(Hungover in) Siberia is Pie Are Squared’s third release and the first part of an ongoing trilogy; a venturesomely bold series of interrelated recordings. (Hungover in) Siberia plays as one long-form composition that is constructed with deliberate melodrama to pay homage to a plethora of human emotions, partly inspired by the seemingly infinite Siberian landscapes. Autobiographical in nature, the music expresses the protagonist’s loneliness and longing to rejuvenate his soul and assuage his mind, and his journey through his own personal looking-glass into a hallucinatory world.

(Hungover in) Siberia starts with a cinematic mantra of pulverizing, scorched sounds that drift into a more re-contextualized domain of hazy electronic distortion and austere screeches. Pure morning rises, eyelids descend, lost in landscapes devoid of reason, a non-stopping seizure that evokes a feeling of a man torn apart of his belief, estranged from his muse, getting emptier by the second, every cell disintegrates, shedding skin that swirls in a whirlpool around the body, wasting flesh annuls, only the soul remains, swept away by the merciless winds of inevitable change.

Nothingness reigns in this endless soundscape, and this ensues until an ethereal piano line, accompanied by comforting acoustic sounds and beautiful heartbreaking vocals enter to swiftly carry on with the story line. The protagonist can be seen grieving, in a state of blissful melancholy; cries of hurt can be heard radiating from his soul, sedative like an ever haunting lullaby, venting out leftover innate feelings that were once substantial for his survival yet somehow where lost through the dissonance of human psyche.

A pendulum of reason and the lack of it swing throughout seven layers of discombobulation, a convoluted dreamy track which eschews traditional structures. Where ever rotating remnants from the disintegration of sound are reconstructed into fragments of blissful specters. Waking up to a new morning…or dreaming one, a phase is upon the protagonist where a bipolar state manifests itself in his mind, escapism through pseudo-happiness, fleeting moments of jazzy joy can be heard. Stripped down of feelings, I’ll see you when I see you, and I hope this will be, won’t be soon presents a hypnotic, elusive closure, evocative walls of sound, exceptional drumming, accompanied by spiky wafts of violins, harps and cellos. The marching band accompanies the soul in a parade to commemorate the muse, to a farewell of sorts, a vortex of emotion arises, inspires the imagery of a very serene funeral pyre march, into vast landscapes where the protagonist finally lays the muse to rest in the river of forgetting, lifting the veil of desolation off his soul, coming to terms with his turmoil. Hope arises.

Pie Are Squared masterful playing is revealed as an instinctual process where emotions are woven together like a meticulously intertwined tapestry, rendering an out-earthly ride through unfamiliar territories where sounds exist in their singularity. (Hungover in)Siberia is 30 minutes of otherworldly splashing, ripping, hissing, hum, an indefinite number of sounds carefully coaxed from unique instruments, drawing a blurry line between veracity and reverie. The result grabs at the listener to stay alert while getting lost completely to emerge cleansed at the end of this musical ride, tiptoeing around quiescent moments, increasingly mounting tension and inspiring awe.

Pie Are Squared is further proof that – wherever you are in the world – there is an underground scene brimming with talent. You just have to find it.

• archive.org – bandcamp – clearbits
• artist page

wecollectskies’ new 4 track EP has an ambitious approach to how the entire albums sound was architected. It has been in the works for four months as Josh Elliot’s final project on university and aims to suit the modern days listening habits.

And it shows, the mixture of metal ‘cohones’, shoegazing bliss… it exhales an energy that grabs you from the first notes and will continue to surprise by breaking barriers and blending genres within the realm of post-rock and post-metal. And it all sounds spectacular.

