Cloud - 2012 - A Rush of Sun

Ambient electronic

   [FOR FREE]

http://cloudclod.bandcamp.com/

• 4 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Childhood, Lucy Sleeps

English

Sometimes, if you wake up at just the right time, you can steal a glimpse of the sunrise. The transition is so gradual that you could look away from the indigo horizon for one moment, only to turn back and be blinded by a newborn white sky. A white day, untouched and full of promise. The sight of a fresh sun is a luxury to people like me, who set our alarms 30 minutes earlier than we have to just so we don’t oversleep, but for other people, it must be second nature to wake up and greet the dawn. Like ambient electronic artist Cloud—at least that’s the vibe I get listening to A Rush of Sun. It’s a fittingly short release, four tracks clocking in at just under seventeen minutes. It’s gentle and lush, baby blue synths and shimmering keyboards rising and falling with the clicks of beautifully organic percussion work. It’s not slow, but it doesn’t compensate with loudness, either; it’s gracefully nimble without ever having to raise its voice, as the layers of instruments it juggles at once speak for themselves. More than anything, though, it’s pure: in its solemn toybox melodies, in its contemplative, fuzzy production, in the sun-kissed snatches of rhythms stolen out of a fourth-grade music class, worming their way out. But enough of this; sometimes, music simply can’t be synthesized or analyzed. All you have to judge off of then is where it takes you. And where this release takes me is to 6AM on my porch, the dawn of a promising new day as I am once again humbled and blinded by a rush of sun.

Bit Bit Orunge - 2012 - Orbit

Chiptune/Cosmic Electronic

   [FOR FREE]

http://bitbitorunge.bandcamp.com/

• 5 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: 5Th Season, The Launch

English

Some things in the world are only available to the imagination; no matter how advanced or innovative our technologies become, we will never be able to grasp, say, something as infinitely small as a cell—or wrap our heads around something as infinitely immense as the universe. We’ll always be stuck somewhere in the middle, giants on the face of the earth and specks of dust in the face of the stars. Space may be something that we can never reach the ends of, but at least Bit Bit Orunge paints a stellar picture of what it would be like in Orbit. Opener “5th Season” sets a promising mood right away; it’s a beautiful slice of swooping synths and haunting bloops, and the track nails both the feelings of isolation and awe that the cosmos can inspire. “Jupita” progresses in much the same way, miniscule yet majestic, synthesized yet sincere, wispy yet weathered. Bit Bit Orunge has a way with melodies that drift seemingly aimlessly before they surge up in empowering roars. His instrumentation is also commendable; it’s a brilliant combination of electronic and instrumental, and the interplay yields fantastic dividends throughout. Strings swell in the background while bits of piano and computers swirl and intertwine. Each of the various instruments gets a chance to shine, and they never fight for dominance but simply play to each others’ strengths, soaring to blissful, uplifting heights. It’s a shame Orbit is such a short journey, but it is a gorgeous, stirring ride while it lasts.

Jjoi - 2012 - Jjoiful EP

dubstep/electronica

   [FOR FREE]

http://jjoiz.bandcamp.com/

• 5 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: Drifter, Joy

English

Being somebody whose only exposure to dubstep was a (fairly awesome) remix of the Transformers battle scenes and a (fairly hilarious) series of Christian dubstep worship songs, I had my misgivings turning on “Drifter”, the first track of electronic artist Jjoi’s new EP. Thankfully, those doubts were quelled as soon as the beat kicked in. “Drifter” is fluidly crafted, with an instantly catchy melody line and a danceable, trippy beat that crosses over into drum and bass territory at times.
The rest of the release’s five tracks seldom disappoint: “Joy” is another standout, starting off with a trippy, insistent synth before going sky high with a wall of stuttering digital voices and a tense stomp-and-clap rhythm. Jjoi excels at welding gritty exercises in percussion with club-ready, memorable synths, all while imbuing every single part of the machinery with a distinct personality. It’s a shame, then, that the endings are never quite as grand as we’re being strung along to believe; the songs here are all wound so tight that a little room to breathe might have been a good thing. Still, aiming for the top of Everest and reaching Kilimanjaro is hardly a feat to scoff at.
With the exception of a few mainstream artists, dubstep may be treated as a novelty, but the Jjoiful EP proves that the genre is just as capable of reaching the highs of electronic music in the right hands. This is ear candy for high-octane minds, and I’m already craving more.

