see you soon

time to take a break, we'll come back, here or there.

drawing: seth neefus

lebeha men

lebeha men ~ garifuna field recordings (no kings, 2012)

"in 2010, No Kings co-founder Stephen Molyneux traveled to Cambodia and made some bewitching field recordings. this year he took a month long sabbatical to Central America, his first and last stop was in coastal Hopkins, Belize where Stephen crafted this follow-up of sorts with locals, the LeBeha Drummers. Garifuna Field Recordings is the group’s second physical release and was made directly onto cassette in single takes by Stephen, and focuses on a performance of two core group members Warren Martinez, Clayton Williams, and their teacher Jabbar Lambey, so they’ve retitled themselves for this release as LeBeha Men, which translates to “The End Men” in Garifuna." no kings

aire pisca! que diría pipo... vuelve stephen molyneux con más grabaciones de campo, cambiando esta vez la humedad camboyana por los ritmos caribeños de belize, un pequeño país de américa central. no os perdáis los vídeos de leBeha drummers

foto via onyx earth

buy | listen

moonwood

moonwood • the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack [arachnidiscs recordings, 2012]

"Atmospheric psychexotica. Pocket sleeve in translucent red lino block printed envelope w/ 3-pack of pin back buttons. From the meditative opener, “So The Darkness Shall Be The Light, And The Stillness Be The Dancing” to the rambling opium den epic of “Where The Flowers Blossom Red”, the album smoulders with Javanese go-go gamelan gongs, smoky Cambodian funk, wicked Celtic ragas, deep Saharan blues, simmering Sufi surf and spacedout Indian soul."arachnidiscs

buy | listen | download

hablar de moonwood es hablar de emoción pura. es zambullirse en un sitio en donde flota todo, con senderos llenos de misterio. además de que también es hablar de arachnidiscs. un sello canadiense que me resulta  como una tienda de chocolates, es difícil decidirse qué edicion comprar porque todo es para babear; no sólo por la música, sino por las ediciones tan personales y únicas . si te encuentras con sed de escuchar música real por favor dale play a títulos como "And the snake shall be your watchman", encantamiento total. ¿cómo no internarse a ese mundo mágico en el que habitan las atmósferas 'psychoexotica' de  moonwood?

fotola: twenty years asleep

monopoly child star searchers

monopoly child star searchers ~ bamboo for two lp (olde english spelling bee, 2010)

"A Night's Creativity. A Parroted Companions guided tour to the most Romantic details of a Jungle's sensbility. Imagine the elements of your most recent landscaped vision coming to life and allowing you to witness a hearts perception of the natural world. Charles Berlitz has reported this eventful experience in the form of a Romantic Poem, and the Star Searchers have invented the soundtrack. Olde English Spelling Bee and Pacific City Sound Visions invite the listener to experience the first Studio album in Pacific City's history! Featuring James Ferraro as Rocco Martini, Lieven Martens of Dolphins Into the Future, and Eva Van Deuren of Orphan Fairytale; Playing the most exotic keyboard melodies this side of a Parrots hotly lit Plumage. This album is the first in series of Romantic Audio recordings that will later include the titles: "Make Mine, Macaw" and "The Garnet Tucan". Do enjoy the excitement of this one of kind journey to Pacific City's Nightlife and relax your mind's physical limitations...." olde english spelling bee

estoy segura de que belafonte, el loro de charles berlitz, se sentiría feliz por haber inspirado estos cuatro poemas musicados de monopoly child star searchers. toda una sinfonía de detalles exóticos y tribales por la que desfilan percusiones repetitivas que laten con el corazón, bongos, bucles melódicos, aves tropicales, arrecifes de coral, cánticos y, claro, sintetizadores analógicos que parecen sacados de viejos documentales marinos. 'bambú para dos' es el tipo de música que consigue sacarte una sonrisa, el lado más alucinado y danzarín de los delfines del futuro y un festín de piscodelia tropical al que se unen encantados james ferraro, lieven moana y eva van deuren. por mucho que me gusten todos y cada uno de los discos de dolphins into the future (desde hace un tiempo escucharlos es una necesidad), lo que realmente me fascina es hasta qué punto charles berlitz o lieven moana son algo más que músicos, todo lo que hacen tiene 'algo', ese algo reconocible desde la primera nota y que siempre me emociona. imposible resistirse a compartir algo tan bonito, puro escapismo musical

buy | download | see

western standards

western standards ~ the siren (sweat lodge guru, 2012)

"out of the swirling murky depths, a shimmering aura rises upward. the source remains hidden beneath dark currents as phosphorescent ripples lap the shoreline. combining atmospheric drones with dissonant guitars and carefully layered electronics, Western Standards paint an audio landscape as inspired by the early pioneers of tape manipulation and minimal composition as it is by contemporary artists use of cutting edge technology" sweat lodge guru

"I am particularly excited about this release as it is somewhat of a departure from my other material: more organic, a bit more drone-y,..." western standards

cara b...yo levito tú levitas él levita

sold out ~ bandcamp
buy at tomentosa

christopher mccandless

 

hace cuatro años dejé una fotografía de christopher mc candless en el blog y una cita de thoreau. en aquel momento, tras ver “into the wild”, tenía a mccandless como a un tipo sanamente envidiable. tras ver el documental “the call of the wild” de ron lamothe, mi punto de vista ha cambiado.

