Catching The Waves

Speakers for Earmuffs

Stolen unashamedly from the comprehensive music production website KVR:

Q: "Please recommend an ambient album."

A: "Go for a walk."

Well, it made me laugh. But then, I don't have to go for a walk. I can sit here and get fat and happy because I've already got today's CTW recommendation, he said smugly. I'm new to ambient but I understand it eschews traditional rhythm sections and most melodic elements, preferring to concentrate on disparate and ethereal sounds to form a pleasing, almost hypnotic, whole. (Not a bad analysis, eh? This is all free, you know.)

CTW usually features albums that have been online for an ice age or two, but today's choice, Urlaub auf Balkonien by krill.minima, was released in October on the sainted Thinner netlabel. I'm in danger of getting trendy, but I don't care; this album is so good that it's usurped my vetting procedure like James Bond getting past Customs.

What to expect: white noise, scratches, clicks and pops, echoes, delays, sepulchral reverberation, the most gorgeous otherworldly pads and synths, and an occasional oh-so-cool-if-only-they'd-play-a-proper-blues-phrase-but-actually-this-is-ok electric piano waving hallo. The stunning Strandpalast is like hearing a pebbly beach express itself through music (trust me), and the tempo of the eerie Projektor deviates just enough to unsettle the listener, but if you're wondering whether Urlaub auf Balkonien is your cup of mint julep, try these:

CTW's recommended tracks:

Sommerdellen, a Satie-like conversation between two (sometimes three) notes that will resonate right between your eyes.

Leichtes Glimmen, a track that sounds vaguely industrial until overtaken by a wash of lullaby synths and endless echoes. It's currently my favourite track on the album.

This album is sneaky; before you know it, you've stopped what you're doing and you're swaying in time like a rabbit hypnotised by a snake. The soundscape is so intimate I keep debating whether to strap my computer's speakers to my head. I am normal. Sort of.

Broadband users:  krill.minima - Urlaub auf Balkonien (zipped album)

56K dial-up people: Individual mp3s

Any Colour But Beige

(I know, I know. It's the best I could do, ok? Graphics are a dark art and I'm wearing a blindfold.)

Theodor Zox's unimaginatively titled Pastels 1-4 consists of four tracks of restrained and tightly constructed minimal/microhouse, all of which come in at around the five minute mark. And no, I have no idea what microhouse is. Or minimal. I can barely cope with speech.

Pastel colours are wishy-washy but Pastels 1-4 is anything but. These compositions are tightly controlled; there are no raucous sounds or sudden changes of tempo, no vocals or obvious samples. Instead, lots of sounds are arranged around a basic kick-snare-kick-snare rhythm.

"Yeah, it's called dance, you nerd!" shouts the internet.

This should be as boring as corned beef, but because Theodor Zox has ensured that his timbres differ, it's a lot of fun to listen to; snares may rasp, kicks may thud, and synth pads may warm, but it's the extraneous sounds that seduce. Each track is flecked with soft and harsh sounds, reverberating basses, tight basses, bouncy synths and minimalist clicks and cuts.

Oker Motion starts off plain and simple (kick, snare, background synth) and becomes a welter of high/low-passed pads and clicks and cuts. It should be noisy but it's not. B.Script does the same thing but adds a bouncing bass and call-and-respond synths that make my head nod and my hips twitch. (Sorry about that mental image.) There's more of the same, if not quite so catchy, in Deep Fog, a track that grows on you. The EP ends with Dawn In Blue, a rolling, techy minimalist dance track that doesn't draw breath yet feels relaxed thanks to the underlying bass that rolls calmly underneath the clicks and cuts. The mix is cleverly handled; there's reverb but it sounds very tight, as though it's pressing up against the speakers. Nothing gets swamped.

Listening to this is like buying an expensive saloon car - it may not turn heads, but once you get inside you can't fail to appreciate the workmanship. Theodor Zox, a music-mad Dane, is an excellent chauffeur. (The economists among CTW's vast readership should note that yours truly is light years away from ever affording an expensive car. I take the bus because CTW likes to keep it, like, real.)

Pastels 1-4 is terrific. Download it and encourage the free netlabel scene. Originally a Thinner release, it's now available only from archive.org.

Theodor Zox - Pastels 1-4 (link to zipped album and individual files)