William Selman - Equatorial Night (HAUSMO 17)

deep in the bag this Monday morning on the mountain. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

After experiencing Moth Cock's otherworldly rituals at the top of Hausu Mountain, I couldn't make it down in time. Stuck in a state of red-eyed reverie, I quickly setup shop and reached deep into the crystal-covered bag. It's frigid high on the mountain. Yet, I'm immune to the chill; that's because my bowl is burning brightly with the dank mod synth zones from William Selman. Oozing from the speakers in a sultry manner, there is something stealthy and mysterious about Equatorial Night's sweltering, heady rhythms and sprightly bass tones.

Constellations of paripatetic beats metamorphose around bulky pulses. The minutes fracture into seconds. Drifting before our eyes one fateful ellipse at a time, a stretch of lethargic, warm synth floats comfortably. Cavernous reverberations leave one shrouded in sonic mist. Near the end, the last few analog embers crackle once more and then burn out, leaving an ominous glow. Side B contains a more dubious character, which partly is attributed to the pressing tempo. Twisted vibrations and restive beats provide an apt complement to incipient, soothing synth. Moving at an enhanced pace, heady pulses dominate; meanwhile, sustained synth is barely perceptible. As the mood becomes a bit more serious, random energy bumbles and flares ephemerally.    

Limited to 150 copies in green shells with black and white imprints, Kelly Naim's artwork deftly illustrates the mystical vibe that permeates Equatorial Night. Pick up your copy directly from Hausu Mountain.   

peace and love, friends :)

Paul Hares - Blurred (RC70)

a tape suffused with crystal-covered vibrations.  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Dense waves of blurred sound pulsate and disintegrate. Crisp beats and stuttering sonics leave one elevated in the clouds.  'Flight Over the Praire' is one of many outstanding tracks in this eclectic, fine exhibition of beat infused ambient music.  Blurred, from Paul Hares on trusty Rotifer, pulsates with vitality and variety. This tape is full of crisp beats, dank rhythms and mutating ambient soundscapes.  A tape endowed with profuse vacillations, the listener is guided through a myriad of sonic environments that are discernible by texture, pace and style among other things.  The artwork is informative. Once the celestial gateway in your mind is thrust open, the deluge of ideas appears infinite.  The 18 zoners on this tape encompass many styles including spacey/cosmic; mystical; tropical; warm ambient; and eastern tinged.  Admirers of Manual; Khonnor; BOC; and OPN among others will be in for a head trip!

The differing moods and styles employed make this tape glisten among its peers.  Exquisite ambient warmth resonates among expansive synth and beats that hang heavy in the third track, 'Morning Dew'.  'Monsoon Rains', the fifth track, moves in a different direction.  Opaque, blurred sounds gently caress the listener's head.  With head in the cosmos, one notices burgeoning ominous currents that manifest furtively.  The slight, yet perceptible, shift in mood is done adeptly.  Crisp, potent beats coalesce with submerged warm oscillations and low-ends in 'Power of Love'.  Meanwhile, 'Autism', the second to last track on side A, has a tropical feel.  Comprised of cascading, solitary tones and engaging beats, it's yet another facet in the bulging sonic repertoire of the artist.  'Amsterdam Trip' is a fine way to settle into the flip.  Billowing clouds of sideways sounds, blurred structures and plodding rhythms illuminate the head.  One of my favorites is the eastern tinged 'Landing on the Desert', which could be some type of mutant electronic homage in the cosmos to Willie Lane.  Few tracks exist in the rare air of 'Carotid Labyrinth'.  Soporific, blurred sounds fluctuate among a grainy backdrop, propulsive beats and low ends smeared in trichomes.  One of the better electronic tapes I have heard this year.

Along with the Iasos tape from Rotifer, Blurred sits in trichome heaven and is highly recommended.  Produced in a limited edition of 50 professionally duplicated cassettes with great artwork and an insert, Blurred may be procured directly from Rotifer.

peace and love, friends :)