Gora Sou - Troposphere Themes (sicsic 068)

its a sicsic sativa world that evolves with each batch. these lovely waves of sound are dedicated to all of the beautiful people at Humboldt Relief. their unflinching resolve during this trying time is an example to me and something from which I regularly draw strength. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :) 

Sicsic struck sativa gold with this tape. Troposphere Themes, from Gora Sou, is thee tape of another wonderful batch, with Köhn's dazzling cassette following closely. Light, gentle hues emit a sheen; resplendent waves engulf one; evanescent shades of dark reside in a state of equilibrium with its brethren for the entire ride - spacey and introspective. As gentle and comforting as some of my favorite new age. However, the listener should be aware as menacing fangs come out at the end - astral, placid, and ominous executed nicely!

Surprisingly, this is only the second release from Gora Sou, the moniker of Marc Übel from Heidelberg, Germany. Further Records released the first zoner of this project, Music For Girls. A good friend tipped me off one this one. It's always nice to share inspiring and joyous musical moments with friends.

As the ethereal journey commences with the aptly titled "Lifetime Supply", there seems something mysteriously beautiful coming from the speakers. Each wave is more intense and crackling than that which it precedes. Brilliant tones amplify to light up the sky. Lovely tropical percussive sounds sit in the back of the mix. A noteworthy characteristic of each track, Gora Sou subtly adds intriguing sonic elements. Tracks evolve wondrously to the ear, each refinement illuminating barren space. With the pace rapidly spinning out of control and awestruck, over a cluster of clouds the listener perceives a throbbing welter of color and sound waves. Penetrating and hazy synthesizer, not unlike something one may hear on an Emeralds release, loops in the beginning of "Isolation Rhythm". Beams of effervescent sound jut up from the enveloping haze. Electronic apparitions shriek excitedly, accelerating through the labyrinth and leaving clouds of vapor in their wake. Much like its predecessor, everything comes together to great effect. Gentle - slightly poignant, too - synth tugs at the heart strings wistfully. In the last track on side A, "Lucid Dream", austere rhythms mutate next to peaceful notes. Coiling reverberations spiral out of earshot. Warm manifestations and lightly quivering electronics become apparent. The combustible energy is visceral. Sonic shrapnel pierces the skin. Lovely new age vibes abound as the track travels in a vacuum - its aura still keenly felt light years away. Another new addition to the top shelf, and we still have yet to experience the flip!

Whimsical ascent sees the listener climb a vine of gossamer, flowery sonics in the beginning of "Pro Skin." Buoyant waves of tranquility combine with fluttering tones. This section is juxtaposed to an affecting drone, resembling the slipstream. Ominous reverberations wrap one in an effulgent blanket. Eerie percussion ripples throughout the vastness, splintering towards the end. While being the shortest track on the tape, it may be perhaps the most beautiful. The next track starts off in foreboding manner - palpable haunting vibrations. Ghastly emanations and swirling hues of blue precede another notable section of the tape. The electronic beast writhes portentously in this cosmic jungle. Menacing in effect, its unlike anything on the tape. Poignant and voluminous layers of synth are present during the embryonic period of daybreak. Translucent tones exist on the periphery of chugging noise and rapidly stuttering energy in the final track. Spinning out of control, everything is subsumed leaving no trace.            

  Here's another reason to search for a copy of this out of print tape: David Toro of Rotifer creates vivid artwork that matches the sonics. Shining in all of its home-dubbed beauty, Troposphere Themes appears in an edition of 100 tapes. It's only a matter of time this gem appears at Tomentosa, Unit Structure, or S.O.L.

peace and love, friends :)

Bird People / Hering und seine sieben Sachen - Drone Harvest Tour Tape (FCR25)

three things that never let me down (no order): the apothecary; Bird People; and Hering und seine sieben Sachen. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Drone Harvest Tour Tape is the sound of two friends burning a path through the cosmos with a combination of ritual zoners and celestial, abstract soundscapes. The cassette is comprised of tracks by Ulrich Rois (Bird People, Feathered Coyote Records) and Daniel Voigt (Hering und seine sieben Sachen, Sicsic Tapes). Recorded in July of 2013, Drone Harvest Tour Tape was created to channel the spirits of the tour, which occurred from August 30 to September 9. Once your head is enlightened by the varied experimental psych of Bird People, Hering und seine sieben Sachen programs the spacecraft to a dimension yet explored.

