Reflections is a recording of Sufjan Stevens' sixth collaboration with acclaimed ballet and dance choreographer Justin Peck. Originally composed for World Premiere and performances (May 17-26, 2019) by Houston Ballet, the piano duet was recorded at Oktaven Studios by Ryan Streber and performed by pianists Timo Andres and Conor Hanick. Reflections is imbued with Stevens' memorable and emotionally resonant melodies and arrangements and continues to establish Stevens as a contemporary composer.
Loosely inspired by the book "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, ILUITEQ's fourth album, "Reflections From The Road," expands the novel's theme, where human beings are overwhelmed by an ordeal that completely changes the course of their lives.
Events that suddenly interrupt the "ordinary movements" of life in a new, unpredictable, and often dangerous way. A strong sense of motion permeates Reflections From The Road's ten tracks in a new and unexpected way compared to previous works by the Italian ambient duo.
With "Reflections From The Road," ILUITEQ explores new music territories, strongly contrasting pristine textures and glitchy sounds.
Steve Gunn and David Moore's Let the Moon be a Planet is a volume of improvisatory exchanges between classical guitar and piano, and a meeting place where two artists become acquainted through instrumental dialogue without a single expectation distracting them from the joy and open field possibility of collaboration. A project enveloped by an aura of reciprocity, Let the Moon Be a Planet unfolded from an invitation to connect between two New York-based musicians who admired each other's work but had never intersected: guitarist and songwriter Steve Gunn, whose solo, duo, and ensemble recordings represent milestones of contemporary guitar-guided material, and pianist and composer David Moore, acclaimed for his minimalist ensemble music as the leader of Bing & Ruth. The exchange began remotely as Gunn and Moore responded to one another's solo improvisations, embarking on a synergistic progression of deep listening and connection through musical conversation. "We were both fans of each other's music and this was a chance to try a different process which was much more open," says Moore. "It felt like something I needed personally as an artist, to not be so controlling over the final output, and to truly collaborate with somebody else." Similarly for Gunn, who was exploring new pastures and passages in classical guitar when the dialogue began, the project was an invitation for pure conversation and exchange, creating space for him to revisit foundational forms with his playing: "I was trying to break out of what I was doing, to have something that just pulled away all the elements of usual structured things." Let the Moon Be a Planet intertwines the trajectories of two musicians acclaimed for pushing the boundaries of their instruments, unified by a shift away from what they recall as more "detail-oriented" approaches to composition. Fueled by the magnetism of their call and response exercise, Gunn and Moore set out on a nomadic songwriting venture without an intended destination. "We didn't know it was going to be an album," Gunn explains. "There was never pressure on us to complete or make something. It was interesting to start realizing that this could be an album and to take a step back_ to arrive at a project after the fact." Calibrating their focus to connect with a spectrum of inner and external emotional realities, the duo found their way into a world where the most subtle of gestures can eternally flow. Let the Moon be a Planet is an ode to experimentation over outcome; it holds a candle light to the corners of introspection and captures the patterns that flicker within. Cast across the compositions of the album is a gritty, filmic grain _ a quality that emerged partially from recording "without the greatest microphones" or their usual studio environments. For both artists, this lo-fi sensitivity felt integral to the record and its production, and they worked closely with engineer Nick Principe to preserve its otherworldly haze in the final mixes. Across the record's eight compositions, the rippling impulses of Gunn and Moore's inner worlds converge in the spirit of two strangers wandering the same path, engaged in a daydream state of natural back and forth. Melodic tableaux arise, drift and disperse across serene open spaces, painted in earthy hues of nylon string and balmy, undulating keys _ side by side, the duo converse in tessellating motifs and gestures of lucid introspection, cultivated by a shared desire for intuitive play. "This project was such a simple idea," says Gunn. "It got down to the very core of where I am or where I was, and where I'm trying to be as a musician. Making this record became a very beneficial ritual for me, almost a meditative process." As Moore recalls, "Our only motivation for making these tracks was that it felt good to make them and there was nothing else behind it_ I don't know that I've ever made a record that came about so naturally." While Let the Moon Be a Planet was envisioned through a deeply collaborative process, it uncovered a path for Gunn and Moore to respectively return home as musicians. Imbued with the forces of interconnection and balance, the record is an exploration of creative synergy while following the currents of inner experience _ of looking outwards to arrive at one's natural self. Steve Gunn and David Moore's Let the Moon Be a Planet will be released March 31, 2023 in LP, CD, and digital editions. The album represents the first volume of Reflections, a new series of contemporary collaborations orchestrated by RVNG Intl. A portion of the proceeds from this release will benefit St. John's Bread and Life, whose mission is to respect the dignity and rights of all persons by ensuring access to healthy, nutritious food and comprehensive human services resulting in self-sufficiency and stability.
