even though Endurance's music could barely pass as new age, there's a certain vibe in it, which makes it close to japanese "environmental music", kankyo ongaku. Inner Travels, on the other hand, was also not so esoteric, as new age could be, but more nature-oriented, with album names like Sea of Leaves, Garden Music or Earth Connection. so what we have on this album (which in fact was made 6 years ago) is an interesting blend of environmental minimalism, clearly rooted in the outputs of such giants as Hiroshi Yoshimura and Takashi Kokubo, crystal clear modular electronica which could easily top instagram trends, and sparse asian melodism, where pauses between notes possibly play even bigger role than the notes... the sort of music which tells you more between the lines ~ and that's probably the reason why there are no track names on this tape, only their duration.
the listener is invited to a ceremony, which sometimes echoes ancient sounds of Gagaku music, but these echoes are traveling under the treetops through a refreshing morning scent of coniferous giants. the edge between the natural and electronic is blurred here ~ it doesn't matter if that's cicada or an electric circuit, both being merely an expression of life's energy which always takes numerous forms, only to express one simple thing ~ the beauty. while beauty is an expression of harmony. looking for harmony is a common place for japanese culture and new age movement, as well as for enviromentalism (most obviously) and basically any spiritual practice. but harmony between people or their doings is rarely achieved if it wasn't build on a solid foundation, namely in harmony with Earth itself. dedicating this [not too modern, yet not too retro] music to the ancestors, Endurance & Inner Travels seem to establish an important bridge between future and past, a little bottle note which says "learn from the trees", keep your roots well in the ground and reach out to the skies, to sunlight. as simple as it is.
Showing posts with label joshua stefane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joshua stefane. Show all posts
Sunday, August 18, 2024
endurance & inner travels
in the early 10s, when the cassette format has gained a renewed interest, ambient and new age were the genres to embrace it with the most love. one of the prominent projects of that period was Inner Travels, an alias of Steve Targo, a sound healer and experimentalist from Wisconsin. his albums were released at some of the best of today's new age labels ~ Sounds of the Dawn, Inner Islands and Aural Canyon. meanwhile, on the other side of the Pacific, in Japan, Joshua Stefane under the Endurance alias, released plenty of cassettes as well, exploring the ambient minimalism and running Muzan Editions label together with two friends. guess it was just a matter of time before Steve and Joshua crossed paths in this relatively small world of cassette music but this meeting has brought us something truly beautiful, thanks to another top new age label of our times ~ Golden Ratio Frequencies.
Sunday, February 16, 2020
~ sleeping patterns ~
Music For Sleep is Rosh! Records' Andrea Porcu, who's been quite prolific in the last couple of years, releasing some of the best long-form tunes for relaxed activities and, actually, sleeping. Some may come from new age territories, others are more drone-oriented or even in Indian raga style, but overall it's a perfect soundscapes to fill your room and create a relaxed space for your mind and body to rest and re-energize before a new day. On this latest offering, Andrea creates a beautiful lush of nature sounds and gentle synth loops, swirling and spiraling around in the burbling of water, bird songs and crackling of the campfire. Basically, nothing can go wrong with such a recipe as it was proven since the golden years of the New Age genre and it' always nice to see such tunes being released in 2020, when we need those moments of serenity more than ever.
***
Under this funny name comes a really hypnotizing experience of two long-form drones, stylized to resemble the classic New Age cassettes from 80's ~ Program A for relaxation and Program B for sleep: seemingly static, yet slowly oscillating textures, slowly fading silence and going back from it in a cyclic manner if you put your volume setting right. An artifact from the vaporwave realms, proving that the younger generation is no less interested in getting their sleeping patterns treated. At the same time, you can easily imagine some classic guided meditation practice being narrated over any of the cassette sides and that way it will as modern as all the meditation mobile apps getting more and more attention lately.
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One can do many things using tapes and modular synths but when your mood is set to finding some stillness in the hectic course of days, these are probably the best instruments for creating slowly breathing self-evolving aural organisms, which will require less and give more. The usual minimalism of Japan-based Endurance has been taken even further on this album, which, by the artist's words was meant to serve as a personal background for daily routines. Drowning in tape hiss, textural field recordings and being mostly just a simple set of tones playing an intricate game of interactions that results in harmony, this work proves that things don't really need to be complicated to create a truly beautiful and serene time-place.
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An interesting take on sleeping music is one this cassette by China-based KeepSleep, who defines her genre as ASMR ambient and literally combines elements of both to create quiet and mesmerizing soundscapes full of tiny elements, meant to be perceived in headphones. Unlike classic New Age era binaural programs which were supposed to interact with your brain wave patterns, the ASMR aims to a different ability of our mind to react specifically to the certain sounds, happening in the stereo panorama around our head. And while the science behind that can still be discussed, the tape works perfectly to its name ~ making you feel completely relaxed when it's time for bed.
