Electronic Folk Music

Bluermutt - "The Broken City" (MP3)
Bluermutt - "Androids' Breath" (MP3)
Bluermutt - "Indoor Failure" (MP3)
Bluermutt - "Single Touch" (MP3)

Bluermutt's "Dislocation (and Consequences)" EP oscillates between highly processed Folk, Krautrock and melodic Electronica. Strength to his compositions is always the strong melodies, governed by a warm and rich production. Maybe this is why I consider Bluermutt Pop music rather than anything else- albeit, Pop music with respectable edges.

The first four tracks are breathtaking: "The Broken City" sounds like a dedusted Harmonia jam, ca. 1974, so full of melancholy sweetness and glittering textures. "Android's Breath" features Leafcutter John, soul alike when it comes to "Fractal Folk". His mature yet gentle voice fits the Bluermutt sound neatlessly. Wow. "Indoor Failure" eventually is pure candy. Over a Four Tet-style instrumental, vocals and guitar perform a wonderful Pop melody. Ohrwurm, you were warned! On four, "Single Touch" introduces the ambient part of "The Dislocation (and Consequences)". Warm and cracking Dub, bathed in sunlit harmonies, and a lot of depth: just wonderful.

Support Bluermutt by sending over some bucks for the download! "The Dislocation (and Consequences)" EP is available for pay-as-you-like via bandcamp.

MP3 Electronic Pop Music Download

Artist-Website: skyapnea.com
Release: Bluermutt - The Disloaction (and Consequences) EP

Related posts

• Bluermutt – “Decivilice After Consumption” (Nexsound Pop) with Phlow CD Raffle (6)
• XYDZO – “Y” (Pulsations For You) (3)
• Wixel – “An Empty Canvas” (0)
• Virot & Friends – “Release Party CD-R” (Clapping Music) (3)
• V.A. – “A Whale in a Manger” (4-4-2 Music) (1)

Rich And Timeless (MP3)
Pinpointing The Problem (MP3)
The Little Things (MP3)
Magnet In My Mouth (MP3)
We Own This Thing (MP3)

Henrik José is also known for his moniker Bliss. And we music geeks know: Henrik José is no stranger to the world of free music. But while he explored IDM and Electronica under the cover of Bliss, he opens up under his real name. And during this process everything seems to fall into place.

All the wonderful melodies he composed already years ago now meet the world of pop. If you listen closely to his five songs you also discover the tricks and twists in his games with beats. Here's someone who grew up, but who doesn't neglets his past. Here's someone who won't forget his love for Electronica and IDM. The only thing that changed, is that everything in the name of pop got a little bit more forward. Instead of shreddering beats up, we listen to the true voice, a voice that wants to tell us some stories.

This is pure electrifying electronic pop without citation of the 80ies. No, it's pop plus electronic music on an individual level. Welcome to the melancholic and melodic soundscapes of Henrik José.

MP3 Pop Music Download

Download: Henrik José - "The Little Things EP" (ZIP-Archive)
Artist-Website: www.henrikjose.com
Release: Henrik José - "The Little Things EP"
Netlabel: 23 Seconds Netlabel

Free, MP3, Music, Download, Netlabel,

Risch - "A raindow in the brain" (MP3)
Risch - "Nap time at the robot factory" (MP3)
Risch - "Driving in circles" (MP3)
Risch - "Welcome home" (MP3)
Risch - "And then morning came" (MP3)
Risch - "Stickx" (MP3)
Risch - "Freesychzfeyev" (MP3)

What I like about the Petite & Jolie Netlabel is their mission: cute tunes. Not that I like that everything should be cute, please, no way! But I think it is an interesting approach on music and a clever way to focus on a certain style of music without closing the door to different music styles. Like they say on their website

Because this is not about doing one style or an other style...
This is not about this instrument or that one...
Neither about sounding the most experimental, hell no.

This is definitly about cute tunes.

And Risch is definitely one thing: Cute!

MP3 Electronica Music Download

Download: Risch - "Missing monsters" (ZIP-Archive)
Artist-Website: www.myspace.com/rischbraindance
Netlabel: www.petitejolie.com
Netlabel @ Archive.org: www.archive.org/details/petitejolie

Bluermutt - "Before Going To Bed" (MP3)
Bluermutt - "Fashion Arithmetics" (MP3)

Bluermutt refined his style on "Decivilice After Consumption". While "When I'm Not" showed Giovanni Civitenga's addiction to leftfield Pop only in traces, the new Bluermutt album can be considered an avowal to groove, melody and vocals in general. Therefore, it suits the Nexsound Pickup-series beautifully.

Be aware: Bluermutt music is light years away from radio-friendly muzak. But Giovanni's stumbling IDM and Hip Hop beats are do not stand isolated in tracks but form songs nowadays. Bluemutt is accompanied by a vocalists Fredo Viola, Steph Thirion and Linn Rasimelli plus a series of random sample voices. The wonky IDM hymn "Fashion Arithmetic" is outstanding, "Self Approach" strongly reminds me of Canadian Electropop wizard adcBicycle and "Before Going To Bed" is nothing but bewitching.

