I feel rather limited in presenting Echodeck in a blog post. Their entire concept is built upon a total experience of sound and vision and also contains a large part of improvisation. I do feel, though, that the recordings they present gives an interesting insight into what they want to accomplish.

It’s about music that is built around an ambience where layer is built upon layer, often to an electronic beat. Melody passages is mixed with moments of pure ambience and sounds of normal instruments are interwoven with  electronic sounds.

It is very beautiful, and it would be very interesting to be able to see them live someday.
Enjoy two tracks with Echodeck:

Black Box
Ohm

Visit Echodeck on Myspace

I like the analogy of composers painting with tones and harmonies, atmospheres, feelings and words. And if this is ever a true comparison to how a musician actually works, then it is with David Stiernholm’s project [Puie:]. His beautiful, acoustic, melodic ambient music is created from a belief in the spontaneous idea and he continues to paint with what he has at hand and what feels right.

This is how it’s described on Negative Sound Institute:
“Each piece on this release starts with a graphic idea, such as “what would it sound like if the soft oboe played a downward figure consisting of short notes, while the sharp nyckelharpa played a upward figure consisting of long notes bound together”. Then, David picks out some harmonies on the piano, just to have something to work with, like a handful of fixed colors with which to paint. He kick starts the motorcycle of creatitivity with the flailing boot of self-imposed boundaries. Then he proceeds to dismantle the boundaries and create new.”

Puie started as a collaboration with the designer Karin Gullbrantz in [Puie: Dsch], where they, in an iterative process, had images, structures and music inspire and affect one another all the way to a complete furniture design. The result was exhibited in april 2006 at Brand Design Center. You can read about, view and listen to this creative process on [Puie: Dsch]:s site, with comments by Karin and David on each step.

Another interesting collaboration is Ögonblick, where David works with Ken Peel.

Listen to three tracks with [Puie:]:

Ground
Jubel Tone
The Japanese Decision

Visit [Puie:] on Myspace and on the site
and on Negative Sound Institute, where you can also listen to and download the EP “Always-Ever”.

If you are interested in ambient and experimental music I recommend that you navigate through the artists on Negative Sound Institute. All the music there are released under a Creative Commons license, which means that you can download and share the music as much as you like, as long as it is under non-commercial circumstances.

Music+Play = Great creativity

I am in love. I fell head over heels for this sweet lady. My first thought was:
– What is this?
My second was:
– Geez, this is SOO cool!

This is truly creativity on a high level. Musical jumps, mixed with presentations of sounds that caresses and shakes you at the same time. Agnes’ ability to step outside the box entirely is admirable – to think that more artists would have that courage, and ability.

To me, Agnes’ music is a huge vitamin injection, a virtual “happy pill” that picks me up and makes me happy. Throw in Agnes in the Parliament and make all politicians happy – her love of sounds and words inspire and is truly contagious! A true and great artist.

She describes herself like this:

“I usually perform with a sort of melodic fairy tales, told in the made up language “sprak”. This language is a mixture of forgotten dialects. Words with a bitter, sweet and sometimes salty aftertaste. All within a frame of “sprinkle soundscape”. To abeat of percussion-like piano playing.

Here’s the place to download two of her creations:

Freezie Froze
Dammtussmonster

Curious? Hear more? Visit Agnes Mercedes on Myspace

Want to know more about her? Go to her web site Ordfrosseri (in swedish)

In the Labyrinth is the multi-instrumentalist Peter Lindahl, who paints new musical landscapes, together with visiting friends.

The first thing that struck me when I listened, was a fantasy feeling, where some tracks could fit into many movies of this genre. And I got extra inspiration from the beautiful album paintings (painted by Peter Lindahl).

The music is also made with a lot of musical fantasy, and the influences are many. Sometimes I sense the early Pink Floyd, and many times Mike Oldfield. Otherwise, the most remarkable influence is the oriental flavour. Oriental scales are woven very skilfully and nice together with everything else and the sitar gives a beautiful colour to the music.

“Dryad” (Record Heaven) ) is the latest and the third album from In the Labyrinth. You can listen to three songs from the album here. Welcome into the labyrinth!

Lost In the Woods (plus Intro)
Night of the Baskerville Killer
Out of This Maze

Visit Peter Lindahl’s home page, listen, download songs and buy the albums “Dryad”, “Walking on Clouds” and “Garden of Mysteries”

and his Myspace page

Around 1995 Carl Nordström started to play with music software and synths. After experimenting for a while through techno, house, drum n bass, hip hop, he finally found his own sound expression and the road that awaited for him.
Affictionados, like sub-tunnel beats, swept in city noise and that could have been created from the concrete from the big city.

The songs have a common melancholy that may be compared to The Cure dressed as Elvis Costello. A dark, heavy experimenting electronica vs hip hop brings me to the depth of what is expected from a beat maker. Carl has worked through the album “Affictionados” with the production and the arrangements. But the real spin is guest plays from musicians and artists from all over the world, like Kissey Asplund, Séamus, Crippual, Tessa Saxell and Torin Williams.
Download the entire album >>Here! (for free!)

I’m really turned on with the opening song, “Baby”, with a delayed drum loop that stands out in the the hip hop sampler arena. The songs shift, change and swap strategies; never far away from the main theme, but all the time innovative and lead to
The door of the lounge bar with the song “Always and Always”, considering a more monotone way of walking, to be in the background, sitting in the sofa and the closing time for the bar. But something happens as Kissey Asplund starts to sing about 2:43 in the song. A fresh warm tone that colours the arrangement mustard yellow. She is good! Really good!

What are you working with now?
“Today Affictionados stands for itself like a project where I have worked with a number of different styles, that I can’t name anything else than “beats”. I sample all kind of music I find and that I feel have that extra special, and I put it together into something that I would like to call my own.
Right now, I’m working with a record that’s hopefully finished by the end of the year. Besides that I’m turning records at CAFÈ RASOIR in Malmö with a DJ-crew called OH NO, NO DECKS.”

In my opinion Carl is a fantastic producer that’s ahead of his time. I’m looking forward to what’s being melded together for the years to come.

/Jamin

Baby
Always and always ft Kissey Asplund

Affictionados on Myspace

Affictionados’ home page