apestaartje

releases

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m. rösner : morning tones

m. rosner coverLast years "Alluvial" (room40) introduced the world to M. Rösners subtle blend of acoustic sampling and sonic exploration. On his follow up "Morning Tones" the Australian sound artist utilizes acoustic guitar, recordings of his father playing violin, electronics, field recordings and computer to create quietly ferocious meditations in sound falling somewhere between texture and melody. Six lengthy pieces stretch and compress shifting the listeners attention gradually from one thing to the next. Intimate, dark and beautiful. Full color gatefold photo on digipak. Design by col_r.

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mountains : sewn

mountains : sewn - cover imageApestaartje co-founders Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp follow up their critically acclaimed self titled debut as 'Mountains' with this second offering of slowly evolving sound. Recorded over several lengthy excursions outside the confines of the city in upstate New York and Connecticut, 'Sewn' invokes a sense of ease and delicate precision. A beautiful combination of clean crisp texture and warm pulsating harmony that shows a group developing and expanding their sound with an extreme attention to detail that reflects new layers in each melody and texture. Eight tracks that combine acoustic instrumentation (guitar, piano, accordion, harmonica etc..), binaural field recordings and resonant electronic processing to create a wide range of electro-acoustic experience. From the folkish acoustic guitar of 'sewn two' and 'bay' to the densely layered organic din of 'hundred acre' and the psychedelic minimalism of 'sheets', 'Sewn' shows a group as equally invested in melody as it is in experimentation.[reviews…]

mountains : s/t

mountains : s/tMountains is an ongoing collaboration between Apestaartje cofounders Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp. Having worked in parallel and often overlapping contexts within their respective solo projects (Aero & Anderegg), 'Mountains' was initially created as an outlet for live performance. After numerous performances they decided it was time to document the experience and this their debut album was born. Four lengthy pieces composed around acoustic instrumentation and field recordings gradually blend with subtle electronics and live sampling to create an extremely dynamic and detailed listening experience that ranges from quiet crackling to dense layers of harmonic texture. Psychedelia, Americana and classical Minimalism are just a few of the genres referenced in this epic suite of resonant frequencies. "infinite sheets of grainy sound build and renew themselves to immensely pleasing effect." - The Wire First release in new digipak style sleeve.[reviews…]

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sebastien roux : pillow

sebastien roux cover artAfter several notable compilation appearances on Apestaartje, 12k and n-rec amongst others this is the long awaited solo full length debut by Parisian sound designer Sebastien Roux. A suite of carefully layered ambiance and sustained guitar that drifts in and out of your consciousness like the changing of the seasons. This is ambient music that seeps into your environment and becomes part of the overall surrounding allowing you to become fully immersed in it's every detail. A fantastic debut that reveals hidden gestures within each new listen.

christopher flores / janek schaefer

snail article cover coverThis split LP marks the first release from Baltimore resident Christopher Flores. After touring throughout the US with various post rock and experimental bands, Flores has recently focused more on solo activities, blurring the lines between acoustic and digital composition. Although the opening track, 'M.O.R.T.', is created purely in the digital realm one begins to hear gently plucked strings, soft bells and waves of radio beneath it's tactile surface. In the second track, 'Edits for Piano' Flores creates an intricately defined landscape using only piano as source. Within this overall sound, delicate melodies begin to form as distortion slowly swells to the surface. Janek Schaefer's Orders EP collects five pieces ranging in sound from the crackle and hiss of record debris, to the carefully layered hum of bass, to a chorus of family members singing the word love. The record also features a meticulously edited locked groove created using Schaefer's custom made audioh!Splicer software. An extremely diverse EP that effectively carries the listener from one sonic environment to another

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fourcolor : water mirror

fourcolor : water mirror - cover artAfter releasing several stunning albums as a part of the electro-acoustic quartet Minamo (apestaartje/cubic music) and as 1/2 of the electronica duo Fonica (plop/tomlab) this is Keiichi Sugimotos first widely distributed solo release as Fourcolor. Focusing predominately on the guitar 'water mirror' blends acoustic resonance with subtle precision to create an extremely detailed and restrained listening experience. Sugimoto focuses on the smallest of elements using electronics to accentuate every facit of an already tactile sound pallete. Sugimoto seamlessly blends various threads of kinetic listening in this ever-shifting composition of gradual movement. A difficult one to memorize, 'water mirror' is a deceptively complex album full of warmth and rigor. The album closes with an epic 25 min soundtrack to the film 'Frontire' by Japanese experimental filmmaker Jun Miyazaki which will be screening at this years Cannes Film Festival. Extremely gradual music.

