mercredi 31 octobre 2018

Stellardrone - Between the Rings

As usual, I've discovered this music completely by chance. It has everything I've ever asked from a Psybient release: cosmic spatial atmospheres of a journey to the stars, beautiful melodies, deep and dynamic instruments... you name it.

Just listen to this album at maximum volume, go kiss the sky and tell me about it later.

See you in limbo.

mercredi 26 septembre 2018

Tommy '86 - Transhumanism

I just stumbled upon this gem by browsing Blood Music's catalog. And I'm telling you, that's a thing to do every now and then. There is SO MUCH music to find. Well okay, IF you're into Synthwave and Metal, that is. But who isn't ?

Tommy '86 follows a very personal rulebook about what is Synthwave and how it's made. The result is extremely enjoyable and accessible Synth bordering on Dark, but not too much, just a little. Like a futuristic city that still serves genuine pizza with actual mozzarella on it.

I guess you just COULD say (or write) that it's flawless, a good gateway to the genre, and that it contains a neat collaborative track with Perturbator that ought to up your serotonin levels a bit.


mercredi 12 septembre 2018

Crockett - The Heist

The Heist is a nice little jewel of Synthwave, just the way you like it. Not too brutal, not cheesy at all, somewhere and nowhere between the two. Perfection.

Delve into a (maybe) true story of the heist of the century, as the characters of this epic prepare to get real rich real fast for years. Smell the hot concrete, the wind through the palm trees, the waves, the leather seats of a car that spent an hour in the sun.

See you on the other side.

mercredi 5 septembre 2018

Flamingosis - Flight Fantastic

Flamingosis's newborn (okay, almost new) takes everything that makes chill music great, adds some funky grooves, and blends the whole thing with palm trees and sunsets viewed from a cabriolet.

Nothing more to say, just press play !


mercredi 29 août 2018

Aloe Island Posse - Midnight Selects

Sleepless Tapes is a purveyor of Future Funk for the royal court since 1961, or something like that, you know...

Let's not get carried away here. This album consists of pure love and rhythm. Nothing can be written or said that would surpass a simple but active listening.

Be you on the beach, inhaling barbecue fumes or completely broke and depressed (it happens more often than you think), this music will satisfy your every need. Just listen, everything will be okay.

Live long, and prosper.

mercredi 22 août 2018

Auditive Escape - Sonic Numerals

Auditive Escape is the epitome of dreamy music. There's a lightness in the melodies and a airiness in the rhythms that can't really be described. All in all, there's nothing to throw away.

Sonic Numerals is his latest album, hailing from the distant plains of August 2017... Man, one year already ?

It's a pure concentrate of sublime. The tracks are sometimes atmospheric, not to say stratospheric, and sometimes a little bit more down to Earth. But not too much, because they are all so aerial and ethereal...

Once you've enjoyed this musical jewel, go take a listen to his other works. Particularly... all of them.

Have a wonderful night. Let's hope nothing lame happens in the world until next week at least.

mercredi 15 août 2018

Stellardrone - Light Years

Welcome to the quantic core root of hyperspatial cosmos. The great cycle of life continues on and on, and Psybient makes a comeback, as rapturing as ever.

I let Youtube choose the next album, just once, and I discovered Stellardrone's music, which became an instant favourite. Rich atmospheres, voluptuous soundscapes, a sound that plays hide and seek, even better with headphones... so many musical elements that come together to form a tranquil mass, like a giant water bubble floating through space...

Ok, enough said, just listen to it, then buy it all, then travel to the other side of the world, come back, go back, then we'll talk some more.

mercredi 8 août 2018

Sergeant Thunderhoof - Terra Solus

From Bath in the UK comes Sergeant Thunderhoof, a band who plays with everything that makes Stoner great music, with a pinch of Metal bits sprinkled on top.

Epic solos, rhythms both heavy and powerful, a chtonian and metallic harmony that descends into the depths of the Earth and comes back up snowy wolf-ridden peaks.

The cherry on top, psychedelic visuals exactly like you didn't know you wanted them to be.

Sometimes life is just good and you have to accept it.

A band to follow closely, to be sure.

mercredi 1 août 2018

Offbrand - Comeback

Another beautiful gem found amongst Cheapbeats' catalog.

Comeback places us at both ends of the speakers. It feels like listening to an album that is sometimes calm, soothing and dreamy, some other times energetic and quick-paced, but at the same time, it feels like sitting next to the producers. You can hear them speak, make comments, try things, make mistakes, experiment... and all of this is so magistrally blended that you just get lost in it.

An album of a rare depth, especially in the Chiptune world.

Watch out, tears may occur.

mercredi 25 juillet 2018

Waveshaper - Lost Shapes

Last week we visited Neo-Jersey, now let's turn our retroactive time-travelling gaze to Neo-Stockholm.

