Various Artists - Autoplate Collection 2001 - 2008
The demise of Autoplate is a huge loss to the netlabel world. For seven years Autoplate has specialized in experimental electronic music introducing listeners to innovative artists like K. M. Krebs, Gultskra Artikler and Emil Klotsch. However, you can still find the Autoplate releases by going to this archive page on its parent label Thinner’ web site.
Phlow Magazine has put together this 18 track compilation of the best of Autoplate. Sebastian Redenz has carefully chosen these tracks to give an excellent representation of the variety of sounds this net label has placed into the public ears. Much of it, like the tracks by Taavi Tulev, Arrial or Affective Disorder, is surprisingly melodic despite their unusual sounds. Other offerings, such as the ones by Kenneth Kirschner or Gultskra Artikler, have strong post-classical leanings borrowing from the traditions of Stockhausen and Cage. Hans Appelqvist’s odd vocalized ballad mixes a blend of orientalism and electronic experimentation, making this my favorite single discovery on the collection. Tlon and Emil Klotsch turns field recordings into exciting ambient experiences. The choice of music on this anthology is quite excellent and is the perfect introduction to this already missed netlabel. Listen to it, find your favorites and then explore the Autoplate albums. There won’t be any more!
The collection is available from The Phlow Magazine web site In 192kbps MP3.
I can’t think of another solo cello album, so that makes Vladislav Makorov’s Multiplying - Multicello fairly unique. The main instrument is an electric cello yet it is enhanced by overdubs and preparation of the instrument using objects like bamboo and combs, reminiscent of
This self titled one track EP by In Zaire is nothing less than sonic overload. Musicians G.I. Joe and Claudio Roditti man this live recording, a grindcore assault of overbearing guitar, drum, tribal chants and noise. It reminds me of the equally loud and abrasive efforts of the John Zorn & Bill Laswell fronted
Simply put,
Pianist and composer Gianni Lenoci plays and conducts on this 28 minutes long album of structured improvisation titled Ephemeral #2. The composer write short fragments of music which are used as the beginning of an improvisation by the musicians in this large ensemble. The piece develops through the mutual “structuring” and interaction of the artists. The most interesting part of this piece happens in the first ten minutes which isprimarily Lenoci on piano. He has a Cecil Taylor influenced style that is complex and turbulent but quite fascinating. The ensemble doesn’t really get involved until the next two-thirds of this work when it becomes a complex example of structured chaos. It might be too chaotic for the average listener but those who like challenging music and have some knowledge of free improvisation will find this album to be a worthy addition to their collection.
The best compliment I can paid H Stewart is that she has a very personal and unique sound. Her four albums sound as if they are coming from the innermost depths of her soul. While she manipulates liberally with electronic affects, her main instrument is her voice and it is haunting and intimate. Her music reminds me strongly of Gregorian chants, Buddhist meditation music and Aboriginal drones so I can be forgiven if I also interpret her music as being created in the spiritual realm.
Normally I like to write my own review but WM Recording’s description of Wal*Mart Approved Music is too entertaining to miss, Here it is in its entirety…
Here’s is Zack Kouns’ description of his album A Catalogue of Erica’s Misfortunes…
Pianist
Tellus’ next to last audio cassette was numbered issue 26, released in 1992 and titled Jewel Box. It is a survey of eight artists-in-residence in the
This single track improvisation titled Extensions features Rafal Mazur on acoustic bass guitar and Michal Dymny on electric guitar. As with most of the Insubordination net releases, this is music that border between the jazz avant-garde and the post-modern. Both Mazur and Dymny are exceptional musicians who clearly know each others’ talent enough to have a intuitive sense of interaction bordering on the supernatural. Michal Dymny’s improvisatory excursions remind me a lot of
Depending on your perspective, Canadian artist
Eugene Lee has proven he is a talented artist in the avant-garde circles with his last free online album titled 
Bosques de mi Mente’s Ruido Blanco is an album of melodic but slightly minimalist music. The mood is melancholic but distancely hopeful. The artist states he created this work at a lonely point in his life ” isolated in a new city, trapped in a room around a mess of cement and asphalt, far from everyone I knew”. Certainly if a musical work can define social alienation, this softly sad collection of track comes very close. This is a beautiful effort released by the
The music on Moabi’s Sexe Bourgeois can be best called subterranean. It resonates from the deep earth, cavernous yet other worldly, Ambient yet restless, avant-garde yet barely merged with the tona. This 4 track EP is strange but unique. As you listen to the long tones and bell songs, operatic voices fade in and out and the quiet scratches of old vinyl decorate some of the tracks. This music is meant for quiet and attentive listening.
Compared to some of
Pianist Eve Risser and acoustic bass guitarist Rafel Mazur play a 22 minute piece titled Elan Vital on their same titled EP from
One of the most exciting net labels to show up recently is
For the most part, the musical project S.N.O.W. is a quiet affair. Sound artists Federico Mosconi and Mauro Graziani creates sculptures of tones and noise. They describe the music as “sonic representations of experience and dream, expression of a moment, through life memories and towards an imaginary future” which gives a good idea of the complexity and drama that these seven tracks can deliver. Most of the music is ambient in nature but occasionally a track like “Crashing in The Snow” provides a good amount of industrial-like tension. This is an exceptional example of electronic experimentation that straddles the border between calming music and the avant-garde.
The primarily avant-garde
Tellus 20 is one of the
The netlabel
American poet and composer 