nicholas collins : pea soup

nicholas collins : pea soup - cover artA self-stabilizing network of circuitry nudges the pitch of audio feedback to a different resonant frequency every time the feedback starts to build. The familiar shriek is replaced with unstable patterns of hollow tones, a site-specific raga reflecting the acoustical personality of the room. These architectural melodies can be influenced by moving in the space, making other sounds, or even by letting in a draft of cold air.

This recording took place in the reverb-drenched splendor of the Plasy Monastery, in the Czech Republic, during the 1999 "Festival Limbo 2." George Cremaschi gave a spirited performance on double bass.

aero : rises and falls

aero : rises and falls - cover artWith his second solo album 'rises & falls' apestaartje co-founder Koen Holtkamp a.k.a. aero moves even further into developing his own style of psychedelic minimalism. Over a year in the making and based predominately on processed acoustic instrumentation with sympathetic oscillators to further orchestrate the overall sound 'rises & falls' is an extremely dynamic and diverse set of compositions. Endlessly fluttering tones bounce off one another to create an overall body of sound that defies the listeners conception of time and space slowly peeling away layer after layer only to reveal a new direction altogether. A beautiful combination of clean crisp texture and warm modulating melodies each piece effortlessly moves through its ever so gradual changes never quite giving in to the power of suggestion. "A synthetic recreation of something unspecifically organic". For those who take pleasure in listening.

va : object set and motion

Four entities brought together under one title to explore the sculptural aspects of air moving through space. Sound, not just as a physical phenomenon, but as an intrinsically musical environment. Sébastien Roux (Paris) contributes two beautifully understated pieces of digitally processed guitar that brittle and burst with a fascinating spectrum of intricate details. Naoyuki Arashi a.k.a. Asuna (Tokyo) extends his harmonium through various computer processing in his intensely thick and amazingly hypnotic drone piece 'plural rooms'. The duo of Rossano Polidoro and Emiliano Romanelli, Tu-m' (Pescara) continue their adventures in plundered melodic fragmentation with two tracks of stuttering simplicity that are among their catchiest works. Unlike anything, yet instantly familiar Arden Hill a.k.a. Duul_Drv (Winnipeg) creates quiet environments where field recordings co-exist with electronics in such a natural way that one wonders if he has done anything at all. Object set, and motion.

anderegg : anomia

anderegg - anomia cover artHaving re-located to Brooklyn NY from the relatively mild temperatures of Portland, OR during the snowiest winter in over twenty years has given Anderegg plenty of time to hibernate over this intensely beautiful selection of tracks. Combining field recordings, electronics and good old-fashioned instruments like the guitar and piano, Anderegg has created an album that defies any silly genre restrictions. From the catchy piano melodies of the opening track to microscopic tape cut ups of 'historical figures' to the subtle arrangements in the albums title track 'Anomia' Anderegg's second full length finds him widening his palette and truly coming into his own. While seemingly more accessible then his previous effort 'When rectangles roll under cities', 'Anomia' is an extremely intricate album that will only reveal it's true complexity given repeated listening.[reviews…]

minamo : beautiful

minamo - beautiful cover artapestaartje is honored to be releasing the eagerly anticipated third album by Tokyo's Minamo. Compiled from a series of live improvisations the album comes across less like a compilation of live tracks and more like a carefully crafted series of events. An electro-acoustic excursion incorporating elements from classical minimalism, psych folk, krautrock, electronica, free improv etc. Gently strummed guitars are coaxed from within glassy tones and noisy electronic textures to bring you something that is both challenging and rewarding at the same time. A fine document of one of the most exciting creative groups currently exploring new sonic territory. Extremely gradual music.[reviews…]

