Sam A La Bamalot – What Happens When You Sleep [Lomek020]

Audio, Electronika // By: simiolioliocloseAuthor: simioliolio Email: simon@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (41) // 14/01/2012 // 1 Comment

I had the privilege of meeting Yorg and Sjoerd whilst I was at the Freemote Festival in Utrecht. They run the Lomechanik label, an eclectic, high quality net label offering great releases in various underground styles.

“…breakcore, to dubstep, … instrumental hip-hop, noise, if it’s electronic, it’s Lomechanik.” Sam a la Bamalot, 2011.

I also met Sam, who played a fantastic live set, and was also kind enough to let me record him in a short interview for my Freemote article (linked above). Most of his music follows in the vein of synth-driven wonky slow jams, and is very comparable to the organic bass-heavy music of Flying Lotus, the twitchy beats of Mike Slott, or the wild and experimental braindance of Dorian Concept.

One of my favourite tracks by Sam is his tune ‘Tainted Voice’ on a compilation ‘Zonnebrand’ released at Lomechanik a few months ago. In fact all of the tracks on the compilation are rather special, definitely check it out if you want a general overview of the label. The compilation and Sam’s new release are available as a paid download from Bandcamp, and although it does not quite fit the CC-driven attitude that we appreciate so much at Netlabelism, the compilation is €2 and Sam’s new release is likely to be a similar cost. This is not big bucks, and if it means supporting the label to encourage new material in the future, it is easily justified.

‘What Happens When You Sleep’ is a funky, smooth, uplifting EP sporting tracks with superb depth and finesse. Grinding synth chords, quirky melodies and tight detailed basslines elevate this EP above other EPs of similar style in the net audio world. The amount of musical involvement and versatility demonstrated in this work is a pleasure to be subjected to, and with production skills to match, I can see this EP going a long way.

Sam A La Bamalot – Delta Waves:

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Deeplink to: Release Page (EP not released at time of writing)
Deeplink to: Sam a la Bamalot Soundcloud page

Alessandro Crimi – A Night in the Forest [bsc_017]

Deep House & Techno // By: AlexandercloseAuthor: Alexander Email: alexander@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (31) // 11/01/2012 // 3 Comments

As 2012 rolls in we here at Netlabelism are looking forward to another year of fine netlabel music. My first netlabel sounds of 2012 were ushered in late at night from the Basic Sounds Netlabel. Much of my music listening habits are based around mood and environment, when it’s sunny and bright I love something with rich warm timbres, earthy sounds that emanate the environment which surrounds me. Some times it will be late at night, I’ll be sitting at my computer in darkness and all I crave is a warm pair of headphones wrapped around my ears with some truly minimal house sounds. No doubt many of you have craved a certain niche sound at a very specific time. In this case, the latter was what I was after.

I will be the first to admit I am not 100% familiar with many minimal house netlabels out there. The first that comes to mind is Columbian label Monofonicos, then there is the work on the prolific FuseLab to take into account. I didn’t find myself at these sources, however, and followed a tweet from a friend of mine to the Basic Sounds website and their latest release from Alessandro Crimi entitled ‘A Night in the Forest’. A night in the forest you say? Well, that certainly sounds like it fits my dark, secluded mood and night time environment.

The release is characterized by a sinister sound, with deeper synths than I’m used to, it suits the title perfectly. I imagine being trapped in a forest at night would not be entirely pleasant, but if I had to choose some tunes to listen to it would be this EP. Steady beats are accompanied by ominous progressive synths that pulsate and pan around the field of sound. The three tracks kick in at around five minutes and descend around seven minutes, staying true to that minimal sound.

Percussive punches are pulled in ‘Nebelwald’ with the synths acting as an auxiliary for the beat and the intro offering a short reprieve from the harder hitting drums of the opening track. Two minutes in to the track and dub-influenced sounds can be heard echoing all around the place, all is needed is some serious low end and this could be a dub track. Instead, provided is some subtle percussion joining the synths to carry the track into its mid section.

Closing out the EP is a quicker tempo track, lifted by a subtly moving ambient synth in the background and melded with a shuffling click beat. A welcomed juxtaposition from the opening two numbers that gives a sense of closure to the short EP. It’s a little more light-hearted as well. The three tracks here carry some weight, and in my eyes track two being sandwiched between two higher quality tracks is at the detriment of the release. While it holds my interest somewhat it is out shined by its bookends. Either way, check out the release if the mood is right and the environment beckons it. [AS]

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Deep Link: To The Release Page

Sea Oleena – Sea Oleena

Indie & Indietronica, Singer Songwriter // By: MarkuscloseAuthor: Markus Email: markus@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (76) // 09/01/2012 // No Comments

A while ago I wrote a review about Sea Oleena’s album Sleeplessness and it was about time I had another look at her Bandcamp page to see whether anything new had arrived. Unfortunately, there was no new release to be found, so I took the opportunity to write about her self-titled album “Sea Oleena”.

The year is 2010, giving us among other things the 52nd Grammy Awards and a more than creepy pop song securing Germany another win in the Eurovision song contest after what seemed like a mere thousand years. But this is another story. Luckily Mrs. Oleena released her first long player at Bandcamp in the same year. As usual, that service allows you to name your price or get the freedom of a free download. As I mentioned in the review of her second album:

“You instantly get that spring feeling. Everything is easy, birds are singing and a warm breeze blows through the trees. Everything seems to be arranged and composed for Sea’s lovely voice.”

It’s a more than stunning debut album with seven tracks, each of which tell another story. Most of the time these are layered with acoustic instruments and slightly elements of electronic music, such as the programmed-sounding drum loop of the first two tracks. I’m more in-tuned in the more acoustic sounding tunes like “Island Cottage” or my absolutely favourite: “Little Army”. On almost every track you can find that slightly acoustic noise, reminiscent of tape recorder white noise, giving the record a more analog feeling without sounding annoying. As I mentioned before, this is a brilliant debut album with the right touch of acoustic and electronic elements as a background for the great and lovely voice of Sea Oleena. [MS]

Sea Oleena – Little Army

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Deep Link To: Release Page