Ear Candy: Notes on the Psychedelic Properties of Sound

A reference and archive of psychedelic music reviews, interviews with artists, sound design tips and tricks, and much more!

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: prox.Bleep  Release: Bewildering Wonder  Label: Paracusia Media  Year: May 16, 2022 Genre: Hyperglitch/Sound Design/Cinematic Total Time: 15:25 Buy Link: https://paracusiamedia.bandcamp.com/album/bewildering-wonder-ep May 15, 2022 A lone, enigmatic entity has emerged to this plane of existence with an indescribable tale of alien technology and of the gradual descent into a delirious madness. prox.Bleep has brought an intricate and immersive sonic experience with his new EP, Bewildering Wonder, injecting a fresh energy into the global hyperglitch scene.  Told through the eyes of a bewildered protagonist, the tale unfolds as if you were truly are in the process of exploring the remains of the ancient technological civilization, being spoken to through crumbling holograms and hallucinations. As not a detail has been spared in its’ construction, you will feel the darkness permeate through your mind like a virus brought back from the void as prox works his maleficent sonic arts. It feels like the the musical equivalent of world building as in an rpg, setting the tone for further exploration of the surrounding topographies and textures.  prox wields unpoken of resampling and synthesis techniques as he constructs and dissolves environments to his will, bending time and mutating space to accommodate this perpetually unfolding story. Visual and visceral, transcending temporal boundaries to melt into a bubbling puddle of fractured spatial intentions and hyper-dimensional desires. There is an undeniable survival horror element that runs right to the core of Bewildering Wonder, from the haunting words that begin the experience to the impeccably placed and processed foley elements, it truly is gripping and highly personal. Infusing dynamic cinematic elements with cutting edge processing techniques, prox.Bleep has created an opus of magnificence that transcends music in a way that most have never previously experienced.  A new form of unpredictable musical trajectories emerges, intersecting and metamorphosing through the ever-changing landscape of post-musical tendencies. Navigating these uncharted aural spaces with grace and precision, prox.Bleep ups the ante, delivering mind bending sound design coupled with immersive world building and articulate story telling, so rife with details as to be exploding outwards/inwards to/from every direction. Headphones greatly enhances the experience, allowing each detail and nuance to be discovered. Each listen leads to a new path, unveiling new themes, revealing new textures and techniques, ultimately leading to either your sanctuary and salvation, or… ~ Ear Candy 2022

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Poztman Release: Void Vermin Label: Self Released Year: Dec 2020 Genre: IDM/Sound Design/Cyberpunk Total Time: 2 hours + Buy Link: https://poztman.bandcamp.com/album/void-vermin Dec 19, 2020   After a couple of successful releases on Billegal Beats and Outtallectuals earlier this year, Poztman emerges from his sonic laboratory with an absolute behemoth of an album,  totalling 19 original tracks and 15 remixes from all-stars handpicked across a multitude of genres. Truly on the top of his game, with Void Vermin Poztman delivers a stunning insider view of the sprawling cyberpunk universe living in his mind, and in magnificent high resolution. Each track a window into another facet of this tale unfolding; each track another thread expertly woven into the sonic fabric with deft precision and a masters touch.   Driving/Captivating/Emotional/Next-level-sound-design laden post club music that describes our current human trajectory well. Experimental bangers meets off kilter cyber bass. Cold and synthetic, devoid of humanity, an androids wet dream. Poztman moves through genres like a sonic ninja, slicing and cutting with superlative flow, never letting up even for a moment. Sonic mayhem ensues, a pleasurable ear assault through and through, gripping like a vice.  Void Vermin is highly dynamic, and is fully aware of itself and your place in its' story. Deep immersion and avant-garde mix ingenuity paint a vivid image in your mind's eye, at once lustfully alluring and utterly terrifying. Yet like a gruesome scene it seems impossible to part your attention elsewhere, drawn towards and inwards, mesmerized by the rhythm/hypnotized by the waves. Intensity increases towards a boiling point, rupturing senses and dominating psyche. Throbbing basslines, warping earbuds and dance floors alike, pulsing as the heartbeat of the beast known as Void Vermin, entraining you to its' jilted palpitations. Fluorescent synthesis and neon reflections, cracks of metamorphosing static oscillating through the air, erupting into a deep oneiric experience of darkness and grandeur, debauchery and magnificence. Poztman delivers an immersive psychedelic experience like no other, a complete hyper-realized cyberpunk world that continues on unfolding more and deeper each time you choose to enter it. Void Vermin culminates into Poztman's most intricate and detailed works to date, no nuance spared in its' creation and presentation. A forward thinking, cutting edge, multi-faceted aural experience that will carry you away to a temporary neon-soaked trans-humanist existence. Ear Candy 2020 Overall Comments: A masterpiece of sound design and immersive storytelling, exuding abyssal charm, and completely entrancing until the final note graces the speakers. Void Vermin is a creature  to sit with, be cuddled by, and allow yourself to get lost in its' intoxicating embrace.

