One of the most extraordinary labels we've come across in a long, long time. A mix of the truly adventurous, the downright bizarre and the positively awesome.
First, the new Archipelago releases - this is a series of six 3-inch CD's in unique individual covers, each approx twenty minutes running time, and featuring some astounding music - you can get them separately or collectively:
ARCHIPELAGO SERIES:
1.RHOMB: Lunatic 3"CD£6.99Order now from CD Services
A thirteen minute and a near six minute track from the duo and it's a bizarre way to kick things off as a whole universe of stark, spacey electronics seems to be observed in slow motion as a quiet but fascinating sonic landscape unfolds, no melodies, tunes or rhythms and in a sense, quite dark, but mesmerising stuff all the same. The shorter track introduces more sonic effects and electronic swoops, swooshes and echoes to add to what has gone before but still in keeping with the mood of the music as a whole.
2.CSERO: Pikoliftor 3"CD£6.99Order now from CD Services
Six tracks of electronic blips, beeps, echoes, static, stutters, stark near-rhythms, effects and seemingly random outbursts on one of the most unnerving sets of electronic music you'll hear - don't get caught in a darkened room with this lot - it could send you over the edge.
3.SEOFON: Immanent 3"CD£6.99Order now from CD Services
Now THIS IS GOOD - seriously good. The moment that fantastic echoed drum rhythm begins, with space synths swarming all over the place and layers being added from synths and percussion, you know you are in for the trip of your life, and it does not disappoint. Over nine minutes of warm and powerful space-synth with deep bass rumbles, driving percussive rhythms, huge towers of string-like synths, almost choral synths, layer upon layer of exotic delights, it could almost be some lost Kraut-synth outtake from the seventies, but it sounds crystal clear, dynamic and just sensational stuff. The near four minute second track features a huge wall of electronics and synths rumbling, buzzing, droning, driving and swooping like a million angry bees lost in space, and is just so atmospheric. The final, near seven minute track, returns to the drum rhythms, adds electronic drum rhythms, a swooping electronic backdrop that's slightly more industrial, a bass rhythm that booms out in almost ambient dub fashion and acres of space synths and other-worldly electronic effects to create a vast galaxy of sounds and rhythms. Overall, simply superb.
4.THERMAL: Span 3"CD£6.99Order now from CD Services
Bookended by two one-minute tracks the main feature here is a near nineteen minute track. So it opens with some scene-setting electronic space effects, before you are slowly launched into the main track, this time a laid-back version of the sort of thing found on the Seofon disc, with more of a flowing melodic content to the synths, the percussive rhythms in the background, a normal bass rhythm that sounds more guitar-based than electronic as layers and textures are added from the array of synths and electronics, all very full-sounding and as a combination of cosmic and rhythmic, it sounds just wonderful, with echoed effects, swooping synths and more, all creating a long track that has branches in music as diverse as early seventies Krautrock and early nineties ambient, but as a single piece of music, it is unfailingly brilliant.
5.DEAN SANTOMIERI: Crude Rotation 3"CD£6.99Order now from CD Services
Five short tracks, the first being three meandering minutes of space effects, electronics and out-of-focus samples barely audible in the distance, all very hypnotic. The it ploughs into all sorts of weird electronic swirls and effects, with a female voice briefly intoning, a vocal layer chanting in the distance, and then a poem is recited as electronics crackle, vocal layers develop and it all gets very strange but utterly spellbinding - you have to hear it to believe it. Track three features two minutes of deep rumbling, droning, echoed, tinkling, buzzing and effects-laden music, while track four is spacier, but more abstract yet at the same time more fascinating. Finally, the fifth track is very dark with huge waves of synth walls, eerie electronic effects, even scarier decelerated voices, and a most spine-tingling atmosphere throughout. I found this whole thing absolutely riveting and while there's no discernible melodic or rhythmic structure to any of it, it has a charm and hypnotic quality that makes it required listening.
6.EM: Click Pop 3"CD£6.99Order now from CD Services
This time, eight tracks, seven between one and two minutes long and an eighth at over six minutes. As you might imagine, the shorter tracks covere spacey ground from throbbing electronic bass and eerie space sounds through dark cosmic layers that are entirely scarey to a minute or so of ear-bending high-register electronic blips and bleeps and echoes which is one weird experience on headphones. The six minute piece is quite eerie also, with a deep electronic backdrop, stretched-out samples, distant synth rumbles, textural effects and a generally strange atmosphere, all quite stark and 'out there'. Amazing stuff, indeed.
