Ambient | NovaFuture Blog

out now: Alessandro Cortini – Nati Infiniti [Mute]

Artist:
Alessandro Cortini

Title:
Nati Infiniti

Label:
Mute

Cat#:
STUMM888

Release Date:
04th October 2024

Format:
Vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
I

A2.
II

B1.
III

B2.
IV

B3.
V

Press Info:
Italian musician, instrument-builder, producer and composer, ALESSANDRO CORTINI, has shared the first piece of music from his forthcoming release. Nati Infiniti – 40-minutes of hypnotic work, separated into five movements – debuted as an immersive audio installation that ran across four floors of the Museu de Lisboa’s Fábrica da Moagem, a disused flour mill.

Watch the video, with imagery by Marco Ciceri, to the penultimate piece of Nati Infiniti, ‘IV’, which cascades and surges towards the album’s finale below.

Nati Infiniti reimagines the installation – commissioned by Sónar Lisboa 2022 – capturing the ambience of the original piece, where each of the four floors of the cavernous mill evoked a different state through Cortini’s sound design. Constantly unfolding as the listener travelled through the building, the album harnesses the movement of the piece, highlighting the interconnectedness of all things.

The work – which utilises the Strega instrument that Cortini co-designed with Make Noise – evolves across 40 minutes, and was mixed and mastered by Marta Salogni (Björk, Depeche Mode, Lucrecia Dalt) into five movements. This interpretation of Nati Infiniti – Italian for “born infinite” – will be available on 4 October 2024. The album’s art, designed to mirror this concept, will be offered on vinyl (featuring an embossed silver mirror board sleeve), CD (with a clear varnished gatefold mirror board sleeve), and digitally.

Cortini debuted the live audio-visual performance of Nati Infiniti at Berlin’s Atonal Festival resulting in high praise and, after a series of sold-out performances – each showcasing an improvised version of Nati Infiniti with no two concerts ever the same – Cortini will embark on a tour of North America and Europe throughout ’24 and into ‘25 – with more dates to be added.

Alessandro Cortini is one of the foremost figures of contemporary electronic music, best known for his haunting, atmospheric work. A longstanding member of Nine Inch Nails (his tenure has stretched from 2005 to the present day), he is a highly prolific artist, releasing a steady stream of his own heady music on luminary labels including Mute, Hospital, and Important Records for the past decade. Throughout his shadowy rise to fame, he has collaborated with the likes of Lawrence English, Daniel Avery, and Merzbow. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – the only Italian musician ever honoured – and found time to create the Strega (used on his previous album, Scuro Chiaro, which Pitchfork described as “pitched somewhere between purgatory and the planetarium… consistently managing to thrill and surprise”) and the forthcoming module, Bruxa, with Make Noise. Additionally, he has soundtracked catwalk shows for fashion giants Alexander McQueen, Dior, and Fendi, composed for Disney/Hulu’s hit show The Bear, and remixed tracks for Depeche Mode, Mogwai, Death Cab For Cutie, Yann Tiersen, and Vatican Shadow. Balancing dark ambience with smoky, pulsing rhythms, his compositions are perfectly restrained, textured, and mesmeric. His vast and expansive work spans across genres, showcasing his versatile talent and innovative approach to music.

Snippets:

Video:
“IV”

Special:
“Fact Mix 505”

Recommendations:
all releases on Mute & sublabels

Buy CD:
Alessandro Cortini @ Bandcamp
MuteBank
WOM
Decks
Juno
Bleep
Boomkat
more soon

Buy Vinyl:
Alessandro Cortini @ Bandcamp
MuteBank
Deejay
Decks
Juno
WOM
Bleep
Boomkat
more soon

Buy Download:
Alessandro Cortini @ Bandcamp
Qobuz
Bleep
JunoDownload
Beatport
Boomkat
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Qobuz
Spotify
Deezer
Youtube Music

