Fans of vintage modular synthesizers will immediately recognize the "voice" of the two rare glorious models that John Chantler, the London magnetic pole of Australian label Room40, squeezed on this release: he had the possibility to play on Buchla 200 and its grandson, Serge modular, that EMS Elektronmusikstudion in Stockholm keeps and makes available to composers and sound artists and collected a pile of sequences and sounds that he revised over a couple of years in order to avoid that his stuff could be too closer to mere work outs on modular synths. The opening ultra low frequencies and the electric rifts of the first part of "November" and the erosive sequences whose noisy wavelets of the second part are closer to many electronic grafts into prog-rock elongations from the 70ies precede the atomized clipped fluctuations and the atmospheric textures of "Dismantled Cabaret" in the first group of tracks, while the second block includes "Wollmar Organ", where John punctured an organ-like sound from the Wave Multiplier module by rising voltages, zipped frequencies and tubular sounds, and the amazing fluid dynamics of "The Knight Firth", where gobbling sonic bits keeps on burbling before their gradual stagnating.

From Los Angeles-based Cold Blue Music comes a new CD by Michael Jon Fink titled From a Folio, featuring Derek Stein on cello and the composer at the piano. Michael Jon Fink has a distinguished 30+ year career as a composer and his music has been performed at the Green Umbrella series of new music concerts by the Los Angeles Philharmonic as well as a number of other venues and festivals throughout the United States and Europe. The long arc of his compositional career has allowed Michael Jon Fink to refine his style of understated eloquence through simple musical materials, and From a Folio is a fine example of just how much this can achieve. All of the tracks on this CD are short ' running from two to a little over three minutes. All but one of the tracks use the same combination of spare piano rhythms accompanied by the cello. The first track, Invocation, is typical - the piano provides a steady, purposeful line of single notes in a rising, repeating sequence. The cello follows the piano, but in an unexpected register ' high but not shrill ' and the cello ends each passage on a sustained tone that compliments piano figure. This simple structure is unhurried and restful. Good control of intonation and pitch by Derek Stein is critical ' the cello is almost never heard in its lower, warmer ranges. Heiroglyph is next and this has a more mysterious feeling in the piano passages. The rhythms are a series of straightforward, deliberate notes. The cello follows with soft, sustained tones that add to the enigmatic atmosphere. Melos follows and here the piano weaves its line of single notes around very simple cello tones. More complexity is heard in the piano as this piece unfolds, but by the finish it has resumed its restrained character. Aftersong, on track 4, is a completely different piece consisting of just the cello in a series of slow, dramatic tones that have been recorded separately but are heard together in this track. This has a sense of lonely isolation and is played with great feeling by Derek Stein who also performs with Gnarwhallaby and wildUp, two Los Angeles groups known for a much more animated and energetic sound - this CD is evidence of a softer, more introspective side to his playing. The remaining tracks ' From a Folio, Over and Exit ' return to the original combination of piano and cello. From a Folio, track 5, suggests a questioning feel in the quiet piano chords. The cello answers by way of single, sustained tones that are masterfully infused with emotion. Over is a more solemn piece, with a tinge of sadness. Exit, the last track, opens with a series of luminous piano notes that seem to hang suspended in the air. The cello shortly picks up the same notes, sustaining them while the piano replies in quiet counterpoint. The cello, again in a high register, repeats the opening theme as the piano adds a few short arpeggios. The solitary sound of the cello plays out as the track concludes. From a Folio is the perfect title for this CD. Each piece is one of a series of brilliant jewels as if cut from the same stone. From a Folio by Michael Jon Fink is music that is simple, yet essential - an elegant vessel of deep expression.
From a Folio CB0039, is available from Cold Blue Music starting October 14, 2014

'By All Means' is a new CD by Gordon Lazarus, also known as U-731, and Malignant Records. Released in February of this year, Lazarus is joined on this album by Andy Grant of Vomit Arsonist fame and John Stillings of Steel Hook Prosthesis. The result is a strongly drawn image of the power of totalitarianism as seen through the bleak lens industrial strength noise, distortion, menacing drones and spoken words from the speeches of historic personalities. The opening track, 'Forced Neurotic Displacement,' immediately sets the tone with the low drone of propeller-driven bombers heard slowly approaching and then passing directly overhead. A distorted voice is heard shouting out harsh commands amid the sound of explosions. There is the feeling of unstoppable violence and even the sound of the WWII-vintage aircraft is made more menacingly relevant by the high distortion ' it is as if we are looking back through the mist of time to experience the horror and none of the nostalgia. Track 7, 'Suo Gan/Last Rights,' is similar and incorporates the speech by Chamberlain announcing the beginning of the war over the invasion of Poland in 1939. This is accompanied by what sounds like a flight line of departing bombers. As the speech concludes there is the somber sound of women singing amid explosions and this evokes a very sad feeling ' the failure of civilization and the descent into total war. In the title track, By All Means, we hear the voice of Churchill, explaining the evacuation of Dunkirk, is interwoven with a speech by Adolf Hitler. The continuous buzzing drone establishes a kind of blurry equivalence between the two and there is the uncomfortable sense that we have inherited the evil which we sought to destroy. The historical theme continues into the 1960s with track 4, 'Aktion - Freedom Reaktion Resistance.' Here a cold war speech by John F. Kennedy is submerged in a sinister whirring roar that effectively translates the old fears of communist totalitarianism into a unsettling parallel to our present broken political system and reduced civil liberties. Perhaps the most effective track on the album is 'F.E.M.A. Care' where a female voice describes how certain present-day railway facilities have been changed in camps. There is a loud whirring, like some giant machine, accompanied by static so that not all the words are intelligible. But you catch bits and pieces: 'the war on drugs' morphs into 'prisons' that morph into 'concentration camps with gas furnaces.' Another voice is heard and the words 'CIA', 'martial law' and 'concentration camps' are repeated. Your mind begins to connect the dots and this produces a bleak vision of the future that is equally frightening and compelling. There are other tracks on this CD that use the same techniques, 'The Mechanics of Embalming' and 'Asphyxiant Collapse,' but these don't have the political punch of the others and come off as weaker by comparison. 'By All Means' is at its best when dealing with the history of totalitarianism and is an excellent illustration of the proverb that you must choose your enemies carefully because in achieving victory you will become them.

