Viewing his rural upbringing through an ambient lens, Michael Scott Dawson, gives his new LP for We Are Busy Bodies a misty eyed, time worn, surreal country & most pleasing out of body vibe via his unhurried pedal steel tones & obviously pastorally appreciative collaborators. If we were ever to know, perhaps even an eagle's view of rural Canada as it soars on summer thermals across vast expanses of unplundered land - searching, always searching.

Michael Scott Dawson is a Canadian producer and sound artist. Anchored by frayed melodies, tape loops, and pastoral field recordings he has crafted a body of tender and nostalgic ambient work.

On his third solo LP, Find Yourself Lost, Dawson veers toward the fringes of country and western. Although ‘cosmic’ has become catchall descriptor in both country and ambient music, Dawson reaches for something more earthly. Something more grounded. Ribboning miles of pedal steel nestle into hushed tones and gossamer textures. Reflecting on the process he states, “It took some time to find myself in it. The first few pieces I made were embarrassingly twangy. I love spaghetti and I love western but never the two shall twain.” Instead, Dawson began to experiment with alternate tunings and granular guitar. He recorded and mixed a full album, and then called upon a handful of friends and kindred peers to improvise on top of it. Treating their contributions like found sounds or samples he stole little moments, manipulated passages, and dismantled his original recordings in the process.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that Dawson was drawn in a country-adjacent direction, he literally grew up adjacent to country. His childhood home was a block from the rodeo grounds in a town where everyone wore cowboy boots to weddings and funerals. Throughout the album he draws from memories of his youth, like time spent on the family farm where John Wayne movies played on an endless loop and a velvet painting of an outlaw with an eyepatch hung above the television.

Find Yourself Lost marks the first time Dawson has been joined by other musicians. He’s a member of the free jazz outfit Peace Flag Ensemble and an avid collaborator, but his own records have been solitarily affairs. “I love the act of collaboration. There’s a joy to be found in responding to someone else’s creativity or ensuring that your ideas serve the greater good.” Dawson notes, “With my own material I’ve been more selfish. Every song is a love note to myself. They are reminders to practice patience, to allow space for growth, to embrace imperfection, and to always remain open to change. But I’d neglected an incredibly important sentiment... You are not alone and it’s okay to ask for help.”

Find Yourself Lost features excerpts of pedal steel by Ettiene Soulodre, flugelhorn by Dalton Lam, additional guitars by Bryce Lewis, dobro by Aaron Kapinka, and baritone guitar by Gage McGuire. It also contains audio from an unlabeled garage sale cassette of someone’s home-dubbed line dancing.



This project is funded in part by FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters.
Ce projet est financé en partie par FACTOR, le gouvernement du Canada et les radiodiffuseurs privés du Canada. 

This weekend was a breath of fresh existential air which I really didn't want to end, not to mention a much needed break from the screen. Luckily the accomplished, soft edged, acid folk debut LP from Japan's maya ongaku with it's dream weaving, gently delivered singer songwriting for lysergic enablers Guruguru Brain, is just the sort of good natured, subtly surreal soundtrack I need to extend the weekend's warmth & ease reality reentry.

Hailing from the seaside communities surrounding Enoshima, a small island located 50 km southwest of Tokyo, maya ongaku is a ragtag collective of local musicians whose brand of earthy psychedelia transcends widely beyond the roots of their inner souls. The name derives not from any kind of ancient civilization, but rather a neologism defined as the imagined view outside one’s field of vision. The band—currently a trio of Tsutomu Sonoda, Ryota Takano, and Shoei Ikeda—finds sanctuary at the Ace General Store, a beachy vintage shop and salon-like space just hidden from sight from the bustling, touristy riverside Subana Street. Between discussions on music and art, curating the vinyl section and manning the register, and chatting up with locals young and old, the members find time to jam and record their spontaneous ideas in the studio tucked away in the back. It’s in this unlikely setting where maya ongaku finds its origins, the culmination of what Sonoda describes as 自然発生 (shizen hassei), meaning spontaneous generation, or the supposed production of living organisms from nonliving matter.


