Freezan - Sune EP [FPR018]

Album: Sune EP
Artist: Freezan
Label: http://www.fresh-poulp.net/
Genre: Downtempo, IDM
Release Date: 3/27/2008
Reviewer: Ryan
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Every now and then I sit down to play an album, almost without thinking about it. Only after I hear how good the music is do I really get excited about it. That was the case with Freezan's latest offering on France's Fresh Poulp Records.
The album opens up with "Sometime", an exceptionally diverse song featuring metallic drones, tinny sampled voices, and harmonic basslines, all blended with glitched beats. The next track, "Untitled" grows from a single piano part to a complex plethora of layers, all coming together to very good effect. This track has an almost psuedo-dub feel; imagine if you could take lounge music and make it grimy, yet polished.
This four-track EP is finished out with "No Name" and "Ending", two tracks which are both soothing and unsettling, because of the calming melodies and warped, scratchy sound, respectively.
I was very impressed with Freezan's EP as a whole. This young Kazakhstan native proves himself to be quite skilled in creating his relaxing brand of piano-based electronica. This EP is a must for anyone looking for a way to unwind.

Vate - Volt [V10]

Album: Volt
Artist: Vate
Label: http://www.vate.com.mx
Genre: Electronica / IDM
Release Date: 2007
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Review:
Aaah, the first review this year and its of an album released last year. I have a large number of recommended albums in my mailbox from last year and i will do my best to get to all of them. I will have to balance reviewing 2008 and these recommended titles from 2007.

But back to the review...

This release from Vate is really top notch stuff. I dont know if its just cause i have been out of contact for a while, but this really just hit the right note with me. The first track ("Turismo") is just really trippy and really reminds me of the "trancy" stuff from the early 90's with a 2007 overhaul. The second track ("Orient Stress"), which is also featured on the previous release from Vate, has a pulsating tribal rhythm with growling basslines set to a slamming breakbeat. Almost industrial in some aspects. These billowing basslines continue through to the next track which is also a standout track.

"Hertz" drops into a more minimal-IDM style and it slowly progresses into more distorted IDM sounds from here onward.

Overall the album is fantastic and its highly recommended. Even if its just for the first few tracks as not all of them will appeal to everyone.

Interspacial - The Befores [VRB013]

Album: The Befores
Artist: Interspacial
Label: www.vorbic.com
Genre: Downtempo / Chillout
Release Date: Sept 2007
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Review:

I was quite impressed with the album. The music is good to chill to and its good iPod food for the mornings, traveling into work. The sort of music that starts off somewhere and leaves you somewhere else. My favorite tracks are 1 & 2 ... both of them have a cohesive sense of randomness? ((a Paradox I know ... but even in the most intense chaos there is always order if you look long enough ;) ))


The style of this release is hard to put my finger on. It reminds me of something I heard many years ago, but i cannot put my finger on it. Believe it or not, i think it was something on a compilation called "Detroit Techno" from the early 90s ... Not the entire album, but just one of the tracks. Ill look it up and let you know if i find it.

But enough with the nostalgia ...

VA - Aesthetik Label Showcase

Album: Aesthetik Label Showcase
Artist: Various Artists
Label: www.aesthetik-records.com
Genre: Techno / Minimal
Release Date: 13th August 2007
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Review:
a fantastic release covering various forms of techno. From ambient techno, minimal and almost banging techno. The majority being in the ambient techno genre and includes one or two standout tracks from that genre. The album ends off with an ambient IDM track ... interesting stuff and a good way to end an album.

None of the tracks are weak or out of place. Its definitely a great compilation and seeing its a showcase, this netlabel must be good. This is the first review of them on netlabel review and hopefully there will be more pretty soon.

Singing Crane - The Rising

Album: The Rising
Artist: Singing Crane
Label: Singing Crane Productions
Genre: Electronica
Release Date:
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Review:

This album contains a fantastic blend of ambient, trip hop and other styles. Its really well produced and has some very interesting moments throughout. Some of the tracks make me think of names like DJ Shadow & Amon Tobin (although a bit lighter than Tobin).

