous websites/forums and usually tie them to being from one specific genre of music. This didn't work out in the end, as some weeks I'd spend more time listening to tracks of a completely different genre altogether and lose touch with the genre the chart was based on.

So with this monthly 'chat', I am not going to refine the chart by genre and any other rigorous criteria, I'm just going to leave it loose and undefined....

NOVEMBER 2008

(Chart in no particular order)

Ray Valioso - "You'll Never Be Mine"

"Just the way I like my Deep House..."
Parov Stelar - "For All We Know" (From the album 'Rough Cuts')

"Excellent moody downtempo jazz"

Motionfield - "Arcipelago" (From the free netlabel album 'Movements')

"Epic downtempo grooves from a superb album"

Jan Jelinek & Triosk - "Munmorah" (From the album '1+3+1')

"Some of the Deepest laziest music you'll hear"

Marbert Rocel - "The Harder They Come" (From the album 'Speed Emotions')

"Beautifully Melancholy mood piece"
Stafraenn Hakon - "Safi" (From the album '...skettir Edik a ref')

"Smooth Guitar based track"

Tortoise - "Night Air"

"Low slung downtempo"

Markus Guentner - "Soften Edges" (From album Lovely Society)

"Stand out track from a good House album"

The Mercury Program - "The Secret To Quiet"

"Superb Post Rock from a superb band"

Hird - "Burn" (From the album 'Moving On')

"Twisted downtempo funk"

AGCD021 Various Artists "The Main Course" (Audio Gourmet mixed compilation)

CD One, 'The Starter' was the appetiser for this three-course meal. It served as a gentle introductory course to a three-CD series that spans many different flavours and textures.

The 'Main Course' delves much deeper than 'the starter' with its dense textures and subtle ingredients. It is not easy to digest and only the connosieurs will 'get it'. Some of you will find its flavours too unusual a blend that you may never try it again. Yet some will find it unobtrusive, charming and beautiful...coming back for many more helpings in years to come!

http://www.archive.org/details/AudioGourmet-MainCourse23

INGREDIENTS:

001A Audio Gourmet "Misappropriation"

'Suffocated industrial noise sounds'

001B Lum "Redanemone"

'Subtle quirky deepness'

002 Nunc Stans "Land"

'Cinematic atmospheres'

003 Pseudophone "Walkabout"

'Mysterious tribal ambience'

004 Jari Ylamaki "Somnium Est Imago Mortis"

'Minimalist forest funk'

005 Tlon "Farewell"

'Bass-heavy Ambient medley'

006 Off The Sky "Mileece's Reduction"

'Sweet and mellow soundscape'

007 Motionfield "Arcipelago"

'Deep downtempo loops'

008 Roland Fiege & DFO "Exchange"

'Deep hazy minimalism'

009 Anders Ilar "Then It Happens"

'Drones, bass and micro-loops.'

010 Ferenc Vaspoeri "Tibrukila Tree"

'Electronic elevator jam'

011 Osso Bucco "Four Walls"

'Glitchy Folkcore'

012 Zvezdara "Still Life At Sunrise"

'Melancholy electro acoustic finale'

You may have enjoyed that. Room for more? Search for the artists in Google; you'll be amazed at how much more you can find!

AGCD020 AUDIO GOURMET "Subconscious Substance"

At last, Audio Gourmet's third album 'Subconscious Substance' is out on Webbed Hand Records and available for free download.

"This is an album to play when you are sitting alone, reminiscing about bygone times. Subtle, restful melodies and sounds of nature guide the mind to positive, yet nostalgic reveries."

http://www.webbedhandrecords.com/wh112-audio-gourmet-subconscious-substance/

TRACK ORDER:
01 Garden’s Apex (03:52)
02 7 Minutes Of Peace (07:23)
03 October (09:39)
04 Preserving The Obsolete (07:49)
05 Forgotten Dreams (03:30)
06 Subconscious Substance (09:47)
07 25 Years On (07:22)
08 Underlying The Mind (04:59)
09 The Future [Bonus Drone] (12:57)

Recorded and Produced by H. Towell
Cover Photo by B. Towell
Total Time: 01:07:18

"This album is themed around the idea of nostalgia, the subconscious and distant memories; that strange intangible feeling triggered by a familiar stimulus. The brain associates these stimuli with a dormant memory in the brain. Sometimes, these memories can be relived clear as day…others so feint a glimmer that you cannot possibly comprehend what your brain is trying to tell you. This album should hopefully capture the essence of nostalgia, and also serve as a preservation for the sound that I have lifted from every day life."

