Aeroshell – Lighthugger Single

For the first time on Agniworld a single-release is reviewed – it is the almost 7 minutes track “Lighthugger” by Aeroshell. This piece of music is not as long, as the works, reviewed earlier, but it is distinguished by the fact, that the artist managed to put so much of his inner force, imagination and to create a very magic and peculiar atmosphere, that these 7 minutes will be definitely enough to fall in love with this music. Actually, the style of this Aeroshell’s item of creation belongs to IDM-line, which is closely connected with ambient. Here you can find all traditional features, characteristic of this style – pleasant, but stable and forceful rhythm, deep and penetrating bass, and, of course, airy and imponderable ambient piece – the fundamental and determinant factor, which gives the whole thing a very unique colouring. “Lighthugger” is presumable derived from two words – “light” and “hug”, and together these two meanings create rather a placid and benigh concept and feeling of of either being hugged by the light or maybe hugging with the light. So, join the comfort of Aeroshell’s “Lighthugger”.

Self-release page (Bandcamp)

Saåad – Pink Sabbath

Today I bring to your attention a brutally atmospheric and esoteric self-released album “Pink Sabbath”, which appears to be the creation of Saåad, a mysterious and newest (for me) project, run by Romain Barbot. As I can understand from the sounding of this work, it is represented by processed sounds of Tibetan ritual instruments – huge horns and maybe some other. The opening track, “Pink Sabbath” is introducing you to the Saåad’s sacrament of vibrations, ringing and brain-exploding massive drones. The sonic contours are blurred and obscured, as if located in the far away distance, but through the flooding light of it you distinguish different elements. The tracks are smoothly passing one into another, so the whole album may be considered as a single track, though having various parts and moods. For me the most striking theme is the last, called “Southberry Tower”, with its majestic and strong radiance, which as if reveals the power of the Himalayas, where the mythic (or not mythic, who knows?) land of Shambala is situated. The music is rather energetic and purifying – you can feel some kind of takeoff, detachment from the physic level, rushing into the roasting depths of Light. So, join the “Pink Sabbath” of Saåad.

Self-release page on Bandcamp

Found at Deleted Scenes Forgotten Dreams Blog

Saåad on MySpace

Occurrences In Rain – Wafting Magic

Occurrences In Rain is a collaboration project between two musicians, which work via internet and had never met physically; they are a Polish artist Bruno Janiszewski and an American artist Precipitous. By the moment they released three albums on their own bandcamp page, and now I will concentrate on one of them, called “Wafting Magic”. For me it was a sudden discovery, and I am really glad to come across such prostrating and enveloping ambient music. The album opens with “(They Were) Tuned To Wafting Magic”, which truly represents the tuning to some majestic kind of mood, as if making the listener ready to the artists’ flight of fantasy. It is worth mentioning, that on their SoundCloud page, the musicians give a detailed description of the tracks; this helps to plunge into their world deeper and thoroughly. You can hear various field recordings, which enrich the whole atmosphere – and it proves Occurrences In Rain to be thoughtful and serious ambient composers. Then comes “Sixteen Seconds Before Collapse” – a subtle, but dense airy drone with some metallic found sounds, having a very mystic and a little bit frightening (in the best meaning of this word!) environment. The sound is growing more strained and alerted – the track’s title contains the warning, that something must happen. “Anticipating A Sudden Lack Of Oxygen” again has some kind of agitated climate, with suddenly appearing howlings, squeaks, which later abruptly fade away, and appear once again. “The Inner Peace Of Profound Longing” represents a vibrating set of pulsing drone, oscillations of which, as if due to the frictional force, produces tangible warmth. This was the brief review of this album, I won’t perform an exhaustive vivisection, because primarily this music must be heard and listened to, as it really carries emotions, images and energy from the authors. So, get some “Wafting Magic” from Occurrences In Rain.