Undulating waves place one in a trichome trance. Ethereal vibrations flutter in the haze, as Bird People's side commences. One drifts in concord with the mesmerizing energy that moves dreamily. A few minutes in, a solemn drone abuts vacillating currents. Bird People guides the listener through some deep zones in this track. Later, electronics twinkle near prodigious constellations. The next track exemplifies the reason that I fill my head with Bird People tapes whenever possible. Sustained piano notes permeate the listener with ease. Trembling with awesome energy, yet pure as the morning light, it ripples faithfully through the soul. I like to bring in the day with these vibrations. The second track is a minimal masterpiece that is ubiquitous in the heart and head. It's at this moment in the recording that I usually utter, "These Bird People tapes are among the best I've listened to all year." Each tape presents a new sonic experience, once which is vibrant, and glistens in the stereo field - visceral and intimate. The Sloow tape, though it has yet to be reviewed here is something to which I meditate. Side A of that tape, Water Buffalo, has few peers in this realm. Track two drifts into the third, 'Motel Oblivion'. Locked in, we float on a carpet compromised of cosmic drone and tranquil vibrations - Miles in the Sky!

Hering und seine sieben Sachen's side begins with the appropriately titled, 'Lights at Distance'. Spacey and ominous oscillations and foreboding drone swirl. Solemn in sections, it evolves with a lovely synth section occasionally intersected by disintegrating currents. Later, the track is fleshed out by more layers of resonant electronics - lovely! Towards the end, it displays a dynamic character. The second track contains an enigmatic sequence of notes that rumbles, beeps, and buzzes frenetically. Shortly, the components merge into a stream of luminous energy. Near the end, random signals bounce effervescently. In the last track, sparse figures are scattered below as the aerial tramway glides over the empty city corridors. It begins with a loop and fluctuations that move randomly. Soon, layers of synth float pleasantly, as the fluctuations become more vigorous until tapering towards the end of the track.

This review refers to the cassette on Feathered Coyote Records, which also appears in the latest Siscic batch. Home-dubbed in an edition of 50 blue tapes, the excellent artwork is credited to Ronnie Oliveras. Drone Harvest Tour Tape may be purchased directly from Feathered Coyote. The Sicsic version of 50 black tapes may be purchased directly from the Sicsic site.
    

peace and love, friends :)

Cray - Digest 54 (sicsic051)

see you in the cosmos!  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

The good vibes continue to exude from the speakers, and this time around it's the head expanding, mod synth jams of Cray.  When you traverse in sounds like this, one thing is for certain: this music will take you places.  Yet, once your head pierces the cosmos, the final destination is anything but certain. Digest 54, from Cray on Sicsic, is an explorers dream. So leave the dissonance at home, for the aural peaks, valleys and vicissitudes encapsulated within each trichome covered constellation will work your head like a nice dollop of kief!  Cray's bag is full of sonic possibilities that are channeled through Moog Voyager, DSI Tetra, Roland Jupiter 6, Omnisphere, Buchla 200e and euro modular.  Variegated textures and use of space are two salient elements of this release. Overall, it's one of the wildest head-trips encountered on the glowing path that is 2013.

