Hypnos Newsletter

CD release: Seren Ffordd - Arhythmia

2010-10-05T16:27:04Z

Artist: Seren Ffordd
Title: Arhythmia
Label: Hypnos Secret Sounds hss31, limited cdr edition of 300

Reissue of out of print 2005 recording by Seren Ffordd, an ambient artist residing in Wales. This is the second in our series of reissues by this artist, following Stellar Nurseries, and we previously released his album Veils, Shadows on Hypnos Secret Sounds a few years earlier. Arhythmia is hypnotic and at times restful, yet often has an "edge" or a discordant quality. It's more "active" than most other Seren Ffordd music

Cycles, patterns and rhythms, the world is full of them. Not the steady beats prevalent in most music, but subtle interlocking rhythms that dance and move through each other. The flow between the monthly phases of the moon and the daily tides. Stellar precession and the turning of galaxies. The pulsations of our blodd, neurons and breathing. In five parts, Arhythmia is an exploration of such shifting patterns that can be heard and felt but not danced to. Rhythms and movements of sound that draw the mind and spirit into other places of dreaming. Arhythmia is a mixture of light and dark textures that contain both flowing and hypnotic elements. All the sound sources on the CD are acoustic in origin. They include field recordings of Thunder, rain and other things. The rest of the music is created on singing bowls, voice, gourds and chimes. All the effects and sound manipulations are performed on a Korg D16 digital portastudio. Recorded in June and July 2005.

"Interestingly with a title like Arhythmia, the artwork on the front of this one looks much like the inside of a heart valve, albeit softened in both texture and color. As for the music, hopefully it won't give you any cardiac trouble. Darker and more experimental than his other discs, here Benford takes us into what he calls 'an exploration of rhythms that can be heard and felt but not danced to.' Rumbling and churning sounds are joined by a steady rain in the background. Benford notes that the music is divided into five parts, although it plays as a single track... Arhythmia is daring adventurous fun."
--Review by Phil Derby, Electroambient Space

Track listing, with mp3 sample clips:
Part I - 10:15 mp3 clip
Part II - 14:45 mp3 clip
Part III - 17:00 mp3 clip
Part IV - 14:00 mp3 clip
Part V - 14:50 mp3 clip

This limited CDR release, on the Hypnos Secret Sounds imprint, is available for purchase for $9.99 here

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CD release: Mystified - Primal Mystification

2009-12-14T15:31:21Z

Artist: Mystified
Title: Primal Mystification
Label: Hypnos Secret Sounds (Ltd CDR)

2009. Mystified is a pseudonym for Thomas Park, an ambient/electronic musician who lives in the midwestern USA. He's been prolific under the Mystified name as well as the Mister Vapor project, but this is his first release with Hypnos Secret Sounds. Most recently, Mystified has collaborated with Nunc Stans on a release "One Thousand Dreams" on the Dataobscura label, and he has previously collaborated with Robin Storey (Rapoon) and Nigel Ayers (Nocturnal Emissions).

One of the things we enjoy at Hypnos is helping expose listeners to artists they may not have heard before, and that includes even artists whose work has been released widely on a variety of labels. The work of Mystified, while elsewhere working with more pronounced electronic rhythms, here emphasizes deep, slow-moving textures. Primal Mystification includes subtle and restrained percussive elements but is definitely geared toward the listener who loves deep, thick drone work.

Mystified himself says of this recording:
"Primal Mystification emerged from drone sounds, similar to the way we humans emerged from the primordial ooze. Oscillating ambient bell washes were created using field recordings and mystical effect processes, and then simple rhythmic and melodic phrases evolved from the primal material. Sometimes there is a change or development in the rhythmic material, and always there are changes in the drones, behind, as they shift and flow. Primal Mystification is a musical union of form and formlessness."

Hypnos Secret Sounds brings you Primal Mystification, our first release by Mystified.