Much goodness can be found along the way. However, "Decivilice After Consumption" works best when listened in a whole. I like he subtle guitar meditation "Jimmy Coda" a lot, and "Daily Explosions" with songstress Kinn Rasimelli with all its out-of-space synthesizers is uplifting. Last but not least, it should be noted that the opening "Welcome To A Clear Bluer Sky" features Rap wunderkind Dorian Concept on synths. Damn good!

On www.decivilizeafterconsumption.com, you can listen to the whole album and read about production details.

Phlow CD Raffle

Kids, we keep it simple this time. The three first to twitter this post (#phlow #bluermutt #nexsound) and send me, Bettina, the link will get a CD copy of "Decivilice After Consumption" for free. How does that sound? Come on!

CD Electronic Music Purchase

Release: Bluermutt - "Decivilice After Consumption"
Label: www.nexsound.org
Artist-Website: www.skyapnea.com
Microsite: www.decivilizeafterconsumption.com

MP3 Purchase via www.necodo.com

Wixel - "Skatebeats" (MP3)
Wixel - "Bacterial" (MP3)

I'm a keen fan of Belgian Wim Maesschalck's work and music since 2004. Starting as a solo outfit, Wixel soon became a band with Wim as central songwriter. The latest Wixel CDs "Heart" and "Somewhere Between the Sun and the Moon" in particular are wonderful pieces of postmodernism Folk- and Avantgarde music everyone should be familiar with.

2009 saw the launch of Wim's "12 Records in 12 Month" project. Up to now, six records are online for download via bandcamp. You can choose what you want to pay for the MP3, including nothing, or you go for the limited edition CDRs available from Slaapwel (the tiny record label Wim is running).

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The June EP "An Empty Canvas" is the preliminary highlight of the series. Wim discards the fragile Folk approach and delivers a dense piece of dim and orchestral Ambient, not too far from Gas, Nest or 1970's German Electronica like Cluster or Tangerine Dream. Wim himself notes Arvo Pärt and Dubstep for influence. Check "Skatebeats" and the massive "Bacterial" to get an idea.

What I like best about "An Empty Canvas" is the multilayer sound. A lot of dirt and noise twinkles through the washed-out textures and synthesizer patches, you can discover new aspects on every new listen. The beats, however, could deserve some more elaboration. But taking in account the facts this record was programmed in a month, that is pretty OK I guess.

MP3 Ambient Music Download

Artist-Website: slaapwelrecords.com/wixel
Release: Wixel - "An Empty Canvas" via bandcamp

Cornbeast - "Megablast" (MP3)
Cornbeast - "Sparks" (MP3)

In a way, Cornbeast suits the recent trends in Discorock and punky Electronica quite well. Catchy melodies, uplifting beats, rough sounds. So far, this is true for a lot of chip music releases. But Cornbeast's "Chip Hero" brings along more than just 20 minutes dancefloor energy. Below his bleepy textures, gameboy Fredrik hides well-written songs with melodies that make stick and do not solely work by making you remember your Nintendo handheld.

This is the case especially for "Megablast", "Chip Hero" and the ballad "Sparks". Soulwax meets Daft Punk in a 8bit outfit? Gameboy Arena Rock? Probably said too much, but you get the idea. Recommended.

MP3 Pop Music Download

Download: "Chip Hero" (ZIP)
Artist-Website: cornbeast.com
Release: Cornbeast - "Chip Hero"
Netlabel: 8bitpeoples.com

Monokle - "Friday" (MP3)
Monokle - "Magic Go!" (MP3)
Monokle - "Seven" (MP3)

Monokle is Vlad Kudryavtsev and Alexander Kumach, two young guys that sound like one of your favourite bands. On a basis of warm and organic IDM beats, Monokle compose epic Indiepop- and Postrock tracks that imply influence from 40 years of Popmusic ("From Can to Plaid", as Ideology says). You can find pieces of Kraut- and Progrock, 80's Pop, 90's Electronica and loads more in the Monokle music. Listening to this 45 minutes, I am amazed how seamless everything engages.

The album "Tesaurus" is super-versatile but works perfectly as an album, homogenous in mood and atmosphere. Vlad and Alexander blow their tracks up to massive hymns, including numerous stems of synthesizer, guitars and electronic gimmicks here and there. They do well, although most songs on "Tesaurus" don't need all the fuzz- Monokle have the melodies to reach out for everyone. A brilliant example that Netaudio is so much more than just electronic music!

MP3 Electronic Pop Music Download

Download: "Tesaurus" (ZIP)
Artist-Website: myspace.com/monoklemuz
Release: Monokle - "Tesaurus"
Netlabel: www.ideology.de

Orange Crush - "Invocation" (MP3)
Orange Crush - "Snow Bound" (MP3)
Orange Crush - "Quiet Skies" (MP3)

Let's start with the obvious reference: Boards of Canada. I'm sorry, Karl, you must have heard it a thousand times... The heavy influence of the Scottish pioneers is the reason I never sang the praise of Orange Crush I guess. Solid production, good tracks but something was missing on "The Field", Endersons' debut for Archaic Horizon. On "Autumn Reflections", apparently nothing has changed. The improvements, however, are subtle and essential.

