» RB103 – Saito Koji – Guide

His follow-up to the earlier released album “Music” is called “Guide”. The eight tracks are 3 minutes long, the classical radio hit length. The music is very dense. Starting with very distorted, thick and layered sounds shifting to a clear and calmer atmosphere in the end. All pieces are rather short in the field of ambient or drone music but Saito filled the pieces with an enormous richness and concentration. Overtones are swirling around in your head, layer over layer of crackling noise is added to a this warm blanket of sounds.

Have a nice start in 2012 and farewell to a wonderfull 2011.

» RB102 – Saito Koji – Music

His new release “Music” is a 5-track album with a complete duration of 70 minutes.
Two 20-minute pieces are framing three 10-minute tracks full of tender and dense drone-music. Matching with the starting winter season in the northern hemisphere, Saito comes up with these wonderful warming sounds, wrapping you up like a cosy blanket.

And the best thing: At the end of December there would be another Saito Koji-release on Resting Bell!

» RB101 – The Accidental Psaltery – Sending You Going

The Accidental Psaltery is an ongoing project of musician and sound artist Rick Tarquinio. Random loops and phrases arranged by chance shift and phase into gradually evolving soundscapes. More like weather than music, the accidental psaltery is meant to be listened to while doing other things or going about one’s business.

His release “Sending You Going” consists of three beautiful tracks with a complete duration of 70 minutes. It is basically a psaltery and on some spots a bit of delay, that is all. And with such a limited set-up Rick creates wonderful clear soundscapes.

» RB100.3 – Oskar Hallbert – Promenader & Utflykter

Oskar’s new release is called “Promenader & Utflykter”. It is thought as a double CD, all in all with 24 tracks and a playtime of about 42 minutes. Oskar writes beautiful, little miniatures, mostly around two minutes long. All tracks have a pretty rough feeling production-wise. You can hear background noises from the places where he recorded his tracks and there is hisses from old recording equipment. But most importantly you hear wonderful melodies played with various instruments.

» RB100.4 – Appalachian Falls – GrimGrimAntonym

“GrimGrimAntonym” is a 30 minute-work consisting of two live sessions with an array of distortion pedals and tape machines. Both works are full of haunted tones and distorted fragments. A massive wall of sound crackling in your ears and melting your brain, evolving to smoother soundscapes which are transformed back into a vulcanic blow out.  My recommendation for this: Hear it as loud as possible.

» RB100.2 – Bengalfuel – Kokolias

Bengalfuel’s music is their gift to the ghosts so they will have some peaceful music to listen to. And their new work “Kokolias” is working definitely right in that direction. They present 6 ethereal and atmospheric pieces, pure bliss and beauty. The music oscillates between highly melodic soundscapes, deep droning elements and shimmering high frequencies. Giving the ghosts a wonderful soundtrack.

As a long-time fan of Bengalfuel I’m really happy that they are taking part in the RB100-series. Thank you Lou & Joe.

» RB100.1 – Shinobu Nemoto – Tetsuo

His new work “Tetsuo” is a glimmering 58-minute opus, divided into 3 parts. Like his “Melting Loop Trip”-project, “Tetsuo” comes with a very warm and meditative feeling. Taking you up and away, let you see and feel the bright light near the sun and dives you into dusty hazy clouds of rain. Listening to “Tetsuo” gives me a warm shiver over my back and the feeling of light rays on my face.

Thank you Shinobu for this wonderful release.

And together with the birthday comes the 100th release too. Cool. So I thought I’ll do a complete birthday-party month in September where you can expect one release every week, starting from tomorrow Sep. 9th with “Tetsuo” by Shinobu Nemoto. Next week Bengalfuel will follow with “Kokolias” and I’ve got two really great releases in my back for the last two weeks. Together with the free mp3-download there will be a limited CDr of each release (about 30 copies), just for all of you who like to have something physical in their hands

A preview on the artwork for the upcoming releases:

So be prepared for more!

» RB099 – heu{s-k}ach & pedro sousa – I know not what tomorrow will bring

For “I know not what tomorrow will bring” heu{s-k}ach teamed up with Pedro Sousa and recorded 4 wonderful pieces in Lisbon. Using guitar, electronics, a bass drum, objects and a tenor sax they create a wide and open ambience, oscillating between silent passages, rhythmic structures and long drones. Although the complete work is improvised and offers a free structure, all participants keep it together in a very subtle way.

» RB098 – Saito Koji – Luck

“Luck” consists of three tracks with a total duration of 48 minutes. The first track “Old Tape Magic” starts off with a beautiful 20-minute long drone. Beautiful, bright and shimmering. The short middle piece “Count“ is a more rhythmic and pulsative interlude, followed by another 20-minute piece called “Luck“ which has a much more melodic and lucid quality. Saito Koji continues to produce simply wonderful, meditative music with a warm and soft feeling in which you can get lost every time you listen.