'Ghost Story' is the latest CD of ambient music by Kosuke Anamizo, released on the n5md Music label in November of 2013. Tokyo-based Anamizo has also recorded under the name Moshimoss and according to the liner notes '...this new project focuses on larger scale atmosphere which is met with hypnotically twisted dub techno beat work, hazy guitars and looped, yet sullen vocals...' 'Ghost Story' is definitely showcase for the ability of Anamizo to create an effective ambient atmosphere. These are variously fashioned from voices, as in 'Snow Leopard' and 'Alter Ego' or from the hazy guitar sounds of 'Departures' and also from keyboard as in 'Predawn'. Most of these pieces follow a similar pattern: an ambient wash is built up from voices, guitars or keyboards, typically with a low roar underneath. About halfway in, a strong percussive back beat appears and this continues, eventually giving way to the ambient sounds again as the track concludes. The presence of the percussion sections do offer contrast, and will be a familiar focus for the listener, but the tracks of 'Ghost Story' would likely be stronger without them. All of the opening ambient constructions are solid enough on their own to sustain interest throughout the entire piece. 'Cliff Edge Ghost' is perhaps the strongest track on this CD for just this reason. The opening roar effectively evokes the feeling of standing on some high cliff with a strong wind coming from a deep canyon below. A wash of ghostly voices is heard adding to the serene feeling, and the swelling volume gives the sense of a rising wind. The percussion in 'Cliff Edge Ghost' is less pronounced than in the other tracks and has an organic feel, as if it is part of the landscape. The varying dynamics in this piece provide a convincing sense of soaring high above a cliff on strong winds. 'Departures', the last track on the CD is another strong piece. Broad, warm sounds under-gird three repeating tones in the guitar that are soon joined by voices. This combination nicely evokes sense of leaving and farewell. 'Departures' is a lovely ambient wash and leaves the listener with a sense of sweet sadness. The mix and sound engineering on this CD is also well done. If you like ambient music infused by strong imagination, a bit of mystery and a solid back beat, 'Ghost Story' by Kosuke Anamizo is for you.

Adaadat, the London-based independent recording label, has recently released Impermanence, a new CD of ambient music by Christos Fanaras. Recording under the name of Jack Shirt, he has recorded and released seven previous CDR albums and is currently a member of Moon Ra and Masters. Christos has also played bass guitar in the group Agaskodo Teliverek, drums for Temper Temper and has a long list of associations with contemporary musicians and bands. Impermanence is a solo effort and consists of six sections connected into a single track that runs for 44 minutes. Each of the sections has an individual character but there is an overall pattern that emerges as the piece unfolds. The piece begins with a low hum and a soft, funerary organ melody. The volume builds and the feeling is solemn, brooding and mysterious. The low tones dominate as the higher notes in the melody become shorter and transient until they become overtaken by the drone below. The loudness ultimately subsides allowing the second section to begin with the soft sound of rainfall and a clear declarative guitar line that brings some forward movement. Now the organ arcs above this with a quiet, uncertain feel that builds in volume as the section progresses. The purposeful guitar eventually becomes buried by a swirling organ accompanied by loud, unsettling propeller sounds that end the section abruptly. Impermanence proceeds in this fashion, each section beginning with a comfortable flow and feel that is quietly familiar, but eventually becoming submerged in louder and more chaotic textures. Section 3 has a beautiful organ line that has a church-like, medieval sound, and this is eventually intruded upon and consumed by a distorted guitar. Section 5 features an optimistic dance-like melody that generates an exotic, optimistic feel that is slowly engulfed in a low rumbling sound. This pattern of the familiar being overwhelmed by the alien is repeated throughout the different sections and effectively makes the artistic statement of Impermanence. The final minutes have a futuristic feel and a sense of inevitability that point to coming change. If you take your ambient music straight up and with a definite point of view, Impermanence will be worth a listen.