TOSOD Production History (36 Perspective)

Me and James have been in contact for a few years now and we've been threatening to do a collaboration for a while. I'm a big fan of his recent ambient work, but also really dig his early 90's techno projects like Influx, Cybertrax etc.. By the way, he's sitting on some unreleased gems from this era, so if any labels want some incredible acid/techno tracks from the 90s to reissue, contact him! That shit is the real deal. Anyway, we started the collaboration proper around June 2020. He sent me some loops he made using his 6 string bass into a pedal-board, all done in one-take. They were really nice and because they were improv pieces, they had a freeform flow, completely un-quantized. Plenty of space for me to add my own synths, melodies, etc.. I sent him some pieces, mostly unfinished, and even though they were already sounding pretty good, I felt like they needed something extra to elevate them to the next level.

Around this time, I heard James' other project Awakened Souls, which he writes and co-produces alongside his wife Cynthia AKA marine eyes. She sung on a couple of tracks like "Paint The Sky" which is a devastatingly beautiful tune. When I heard it, I suggested that we should ask her if she'd like to be involved. Thankfully, she agreed instantly and from that point on, all 3 of us co-produced each track. We'd send each other instrumental tracks and give them to Cynthia, who would write and perform the vocals, and also play guitar on them. We'd then listen back and finalise the arrangement as needed.

Cynthia's addition to the team made a massive difference. You have to be careful when using vocals with ambient music as it can very quickly turn into some really dire New Age stuff. I spoke to her and suggested trying one-shot phrases, similar to how Burial used vocals in his earlier music. Just something short and meaningful, to encompass the emotion of the track, in as few words as possible. However, she had full creative control to write the lyrics/melodies and we ultimately left it in her hands. Of course, she nailed it, first time, every time.

I remember the tune "Past Self" started as a demo I sent James. I think I said something like "the tune has potential, but sounds too much like a solo 36 track and I don't really see a place for it on the album". I'd completely forgotten about it actually. Then one day, they sent me a track they'd been working on, which sounded familiar. Cynthia added the vocals straight over the original demo and I was just blown away. It completely transformed the track. This is the power of collaborating really. It's having the confidence to let others take the reigns and bring it to places you couldn't think of yourself. It felt so familar, yet also completely fresh. Like hearing it for the first time again. As far as I was concerned, the tune was finished. I resisted all temptation to return to the project and change things, because it encompassed something so pure in that moment. This happened a lot during the project actually. I'd produce in the evening here in the UK, send them some tracks, wake up the next day, check my messages and see James and Cynthia's dropbox links waiting. They'd take the previous material, work on it during the early hours in the US, and turn it into something so unique and beautiful. Then I'd do the same to tracks they wrote, until we got them where they needed to be.

The general aesthetic and overall theme of the album quickly came into focus and it was finished in about 2 months. We sent it to Raf to handle the final mastering duty and it was ready. Again, I can't overstate what a pleasure it was to work on this album with them. It was one of the easiest, most utterly friction-less project I've been involved with. It's very rare to have an album just write itself so effortlessly, but that's how it was with TOSOD. I think it's one of the most beautiful projects I've been involved in and I really hope listeners enjoy hearing it as much as we enjoyed making it.


TOSOD (36 After Dark Versions)

When we finished the album, James sent me a message asking me how I felt about them doing some self-remixes for it. I remember thinking to myself that these people are fucking machines. We'd just spent months working on the album (while handling all the other real life stuff that was happening during the time) and they were ready to go again! I always thought I was pretty prolific, but the work ethics of these guys is just something else. Anyway, I told them that I'd love to hear their remixes and I'd consider doing some myself at a later date, after I had a break and caught my breath. About a week later, I started work on my own versions... I guess I'm just hopelessly addicted to this whole music making thing too.

The 36 versions originally started out as pure drone remixes, similar in style to other reinterpretations of my music I've done in the past. I'd use a granular sampler with various pitch shifts, tape delays, filters effects to reshape the sound. I used the full wav mixdowns of the original tracks, which were then transformed into something new. Then I'd use these drone versions as the basis for further original production/composition in my DAW. Each track was written in the same order as the original album, directly influencing the next one. It was designed to be heard as one continuous album, but I still wanted each track to be enjoyable enough to hear on its own, rather than blending into each other aimlessly.

These tracks were written in Autumn, but I kept returning to them and finally finished them late 2020. It had 3 revisions in total. The COVID-19 pandemic was starting to enter the 2nd wave here in the UK and I remember thinking about the first lockdown and how surreal it was to see such empty streets. No traffic on the roads, very few people walking around outside... And the ones you did see were so terrified that they'd cross the road when they saw you, just to avoid getting too close. I'm a pretty introverted person, but even I felt sad to see people become so disconnected from each other. The funny thing is, I use earplugs at night to drown out any outside noise and help me sleep, but because the streets were so quiet, I didn't need to use them for a while. But then I actually found myself missing the sounds of traffic, people talking outside etc.. So I incorporated lots of field recordings of cities, rain.. Basically, everyday sounds I missed, used to fill the space of the music and make it feel alive again.

What I find fascinating about these versions is how different they sound to the original album, while still using the entire TOSOD LP as the backbone for it. The shape of an album is determined by a few decisions made early in the project. It's a butterfly effect that ripples, until the final destination becomes something entirely unique. It's why I like the idea of revisiting music, particularly early versions of tracks, which perhaps had different motifs to the final version. You can take tunes you love and send them to new and surprising places. It got me very excited to hear where Cynthia and James would take theirs. They didn't disappoint!

(TOSOD) Cynthia Bernard

Strange Jewels:
When James and Dennis asked if I would try vocals on a track of a project they were just starting, the muse quickly jumped in. I recorded and arranged the vocals for ‘Past Self’ in an afternoon from our bedroom studio while our kids were doing online school. Soon after the guys heard what I did, it became apparent I was going to be a part of the whole album. I often woke up at dawn smiling that I was even getting the opportunity to make an album with two musicians I look up to. There is a quote from Liz Gilbert that reminds me a lot of how creating TOSOD was for me, “The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to discover those jewels––that's creative living.” Getting fully immersed in the moment allowed me to go to that magic creative place.

Looping + Sound on Sound techniques:
I started playing guitar and writing songs when I was 16 but it wasn’t until James surprised me with a BOSS RC-505 for my birthday in 2016 that my vocals started to feel like a separate instrument. Although I don’t use it as much as I used to, it was instrumental in my creative path. On TOSOD, I did a lot of sound on sound textures with the Strymon El capistan and a volume pedal using both my voice and guitar. I had just started getting into this style and it is incredibly meditative for me. After I have a session, I always feel like a better human being.  

Vocals:
It feels freeing to sit down and never know if I will create wordless vocal textures or be inspired to write lyrics. When I do use lyrics, I usually end up singing one or two line mantras that act as messages to myself or loved ones. The words on TOSOD were meant as reminders during an intense part of the pandemic, often lines I jotted down in my journal- that each day it’s up to us to start again, that we can let life take us by the hand and surrender to the unknown, that missteps are often the path home, that we can brush up against our past self and feel as if it is another person in a bit of a beautiful way, signifying our growth or on the flipside, acting as a nudge to take more time to nurture ourselves and the ones we care about.

Listening and Musical Research:
I’ve always been enamored with hazy, ethereal vocals in shoegaze, ambient and electronic music and was listening to Julianna Barwick, Zoe Polanski (listen to Violent Flowers if you haven’t yet), Thom Yorke (always), Lucy Gooch, Hope Sandoval and Cocteau Twins during the TOSOD sessions. I have always been a music researcher, (I even used to rip library music cd’s just to expand my collection back in high school). I am constantly inspired by our peers in the ambient community, making time to listen to new music regularly.

Confidence:
Being home on a more regular basis has made it increasingly important for me to find healthy ways to get lost in the moment amongst the often busy landscape of family life. Creating and producing music has become my main way of leaning into solo time and creative connection with James. The remix album for TOSOD was the birth of my solo project, marine eyes. These are my first remixes and I fell in love with the process, understanding more about production, chopping samples and creating layers of textures with my voice. Just after these remixes were finished, I couldn’t help but start to work on my first solo album which will be coming out this coming Spring on Stereoscenic. All of the music I made in 2020 taught me to trust my intuition, believe in myself and allow me to identify with my musical side in a way I hadn’t prior.

(TOSOD) James Bernard

Viola da Gamba:
One of my primary influences and how this project started for me is my love of the bass Viola da Gamba. It also influenced my music early on (it sounded like centuries of longing, love, loss and pain in each note). In the mid-90’s, I was at a Tower Records in the village of NYC on 4th & Broadway and they were playing Jordi on the speakers and I had to ask what it was because it moved me so much. The specific album was ‘Tous les matins du monde’ and I bought it on CD that day. Over this past Summer I finally purchased a six string bass, something I have wanted for the majority of my musical career. I started experimenting with six string bass sound on sound recording techniques in the spirit with what I was drawn to from Jordi’s playing combined with Frippertronics, specifically the Fripp and Eno album ’No Pussyfooting’.  Some of the bass textures I created ended up being the catalyst for TOSOD to come to life.

The Covid Pandemic:
There is no denying that we all suffered/suffer mental and emotional impact from the Covid Pandemic. Creating this album in the Summer of 2020 was a source of comfort and gave me purpose and direction to finding joy in each day, using music as a way to connect with a friend who lives overseas and instill an even deeper musical connection with my wife.

36:
Ever since Cynthia first introduced me to Dennis’ music back in 2015, I have been a fan of his use of space, sense and atmospheres. We have spent countless drives, dinners and nights listening to 36 and to create with him is an honor I will cherish.

Minimalism and early 90’s ambient:
I am constantly striving to learn how to say more with using less notes. Since my 1994 album, Atmospherics, my approach to ambient has always been one that allows for the emotion to come through with as little distraction as possible. It would be easy to work on one song forever but the real challenge is knowing when to stop, let go and let the song take its journey. I am very inspired by ambient records from the mid-90’s, specifically M.L.O ‘lo’ and Pete Namlook’s early works.

Hope:
As Cynthia began crafting lyrics/mantras for this project, TOSOD started to take on a sense of hope for where we would be right now. A sense of hope that we would be past some of the truly dark days that we’ve collectively experienced and recognize the possibility in ‘The Other Side of Darkness.’

The Other Side Of Darkness
by
36 & awakened souls
2xLP  / 2xCD / 3xDigital Album
02/15/2021

‘The Other Side of Darkness’ is a collaborative album from 36 and awakened souls. The project began with James (awakened souls) sending Dennis (36) a few bass loops he made and quickly evolved into a collaborative project with Cynthia (awakened souls) as well. TOSOD is a contemplation on how holding space for hard emotions is ultimately what leads us towards the light. Amongst a year filled with uncertainty and a landscape none of us have ever lived in, the lyrics and feelings captured in the songs act as mantras reminding us of our common humanity. All of the songs on the album were written in the Summer of 2020.

In addition to the main album, the artists also wrote their own accompanying versions of the entire The Other Side of Darkness album, essentially turning the main album into three unique interpretations. All tracks are collected into one extended long-play for the digital version.

The 'After Dark" versions by 36 revisions The Other Side of Darkness into a rain-drenched neo-noir, reflecting on the bleak backdrop of a difficult year. It is a highly emotional, deeply personal work, which was written to be played continuously from beginning to end.