Websites:
Alessandro Cortini
Mute
Mute Deutschland

out now: DEFTR – Run Away [NPM]

Artist:
DEFTR

Title:
Run Away

Label:
NPM

Cat#:
NPMLP01

Release Date:
20th September 2024

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
The Call

A2.
Part Two

B1.
A Farway

B2.
A Glimpse

C1.
Shade Off

C2.
No Knock, No Doorbell

D1.
Twentysix

D2.
Run Away

Press Info:
DEFTR (pron – ‘Defuture’): The Revolutionary Collaboration Redefining Ambient and Techno Music

DEFTR, the newly formed alias of Answer Code Request and Jan Wagner, presents their debut album “Run Away” on npm, introducing a captivating fusion of ambient and techno. This collaborative project marks a departure from Answer Code Request’s renowned 4/4 techno framework, venturing into expansive auditory realms enriched by Jan Wagner’s classical expertise.

Spanning eight meticulously crafted tracks, DEFTR’s debut album explores a spectrum of blissful and resonant soundscapes. The compositions unfold with a delicate balance of ambient textures and rhythmic innovation, punctuated by evocative vocal samples that enhance the album’s atmospheric depth.

Having previously released three EPs that hinted at this innovative direction, DEFTR solidifies their unique sonic identity with this full-length release. The interplay between Answer Code Request’s intricate rhythms and Wagner’s ambient sensibilities creates a dynamic tension, resulting in a listening experience that is both immersive and transformative.

DEFTR’s vision extends beyond the studio, aiming to bring their sound to life on stage with a focus on live performance elements, including drum machines and synths. While details of the debut album release show are forthcoming, Berlin is anticipated to host this significant event.

With their debut album, DEFTR not only establishes a new creative path for Answer Code Request and Jan Wagner but also sets a high standard for npm’s inaugural release, promising an engaging and profound auditory journey.

Snippets:

Full Track Streaming:
“A Glimpse”

“Run Away”

more soon

Specials:
Jan Wagner – “P-Tön V19”

Answer Code Request – “P-Tön V20”

Buy Vinyl:
NPM @ Bandcamp
Deejay
Juno
WOM
Red Eye Records
Decks
HHV
more soon

Buy Download:
NPM @ Bandcamp
Qobuz
JunoDownload
Beatport
iTunes
TraxSource
Bleep
7Digital
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Spotify
Apple Music
Deezer
Anghamo
Youtube Music

Booking:
Elite Music Management for Answer Code Request
NPM for Answer Code Request x Jan Wagner aka DEFTR

Websites:
Answer Code Request
Jan Wagner
DEFTR
NPM

out now: Jan Wagner – Energie Braucht Zeit [Quiet Love Records]

Artist:
Jan Wagner

Title:
Energie Braucht Zeit

Label:
Quiet Love Records

Cat#:
QLR082

Release Date:
05th June 2024

Format:
download & streaming

Tracklist:
01.
Jan Wagner
Watch

02.
Jan Wagner
SFA

03.
Jan Wagner
Fall

04.
Jan Wagner
Overcome

05.
Jan Wagner & Tobias Preisig
Holy

06.
Jan Wagner & Aint About Me
Oblige

07.
Jan Wagner
Abend

08.
Jan Wagner
Spring

Press Info:
With his latest album, “Energie Braucht Zeit” (energy requires time), composer and pianist Jan Wagner concludes a trilogy of sonic meditations on the theme of loss, centered around the passing of his mother. With this installment, he addresses the concept of time: the foundational element of reality and the force ensuring the inevitable dissolution of all things. He proposes that it is the acceptance of this polarity that not only makes healing possible but also makes it impossible to align yourself with the vital energies within and around you without it. In other words, this music is a big and undeniable yes towards life, wrapped up in eight delicate compositions. Incandescent, full-bodied, tactile – this music oscillates between the gentle, serene, and somewhat spectral; and a rich gradient of forms pulsating, dancing, and ecstatic. The album features guest appearances from violinist Tobias Preisig and spoken word artist AINT ABOUT ME.

