Articles
H. Nakamura's Twilight
Mark Templeton's Ballads

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A Cloakroom Assembly
Ametsub
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Arandel
Alexander Berne
Boxharp
Joseph Capriati
Enrico Coniglio
Cristal
Dapayk Solo
Taylor Deupree
Distant Fires Burning
Federico Durand
Fear Falls Burning
Alan Fitzpatrick
Flying Lotus
Roel Funcken
Harley Gaber
Tobias Hellkvist
Christopher Hipgrave
Hummingbird
Ital Tek
Mathew Jonson
Kabutogani
Haruka Nakamura
Lance Austin Olsen
Ontayso
Pawn
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ROTFLOL
Michael Santos
Dirk Serries
Signaldrift
Talvihorros
thisquietarmy & Cortez
Jennifer Walshe
Weisman & Davis
Tim Xavier
Year Of No Light

Compilations / Mixes
Arto Mwambe
Clicks & Cuts 5
Dark Matter
dOP
J
Ben Klock
Party Animals
So Far (So Good)
We Are One, In The Sun

EPs
Automobile, Swift
Breitbandkater
Pacheko & Pocz
Cylon
Dirty Culture
Terrence Dixon
Kyle Bobby Dunn
Enduser
Timo Garcia
Kez YM
Little Fritter
Monoceros
David Newlyn
One Second Bridge
Padang Food Tigers
Rameses III
Ryonkt
Nigel Samways
Simon Scott
Shoosh
Mark Templeton
Ten and Tracer
Tracey Thorn
Stanislav Vdovin
Vdovin + Shaydullina

Ten and Tracer: A Distant Monarch
U-cover

Being a re-issue of a 2005 Ten and Tracer tour-only release might make A Distant Monarch come off sounding like a bit of a one-off or throwaway release. In fact, it's better than that, plus its seven tracks provide a succinct, half-hour snapshot of Jonathan Canupp's abilities. Probably no review or discussion of his Ten and Tracer material goes by without some mention of Boards of Canada but it would be disingenuous not to acknowledge the obvious when Canupp's analog electronica (the EP's “Your Friends at Union Pacific,” for instance) has so much in comon with the Warp duo's own woozy brand. Warm synth melodies, occasional voice samples, and crisp beats of lightly funky or hip-hop character make up the minimal Ten and Tracer sound in pieces that range between ambient interludes (“Show Me”) and experimental, texture-heavy explorations (“Four Hundred And Sixty-Four Rons”). It's certainly pleasant enough plus a decent introduction to those new to Ten and Tracer but A Distant Monarch still falls more into the category of ‘for completists only,' specifically for dedicated Ten and Tracer fans who didn't get their hands on a copy when the release first made the rounds in a limited run.

July 2010