Rvng Int'l US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Tin Iso and the Dawn has been a four part journey from the New York based composer and puppeteer Tristan Allen. It has brought to life a whole world of fantastical characters who share "universal longings" with us mere mortals. The opening part of the fine series showcases some meticulous sound design and alluring leitmotifs that all try to make sense of loss and what comes after. The album is loosely based on Wagner's three act opera Tristan und Isolde and was written over the course of seven years from 2105 with plenty of field recordings and a mix of acoustic instruments that were processed and arranged electronically. It's a transfixing listen, for sure.

Review: Oliver Coates' Throb, Shiver, Arrow of Time is an exploration of memory and emotion, blending the tactile with the ephemeral. This third album from the British cellist, producer, and composer, released through RVNG Intl., encapsulates six years of introspection and creative evolution. Following the atmospheric textures of his previous work, skins n slime, Coates delves deeper into the interplay of digital and analogue sound. The album's centerpiece, 'Shopping centre curfew,' reflects a surreal fusion of events from South London during the pandemic, manifesting a unique blend of temporal dissonance and vivid soundscapes. Tracks like 'Please be normal' and '90' showcase Coates' ability to weave misty tones and shifting frequencies into a cohesive auditory experience. Collaborations with Malibu and chrysanthemum bear, along with Faten Kanaan's synth textures, enhance the album's depth. Inspired by artist Sarah Sze's installations, Coates applies a sculptural approach to sound, creating a dynamic interplay between digital manipulation and live performance. The result is a rich experience that resists closure, with the final track 'Make it happen' embodying a defiant push against silence.

Review: Isik Kural's Moon in Gemini is a captivating album that blends slow, evocative narratives with symbolic storytelling. While also combining environmental music with folk influences, Isik's vocals float over pastoral sounds, chamber instrumentation and archival recordings which trace a line back through his own diverse musical journey. The album's 14 tracks immerse you in a dreamy, liminal space - 'Moon in Gemini' for example reflects a multi-faceted and nostalgic exploration of Isik's past work by including recordings from Turkey, Miami, Helsinki, and Glasgow. Inspired by artists like Nina Simone and Aldous Harding, Isik experiments with new techniques of theirs to make this album a poetic, naturalistic experience with a portion of proceeds sent to benefit Mor cat? Women's Shelter Foundation.

Review: There's clearly something in the water in Colorado: a hotbed for alternative electronic tones. The obvious answer would be all the weed the place is now famous for, but we prefer to think it's the stunning and seemingly-never ending natural landscape that hits you the moment you look up. No stranger to music making, local one M. Sage presents his latest interpretation of those surrounds, with Paradise Crick a deep dive into sounds at once manmade and natural. A gentile trip through floating noises and hypnotic fragments of time, it's blissful, instantly captivating stuff, quickly locating the part of the brain that makes you feel immersed and making itself at home. Meandering through the lot feels like time well spent, outside, listening to babbling brooks and gazing out on lakes reflecting beams of sunlight back into the world.

Review: Los Angeles-based composer Tashi Wada steps out with his long awaited debut album, What Is Not Strange?, and a fine first solo outing it is too. It is by far his most ambitious and widescreen work to date and it comes laden with plenty of emotion as a result of the fact that it was written and recorded over a period that encompassed the death of his father and the rather opposite feelings of experiencing the birth of his daughter. As such Wada reflects inward to explore various themes including being alive, mortality and finding one's place in the world. His unique song based expressionism goes from ecstatic to denser forms and starker contrasts. It is a wonderful experiment and immersive listen.