“When I started to work on this record, I felt like I had nothing to say. I also couldn’t touch the piano. What I realized was that the grief I felt after my mother passed away was entangled with the sound of the piano. On my first album (“Nummern”), I literally pressed my grief into the keys and made it resonate in the wooden body of this instrument. So every time I played it, I was transported back into that space. Then “Kapitel“, my second album, dealt with the aftermath. But I’ve moved on since. I had nothing more to add to what I had said on my previous records.

What I found was that the background noise, the so-called throwaway stuff of recording, sounded more interesting to me than the sound of the actual piano. In the beginning, I was using all these expensive mics, but eventually, I recorded with my phone or MacBook. Looking back on it, I think that I wanted to experience the distance between me and the piano, literally. So instead of recording the instrument, I started to record the room. And that’s when the record revealed itself to me, and everything started to fall into place. Synchronicities started to occur. For example, with the spoken word track featuring AINT ABOUT ME, I had a feeling I should drop the recording of his vocals into an instrumental composition I was working on at that time, and it worked without any adjustments! And not only that, but it put words to what I was feeling: that it was time to move on. It was not only time to accept the loss and own it but to accept all the beautiful things that life has been feeding me. When you look at the album cover, it’s that. It’s the commingling of tragedy and love, and specifically, this deep love for life that makes the picture complete.” — Jan Wagner

Snippets:
soon

Full Track Streaming:
“Holy” [w/ Tobias Preisig]

more soon

Special:
“NovaFuture Blog Mix April 2020”

Recommendations:
“Kreuzberg 05 EP” by Answer Code Request x Jan Wagner on DEFTR
“Out Of EP” by Answer Code Request x Jan Wagner on DEFTR
“Yes I EP” by Answer Code Request x Jan Wagner on DEFTR
“Kapitel 30” by Jan Wagner featuring Rosa Anschütz on Quiet Love Records
Jan Wagner’s “Kapitel” on Quiet Love Records
Jan Wagner’s “Nummern” on Quiet Love Records
all stuff on Quiet Love Records we featured

Buy Download:
Jan Wagner @ Bandcamp
Qobuz
JunoDownload
Beatport
iTunes
TraxSource
7Digital
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Qobuz
Spotify
Apple Music
Deezer
Youtube Music

Websites:
Jan Wagner
Quiet Love Records

out now: Louis Carnell – 111 [Mute]

Artist:
Louis Carnell

Title:
111

Label:
Mute

Cat#:
STUMM507

Release Date:
23rd April 2024

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Louis Carnell & Yara Asmar
Four

A2.
Louis Carnell & Okkyung Lee
Seven

A3.
Louis Carnell & Daniel Miller
Ten

A4.
Louis Carnell & Leila
Thirteen

B1.
Louis Carnell & Lee Ranaldo
Two

B2.
Louis Carnell & Coby Sey
Five

B3.
Louis Carnell & Laraaji
Eleven

B4.
Louis Carnell & Nailah Hunter
Fourteen

C1.
Louis Carnell & Ben Vince
Three

C2.
Louis Carnell & Kmru
Six

C3.
Louis Carnell & Green-House
Nine

C4.
Louis Carnell & Marta De Pascalis
Twelve

D1.
Louis Carnell & Keeley Forsyth
One

D2.
Louis Carnell & Wu-Lu
Eight

D3.
Louis Carnell & Damsel Elysium
Fifteen

Press Info:
Louis Carnell has announced details of a 15-track double vinyl release that will collate all of the tracks that comprise his 111 series. The series, which started in 2023, has so far seen Keeley Forsyth, Lee Ranaldo, Ben Vince, Yasa Asmar, Coby Sey, KMRU, Okkyung Lee, Wu-Lu and Green-House collaborate on tracks that have been released every three weeks and will continue to do so until beyond vinyl release date.