Self-release page on Bandcamp

All tracks on SoundCloud

Stellardrone – A Moment Of Stillness

It’s high time now to return to some starlit ambient, and for this time it would be the work of Stellardrone, called “A Moment Of Stillness”, a self-released drone ambient 27 minutes and 5 track album. Having rhythmic elements, really it doesn’t seem to me a rhythmic at all, for it has more atmospheric and substantial features, than moving and going; even a flat drone has hidden microrhythms, but it is static and soaring. So, let’s turn to the material itself. The opening track, which entitles the whole album, gives the takeoff for the following strata of the author’s cosmic fantasy – “Billions And Billions” with its cyclical structure is evident to reveal the boundlessness of the great Universe, where even the enormous numbers with lots of zeros are vanishing in the Infinity, and any number, you can imagine, is sure to be absorbed and to surrender to this magic space. “Lights In The Sky” appears to be the sparkling soothing ambience, with flowing and flying elements, which emerge out of centuries-old vacuum, and then fading away. You are sure to feel the pulsating nature of this track, where its intercrossing frequencies create a definite atmosphere of serene and colourful surrounding, made by the weak light of the stars, which in spite of being so far away, presents their rays to Earth. “Solar Eclipse” is also mild and rather radiant with its blurred construction, resembling the interflowing of liquids with different density. The conclusion, “Twilight” is represented by synthesized and, maybe guitar melody, which, as if the poetic passage, complements the picture, which was created by the author. So, catch the Moment Of Stillness with Stellardrone.

Official self-release page

Prosektor – Mental Illness

This is a new album from Prosektor, and a new portion of clinical dark ambient. As you can notice, this album continues the theme of the dark side of a human psychic, which was already seen in Prosektor’s album “Mortuus Spital”, reviewed here. The opening track “Psychosis”, slowly and carefully brings us into the black abyss of the author’s fantasy. The known atmosphere of anxiety and overall tension envelope you, by curly, sullen coatings of sounds. “Clinical Lycanthropy” with its sudden frightening splashes, describes the form of a delusion in which a person believes that he is a wolf, and maybe it also describes the possible flow of consciousness of such a man, with nervously appearing images, jerkings and aggression. “Confabulatio” represents a clot of irregular fantasies, thoughts, creating a strange, unpredictable sounding. “Deep-pression”, the casuistry, based on the words “depression”, “deep” and “pression”, reveals all of the possible applications of the mentioned notions – the morose, flying ambiences, projecting fear, may become a truthful embodiment of this hard psychic state. The further you get the harder the going – then comes “Paranoia”, with thin, piercing layers of drones, with some use of field recordings: you can hear some sounds of dripping water. The album is crowned by “Schizoaffective Disorder”, strongly differing from the previous track by its volume and mood – it is more colourful, the black tones are supplemented with new, still dark shades of some other colours. Prosektor chose the thorny path of exploring those regions of our inner worlds, which we are always afraid of – mental illnesses are concealed even in the depths of a completely optimistic human being, and this research turns out to be very informative and expressive: all this create an impression, that Prosektor is a Wanderer in the twilights of the Mind, and he is as if making a report from the Other Side. So, have some dark ambient therapy from Prosektor’s album “Mental Ilness”.

Prosektor’s “Mental Illness” on Soundcloud

Ran Kirlian – Isolated Landscapes

Voluminous and mystical, esoteric and ominous is the album by a Spanish musician Ran Kirlian, called “Isolated Landscapes”. Especially, while listening to the second “Enlightment Cycle”, with its almost Tibetan solid mantric ringing and sounding, you can feel this powerful and puzzling experience. I don’t know exactly, whether it was the use of natural musical instruments, or synthesized means, but the whole impression of an inspired or even ecstatic ensemble is created. This album reminds me of some strongly isolated ceremony, the ceremony of transformation and dissolution in space, when the consciousness is not already concentrated in just one point, but it merged with the Universe. The sounds are truly pleasant for a drone-lover, and moreover, their duration makes us glad either – the tracks are in the range of 13-27 minutes, so you are sure to have a thorough meditative spare time, and completely to surrender to this tumultuous ocean of sonic waves. For me personally, music from this album turned out to be a psychedelic experience, in its strict sense, for my PSYCHics was really DELighted. The huge, enveloping layers of bells, some fluffy atmospheres, vocals, resembling throat signing, powerful background low drones are the determinant elements in making of this peculiar, unworldly and transcendental climate. So, have a continuous glance at “Isolated Landscapes” by Ran Kirlian.

