News
January 31, 2010
THREADS AND STACKS
• tube'|199 - Craque - Metathreading
«I'm sure some of you remember about Craque's amazing 'Gamma' EP back from 2008. It got a couple of very positive reviews, including one by Disquiet's guru Marc Weidenbaum. Since then, Matt delivered an album through the ever excellent Audiobulb label, and a couple EPs, one on Stasisfield and another on Xynthetic, both very nice and respectable netlabels.
Matt's electronic music came to be regarded as a hybrid between
edgy improv takes and deep IDM-ish grooves. Both languages come together through Matt's electronics and form an intricate and complex maze of rhythms, beats and hypnotic grooves.
'Metathreading' is no exception. Matt took various free improvisation edits - named as 'threads' - and some other remixes - called 'Stacks' - based on a handful of selected 'threads' and put them all together. All this was done on a live setup without a laptop. Matt only used his own prepared instruments, with only the obvious edits (also very few) made after with the aid of software.»
- Pedro Leitão
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January 26, 2010
TEN HOLES
• tube'|198 - Denshi - 10pts
«The story behind this album goes back to 2001, when this japanese musician called Yori Denshi found an old mexican vinyl record in the garbage. This record had 10 holes along the grooves (which were obviously some kind of decorative element). So he fed his computer the audio information between the holes via max/msp. And when the needle from the tonearm dropped in a hole, it switched the feeding cycle in the computer.
Denshi then layered the audio tracks in his sequencer and bended, stretched, added echoes and flanger, and turned this otherwise bland recording into a micro-dub, micro-techno album.
The result is here for you to feast on. '10pts' is all about the 10 holes that the old vinyl record had. 10 loops which were the
key input to make this album. Enjoy.» - Pedro Leitão
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January 18, 2010
AFTERMATH
• tube'|197 - Minimal States - Liberty Hoax
«The second album in the trilogy is ‘Liberty Hoax’. Firmly based in the urban, developed and political world, far from the timelessness of the forest and natural world of the first album, it examines the vast, densely populated spaces of the inner-city and the physical and cultural wastelands that surround it.
Moreover, the album is concerned with the place of the individual amongst the masses, and with the concept of identity itself in a world where companies and the State have ever-increasing powers to access and regulate personal data. The album questions whether personal freedom is still a priority for governments and legislators, or if it is now merely a glass wall, a façade, or a mirage that will vanish when approached.» - Thom Carter
«Like the text above says, this is the second album in a trilogy from London based musician Thom Carter. The first one was 'Like A Photograph', and can be listened to and downloaded here.
There's isn't really anything more relevant I can add about 'Liberty Hoax' than the lines Thom wrote above, except that this album would make an amazing soundtrack to the mindblowing videogame released last year 'Fallout 3' which is set in a post-apocalyptical Washington DC wasteland, if the apocalypse happened in the early 40's or 50's. Or to any followup they might do in the future. Just go play the game and see for yourself. » - Pedro Leitão
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January 10, 2010
DID YOU SAY... BREAKCORE PUNK EMOTRONICA?
• tube'|196 - Mons Jacet - City of Youth
«Lithuanian artist Mons Jacet returns for a new release at test tube, after the 2008 mini-LP 'Songs of Night and Longing'. However, expect no drones or winter-inspired landscapes as 'City of Youth' keeps trailing the path laid down by Rakshtinas' latest work for Enough Records - 'Chronicles Of Anarcho Punk Kid'. This new path relies heavily on twisted IDM-flavored beats and pointy basslines, with sudden turns everywhere from start to finish. Enough Records called it 'breakcore punk emotronica', and while this label may seem too colorful for a moment, after you listen to the album one full time, you'll see it hits the spot.
Memorable moments from 'City of Youth'
are 10+ minute long 'Driving for Brandy', 'The smells of your skin' and a couple others, but overall there isn't a single dull moment in this long album, every song has something new to offer and with each repeated listen you'll be rewarded with different perspectives of the compositions.
There is great pleasure in discovering rare albums such as this one.»
- Pedro Leitão
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January 05, 2010
2010
Hello 2010!
2009 recap: We managed to put out nearly as much releases as we did in 2009 (one less actually) which is perfectly on par. I remember to have promised that we wouldn't flood the netaudio scene with even more releases as it obviously results in people having less and less time to enjoy them properly. And we don't want that.
We will try to put out even less, even if our contributors put more pressure over our heads. Now that we have Impulsive Habitat to work on the Field Recording division, test tube will have more time to breathe and give space to its own releases, more focused on ambient and experimental stuff from now on.