With the commencement of the tape, the pendulum in the mind vacillates.  The ominous currents of fate lift the listener through the third eye, accelerating toward the infinite. 'Led', the first track, sets the mood for the wild times which follow.  Those times approach quickly because the second track, 'Un8d', drifts to a different state immediately.  The contrasting elements of the blips/bleeps and uniform drone are adeptly intertwined.  If a cosmic airport exists, then this would be the music of the inhabitants.  Next, buzzing low-ends are introduced, giving the sound a sinister edge prior to dissipating.  The celestial energy is reconstituted as a placid drone.  Among my favorites is the fourth track, 'Ugly Martian'.  Hiss and crackle leads to blurred sinister sounds that fluctuate.  Warbled waves of energy are interrupted as Cray unleashes these wicked emanations smeared in hash oil and pulsating with interminable mutant vigor -excellent stuff here!  See a pattern?  Each head trip is endowed with merits.  There is not a second of wasted time on this C62. Boisterous signals expand while metallic passages of sound fray at the ends in 'Moxigene 2'.  Another layer is added along with repetitive ringing tones.  My favorite track is 'Delva', the final track on side A.  Over a nearby hill, a nascent energy pulsates mildly.  Yet, as it approaches, a panacea manifests healing vibrations that circulate like a body of unimpeded water.  Patterns emerge, glistening in the mind's eye and ensconced in serenity.  A stunning manner in which to end Side A!  The flip glows just as brightly.  Dank rhythms and tones of various hue and energy expand, jut, ascend and reverberate in the ether.  Oscillating patterns of sound expand into space.  Existing in the catacombs of the mind, an intense amalgamation of sonic energy permeates the head.  It leaves the listener stunned and dazed in an attempt to perceive and process the disparate aural components. A brief reprieve leads to a passage of virulent tones, searing currents, mutating energy and fateful droplets of sonic matter.  When in concert, the synergy of the elements is immediate and beautiful.  Moving into a different state, the next track exhibits the coming together of blips/bleeps and protruding notes of random energy.  They precipitously lose energy and wither, until being reborn, as cascading tones pulsate.  Lastly, warm tranquil waves of energy emerge and recede among playful tones.  It's a fine way to end the tape!

Like any of my favorite nugs, Digest 54 is loaded with crystals on the inside.  The attentive listener should be prepared for the harvest.   Digest 54 comes with all the love of being home-dubbed in real time.  Released in a hand-numbered, limited edition of 80 tapes, it features some of the wildest artwork yet by Csenge Csató.  Though it is sold out at the source, your ticket to cosmos may be procured at S.O.L Sound.

peace and love, friends :)

Pierrot Lunaire - This Love of Mine (sicsic042)

Doctor's orders.  peace and love to my friends at CanniCorner :)

The acid fried soundscapes and third-eye zoners billow from the speakers like opaque clouds of hash oil smoke, creating a strata of dank, slow moving haze that consumes the listener.  Pierrot Lunaire's music encompasses a myriad of genres from noise, ambient, new age and free jazz among others.  Anything but linear and all the time entheogenic, when you step through the portal, leave your baggage in the departed dimension.  Once you are positioned comfortably - provisions nearby - take a few deep breaths.  One feels a cool sensation on the inhalation - entrancing drones - followed by a warm sensation on the exhalation - warped black and white anachronisms blending together in the time lag.  With the rhythm of the breath established, all that one needs to do is touch the play button for ascension to commence.  Reticence is a natural response, but trust me friend - we're going to take this trip together, our spirits intertwined in the ether.  And then it occurs: our breath faithfully traces the contours of Pierrot Lunaire's preternatural transmissions.  Some of the transmissions beget smooth shapes, such as the sinuous waves of synth drone that meander indefinitely in the cosmic dust bowl.  Sometimes the wailing, distended sax outlines the contours of nearby constellations.   However, at other times the formations are jagged and tangential.  Even as one floats, warped human forms occasionally echo on the periphery of heaven.  Regardless of the climate, this is experienced much like life.  Each second presents a new possibility.  The only obstacle is the mind.  Ever since the dawn of humanity, the human mind has been an obstacle.  Once you let go, Pierrot Lunaire's world is as lucid and pure as the rising sun.

This Love of Mine, a double cassette release from Pierrot Lunaire on venerable Sicsic, exhibits somewhat of a comprehensive view of this beautiful artist.  Regardless of the label, Pierrot Lunaire's music is highly experiential.  His music contains a myriad of facets.  If you have yet to bow in obeisance to a Pierrot Lunaire release, then there is no better time than the present.  Loops of blurred anachronistic sonic missives are analogous to the pulsating periphery of the psilocybin experience, as the Blue side commences. Various colors begin to glow intensely.  Strange nights and vibrations in this floating halcyon.  The variegated stars seem to twinkle for eternity in this cosmic ballroom.  Soon, the listener is catapulted into an amalgam of warped incantations and distorted radio waves.  As the Yellow side begins, the tears begin to accumulate and a cosmic deluge is proximate.  I love this aspect of Pierrot Lunaire's music, which is reminiscent of his split on Koppklys with Sky Stadium.  Fuzz-encrusted electronics pulsate, while the fried synth plays notes, each successive one a touchstone that leads to the apex - those who admire Peaking Lights will dig this section. The perceptions are frenetic and sorted in some type of random chronology.  Brief bursts of piercing sax transform into ghastly, distorted incantations buttressed by noise.  One may refer to the Green side as schizophrenic.  Sometimes the inherent beauty of music makes want be ensconced in the middle.  However, I invite the listener to remove themselves from the floor level, where the vibrations are visceral, to the unencumbered sky, which affords a beautiful view of the Green side. Pierrot is in the grid, and the medicine man's sagacity plays out like a psychonaut's dream.  Sax leads into shamanic grooves with serene tones glistening on the periphery.  Next, another sax part gives way to percussion and incantations that emit a vapor trail.  That trail leads to an oasis of fried cosmic transmissions and noise.  What may seem like a vacuum is the glistening breath in all its beauty.  Lastly, the Red side is comprised of a wonderful sax section.  It almost sounds like breaking waves in the background.  A woozy loop and obscured vocals are the last exit of this otherworldly journey.           

