Suche:void vision

Baptized with a name derived from astrophysical theories about dark matter and black holes, THE HOLEUM was formed in 2014 in Alicante, Spain. Founded by former members of NahemaH, Demised, quantumXperience, Hela, Neptunian Sun, and Priest of Dawn, the quintet set out to push the boundaries of heavy music and to intensify the emotional impact of darkness in sound. Their concept is both cosmic and sonic: “THE HOLEUM is related to the dark matter that forms the black holes in the universe. THE HOLEUM is not a black hole, but black holes are formed by The Holeum. That is the idea from which we extract our concept – we are a sonic and cosmic vision of the sublime.” With their third album “Ensis” (2025), the band continues its journey through experimental metal, death doom, melodic metal, and post-metal. This work is more than a continuation – it is a condensation and expansion of their previous soundscape. “Ensis” reveals itself as finely nuanced, challenging, yet at the same time profoundly sensitive and multifaceted. The songs unfold like cosmic landscapes where heaviness and melancholy meet subtle emotionality. The intensity remains palpable, but it is complemented by a deeper sensitivity that draws the listener into a fragile balance between harshness and delicacy. “Ensis” is an album that demands and touches at once – a work that makes the complexity of human existence audible in the mirror of the universe.

Editions Mego welcomes KMRU back to the fold. Kin is Kenyan born, Berlin based, sonic wizard Joseph Kamaru’s second release on Editions Mego, following on from the classic 2020 release Peel. Since the release and subsequent praise for Peel, the artist has been a staple on the electronic scene performing on numerous stages and festivals worldwide in tandem with a flood of media recognition. Kin could be construed as the second child following Peel. The project came out of initial discussions with Peter Rehberg about what a Peel sequel would sound like. Kamaru is quick to clarify that Kin is not that record; “I'll know when that record will come and when I'll make it. It's already happening... or maybe it lives within both of these Mego records”.

It is this deft ambiguity and vague tiptoeing around the concrete that encapsulates the ambiguous sound world of Kamaru’s vision.

Kin was started early 2021 in Nairobi with Kamaru exploring his noisier palette of sounds encompassing distortions reminiscent of the sounds he would muster from in his youth when playing guitar. He paused making this record for a year as soon as Peter died, then slowly returned to it through 2022 resulting in the immense new work we have here.

The charms within Kin lay as Easter eggs revealing the true identity behind the colourful sonics only after multiple deep listens. With Trees Where We Can See sets the tone by way of a warm swaying melody inviting the listener in for further investigation. In 2022 KMRU and Mego stalwart Fennesz toured the USA together resulting in a strong friendship and also, the second track here, Blurred. A neat Mego/Editions Mego loop as such. Blurred arranges twangy guitar strums alongside glistening glaciers of shimmering drones. They Are Here represents a darker hue as melancholic clouds of shadowy noir tap directly into the listener's nerve stream. Maybe takes a detour into a bristling euphoric electronic storm whilst We Are screeches in a pattern formation not unlike a highly abstracted Aphex Twin forcing its way out of a hard drive. By Absence concludes proceedings, operating as both exit music and a portal to further sonic investigation with acoustic bellowing residing amongst a kaleidoscopic backdrop.

Kin is a trip that rewards close repeated listens as all the colours and textures, nuance and narratives unveil themselves. This isn’t a record to be glossed over, magic rewards concentration.

Kin is a record to be Played slow and LOUD.

For Pita.

All tracks written, produced, mixed by Joseph Kamaru
Blurred co-written & produced with Christian Fennesz
Mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering
Photography: Joseph Kamaru
Layout & Design: Nik Void
Cut by Andreas Kauffelt at Schnittstelle, Berlin

Purple vinyl. With Abyss Calls to Abyss, their third full-length album, Skulld bring to completion a path that began in 2019, a journey through old-school death metal, esoteric mysticism, and radical punk-rooted activism. Written and recorded in 2025, the album unfolds as an eight-track odyssey exploring the furthest edges of human and spiritual experience through a feminist, pagan, and anti-authoritarian lens. The abyss evoked by the album is not only an external, cosmic void, but also an inner, personal, and collective chasm, the place where death and rebirth collide, where wounds and healing, desire and destruction intertwine. Each song delves deep into the essence of being, merging ancestral ritualism, female mythology, social critique, and archetypal symbolism into a single, cohesive vision.