Track listing, with mp3 sample clips:
01 > massive turning > 14:58 > mp3
02 > departing certainty > 13:26 > mp3
03 > not knowing where > 10:30 > mp3
04 > back to the primal > 11:22 > mp3

Purchase for $9.99 on Hypnos Online Store

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CD release: Viridian Sun - Infinite In All Directions

2009-12-04T16:00:54Z

Artist: Viridian Sun
Title: Infinite In All Directions
Label: Hypnos Recordings

2009. Viridian Sun is a duo focusing on abstract improvisation, featuring Hypnos founder Mike Griffin, and Hypnos solo artist David Tollefson. Their last studio album Perihelion was released a full decade ago on Hypnos, though VS continued to record together and occasionally perform live. The new album Infinite In All Directions moves into slightly different sonic material, downplaying synthesizer electronics in favor of guitar and bass guitar, electronically treated and looped. The result combines sustained, blissful drones, along with occasionally strange, complex overlapping loops.

For a retrospective of the sound of Viridian Sun, including two tracks from the new album, as well as rarities and unreleased tracks, listen to the first Hypnos Podcast: Hypnos Podcast 01.

Those interested may also check out a bit of background on the Hypnos Forum, along with photographs of the recording sessions, for the new album over the past eighteen months here.

This is the first release on Hypnos featuring our new, simplified packaging. Click here to see a photograph of the assembled package, which includes CD and booklet inside a translucent envelope. It should be clarified that despite the new packaging, Hypnos releases are still proper, manufactured CDs, and not CDRs. The envelopes are heavy, translucent recyclable paper, not true vellum (in other words, these are not made from animal skin).

Many Hypnos listeners have asked over the years when we'll release something new by Viridian Sun, and we now present an album that may be their best yet: Infinite In All Directions.

Track listing with MP3 samples:
1 > infinite in all directions > 13:31 mp3 clip
2 > parallax drift > 07:13 mp3 clip
3 > four times I slept for a year > 09:46 mp3 clip
4 > travel at absolute zero > 05:03 mp3 clip
5 > 40 Hz emergence > 05:41 mp3 clip
6 > magnetars cast no shadow > 12:52 mp3 clip
7 > light years from here > 08:58 mp3 clip

Hypnos Online Store listing, special price $10.99

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CD release: Seren Ffordd - Stellar Nurseries

2009-11-13T16:03:42Z

Artist: Seren Ffordd
Title: Stellar Nurseries
Label: Hypnos Secret Sounds hss28, limited cdr edition of 300

Stellar Nurseries is the first in a series of Seren Ffordd reissues planned to continue over the coming year or so. These recordings, by an artist whose work is always mysterious and sometimes ominous, were previously released on the Umbra and Penumbra labels operated (by Hypnos artist Oophoi) out of Italy, though the artist himself resides in Wales. He first connected with Hypnos on the compilation CD Sounds of a Universe Overheard, to which he contributed a track, and Hypnos Secret Sounds released his album Veils, Shadows.

This recording exhibits a pleasing serenity, a great example of the artist's characteristic combination of dark and light elements into a balanced, deep contrast.

Original sleeve notes, December 2004:
Floating in the depths of space are vast clouds of molecular gases. They drift until disturbed by the dance of gravity. Then, folding in on themselves they spiral in towards the centre, to the forming Starseed. As the disc gets denser and hotter the gases spiral faster and faster, an awesome storm of movement. Faster, denser, hotter until the star ignites, flaming into being. A wave of light and heat flares out into space, pushing the lighter elements before it. The heavier materials left are once more pulled by the bonding of movement and gravity. Held by the dream of the star the planets begin to form in their orbits. Once born the planets spiral round and round creating new notes chords and harmonies.