Track listing

1. Remote Controlled Skies
2. Apocalisse Morti
3. Withered Hands
4. Last Word of Home

• archive.org – bandcamp
• essay

Final Project Description

I asked a number of people what devices they use most frequently in order to listen to music with – most people said either a mobile phone, mp3 player or a computer. This gave me the idea to create the music for playback so that it could be listened to using said devices. A number of people do not even own a Hi-Fi let alone studio quality speakers or headphones. Listeners are content to play their favourite tracks using only the inbuilt speaker – in many cases at max volume – thus distorting the actual quality/dynamics. This is that I first decided to explore further, with an intention to obtain clarity within the overall sound, regardless of the speaker quality or amplitude. From testing commercially recorded tracks, there seemed to be an overall harshness to the sound in general. The cymbals and guitars in most metal music would spill over the sound as a whole, essentially creating a wall of distorted fuzz. The same applies to headphones with listeners having a habit of playing the music at max volume whilst walking down the street or on a bus. When asking a couple people if I could listen through their headphones to check the “quality”, I found that the sound was similar to that of the phone speaker – the dynamics where completely lost and it appeared that the general consensus was the “louder the better” even though the sound is destroyed. I then went on to test laptop speakers and PC speakers, from which I obtained very much the same result. The main aim for the EP was to make it fully audible at max volume on various headphones, phones, and inbuilt speakers alike. To emulate the playback on various devices/output I choose to mix, record and master with that which people have at home. This accumulates to roughly eight pairs of cheap headphones under £20 (also gaming headsets), two pairs of PC speakers (£10) and a number of phones and laptops. There was no use of professional monitoring systems for the playback, testing and finalizing.

As the concept developed I decided to work entirely within the digital domain rather than analogue, meaning that I would not be able to use microphones, real amplification or real drums. Ultimately, the only real part of the EP is the two instruments being played; guitar and the bass. the amplification is simulated and recorded directly from a digital guitar peddle – there is no guitar amp and mic usage within the EP. One of the key instruments is the drums of which were programmed fully in midi. The samples were re-tweaked and edited from the original “kit” sounds used in the Reason Re-Drum.

In summary, my idea was to see if a digitally created/recorded EP can hold up to a commercially released record. More importantly, would it be able to stand alongside other tracks in terms of overall sound, hold the same characteristics and dynamics without being created in a studio environment? The EP was also only created by one person, there is no band but it was made to sound like there was one.

Contextual Reflection.

During the creation process it was important to have a number of comparisons in terms of what production techniques are currently being used, overall levels of the instruments, how the mix “sits” and general audio level/dynamics. It is important to note however, stylistically the EP was crafted via personal musicianship and technique. as every guitarist will quote that they have their own tone and playing style, this EP is composed of fully original material.

The first reference was to the overall sound level, from artist to artist, and the current trends within similar sub-genres that the EP could be linked to. the ‘loudness’ factor is important. Metal bands aim to be as loud as possible, be it due to taste or to enhance the feeling/message of the record. Whilst the “Of Clouds” EP is not related to metal in terms of structure and composition, it shares similar traits so the level had to be consistent. This was also highlighted by the fact many listeners could be playing the EP in shuffle mode (if within a similar genre) on their computer, phone or mp3 player, making it important to keep up the “loudness” factor, yet at the same time aiming to not ruin the dynamics of the piece.

A record I used as a comparison was “There Is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It” (2010) by Bring Me The Horizon. http://www.bringmethehorizon.co.uk/. the mastering is focused on maximising the sound of each of the instruments and levels setting it apart from records of another genre. This album was used as a reference solely because of this point – looking at the audio file it was pretty clear to see how “at the peak” the record is. the EP holds well level wise, yet I appreciate that BMTH’s recording/mastering process is much more refined and professional compared to an EP recorded without a microphone with less than substantial monitoring.

Other records I listened to include:

“The Long Procession” (2010) by Amia Venera Landscape
http://www.myspace.com/amiaveneralandscape

“Through Closed Eyes” by April Dead (2006)
(Of which I was previously a member)
http://myspace.com/aprildead

“Messengers” (2007) by August Burns Red
http://www.myspace.com/augustburnsred

All of a sudden I miss everyone (2007) by Explosions in the Sky
http://www.explosionsinthesky.com/

The above are just a few of the records that I listened to. I found that the overall mix I was crafting was able to sit well next to another artists within the “Of Clouds” genre. In terms of instrumentals the guitar level fits well as does that of the drums.

In relation to mastering, due to the lack of frequency response (if any) from the PC speakers it was hard to get the more refined shimmer to the sound. However, by using a number of spectrum analysers such as the Voxengo Span, I was able to recognise elements that my mixing/mastering was lacking, or that the speakers were not responding to.

