BEST OF 2012
I will not beat around the bong: Institutio Amet, one of the initial missives from Space Slave Editions, will be a fixture on my year end list - and i mean thee comprehensive list, which includes all formats. Space Slave Editions is the name of the game and Carl Koopmans - proprietor of Space Slave and the Radiant Now - is disseminating transmissions intended to light new pathways in the brain. For a long time, the Radiant Now has been an online refuge of sorts to me. Though I imagine most people coming to the honest bag already know about the wonderful sounds of the Radiant Now, for those unaware, please visit this wonderful blog: The Radiant Now.
Derek Rogers. Last year, I picked up the 4-way split from Deep Tapes. It was my first Derek Rogers' tape and the first of many. Those tracks symbolized the sounds of summer. I remember getting ripped under the sun, watering the flowers and being captivated by his tracks. When I look through all the tapes, records and cds that line the shelves, it's difficult to find an artist who, upon sitting for a listen, provides me with a special, unique feeling. There are only a few artists that can evoke such a response: Derek Rogers; Emuul; Fennesz; the High Llamas and Steely Dan to name a few. There is a certain comfort which is emitted in his music; it feels extremely personal. Upon receiving this in the mail, I marveled at the beauty of the artwork; it reminds me of the picturesque scenery along I-5, driving north from Eugene.
Institutio Amet presents five tracks of distorted guitar and synth beauty - ambient bliss with a large exponent. I really like it when Derek travels in these soft, permeable zones. The music has a quality that makes it effortlessly float through the room, endowing the environment with sunlight. The opener "Sunset" fades in with Derek's dreamy distorted guitar. The synth tracks are gorgeous. Some have an ethereal quality while others, such as the last track on side A, are a little darker. The flipside is particularly beautiful - an entire track of wonderful synth. Derek's work on the flipside is masterful. Amplified waves of sound swirl through the air, sounding much like an organ. Halfway through the track, distortion is added - the organ like sounds barely audible under the hiss. Once the distortion fades, a gentle, warm paean softly negotiates its way through the space. In closing, Institutio Amet pulls all the right switches in your brain. This tape is a constant in my life - morning, afternoon and evening.
DNT is the only distro, of which I am aware, that has copies for sale. Something special is happening on this c64 and I highly recommend purchasing this cassette.
Peace, my friends
Peace, my friends