“the call of the wild” es más un documental sobre ron lamothe que sobre chris mccandless, realmente tira de la vida de mc candless para contar la suya apoyado en algún paralelismo. en cualquier caso arroja datos que ayudan a entender mejor la verdadera historia. entre otras cosas te das cuenta que película y documental coincidieron en tiempo, se puede ver al propio sean penn dirigiendo algunas escenas o a todo su equipo en una de las localizaciones. y ahí uno se da cuenta de la mezquindad de sean penn y su equipo cuando prohibieron que todo un pueblo accediese a ser entrevistado por ron lamothe. vale que asumimos un exceso de azúcar en las producciones hollywoodienses, pero en este caso sus artes resultan especialmente deleznables por obstaculizar esa cosa llamada verdad. porque “into the wild” omite, a propósito, datos capitales para entender a mccandless. entre ellos esta atormentada nota que firma como christopher mccandless y no como alexander supertamp.

mccandless murió de inanición (no envenenado), absolutamente desesperado, y no por haberse dado cuenta de que la felicidad sólo existe si es compartida, más bien porque se moría literalmente de hambre y aunque suplicó ayuda, no encontró respuesta. la evolución de la expresión de sus ojos a través de las fotografías es tremendamente esclarecedora, mucho más explícita que cualquier película, documental o post de todo a cien como éste. es inimaginable el sufrimiento de sus últimos días, de sus últimas horas. nada que ver con ese clip almibarado en el final del “producto” seanpenniano.

sigo a teniendo a mccandless como a un tipo romántico que decidió vivir la vida que eligió, algo que difícilmente podemos hacer ninguno de nosotros. aunque esa vida, más que una experiencia mística, fue un suicidio. ser radical no es tirarse la manta a la cabeza y aventurarse a vivir en los bosques de alaska, el mayor desafío es disuadir tu espíritu inconformista en favor de una vida supuestamente menos excitante, pero rodeado de las personas que te quieren, existan, o decidas crearlas. thoreau, tras dos años viviendo en walden, volvió con su familia. ése es el reto, eso es envidiable, sanamente o no.

dolphins into the future

dolphins into the future ~ voyage (cetacean nation cassettes, 2009)

"limited reissue of the two Voyage cassettes, previously released on Skulls Of Heaven and Pacific City. all tracks are remasterd and some are remixed and re-editted."

"Dolphins Into The Future es el proyecto de Lieven Martens, artista belga dueño de Cetacean Nations. como ya pueden imaginar, todo lo relacionado con Lieven y su música se referirá a diversos ambientes acuáticos. es una mezcla entre ambient, algo de tribal y field recordings oceánicos, muy rico de escuchar. Lieven trabaja también como embajador de la Nación Cetácea, un organismo científico reconocido por la mismísima ONU que se dedica a proteger e investigar los Océanos del mundo. es apasionante ver cómo esto se refleja en sus trabajos, mezclando arte y ciencia, muy en la onda de Oneohtrix Point Never y Stellar Om Source, Caboladies, Panabrite... esa onda. disfruten!" vaka

sold out ~ download

ama

ama ~ pearl / grey (lighten up sounds, 2011)

"two lovely and raw smoky-folk droners here, originally presented in the "cassingle" format for your frequent flipping pleasure. this drafty pair of guitar / electronics / vocal arrangements provide an excellent aural backdrop for your deep winter hibernation tactics. sweeping horns, faded finger-picking and pastural feedback drones combine with low frequency rumbles, eerie reverb tank wailing and low volume washes of fuzz to form brief but deeply atmospheric and meditative environments perfect for some of those late february "no-talking" times. put this tape on and sweep the floor. beautiful, psychedelic, simple and real." lps

es una suerte saber que siempre puedes refugiarte en las canciones de matthew himes, su voz suena como si se escapase entre las paredes hasta llegar distorsionada hasta tus oídos. me gusta saber que existe alguien como él, y que de un momento a otro habrá una nueva 'grey', con esa voz extraña, crepuscular, como si fuera un duende atrapado en otra época. saber que está ahí. como cap'n jack o keijo y sus rambling boys

out of print | bandcamp

giant kind

giant kind ~ the story of march (self released, 2012)

"This is a collection of field recordings taken in and around Traverse City. One each day for the month of March as a part of our Fun-A-Day. The recordings were compiled, and I made a fiddle, bell, spoons and black walnut shaker loop track to go along with it." jack hannert

giant kind ~ early harvest, late harvest (self released, 2011)

"wood, meadow, migration, flight, growth, cycle, wildness, sound, bone, sky, aesir, vanir, feather, soil, storm, lake waves, river flow, snow, decomposition, wet leaves, lichens, runes, antler" jack hannert

y después de la tempestad, siempre llega la calma. no sabemos aún si blogger cerrará nuestros 7 años de trabajo, de ser así volveríamos a abrir otro blog porque lo que nos mueve a continuar es el amor por la música, aquí no hay egos, ni victimismo, ni nada por el estilo. aquí prevalece la música y todos los sentimientos intangibles que la rodean. por mucho que la quieran contaminar, la música es libre. celebremos su libertad de la mejor forma posible con, por ejemplo, los field recordings de giant kind y con las palabras que ayer nos envió por email que definen a la perfección el espíritu de este blog.

