Tag Archives: IDM

Electronica, Idm, Lounge, Minimalist

APPARAT – THE DEVIL’S WALK (Ambient/IDM – Germany)

3 Comments

After months of teasing us with gorgeous singles and remixes, Apparat is finally releasing The Devil’s Walk, his first album for Mute Records. Out today September 26th, the album is backed by a new single, “Song Of Los”, which is also out today on 12″ and download.

To celebrate the release, Apparat asked Mogwai to produce the first official remix of this new track but you can bet there will be plenty more remixes popping up in the weeks and months to come. If you are curious and feel like sampling Mogwai’s reworking of “Song Of Los”, head over to Mute’s Soundcloud and if you want to listen to the original, stream it below!

Apparat (aka Sascha Ring) is not going to disappoint his fans with his new album, and he might well gain a few new followers too. The Devil’s Walk is possibly his most varied album to date, with some tracks hinting at a New Wave revival, others capturing moments of grandiose electronica and finally some tracks recreating the ambient soundscape Apparat is famous for. As a whole this record stretches into territories that the German producer had rarely explored before, while still managing to craft its own unique style of somber yet majestic music.

Apparat proves that he is an artist who knows how to connect with his audience and understands his own creative range. The Devil’s Walk, Apparat’s fourth album, reveals itself a bit more with every listen. More than a mere experiment, it’s a subtle work of contrasts and contradictions, standing somewhere between melancholy and solace.

You will be able to catch Apparat and band on tour in the UK in October (tour starts October 14th in Bristol to finish off in London on the 26th). To get all the dates, find Apparat on MySpace or check out his official site. Don’t forget that you can buy Apparat’s new album starting today on Apparat

Electronica

APPARAT – BLACK WATER (Electronica/Idm – Germany)

Leave a comment

German electronic artist Sascha Ring, better known by his stage name Apparat, has a brand new album coming in September on Mute Records. Called The Devil’s Walk, the LP will be Apparat’s first solo full-length since 2007’s Walls, that is if you don’t count his critically acclaimed 2009 collaboration with French duo Modeselektor as Moderat (for the uninitiated, Modeselektor + Apparat = Moderat).

To start building up momentum ahead of his new album, Apparat recently released the single “Ash/Black Veil”, a five-and-a-half-minute ambient electronica piece that was immediately embraced by fans and music critics alike. The song came with bonus remixes by US dance music’s rising star Amtrac and emerging Russian producer Mokhov.

Apparat - Ash/Black Veil (Mokhov Remix)     

Apparat - Ash/Black Veil (Amtrac Remix)     

The second track to drop from The Devil’s Walk is called “Black Water” and it’s a perfect example of Ring’s cinematic electronica, soothing vocal melodies and hypnotic rhythms. Commencing with a gently pulsating hum and concluding with a nostalgic rain sample, this song is disarmingly simple, yet terribly effective. Just what one would expect from a new Apparat release…

Apparat - Black Water     

To help you wait for the new album, you can always listen to more tunes by Apparat on MySpace or check out his official site. Don’t forget that you can buy Apparat’s music on Apparat

Electronica, Idm, mp3

GOLD PANDA – COMPANION (Idm/Electronica – UK)

7 Comments

Just like most of his peers, new IDM/electronica sensation Gold Panda started making music as a teenager in the privacy of his room. Armed with his uncle’s sampler and an old Atari, he sampled his Dad’s record collection, some hip hop beats and a variety of everyday sounds to make his first tracks. This hobby somehow turned into a passion and he ended up spending more and more time shut away in his room building up a library of original, dizzyingly eclectic electronic music, but always too self-conscious to share it with the world. It wasn’t until two or three years ago that his first tracks under the Gold Panda moniker started surfacing on the internet, creating quite a commotion. He began leaking remixes to various labels, blogs, and taste-makers, all of whom instantly took notice. More remixes—for the likes of Little Boots, Telepathe, Bloc Party, Simian Mobile Disco, HEALTH, and Zero 7—followed.

Gold Panda - Back Home     

Soon after that, Gold Panda started releasing his own tracks, instantly seducing critics with his gleaming hip-hop tinged instrumental electronica, saturated with psychedelic hooks and expertly chopped-up beats. His first releases (Miyamae EP, Quitter’s Raga EP and the single “Before”) paved the way for his big label debut in 2010 with the You EP, released on Ghostly International. Ever since this debut, quickly followed by the critically-acclaimed album Lucky Shiner in October 2010, Gold Panda seems to have been blogged about so often on all major music sites that you very often feel that liking his music is an indubitable fact of life.

As a bonus, here’s a sublime remix of the equally beautiful original track “Marriage”. The remix comes courtesy of LA-based producer/artist Baths.

Gold Panda - Marriage (Baths Remix)     

Find out more about Gold Panda on MySpace. Buy Companion and all of Gold Panda’s EPs on Gold Panda

Electronica, Idm, Russia

MUJUICE – DOWNSHIFTING (Electronica/IDM – Russia)

Leave a comment

Considered one of the cornerstones of today’s Russian electronica, Roma Litvinov (aka Mujuice) combines the robotic glitches of modern electronic music with dense layers of natural sounds. He dissects sounds and creates a complex matrix of melodies and ambiences that owe a debt to jazz, techno and Shostakovich in equal measure.

His first productions, akin to early IDM and Berlin-style minimalist electronica, started getting considerable exposure when he was only 20 and he released his debut LP, Superqueer, just before his 21st birthday.  But Roma always felt uncomfortable with the IDM label as he didn’t think of himself as a strictly electronic producer. This is what he proved with his sophomore album Cool Cool Death (2007), which incorporates elements of acoustic jazz and rock, and what he keeps demonstrating with his most recent effort, Downshifting.

Mujuice - На Луне     

Released on March 25 on Soyuz Music, Downshifting is punchier and generally more uptempo than any previous Mujuice record. It still has Roma’s characteristically melancholy vocals but it also often bursts with energy. “На Луне” is a perfect example of this shift towards a livelier and bouncier sound.

Find Mujuice on MySpace. Buy his new album now on Downshifting - Mujuice