miércoles, 21 de septiembre de 2011
miércoles, 27 de julio de 2011
jueves, 14 de julio de 2011
lunes, 4 de julio de 2011
HAYVANLAR ALEMI (Sublime Frequencies/Turquia) + OIKOS (Madrid) @ La Faena II
Lunes, 25 julio
La Faena II
C/ Alfonso Gómez 35. Madrid
21.30h | 7 euros en taquilla
domingo, 26 de junio de 2011
martes, 14 de junio de 2011
ONDA SONORA 28-05-11ra
CONTENTS ONDA SONORA 28-05-11
01. OIKOS
Track: Pulsar / Ecotono / Red Forest / Threshold
Album: Ecotono
Label: Utech
02. FUNKI PORCINI
Track: The 3rd Man / Robert Crumb’s Natural Gait / The Magic Hands of Fernando del Rey
Album: On
Label: Ninja Tune
03. DENSELAND
Track: Monk / Obsidian / Cumulus Crowds / Scrape It (Up) / Chant Bleu / Cyclone’s Center
Album: Chunk
Label: Mosz
Listen here:
http://www.artesonoro.org/archives/8619
martes, 7 de junio de 2011
Review @ In Place of Dreary Patterns
Oikos - [2010] Ecotono [*****]
By Josh Landry
For their first full length, Spanish duo Oikos have created “Ecotono”, an enigmatic guitar texture album of singular voice, compassion and heart. They borrow from the maudlin over-emotionality and distortion worship of shoegaze as well as the filmic vastness and finality of post rock, but their music is somehow wiser, more universal, than your average specimen of either genre. Oikos places a comforting hand on the listener’s shoulder, and presents a soundtrack to fond recollection of days of connection with nature and other human beings.
The soundspace they construct is an open, outdoor vista, and indeed may cause the listener to flashback to experiences of intense natural beauty. The borders of a reverberant canyon are outlined by sound. Like light patterns on the surface of the ocean, the sound is both texturally constant and endlessly shifting. Distortion is ubiquitous, and though it has little sharpness and does not displease the ear, neither is it an indistinct wash of echo. In this mix, there is sound at all levels of closeness and distance. Oikos have proved themselves knowing craftsmen, capable of taming/tempering the violent and treble-heavy heart of the guitar amplifier.
Each of these tracks is a full spectrum swell, with gradual additive layering of volume, feeling, and timbral scope through vast, shimmering delays, echoes and feedback. Oikos have evidently decided that any pause or ebb in sound would be counterproductive. Rich, solidified drone pitch serves as anchor, and each song becomes a towering vertical construction.
Before this rising and thickening of the sound, notes and chords are sometimes left naked, in discernable metric rhythm and strumming motion (”Boreas”). These are rare glimpses of Oikos’ musical logic, largely intuitive or veiled by effects for the greater part of the album. In these moments, it is clear that these scintillating slabs of texture are built upon intelligent, subtle progressions and quasi-song-like forms, and my respect for the group only deepens. Only in the final moments of closer “Jatavena” does the careful web of tonality destabilize into a storm of rough hewn metallic string noise, and even this is no dramatic derailing from the by-now-familiar trajectory, rather an expressive flourish due to intensity overflow.
For later tracks, loop-driven patterns come to the fore, density is lessened and the newfound sonic transparency only accentuates the depth and warmth of the sounds. In the surprisingly minimalist and lo-fi “Red Forest”, mystery looms thick as thieves. A clanking fuzz-textured loop builds a waltz rhythm that soon becomes the perfect frame of reference for the snakey meandering of a vibrant synth string patch. The surreal simplicity of this basic sound is overloaded with embellished distortion harmonics, and the primal, plodding feel of the track is akin to a more melodic TenHornedBeast.
Essentially, “Ecotono” stands head and shoulders above the majority of guitar texture music, completely devoid of pretense, tired musical systems and overblown, wallowing melodrama. A powerfully emotional recording that undoubtedly improves with repeated listenings, this album may even convert those who ordinarily find themselves less than enchanted with walls of distortion through the unusually tonal stylings of its drones. Oikos has made a masterful addition to the already impressive Utech catalogue.
http://blog.drearypattern.com/
http://www.discogs.com/Oikos-Ecotono/release/2798917
Thank you Josh!
jueves, 2 de junio de 2011
Review @ ATTN:Magazine
Oikos – Ecotono
Cold and expansive soundscapes from a Spanish duo on Utech.
