Premier synth/ambient tape label Constellation Tatsu bundled their newest batch of tapes with a jar of infused honey, which sits right now on a window ledge in my kitchen, thawing out from its journey through winter-blasted lands to get to my doorstep. Constellation Tatsu also bundled their newest batch of tapes with all of my deepest dreams and emotions, which swim around my brain in a mist of delayed synth lines and processed guitars, waiting to pour in some form or another into this little box of text. Let’s check ‘em out:
Awe: I marvel at the scope and depth of Pulse Emitter’s solo synth performances. Daryl Groetsch stuffs each of his sessions to bursting with intricately interlocked leads, glistening analog textures, and slowly evolving harmonic structures. His work bridges the gap between deliberate kosmiche arrangements and ecstatic improvisation, and remains the drone/noise underground’s most vibrant connection to the New Age movement of the previous century. As with any Pulse Emitter release, I listen to Equinox and emit four or five audible “Ooooooh”s per track.
Reverence: Hakobune’s catalog of ambient guitar improvisations has elevated him to the status of a holy being with spiritual significance in my life (see: A, B, C). His live tones, masked behind a curtain of delay and reverb, force me to reevaluate music I previously considered beautiful. I listen to the five-minute sessions of looping around the forest i thought i remembered and feel as though I’m hearing nothing more than the slow rotation of the Earth as perceived from space. The oceans whisper from this distance, and I am one drop of moisture suspended in orbit above them, truly chilling.
Surprise: I didn’t expect to discover a slice of post-industrial shoegaze synthpop among Tatsu’s catalog, but along comes MJ Guider to reveal the error of my assumptions. Green Plastic airs out a series of anxious atmospheres over a backdrop of drum machine thuds and cavernous synth drones. The arrival of each vocal line or new melody breaks my reverie and snaps me back to the “real world,” where a jar of infused honey sent to me by one of my favorite tape labels sits on a window ledge in the kitchen.
Pick up the Winter 2014 Batch from Constellation Tatsu now or live an emotionless, honeyless life forevermore.
• Pulse Emitter: http://www.synthnoise.com
• Hakobune: http://hakobune.bandcamp.com
• MJ Guider: http://www.ctatsu.com/portfolio/mj-guider
• Constellation Tatsu: http://www.ctatsu.com
More about: Hakobune