In the year 2358, the Swedish capital has changed a lot. Flying sports cars, neon signs, hidden messages, and inexplicably malfunctioning street lights.

A neat little pearl of Synthwave which will take you ahead, then back, then further back, then back to the future.

mercredi 18 juillet 2018

H-Pizzle - Return to Neo-Jersey

Ok, everyone back from work ? I delved into the abyss of the "to listen" folder and fished this beauty out. This is just pure old-school Chiptune goodness, a bunch of saw waves partying together all night.

If this does not make you want to try not to die at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on NES once again, I don't know what it'll take...

Ok, any other good game will do it.

While you're at it, go and say hello to the guy to wake him up. Like, hey man, make more music, we need more !

mercredi 11 juillet 2018

Sunlover Records - Maximum Workout

Caution : high voltage !

Specialising in Italowave (a nice blend of retro synths and 80s Italian Disco, yes it exists), Sunlover Records has a finger in all the synth pies, anything that starts or end with "synth" or "wave", they have.

But here we have a monument to highly energetic dancing Synthwave, reminiscing of good old action movies or the more recent Kung Fury, both so close to us, and already so far away.

An ideal compilation to go run outside in the morning, to drive a convertible in the streets of Miami by night, some thirty-five years ago. Flawless.

Please note that the majority of the albums they release are not free or free-priced, but the few compilations that are make up for all the rest because they are so, so good. Follow them on Facebook, Youtube or Soundcloud.

Bon appétit !

mercredi 4 juillet 2018

Bioscape - Shaping Seasons

It has been a LONG while since I posted anything starting with "psy-" but the summer lights of this beautiful month of July told me to do it again, and I had to comply when I discovered that Bioscape had produced a couple of new albums right when I wasn't looking !

You can really feel the evolution of the quality of his work. Driving basslines, beautiful melodies, an atmosphere that will take you from the core of the Earth to mystical jungles, and ultimately to outer-space, of course, because which Psydub album doesn't send people in orbit ?

But all the while it does so, the musical feeling shifts from season to season, and ends beautifully with winter.

Needless to say, I was chilled to the bone.

Enjoy this master-crafted piece of psychedelic music.


mercredi 20 juin 2018

Confessor - Liminal Dive

Wow, alright, just let me take five minutes to land...

After a series of albums of an elegiac, nostalgic beauty, focusing on the passing of time, death, storms and rainy days, Confessor reaches for the stars in a rocket fuelled for a one-way trip to meet celestial entities. The final frontier is at hand.

The shuttle takes off softly amid a throng of neon butterflies, the trip is filled with dreams, you sleep, until you finally arrive at the Stellar Cathedral of Creation. You're in for a treat.

Best listened to in a calm atmosphere.

Wearing headphones may heighten the experience.

mercredi 6 juin 2018

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Polygondwanaland

Now, it's high time I shared this album.

When I first looked at it, I thought "man, what weird covers these young bands sometimes indulge in..." and it took me weeks to know that KG&TLW had already about 13 albums released, five of which in 2017 only !

Of all of those, Polygondwanaland stands out with its underlying concept. As the band has it, the album is not theirs, it's ours, it belongs to us, us the people, and they encourage anyone to do anything at all with it, even start their own label and sell this album with another cover or something, copy it, share it, you name it...

This is free music at its best: great sounds and innovative concepts. The music in itself ranges from psychedelic to progressive rock, with a je ne sais quoi that is quite hard to pin down...

It is worth noting that all the proceeds from the selling of the album will randomly go to the band themselves, "non-profit that deals with lizards" or "non-profits that deal with wizards".

Excellent ! 

mercredi 30 mai 2018

Dynatron - The Legacy Collection Vol. II

A pretty neat collection of previously unreleased works from between 2012 and 2015. It has all we love: howling guitars lost in outer-space, hidden guns in the glove compartments of shiny sports cars, crime syndicates open day and night...

Ideal alone or with your family.

And if you don't know Blood Music yet, it's high time you did.

mercredi 16 mai 2018

Night Runner - Starfighter

Mexican duo Night Runner puts the bar very high with Starfighter, a blend of everything we adore in Synthwave.

Careful not to tread on the swampy grounds of Darksynth (that we shall love forever and more), they focus the power of their music on softer beats, fast but not agressive.

The first line of synthesizers give the release its tone and atmosphere. A space vigilante has come to Earth for a bit in his old berline, listening to a couple of good tracks and saving a few innocents on the way.

Just an excellent album, great to share with everyone. If you can, you can even go as far as to show your appreciation by giving a little something.

mercredi 9 mai 2018

The Villain - Parallels

Yeah I know, a couple of weeks ago I already shared some beautiful music piece from The Villain, but, you see, I crave this kind of sound so much. The calm, the tranquility, the soothing.

