This Months Most Played...

Scubadevils

What are all you experimental type folk listening to at the moment, lets say just this month given that we are half way through, what 5 albums have been getting the most play, be they old or new...

For me its been a mixed bag of electronica, jazz and classical - in no order, these are some of the most frequently played this month.

1. Wisp - The Shimmering Hour (I only got this yesterday but had to play it twice in the car today, really great album, highly recommended)

http://www.discogs.com/Wisp-The-Shimmering-Hour/release/1748111

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfb04Fvpk0k

2. Jon Hassell - Power Spot (experimental jazz, could well be the Orb if they had been around in the mid 80's. Eno also involved, excellent album)

http://www.discogs.com/Jon-Hassell-Power-Spot/release/104233

No youtube examples unfortunately!

3. Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet (have this several months but have only really given it frequent play this month, wow!)

http://www.discogs.com/Tim-Hecker-Harmony-In-Ultraviolet/release/757715

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE37ihb8ot8

4. Arvo Part - Alina (one I have been meaning to check out for ages now and what a spectacular album to start with. Looking forward to more but a tad daunting as to where next as there seems to be a lot)

http://www.discogs.com/Arvo-Pärt-Alina/release/896503

A shorter version on youtube to that of the album...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtFPdBUl7XQ

5. Speedy J - !ive (I was in London earlier this month and had encoded the complete Warp Artificial Intelligence series for listening to over and back - I started in Dublin Airport with the first in the series, 'Various Artists - Artificial Intelligence' and worked my way through the series between planes, trains, tubes and walking and managed to get through the complete series. When I got back I was keen to see what else I may have missed from the likes of Speedy J and found an album he did on Harthouse called '!ive' - picked up a copy 2nd hand via Amazon and was well worth the ten odd euro)

http://www.discogs.com/Speedy-J-ive/master/40105

Not the live version but a great example of classic Warp Speedy J...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk0cAsbcvzs

Scubadevils

How could I forget given that I've listened to it almost every night so as to delve deep into it and finally discovered the charm buried under all those layers of sound... There will have to be a number 6 added to my list.

Moritz Von Oswald Trio - Vertical Ascent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amNm6F5Ey44

cornbb

I haven't listened to a lot of very Experimental stuff at all in the last few weeks (with the exception of seeing Kronos Quartet in Galway on tuesday..)

Experimental-ish stuff would have been -
Burial - Untrue
Guy Boratto - Chromophobia
Basic Channel - BCD
Do Make Say Think - & Yet & Yet (<-- I really love this album, post-rock at its absolute best)
ZEN CD - a retrospective (Ninja Tune compilation)

Other stuff would have included Sigur Ros, The Pixies, Fugazi, Mahler's 2nd Symphony, Richie Hawtin, and of course Michael Jackson

John

I've been listening to Gavin Bryars' The Sinking of the Titanic a lot lately (mainly the LTM reissue of the 1990 live performance but other versions too). Can't think of anything else that I'm listening to in particular, I listen to a lot of stuff and tend not to play the same albums over and over again.

buck65

I'm all over the place at the moment -Boards of canada, Sunn 0))), Bike for three, Sakura, Erik Friedlander, Eno - Apollo -need new music BAD

fits

I'm absolutely obsessed with Steve Reich's 'Music for 18 Musicians' right now.

Also been listening to Gavin Bryars 'sinking of the titanic' and Aphex Twin's 'drukqs'. Patrick Wolf as well.

Others on the list right now are Orbital 'In sides', Sin Fang Bous and Mum from Iceland, Kronos Quartet doing Philip Glass (and I'll be adding Ghost Opera and The Cusp of Magic to the collection after Monday), Nine Inch Nails.

I'm loving music at the moment.

Scubadevils

I love 'Music For 18 Musicians' first thing in the morning before I've heard anything else, and by that I mean no other real sounds such as radio, family in the house, TV etc. I have woken a few times early on a Saturday morning before the wife or kids and listened to Music for 18 Musicians from start to finish - a really amazing experience, worth a try for those who own it - make sure not to pollute your ears with anything else first... :pac:

I have tried other albums which have also been pretty special but this Reich album really sticks out for some reason.

cornbb

A friend of mine described hearing it live in the NCH a few years ago. It really blew his mind, a lot of notes just come out of nowhere, they are beautiful side effects of the notes which are explicitly played (metamusic - definition here). Its great to listen to on CD but I'm sorry I missed that concert.

Scubadevils

fits wrote: »

I'm absolutely obsessed with Steve Reich's 'Music for 18 Musicians' right now.

Also been listening to Gavin Bryars 'sinking of the titanic' and Aphex Twin's 'drukqs'. Patrick Wolf as well.

Others on the list right now are Orbital 'In sides', Sin Fang Bous and Mum from Iceland, Kronos Quartet doing Philip Glass (and I'll be adding Ghost Opera and The Cusp of Magic to the collection after Monday), Nine Inch Nails.