Tonal synth- and organ chords, simple three-parts melodies, relaxed Downbeat- and Hip Hop beats, dense instrumentation, loads of atmosphere: the ingredients are the same. Now and back then, Orange Crush sounds dusty, sun-beaten and not much like Vest-Agder in Norway where Endreson lives. A spongy 70's feel is omnipresent throughout the album, certain stems seem to wave and warp like recorded to old tapes.

In the end, it's the melodies that make "Autumn Reflections" a better record than "The Field". Enderson is on point and writes songs rather than recording sound ideas. This is a bit more conservative, but it makes a wonderful album that gives you an idea what the Summer in 2009 may taste like. Ace!

MP3 Electronica Music Download

Download: "Autumn Reflections" (ZIP)
Artist-Website: myspace.com/orangecrushmusic
Release: Orange Crush - "Autumn Reflections"
Netlabel: archaichorizon.com

New Earth Objects - "Part 2" (MP3)

New Earth Objects is Clemens Wegener, Marian Reinig and Tommy Neuwirth. Not much is known about the band- anyway, we've got this wonderful live recording! Within 73 minutes and basically four tracks (ranging 12 - 27 minutes), the band creates their very own sound vision blending minimal Electronica, Krautrock and Pop.

Synthesizers go along with decent sound gimmicks, super simple drums and hushed vocals. Warm textures are played out to maximal duration, drums and beats are a meditation on structure, a natural pulsing rather than an instrument to agitate the crowd. Especially the first two tracks are absolutely bewitching. "Slow down, slow down..." - must have been a special performance!

MP3 Pop Music Download

Download: "Live at Schmiede" ZIP

Artist-Website: myspace.com/newearthobjects

Release: New Earth Objects - "Live at Schmiede"

Netlabel: headphonica.com

XYDZO - "A Bali Na Bega" (MP3)<
XYDZO - "Djug" (MP3)
XYDZO - "Kuhtu" (MP3)

First off, the term Folklore might be misleading. Ulmar's approach to music is fully electronic, XYDZO is not about going back to the essentials, restoration or whatever. While listening to "Y" the reference that came to me repeatedly was "My Life in Bush of Ghosts" by Eno & Byrne.

Back in 1981, Ambient music pioneer Brian Eno and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne hooked up to create a artificial documentation of tribal music, ethnic field-recordings and Avantgarde Pop. Ljekio Ulmar adopts a similar position. He takes elements from Russian and African Folklore, popular and electronic music and glues it together to something new and exiting. This is wonderfully successful due to his substantial understanding of Pop music and music in general (is the title "Y" itself a meta-reference to the Pop Group's abrasive debut from 1979?).

The album is full of hits. Some will convince on first touch, for some you might need more time. But every single tune features a fresh idea and makes sense in the dramaturgy of the album. Essential listen! Asked for my Netaudio top ten EVER, "Y" would be in.

MP3 Folklore Music Download

Download: "Y" ZIP
Artist Website: myspace.com/xydzo
Release: XYDZO - "Y"
Netlabel: pulsations-for-you.ru

Imachi Akira - "Noise Dreams" (MP3)
Imachi Akira - "Untitled" (MP3)

"Lycoris Radiata" is wonderfully diversified! The album kicks in with the ambient "Noise Dreams". The tracks sounds rather dreamful than noisy and charmed away my misgivings that Imachi Akira is just another Netaudio Noise-musician. "Birdpia" afterwards entangles Electronica, gentle guitar-chords and field recordings. Alone, the mix is a bit awkward with the clicks n' cuts quite prominent (which is true for some of the tracks and the only major drawback.

At "Aware Si Mono", Akira pulls out the echo chamber, mixing warm noises with harmonica and his guitar pickings.  The title track "Lycoris Radiata" surprises with massive guitar feedback and distortion noises, while "Silent Way" just afterwards shows the way back to Dub and Jazzy soundscapes. Double bass and piano work superb.  "..." is the last track on the album and with it's introspect Folk-motives, all these little noises and lo-fi atmosphere it reminds me of Rain Netlabel or, more explicit, Daisuke Miyatani or Beddoes (from whom you will hear somewhat later).

Central to Imachi Akira's album is the twelve-minutes "Untitled". On top the murmur of a streamlet, a very simple synth bubble is heard. Minute by minute, additional layers of synth loops are introduced. With increasing complexity, motives form in-between what is really played. That recalls Steve Reich's early works or Philip Glass indeed, but Akira keeps it down to earth by hitting-in a powerful piano track at halftime. The epic ending is noise, and then, the silent creek again. Wow.

MP3 Electronic Music Download

Download: "Lycoris Radiata EP" ZIP
Artist-Website: imachi.org
Release: Imachi Akira - "Lycoris Radiata EP"
Netlabel: electronicalabel.ru

"84' 85'" by Koen Park was released in two limited 3"-CDR editions over at October Man Recordings (first green than gold, this version is burgundy I guess). I was happy to get hold of the first edition and been listening to the six tracks a lot since then.