Ran Kirlian’s official site

Official release page

“Isolated Landscapes” on Jamendo

Witxes – Scrawls #01

The next album, “Scrawls #01”, written by Witxes, also known as Maxime Vavasseur, appears to be a self release. What fascinated me most, was the wide spectrum of textures, implied in this work – you can find here everything you like: smooth, quiet, agitated, gentle, high-tone, low-tone, mid-tone, harsh, obscured, distinct, artificial and natural sounding; the author deposited a great deal of his imagination and hard work into this diverse sonic building, though the title says otherwise – these are scribbles, sketches, made in a hurry. It is truly difficult for me to distinguish any favorite piece out of “Scrawls #01”, because all of them are precious, and they constitute a united inseparable system. As far as the moods are concerned, they are too rather variable, but they are blurred and belong to pastel scale, as the prevalent or skeleton mood is closer to tranquility and calm, balanced perception of the world. The work represents a very attractive and gripping experience, as if you have read a deep philosophical book. So, watch some Witxes “Scrawls #01”.

Downloadable on a name-your-price basis on the official release page on Bandcamp

Vozrozhdeniya – Atmosphere

Carefully and little by little, the album “Atmosphere” by Vozrozhdeniya, starts its hour-long path through your headphones or acoustic systems, later turning into the picturesque panorama of the cover, which envelopes our native planet. You can hear typical breath-like sonic masses, which are approaching you, and then leaving you for approaching once again and etc. Such is the first track “Tropopausa”, which then gives place to “Boreas”, denoting the north wind, having the similar cooling and invigorating effect. Then come the flanging and impetuously flying revelations of “Stratosphere”; while listening to it you can get a discrepant impression, as if you are flying, or., on the contrary, something is flying by you. The fourth track “Cronos”, turns to be a complex of radionoises, unknown signals and atmospherics, swiftly shooting across the surrounding space. Ominous and powerful, the sound of the following “Thanatos” produces an impression of the atmosphere’s sternness, expressing in its gigantic volume and power of elements. “Thermosphere” is a chiefly silent piece, with suddenly emerging fragments of broadcasting and radio interferention. “Gagarin” starts with a speech of the first cosmonaut on the Earth and loud applause, transiting into a slightly rhythmic ambient piece, to some extent sad, as if mourning over the tragic fate of this great man. So, enter the “Atmosphere” of Vozrozhdeniya.

Self-release page

Found at Deleted Scenes Forgotten Dreams Blog

Bo Becker – Zephyria

“Zephyria” is the work of Bo Becker, which includes three tracks, with the entire duration of 21 minutes. The EP starts with “Islands Of Memory’, a compositions with slightly separated portions of sounds, as if representing the mentioned “Islands”; the portions smoothly turn into each other, sometimes calm, sometimes a bit overdriving, but in the whole quite soothing and carefully. “Zephyria” appears to be the ambient reflections of distorted guitar sounds, drawling, indeed like a song of a Western wind, and thoughtful and picturesque climate. “Anthracene Fluorescence” turns to be a solid, driving and powerful mass of distorted guitar sound, that has two distinguishable layers: background low crackling drone, and solo high-tone howling, creating a peculiar and uncommon atmosphere, with interrupting, flashing pictures on the listener’s inner screen – those pictures are of rusty and sometimes monochromatic spectrum. So, travel across the “Islands of Memory” with Bo Becker’s “Zephyria”.