Jessika Kenney ist Sängerin, Komponistin, Autorin, Klangkünstlerin und Lehrerin, deren Engagement für Improvisation, Poesie und Klangforschung eine einzigartige Perspektive hervorgebracht hat. Ihre Erkundungen von Klang, Raum und der Metaphysik des Klangs wurden in vielen Kontexten und an vielen Orten präsentiert, darunter in der Seattle Public Library, im Nottingham Contemporary und im Benton Museum. Zu ihren Kollaborationen und Projekten gehören eine umfangreiche Diskografie mit Eyvind Kang, das letzte aufgezeichnete Vokalwerk von Alvin Lucier, Auftritte mit Melati Suryodarmo, die Komposition der Vokalmusik für A24s Midsommar und die Chorleitung für SUNN O)))'s Monoliths and Dimensions. Jessika Kenney, bekannt für ihren einzigartigen Umgang mit der Stimme, hat in den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten neue Klangwelten geschaffen, die auf intensiven Studien, rituellen Praktiken und einer ungezähmten Ausdruckskraft beruhen. Von ihren gefeierten Kollaborationen mit Eyvind Kang bis zu ihrer Vokalkomposition für A24s ,Midsommar" bewegen sich Kenneys Arbeiten an der Schnittstelle zwischen dem Heiligen, dem Klangvollen und dem Unsichtbaren. Auf Uranian Void wendet sich Kenney nach innen und spürt den Konturen von Erinnerung, Resonanz und Wahrnehmung nach. Mit verschwommenen Sinuswellen, Hydrofonaufnahmen, einem Ghazal von Hafez und Originaltexten ist das Album eine Meditation über Liminalität, in der Schimmer und Schatten gleichermaßen vibrieren. Kenneys Stimme webt sich durch alles hindurch: manchmal flüsternd, manchmal strahlend , immer präzise. ,Dieses Album ist eine Übung in Transparenz innerhalb der Dunkelheit", erklärt Kenney. ,Es geht darum, offen zu bleiben für Zweifel , für Nachhall, für das, was jenseits unserer Wahrnehmung liegt." ,Uranian Void" wurde von Randall Dunn (SU NN O))), Kali Malone, Annea Lockwood) produziert und aufgenommen, dessen charakteristische räumliche Details und Tiefe dem Album seine immersive Klangarchitektur verleihen. Jeder Ton, jeder Atemzug und jede Resonanz wird mit Intimität und Dimension wiedergegeben und verstärkt Kenneys Erforschung von Präsenz und Abwesenheit. Fragmente, die während Besuchen in Spokane, ihrem Elternhaus, aufgenommen wurden, bilden die Grundlage des Albums. Im Studio transformiert, werden diese zu beschwörenden Vierzeilern - leise, aber eindringlich - die den subtilen Puls von Ort, Zeit und Körper offenbaren. Echos der Vergangenheit verschmelzen mit der Gegenwart , als ob die Wände selbst sich erinnern und mitschwingen würden. Uranian Void ist Musik für Schwellenbereiche - eine Einladung, sich mit dem Unsichtbaren und Kaum hörbar. Mit dieser kraftvollen und poetischen Aussage bestätigt sich Kenney als eine der visionärsten Vokalistinnen der Gegenwart.

BEWARE! THE ECHOES OF DEATH’S HORRID CHANT ARE DRAWING CLOSER…From the endless fields of obsidian darkness rise eerie hymns, echoing an ancient, long-forgotten apocalypse that slices through the eternal night. OBSIDIAN SCAPES are the embodied nightmare – a deathly veil of cascading riffs, raining down like the lethal erosion of cosmic worlds. Layered with relentless, thunderous drums and ghostly dirges, their music summons visions of a dying universe.Their sounds crawl like molten madness into the depths of the mind, painting aphotic images of shadowy, chthonic cathedrals and titanic monoliths rising against a crumbling horizon. Despair and anguish permeate every note – dirges for a world drowning in the abyss of decay and tributes to powers lurking beyond human comprehension.Including one song from the upcoming debut-album Death Chants Echo From Aphotic Void and an unique and exclusive cover-version from SIGH’s “At My Funeral” (only available on the 12″EP).Mixed and mastered by Thomas Taube at FiveLakes Tonstudio.ltd 500, 300 x black vinyl, 200 x cream white bone. Incl. download-code. S

