The scope the electroscape continues to widen, and this issue of survey of the electroscape is no exception. You’ll stumble upon 8-bit crunchiness, undertones of nature and spirit, and children’s voices used to create rhythms, melodies, and emotions.
Explore. Discover.
Albums are listed in alphabetical order.
Echoes by Marie Wilhelmine Anders
Echoes by Marie Wilhelmine Anders is psychologically gripping. Richly textured beats and hypnotic melodies tease the mind. They lead the way, and all you’ll want to do is follow. Sounds appear like the slow drip of a bead of water, creating a splash before dissipating entirely, yet over time steadily pool into something noticeable, substantial, enveloping the soundscape and dominating the mood. Echoes embodies the nuanced songwriting and electronic sound that feels evolved, fresh, and thoughtful.
Fear by Zer0 れい
Fear by Zer0 れい is chaotic and disfigured yet sculpted and beautiful, a deconstruction of a prior release by the artist, You Too Should Fear What You Have Created. Fear asks the listener to temporarily suspend the human need to string time together, release the past and future, and indulge in the happenings of the moment. Fear is built from layers of sounds that have a remarkable span, including the beating heart, broken doll house toys, abandoned carnival rides, haunted piano, possessed electronics, warped cassette tapes, and otherworldly voices that sing soulfully, warn, and call for help, which are arranged together to elicit feelings of fear, intrigue, anticipation, curiosity, and surprise.
Holotropica by Sophie Birch
Sophie Birch has created a peaceful, yet quite intensive, experience on Holotropica. The songwriting is an invitation to contemplate, meditate, and imagine embarking on adventure. The soundscape is built from minimalist instrumentation. The songwriting is like consciousness, seamlessly drifting from one place to another without memory of the last place visited. The atmosphere is noticeably cool, eliciting feelings of torment, isolation, and fear of an unknown that feels imminent, but as warmer tones emerge, you are invited to peer inward and tune into rhythms that are as stable as breath.
In A Weary World by Megan McDuffee
On In A Weary World, Megan McDuffee dishes up a fresh, cinematic plate of dreamy goodness meant to be consumed fully in every moment. The songwriting makes it easy to indulge. From the opening notes, the album takes control by creating a quiet and still atmosphere, introducing rhythms that quickly stabilize the mood. The music is adventurous, nuanced, and sophisticated, built around melodies and beats that dance together like particles suspended in a liquid soundscape, choreographed by the forces of the world that surrounds them.
Kids Discover the Cosmos by Hopkirk
On International Children’s Day, Hopkirk released Kids Discover the Cosmos. The album showcases an array of styles, including big, devilish ‘70s grooves on “Alien,” smooth electro jazz on “Turbulence,” and melodies drenched in dreaminess on “Silent,” not to mention a hint of funk and hip-hop elements in spots. The album features children’s voices to create rhythms, melodies, and emotion, set against a soundscape that playfully captures their wonder and curiosity. But don’t be surprised when you stumble upon deep cut piano solos suitable for late nights at the jazz bar.
OASYS ♁ 博物館 by 猫 シ Corp.
Originally released in 2016, a recent cassette run at Cityman Productions has brought OASYS ♁ 博物館 by 猫 シ Corp. back to the light. And it is a gem. The atmosphere vacillates on the edge of light and dark, melodies are entrenched in the aesthetically surreal yet somehow natural living space full of lush, green plants, misty air, and flowing water, all set in a rhythm that invites you to slow down, look around, and notice. The album plays much like the cover art, golden rings and spheres infinitely spinning over an endless ocean, each reflecting in the surfaces of the others, always feeling familiar, yet never quite the same, sometimes animated with emotion that twists and turns in unforeseen directions.
Pretty Warp Machine by Divmod
Press play and choose your own adventure. You’re a spy, detective, king of a digital land – that’s what Divmod offers listeners on Pretty Warp Machine. A heavy, gritty 8-bit soundscape with brain slapping textures, set aside enchanting and mysterious melodies, aggressive rhythms, and head pounding beats. Infectiously groovy.
Project Voyage by DUCAT & VANITAS命死
Project Voyage is exactly that – a voyage. The opening notes elicit a noticeable sensation of plugging into a portal, your transportation device to another space, a surreal dreamy one, set in an artificial future. The album is built around warm, ballooning bass that vibrates back-and-forth across the hemispheres of the brain, while cool melodies hypnotize and entertain the mind, dancing like puppets on a string, sometimes moving in real time, sometimes in slow motion. DUCAT & VANITAS命死 created a soundscape that feels peaceful, lush, and inviting, which is nothing short of addictive.
See-Through by Patricia Wolf
See-Through is the sophomore release by Patricia Wolf. It is laced with tones of nature and threads of spirit that slowly become the pulse of consciousness. Wolf creates a surreal atmosphere that feels dense, full, firmly planted in earthiness yet sparse, disembodied, suspended, set in a psychedelic and mechanical future. The mood is laden with emotions that are joyful, dire, playful, and serious, a remarkable span that often collide. Wolf isn’t afraid to create jarring moments that haunt, induce fear, or embody dread and devastation among those that sooth, heal, and bring calmness, a genuine approach to songwriting that feels like an authentic expression of human experience through music. Read more about the making of See-Through here and explore Wolf’s debut, I’ll Look For You In Others, here.