Project Summary

As for the general production, I believe that this EP is comparable to that of a commercially mixed releases such as those that were used in reference, in both regards to the sound of the instrumentals and the mix levels. The EP has its own characteristics and, considering it was produced without the use of high end production tools, it is still able to hold its own. Compared to my previous material that was recorded using a similar set up, it is clear that the production contains a great deal of clarity. I would like to have been able to record a version of a track(s) using high end equipment to see how it compares as an end result.

The guitars are convincing, the stereo spread is wide and captures a lot of the energy contained within the composition. As great as the amp simulation sounds, on a personal level I feel it is lacking harmonic content from a real guitar cab, amp and microphone. Sometimes I feel that High-Gain guitar tones are not suited to that of a digital effects unit, however a clean guitar setting can be impressive. I also found that adding delay on the unit did at times make the signal too hot on the mono output.

Even though the bass appears fitting for the most part, when the kick drum is at its most hectic the bass tends to get lost within the mix – I think, however, this is due to the programmed timings of the pattern and the eel on the kick. I would also like to note that the bass is not an instrument I have personally recorded before so I would have liked to have learned a better playing technique so as to improve the sound.

I have to say I am pleased with the drum sound. The patterns at times become a little mechanical but for the most part the “kit” sounds clear and at a good level. I was able to create a slight humanisation to the drum beats and form a number of variations on the same piece of kit. It would have been interesting to have made use of other musicians and play-styles in the composition, such as a real drummer, for example.

In terms of playback, I find that the EP has clarity on a wide range of speakers and headphones. At full volume the sound stays more consistent to that of other artists I tested, but then there is also the issue of MP3 compression. There are a few mixing flaws and errors but generally I believe I was able to capture my intentions solidly. I am now looking to create more music with set limitations as the results are more original and contain an element of individuality.

The Lost Children Net Label proudly presents it’s second release by Charts and Maps, even more intrinsically unclassifiable yet still grooving around in their unique texture of fusion and post-psychedelic.

Charts and Maps have always been a difficult band to figure out. I was at both their first and last shows – I saw them develop from a loud, jumbled mess of good ideas wrenched together at angles to one of the most aggressively forward-thinking end electrifying live bands on the Los Angeles underground circuit. Dead Horse, much more than any previous recording, captures the sheer bombast of their live performances. It was recorded at the band’s pinnacle, on the eve of their final performance at the tail end of 2009. Clashing personalities and gargantuan creative workloads pulled them in different directions. This is where the Heard of Elephants family tree comes in — It gets a bit complicated. Khawaja (bass), Melancon (drums), and Allison (sax/vocals) currently play in Woolen. Melancon, Allison and Watford (guitar) are part of Random Patterns, and John Taylor (guitar) is one half of Semiconscious Gloria.

Their music is the convergence of a number of diverse tendencies. They’re one part ballsy big band jazz, another shimmery post-rock act with walls of melodic sound, a mathy-but-not-calculator-mathy garage-prog outfit, or an ill-tempered funk band with bad intentions — all underpinned by an almost reckless sense of imagination, deep, grooving beats and eloquent, nimble lead melodies.

The album opens with the cheekily titled ‘Take Me Back To Highland Park (Or I Will Die a Gruesome Death),’ inspired after a night out in Hollywood. It is loud and stompy, sax heavy and skipping almost entirely through odd-time signatures while managing to be all up in your face without jamming on the distortion pedal. The epic, sweaty 11-minute opus ‘In the Town of Machine,’ follows, weaving an ominous melodic narrative inspired by the film Dead Man through a number of dystopian sonic landscapes, most culminating in absolutely searing lead lines by guitarist John Taylor. I’m loathe to use the word ‘incendiary’ to describe guitar playing, but, I mean it; I honestly believe that the man can start fires with his fingers alone.

The album closes with the band’s final song, the title track ‘Dead Horse.’ I would argue that it is their finest work, one of the few to include prominent vocals (though you won’t find a lyric sheet attached anywhere) and is vast in concept but concise in execution. Waves of sound lull you into a sense of comfort before dropping you off, leaving your floating in a futurist pool. Abruptly a mean funk commences. It’s all syncopated and raw and signature Charts and Maps before the intensity drops to a pause. Then it builds slowly into what band members have described as ‘a descent into hell.’ And you can see why. It is as if they knew this was their final communication with the world and they wanted to get it all out. At the crashing end, every member is playing at 10 before the beast collapses, winded and spent.