Personally, this year have been a turning
point. And 2010 will be another one, at least half of it. I will move to another home once again (fortunately it's just across the street, so moving out/moving in will be a piece of cake). The new kid is almost 4 and needs a room for himself, as he have been completely trashing the living room over the last year. We desperately need to have a living room that isn't a warzone every ffing day! So... it won't be our final moving out to a new country/new community, which is what we really have been planning over the last 4 or 5 years. But it will happen eventually.
In light of this, expect some troublesome period here at test tube in a couple of months time, which is when I will cancel the ISP contract here
and set up a new one in the new apartment. Hopefully this hiatus won't be longer than a week or two, but we never know.
I know that we've been falling behind the newsletter, but I promise to do a new one very soon, as we have a lot of fresh news to
give. Namely the new label division :)
And that's pretty much it. Even with less and less time to feed the label, test tube is here to stay. Later tonight or tomorrow, new release by Mons Jacet.
Keep your ears peeled!!
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December 29, 2009
SAUDADE
• tube'|195 - Long Desert Cowboy - Midnight Lullabies
«Daniel Catarino wrote: 'This album is about departure'. And when you get to the end of the ten+ minutes of 'Heartattack and Wine' you know exactly what he meant. But this could also be an album about Saudade, that famous portuguese word that has no translation and is always connected to Fado. Yeah, could be. Because saudade - something about missing and longing for someone, someplace or something - is also about departure, because when you feel saudades, that's because someone left or you left someone or someplace behind. The first track has that feeling written allover.
So 'Midnight Lullabies'
is about departure. Leaving. Going away. It's sad and beautiful and melancholic all at the same time. If you've listened to all the previous releases by Long Desert Cowboy here at test tube, then you know what it's all about. Essential guitar drones.» - Pedro Leitão
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December 25, 2009
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU MOVE
• tube'|194 - Cluster One - The Things That Move EP
«This is a very short but also very nice EP from one William Mathijsen a.k.a. Cluster One, a dutch musician working between Ambient IDM, Dubstep and other urban musical languages. William started to compose music at the age of 12 and it took him 5 years to start making electronic music at a 'serious level'. IDM, Ambient, Experimental, Minimal and Acid were the styles that most influenced his musical journey.
'The Things That Move EP' is an introspective downbeat/brokenbeat experience in two tracks. Short but good!»
- Pedro Leitão
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December 18, 2009
WINTER AMBIENT
• tube'|193 - Olah Istvan - Export 5
«Olah Istvan is a Hungarian musician currently living in Serbia, and he sent us this very nice EP 'Export 5' which is simply perfect for this winter times. Istvan composes since 2003 and learned from classical music teachers, until he started teaching himself in the ways of avantgarde and electro-acoustic music. He's currently starting to use new sound sources and also acoustic instruments.
'Export 5' title track is a downbeat slash ambient track, with some floating drones, whale-like sounds in the background and a mysterious, almost creepy bass line; while 'Elalvas Elott' is a true and pure ambient piece, spatious as we like them, dreamy and sleepy and synced to our heartbeat. Perfect to keep the cold outside and let the warmth fill our heart. Headphones, please.»
- Pedro Leitão
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December 07, 2009
VAPOR FOREVER
• tube'|192 - Mister Vapor - Almost Forever
«Mister Vapor is another brainchild musical project by Saint Louis, USA citizen Thomas Park, well known in the netaudio scene by his Mystified alias. Mister Vapor, however, goes deeper in the Ambient-slash-IDM pursuits by Mystified, offering richer and more detailed - and mostly dark - soundscapes.
Drones also make an appearance in 'Almost Forever', of which 'Hamscape' is a track to remember. Closely followed by 'Disease' in my favorites list. When not applying beautiful and hypnotic drones, Thomas is doing other damn good ambient tracks, like 'Chordscape' with its downbeat IDM style; or 'Diesel', which surprisingly sounds like a stripped-to-the-bone ambient hip-hop tune. Thomas does it all and in the end manages to look good in the picture.
This is a fine ambient album and will look great next to your Pete Namlook collection.» - Pedro Leitão
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tube'|199
Craque
Metathreading
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29'56'' |
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tube'|200
Mental Health Consumer
Backyard Mysteries
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40'33'' |
Current Mixed-Media release: |
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tube'|mm002
Bogdan Dullsky
Freedom Reflex | Second
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68'23'' |
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tube'|dvd002
v/a
test tube collected works
076 ~ 124
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34h51'38'' |
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