The ‘Other’ versions by awakened souls uncover the numerous sides of Gemini husband/wife duo, James and Cynthia. Ranging from deep drone, dub and acid to compositional ambient and shoegaze, this album traverses many moods. James revives his late 90’s electronic moniker, Influx for two dance-floor focused versions while Cynthia debuts her solo project, 'marine eyes' for three lush and emotionally raw versions.
--
“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”  -Brene Brown
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36 & awakened souls are:
James Bernard - Bass Guitar, Rhodes
Cynthia Bernard - Vocals, Vocal Textures, Guitar
Dennis Huddleston - Synthesizers, Strings, Steinway Piano
--
All songs mixed by James Bernard and Dennis Huddleston
Written and performed by 36 & awakened souls
Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri
Artwork by John Hobbs
Design by 36
--
© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-V039 | MMXXI
PITP.bandcamp.com
www.pastinsidethepresent.com

Los Angeles
In Autumn 2019 we did a mini tour with Ludvig Cimbrelius and long time collaborator Gayle Ellett. The City itself and all the people we met made a huge impact on us. The trip overall was very inspirational on so many levels and we had lots of surreal experiences. Doing beautiful trekkings in Topanga Mountains and Santa Monica Mountains gave us inspiration and material for over three albums alone.

We also did an amazing road trip to Joshua Tree with beautiful scenery and endless horizons. We almost feel that we can say that for Ecovillage as a duo it is like before and after LA. Our creativity and that inner fire for taking our music to the next level has definitely increased a lot since that visit. It is definitely an interesting place, but of course like any other city it has both heaven and hell in it... It is something strange, extreme, magical and bi-polar about California, just like Ecovillage can be sometimes. That place truly is a mystery to us and the change it made on the way we look at our music is almost overwhelming. This journey around California has been as much an outer journey as an inner journey. Life is a journey. And after all, it is the journey itself that matters. It is both the starting point and the goal. On the deepest level the end is built in the beginning.

Becoming Parents
Peter got his first son (He has two daughters) and Emil became a father for the first time in 2020. Really life altering experiences that put everything in perspective and have taken our music to deeper places and inner rooms we had not explored before. As a parent you have no choice but to evolve and grow as a person and it helps you a lot with the beautiful art of forgetting yourself. You also have less time to create so you have to be really dedicated and effective. You have a new responsibility and you got to sacrifice for others to make them feel safe and loved. All this gives your music more substance, sincerity and meaning. We almost quit the ecovillage project in 2016 as other family situations took over and we were focusing more and more on the contemplative life. Peter played some rough sketches in 2017 we had made earlier and Emil said they were way too good to not be released, that's where it all started again. The result was Sacred World that was released on Constellation Tatsu in 2018.

Meditation/Contemplation
Music for us is a must, it's almost like a drug with huge highs and lows. One day the new track you are working on sounds like the best track ever created and the next day the worst. It can be an emotional rollercoaster and very challenging to create an album. You put so much energy, emotions and passion in it that you can feel totally drained after. You can be all over the place with emotions like euphoria and total despair on the same day. For us meditation has been a way to balance our interior life and we are both meditation instructors. We both have been meditating on a daily basis for many years and it helps to keep us grounded, it also helps with creativity and to inspire our lives in general. To be out in nature is easily one of the most inspiring things to do and the perfect place for meditation. To be out in the stillness of nature goes hand in hand with contemplative life.

You could say our mission has always been to try to create timeless spiritual music and meditation has definitely helped us to achieve what we want. We are trying to express the inexpressible which we artists are doomed to fail at anyway but at least we try our best.

Truly great art can take you beyond the finite and get a glimpse of the infinite. For us music will in all ages stand supreme as the highest expression of what is the deepest in one self. A great artist can remind us that art, ultimately, is not about word-explanations but just intense experience. Hopefully Ecovillage can give the listener an experience of any kind, if so, we are beyond thankful.

7 Tracks that inspired this album
John Coltrane - Welcome
Manual - Ica
Keith Jarett - Spirits 4
Boards Of Canada - Zoetrope
Federico Durand - Canción De La Vía Láctea (Milky Way Song)
Ulf Lohmann - Nicht Die Welt
Altars Altars - At The Harbour

All tracks written, composed and produced by Emil Holmström and Peter Wikström
Mixed by Emil Holmström and Peter Wikström
Track 2 Co-produced by Gayle Ellett, additional flute and guitar by Gayle Ellett
Recorded from October 2019 to September 2020 in Topanga and Umeå
Mastered at Kaleidoscope Tone Studio (IN) by zakè
Design, layout and assemblage by zakè
--
© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-C008 | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
pastinsidethepresent.com

Morning Recording / Routine
 I was a night owl when I was younger and I spent a lot of time recording between 11pm and 3am. As I’ve gotten older and settled into my career as a teacher, I have grown to love early morning recording sessions and having a very reliable routine. I often have 2 days a week without classes and on these days, studio days, I will wake up at my normal time, 7am, and do my morning stuff: shower, eat breakfast, etc. Then I go down to the studio and will work for an hour or three. I find there is a kind of clarity that comes for me in working in the morning. The world feels quieter. My dreams from the night before are sort of lingering there. It is peaceful. That is a space that fosters rewarding studio time for me.
 
I also think having a routine has become a very central part of my practice as an artist. I really thrive on knowing I have allotted time to go into the studio and work on music, as I also thrive on knowing I have allotted times that I will be doing the work that I need to do to pay the bills. Having both of those spaces in scheduled times throughout the week has made them more separate and also more rewarding.

Chicago
Chicago is a complicated and beautiful place. Economically, politically, ideologically… it is all over the map. Mega rich, super poor. Diverse but profoundly segregated. Colorful but persistently gray (especially in the winter!). All of these converging and complex qualities have undeniably shaped my music and my life in the 7 or so years I have lived here. We live on the Northwest side and have grown to love this area of the city because it is close enough to the city center to go there when we can, but also close enough to some really wonderful forest preserves and natural spaces. I don’t think people often associate Chicago with nature, but the city and surrounding areas are littered with natural spaces. Wild coyotes roam the outskirts of the city and can often be seen on the wooded shoulders of the expressway. Deer thrive in the woods that rumble in the wake of low-flying jets landing just miles away at O’Hare, one of the busiest airports in America. It is a place that demands a certain kind of tenacity to thrive here, but also a place that has its own kind of radical hospitality. I love it. 

'Woo'd Early' by  Free Dust
Limited LP / Digital
01/29/2021

For a year, in 2015, Matthew Sage (aka M. Sage) cataloged near-daily recordings made with a very narrow creative constraint; electric guitar and a few pedals, all recorded and mixed directly to cassette 4-track. Eschewing the often complex studio gadgetry and computer editing that he relies on for his primary project, Free Dust became a respite that offered room for technique to fall away and for pure expression to surface. He collected and released more than two-and-a-half hours of this material throughout the year as quarterly digital downloads; this body of work was then re-released as a double-CD in 2019 on his now-defunct label Patient Sounds.

Now, Past Inside the Present presents a new collection of Free Dust material, the first proper LP for this project. Woo’d Early is a succinct diurnal counter to the sprawling dusk-settling realms of Archive; these fluttering dawn-oriented guitar works, using the same constraints that originally defined the project, were recorded in the very early mornings of late Summer and early Fall 2019. Instead of cerebral evening ruminations, these are billowing guitar atmospheres as casual morning ponderings. Where Archive was a diaristic account of acclimating to a new life in a new city, Woo’d Early is mornings having adapted. Reveling in the constraints presented by restricted gear, Sage explores melody and texture with an inquisitive, sensitive, and casual curiosity. Not without their hiccups, complications, and delightful quirks, these mostly-docile reflections are a mottled silver sliver of the complicated peace that mornings and maturation present every day; the tender and gray midwestern sky, chalky and pale before the rustling of the day has shaken off the evening’s inky dust. 
--
Written, recorded and produced by Matthew Sage
Recorded in Chicago, Illinois in 2019
Mastered at Schwebung Mastering (Germany) by Stephan Mathieu
Photography, design and assemblage by Matthew Sage
Created using electric guitar, electronics and magnetic tape design
--
© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-V013 | MMXXI
PITP.bandcamp.com
www.pastinsidethepresent.com

Prior studies and touring as a percussionist
A huge section of my musical career was just that: making a musical career through a more set path through music studies. I’ve spent 10 years studying across the world from Sweden to New Delhi. I’ve developed a musical repertoire in Swedish traditional music as well as Middle Eastern meditation and percussion. My education gave me a sense of a secure career path, but throughout it I felt like I was shutting off a part of myself creatively. Over the years I had the opportunity to dip into electronic music, electroacoustic composition, and sound design while playing with friends, doing a few film jobs, and working within performance art. These moments playing brought out deep feelings that I had been missing artistically in my normal work. Through more and more consideration over my school years, I was more inspired to do something with this other side of my musicality.
Then came a breaking point when I was set to begin my master’s education in Spain. It was a dream set up. Perfect teachers, perfect school, everything that I needed logically to continue my classical education career. I decided to take a jump in a new direction; to leap into something unknown: this creative part of me that had been growing all of these years. 

Ambient music
The following autumn after leaving my masters program, I found myself with all this time that I previously gave to school and to helping other artists realize their dream projects. I started to look for inspiration. Eventually I stumbled across ambient music through this amazing podcast called, “Sound and Process” by Dan Dirks. This flame, or better said, forest fire, sparked within me. All of this new music. All of these new artists. I had never heard of any of it but it felt like home. That fall, I got deep into modular synths, algorithmic composition, and generative music. This combination grew up into my own approach to ambient music. I would love to give a shout out to a special few that opened this new world to me: Marcus Fischer, Federico Durand, Elaine Radigue, and Emily A. Sprague. Thank you for your music. Also Dan Dirks, thank you for your amazing work on your podcast, as well as everyone involved and creating the lines forum.

Alsace
I would also love to mention a really special memory right within this musical and personal change for me. In September 2018 I attended an artist residency for ten days in Alsace, France. With six other artists branching over several artistic disciplines, we stayed in this beautiful wooden house on the mountainside outside of a small village called Metzeral. The residency was artist-run and lacked any specific agenda. Nothing waited to be presented or reviewed which I think was crucial to the experience and atmosphere. We started each morning with an exercise, game, or activity, led by one of us to start the day.This gave us a chance to get a glimpse into someone else's world and expression. The rest of the day consisted of individual artistic work, conversations, walks along the mountain sides, and meals among friends.  

The Change, PROCESS
With all this, the album has come to represent a transformative process for me both creatively and personally. It’s been an adventure, discovering new creative depths within me, as well as taking scary steps in exciting directions that left my comfortable career path. 
It’s been a humbling process. Though I dedicated years to classical and traditional music, it feels like I have started back at the beginning in some ways. I’m still grabbing all the past parts of me and now composing my own music. It’s such an exciting process, as now all artistic decisions and the outcome are on me. I think that this realization in unison with my change of artistic direction humbled me greatly and really changed who I am today. I would say that this period of time was the start of PROCESS.

Process
by
Tobias Karlehag
Limited LP / Digital
01/15/2021

Tobias Karlehag is a multi-instrumentalist and sound artist from Gothenburg, Sweden. With his solo project he creates spacious ambient and drone music through algorithmic compositions and improvisation.

In his debut album 'Process' he shapes a still and meditative state with modular synths, electric guitar and various electronics with underlying narratives. The music is the result of a shift where the inspiration for his work comes, partially from field recordings, chance and his own reflections on flow and break-up.creditsreleases January 24, 2021

Artistic idea, composition, recording and mixing by Tobias Karlehag
Mastering by Linus Andersson
Photography by Anton Alvin
Graphic design by Julius åsling
This release is possible through funding by KulturRadet
Vinyl pressed at Spinroad Vinyl, Gothenburg, Sweden

Thanks to Zach Frizzell & PITP, Jacob Snavely, Rasmus Persson, Anton Alvin, the community at Vrångsholmen and Statens Kulturråd. Special thanks to my friends and family from near and far, you know who you are, both for what has been and for what is to come.