Whether this is your cup of tea or not, Charts and Maps and this album in particular is an experiment going defiantly against the grain in Los Angeles with equal dashings of aggression and aplomb.

Jasper Crane, P.H.D.

archive.org – bandcamp

The theme running through all tracks of this work is ‘water’ (and its numerous concerns risen around the globe).
The album is comprised of tracks by 15 Italian artists (Enrico Coniglio, Francesco Giannico, Gigi Masin, Obsil, Elisa Luu, Attilio Novellino (Un Vortice Di Bassa Pressione) and Pierpaolo Leo among others) working with electroacoustics, microsounds, emotional drive and drowned sounds, all in a free-experimentation zone.
Each artist was prompted to submit a track inspired somehow by the notion of water, according to their individual angle. The upshot is a multilayered work, giving voice to the umpteen facets of a theme which has always created a particularly deep and serious attraction for musicians working in the drone/ambient scene.
The sonorities of field recording, glitched digressions, electroacoustic idylls, dreamy soundscapes, abysmal notes, dilated, diluted, purified, desecrated water…
Together these artists have releases across labels such as Touch, Porter, Laverna, Sub Rosa, Ripples, Cronica, Zymogen and more.
The project is released on Ephre Imprint as a strictly limited edition CDR, plus in conjunction with the Lost Children Net Label as a download.

Tracklisting:

01. Paolo Veneziani – Inside the edge
02. Cop killin’ beat – Tanaro
03. LLS04 – 80% water
04. Ennio Mazzon – Plain
05. Enrico Coniglio – The carb’s secret
06. Un Vortice di Bassa Pressione – Hydrocoma pt.3
07. Christian Di Vito – Arborfelix
08. Leastupperbound – The humpback whale
09. Alessio Ballerini – Half water
10. Francesco Giannico – Another time in this earth
11. Obsil – Two years ago
12. Ornitology – Restless
13. Elisa Luu – Piano
14. Gigi Masin – A fog book
15. Pierpaolo Leo – Bioluminescence

• archive.org – Bandcamp.com – clearbits torrent – mininova torrent
• buy the physical release from Ephre Imprint
• album discussion

• ephreimprint.tumblr.com
• ephreimprint.eu

[An Adopted Lost Child]

As you might of have heard somewhere in the cracks of the internet, the Lost Children Net Label has been going through some changes. Label founder Barry Rogers found himself in a position where he could no longer give the Lost Children the time and attention it deserved and reached out to find people to foster his netlabel.

It is with pride that the team welcomes you to a refreshed Lost Children Net Label at LostChildrenNetLabel.com and invites long-time friends, familiar faces and anyone with a heart for music to join us on the journey one man embarked on almost five years ago and to move forward. Spreading the love for art and artists who create for the sake of creating something new, something unique, something precious along the way.

[New releases]

• Ben Woods - We Are Silhouettes Now

Lost Children Net Label proudly presents Ben Woods‘ We Are Silhouettes Now. A wholesome offering of layered sky-gazing soundscapes, piano driven introspection and subliminal bliss.

It is an addictive seven track EP that will entice its listeners with its elegant structures and variations, reminiscent of those found in the cinematic compositions of Angelo Badalamenti. The music subtly finds its way under the listeners skin, stopping time, bringing a moment of peace draped in shades of melancholic yet uplifting blue as reflected so dexterously in the artwork by Ludo Vanroy. In a way it can be seen as the extension and pinnacle of These Passing Thoughts, a collection of ‘endless hours of wasted moments’, which will offer the additional fix the listener will crave for after listening to We Are Silhouettes Now.

Tracklisting

1. This Departure (3:44)
2. Together Standing (5:50)
3. Your Footprints, My Shadow (5:43)
4. Those We’ll Never Know (4:15)
5. Parting Words (2:02)
6. Above & Beyond (3:20)
7. We Are Silhouettes Now (2:50)

All music written and recorded by Ben Woods
Artwork by Ludo Vanroy monoprints.blogspot.com

• archive.org – torrent
• album discussion – artist info – artist discussion

Lost Children Net Label proudly presents

• con fuoco d’occhi un nostalgico lupo

The Silent Ballet and Lost Children Net Label present a special compilation in two parts, dedicated to contemporary Italian experimental music and comes with an essay by Joseph Sannicandro and photography of Adriano Zanni. The title comes from the poem “Con Fuoco” by the Italian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti.