After a long hiatus partly initiated by our re-energizing from an incredibly hectic season, always with love and rhythm; Sacred Rhythm & Cosmic Arts are back; We are so excited about what's coming in the nearest future and onward. All praises go to our associations, partner Labels, our growing connection with our family of music creators and distributors, and of course; our unwavering love and appreciation with and for all of you our supporters, for whom we would not have made it this far without. That said, we are thrilled to announce this first release to kick off our upcoming season. We proudly present The Reflections EP by Artist / DJ Roi Azulay. The Reflection EP is the third release on Sacred Rhythm by Roi Azulay. On this EP Roi chose to illuminate a deeper almost acoustic side of his multi-dimensional production outputs. There are three compositions featured on this 12 Inch- one of which is a remix produced by the one and only Ron Trent, who without fail provides us with the dopeness that we've no doubt come to expect from this dope visionary… We invite you, however to dive further into Roi's world and take a deeper listen to the entirety of the EP, all the while taking in the full essence of this music tale that Roi Azulay tells via voices on his compositions, which by the way are siblings of a forthcoming Full-length Album Coming shortly… speaking of which, Roi's Full-length LP will feature a Kuniyuki Remix on
Issued on BBE Music, “Reflections” is the new album by London based harp player and composer Alina Bzhezhinska, alongside her HipHarpCollective. Following up her critically acclaimed debut album “Inspiration” (Ubuntu 2018), Bzhezhinska puts together a second long player, collaborating with British jazz stars Tony Kofi (Saxophones), Jay Phelps (Trumpet), Julie Walkington (Double Bass) and vocalist Vimala Rowe, strongly supported by international talents Mikele Montolli (Electric Bass), Joel Prime (Percussion), Adam Teixeira (Drums) and Ying Xue (Violin & Viola).
Alina creates a unique sound on the harp with layered effects and electronics, combining original works and covers to pay homage to some of jazz, funk and hip-hop’s greatest innovators. Throughout the record she draws from a variety of influences, including the likes of Dorothy Ashby’s ‘Afro-Harping’, Alice Coltrane’s spiritual outputs, Joe Henderson’s free-form jazz experimentation, 90s Acid Jazz and Trip Hop.
“This album is very vibrant and reflects directly on London’s multicultural community. We had so much fun making this recording - it truly built up our morale in the middle of the pandemic and I hope our fans will feel this energy too. For ‘Reflections’ I tried to break from any stereotypes and limitations - what you hear is my own choice of sounds and influences, taken from the many mixtapes I've been making since I was a teenager. I put together the music I like to listen to when I am happy or sad, when I feel like dancing or meditating. The tunes we play are my own reflections on what I love the most - a free spirit, courage, innovation and all the beautiful things life gives us. I hope our music can reach people’s hearts and evoke all the spectrum of colours and emotions that only the arts can do.” - Alina Bzhezhinska
Reflections is released on double LP vinyl, limited edition CD & digital formats.
Originally planned for issue on Strata-East, Hammond took his collaboration with Durrah to Detroit and issued his masterpiece. Lacquered by Bernie Grundman. Now-Again presents the denitive Tribe Records reissues. Deep, Spiritual Jazz of the highest order. The Tribe label, one of the brightest lights of America’s 1970s jazz underground, receives the Now-Again reissue treatment. This is your chance to indulge in the music and story of one of the most meaningful, local movements of the 20th Century Black American experience, one that expanded outwards towards the cosmos. In the words of the collective themselves, “Music is the healing force of the universe.” Included in an extensive, oversized booklet, Larry Gabriel and Jeff “Chairman” Mao take us through the history of the Tribe, in a compelling story that delves not just into the history of the label and its principals, but into the story of Black American empowerment in the latter half of the 20th Century. The booklet features never-before-seen archival photos and rare ephemera from Tribe’s mid-1970s heyday.
For Reflection 3 we give a warm welcome to Suddi Raval who has had releases previously as one part of Together on FFRR, Thumbs Up Magic, Gorgeous Records and his own imprint T-Wax Records. He has always been involved in the music scene over the years and although known for his love of Acid House, here we see him delve in to the world of Electro.
Suddi re-ignites his passion and serves up 2 Electro jams that are packed with heavy beats, bleeps, big basses, modulated leads and have that authentic original 1980s Hashim-like feel.
Scott works his magic on 2 Electro cuts with rich pads, reverses, modulated leads, crisp drums, panning keys, warm basses, eerie soundscapes, processed and gated vocal samples, Mantronix-esque bass sequences and rolling toms.
All 4 cuts reflect on how Electro was in the 80s and remain as pure as the stuff being made then.