Approach to Anima, the group’s debut album released on Guruguru Brain, finds maya ongaku building a foundational groove while tapping into their innermost psyche. Sonoda’s malleable guitar and vocals, Takano’s sinuous bass lines, Ikeda’s floating woodwinds, and a sprinkling of delicate percussion—all coalesce into an aural experience that’s assertive yet abstract, calm but unsettling. The slow building, sax-laden “Approach” serves as an introduction to maya ongaku’s world, while the appropriately-named “Water Dream” floats its way toward the gentle finale of “Pillow Song.” It’s a concise distillation of their many interests and influences, from Neo-Dada and Fluxus, to where contemporary art intersects with the development of modern recording technology in the ‘60s and ‘70s.


As the title suggests, Approach to Anima is not intended to be a terminus; it’s merely the beginning of an exploration. The three childhood friends that comprise maya ongaku are always looking beyond the confines of the idyllic but rapidly gentrifying enclave of their beloved Enoshima. Feeding off of the energy that still radiates from the triumphant, decade-long journey of their label bosses’ band Kikagaku Moyo, who rose to global prominence from scrappy beginnings busking on the streets of Takadanobaba, they hope to go wherever inspiration takes them, to anywhere around the globe where their music can find a home.


Ultimately, maya ongaku’s uninhibited world-building will make it possible for us to see the unseen, expand the possibilities of the naked eye—all through the unbridled vibrancy of their music.

CREDITS
"Approach"
Tsutomu Sonoda : Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Rain Stick
Shoei ikeda: Bass Drum, Djambe, Saxophone Trio, Flute, Vibraslap, China Cymbal
Ryota Takano: Bass Guitar, Shaker, Flexatone

"Nuska"
Tsutomu Sonoda : Vocal, Chorus, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Shaker, Sei Water
Shoei Ikeda : Synthesizer(Nord stage2), Bass Drum, Sei Water
Ryota Takano: Bass Guitar, Bug shaker, Sei Water

"Description of a certain sound"
Tsutomu Sonoda : Vocal, Poetry Reading, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Triangle, Whistle
Shoei Ikeda: Saxophone, Electric Organ(YAMAHA YC-45D)
Ryota Takano: Djambe

"Melting"
Tsutomu Sonoda : Vocal, Chorus, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Shaker, Guiro
Shoei Ikeda Saxophone, Synthesizer(Nord stage2), Bass Drum, Snare Drum
Ryota Takano: Bass Guitar

"Something in morning rain"
Tsutomu Sonoda : Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Guiro, Shaker, Bongo, Triangle
Shoei Ikeda: Rhodes Piano MK2, Synthesizer(Nord stage2), Flute, Bass Drum
Ryota Takano: Bass Guitar, Djambe

"Rakusui"
Tsutomu Sonoda : Acoustic Guitar

"Water Dreams"
Tsutomu Sonoda : Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass Drum, Snare
Shoei Ikeda: Synthesizer(Nord stage2), Saxophone
Ryota Takano: Sei water

"Pillow Song"
Tsutomu Sonoda : Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Guiro, Triangle, Sampring from Records Shoei Ikeda: Wurlitzer (Nord stage2), Electric Piano, Synthesizer(Nord stage2)
Ryota Takano: Bass Guitar

All Studio Microphone: AKG C414xls
Handy Recorder for field recording : TASCAM DR-07 MK2
All field recording by Ryota Takano
All Guitar Amplifier : Fender Twin Reverb '78
Micpreamp : TUBE-TECH MP-1A
Audio Interface: AUDIENT iD4 mk2
DAW: Logic Pro X

Matthew Sage was wisely invited to the RVNG Intl. Imagination Lab to dream of a better world & it's a wonderful place. Ancient, ritualistic psychedelics have leached into the water supply rapidly widening any visitor's reality tunnel so as to fully appreciate the petrochemical free verdant landscape, rich in colourful, synergistic fauna & bathed in equatorial warmth. Neuron tingling New Age music is carried by the light breeze through the landscape & happiness has replaced money as the goal of choice.