--

© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-V029 | MMXXI

PITP.bandcamp.com
pastinsidethepresent.com

THE PRESENT WITHIN THE FUTURE
I got to know Past Inside The Present, thanks to my friend Agus Mena (Warmth).  I remember him telling me about a new record label that would be interested in reissuing his album Parallel.  I accessed the link on the website and immediately fell in love with the aesthetic, photography, the artists involved, and I immediately realized that this would be a good, healthy place with potential where I could make friends.  I spoke to Sita Ostheimer about this label, and it is the first time that we have recorded an album specifically to send to a label.  Of course, we tried our luck.  And finally, here we are with a new family that supports musicians in a special way that few do.

PIANO AND ORCHESTRA
I have been lucky to have a brother who is also music lover.  We were in contact with music from a very young age.  We were always attracted to Punk, Hardcore, Heavy, and Rockabilly music. In the mid-nineties we started to be interested in electronic music and Trip Hop and we discovered the Kranky and Warp labels.  We were then drawn to Arvö Part, Craig Armstrong, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and the soundtracks that Joe Hisaishi created for Takeshi Kitano films.

All that music was full of orchestrations, pianos with a lot of drama.  At that time I was playing drums in the Trip Hop band Maydrïm, and I started playing the double bass in a self-taught way.  My brother played hard techno records at big festivals and sampled orchestrations from old movie soundtracks he had on vinyl.  Contact has a lot to do with all of that.  My contact with the music that I love, and my 5 years of contact with Sita Ostheimer.

NORMALITY AND PALM TREES
I have a weakness for plants.  I worked as a gardener when I was a teenager and was able to pay for some of my first instruments thanks to these jobs.  Now I am lucky to live in a beautiful place surrounded by coconut trees, Strelitzia, Ficus, Phoenix and Washington palms.  Sometimes when I record music, I do it with the door of my house open, where I can see the palm tree that appears on the cover of “Contact”.  I think that plants do not understand pandemics, and they have always been well cared for even during our confinement.  This image is a tribute to those plants that brought peace and tranquility to my life.

Contact
by Pepo Galán & Sita Ostheimer
LP / Digital
12/11/2020

This is Pepo's and Sita's first debut album as a true collaborative effort under both artists' names. Contact is in appreciation and gratefulness of their creative, ever growing partnership.

Pepo Galán and Sita Ostheimer have collaborated in one way or another since 2015. Pepo composed music and furnished accompanied arrangements for Sita's dance creations and Sita recorded her delicate vocals for several of his solo albums.

Written and produced by Pepo Galán
Pepo Galán: Piano, Synth, Voice, Guitar & Field Recordings
Sita Ostheimer: Lyrics and Voice
Lee Yi: Synth, Cello, Additional Guitar & Effects
Macarena Montesinos: Additional Cello on 'Distance'
Recorded between Berlin and Málaga
Mastered at Black Knoll Studio (NY) by Rafael Anton Irisarri
Photography by Pepo Galán
Layout, design & assemblage by zakè
--
© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-V028 | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
pastinsidethepresent.com

MEMORIES AND THE PAST
Almost all of the ambient music that I make is influenced in some shape or form by my own memories, or the past. Sometimes the music is influenced by someone else’s memory, or an event in history.

When the music is influenced by my own memories, the memories are of moments in my life, specific events, certain days that stand out to me, specific people or old friends, memories of strangers or people who I don’t know too well. I like to attach an ambient track, or album, to a certain memory, or era, and when I listen to that track or album, that memory, or a collection of memories, are brought back to me.

I also use field recordings quite a lot. These field recordings are like capturing a memory in a bottle. For a whole year from 2019 – 2020 I made short recordings each day, or whenever I felt I should be recording something. I would record parties, the ambience of airports, people talking in the distance, traffic, the sound of the wind moving through the trees, animals, a lighter being ignited, a door shutting, even the sound of a microwave beeping when the food had been zapped.  It sounds a bit weird but the idea of being able to record a moment in life and then listen back to it later is so pure to me. Some of these recordings appear throughout the music I make, some of them do not. The recordings that do appear in the music are just as important as the music itself, even if the recording lasts only a few seconds; I added them in for a reason.

IMAGES
I like to take pictures of everyday things and the people that are in my life. I use film but also my phone’s camera. Sometimes a certain photo will stand out to me and I’d get an urge to make music based around that photo. Images are really important to the music I make,  whether they’re my images or someone else’s. I adore the work of Gordon Parks, Mikiko Hara, Francesca Woodman, Eve Arnold, Carrie Mae, Shin Noguchi, Enrique Metinides, Rinko Kawauchi, Justine Kurland, the list would go on and on, but their work inspirers me greatly. I think images and their relation to music in general is a universal thing; writing and music also have a deep connection, but that’s a story for another time.

EMOTIONS AND COLOUR
I tie many emotions that I feel to sounds. I also tie sounds to colours. In ambient music, I try to connect a certain emotion that I feel to a specific melody, or atmosphere. Occasionally, I do this with a certain colour. I try to make the music sound red, or blue, or black, depending on what tone I’m going for. Most of the ambient music I make consists of looped melodies made by myself. I want these atmospheric loops to illustrate an emotion, a colour, a certain feeling. Sometimes these emotions I aim to describe are happy ones, sometimes they’re sad, or hopeful, or loving, or somewhere on the vast emotional spectrum. I try to do a good job of it. I’m not the best at certain aspects of music making, but I try to make the sound as good as I can. If I’m unable to capture these emotions and memories, images and colours, then I need to keep trying. All of these things are essential to the music.

Pathways
by Pallette
LP / Digital
11/27/2020

'Pathways' is a collection of four stunning loops created by the artist during an introspective period of his life. These majestic, consonant arrangements breathe slowly as fleetingly beautiful melodies; a gorgeous account of ebb and flow repetition. Pathways is cautiously sanguine and equally melancholic of which many today can personally and intimately relate to. A universal desperation and yearning for hope in a dispirited civilization.

Written, recorded and produced by Pallette
Additional production by Damien Duque
Design, layout and assemblage by zakè
Mastered at Schwebung Mastering (Germany) by Stephan Mathieu
--
© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-V031 | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
pastinsidethepresent.com

Inspiration and thoughts behind the making of 'Six Postcards & Other Stories' by Carlos Ferreira

Modern Japanese Literature
In recent years I have been devoting myself to reading Modern Japanese Literature - Haruki Murakami, Yasunari Kawabata, Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, Yukio Mishima... just to name a few of my favorites. Although the approach of these authors is always very diverse, I find among all some elements that converge and dialogue with each other. I identify a lot with their conception of time present in the works. There seems to be a tendency to value the moment lived, “here-now”.
Also, the detailed description of nature, which is not only a background, but an active part of the narratives... they seem to me elements in common with approaches to ambient music, of using the environment as a trigger for experiences.

Andrei Tarkovsky's Landscapes
Tarkovsky is one of my favorite film directors for sure. The natural landscapes of his films seem to act as projections of an inner world - the filming in sequence / the extended time, the use of silence as an aesthetic resource to embrace the viewer, placing him actively in the center of the narrative... These are things that I try to explore in my music, in order to put the listener in a deep and emotional listening experience, offering a different sensorial space.

Cassette Culture
Let me note that I love cassettes! They have noises, crackling sounds, hiss, etc. They are reminders of what life is like – organic, finite, imperfect. From the beginning, the whole concept of “Six Postcards & Other Stories” was related to its physical format. As I tried to work with the idea of making 'sound postcards’, something that contained a very personal message and was also portable, cassettes are perfect for that. Therefore, many of the layers and textures of this album were obtained through tapes, as well as its mastering.

Six Postcards & Other Stories
by Carlos Ferreira
Cassette + Postcard Set // Digital
11/06/2020

“I am fascinated by the idea that time is not linear, and that it cannot be measured quantitatively. The intensity of each moment lived makes it unique. This makes me rethink my own existence as an individual, as well as my relationship with all the things that surround me. "Six Postcards & Other Stories" is a soundtrack for these thoughts. Each postcard represents a fragment, a memory of an indefinite time. They are soundscapes that aim to make the listener create their own images, acting as triggers for experiences.” - C.F.

Written, produced and mastered by Carlos Ferreira
Design, layout and assemblage by zakè
Postcards by Fernanda Ishida
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© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-C015 | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
pastinsidethepresent.com

MY GUITAR
Not a secret that I am a bit of a guitar player. But I never used it too actively for Endless Melancholy recordings. This time, at one point of the recording process I realized that something was missing from the picture. So I decided to take my guitar and put some finishing touches. I didn't use it excessively, but it is present throughout the whole release adding some really nice notes to the soundscape. I really enjoyed the process, and it really pushed things forward with the recordings. To me this is one of the key things why the whole release sounds as it sounds in the end.

SPACE AND TIME
As simple as it gets. This release is highly inspired by the space theme, hence the track titles. Our planet is a beautiful place to live, and the majesty of the universe has always been a great inspiration for many artists.

THE IDEA OF BLENDING GENRES
At one point after releasing my previous album 'A Perception of Everything' I faced the question: "What do I want my new music to sound like?" It's not a secret that my early recordings mostly were piano-based instrumentals, while starting from the year 2015 I slowly shifted to making ambient soundscapes. At some point I really got into the synth sound too. So, rather than trying to choose one certain direction I decided to go with a complex approach and combine everything I liked about the sound of instrumental music into one release. I was really inspired and driven by the idea of creating some sort of an 'ultimate Endless Melancholy release'. So I came up with these two longform tracks, where ambient soundscapes seamlessly flow into slow piano chord progressions, which then give way to heavier synth parts. I spent endless nights crafting these 20 minutes of music. And I can say that this release is my most carefully produced, thoughtful and mature work up to date.

Seamless
by Endless Melancholy
LP // Digital
10/23/2020

‘Seamless' a new EP from Endless Melancholy, a solo-project of Oleksiy Sakevych, who currently resides in Kyiv, Ukraine. Endless Melancholy is previously known for releases on such labels as Preserved Sound, Dronarivm, Thesis, Sound in Silence, and, of course, his very own Hidden Vibes imprint.

‘Seamless is a reflection on our admiration of the universe and its eternal beauty. The gaze of humanity has always been set towards the stars. The majesty of the universe has always been a great inspiration for many artists, and this is my humble dedication to it.' - Oleksiy Sakevych.

Seamless consists of 2 longform compositions. Each of them presents a variety of moods and sonic forms, which were created using the electric guitar, synths, piano and strings, all carefully recorded and wrapped in the warmness of analog noises and sound effects.

Written and produced by Oleksiy Sakevych
Mastered at Schwebung Mastering (Germany) by Stephan Mathieu
Layout & design treatments by zakè
--
© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-V032 | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
pastinsidethepresent.com

Inspiration and thoughts behind the making of 'Geneva' by zakè

A PHOTOGRAPH
The origin of Geneva was based on a photograph. Most often, I create music and then artwork follows, but for Geneva, the artwork was the genesis. The title itself is based on the photo that was captured in Geneva, Switzerland by Mathieu Garcia. When I first viewed the photo, it immediately inspired me how the world could be so beautiful. It is this photo that influenced and initiated the audio output of Geneva, at least in the loops that were created for the artists to expand upon.
 
Initially set out to be a solo record of arrangements, I halted all production based on an idea I had while working on the tracks. I wanted to invite friends and influential artists to take part in this endeavor with me. I chose friends and colleagues that not only have a positive influence on me personally, but artists that have a positive impact in the genre of ambient music.

THE INFLUENCERS
In no particular order, here are the artists that reworked, manipulated and expanded upon the source material resulting in their own unique creation and some back history on how they influenced me.