Hailing from the northern city of Oulu and featuring members of esteemed Finnish outfits such as Haapoja, Dart, and Renate/Cordate, TRYPANON have steadily emerged as one of the most compelling and unorthodox underground acts in recent memory. Their 2021 debut "Amentia" earned widespread acclaim for its suffocating intensity and bleak atmospheres, establishing the band as a vital force in the realms of extreme music. With "Through the Portal of Flesh to Achieve Divinity", TRYPANON push their vision even further into the void. The album is a nightmarish fusion of down-tuned sludge, chaotic death metal, and dissonant black metal, woven together with progressive flourishes and hypnotic melodic fragments. The result is a deeply immersive and punishing listening experience that recalls the extremity of bands like Lord Mantis, Coffinworm and Cobalt, while retaining a sonic and conceptual identity entirely its own. Where "Amentia" was a descent into psychological collapse, "Through the Portal..." drags the listener through a ritualistic transformation - an existential death trip that explores themes of corporeal transcendence, spiritual ruin and ecstatic suffering. The record was conceived not only as an artistic evolution, but as an act of purification through sound: hostile, enveloping and uncompromising. This release marks a significant step forward for TRYPANON, both in scope and execution. Expect a record steeped in raw emotion and relentless aggression, but also rich in nuance and disturbing beauty.

Mr Sam - HERITAGE (1995-2025)

HERITAGE celebrates 30 years of Mr Sam's career in a world-first collector's edition: a monumental best-of gathering 40 tracks across 10 vinyls. Never before has an electronic DJ and producer released such a project - an unprecedented box set that stands as a unique, sincere and intimate journey, blending emotion, innovation and musical memory.

Each track has been carefully selected, remastered, and placed as part of a personal narrative. More than just a compilation, HERITAGE is a musical journey - the story of an artist who has shaped the trance and progressive scene worldwide since 1995, and who continues to write history, with this release sealing his legacy forever.

The album features his most iconic productions (Lotus, the Screen series, Forever Waiting, Lyteo...) alongside timeless contributions from artists who influenced a generation, including D*Note, Timo Maas, Jam & Spoon...

This is more than a retrospective - with HERITAGE, Mr Sam permanently engraves his legacy in the history of electronic music.

Seit mehr als drei Jahrzehnten befindet sich AFI in einem nahezu ständigen Prozess der Neuerfindung. Die Band hat es sich zum Ziel gesetzt, sich mit jedem Album weiterzuentwickeln - manchmal sogar dramatisch - und sich niemals zu sehr in einem Genre einzurichten oder sich auf ihren beeindruckenden Erfolgen auszuruhen. Dieser Ansatz hat ihr Publikum vergrößert, aber auch herausgefordert mit einer klanglichen Identität, die sich in wilde, unerwartete Richtungen entwickeln kann. Mit ihrem zwölften Album ,Silver Bleeds the Black Sun_" stehen AFI erneut am Anfang eines mutigen neuen Kapitels, nur dass sie es diesmal geschafft haben, sich selbst zu überraschen. Wie kann eine Band, die dafür bekannt ist, sich ständig zu verändern, noch etwas Neues bieten? Mit ihrem zwölften Album ,Silver Bleeds the Black Sun_" stehen AFI nun erneut am Beginn eines mutigen neuen Kapitels, nur dass sie es diesmal sogar geschafft haben, sich selbst zu überraschen. Wie schafft es eine Band, die für kreative Umbrüche bekannt ist, immer wieder Wege zu finden, sich selbst aus ihrer Komfortzone herauszuziehen? Typischerweise begann die Band mit dem Schreiben eines Albums, indem sie sich sofort in das Schreiben stürzte und den kreativen Prozess einfach ihrer intuitiven musikalischen Sprache überließ. Für ,Silver Bleeds the Black Sun_" jedoch haben AFI sich bewusst dazu entschlossen, ihren kreativen Ansatz komplett zu ändern. Normalerweise beginnt die Band ein Album, indem sie sich sofort in das Schreiben stürzt und sich einfach von ihrer intuitiven musikalischen Sprache leiten lässt. Für ,Silver Bleeds the Black Sun_" haben AFI jedoch beschlossen, ihren kreativen Ansatz bewusst komplett zu ändern. Diesmal begann alles mit einer Frage: Wie könnten sie neue Wege beschreiten? Der Schlüssel zum Fortschritt lag letztendlich in der gemeinsamen Vergangenheit von AFI. ,Wir haben mit etwas angefangen, das nach Echo & the Bunnymen klang", erklärt Gitarrist Jade Puget, der das Album produziert und aufgenommen hat. ,Aber schließlich sind wir bei dieser Mischung aus Death Rock und Postpunk gelandet - all diese Einflüsse aus den 80ern und 90ern." ,Wir begannen mit etwas, das wie Echo & the Bunnymen klang", erklärt Gitarrist Jade Puget, der das Album produzierte und abmischte. ,Aber schließlich landeten wir bei dieser Mischung aus Death Rock und Postpunk - all diesen Einflüssen aus den späten 70ern und frühen 80ern, mit denen wir aufgewachsen sind, wie Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus und Siouxsie and the Banshees." Das Ziel war es, ein Album mit einer einzigartigen Stimmung zu schaffen, etwas Verträumtes und Ätherisches, und die Bandmitglieder tauchten kopfüber in Einflüsse ein, die schon immer tief in der Musik von AFI verwurzelt waren, jetzt aber in den Vordergrund rückten. Silver Bleeds the Black Sun_ ist düster und jenseitig, aber auch grandios und würdevoll, bissig und schön zugleich - mit anderen Worten: Es ist sehr AFI, aber doch anders als alles, was man bisher von der Band gehört hat.