Stellar Nurseries is a continuous track 1:01:02 in duration, with the following figurative "sections" (with mp3 sample clips):
1. Out of the Void mp3
2. Storm Movement mp3
3. Spiral Dance mp3
4. Floating, Dreaming mp3

This limited CDR release, on the Hypnos Secret Sounds imprint, is available for purchase for $9.99 here

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CD release: Seren Ffordd - Stellar Nurseries

2009-11-13T15:57:52Z

Artist: Seren Ffordd
Title: Stellar Nurseries
Label: Hypnos Secret Sounds hss28, limited cdr edition of 300

Stellar Nurseries is the first in a series of Seren Ffordd reissues planned to continue over the coming year or so. These recordings, by an artist whose work is always mysterious and sometimes ominous, were previously released on the Umbra and Penumbra labels operated (by Hypnos artist Oophoi) out of Italy, though the artist himself resides in Wales. He first connected with Hypnos on the compilation CD Sounds of a Universe Overheard, to which he contributed a track, and Hypnos Secret Sounds released his album Veils, Shadows.

This recording exhibits a pleasing serenity, a great example of the artist's characteristic combination of dark and light elements into a balanced, deep contrast.

Original sleeve notes, December 2004:
Floating in the depths of space are vast clouds of molecular gases. They drift until disturbed by the dance of gravity. Then, folding in on themselves they spiral in towards the centre, to the forming Starseed. As the disc gets denser and hotter the gases spiral faster and faster, an awesome storm of movement. Faster, denser, hotter until the star ignites, flaming into being. A wave of light and heat flares out into space, pushing the lighter elements before it. The heavier materials left are once more pulled by the bonding of movement and gravity. Held by the dream of the star the planets begin to form in their orbits. Once born the planets spiral round and round creating new notes chords and harmonies.

Stellar Nurseries is a continuous track 1:01:02 in duration, with the following figurative "sections" (with mp3 sample clips):
1. Out of the Void mp3
2. Storm Movement mp3
3. Spiral Dance mp3
4. Floating, Dreaming mp3

This limited CDR release, on the Hypnos Secret Sounds imprint, is available for purchase for $9.99 here

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CD release: Matt Borghi - The Phantom Light

2009-08-18T17:23:14Z

Artist: Matt Borghi
Title: The Phantom Light
Label: Hypnos Secret Sounds (Ltd CDR)

2009. The Phantom Light is the third release in our Matt Borghi reissue series. Originally issued in an edition of only 30 copies in 2006, this Hypnos Secret Sounds reissue will be the first opportunity for this recording to be heard by most Borghi listeners. The four long pieces exhibit Borghi's characteristic simplicity and restraint.

Matt says: The Phantom Light is a work that�s comprised four compositions with titles derived from some of the most remote lighthouses on the northern Great Lakes.

The works are inspired by sailor�s tales of being adrift on The Great Lakes during storms, and catastrophic weather. Sailors, looking out on the horizon for a sign of life, a light of hope, aimed their ships towards the safety of these phantom lighthouses hoping to get to a safe harbor. Often times these phantom lighthouses just lead to a rocky shoal and a watery death. These �phantom� lights have been a thing of myth for as long as The Great Lakes freshwater seas have been sailed.

In many ways, The Phantom Light is a sequel to Huronic Minor, as Great Lakes lore, and Matt Borghi�s own experiences on The Great Lakes were the creative impetus for this work.

Track list:
1. Ile Aux Gales (17.54) mp3
2. Manistee North Pierhead (16.33) mp3
3. Seul Choix Point (21.01) mp3
4. North Manitou Island Shoal (20.28) mp3

Available on the Hypnos Online Store for $11.99

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CD release: Steve Brand - Children of Alcyone

2009-06-09T16:38:13Z

Artist: Steve Brand
Title: Children of Alcyone
Label: Hypnos Secret Sounds (Ltd CDR)

2009. The second release by Steve Brand on our Hypnos Secret Sounds imprint, Children of Alcyone demonstrates the characteristic otherworldly quality of the artist's best work. Generally quite simple, at times singlemindedly minimal, this work is nonetheless possessed of a depth and complexity that are revealed upon repeated listening. Stretched-out drone structures combine with subtle tribal/ethnic elements to create very effective atmospheres for almost hypnotic relaxation.

