Jul 5, 2020

Sundaze 2027

Hello, so finally the F1 season starts tomorrow in Austria Mercedes proved they still have the fastest car as their new DAS system was declared legal by the FIA (interestingly it will be illegal next season, ah yes Spock was right), anyway Hamilton had to give way to Bottas, main rival Max Verstappen is third on the grid but he's the only one starting on yellow tires which is slightly slower but will last longer expect him to lead when he needs the tire change, he's won the previous 2 Austrian races, expect him to win tomorrow. But then Hamilton is full on in emotional blackmail mode with his Black Lives Matter activism (as if he hasn't won enough races) demanding precession, such could go wrong with certain drivers....


As for today to make the transitionfrom Alio Die easier i start with a coproduction he did with today's artist Robert Rich a man that appeared here earlier (7 years ago) but there is plenty left to ponder on. In the years that followed our man  developed a complex range of sounds founded upon the seamless integration of electronic, electric, and acoustic instrumentation, and the exploration of complex tunings. He's made dozens of albums these past 30 years even if this is my 3rd posting on him there's plenty left to come back to him in the future but for now ..... N'Joy

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A California native, Rich began experimenting with electronics in the late '70s before attending Stanford University, where he completed a degree in psychology. While at Stanford, Rich's involvement in the university's prestigious Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics expanded his interest in electronic composition, as well as bringing him in contact with a wide range of nontraditional, non-Western musical ideas. In 1987, he released an album titled Numena. This was the beginning of a new sound for Rich. It was his first album to explore complex rhythmic patterns, a wider range of acoustic instrumentation, and just intonation. It was also his first album to be released on CD originally. Rich's performance of several all-night "sleep concerts" during this period also helped solidify an aesthetic focus on psychoacoustics, perceptible in early recordings such as Geometry and Trances/Drones.

Rich's more mature works such as Rainforest and Propagation have sought to combine that interest with more recognizable electro-acoustical elements (Rich plays a wide range of instruments, from synths and effects racks to hand drums and flute), but the influence of digital sound manipulation has also moved increasingly to the fore. Inspired by the more textural works of artists like SPK and Throbbing Gristle, Rich's interest in the edgier side of electronic composition has also earned him a reputation among fans of gothic, industrial, and dark ambient, made most obvious by his collaboration in 1995 with Brian Williams of Lustmord. .

In 1992, he formed a new group called Amoeba. The group has released three albums featuring ex-Urdu members Rick Davies and Andrew McGowan at different times. In 2001, he released an album titled Somnium, a 7-hour album divided into three tracks on one DVD video. This album was a recreation of the sleep concert environment he created during the 1980s at Stanford. Although not officially recognized, many people believe it to be the longest artist album of all time.

In 2004, he released an album of piano solos titled Open Window. This album documents his improvised piano style that has been part of his live concerts for decades. It was recorded on a 1925 vintage A.B. Chase baby grand piano. On March 11, 2005, Robert suffered a hand injury. He was cleaning a glass jug and accidentally slipped and fell on top of it. During the recovery process, he continued to record new material and tour. He also constructed end-blown flutes from PVC pipe that are more easily played with limited right-hand dexterity.

During his 2006 tour, Rich performed in front of a film created by visual artist Daniel Colvin as a backdrop. After the tour he created a score for the film, which was released on CD and DVD in 2007 under the title Atlas Dei. In 2007 he also released the album Illumination, a companion soundtrack of a multimedia installation by Michael Somoroff, and a collaboration album with touch guitarist Markus Reuter.

One of Rich's other interests is food. He maintains a Web site of recipes and other food related topics called Flavor Notes. He also has a long list of recipes for wild mushrooms.

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Temple of the Invisible finds Robert Rich at his most organic, eschewing the trappings of modernity or stylistic boundaries. Using only simple acoustic instruments, Rich has crafted a document from a distant time and place, a lost culture with musical underpinnings that reach from Java to North Africa, from Medieval Europe to the Tibetan Plateau. Rich uses the music of this unknown civilization as a platform to express an intensely personal quest. Each piece documents part of a lost ritual, with mythical and spiritual components conveyed through a strangely familiar yet foreign musical language, as if unearthed from an ancient common ancestry. Contributors include Sukhawat Ali Khan (son of the great Indian vocalist Salamat Ali Khan), Paul Hanson, Percy Howard, and noted solo artists Forrest Fang and Tom Heasley, adding dimension and power to this mysterious world out of time.



Robert Rich - Temple Of The Invisible ( flac 248mb)

01 Etranon 3:20
02 Antalieh 7:13
03 Pa Tanak 7:51
04 Kibral 4:13
05 Fasanina 10:42
06 Tulcrhu 9:39
07 Lan Tiku 9:42
08 Otranon 7:04

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The concept of Echo of Small Things is boundlessly fascinating. To showcase and emphasize the overlooked, the trivial, the mundane, and capture their undervalued beauty is nothing less than an amazing pursuit.The slow droning music on this album weaves through recordings of footsteps, casual voices and other ordinary sounds.