In a way, it's nothing special. Fans of IDM will  recognize the heavy Boards of Canada- and early Autechre-influences straightaway. Throw in crunchy Hip Hop beats, fumes of field-recordings plus melancholy melodies and you've got it. But the one thing you can't imitate is musical craftsmanship. And as much as "84' 85'" isn't pushing genre borders, it is a wonderful, inspiring piece of music. The EP runs only 18 minutes. But maybe this briefness has a hand in brilliance. Warm, catchy, dense. Awesome when a re-release makes sense.

MP3 Electronica Music Download

Download: Koen Park - "84' 85'" (ZIP)
Artist-Website: koenmusic.com
Release: Koen Park - "84' 85'"
Netlabel: acroplane.org

Paulina Mum - "Moth"
Paulina Mum - "bcam"
Paulina Mum - "Back together"

What I like best about this Electronica release are the slight jolts. Always if some of melodies stumble a little bit and the rhythm gets a little bit confused I must smile. "Morning Rain" sounds private and feels like sitting next to the musician listening to his compositions.

Sweet, nice and naive and always heart-catching.

What Paulina Mum says about the album

"in the past months i have become obsessed with the little sounds that come from my little casio, small emulations of acoustic instruments, always accompanied by a bit of noise. i've recorded many little things, only using it. i think they are all very personal as all their small mistakes are unique and warming to me. so for the past months i've made these songs for many events, maybe a friends birthday gift, a love, a wonderful feeling."

MP3 Electronica Music Download

Download: Paulina Mum - "Morning Rain" (ZIP-Archive)
Artist-Website: Paulina Mum
Release: Paulina Mum - "Morning Rain"
Netlabel: Camomille Netlabel

The Sutemos Netlabel is a mixture of Lithunian artists which are joined by musicians from outside their country. Together they stem now for the fifth time an incredible and rich compilation with IDM, Ambient and Electronica-orientated music. It's hard to figure out some favorites, so just dive into the compilation and enjoy some futuristic music.

MP3 IDM Ambient Music Download

Download: Various - "Intelligent Toys 5" (ZIP-Archive)
Release: Various - "Intelligent Toys 5"
Netlabel: Sutemos Netlabel

Just like Fresh Poulps debut-release "Octopus One", the second part of the Octopus Compilation gathers two sides.

On Side A "Guests" you can find tracks by guest artists, label's friends or some casual collaborators. Some of the pieces might give us an idea of future Fresh Poulp artists. 26 year old Cyril Guillory for example, who is also known as Aquilone (he has already put out an album at muertepop). His Electronica-Shoegazer-Pop sounds very promising and "Chess Wall" is one of the highlights of the "Octopus Two" compilation.

Side B, the "Family"-side, gives an overview of artists that have already released some works on Fresh Poulp Records. Pix for example, whose releases have also been mentioned in some 2008 netaudio highlights here at phlow-magazine, contributed a new piece to the compilation. His lovely Electronica-Downtempo-Hiphop mix is allways a good treat. But there are many more Fresh Poulp veterans on "Octopus Two" - pieR, Guitoud and Yarkouy for example, who present their distinct electronica-dub styles.

So, there is a lot to look forward to in 2009. Fresh Poulp Records should be on the watchlist.

MP3 Music Download

Download: V.A. - "Octopus Two" (ZIP-Archive)
Release: V.A. - "Octopus Two"
Netlabel: Fresh Poulp Records

The puerile happiness you discover in this fabulous release will overwhelm you the first time. That's because "Binjoum" is the equivalent of a childrens room. Coloured toys are spread all over the place and you're confronted immidiately with a bunch of kids showing you all their favorite toys. Who will you pay attention to?

But stop! Before you leave the room in panic, give Thiaz Itch a chance. Explore his instrumental tracks, listen to his songs where he sings like "The Gardener's Lament" or "B Line".  And get convinced by his original instrumentation, his happy, funky music with lots of twists and weird surprises.

Truely individual and sometimes hard to take! But in the right mood, Thiaz Itch is fun, fun, fun!

MP3 Electronica Music Download

Download: Thiaz Itch - "Binjoum" (ZIP-MP3-Archive) (FLAC-ZIP)
Artist-Website: http://thiazitch.free.fr/
Release: Thiaz Itch - "Binjoum" @ bedroomresearch.com | Thiaz Itch - "Binjoum" @ archive.org
Netlabel: www.bedroomresearch.com | http://prootrecords.free.fr/

Where is all the IDM-music gone? Maybe it went out-of-space, but maybe it found a  new home on the web on netlabel Rec72. Good, what does IDM mean after all? Is it close listening? Is it scaping spheres and fast rhythms, that do not take the borders of music-genres too closely? I hope for the last. Because the EP "Press any Key" does provide both.

The first tracks on the EP are somehow like very classic trance-tracks, so music that went its way, before rave-trance was born. A little bit like very classic (British?) tunes of trance music. Please let me crawl into the speaker. The other half of this EP features fast-paced tracks of IDM-music, maybe in the same tradition. Harsh, not precise, also not upfront. Meant to listening. But this is also my critique, at least my personal. Although there is a sure value of the music on this EP I am missing some sort of flow - at least if you take a look in the other half of this EP.