Seit mehr als drei Jahrzehnten befindet sich AFI in einem nahezu ständigen Prozess der Neuerfindung. Die Band hat es sich zum Ziel gesetzt, sich mit jedem Album weiterzuentwickeln - manchmal sogar dramatisch - und sich niemals zu sehr in einem Genre einzurichten oder sich auf ihren beeindruckenden Erfolgen auszuruhen. Dieser Ansatz hat ihr Publikum vergrößert, aber auch herausgefordert mit einer klanglichen Identität, die sich in wilde, unerwartete Richtungen entwickeln kann. Mit ihrem zwölften Album ,Silver Bleeds the Black Sun_" stehen AFI erneut am Anfang eines mutigen neuen Kapitels, nur dass sie es diesmal geschafft haben, sich selbst zu überraschen. Wie kann eine Band, die dafür bekannt ist, sich ständig zu verändern, noch etwas Neues bieten? Mit ihrem zwölften Album ,Silver Bleeds the Black Sun_" stehen AFI nun erneut am Beginn eines mutigen neuen Kapitels, nur dass sie es diesmal sogar geschafft haben, sich selbst zu überraschen. Wie schafft es eine Band, die für kreative Umbrüche bekannt ist, immer wieder Wege zu finden, sich selbst aus ihrer Komfortzone herauszuziehen? Typischerweise begann die Band mit dem Schreiben eines Albums, indem sie sich sofort in das Schreiben stürzte und den kreativen Prozess einfach ihrer intuitiven musikalischen Sprache überließ. Für ,Silver Bleeds the Black Sun_" jedoch haben AFI sich bewusst dazu entschlossen, ihren kreativen Ansatz komplett zu ändern. Normalerweise beginnt die Band ein Album, indem sie sich sofort in das Schreiben stürzt und sich einfach von ihrer intuitiven musikalischen Sprache leiten lässt. Für ,Silver Bleeds the Black Sun_" haben AFI jedoch beschlossen, ihren kreativen Ansatz bewusst komplett zu ändern. Diesmal begann alles mit einer Frage: Wie könnten sie neue Wege beschreiten? Der Schlüssel zum Fortschritt lag letztendlich in der gemeinsamen Vergangenheit von AFI. ,Wir haben mit etwas angefangen, das nach Echo & the Bunnymen klang", erklärt Gitarrist Jade Puget, der das Album produziert und aufgenommen hat. ,Aber schließlich sind wir bei dieser Mischung aus Death Rock und Postpunk gelandet - all diese Einflüsse aus den 80ern und 90ern." ,Wir begannen mit etwas, das wie Echo & the Bunnymen klang", erklärt Gitarrist Jade Puget, der das Album produzierte und abmischte. ,Aber schließlich landeten wir bei dieser Mischung aus Death Rock und Postpunk - all diesen Einflüssen aus den späten 70ern und frühen 80ern, mit denen wir aufgewachsen sind, wie Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus und Siouxsie and the Banshees." Das Ziel war es, ein Album mit einer einzigartigen Stimmung zu schaffen, etwas Verträumtes und Ätherisches, und die Bandmitglieder tauchten kopfüber in Einflüsse ein, die schon immer tief in der Musik von AFI verwurzelt waren, jetzt aber in den Vordergrund rückten. Silver Bleeds the Black Sun_ ist düster und jenseitig, aber auch grandios und würdevoll, bissig und schön zugleich - mit anderen Worten: Es ist sehr AFI, aber doch anders als alles, was man bisher von der Band gehört hat.