"sorry to hear about the mediafire trouble. I truly enjoy the blog, and would hate to see it go down because of this. I have bought many albums after downloading and previewing them through you guys. not sure if this will help, or if you will be in to it, but here is a link to my project offering free downloads. post it if you like!"

free download

the exhalers / meadowlands

the exhalers ~ wave reader I.O, II.O & III.O (exo tapes, 2012)

"after releasing under the names Mediafired, JCCG, and Sofa Pits, and establishing his own Exo Tapes as one of young tape labels to watch, the Portuguese chill out maester known as João/Johnny has launched a new project titled The Exhalers. this new material sets about effortlessly hybridizing drone and ambient conventions, as well as digital and analog elements: the recordings were done on an old fostex x28h multitrack cassette machine and prominently features the notoriously bright tones of a casio ctk-495. throw in an army of web art dolphins and you have yourself an aesthetic. the cooing oscillations and digitized cracklings of “~player~” comprise the B side of Wave Reader II.O, which is the second in a series of three tapes. the semi-binaural pulsations are extremely relaxing, so we suggest you put on the good headphones and dive into this seriously blissful stuff." international tapes

buy ~ download

meadowlands ~ cross~sectional studies (exo tapes, 2012)

"to say he starts gathering pace would probably be an overstatement, but compared to the sheer ambient delight of his previous stuff, what our man McGregor aka Meadowlands does here on his very excellent new Cross-sectional Studies tape might be considered a slightly new direction, an exploration into sonic territory that is still very much about texture and intricate soundscaping for the sake of pure experimentation, yet that for the first time, as far as I’m informed, also features something I’m inclined to call, until further notice, an actual rhythm section." nfop

dos nuevas referencias para un sello que acaba de empezar y que nos emociona recibir en nuestro correo. wave reader de the exhalers podría ser otra de esas grabaciones tan cetacean nation cassettes de paisajes acuáticos, no sólo por su música sino también por los entrañables dibujos de delfines y collages de mundos submarinos del interior de la cinta, un auténtico regalo caído del cielo. imagina a duncan cameron flotando ingrávido en una sexta dimensión, añade un poquito de ginjoha tapes, texturas volátiles, teclados lunares y ambientes campestres en un mundo new age...y así hasta casi  llegar con 'cruise booze', 'crystal bird' y 'bubbles to miles' a alcanzar el enigmático mood de un disco irrepetible como 'on sea-faring isolation' de dolphins into the future. imposible no caer rendida y enamorada también ante meadowlands y una portada que invita a sumergirse de lleno, a dejarse hipnotizar por las sensuales postales ambient de 'sonafin' o 'pumpernickles'. lo mismo pero diferente. capas infinitas, texturas flotantes, drones de los que no quieres salir, y una canción en repeat: 'bamboo hearts'.

buy ~ download

reedbeds

reedbeds ~ canary morning (private collection tapes, 2010)

"Reedbeds is the brainchild of calypso-humming, pedal-tweaking, mind-melting guitar-based drone enthusiast Carter Mullin. Canary Morning is getting high, calling in sick, planning your first nap of the day: two pretty morning lullabies."

pajaritos vespertinos, apuntes de guitarras en bucle a muy baja fidelidad, el sonido del mar...melancólico, sencillo, cortito. cara a y cara b, a cada cual más bonita.

foto: mauricio ribeiro

sold out ~ download

alasdair roberts & mairi morrison

que conste antes de empezar que os entiendo perfectamente. nos movemos por el inframundo musical, por el underground del underground, y no por la búsqueda de una estampa poser, más bien por la necesidad de escuchar música auténtica, por aquí desfilan personas que respetan más que nadie la música, no la adulteran, no la maquillan, fluyen en y con ella sin más. por eso hablo de personas y no de artistas, en todo caso hablaría de artesanos. de ahí que asomar el periscopio a la superficie resulte siempre un desafío a nuestros oídos. un desafío que normalmente abandonamos antes de empezar, las producciones aparatosas, el exceso de sal y azúcar en el aderezo, etc... consiguen distraer la atención de lo fundamental, el alma de las canciones. y es injusto, porque el canal por el que reciben mis oídos la música le impide el paso a los últimos discos de bill callahan, nina nastasia, etc... es decir, personas que he admirado durante muchos años, pero aunque a través de las voces flaqueen un poco mis piernas, la instrumentación suele sonar como un elefante en una cacharrería. de ahí que me baje del bus sin haber comprado el ticket.

suelto toda esta chapa porque para mi hay un personaje que no me resulta estridente a pesar de la evolución de los gustos, alasdair roberts. ya hablé y conté en su día el por qué de tal apreciación, soy muy fan. el caso es que al vivir sumergido en el mundillo cd-r me di cuenta el otro día que alasdair roberts había publicado 4 discos a los que aún no había llegado. los ep's "the wyrd meme" (drag city, 2009) y "the ayrtime.org.ep" (ayrtime, 2010) disponible gratis aquí, el disco "too long in this condition" (drag city, 2010) y el 7" "captain wedderburn's courtship (w/karine polwart) / the dowie dens o yarrow (drew wright)" (drag city, 2011). discos los 4 plagados de canciones enormes, sobre todo las cuatro de "the wyrd meme" recuperando el pulso de la discografía anterior a "the amber gathereres", paréntesis luminoso, y "spoils", parentésis más oscuro, que tienen continuidad en "too long in this condition" dónde las segundas voces pesan tanto como las primeras al amparo de arreglos medievales.

