A 35 minute long sci-fi tone poem for pipa (chinese lute) and guitar pedals. It’s not exactly something you encounter every day. The music are also ambitious and quite unusual to say the least. BC Grimm, aka Brian Grimm, grew up with various chinese string instruments and has also later studied several of them in Hong Kong.

On “Orbis Obscura” the traditional chinese influences are not that obvious, so if you expect that you might get disappointed. But the music is built from the sound of Grimm’s pipa, a sound he then manipulates with the help of pedals and effects beyond recognition. Noise, drones and other sounds that are connected to sci-fi are poured into the mix, creating an interesting journey through Grimm’s sound imagination.

BC Grimms site | Bandcamp | Twitter

If you like ambient, airy and slowly evolving sounds this may be something for you. It’s about a two-track release simply called “#1” by Korda, or Niclas Lindgren which is his real name. The two tracks runs in and out of sounds, noise, (lightly) distorted tones and similar. An interesting detail is that both songs have roughly the same shape (two convex arches), but rather different length.

Korda on Spotify – on Apple Music – on Soundcloud | Niclas Lindgren’s site

Trauma Trauma is a new project from Frans Carlqvist, whom you may have heard before under the names Pavan or Limonious. The debut album was released last month, an album with an interesting sound which makes me wish for more. On it you’ll find minimalistic electronic tunes in small rooms with rounded corners, resulting in a soft retro vibe. Frans describes it like this: “Electronic soundscapes pulsating with tension and fear. The threat of violence is imminent and has created an emotional base for the work of Trauma Trauma. Music for the hunted people, to recognize and seek solace in.”

Trauma Trauma on Spotify – on Apple Music

The electronica experimentalist and ambient artist Multiface is releasing his second album “Gangsterism” today. It’s an album for you who like to explore the unknown and follow paths which not necessarily always feel comfortable. Multiface defies the common traits and wraps the music in noise filters and distorted environments, like if he took a fistful of sand and threw it into the tape recorder. Patiently listening I get into the music after a while and notice the contrasts in his special soundscapes. He can put you in a cocoon and let the sound from a noisy world seep through the cover, he can let you out into a desolate landscape with hazy outlines or he can let some industry rockers run you over with a steamroller. It’s quite difficult to place it on a music map. Is it art music, ambient, postrock or all at once? It doesn’t matter of course, since the only thing of importance is how you feel about it. Here is a taste of the record:

Multiface on Spotify – on Apple Music

Per Störby Jutbring

Per Störby Jutbring – “Dance of the Diaper Fairy”

It’s easy to get impressed by Per Störby Jutbring’s versatility as a musician. I feel it’s almost easier to list what he’s not ventured into. In the autumn I wrote about his excellent film song “Tomorrow“, but here I’m going to present an album he released already last Spring, “Dance of the Diaper Fairy”.

He writes that it’s at the piano he feels most comfortable, and it shows on this album, which consists mostly of solo piano tracks. With a quite personal touch to the keys he’s created a beautiful and intimate session where he mixes minimalistic, melodic songs with free improvisation and also a few wonderful trio collaborations, where he’s joined by Johanna Dahl on cello and Malin My Wall on violin. Here are two examples:

Per Störby Jutbring on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

Conny Olivetti – “Klangwelt / 2016”

Even if the themes and music varies from album to album I do recognize the ambience in Conny Olivettis music. Here on the latest album “Klangwelt / 2016” in a dark, futuristic atmosphere where he lets voice samplings colour and comment upon the theme in question. This time, as I interpret it, it’s about the human rights and the real threats out there in our world.

Conny Olivetti’s site – on Bandcamp

Interzone Inc – “Stories”

And now to another creative electronic adventurer: Interzone Inc. Just before Christmas he released the album “Stories”, a quite enjoyable album where he mixes beat-driven tunes, which sometimes reminds me of old electronica heroes like Vangelis, with dreamy ambient soundscapes. Here are two tracks to taste:

Interzone Inc’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music – on Bandcamp