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Forest Management must be no stranger to anyone following the ambient cassette scene, especially considering his super-prolific output, but, more importantly, the sound palette the project creates throughout its releases. Warm drones and gentle melodies appear as if coming from nowhere and fade into the oblivion of tape hiss, capturing the moments of fragile serenity. Yet, it stays there even when the music is over, so it works perfectly even only as a precursory listening before going to bed or simply daydreaming when you got that rare opportunity. A hazy vibe of pleasantly lulling melodic noise, that's what basically this short tape is and somehow it makes every moment of it kind of special.
Saturday, December 29, 2018
~ sounds of 2018 as seen by artists ~
Greetings dear readers of Microphones in the Trees! This year we weren't so active and there are so many reasons for that, real life mostly. But we continue to discover new music and constantly listening to lots of sounds! Being a bit unsure about the importance of end-of-year lists, we were intrigued when Steve Targo (of Inner Travels) approached us with the idea to ask some of our favorite artists to make their own lists. Such way it seems right, not to impose our own vision spoiled by countless albums and everyday Bandcamp browsing (though we'll post such list too, hah!), but to give the opportunity to see things from the inside and let musicians tell what they are listening to.
So, here it goes, THE LIST OF THE LISTS, inspiring and important sounds of 2018:
So, here it goes, THE LIST OF THE LISTS, inspiring and important sounds of 2018:
By Daryl Groetsch ~ Pulse Emitter ~
Poemme ~ Moments in Golden Light (Constellation Tatsu)
Jatinder Singh Durhailay & David Edren ~ Tea Notes (Earth.Rope.Pot.Plant)
PJS ~ Sweet La Vie (Leaving Records)
Endurance ~ Cloud, Castle, Lake (Cosmic Winnetou)
Inner Travels ~ Yonder (Sounds of the Dawn)
Max Corbacho ~ Nocturnes II (SilentSun)
Kyle Landstra ~ Within / Without (Muzan Editions)
Guenter Schlienz ~ Tristan Magnetique (Otomatiek Music)
Seabat ~ Outside The Disc (Vestibule)
Various Artists ~ Switched-On Eugene (Numero Group)
~~~
Felicia Atkinson & Jefre Cantu Ledesma ~ Limpid as the Solitudes (Shelter Press)
Alex Zhang Hungtai ~ Divine Weight (NON Worldwide)
Tess Roby ~ Beacon (Italians Do It Detter)
Pendant ~ Make Me Know You Sweet (West Mineral Ltd.)
Grouper ~ Grid of Points (Kranky)
Low ~ Double Negative (Sub Pop)
Markus Floats ~ Second Album (Self-Released)
Adrianne Lenker ~ Abysskiss (Saddle Creek)
Lucrecia Dalt ~ Anticlines (RVNG Intl.)
By Michael Potter ~ The Electric Nature & \\NULL|Z0NE// ~
Yuzo Iwata ~ Daylight Moon (Siltbreeze)
Obnox ~ Templo del Sonido (Astral Spirits)
Sunwatchers ~ II (Trouble in Mind)
Mountain Movers ~ Pink Skies (Trouble in Mind)
Rosali ~ Trouble Anyway (Scissor Tail)
Low ~ Double Negative (Sub Pop)
Charalambides ~ Tom and Christina Carter (Drawing Room)
Daniel Bachman ~ The Morning Star (Three Lobed Recordings)
Weeping Bong Band ~ s/t (Feeding Tube)
Ramble Tamble ~ Outlaw Overtones (Eiderdown)
~~~
By Natasha Home ~ Sunmoonstar, Pearl and the Oysters & A Thousand Tones curator ~
Wizard Apprentice ~ I Am Invisible (Ratskin Records)
Yialmelic Frequencies ~ Yililok (Leaving Records)
Raw Silk ~ Raw Silk (Ehse Records)
Nakayama Munetoshi ~ Floating to Kill Time (Terminal Dream)
Laura Ortman ~ THE DISREMEMBER DANCER // DIG YOUR EYES (Ehepik Records)
Kate NV ~ для FOR (RVNG Intl.)
