DEAF Magazine Issue #1

EDITORIAL

Issue #1, huh? It’s been quite the journey so far. From the earliest vapourial ideas of starting a music magazine to desigining the final cover for its full release, I’ve learned a lot from this first issue.

Joining the local music scene this year has been one of the best periods of growth and excitement in my life. Getting to explore the vast quantities of people making new art in Calgary (where I always assumed the only musicians here played exclusively Paul Brandt covers) is a consistently inspiring experience, especially when getting to meet and befriend these people. The creativity and drive of everyone I’ve met to make Calgary’s music and art scene as vibrant and expansive as possible continues to be my motivation for creating this magazine. It’s been a blessing to be able to highlight artists that are blowing minds right here in this city.

It’s not been without its ups and downs, this magazine. Firstly, I knew jack-from-fill about graphic design when I bought Adobe and started this zine. I’m sure if you look hard enough there will be amateur mistakes and some questionable design choices contained within. But the excitement of going after a new skill and the support of friends and family made learning the process a joy. A major thank you to all Adobe tutorial creators, I’m certain I added roughly a thousand views to your videos just in the course of creating this first issue.

Thank you for taking a look at this magazine. It wouldn’t be possible without readers. If you happen to like the magazine enough to want to be a part of it, contact @deafzine on insta or email deafzine@gmail.com. I’m always looking for passionate writers, designers, photographers, artists, and musicians.

DEAF Magazine Issue #1

CONTENTS

Page 1 - Editorial

Page 3 - LOCALIZED NOIZE

Still Depths “Best plan for your life” Review - Pg. 5

Radioactive Vampire Teeth “Radioac

tive House Show” Review - Pg. 6

Met Glas “Dialoog Met Glas” - Pg. 7

Arts&Crafts “Onahole” - Pg. 8

Page 11 - Greetings from... Your Local Punks!

Local Singles - Pg. 13

Exclusive Soylent Green First Interview - Pg. 14

Show Up or Shut Up: Upcoming Shows - Pg 16

Horrorscopes - Pg. 17

Page 21 - General Electric

Electronic Singles - Pg. 22

Don’t Pinch Me: Clayton’s “Pincher”Pg. 23

Dalton Dodginghorse “Lucid State”Pg. 25

Page 26 - An Oranje Interlude

Page 28 - Abstractions

Retro Review: Hiroshi Yoshimura

“Music For Nine Post Cards” - Pg. 30

Monodrone “Metempsychosis” - Pg 31

One Tape Label to Rule Them All: Voices of the Ainur Spotlight - Pg. 32

James Parrot “Tape Signal 2” - Pg. 34

Michael St. Cyr Creator, DEAF Magazine

DEAF

DEAF Magazine is a music magazine based in Calgary, Alberta and run and created by Michael St. Cyr. We Feature underground music from the local scene, particularly punk, noise, hardcore, ambient, indie, lofi, and electronic. DEAF can be read through our Instagram page.

CONTACT

DEAF Magazine can be contacted on Instagram at @deafzine or emailed at deafzine@ gmail.com for all inquiries. This issue of DEAF Magazine was released digitally on April 8, 2023.

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A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO

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My parents for the basement and for putting up with all the racket. Noah Gall for his artwork (I will abuse your offer to do more for me). Soylent Green for the awesome interview and support. Yabadaba punk calendar for being the first official AD in DEAF. The entire community of local musicians, artists, and passionate music lovers who inspire and support the scene. Huge thanks to every artist featured in this issue.

Thanks For Nothing!

My laptop for crashing and almost losing this entire magazine, my ex-girlfriend (people still come up to me about what you said), and Edward McCauley: the tuition vampire.

DM us your favourite local band (or your own) and get featured in the next issue of DEAF! @deafzine on instagram.

Ever wanted towritefor a magazine?Do youenjoy music? Partof thelocal scene?We are looking for writers!Email or DM us andwrite forDEAF!

If you are interested in designing art, pages, logos, or any visual aspects for DEAF, contact @deafzine on instagram or email deafzine@gmail.com!

LOCALIZED NOIZE!

LOCALIZED NOIZE!

LOCALIZED NOIZE!

DEAF ‘s high-powered EAROMATIC 3500 sonar have picked up on decibels of massive proportions! Any exposure to these earth-shatteringly loud sounds would vaporize a man in an instant! But, for those who dare to brave the ear-bursting, artery popping, liver shrivelling noize, DEAF’S LOCALIZED NOIZE highlights the bands, artist, and robot freakazoids making the strangest, loudest, grittiest noise-music around. Strap yourself into your spaceships and prepare your rayguns, where we are going, there is no return. A word of advice: earplugs are cheap, but you’re gonna need em’!

enjoyed grinding listeners ears with rough, out-of-the-box sounds. Older singles like “Sunshine,” “Don’t Touch Me,” and “Hey (Hey Hey)” all feature elements of warped or noisy audio and heavily distorted (but deeply cathartic) breakdowns. While always producing memorable tracks, these early works were only set dressing for their newest, and best, album yet.

