Marking their Rebellion debut with three tracks of equal distinction Nico Stojan & Timujin define themselves with elegant, thought-provoking music that does more than most. Beginning with the twisted electricity generated by Oktoberfest you get the feeling that all is not quite all as it seems, with an array of strange otherworldly pulses and haunting melodies. Followed by the deeper, strummed guitar of the beautifully picturesque Satsang and the likewise scenic surroundings of Higher Altitude, both of which again place the mind and soul of the listener elsewhere. Journeys of discovery….
Anton Kubikov and Maxim Milutenko’s production project SCSI-9 have created that rare thing these days. Music which feels self-defined and original. Spanning eight tracks the moods and atmospheres play with introspection as much as they do positive, forward thinking themes. And they never sound less then brilliantly executed. None of the numbers fall short of the seven minute mark allowing the arrangements time and space to breath and develop the ideas proposed. The other thing very much in its favour is that Squares & Circles deserves to be listening to in its entirety, as one body of work, and how often can that be said these days. As the deep rhythms of the opening track states: No Rush. Although by the concluding, invigorating Detroit styed Onigiri you might beg to differ.
The next release on Yulia Niko’s Libe Vibe imprint comes packed full of remixes but let’s begin with the Rich NxT version. Nobusan plays like a heady concoction of moods, influences and styles as rave-era stabs sit neatly alongside pounding drums and bass, sizzling Acid tweaks plus spacey effects and vocal edits. Put it this way it’s all about hot, unrelenting intensity from the Fuse resident. Next, the Matheiu Analog Juice take plunges matters deeper with moodier atmospheres, while Giorgio Maulini’s remix contrasts nicely by again rasing the temperature via uplifting pads and insistent drums. Then it’s Saktu who delivers punchy, undulating rhythms with defiant flair across seven plus minutes. And finally we’re back to the original joint collaboration with Enzo Leep which is also excellent in itself. Driven by fierce percussion, pulsating low-end theory and a welcome musical twist this touches all points in quick succession.
Returning to the Magik Garden Festival late 2019 in Santiago de Chile the artist announces his intentions with this beautifully, haunting song and accompanying hard-hitting production. Expanding across ten minutes the music journeys through a sublime roller-coaster of fiery emotion as subtle percussion underpins the tough bass and kick drum combination. All of which supports Katy Prado’s soulfully charged vocal that says the same universal thing in any given language. A challenging, creative and timeless feeling piece of music, but then would you expect anything less from Luciano.
From the minds who compiled the ‘Close To The Noise Floor’ series comes this latest collection of music which is based around the creative power of synthesizers rather than the rock posturing of the guitar – although of course a good bit of rock guitar posturing is essential too. I guess if you approach this selection with the word Pop in mind i.e. the use of melody, just as in any other form of music, then this presents itself as a pretty uncomplicated equation by simply replacing the sound of six strings for the world of circuits. But, then comes The Normal – Warm Leatherette, Testcard F’s otherworldly Bandwagon Tango, Chris and Cosey’s October (Love Song), Fad Gadget’s brutal Ricky’s Hand, even ex-Hawkwind vocalist Robert Calvert’s haunting Work Song and so on, spread across four cd’s, which challenged conventional wisdom of how music should sound. If that’s the sort of theory which interests you then there is plenty to satisfy here, just as there is a wealth of Synth-Pop’s origins to discover along the route of history with those punchy keyboard motifs that would become so beloved of the early 1980’s. Interesting to note the sheer breadth of emotion which was created and utilised from the angry strains of Those Attractive Magnets – Nightlife, to the fizzy electrics of Colin Potter, to the chiming drum machines of Pink Industry’s Taddy Up. Contrasted by the more commercially accessible end of things, plus a fine version of T Rex’s Children Of The Revolution by The Fast Set. Some of the music leans towards the dancefloor such as Lori And The Chameleons delightful Lori, while other tracks seek out different things to play with. But whatever form things may take this is an intoxicating, always intriguing look at another side of how music evolved in the UK. And yes The Human League are here too – Circus Of Death.