Though we're tempted to call Brand one of our favorite "new" artists, in fact he has been active as a recording artist for quite some time, having released many recordings under the name Augur, along with a handful of solo and collaborative works under his own name this past year.

Steve Brand says:
"The inspiring energy for Children of Alcyone was/is the books of Barbara Marciniak. Marciniak's books are said to be channeled information from the Pleiadians, our distant multi-dimensional ancestors from the Pleiades constellation. (Alcyone is the name of the "central sun" of this constellation.) Upon being introduced to these books, I was immediately taken by their wit and irreverence, the nearly unfathomable timeline of events, and their uncanny relevance to things that are currently taking place here on Earth (the first of these books were channeled in the early 90's).

The initial sound sketches for "Children" were begun in September of 2007 in the tidal wave of energy that was Steve Roach's "Into the SoundCurrent" masters' class, and elaborated upon, refined, and re-energized over the intervening 3 years in my own studio. The result is a sometimes murky, sometimes soothing, sometimes phantasmagorical series of excursions through multiple timelines, and myriad possible half lit universes that other versions of ourselves inhabit.

My friend, and frequent collaborator, Jonathan Benham, not only created the art for this disk, but contributed energy and sounds to a couple of tracks with his array of homemade instruments during a series of improvisations between he and myself captured at my studio."

Track listing, with mp3 sample clips:
1. Golden Cloud - (08:17) - mp3 clip
2. Light Age - (22:51) - mp3 clip
3. Outside the Grid of Time - (17:15) - mp3 clip
4. Into the Central Sun - (12:30) - mp3 clip

Purchase for $11.99 on Hypnos Online Store

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CD release: Deepspace - The Glittering Domain

2009-01-12T17:36:15Z

Artist: Deepspace
Title: The Glittering Domain
Label: Hypnos Secret Sounds (Ltd CDR)

2008. Deepspace is a pseudonym for Mirko Ruckels, a German-born ambient/electronic musician who now resides in Brisbane, Australia. His previous releases have been self-released, and The Glittering Domain is his debut on Hypnos Secret Sounds.

We at Hypnos view Deepspace as one of the top up-and-coming ambient music talents of the past few years, and electroambientspace.com agrees, naming him New Artist of the Year for 2007 and saying:
"Mirko Ruckels is a great new talent, a cross between Steve Roach and Stars of the Lid, with a dash of Budd and Eno."

Abstract and definitely "ambient" in nature, The Glittering Domain simultaneously exhibits a strong musical sensibility, with a sound and structure reminiscent of artists such as Vidna Obmana and Numina. Though Hypnos may be best known for unstructured "drone" style recordings, we really enjoy a recording like this one that has more of a tonal basis.

Deepspace described by stillstream.com:
"Lush, exquisite, flawless, refined, striking, beautiful... we could go on and on with adjectives to describe the music of Deepspace. One of our favorite discoveries in the past year, this is an artist to keep a close eye on - and one we encourage all our listeners to visit right away."

Track listing, with mp3 sample clips:
Introduction- The Chord of the Abyss MP3 clip
Encountering Giants MP3 clip
The Colossals MP3 clip
Crushed by the Weight of Angels MP3 clip
Elevenward MP3 clip
Lacrimosa's Visitation MP3 clip
The Glittering Domain MP3 clip
The Sleeper (Close) MP3 clip

Purchase for $11.99 on Hypnos Online Store

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CD release: Birds of Tin - Rinpoche

2008-12-31T14:30:51Z

Artist: Birds of Tin
Title: Rinpoche
Label: Hypnos Secret Sounds (Ltd CDR)

2008. Birds of Tin is a pseudonym for experimental sound artist Brooke Oates. He has previously collaborated with Rapoon and Augur (Steve Brand), and released several solo and collaborative works on a variety of labels, most notably Manifold and Mystery Sea.

We are pleased to announce the first release by Birds of Tin, Rinpoche, on the Hypnos Secret Sounds sub-label. This recording comes from an in-studio live improvisation from 2002, and covers a strange and varied sonic territory. Working in the realm of sound art as much as "music," the artist creates an effect that is hypnotic and at times seemingly psychoactive.