Top Five Reasons Still Depths is the Shit: A Review of Still Depths new album Best plan for your life

Looking for some music to blast for your cool neighbours and simultaneously drive the bitchy ones out of the neighbourhood? If you answered yes, local noise and experimental rock band STILL DEPTHS has just the album for you. Featuring an emotional, lo-fi, nasal lament about an aversion to getting stoned, a head exploding distortionfest that lasts just over a minute, a horn section that simulates three trumpets played by a swarm of bees, and a track about moving east to Montreal, prepare yourself for a seizuric explosion of boundary-breaking songs. All these and more can be found on Calgary-native band STILL DEPTHS new album Best plan for your life. Best described as a 12 track, experimental, noise-rock experience that slurries the bones of proto-punk, the unique qualities of noise, electronic maximalist tendencies, and crushing distortion into a sludgy, noisy record that you’ll find yourself playing so loud the cops show up.

Twelve tracks of utter unpredictability, Best plan for your life manages to maintain an aural clarity throughout that allows space for members Brendan Chui and Justin Perdomo to incorporate nuanced textures and new elements that expand upon the band’s sound. If you’re familiar with STILL DEPTHS, keep an ear out for newly introduced sounds. “Animate Feelings” introduces an electronic, oscillating drum groove that bounces through the listeners head at top speed, and “Top Five Reasons I’m the Shit” makes use of a swarm of divebombing horns. Novel elements like those exemplify the ardent persistence to break the mould that these musicians possess. “Animate Feelings” also has an accompanying music video available on YouTube. Prepare yourself for a frenetically paced, quick-cut extravaganza if you check it out.

Best plan for your life produces oppressive and packed soundscapes where every blank space is painted, or even drowned, by noise. There’s never a moment of silence (and you never want there to be) as sonic diversity keeps the listener engaged and replaying tracks in a “what the hell was that and what’s coming next?” type of way. The track sequencing is also masterful on this album, with sporadic mood changes that volley the listener across a court of mutating sounds and moods. Who else would sandwich the downtemp and rather timid “Brother I Don’t Like Getting High” between the gritty “Michelin Star” and the rough 70’s proto-punk song “I’m Moving to Montreal.” This manic flip between high-octane songs and almost fearful, timid tracks is a contrast of incredible proportions that contributes to creating a fully fleshed characterthat the album embraces.

With standout songs like “Top Five Reasons I’m the Shit,” “I’m Moving to Montreal,” and “Mysty,” STILL DEPTHS have released their best work yet in Best plan for your life, a frenetic, head-rush of an album. It gifts you with noisy, roaring tracks and serene, lofi intermissions placed strategically throughout that contrast the perfect crushing distortion that STILL DEPTHS have mastered. A seminal album for STILL DEPTHS, and a new old-friend to the listener, losing your hearing has never been more fun when listening to Best plan for your life. STILL DEPTHS new album Best plan for your life (and their full discography) is available for purchase through Bandcamp. It is available on all streaming services.

Michael St. Cyr Artwork by Noah Gall

The band behind this innovative mudstorm, STILL DEPTHS formed in 2020 and consists of Justin Perdomo on guitars and vocals (and occasionally a roast-beef pan, as on track 5), Brendan Chui on drums and vocals, and Megan Rollinson on bass. The band has consistently released music since their formation. Their previous work includes one excellent full album, Pioneers Eat Dirt, a slew of singles, and one basement session EP. Even throughout these prior releases, it’s easy to tell that STILL DEPTHS has always

The last time I got a DUI It was the fuckin’ cops fault.

The same things keep happening

When I expect them to change.

them, too! The fun doesn’t end when you take on The Form of the Worm with the band, as tracks as rippingly hot as “666 Frostbitten Hands” are still to come that feature black-metal intensity and the virtuistic Shreddaxilator playing that PJ pulls off throughout the entire album. Live, these guys go absolutely buckwild. The feeling of waves of sound ripping through your body and the crush of the pit as people are possessed by the radioactive, DNA-changing ooze that emanates from the music is difficult to describe. Oh, wait, no it isn’t. It’s mind alteringly incredible. If you have the chance, watch them play anywhere you can. And, if not, listen to RADIOACTIVE VAMPIRE TEETHS new album RADIOACTIVE HOUSE SHOW!