An amazing full-length album this time, featuring 12 tracks of master-crafted Downtempo beats in his own personal style, the result of about a year of sonic experimentations.

This album is bound to be granted a full scholarship to go and live in you favourites of all time. Just press play.


mercredi 2 mai 2018

Procedural Braindance - Pentachroma

Will you have some of this delicious Braindance?

As usual for Recycled Plastics, a very simple cover, a nice title that is not too far-fetched, and complex and powerful sounds to say the least.

This is very representative of the Braindance style. Some say it's not real, who knows ?

I just lost eurodollars gambling, so I'm using these delectable bits of electricity rushing toward each other to heal.

It works perfect, you should try. Also, pay a visit to Recycled Plastics and say hello for me.

mercredi 25 avril 2018

Hollywood Burns - Invaders

Watch out you lot, under this beautiful cover lies a close encounter of the third kind between Mars Attacks, The War of the Worlds, and the Future City Cybernator Neon Criminal Motorcycle Gang of Synthwave.

In this bold blend of Darksynth and epic alien invasion music you will find all the ingredients that helped great names such as Carpenter Brut or Kavinsky become famous, but with an all personal touch from Hollywood Burns and various friends who came to play the electric guitar here or to create fantastic beats there.

On the whole, resistance is futile, especially for those among you already part of the Darksynth cult. And who knows ? This might just serve as a gateway into the beautiful and terrifying world of Synthwave.

Kiss my cake.

mercredi 18 avril 2018

King Shi - Red

Here's a flawless Downtempo gem. I will go as far as considering it one of the best releases ever from Dusted Wax Kingdom.

King Shi takes us on familiar roads, weaving his pieces along the way with great skill, shaping the whole in a manner that is rather hard not to enjoy, not to mention that it will probably take its rightful place amongst your favourites.

A smooth blend of influences (such as Bonobo or Emancipator) set with original and personal compositions, a work of art in itself that is best enjoyed during rainy or snowy days, with wide open ears and good monitors, but not too much volume.

In a nutshell, this music puts your neurons back into place.

To get it, visit DWK's website.

mercredi 11 avril 2018

Dropping Gems - Gem Drops Four

Fourth in the line of succession of the Gem Drops dynasty, this fourth installment comes across as a worthy heir. It taps into the endlessly inclassifiable music of its predecessor to give us one thoroughly enjoyable musical journey from beginning to end.

A flawless ethereal gem drop, to listen to without delay.

Like now, unless you've got something better to do, but I doubt it.

mercredi 4 avril 2018

Project Paula - Amiga

A vibrant tribute to that period so horribly far away in space and time now, when the Commodore Amiga used to rock our cradles like a friendly robotic hand. Just seeing that old pal Turrican on the cover makes me jump back in time with seven-league boots. It's like Back to the Future, but in the past. And as we all know, Synthwave is the future of the past in the past of the future. What else ?

Here are twelve tracks that should leave an enduring trace in your collection of classics. But more than that, twelve artists to discover! You'll find the links needed on the Bandcamp page, and will then be able to enjoy their productions, full of tasty chunks, and enriched with vitamins D3, B12 and (A+B)².

Have a good meal.

mercredi 28 mars 2018

ÀM AFFAIRS - 420,000MPH

Vaporwave is not an easy genre to grasp. Until last year I used to consider it like elevator music. Since then I learned to like the particular nostalgic, dreamy atmosphere it contains and thrives on. I also learned that elevator music is a genre of its own, and that the strange people who like it call it Muzak.

This is what you might call a classical Vaporwave album. It's got everything, from the pink afternoon supermarket fog to the half-broken sentient VHS player.

Take a look at Business Casual's catalog, it's packed with great albums and tracks for you to find and feed on.

That being said, my planet needs me.

Fare thee well.



mercredi 21 mars 2018

C-Jeff - Preschtale


Preschtale, by C-jeff, definitely one of the best chiptune album I've had the opportunity to listen to, these times around. 

Ultimately 8-bit, but mixing a variety of influences such as progressive metal, a kind of chillbit and... well a bunch of other stuff, not necessarily musical, creating the ideal atmosphere for a trip to the stars and then maybe roam a hostile planet in search for the meaning of it all.

Just imagine, imagine crossing that final frontier, discovering the hidden mysteries of the cosmos, battling or meditating among the stars, all with this music in the background.

C-Jeff is also the founder of Ubiktune, a russian netlabel specialising in... well... you know... Chiptune !

If you're into that musical genre, you will just have to go and take a listen at everything they have over there, LOTS of great stuff to discover. You'll see !

See you later.


mercredi 14 mars 2018

The Villain - Permian Thoughts

This week I want to share this with you: a short, four-track long album, but whose calming power will enable you to replace the walls of your room with a starry night sky.

So, there you go, have a good one.