The creative visionary behind a remarkable catalogue of widely celebrated releases and two critically acclaimed albums, Monolink returns this fall with his most thought-provoking and introspective project to date. Titled The Beauty Of It All, the multi-faceted German artist's third studio album is slated for worldwide release on September 26, 2025.
Marking a bold new chapter in Monolink's artistic evolution, The Beauty Of It All will dive deep into themes of beauty, impermanence and human connection, blending his signature fusion of live instrumentation, soulful song-writing and electronic innovation. The announcement arrives on the heels of two standout singles already this year - "Mesmerized" (January) and "Powerful Play" (March) - both of which will feature on the new album. With The Beauty Of It All, he builds on the foundations laid by his first two long players, pushing his sound into new, uncharted territory while staying rooted in the organic, humanistic qualities that have defined his career. The album is poised to be his most revealing and boundary-defying release yet; a sonic statement from an artist who continues to redefine what it means to be a modern musician.

The creative visionary behind a remarkable catalogue of widely celebrated releases and two critically acclaimed albums, Monolink returns this fall with his most thought-provoking and introspective project to date. Titled The Beauty Of It All, the multi-faceted German artist's third studio album is slated for worldwide release on September 26, 2025.
Marking a bold new chapter in Monolink's artistic evolution, The Beauty Of It All will dive deep into themes of beauty, impermanence and human connection, blending his signature fusion of live instrumentation, soulful song-writing and electronic innovation. The announcement arrives on the heels of two standout singles already this year - "Mesmerized" (January) and "Powerful Play" (March) - both of which will feature on the new album. With The Beauty Of It All, he builds on the foundations laid by his first two long players, pushing his sound into new, uncharted territory while staying rooted in the organic, humanistic qualities that have defined his career. The album is poised to be his most revealing and boundary-defying release yet; a sonic statement from an artist who continues to redefine what it means to be a modern musician.

Bereit für den Sound des Universums? Mit der „ZYX Italo Disco Spacesynth Box“ bekommst du eine einmalige Zeitreise zurück in die goldene Ära der 1980er Jahre, als Synthesizer den Kosmos eroberten. Diese exklusive Sammlerbox enthält drei LPs, vollgepackt mit ikonischen Tracks der größten Spacesynth-Legenden – Laserdance, Koto, Hypnosis, Cyber People und vielen mehr.

Ob pulsierende Basslines, galaktische Melodien oder futuristische Klanglandschaften – dieses Box-Set feiert den unverkennbaren Sound, der einst Tanzflächen, Videospiele und Science-Fiction-Träume gleichermaßen beherrschte.

For their inaugural release, London-based Vysyon presents Mercuri: an enchanting EP of enigmatic techno featuring work by Swiss artists Varuna & Mateo Hurtado. Having developed their brand of abyssal club music through releases on Amenthia Recordings & their own imprint A Walking Contradiction, Varuna dive into the void on 'Remote Pulsar'. Driven by a disorientating polyrhythm cloaked in opaque atmospherics, the trio's otherworldly approach to sound design is on full display. By contrast, the pounding 4/4 kick & propulsive acid bass of 'Uvez Echos' entrance the listener into a state of dancefloor reverie. Mateo Hurtado casts his own unique magic over the flip, showcasing his archetypal mystic sound established via an album on Annulled music & remixes for Space Drum Meditation. The mesmerising flute melody of 'An Invisible Fire, Working In Secret' casts a spell of hypnosis, while the flowing, amorphous pads & twisted bass of 'The Eternal Mirror' conjure visions of worlds unknown.

