Article
2012 Artists' Picks
Albums
36
The Alvaret Ensemble
The Boats
Dadub
Day
Enduser / The Teknoist
Alejandro Franov
Christoph Funabashi
The Inventors Of Aircraft
Kostis Kilymis
krill.minima
Lau Nau
Madera Wind Quintet
Todd Matthews
Lubomyr Melnyk
okamononoriaki
The Outside Agency
Oyaarss
peterMann
Pleq + Philippe Lamy
Roach & Metcalf
SaffronKeira
Martin Schulte
Jay Shepheard
Tape Loop Orchestra
Techdiff
TM404
Yard
Compilations / Mixes
Darkroom Dubs Vol.3
Petre Inspirescu
Pop Ambient 2013
v-p v-f is v-n
EPs / Cassettes / Singles
Alis
Arkaik
Babi
Bee Mask
Bungle
drcarlsonalbion
Fescal
Fluorescent Heights
William Ryan Fritch
Greyghost
Junction 12
Lind and Loraine
Alessan Main
Martinez
Mikal
Show Me The Future
10 Yrs hhv.de 45 Vol. 10
Wolf Cub
VA:
10 Yrs hhv.de 45 Volume 10
Project Mooncircle
For many a label, a release celebrating ten years of existence would call for boisterous ravers of one kind or another, but Project Mooncircle is no ordinary label. For the tenth and concluding seven-inch chapter in its 10 Yrs hhv.de 45 series, the label emphasizes a restrained kind of artistry, one rooted in sensual trip-hop and atmospheric beatscaping. Long-time label associates Pavel Dovgal, Long Arm, 40 Winks, and Robot Koch are along for the ride, accompanied by new recruits Pyur and Darius Vaikas.
The opener, “Garden of Eden,” is a song-structured trip-hop excursion from Pyur, a young singer who hails from the south of Germany, and Berlin-based producer Koch, who's been a Project Mooncircle mainstay since 2009. The singer's pleading vocal gives the already plaintive, piano-laden tune the character of a lament, while the omnipresent crackle lends the material a faded quality that complements lyrics like “Your memories will fade into silvery dreams.” The late night mood carries over into “You Will Never Be Alone,” a mournful and woozy beatscape of immaculate design by Lithuania-born Vaikas. All intricate clicks, snaps, and swishes, the track's percussive design would be sure to light a fire under any Burial fan, but it's hardly the only thing to recommend the piece.
The release dramatically shifts gears with Long Arm's upbeat remix of 40 Winks' “Kodak Moment,” whose sparkling cascades of acoustic bass lines, harps, beats, flutes, and vibes inject the EP with a powerful dose of jubilation, after which the closer, “Mouth” by Vladivostok, Russia-born Dovgal, acts as a brief coda to the EP yet still leaves a mark despite its two-minute running time. Returning to the initial track's late night vibe, the piece embeds an electronically altered vocal line floating o'ertop a sultry downtempo groove. Restrained in overall tone it might be, but the EP's refined and seductive sounds nevertheless exert a strong pull.February 2013