Mender – Asembulus

8-Bit & Chiptune, Audio, Broken Beat, Electronika // By: SimonVBcloseAuthor: SimonVB Email: simon.vanbockstal@gmail.com
More Authors Posts (23) // 18/11/2012 // No Comments

Somehow I end up being the person reviewing releases by other members from our writing staff here at Netlabelism. Perhaps because, as editor, I have a mistaken belief I will be more objective than other writers in this matter. Well, let me make one thing clear right off the bat: I am not objective in this matter at all. I love this release and urge you to mash the download button right away. For those with more than two seconds to spare, let me make it clear why you should do so.

There is a very coherent feel to this release: many tracks are made up from similar building blocks including chopped-up vocals, plucked strings which all sound more toward the sitar/ koto end of the spectrum and syncopated drum lines. This coherent feel is noticeable in Mender’s entire catalogue: similar cover design, great attention to song titles and a propensity for going all over the place, musically speaking.

This can also be seen on Asembulus: every track has its own distinct characteristics. Take for instance the hyperactive rhythm and nods to chiptune in the second track, which also boasts one of the best song titles I’ve seen all year: ‘My Steed is a Fucking Unicorn’. The beautifully distorted synth line which goes for a triple goosebump knockout at 2:29 , 2:58 and 3:20 somehow reminds me of chiptune virtuoso gone moody downtempo into jazzy nuttiness Tresk/Trash80. That is a good thing, as I am more than fond of those sounds. A fucking unicorn allright. With all the bragging rights that come with it.

‘Learning in Fives’ is a great instrumental hip-hop track with dub influences and is followed by a masterful dark downtempo track in ‘She’s Got Velvet Organs’.

‘Asembulus’ is a release on par with what we’ve come to expect from Mender based on his earlier work: creativity unbound by rules or expectations, attention to detail and shall we not forget the Fucking Unicorn? Highly recommended.

Mender – My Steed is a Fucking Unicorn

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Deep Link to the Release Page

Cousin Silas – Endless Summer EP

Ambient & Experimental, Electronika, Instrumental // By: AshcloseAuthor: Ash Email: ash@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (5) // 15/11/2012 // 3 Comments

Earlier this year Thomas Mathie, founder of Scottish electronica aficionados We Are All Ghosts emailed me asking if he could use a line from one of my songs as the name for his label. I was intrigued, if not a little flattered and naturally I obliged. Less than a year on, WAAG have established themselves as one of the most formidable purveyors of ambient electronic sounds in the UK netlabel scene.

The label’s proclivity for independent artists doesn’t end with their name either. They provide high quality lossless files on their Bandcamp as a ‘pay-what-you-want’ download and free Mp3’s in the archives on the website, proving that these guys are all about making underground music accessible.

This latest release ‘Endless Summer EP‘ is the brainchild of flagship artist Cousin Silas who has been crafting electronic ambiance since 1996. Emerging from West Yorkshire, Cousin Silas has an extensive repertoire with records out on Treetrunk, Acustronica and BFW Recordings before finding something of a home on We Are All Ghosts. I spoke to Mathie at WAAG about how he came to discover Cousin Silas;

“I started working with him after discovering his ‘Ballardian Landscapes’ release on the exemplary Earth Monkey Productions netlabel. We hit it off and I started creating some artwork for a number of his releases. Early in 2012, I expressed my desire to do more for his music, which resulted in the formation of my label We Are All Ghosts. I wanted to promote ambient electronic soundscapes but also be open to other styles of music where possible…”

Ambient electronic soundscapes is certainly what we are dealing with on ‘Endless Summer EP’. An undulating palette of software and analog sound forms the backbone of this hypnotic collection. My first listen was in the company of my 13 week old daughter whose elated gurgles and infantile squeals gave it some kind of trippy context. Someone once said that music has the right to children. They were not wrong. Proggy guitar lines sink into dense, swelling soundscapes that become almost synesthetic; conjuring a spectrum of fuzzy emotion.

This is a strong record if not a little derivative of Boards Of Canada and other psychedelic contemporaries. Still, with this release, We Are All Ghosts have proved once again that they are indeed a formidable emerging presence on the netlabel scene and the purveyors of quality ambient electronic sounds.

Cousin Silas – Ongoing

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Deep Link to Release Page

Dusk at the Mansion – Will you wake up today?

Indie & Indietronica // By: pscloseAuthor: ps Email: filipe@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (26) // 11/11/2012 // No Comments

I received an email recently from a Portuguese artist letting me know of an EP recently re-released under the Japanese netlabel Bumpfoot. Bumpfoot splits their catalogue in two branches “Bump side: techno and house, or based on them. Foot side: ambient, IDM, or etc… other than bump side.”

The release I got forwarded was foot209 Will you wake up today? by Dusk at the Mansion. The bumpfoot website describes it as “a mixture of acoustic and electronic music, featuring vocoded vocals. Highly interesting EP by a band from Portugal. The songs were recorded between 2011 and 2012 at “The Mansion”, Golden Pony Studio and Ricco Vitalli’s (Cavaliers of Fun) studio – who also mastered and mixed the EP. Written, performed and programmed by the band.”

The cover looked really good, and checking out the website of the band you can tell they pay close attention to coherent design. Dusk at the Mansion are a 3-piece band “formed in 2009 by David Costa (Drums), Leihla Pinho (Cello) and Ricardo Mestre (Vocals/Keyboard/Laptop).” They seem to focus on laidback electronica. Their sound reminded me somewhat of Ladytron, Air and Kraftwerk, except they never had a cello accompanying them and Dusk at the Mansion do.

The EP sounds good. Very well produced. The tracks follow a coherent aesthetic feel of laidback electronica with vocoder vocals and an indie pop touch. They manage to pull a unique sound from their influences of legendary electronic acts. I’m not much into pop to tell you the truth, but this EP sounds quite good and I can highly recommend it.

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Deep Link to the Release Page [foot209]