Tag Archives: dark ambient

T.A.G.C. – Iso-Erotic Calibration (Cold Spring)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description:

Carefully constructed aural rituals from T.A.G.C., this album maps new realms in the area of sensual electronic music. Founder Adi Newton (Clock DVA) uses The Anti Group as an outlet for his research in psycho-acoustic music. “Iso-Erotic Calibration” explores the potent topic of human sexuality. Recorded over a period of three years, this could be considered on of their more “accessible” albums.

Originally released in 1994 (Side Effects, the label of Lustmord, Musica Maxima Magnetica, and Adi’s own Anterior Research Recordings), we are proud to present the album for the first time on vinyl, as well as the first official CD reissue, fleshed out with four bonus tracks: two were bonus digital-only tracks (2013); one track is taken from the soundtrack to the 2011 T.A.G.C. film ‘Given’; one is a remix of the title track.

The Anti Group Communications (T.A.G.C.) was devised by Adi Newton and Steven James Turner as early as 1978 as a multi-dimensional research & development project. TAGC are not affiliated to any one system of philosophy or epistemological paradigm or occult fraternity but are open more to individual systems and innovative thinkers Science, Art, Music Sonology, Visual Arts, Literature, Research & Publication are its main areas.

The artwork is filled with text and illustrations supporting the different songs.

• CD in 6-panel matt-laminate digipak.

• Black LP on 180gm heavyweight vinyl in a matt-laminate sleeve.

• Ltd 300 x Brown LP on 180gm heavyweight vinyl in a matt-laminate sleeve.

credits

releases January 17, 2025

All compositions and production by Adi Newton, 1994.
All tracks from original DAT masters recorded in Florence, Italy, 1993, at the Anterior Research Station.

Iso-Erotic Calibration originally released by Anterior Research Recordings (ARR 003), Musica Maxima Magnetica (eee 20) and Side
Effects (DFX 21).

Bonus CD tracks:

Track 8: remix
Track 9: from the soundtrack to the TAGC film ‘Given’ (2011).
Track 10 & 11: from the digital-only edition (2013)

Mastered for Cold Spring by Martin Bowes at The
Cage, Coventry.

Cover image by Leonor Fini, La Toilette Inutile (‘The Useless Dress’), 1964, oil on canvas. One of two paintings of Ophelia by Fini.

New artwork design by Adi Newton.
Layout by Abby Helasdottir.

Iso-Erotic Calibration: photograph of Unica Zurn by Hans Bellmer (used as the cover of Le Surréalisme, Même 4, 1958).

Union with Sirens: collage by Karel Teige, 1942

Mercurius & Neurological Engineering: montages by Adi newton, circa 2010.

Psychophonphilia: La Permutation Des Sens drawing by Hans Bellmer, 1950.

Annals of Sancity: 19th Century painting of Eerie Scene With Incubus Demon, after Johann Heinrich Füssli.

Ethemeral: Engraving by Louis-Jean Allais of a mural painting from Tomb KV9, Valley of the Kings, Egypt.

Collector Of Dust – Entropic Tapestries (Argali Records Netlabel)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description:

Ten years in the making, Reon Moebius’s long awaited and threatened project Collector Of Dust makes it’s recording debut via Argali Records having retired his older venture The Jesus Fish Experience in 2019 and his short lived solo live project Seagull Died On Impact in 2024.

Lush yet minimal, spacious but dense, sweeping and intimate: Collector Of Dust’s orchestral ambitions betray the sparse instrumentation and lonely isolation that was employed to create what Reon has dubbed ‘chambergaze’. Music meant to invoke vulnerable romanticism set against the vastness of ancient, decaying hyper objects and indifference of the natural world. To lovers, dreamers, and survivors this one’s for you.

Dedicated to the memory of Peter & Ursula Megert, Dominick Pfefferkorn, Hasan Abdur-Razzaq, & J Guy Laughlin

credits

released October 30, 2024

Reon Moebius: All instruments (Ebowed bass guitar, bowed guitar, mellotron, drum machine programming), arrangements, lyrics, vocals.

