TranscendNoise

10. Kelman Duran – 13th Month Actually released in 2018, 13th Month saw a first vinyl release in 2019. From those producers and electronic minds working on pushing the dancefloor to resemble an art space, or rather breaking the idea of spaces of art being secluded from real experience, music, and places of dance, Kelman Duran´s second record feels like an archeologist, anthropologist and DJ engaging in research of global sounds, local sentiments and the politics of oppression at once. Initiated by a stay a the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and a film documenting the living conditions of the Native Americans amidst social depravity and political troubles of the prominent pipeline, Duran chose his mode of beat making and clashing dembow riddims, reggeaton, dancehall, hip hop, and even some batida among other influences to a introspective collage of subversion. Powerful statements and lyrics become slowed down, stripped of their original background and music to reoc...

40. David Granström – A Distant Color, Secluded The synth rises, the never-ending grandeur evoking sounds of A distant color, secluded create a cosmic event of sorts. The first tracks, while holding their own, live to end in the closing, 20-minute opus "Waning Moon". Granström is a sound artist obsessed with the inner-workings of sound-synthesis, fine-tuning tones to achieve overarching timbre and using algorithmic processes to structure his patterns and build these tracks as perfectly shaped pieces. Going with harmonics that enable the sonic intricacies of what the universe must feel like, the push and pull of symmetries and asymmetrical listening as human beings find its greatest expression in this LP. Intriguingly enough, Granström never feels like he´s simply letting a computer do his thing or is reliant on the perfection of numbers and patterns, there is warmth in his production, the sonic life, dwelling within your senses and slowing unraveling into motionless, b...

50. Pray For Sound – Waves / Mono – Nowhere Here Now Post-Rock carried me through my teenage years and will always stand as a genre of contemplative sounds, dramatic crescendos and mirroring experiences of nature of emotion in (mostly) instrumental sounds made by a band flowing together into a holistic entity. In recent years, many bands changed it up, have taken their sounds into more electronics realms, started to experiment with vocals more. Even Mono made the choice of letting their bass player Tamaki come to the forefront and deliver breathy vocals to their usual blend of tender destruction. Gladly for Mono, this move served as a welcome addition to their incredible body of work. Pray for Sound seemingly discontinue the progression of the genre, the need to reinvent to stay relevant or avoid a creative misfire of repetition by sticking to their guns, taking instrumental music and fleshing out the sound and interplay as a band. Waves as a listening experience is full of nost...