Ruis - Sonmi 451

Image courtesy of Slaapwel Records.

Since 2005, Belgian artist Bernard Zwijzen has adopted the name Sonmi451 when releasing his music under various record labels.

Originating in David Mitchell's Cloud Altas, Sonmi451 is the name belonging to a Slave robot from a distant future.

Bernard manages to beautifully blend minimal, soundscape-laden atmospheric electronics together to create something that I can only describe as totally unique.

You should check out his limited edition album titled Ruis over at Bandcamp, or his free EP, The Quiet EP.

An Ambient Kind of Experience

This is a playlist of some of my favourite tracks from the ambient, drone and soundcape genres. They sounded great together so I decided to share.

The playlist includes tracks from Belgian artist Sonmi451, Marsen Jules and Pie Are Squared. It took me longer than expected to get the tracks fitting perfectly together, but it works and the feedback have been great.

You can check it out here and follow me if you like. I do intend to create more playlists when I get the time.

Little dragon

Image courtesy of Little Dragon - Summertearz (Bowery Ballroom, 2011).

I have spent the past week listening (nearly constantly) to Swedish based electronic/indie pop group Little Dragon and I cannot get enough.

To date they have released three studio albums, Little Dragon 2007, Machine Dreams 2009 and Ritual Union 2011. They have also appeared on Gorillaz 2010 release Plastic Beach. They manage to perfectly combine gorgeous vocals with an electronic style that is truly unique to themselves.

I am not normally a fan of vocals in my music, but Little Dragon have completely captivated me since I started listening to them. Their track Never Never is what initially caught my attention and it's my favourite track of theirs by a mile.

Fluid Radio

I love finding new music and resources, so when I discovered Fluid Radio, I was ecstatic. The richness in content is worth every minute of your time.

I love Fluid Radio because it focuses on a wide range of experimental music that is never really featured in popular media and is in my opinion far superior. Their philosophy is to share the creative process and the experience of inner exploration through musical expression.

It has everything from downloads, interviews, news, photography, reviews and live sessions, they even have an online store, so there is plenty to check out and explore. So check it out.

Clint Mansell

Born Clinton Daryl Mansell, Clint Mansell is an English musician, film score composer and former lead singer/guitarist of Pop Will Eat Itself.

I first discovered his music whilst watching The Fountain. I was completely amazed by the music and how it just seemed to intensify every scene, so I immediately bought myself a copy of the soundtrack.

His music is a blend of Instrumental, ambient and modern classical genres. He has scored many films, but my favourites are The Fountain, Moon and Black Swan. He is also famous for the now iconic track from Requiem For a Dream, which has been featured in many other pieces of video since.

Headphone Commute

Headphone Commute is an independent online magazine that focuses specifically on the latest electronic, experimental and instrumental music.

They mainly write about reviews, interviews and record labels, but their main significance to me is the podcast. It is usually a weekly podcast, lasting around an hour or so and I always manage to find something new in them as well as still hearing tracks from some of the biggest names in the genres.

you can find all their articles on the Headphone Commute website and the podcasts are posted onto MixCloud, so definitely check it out.

Field Rotation

German composer Christoph Bero is based in Berlin, where he produces a haunting blend of ambient, downtempo and experimental music.

His latest release - Fatalist: the repetition of History came out on Denovali Records earlier this month. It expands upon his Acoustic Tales project with guest musicians Aaron Martin and Mari Solaris.

I first discovered Field Rotation on the Imaginary Friends compilation, with his beautiful opening track Regenzeit II, which is absolutely astounding. It progesses from an incredibly atmospheric piece into a soothing soundscape with the noise of falling rain, perfect for unwinding.

Nicolas Jaar

Nicolas Jaar is a 23 year old DJ and producer, originially born in New York. He also has his own label, Clown and Sunset.

He is currently creating some of the most original music in the industry. By taking elements from minimal techno, but maintaining a lower BPM (beats per minute), around 100, as apposed to 120 - 130, by doing so he creates a nicely chilled out sound.

My favourite track has to be Time For Us. It has a great sound that progresses at a steady pace, introducing new beats and rythmns. You can easily get up and dance to it, or lie down and chill out to it.