"Joe Turner is fast becoming a household name. A tastemakers, tastemaker - the DJ, Producer & multi-instrumentalist has already received nods from Jamz Supernova & Chris Hawkins (6Music), BBC Radio 1’s Chillest Show (Sian Eleri) and Future Artists (Jack Saunders), Jaguar, Pete Tong, BBC Introducing London, triple j, Selector Radio, TSHA, John Digweed and DJ Mag.
Born and raised in Croydon, Joe Turner has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting young producers around. His self-released debut single Atmosphere (2019) gained the support of ex-BBC Radio 1’s Phil Taggart, BBC 6 Music’s Tom Ravenscroft and BBC 1Xtra’s Jamz Supernova, who was so impressed with Joe’s talents that she signed him to her own record label Future Bounce to release double A side Retina / Stay. The tracks hit #1 on the HypeMachine chart and gained further support from the likes of BBC Radio 1's Annie Mac, BBC 6 Music's Lauren Laverne, i-D's The Best New Music, and Eton Messy."
Independent leaders in the UK drum and bass scene, Hybrid Minds have paved their own way to success through operating from left of centre and keeping true to themselves at every step of the way. Their early tracks, ‘Meant To Be’ and ‘Touch’ firmly established them within the circuit, before they went onto amass 25 million streams for the latter, release a popular debut album and set up their own label, Hybrid Music. The huge support from tastemakers in the scene doesn’t stop there, with editorial playlist adds across Spotify and Apple Music, spins on George FM, BBC Radio 1,1Xtra, Kiss FM UK, Kiss Dance, Kiss Fresh, Studio Brussels, FM4, triple j and Capital Dance, UKF backing and a memorable DJ Mag HQ live stream, Bad To Me offered a glimpse of what’s to come from the Drum & Bass duo when they drop the full EP this October. What’s more, a recent release alongside Pendulum for Louder Than Words saw the Australian heavyweights go liquid for the fourth and final track listing on their own EP. Always staying true to their sound and style, Hybrid Minds previous success came from their early tracks, Meant To Be and Touch, before they went on to boast over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, remix tracks for Above & Beyond and Tom Walker, and collaborate with the DJ heavyweight, Netsky for the global smash release, Let Me Hold You. More recently, they secured a primetime show on Kiss FM, embarked on a sell-out New Zealand tour and sold out their October ‘Outline’ o2 Academy, Brixton show, six months out!
Released via Sony CMG - heavy metal legends mark an incredible 50 year career with a brand new collection of 16 tracks including remastered studio recordings and 7 previously unreleased live cuts from the band’s archive. Restored and mixed by Tom Allom at La Cucina W8 and mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios. Available on CD and 2 LP gatefold heavyweight red vinyl (limited/allocated). Promo/marketing activity across all media outlets.
Having impressed with his 2019 debut album on Negentropy, the breaks/tech-house/minimal techno fusion of Rhythm Tension, Zweizig has been given a chance to showcase his wares on Constant Sound's popular Constant Black offshoot. The headline attraction is undoubtedly opener 'Manipulate Our Reflections', a spaced-out chunk of hypnotic late-night science that wraps wonky, Villalobos style electronic noises and pulsing pads around a locked in (but also surprisingly swinging) tech-house groove. Relic provides a chunkier and groovier remix that boasts darker noises and a more beefed-up sound, while bonus cut 'Vvoid' is a twisted, undulating acid-jacker.
Purple Vinyl
Even if you're well-acquainted with composer and multi-instrumentalist Colin Fisher's richly varied output, his gentle fifth solo album, Refections of the Invisible World may come as a surprise. Psychedelic lyricism has always been a fundamental aspect of his sonic signature, but his second collaboration with producer Jeremy Greenspan (Junior Boys, Jessy Lanza, Morgan Geist) finds the Toronto native luxuriating in expansive atmospherics for its full duration.
That's not to downplay the eclecticism he finds within this ethereal landscape. Each track tills its own discrete sonic acreage, and while every one emanates from a clear focal point, the spontaneous impulse that drives Fisher's more audibly improvisational music always remains close at hand. Some pieces unfold rippling aquatic vistas or delight in prismatic guitar arpeggiation, elsewhere his plaintive, blues- infected tenor saxophone wafts like some strange jazz apparition, or becomes a chorus of cosmic murmurs. The presence of electronics is undeniable, but equally irrefutable is the organic instrumental sources of these disparate hues. In fact he's discovered a rare balance: no matter how effects-saturated, every gesture on the record feels palpably sculpted by Fisher's hands and breath. As such, Refections of the Invisible World carries a sense of intimacy at the heart of its diffuse, dream-like sonics.
Fisher has a been a major presence in Canada's music community for more than twenty years—particularly in more experimental and improvisational circles. Nothing short of a guitar virtuoso, he also wields saxophone, drums, and various other instruments with similarly refined musicality, vivid textural imagination, and sometimes feral abandon. His one-man-band tape Garden of Unknowning for Manchester's Tombed Visions, showcase all of this as he spars with different iterations of himself. The Quietus' cassette critic Tristan Bath extolled it as "miraculous," adding that "it’s a visceral experience soaking up this record, and it’s all down to Fisher’s utterly innate sense of musicality." He subsequently cited it in his 2018 contributor's year-end chart for the Wire.