Benoît Pioulard
I'll start by saying the best $24 I've ever spent. My wife and I took a trip St. Louis. It was a very cold evening on November 5, 2011 at a small venue called 'Off Broadway'. We bought advance tickets for $12. For $24 we had the opportunity to witness one of the most beautiful nights in recent memory. It was a night featuring A Winged Victory for the Sullen with the ACME String Ensemble, Benoit Pîoulard, and Ken Camden. AWVFTS was amazing as expected, but what really impacted the evening was Benoit Pîoulard’s set. The visuals, his gentle voice, the sounds.. It left me speechless and was one of the best sets I've ever seen. My Pîoulard obsession came into full swing that night and I have celebrated his works since. It deepened when only a year later, Thomas collaborated with Rafael Anton Irisarri to form Orcas.

The Sight Below
Glider. Glider. Glider. Oh my, what a release that was, is, and will continue to be. This was my first introduction to Rafael Anton Irisarri. This album was released in 2008 and my wife bought me the CD from Ghostly as a surprise. It absolutely blew me away and has been on regular rotation ever since.
 
I remember back in late winter 2018, just when I was tossing around the idea of starting Past Inside the Present, I was in communication with Raf. (Which blew me away that I was even talking to him over the internet!). I can't remember how it came about, but we decided to jump on a phone call and talk a bit. I'll never forget that night. Honestly, I was shaking when I hit 'call' and heard the phone start to ring. I was in my car, in my driveway. (I have a lot of kids and wanted absolutely no distractions, ha!). Rafael and I talked for almost 2 hours about everything from mastering, to distro, running a label, promoting, etc. Two things came about from our conversation; 1) I was scared to death to start a label and 2) I just talked to freaking Rafael Anton Irisarri. Fanboy aside, this man gave me two hours of his evening to talk and advise me. Since then, Raf has been an incredible confidant and advisor, but most of all a wonderful friend. As you know, Raf has mastered many albums on the PITP imprint and I am forever grateful for everything he has done and continues to do for PITP and I.

worriedaboutsatan
Labcoats and Patty Hearst. The year was 2006 when I illegally downloaded ‘EP1’ by worriedaboutsatan from the website ‘The Sirens Sound’ (Sorry Gavin). I have since made up for that misstep by celebrating and supporting team satan. I often discovered many artists on The Sirens Sound, but then would scoop up anything physical by the artist. (Oddly enough, I discovered 36 from this platform as well!). Back to Labcoats and Patty Hearst. These two songs were on constant repeat, along with the entirety of EP1. If you would have asked me 14 years ago I’d be working with Gavin, I wouldn’t believe it, but if you asked me two years ago I’d be working with many of my favorite artists, I wouldn’t believe that either!

Warmth
Home. Agustín Mena. One of the kindest gents around, Agus and I connected back in early spring of 2019. For the years leading up to our conversation about doing something together, ‘Home’ was an album I regularly played. It was so immersive and perfect. Less than a year later, he dropped an impeccable album titled 'Parallel'. Parallel never received a proper LP release, so that is how his album came about on PITP as 'Parallel Inflection", released on the one-year anniversary of Parallel. 'Parallel Inflection' is condensed compositions from Parallel and included two previously unreleased arrangements from the Parallel sessions.
Thank you Agus for who you are. 

Andrew J Klimek
Andrew is a kind soul. I've always enjoyed his works and his label Stereoscenic immensely. Andrew and I are known to pass ideas and little samples of tracks we are working on from time to time. Lately, Andrew has been experimenting with drone arrangements, which are incredible. I've always felt honored communicating with him and felt it would be wonderful to have him on Geneva. He runs a tight, focused label and is no doubt a big influence on how we operate at PITP.

Hotel Neon
The amazing gents of Hotel Neon. The audio output of this supergroup will forever amaze me. Each individual of Hotel Neon also releases solo works that are equally astounding, but when you put these three gents together, some unbelievable things happen. I was introduced to these wonderful lads by good friend Marc Ertel. When first starting up PITP, Marc encouraged me to connect with them. He made an introduction and I checked out their works. How I missed them on my radar cannot be explained, but when I first heard 'Context' I was absolutely floored. Since then, PITP released an exclusive two song ep and I had the pleasure of hosting 'An Evening of Ambience' that featured Steven Kemner. I also was able to hang with the guys at Post. Festival in 2019. I am excited to see what these guys do next and hopefully we can do a proper release in the future! I am honored that they took the time to provide a rework on Geneva.

Isaac Helsen
Ah yes, Sir Isaac Helsen. Our relationship started basically when PITP first started. His song, 'The Extent of the Observable World That is Seen at Any Given Moment' from 2018 was played on repeat many nights. I messaged him and we jumped on a call about a possible release. This song was going to be the first physical PITP release on 7". We both decided though, through several discussions, that we both equally dislike 7" records. The minute you put the needle down and relax, you're getting back up to flip it! Perhaps laziness, perhaps cost, but we ultimately decided against it. That's where his split 12" 'RAS' came about with one of my favorite artists, Wayne Robert Thomas. What a lovely album. In short, Isaac's passion and view of PITP mirrored mine, so I asked him to be my partner. I can write an entire article on Isaac and what he means to me, but we can save that for our Rolling Stone article that will never happen.

Tyresta
Nicholas. It's what I call him when we are having a serious conversation. Doesn't happen too often, but when it does, he is Nicholas. Nick is another close friend and partner of PITP. He's our in-house mental health counselor too, although he won't admit it. Prior to PITP releasing cassettes (Something I initially vowed never to do), I saw so many ambient artists releasing cassettes. I decided to take the plunge and publicly asked on PITP's twitter for ambient tape recommendations. Tyresta commented. I purchased. The rest is history. Nick's passion matched Isaac and I's and he has been with us pretty much since the beginning. Again, I can write an entire article on Nick and what he means to me and we will save that for the Rolling Stone article. ha!

Poemme
Angela is was of those people you will meet and immediately know how genuine and kind someone is. I’ve celebrated her many lush works over the years, especially ‘Moments in Golden Light’ when I was curating the list of artists to take part in Geneva. It just so happens I caught Angela just finishing up the final touches of ‘Frozen Passages’ and had time to take on this little endeavor. She accepted the offer to rework a track and I couldn’t believe the result. She is truly an incredible artist and person.

Geneva
by zakè
LP // Cassette // Digital
10/09/2020

Past Inside the Present is pleased to present an extraordinary compilation titled, ‘Geneva’, showcasing the works of some of the most prolific and prominent ambient artists of our time. Intentionally chosen for their positive impact in the genre and influential previous works; nine artists exhibit their masterfully crafted sounds based off a simple loop that was provided to them. Each artist on ‘Geneva’ used a loop created by zakè and then in turn reworked, manipulated and expanded upon the source material resulting in their own unique creation.

‘Geneva’ includes familiar PITP artists, (Benoît Pioulard, Hotel Neon, Warmth, worriedaboutsatan, Isaac Helsen & Tyresta) in addition to several artists appearing for the first time on the PITP imprint (The Sight Below, Poemme, & Andrew J Klimek). Mastered at Black Knoll Studio (NY) by Rafael Anton Irisarri, ‘Geneva’ is a compelling and inspirational paean to various forms and patterns of the ambient genre.

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Tracks 1-9 are featured on 'Geneva Remixes' LP
Tracks 10-14 are featured on 'Geneva Loops' Cassette

Geneva loop remixes and reworks by the following:
(1) Hotel Neon, (2) The Sight Below, (3) Isaac Helsen, (4) Benoît Pioulard, (5) worriedaboutsatan, (6) Warmth, (7) Poemme, (8) Tyresta, and (9) Andrew J Klimek

‘Geneva Loops’ written and produced by zakè (tracks 10-14)
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Mixed at SDS Studio (WA) by Drew Sullivan
Mastered at Black Knoll Studio (NY) by Rafael Anton Irisarri
Design, layout and assemblage by zakè
'Geneva Morning Sky' photo provided by Mathieu Garcia; Geneva, Switzerland.
--
© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-V025 | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
www.pastinsidethepresent.com

Inspiration
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma
This artist is a major influence in my creative process. He inspires me by his versatility and audacity to push boundaries. One of my favourite album, On the Echoing Green, immerses you in a shoegaze and dream pop haze with a touch of lo-fi. You are transported to this nostalgic place with the noisy and melodic guitar effects.
The second album, Tracking Back the Radiance, is a much more subtle record but hypnotic all the same.

Experimentation
I enjoy alternating with the order of my pedals. Sometime, the simple act of changing their positioning on the pedal board can trigger a different sound. I am constantly searching for a new and interesting sound all the while ensuring the specific esthetic I have worked to preserve. I believe that the esthetic of a piece of art can transcend the art itself. It is with this belief that Ruptures was created.

A non-exhaustive list of things that directly inspired the album ​Nature Morte.​

Things.
Things i​s the name of a novel by George Perec, a french author who set boundaries in his creative  process in order to create unique pieces of art. You've perhaps heard of his most famous work: ​La  Disparition ​(​Vanish'd ​in english) - a three hundred page novel written without the letter “E”. It is truly  an unreadable narrative but the creative process is interesting; sometimes the result is amazing, where a  perfect balance exists between the means and the end, like his book ​Things.
I decided to imitate Perec, limiting myself to the use of only one cassette tape loop for each track. On  certain tracks like ​Esquisse, ​there is no manipulation, whereas on others such as ​Relief, t​here is a lot​.  There is virtually no mix in my DAW. The loops are processed live with the use of pedals, an effect  processor and an analog EQ. I wished to keep things as ​simple ​as possible because I discovered that  when endless possibilities are at my disposal, it interferes with my slow creative flow.

Still Life.
I work part time at a Fine Arts Museum. Naturally, being surrounded by a lot of paintings, greatly  influences me. I often find myself going before opening hours. The experience of being completely  alone in a room, filled with so much beauty and history is wildly enriching.
I am in no way a painter but I am deeply moved by the technicality of the paintings, especially the  dutch Still life of the seventeenth century. I named the tracks of the album as if I were, myself, painting  a Still life; a musical one 

Hi Gavin! It is a pleasure talking to you today. How are you doing?
W: I'm doing good, thanks! A little tired and a little sad that summer is kinda tailing off, but all good nonetheless.


We are really excited to welcome worriedaboutsatan in our PITP roster.
Please tell us a bit about yourself and how did you come to release this album on PITP?
W: Well, I'm Gavin – I make music from a little home studio in Saltaire, a little village in the north of England. It's a world heritage site as it was a model village built in the Victorian times, so it's a bit weird living here, but I grew up just down the road in another little village, so it's not the biggest change in circumstances I guess :) I started making music as worriedaboutsatan in 2005, and have been kinda chugging along ever since. I think PITP popped up on my radar as we both swim in the same ambient circles, and I just got chatting with Zach one day I think – I had loads of material I remember, and I kept looking at that lovely logo and thinking “god damn I wanna be on that label!” haha!


‘Europa’ is amazing, congratulations! Let’s talk about it.
What is this album about and what does it mean to you?
W: Thanks! I really like it too. It kinda happened by accident, as it was Zach that floated the idea of a little introduction album, so Europa is somewhere between a re-issue, a best of, and a new single. It's a nice mix of the older satan catalogue and two new tracks too, but it's been programmed to flow like an original record, which is awesome. Who Is A Hunter? & Cloaking were actually part of a single from a few years ago, but a label that was supposed to put it out on vinyl never did, so I was always a little annoyed at that, as those tracks were made especially for the format, so when Zach suggested including them on Europa, it was one of those full circle moments! Beautiful how it all fell into place.