Grab your hazmat suits and your geiger counters, local Calgary noise band RADIOACTIVE VAMPIRE TEETH are bringing toxic ooze and radioactive gas clouds to a nuclear wasteland near you! Chaotic and unhinged, your ears will fear the wall of noise this band creates from just two members. Featuring the howls and screeches of the 000 Shreddaxilator - 3200 Series, RADIOACTIVE VAMPIRE TEETH’s live album “Radioactive House Show” is the mutant, distorted child of drummer Matthew Springer and Shreddaxilator player PJ. “Radioactive House Show” was released on January 16 of 2023 and contains mutilating distortion and piercing squeals from the Shreddaxilator. Ever wanted to be a WORM? Radioactive Vampire Teeth have! They’re gonna blow your ears off convincing you to join

Relationship between human and thing.

Glass bleeding and cracking onto twisted sheet metal prompts an ejaculatory and calamitous aural dialoog between the organic and the material. The relationship between human and thing is teleological and highly progressive

There is no backward tr jectory a

ONAHOLE

Arts&Crafts

JANUARY 11 2023 LYDIA

PINEAU FREQUENCY DISTORTION SOUNDWAVES

WAVELENGTHS PITCH

MUSIC? SCREECH SQUEAL

ELECRONIC LANGUAGE

COMPUTERSPEAK HARSH

DAMAGED DISTRESS CALL

SIREN TELEBACK CONVERSATION BETWEEN PHONE EQ TIN CAN FEED TIN CAN FEEDBACK CONVERSATION BETWEEN ROBOTS FOUND COLLAGE MUSIC THROW SOUND ON A CANVAS RECORD A PIECE OF A PLAYBACKED PITCH CLEAR YOUR EAR BLOCKAGE. AVAILABLE NOW.

AVAILABLE ON BANDCAMP ENJOY AND SCRATCH YOUR EAR ITCH.

Watch it, skids!

Freaks, weirdos, and punks, your time has come! I, your punk-in-chief, have shoved buddy-boy editor fancy- words under the sink and stuck a spare amplifier in front of it. So, for the next four or five pages (or however long it takes for his skinny ass to get out), this zine is all mine. And I, a man of the people, a common touch, your guide to the raging youth of Calgary, have realised that not enough of the youth are raging. And I ask, in demand of an answer, why not?!? It’s hardly a day before something has set me off! Another lifted truck with discriminatory stickers, 40 000 watt headlights in my rearview mirror, the cess- pool of public transit, oil-whipped, conser- vative, old-head, dog kickers. You see them too, don’t you? Slurs thrown at dyed hair, the transphobic protests, religious crazies. It only makes sense that the punk scene is growing right here in our back alley. Fire needs fuel and, oh boy, theres nothing better than some crazed, conservative cowboys to get the blaze of establishment rage going. If you are one of the youngins’ that cur- rently isn’t moshing on the weekends or blow- ing out 50 dollar amplifiers in your basement, I can only assume ignorance. And, as a kind and gentle guide, I suggest you read through the next few sentences VERY CAREFULLY and take notes. Prepare for a crash course in punk doctrine..

LESSON ONE: Say something. Anything that pisses you off? Say something about it. Sing, write, proselytize, demand, screech, whatever.

If you’re trying to change something you believe in, you’re on the right track.

LESSON TWO: Rip on the powerful, uplift the oppressed. It isn’t punk if you’re beating down on someone who’s already six feet in the mud. Adversely, anyone “above” you is fair game to have their ankles swung at.

LESSON THREE: Everybody wants to have fun in the pit, but if someone falls, no one has fun until they get back up.

core,DMusyourlocalpunk,pop-punk,emo,hardfavouritepost-punk,proto-punk,oranyofyour bandsaroundWesternCanada!

Now, I don’t want to overload you with informa- tion on your first day as a punk, so I’ll leave the first lessons at that. But read the next issues for more; there will be a pop quiz at a later date. I’ve got a lot of barren wasteland to cover in this first issue and limited time before editor-in-beef find his way out through the drainpipe, so let’s get started, you and me, on a grimy and graffiti-ridden journey.

o C A l

SINGLES

and lyrical performance.

Forgetting is available to purchase via Bandcamp at https://dsltheband.bandcamp.com/album/forgetting and available to stream on all services.

DARRYL SAVES LIVES Forgetting

FAUXFUN

Oswald

(Gin Hound / Room Clearer)

Releaased February 10, 2023.