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Unterm Rad Release: Stress Fractures Label: Point Source Electronic Arts Year: December 2020 Genre: IDM/Sound Design/Glitch Total Time: 30:08 Buy Link: https://untermrad.bandcamp.com/album/stress-fractures November 26, 2020 Painting an amorphous digital landscape littered with countless micro-edits and glittering pieces of ear candy, Unterm Rad erupts onto the IDM circuit with his upcoming album, Stress Fractures, out on Dec 1 on the rising new imprint Point Source Electronic Arts. Featuring 4 solo tracks and 4 collaborations with a handful of excellent sound designers [including Access To Arasaka, Renegade Android and more], Stress Fractures is a cyclical IDM dream, slowly unfolding and revealing a vast depth of sound and structure. Progressive explorations of unusual possibilities seemingly out of a malfunctioning digital future.  As the machine is engaged, immediately its' slowly evolving technical nature is exposed. Dynamic layers of shifting sound transposed with cutting percussions, sealed within a post-industrial shell, gathering pressure/momentum. Ardent attention given to even the smallest details, enter a microscopic world of endless permutations and subtle doppelgängers. Rich and engaging polyrhythmic construction, an entrancing play of structure and form that provides a new and dynamic re-telling of itself upon each return. A real slow burner, this is a release that you will continue to return to many times over, and be rewarded with a new piece of the puzzle each time.  Each track a reflection of the last, the overall experience is one of perfect cohesion and intention manifest in every note and edit. Hypnotic cyber-tribal embodiments of mathematical structures, fluid geometries metamorphosing in the background while minute glitches surface briefly only to fall back to the depths. Not afraid to fall outside of conventional construction, Unterm Rad strays deep into his own enigmatic territory to create a classic, yet futuristic release of exquisite IDM aimed at and for the avid listener.  ~Ear Candy 2020 Overall Comments: Abstruse on the exterior, however once cracked open there is near infinite depth in its' ever evolving cycles. Definitely one to sit with and savour, as its' true beauty is only properly revealed over time.

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Core Alter Release: Voice Array Label: Kaer'Uiks Year: November 2020 Genre: IDM/Electro/Glitch Total Time: 43:35 Buy Link: https://kaer-uiks.bandcamp.com/album/voice-array November 26, 2020   Immediately proceeding the brilliant acid-drenched release from Myoptik earlier this month, Kaer'Uiks is at it again with a flex into deep idm territory, this time via newcomer to the label Core Alter's 6 tracker, Voice Array. This one kicks off all stereotypes at the door and settles in for an unpredictable time, wildly dancing in the space between genres, giving absolutely no care to anything other. A divine expression of seductive asymmetry and viral motivations. The journey begins in a little tide pool laboratory, the aquatic pulse throbbing, mesmerizing in its' cyclical gaze. Spring loaded stabs joining militarized percussion to facilitate a drexian vibe that runs infectious and brings you to the gates of the Bosonic Fields. Like peering out from Atlantis, Bosonic Fields reveals sunken synthesis and advanced crystalline melodies. Running arps suspended in space, lurching percussion in a tug of war with itself, all the while infused with a sinking aqueous aesthetic. The crooked flow leads to Reduplicative Amnesia, with its' focus on the offset and recombinant cannibalism, desperate processing in a strange psychedelic factory. Classic IDM spun into hyperdrive with ceaseless metamorphosing and a feral constituency. Needing to find a way out, Escape Velocity lures you to the hatch, and as you open it are at once drawn into a vortex of swirling rhythms and broken ambience. Dumped in a temporary calm, Diogenesis bring you to the cradle of life with a Berlin school overlay, hydro-resonant smooth cruising in the deep depths. Drawn to an ancient sunken temple and finding yourself surrounded by tuned bubble melodies and swathes of alien lifeforms. Finally reaching the bottom, the fathomless deep, Redshift is the finality, the totality of this aquatic excursion. Live wire static and pin-pluck dissonance, and a slow ascension back towards the surface to bask in the glow of the rising dual suns. Ear Candy 2020 Overall Comments: A delectable oceanic treat of immeasurable depth and grand ingenuity, Core Alter delivers a fantastic debut on Kaer'Uiks with Voice Array, offering an orchestrated deep ocean adventure oozing with character and very well developed sonic story-telling.