Jack is the enthusiastic yes-man/music sub-editor.
“An ecotono, or ecotone, is a habitat created by the juxtaposition of
distinctly different habitats; an edge habitat; or an ecological zone or
boundary where two or more ecosystems meet. It is a transition area
between two distinct habitats, where the ranges of the organisms in each
bordering habitat overlap, and where there are organisms unique to the
transition area. An ecotone region provides conditions of both the types
of neighboring ecosystems and thus supports a greater variety of life
forms.”Guitar: meet electronics and processing. What makes Ecotono so appropriate for its title is the way its components are simultaneously merged and kept separate. Thick surges of ambience and distortion carry plucked guitars – reacting to them, dictating them – yet one is never fed into the other. Even during its most intense moments, Ecotono never becomes a “wall of sound” exactly; it’s more like a mass parade of distinct elements, united by a single cause but never compromising their unique sonic qualities.
The “organism” that rises out of this interaction is compelling in itself. The atmosphere is often murky and cold (as is typical of much of the Utech roster), yet its more organic and relatable elements prevent it from delving too deeply into grimier territory. Melody is often present as streams of guitar and piano, with rhythm occasionally rising as electronic patters that gently nudge the soundscapes along. Ecotono is tethered to musicality in a way that allows for subtle breaths of warmth to gush into its most claustrophobic areas – the duo stoop to their most heartfelt during “Boreas”, with echoing guitar chords sending somber minor key shivers down dark and endless caverns.
The 10 minutes of “Red Forest” is perhaps the only occasion that the quality slumps down a notch. Piano, electronics and strings entwine aimlessly, muffled and muddy like unearthed relics, devoid of sufficient purpose to warrant their re-exposition. Thankfully,“Threshold” veers the record back on track again with warped electronic loops and tar-black jets of static, while album-closer “Jatavena” turns the atmosphere on its head with a delicate surge of positivity and radiance – a flickering orange glow, like a dying light bulb spurting out its last few flashes of life. It’s a fractured image of a breaking dawn; a weary and temporary snapshot of harmony, haunted by the inevitable descent into the darkness that plagues every second of Ecotono.
http://www.attnmagazine.co.uk/music/4140
Thank you Jack!
Oikos en Zann's Music!
-Oikos “Ecotono” (2011)
David San Martin y Rafael Femiano son los dos arquitectos sónicos que dan vida a esta criatura casi espectral conocida como Oikos. Su lugar de residencia es Madrid pero bien podrían ser las profundidades más cavernosas e inaccesibles de la psiquis humana. Es que, con su arsenal de guitarras procesadas y tratamientos electrónicos, el dúo nos sumerge en agobiantes viajes de descubrimiento y reflexión, hipnóticas letanías que se enroscan como serpientes en la mente, reptando lenta y pesadamente (podemos sentir su viscosa piel sobre nuestra propia carne), colocando huevos de inquietud y angustia. Esas cuerdas que resuenan como truenos lejanos, esos graves que generan temblores en el estómago pueden hacernos pensar en la palabra Drone y, ciertamente, algo de eso hay aquí. Por otro lado, esos evocadores arpegios empapados de delay, esas melodías tenues que se entrecruzan y, de forma parsimoniosa pero certera, van dibujando perfectas pinturas de soledad urbana, no estarían fuera de lugar en lo que comúnmente se conoce como Post-Rock. Y, aún así, ¿en qué categoría o género específico pueden colocarse estos siseos electrónicos, estas texturas de formas irreales y espeso contenido, ese sutil (casi subliminal) pulso rítmico, esa sinuosa movilidad dinámica, esos sólidos bloques armónicos que parecen respirar con vida propia? Ok, podemos sumar palabritas como Ambient, Glitch, Minimalismo, Industrial, Música Concreta y vaya uno a saber qué otras barbaridades pero, en última instancia, eso no nos dice nada sobre la fluidez orgánica y el efecto envolvente de estas composiciones. No nos habla de nuestras propias emociones como si lo hace el caudal melódico de estas siete piezas. Y es que, debajo de la intrincada maraña de experimentación sonora, lo que tenemos es un corazón (o dos) que late con dolor y una mente (o dos) agobiada por el peso de sus propias reflexiones. En fin, ni hace falta que aclare que no estamos hablando de material para animar ninguna fiesta ni de canciones para cantar en la ducha (quisiera verlos haciendo la prueba), esto es música que demanda extrema concentración y oídos afilados y despojados de prejuicios. El viaje puede resultar opresivo y doloroso por momentos pero les aseguro que vale la pena experimentarlo.
