Featured in this edition: Woodworkings, Message to Bears & Will Samson, Mathieu Karsenti, Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, thme, Anthene & Andrew Tasselmyer, and Mark Peters & Clem Leek.
Woodworkings – “the woodsmoke sky”
from the EP ‘two windows‘
An EP with only seven minutes of music may seem like quite a modest offering, but like a cup of perfectly drawn espresso, in its own diminutive way it can provide a sublime jolt to the senses that lifts the spirits and reset the mind. So it is with this lovely pair of tracks from musician Kyle Woodworth from Baltimore, Maryland who records under the name Woodworkings.
Message to Bears & Will Samson – “Always Was”
from the EP ‘Already Am, Always Was‘
Jerome Alexander, aka Message to Bears, and Will Samson spontaneously rekindle their collaboration for a pair of lovely interconnected songs mastered for a digital release by Taylor Deupree. Contemplative acoustic electronica that is oh so easy on the ears.
Mathieu Karsenti – “Resilience”
from the forthcoming album ‘Bygones‘ on Slowcraft Records
Composer and musician Mathieu Karsenti returns for an encore as part of the Lifelines series curated by James Murray on his Slowcraft label. Bygones is Karsenti’s “fond farewell to his adoptive home of London after twenty-seven years living and working in the city” and complements his summer release entitled Downstream Blue as well as series entries from Ian Hawgood, Tomáš Šenkyřík, and Federico Mosconi. I hope to share more on this exceptional series in the coming weeks.
Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres – “Waiting”
from the forthcoming album ‘2 Years Stranger‘
This engrossing track is a preview of the forthcoming debut album 2 Years Stranger by film composer and classical electronic artist Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres which she developed from piano recordings she made during a period in which her father became severely ill with ARDS (Acute respiratory distress syndrome).
“Though at times heavy and often moving, this album is a story of healing. The ultimate message being one of hope, human connectivity and art carrying us through challenging times. This notion runs deep throughout the album.”
Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres
thme – “obsolete form of beauty”
from the upcoming album ‘that’s what it will be like‘ on Whitelabrecs
The flow of new music is still running strong at Whitelabrecs. This week I’ve really been enjoying a debut work from French artist Théo Martin, who records under the moniker of thme. The label tells us that Théo was originally raised in the Parisians suburbs and now resides in the city and that he started his solo music production as part of a student exchange program. But there is nothing tentative or rough around the edges here. Just beautifully textured emotive sounds with exceptional filigree.
Anthéne & Andrew Tasselmyer – “Progressions, Pt 5”
from the EP ‘Progressions‘ on Constellations Tatsu
It is good to see Brad Deschamps, aka Anthéne, and Andrew Tasselmyer collaborating again so soon after their contribution to Hibernate Recordings’ charitable series this past summer. Their new album entitled Progressions is one of several autumn releases from Oakland, California based label Constellation Tatsu. Thoughtful sonic immersions for the patient listener await…
Mark Peters & Clem Leek – “Overhill”
from the forthcoming ‘THESIS 19‘ on THESIS PROJECT
As many readers may be familiar with by now, THESIS is a project curated by Gregory Euclide that specializes in unique collaborations presented in limited edition physical formats with bespoke packaging and graphics created by the artist himself. Edition 19 features musician Mark Peters (Engineers) who became attracted to the project after making a short loop for THESIS Recurring and who then returned to create a quartet of songs built around shimmering guitar loops gracefully adorned with piano treatments by composer Clem Leek. Along with the album, cotton rag arist prints and a “turntable spindle ballet” created for this edition are also on offer.
“I have always approached producing music in a semi architectural sense…Great buildings sometimes have impractical, idiosyncratic elements and this to me is echoed in fragile, imperfect human touches that provide an element of intimacy to the main spectacle. Working away from the computer encouraged me to work in a much different way. Focusing on the slow moving drift of clouds, or the way that wind blows trees to create random patterns made for much different and freer creative process. The asymmetry and the intuitive, abstract rhythms of the natural world are a much more attractive stimulus than a grey computer monitor interface and i think is apparent in the music we have recorded – finding patterns in the formless.”
mark peters
Stationary Travels 