2009年04月2日
PARADE / miko
Parade is the debut full-length release by Miko,a new female artist hailing from Yokohama, outside Tokyo. The album was created like a watercolor painting, layering pale yet colorful inks delicately on rough sketches using instruments from her daily life, such as electric and acoustic guitars, piano, synthesizers and samplers. In addition, this crafty multi-instrumentalist did all the vocals and mixing herself. Parade is full of diverse moments, but terms such as dreamy, catchy, sad and comfortable most simply describe her sounds. Humming, pure vocals bring you an indefinable sadness, melancholic and floating tracks are inspired by My Bloody Valentine, guitars weep like lo-fi bands and the overwhelmingly beautiful melodies take you to the deep horizon. She entitled her record Parade from her will to make an album that sounds l ike "there's a fun parade going on over there." Parade is a sensitive and gentle imaginary soundscape.
http://www.myspace.com/mikohome
2009年03月29日
被溫柔包裹的新加坡電子原音二人組 aspidistrafly -- I HOLD A WISH FOR YOU

試聽:
http://www.myspace.com/aspidistrafly
http://www.kitchen-label.com/af/news.html
http://www.kitchen-label.com/iholdawishforyou/
Tracklist:
1)candlescape 2)moonlight shadow 3)common colors in the air 4)sampling atmosphere 5)on the summer solstice 6)porcelain sky wink 7)sui 8)endless dreamless 9)花火
total time: 42"51
aspidistrafly是由新加坡的April Lee與Ricks Ang所組成,著迷於日常生活的轉瞬時刻與美感,作品混合視覺藝術、設計、聲音設計與音樂,2004出版首張ep《The Ghost of Things》大獲好評,被譽為2004年新加坡最佳獨立發行。2007年參與多張不同廠牌發起的合輯,並有機會在日本、新加坡與馬來西亞作現場演出。
今年他們終於出版了首張正式專輯《i hold a wish for you》,取材自日常生活的所思所感,九首歌曲融合樂器演奏、溫暖人聲呢喃與柔和聲響採樣。從純粹抒情的〝On the Summer Solstice〞、有著濃密多層次音景的〝花火〞再到即興寫意的〝common colors in the air〞,他們全心全意打造出一張滿載追憶與情感,卻跳脫文字,純粹以深思熟慮的聲音設計營造出獨特氛圍的專輯,《i hold a wish for you》無疑在動人旋律與實驗聲響間找到個人化的絕佳平衡。而他們的好朋友,日本新生代著名音樂人haruka nakamura也特別為他們的〝Endless Dreamless〞作了一個原音版編曲,其實他們早前已經在nakamura的個人專輯《grace》中有客串過,這回算是禮尚往來吧。
最後必須提一下這張專輯的包裝設計,身為設計人的他們感覺特別用心,利用訂製的6頁對摺手風琴式相片封套,April Lee與另一藝術家Rika M.的照片將音樂的整體氛圍加以視覺化,每張專輯更加上特別編號,《i hold a wish for you》每個細節都盡見aspidistrafly對他們心血結晶有多麼的重視!
在黑暗中感受想像力的飛翔 flica -- NOCTURNAL

試聽:
http://www.myspace.com/scholerecords
http://www.myspace.com/flicasound
flica是來自馬來西亞吉隆坡的電子原音創作人/平面設計師euseng seto的代號,自2005年起即開始其音樂創作活動,與朋友合組電音二人組合muxu,2007初開始以flica名義實踐探索個人較實驗的電子音樂風格,及後與當地獨立廠牌mu-nest合作出版首張個人專輯《windvane & window》,悠然舒泰的有機風格大獲好評,並引起日本電子音樂圈的注目,去年底終於推出《nocturnal》(夜間),並交由日本當紅獨立電子廠牌Schole發行,以鋼琴為主軸,與微模結構的電音節奏漂亮搭配,在節奏與旋律的配合,整體的流暢度與敘事性皆有著明顯的進步,正如專輯名稱所表達的,這張專輯特別適合在夜晚聆聽,讓心情馳放,想像力飛翔。
2009年03月13日
JEWELLERY / micachu & the shapes

http://www.myspace.com/micayomusic
21-year old Mica Levi, a.k.a. Micachu, presents "an ear-bashing of crazy paving beats, junk shop punk, electronic drones, and deceptively mellifluous bedsit pop" - The Times. Equally at home making brilliant leftfield pop as she is composing for orchestras and making mix tapes that mash up dub step, grime, garage, and pop, it comes as no surprise that Micachu's debut is the aural equivalent of a chameleon: a multi-colored, multi-layered conflation of ground breaking sounds and ideas.
interview by TIMEEOUT
2009年03月12日
FEVER RAY / fever ray