Official release page

Found at Deleted Scenes Forgotten Dreams Blog

Stitched Vision – Open Palms

Noisy, prostrated and limpid work of Australian musician Jason Campbell, also known as the one, who runs “Stitched Vision” project, called “Open Palms”, appears to be a self-release of the artist. The album greets you with “Botanic Trance”, a distorted composition, which gradually turns into arpeggiated consequence of sound loops, resembling stringed instrument, and into a breathtaking pad, sublime, as a great cumulus cloud. “First Loss” is again saturated with noise and distortion, having a positive vector of mood, and diffusiveness of sonic contours. “Expectation” seemed to me a streched inhalation, as if producing the rustling of bronchi; also the background drone here is quite damped, but plays the atmosphere-creating role, by its remoteness and smoothness. Organ revelations of “Open Palms” are almost without noise, as if purified from pollution, having gained the maximum lucidity, thought somewhere in the middle the noise again puts itself on the map. The conceptual meaning of this track and the whole meaning seemed to me to be in the aspiration for openness and peacefulness – only with your palms open you are not violent, you are weak and innocent, and in this the truth consists. So, open your palms with Stitched Vision’s album.

Official site and official release page

Found at Deleted Scenes Forgotten Dreams Blog

Matthew Florianz – Koude Handen

“Koude Handen” is am ambient work by Matthew Florianz, which was self-released in 2010. Matthew’s music is dedicated to ambient environmental soundscapes, which, I think, are quite successful. In the discussed now album, you are sure to hear some melodic component, though irregular forms are also
present here; the images of comprehensiveness and freshness are the distinct features of “Koude Handen”. You can hear piano playing, some synthetic sounds, and well turned imitation of natural processes and phenomena – wind, water flowing, and the whole energetic substance of serenity and nonresistance. In some places, you can observe some resemblance or, better to say, consanguinity with Brian Eno’s “Thursday Afternoon” with its slow, rare piano tints against the background of mild, fragrant drone. This album leaves a delicate aftertaste, and supply of inspiration and energy. So, interflow your minds with nature together with Matthew Florianz and his “Koude Handen”.

Matthew Florianz’s official site

Found at Deleted Scenes Forgotten Dreams Blog

Official release page

Mendel Kaelen – Remembering What Was Forgotten

Mendel Kaelen’s work, “Remembering What Was Forgotten”, a work of an independent composer and sound artist from the Netherlands, turns out to be the successful expression of stillness, associated with ambient music. The first track, “Satori”, contains different parts, with various moods, which supplementing each other, give rise to a complicated syctem of this track, which awake some warm feelings and restful condition. There are some drones in it, some field recordings, piano sounds, that is, variety of means are implied here to create a inimitable atmosphere of “Satori”, a state of sudden illumination, enlightenment. You also hear some percussion sector, which again enrich the texture of the ambience. Also I would like to distinguish the track “In The Stillness” with its mild expanded sounding, which justifies its name. Radiance and gladness, though not always obvious, is characteristic of the album. So, try to remember, what was forgotten with Mendel Kaelen.

Official release page

Found at Deleted Scenes Forgotten Dreams Blog

Whirr – Black Island

Now, let me introduce to you an album by Whirr, called “Black Island”. Pleasant guitar sounds and, if I’m not mistaken, maracas are greeting you in the opening track “Clouded”, turning into sliding wisps of “Hipotermia”, which resembles some extraterrestrial communication session. “Vigilia”, a complex set of
fat drones, with some distant xylophone-like rings, is sure to entrance you with its unwordly and gentle power. In the track “Quars” you can hear some string arpeggios, as if of some Chinese musical instrument. “Summerged” and “Kaleidoscuro” are relatives in this album, grouped so by their similarityin modulation – they are vibrating, like two hearts, or two squirrels in a cage, whereas the conclusion, “Lost Chant” is some kind of the soothing element in this sonic story, having a tide-like, unhurried rythm, that gives completeness for the whole work.