que sienta debilidad por alasdair roberts es algo para mi del todo lógico. dice alejandro jodorowsky "somos infinitos. no encarceles a tus semejantes en una definición o etiqueta." y en ese infinito se encierran dentro de cada uno múltiples etiquetas, o rostros como dice el premio nobel de poesía 2011 tomas tranströmer "dentro de mí llevo mis rostros anteriores, como un árbol lleva los anillos de la edad". con este baile de citas quiero decir que dentro de mí resuenan como parte de mi adn el mississipi del algodón, los sintetizadores modulares de planetas por descubrir, los ecos de los bosques reinados por los búhos y como en el caso que nos ocupa, la música tradicional de las islas británicas. desconozco si dentro de mis rostros pasados existe algún pariente del clan mcleod, aunque me gusta pensarlo, lo que sí es evidente es que a mi cabeza no le cuesta imaginar postales de las highlands cuando escucha "the two sisters" por ejemplo.

y con todo esto termino en "urstan" (drag city, 2012) el último disco de alasdair roberts a medias con mairi morrison. un disco al que independientemente de que te guste o no, deberás reconocerle la valentía. porque "urstan" no es un disco, es más un mapa sonoro preocupado en regar las raíces gaélicas. porque el gaélico es el idioma utilizado para cantar por la nativa mairi morrison y por el propio alasdair roberts, un proyecto apadrinado por Ceòl's Craic, club de glasgow dedicado en cuerpo y alma a la difusión del arte gaélico. trabajo de campo recuperando canciones tradicionales del archivo de la escuela de estudios escoceses de glasgow, adaptadas en los arreglos para que resulten atractivas al público contemporáneo. el resultado para mi es maravilloso. soy gallego, es decir, soy celta, todas las sonoridades me suenan familiares, y esto me lleva a pensar en algo que me dijeron cuando fui a grabar a lugo "greta", me decían que si me gustaba tanto la música llegaría un día que buscaría las raíces de la música autóctona para sentirme pleno. y es verdad, ya no me arrugo cuando escucho canciones tradicionales gallegas, pasan los años y consiguen estimularme, aún no he buscado como debiera pero siento que cada vez estoy más cerca de mis rostros pasados. "urstan" es un disco auténtico, frontal, sincero, y está a dos millones de órbitas de distancia de ser cool, de molar. aún con todo creo que deberías darle una oportunidad, la música también debería servir para viajar en el tiempo, para perderse en otras culturas y para entenderlas nada mejor que la música, el lenguaje más universal, aunque las liner notes del disco te darán multitud de pistas. y ya me callo, me voy a "fiullaigean" sin duda la canción que pondré cuando me case, esas cuerdas dicen báilame.

interview & videos

roy orb dmt

roy orb d.mt. ~ doctor of metaphysical healing (moon glyph, 2011)

"with his first Moon Glyph release, Roy Orb beckons you to a peaceful, pleasurable synthetic journey. a certified practitioner with countless years of metaphysical therapy, Roy gives great attention to the hues and textures he prescribes, conjuring sonic salves to balance body and soul alike. close your eyes, breathe deeply and drift away as Oberheim soundwaves carry you to realms of health and wholeness heretofore unimagined. admittedly no sorcerer, but certainly no common “doctor”, Roy Orb materializes healing tones for ailing minds." moon glyph

"como sugiere el título, roy orb está aquí para aliviar tus enfermedades metafísicas. prescribiendo sonidos extraídos del botiquín donde guarda sintetizadores vintage, el buen doctor está dispuesto a combatir cualquier desgaste originado por siglos de nerviosismo existencial." the somethin' else

buy ~ download

inner tube

inner tube (mark mcguire & charles berlitz) ~ s/t (pacific city sound visions, 2012)

"Emeralds guitar eminence Mark McGuire and original hypnagogia superstar and Skaters legend Spencer Clark aka Monopoly Child Star Searchers aka whatever, here operating under his newish moniker Charles Berlitz, with a 45-minute exercise of laid-back, fuzzed-out surf pop that arrives “just in time for the Aussie Summer” and that’s “devoted to sick beaches like Mermaids and Swami’s or Sunset Cliffs and Bondi”. Inner Tube is built around Clark’s slacker rhythms and sees him employing a nice blend of keyboards, drums, vocals and samples all delightfully muffled, while the real focal point of course has to be McGuire’s contemplative, yearning guitar play, a stupendous combination that results in the most incredible dreamlike melancholia musings this side of paradise. the record is inspired by their mutual admiration of surf culture, so it's not surprising that Inner Tube track "mr" is a tribute to the 1980's Australian surfer Mark Richards" nfop

'winner takes it all' es casi puro guitar hero style, ochentera, distinta...pero no te cansas de escucharla. un billete de ida al mundo de los jardines sintéticos de charles berlitz y las guitarras flotantes tan ducktails de mark mcguire. me encanta

foto: beata wilczek

buy ~ download

komodo haunts

komodo haunts ~ low winged, silken plumes (sangoplasmo, 2012)