Keith Hanlon: Mixing, mastering, and additional production.

Recorded at Home from 2021-2024.
Mixed & Mastered At Secret Studios 2024.

This is ARGREC61.

Slomo – Zen and Zennor (Trilithon Records)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description:

Electric drone stalwarts Slomo return with only their fifth album in 20 years, “Zen and Zennor”; their sonic palette refreshed, their focus again tuned to the spectral otherness of Land’s End. The cover star – Zennor Quoit – is a colossal megalithic structure to be found on moorland above the village of Zennor, 4.5 miles to the west of St Ives.

Primitive melodies and arcane motifs are buffeted by drifting analogue oscillators on lead track ‘Zen and Zennor’, compressing into thick saturated drones before taking a sublime turn into familiar subterranean territory. ‘Zennor Diode’ crackles into manifestation above the moorland, cautioning against – or perhaps encouraging – experiments with exposed electrics in the Cornish mizzle. Complete removal of self (and band) is provided with circuit-closing track ‘Antechamber’, dissolving the Zennor’d-out participants into the hum of the Hummadruz*.

The duo continues to be informed by their work elsewhere; Chris (“Holy”) McGrail recently contributed to Julian Cope’s Dope and Queen Elizabeth projects, while Howard Marsden co-runs Hebden Bridge’s already-legendary Ambient Bowling Club, where experimental music mixes with environmental sounds, low chatter and the soft clank of bowls.

“Zen and Zennor” wraps Slomo’s only constant – immense, eventual catharsis – in a freshness and immediacy that could perhaps suggest a quickening of their notoriously glacial pace. Time will tell.

*Hummadruz refers to a mysterious, low-frequency hum or droning sound, often said to be heard around the ancient sites of Land’s End.

released October 4, 2024

Composted by McGrail/Marsden
Published by Domesday Music

Phelios – Obsidian Forest (Loki-Found)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description: With his latest release, Martin Stürtzer, the mastermind behind Phelios, continues to carve out a unique space in the dark ambient genre. He blends expansive soundscapes with slowly evolving tribal rhythms to create a truly immersive experience. Obsidian Forest captures the essence of deep, shadowy woods where ancient, unseen forces seem to dwell. The album feels like a ritualistic journey into nature’s darker realms, with each track evoking a vivid, sometimes haunting, landscape of sound.

Phelios’ trademark monumental melodies are omnipresent throughout the album, merging with somber, swelling drones that pull listeners into a dense sonic fog. As the album progresses, these melodies evolve like distant, otherworldly chants reverberating through the trees. The layering is intricate, and the atmosphere is thick, yet there’s always a sense of space—an invitation to explore these shadowy woods further.

The addition of tribal percussion is a defining feature of the album, grounding the otherwise ethereal soundscapes with a primal energy. These rhythms emerge slowly, almost as if they are the footsteps of an unseen figure moving deeper into the wilderness. Phelios seamlessly blends ancient and futuristic elements, balancing tension and tranquility to craft a meditative yet eerie soundscape.

Phelios’ latest work is both a sonic journey and an imaginative exploration of nature’s darker side — a plunge into the heart of deep woods, where every echo and shadow holds an untold story.

LOKI 75

INSANIA – Reverberations (Aural Films)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description:

Aural Films goes back to our roots for the “This Music Plants Trees” artists project. Featuring full length albums by artists who have composed music just for the trees.

INSANIA plants a suite of marvelous compositions that take us on a journey though sonic forests.

Our forests are disappearing. You can personally make a difference supporting this music. Every sale plants trees with the Plant a Billion Trees project. Simply enter the suggested amount, or more, to help restore the Earth’s forests with the power of sound.

