• Label: PLIIANT RECORDINGS
• Cat No: PLIIAN005
• 07/02/2010  

More info to follow.

• Label: PLIIANT RECORDINGS
• Cat No: PLIIANT004
• 07/02/2010  

More info to follow.

• Label: BRAINS AND HUNCH RECORDS
• Cat No: BAH
• 07/02/2010  

More info to follow.

• Label: SEREIN
• Cat No: SERE001
• 07/02/2010  

More info to follow.

• Label: HOME NORMAL
• Cat No: HOMEN012
• 05/02/2010  

More info to follow.

• Label: BRUIT CLAIR
• Cat No: BC-01
• 02/02/2010  

From the first moment I heard the releases that were forthcoming from Bruit Clair I knew it was going to be a label that Smallfish would be very, very happy to be stocking! With this debut release label owner Mat has put together a marvellous collection of works that surf the line between experimental, organic and processed. There’s a whole world of sound to discover here as the ever-present guitars lock horns with prepared instruments and electronics to provide a constant background of intriguing tonality and background layering. The work here seems improvised, as far as I can tell, but adheres to a structural style that holds all the sounds together while allowing them to be fully explored in a number of compelling ways. Clattering percussive forces sit happily next to quiet moments of introspective drone with an almost ambient quality, but the prevailing sound is one of lively, playful and inventive sound design that uses noise as one of the main focuses of the tracks. Be prepared for some awesome future releases from this label that’s very much one to watch. Highly recommended indeed and a really excellent beginning for Bruit Clair.

• Label: HIBERNATE RECORDS
• Cat No: HB10
• 01/02/2010  

Leeds based artist David Horner has put together a real beauty of an album here. Hibernate’s sense of bringing together the electronically processed and organic is well established and this full length work really fits like a glove with the label’s ethos. All of the source sounds and recordings were captured in the morning, hence the name, and it gives everything a surprisingly tangible freshness which more than comes across in the music. Always melodic and 100% thoughtful, this evocative series of meditations lies somewhere between the free-flowing and the more structured. It’s never a rigid feel though and the tones and textures are allowed free reign to be explored in depth. The variety here is one of the keys to its appeal I think and the breadth of ideas and styles is deeply satisfying. One moment you’re being lulled by a low-key drone and water sounds, the next a guitar harmonic punctuates the atmosphere, bringing everything into sharp focus. The field recordings and background tones are charming and, as ever, add a layer of natural sound and feeling. Although there are moments that move into a slightly darker feel they only serve to highlight the grainy sense of musicality here and the balance between the styles is marvellous. Another brilliant release from Hibernate and something that the artist should be very proud of. A gorgeous album. Recommended.

• Label: MATTER
• Cat No: MATTER004
• 31/01/2010  

Koyuki man David Sani under his Shinkei guise along with Shay Nassi as Mise_En_Scene come together here on the Japanese Matter label with a collaborative work that’s simply wonderful. As you’d imagine this delves right into the minimalist depths of contemporary electronica and it does so with such finesse and style that I sincerely believe you’re going to love it as much as I do. For the first track alone, Cryptology, this album is worth the price in my opinion. It’s a stark, yet beautiful drone work with the kind of texture you might expect to hear early on in a Chartier set, for example. They allow it to develop, grow, reduce itself to barely anything, then fade out with infinite slowness using field recordings and plenty of incidental sound. It’s an awesome intro for what is proving to be one of my highlights of the year so far. From there the textures and tones move in various directions, from higher frequency and a-tonal works and back into micro-fragment compositions that sound structured but have a remarkably freeform feeling. Adding to that are three interpretations from Luigi Turra, Michael Hartman and Yukitomo Hamasaki that each take a distinctly different direction and you have a complete package that no fan of Line, White_Line and Dragon’s Eye should be without. An absolutely superb album from beginning to end. Highly recommended.

• Label: KOYUKI
• Cat No: YUKI008
• 31/01/2010  

Now this is a classy and unique release from Koyuki. Having concentrated on micro electronics in the past it’s very refreshing to find this unusual release from Ryota Kanasaki. One of the main ingredients of the tracks is the use of vocals as not only a melodic component but also as rhythm, percussion and bass. We’re not talking about Bobby McFerrin here or a spot of beatbox – no, this is considerably more experimental than that and yet there’s an accessible feel to the resulting works that allows it stand out in the crowd. Angelic female snippets are combined with an earthy male voice and everything is restructured into lively and engaging music. The third piece adds in more of an electronic feel with some interesting samples overlaid whilst the fourth piece seems, on the surface anyway, to be completely free of vocals (although on subsequent listens I believe the main wind sounds may well have been sourced from recorded voices) and concentrates on an intense and, to these ears, very beautiful mid-range drone. All in all I have to say this is a release of the highest quality and it’s extremely pleasing to have Koyuki back in the fold here at Smallfish after a brief hiatus. Check at once!

• Label: BLACK ATLAS
• Cat No: BLKAT001
• 31/01/2010  

Robert Hopps and Jonathan Webb’s Nos Phillipé project is absolutely fascinating. Having released on Confront before they now deliver the debut release on their own Black Atlas label and it’s a self titled beast of epic proportions I have to say. This is one of the darkest releases I’ve stocked here at Smallfish for some time and, as you probably know, I’m more of a melody kind of guy, but every now and again something comes along that just knocks your socks off – and as far as 2010 goes, this is the first release in this style that’s done just that. The CD comprises three long pieces (including a live track from recorded at Café Oto) and each has a distinct flavour. From intense drone and doom laden metal influences to more delicate moments, this work is absolutely captivating. A massive range of sound sources are used and abused during the music, from scraped metal and cymbals to field recordings, guitars and turntables and they combine to make an unholy but totally coherent and listenable noise. In fact, it’s not really fair to just call it noise as it’s far more than that – the subtleties lie in the way the sounds work together to build an ebb and flow that’s as dramatic as it is seamless. For those of you who fancy something a little on the heavier side I reckon this is the one for you. A bombastic and powerful sound-fest all round – killer stuff.