Tag Archives: kosmiche

SML – Small Medium Large (International Anthem)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description: SML is the quintet of bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann.

Their debut album ‘Small Medium Large’ began as a collection of long form improvisations recorded during two separate two-night stands at beloved Highland Park, Los Angeles venue ETA. Unfortunately, this major development site for the burgeoning new West Coast jazz & improvised music sound closed its doors permanently at the end of 2023.

The venue, perhaps best known outside of LA for Jeff Parker’s 2022 album ‘Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy’, was the perfect location for the start of SML, especially given that both bassist Anna Butterss and saxophonist Josh Johnson are part of Parker’s quartet that held down a regular gig at ETA since the venue’s early days (and hence thoroughly documented, heard on Parker’s album). ‘Small Medium Large’ was engineered and recorded in stereo direct to Nagra by Bryce Gonzales and compiled, arranged, and edited with additional production, recording, and studio composition by SML across their various home studios.

While editing, chopping, and rearranging stereo mixed improvisations is hardly a new idea (for a modern and relevant example we can look to Makaya McCraven’s output on IARC) these results are a stunning expansion of the Teo Macero / Miles Davis editing concept explored on classics like ‘In a Silent Way’, ‘On The Corner’, and ‘Get Up With It’. Stylistically though, these recordings have more in common with the proto-trance repetitions of Harmonia, and with Holgar Czukay’s re-assembly technique used in his work with Can. Throw in a supremely intuitive utilization of polyrhythmic floating patterns (a la Susumu Yokota), and the result is a truly innovative take on time-clocked electronic rhythms augmented with live instrumentation that never loses that elusive human sway.

‘Small Medium Large’ is a sublime assemblage of circulatory grooves and textural anomalies, at different moments recalling the synth-laced improvisations of Herbie Hancock’s Sextant, the jagged dance punk of Essential Logic, the rhythmic revelry of Fela Kuti, the low-end elasticity of Parliament/Funkadelic, or the glitchy dub techno of Pole. Taken in totality, the album captures a euphoric creative synchronicity between some of today’s most exciting musicians.

All music composed by Anna Butterss, Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Booker Stardrum, Gregory Uhlmann. Performed live by SML.

Anna Butterss – Electric Bass
Jeremiah Chiu – Synthesizers, Live-sampling, Aux Percussion
Josh Johnson – Saxophone, Electronics
Booker Stardrum – Drums, Percussion
Gregory Uhlmann – Guitar, Effects

Engineered and recorded in stereo direct to Nagra by Bryce Gonzales at ETA, Los Angeles (October 12–13 2022 & April 8–9 2023). Overdubs by SML (2024).

Produced by Jeremiah Chiu & SML.
Mixed by Dave Vettraino & SML.
Sequenced by Scott McNiece & SML.
Mastered by David Allen.

Cover art by Miranda Javid.
Insert photos by Brian Guido.
Layout by Jeremiah Chiu.

Pulse Emitter – Tide Pools (Hausu Mountain)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description:

HAUSMO150 – LP / CD / DIG
credits
released September 26, 2025

Music by Daryl Groetsch,
Portland, Oregon.

Main synthesizers:
Spectrasonics Omnisphere, AAS Chromaphone, Korg Wavestate, Korg Gadget, VirSyn Addictive Pro. Plus a variety of sequencers and arpeggiators. No Al.

“All the busy little creatures
Chasing out their destinies
Living in their pools
They soon forget about the sea”
-Neil Peart, “Natural Science”

Mastered by Angel Marcloid at Angel Hair Audio. Art by Max.

The Cube Of Unknowing – Bog Summoner (Library Of The Occult)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description: Renowned composer and sound artist Francis Heery, under his alias The Cube of Unknowing, announces the release of his latest sonic expedition, ‘Bog Summoner’, via Library of the Occult. This immersive electronic album blends kosmische, motorik rhythms, and spectral atmospheres, drawing listeners deep into the mysterious heart of the Irish Midlands.

A visionary in avant-garde music, Heery’s compositions have been performed by ensembles including the RTE Symphony Orchestra, Crash Ensemble, Quiet Music Ensemble, and Talujon Percussion Ensemble. With ‘Bog Summoner’, he channels his deep-rooted fascination with science fiction, occult mysticism, and bio-aesthetic philosophy into a record that pulsates with both history and otherworldly energy.

Evolving organically during the recording process, ‘Bog Summoner’ became a sprawling, shape-shifting entity. Influences range from the live recordings of Harmonia to the cosmic explorations of Tangerine Dream’s ‘Phaedra’ and ‘Rubycon’, all while steeped in what Heery describes as ‘Bog Gothic’—an eerie evocation of East County Galway’s mist-laden bogs and buried histories.

One key track, ‘Uí Máine’, takes its name from the medieval Irish clan that ruled the region. Heery was particularly intrigued by the 16th-century alchemist Edward Kelley’s claim to be a descendant of the Uí Máine, weaving an esoteric connection between occultism and the forgotten landscapes of rural Ireland. ‘Bog Summoner’ imagines Kelley’s spectral presence lingering in the bogs, appearing to seekers and outcasts, summoning spirits among ancient burial mounds.
Adding another layer of inspiration, the album draws from Ithell Colquhoun’s evocative writings on Ireland, particularly ‘The Crying of the Wind’, reinforcing Heery’s exploration of landscape as a portal to the arcane.

Neil Mason of Moonbuilding magazine describes ‘Bog Summoner’ as “a kosmische transmission from a distant realm, fed through a Berlin School conduit. Heery teases suspense with hypnotic, slow-burning tension, maintaining a delicate yet relentless momentum for the entire 45-minute duration.”
With ‘Bog Summoner’, The Cube of Unknowing crafts a soundscape that bridges past and future—an astral ritual invoking the echoes of lost worlds through dense synth textures, undulating rhythms, and cosmic reverberations.

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