http://www.zannmusic.com.ar/2011/06/review-oikos-ecotono-2011.html
Gracias Fernando.
miércoles, 25 de mayo de 2011
miércoles, 18 de mayo de 2011
CVLT Nation
Is there sound in dreams, is there movement in dreams, is there wonderment in dreams? I don’t have the answers to these questions, but the band Oikos answers them in their music. This Spanish duo of David San Martín and Rafael Femiano recorded Ecotono, released by Utech Records this year, and the album is majestic & stellar. Each song is a journey in sound; they are constantly moving & unfolding into different spheres of reality. Oikos’ music evokes enchantment & a sense of upliftment. This band uses shimmering tones & magical drones to speak to your imagination instead of words, & honestly when listening to them I never even realize that there are no words. They create the building blocks of daydreams & travel beyond just this psychic existence. Oikos is very powerful in their own right – at first you might think that this music is light, but that is deceiving, because when you really let this band into your world you will realize how heavy they are. Do your inner being a favor, & allow Oikos into your life! After the jump, check out their artwork up close, plus details about the Utech Records Music Fest coming up.
http://www.cvltnation.com/ecotono-oikos-review/
lunes, 16 de mayo de 2011
The Music Fix Review
Oikos - Ecotono (Utech)
Oikos is the Spanish duo of David San Martín and Rafael Femiano, and Ecotono sees them exploring spectral planes of dense guitar noise and computer-generated ambience to create an album that, while begging to be played loud, finds you drifting into a state of hypnotic meditation. The title track makes use of vast waves of distorted electronics that fluctuate and flow, while bass-laden guitar drones provide another layer to the atmospherics. Elsewhere ‘Deriva’ takes a slightly more melodic turn, its pulsating guitars and descending synths sounding as if they were performed while submerged underwater, giving it a tremendous ethereal quality. The subsequent track ‘Red Forest’ takes an altogether more menacing tone, combining retro string sounds and eerie horror soundtrack effects to create quite a claustrophobic piece of music, while closing track ‘Jatavena’ finishes proceedings with loose guitar, whistling electronics and industrial ambience. Ecotono may not be too everyone’s tastes, but the mood and all-consuming sound created by the duo are a wonder to behold. 8/10
http://www.themusicfix.co.uk/content.php?contentid=14146&single=true
Oikos is the Spanish duo of David San Martín and Rafael Femiano, and Ecotono sees them exploring spectral planes of dense guitar noise and computer-generated ambience to create an album that, while begging to be played loud, finds you drifting into a state of hypnotic meditation. The title track makes use of vast waves of distorted electronics that fluctuate and flow, while bass-laden guitar drones provide another layer to the atmospherics. Elsewhere ‘Deriva’ takes a slightly more melodic turn, its pulsating guitars and descending synths sounding as if they were performed while submerged underwater, giving it a tremendous ethereal quality. The subsequent track ‘Red Forest’ takes an altogether more menacing tone, combining retro string sounds and eerie horror soundtrack effects to create quite a claustrophobic piece of music, while closing track ‘Jatavena’ finishes proceedings with loose guitar, whistling electronics and industrial ambience. Ecotono may not be too everyone’s tastes, but the mood and all-consuming sound created by the duo are a wonder to behold. 8/10
Posted on 16 May 2011 by Freddy Palmer
http://www.themusicfix.co.uk/content.php?contentid=14146&single=true
miércoles, 11 de mayo de 2011
Review @ Onda Rock (Italia)
Terzo
disco per il duo madrileno Oikos (composto da David San Martín e Rafael
Femiano), ma primo per la Utech Records, “Ecotono” si inscrive nel
solco dello sperimentalismo ambient-drone, a cavallo tra Locrian, Keith Fullerton Whitman e Tim Hecker.