Brazilian Psychedelic Rock Artist Firefriend via Cardinal Fuzz and Little Cloud Records announce a first time vinyl pressing for the classic - “999 to 666 ts Street” Prepare to take the long way through the void — Brazilian sonic architects Firefriend present the searing “999 to 666 TS Street”, a full-length LP that bends time, bleeds color, and dives deeper into the cracked corridors of psychedelic rock. With roots tangled deep in the underground of São Paulo and their eyes forever fixed on the cosmic unknown, Firefriend has carved out a space uniquely their own — a distorted dreamscape where shoegaze meets fuzz, noise folds into melody, and every track is a doorway. “999 to 666 TS Street” is a concept record that navigates a haunted psychogeography: an address etched between realities, where spiritual unrest collides with dystopian daydreams.

A Journey Through Sound and Shadow Drenched in fuzzed-out guitars, whispered vocals, analog synths, and pulsing rhythms, this LP sees the trio — Yury Hermuche (guitar/vocals), Julia Grassetti (bass/vocals), and Cacau Bandeira (drums) — begin to forge the fearless vision they seek. From the opening surge to the final fractured lullaby, “999 to 666 TS Street” is both a destination and a transmission: a call to the wanderers, the outsiders, and the seekers. But Firefriend's mission isn’t just sonic — it’s political.

As proudly left-wing artists with an internationalist vision, the band channels the disillusionment and resistance of a generation watching the world teeter. Their music radiates both critique and hope, connecting the dystopia of late capitalism with a dream of liberation. Whether playing São Paulo basements or European festivals, Firefriend brings an urgent message beneath the haze: solidarity is louder than silence. "This album is a street you can't find on any map — it's the place your mind goes when you turn the lights off," says frontman Yury Hermuche. "It's noise, beauty, and a little bit of danger." "We wanted to build a record that feels like a fever dream on vinyl," adds bassist Julia Grassetti. "Something physical, something that glows in the dark." About Firefriend Known for their hypnotic live shows and cult international following, Firefriend has shared stages with underground legends and graced the grooves of multiple celebrated independent releases.

They’ve become essential listening for fans of Spacemen 3, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Velvet Underground — yet remain wholly, defiantly themselves. “999 to 666 TS Street” marks the start and is another milestone in their prolific catalog, pushing the limits of psychedelic rock while remaining anchored in the beautifully bleak emotionalism that defines their sound. Beneath the distortion lies a worldview — anti-authoritarian, borderless, and defiantly alive.

DJ I.V.’s debut vinyl EP, “Primus,” delivers a raw vision of modern Detroit techno, but it’s SCAN 7’s remix of “Machine” that grounds the release in lineage. Their rework is a commanding blend of militant rhythm and emotional depth, reinforcing techno’s roots while pushing it forward. With SCAN 7’s presence, "Primus" transforms from a debut into a dialogue with Detroit’s legacy.

Iron Curtis and Johannes Albert return to orbit with their highly anticipated Moon IV, the next chapter in their acclaimed lunar album series. Building on over a decade of collaboration and the cosmic groundwork in Moon I, II, and III, this fourth instalment is a testament to their ever-evolving artistry and expansive vision.

Released on their beloved Frank Music imprint, Moon IV sees the duo starring an 11-track journey that once again defies genres, challenges conventions, and charts a vivid course through the electronic cosmos.

From the warm opener "Void Gathering" and wistful melodies of "Silverclub" to the driving rhythms of "Sounds (The Feels)," which echoes the relentless pulse of NYC Post-Disco, Moon IV encapsulates the duo's signature blend of moods and eras.

"Club L'Avenir" & "Daso" serve up euphoric moments with a nod to the French Touch, while the ambient vignette "Into Somethin' (Interlude)" calms you down again. Electro cuts like "Pipeline" are reminiscent of earlier works in the Moon album series, and new paths are forged when the two are exploring Balearic Pop Music (BPM) territory in "Ohne Dich".

Returning from space with the elegant deepness of "Bliss (The Short Finale)", the duo gets you home safe and sound. Their unique studio alchemy shines brighter on this moonlit, flaring long-player than ever. So, buckle up and off we go.