(1) Garden’s Apex
"Some of the faintest of memories lie in childhood. It will seem a natural process to explore as time presses on and you grow older, yet for children the first experience of this begins within their own back-garden."

(2) 7 Minutes Of Peace
"This track is an effort to preserve and transport the listener to the amazing level of peace I felt as I wandered around Caldey Island, near Tenby, Wales. The piece accurately captures the sheer tranquility and general aura of the island, and shall serve as a vivid nod of nostalgia for as long as I live."

(3) October
"It is October, late Autumn, and winter begins to draw near. The familiar scent of burning wood reminds us of many a year gone by. The leaves have turned, shrivelled and dropped, leaving our trees bare once again as yet another year passes."

(4) Preserving The Obsolete
"A well looked after piano can last over a century, outliving most human beings. It was my usual walk home from lunch, past the auction rooms, where I was to discover the piano. It was left out for the skip, discarded and disused. I decided to come back when nobody was around and see if I could squeeze any last sounds from it before it were to be condemned to the tip forever. I can be unsure of the age of this piano, but try to imagine the lives that it has touched? The people who have played on it? The people listening? Its past owners?"

(5) Forgotten Dreams
"We spend days, months, years sleeping and dreaming. During which, all of our thoughts and past experiences are regurgitate and merged together to create surreal experiences that for just a moment, seem real. Each time we go to bed, for the hours that we spend sleeping, our brain creates a subconscious existence within our mind. Only a fraction of this will be remembered vividly. For the rest of our life, these forgotten dreams can only be faintly relived…just for a split second."

(6) Subconscious Substance
"The subconscious substance - the brain’s basement of memories, events and past experiences, forgotten. We only revisit them for a split second, when a familiar stimulus triggers a sudden moment of unexplained nostalgia."

(7) 25 Years On
"In just a 25 year lifespan, a village, town or city can change considerably. Imagine revisiting somewhere you have not been 25 years on…Old buildings are destroyed, new ones are built. The size of the place can grow, the shops and businesses can change and the whole place will seem rather unfamiliar in comparison to the way you remember it. Yet, in and amongst all this change, a few things remain unchanged and familiar.All of this change is difficult to comprehend, as the memories you hold so fondly seem like yesterday. It is only when you look how you too have changed and what has happened in your life that you will realize the magnitude of time that has elapsed."

(8) Underlying The Mind
"Inside our minds, there are many negative aspects that we are constantly battling with. Doubts, regrets and things we’d have done differently, just eating away at us. An optimist will try to put these niggling pessimistic thoughts to the depths of their subconsciousness. However, regardless, from time to time the thoughts will creep up to the surface of our minds and infect our dreams…"

(9) The Future [BONUS DRONE]
"This track was included on the album at the last minute and is an edited version of a 25 minute piece. This quiet reflective track serves as a window into the boundless and unknown future. It is quite easy as humans with our advanced brains to ponder upon the past, but it is fascinating that the future and what will happen is a complete mystery. Even more mysterious and intangible than nostalgia itself…"

–H. Towell

AGCD019: AUDIO GOURMET "The Starter" (CD 1/3)

This Audio Gourmet blogspace has been used to tracklist/inform on the various CDs we've put together and given away over the last six months or so. We've had mostly Ambient music CDs/mixes, some trip-hop, mellow/cinematic electronica, a couple of bits of House and finally, I've put together the first full-length Downtempo/chillout mix CD.

It will form part of a three-disc mix series showcasing a different range of styles with each mix. The first, 'The Starter' explores the downbeat tempo range with a collage of deep dubby rhythms and funky beats. It will serve as a nice follow up to fans of the previous Plethorama series, yet with one bonus - it has a downloadable mix file!!

http://www.archive.org/details/AudioGourmet-TheStartercd13

TRACKLISTING AS FOLLOWS:
01 RHYTHM & ROOTS "Portland Woodchamber"
02 INNER CITY SOUL "Autostadt"
03 NIKOBELLA "Asleep In Riad"
04 JAZZANOVA "Place In Between"
05 TERRENCE PARKER "Once I Was Lost"
06 KENN STARKS "Fly Away"
07 FLYING LOTUS "Mages Sages"
08 GROOVECATCHER "Cafe De Plage"
09 JASMON "Prince Of Persia"
10 MATT BALZAN "The Agent"
11 RITHMA "Opium Dreams"
12 BLACKFISH "Delta"
13 FOREIGN TERRAIN "Hessia"
14 MAXIMILIAN LOOP "Close To The Edge"

The very most important thing I hope that you get from this CD is enjoyment of course and hopefully gain enthusiasm for this type of music. The artists are the real talent, not me! I may have spent a long time searching for/discovering this music, but the artists are the ones who have produced the material and I hope that people will use this mix series as a spring-board in discovering/searching into the artists themselves. So...all that waffling basically means:

SUPPORT THE ARTISTS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE LABELS!!!!!

AGCD018 "TRANSIENT UNIVERSE" An Audio Gourmet Mix

"Transient Universe - Everyone has off days...have we ever wondered WHY?"

Download/Stream: http://www.stillaudio.com/2008/08/still-audio-26-transient-universe

Transient Universe refers to the universe not being fixed, as most imagine. It is the idea that the universe is constantly expanding and contracting at a varying rate. With this, the theory has it that our moods and emotions change in accordance with these contractions.
Everybody will remember times when they felt they had more energy, more confidence and optimism in a particular situation...and equally they will remember the times when they just haven't felt up to it. Often, these feelings are unexplainable, as there is not necessarily a reason for us being suddenly optimistic/pessimistic.
Think of a human striving for a dream or goal and whilst usually remaining confident, the next day they wake up feeling they're just not good enough to make the grade.
The Transient Universe theory explains that this sporadic fluctuation in mood is a completely natural process...

So, with this theory in mind and being a popular topic of discussion amongst my friends, I've decided to put together a mix to capture the essence of our ideas.
This quiet, half-hour Ambient mix wavers gently and smoothly between differing Ambient moods, encapsulating the theory that our mood can shift along with the expanding and contracting of the universe.

To make the mix, I downloaded a copy of Acoustica mp3 Mixer and began selecting a few tracks, some metal clangs, thunder samples, rain recordings and other field recordings to create this audio collage.

A special thanks goes out to Peter Goddard for supplying the coverart image; as soon as I stumbled accross it on Facebook I knew it would be suitable for a project at some point...this one seems to fit nicely - thanks!

Another thankyou - I'd like to commend Simon at www.stillaudio.com for featuring this mix as a podcast on the Still Audio site. It's an excellent place for keepingin touch with a wide range of electronic music styles, from netlabels around the world. Thanks again Simon!

The tracklisting, which follows, cannot be fully accurate, as in most areas of the mix there are subtle field-recording underscores...The tracks are in the right order, at least.

KEVIN KREBS - "The Blue Concubine & I" [Audio Gourmet Short Edit]
[Audio Gourmet field recordings]
MOTIONFIELD - "Sounds From A Lonely Forest"
[Audio Gourmet field recordings]
KENNETH KIRSCHNER - "25th of January, 1997"
[Audio Gourmet field recordings]
MORTESIUM - "Dream State"
[Audio Gourmet field recordings]
AUDIO GOURMET - "Untitled Drone #1"
[Audio Gourmet field recordings]
THE GREEN KINGDOM - "Epic Toadlick"
POCKA - "Dao"
CON CETTA - "2.53"
[Audio Gourmet field recordings]

AGCD017 Audio Gourmet "Ergonomic Cacti E.P"

A return to Audio Gourmet production work, and we have something very different here in this next E.P. Fusing his previous experimental work as Audio Gourmet with his House/techno sound, Harry has put together this 3-tracker featuring some more beat orientated tracks.