The twenty-one tracks that are featured on con fuoco are not quite meant to be a “who’s who” of the Italian scene but the volume does strive to be something on an anthology, showcasing this particular moment in time, bringing together established artists with emerging figures, showcasing the tremendous vibrancy and diversity of music being made by Italian artists today. Many of the tracks were composed exclusively for this volume, or else are previously unavailable. Giuseppe Ielasi, a figure of central importance, contributed a track of a recent LP as well as having contributed to the production of other tracks. Neil on Impression were featured in the original Tracking the Trends, as were Giardini di Mirò, whose keyboarding has contributed a track under the name Pillow. Though many of the artists come from Milan, in the end there are artists present from all over Italy.

• con fuoco d’occhi un nostalgico lupo (album)
• con fuoco d’occhi un nostalgico lupo (essay)

[New Website & Newsletter]

We left out trusted wordpress hosted site and moved to LostChildrenNetLabel.com. We aim to offer you more functionality and content in slicker, structured design.

We would like to remind you to update your subscriptions to get the Lost Children Net Label news, hot of the virtual press, via RSS and or email.

Newsletters, like the one you are reading now, will drop in your inbox periodically. We don’t like spam and we’re sure you don’t like to get an avalanche of information yourself. That is why we’ll keep these to a strict minimum and will only get in touch when we have something truly important to share.

For those who do like to get updated when content is added on our site, of which we feel it can be of added value to you, can choose to receive email notifications once registered.  You’ll receive a password to access your personal dashboard where you can manage your notifications and settings to stay updated on the topics of your choice.

[Bandcamp]

We have released the con fuoco d’occhi un nostalgico lupo compilation through Bandcamp as well, you can download it on our page in any format you want, at any price you want. Other releases will follow soon…

• lostchildren.bandcamp.com

[Support Us]

“Art, like all knowledge, should be free to the world.”

This was, is and will remain our motto. We encourage you to share the music of the Lost Children Net Label with your friends and like-minded communities.

But we can always use your support to offer an even more valuable platform, therefore we also offer the latest compilation release through Bandcamp with a ‘name your price’ plan as well as a line of heavy duty, high quality stickers in our shop.  This way we can cover basic costs and pursue other ways of releasing music along side our digital outlets in the future.

[Don't Be A Stranger]

Whether you are a musician, photographer, writer, video artist and so on, you might just be the person we would like involve on a future release or other project. That is why we encourage you to take a minute to fill out some details on your profile page if you register to our website. We are always on the lookout for people creating interesting things to collaborate with.

thanks for reading!

…and happy holidays and all the best for 2010!

The Lost Children Net Label team

lostchildrennetlabel.com

We Are Silhouettes Now

Lost Children Net Label proudly presents Ben Woods‘ We Are Silhouettes Now. A wholesome offering of layered sky-gazing soundscapes, piano driven introspection and subliminal bliss.

It is an addictive seven track EP that will entice its listeners with its elegant structures and variations, reminiscent of those found in the cinematic compositions of Angelo Badalamenti. The music subtly finds its way under the listeners skin, stopping time, bringing a moment of peace draped in shades of melancholic yet uplifting blue as reflected so dexterously in the artwork by Ludo Vanroy. In a way it can be seen as the extension and pinnacle of These Passing Thoughts, a collection of ‘endless hours of wasted moments’, which will offer the additional fix the listener will crave for after listening to We Are Silhouettes Now.

Tracklisting

1. This Departure (3:44)
2. Together Standing (5:50)
3. Your Footprints, My Shadow (5:43)
4. Those We’ll Never Know (4:15)
5. Parting Words (2:02)
6. Above & Beyond (3:20)
7. We Are Silhouettes Now (2:50)

All music written and recorded by Ben Woods
Artwork by Ludo Vanroy monoprints.blogspot.com

• archive.org – clearbits torrent – mininova torrent
• album discussion – artist info – artist discussion

This compilation comes via The Silent Ballet and Lost Children Netlabel and comprises contemporary Italian experimental music which was created in part to highlight the abundance of excellent and often unheralded artists originating from Italy. Many of the tracks included have been written especially for this volume or else were previously unavailable.