What makes the biggest impact on this album, though, is the overwhelming sense of humanity which permeates tracks like the opening "Pathways," the flute-driven "Scent of Night Jasmine" which rises like sultry incense, and the sparse beauty of "Hollow Rings Longer," which echoes the best of Rich's past work, e.g. Gaudi and Rainforest. I don't know why I have this strong evocation of the man behind the music, since the music is so obviously ambient in nature and (while not inaccessible) and is mostly comprised of snippets of melody or tunefulness, atmospheric textures, occasional percussion, and environmental sounds, but I do. Seldom do I "sense" the musician behind the recording as strongly as I do here. Maybe part of what I feel is the result of this album being a collaboration of sorts between Rich and photographer David Agasi (whose beautiful photos adorn the liner notes). The artist describes the aim of the music and likewise Agasi's images thusly (from the liner notes): "Our culture helps determine for us what we think is important and what we think is trivial, what is large and what is small. Yet meaning often waits at the periphery. Life happens in the gaps, in the soft-hued colors of the mundane, the accidental: a casual smile, the cycle of seasons, the view from a window, growing a garden, the smells and fabrics of home."



Robert Rich - Echo of Small Things ( flac 311mb)

01 Pathways 9:36
02 Fences 4:57
03 Circle Unwound 9:00
04 Passing Terrain 6:09
05 Glint in Her Eyes 6:25
06 Scent of Night Jasmine 9:09
07 Summer Thunder 4:27
08 Hollow Rings Longer 5:19
09 Weightless Morning 6:11

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“Lithosphere” is the second collaborative release between DiN label boss Ian Boddy & American ambient pioneer Robert Rich. Following on from their debut album “Outpost”  the duo once again decided to eschew the false economy of a purely virtual collaboration and convened at Rich’s Californian Soundscape studio to physically work together over an intense period of 10 days. Following Boddy’s departure Rich then honed and fine-tuned the arrangements before finalising the mastering of the project.

Whereas “Outpost” was sonically ‘out there’ and was perceived by many to have its heart in the realms of space music, “Lithosphere” has a more earthy, organic quality. Once again the album is centered around Rich ‘s signature lap steel guitar voicings and the deep bass rumblings of his analogue MOTM modular system. However Boddy ‘s input is unexpected in its direction with astonishing sound design elements intermingling with delicate keyboard textures using high quality sampled glass & stone percussion instruments together with haunting string &woodwind loops. One of the binding forces for this album was the duo’s decision to utilise an alternate just intonation tuning. This at times gives the harmonies a piquant flavour whereas at others a glistening quality that just adds to the sonic exotica that Boddy & Rich have concocted on “Lithosphere”. Boddy has always pushed the aspect of collaborations within his DiN catalogue and “Lithosphere” shows the true advantage such a philosophy brings to bear musically on the labels output. The album is a true reflection of the two artists combined efforts and could only have been produced with their joint work ethic. “Outpost” is one of the most popular DiN albums. There ‘s every chance that “Lithosphere”could surpass the high standard that its illustrious predecessor has set.



Robert Rich and Ian Boddy - Lithosphere   ( flac 245mb)

01 Threshold 2:07
02 Vent 5:20
03 Chamber 6:29
04 Glass 3:40
05 Subduction 5:34
06 Geode 6:32
07 Stone 3:51
08 Metamorphic 7:25
09 Lithosphere 6:29
10 Melt 5:15

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Electric Ladder continues the experimental nature of Bestiary, deviating from Rich's more typical ambient/drone soundscapes with the use of electronic and instrumental beats. While this work is not as ambitious in scope as Bestiary, it has a better sense of flow, progressing slowly but surely from each track. There are a multitude of instruments that are used throughout this album, resulting in a warm collage of subtle background atmospheres that culminate into one impressive collection of soundscapes. It certainly isn't my favorite album from Robert Rich, as I tend to prefer albums like Calling Down the Sky and Echo of Small Things, but Electric Ladder is a refreshing change from the rest of Rich's catalog, providing even more testimony to this brilliant artist's mastery of soundscaping. Newcomers to his discography should listen to his other albums- particularly albums like Numena, Gaudi, Inner Landscapes, and Calling Down the Sky- before approaching this or Bestiary, but this album should prove rewarding to those well acquainted with his sounds. Even if you aren't acquainted with Rich's music, this still makes for a worthy listen.



 Robert Rich - Electric Ladder ( flac 286mb)

01 First Outpost 1:31
02 Ice Fields 8:21
03 Methane 3:48
04 Lagrange Point 6:48
05 Link Lost 10:15
06 State of Flux 6:38
07 Tuning In 5:47
08 Tuning Out 6:54
09 Edge of Nowhere 6:25
10 Last Outpost 2:18

I use a new host here let me now if it works for you

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3 comments:

Contural said...

Hi Rho,Kid Loco - A Grand Love Story's some tracks sound is distorted (downloaded both from zippy& free.fr)could fix the upload please?

Rho said...

Hello Contural you need to be more specific which tracks sound distorted.

Contural said...

You can hear clearly at first track after 2:15 continues with second track at same levels too.(Compared with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E39nFKw2v40 no distortion there.)