"It's the debut album by Komodo Haunts. Haunted islands, heat and extremely salt water. Tropical drone in it's best." sangoplasmo

hay discos que no necesitan nada más que un título y una imagen para emocionarte. quiero irme a una isla y trepar por esa palmera de la portada. komodo haunts tienen algo especial que va más allá de una descripción ya de por sí atractiva, drone tropical de fidelidad absolutamente baja. son muchas cosas y muchas otras diferentes, infinitas imágenes se suceden, imágenes de una belleza indescriptible...el aire que respiran algunos discos. hay algo de canción de cuna de vincent caylet, de marlene de nite lite, del fascinante cambodian field recordings de stephen molyneux, samples que fluyen tan naturales que no lo parecen (minuto 5:48 de sky pulled patterns), ritmo pausado, cánticos tradicionales tailandeses lejanos a los que se superponen unos instrumentos que van y vienen, tan orgánicos y a la vez tan difíciles de distinguir, de los que juegan con la memoria porque te transportan a lugares familiares y a la vez irreales, como la percusión de olor food, destartalada y evocadora a más no poder. una maravilla que te lleva allí, al lugar exacto donde quieres estar

buy ~ download

kaliska

kaliska ~ the path we make (inner islands, 2012)

"walking a personal path, howling at the moon" braden j mc kenna

hoy es el cumpleaños de ana, el momento perfecto para publicar esta conversación con braden j mc kenna, una de esas personas que de no existir habría que inventarla. de nuevo volvemos a intentar descubrir a través de preguntas más personales el por qué de una música tan especial y de la importancia de un sello como inner islands. "the path we make" es el último disco de braden (aka Wyld Wyzrdz aka Coyote Dreamer aka Kaliska), recorramos ese camino con el propio braden.

trees :: i must admit that sean (ashan, gkfoes vjgoaf), stag hare, high wolf and you, are creating the most spiritual music in the outer regions of the world we are living. how is your relationship with the "real world"? ie the world in which we must work to pay bills, mortgage for a house, etc ... how do you deal with the madness floating around us?

braden :: I’m still figuring out my relationship with the "real world". I’ve done a pretty good job the past few years not worrying about money. I try to only work part time to keep my energy free for creating art and music, running the record label and exploring. but lately money and bills and stuff like that have become more real. as I get older my lack of temporal security is becoming more obvious. as for right now I’m just trying to keep a balance, doing what I need to do to survive as a human in the world today.

trees :: where did you grow up?, what was your first contact with music? what led you to create your own music?
braden :: I moved around a bit as kid, but I mostly grew up in Utah and Washington. I was born into a mormon family, my first experiences with music was singing hymns in church as a child. I started playing the guitar at age 15 and first learned to play punk rock. later, as a teenager I got really obsessed with "the glow pt. 2" and that pretty much sparked the desire to record my own records.

trees :: the microphones!!! I got quite impressed with this record too, and of course with “song islands”, specially with“I lost my wind”, have you lost your wind sometime?
braden :: Ya, I’ve lost my wind before. I think most people do from time to time.

trees :: I think you're making the most organic sound out there. do you think it’s affected the place in which you’re living?? or maybe it’s more mental than physical?
braden :: I think my art is equally affected by all of my experiences. whether it’s spending time in nature or meditation, interacting with friends and other humans, going to work, playing video games etc… my art is a reflection of my life, whatever that may consist of.

trees :: what’s your favourite place in the world?
braden :: I am learning to not have favorites, so this is a tricky question. ;-) I resonate with a lot of different places. I recently went on a backpacking trip with my father in southern Utah, the desert there has a very strong power. I’ve also been eating at a local tibetan restaurant called Shambala on a regular basis. that place has such a good vibe and the food is so tasty. but ya, I guess any place can be your favorite if you are in the moment.

trees :: how is the process in creating these mantras?, and technically how is the recording process, and what tools you use?
braden :: my process for creating music can be different from album to album. In reference to my most recent album "the path we make", I was coming out of a period of intense anxiety and emotional distress. so I was kind of in a weird space when I started recording that record. I had made very basic versions of the songs and would meditate on them for hours. the sounds of that album brought me a lot of comfort and peace, it helped ground me. as I got deeper into those sounds it became clearer to me what the album meant to me and I completed the record accordingly.
on the technical side I record music on my laptop. I’m currently using logic pro. my process generally consists of making a solid drone and few loops first, then outlining a basic structure. I then sit on that for a while to try and figure out what is going on. I improvise a lot in the recording process, making loops out of the magick moments. I use a lot of repetition in my music, so a large portion of my time is used making subtle mixing changes throughout the track and honing in on the best possible song structure. It kind of feels like sculpting or painting.

trees :: I often say that humans today have lost touch with nature, its link with the spiritual world. an idea that always comes to my mind when I hear your music. I find it the perfect soundtrack playing in the ideal world, the one i feel plenty, that my head imagines. how do you reach a sound so organic?
braden :: my process involves a great deal of electronics, so I’m glad it still has an organic feeling. when approaching a recording I try to be as honest with myself as possible, only keeping what really needs to be on the record. I want to make music that is totally open and honest, music that comes from a loving place. I want my music to feel human. I guess my intention in creating the music could lead to the organic feeling you have experienced.