Con un titolo che richiama sia la giustapposizione di diversi habitat
naturali, sia una zona ecologica nella quale si incontrano due o più
ecosistemi, “Ecotono” serpeggia lento e avvolgente dentro il vuoto
pneumatico di uno spazio senza fine, come un’ameba radioattiva che, nei
primi due pannelli, definisce progressivamente le sue coordinate di
spazio e di tempo, lavorando su stratificazioni di accordi, riverberi,
echi e timbri. Rarefazione digitale e frammentazione melodica
costituiscono la diade intorno alla quale l’opera veleggia per mantenere
desta la ricerca di un senso, ci si trovasse anche dalle parti di un
neo-classicismo retro-futurista, come succede, per esempio, in “Red
Forest”, capace anche di creare un link con la new-age più algida. Tra
cosmica (“Boreas”), dolcissima malinconia siderale (“Deriva”),
space-techno (“Threshold”) e calde fluttuazioni ambientali che si
disperdono in un'inquietante radura post-industriale (“Jatavena”, il
brano più interessante), “Ecotono” offre, insomma, un ascolto a tratti
molto evocativo, anche se non “decisivo”.
(08/05/2011)
(08/05/2011)
http://www.ondarock.it/recensioni_pillole.php?&page&limite=0&order=id&orientation=DESC
martes, 3 de mayo de 2011
"Ecotono" en Indie Rock Mag
Oikos - Ecotono
Troisième long format du duo madrilène, Ecotono suit les méandres d’un drone très évocateur, délicat et sale à la fois, aux mélodies travaillées. Et l’évidence pointe le bout de son nez dès les premières écoutes : avecOikos, il faudra désormais compter.
Des guitares élégantes et liquides, des mélodies solaires et aériennes, voilà pour résumer ce que réserve l’écoute d’Ecotono, troisième album de l’énigmatique duo espagnol Oikos. Bien sûr, ces quelques mots sont évidemment réducteurs et cachent même probablement l’essentiel car à les lire, comme ça, on pourrait avoir l’impression qu’il s’agit d’un disque pop qui siérait parfaitement à l’atmosphère ensoleillée et fleurie dont ce beau printemps nous fait l’offrande. Et pourtant, non, il ne s’agit pas de pop, c’est même complètement l’inverse : Oikos œuvre plutôt dans l’instrumental pur et dur à base de guitares et de claviers et arpente les chemins singuliers d’un drone délicat qui sait aussi se faire complètement expérimental.
De ce duo, on ne sait pas grand chose, tout au plus qu’Ecotono est paru chez Utech Records, ce qui permet tout de même de cerner plus ou moins le genre musical où fraient ces Espagnols et c’est vrai qu’un titre tout en guitares et claviers spacieux, empilés, développant un drone massif qui occupe toutes les fréquences comme Pulsar en ouverture – suivi de son frère jumeau Ecotono (les deux pistes pourraient très bien n’en faire qu’une et on ne se rend pas vraiment compte quand on passe de l’une à l’autre tant la transition est imperceptible) – rappelle les armes utilisées par d’autres formations signées par l’intransigeant label américain (Ural Umbo, Sum Of R, Lasse Marhaug, Locrian, etc.) si ce n’est quand même que la musique d’Oikos ne partage pas complètement cette atmosphère commune aux sorties estampillées du vénérable bec décharné qu’arbore le logo du label, à savoir une noirceur typique, nichée au creux de la musique des groupes de son catalogue. D’ailleurs, à bien y regarder, outre les drones qui constituent l’ossature principale des deux morceaux, il est bien difficile d’occulter les élégants arpèges qui flottent au-dessus des ondes charriées par les guitares et les claviers. Et même quand le soubassement devient saturé, que les nappes crachotent faisant souffrir les enceintes, que les cordes se montent les unes sur les autres et que les arpèges dégueulent, ne faisant plus qu’un avec la masse sonore et indéfinie ainsi créée, la mélodie solaire subsiste, belle et joliment introspective. L’instrumentation arbore plus d’une fois un visage agressif, intrusif, comme si elle voulait envahir de force l’oreille et frotter le cerveau au papier émeri : le groupe joue fort, tout prêt du micro et la saturation est permanente, presque malaisée et insupportable mais rien n’y fait, les mélodies célestes que font naître ces instrumentaux éthérés provoque une véritable addiction qui fait oublier tout le reste.
