Van Boom
NUBORNE

Ufonic presents Stereo Vision, a collection of 11 sound pieces, bringing together an eclectic set of interpretations within the experimental music field.All profits from this compilation are donated to support Hackney Night Shelter.

Anthony Linell's Lundin Oil project suggests a politic and an aesthetic in one swift movement. We may make certain deductions about each, but we must work backwards from where they meet. Through the brutalising industrial mechanisms to which titles cryptically allude, we are given an exponentially urgent image of devastation. This is projected, pitch-perfectly, into a rapacious and erosive aural demonstration that barely meet metrical demands. Exploit Divisions, the first Lundin Oil release since 2016, redoubles this threatening realisation. The album pivots between seismic static waves and jagged rhythmic noise, seeking a wider vantage with melodic drone ensembles. A ferocious departure from his primary work, Exploit Divisions is a purposeful reminder of the savagery of brevity.

“Music gives us a place to be lost. Washing away thought, place, time and identity. It’s in the falling into the river, the dream, that we find just who we could be”. Classically trained cellist, composer and storyteller Lihla (Lih-Qun Wong) presents her debut album, ‘Socha’ for A Strangely Isolated Place. Combining a vast instrumental skillset of piano, cello, electronics and spoken word, she crafts intensely immersive aural-hallucinatory worlds of intricately shifting landscapes. A deeply personal work, Socha explores the ‘diaspora of time and space, and why we all feel so displaced.' Piano chapters capture the meeting place between memory and longing, while explorational vocal and cello textures invoke and echo the ancient, the feminine, and the otherworldly. Lihla’s voice guides us, weaving through electronics and field recordings of the ‘real-world' to set the path for a poetic and deeply haunting journey through the internal psyche that is truly transportive and escapist. ‘Socha’ will be available on transparent smoke 12” and digital. Written and produced by Lih Qun WongMixed by Sebastian Lee PhilippMastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri @ Black Knoll StudioArtwork by LIHLA and Visions of Akira

The concept of naught (Ø) has challenged Salvatore Mercatante throughout his musical career, specifically, trying to understand how the idea of ‘nothing’ fits into the realm of sound, and at the same time, exist in a world of influence at every turn. In the absence of everything, are we able to create something truly free?As a lifelong New York-based musician, Mercatante’s influences and productions run a wide spectrum. Just as happy producing 80s-inspired horror soundtracks as he is refining acute drum patterns over and over again, Salvatore is the first to ask himself, where next? When a musician’s output can be influenced today by so much, and there is no self-defined or perceived artistic goal in mind, how do you start from a place of nothingness, again and again?This approach has born many minimal and experimental albums of note in the past, but with Ø, Salvatore ended up with an almost controlled maximalist approach. Beginning with open spaces and allowing sonic textures to live and evolve past where you may expect, Ø allows the space between notes to become equally as important as the notes themselves. Walls of noise, soaring soundtracks, dense techno, glittering IDM, and minimal glitch, sit side-by-side to present an all-encompassing palette of sonic possibility.Often, even without any intent, what can be born from nothing will somehow transpire back into something more recognizable. It’s human nature after all. A subtle fingerprint, as a sequence, melody, pattern, or drum kick. Whether Salvatore intended for this record to represent his defining sound or not, only time will tell. Mastered by Giuseppe Tillieci @ Enisslab, Rome, Italy. Artwork by Brandon LocherWritten and produced by Salvatore Mercatante

On Board Music returns for its sixth installment of the Various Artists EP series, but this time with a different approach. Five fresh remixes breathe new life into Point C, originally released in 2021 and consisting of tracks from Foreign Material, Hironori Takahashi, Hiver, Sylve and Alan Backdrop.For the 2024 update, On Board enlists five of the finest deep techno practitioners to twist the originals into bold new forms. US artist Patrick Russell dives deep into his signature, tripped-out zone, with dub and half-time sensibilities grounding the remix in an eyes-down headspace. Estrato Aurora, who remixes Hiver’s cut, goes equally subterranean, perfectly setting up the nimble drumming and bright melodies of Polygonia’s contribution.On the B-side, Forest On Stasys melts the synths of Alan Backdrop’s “Oelo” into an ever-evolving slice of dance floor psychedelia, before Detroit luminary Erika focuses on a syncopated, shuffling rhythm. Together, the five tracks cover extensive ground, all bound by the uniquely hypnotic sound that On Board is well known for.

Shipping from EU: ❌Shipping from UK: ✅A showcase of individual tracks from A Strangely Isolated Place’s 2021 labelreleases and a special continuous DJ mix by todos.~~For last year's label compilation, I mentioned how I hoped to invite a guest DJto compile the next edition, and here we are. Of course, it just had to be ourlong-term musical companion, a good friend of mine, and well-respected DJ,todos.I was first introduced to todos through his well-respected Kilchurn Mix series.I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, they remain some of my favoritemixes of all time (listen to them all on the ASIP site when you get a chance).His ability to craft a narrative, manipulate samples and respect the grey areabetween ambient and electronic music, is second-to-none.Since blogging about his mixes all the way back in 2008, and inviting him tocompile a special isolatedmix a few years later, Doug (todos) and I havestayed in touch and connected further after learning we grew up with verysimilar musical trajectories. Doug also coincidentally, ended up living wheremy family are today (and where I spent my life growing up) in a surprisingtwist of fate. And in 2021, after years of speaking online, we finally got tomeet, playrecords (in real life!), and go for a long overdue beer.I always earmarked Doug to be a part of ASIP somehow, so it is my absolutepleasure to hand over the DJ reins for the 2021 compilation edition. Doughad free choice over which tracks to choose, as long as he included one trackfrom each release of the year. The result is a very special mix, taking usthrough the ASIP 2021 release catalog in his unique, signature, todos style.“2021 has been another tough year but the music that has come out of it hasbeen wonderful. With so many excellent releases on the ASIP label, it wasexciting yet challenging to be asked to showcase a few on this mix. Massivethanks go out to Ryan for the opportunity and trust in letting me do this, theartists for their incredible talent and hard work, and lastly all the supportersof this music we love, I hope you enjoy.”- todosI’m excited for 2022, despite what will undoubtedly be a challenging year forall small labels, navigating the ever-increasing vinyl challenges. As you arenow evidently the beholder of the classic CD format and reading this, youmay be excited to learn that a few more shiny discs are coming very soon...ASIP