The Person ~ Tide Life (Moontown Records)
Laurel Halo ~ Raw Silk Uncut Wood (Latency Recordings)
Sarah Davachi ~ Gave in Rest (Ba Da Bing)
By Matthew Hanner, Aural Canyon Label ~
r beny ~ eistla (self-released)
Paparbark ~ Last Night (Seil Records)
Remember ~ The City Is My Friend (Dream Catalogue)
Future Museums ~ Rosewater Ceremony (Holodeck)
Dedekind Cut ~ Tahoe (Kranky/Hospital Productions)
Steve Hauschildt ~ Dissolvi (Ghostly International)
John Carroll Kirby ~ Meditations On Music (Leaving Records)
Yialmelic Frequencies ~ Yililok (Leaving Records)
~~~
By Daniel Guillen ~ Lunaria ~
Alex Crispin ~ Open Submission (Constellation Tatsu)
Ashan ~ Far Drift Afield (Inner Islands)
Endurance ~ Shade Terrarium (Constellation Tatsu)
Inner Travels ~ Yonder (Sounds of the Dawn)
Kyle Landstra ~ Within / Without (Muzan Editions)
Max Corbacho ~ Nocturnes II (SilentSun)
Oliwa ~ Lost Memories (Geology Records)
Poemme ~ Moments in Golden Light (Constellation Tatsu)
Pulse Emitter ~ Xenharmonic Passages (Expansive)
William Basinski & Lawrence English ~ Selva Oscura (Temporary Residence)
~~~
By Camilla Padgitt-Coles ~ Ivy Meadows/Energy ✩/Tropical Rock ~
Omni Gardens ~ West Coast Escapism (Holodeck Records)
Jatinder Singh Durhailay & David Edren ~ Tea Notes (Earth.Rope.Pot.Plant)
Yialmelic Frequencies ~ Yililok (Leaving Records)
VA ~ A Thousand Tones Volume 2 (Elestial Sound)
Ramble Tamble ~ Outlaw Overtones (Eiderdown)
Louise Bock ~ Repetitives in Illocality (Feeding Tube Records)
Nick Stevens ~ The New Age (Galtta Tapes)
Arp ~ Zebra (Mexican Summer)
Jon Hassell ~ Listening To Pictures (Pentimento Volume One) (Ndeya)
By Joshua Stefane ~ Endurance, Muzan Edition label ~
Matthias Puech ~ Alpestres (Hands in The Dark)
Meitei / 冥丁 ~ Kwaidan / 怪談 (Evening Chants)
Pulse Emitter ~ Xenharmonic Passages (Expansive)
Nicholas Langley ~ Entropy Soundtracks & Ambients Volume 2 (Third Kind Records)
April Larson ~ Hopeless Variations (Pyramid Blood)
Equip ~ Synthetic Core 88 (100% Electronica)
PJS ~ Glows (Pyramid Blood)
oliviaway ~ Ambition (Self-released)
N Chambers ~ Eight Informal Lines (Self-released)
Bana Haffar ~ Matiere (Self-released)
~~~
By Sean Conrad ~ Inner Islands/Channelers/Ashan ~
Ava Lux ~ Soft (Self-released)
De Leon ~ De Leon (Mana)
Emily A. Sprague ~ Mount Vision (Self-released)
Inner Travels ~ Yonder (Sounds of the Dawn)
Kenji Kihara ~ 点 線 面 - ten sen men (Self-released)
Laraaji ~ Vision Songs Vol 1 (Numero Group)
Pendant ~ Make Me Know You Sweet (West Mineral Ltd.)
Tuluum Shimmering ~ Dancing in the Seven Skies (Tuluum Shimmering Records)
Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar ~ Ragas Abhogi & Vardhani (Ideologic Organ)
Yialmelic Frequencies ~ Yililok (Leaving Records)
~~~
By Steve Targo ~ Inner Travels ~
Zazz ~ Soft Harbinger / Channelers ~ Enclosure / Channelers ~ Entrance to the Next (Inner Islands)
Ashan ~ Far Drift Afield (Inner Islands)
Electric Sound Bath ~ The Forces (Patient Sounds)
Starbirthed ~ Gems 1: Liquid Crystals (auasca)
Tuluum Shimmering ~ The One That Touched the Sky (Tuluum Shimmering Records)
Jatinder Singh Durhailay & David Edren ~ Tea Notes (Earth.Rope.Pot.Plant)
Pulse Emitter ~ Xenharmonic Passages (Expansive)
Deuter ~ Sattva Temple Trance (New Earth)
Lunaria ~ Water Mind (ПANΘEON)
~~~
By Yuta Kudo ~ Rhucle/Alien Garage label ~
Chihei Hatakeyama ~ Afterimage (White Paddy Mountain)
Taylor Deupree ~ Fallen (12k)
Hikaru Utada ~ 初恋 (Sony Music)
Puppy Seed ~ Lost at Sea (Shimmering Moods)
Federico Durand ~ Pequeñas Melodías (IIKKI)
Jim O’Rourke ~ Sleep It’s Like Winter (Newhere Music)
No Death ~ Angel Tech (Dream Catalogue)
Mike Nigro and Andrew Oosterhoudt ~ Latitudes (Constellation Tatsu)
Mariah Carey ~ Caution (Epic Records)
Lee Noble ~ Q (Longform Editions)
~~~
Huge thanks to everyone involved! Let inspiration be with you!
Huge thanks to everyone involved! Let inspiration be with you!
Support independent music, spread love!