"Birds Of Tin is the one man project of Brooke Oates and there has been no new release since 2004. That perhaps might be right, since the recordings here on 'Rinpoche' were improvised in 2002. Birds Of Tin had releases on Manifold, Solipsism, Mystery Sea and XZF. What Oates does here is pretty much outside the lines of Hypnos: no finely woven tapestries of synthesizers, but a likewise finely woven pattern of all sorts of heavily treated sound objects. Lots of echo and reverb on the tea cups that is. Two pieces, together spanning some seventy-five minutes, whereas one would have been enough. Another difference is the improvisational aspect of the music, also not unlike Hypnos. Birds Of Tin seems to me a man who loves his record collection - don't we all - and particularly records by zoviet*france and to a lesser extent Rapoon. Sometimes things are a bit too haphazard in the way its put together, but then in other moments he proofs to be capable of producing a nice tune. A pair of scissors to splice the tape would be handy though."
--Reviewed by Frans DeWaard, Vital Weekly

Track listing (with mp3 sample clips):
1 mp3
2 mp3

Purchase for $11.99 on Hypnos Online Store

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Hypnos Newsletter Message

2008-10-29T17:57:38Z
CD release: Sans Serif - Tones for LaMonte
CD release announcement from Hypnos Recordings
Various artists
Title: Echoes of Polyhymnia
Hypnos Recordings, hyp2855

2008. Polyhymnia was one of the Muses of Greek myth, specifically the Muse of sacred hymn. Echoes of Polyhymnia compiles music in ambient and related genres composed and recorded exclusively by women. This genre is so male-dominated generally that we had a lot of fun gathering interesting ambient sounds, including some works that have one foot in ambient territory and another foot in one of several different, related genres. It covers styles and flavors as diverse as ambient, drone, glitch, vocal collage, goth and electronica.

Hypnos manager (and artist) Lena Griffin curated this specially-themed compilation which gathers an assortment of ambient & atmospheric sound works from around the world. This project reveals a totally new angle on ambient music, more diverse and wide-ranging than all previous ambient compilations from Hypnos. Ranging from ethereal to dark to pretty to spooky to melodic, we think this album displays a solidly worthwhile musical and soundscape content beyond just the curiosity and "I've never seen that before" factor of the theme.

"The nine Muses struck up a lifestirring melody. Polyhymnia, nursingmother of the dance, waved her arms and sketched in the air an image of a soundless voice, speaking with hands and moving eyes in a graphic picture of silence full of meaning." --The Dionysiaca of Nonnus

THE ARTISTS

Margaret Noble - This experimental sound artist performs with analogue hardware, turntables and toys.... more info at margaretnoble.net

Stellaria Fennica - This project, the alter ego of Mari Aho of Sweden, records atmospheric and melodic ambient with elements of electronica. The songs combine sorrowful piano parts with gloomy string combinations, together with dynamic drum sections carrying experimental touches

Kristin Miltner - Kristin Miltner makes music primarily with computers. A great deal of it involves her incredible voice, and she is a great keyboard player as well. She also plays in a duo called "miba,"with electronic musician and composer Mark Bartscher.

Clarissa Borba - Clarissa Borba is a percussionist who works with sound experimentation and unconventional ways of playing percussion instruments, vibraphone and marimba. She has a Master's Degree in Percussion Performance from the East Carolina University and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Miami, and resides in France

Sara Ayers - Sara Ayers creates unflinchingly intimate soundscapes using her voice: sampled, layered, looped and pitch-shifted. Combined with occasional guitar washes and a warm bedrock of molten noise, she creates richly textured sonic atmospheres that vary in tone from the haunting whispers of angels to wall-of-sound banshee wails

Rose Bolton - Grew up in Toronto, where she began her musical training on classical violin and piano. Since studying music at McGill university, she has worked as both a classical and electronic composer, and a fiddler