111 is curatorial statement, drawing on visual, recorded and live performance with collaborations still to come from Laraaji, Marta De Pascalis, Leila, Nailah Hunter and Damsel Elysium. Each piece is accompanied by one of three visual works by Arcin Sagdic (Maison Margiela, COMME des GARÇONS, Burberry) and Louis Carnell.

Carnell explains the project, “As the engine of modern life funnels us into states of loss and isolation, 111 aims at a utopian poetics of hope. Re-aligning connections by exploring mutual spaces 111 attempts to empower its listener & forms an equivalent environment for each collaboration.

Each artist that features on 111 has provided me with multiple moments of solitude and resilience & I’m thankful to them all.

Visually there are no obvious signifiers of hope, a reflection on the feeling or practice is individual to its arbitrator, but in their existence, we form a foundation of promise & possibility.”

His meticulous attention to the visual world has resulted in collaborations with Arcin

Sagdic, Daniel Sannwald, Frederik Heyman and Peter De Potter, and recent 111 events have included performances at Café OTO and Stoke Newington Old Church in London and the Volksbühne in Berlin.

Snippets:
soon

Videos:
“Eleven” w/ Laraaji

“Ten” w/ Daniel Miller

“Nine” w/ Green-House

“Eight” w/ Wu-Lu

“Seven” w/ Okkyung Lee

“Six” w/ KMRU

“Five” w/ Coby Sey

“Three” w/ Ben Vince

“Two” w/ Lee Ranaldo

“One” w/ Keeley Forsyth

more soon

Buy Vinyl:
MuteBank
Louis Carnell @ Bandcamp
Juno
Deejay
WOM
iMusic
Boomkat
Bleep
more soon

Buy Download:
Louis Carnell @ Bandcamp
Qobuz
JunoDownload
Beatport
iTunes
Boomkat
Bleep
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Qobuz
Spotify
Deezer
Anghami
Apple Music
Youtube Music

Booking:
Potnia Theron for Louis Carnell

Websites:
Louis Carnell
Mute
Mute @ Facebook
Mute Deutschland @ Facebook
Mute Deutschland @ Mastodon
Mute Deutschland @ Threads

out now: Various – Approaching The Illusion [Art Bei Ton]

Artist:
Various

Title:
Approaching The Illusion

Label:
Art Bei Ton

Cat#:
ABT-VA001

Release Date:
16th January 2024

Format:
download & streaming

Tracklist:
01.
TVS
14

02.
Mown
Mountains 8

03.
Laima Adelaide
Far

04.
Vanta
Yali

05.
Feph & Mr. Tron
La Fortuna

06.
Andrea Cossu
Stijl

07.
Synister
Deep In Hypnosis

Press Info:
Following their 5th anniversary, the Berlin-based event series Art Bei Ton is kicking off its label with a first VA release ‘Approaching The Illusion’ featuring 7 tracks from Ambient to Hypnotic and Deep Techno. 
 
The goal is to promote diverse international artists involved with our community and curate a sound reflecting different sides of our scene. 
 
Opening the VA with a dark and ritualistic Ambient track composed by the Sardinian artist TVS, the journey follows a shamanic path by touching some euclidean rhythmics with the downtempo beat from our Art Bei Ton resident Mown. 
 
Approaching a hypnotic dimension with Laima Adelaide’s unique atmospheric production, the VA follows up with a psychedelic tune from the Leipzig-based artist Vanta. 
 
The collaboration between Feph and Mr. Tron offers another aspect of the hypnotic sound, with some more driving and uplifting vibes. 
 
Wrapping up this first release, the Berlin-based artist Andrea Cossu brings us to an unusually long and trippy journey through some mental whispering voices. The Indian producer Synister (IN) takes the listener into a dark and dystopian momentum through a powerful Deep Techno groove.

Snippets: