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Demdike Stare and Andy Votel.
A bobbing, minimal groover from the Berlin corner, dug-in and funked-up over ten minutes; and icily original, top-dog work from Pev, tethered between a kind of arrested Highlife and a Detroit breakout.
Based on recordings by John Abercrombie, Miroslav Vitous, Louis Sclavis, Bennie Maupin, Paul Motian, Arvo Part and co.
‘Developing a sound-world of drifting, otherworldly atmospheres and strange fusion, these Villalobos-Loderbauer collaborations evade easy categorisation, even compared to the former’s genre-twisting solo offerings. The Clouds Know pulls at their backbone, refining a deft and subtle musical noir built on ambient cues, sparks and claps of electricity, brushed drums, black voids and subterranean bass swoops. Erratic, submerged rhythms make way for expansive fields of crisp, uncanny detail; enchanting, humid environments, dense with the chatter of synthesised insects, the gentle rain of drums, whispering cymbals… There’s a twinkle in the eye and moments of deadpan levity, but the overall mood here is sober and introspective.’
‘In the thirteen years since Voices From The Lake I, the duo has performed worldwide, released a handful of EPs, worked on installations, and founded record labels, all while continuing to refine the project’s unique identity. Its core has always been its deep, aqueous approach to sound, a sensibility that returns in full force on II. “The project was never meant to become what it did. At one point, we even paused it. Only to later embrace it in all its forms. II is both a continuation and a reinvention.” True to that spirit, Voices From The Lake have explored extremes in recent years, from high-tempo live sets to seated listening concerts, while remaining anchored in the meditative pulse of ambient techno. II extends this lineage, carrying forward the immersive sound design and boundary-pushing vision that has defined their work from the beginning.’
This landmark album by Donato Dozzy and Neel in full on vinyl for the first time.
‘One of the most pure and absorbing listening experiences in techno… a touchstone in ambient techno, reshaping the global landscape of hypnotic and atmospheric electronic music… A decade on, its quiet intensity, musical storytelling and slowly unfolding tension remain in a class of one. Each sound is meticulously designed and placed, and the spaces left behind are just as important in conveying such a captivating mood and emotion. Rather than traditional kick drums, hi-hats or snares, this is music crafted from layers of real-world sound — dripping water, chirping birds, rustling leaves or a distant breeze — and it’s that which defines the album’s organic allure. From deeply contemplative to cautiously optimistic, pastoral organic scenes to more underwater worlds, Voices From the Lake is a cohesive collection of tracks that add up to one inseparable whole.’
A set of five throbbing, twinkling, oscillating excursions on analogue synth. Cosmic but intriguingly personable. Have a listen!
Nas, Kurtis Blow, Danny Brown, Shabazz Palaces, The Roots, El-P, Robert Glasper, No Limit…
Some words from Dynamo Dreesen…
“Have you ever heard of the Eva EP by Web on Fat Cat Records? A few years ago it was my introduction to Web. I knew Fat Cat Records was interesting and diverse, they were known for releasing mainly experimental electronica and psychedelic folk music. The Eva EP by Web was Fat Cat’s start with their label mission from their record shop in central London in 1996. This EP has it all for me! A fusion of jazzy, bouncy, cosmic balearic, warped synth techno.
“Takuya Sugimoto aka Web while an art student in Osaka around 1993 began recording Detroit Techno, Chicago House, Electro and Electronica. He was helped by Ken Inaoka of Syzygy records, one of the first independent techno record labels in Japan, by releasing his first productions. Takuya then continued to release under several aliases, such as COLOGNe, Dja-zz, Gana, Ura Ura and Sammansa.
“While in Japan in 2019, on a 12 day Dresvn tour I was curious to know what had happened to Web. I asked Saito of Newtone Records in Osaka if he knew anything of him?
“Magically a month later Takuya sent me 16 unreleased tracks produced in 1994/95 stored on dat cassettes and forgotten about until now. Of those 16 tracks, eight became The Sound There.”