Post-Nuclear Mind Music? Lizard Strategies? Void Spirit...? These bizarre titles are just a few of the self-coined terms that Australian electronic musician Ian MacFarlane has conjured to represent his eccentric sonic world. An artist whose unique style of electronic experimentalism has balanced dangerously close to the edge of popular convention, existing outside the mainstream and extending well beyond the fringe of any sanctioned independent scene. A futurist outsider whose extraordinary musical vision has explored the uncharted realms of consciousness and fantasy. Following a brief stint with the legendary Australian Krautrockers Cybotron, MacFarlane produced three independent solo albums throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s. His debut LP Void Spirit, an experimental album issued under the pen name 'Violet Lightning', was followed by a further two albums published under his own name, the cosmic influenced Back From Beyond and finally the privately issued electro-ambient suite Planetarium. Presented with hours of unreleased home recordings, The Roundtable has begun a dedicated search through the fascinating archives of this under exposed artist. Beginning with a vinyl release of the rare cassette-only album Planetarium; this private press sees MacFarlane armed with a bank of Roland Synthesizers, Drum Machines and field recordings, spawning a mutant amalgam of German Kosmische Musik, French Library electro and Private Issue New Age. Surrender to the stars and welcome to the first instalment of "Muzak To Moralize By".

Having thrived throughout the underground realms for the last ten years, Question built a respectable body of work displaying a sound meeting constant progression, a vision sharpened and perfected with each output. Six years following the debut full-length recording, the Mexican quintet unleashes “Reflections of the Void”, a grand tome of sheer Death Metal might in eight tracks that take Question’s sonic traits and overall concept to a whole new level of magnitude. In perfect unison with the majestic Shoggoth Kinetics artwork that adorns the album’s cover, “Reflections of the Void” stands apart and invites the listener to a pathway beyond the horizon, a detailed journey on life and death and yonder. Such carefully threaded concept meets its aural accomplice as Question carries a cloud of impending doom, a dense and arrestive atmosphere on brilliantly crafted songs that drink from the fountain of the past yet blistering in its very own with a striking sense of dynamics which assuredly puts the group in the major leagues of Death Metal mastery. Obscure, threatening riffs blaze through the first moments of the record, trading somber licks and faster belligerent attacks, yet never failing to enter a redundant path, for a tempo change or a dissonant endeavor spells unexpectedly and takes the listener on an intense rollercoaster. Fiercely crafted, the pulsing bass impulses and organic drumming patterns exhale as the pounding heart of “Reflections of the Void”. Technical, precise, enter a scorching performance in taste and dexterity, never sounding dull or plastic but shining for its soulful presence, side by side with the dazzling production, utterly potent and vibrant, taking the defying arrangements to greater extents. In and above this sonic frenzy, a vociferated voice grunts the illusions of our existence with a resonating dark tone spawned directly from the imposing void. As this opus resumes into the boundless vacuum, we are left with a sense of distress and awe. Question crafted a work for the ages, one which with every listening reveals a further dimension, a hidden mystery, just like the classics in the unholy pantheon to which this opus will surely belong someday.

“Reflections of the Void” is released under the banner of Chaos Records.

The seeds of composer Rafael Anton Irisarri’s latest LP were first planted during his 2016 tour in Italy, months before that Autumn’s unexpected presidential election. The linguistic glitch of an innocuous diner in Milan named “il Mito Americano” – meant as “The American Dream” but translated literally to English as “The American Myth” – sparked a series of ideas, both conceptual and musical.

Amid the chaos of 2020, while exploring the stark world of brutalist architecture and inspired by the false fronts of Potemkin villages, a vision started to take shape: FAÇADISMS. Composed over three years, it’s a late capitalist lament of simmering electric despondency.

Irisarri’s obsession with repeating motifs mirrors the cyclical nature of our tumultuous political history. The album’s eight tracks heave and storm like a tempest being drained of its rage. This is the sound of majestic dissipation, of morning afters, fashioned from a mournful haze with cavernous guitars and granular twilight. A euphony of a receding tide as one sifts through the remnants of what remains: dust, delusion, and memory.