trees :: the world is going through probably one of the worst moments of history, rather than the end of the world I think we are about to enter a new dimension of thought. what moves you going out of bed every morning?
braden :: I’ve gone through a lot of changes that past few years and with that have come a lot of amazing experiences as well as many challenges. despite the natural ups and downs that come with being a human there is something deep inside that wants to survive, something that is curious about what tomorrow brings. I still feel like I’m learning what it means to be a human, you know still discovering my self. I also have a very strong desire to keep creating art, so far that’s been enough to get me out of bed.

trees :: "make an island of yourself, make yourself your refuge; there is no other refuge. make your island truth, make truth your refuge, there is no other refuge." (digha nikaya, 16) this words remind me the philosophy of inner islands. am i wrong? what led you to create a music label?braden :: those words definitely dialogue what Inner Islands means to me, but I guess there is not a single specific meaning to the name of the label. Inner Islands is a reference to experiences I’ve had on Antelope Island, as well as the process of personal exploration. I also just think the name sounds cool. ;-)
I had previously ran a label called "magic goat music" for a few years. but as my life began to change, it felt like it was time for a new beginning. I wanted to start a label that had a much more focused intention, I wanted a new record label to reflect the newness of my life.

trees :: absolutely, the name sounds cool. talking about names, where wyld wyzrdz or kaliska comes from? “antelope island” I don’t know where is it but I want to live there! tell us more about this suggestive place.
braden :: Honestly there wasn’t a whole lot of thought behind the name WYLD WYZRDZ. I decided to spell it wrong and use all caps so it would look cooler when written down. I was originally going to use Coyote Dreamer for my new project name, but earlier this year another artist started releasing music under that moniker, so I decided to use Kaliska to avoid confusion. Kaliska means coyote chasing deer. The music I am making with Kaliska is intended to be the sound of survival truth. I feel the image of a coyote hunting a deer fits that pretty well.
Antelope island is an island on the Salt Lake. It’s a special place to me. I’ve had some experiences there that have shifted the way I think about myself and the world I live in. If you ever make it out to Utah I’ll take you there. ;-)

trees :: the other day I saw "encounters at the end of the world" (werner herzog). really amazing, it really struck me (beyond the antarctica's beauty) the co-incidence of extremely interesting people living there. that leads me to think about your relationship with sean conrad (ashan, gkfoes vjgoaf) or garrick biggs (stag hare), how did you meet?
braden :: I’ve seen that film, I really vibe with it. I’ve known stag hare for a while; we started to become friends about 5 years ago. we are both from Utah and our artistic and social paths eventually crossed. stag’s music was very influential in me starting to explore drone-based music in my own recordings. I’ve had a lot of meaningful experiences with stag hare as an artist and as a friend.
I met sean in the summer of 2010. he had just gone on tour with stag and ended up staying at our place in Portland. there was no getting to know you period. sean was instantly familiar. the first time we hung out stag, sean and I recorded the river spirit dragon album. I’ve only spent about three weeks in person with sean, but I consider him one of my closest friends.

trees :: do you remember the “depressed” penguin? he ran towards the unknown, surely knowing that he would die. I envy her, the determination to left the community. maybe we should dedicate one song to the adventurous penguin!
braden :: Of course I remember the “depressed” penguin. I’ll make a song for the penguin and send it to you when it’s done. ;-)

trees :: introduce us sean and tell us his favorite breakfast :)
braden :: the best way to know sean would be to spend some time with him. but if you don’t have that luxury I’d recommend paying close attention to his photos, drawings and music. he is a very sincere artist and puts a lot of himself into the gifts he creates. I don’t really know what his favorite breakfast is, but when we went on tour last summer we mostly ate cereal with warm rice milk that was left in the backseat the car.

trees :: introduce us garrick biggs and tell us his favourite way to spend a sunday morning :)
braden:: garrick is an alien house cat who spends most sunday mornings fast asleep.

trees :: ana wants to know what about looping "being here" from laraaji :D

braden :: oh no! has ana been spying on my last.fm account? I developed tinnitus over a year ago. when it first started the constant ringing in my ears caused me a lot of distress. I would lay in bed and get really freaked out, my head would begin to hurt and I wouldn't be able to sleep. I started to listen to music while going to bed to help mask the ringing in my ears. the track "being here" by Laraaji became my comfort track, I'd just play it on repeat and go to sleep.

eventually I started doing meditation to change my perception of silence. I still have the constant ringing in my ears but I am in a much better emotional place with the situation. I can now fall asleep fine while still hearing the ringing in my ears, but I'm currently living in a house with five other people and I am a light sleeper. so if people are up late and being noisy I use the laraaji track to help me drift into dream land. It's kind of like a drug to me, as soon as I hear the song my body knows it's time for bed.

trees :: musically what caught your attention lately?, what do you think about "dolphins into the future", "taped sounds"?, and what labels you recommend?
braden :: I’ve been vibing on erykah badu quite a bit lately, but she’s a usually in rotation. I’ve recently been getting back into gamelan music. I’ve also been getting into “from there to here” by sunhiilow, really into the blend of darkness and light on that album. recently I’ve discovered the band medicine. I’ve been digging their album titled “the buried life”. the guitar sounds are so warped. I’m living in the house where “seven feathers rainwater” is recording their new album; it’s sounding really good. so stoked for people to hear that when the time comes.
I’ve only heard a little bit of “dolphins into the future”, but I have been down with what I’ve heard. and honestly I know of “taped sounds”, but am not too familiar with what they do. as far as label recommendations, my buddy seth from “seven feathers” is gearing up to get “moon dial” going again. there are a handful of high quality releases that should be out within the next several months.

