Tag Archives: dark ambient

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!

Maeror Tri – Ambient Dreams (Zoharum)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description: Reissue of material originally released on cassette in 1990, then reissued in 2007 on Beta Lactam.
One of the most interesting cassettes in the discography of the German trio. It has been unavailable for regular sale for years.
Today, it has been reissued by Zoharum in a refreshed version, with new graphics.
‘All sound you hear on this CD originated from natural ambient sources. No electronic sound-sources were used. Ambient recordings made between August of 1989 and June of 1990 in West Germany. Produced by Maëror Tri from August-October 1990.

Christian Fiesel – Analogy (Self Released)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label description:

From the archives Part 2

Originally release on Studio4632 Candy Lozier 17th January 2018
What a great time this was being support by the ever helpful Candy. Some of my best albums face the ears of the world over there.

This a different type, even more sinister, somber and dark as my current works with a complete instrumental set-up (to be honest, most of the used synth I don’t even remember anymore).

It was dark, it was ambient and it was experiemental.

Feel free to serve yourself as long as free downloads are available.

credits

released February 27, 2024

(P)+(C) 2018/2024 Christian Fiesel

subterrene – the same rivers (Poverty Electronics)

Posted by John Lithium on

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Label Description:

instrumentation: Arturia MicroFreak, Elektron Analog Keys, Camel Audio Alchemy software synthesizer, modular sampler, Hologram Microcosm

recorded at the Fortress of Squalitude

credits

released August 11, 2023

all production and programming by subterrene
subterrene.bandcamp.com

mastered by Marcus Miller at Holosuite Mastering
holosuitemastering.com

cover photo by Grant Stewart
sleeve design by Travis D. Johnson

Dedicated to K. You always have seen the good in me, even when I didn’t see it myself.