"New Age Music", search and destroy.

this japanese import is worth a go if you can find it

http://www.emrecords.net/records/00065.html

& if you can't it's on spotify...

Only (very minor) complaint: the track-by-track liner notes are good (not great - serious dearth of info re: what instruments were used, etc) but was surprised by the lack of overarching introductory material; the booklet just sorta dives right into the profiles. I guess I'm used to comps like Nigeria Special and stuff, which frame the music in historical context, but I realize, of course, that's much easier to do when you're dealing with a mere decade of highlife and juju produced by a single region.

Guess what I'm saying is I'd v happily read a book about this stuff.

― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Wednesday, November 20, 2013 7:23 AM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

me too, the profiles were pretty interesting! now that you mention it a bit more gear talk would have been nice.

― sleeve, Wednesday, November 20, 2013 7:24 AM (2 weeks ago)

So finally got IATC the other day and gave it a listen today -- truly lovely for all reasons described, etc. I mentioned it on Twitter and tagged Douglas McGowan, the compiler/liner note writer aka the guy behind Yoga Records, and mentioned how I enjoyed that the liner notes weren't exhaustive/specific a la Numero's approach but more impressionistic. His response:

The concept was that the notes are for people 100 years from now, which changes what you write about rather a lot.

I actually like that! Given he links just about all the artists via their own webpages it's not like he doesn't give you further spots to investigate.

Ha! Well, now that I know it's conceptual, I don't mind as much. Seriously though, I'm not sure I've played a single compilation this much since, err, DGC Rarities. Aside from maybe one or two tracks, this thing is perfect for pretty much every mood. Maybe I'm just getting mellow?

Bought the Laraaji comps, haven't listened yet. The 'bargain basement trip hop' thing the late great mentions upthread is a little scary.

last track on the second disc = all time greatest music ever

http://i.imgur.com/v8UuA5c.jpg

Another precious find from Andy Votel’s impeccable Dead-Cert imprint, Kat Epple & Bob Stohl made music for Carl Sagan, composed sound pieces for Planetariums and scored nature documentaries in the early 80’s. Most of their recordings were only ever released on private edition tape, with this selection hand-picked by Andy Votel, remastered and cut by Matt Colton and available on vinyl for the first time ever. Operating in Florida from 1978 until Bob’s untimely passing in 1989 at the age of 34, the husband/wife duo were among the first to blend synthesisers and acoustic instrumentation in a home studio equipped with a variety of early synths and instruments. As lovers and collaborators, the couple created a rich and vivid parallel dimension of new age music borne from the ‘70s prog scene and probably best referred to as “Space Music”. Throughout their unfortunately curtailed career the couple earned a noble crust creating music and mood-pieces for nature programmes, most notably for the legendary Sagan, under the Emerald Web aegis (expect to hear more of this on Finders Keepers later on this year) while continuing to issue numerous tapes to friends and fellow musicians. Following contact with Kat Epple - who still plays concerts at venues ranging from MoMA to Ground Zero - Dead-Cert were made privy to Kat and Bob’s private tapes, drawing for five pieces ranging from brooding deep space scapes to shimmering, gaseous sonics and impressionistic sound murals streaked with progressive traits and an alien, yet pastoral nature. Recorded using an Arp 2600, Mini Moog, EML Synkey, Roland RS202 String Ensemble and Electro-Harmonix Vocoder, plus a range of woodwind (both Kat and Bob were trained flautists, making colourful use of Bill Bernardi’s innovative Lyricon I, a hybrid flute/synthesiser) with some guitar assists here and there by friend and co-composer, Barry Cleveland. Their music is rich and unapolagetically tethered to the Space-Age iconography of their age, the result being a warm and often highly unusual hybrid of Kosmische and Prog signatures, quite distinct from the more austere variants more recently associated with the era.

flute synth!

http://www.dominicsmusic.com/photosdm/5178.jpg

nature documentaries! does anyone know the names of these documentaries or if they're available?

fantastic news ... but no CD reissue? ;_;

omg link to buy please

Finders Keepers put it out, right? It was discussed upthread unless I am missing something

not finders keepers, dead-cert

and it came out last June and appears to now be oop. Dammit. Why would something like this be limited to a mere 700 copies? Nevermind, I know why.

daryl groetsch has gotta be my fave of the newer artists working in this mode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voDyboR8Ejc

^^

Seems to have quite an extensive back catalogue.

Which one(s) do you recommend checking out first?

aaah, sorry. just getting to this!

forest, mountain, valley is a personal favorite, extremely beautiful:
https://pulseemitter.bandcamp.com/album/forest-mountain-valley

the meditative music series is also quite good, particularly #3 & 4. I don't meditate but often put them on while sleeping or if I'm just a little anxious or overwhelmed. they really are relaxing.

and speaking of which, the planetary scale synth hypnosis compilation is also very well curated and includes excerpts from the meditative music albums, amongst many other things.

alan i've been going through hiroshi yoshimura's discography since you recommended him, he's so wonderful

oh, awesome!

yeah, he's great. have you heard anything past flora 1987? haven't been able to track anything down myself. particularly curious about koto vortex 1

no, flora is the latest one i've found so far.

ah well

Holy smokes, this Jordan de la Sierra record is the greatest thing:

http://www.numerogroup.com/products/jordan-de-la-sierra-gymnosphere-song-of-the-rose

looooooong cosmically-inclined reverb-heavy piano pieces that are positively satie-esque in their simple beauty