Gydja - Gydja is the dark ambient/experimental/drone project of graphic designer, video artist, and writer, Abby Helasdottir who is based in New Zealand

The Floating World - This ambient/ experimental musician, real name Amanda Votta, lives in Ontario, Canada

K. Cornelius - A multimedia artist working in music, film/video, installation, performance, and other media. The instruments K. plays range from a whole world of musical territory and studies, including Djembe, Tabla, Doumbek, Darabouka, Frame Drums, Rattles, Waterphone, Sitar, Tanpura, Piano, Guitar, Drum kit, Marimba, Balaphone, Bells, Bowls, Electronics, Found Objects and more

Lena Griffin - This multi-instrumentalist released her debut CD, Extended Gestures for Cello, on Hypnos Secret Sounds in 2007. She resides in Portland, Oregon, works as the full-time manager of Hypnos Recordings, and assembled this collection

Track listing with mp3 sample clips:
1. Margaret Noble: "Nufon" mp3
2. Stellaria Fennica: "Hibernia" mp3
3. Kristin Miltner: "Slew Wave" mp3
4. Clarissa Borba: "Floating Tones" mp3
5. Sara Ayers: "There Was No More Time" mp3
6. Rose Bolton: "An Unheard Message" mp3
7. Gydja: "Wave-Particle Duality" mp3
8. The Floating World: "Kanam" mp3
9. K. Cornelius: "Of The Ancients" mp3
10. Lena Griffin: "She Forgot, She Dreamed" mp3

You can purchase Echoes of Polyhymnia directly from Hypnos for $12.99 here.

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CD release: Saul Stokes - Villa Galaxia

2008-08-22T15:05:25Z

Artist: Saul Stokes
Title: Villa Galaxia
Label: Binary/Stokesmusic (hyby0808)

2008. Always one of the most popular artists on the Hypnos and Binary labels through the years, Saul Stokes is also one we've been very proud to "launch" into the ambient/electronica world, going back to Saul's first album which was also the first album on Hypnos, Washed in Mercury in 1997. The first new work by Saul Stokes on Hypnos/Binary since Fields in 2005, this is certainly one of the most anticipated discs we've released in years.

Saul Stokes says: Stokes� 8th solo album to date, Villa Galaxia is a hyperfusion of sonic exploration seeded in Stokes� seminary music past, while arcing into a completely new genre defining collection of songs. Stripping away any notion of ambient drone or chill out labeling, Villa Galaxia surfs its own ocean of contemporary electronic music culture with eccentric listenable experimentalism wrapped in catchy lyrical orchestras of electronic fireworks.

Mirko Ruckels, aka recording artist Deepspace, says: "Hello Radar" is a great opening track, featuring wide-eyed crispy keyboard sounds, and a nice moody bassline. I can feel that I'm really going to like this- you know the feeling, when an album taps you on the shoulder and goes, "Are you ready? we are about to become good friends...." It happens far too infrequently don't you think. "Vapor trails" Slightly melancholy second track- with some great outro key washes. yay. "Blaze" is completely different and brings the album to a, dare I use the word, "chilled" place with it's slightly more, well, serious and blue feeling. I really like the big sunny melodies on "Night Painting". Vibrant, primary colours, sweet sounds. Fingerpainting. "Eta Car is a massive Star" sounds like an epic Mario Bros game, full of detail and shimmering pixely effects (I don't know what that means either). Really lovely. This is an excellent album that will attract many listeners. It's full of nooks and crannies and quite delirious. I like! Nay, love! Bravo Saul!

Villa Galaxia could be characterized as a bit of a throwback to an earlier Stokes sound, a bit simplified and less focused on pretty melodics than Saul's more recent work like Fields and Vast. Whether Saul's work is more about the melodies or the rhythms or the ambience, it always retains the the sound & feel of a Saul Stokes album.

Track listing with mp3 sample clips
hello radar
vapor trails
blaze
night painting
eta car is a massive star
future gamma
embedded in amber
interrupted by time

This CD on Binary/Stokesmusic is available for purchase for $12.99 here.

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