The album is a perfect blend of ambient, drone, techno and post-rock. What is your approach when it comes to mixing these different genres?
W: It's a strange one, as I started out in a post-rock band – y'know, the OTT overblown type, so when that band split up, and I started making electronic music, I kinda had that post-rock vibe in mind, but was trying to replicate the emotive quality through something other than a band format. I think I was a bit fed up with bands in general, and just wanted to experiment with electronics, which is how satan was born – coming at ambient, drone, electronica and techno, but from a post-rock background, so it's all I've ever known how to do! I'm always up for having a little look at a certain genre and seeing if there's anything I can pinch or bend to the satan sound, so it's nice to keep a fresh ear as to what's happening.

 
Tell us about your process and influences for this album.
W: As it's a compilation, the influences range a little more than usual, but the processes were still the same – just turn on bits of gear and see where they take you! Influence wise, Shift (part 1) was born out of a project which was attempting to make something long, flowing and free- form, rather than strict four-to-the-floor stuff like, say, Who Is A Hunter? Vex and Sunk, the two brand new ones, were more experiments in synthy, slow-core techno stuff and floaty ambience
respectively. I guess most satan stuff starts as an experiment in something, and then it kinda falls into place as it goes along.


Let’s talk about the beautiful artwork and ‘Europa’.
What is your relationship with space and how did ‘Europa’ end up being the album title?
W: Zach suggested Europa, and I think at one point he didn't know if it was any good or not, but I loved it straight away! I always think of myself as more European than English anyway (that's what a German side of the family will do to you), and I just really loved that word and the stark image of the moon itself on the cover – which is some more incredible work by Zach. Oh, and also – Europa is the moon they travel to in the not-so-successful-but-I-still-love-it sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010. Properly underrated film, Helen Mirren's great in it.


What is your favorite track on the record and why?
W: Ooh, tough one. I really like Shift, but I'll say Vex as it's a new one. It was the first time in a long time where I sat down with a guitar and played stuff that was hovering around the same key as the synth, but wasn't necessarily the same chords or notes – I remember thinking “oh shit, yeah – you can do this can't you?” haha! Really nice guitar bits on that one.


In general what inspires you to write music?
W: Kind of anything really. I think I'm a melancholic person in general, so when it comes to making stuff, I'm never going to ply a trade in major chords, so I like to try and see what I can do with the more subdued end of the musical spectrum. Sometimes I'll just get an idea and think 'yeah, I should try that!', and see what I can mold it into. Other times I'll just sit down and try to kick off with a small idea and see where it heads.


What are you listening to these days?
Any artists that you admire and continue to be inspired by?
W: Yeah, I'm listening to quite a fair bit at the moment. I like to listen to a lot of stuff across genres as well, as I think it keeps you on your toes a little more. You can always tell when people only listen to techno, or just ambient or whatever. I think I'm too restless for that, so I will load up a Carly Rae Jepsen album or something. I mean, she's amazing – something like Too Much, or Gimme Love has had more impact on me than a lot of the big ambient/ drone guys. Also really like FRKTL, she's awesome. Her new record is just incredible – it sounds so ferocious, yet has this heart to it as well. Also really like that new Hayley Williams album, that new Charli XCX one as well, and more often than not I'll bang on a bit of HTRK – I could listen to them all day, I really could! Their atmospheres are just beautiful. They have a real yearning quality to them that's so hard to replicate - they just leave stuff up in the air, and only bring it back down when it's totally needed.


A live show/tour for this record would be such a great experience.
Do you miss live shows?
When we can put social distancing behind us, is playing ‘Europa’ live something you want to do?
W: Hell yeah! I think 2020 is the first year since 2004 where I've not played a live show, and it's horrible! Playing live was always something I really believed in doing, and making it much more of a live show than a lot of electronica guys do. There's a tendency to just load up a laptop and sit there, poking at buttons for an hour, so when I first started looking at a new live set, I ditched the iPad, and bought a drum machine, as I wanted things to look and sound a lot more organic – I wanted to get away from just triggering loops of Garage band, and get a bit more hands on. I've been doing a few live-streams on Instagram & YouTube, but it's not the same as being on stage in front of people. It's nice though, don't get me wrong, and it's been great to play some guitar for people over the past few months, but I'm really itching to get back onstage with all this stuff and play for people. I'm not going to be one of these douchebags who play gigs during a pandemic though, that's just so daft.


Thank you for taking the time.
Any last words you want to share with people out there?
W: No worries! Hmm... last words? Erm. How about Up The Villa? (it's a football thing)

This wonderful 19th century Church has become our musical home.

It’s the place where we had our very first concert and since two months we started a series of live sessions every Thursday night. It’s not a regular show but people can come in and stay for how long they want. Soaking in the atmosphere and tranquility of this space. When we start playing we don’t know what will happen as everything is improvised. There’s space for vulnerability and space for magic and conversation in the music that is being created in these fragile moments.

The building itself displays fragility as it was heavily damaged during World War 2 and you can still see the scars. During the peaceful revolution in 1989 it was a secret gathering place for political activist leading towards change. We feel very blessed to be able to play our music in this special place and it continues to inspire us for making new music. For example we share the recordings of our live sessions with our patrons on Patreon.

I‘ve discovered this brick building on my first walk through Berlin-Weissensee, a rather quiet district far away from the rushing and hip areas of the town.

What seemed at first sight like a rather usual side street later unveiled as a creative hub for many leading musicians. I found an open door and stumbled into an Italian guy who explained to me that this was his sound studio. He showed me around his place filled with analog audio gear of all ages. At this time I didn’t know that he was Francesco Donadello and had worked with most of my musical idols like Hammock and A Winged Victory for the Sullen. It feels to me like a perfect coincidence that we were later able to use the recording room in this building to record our album 'Chronos'.


Behaimstrasse

Only one street away I’ve found my own little Studio for working on my music and sound projects. It feels like a hidden world, a pitoresque brick building in a side street backyard.

The turbulent world stays outside while I lock myself in this room to produce music. There are several audio engineers working here and we share a lot of knowledge and gear which  is a great support. Here I’ve spend endless hours working on mixing and mastering the tracks for „Chronos“. Everytime I felt like I couldn’t continue working due to lack of time or creativity something new and inspiring came across my way. Like this one day when I’ve found an interview with Sigur Rós producer Alex Somers in a staple of old Sound magazines talking about his work on “Kveikur”. I’ve learned some very creative techniques that I used in Chronos straight away. On 'Abschied' for example I’ve slowed down the piano track to half speed and half pitch making it and slow-motion like second layer. Thank you Alex ;)

Missing my family
Sometimes it’s hard to live far away from my family. This year I couldn’t visit them ( I live in Brooklyn, they are in Italy), and often I’ve been thinking of them. This album is inspired by my first memory of us as a whole. I was three years old, just visited my mom late at night at the hospital, my brother was born.  Walking home with my dad the wind (Vento in Italian) blew out of my hand
 a comic book and all the pages flew around. I remember trying to catch them and crying, being very confused about everything that was happening around me. From this very vivid memory, I composed all the songs as a tribute to Celina, Ferruccio and Stefano, each track being somehow a transposition in music
of the faded images I have in my mind.

Tape
A dear friend of mine found a Revox A77 tape machine on the street. When he left NYC he gave me that and for a long time I kept it in a corner, with no intention to use it. Then one day I turned it on and started washing my music through it. Instant love.
Since that moment I use different kinds of tape medium (mostly cassettes and reels ) to obtain a particular sound. I embraced the limitations of single take recordings on tapes, preferring the spontaneity of the performance rather the perfection of a postproduced sound. This idea freed me in an incredible way and helped me produce a lot more music that is true to myself. Some artists that influenced me are William Basinski, r beny, and Amulets.

Time
Vento has been composed in March and April 2020, during the lockdown. Being forced home, with no social pressure, pushed me to explore new possibilities in music. Ambient music and soundscapes became a sort of necessary tool to evade my apartment room. Dilated time and days allowed me to learn and experiment, Music was a meditation and a healing process. The urgency of filling time with something meaningful pushed me away from distraction and made me focused on using my instruments as a daily journal. I now spend at least four hours a day composing or experimenting.

A Playlist of Favorites:

Hi Jörgen! How are you doing?
JK: I'm well, thanks! The sun is out, and I have some time to chill and do a bit of reading. I kind of overdid it with my pre-vacation book shopping this year, and now I'm struggling to keep up :)

 
You live in Sweden, how is life over there at the moment? Did your summer change because of the Covid-19 situation?
JK: We had plans to go to Portugal this summer, originally. But when Covid-19 hit, we quickly decided to stay in Sweden. Which, as it turned out, was what the government decided we should do also. I've had a great summer with my family, staying close to the ocean and just kicking back.

 
Speaking of summer, congrats on the new album' Invincible Summer'! It's a powerful name if we consider these strange and difficult times around the world. In the album description you shared that it came from a quote by Albert Camus, please tell us more about that! 
 JK: Thanks! The quote from Camus is, "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer." I've carried it round in my head for a few years. To me, it describes what happened inside of me when I met my wife, and we later turned our two small families into a more regular sized one. Like, there was a thawing happening. In the context of Covid-19, I think the quote speaks of hope and perseverance. Things can seem very bleak, and there's so much heartbreak, loss, and fear. But even this is not forever.   

 
What was your process and influences for writing this album?
JK: The album is made up of tracks I've collected over maybe six months or so. They are meant to capture memories or remembered emotions and moods from time spent with my family traveling in the summer. The track titles are places we've been to, mostly. In a way, the album is a love letter to my family, as cheesy as that may sound. Gear wise, it's mostly my OP-1 and a few guitar pedals. I've been making stuff on the fly, on trains, in summer cabins, wherever. Then I've resampled things through pedals, slowed them down, things like that.
 
There's so much music I listen to all the time. I don't think I had any specific artists that I tried to emulate on this album. But I've been listening to a lot of H. Takahashi, Federico Durand, Green-House, Laraaji, Josh Mason, Senoy, Julia Bloop, Lungfulls, and xJK. lately. Currently, I'm on a bit of a lofi tangent. We'll see how that affects upcoming projects.

 
This album feels deeply meditative. How do you approach making this type of music?
JK: First of all, that's a great compliment to me. Thanks! I don't know that it's something I do on purpose, that meditative thing. I do try to "do less" when I work on a track and just let it happen. I guess you could say I try to discover tracks rather than make them if that makes any sense. Also, the whole meditative thing could just be a reflection of my inner tempo.  

 
What would you say are the ideal listening conditions for this album?
JK: Probably when you're moving. Train rides should be good, but also walks along water or in the forest. And maybe early in the morning?
 

Do you have a personal favorite track on the record? Which one would it be and why?
JK: Evening Lul, I think. Such a banger!

 
You have a track on the PITP comp "Healing Sounds II", how do you see music and charity work fitting together? What are your thoughts on helping people in need through art?
JK: I was very honored to be asked to contribute a track on that comp. As an artist, I think there are a few good things about projects like that. You get to help to raise money and help people in need, and at the same time, your music may offer some solace to the listener. In times like these, when the world seems filled to the brim with worry, I hope ambient music can have a function beyond your average "work focus" playlist scenario.

 
You are part of a music duo called Little Boxes. How do you approach working in a pop duo compared to your solo ambient project?
JK: Little Boxes is the band I have with my wife, and it's completely different than my ambient stuff. We do a more electronic pop kind of a thing, where I get to sing harmony and play guitar and stuff in a more structured setting. My wife is a great singer and producer and writes great lyrics. The original idea was to see how much of a ruckus we could make between the two of us. Quite a bit, it turns out. It is also an awesome way to spend time with someone you love. You just open a bottle of red, fire up the gear, and make an evening out of it. Then there's the collaborative aspect, where the end result is something that we'd never had come up with on our own. 

