Tuluum Shimmering - Before Us Is Our Ocean (RC74)

Dank, serene vibrations for your day in the sun.  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

As gentle vocals swell adjacent to mellow strings, one can almost perceive the cool breeze from the ocean and the enveloping sun. The loop-driven music of Tuluum Shimmering possesses a luminous aura and a gentle nature.  With loops of mellifluous vibrations permeating the listener's head, the releases from Tuluum Shimmering have the sonic feeling of being nearby.  And, the scope of Tuluum Shimmering's sound is wide.  Where the dreamy undulations of Ulau Tau/Spirit of The Sun emitted hazy ritualistic vibrations, Before Us Is Our Ocean, on Rotifer Cassettes, presents an idyllic sonic setting for the listener.  Loops of sweetly flowing vocals, strings and percussion become hypnotic.  Words do not do justice to the ubiquitous beauty of Tuluum Shimmering.

Before Us Is Our Ocean is buoyant and will put your head at ease.  Only 5 more copies remain.  One may purchase this tape through Rotifer.
       

peace and love, friends :)

Brogan Bentley - Moments EP (RC73)

summertime zoners!  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Most likely, you know the feeling or at least an approximation of it.  The boss is droning on about the importance of customer service, shareholder wealth, year-over-year deficiencies, and worst of all, the future.  There's not much of a future in being a human doormat and catering to the whims of the consumer class.  Somewhere in that welter of bullshit, my mind drifts to more pleasant thoughts.  You see, I've been lighting up the sky with these tasty trichome-covered electronic jams from Brogan Bentley.  Each night, I return home beaten from the frenetic pace of modern day society, only to find solace and renewed vitality in the Moments EP, released by one of the best around, Rotifer Cassettes.  Moments, the second release from Brogan Bentley, has many positive facets.  For an EP, there is a nice amount of variety in the sonic structure and rhythms.  It's a wonderful amalgamation of warm, experimental music featuring myriad beats, and, at moments, ambient pop.  Overall, the mood is uplifting, though there are some lovely introspective moments that feature breathy vocals.

Brogan Bentley immediately brings the listener up to speed as breezy, uplifting sound is supported by periodic low ends and beats.  Occasionally, the Zawinul-like synth flourishes, ascending toward the sky in the manner of a helix.  Soon, the tempo increases with a quick succession of beats. Track 2 on side A continues on the path with dreamy electronics that vacillate.  Initially, a drone is tethered to the fluctuating soundscape, yet dissolves into the bliss of airy vocals and rhythms that are slightly removed.  Track 3 has a different feel than the first two.  Opaque synth combines with quickly shifting beats.  Gentle vocals appear in the middle of the track.  Later, reverberating synth is layered with fuzzy electronics.  'Soul Dance' starts of the flip in style as lovely patterns of synth coalesce with minimal rhythms that quickly change.  The slow tempo of the rhythms endows the track with a hypnotic, dazed feel.  As the track moves toward the end, synth pulsates gently on the periphery.  'What More' is an excellent track that displays the artist's impressive repertoire.  Soporific, yet acute, electronics and an array of rhythms combine with introspective vocals.  Cascading and cosmic synth sits comfortably behind treated vocals.  Shimmering electronics are added to nice effect at the end.  'Long' closes out the EP. Gauzy, voluminous sound billows among crisp beats.  Vocals echo into the night sky as a multitude of beats are tethered to ambient clouds.

More top shelf nugs from Rotifer to augment your day!  Featuring artwork from Casual Sniper/Silent Thunder and professionally duplicated on type II chrome cassettes, Moments may be purchased directly from Rotifer.

  peace and love, friends :)

Iasos - Elixir (RC62)

the Master's trail of trichomes leads to the celestial gateway - step in!! peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Elixir hovers interminably over the listener, much like the pulsating sun in an azure sky.  Possessing a vast sonic range, the heavenly vibrations have the ability to permeate the roughest exterior.  Whether the tones twinkle in light, drift languorously, become ensconced in a tranquil valley or glisten in the cosmos, Elixir resonates faithfully, aligned with the breath.  With such gorgeous music, the environment is instantaneously inundated with waves of compassion and serenity.  Simply put, the second Iasos (pronounced ya' sos) reissue on Rotifer Cassettes is the celestial sound of dreams - one of my favorite tapes of the year.

Upon pressing play, an evanescent object shimmers in the distance.  The space between emits benevolence.  Crystalline waves of sound ascend and gently lift the listener.  The first track is edifying and something in which I place my trust.  These healing vibrations travel a patient path.  It's a sonic missive that slowly radiates joy and illuminates the soul.  Meanwhile, the last track on side B exhibits a different tempo, as a deluge of billowing notes and glittering tones envelop the soul.

Elixir is my go-to-tape.  The only constraint to the healing vibrations on offer is the mind.  Turn off the mind and allow Iasos to guide you to the exalted setting in which these celestial vibrations meet the breath.  Rotifer's offerings are incredible!  The Brogan Bentley EP comes highly recommended.  Secure your copy of Elixir directly from Rotifer.      

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 :)