De ce duo on ne sait pas grand chose mais l’on sait tout de même, à l’écoute de ses disques précédents (que l’on peut écouter ici et là, disséminés sur la toile mais dont les chemins d’accès sont heureusement regroupés sur le blog du groupe), que le côté très immersif qui caractérise la musique d’Oikos a toujours été présent même quand l’atmosphère se faisait plus inquiète et tendue (à ce titre, écoutez les extraits de Noviembre 2004, pièces exécutées en compagnie de l’« anarconoise feminista » C-utter et ayant pour thème la bataille de Falloujah en Irak après laquelle l’armée américaine fut accusée, entre autres par le Washington Post, d’utiliser des bombes au phosphore blanc, interdites par les conventions internationales). Et c’est vrai que l’on se dit à plusieurs reprises qu’une telle maîtrise ne peut être fortuite, qu’avant d’arriver à ce mélange subtil et stable de bruit et de beauté, le duo a dû user nombre de cordes et cramer quelques processeurs et claviers, explorer d’autres atmosphères, d’autres visages avant de revêtir celui de l’introspection sur Ecotono. D’ailleurs, quelques titres portent les stigmates des opus précédents, à commencer par Threshold aux ondes en ressac, qui se déposent puis se retirent, comme une douleur tour à tour lancinante et aiguë une seconde sur deux, purement électronique, poursuivant une multitude de fréquences et parcouru de bruits sales et indéterminés. Et pourtant, loin d’être rebutant, le résultat reste tout de même accueillant alors qu’il s’agit sans doute là du morceau le plus expérimental de l’album, quelque chose comme une proto-IDM ultra-cérébrale au groove singulier. Et que dire des guitares saturées d’Ecotono qui montrent leurs crocs et se font abrasives, érigeant un mur de bruit blanc imposant percuté de multiples touches électroniques qui pourtant jamais ne l’entament ? Sans oublier le magnifique Red Forest où cette fois-ci, ce sont les claviers qui prennent le pouvoir, en avant, conduisant et supportant la mélodie, les notes de guitares tout en bas, graves et majestueuses. On le voit et surtout, on l’entend, l’atmosphère est la même dans tous les morceaux mais les moyens utilisés pour la retranscrire et la poser sont complètement différents. Ainsi, l’aspect monolithique d’Ecotono montre paradoxalement une grande variété, que ce soit dans les instrumentations ou les arrangements, preuve que le duo n’est pas né de la dernière pluie et qu’il a probablement expérimenté de multiples formules avant d’arriver à celle, parfaitement équilibrée, que donne à entendre cet opus.
De ce duo, on ne sait pas grand chose si ce n’est qu’il aime les concepts et c’est d’ailleurs là que se trouve probablement l’explication du côté éminemment évocateur, presque littéraire, en tout cas très immersif de la musique d’Oikos. Quand on écoute ce disque, on ne peut qu’avoir des pensées parallèles aux siennes. Le concept sur lequel repose Ecotono est celui de la zone de transition écologique entre deux écosystèmes distincts, l’écotone, celle où les espèces se chevauchent, où les caractéristiques des deux bords se mélangent mais où l’on trouve également des organismes qui lui sont propres, les formes de vies y sont donc plus nombreuses. Je n’aime pas les concepts dans les disques, mais je dois bien avouer que celui-ci est assez bien trouvé avec d’un côté, le monde du bruit et de l’autre celui de l’introspection tranquille et apaisée. Ecotono se trouve pile là, entre les deux. Bruit et apaisement s’interpénètrent, ni complètement l’un, ni complètement l’autre, mais bien entre les deux et offrent une musique saisissante et marquée, hypnotique et envoûtante. On pense de loin à Fennesz, à Tim Hecker aussi, voire au Desert Fires de Noveller pour le goût des guitares élégantes et trafiquées et des instrumentaux magnifiques. On parcourt les titres avec un grand plaisir, impatient d’entendre la petite histoire que nous racontera le suivant et dès que les notes finales du psychédélique et flou Jatavena qui clôt le disque résonnent, il ne reste bien que l’envie de se précipiter pour le remettre immédiatement au début.