I like to drift to the scapes, and also like the disturbing rhythms of Human Teriminal. But what I don't like is to tell "This track is more like floating and this like weird beats". The IDMish thing after all (IDM = intelligence dance music?) is about fucking over all genres, in order to make make the people dance or have them a whole experience and after all, isn't it? Maybe I just didn't met this dancefloors already yet. Maybe things just have to progress, so please keep up with giving us such tunes!

MP3 IDM Music Download

Download: Human Terminal - "Press any Key" (ZIP-Archive)
Artist-Website: human-terminal.blogspot.com
Release: Human Terminal - "Press any Key"
Netlabel: www.rec72.net

Toot Toot! | Tidy Kid is Marly Uyma Lüske, born Australian but living in places all over Europe and the US. The travelling type, this is for sure. His oeuvre is confusing, there are remix albums, free stuff, pay-for-download music, collaborations, compilations... well. Bettina got in contact and took the tour de force, listening to everything. Here's an artists you don't want to miss.

In 2006, Tidy Kid released the first EP "People Sit In Cars" via his own label Tidy Kid Music. You can stream this six tracks treasure chest on his website or simply buy the limited CD via cdbaby. The musical concept is, roughly spoken, to mix awkward Indiepop with elements of Electronica and Psychedelia. No Indietronics but Pop in capital letters with a grounding of electronic music. Two tracks from this EP are free for download, and these two are wonderful, especially the neo-60's Pop of "Kommt" (the sequence of the song titles is "Ein Kleines Bein Kommt Zuhause Angehuepft" which means "A Small Leg Comes Jumping at Home"... WTF?). Talking about Tidy's voice, James McNew of Yo La Tengo and Dump might be a good comparison.

EP number two was published by Mexican Umor Rex Netlabel for free download (website down at the moment, back soon!). Tidy Kid enhances the element of melancholia in his music for "My Frozen Flower Pot" and sounds a bit more British than on "People Sit In Cars"... Probably Thom Yorke's solo output comes to your mind as well. At the same time, Tidy emancipates himself from the slightly naive programming of his older works and expands both into experimentalism and shameless melodies. Tracks "Flower" and "Smell" are awesome.

Third is Lüske's "Fragments EP". Six tracks and sketches that document the music, Tidy Kid improvised for a piece of performing arts by Nick McGavern in February 2008 in Brisbane, Australia. Kid remixed the tunes, arranged the pieces and published them via Acroplane Netlabel earlier this year. With it's loose beats, scattered sounds and overall improvisation feel, this one is probably NOT the record to start with- though there are some nice things to find. At least, fragments "2"and "3" are worth the effort.

Tidy Kid's Kinderzimmer

There is much more to find on his website. If you dig the songs I put in the player, switch over to www.tidykid.com and find out about it. Froggi Records cassette label, for example, are going to publish EP number four entitled "One Week With My Casio" very soon and a full-length is said to go public in early 2009.

I enjoy the idea of remixing. Especially my curiosity gets triggered if musicians remix musicians. Like Kruder & Dorfmeister with their sessions or the remixes done for Björk in the early years between her debut and the homogenic-album... Remixing is art which has to reinvent the original by keeping its true soul alive. Not an easy task if you ask me, and I did remixes myself...

Just digg deep into this song called "Complete" and check out the tricky shuffled Bad Comfort Remix or the warm melancholic and slowly drifting remix by Madstyle. Also interesting the Sm Remix using a piano for the melody instead of using bleeps. While the SM Remix transforms "Complete" into a enigmatic anthem only the Illuminated Faces Remix straightens the beats and produced a sensitive 4 to the floor track...

MP3 IDM Music Download

Download: Modul - "Complete Remixed" (ZIP-Archive)
Release: Modul - "Complete Remixed"
Netlabel: Phonocake Netlabel

Back from my holidays I like to take you back into the wonderful world of netlabel music by offering you a deepsea-trip with Crisopa. Since I discovered "Medicamentosa" I played his sweet electronica and ambient music over and over. If you enjoy melodic electronic music with a slight touch of kitsch, Crisopa is the right travel companion. My favorite is the airy and fluffy "Fibra de Carbono y Cambios Automaticos". Calm, deep and groovy.

MP3 Electronica Music Download

Download: Crisopa - "Filamentosa EP" (ZIP-Archive)
Netlabel: www.persona-isla.org
Artist-Website: www.myspace.com/crisopa

The first, released at the excellent Luvsound Netlabel, brings forth four rather short pieces of Ambient. Warm and intimate, handmade and rich, subtle Avantgarde Muzak for those who know. Striking art by Kati Meden of goYippi from the Resting Bell-crew!

The latter is published by US Netlabel Experimedia and shows the man approaching Ambient from a slightly more song-orientated point of view. Under the disguise of “Koen Park”, Ian D. Hawgood whisks fresh Electronica-beats, sweet melancholy melodies and Ambient textures. An eclectic album.