Happy New Year =)
Happy New Year =)
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
constellation tatsu ~ spring batch
Being already known for his Sounds of the Dawn release, Alex Crispin is not a newcomer in electronic music creation. His portfolio includes such clients as BBC and Royal Academy of Arts, and even without knowing that fact, simple listening through 'Open Submission' proves the professional attitude and top-notch composition. Without being lo-fi drone-ambient or hazy vaporwave it still fits Constellation Tatsu catalog perfectly, adding one more direction to the infinitely growing, enchantingly shimmering continuum of this wonderful label. Gentle touches of electric guitar melodies, pipe organ lines and sparkling synths – everything one can expect from the good ambient music is present here. What truly amazes is how laconic this album is, it goes through many moods, keeping the journey short yet impressive. Considering the usual continuance in the genre, this is a mastery one can envy! A bit melancholic in a very good way, this tape takes you through giant halls full of light and colorful glares, through dimly lit caves and wide open shoreline landscapes... It brings the sense of something everlasting, something elusive yet really important. I'd call it inevitable effulgence of all things seen from the bigger perspective... But you can see it yourself once you're there.
~~~
Hatakeyama-sensei is definitely a hard worker in terms of proficiency to create sound blankets so cozy that once experienced you'll never want to part with them. It's always melodic in a sense drone music can be, yet velvety enough to loose attention on the music itself and fall through it's surface way-way deeper – to your own self, to the very core of that neurological process which defines music for our mind. What is extrinsic noise and what is music – this question bothered enough composers and philosophers, but in the end of the day intuition always wins. We can spend hours and days debating such moments, but listening to something like this tape instantly answers all these questions without words. It simply exists, that very feeling of music, of melody, of some sensation channeled through sound. It can be straightforward or abstract, but it can also be just a feeling. Basic enough for everyone to understand. Or to feel, because understanding is more about rational ways, while what I'm talking about is truly intuitive. Maybe it's some kind of Zen mastery, but listening to this tape I truly believe that I experience absolutely same sate of mind which its creator had. So I'd even don't call him creator but a medium. Gate opener to some fundamental state of being and feeling. And it's more than nice to be there.
~~~
One more Sounds of the Dawn artist and fellow contributor to our blog Daniel Guillén aka Lunaria specializes in wide-open ambient landscapes and healing drones, in case of this tape combining them with nature sounds and choral spheres which reflect album's title and brilliant artwork just perfectly. Immediate sensation of something stellar happening spirals here up and down with enough harmonic saturation to bring gentle psychedelic effect. Something similar to which I always admired in David Parsons and Mathias Grassow's pioneering works, and in the ambient new age in general – heady drones lifting your mind up from the routine and small thoughts. Up to the planes of pure experience of the moment, to acceptance of things how they are right here and right now... Wait, that's exactly what album title says! Okay, guess it's inevitable for an ingrained spiritual drone listener like me to experience such things, but I'd take it as a good sign. Sing of quality and harmony – when every detail adds to the whole, when everything is on its own place. Travelling through never-ending spirals and fractal ornaments of this album one may truly ascend to a higher scale view – simply to behold that it was a mandala, a beautifully crafted space with bigger meaning than the sum of its parts. That meaning is wordless for me, so yes, it's all about intuitive knowledge again. Just ascend to it!
~~~
Endurance was a recent discovery for me and now its tapes are on my heavy-rotation-shelf, simply because of the feeling of endlessness they bring. Whichever release I listen to, it leaves me with the this infinite feeling of longing to something which cannot be reached – yet knowing that the process of reaching it is everything I truly want from life. "Music to heal imaginary persons" – states release page and guess that's the kind of healing this music does. Not just peace of mind or relaxation, but a reminder about that aspiration. When forgotten, it leaves routine only. But just one hint and once again this feeling grows, the inevitability of looking outside the picture. It may sound kind of sad, giving the connotations of such words as "longing". But same happens when I'm alone with nature, somewhere deep in the woods or on the sea shore (and this tape is wonderfully filled with natural sounds here and there) – sense of disunity with nature on some very basic level, impossibility of simply be, like grass, like water, knowing nothing but days and nights... This feeling that since I'm human being, I'm condemned to think, to interact, to know more than any animal needs... And to seek for even more. Okay yes, it is kinda sad. Yet, it is a gift, a purpose, an ability to dwell in many places simultaneously – right here, in my mind, in my idea of me in my mind, in my imagination, in probabilities and variants which never happen in the real world... Like the music here. It reflects the world, yet it creates another one. And the more attentive you are to it, the more detailed and real in becomes. Your personal music-induced reality. And it brings something which never happened in nature, in artist's life or imagination, even in you. Newness is everything we want, somewhere deep inside knowing that it is eternal return to the place where nothing ever happened. Maybe that's what Shade Terrarium stands for.
~~~
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