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Myoptik Release: The Burnt Wonga Story Label: Kaer'Uiks Year: 2020 Genre: Airship Acid/Neon Rave/Cloak-step Total Time: 57:03 Buy Link: https://kaer-uiks.bandcamp.com/album/the-burnt-wonga-story October 2020 Lately there seems to be some underlying currents in the global music scene propelling a modern resurgence of "acid" music, with 303's popping up in everything from techno and house to psytrance and beyond. However, not all stabs and squelches are created equally, as Myoptik clearly demonstrates on his stellar new long player releasing on the legendary experimental label Kaer'Uiks very soon. The Burnt Wonga Story is a culmination and coalescence of Myoptik's extensive experimentation over the last couple decades within the acid sound-set, and clearly displays a loud statement that screams not only that acid is not dead, but that it has mutated and evolved into new and previously unfathomable forms. One look at the striking cover art by graphic designer Daniel Glaser will give you a large [yet abstract] clue as to what to expect sonically inside. As a lone cowbell strikes a modest rhythm and massive industrial machines begin rolling in for the bassline, there is no telling what awaits around any corner of Funkatronix 999. Intricate polyrhythms abound as it slowly meanders around in a sort of post-acid funk. Rich stereo field treatment begets a deep immersion, coupled with a high order sonic palette that refines the potential of what could be considered acid music. Enter Mentaz Bomb, giving way to a more classically inspired sound somewhat reminiscent of Atari Teenage Riot meets Luke Vibert, but with a hyper-stylized twist of immaculate production and a technical standard far exceeding either. Static splashes, distorted vocals, feedback loops, all the while squelching and sliding all over. Right into the opening granular textures of Jakk2-RIPbass, wasting no time dropping a 4/4 beat and generating a lush full spectrum sound that opens right up and swallows you in. Advancing with exotic hypnotics and a deft hand, Jakk2-RIPbass ponders its' own existence while endlessly grooving to its' own tune until finally ending up in a subdued state of forward lurch. Funktronix 12 has a purpose, and that is to be a solid dance floor banger but with an introspective edge. Lurking on the precipice of madness, auditory genius colliding with musical trickster, guiding you on a lavish voyage blipping and bleeping away with a future gaze, but stuck in a timewarp to an unknown time (or dimension). Cyber-folk tinged with a minor nostalgia for an age that hasn't yet happened. The last entry in this unfolding sonic odyssey, Retard Shape, tosses a healthy handful of glitch into the mix, offering up a further mutation into highly nuanced, highly intelligent acid music of an order previously nonexistent. Evolving 303 structures rolling underneath glistening UFOs all together creating a deep and spatial listening environment that seems to open a portal in spacetime to a destination that is personally circumstantial.  Fresh would be an utterly gross understatement; this is something truly unique that takes the torch of its' predecessors and proceeds to light it with a flamethrower. Ear Candy 2020 Overall Comments: With The Burnt Wonga Story, Myoptik is firmly leading techno by the hand into new and exciting realms, all whilst looking forward into the dark unknown. An acid-opus that reaches new heights, and a desperately needed refresh to a sound that hasn't had much evolution in the last 25 years.

[earcandyarchives]

Hi dude, I just stumbled upon your blog (after randomly clicking on your profile on bandcamp under the ABADIR release) and I just wanna say thanks for this blog, I looked through it just briefly since I discovered it minutes ago, but it looks like it contains a lot of really good stuff! I did have blogspot with experimental music for years and I noticed that people most of the time just use u as a source, download the shit and don't say even Hi or Thanks for all that effort, so here I am -Thanks

Thank you very much, I really appreciate that~ ! I do it for the love of sound, but it is nice to hear that others appreciate it as well :)

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Otherr Release: Floating Stones Label: Mozyk.net Year: October 2020 Genre: Industrial/IDM/Cinematic Total Time: 33:52 Buy Link: https://otherr.bandcamp.com/album/mozyk020-floating-stones October 20, 2020 Otherr arrives on Mozyk.net with his brand new album, Floating Stones. He has expertly woven an intriguing sonic tale, captivating in it's simplicity, yet of a depth that begs a return to it's passages many times to discover all of the hidden chambers that are immediately concealed. A story designed to enchant and reward the avid listener with morsels of sonic lore that offers an in depth look into the world that Otherr has created. Right from the onset of Suspended you know you are in for a lavish aural experience as you are greeted with warm enveloping synths and swirling vocal chants, almost dizzying, and reminiscent of a dark ritual. Continuing to build a beautiful tension until dropping into the more percussive driven Offering with it's perfectly delayed intro, cyber-industrial beats and floating gated voice manipulations. As the title track Floating Stones begins, it brings a particular EBM overtone, yet utilized in such way as to confer a feeling of "techno-tribalism", and continuing on with the hyper-processed vocal chant aesthetic, which is quite prevalent throughout the entire release. Agnostic Swarm features some very unique sound design that warms you up for the industrial Amen drop that eventually rises out of the sea of voice stabs and pulsing bass. The journey continues to the little interlude of Light Switch, arp bass running away under chopped voices until reaching the more low end focused Sibyl. Sibyl harkens back to an early/mid 90's jungle vibe, gritty and raw, but processed in a modern package with a touch of 303 thrown in for good measure. A lovely precursor for Deimos, bringing the sound back to it's sci-fi industrial roots; lovely spatial details meets and an almost haunted urban feeling that you can't quite place. Gravity Womb introduces a more delicate side of Otherr; idm structures blurring with fragile melodies and cybernetic edits, yet still keeping a raw edge. Rounding the final stretch, Disowned enters the airwaves with 3D textures and subtle moving spaces. Pushing the vibe deep into more IDM territory, the detailed sound design really shines through with pleasant attention to details and and immersive sound stage. Picking you up and dropping you off at Amen, the final stop. An emotional cool down to the intensity of the preceding experience, elegant washes of noise over peaceful pulses of bass and melody that almost makes you forget the dark and immersive experience you just went through to get to this point. Almost. Ear Candy 2020 Overall Comments: Otherr has spared no detail in this deeply immersive, future tribal cyber-industrial opus. Floating Stones is an exploration of a peculiar sonic playground somewhere on a distant alien world. One constructed of very detailed sound design, rich and unusual processing meeting with driving, science fiction beats and lush cinematic textures to form an otherr-worldly mind melting aural excursion.