First up, is title track 'Ergonomic Cacti'. True to its name, the track is quite prickly in nature, in the way that it's quite difficult to listen to - it's difficult to easily define its tempo and the loops leave you wondering whether they fit the beat. Yet, there are elements that just fuse it all together in a very 'ergonomic' way.
Harry then provides a House remix which focuses on a more solid beat structure.
Finally, there is a remix of a track of an old album, 'Challenging Perception' called 'Trees'.

Will from Kaiser Productions is in fine form again, having produced the covering artwork for this release.

TRACKLISTING:
(1) Ergonomic Cacti (Original 'Minimal' Version)
(2) Ergonomic Cacti (Harry Salsava House Remix)
(3) Trees (Harry Salsava Treemix)

AGCD016 - Harry Salsava "Journey Through The Deep"

This CD has been one of my favourite projects since getting into music, so I thought I really ought to post a link to it for all to hear.
The CD was made in the long, hot summer of 2006 and has since been one of my best ever mix CDs. It was off the back of this mix that I managed to secure a gig and regular slots for the Dig Deep House nights in Peterborough. Although Gino and myself have gone on to play tougher styles and edgier/funkier rhythms, this sCD still serves as a piece of nostalgia, harking back to when it all started.
Before I recorded the mix, I took some time preparing the tracks and transitions. Usually, I record on the fly, but this time I wanted to take time compiling the CD and creating the perfect atmosphere.

My mate Jake uploaded the mix on our old Jucy Fruit website as a promo mix. We don't use the site anymore, but the mix is still hosted fortunately. Feel free to stick it on in the background whilst you're online; if you want a copy, just ask and I'll get one burnt. I would mail it out if anyone was interested from further-afield.
I'll go through the tracks below to perhaps entice you to listen/ask for a copy...

http://www.dookiedownpromotions.co.uk/jucyfruit/jucy.html

(1) TACKLEHEID - "Co Co Maca Stick"
"Extremely Deep atmospheric dub here. The track is off a very good white label e.p, which should be tricky to track down these days..."

(2) CHRIS COCO ft. PETER GREEN - "Albatross" (King Britt Scuba Mix)
"This is a beautiful remix of the classic Fleetwood Mac guitar work of Peter Green. The original is very subtly recognisable under some lovely mellow synths."

(3) FURRY PHREAKS - "Lament For A Dead Computer" (Part Two)
"Picked this very original record up at 3 Beat records in Liverpool a few years ago. Produced by Charles Webster...it's not typical organic Deep House you'd normally associate with him; it's much more electronic. Very quirky track."

(4) BLU MAR TEN - "Numbers"
"This track follows on nicely, produced by genre-hopping Blu Mar Ten. Another old, but cracking record, with a nice techy feel."

(5) KARMASTRY - "El Chakra" (Spaced Bonus Beats)
"Suddenly from nowhere, you are transported to deepest tribal Africa...these bonus beats add a lot of subtle atmosphere."

(6) MOMENTS OF SOUL - "Delicious" (Dub)
"The first subtle hint of soulful vocals are sprinkled into the mix. Deep twisted House music with a sinister feel."

(7) SMOKESTACK - "Radio Chamber"
"Hugely atmospheric dubby track here with fantastic beats. Wait 'til the wind samples come in..."

(8) Q-BURNS ABSTRACT MESSAGE - "Innocent" (Magik Johnson Guilty Mix)
"Magik Johnson makes superb work of a truly classic piece of House. He's really done something special with this track."

(9) DADDY J & THE FACE - "Electric City" (Ambient City Remix)
"Nice simple track here that moves the mix nicely towards a techy climax."

(10) ABICAH SOUL PROJECT - "The Young Are The Future""This really deep cut comes in excellently. This is JUST how I like my Deep House!"

(11) ELITE FORCE - "Tribe Vibe" (Dub)"The mix CD is technically at its best between the previous track and this. The two tracks are in for ages and work well together. Deep tribal percussion with an excellent bassline in this one..."

(12) JOHN DAHLBACK - "Parkdancer"
"This is a really good track off a really good E.P; very deep detroit Techno to round things off nicely."