C’est vrai que l’entité Oikos est énigmatique et qu’Ecotono débarque un peu sans crier gare mais, on l’aura compris, de cette formation, on sait finalement l’essentiel : sa musique est simplement élégante et plus d’une fois magnifique. Une personnalité forte et un superbe disque qui nous font attendre les prochains avec impatience. Utech ne s’y est pas trompé en offrant à David San Martín et Rafael Femiano la possibilité de sortir Ecotono sous une belle pochette et l’assurance d’une meilleure exposition. Gageons que cet opus singulier touche le plus grand nombre.
Éblouissant.
Thank you Jerome.
lunes, 25 de abril de 2011
Oikos en El Sismógrafo de Radio 3
"Uno de los nombres más importantes para Sismógrafo es el del canadiense Tim Hecker. Ravedeath 1972 es su nuevo trabajo y esta semana es el encargado de abrir el programa. El dúo Oikos, formado por Rafa Femiano y David San Martín, presentan Ecotono con el sello Utech Records. David Charles Tagg y Savaran son también protagonistas de la entrega semanal de Sismógrafo con sendos estrenos. Enough Records, el netlabel portugués dirigido por Filipe Cruz, nos trae su referencia nº 264 firmada por Nasienie. Playlist: Tim Hecker - In the Fog I; Oikos - Jatavena; David Tagg - Wolf Suite I; Stephan Mathieu - Dawn (Original Mix); Savaran - Frozen Fields; Nasienie - Walking around (Enough Records); Kleefstra & Bakker & Kleffstra - Dat it Altyd Winter Bliuwt."
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/sismografo/sismografo-tim-hecker-18-04-11/1076861/
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/sismografo/sismografo-tim-hecker-18-04-11/1076861/
miércoles, 30 de marzo de 2011
"Ecotono" en Aquarius Records!
One of THREE new Utech releases this week (plus the vinyl of
the latest Locrian!), and the first we've heard from this Spanish duo,
but hopefully not the last, as these guys push all our heavy spacey
droney buttons. A series of long form, atmospheric space outs, draping
thick pulsating guitar grit over swirling electronics, fusing
Morricone-ish twang to spiraling streaks of synth shimmer, creating a
sort of hazy, droney space folk, or maybe a folk flecked bit of space
drone, either way, this stuff is divine, hypnotic and mesmerizing.
The opening two tracks seem to function as one single two part epic, crafted from a Tim Hecker like cascade of warm whirring chordal blur, beneath soft spacey pulsations, some twangy guitars, a bit of thick Earthy buzz, all blurred and smeared into a thick, organic, undulating dronescape, the fuzz and buzz gradually receding, leaving a sky full of crystalline guitar shimmer, that seems to pick up grit and whir as it goes, eventually it fades out completely, leaving just a lush shadowy cloud of muted crunch and swirling ambience, only to erupt into some distorted guitar crunch, laced with strangely rhythmic streaks of hiss and glitch, before finally fading out into something much more tranquil.
The rest of the record offers up variations on this twangy spacey droney sound, often resulting in something that sounds like a Tim Hecker / Barn Owl jam, ethereal and ephemeral one minute, all spidery melodies and slow shifting glimmer, pulsing and electronic the next, strange flurries of stuttering melody wrapped around gentle steel string strum, and hushed chordal background blur. There are moments when the sound transforms into something much more soundtracky and spacey, "Red Forest" for example sounds like it could be an alternate score for Logan's Run, a haunting retro-futuristic creep, all swirling minor key synths, loping basslines, and pulsing electronics, quite ominous and haunting, but which gives way to the warped squelch of "Threshold" all murky and muddy, but again, haunting and futuristic sounding, like another lost sci fi synth score, the whole record wrapping up with the hazy drone psych of "Jatavena" warm whirling buzz, murky distorted rumblings, strange bits of noisy background detritus, the tone of the track gradually shifting and getting more and more ominous, before again seeming to shrug off the sonic clouds, closing with a warm whirring bit of softly melodic droned out drift.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES!! Packaged in super sweet Utech style mini sleeves, black ink on heavy brown paper.
http://www.aquariusrecords.org/
The opening two tracks seem to function as one single two part epic, crafted from a Tim Hecker like cascade of warm whirring chordal blur, beneath soft spacey pulsations, some twangy guitars, a bit of thick Earthy buzz, all blurred and smeared into a thick, organic, undulating dronescape, the fuzz and buzz gradually receding, leaving a sky full of crystalline guitar shimmer, that seems to pick up grit and whir as it goes, eventually it fades out completely, leaving just a lush shadowy cloud of muted crunch and swirling ambience, only to erupt into some distorted guitar crunch, laced with strangely rhythmic streaks of hiss and glitch, before finally fading out into something much more tranquil.