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Jim Kimchi Release: Pure Gravy EP Label: Paracusia Media Year: September 2020 Genre: Hyperglitch, Fermented Techno, Bugsculpting Total Time: 15:33 Buy Link: https://paracusiamedia.bandcamp.com/album/pure-gravy-ep Sept 16, 2020 As you regain consciousness, strange sounds begin shaping. The warm hum of a large machine to your left, and likely the console controlling it (and your life support) to the right. You open your eyes into a futuristic laboratory, yet the apparatus that was maintaining you appears to be flickering in and out of existence. This is the laboratory of Jim Kimchi, audiologist and invoker of alchemical glitch magic. As your eyes focus on the new world around you, a sharp pain forms in the pit of your stomach. This is not the world you remember. This is an infinitely breaking simulation overrun with rogue glitches and decomposing aesthetics.  Jim Kimchi opens the door to a new dimension in glitch music with his Pure Gravy ep. One rife with intentional errors, programmed collapses, and crumbling structures set amidst dissolving holograms. A world in a perpetual state of disintegration, shown to you through many different lenses and angles. Each track seems built from impossibly complex structures, forever locked in a cannibalistic dance of consuming itself to make itself.  Right from the onset, from the duality of persondata, with its interesting use of channel separation, you are in for an exquisite treat. The pummeling low end movements and syncopated glitches of Shit Itch lead effortlessly into Turbo Yoga, a masterclass in spatial ingenuity and dynamic construction. Beats made from breaking static clouds, dissonant chords and rumbling low frequencies, projected textures and spectral decomposition.  Pure Gravy has an impossible cadence that teeters and trips all over itself, pulling forward towards massive drops of futuristic bulldozer bass wrapped in a metamorphosing package of polished design and and a seemingly endless bag of sonic tricks to tickle your mind. Sealing the deal is a meeting of two sound design titans, and yields a distinct blend of both styles, Jim Kimchi’s signature unorthodox processing methods with the effortless floating synths of Valance Drakes. A perfect dessert to his Pure Gravy ep.!  Ear Candy 2020 Overall Comments: Jim Kimchi has crafted a stunning release of massive proportions, deep, intricate, technical, forever rewarding more delightful details on every listen. Don’t put this on in the background, you won’t get anything done. It begs all of your attention and then some. Setting a new standard in glitch music; this is critical listening for very distinguished tastes. 

[earcandyarchives]

I just wanted to say I LOVE your writing style. Reminds me very much of my own (less scattered lol) and is inspiring me to get back into music reviews! Keep it up!

Thank you very much, that’s awesome! I’m glad to hear that you find inspiration in my words/works :) Take care! 

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: AudioSyntax Release: Unitas Multiplex Label: Alice D Year: Feb 2020 Genre: Hitech Psytrance, Experimental Psytrance Total Time: 1:14:11 Buy Link: https://alice-drecords.bandcamp.com/album/audiosyntax-unitas-multiplex May 4, 2020 The ever mysterious and enigmatic sonic researcher, AudioSyntax, has resurfaced with some his most prolific work yet, and that's saying a lot following on the heels of the stellar albums "Simplex/Redux" and "Slower Emotions", both on Quintessence Records. Arriving via a portal from a distant dimension, Unitas Multiplex explodes out of your speakers with a surreal air of alien familiarity, bursting with energy, revealing fragments of impossible memories and intricate stories. A hi-tech tale of incredible depth; one of distant worlds and incomprehensible technologies, told with precision synthesis and unparalleled sound design. AudioSyntax continues to raise the bar with his exceptional attention to even the smallest detail, providing a deep and dark sonic universe begging to be explored in depth. Opening with Glaube - Intro, the journey begins slowly and deliberately, drawing you into the vortex of an almost future tribal aesthetic, ritualistic even, setting the tone and priming your mind for the deep dive it's about to go on. Jumping into Glaube, full of menacing atmospheres and pulsing basslines, conjuring images of a dark alien ritual being conducted in the pale light of three moons. It almost has an antiquated feel of days gone by, casting it's potent spell over you with a sense of false familiarity, mesmerized by it’s ethereal oscillations. Bleft opens with a minimal sci-fi feel, and quickly begins queuing up holograms, and a sense of intense urgency. Spatial details emerge from all angles, dancing through the air and creating a very large, 3D soundstage. Into the magical feel of Last Byte, with washes of binaural noise and layers of light static fading in and out, revealing a certain element of suspended horror. Hints of jungle influenced percussion programming begins poking through, continuing the ongoing sonic metamorphosis. Going deeper, As If That Would Be My Home, where a lonely, slightly glitched out guitar melody floats around in front of you, before being joined by the throbbing bassline and electric textures. The longest track on Unitas Multiplex, at 11 and half minutes, it's easy to fall in and get completely lost in it's hyper-dimensionality and complexly evolving story. Venturing deeper still, Hypnotic rhythms and drifting atmospheres greet you in Bit Bliss. It's sublime elegance deftly concealing a secret agression hiding just under the surface. The Void is a slick psychedelic number, rife with cyberpunk elements to provide a chilling, dystopian feel. High octane, and high BPM, this one takes a little while to unfold, but the wait is rewarded with a lush splash of holographic atmospheres layered over the driving bassline and punchy beats.  All leading up the the final moment, the unveiling of Hoer of the Drum, in all of it's twisted and immersive glory. With it's unique structural design, and featuring many change-ups and redirects throughout, it is a perfect culmination of rich psychedelia to end this truly epic experience. Ear Candy 2020 Overall Comments: AudioSyntax is in a league of his own, always bringing top notch holographic sound design and unparalleled psychedelic immersion. With Unitas Multiplex he has once again brought some serious next level hitech psychedelic trance, completely complimentary to headphones or the dancefloor. This is a masterpiece, setting new standards of sonic potentiality; definitely suited to anyone that enjoys musical storytelling with exemplary sound design. This is more than just dance music, it is a vibrant and diverse aural universe with a plethora of little nooks and crevices to explore.