“Black Island” on Whirr’s Bandcamp page

Found at Deleted Scenes Forgotten Dreams Blog

Mike Shiflet – Llanos

Today’s featured artist turns to be Mike Shiflet, an Ohio-based ambient musician, whose self-released album “Llanos” is really mind-explosive. What makes me glad in his work is the softness of the noise structures – they don’t make you throw your headphones away, but keep you cosy and warm. If studying the name of the album, we can learn, that Llanos is a vast tropical grassland plain, located to the east of the Andes in South America, and may be a travel to this place appeared to be the “inspiration-agent” for the artist. All these noisy hisses, against the background of hardly distinguishable ambient melodies, may represent the chirring fauna in this location. The album is full of energy, and sometimes overdriving energy, as in “Sunbathers” – there seems to be some boiling and hissing. However, the most of the tracks are like quiet, crackling spheres, with slightly ringing drones and some kind of radionoise. In the whole, the work produces pleasant, sunny and warm impressions, as if their noise particles, in the process of friction, generate heat radiation. So, have a nice listen to Mike Shiflet’s “Llanos”.

Mike Shiflet’s official site

Self-release official page

Found at Deleted Scenes Forgotten Dreams Blog

Bardoseneticcube – Psychedelic Avenue

First greeting sounds promise a listener rather not an entertaining adventure, but they presage a complicated and bringing into thoughtfullness listening. You hear some kind of metal sounds, moanings; in general the complex, dramatic and metaphysical atmosphere is emerging. I don’t like to compare, but I see some analogy with the mystic climate of Robert Rich’s “A Troubled Resting Place” (1996), where the sounds of tibetan music were used. It must be noticed, that one of Bardoseneticcube’s member, Igor Potsukailo, had a pseudonym Bardo, which became the component of the name of the project. Bardo is a transitional period between death and reincarnation, when the soul leaves the physical body and endures multiple severe trials before materializing again in our world. The usage of such a pseudonym may imply certain interest of the artist in this subject area. Abundant application of field recordings, ethnic musical instruments and effects is obvious. The first track – “The Long Rusty Way” is a preparation of the listener to the entry into the gravitational field of the current work. I remember the first time, when I listened to this album. I added it into my player and decided to have a walk. Having heard the opening sounds of “Psychedelic Avenue”, I went farther, and reached the ruins of an abandoned military unit. The conceptual emanation of the album and the surroundings of the destroyed buildings fitted each other, as both of them were the symbols of the fact, that nothing is eternal, everything has its end. Also, this music is a great backing for a travel by Russian railroad, when you can contemplate pictures of  neglected villages, destruction and desolation. It should be noted, that “Psychedelic Avenue” is not just a simple musical and artistic work – it is a really mystical and spiritual experience of the authors. Track “Totem” is dictinguished by its weeping bizarre drone of the distorted guitar, occasionally, there appear sounds like shots. All the album is rather impregnated with sudden onsets of female humming voices. I must admit, that this work of Bardoseneticcube is a very interesting and meaningful piece of sound art, where all the elements are interconnected, and there is nothing superfluous in the multiformity of “Psychedelic Avenue”. It has a distinct structure with introduction (“The Long Rusty Way”), culmination (personally, I found it in “Totem”) and conclusion (“Hymn Of The New Beginning”), that, I suppose, displays the systematic and architectural approach of the artists. In my opinion, the word “psychedelic” in the title of the album is used not in that habitual sense, where the terms “hippy”, “sixties”, “LSD” are implied, but in its initial sense – the music sounds “mind-manifesting”, or “mind-elucidating”, as it enlightens the listener’s mind through vigorous and diverse experiences. It is a really serious album, that must be appreciated. So, have a walk through the “Psychedelic Avenue” with Bardoseneticcube.

Bardoseneticcube’s “Psychedelic Avenue”: http://bsc.radionoise.ru/psya/
Bardoseneticcube on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bardoseneticcube
Bardoseneticcube’s official site: http://bsc.radionoise.ru/