Forests not only provide clean air and water, but they also hold vast amounts of carbon dioxide and act as a cooling system for the Earth; they stabilize the global climate and fight warming. When nearly half of the trees have been removed from the planet by humans. The home to 80% of the Earth’s land-based plants and animals. We must recognize that forests are essential to the livelihood of all people around the world.

credits

released August 17, 2024

Welcome to the world of INSANIA (aka Ryo Utasato). INSANIA music is a merging of experimental dark ambient cinematic, glitch and noise. It is at times hypnotic and at times soul wrenching, but it will always leave you wanting more. More at insania.bandcamp.com

The Plant a Billion Trees campaign is a large-scale restoration initiative launched by The Nature Conservancy in 2008. Our first project was to restore Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, and now we have expanded to include forest projects all across the world! By planting trees and helping forests regrow where they have been severely degraded, we’re helping to reduce the impacts of climate change, slow biodiversity loss, ensure clean water and air for everyone, and provide full, healthy forests for future generations. Read more about the project at www.plantabillion.org

Aural Films is an online record label (netlabel) that releases high-quality soundtrack albums for movies that do not exist. We cover a wide range of music styles ranging from ambient to experimental to popular to soundtrack musics. Often on the same albums. You can find our complete catalog of releases online at AuralFilms.com

Aural Films Catalog No. AF0424

fourthousandblackbirds x Paxillus Succubus – JEUS DE CARNAGE (walnut + locust)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description:

FR
Projet conceptuel et collaboratif de fourthousandblackbirds et Paxillus Succubus inspiré des écrits d’Eugène Ionesco, des chansons de Brigitte Fontaine, de l’actualité d’aujourd’hui et imagine comme une pièce de théâtre, divisée en 3 actes.
Jeux De Carnage traite des themes de la guerre, des legendes, de la question de la place de l’homme dans la societe, de notre definition de l’existence et surtout de la mort.

Créations sonores de fourthousandblackbirds et Paxillus Succubus Conception visuelle de Paxillus Succubus
Mixé par Paxillus Succubus et fourthousandblackbirds

EN
Conceptual and collaborative project of fourthousandblackbirds and Paxillus Succubus inspired by the writings of Eugene Ionesco, the songs of Brigitte Fontaine, today’s news and imagined as a play, divided into 3 acts.
Jeux De Carnage deals with the themes of war, legends, the question of man’s place in society, our definition of existence and especially death.

Sound creations by fourthousandblackbirds & Paxillus Succubus
Artwork by Paxillus Succubus
Mixed by Paxillus Succubus & fourthousandblackbirds

fourthousandblackbirds.bandcamp.com
paxillussuccubus.bandcamp.com

www.walnutlocust.com
www.facebook.com/walnutlocust

wl079 – May 28th 2024

credits

released May 28, 2024

license

all rights reserved
Editors Note: Highly recommended.

Ulvtharm – 7 Uthras (Cyclic Law)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description: Second opus from MZ 412 co-founder Jouni Ollila. Ulvtharm is painting his world as a sprawling, post-apocalyptic industrial wasteland, where humanity clings to survival in the shadows of monolithic factories and decaying cities. Skies choked with ash, and a sun that seldom breaks through the omnipresent smog. Within this landscape, the Seven Uthras exist not as beings of benevolence, but as ancient, god-like entities that emanate from the darkest depths of the earth, commanding forces beyond human comprehension. 7Uthras serves as a sonic gateway to otherworldly realms, offering a glimpse into the abyss that challenges and expands the listener’s perception of the known universe. Ulvtharm masterfully blends the essence of dark industrial soundscapes with layers of mystical ambiance, creating an immersive experience that is both deeply unsettling and profoundly enlightening. This new album is not just an exploration of sound but a journey into the soul of its creator, exploring the chaos and darkness within his imagination. Ulvtharm’s deeper vocal experimentations are weaving a narrative that is both personal and universal. The album’s blend of dark, martial, pulsating rhythms and ambient organic soundscapes invites us to confront the death and ruins of our world. As each track unfolds, we will be drawn deeper into a narrative of chaos and transformation, where the end of one world signifies the birth of another. 7UTHRAS is not just an album; it is a ritualistic journey that seeks to unlock the ancient doors of perception and embrace the darkness as a path to enlightenment. All hail the Serpents, all hail the Seven Uthras!