Like a winding system of trails and paths cutting through a digital forest-scape, M. Sage’s Paradise Crick is shaped by time. Full of wonder and charm, designed patiently and from a rich, curious mulch of synthesized and acoustic sound, the versatile American artist and magic realist’s new suite of music is an imaginary destination and a pastoral fantasy that envisions the natural and fabricated worlds as one. Speckled with harmonica, autoharp, chimes, voice, and other alchemical mysteries, Crick’s texture is treated as a sensorial adventure; the swamps gurgle, the lakes glisten, and the valleys breathe in robust HD.

CREDITS
Written, arranged, and recorded by Matthew Sage, 2017 - 2021 (Portage Park, Chicago, Illinois)

Roland JP-08, Moog Matriarch, Waldorf Blofeld, TE PO-12, VSTs, Electronics, Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Percussion, Violin, Autoharp, Harmonica, Penny Whistle, Voice

Mastered by Stephan Mathieu for Schwebung Mastering (Bonn, Germany)
Lacquers cut by Clint Holley for Well Made Music (Bristol, Virginia)
Design by Will Work For Good

Thanks to TL + MC, MW + RVNG

Although I was never a fan of Brian Eno's oft-quoted, somewhat dated definition of ambient music that it should "induce calm and a space to think" while remaining "as ignorable as it is interesting", music like that can be a useful life coping mechanism. It's also a fairly apt description of the new LP from Sachi Kobayashi on Stereoscenic. Most certainly ambient music that doesn't invite deep listening & exploration has a place, so if you need some music that doesn't agitate too many cerebral centres & has a pleasant, analgesic quality then look no further.

I tried to make music with elements of nature such as flowers, leaves, water, and sunlight. I hope you can feel these things while listening to the music.

I was very inspired by the song 25°C by Whatever The Weather and wanted to create a beautiful bell sounding album. I hope you like it.

"Scent of Roses" was originally released on Past Inside The Present's mental health charity album "Healing Together" curated by Cynthia Bernard (marine eyes).

Also included is a reworked version of "Sakura" which was originally released on Headphone Commute's charity album "For Ukraine Vol. 2" curated by Hollie Kenniff.

CREDITS
music by Sachi Kobayashi

mastering & artwork by Andrew J Klimek

Stereoscenic Records
stereoscenic.com

I love it when a new producer, in this case Under Shaded Trees, suddenly appears on the TSMM radar with a jaw dropping debut. There's a hard won simplicity & purity to this downtempo, ambient electronic gem, as seductive motifs raise their heads then slip unnoticed into the light electronic undergrowth, only to playfully pop up just as you're getting worried about them. The sound palette is unfailingly agreeable with even the occasionally brusker distortion amiably tipping its hat so as not to ruffle any feathers. This is a fragile, cordial and stunningly beautiful ambient electronic debut & worth the trouble to unearth on Bandcamp - free or for a donation, if you can remember how, or still have the means to play a digital file.

I recorded this EP in early 2023. While writing I landed on some common motifs - Morse-code like beeps and call and response patterns. In my mind, these came to represent the short messages we send to one another everyday and how these messages help maintain relationships and form new ones.

On a trip to the Science Museum in London I discovered the new information age gallery and an exhibit about the very first trans-Atlantic telegraph (which became operational in 1858). The gallery inspired the EP’s title and track names.

Each track was recorded quite quickly. I have a young family so my music making sessions tend to happen after the kids are in bed, between 8pm and 11pm or so (I’m not really a night person). Each track was usually completed in one or two sessions. In the first session I composed the track, and often recorded a quick performance. I’d then listen to this performance the next day as I travelled to work and then in the second session recorded some more performances until I got a take I was pleased with. I recorded all the performances as single stereo tracks.