 
What are you listening to lately? Do you have any recommendations for us? 
JK: I've been going back to what got me into electronic music in the first place. So Teebs and Evenings have been getting some airtime this summer. Also, the new Duelling Ants release is great. Then there's Meitei, Khotin, Ulla Straus, Golden Retriever, Josh Mason again...

 
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us! Congrats again on the wonderful album. Any last words for people out there?
JK: My pleasure! I hope people enjoy the album, and I also hope people try to find a moment every day to just let go of whatever is going on currently (I know there's a lot) and enjoy a little peace.

Three Things that Inspired the release of 'Air'; by Sean Evans

My Wife
I got married last august to the most amazing person. My wife, Klee Larsen-Crawford is an amazing visual artist (www.Kleelarsen.com) and is constantly inspiring me to do new things. When we moved in together a few years back, she pushed me to finally get out of my home studio method and invest in a proper studio to make music in. The effect on my output has been immense and really leveled up my writing and mixing techniques. She's the most supportive person i've ever met and none of this would be possible without her. She is the coolest.

Internet Radio
With all the streaming services available to us, We're really spoilt for choice when it comes to playing whatever music we'd like to. For the past few years, I've been luky enough to be involved with a few great internet radio stations in the likes of NTS in London where i was lucky enough to do a few shows, and No Fun Radio in Vancouver where I had the pleasure of producing my show MELT for 2 years. I've discovered so much music simply by diving deep into other peoples shows, which is initially how I discovered PITP and HSP. After buying a record from PITP and sending some emails, I was lucky enough to end up with a release on the label. Everyone who works there is so nice and welcoming. It's enough to give you faith that the music industry still has some good people in it.
Here's a link to all my old shows:
https://www.mixcloud.com/nofunradio/playlists/melt-no-fun-radio/

Spiritual Jazz
I've got a really great group of friends that keep an awesome messenger thread called "JAM ALERT" as a way to keep each other up on all the great new music we find day-to-day (two of those pals, Will and Danny actually have songs featured on this mix, they rule) Through that group, i've been going deeper and deeper into the world of spiritual jazz via some amazing artists like Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders. The use of cascading piano, heavy drums and percussion and sublime horn parts have really re-shaped what I used to love about jazz. and there is no doubt that so much of it informs the music that I make. It can be really easy to get stuck into listening to drone/ambient all day long and I find that this music keeps me searching for new ideas and techniques.

TRACKLIST
Dan Blackburn - September 20th
Contours - Keld ft Abel Selaocoe & Callum Connell
Will McFarland - Melbday2017
Blod & Arv & Miljö - Untitled
Sister Bernice Dobson - If I Can Just Make It In
Forest Management - Following, Forming
Anne Annie - さまよう
Pharaoh Sanders - Greeting To Saud
Sean Evans - Repetition
Fresh Bread - estate_eternal_loop
Bobby Caldwell - My Flame (Sean Evans Slo-Mo Edit)
Bobby Hamilton Quintet - Dream Queen
Ana Roxanne - Nocturne

Hi Todd! Glad to talk to you today. How are you doing?
TT: I am well, thanks. Working on the next record at the moment.
 

For people who might not be familiar with your work, please tell us a bit about yourself and the origins of Tapes and Topographies?
TT: I first began releasing ambient music as Tear Ceremony many years ago. I then detoured into downtempo for a while with Sonogram then in 2014 I returned to ambient with Tapes and Topographies. A Pulse of Durations is the 8th Tapes and Topographies release.
 

You also run a label Simulacre Records, could you tell us a little about how that came to be? What other labels have you worked with and how did you come to work with PITP?
TT: After releasing the first Tear Ceremony record on Germany’s Machinery Records, I started Simulacra primarily to release my own work and that of a few close friends. This was manageable when I was doing one release per year but lately I’ve been doing 3 or 4 releases per year which left little time for label duties. I decided it would be better to seek the help of a label. PITP was familiar with my work and they had an impressive roster so I reached out to 
see if they would be interested in doing the new record.
 

The new album is wonderful, congratulations! What is this album about and what does it mean to you?
TT: Most of my work explores similar themes of dreams, memory, time, loss. I suppose It’s an attempt to document the human condition or at times just to comfort myself.

 
In the description that accompanies the album you said that the album was influenced by the films of Tarkovsky and Resnais, please tell us more about this!
TT: I’ve always been influenced by the likes of Bergman and Cocteau. For this record, I absorbed other cinematic influences particularly Resnais’ Hiroshima, Mon Amour, Tarkovsky’s Solaris, Louis Malle’s The Lovers and Antonioni’s La Notte. In these films, time seems suspended as in a dream and there is such poetry in the journey of the protagonist. An underlying despair which is unresolvable. I try to capture some of those feelings in miniature in my music.

 
The title ‘A Pulse of Durations’ is taken from Scott Walker’s song ‘Angel of Ashes’. Scott Walker was truly a one of a kind artist and his passing last year was a great loss. Did he have a big impact on your musical journey and this release in particular? What other artists have had a big influence on your work?
TT: I don’t know that his sound had an influence on mine but I find his trajectory inspiring.
He was always pushing the envelope. Many found his last couple of records impenetrable. Even I sometimes secretly hoped he would return to his majestic croon before he left us. 
I first discovered him many years ago, long before the 4AD resurgence and even then there was so much of interest in his catalog to explore. He was certainly ahead of his time. I was astonished he had escaped my gaze for so many years. But his records were extremely difficult to find in the US at that time.
 

The music on this album is ethereal, dreamy, powerful and (at times) dark. What was your approach and process in writing, composing, and recording this record?
TT: I normally focus on a limited palette for each release and then try to remove something and add something new for the next one to keep it interesting. This might be adding new gear or changing the workflow, usually a bit of both. Once I have a couple of tracks, the rest tend to come quickly. Sometimes there’s a vague theme guiding it all for inspiration, but usually nothing too explicit or restrictive.

 
What gear did you use on this album? And what is your thought process in regards to gear selection in general?
TT:  I recently started using a hardware looper more often than software along with more effects pedals over plugins. I find these tactile differences lead to more spontaneity. The new record is primarily sample-based, I don’t think there any actual synths on this one. There are a few heavily processed guitars. The Avalanche Run and Electro-Harmonix Super Ego Plus are good for smearing the attack away so you end up with more of a soundscape. I am using the Electro-Harmonix 95000 looper which is more than I need but it’s very intuitive with few menus and little scrolling required.
 
I’ve recently become more adventurous with trying different gear and if it doesn’t work for me just getting rid of it and trying something else. On the next record I’m working on now, I am using a couple of analog synths (Model D and Minilogue) and experimenting more with microloops. I prefer to accidentally stumble on inspiring sounds than to spend too much time programming. I have not yet ventured into modular synths.

 
What is your favorite track on the album and why?
TT: It changes often but perhaps the title track, it best encapsulates the feel of the record as a whole.
 

Thank you for talking with us today. Any last words you want to share with people out there?
TT: Thanks to everyone for listening.



---------------------------------------------



'A Pulse of Durations'
by Tapes and Topographies
LP // Digital
08/07/2020

'With "A Pulse of Durations" I found myself attempting to strip things down to find the beauty of each core idea instead of hoping to find it through further embellishment.

During this period, the films of Tarkovsky and Resnais were influential for their atmosphere and dreamlike qualities. The title is taken from Scott Walker's "Angels of Ashes". I've always found it to be a lovely and undefinable phrase.' -TG

Written, Recorded & Mixed by Todd Gautreau
Mastered at SDS Studio (WA) by Drew Sullivan
Photography by Isaac Helsen
Artwork, design & assemblage by zakè
--
© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-V024 | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
pastinsidethepresent.com

'Alpha'
by Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea
Cassette // Digital
07/15/2020

'Alpha' encompasses arrangements from Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea's debut album. These selected tracks have been rearranged, remixed and remastered. Additional guitar, piano, and textures by newest member Damien Duque.

Alpha incorporates ethereal movements, richly layered cascades, and slow-motion soundscapes that summons the listener to a truly atmospheric state of mind. Minimal at its core, Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea intentionally set out to create restrained ambient compositions with a sense of impenetrable mystery.

Written & produced by Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea
Mastered at Kaleidoscope Tone Studio (IN) by zakè
Design, layout & assemblage by zakè
--
© 2020 Past Inside the Present
This is PITP10R | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
www.pastinsidethepresent.com

Past Inside The Present is pleased to announce ‘Wave Variations’ which is a new mini-album by veteran ambient producer Dennis Huddleston AKA 36.

36 has often enjoyed exploring self-imposed restrictions, as it forces him to be creative, while allowing an inherently coherent sound between the different compositions. All the arrangements on Wave Variations use a limited pallete of mostly synth-based sounds, with particular focus on keys and melodies. Each track directly influenced the next one.

Dennis has kept almost every track around three minutes in length. He states, 'I feel like a lot of ambient music (including my own) is often unnecessarily long and these small vignettes work as a nice counter to that. Don't expect long build-ups or over-extended crescendos; These are short tracks that take you straight to Elysium and then dissolve into the ether.'

He further explains the output of Wave Variations, 'Ocean tides inspired the album. I think we've all felt that sense of longing and wonder while standing at the beach, staring at the waves and gazing into the endless horizon. I think it's something that transcends all generations of people. Like the waves, these tracks leave as quickly as they arrive. I feel it's one of the most minimal records I have made, with far fewer individual sound sources at my disposal. It keeps me on my toes and forces me to deeply explore the instruments I have available to me.'

This stripped-back sound gives the album a hypnotic quality to it. Like much of Dennis' work, there is a delicate balance between melancholic melodies and rich textures, resulting in an understated yet deeply exhilarating sound. Fans of emotional, melodic ambient music should find plenty to enjoy. 

Written and produced by 36
Artwork and design by 36
Recorded between June-July 2019
--
© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP36 | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
pastinsidethepresent.com

36 & Isaac Helsen
'Anon 1'
Limited Edition 12" // Digital
06/12/2020

19 minutes of lush, slow-moving ambient trails by 36 and Isaac Helsen.

“This is bittersweet and beautiful ambient music that combines the widescreen vision of bvdub with chemtrail atmospherics that nod to William Basinski.” —Bleep


© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-WLS03 | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
pastinsidethepresent.com

12" Details:
160g black vinyl 12” cut at 45rpm. Black labels with white imprint. Heavy white jacket with die-cut hole, w/hype sticker. Record placed in an anti-static, high density rice paper innersleeve for ultimate protection. The album is housed in a polybag. Strictly limited to a one-time pressing of 200 units.

Hi Austin! How are you doing today?
RB: I am well. I have about 30 things on my to-do list and the it seems like the world is falling apart, but I am well all things considered.


For people that aren't familiar with your work, tell us a bit about your background and what led you to start releasing music as r beny? Also, if you are willing to share, what is the meaning behind the name?
RB: Like many do, I grew up playing guitar in bands throughout my teens and early 20s. While I loved making music and being in bands with friends, I never felt fully comfortable with the guitar. I felt like it was difficult to express what I wanted to express with music, I think due to my own lack of skill and the limitations of the instrument itself.

I had a crossroads moment in 2014, where I was finally able to admit this to myself. All of the work put into practicing, writing songs, and playing gigs had become a source of frustration, rather than one of joy. It was a bittersweet epiphany, considering my passion for music. I ended up quitting the band I was in, sold most of my gear, and put myself into other hobbies.

About a year later, I was at a friend’s house and he showed me a synthesizer he had recently picked up, a Korg Monotribe. We played with it for a few hours and I found it insanely fun, so I decided to pick one up for myself. I ended up with a Korg Volca Keys instead, since the Monotribe had been discontinued. While I always had an affinity for electronic music and instruments, I had never really understood my way around a synth or a sampler. I had a Korg Microkorg a few years back and never figured it out beyond just switching between the presets.