Frédéric Cordier's artwork is beautiful.  It does an excellent job of illustrating the music. Though my search was far from exhaustive, S.O.L Sound is probably one of the only distros with a copy for sale. However, one may purchase the digital version at the Sicsic Bandcamp page.

peace and love, friends :)

Glass House - Savage Times (sicsic046)

it's a sicsic world - my type of living!  peace and love to my friends at CanniCorner :)

The Sicsic spectrum is always shimmering with luminous light of various hues.  At one end of that spectrum, you may find my nug loving brothers, Sylvester Anfang ii.  Their brand of psych glistens like the trichomes on my favorite bud.  Maybe at the other end, one will locate the otherworldly beauty of Asio Otus or Digital Natives.  As I raised the shades one early morning, a glowing beam of energy extended from the middle of the spectrum.  It was a magnificent experience to be enveloped by something so pure.  Savage Times, by Glass House on Sicsic Tapes, is simply a master class of ambient music.  For me, the most prominent features of this release are the composition, the manner in which the tracks develop, the bountiful textures and ideas, and subtle changes within movements.  A beautiful surprise lurks behind each synapse.

Suspended in the air, gauzy washes of sound are layered with loops.  The climate of the first track changes subtly, as heavy tones appear.  This is a harbinger to a section of poignant piano notes and drone that extend as far as the limit of perception.  Fragments of wistful notes grace your shoulders.  The second track,  'Body Horror' is incredible.  It's the type of track that separates Glass House from others.  Poignant, reverberating piano notes form a loop.  In the background, whirling cold sounds blow across the landscape - a beautiful juxtaposition.  Soon, the listener is bathed with a deluge of cascading piano notes.  During this section, one detects nascent and voluminous tones.  At this juncture, the character of the track begins to feel more light.  Disintegrating sounds are present near the end.  The first side finishes with a track that feels discernibly different.  'Coded Sleep' is the sound of a person entering REM cycles, as cascading lively notes abut elongated tones.  The deluge of notes becomes slightly altered, and gradually the track lifts one into the light with a beautiful drone.   Another wonderful track, 'Visual Weather', commences the flipside.  With each listen, i'm impressed by the manner in which the transitions are almost imperceptible.  Ethereal tones with a beautiful texture slowly dissipate in waves of haunting sound that move more proximate with each iteration.  Almost imperceptibly, a lighter soundscape manifests - the waves of evocative sound now situated deep in the background.  Delicate tones grace your head like the initial snowflakes of a storm.  These tones move to the fore, which endow the music with a poignant vibe.  Slowly rising from the collage of sound, a more concentrated stream of energy threatens.  Yet, these delicate tones persevere through various climates - lovely!  As the track vacillates between various hues, the end arrives with a stream of luminous sound.  Glass House finish the flipside with a serene track comprised of distorted, pulsating vibrations and soft waves of serenity.

Without reservation, I recommend purchasing the digital files or locating one of the last remaining copies.  Admirers of the Dead Texan and Lawrence English, among others, will be in heaven with these sounds. Exhibiting the wonderful artwork of Ronnie Oliveras, Savage Times is home-dubbed and produced on chrome cassettes in a limited edition of 70.  If you are in the US, one of the last physical copies is available at 905 Tapes.  I have a feeling that too many people missed out on this incredible tape.  Hopefully, a reissue will appear in the future.      
    

peace and love, friends :)