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Hypercube Release: Pneumatic Guru Label: Paracusia Media Year: April 2020 Genre: Electro-Acoustic, Sound Design, Sound Art Total Time: 9:59 Buy Link: https://paracusiamedia.bandcamp.com/album/pneumatic-guru Hypercube is one of those artists that you may think you know what to expect, but he is always pulling new tricks out of his bag with every new release. His sound is in a constant state of flux and evolution; one moment it's mutant techno, and the next, an undefinable genre that has no name. But no matter what he creates, it is shaped by his unique experimental approach, and definitive depth and immersion. His current offering, the mini-album Pneumatic Guru on new label Paracusia Media, offers a hyper-dimensional glimpse into a broken neon future, stuck in a temporal loop of perpetual dilation and contraction. Prismatic, multi-faceted dream/nightmare sequences for the stout sound explorer. The adventure begins with Aluminum Corpse, as a synthetic voice breaks through the silence, welcoming you to shifting tentacles of percussion and precision controlled chaos, simulated night terrors that whisper to you in the dark like a hypnagogic vision. Keeping you on the edge of comfort with it's paranoid tendencies, atmospheres dis-harmonic, or perhaps in scales completely foreign to our human understanding. Following up is I Must Socket, opening with reverse structures, offering life living backwards with strange feelings of deja-vu and tension. Utilizing a very 3D palette, Hypercube has created an indecipherable structural identity, twisted and warped in it's very nature. As the journey continues, enter Amphetamine Totem, with malfunctioning machinery running in a perpetually jilted lurch, stuck in that kaleidoscope swagger. Sound design that melts time and space, dimensionally refracting consciousness deep through the inner portal to a destination unknown. To at last bring you to the arcade cadence of Fluorgasm, forever slipping in temporal puddles, falling into colors, into the rolling waves of ultra-terrestrial scales and finely sculpted noise. Stabs of alien melodies hidden amongst the layers of richly detailed synthesis and sonic processing lure you in until the final moment. An expert crafted and magnificently told sonic story, alive with details and ripe with nuance. Pneumatic Guru is a sound design showcase of spatial depth and implacable structure; exquisite aural artifacts of immersive indulgence. Kaleidoscopic substructures of subliminal psychedelia melding genetically with percussive prongs and synaptic synthesis. This is a love note to the strange and experimental, one surreal soundscape at a time. Sonically seductive, and absolutely brilliant execution; a wild psychedelic exploration of immersive sound design, meticulously crafted beat-work crossing numerous time signatures, crystal clear atmospheres, and an indescribable complexity. This is pure and immersive sound art of the highest order! Ear Candy 2020

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Abadir Release: Clattered Tell Label: Kaer'Uiks Year: April 2018 Genre: Idm/Cinematic/Sound Design Total Time: 26:09 Buy Link: https://kaer-uiks.bandcamp.com/album/clattered-tell

Jan 2019

What is music? The very definition of music allows for such wide interpretation of sound sources as music, whether from an art or science perspective. Sometimes an artist emerges that seems to embrace the very essence of what music can be, both scientifically and artistically. Enter Abadir, not bound by social nor geographical nor genre constraints, and in his own words is "attempting to deconstruct already existing electronic subgenres". Not only is that accomplished in spades in his new ep Clattered Tell, but something entirely fresh and new has been created in it's stead. A vibrant and distinct body of work that engages every part of your mind, providing a sincere and realistic, truly psychedelic experience. For 26 mins, Abadir provides the ultimate virtual simulation of living in a highly detailed, futuristic cyberpunk universe. 

The opening track LUMINOUS, really sets the stage for the tale unfolding. A warm blanket of sound envelopes you in it's embrace, smooth, shimmering alien tones floating effortlessly in the air, emanating from otherworldly instrumentation. Ethereal digital voices playing from speakers in the far background, creating the sensation of being off world in a space station or terminal of some sort. It's comforting, serene almost. DFSE starts to get a little unnerving, as the percussive structures enter in their unusual time signatures and unpredictable nature. Feels like bubbles rising all around as another alien melody, off kilter and in strange keys, fills your ears with a sense of past familiarity you can't quite place. The sound design throughout is astonishing, unique and intricate.

Every track adds to the building story elements, constructing a vivid and holographic cyber world. DUBBIT #37 lays down cool wet tones the extend throughout the entire sound field, adding an emotional layer that now has you fully engaged in the experience. The wet tones seem to merge into GhEL_Man, coupled with sporadic percussion and textual vocal processing, greatly adding to the immersion. As the end of the EP draws closer, DECON$ reveals a precise intensity that rises to a climax before subsiding into a wash of broken static transmissions and hypnagogic waves. It's like walking through a field of satellite arrays, feeling the buzz of electricity and information all around you. GREA_SE provides a brilliant and emotional conclusion to the tale, the moment of truth as the portal opens and you reflect upon the journey just completed before stepping back through, once again to this home reality, although always longing to return again.

