HAUSCHKA & HILDUR GUÐNADÓTTIR: Pan Tone (Sonic Pieces)

themilkman on Sep 9th 2011 01:40 am

Hauschka & Hildur Guðnadóttir: Pan Tone

HAUSCHKA & HILDUR GUÐNADÓTTIR
Pan Tone
SONICPIECES012
Sonic Pieces 2011
06 Tracks. 42mins15secs

Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD Boomkat: DLD iTunes: DLD

In early 2010, German pianist Hauschka and Icelandic experimental cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir were invited to perform together as part of Arctic Circle’s Bubbly Blue And Green festival, themed around water, which took place at King’s Place, London over the course of four days. For the occasion, the pair had concocted a series of pieces inspired by various Pantone shades of blue, from near-black to aquamarine, each evoking a particular colour of the ocean.

So truly individual are their respective work that the inspired pairing of Volker Bertelmann, a man with a penchant for purposely tempering with his piano with all manners of props to alter its sound, and Hildur Guðnadóttir, whose exploratory work takes the cello out of its usual remit to experiment with textures and loops, was always likely to deliver something totally unique. Continue Reading »

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SIMON SCOTT: Depart, Repeat (Sonic Pieces)

themilkman on Feb 28th 2011 12:31 am

Simon Scott: Depart, Repeat

SIMON SCOTT
Depart, Repeat
SEVENPIECESPIECEONE
Sonic Pieces 2011
02 Tracks. 10mins48secs
Format: 7”

Boomkat: 7″

In recent years, Simon Scott has produced some particularly haunting instrumental pieces, but for the inaugural release on Sonic Piece’s new seven-part series of lusciously packaged seven inch singles due to be released in the next few months, he has opted for a different approach. Recorded in his own studio in Cambridge and at Nils Frahm’s Durton studio in Berlin, and the result of a series of health scares which eventually proved false alarms, the two songs that make this release are delicate folk songs miles apart from the haunting textured soundscapes of his previous works.

Scott plays guitar, xylophone and electronics and vocals here, while Frahm provides additional piano, synths and glockenspiel. Continue Reading »

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GARETH DAVIS & MACHINEFABRIEK: Grower (Sonic Pieces) / MACHINEFABRIEK: Apollo (Machinefabriek)

themilkman on Feb 25th 2011 01:38 am

Greg Davis & Machinefabriek: Grower Machinefabriek: Apollo

GARETH DAVIS & MACHINEFABRIEK
Grower
SONICPIECES10
Sonic Pieces 2011
02 Tracks. 33mins05secs

MACHINEFABRIEK
Apollo
Machinefabriek 2011
01 Track. 21mins34secs

Grower
Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD Boomkat: DLD iTunes: DLD
Apollo
Boomkat: DLD

Grower is the fourth collaborative release between British clarinetist Gareth Davis and Dutch experimental sound artist Rutger Zuydervelt as his Machinefabriek alter ego. Following last year’s Drape, which appeared on Home Normal, and culled from the same sessions, Grower is told in two parts or roughly equal length. Here, Zuydervelt uses guitars as main sound sources for the sombre introspective atmospherics he creates for Davis. There is an element of solemnity in his drone structures which echoes Davis’s contribution beautifully. The rich deep tones of the clarinet appear almost as a smoother, warmer reflection of the much colder and metallic guitar textures. These two pieces open in similar fashion, each slowly growing from a single, deep, note upon which Davis progressively places delicate motifs. Continue Reading »

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ERIK K. SKODVIN: Flare (Sonic Pieces)

themilkman on Oct 20th 2010 01:23 am

Erik K. Skodvin: Flare

ERIK K. SKODVIN
Flare
SONICPIECES009
Sonic Pieces 2010
10 Tracks. 36mims02secs

Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD Boomkat: DLD iTunes: DLD

Graphic designer, head of the highly respected Miasmah Records, sound artist and musician with many projects under his belt; Erik Skodvin’s days must surely be pretty busy. Momentarily stepping away from his Svarte Greiner alter-ego, his latest album, Flare, is published on the excellent Berlin-based imprint Sonic Pieces in a run of just 450 handmade copies.

Very much like with his work as Svarte Greiner or as one half of Deaf Center, the Norwegian artists creates here a particularly striking soundtrack, each sonic vignette the catalyst for infinitely nuanced and detailed soundscapes, but here, the dark and dense electronic textures that have been key to his work until now have gone entirely. Instead, Skodvin works with acoustic guitars, pianos, violins and bass, using each sound in its raw, naked form. Continue Reading »

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GREG HAINES: Until The Point Of Hushed Support (Sonic Pieces)

themilkman on Mar 22nd 2010 11:42 pm

Greg Haines: Until The Point Of Hushed Support

GREG HAINES
Until The Point O Hushed Support
SONICPIECES006
Sonic Pieces 2010
04 Tracks. 47mins57secs

Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD Norman: CD

Over three years have passed since pianist and cellist Greg Haines released his debut album, Slumber Tides, on Miasmah, and gained praises for his stark minimal modern classical soundscapes. Since, he has played on a number of records, collaborated with Machinefabriek, Wouter Van Veldhoven and Xela, and has formed Liondialer, a project based on improvised experimentations, with long term friend Danny Saul.

Recorded in the Grunewald Church in Berlin, where he currently resides, Until The Point Of Hushed Support, released on Sonic Pieces, is Haines second full length. Continue Reading »

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INTERVIEW: GREG HAINES Ich Bin Ein Berliner

themilkman on Mar 14th 2010 10:44 pm

INTERVIEW: GREG HAINES Ich Bin Ein Berliner

Four years ago, Greg Haines unleashed his debut album, Slumber Tides, released on Miasmah. Its intricate blend of discreet electronics and contemplative classical music rapidly found a place of choice on the musical landscapes. Since, he has been busy contributing to a number of records. Last year, he released a collaborative album with Danny Saul as Liondialer, for which they improvised noise pieces in pubs used to more generic music. As he is about to release his second solo album, Until The Point Of Hushed Support, on Sonic Pieces, Greg Haines took some time off working on a dance piece in Paris to talk about his influences, making the transition from studio to live performance, working with other musicians on his latest album and transmitting his knowledge and experience to younger generations. Continue Reading »

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NILS FRAHM: The Bells / Wintermusik (Erased Tapes)

themilkman on Dec 4th 2009 01:09 am

Nils Frahm: The Bells Nils Frahm: Wintermusic

NILS FRAHM
The Bells
ERATP21
Erased Tapes 2009
11 Tracks. 40mins12secs

NILS FRAHM
Wintermusik
ERATP18
Erased Tapes 2009
03 Tracks. 29mins58secs

The Bells
Icon: arrow Amazon UK: DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD

Wintermusik
Icon: arrow
Amazon UK: CD Amazon US: DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD

London imprint Erased Tapes continues in its quest to unleash some of the most beautiful music around with its latest signing, German pianist and composer Nils Frahm, who delivers not one, but two releases in as many weeks. During his formative years, Frahm studied piano with Nahum Brodski before going on to work on his own music. Based in Berlin, where he has established his studio and shares his time between production and composition, Frahm has already featured on a number of releases and has worked with the likes of Peter Broderick or Machinefabriek’s Rutger Zuyderveltd. Continue Reading »

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