{"id":40546,"date":"2016-12-18T14:21:59","date_gmt":"2016-12-18T21:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/?p=40546"},"modified":"2017-01-19T23:22:42","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T06:22:42","slug":"notable-netlabel-releases-of-2016-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/18\/notable-netlabel-releases-of-2016-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Notable Netlabel Releases of 2016 (part two)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi, again, I’m C. Reider. I release most of my own music<\/a> for free on the internet, and I listen to a lot of music by people who do the same. This is a list of free-to-download releases from 2016 that I liked a lot.
\nI’ve done lists like this for several years, here are previous years’ lists:
\n2015<\/a>, 2014<\/a>, 2013<\/a>, 2012<\/a>, 2011<\/a>, 2010<\/a>, 2009<\/a>.
\n–
\nThese lists have been getting really long, because I listen to a lot of music over the course of a year, so for my sanity and yours, I’m going to break up this end of year list into several smaller lists. This strategy will also allow me to consider albums released late in the year, while still being able to raise the profile of cool stuff from earlier in the year. This is part TWO of the big list, I will post links just below this line of other parts as I publish them.
\n–
\nLINK TO PART ONE<\/a>
\nLINK TO PART THREE<\/a>
\nLINK TO PART FOUR<\/a>
\nLINK TO PART FIVE, THE FINAL POST<\/a>
\n–
\nThe ordering of these releases is completely arbitrary, no ranking is intended, and none should be inferred. I like everything I’m listing here to varying degrees, but ranking is a silly activity that helps exactly no one form their own opinion about music.
\n–
\nI should clarify that by saying these are netlabel releases, I don\u2019t necessarily mean they were released on proper netlabels, many of these albums were self released. To me, netlabeling is a community activity, involving releasing music online for free (or pay what you want)\u2026
\npreferably (though not necessarily) with a CC license\u2026
\nand EVEN MORE preferably (though not necessarily) with a CC license that allows for remixability and sampling. So I use the word \u201cnetlabel\u201d even though the word is admittedly problematic. You could just see this as links to a bunch of free music if you wanted to keep things simple.
\n–
\nYou can be notified when the next part of this year-end list gets published by either following me on twitter @vuzhmusic<\/a> or by subscribing to the RSS feed for this blog’s “Recommended Listening” category:
\nhttp:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/category\/recommended-listening\/feed\/<\/a>
\n\u2013-<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nEeem [eim] \u2013 Shades
\nhttps:\/\/eeem.bandcamp.com\/album\/shades<\/a>
\nEeem [eim] \u2013 Shores
\nhttps:\/\/eeem.bandcamp.com\/album\/shores<\/a>
\nEeem [eim] \u2013 Skylines
\nhttps:\/\/eeem.bandcamp.com\/album\/skylines-2<\/a>
\nCC BY NC SA (Derivs allowed! Remix \/ sample away! \ud83d\ude42<\/font>)
\nSelf-released
\n–
\nA triptych of pretty synth compositions that comes probably as close to what I\u2019d call \u201ctraditional ambient” as I\u2019m likely to enjoy. There are also plenty of kosmische inflections to be heard in the drift, especially little hints of Popol Vuh, Tangerine Dream and Ashra. I could see these having really wide appeal, they’re done very well.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nEla and PomPom \u2013 My New Music
\nhttps:\/\/thepompom.bandcamp.com\/album\/my-new-music<\/a>
\nJennifer and PomPom \u2013 Circles
\nhttps:\/\/thepompom.bandcamp.com\/album\/circles<\/a>
\nCopyright (No derivs! No sampling \/ remixing \ud83d\ude41<\/font>)
\nSelf-released
\n–
\nThese two releases feature compositions and performances by people who live with cerebral palsy. Ela\u2019s compositions have lo-fi-guitar + percussion + piano backings to her soaring, pretty vocals with mysterious lyrics. Sometimes her voice is draped in spacious reverb or spooky delay.
\nJennifer\u2019s works are a litte more spare, and feature her performances on (mostly) keyboard with the percussive pluckings of the PomPom group murkily cycling in accompaniment. This is utterly unique, lo-fi psycedelia that is moving and beautiful. Some of the absolute top music I\u2019ve heard this year. I could see these recordings becoming very influential. Listening to this music makes me happy to be alive.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nEucci \u2013 In Marianne District
\nhttp:\/\/euc.cx\/rive\/073\/index.html<\/a>
\nEucci \u2013 On Verdant Shores
\nhttps:\/\/sunhill.bandcamp.com\/album\/on-verdant-shores<\/a>
\nEucci \u2013 Land\u2019s End
\nhttps:\/\/sunhill.bandcamp.com\/album\/lands-end<\/a>
\nEucci \u2013 Mimeotin
\nhttp:\/\/www.controlvalve.net\/blog\/index.blog\/2359640\/ctrlvlv061__eucci__mimeotin\/<\/a>
\nCC BY SA \/ CC BY NC SA (Derivs allowed! Remix \/ sample away! \ud83d\ude42<\/font>)
\nSelf-released except ‘Mimeotin’ which is out on Control Valve
\n–
\nEucci had a very productive year, here\u2019s a survey of what I heard. \u2018In Marianne District\u2019 is a beautiful collage work of drones and field recordings and interesting sounds cut with sudden transitions and captivating juxtapositions. The style reminds me of some of my favorite work by the Hafler Trio, such as \u2018Kill the King\u2019 or \u2018the Sea Org\u2019.