Ear Candy 2019 

                  SPFX Sound Design  4.9/5 Bass Sound Design  4.7/5 Spatial Sound Design  5/5 Percussive Structure  4.8/5 Melodic Structure  5/5

Total Immersion Score:   24.4/25  97.6%

Overall Comments:

Clattered Tell is a masterpiece of aural cinema, containing the highest order of deep immersion. Abadir has literally created music that feels as if you are a part of the living and breathing world all around you. Cohesive, captivating, full of unique sound design and intricate construction. Highly recommended for any fan of complex, detailed, and intelligent psychedelic music.

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Hypercube & UNIC6 Release: Binary Planet Label: Submarine Broadcasting Company Year: January 2019 Genre: Electroacoustic/Experimental/Abstract Jazz Total Time: 26:58 Buy Link: https://submarinebroadcastingco.bandcamp.com/album/binary-planet

January 19, 2019 

Today marks the release day of a brilliant collaboration between two incredible musicians, the enigmatic cyber wizard Hypercube (Rodrigo Passannanti) and multi-instrumentalist UNIC6 (Frédéric Iriarte), both on the forefront of boundary pushing, genre defying music creation. Their brainchild, Binary Planet, represents a culmination of experimental techniques, ancient sound technology, and rich storytelling, told through the opposite perspectives of both acoustic and electronic structures. Both freeform and precise, contemporary and avant-garde, chaotic and ordered, all simultaneously transmitted in one synchronistic multi-dimensional ballet of artistic mayhem. A portal if you will, to a deep recess, a dark crevice, to the inner sanctum of your minds perceptual eye, revealing boundless multi-dimensionality.

Aphobic Context begins the dream with thick atmospheres, assorted sonic input being expertly woven in and out of the musical tapestry. Almost feeling as if on a crowded subway, the density bears down heavily all around, snippets of lives happening, the awareness is intoxicating. As the train fails to stop at your normal stop, you realize that things may not be as they seem. Terminal gloss is a taste of the other side, the first stop into your subconscious city of mind, with a heavier showcase on sound design and unorthodoxity. A flute innocuously appears, as if to keep a foot in the former reality, while stretching outwards to the outer confines of possibility. As the final semblances of normalcy fade into the distance, Offline Retina kickstarts the machine back into full operation, this time descending deeper, farther, to unknown depths of unfathomable construct. The descent is represented with falling blocks of sound, rotating and stacking to create very detailed holographic scenery, as Vortex Illusion reveals even the bottom to be just a fading figment of memorial decompression. 

Suddenly a glimmer of something familiar, an airy voice floating in front of you, leading you into the Acrobatic World, uncovering geometries of logic defying structure, containing mechanisms far beyond simple comprehension. Synergistic syncopation abounds, and time itself becomes an illusion. The threshold has been crossed, minds caressed by the probing Flexipatch, as it sublimely tunes your consciousness to the new frequency, giving you new awareness... Welcome to the new you, courtesy of Hypercube and UNIC6. 

Ear Candy 2019    

   SPFX Sound Design  4.8/5 Bass Sound Design  4.4/5 Spatial Sound Design  4.8/5 Percussive Structure  4.5/5 Melodic Structure  4.5/5

Total Immersion Score:   23/25  92%

Overall Comments:

Binary Planet is the sonic recreation of your subconscious processing your experiences while you sleep, as if you were able to slow down the process and float amidst it's analysis and sorting mechanisms. An anomalous organism, pulsing with life and expression, slithering it's way into your reality machine, contaminating the code and shattering the veil, opening the door to the abyss and beckoning you into it's warm embrace. Abstract expression meets hyper-modern futurism, delivered in one cohesive bundle of synchronized chaos. Follow Hypercube:  https://www.facebook.com/hypercubeaudio/ https://soundcloud.com/hypercube-audio Follow UNIC6: https://www.facebook.com/UNIC6-170269539695434/ http://www.unic6.bandcamp.com

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Hans Dunkelkammer Release: Kluft Label: Pistolero Recordings Year: March 2018 Genre: Dark Prog/Minimal/Psytech Total Time: 1:17:03 Buy Link: https://pistolerorecordings.bandcamp.com/album/hans-dunkelkammer-kluft

April 17, 2018

Immediately upon pressing play, you are greeted with an obvious mastery of deep psychedelic production. Highly immersive from the first moment, Hans Dunkelkammer's new album Kluft will capture your mind with it's high attention to detail and lovely use of the stereo field, and ferry it through rich mechanical soundscapes filled with the whirring of strange machines and unexplainable technology. A hyper-realized album of minimal psytech mayhem, with Hans breaking out the full toolkit of tricks and showcasing a vast set of techniques throughout. Every oscillation of every sound is intentionally placed, and creates a very captivating, multi-dimensional sonic environment.

Kluft has everything that any lover of minimal psychedelic music could ask for. Intricate programming and careful spatial processing, deep rolling basslines with just a sprinkling of melody, all combined with immaculate sound design that glues the entire package together. It's like being teleported into a futuristic club on a yet undiscovered planet, where this is the soundtrack. Elements of techno and psytrance merge to form the portal into which your unconscious mind is drawn, lured by the desolate beauty of this dystopic aural offering.