The project was based around a small setup of an Elektron Digitakt, a Vermona Mono Lancet and a monome norns shield. Right at the start, I created a sample library of droning oscillator sounds using VCV Rack and the Instruo modules. Depending on the track I then recorded additional samples from the Lancet or I added acoustic instruments. I liked the idea of having a “pallete” of sounds to draw from to try to give all the tracks in the project a coherence.

I used a small mixer to submix the Lancet and a microphone into the Digitakt’s inputs. I used the Digitakt to mix those external sounds and its own 8 tracks. The Digitakt provided delay and reverb. The norns shield was connected to the Digitakt over USB, and I configured the norns to use the Digitakt as its sound card. This really improved the noise performance of my norns shield, particularly when sampling into it.

At the beginning of the project I enjoyed the sound when I recorded but I was very disappointed when I listened back. I think this might be something to do with how good the headphone output of the Digitakt sounds compared to recording the outs of the Digitakt via my interface. I watched a couple of YouTube videos on mastering and developed a simple rough mastering chain in Reaper that I could apply to each recording (specifically Arturia’s Tape MELLO-FI tape simulator, followed by Geraint’s Spectrum Matcher plugin to quickly EQ the track to match a reference and then a limiter). This dramatically improved how my recordings sounded on earbuds the next day and gave me a lot more confidence to continue.

I recorded around 15 tracks this way over the course of about 6 weeks. I then culled them down to 7 that I’ve included on the EP. I booked a few hours at Pirate studios in Camden to give them a final mix over speakers in a decently-treated room. I sent them to the lovely Al Gold at quiet details studios and they came back sounding better than I deserve. Thanks mate!

Track Notes

railway time
used ambalek’s fall script to generate the high and low notes (from a D major pentatonic scale). I also sampled the sounds into the Digitakt and processed them to create the melodic instruments. The call and response across the stereo field stuck with me and started me thinking about the theme for the whole project. I enjoyed created the wavering higher melodic notes that arrives later in the track using the Digitakt’s LFOs to modulate the pitch and amplitude of a looping triangle-based drone. This one came together in a single session.

come at once, we are sinking
modified the awake script to use a custom supercollider engine I made that wraps the Mutable Instruments Rings UGen. Gradually changing the probability of notes playing gives some variation to the melody, and I used some piano samples to create most of the rest of the textures.

faster than the sun
The bed of this track was created by recording loops of various samples and Lancet sounds into the oooooo script, modulating the panning and amplitude with the LFOs and then recording the result to the norns tape for a few minutes. I then played the tape back through the otis script to add some noise, flips and skips.
A technique I learned from Jogging House’s wonderful Patreon videos is to assign the same sample to several tracks of the Digitakt. By adjusting the pitch of each track and applying some subtle variations in panning, filtering and so on you can create an “instrument” to play. I used this technique to resample the melodic line, and also to improvise some occasional notes during the performance of the track.
I sequenced the Lancent using one of the Digitakt’s MIDI tracks and tweaked some knobs during the performance for some additional bass variation.

we will look after her
The brushed snare sound in this track comes from the Vermona Lancet. Having a noise option for oscillator 2 is very handy. There’s a little bit of my awake/rings norns script in the background. The “trumpet”-like sound was created from a saw-tooth sample on the Digitakt, I love how versitile its envelopes and filters are.

attention, the universe
I wrote most of this track on a long train ride using just the Digitakt. The power on the train would occasionally disconnet and reboot the ‘takt. A battery pack would be nice. I added some fall and a field recording when I got home.

a machine that writes
probably over-cooked the bass on this one, but Al did a great repair-job on it. I was keen to save it because I do like the little sine-wave melody/beep that comes in after a minute or so. For the pad sounds I routed a couple of Digitakt tracks directly to the reverb and not the main out. I wish the ‘takt had pre-fader send option.

please don’t worry
This was one of the first tracks I wrote in this project and I didn’t keep very good notes. It sounded like an “end of EP” track somehow, so here it is.