MP3 Ambient Music Download

Release Site: Ian D. Hawgood - "Tents And Hills"
Direct Download: Ian D. Hawgood - "Tents And Hills" (ZIP)
Netlabel: www.luvsound.org

Release Site: Koen Park - "Grey Night Clouds"
Direct Download: Koen Park - "Grey Night Clouds" (ZIP)
Netlabel: www.experimedia.net

Nothing matters anymore. Happy tunes unite with floating beats, the IDMish sounds have not show teeth, but a breath of magic is closely in on their side. Airy windows of wonder and opportunity. And then sometimes little fragments of game-like soundeffects just make you wonder, while the trip goes on. Also some excellent precise breaks are on this release.

This is the 20th, and maybe the most grown-up, release on the brilliant II-Music netlabel. The Label normally features music, that go from chiptune to miniature compositions made with chip. All releases combine clever music with extreme high quality. Something like Iqtu. Definitely my dig of the month.

This release reminds me far on the Milky Beats LP from Original Recipe, that was released some years ago on the web, and still remains one of the most precious releases that you can download. Similar music structures and vibes are also on this album. Other reference coordinate would be music from Ulrich Schnauss.

MP3 IDM Music Download

Download: Iqtu - Embarrassing Triangle (ZIP Archive)
Release: Iqtu - Embarrassing Triangle
Netlabel: II Music
Artist: iqtu.com/

McNeill and Phantom Chanel introduces nine rather unknown Ambient composer, all of them working at the edge of Electronica, Drone and something like Postrock. Mercury synth-textures, drifty memories of guitar and a lot of noise are the common elements. Wonderful!

Engine7 opens the mix with his trademark sound of Electronica beats and deep Ambient harmonies. Bleeding in, Parhelion (Ihor Dawidiuk from Toronto, CAN) basically produces sugar Noisepop that sounds like received from the bottom of a glacier lake. Experimental band Brakhage (CH) shift the overall sound to something more sparse and dark, extensively using field-recordings over bass-saturated instrumentals. Michael Henaghan aka Mosca, next to Engine7 the only artist I was familiar with, resembles this sound with his subtle melodies buried under a lava flow of down-pitched synth textures. Finally, youngster Lee "Svefn" Chapman takes you home with a high-spirited piece of Drone muzak from his recent EP "Lightness".

MP3 Ambient Music Download

Release Site: V.A. - "Phantom Channel Presents - Part I"
Direct Download: V.A. - "Phantom Channel Presents - Part I" (ZIP)
Netlabel: www.phantomchannel.co.uk

Hungary-born Miklos Labady is quite active in the Netaudio-scene. While his Niteffect-moniker is strictly Kreislauf, a few records under the name of Nick Otheen are online at Enough Records and Laced Milk. Labady extracts the brooding darkness of Dubstep, takes the groovy downtempo beats of Hip Hop (some might say Trip Hop) and plays his dirty little game by adding the right amount of Electronica.

"Lights Off" and "Blur Emotion" feature grumbling bass synthesizers that sound like pitched-down Mr. Oizo and spiced with some fine cuts at "Lights Off", Tape vs RQM. Tracks "Go With The Flow" or "No Way To West" have a stronger connection to Leftfield Electronica with blurry melodies and Boards Of Canada-style melancholia. My favorite tune on Niteffect's "Lost Identity" is "Tropical Heat" however. With a slight shift to Trance and Afrobeat rhythmics (check the percussion!), "Tropical Heat" affects you like a maelstrom. Hypnotic, ominous, a trip into The Heart Of Darkness.

MP3 Hip Hop Music Download

Release Site: Niteffect - "Lost Identity"
Direct Download: Niteffect - "Lost Identity" (ZIP)
Netlabel: www.kreislauf.org
Artist Website: www.virb.com/nlz

While some of his former releases were either a bit too poppy or a bit too noisy for me, his full-length debut is just right. Not only well-balanced and "quality music" in terms of craftsmanship, slippy Maze can't be hold to any style conventions. "Delightfully strange", as Huw Roberts puts it on the liner notes.

Warm in tone and texture, Maze mixes processed instruments like flutes and strings with a lot of crackling noise and programed beats. His melodies are splendid and lush and create an artificial 70's Progrock-feel that goes along with the analog sound very well. The idea seems to resemble Jan Jelinek's approach to Krautrock on Kosmischer Pitch.

It is hard to pick certain songs as the whole album works best at full listen... my personal favorites are the first three tunes: "Steampunk" for it's wishful slide guitar, the flutes and the wafting beats, "Nested Companion Template" with it's cut-up vocal samples huge tonal synth-pads and finally "Subtropical Blasting Officier" which is just an incredibly weird piece of, well, Maze muzak. Yummy.

Don't forget to check the delicious artwork!

MP3 Electronic Music Download

Release Site: Daniel Maze - "Red After Image"
Direct Download: Daniel Maze - "Red After Image" (ZIP)
Netlabel: www.serein.co.uk
Artist Website: www.maze.walltapper.com

Other netlabels Daniel Maze released his music on:

Netlabel: Test Tube
Netlabel: EKO
Netlabel: 12rec.

