Yikii – Flower’s Grave・花之墓 (digital, Genome 6.66Mbp)
Japanese project Yikii presents an album that includes elements of distorted techno dark ambient and above all horror film sound track, like a fairytale gone wrong. (cdrk)
KMRU – OT (digital, self-released)
Joseph Kamaru aka KMRU is a field recordist and ambient artist from Nairobi, Kenya. OT is a three-track release based on a same theme that include ambient strings, field recordings and minimalistic glitch and melodies. (cdrk)
Kenji Kihara – Dawn (CDr & digital, eilean rec.)
“Kenji Kihara is a Japanese musician based in Hayama, in Japan, a place surrounded by nature near to the sea and mountains.”
His electronic and ambient works are truly inspired by the sound of nature. His music oscillates between ambient and new age. (cdrk)
Aken’s Sleep – Beauty in Decay (digital, self-released)
Ambient guitar composition by two Egyptian composers : Ali Soliman & Mohammed Ashraf (aka Pie Are Squared), melancholic drones, subtle distortion, and a tiny touch of techno by the end of the release. (cdrk)
Edwin Lo – Field Recordings Archive: The Days in Queen Pier (digital, self-released)
“The recordings speak for themselves on the construction of Central–Wan Chai Bypass.” (In Hong Kong)
維度本身的結構 – Zukunft (digital, Shanshui)
維度本身的結構 one of the monikers of Chinese musician Sun Dawei aka Sulumi. Known for his techno and breakcore projects, Sun Dawei introduces us to a more intimate atmosphere : ambient guitar and electronics. (cdrk)
Don Zilla – From the Cave to the World (digital, Hakuna Kulala)
Two drastically different pieces by Kampala’s composer Don Zilla. The first track explores a dark side of Ugandan bass music, the second one is a twelve-minutes dark ambient piece that sounds like a soundtrack made in a submarine. (cdrk)
Jeritan – Chaos EP (digital, self-released)
Indonesian solo project Jeritan introduces us to a world of harsh noise, glitch and epileptic micro-loops. (cdrk)
Various artists – in his knotty ears, the donkey’s bells would jangle (cassette & digital, AqTushetii)
“in his knotty ears, the donkey’s bells would jangle’ is a selection of music either performed live, bootlegged, composed, or partly developed at AqTushetii artist residency & festival, summer 2018. Mirroring the diversity of the residents that took part, this compilation is an eclectic mix of genres and styles — musique concrete, computer music, Ashiq music, Circassian folk, post-industrial, modular synthesis, electro-acoustic music, tape collage, noise, drone, ambient, audiobook — from different parts of the world: Georgia, Sweden, Australia, Switzerland, North Caucasus, USA, UK.”
Georgian artists include Mess_montage, Vo Ezn, VAZHMARR, TeTe Noise, etc.
Various artists – place : georgia (digital, place)
“place : is country specific – electronic music compilations where the proceeds are donated to local human rights groups. Highlight the local producers, and bring awareness to the social causes that are important to the creative community there.
In May 2018, Georgian police raided multiple popular clubs in Tbilisi, using excessive force against workers and guests. The officially stated reason for the raid is due to recent drug-related deaths and accusations of drug trafficking.
Proceeds from this release will be donated to the Georgian organisation Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC).
The compilation includes a lot of Georgian artists from the local electronic music scene, mostly techno and ambient : Hanker, Benvol, Natalie Beridze, etc.
More information about the protest that happened in Tbilisi following this link The first protest expressed through massive rave to electronic music in Tbilisi (Georgian Journal).
Theo Nugraha & Tesla Manaf – Sikap Eksploratif (digital, Noise Bombing)
“This composition uses an improvised practice approach. Each artist responds to the sounds that are present and explores the possibilities.”
Sound collage influenced by Indonesian popular music, electroacoustic, free improv, noise, tape experimentation, electronics and film samples. (cdrk)
Dharma – Electric Animism (cassette & digital, self-released)
Dharma, member of famous Singaporean band The Observatory, is a brilliant guitar player, his new release composed with electric guitar, effects and objects i a powerful adventure into drone, free improvised and industrial music. (cdrk)
TENGGER – Spiritual 2 (CD, vinyl & digital, Beyond Beyond is Beyond)
“TENGGER is a traveling musical family, made up of Pan-Asian couple, itta and Marqido, who create their brand of psychedelic New-Age drone magic through the use of harmonium, voice, and toy instruments (played by itta) and analogue synths (played by Marqido). The duo originally started out with the moniker “10” but since the birth of their son RAAI (who joins them on tour and often on stage) in 2012, have called themselves TENGGER (meaning ‘unlimited expanse of sky’ in Mongolian) to mark the expansion of the family. It also means ‘huge sea’ in Hungarian.”
This new album is probably their most ambient and psychedelic release.
Various artists – Peninsula Volume 1 (digital, Liquid Frequency)
Liquid Frequency is an Indian label known for its psy trance releases but this time Yidam selected ten artists and duos who play ambient and new age music, among them, drill┼mallo, Subhas Mazumdar, Shivacult, and Coma Conscience. Field recordings, minimalistic atmospheres, drones, electronica, a lot of relaxing music. (cdrk)
Yan Jun – Plays John Cage (cassette, digital, foreign lands)
“Yan Jun is a musician and poet, based in Beijing. His work involves performative music, experimental composition, field recording, improvised music, experimental electronic music and relative presentation of exhibition.
He uses non-musical materials such as the body, blankness, in-situ conditions and everyday noise.
In further, he experiments on structure and concept of music.”
Koeosaeme – OBANIKESHI (vinyl, digital, Orange Milk Records)
Yoshizawa Ryu “Koeosaeme”‘s album is a very nice and diverse composition between collage and modern electroacoustic music that blends violin, sound design, glitch, deconstructed electronic beats and the likes. (cdrk)
aragorn23 – Desert Meditation Drone (digital, self-released)
South African artist aragorn23 aka Asqus composes generative music with modular synthesiser. Desert Meditation Drone is a 23 minutes long ambient piece. (cdrk)
Omar Fadel Hadi – The Room (digital, self-released)
Four compositions by Iraqi musician Omar Fadel Hadi. Mostly ambient, with a touch of post rock for the third track Minimal. (cdrk)
Farouk Adil – Continuum (digital, self-released)
Farouk Adil is an very prolific musician from Iraq who mostly works in the field of ambient music, sometimes techno or electronica and organises small events in Baghdad.
Continuum is a collection of field recordings, a project from The Institution Of Fine Art in Baghdad. (cdrk)
Hüma Utku – Gnosis (vinyl & digital, Karlrecords)
Turkish musician Hüma Utku aka R.A.N. just published her second vinyl on Berlin-based label Karlrecords. Far away from her electronica composition, she now composes hypnotic and ritualistic beats and dark ambient. (cdrk)
Izumi Kawasaki – Moromi (cassette & digital, Gerpfast Record)
Izumi Kawasaki is a Japanese multidisciplinary artist active since the 1990s whose noise career started in 2018. Moromi is her first album. Expect harsh noise and syncopated distorted loops. (cdrk)
Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective – Degradation (digital, Flaming Pines)
Composed and produced by Zach, with instrumentation by Lam Lam, voice by Lý Trang and Harvey Stauss and engineering by Đỗ Tấn Sĩ, the international project Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective, based in Ho Chi Minh takes a more abstract direction than their previous album Libyan Circle Voice Simulation. Glitch, ambient, heavy basses. (cdrk)
Syrphe magazine 杂志 