And if you like what you hear, don't hesitate, buy and give a little something, it's always appreciated and helps the artists go on. You might also want to take a listen at The Villain's other works.

mercredi 7 mars 2018

Soul Thief - Cosmic Woman

Picture yourself in the middle of the desert.
The heat is hot.
But not too hot.
Somewhere, there's water.
A shining, sparkling river.
And somewhere in your mind, you know where it is.

You there yet?

All right, have a nice listening.


mercredi 28 février 2018

Desired - Desired

Future Funk is life, Future Funk is love !

Embark on a journey to the 80s, 90s with Desired, a russian producer who really managed to capture the essence of this groovy musical genre.

Just by listening, you will be transported to another time. A better time ? Possibly, for many things, maybe not for other things. But we'll focus on the good for now.

Also, take a listen to his other productions, you'll probably end up just as addicted as I am now.

Just put on your red shoes and dance !

mercredi 21 février 2018

b a k m a h n & Testarosah - Holy Oxygen

In the shining world of Vaporwave, there is more than just Macinstosh Plus and his/her famous track リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー., even if he/she's like the epitome of this music style.

This very rich musical world has been expanding since 2010, and many netlabels have taken to surfing on the vapor wave. Among them, you may write down the name of Business Casual, whose catalog of 172 releases is available for the modest sum of one petrodollar. Of course, it wouldn't be Vaporwave if you had to pay for it, that's the point.

Personally, I would rather listen to each release thirty times, in a calm atmosphere, with the least people possible around, and then buy them according to my goosebumps-o-meter.

What matters is quality, not quantity, apart when it comes to chips (or crisps).


mercredi 14 février 2018

The Villain - Magical Man & The Gritty Mysteries

I don't really remember how I stumbled upon this jewel, but I cherish the day the series of events that led to this one started.

It is without a doubt, one of the best Downtempo albums I've had the opportunity to listen to in a mighty long time. Chilly atmospheres and unidentified flying samples coming from old documentaries about electronic music will enchant you throughout this journey of an album.

As would The Villain say : "The final result is an obscure mess of chapters, narrative and tracklisting, during which you won’t hear even a single second of silence. Enjoy."

I don't have anything to add.

PS : I hope you've steered clear of Valentine's Day and only listened to cool music all day long, together or alone.

mercredi 31 janvier 2018

Who Ha - Synthwave Belongs in a Museum

I highly recommend you take a listen at those first five tracks, which are incredibly good "sunlight drenched crescent moon Canyon after a neon night" kind of music.

If you find yourself with people that didn't watch Indiana Jones as a kid, then you can skip the first track and play the sixth, which happens to be the same but without the Indy references. I was told it could be disturbing otherwise.

Life is good in the Synthwave dimension.

Yes, I know.


mercredi 24 janvier 2018

Anachronist - RGB

If I wasn't sure there were algorithms perpetually reading my mind, now I know it's true. After only a few months of binge-listening to Synthwave, Youtube suggested I take a listen to Anachronist's music. I must admit I was tempted by the beautiful cover and its flashy colours.

And well, if being spied on by the government and corporations is the price to pay to get such amazing music, I'm more than willing to do it.

Anachronist, as he says himself, is a creature displaced in time, creating musical sandboxes of the things he's seen. Specifically here this is "music inspired by the music inspired by the 80's", a most excellent and tasteful Synthwave release that has already found its way to my personal musical fall of fame.


mercredi 17 janvier 2018

All Them Witches - A Sweet Release

Good stoner is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Once you get your greedy hands on that needle, don't let go ! And while you're at it try to find a bunch of other needles, they may come in handy.

One of those needles I've found is this, A Sweet Release by All Them Witches, a great stoner band consisting of Robby Staebler at the drums, Ben McLeod at the guitar, Charles Michael Parks Jr. at the bass guitar and the vocals, and Allan Van Cleave at the keys.

Their music is like an satisfyingly heavy psychedelic trip to the heart of the planet and back, as should always be the case.

I won't get tired of it anytime soon but that could not be the case of your neighbours mind you, so invite them for a pint while you listen to this gem.

mercredi 10 janvier 2018

Aloe Island Posse - Good Night Aloe Island

This album embodies pretty nicely the conception I have of Future Funk. Old-school kitsch synths like a sunset seen by the milkshake bar by the sea, disco samples, rhythms that give one the urge both to dance and to sweep the floor all at once, but most of all a special 80s, 90s atmosphere given by the scratchy lo-fi sound, the short keytar riffs and the unavoidable image of an era lost and idealised at the same time...

But don't worry, by the time we get to 2080, we'll get to live the eighties of the future ! And yes of course we'll still be there, what's that for a question ?

If you crave more Future Funk as I do, go and take a listen to what they got at Sleepless Tapes, you won't be disappointed.