Top 2015 by Steve Targo (Inner Travels)

Happy New Year, dear readers and listeners! Things were slowing down lately at Microphones due to the number of reasons, but we still listen to new music a lot! Our passion is stronger than ever and 2015 was really huge experience – tons of wonderful music released and lots of new names blossomed. We continue to dive this vibe, always searching, listening, perceiving and trying to share. It's always hard to choose 'best' among things so unique, that every piece takes you to another dimension, telling its own story, so we still contemplating on the task of posting our favourite pieces. Today we asked Steve Targo, one of our favourite musicians, to help with this and share his own thoughts about aural discoveries in 2015. Soon there will be more, keep well and enjoy your holidays!

«I couldn’t listen to everything I wanted to in 2015, but what I heard was magical. No other word to describe it. 2015 was such a magical year for my kind of music. So much came out that I'll need another year to catch up. My best of 2015 list is simply based on what I listened to the most. I'd be remiss to not mention such wonderful offerings by Meta Mora, Pulse Emitter, Panabrite, Opaline, Tropical Rock, Reuben Son, Maia Ibar, Inspired School of Astral Music, Dragontime, Kiyomitsu Miyashita, the “Skyward Territories” 4-way split … and so many others. For now, let’s just stick to 10. Or 11, depending on how you look at my tie for second, since it includes a collection that wasn't officially released but can be streamed».

10. H. Takahashi ~ Sea Meditation

9. Sunmoonstar ~ Gymnasium Flower

8. Hybrid Palms ~ Rainbow Breeze

7. Warren Michael Defever ~ Sunship

6. Selaroda ~ viaje a través de sonidos transportative

5. Water Bureau ~ Water Bureau

4. Kyle Landstra ~ Unshared Properties Vol. I-IV

3. David Edren ~ Music For Mimosa Pudica & Codariocalyx

2. Matt Barlow ~ Of Waves & his Sound Meditations playlist

1. Laraaji ~ All In One Peace

~ by Steve Targo  (Inner Travels, ex-riot_meadows)

laraaji

laraaji ~ cosmic tape experiments (all saints, 2013)

"Laraaji starting out playing his specially modified electric autoharp on the streets of 70s New York City. His first album Celestial Vibration (recorded under birth name Edward Larry Gordon) was recently reissued by Soul Jazz Records. Brian Eno came across him one night playing in Washington Square Park, and invited him to record an album for his Ambient series (the seminal Ambient 3: Day Of Radiance).

In the 80s Laraaji self-released a prolific series of experimental home-recorded cassette albums which were sold on the street, in psychic bookstores and new age ‘head shops’. An early proponent of the DIY tape underground that is still thriving today amongst artists working in noise, synth, drone and other left-of-the-dial genres. The first disc of this collection is the first time some of the sounds from this period have been given a wider release ~ a treasure trove of tape manipulated harp jams and space age soul hymns." mount analog

 buy ~ download

thanks speedguru 

blues control & laraaji

blues control & laraaji ~ frkwys vol. 8 (rvng intl., 2011)

"...Laraaji plays an electronically modified zither w/a spectral aspect that is very appealing. This is an inspired pairing, with Laraaji bringing out Blues Control’s most phantom, otherworldly side across a series of slow-moving vistas that combine the hallucinatory tonal/rhythmic depth of Javanese gamelan with translucent exotica and creeping, barely-there synth stylings. Aspects of Jon Hassell, early choral/devotional music, Mirror/Andrew Chalk (especially in the distant piano sounds), even Organum cohere around wraiths of zither and floating flowers planted deep in haunted rainforests where snatches of vocals appear deep in the mix and the occasional single note rises to the surface with all of the magisterial slow-mo beauty of Loren Connors. By far and away my favourite Blues Control jam to date. Comes with a download card with bonus tracks. Highly recommended!" volcanic tongue

foto via sara gossett

buy | download

(incluye dos bonus tracks, 'somebofy scream' y 'astral jam', de 35 y 28 minutos)