Krowley is 17-years young producer Felix Trawöger. His EP "Four Pieces" is a fresh mixture of melodic, analog instrumentation and urban beats and synths that reminds me a lot of "Eve Future"-releases by Kraftwerk-heirs Kreidler from Düsseldorf. With "I Saw My Lady Weep" Trawöger's EP starts bare naked with piano, spinet and viola. The whole song is a beautiful little piece of chamber music, it's contemporary origin only proven by minor hints. Second bassedanza "Ayre" combines Aphex Twin-style beat patterns with field-recordings and an enjoyable offbeat guitar motive.

For "Cyre", Trawöger descends even further into Pop. The dense guitar instrumentation is left as slave to the mighty LFO-groove of a synth bass-line. You can hear simple drums, somewhere in the middle a flute is introduced. It's stunning to hear how seamless Krowley's neo-Renaissance ideas accord to nowadays genres like IDM or Hip Hop. While last song "Pavane" (!) is a bit boring, "Cyre" is an awesome piece of left-field Electronica. Well done, kid.

MP3 Electronic Music Download

Release Site: Krowley - "Four Pieces"

Direct Download: Krowley - "Four Pieces" (ZIP)

Netlabel: www.autark-net.org

Artist Website: www.myspace.com/polyc1

"Life Living" is a true and visionary album. You can listen to it from start to end with no interruption. While Pix blends different styles together, we enjoy songstructures from Ambient to IDM to Hip Hop. Sometimes you hear Pix playing around with funky Cut-Up-Techniques, than you discover some sounds in the background, than his accurate beat-programming surprises you.

But the best of all: Pix composes wonderful melodies and atmospheres to remember.

MP3 Electronica Music Download

Download: Pix - "Life Living" (RAR Archive)
Release: Pix - "Life Living"
Netlabel: www.fresh-poulp.net

Tomorrowland is basically Stephen Baker and Nick Brackney, joined by Eric Morrison (of Füxa-fame!) on drums for the recording of "Anemone". Hailing from Michigan, USA, Tomorrowland had an album out at Kranky before they teamed up with NYC's Red Antenna. Both Baker and Brackney play their guitars through various effect pedals so one might assume there aint guitars at all. With Morrison's loop-a-like drum patterns and a few drum machine-dubs, the songs are really composed for minimal effort. But although the sound is very pure, maybe even paltry here and there, something happens between bubbling guitars, delay and drum tracks.

Krautrock is the magic word, and if you ever heard the first two Neu! records or Tortoise's "Millions Living"-album, you probably can imagine what I mean. Tomorrowland-tunes like "Mineral" and "Anemone" are growers for groove and melody, in a straight Rother/ Roedelius/ Moebius-kinda way. These songs have sort of a retro-feel while tracks "Stormy" and "Unfadeable" come up with increased density and volume, clearly locating Tomorrowland into US Postrock with references to SST, Thrill Jockey and, well, Kranky.

MP3 Rock Music Download

Release-Site: Tomorrowland - "Anemone"
Netlabel: www.redantenna.tv

Apes on Tapes - "Da Try Bute" (MP3)

Fresh, Fresh, Superfresh! Their full length debut after an EP in early 2006 is brilliant from top to bottom. With Prefuse 73 and Dabrye as the main contemporary influences in the back, the Apes on Tapes add a good amount of Popappeal to their idea of Hip Hop. Nearly every song has a catchy melody, crisp beat or uncommon element to attend to. "Even If" for example has a warm 70's sound due to the recycled Soul-sample. In concert with cut-up vocals, J. Dilla has to be mentioned as an additional reference. The hit single and opening track is "Catkilla". Carefully entangled guitars, a smooth-but-tight beats, everything's just in place. "Grand 5" has a similar feel and makes your head nod with a melodious piano-loop instead of guitar licks. So good!

On the more abstract, minimal side, "Da Try Brute" and especially the way-out "Limone Nel West" left me stunning. At "Light Dry But Creamy" and "Sleep Soon, Wake Up Soon", Lagàr and Antani fuse tricky IDM-style beats with smooth ambient textures and beautiful piano loops. Awesome! A first potent candidate for 2008's best of-lists.

Thanks to Filippo Aldovini of Zymogen Netlabel for the hint.

MP3 Hip Hop Music Download

Release-Site: Apes on Tapes - "You Open"
Direct Download: Apes on Tapes - "You Open" ZIP
Netlabel: www.homeworkrecords.net
Artist Website: www.myspace.com/apesontapes

Camomille has been a long time a must for people who enjoy the worldwide demoscene and especially the music which comes along with its scene. If you compare the music of today with the beginning, Camomille evolved very much. Nearly all the productions sound professional, vivid and with an ear for details.

Interesting is also the fact, that with its 100th release Camomille makes some sort of statement. Even when the music is build and composed with the help of computers, you'l discover analog instruments like guitars and of course vocals. Also there are nearly no genre-boundries. This compilation with 44 tracks has music for everybody be it IDM, Electronica or electro-acoustic music. Next to internet-music-stars like Lackluster you find music from known artists like Vim and Papercutz who released lately on Petite&Jolie Compilation or Khonnor.