Opening with the somber gauze of “Broken Intensification," FAÇADISMS moves fluidly between moments of absence and abandon. Ashen swaths of electronics billow above smoldering embers of melody, guitar, and scattered streaks of processed strings and voice, as on the rapturous doom of “Control Your Soul's Desire for Freedom,” featuring Julia Kent on cello and Hannah Elizabeth Cox on vocals. "The impoverished peoples of the Americas have known all along that 'freedom' is a cruel illusion crafted by the elites, akin to Potemkin's fake villages designed to impress Catherine the Great," Irisarri indicates. "FAÇADISMS illustrates a twisted inversion where the rulers deceive their subjects with illusions of safety, democracy, and free speech to create a grotesque mirage of control over their own lives.”

Elsewhere, Irisarri leans into passages of hushed oblivion (“Hollow,” “Dispersion of Belief”), while ragged drones rumble and disintegrate into wind-battered ambient wreckage. One has the sense that it’s all too late. The hour of fury has passed. The beauty has come and gone. Irisarri’s muse has become the crack in the façade of the unraveling myth.

The record closes with a climax of grand departure. Co-written with Kenyan sound artist KMRU, “Red Moon Tide” surges from flickering elegy to celestial disquiet, roiling waves of hymnal descent, and bristling noise. The effect is unsettling and unmooring: a soundtrack for the soul leaving the body, only to discover a void. It’s the sound of the center not holding, of shared illusions being dissolved in a tunnel of white light.

The cover photograph captures a profound sense of desolation. Taken in the historic shanty town of La Perla, Puerto Rico, where Irisarri spent his childhood, brutal colonial mysteries are lost to time. A skeletal concrete structure decays against an expansive blue horizon. Only the shadow of its shell ripples on the empty sea.

Has the American myth finally run its course?

The seeds of composer Rafael Anton Irisarri’s latest LP were first planted during his 2016 tour in Italy, months before that Autumn’s unexpected presidential election. The linguistic glitch of an innocuous diner in Milan named “il Mito Americano” – meant as “The American Dream” but translated literally to English as “The American Myth” – sparked a series of ideas, both conceptual and musical.

Amid the chaos of 2020, while exploring the stark world of brutalist architecture and inspired by the false fronts of Potemkin villages, a vision started to take shape: FAÇADISMS. Composed over three years, it’s a late capitalist lament of simmering electric despondency.

Irisarri’s obsession with repeating motifs mirrors the cyclical nature of our tumultuous political history. The album’s eight tracks heave and storm like a tempest being drained of its rage. This is the sound of majestic dissipation, of morning afters, fashioned from a mournful haze with cavernous guitars and granular twilight. A euphony of a receding tide as one sifts through the remnants of what remains: dust, delusion, and memory.

Opening with the somber gauze of “Broken Intensification," FAÇADISMS moves fluidly between moments of absence and abandon. Ashen swaths of electronics billow above smoldering embers of melody, guitar, and scattered streaks of processed strings and voice, as on the rapturous doom of “Control Your Soul's Desire for Freedom,” featuring Julia Kent on cello and Hannah Elizabeth Cox on vocals. "The impoverished peoples of the Americas have known all along that 'freedom' is a cruel illusion crafted by the elites, akin to Potemkin's fake villages designed to impress Catherine the Great," Irisarri indicates. "FAÇADISMS illustrates a twisted inversion where the rulers deceive their subjects with illusions of safety, democracy, and free speech to create a grotesque mirage of control over their own lives.”

Elsewhere, Irisarri leans into passages of hushed oblivion (“Hollow,” “Dispersion of Belief”), while ragged drones rumble and disintegrate into wind-battered ambient wreckage. One has the sense that it’s all too late. The hour of fury has passed. The beauty has come and gone. Irisarri’s muse has become the crack in the façade of the unraveling myth.

The record closes with a climax of grand departure. Co-written with Kenyan sound artist KMRU, “Red Moon Tide” surges from flickering elegy to celestial disquiet, roiling waves of hymnal descent, and bristling noise. The effect is unsettling and unmooring: a soundtrack for the soul leaving the body, only to discover a void. It’s the sound of the center not holding, of shared illusions being dissolved in a tunnel of white light.

The cover photograph captures a profound sense of desolation. Taken in the historic shanty town of La Perla, Puerto Rico, where Irisarri spent his childhood, brutal colonial mysteries are lost to time. A skeletal concrete structure decays against an expansive blue horizon. Only the shadow of its shell ripples on the empty sea.

Has the American myth finally run its course?