I'm loving music at the moment.

I haven't listened to 'In Sides' in ages, great album... Thanks for the reminder.

'Adnan's' from that album is without doubt one of my (many!) favourites from Orbital - for any that may not know it, have a blast...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmNW-AChZd8

Another Orbital track that has remained very special to me and is also a favourite is 'Kein Trink Wasser' from Snivilisation. Oh the memories of listening to this as teenager, the years feckin fly by...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSZmQdvJA6A

Scubadevils

cornbb wrote: »

A friend of mine described hearing it live in the NCH a few years ago. It really blew his mind, a lot of notes just come out of nowhere, they are beautiful side effects of the notes which are explicitly played (metamusic - definition here). Its great to listen to on CD but I'm sorry I missed that concert.

Would love to hear it performed live, I'd say it was amazing.

Thanks for the link re metamusic, interesting read... with lots more in that too.

fits

I'm just going through the youtube links now. Really like the sound of Wisp. Never new that tune was by Arvo Part, and that speedy J tune is absolutely awesome!

Nice links Felix

Kein Trink Wasser was my first favourite from Snivilisation, then 'Attached'. 'Are We Here' is my favourite at the moment though. If I had to choose I would say thats my favourite album ever. I think its really aged well.

Scubadevils

fits wrote: »

I'm just going through the youtube links now. Really like the sound of Wisp. Never new that tune was by Arvo Part, and that speedy J tune is absolutely awesome!

Nice links Felix

Kein Trink Wasser was my first favourite from Snivilisation, then 'Attached'. 'Are We Here' is my favourite at the moment though. If I had to choose I would say thats my favourite album ever. I think its really aged well.

If you like the Speedy J tune and don't already have anything by him, be sure to pick up both 'Ginger' and G-Spot' - both spectacular albums...

http://www.discogs.com/Speedy-J-Ginger/release/3613

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p-NY3tzM7Q

http://www.discogs.com/Speedy-J-G-Spot/release/3616

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NTxpBwLsdw

His sound got a lot tougher in the late 90's/2000 which I love also but may not be everyones cup of tea! This for example from his album 'A Shocking Hobby' in 2000 -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9358xriHR0

I'm a massive fan though of Speedy J ever since his techno of the early 90's.

Snivilisation is a fantastic album alright and I would say has probably stood the test of time the most of all Orbital albums, definitely has aged extremely well.

fits

I actually went to see Speedy J in Amsterdam last November, but I dont have anything by him in my music collection (yet).

So much to listen to, so little time

Scubadevils

fits wrote: »

I actually went to see Speedy J in Amsterdam last November, but I dont have anything by him in my music collection (yet).

So much to listen to, so little time

Cool, never seen him live... good I assume?

Yeah tell me about it, always chasing my tail when it comes to music!

fits

Nathan Fake was on in the other room and I was more into his stuff that night. But I'd go again. The venue - Melkweg - was a little too large and superclub-like for my taste.

Terry Cotta

Saturday Index - Partly Cloudy on the Archaic Horizons label . All the releases are free. Some nice stuff to be got.

Started listening to Wisp recently and found this nice rework.

Oh and this Nathan Fake one...

Scubadevils

I was a bit unsure when I saw a remix of Heliosphan, especially given that its one of my favourite tracks from Aphex Twin but that is bloody good, stayed true to the original in that its dark and moody but given it a new twist in its sound... very nice.

TheBandit

I really like that first wisp tune i have to say. I've got to check out some more of their stuff. I've been hooked on Bartok's piano pieces latley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHtWlw9mYSw&feature=related

Some tortoise too. I had tickets to there gig a while back. I bought them months before and then forgot about the gig...not pleasent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ltDyujqtm4

0ubliette

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj55nG2tkKw

Helios. non stop. amazing

buck65

Photek - Modus operandi
Great record.

Scubadevils

Yeah love that Photek album, had it on in my kitchen recently and my wife didn't appreciate it at all! Love Helios also, and do get away with it the kitchen... safe even for family dinners

Been listening again to the recent(ish) album from Bochum Welt - R.O.B. Some really great tracks.

http://www.discogs.com/Bochum-Welt-ROB-Robotic-Operating-Buddy/release/1241494

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g5H5FIyjwg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4uDxUR8Y4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdNooBW-TEM

Another I have been playing a lot is 'Mind Fuel' by Brain Pilot... a much lesser known IDM act from the 90s. Very talented and I'm surprised how under the radar they have been all these years.

http://www.discogs.com/Brain-Pilot-Mind-Fuel/master/57127

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx3NnDFJNMI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJGCPXfuaU8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4pftjo5HFY

buck65

Got Steve Roach - Midnight Moon - on boards rcommendation- this week, hauntingly beautiful guitar album.
Also listening to Lifeforms a bit too.

bogmanfan

I'm listening to Ameseours' debut, Telepathe's Dance Mother, Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks and, on sunny days, the Avalanches' Gimix.