Never mind the name-dropping. I like especially the tracks with vocals composed by Bliss, Troupe and Hendrik José. Great music, with emotions and melodies and some serious infectious hooks.

MP3 IDM Ambient Music Download

Release-Download: V.A. - Cycles
Website: Camomille Netlabel

Three tracks are already online at the Nexsound-website and set high standards for the full-length release. His online debut "When I'm Not" from late 2006 has already been a masterpiece of Pop-influenced electronic music and atypical Indietronica. But it seems Bluermutt will be able to do even better. For his new tunes he makes extensive use of vocals, singing, speaking, filtered and pure. The production is advanced and in-depth yet subtle enough to let the catchy melodies unfold. Consider Zoot Woman, Dani Siciliano and dear Zavoloka for reference. The artwork is done by Andrea Calisi (Mattotti, huh?). High hopes for 2008!

Maguett released at Noise-Joy and Clinical Archives to join the ElectroSound Netlabel with his most accessible album up to date. Under the influence of the compilation of three mixtapes he released at Share my Wings (another sprout of the Excentrica empire) recently, "Ceramicboy" sounds a bit like a 'best of electronic music'-sampler with tracks differing in style and quality. The tracks I like best have a decent HipHop-feel: "Take That" is somewhere between early Autechre and Prefuse 73, "Out Door Experiment" has cool fat synthesizers and a relaxed Boards of Canada-groove. The song you have to check on all account is "Bubbles": crystal clear electronic HipHop, reduced to the max, with a head nodding beat and microscopic melody. So damn fresh. Make sure to check the other tracks!

MP3 Electronica Music Download

Release-Site: Maguett - "Ceramicboy"
Direct Download: Maguett - "Ceramicboy" ZIP
Netlabel: www.electrosound.ru
Artist Website: www.myspace.com/maguettone

If you listen to the Batfinks from the Hippocamp Netlabel it won't be easy. On the one hand they twist your head and make you smile playing sweet melodies for you...

...on the other hand, they enjoy building grunting drill'n'bass-monsters who make you stumble. Nevertheless the Batfinks is a hell of a band. Every song nearly bursts because their are so many ideas, melodies, funny sounds and hopping beats to discover. Listening to the Batfinks is like enjoying musicians who play naively with synthesizers, samplers and plinker-plonker-musictools. Check out their „Peach Route EP“ and „the one towards the garrick from the bird EP“, open your ears for their uber-song „Weiff Ich“ and simply let loose and enjoy electronica-music from the prolific hippocamp netlabel.

MP3 Electronica Music Download

MP3-Download: Batfinks – the one towards the garrick from the bird EP
MP3-Download: Batfinks - "Peach Route"
MP3-Download: Liveact @ Leeds STFU 18th March 2006 (ZIP)
Netlabel: www.hippocamp.net

Wow! This is one of the best electronic compilations i listened to for a long time. Sutemos compiled no more than 28 high quality tracks which slide smoothly from one into the other while listening. "Intelligent Toys 4" awaits you with atmospheric electronic music filled with sweet melodies and sweeping synthesizers.

Slowly taking off with an ambient and atmospheric track called "Dried Flowers, Mirrored World" produced by Sabi, our steward Walkman serves us continuously one embrassing tune after the other. Walkmans phenomenal choice of music convince us and we let loose while floating with the flow of his compilation. Take "Terra Det" from IJO for example. This track takes you on a flight on spheric synthesizer strings. Slightly shreddered and clickering beats combined with caring melodies build a wonderful scenery full of fluffy clouds.

Along with the incredible quality of each track, I am truely surprised how the whole music sampler fits together. This is futuristic and yet optimistic music at its best. A great journey into sounds from ambient to ambient to clicks and cuts. Don't miss this one!

MP3 Electronica/IDM Music Download

Release: VA - Intelligent Toys 4 (Sutemos019)
MP3-Download: Intelligent Toys 4 in a zip file (208 Mb)

Part of our "Netaudio Mixtape Series"

1. DJ Mix “Das Netaudio Mixtape Vol.1″ by mo.
2. DJ Mix “Das Netaudio Mixtape Vol.2″ by mo.
3. DJ Mix “Das Netaudio Mixtape Vol.3″ by mo.

Laid-Back dj-mix | "Das Netaudio Tape Vol.1" is a classic dj-mix using loungy, funky and groovy netlabel-productions. The mix is not one of those classic continuous mixes, with one stompin beat from beginning to end. No!, it's a versatile mix with different tastes. Sometimes it smells like electronica, sometimes it's tasty drum'n'bass with a rollin' bassline. Oops, and did I hear some funky disco-tunes from our all-time-favorite producer Cuebism?

Yeah, you're right! That's sounds like a true trip like we enjoy once in a while when we're listening to good old DJ-Kicks-Mixes. Correct. On "Das Netaudio Tape Vol.1" mo. glued some serious classics from the global netlabel scene together. His tight mix has some crazy cuts and blends and never gets boring. The mix comes around the corner like these good old mixtapes we did decades ago. So hook up your mp3-player and please him/her with an imaginative mixture of groovy music.

MP3 DJ-Mix Music Download

Download: Das Netaudio Tape Vol.1