Kilig’s new release of emotional sound for Thomas Ragsdale’s imprint does precisely that opening with the title track’s broken grooves and breezy ambient signatures. Next, and for me the finest number here is the haunting excellence of Optics. Which unfolds a wave of electrical pulses alongside washes of heart-warming colour via a gentle ripple of bells, strings and heavenly pads. The only thing is that it is almost criminally quick at a shade over three minutes, you just want to live there for a while longer. Middle Distance then completes with drum breaks and a soaring sense of expectation teasing out the summer sky.
Continuing the retelling of her 1994 solo album Zipless Vanessa Daou’s inspired exploration of The Works Of Erica Jong proceeds with these excellent remixes by Roberto Rodriguez. Jazzy inflections are underpinned by robust drums and shuffling percussion as warm expanses of sound rebound around the vocalists breathy poetry, which when you listen closely says more than words can. The Rooted In Bondage Instrumental follows — referring to the story told, and for me it’s the aural texture which lives and breathes most resolutely – while highlighting all of the rich musical variety in full.
Magazine Sixty are very happy to add this premiere to the exciting array of new music we seek to champion in 2019. This is the excellent debut EP for Selador from Christian Nielsen ‘After Midnight E.P’. No doubt you will have already encountered the Danish Producer’s work at some stage in the game, as he has released on such esteemed labels like Kompakt, Toolroom and FFRR, his resumé indeed speaks for itself.
Here he offers a brace of heavenly creations in ‘After Midnight’ & ‘Indestructible’ with two remixes coming from EdOne and Florian Kruse, both executing their own perspectives, adding a further expansion to the imagination.
Fresh from celebrating their 100th release this year Selador now progress forwards….
Welcome to Magazine Sixty, Nadja. Let’s start by asking about the beginning of Lucidflow Records back in 2009. What was the original idea behind the label and how would you say it has evolved since then – what sorts of things have changed in terms of the business of running a label?
Thank you for having me. I started Lucidflow together with my best friend Helmut in 2009 in order to have a platform for our own music in the first place and from there it’s developed to being a presentation for other artists from high renown like Silicone Soul, Brendon Moeller, Steve Rachmad aka STERAC, Funk D’Void to very talented new and upcoming artists.
You are celebrating the labels tenth year anniversary with the release of the: 10 Years Lucidflow Vinyl. What words best describe the sound of Lucidflow and which are the most important elements you look for when signing a track to the label?
The EP a number of your own and co-produced tracks. Can you talk us through the process of how you produced the beautifully deep: Weltenwandler? And what pieces of software/ hardware do you always like to refer to when producing?
The process is the following: First we do a short energy clearing session e.g. Ho’oponopono & EFT. We synchronise our DAWs via LAN cable, routed through the Scope XciTE Soundcard Mastering unit to the Soundcraft Si Impact mixer. Including all our gear we chose for a particular session. In case of ‘Weltenwandler’ I used the Korg Minilogue & Omnisphere 2.6 (with its wonderful HW control. Thank you Eric Persing and all involved at Spectrasonics!), StylusRMX, Native Instruments Guitar Rig 5, some filter & effect chains, Push Controller, and Helmut used Moog Subsequent 37, Omnisphere 2.6, Keyscape, and what not…
First we agreed on the title ‘Weltenwandler’ which is a new approach. In the past we usually thought about the title after the music was final. Then we jammed around looking for sounds and atmospheres that would fit the title in Ableton session view and clean the frequencies with e.g. FabFilter ProQ. When we had all sounds ready we start recording the track in Ableton arrangement view as we want it to be in it’s final version.
This usually only takes one take since we’ve been producing together for over 12 years. I guess that’s the main reason why Klartraum tracks sound so organic and unique. The mastering is always being carried out on the fly by Helmut.
The artwork for Lucidflow always looks stunning. Can you tell us who is behind it?
Thank you! I’ve been creating them. I like taking heaps of pictures everywhere I go and use them to create the artwork. In addition the Lucidflow spheric ball are objects we create in Cheetah3D.
Besides producing the more Club orientated sounds you also create Ambient music. What influenced your passion for this particular style? And what do you feel can be said through this medium that perhaps cannot by beats and basslines?
Yes, I’ve been creating Ambient with underlying binaural frequencies since 2011 naming it ‘Turning in’ series.