As I started to properly learn about synthesis and sound design, it all just clicked into place. I found that with these instruments and tools, I was finally able to express myself musically the way I so desperately wanted to. It all kind of snowballed from there, getting into DIY electronic instruments, then modular, then starting to record and release music.

“r beny” came about as a pseudonym for my work with synthesizers and other electronic instruments. It was actually a placeholder name, I had quickly made a YouTube channel one day to do a tutorial for some people on the Korg forums. At the time, I was obsessed with the work of photographer Roloff Beny. The name “r beny” was a tribute to him, while also being what I thought was somewhat vague (in my head, I thought it sounded like a word from another language. I now get called “Beny” quite a lot). I meant to just do that one video and then make a real channel for better thought out tutorials later down the line, but the video blew up outside that circle and the name stuck.


Congratulations on the new album! We have been looking forward to working with you on a release for quite some time. How did this album come to be?
RB: Thank you! Last year Past Inside the Present reached out to me to propose a 10” vinyl release. As a fan of the label, it was an easy decision to say yes. The timing and situation was just right. I get a number of requests to release music, but I tend to work on music at my own sporadic pace and don’t really have extra material at the ready.

2/3 of the tracks on this EP (Fjorda and Golden Larch) were tracks I started working on and playing live last fall. They were inspired by my time touring in Europe, earlier that summer. They both started as sketches I made on the Novation Summit synthesizer and then later fleshed out.

I think there were some issues with pressing the 10” records, so the EP is out on 12” instead. I am pleased to be a part of the PITP family and community!


The title ‘The Dashboard Cast a Spectral Glow’ is quite powerful and fits the music perfectly. What is the meaning behind both the song titles and the music you put together for this release?
RB: The EP title is a play on a line in a book I read called Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon. “The early darkness came on. My headlamps cut only a forty-foot trail through the rain, and the dashboard lights cast a spectral glowing.”  

I have a journal where I write down interesting or affecting words or phrases that I read in books, hear in movies/tv, and see in everyday life. For me, this line encapsulates the feeling I try to emote with my music. Those little lost, in-between moments. That brief feeling of longing for your past you randomly feel as you drive through the forest and the sun breaks through the canopy of leaves. The vision of dashboard lights cutting through the darkness, as it starts to set in the middle of the woods on a rainy evening, felt so familiar. I knew it would inspire the name of a track or release as soon as I read it.

“Fjorda” is play on the word fjord. I had the opportunity to visit Iceland last year, right before my European tour, and I was so struck by the beautiful landscape and nature. I had wanted to visit Iceland since I was young, so it was fantastically surreal actually being there. It felt like a dream. When I got back from that tour, I wrote a song called “Fjossa”, which was a play on foss, the Icelandic word for waterfall. It was sort of a portmanteau of foss and fjord, a made-up word describing this floating feeling of waterfalls, water, and nature. “Fjorda” is a sister track to “Fjossa”, inspired by those same feelings. I was thinking about the history of the geography of fjords and waterfalls, all the events and years that have to pass for them to form. Those were things I thought a lot about while in Iceland and Europe.

I can’t quite recall where the title “Golden Larch Emerging in Spring” came from. That might have been one that just came to me. It felt like a very hopeful title. Winter is over, spring is here, it’s all okay now. There, there. I relate that to my depression. I’ll have peaks and valleys and coming out from one of those valleys feels like emerging from the cold, dead winter to the life of spring.


The songs on this record are both soothing and nostalgic, which seems to be driven by your use of tape. What was your approach to recording the songs on this release?
RB: One trick I’ve been using quite a bit over the last year or so is using 3-head tape machines to process sounds on tape in real time. These machines have separate recording and playback heads that allow you to listen to the playback of the tape as it’s being recorded to. The real magic starts when you start using worn out tape, or in my case, worn out tape loops. The effect means you get these lofi tape loop-like sounds, but you aren’t limited to the length of the loop, or even loops. The tape just cycles through endlessly and each time through, introduces different artifacts and character.

That trick is used at some point on all 3 tracks on this release. In the case of Fjorda and Golden Larch, each of these tracks started out as one take of me playing the Novation Summit through the tape machine and into a looper in this manner. Some overdubs were added later.


Field recordings are also regularly featured in your work. For this record, they especially stood out to us on 'Golden Larch Emerging in Spring.' When and where were these sounds captured? How do you approach field recording in general?
RB: That recording was taken during a rare spring Bay Area thunder storm in April 2019 from my room through an open window. The thunder was so close, it actually started clipping my Zoom recorder and shaking the whole house. There was this weird, still energy in the air. Beyond the occasional car, you could feel the ebb and flow between the dead quiet and then the rain and thunder.

In general, I don’t really go out looking to capture field recordings. I tend to happen upon the sounds I would want to record, which can make things difficult. Thankfully, we all are carrying little field recorders in our pocket, that happen to have cameras and phone capabilities. I do make it a point to bring my Zoom field recorder when I go out for things like hikes or drives out into the countryside. But the inspiration to capture something usually happens externally.

I am trying to make it more of a point to go out and listen to the quiet. Listen to the sounds of the world around me.


If you had to choose a favorite track on this release, what would it be? And why?
RB: Probably Fjorda. Just for the memories it brings from that trip to Iceland. Considering the current state of the world, there is a chance I may never have the opportunity to go back, or at least it could be a long, long time. It’s also the track that I think sounds the least like myself, in a way. It feels less linear than what I usually do, with a clear A part and a clear B part.


What inspires you to write music?
What artists do you admire and continue to be inspired by?
RB: There is so much that inspires me to make music. Nature - the history of and volatility of it. The human experience - working through emotions, depression, anxiety, expressing the nuances that cannot be expressed so easily through words. Architecture - the way materials come together to make a whole, the meaning and symbolism of buildings and structures.

Photography and art. Music, especially instrumental music, has so much in common with photography and painting. From the tools used, to the process, to the finished piece that’s put out into the world (or not) for interpretation. I often liken ambient music to abstract art. It’s about the color and texture and the shapelessness, rather than a specific subject. How it makes you, the listener, feel.

And of course, I am inspired by other music. I am inspired on some level by pretty much any artist I listen to, from a level of emotion and from a technical level. I love thinking about how an artist made a certain sound, and what inspired them. I think that’s why I am so much into the gear and technical side of music. Seeing the technical aspect all the way through into art is something that inspires me.


The world has changed pretty drastically in recent months due to Covid-19. How has the pandemic impacted you both as a person and as an artist?
RB: I live in the county where one of the first cases was found in the United States, so it has been on my mind early and often. I’m super grateful that it hasn’t really affected my day job all that much. I’m able to work remotely for the most part. I live alone, so sheltering-in-place has been a bit lonely. I miss being in the same room or hiking with friends. I try to go for a walk at least once a day, just to get some fresh air and sunlight.

As an artist, it has been an interesting experience. Like many, I have had cancelled gigs. I’m not at the point where music is my livelihood, so I don’t have to be constantly gigging/working on music normally. But I also don’t have a ton of time or energy to work on music on a typical day. Because I’ve been staying home, I have been playing more music. If there is downtime at work, I can just walk into the studio, instead of browsing the internet. And with that, I’ve been able to finish and take on other commissioned music projects. From finishing releases, to patch design and beta testing for synthesizers, to working on live streaming sets.

I hesitate to call it a positive, with all that’s going on in the world, but I appreciate the creative opportunities I’ve had in the last few months that have kept me from going stir crazy.


You recently live-streamed a performance from your studio space.
How do you feel about the medium?
What are the pros and cons of live streaming concerts?
Do you plan on doing it again?
RB: I’m very much on the fence about live streaming concerts, at least when it comes to playing them. I did have a blast doing that stream for Gray Area. For me, I think it’s circumstantial. For one, I think the sound quality is a major concern. That concert was my first time streaming on Twitch, and the quality was better than I thought it could be for a stream. It was an overall positive experience.

I’ve been doing one-take performances on my YouTube channel for years, so I feel like I need to be able to differentiate between doing something like that and live streaming. I appreciated this last stream was actually live, as opposed to a pre-recorded performance. It felt like so much could have gone wrong, so in that way it felt much like a real performance with an audience.

The other aspect of it is the audience. When I play live, I play off the feeling of the room and the audience. I think my live shows are a different experience than one I can provide over a stream or a recording. When I play live, I work with dynamic. My live sets are a bit louder and heavier, as I want the audience to not just hear the music, but to physically feel the music. In a venue, I can shake the whole room with bass and distortion. That connection and intention is lost over a stream. I can only play off my own energy and the dynamics just aren’t the same.

I appreciate things to make the streams feel more communal, like chats. Overall, I have a positive view on streams, but I don’t think they are necessarily my favorite thing to do. I will be doing at least a few more in the near-future, to see if I do end enjoy doing them more and to continue to connect to people who do want to hear me play.


Your approach to sound design and tape manipulation is really inspiring.
What advice do you have for people wanting to work with tape?
RB: Get yourself a time machine so you can buy tape machines at a reasonable price! Kidding aside, I always say go for it. You might have to be a little patient to find a good machine at a decent price, but there are a good number of options out there. I have a few Tascam machines and a few Marantz machines, in varying degrees of working states. Personally, I prefer recorders that have multi-tracking capabilities (like the Tascam machines), or recorders with 3-heads that can monitor the tape as it’s being recorded to (like the Marantz machines).

I love working with tape because it just adds a certain character to sounds that feels “lived-in”. In some ways, they can be unpredictable, especially as these machines age, but there is a certain beauty and magic to that unpredictability.

Reel-to-reel machines are also becoming more prevalent and some can be had for decent prices compared to cassette recorders.

There are a good number of tape emulators and software out there. The one that I’ve found to sound closest to my actual tape machines is Cassette by Waves Factory. I’ve already used it on some tracks in cases where my tape machines were too much of a hassle to deal with.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today!
Anything you want to add and say to people out there?
RB: Thank you for having me and thank you to PITP for putting this release out!

I just want to say that I hope everyone and their loved ones are staying safe and healthy out there. We will get through this together!

And as always, thank you for listening.

Polar Moon - As Above, So Below
 
Hi Jonny. We are happy to have you now in the PITP family. Could you present yourself a little?
PM: Well, hello to you! Very excited to be here. My name is Jonny Radtke, and I am an American musician, based in Los Angeles, CA.
 
About Los Angeles, I have to ask: how are things over there with the Coronavirus? Do you make more music with the social distancing and lockdown?
PM: Yes, I’m currently in LA, and for the most part, people seem to be taking this situation very seriously, and adhering to the “safer at home” rules. As far as this experience contributing to me writing more? I’m not sure. When not touring, I’m constantly writing, and working on new material, so nothing has dramatically changed. However, during the first couple weeks of isolation, there was a lot of uncertainty (still is) as to how long this situation would last, so it was important to keep myself busy and focused on music...so, yeah, I guess there have been some positive moments within all this craziness.
 
Congratulations on the new album! You played in several famous rock bands (Kill Hannah, Ashes Divide, Filter). How did you decide to start your own ambient project and release new music?
PM: Thank you!! Well, I’ve always loved instrumental/ambient music. Coming from a predominantly rock background, it’s a nice change of pace for me...allows me to shut my brain off and just absorb the sounds. Initially, this project began with me trying to break into the film scoring world; putting together short pieces that could be presented to music supervisors, licensing houses, etc, in hopes of being considered for a film. That is still a very real goal of mine for this type of material. After a while, I realized I had written so much music, and felt I needed to get it out there. My friend, Drew Sullivan (Slow Dancing Society), and I, had been sending original music back and forth to each other, and he eventually recommended sending it to PITP. So, here we are! Haha!
 