Its really a gorgeous final result when the mood swings from ambient to trip-hop / breakbeat and back again. The 3rd track "Threatened", gets a distorted edge to it which creates a paradox with the rest of the track's mellow instruments. The 4th track "Steady Climb", has a EMB style synth-line that gives the track a much more "Edged" feel (think Covenant / VNV Nation - [with no vocals]).

Overall the album gets two thumbs up from me and is getting stored in my "to keep" folder for general enjoyment whenever I need some beautiful music. The blending of styles make it hard to classify into a single genre, so file this under "E" for Electronica.

Note: This is an album that is released independently by Singing Crane Studios. So its not strictly published under the same copyrights as most of our other reviews [[see the included readme.txt file for details]].

The guys are happy to share this music with you, so if you like it ... drop them an email and let them know what you think.

Phasen - Urban Nomad [io026]

Album: Urban Nomad
Artist: Phasen
Label: www.ionetlabel.com
Genre: Ambient / downtempo
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Review:
This will be my third review of a Phasen album. He gives us a good combination of guitar and slow paced beats and rhythms. It reminds me of some of some of the more old-school ambient by some of the pioneers of the genre. (Bill Laswell comes to mind) The album is hard to categorize into a specific genre creating a bit of s niche sound at times.

Personally i liked the track Comfortable (sort of drifting into the abyss stuff) , the other track Insomnia sounds like it was recorded during a rainy day. All with good effect.

I recommend this to ambietn fans or those who appreciate experimental guitar playing ...

Mkd - Delivering Different Sounds [io027]

Album: Delivering Different Sounds
Artist: Mkd
Label: www.ionetlabel.com
Genre: Downtempo
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Review:

Mkd (formerly known as Miko9999) swings back with his first release since March and its somewhat of a mixed bag with this one. There are a couple of real keepers in this release and also one or two that might not appeal to all out there.

Mkd fuses together some fantastic elements to create this album. Ranging from ambient to downtempo lo-fi (all my favs) and he does create a somewhat cohesive album that starts you somewhere and puts you down somewhere else. Using melodies, placed over smooth sweeping pads and the downtempo (LO FI) beats underneath, he creates a melancholic experience thats makes this album worth the download.

*rubs hands together* ... I want some more please :)

Dimomib - Groove Chillium ep [did005]

Album: Groove Chillium ep
Artist: Dimomib
Label: http://www.deepindub.org/
Genre: Dub /Ambient Dub /Downtempo
Release Date: August 2007
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Review:

an Ambient dub masterpiece and thats just the first impression when you listen to the first track.

I was listening to this today while programming and it really had a fantastic effect on my concentration. Trance-inducing-dub that will make your hair stand on end. My ONLY complaint is that its only 3 tracks, and the 3rd track is just a remix of the second track. I know, i know ... its an EP ... but i wanted more. I really enjoyed it and a person can only listen to two tracks so many times.

As with any ambient / Dub ... listen to it from start to end before you make up your mind. Its something that evolves and skipping evolution makes you miss out on the good bits.

Statedlife - Future Dream [AH014]

Album: Future Dream
Artist: Statedlife
Label: www.archaichorizon.com
Genre: Ambient
Release Date: July 2007
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Review:

Another release from Archaic Horizon that oozes quality. This is by far one of the best Netlabels out there today with every release being consistent in quality.

Future Dream overflows with lush sonic soundscapes that fills one with emotion. It somehow feels as if it was modelled on "BT - This Binary Universe" (one of my favorite albums btw) and suceeds (in a sense) to create a simular deep emotional connection with the listener.

This is Ambient music as it should be and as such should be downloaded and shared with everyone you know. If you need to study, or have some serious thinking time ahead this music will help the mood. If you are suicidal ... uhmmm ... maybe give this one a miss

ManMadeMan - Free To Listen

Album: Free To Listen
Artist: ManMadeMan
Label: http://www.ektoplazm.com
Genre: Psytrance
Release Date: 17 July 2007
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Review:

ManMadeMan brings us a Psytrance mix set thats really top shelf stuff. Its a fantastic selection of dancefloor burning tracks that will get all Goa / Psytrance fanatics going nuts. They've apparently been published by a couple of labels (including Flying Rhino and Turbo Trance) and this album is a testament of their awesome talent.

Its a solid mix set packed with a lot of solid beats and this is one of those "why is this free?" albums that i would gladly pay money for.