For some years The Silent Ballet has been dedicated to audial excellence and so it comes as no surprise that a work which is compiled by members of TSB’s staff is packed full of quality music. At twenty one tracks spread over two parts, there is a large amount of music for the listener to pour over. Due to the fractured nature of Italian independent music and the relatively less state support which artists receive when compared with many other Western European cities, it is a worthy endeavour indeed to shine the spotlight on this fertile music scene.

There is a real diversity to the track-list and to discuss each musician would be worthy of an article in itself, so to pick merely a few names involved for the sake of brevity, artists such as Matteo Uggeri, Giuseppe Ielasi, Neil on Impression are given a space on the compilation, as is Italian noise guru Maurizio Bianchi, who has offered a track from what he reports to be his last album, having announced his retirement from music once again. Though there are elements to the compilation which will cater to most experimental music fan’s taste, there is a shared aesthetic between the works and this helps to make con fuoco d’occhi un nostalgico lupo a remarkably cohesive body of work which incorporates ambient, minimalism, field recordings and more.

In con fuoco d’occhi un nostalgico lupo, the many people involved in its creation have between them compiled a wonderful and sincere document of Italian contemporary experimental music which can serve as an introduction to the music scene within Italy for the uninformed or as simply a great body of work in its own right.

Con fuoco d’occhi un nostalgico lupo is available now from Lost Children Netlabel for free download or optional payment of any desired amount.

- Review by Adam Williams for Fluid Radio

source: http://www.fluid-radio.co.uk/2010/11/con-fuoco-d%E2%80%99occhi-un-nostalgico-lupo/

Machtdose Podcast August 2010 by machtdose

machtdose.de

Presents

con fuoco d’occhi un nostalgico lupo

A special compilation in two parts, dedicated to contemporary Italian experimental music.

Special thanks to Matteo Uggeri, Francesco Galano, Giulio Aldinucci, Alessandro Bider, Dane Sannicandro, Alessandro Giardino, Enrico Coniglio, and everyone else who has contributed to this project.

I’d also like to offer special thanks to all the labels who have contributed to this project, and those that have supported Italian artists more generally, especially Afe, Boring Machines, Die Schactel, and Grey Sparkle.

• Curated and produced by Joseph Sannicandro
• joe@thesilentballet.com

• Compilation Mastered by Dane Sannicandro
• danesannicandro@gmail.com

• Design layout and art by Alessandro Bider
• alessandro.bider@gmail.com

• Inside photos by Adriano Zanni
• az64.org

The title comes from the poem “Con Fuoco” by the Italian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti

Tracklisting

1. Airportman- Off7
2. Emanuele Errante- Caracciolo
3. Le Gros Ballon- Ecco cosa resta dei sogni
4. Obsil- Chioma
5. Passo Uno- Hopeless?
6. Francesco Giannico / Luca Mauri / Matteo Uggeri – Pagetos – Excerpt One
7. Harshcore- Moharrem
8. Neil on Impression- Parata Per Quattro Addii
9. Andrea Marutti- Sphagnum
10. Pillow- Aurorae
11. Mamuthones- untitled

• download: archive.org – bandcamp – torrent
• download: Con Fuoco d’Occhi un Nostalgico Lupo – Volume 1 notes

Tracklisting

1. port-royal & Linda Bjalla- “Hans Kelsen”
2. Fabio Orsi- Cloudy Tobacco
3. Giuseppe Ielasi- Paper Lamp
4. Tiziano Milani- Tocco Libero (Sequenza Prima)
5. K11- Thelemic Sign II
6. French Teen Idol- Lamb 2010
7. MB+ICS- La Eternulo Prenis
8. When The Clouds- Flooding River
9. FARAVELLIRATTI- sawdust
10. Il Rumore del Fiore di Carta- Part-time Superhero

• download: archive.org – bandcamp – torrent
• download: Con Fuoco d’Occhi un Nostalgico Lupo – Volume 2 notes

• con fuoco d’occhi un nostalgico lupo (essay)
• album/essay discussion
• extended track and artist information

• The Silent Ballet compilation series