\n\u2018On Verdant Shores\u2019 is a spasmodic take on pretty IDM music, rough and unsettled, wriggling its ways through not entirely predictable tone lines.
\n\u2018Land\u2019s End\u2019 continues the trajectory laid on on the previous release, and refines it a bit. Drums are slightly more upfront here, maybe making it a bit more obvious that this is electronic dance music, perhaps? I mean, I\u2019d love to see someone dance to it. Autechre is the obvious touchstone here, though I feel like a lazy reviewer by pointing that out, (but hell, not like I\u2019m getting paid to do this!)
\n\u2018Mimeotin\u2019 is where things get significantly thornier. This is noise music, but labelling it that way is probably misleading, and definitely feels nearly wrong when comparing to some of this artist\u2019s blistering work under the artist name AODL. No, \u2018Mimeotin\u2019 takes a really dynamic approach, exploring the softly twitching rhythms and weird, labyrinthine tone lines heard on the two previous releases, but augmented with more abrasive sounds and squirts of complex noise events\u2026 nothing that outright pummels, but enough to certainly not pass by unnoticed.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nGregg Skloff \u2013 All Way Relay
\nhttps:\/\/greggskloff.bandcamp.com\/track\/all-way-relay<\/a>
\nGregg Skloff \u2013 Go Dead Aces
\nhttps:\/\/greggskloff.bandcamp.com\/album\/go-dead-aces<\/a>
\nCC BY NC SA (Derivs allowed! Remix \/ sample away! \ud83d\ude42<\/font>)
\nSelf-released
\n–
\nSkloff, whose main axe is bass (electric, double bass and cello) employs sitar for the two tracks of \u2018All Way Relay\u2019. The droning qualities of the instrument pairs well with his sensibilities as a composer, but he does use the melodic side as well. He neatly sidesteps any tacky attempts at ethnic pastiche, thankfully. The first track is couched in mammoth reverb, and the second runs the sound through a fuzz amp to get some feedback-harmonics.
\nIt sounds like \u2018Go Dead Aces\u2019 is primarily a synth-based work, with long bassy drones that slowly ebb and wane, throbbing away while the upper harmonics swirl around. Very pretty stuff.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nGurdonark \u2013 Reflections on Self
\nhttps:\/\/gurdonark.bandcamp.com\/album\/reflections-on-self<\/a>
\nCC BY SA (Derivs allowed! Remix \/ sample away! \ud83d\ude42<\/font>)
\nSelf-released
\n–
\nThere\u2019s not a whole lot I could say about this album that I haven\u2019t already said about Gurdonark albums that have come before. There is a certain inevitability that comes anytime he releases new work, you know it\u2019s going to sound just like new work by Gurdonark. The happy thing is, I really like that sound, and so the stability of his style is something I find comforting in an odd way. His music is not quite like music by anyone else. His loping compositions for keyboard synth (using sounds that he\u2019s sampled in himself) are simultaneously bouncy and ponderous. His albums are simple, musical, calming and ever-so-slightly oddball. Some of the pieces on this album, especially those toward the end, have a slightly darker mood, and some hints of avant-garde ideas. These are paired with such titles as \u201cRegret” and \u201cConceit.” It seems this course of musical introspection does not overlook the parts of himself that may be harder to look at.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nHe Can Jog \u2013 Characteristics Associated With Unpredictability
\nhttp:\/\/music.hecanjog.com\/album\/characteristics-associated-with-unpredictability<\/a>
\nHe Can Jog \u2013 Nightsound
\nhttp:\/\/music.hecanjog.com\/album\/nightsound<\/a>
\nCC BY (Derivs allowed! Remix \/ sample away! \ud83d\ude42<\/font>)
\nSelf-released
\n–
\nA couple of very different releases from this artist, presumably making works using his own programming language Pippi. \u2018Characteristics Associated With Unpredictability\u2019 starts off with a kind of galactic random-number funk which swiftly slips into continually evolving scenarios of what sounds like a bunch of smiling DMT baubles yammering and chittering vigorously, while hopefully not overcooking your inner ear with radiation too much. Yeah, yeah, ok. I suck at describing music, especially when it sounds like a fusion reactor come to life.