Somewhere out there is a unmixed version of the album with all the source tracks. I was unable to locate it for the review, but its out there!

Phasen - Yesterday Was Tomorrow (EP) [io023]

Album: Yesterday Was Tomorrow EP
Artist: Phasen
Label: www.ionetlabel.com/
Genre: Ambient / Downtempo / Trip hop / Lo-fi
Release Date: Jul 2007
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Review:

Phasen released an album just over a month ago. It was his Debut album and I was rather impressed with his skills and the overall quality of the album. (Full review here)

This release reminds me of some of the work from Bill Laswell, Ambient with a deep rooted guitar / stringed instrument influence. Sometimes i (once again) find my head in the clouds almost as if I was listening to Boards of Canada. Its very laid back and a bit funky but maybe not quite as weird as BoC.

The album gets two thumbs up from me and it goes down really well with a good quality headset.I hope Phasen can keep on producing tunes like these. Its a pleasure to listen to.

General Fuzz - Cool Aberrations

Album: Cool Aberrations
Artist: General Fuzz
Label: http://www.generalfuzz.net
Genre: Easy listening / Acoustic
Release Date:
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Review:

With me being out of touch with the netlabel scene for a few weeks I was contacted by many people about releases they came across. I have so much music to go through and sometimes appreciate the guidance. Especially when i stumble across albums like this one.

This album is the work of James Kirsch, every song on the album is a collaboration with a different artist. This album took a while to create and it is obvious in the quality and versatility that the time and effort spent on assembling it has been a great success.

The album contains mainly "real" instruments. Piano, flute, organ, guitar, voice and a whole whack of others.

On the website you will find an in depth review of the artists and efforts that went into every single track. (See the making of cool Aberrations). The amount of heart and soul that has gone into this album is nothing short of phenomenal and deserves a listen by all music lovers.

If you can, read through the description of the track while you listen to the release. It gives it context and it will make you realize the depth of expression of the album.

Really top of the range music.

Pierlo - Saturday Night Sleeper [upfree19]

Album: Saturday Night Sleeper
Artist: Pierlo
Label: http://www.upitup.com
Genre: Electro / IDM
Release Date: June 2007
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Review:

This album is all over the show. Its fast and slow, mellow and up-beat, chilled and funky. Its a diverse array of elements from a multitude of genre's but is still consistent enough to be the work of a single artist ;)

One thing that is common between all the tracks is a lot of synthesizer usage. Be it basslines or the lead, this album is filled from 1st to last track with synthesizer madness.

Look, its good stuff. Maybe a bit off center at times, but still good. Give it a try if you like the more alternative styles of electronica or feel like something new.

Phasen - On Your Way Out [io021]

Album: On Your Way Out
Artist: Phasen
Label: www.ionetlabel.com
Genre: Downtempo / Breakbeat /Lounge
Release Date: June 2007
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Review:

IO Netlabel presents an album filled with lo-fi, downtempo goodness. This is the debut album from Phasen and what a pleasurable debut it is. The album resonates with funky breakbeats and a lot of guitar work, creating very interesting settings for the listener (and it spans 2CD's too ;)

I found the music to be very enjoyable and artistically superb. The music has an element of quality to it that is always present throughout all the tracks. Some of the tracks have a strange quirkiness that adds some extra flavor to the album.

Overall this is really a great release and its recommended to all downtempo fans and lofi enthusiasts.

Violent Public Disorderaz - Sadness In Square [lokw-008]

Album: Sadness In Square
Artist: Violent Public Disorderaz
Label: http://lo-kiwi.org
Genre: Downtempo / Lofi
Release Date: June 2007
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Review:

Stoned out Lo-fi, downtempo beats and rhythms fill this album from wall to wall, its all good from start to end. Slow moving soundscapes intertwined with nice funky beats create a slow moving experience that makes this album worth every byte of download.

It reminds me of some of Nightmares on wax's, Cinematic Orchestra or David Holmes' music. Funky lo-fi beats, slow, deep basslines with a dash of jazz just to top it all of.

Retroflexus - Graft EP [bump035]

Album: Graft EP
Artist: Retroflexus
Label: www.bumpfoot.net
Genre: Minimal / Techno
Release Date: 3 June 2007
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Review:

This debut release from Retroflexus, an artist from Hungary is also bumpfoot's 80th release.