The new LP by morimoto naoki for Lontano Series is a minimal, ambient delight. Despite the machine intensive, sample slicing and splicing approach - albeit of many familiar instruments, the chosen sounds have an almost natural system symbiosis that naoki has seemingly allowed to evolve rather than refine into this flourishing, sonic ecosystem.

"Tender" is an album created using a different approach than my previous works, such as "Dusk to Dawn", "Sui" and "Kotoba". It was created by endlessly carving up various samples, reconstructing them, and reducing the number of sounds as much as possible.

From the finished songs, I felt a tenderness that I had never experienced before. I hope this soundscape will transport you to a place of tenderness.

CREDITS
Musi by: morimoto naoki
Record label: Lᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴏ Series
Publisher: ROHS! RECORDS

For all sonically inquisitive souls, composer & singer Frédérique Roy pooh-poohs verses & choruses; thoughtfully guiding & lighting the grey areas between whimsy & intent, soundart & structure, singer songwriting & experimentation, consciousness & slumber with her disarmingly fragile Gallic vocals & pleasantly odd sonic manner via Boiled Records.

Lune très belle est le projet de chanson de la compositrice, musicienne et écrivaine Frédérique Roy. Ovale, son nouvel album, est une séquence onirique d’images claires chantées délicatement, coulant entre des textures haptiques et changeantes. La musique aussi portée par Robin Dann, Philippe Melanson, Simon Labbé et Samuel Gougoux oscille entre des structures composées complexes et leur dissolution dans des gestes improvisés.
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Lune très belle is the song project of Montreal-based composer, singer and writer Frédérique Roy. Ovale, her new album is a series of image-driven texts sung in French, flowing on haptic, morphing textures. The music, also carried by Robin Dann, Philippe Melanson, Simon Labbé and Samuel Gougoux oscillates between clearly structured outlines and improvisatory ventures.

CREDITS
Composition et textes par Frédérique Roy
Enregistré par Vicky Mettler et Zach Scholes au Wild, Saint-Zénon
Sauf Bye bye, enregistré par Eugénie Jobin au 8400, Montréal
Mixé par Zach et Fred au Concrete Sound Studio, Montréal
Masterisé par Guy Hébert au Concrete Sound Studio, Montréal

Frédérique Roy : voix, piano, accordéon, synthétiseurs
Simon Labbé : guitares, synthétiseurs
Samuel Gougoux : basse électrique, synthétiseur
Robin Dann : voix, flûte à bec
Phil Melanson : percussions électroniques et réelles, synthétiseurs

Rebecca Rehder : cuisine, voix sur Refrain choral

Conception visuelle et graphique : Samuel Gougoux et Simon Labbé


avec le soutien du Conseil des arts du Canada

I'm a bit late to the Califone party, but after a couple of quick shots of his new LP for Jealous Butcher I'm catching up quick. Lyrical weight surfs folktronic rock, glitchy AOR makes out with toad licked Americana, a schmatlzy orchestral oddity crashes through the back door & sonic detailing oozes from every smoke filled room. A soirée for the heads not the jocks.

Part experimental indie and part ‘70s soft rock, Califone’s first record in three years finds creative force Tim Rutili reaching new levels of harmony, fragility, and confidence. Whether detailing aging goths retaining their identity through year-long spooky decorations (“Halloween”), an imagined conversation with an inbred monarch (“Habsburg Jaw”), or the conflicts between identity and technology (“Ox-Eye”), Villagers’ nine tracks spread out and luxuriates in the messy darkness of modern life. Like sitting in awe on the porch swing at the end of the world, Califone’s latest marvels at the edge of the universe spreading into the darkness of infinity.

CREDITS
​Produced by Brian Deck, Michael Krassner and Tim Rutili 

Mixed by Brian Deck 

Mastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering 
Photographs by Travis Haight 
Design by Rob Jones