Initially I started creating them for myself to help me cope with stress such as flights, odd time zones, in between hotels, clubs and airports. Since I’ve always been interested in neuroscience, brain plasticity and neuro hacks I came across the power of brain entrainment and wanted to check it out. In order to be 100% sure what’s inside the binaural track I started creating the binaural frequencies myself without using any readymade tools. They do by the way! In the ambient drone music I also use a lot of my ambience recordings I’ve been taking on all my trips e.g. Masai Mara in Kenya to give them an additional flavour and vastness. What this music conveys? It leads me into completely different dimensions. It calms me down, slows down the sympathetic nervous system and therefore activates the parasympathetic ventral vagus nervous which immediately relieves stress and anxiety, helps dealing with sleeping disorders, sleep deprivation, PTSD, chronic pain. It’s a true gem and I am very grateful for this music. So many people are writing me how grateful they are and what the Turing In drones do for them. I would not have believed the impact of this music when I started producing these kind of sounds.
They will even be available on vinyl on a superb ambient label Astral Industries (London) where such brilliant artists like Echochord, Wolfgang Voigt…are I recently started creating epic ambient as Klartraum as well. Look out for Ambient Attitude(s) from June on. Pretty mind-blowing stuff! I want to take this opportunity to say to my fans and ambient friends how grateful I am for your support and feedback. This means a lot to me and keeps on motivating me creating new material. Thank you!
What is your favourite musical instrument? Do you own one?
My musical instrument is my whole studio-verse where I am lucky to have all the instruments and more I possibly want.
Where do you see Dance Music culture ending up in ten years’ time – any positive/ negative predictions?
I imagine a 3D wireless surround engine/controller where a bunch of friends can sit together and create their music of the day/evening via a VR studio on the fly inviting their favourite holographic idols to the jam session. Imagine you could sit in the middle of your living room jamming around with your friends and Jimi Hendrix! It is going to be FUN!
Outside of the world of electronic music where do you find inspiration? Are there any favourite writers, artists etc?
What’s been inspiring me a lot is the topic of neuroscience, energy medicine, quantum reality, quantum psychology, yoga, meditation, holistic medicine and so on. I’ve been working out on a daily basis. I love my little beautiful roof terrace/garden where I plant as many flowers and herbs as can possibly fit in and I care a lot for animals e.g. I don’t eat meat or dairy. I feed/water the little birds and insects every day (esp. in winter when everything is frozen I put fresh water out every day in order for the birds to drink). Meeting other empathic souls who care for our environment and see the bigger picture inspires me and touches me big time.
In addition I started a project ‘Holistic Kit – smart tools to renew yourself’ together with my best friend Julia where we individually guide people who are interested in quickly releasing stress, chronic pain, enhancing their productivity and finding their personal way of meditation, yoga, workout and transformation.
Heroes who inspire me are Sadhguru, Dr. Stephen Wolinsky, Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. David Brownstein, Hal & Sidra Stone, Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, Thomas Hübl, Dr. Peter Levine, Dr. Alice Miller, Alan Watts, Nisagadatta Maharaj, Rüdiger & Anette Nehberg, Nile Rogers, Moby (because he’s an advocate for animals), Alida Gundlach, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Jean Houston, Tim Ferris to name just a few.
And finally. How would you describe the experience of DJ’ing in 2019 and where can people hear you play next?
I’d describe it as a Lucidflow experience of resonance and connection. At Burning Man.
Thanks to all our fantastic and incredible fans and artists for have been supporting Lucidflow for all these years! I am very moved by your support, comments and feedbacks. You making a difference! Thank you Magazine Sixty for the inspiring interview!
Two reasons to love this EP. One: Tyree Cooper. Second: Music For Freaks. Stating the obvious may feel like a rerun of history and the message delivered here is one you will already understand but sometimes things need to be repeated. Tyree Cooper’s proudly defiant message is spoken with a sting in the tail as the smouldering 303 lines of the excellent Acid Remix get steamy demanding you pay full attention. The remaining Original version then serves up a more taught bassline, while the artists own remix detunes his vocal over biting snare hits resulting in an altogether moodier interpretation.