The rest of the record offers up variations on this twangy spacey droney sound, often resulting in something that sounds like a Tim Hecker / Barn Owl jam, ethereal and ephemeral one minute, all spidery melodies and slow shifting glimmer, pulsing and electronic the next, strange flurries of stuttering melody wrapped around gentle steel string strum, and hushed chordal background blur. There are moments when the sound transforms into something much more soundtracky and spacey, "Red Forest" for example sounds like it could be an alternate score for Logan's Run, a haunting retro-futuristic creep, all swirling minor key synths, loping basslines, and pulsing electronics, quite ominous and haunting, but which gives way to the warped squelch of "Threshold" all murky and muddy, but again, haunting and futuristic sounding, like another lost sci fi synth score, the whole record wrapping up with the hazy drone psych of "Jatavena" warm whirling buzz, murky distorted rumblings, strange bits of noisy background detritus, the tone of the track gradually shifting and getting more and more ominous, before again seeming to shrug off the sonic clouds, closing with a warm whirring bit of softly melodic droned out drift.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES!! Packaged in super sweet Utech style mini sleeves, black ink on heavy brown paper.
http://www.aquariusrecords.org/
lunes, 7 de marzo de 2011
Oikos new album
Oikos > Ecotono > Utech Records > URCD061
AVAILABLE MARCH 26
The word Ecotono is built from two roots. Eco (oikos/casa) and tono (tonos/ tensión). An ecotono, or ecotone, is a habitat created by the juxtaposition of distinctly different habitats; an edge habitat; or an ecological zone or boundary where two or more ecosystems meet. It is a transition area between two distinct habitats, where the ranges of the organisms in each bordering habitat overlap, and where there are organisms unique to the transition area. An ecotone region provides conditions of both the types of neighboring ecosystems and thus supports a greater variety of life forms. It also has species living exclusively in the ecotone region resulting in very high species diversity.
An analogy for the sound of Oikos. Spanish duo of David San Martín and Rafael Femiano. A diverse cross section of musical elements living in tension. The aggregate revealing more than could be know from each part. Dense guitar magik draped over layers of digital texture. A shimmering and loud work that represents the menacing nature that lies behind the facade of all living things.
Presented in a heavy paper folder with art from Reuben Sawyer at Rainbath Visual and print work from Alan Sherry. The run is split with 200 copies screen printed with black ink on charcoal brown stock and 100 copies with custom-mixed metallic ink on black stock.
The word Ecotono is built from two roots. Eco (oikos/casa) and tono (tonos/ tensión). An ecotono, or ecotone, is a habitat created by the juxtaposition of distinctly different habitats; an edge habitat; or an ecological zone or boundary where two or more ecosystems meet. It is a transition area between two distinct habitats, where the ranges of the organisms in each bordering habitat overlap, and where there are organisms unique to the transition area. An ecotone region provides conditions of both the types of neighboring ecosystems and thus supports a greater variety of life forms. It also has species living exclusively in the ecotone region resulting in very high species diversity.
An analogy for the sound of Oikos. Spanish duo of David San Martín and Rafael Femiano. A diverse cross section of musical elements living in tension. The aggregate revealing more than could be know from each part. Dense guitar magik draped over layers of digital texture. A shimmering and loud work that represents the menacing nature that lies behind the facade of all living things.
Presented in a heavy paper folder with art from Reuben Sawyer at Rainbath Visual and print work from Alan Sherry. The run is split with 200 copies screen printed with black ink on charcoal brown stock and 100 copies with custom-mixed metallic ink on black stock.
jueves, 24 de febrero de 2011
jueves, 6 de enero de 2011
A live set from Taiga (Iberia), recorded on september 2010. Contains variations over 3 tunes of previous works and two new drone letanies. Includes audio recordings on ancient icelandic and english languages.
http://taigaiberia.bandcamp.com/
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