― (曇り) (clouds), Sunday, December 7, 2014 10:21 PM (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

oh, awesome!

yeah, he's great. have you heard anything past flora 1987? haven't been able to track anything down myself. particularly curious about koto vortex 1

― (⊙_⊙?) (Alan N), Sunday, December 7, 2014 10:36 PM (3 weeks ago)

hey I missed this post, Alan I have Koto Vortex II and it is beautiful/amazing, PM me if you want a rip or something

:D

had a heavy new age phase about 6 months ago. really want to get as much of the good '70s/'80s stuff as possible – any recommendations for best way to go about completing that?

http://www.factmag.com/2015/01/03/hear-extracts-from-a-long-lost-12-hour-private-soundtrack-by-vangelis/

These new clips from Vangelis, quick ticket to transcendence

ambient/new age gorgeousness from last year that i enjoyed :

http://phaeleh.bandcamp.com/

I love the Vangelis Tegos Tapes

I found that Jordan De La Sierra box set in the early 90's and was a little let down by it at the time -- the cover had me expecting a lost 'harp of new albion' or 'well-tuned piano' but it sounded more just heavy chorus processing than legit just intonation. But my copy was also a bad pressing, this sounds so good on CD, and the liner notes spelling out the context with mid-70's Mills college & him showing up at an early episode of Stephen Hill's Hearts of Space and asking to play the piano in Studio B, and Bob Orban helping them mix the reverb live at Grace Cathedral all help sell it for me as a legend

hey whoever emailed me w/the username of "mister brevis" (clouds?), you need to include an email address in yr message

oh haha! oops. yhm.

mister brevis do u know mister l'homme arme and mister pangae lingua?

nickb otm re: jordan de la sierra

Yeah it's something, I went in with slightly lowered expectations but it's quite breathtaking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlTdeFY9lMw

This surprised me, but early Deuter made some pretty cool stuff

http://www.thesirenssound.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Jocelyn-Pook-Untold-Things.jpg

had this hidden away in the archive for years and each time I remember it and play it just knocks me sideways.

the mix of unexpected instrumentation, and treated vocals layers, make this a very different and unique listen.

love it.

album : Jocelyn Pook - Untold Things

Environments (especially #2 - Tintinnabulation)

― Milton Parker, Thursday, January 8, 2009 3:56 PM (6 years ago)

YES. i never expected to see a reference to this anywhere, but it is very, very good. picked it up for just a few dollars the other day, on a whim, knowing nothing about it, fulling expecting it to be more of a novelty record than anything. side one (with the bells) is just the best. i'll be forever on the lookout for all the others in the series - 11 in all, with one environment per side, right?

i know i bumped the Vangelis thread earlier, but i'm adding reaction to the Voices album here as it's far more appropriate.

to start, the stina nordenstam vocal track ('ask the mountains' : the most new age-y name for a track ever ?) is absolutely gorgeous.
at first i thought it sampled ZOOLOOK in its use of very short digital vocal samples, but then as the track progresses it's clear that the samples are of stina. the result is perfect ear candy.

i was a little worried when i saw that paul young provided vocals for one of the tracks, 'losing sleep',
but the sonics are so massive and warm and his presence is so embedded within the big fat synths that it matters not.

oh, and the opening track featuring a vocal choir, Athens opera company, is just insanely brilliant.

yes, the album features lots of the digital presets that the genre is known for, but mixed in with bladerunner-esque synth lines, it all works rather well.

summary : well worth the coin i had to hand over for it.

next up : seen celestial vibrations cd reissue going cheap, so rather tempted to go back and pick that up now !

i looooooove the environments series! i have two. the one with the heartbeat is super intense.

ok, what is this "environments" series, as the only one i know is the FSOL series.

same thing ?

i suspect not.

http://www.discogs.com/label/423531-Environments

I love those as well, I have around half a dozen and always pick them up when I see them

cheers sleeve !
basically, i am never going to see those in my local HMV, or charity shop.
was beginning to think i had missed out on something i could have joined in with.
summary : as you were.

they have the coolest covers!!

ha! Irv Teibel has now been retroactively credited as the author. His name never appears anywhere in the packaging, but Syntonic Research Inc. was essentially a one man operation. I've had some conversations with the guy who's recently inherited the library / organization; they're looking for a good label to handle a complete box reissue. For a series that sold in the millions and that was so ridiculously influential, it is a little silly how under the radar they all fly now

I have the CD issue of 'Tintinabulation'; they mastered it at the 16.666 rpm speed, lasts an hour, good move. 'Intonation' also sounds good slow. I have a set of the vinyl but I don't have some of the later cassettes, man do I want to hear 'Alpine Blizzard', what in hell does that even sound like

think i prefer the FSOL Environment sleeves ;-)

not that i have any of the FSOL series either ..

xp

Hah those "Environments" records have been popping up in conversations a lot these days. I really like the one that is recorded on a wooden sailboat/ship. Good stuff.

some of the first ones went platinum once they were picked up by Atlantic; completely pioneering. fantastic, obsessively detailed liner notes. they won't stay obscure for long.

the guy manning the library says there were tons of unreleased, even crazier concepts for albums; can't wait

ooh! that's good news