In 2014 his partnership with Nick Millevoi's trio Many Arms on Suspended Defnition (Tzadik) prompted Spin's Brad Cohan to remark "Many Arms have dug even deeper into math-metal wizardry, bolstering their already imposing lineup with gale-force blowing guest saxophonist Colin Fisher, thus blasting their outré sonic blitz into a fire-breathing free jazz otherworld." Fisher later engaged the band's bassist, Johnny DeBlase, to team up with him and Kid Millions (Oneida, Man Forever) as Monas. As an ongoing collaborator to introspective dance music auteur Caribou, Fisher frst appeared in offshoot project Caribou Vibration Ensemble, and subsequently on acclaimed albums Swim and Suddenly. He's also made two duo albums with celebrated Nova Scotian jaw harp innovator chik white for Dylan and Lisa Nyoukis' Chocolate Monk label. In addition to performing alongside the likes of Jaime Branch, Joe McPhee, William Parker, Laraaji, Gerry Hemmingway, and Fred Frith, he has contributed to recordings by the Constantines (Sub Pop), Bernice (Arts & Crafts), Rhys Chatham (Table of the Elements), Born Ruffans (Warp), Anthony Braxton and AIMToronto Orchestra (Spool), and many more.
We are excited to finally show the world Reflections. These songs were recorded in different places over an extended period of time. They are a collection of new ideas, experimentation, and an opportunity to lay down anything we’ve ever wanted in our music, but have been hesitant of trying in the past. Special thanks to Pure Noise Records, and everyone who made this possible. We will now be going into the studio for our second album,” drummer, Brian Lada, shares on the forthcoming EP.
With no touring in 2020, and possibly this year, Woods
decided to take a deep dive into their archives and put
together the first volume of their much discussed archival
series, Reflections. Featuring rare and unreleased
recordings from 2009 - 2013, including a ghost town desert
jam off the side of the highway, their first live performance
in Big Sur, the first recorded version of “Bend Beyond”
and some shelved diamonds in the rough that were finished
up during quarantine. Their hope is that it plays like a “lost
record” from an extremely strange and fruitful period in
Woods history.
Color Vinyl With no touring in 2020, and possibly this year, Woods
decided to take a deep dive into their archives and put
together the first volume of their much discussed archival
series, Reflections. Featuring rare and unreleased
recordings from 2009 - 2013, including a ghost town desert
jam off the side of the highway, their first live performance
in Big Sur, the first recorded version of “Bend Beyond”
and some shelved diamonds in the rough that were finished
up during quarantine. Their hope is that it plays like a “lost
record” from an extremely strange and fruitful period in
Woods history.
The Story Itself
On the 12th of April 1961, Yuri Gagarin was launched into orbit for the first and - so they tell us - the last time. Upon returning to Earth, Yuri became a global hero, travelling the world to tell of his adventure.
Secretly, he was plagued by strange hallucinations and a persistent glow around his vision; a cornucopia of colour in a constant corona. In 1964 - following a silent coup by Leonid Brezhnev - Yuri was banned from embarking on further manned missions into space. At first fearing madness, the cosmonaut came to see these apparitions as a signal, an invitation, a welcoming beacon from a distant lighthouse blinking across the cosmic void.
On the 27th of March 1968, aided by trusted friends within the space program, Yuri Gagarin swapped places with another cosmonaut on a secret test flight and was once more blasted into outer space. Knocked unconscious by the extreme velocity of his experimental craft, Yuri awoke a mere 15 minutes later in view not of the rapidly shrinking Earth, but an entirely alien vista; he was elsewhere...
About Tony Neptune
Tony Neptune is a multi-media persona created by the Leeds-based artist and producer Sam Jefferies who, inspired by the narrative and musical legacies of early Detroit techno culture, aims to tell a complete story for the senses through a combination of image, sound and text. Asa member of the DimensionsDJ Directory three years running, some know Jefferies for his notorious DJ sets—whether he’s playing new wave or booty bass; as Tony Neptune or Yuri; solo or alongside Mark ‘Turbo’ Turner in another peak time marathon b2b, it doesn’t take long for crowds to catch on to his deep knowledge of all things riddled with Hi-Tech Funk and Soul. But this isn’t the only storm he’s cooking up: in his visual work, Jefferies uses oil paint to unveil the surreal and celestial adventures of the original cosmonaut and space pioneer, Yuri Gagarin, capturing every aspect of their dream-like surroundings with an eye devoted to detail and depth. This painting lies at the heart of his debut EP, Reflections on a Daring