The music is interesting and will slide down well with all minimal fans. The music tends to be a little quirky at stages but its still funky throughout all 4 tracks.

I found the third track had the most appeal to me, steady solid beat and some nice techno elements just made it worth the download. Give it a download if you are into techno, tech house, minimal ...

VA - netBloc Vol. 5: The threat at Goliath's feet...

Album: netBloc Vol. 5: The threat at Goliath's feet...
Artist: Various Artists
Label: http://blocsonic.com/
Genre: Various
Release Date: May 2007
Download @ 320kbs
Download @ 192Kbs
Download FLAC (200MB)

Review:

Let me start off by saying that this is a fantastic release. This is a various artists album containing music from all over earth. It contains almost everything from Rock to Portishead style trip hop. Some (funny) Punk, funky hip-hop and Jazz. However it doesn't contain anything that is too obscure or "way out". Its a well selected compilation that will satisfy most contemporary music lovers.

netBloc have gathered up some of the best music the netlabel community have to offer and created a various artists compilation that covers a lot of genres. The album is a well presented package, giving you all the CD covers and CD artwork (on their website). They even provide you with a 35-page booklet filled with info.

This album does indeed hold the power to illustrate that free music does not imply bad music.

It comes very highly recommended ... 10 kudos to you guys@Blocsonic ;)

Floating Mind - SOS [MonoKraK 6]

Album: SOS
Artist: Floating Mind
Label: http://www.monokrak.net
Genre: Ambient
Release Date: May 2007
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Review:

Its been a while since i have heard such "pure" ambient. The kind of ambient where you really need to turn up the volume before you actually hear "all" of it. Melodies are replaced with rhythmic pulses of sound reminiscent of the likes of Steve Roach and Biosphere. Audio waves sweep into your ears and fill your head with images of water, space, air, and well ... all the images that ambient should stir up. The last two tracks are a little more experimental in a sense, using white noise and drones to cover the majority of the track, but faintly filling in the spaces with traces of melodies and harmonies.

If you are an Brian Eno, Biosphere or Steve Roach fan definitely download this and let me know if you agree? Maybe its just me.

This is ambient of very high standard, I know i label a lot of the net-releases as such, but really ... Its hard to imagine that this is free music. The music is good for times of concentration. Reading, relaxing, painting or possibly even sleeping should fit in perfectly with this.

So next time you head out to the record store for an ambient release. Get this first!

Sublinear - Pinned Beneath the Boiling Sky [plague009]

Album: Pinned Beneath the Boiling Sky
Artist: Sublinear
Label: N/A (?)
Genre: Trip Hop / Downtempo
Release Date: 9 May 2007
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Review:

Some funky downtempo trip-hop beats, loads of heavy pads and strings and more atmosphere than you can shake a stick at! Thats all included in this one release from Sublinear.

The album reminds me of some Cinematic Orchestra style tracks with trip-hop beats filling in the missing bits. Its really a fantastic album. It might be a little slow for some but if you are into your Trip-hop, downtempo or (slow but funky) break beats, we have a winner!

The use of orchestral themes and instruments really set the stage for a stunning album rivaling some of the best commercial released music today. Its once again a audio painting painted on a canvas of sine waves ;)

Get it and share it with all!

Humdrum - Frutti di Mare [onmp063]

Album: Frutti di Mare
Artist: Humdrum
Label: http://www.on-mix.com
Genre: Acid Jazz / Dub / Downtempo / Lounge
Release Date: May 2007
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Review:
Another album with a smashing first track, but will this one live up to the first impression? I am happy to say that indeed it does live up to its initial promise and in some cases even exceed those expectations by bringing us funky and very entertaining music.

the album covers a couple of emotions and feelings but always retain a sense of direction, never letting you fall asleep. Its a damn interesting album thats staying in my "keep" folder (all the others get backed up onto DVD and archived).

Artists like Four tet, nightmares on wax and even a bit of kruder & Dorfmeister come to mind when i listen to this, so if either of those are your cup of tea this is a must download album.

Humdrum's usage of Brazilian rhythms and downtempo acid jazz vibes create an essential lounge album thats a must have for all lounge and chillout fans out there.