trees :: oh! I really love “dancers of bali – gamelan of peliatan” you should listen to it! I’ve heard hear hums “opens”and sounds bit different than the usual vibes on inner islands. How’s the way you decide to release one record? what about the near future releases?
braden :: ya, hear hums is a bit different than the classic Inner Islands sound. recently I felt it was important to expand the vibes of the island. there are a few more releases lined up that will shake up the vibe too. mainly I just want to work with open and honest people that are making music from a loving place. I like to work with people I know personally, but have recently been venturing out to releasing music from people I only know through internet communication. It’s kind of scary for me to do that, but I feel it’s important for me to branch out if Inner Islands is going to grow.

trees :: what was the last great movie you saw?, what about the last great book you read?
braden :: last night I watched “where the dead go to die”. It’s a cg film that was written, animated, and directed by jimmy screamer clauz. the film is totally fucked. super dark and crazy, the film never lets up. I was totally drained by the time the film ended. It really explores a lot of the darker aspects of humanity and the psyche. despite being into it I would have a hard time recommending the film to too many people.
I’m not the most avid reader in the world. I’m currently going through a collection of short stories by haruki murakami titled blind willow, sleeping woman. this is my first time reading the works of murakami and I’m really feeling it so far.

trees :: do you feel a strong affinity for any animals? and trees?
braden :: my spirit animal is the coyote, which can be a tricky thing. ;-) I really love cats and make it a point to chill with every cat I come across. I also resonate strongly with deer, antelope and horses. I’m a fan of trees. when I was going through some pretty bad anxiety over a year ago while I was living in Portland I’d go on walks down to the willamette river and put my forehead on the trees. It was good medicine, in a matter of moments I’d begin to feel grounded and normal.

trees :: trees are friends :) I have no more questions, I only want to tell you one thing. thanks for existing, “from a stone” is probably one of my 5 favourite records ever.
braden :: oh gee, thanks. I’m really glad you are resonating with that release. “from a stone” is very special to me. I really feel like trish’s vocals on the album took it to another level. before I go I’d like to thank you for the wonderful questions. I’d also like to give a shout out to my dear friend andrew alba. he is an amazing visual artist. his work can be found at stones in a river and moonfaced.

no sé a vosotros pero a mi braden me devuelve la fé en el ser humano. felicidades braden y felicidades ana!!

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attenuated

attenuated ~ night of sense (space slave editions, 2012)

"Ian Kennedy has just released Night of Sense, a deeply impressive debut recording on the Space Slave Editions label, under the project name Attenuated. the release features heavily layered and processed, slowly modulating orchestrated drones arranged to very high levels of creative expression, all reinforced by the type of emotional honesty that is essential to good art. On the whole, moments where this combination of form and emotion reaches a high point, as on the first piece, “Wireframe Fantasy”, see Kennedy approach something profound with his work." jordan anderson ~ foxy digitalis

la intensidad de attenuated es tal que habrá que seguir muy de cerca todo lo que publique space slave editions en el futuro: stag hare, black eagle child, quiet evenings, lee noble, thoughts on air, golden pawn...reflejo del buen gusto y de todo lo que carl ha ido compartiendo en su blog the radiant now

out of print | listen & free download | interview

ted lucas

recomendar a ted lucas, otro de esos discos especiales editados una vez y desaparecidos para siempre, es la excusa perfecta para disfrutar de 'rainy days', canción inédita que ad hoc incluye en el segundo número de prism index.

"the highlight is an unreleased tearjerker from the late, great Ted Lucas. "Rainy Days" is evocative of the same intimate melancholy as his classic self-titled lp that saw reissue last year. by the time Lucas' calm baritone quivers, "I get the feeling that I'm losing you", your heart strings will have already been snapped."

listen 'rainy days'

drop sum

drop sum ~ mrata ep | umâ ep (self-released, 2012)

drone/meditative/acoustic/ambient/lo-fi guitar from Ukraine

"Drop Sum is one-man project of Taras Yakobchuk, professional astronomer from Kyiv, Ukraine. he has a fenomenal ability to use guitar in a unusual way. through alternative guitar tunings he creates acoustic drone music with huge amount of overtones, that may sound like sitar or jaw harp harmonics. he plays meditatively slow with many attention to details ~ each tiny sound should be in harmony with others. on Mrata, Taras friend Alexander added a throaty voice, some low overtones in background.