va : colour and pattern

colour and pattern - cover art'colour and pattern' consists of four lengthy parts, each emphasizing subtle variation of melodic form. An organic blend of experimental electronics with instrumentation (guitar, synth, computer etc) that evokes everything from classical minimalism to more serene folk stylings. Minamo, an electroacoustic quartet from Tokyo featuring several key players in the contemporary Japanese improvised music scene (Tetsuro Yasunaga, Keiichi Sugimoto, Namiko Sasamoto) begin the cd with a gently flowing and intricately detailed 16 min. piece. Notes hover as if caught in motion while more abstract electronic textures move in and out of focus to create an overall presence which defies any preconceived formula. NYC dj/producer/improvisor I-Sound and NYC multi-instrumentalist Daniel Raffel contribute a first time collaborative piece. Combining his more laid back song oriented efforts with TO Rocco Rot and his exploratory experimental works, I-Sound creates a beautiful hybrid of swelling insect electronics underpinned by Raffel's hypnotic synth lines. Berlin's Jörg-Maria Zeger contributes a pair of minimal polyrthymic guitar pieces heavily influenced by his collaborations with the native musicians of tribes in Sumatra and other Southeast Asian cultures as well as his years of experience with the electroacoustic improv trio Perlonex. Both pieces shuttle and shift effortlessly sliding between genres, referencing everything from minimal techno to balinese gamelan.[reviews…]

collin olan : rec01

collin olan : rec01 - cover artprocess: two waterproofed contact microphones were frozen inside an approximately 10"x10" block of ice. the ice was then submerged in water and the entire melting process recorded. no processing has been made to this recording with the exception of minor digital errors being removed.

aero : pretend

aero : pretend - cover artPretend engages the listener on various levels, carefully and deliberately unfolding over the course of thirty-five minutes. With a strong focus on composition, each piece stands out, yet retains its own identity within the context of a larger whole. Upon closer inspection, minute gestures and single events become apparent. Subtle details mark each moment of the album, which slowly reveals itself over multiple listens. Taking an aural step back presents the listener with a different perspective; the individual tracks come into focus, while contrasts and larger movements within the album become apparent. With sounds ranging from microtonal clicks and pops to warm organic tones and waves, the juxtaposition and transformation of certain musical elements cause the listener to focus on the individual sounds themselves. Playing with ideas of how space and sound interact with the listener, the album directly engages and confronts the audience at certain moments, the physicality of the music forcing one to be aware of themselves as listeners in their own personal environment.

anderegg : when rectangles roll under cities

anderegg : when rectangles roll under cities - cover artEschewing conventional song structures while retaining his pop sensibilities, anderegg presents a debut album both beautiful and engaging. The sounds themselves reference the familiar, evoking a sense of environmental space and structure. At times flirting with melody, the tracks imply a sense of song, which both draws the listener in, while giving room for interpretation. Moments and gestures fracture and decay, while subtle contrasts hint at the concrete.[reviews…]

va : re: martin arnold “alone, life wastes andy hardy”

cover artAn interesting remix set in that the source material is the sound-track to Martin Arnold's most recently completed film Alone, Life Wastes Andy Hardy (1998), which is itself a 15 minute 'remix' of short segments from three Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney screen-trysts, tiny bi-directional loops of natural frame-motion which repeat for minutes on end, very glitch indeed. Fitting that Fennesz, Anderegg, Akira Rabelais, N/A, A Silent Partner, Pimmon, Steve Roden were all chosen, set to task on disassembling these seemingly endless (re)iterations. Outcome ranges from grainy digital drone-gloss (lovely Anderegg track) to micro-concrete renderings (Fennesz). Sorted and aware. -Hrvatski. (forced exposure)

va : small record (or wait)

va : small record (or wait) - cover artA label, a collective, and a location, apestaartje is a new label based out of Chicago, focusing primarily on computer composition. Although most of the work/play is done inside the computer, we would like to consider these pieces not as 'computer music' in the traditional sense, but something altogether more personal. 20 minutes of impossibly high trills, bursts of thick electronic textures that spool to a halt and reverse, and gently strummed guitars, processed and left plain. Artificial tinkles evoke thin scratches and shudders of glass, melodic in inference. Influenced by electronic minimalists (like Fennesz or the drier parts of Gastr del Sol's Upgrade and Afterlife), but not minimal itself. An immediate, linear recording that only exists for the second it's played, that doesn't linger. Transparent, spindly cobwebs of sound. Three tracks on a 3" CD. -Robin Edgerton. (other music)