Razor sharp sound design permeates the entire release, solidifying Hans Dunkelkammer's role as a quickly rising producer to watch in the psytech and dark progressive psytrance scenes. Brimming with dark techno motifs and twisted psychedelic rhythms, Kluft is ahead of the pack and guaranteed to satisfy discerning dancefloors everywhere. Brooding and mechanical synths play off each other with processed vocal snippets layered within, creating a unique and deeply progressive experience. Hans Dunkelkammer has created a finely crafted album full of instant classics that will pull your body and mind into a synchronistic dance of the most cerebrally psychedelic nature.

Ear Candy 2018

    SPFX Sound Design  4.6/5 Bass Sound Design  4.5/5 Spatial Sound Design  4.7/5 Percussive Structure  4.5/5 Melodic Structure  4.6/5

Total Immersion Score:   22.9/25  91.6%

Overall Comments:

A delightful romp through dark techno wonderlands filled with bizarre textures and stark metallic soundscapes. Intricate and well thought-out, great flow and cohesion from start to finish. Highly recommended for critical listening, as much as dancefloor playability, for it’s very detailed design and structure.

Follow Hans Dunkelkammer:

https://soundcloud.com/hans-dunkelkammer https://hansdunkelkammer.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/hans.dunkelkammer

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Flint Kids Release: Gec Alsthom 1996 Label: Kaometry rec. Year: March 2018 Genre: Idm, Sound Design, Experimental Total Time: 20:13 Buy Link: http://store.kaometry.com/album/gec-alsthom-1996

April 2, 2018

Nearly three and a half years since his last release Sancerre on Abstrakt Reflections, Flint Kids returns with a new ep of abstract sonic exporations from the deepest reaches of the darkest oceans, Gec Alsthom 1996. Containing unfathomable sound design elements, and utilizing unnamable techniques, Flint Kids delivers an intrepid aural experience unlike any other. A mesmermizing dip into uncharted territories of sound, primed with a dedication to crystal clear production and an obvious focus on shaping the "space" of each song, giving each a highly unique and immersive quality that will greatly reward any lover of complex and intricate music. Also featuring support from Massey, Roel Funcken, and a Leila in a trilogy of complimentary remixes of the title track.

Gec Alsthom 1996 opens with a mighty tentacle of bass, emerging from the depths to grab hold of your ear drums and seize them in it's slippery, suctioned hold. Articulate beyond compare, not a detail has been spared in the construction and placement of each individual element. As the melody slowly enters, floating gracefully between the background and forefront, it envelopes you deeper into the vast intricacies of it's design. Suddenly it shifts, and you are being submerged, dragged down in a torrent of granular sound particles. The bass evolves now to reveal the creature from whence it came, into a pulsating growl, lightly distorting and constantly evolving. Finishing off with the complete and utter submission to its mesmerizing hold, successfully depositing your mind at the bottom of an ocean of infinite depth.

Just as Gec Alsthom 1996 finishes, Knife picks up immediately where it left off, shedding some light  on the endless expanse of alien seafloor and slowly unveiling myriad exotic lifeforms all around. Massive reverbs place you very squarely amidst a vast world of squiggling audio artifacts and low grumbling bass, propelling you forward through terrifying beauty and feeding fantasies of lost sunken civilizations and malfunctioning advanced technology. The melody stabs out of the darkness, drawing attention again to the detailed spatial processing and intentional placement of specific sounds. Knocks appear to be all around you, morphing all around the stereo field, while small bursts of static add incredible depth to the overall feel.

Massey delivers his remix via a very stylized techno re-interpretation, rife with polyrhythms and heavy particle-lined bass hits, and an evolving melody that perfectly worms its way into your mind and lingers. Definitely the most dance-centric offering of the release, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth a critical listen. Roel Funcken returns back to the intricate idm territory with his signature style of complex bass work and glistening sound design. Less dark in aesthetic than the original, it almost carries a feeling of hope and calm that is only being revealed for the first time here. Lastly, a Leila brings the finality with a tense dark ambient offering. Layers of intricately woven sound design seem to drift effortlessly past your ears, culminating into a massive drop of mechanical failure and imminent collapse. A very suitable conclusion to this highly immersive exploration of sub-aquatic synthesis and unorthodox aural structures.

                 Ear Candy 2018

SPFX Sound Design  4.8/5 Bass Sound Design  5/5 Spatial Sound Design  5/5 Percussive Structure  4.8/5 Melodic Structure  4.5/5

Total Immersion Score:   24.1/25  96.4%

Overall Comments:

Absolutely stunning display of technical sonic mastery. A slippery slide of low spectrum oceanic bass coupled with tentacled sound design and a warm, blissful melodic backdrop. Flint Kids have dived into the abyss to bring back this audio memoir of the Cthulhian deep. Immaculate construction in every way, and not afraid to push every envelope farther out. A++

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Hypercube Release: Capsular Pattern Label: Ephedrina NetLabeL Year: March 2018 Genre: Techno, Psychedelic, Idm Total Time: 23:00 Buy Link: https://ephedrinanetlabel.wordpress.com/2018/03/09/eph162-hypercube-capsular-pattern/

March 9, 2018

Hypercube returns with a new album of highly experimental psychedelic techno on the Ephedrina Netlabel, Capsular Pattern. He is always known to be on the forefront of cutting edge futuristic sound design and production, and this new foray into the weirder realms of deep, minimal techno is absolutely no exception. Not a single detail was spared as each track pulses and throbs along with precision and intention, each sound expertly placed in a handcrafted 3D sound-space, all guided by the master-hand of a sonic alchemist of the highest caliber.