Polar Moon is such a beautiful and dreamy name. Why Polar Moon?
PM: Thank you. It’s a name I started using back in the early 2000’s. When writing demos for the various rock groups I was working with, I would sometimes use the tag name “Polar Moon”, because I liked the way it looked; it felt calming and ethereal to me. In 2008, I started writing songs for a “Polar Moon” rock album, as a side project, but over the years, the music and idea of the whole concept changed forms; what it is today, is completely different from what I had initially set out to do.

This album is really wonderful, ethereal and minimal. Can you tell us more about it?
PM: Appreciate the kind words. Yeah, it’s exactly that: ethereal and minimal. I wanted to capture what I was feeling and thinking at the time of its development, and not try to over analyze anything, but really explore textures in each song in a cohesive way.
 
I love the soft piano melodies. How did it feel to work on this album? How different is the approach from your guitar work in your bands?
PM: This album was very therapeutic for me to make. It’s so drastically different from the albums I’m known for writing, but that’s what I love about it: it showcases a whole other side of me. Almost all of these songs were written with me just sitting down at the piano and hitting record. Then I’d go back, and find little themes, and develop them, and of course, build sound textures around that. I really love that process in all the songs I write, whether it’s “Polar Moon”, or for a rock band. But, it was definitely a different process. These aren’t songs that fit any specific “song” pattern; verse, pre chorus, chorus, etc. This was me just taking what I was feeling in the moment, with no specific agenda, and developing from there.
 
I like to ask this question: do you have any personal favorite track on the album?
PM: “Snow Angels”, and “Snow Angels (quiet)”, MIGHT be my favorites. They’re basically two versions of the same song, and idea, just slightly different from each other. I feel those themes accurately sum up the vibe I was feeling when I set started this. Songs you can listen to on a rainy day (laughs).
 
The album is released on tape, Side A is your album and the Side B is made of reworks by PITP artists. Are you satisfied with this release and the result? How did it feel to hear your tracks reworked?
PM: I’m really happy with my end result, and I’m BEYOND satisfied with the reworks. It’s truly an honor to have these songs re-imagined by so many insanely talented artists, whom I also truly adore and respect. I’m such a fan of all their individual work, so it was really wonderful to hear their interpretations.
 
What are you listening to lately? What are your main sources of inspiration while working on music?
PM: I tend to gravitate towards instrumental and ambient music regardless of what mood I’m in, or what project I’m preparing for. Slow Dancing Society, Helios, Stars Of The Lid, to name a few, are always on rotation. More recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of PITP artists: Moss Covered Technology, From Overseas, Benoît Pioulard, etc. I love it all!
 
Do you plan to play this album live as Polar Moon?
PM: Good question. I’m definitely open to that. It would take a lot of planning and mapping out, to properly put together a live show for this, and it’s definitely on my mind. We’ll see!
 
Thanks for talking with us today. Congratulations again on the wonderful album. Any last word for people out there ?
PM: Thank you for having me, and thank you to everyone at PITP for this opportunity. Hope you guys enjoy this little album!

The first edition of Fallen Moon Recording's "Behind the Music" series features Patricia Wolf.   Patricia recently sat down with us to talk about the influences behind her new, long form piece "Lament" which was released on FMR on 5/15/20.  

"
1. Marcus Fischer
I first encountered Marcus' work at The Portland Art Museum in 2018. He was performing a piece he had written to honor his friend, Brian Young who had just passed away. I was deeply moved by the music and his ability to create such vivid and immersive environments. His ability to pull his audience into his world of feeling and subtle, careful sound is captivating and fully immersive. In addition to sound, there is usually a video accompaniment to his performances that pulls you more and more into his world. The way he lays out his instruments is deliberate and artful, as though he's performing a ritual. When he uses a tape loop, the way the loop is displayed is hypnotic and pulls you into your subconscious.  Watching and listening to him perform was a rare moment for me where time and place disappeared and I felt had been transported into a dream. I have witnessed this phenomenon several times with his performances and do not understand how he does this nor do I think I could replicate it. Since then he's had an influence on my work. I have slowed down, I have begun using field recordings to also build more careful and vivid environments. I think to give more room for silence to allow feeling and breath to fill in the space between. It is for this reason that I decided to share "Lament" with him. It's a deeply personal piece for me. It is a document of my grief and process for finding peace with this terrible loss. Trying to look at it with a technician's viewpoint for the final mixdown was not really something I felt capable of due to my deep emotional connection to it. There are not many people I would trust with my work especially this one, but I knew Marcus would understand how to place it in the space it deserves. I feel that now this piece is finished and has been sanctified. I hope now it can exist as an environment for others to find understanding and healing.

"
2. Bruce Munro's "Field of Light"
In the final months of my mother in law's life, we went on many joyous trips with her. One of those trips took us to Paso Robles to see Bruce Munro's "Field of Light" installation. We arrived at the site a bit before sunset and got to see the golden hour fade into a vibrantly colorful sunset and then to darkness. The darkness revealed over 58,000 colorful lights that cover 15 acres on rural hilly cite on the California Central Coast. It was a beautiful experience to have with her. I took a lot of photos at that installation and decided to use one for the album artwork for "Lament". For me, "Field of Light" has come to represent a spirit world where the energy and memories and love we feel for our dead loved ones live on. 

"
3. Novation Summit
From mid-March to May of 2019 my main artistic focus was creating presets for the new Novation Summit synthesizer. It was very good for me to have this work to do during this time of sadness. Going deep inside a sound and getting to know a new synthesizer is a very meditative practice where I could build new worlds reflecting my inner space.  On "Lament" I played Summit alongside my Make Noise 0-Coast, Red Panda Particle II, OTO Bim and Bam, and Octatrack. Summit and 0-Coast complement one another. Summit sounds heavy and emotional in this song and 0-Coast sounds more logical and encouraging of healing and strength. The interplay of sadness, despair, attachment, loss, and the search for healing and understanding could be expressed through these instruments and helped me manage my grief. 

theHi Michael. How are you today ?
TGK: Doing pretty well, all things considered.
 
 
The world has changed quite a bit these past months with the Covid-19. You live in Michigan, how are things there and how do you feel about the situation ?
TGK: Things have been bad here, but I think they are steadily improving. It's been tough, we have a few nurses in the family and they have certainly been through a lot. My wife and I have been fortunate in that we have been able to work from home and be with the family. I don't mind being stuck at home too much, I'm perfectly happy with it actually!
 
 
Congratulations on the new album! It’s a beautiful piece of art. You have been working on it for the last couple of years or so right ? Can you tell us more about this album and how it came to life?
TGK: Thank you! I'm typically working on at least a couple projects at any given time and starting new pieces when inspiration strikes or more realistically as time allows. So I basically just went back and forth between pieces and let them develop over time- adding and taking away. I guess the original intent was to make an “ambient guitar” album, though nothing I do ever ends up where it started. It’s always a combination of things that I suppose coalesces into “my sound”. It’s been done for a while and was originally meant for release in 2019, but I couldn’t be happier with it being on PITP as I’m a big fan of the label!
 
 
The title “Residence on Earth” is quite powerful and based on Pablo Neruda’s book of poetry. What can you tell us about this book and how it came to be your choice for the album title ?
TGK: I happened to revisit it while making the album. A lot of the poems evoke some otherworldly imagery which captured my imagination, and also a sense of longing and sometimes melancholy, which felt as though it fit the feel of the music. In fact, nearly all of the track titles are either titles of poems or phrases taken from them. I also unexpectedly lost my aunt while completing the album, provoking further thought around our time spent in this life and what we do with it. She was one of the kindest souls I've ever known and the album is dedicated to her memory.
 
 
The album artwork is gorgeous as well. It definitely fits the mood and color of the album. Where and when was that photo taken ?
TGK: It was taken out a plane window on a family trip to San Diego, over the Rocky Mountains I believe. It’s actually somewhat reminiscent of the cover image of the edition of the Neruda book I have, though that’s black and white.
 
 
I love the textures and swells on this album along with subtle guitar notes and arpeggios like in the track ‘Of What Endures’ or ‘Shoreless’. What was your process when recording this album ? What are your main instruments on this record ?
TGK: Thanks! I often start off with a simple looping chord progression or riff - maybe a drone - and build from there. I also record to a click track or 4/4, sometimes a beat, even if it will end up being an ambient track to ensure things are synched up when I add overdubs or rhythmic elements. The sounds on this one are mainly guitar-based, though of course there are bits of synth, some samples, etc. In terms of instruments, I leaned on the J Mascis Jazzmaster pretty heavily as usual, along with a Tele that has since been replaced, my old ‘94 Strat and the Gretsch Pro Jet on one track I believe. The Neunaber Immerse and Walrus Audio Slo reverbs are heard on most of the tracks and I record everything direct through the Neunaber Neuron- I swear this isn’t a paid endorsement, they just make awesome products that are intuitive and easy to dial in great sounds with.
 
 
I know it’s a tough question, but do you have a favorite track on the album?
TGK: Hmm, I think it would have to be Fantasma. There are usually one or two pieces on a given album where everything just comes together and the sound is what I originally heard in my head. That was definitely the case with that one.
 
 
What are your main sources of inspiration while working on music? Do you have any artists that keep you motivated and still have an influence on how you approach music ?
TGK: Yes, I’m constantly seeking out and discovering music, both new and old, almost obsessively! In terms of influences, there are so many, but I’ll throw out a few: Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Cocteau Twins, BOC, Brian Eno, Tortoise, everything on the 12k label, Hammock… I could go on forever really...
 
 
Your album is dreamy, peaceful and really calming. I feel like people need these soothing sounds more than ever right now. Did you notice more interest in ambient music lately?
TGK: A little bit, it seems like support has ramped up a bit as of late with people seeking solace in these trying times. I know I have discovered a lot of great music and also forged some new connections with other artists online myself.
 
 
Speaking of calming sounds your track on the Healing Sounds II compilation is beautiful. Anything specific you can tell us about that track and being part of this compilation ?
TGK: Only that it came together very quickly as I wanted to record something new for the compilation, which doesn't happen very often. Most of it was done in one night with some additional mixing the next day. It’s rare for me to work that quickly. It means a lot to be part of compilations like this among such talented artists that I admire, especially for a good cause. Kudos to Zach and Isaac for making this and the last one happen, they're great guys with big hearts. Love working with them!
 
 
Is it possible to see you live ? Are you planning on supporting the release with a few shows and/or a tour when we can put social distancing behind us ?
TGK: That would be nice, but I don’t necessarily do a lot of live shows (only one as TGK so far), but it might be something that I’ll do more of in the future. You never know.
 
 
Thanks for talking with us today. Congratulations again on the wonderful album. Any last word for people out there ?
TGK: No problem. Just to be kind to each other and support music and the arts!

Residence on Earth
by  The Green Kingdom
Limited Edition Cassette // Digital
04/29/2020

“The album gestated over a couple years or so, in which time a lot can happen. As one gets older, it's natural to think about the time you've spent on this planet and what you will leave behind. This was only punctuated by the unexpected loss of my aunt. At some point while crafting these pieces, I also pulled Pablo Neruda's book of poetry Residence on Earth off the shelf. The surreal imagery and emotions these works evoke felt connected to the music on many levels, and informed the course of the album until its completion. This album is dedicated to the memory of Mary V. Mannino.”
--TGK

Written and produced by Michael Cottone
Mastered by Andrew J Klimek
Design, photography & assemblage by Michael Cottone
--
© Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-C004 | MMXX
PITP.bandcamp.com
pastinsidethepresent.com

Cassette Details:
Cobalt blue shell cassette tape with white imprinting, housed in a clear / solid blue norelco box and shrink wrapped. Loaded with FerroMaster C456™ super ferric, ultra-high performance type-1 music grade analog tape. Limited to 50 units.