ED7 - 2011 - Surfrider EP

Instrumental Electronica

[FOR FREE]

http://timeresonancemusic.bandcamp.com/album/surfrider-ep

• 7 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: Sky, Surfrider 

English

Imagine you’re in the middle of the bluest ocean you’ve ever seen. The sun is just warm enough to hit you in a sunny haze, and the waves are calm enough for you to gaze down below, unbothered. Underneath the still surface lies an entire metropolis of aquatic life: greens, yellows, and reds of all shades converse and swirl in a cascade of lights. If you have that visual in your head, then you have a pretty good idea of what ED7’s Surfrider EP sounds like. This music may be swathed in synths and drums, but it all adds up to something a bit more introspective that what most would associate with electronica: even in its busier moments, the music is bathed in a shimmering glow that’s more suited to late-night stargazing than to partying debauchery. ED7 strikes a nice balance between earthy tones and astral blips and whirs, and the contrast hits a wonderfully wistful note. As large as the palette of tones is here, the EP never feels like it’s aimlessly wandering. If anything, it’s a mild shame that some of the ideas here weren’t expanded upon more so that we could spend a little more time. Nonetheless, this is a fine release, bustling with atmosphere, emotion, and life. It’s a well-matched soundtrack for retreats into the woods, midnight walks, and early sunrises. Those who have no use for such things might be better off pursuing other avenues, but those who are up for a little exploration will be enthralled.

Marumeth - 2011 - The Sun Smiles

Electronic

   [FOR FREE]

http://marumeth.bandcamp.com/

• 6 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: So Happy, Take Flight

English

Mmm relaxing music at last. “The Sun Smiles” is chilled to perfection, the same kind of electronic pop music that made people crave Postal Service like it was candy nine years ago. This is even more laid back than that, like Postal Service sitting on a white sandy beach somewhere just letting it all hang out. There are almost no vocals on these four songs (yes I do tend to enjoy music without lyrics, okay :P), and when there are, they're ethereal and distant and a bit filtered, so they don't quite sound human. Imagine hooking up a motivational tape to an intercom. That's how I'd best describe the vocals on 'So Happy', motivational verbal yoga. The low end is sturdy and thudding in a drum and bass kind of way, but not nearly as abrasive or intense and the keys are poppy and bursting with energy. It really would feel like a sun beating down on you ('Feel the Sun's Rays'). At times the songs do have a melancholy melody to them. It's strangely at odds with the overall feel of the music, but not necessarily out of left field if one looks at the song titles as ironic. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was the case. The songs are so relaxing and entrancing that you won't even realize that the EP's four track length has actually just eaten up twenty+ minutes of blissful time. It's such an easy listen it's rather hard to describe in words. This is one record that is more of an experience and you'll get more out of it over multiple listens than sitting intently and listening to it one time. So 'take flight' and give yourself over to Marumeth.

Mono Tonique - 2011 - Street lights

Trip-Hop 

[FOR FREE]

http://monotonique.bandcamp.com/

• 6 songs to download
• For free
• Direct Download
• Listening recommendations: Desert lane, Street homeless
  

English

Welcoming the ever dropping mercury in your thermometer comes six songs of trip-hop goodness straight from mother Russia with “Street lights”. I can't really explain trip-hop to anyone who has never heard it, suffice to say its often slower hip-hop beats with intricate compositions laid over top (often electronic or classical in nature), with little ambition of getting your ass shaking. “Street lights” doesn't reshape the trip-hop landscape (not even the artists who created it seem to have that power anymore), but does a damn good job of creating its own mood that is well worth a listen. The first half of the record is mostly based around electronic beats and has a somber, lonely feeling. 'Sunset mirage' for instance is awash in layers of synth and noise surrounding chimes and a simple drum machine loop that is comforting but decidedly detached. Mono Tonique are taking you on a voyage through a beautiful, empty but not quite natural place. If an electronic sound dominated the first half, instrumental hip hop makes its home more clearly in the second half of “Street life”. 'P.S.' has the same sort of lonely vibe as the three tracks that precede it but uses horns and piano as its driving force, giving it a sound reminiscent of Endtroducing...-era DJ Shadow. It's a nice change of pace right in the middle of the album following the more alien sounding 'Far Side' with its gitches and new age-y synth backdrops. 'Street homeless' then shatters that somber, lonely mood completely in one fell swoop as a throbbing baseline and snare drum transport the listener from cold and lonely emptiness to a dirty, thriving urban setting complete with grinding street traffic and constant sirens. I dare say it reminds me of early Cypress Hill (minus any rapping) in this regard. If the four tracks before this were “somber” and “lonely”, this is “claustrophobic” and “depressing” music for being swallowed up, unnoticed by the surrounding cityscape (something its title implies). It's the standout track here and the one you'd likely tell friends about, on an album full of excellent tracks. Trip-hop fan or not, definitely check out Mono Tonique's Street lights. it would be a shame to miss this record.