試聽
瑞典電子二人組合The Knife 主音Karin Dreijer Andersson首張個人專輯,在The Knife 以往一貫簡約明確的電子節拍基礎上,加以厚重神秘的電子音牆,配合很多北歐歌手擁有的獨特奇異歌聲,延續北歐電音將電子元素新舊交雜,共冶一爐之奇特氛圍中,像一幅由不同風格集合而成的拼貼圖畫,爽朗、怪異、神秘、變化多端,而且很難預料畫面在下一刻的變化,恍如一個驚喜十足的雪地異國旅程。
2009年02月25日
LOVE AND RESOLUTION / nanofingers

http://www.myspace.com/nanofinga
http://www.liquidnote.net/
So Akashi(aka Nanofingers)早期受HIPHOP和HOUSE等的影響,1999年以DJ Akashi名義發表專輯受到DJ Vadim和DJ KRUSH的高度評價。在這張最新個人專輯當中,Naofingers逐漸朝日常有機電音的方向發展,成就一張讓人心曠神怡的音樂專輯。
延伸閱讀:Nanofingers - Love And Resolution/太空猴宇宙放送局
2009年02月21日
PROTECTED : MASSIVE SAMPLES / v.a.

Since exploding into the mainstream in 1991, Massive Attack have come to define the sound of Bristol with their unique, soldering mix of downtempo soul, dub, and atmospherics. Protected reveals some of the secrets of the Massive Attack motherlode, bringing together for the first time many of the original samples and covers that have contributed vital sonic juice to the band's soul sound.
2009年01月2日
PARK HYATT TOKYO AIRFLOW / djamel hammadi

Milan Records and Dj/producer Djamel Hammadi bring this renowned experience to you with Park Hyatt Tokyo Airflow. Hammadi comprises a selection of sexy, sophisticated musical gems: "Melodies" by Joseph Malik gives life to the mix while the East West Connection & Terry Callier's track, "Tomorrow in Your Eyes," and Troublemakers "Get Misunderstood" bring the Park Hyatt Tokyo to life. A duet by Japan's Silent Poets (Michiharu Shimoda and Takahiro Haruno) on "Come Raising," remixed by Tom and Joyce, is a familiar title being discovered all over again.
Djamel Hammadi is known for his "musical Zen gardens." His sound is hailed around the world and has been feature on Milan's electronic compilations Medina Vol. I and II, and Man Ray Vol. I and II.
2008年10月7日
USUAL REVOLUTION AND NINE / no.9

| 01 introduction |
| 02 I hope [ canon no9 remix ] |
| 03 alive |
| 04 Future airport |
| 05 again and again |
更多試聽:http://www.nano-graph.com/no9/
從上張專輯「GOOD MORNING」開始,日本有機電音創作人no.9正式確立他平靜卻強而有力的美麗聲響,古典吉他與鋼琴編織成的流暢旋律,與非理智的電音互相纏繞交織。對no.9而言,萬事美好,日常生活的細節也可以帶來新鮮靈感,轉化成一首首充滿戲劇性的音樂詩篇。"Introduction"由吉他與甜美的breakbeats組成;"again and again"有鋼琴與小提琴的純粹演奏;no.9還特別把近年揚名海外的日本聲音藝術家Haruka Nakamura 與Akira Kosemura的代表作"Afterglow"做了一個特別的混音版;而在專輯最後一首的"with millions of love"中,取材自他第三張個人專輯「MICRO FILMS」的同名曲,並重新給與新的混音,從中反映著no.9一路走來豐富的音樂歷程。全14曲73分鐘,「USUAL REVOLUTION AND NINE 」是no.9的又一音樂大作。
Cover design : Shinji Oota (RaNa extractive, inc. )feat artist
Ayako Yamamoto : Piano
Tomohiko Furuya : Piano
Fumiko Takeshita : Violin
Ayaka Sugawara : Violin
延伸閱讀:by太空猴
2008年09月27日
RADIO RETALIATION / thievery corporation

來自美國華盛頓的Eric Hilton和Rob Garza二人組合Thievery Corporation,混融Lounge / Dub / Trip-Hop / Down-Tempo等風格,打造出精良且優質保證的折衷性電子樂,早已突破全球語言籓籬,創作從英文、西班牙文、法文、波斯語、葡萄牙語、羅馬尼亞語到印度文全然包容,更曾混音出包括The Flaming Lips主唱Wayne Coyne、David Byrne、Emiliana Torrini等多位樂手的優秀作品。眾所矚目的Thievery Corporation第五張錄音室作品《Radio Retaliation》,結合牙買加、拉丁、非洲、亞洲、中東等異國情調之聲韻,與各界傑出樂手合作,包括:奈及利亞的Afro-Beat / Jazz高手Femi Kuti、巴西演唱/吉他巨星Seu Jorge、印度西塔琴藝術家Anushka Shankar、斯洛法克女歌手/小提琴家Jana Andevska等人助陣,共同編織15首別具風味的佳作。
Internationally acclaimed artists Thievery Corporation release their 5th studio album entitled Radio Retaliation on ESL Music. With Radio Retaliation Thievery Corporation raise the bar with a new cast of musical collaborators including; Nigeria's afro-beat heir Femi Kuti, Brazilian star vocalist and guitarist Seu Jorge, Indian sitar virtuoso Anushka Shankar, Slovakian chanteuse and violinist Jana Andevska, and Washington DC's own go-go originator Chuck Brown. Also returning are long time co-conspirators Sleepy Wonder, LouLou, Notch, Zee, and Verny Varela.(Amazon.com)