\n\u2018Nightsounds\u2019 is ambient music after the Eno model; tone plates shifting over and under one another, cloud-like with some tinkly nooding happening too. These two releases are pretty radically different in mood, but are pretty interesting to listen to back-to-back.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nJanne Nummela \u2013 Level Crossing
\nhttps:\/\/archive.org\/details\/eg0_159<\/a>
\nCC BY NC SA (Derivs allowed! Remix \/ sample away! \ud83d\ude42<\/font>)
\nEg0cide Netlabel
\n–
\nA number of compositions, realized on computer, in various Modernist, avant-garde styles. A little more constricted and formal than what I tend to like these days, but it\u2019s really very enjoyable.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nJon\u00e1\u0161 Gruska \u2013 Site Specific Resonances V
\nhttps:\/\/jonasgruska.bandcamp.com\/album\/site-specific-resonances-v<\/a>
\nCC BY NC SA (Derivs allowed! Remix \/ sample away! \ud83d\ude42<\/font>)
\nSelf-released
\n–
\nA sixteen minute long piece that begins with the sound of air ducts (I presume it\u2019s the same system pictured on the cover.) A very loud set of ductwork that rattles and clacks together percussively fades out as some ambiguously sourced droning which sounds vaguely organ-like fades in. This builds, and later is joined by some really nice vibrating material sounds that resemble a low-pitched brass instrument like a tuba or trombone. I believe that materials from the space are activated by some vibrating mechanism by the performer(s?) to produce these sounds. The room\u2019s reverb gives the buzzing and moaning drones a beautiful situatedness. The drone section culminates with a percussive climax.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nChinese Hackers \u2013 (wiretrap)
\nhttps:\/\/bedlamtapes.bandcamp.com\/album\/–2<\/a>
\nCopyright (No derivs! No sampling \/ remixing \ud83d\ude41<\/font>)
\nBedlam Tapes
\n–
\nAnother solid release from Bedlam Tapes. This music really does come off in some ways as a very appreciative hommage to 1980s Industrial Music, with a very lo-fi approach using drum machines, over-saturated synths, people banging on 55 gallon drums in a warehouse, and weird, charged vocal samples clicking in and out of the mix. It could sit alongside early stuff from Controlled Bleeding or SPK nicely. Thing is, this album also integrates some vaporwave influences too, filtered through the same overleaded-four-track aesthetic. This leaves me drawing some (perhaps dubious) comparisons between industrial & vaporwave, both of which seemed to start off as an anti-establishment, protest music, and both of which rapidly ended up embracing the establishment and polishing themselves up to gain wider audiences. In the process each became something else entirely.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nLinden Pomeroy \u2013 Ikiryo
\nhttps:\/\/pilot11.bandcamp.com\/album\/linden-pomeroy-ikiryo<\/a>
\nCC BY SA (Derivs allowed! Remix \/ sample away! \ud83d\ude42<\/font>)
\nPilot Eleven Netlabel
\n–
\nIt’s that classic combination of guitar through a system of delays and reverbs. I guess I’m just a sucker for this kind of shit. It was one of the first ways I started doing ambient \/ experimental \/ whatever music, and it still never gets old.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nLingua Lustra \u2013 Slow Time
\nhttps:\/\/archive.org\/details\/Lingua_Lustra_-_Slow_Time<\/a>
\nCC BY (Derivs allowed! Remix \/ sample away! \ud83d\ude42<\/font>)
\nBreathe Compilations
\n–
\nSlowly looping, filtered and strained musical phrases swaddled in disorienting effects. A very romantic melancholy pervades this album. Very beautiful stuff. \u201cPhantasmagoric” seems like a good word I should use somewhere in this review, but I don’t know what kind of sentence to use it in, so you can make one up yourself if you like.
\n–<\/p>\n

\n

–
\n
\nLinus Lemont \u2013 Marginalia
\nhttps:\/\/linuslemont.bandcamp.com\/album\/marginalia<\/a>
\nCC BY NC (Derivs allowed! Remix \/ sample away! \ud83d\ude42<\/font>)
\nSelf-released
\n–
\nLinus’ first album released with his new name (earlier releases came out under the name Jess Lemont, you may have seen a few recommendations from me for his earlier stuff). Linus is an immensely talented composer with deep jazz chops and some incredible moves on the drumkit, as well as seemingly every single instrument ever made. They have a gift for inventing new ways to splatter those sounds in weird new shapes. This is avant-garde as fuck… If you’re in the market for some extremely well done \u201cdifficult” music that never gets boring or predictable, do not miss this one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi, again, I’m C. Reider. I release most of my own music for free on the internet, and I listen to a lot of music by people who do the same. This is a list of free-to-download releases from 2016 that I liked a lot. I’ve done lists like this for several years, here are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recommended-listening"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3eIxq-axY","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40546"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40546"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40602,"href":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40546\/revisions\/40602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vuzhmusic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}