Drop Sum travel through space somewhere between 60s minimalists simplicity and modern drone haze. it's like a door to eternity, like feeling when you touch water surface to see the deepness, swimming around, up and down from melodies to deep drones, from simple notes to their smallest harmonics." pied paper

"increíble cómo una persona y una guitarra acústica pueden crear una música tan rica, tan llena de capas, y que al mismo tiempo parezca un sítar o incluso un arpa/ birimbao, un simple y antiquísimo instrumento musical tocado con la boca..." pied paper

 ~ mrta | umâ ~

 and, as a gift, here is the new ep, just recorded yesterday:

(many thanks to tim from and you will never learn who is pied paper)

 ~ mergo ~

pandelindio

waju

lutto lento

moon wheel

moon wheel ~ demos and unreleased songs (2011~2012)

gracias a un recopilatorio de high wolf descubro a moon wheel, de los que apenas hay información pero sí sabemos que además de high wolf, les gustan dolphins into the future, j.d. emmanuel (¿será 'wizard' un homenaje al viajero del tiempo?) y peaking lights.

filed under: meditation, synth, peaceful, cosmic, swedish, melbourne

"I accept my role in helping listeners young and elderly locate their own sense of deeper stillness through this music." ~ laraaji nadabrahmananda

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cankun

cankun ~ isalo waterfall (not not fun, 2012)

"St Flour de Mercoire's patron saint of sunburned guitar and electric mirages issues forth this new homage to an exquisite natural wonder in Southwestern Madagascar which Monsieur Cankun had the pleasure and privilege of witnessing first hand on a personal quest years prior. The strategies employed on last year's debut, Jaguar Dance, are in even finer form here, fusing solar flares, feathery fields of guitar blur, and skeletal groove metronomes into multi-movement trance states of sunset skyway-psych. Moods crossfade between muted, spiraling, inner space loop-cruises (“Collages,” “Stylo”) and more revved up celebratory waverunners (“Blue Vanilla”, “Jugular Rhythms”) but all share his uniquely fried tonalism and magic touch. Welcome to the waterworld of the Waterfall." nnf

aunque sólo hubieran publicado un disco, cankun seguirían siendo una de las cosas más bonitas que le ha pasado a la música junto a inner islands y dolphins into the future, más que un sonido, un espíritu, una esencia, un estado ¿hipnagógico? muy particular con el cual es casi imposible no sentirse afín. isalo waterfall es un homenaje a la fauna y la flora del parque natural de Isalo en la isla de Madagascar, el personal 'canto archipiélago' de vincent caylet. entre vapores tropicales, palmeras, ritmos terapéuticos, cascadas de agua cristalina,  y una predisposición a olvidar los problemas y a relacionar su música directamente con el verano, transcurre isalo waterfall, quizás un poquito menos ensoñador que jaguar dance (casi imposible de superar), pero con dos canciones como 'too many clouds' o 'el ingenioso' (preciosísima!) que vuelven a transportarnos a la isla más solitaria que pudiéramos imaginar, pequeñas utopías tropicales para confiar en que, por qué no, hay algo más, mucho más, que esta sociedad en la que nos ha tocado vivir

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(thanks to stolen lynx for the upload)

high wolf

high wolf ~ know thyself (sun ark, 2012)

"ascendent, crystallized tones from High Wolf.  calm, mantric expansions, burning at the center.  France's finest in contemporary psych." sun ark

sun araw meets cetacean nation cassettes...la emoción más grande. no sé si es porque hace tiempo que estoy abducida por lieven moana, pero tengo la sensación de que high wolf no habían hecho nunca un disco tan contemplativo y acuático, tan bonito, tan étnico, tan a baja fidelidad. cuando piensas que los tambores y palos de agua sin fin de 'obsessions history', (“...i love to mix all those drum sounds from various places in the same piece of music”), es lo más bonito del mundo, aparece 'mlk', y después 'khi', y después 'pandu', …y quieres que los minutos pasen despacio, que no se acabe nunca, un vaivén incontrolable e insistente como las olas del mar. vuelvo atrás y me doy cuenta de que 'khi' es la canción que más se acerca a lo que de verdad suena en mi cabeza cuando pienso en la palabra mantra  o que hay un mundo mágico paralelo. pero entonces suena 'oedipus' y... hay que escuchar para creer, max no es de este mundo, si acaso de uno submarino o de uno celestial. 'know thyself' es un cúmulo de sensaciones que me siento incapaz de abarcar, la sonrisa eterna, el sumum de la meditación trascendental y el ambient psicodélico

fotos via onyx earth & luke byrne

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buchikamashi

buchikamashi  ~ super mind (sicsic tapes, 2012)

"zen-master Mizuhiro, japans new age mastermind, channeling the trinity of the body, the mind and the spirit through his synth & electric bass. listening to his pulsating meditative drones is like staring into a mystic halo. tickets for peace. let loose my friend & free you mind..." sicsic tapes

"el japonés Hiroshi Mizuhiro mantiene en su vida diaria una relación inusual con la música experimental. en el tiempo que le queda libre de reponer las estanterías de una pequeña tienda entregada en cuerpo y alma a la música underground, se dedica a componer y editar regularmente bajo el nombre de Buchikamashi numerosas cintas de cassette que mezclan de forma natural y fluida una gran variedad de sub-géneros ambient, además de ser el creador del impecable sello Ginjoha Tapes." bridgetown

imagina un cielo azul transparente salpicado de nubes muy blancas, el día más luminoso, el sol más cegador, una habitación completamente blanca y una ventana con vistas al mar, ver la vida pasar, no pensar..., las campanillas y sintetizadores celestiales de 'super mind' transportan a reinos olvidados de otra dimensión, una experiencia que recomiendo de corazón, el disco más desnudo, cristalino y puramente new weird age, con permiso de happy new age, de buchikamashi, bonito hasta decir basta, editado en forma de cassette por sicsic tapes, otro sello impecable repleto de tesoros comestibles (venn rain) para descubrir y saborear poco a poco

foto: tiffany neman

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