You can literally feel the intricacies unfolding and folding like origami all around you because of the the full use of the stereo field and beyond. Capsular Pattern is a mechanical mind-meld that will toy with your cerebral perception, and tickle your most inner consciousness. A vast stream of data, flowing via direct link into your mind containing sonic blueprints for complex alien technologies.

The mysterious Hypercube has once again revealed a ubiquitous and highly immersive sound design permeated experience, with a new adventure awaiting in a new dimensional space with each piece. Starting off with LPG addicts, the tone is set to highly psychedelic with a hint of dystopia. It slowly builds up over hyper-processed synthetic hits and sporadic beats, until the bass drops and seems to be extending outward from the speaker, as if in a column, beginning to fulfil it's ultimate techno destiny. Capsular Pattern is full of much audio sorcery that will boggle and entrance your mind, leaving you perplexed and wondering how it's possible.   

 The real highlight of the journey though, is Vascular Telemetry. The spastic, yet consitant churning of an unconceivable machine, squishing and squelching along with swampy mechanical rhythmic structures and a dramatic demeanor, all supported by a driving techno backbone of deep, rounded acid bass and jagged melodic hits.

Differing from his previous releases, Capsular Pattern manages to maintain his signature avant-garde sound, while keeping the aesthetic suitable for both the dancefloor at the club and in your bedroom in headphones. Truly a marvel of audio wizardry, this album delivers new details and designs upon consecutive rotations. This is indeed an exciting new direction from a master of forward thinking futuristic electronica, and definitely one that has much more potential for future exploration.

SPFX Sound Design  4.8/5 Bass Sound Design  4.8/5 Spatial Sound Design  5/5 Percussive Structure  4.5/5 Melodic Structure  4.7/5

Total Immersion Score:   23.8/25  95.2%

Overall Comments:

Elements of idm, psytrance, and techno all seemlessly merge to form a captivating neural psychedelic experience, accented with hypnotic structures and entrancing rhythms. Highly recomended for fans of various forms of experimental techno, or just complex and immersive psychedelic environments.

[earcandyarchives]

Artist: Nuanæ Release: Ryð Label: Kaer’Uiks Year: December 2017 Genre: Idm, Electronica, Braindance Total Time: 23:05 Buy Link: https://kaer-uiks.bandcamp.com/album/ry

December 14, 2017

Following hot on the heels of Yaporigami's One Sound Extinguisher on Kaer’Uiks, Nuanæ releases Ryð, a slick 5 track ep of dreamy technoid idm, harkening back to sound of early 2000's Schematic Records. An intricate display of subtle micro-edits and unusual harmonic layering, drawing inspirations from both the natural and synthetic, and offering them up into a smorgasbord of little audio delights. Each track is an opportunity to taste exotic wonders of a world far away, familiar yet different, like the reflection in a pool of water. At first glance it appears familiar, but is actually fluctuating with every little disturbance, twisting the image into something alien and unknown.

Ryð begins with Kaula in C, a ritualistic menagerie of tribal percussion and glitchy data sequences played by a malfunctioning robot. Very interesting listening space is created with extensive use of large, carvernous reverbs that seem to envelope you in their breadth. It effectively sets the tone at dark and ominous as you descend deeper into the unfolding dream. (That Horror) Won't Fade comes in next, with is almost algorithmic melodic structure and infinite-sounding loops. Beautiful focus on the slightly off feel of the chord structure, which effectively locks you in with it's strange and almost predictable unpredictability.

Progressing further, the title track Ryð surfaces, revealing a more calm and serene layer to the dream. One that gently lulls you to peaceful incapacitation, providing visions of colorful clarity as cerebral holographic constructs, as it slowly pulls you below the surface in it's gentle embrace. Amblyopia next takes your mind even deeper still, into the recesses of itself. It is the aural equivalent to regressing back to the womb, peacefully floating in the dark abyss awaiting the moment to be reborn back into this foreign and formerly unknown world.

Chromatic facilitates that birth, but directly into the heart of a machine. You realize that you are no longer you, and that the dream had been real all along. Futuristic sound design propels your consciousness through layers of mechanical nuances, artificially indoctrinating you with endless seas of information. Digital integration has been completed, and you are now a part of something much, much bigger.

Ear Candy 2017  

SPFX Sound Design  4.3/5 Bass Sound Design  4.1/5 Spatial Sound Design  4.4/5 Percussive Structure  4.3/5 Melodic Structure  4.4/5

Total Immersion Score:   21.5/25  86%

Overall Comments:

Ryð is a deep and enjoyable listening experience full of great sound design and complementary aesthetics. Haunting melodies and harmonies keep you in a kind of uncomfortable state while little mechanical rhythms dance all around. Nuanæ has developed a very coherent sonic story running through, so critical listening  is definitely recommended.