If you happen to have been on the edge of starting a smoking habit lately, consider listening to Medecine Hat based garage-punk band FAUXFUN’S freshman double-single release OSWALD. It’ll help you make a decision pretty quick. With both singles tearing holes in the eardrums of listeners already, you’re sure to reach for the volume dial and crank it up when you hear the piercing shrieks of A-side “Gin Hound’s” piercing intro. Supported by a finger splitting bass riff, the guitars slide up and down in dissonant melodicism, jumping around both the clean, punchy drums and the stony urging of the vocals that egg you on to “stay calm [and] smoke

cigarette.” While side A is an addicition forming rip (in more ways than one), side B is an inspired freak-out of shifting, spacy guitars over a thick bass and frenetic drums. Rapid paced, neurotic lyrics seem to be spit into a tin can and rattled around to sand them into a lofi, Strokes-like microphone mixture. Delectable. Throughout both tracks the production is clean and pleasing. Crisp, punchy drums, well balanced guitars, and the aforementioned tastefully effected vocals are tweaked together into a balanced mix, and the guitars shimmer in a miry melange of effect. Oswald is a sizzling, fast paced double-single from a new favourite of DEAF (much to the dismay of Mr. editor-in-beef). Keep an eye out for any performances or new music from Medecine Hat’s ear splitting, garage-punk mascots, FAUXFUN!

Oswald is available to stream and purchase exclusively on Bandcamp at https:// fauxfun.bandcamp.com/album/oswald.

KEEP MUSIC LOCAL

Released February 10, 2023.

Before the birth of the sun, in the dark, amniotic void of the before-universe... there were still two formless beings arguing about whether or not pop-punk is real punk. Maybe shutting up and listening to DARRYL SAVES

LIVES new single “Forgetting” could solve the issue. Or, at the very least, add fuel to the fire of pop-punk resentment in all the best ways. Hailing from Deadmonton, Cole Gereghty, Nick Lai, Neal Smedegaard, and David Le formed DARRYL SAVES

LIVES in 2018 and have been playing the circuit of Alberta’s local venues to the rabid enjoyment of many since then. A growing fanbase and consistently praised live shows, with one listen its obvious that their success and praise is deserved. The instrumental is a masterful combination of complex, math rock adjacent guitars and catchy bass riffs that thwack the listener upside the head. And thats not even mentioning the star of the show; David Le’s drumming. Effortlessly employing nimble-handed fills and groovees energises the track and reminds me of Math-Rock in its complexity. Its a strong instrumental, with an unfortunately weak vocal performance. The lyrics are platitudinal and sung with an overworked whine archetypal to the pop-punk genre, but that appears overly simplistic next to the balanced instrumental. Hearing this as an instrumental math-rock song may have served to push this particular track over the top into masterful territory.

All in all, DARRYL SAVES LIVES newest single is a fun listen with an intricately crafted instrumental that is somewhat paled by the slightly incongruous vocal

TOXIC FEM

Act 5, Scene 3

Released February 4, 2023.

“Neither Maid, Widow, or Wife... She may be a Punk!”

Calgary based Riot Grrrl and self-diagnosed Homicidal Girlcore band TOXIC FEM remind listeners of their new single that there is nothing more hardcore than the Pit at the Globe Theatre. “Act 5, Scene 3” amalgamates dramatic recitations of Shakespeare with sludgy driving riffs and angsty, self-destructive lyricism delivered by lead singer Faith Doy’s soaring vocals. Pay close attention to the heavy bass riff back-boning the song. It has the kind of incredible tone that makes you want to throw a chair through a window. A freshman entrance into the scene, here’s to hoping more is coming soon and the severely dry stores of female-led hardcore and punk music is filled with the toxic tunes of TOXIC FEM. Look out for them live at all your favourite local underground venues!

Act 5, Scene 3 is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube.

Charlie Shiv

Charlie Shiv

Charlie Shiv

Charlie: -that get placed under the umbrella of punk.

Kyle: When we went to double-rider, it was like this country-punk thing.

Charlie: I’m curious then, with that mix of genre influence, what are the common-thread bands that you guys base Soylent Green around?

Quinn: The thing that we initially really bonded over was–and Noah’s said this a lot– Dischord label bands. Fugazi, Minor Threat, Rites of Spring. Anything from the Washington, D.C. area at that time. But then also, we bonded over The Strokes.

Kyle: What do I say after that?

Noah: New York scene?

Charlie Shiv sits down with the newest addition to the Calgary punk scene... Soylent Green!

In the musty depths of Charlie Shiv’s mould-ridden and fluid drenched basement, members Kyle Pierce, Ayden Scott Hamilton, Quinn Benson, and Noah Robert Gall sit on his couch (rookie mistake) and discuss music, live shows, and Denny’s.

Charlie: You know, I was originally going to do this in a Denny’s.

(A chorus of support for Denny’s from the members.)

Kyle: Yeah, we would’ve fucked with Denny’s.

Noah: It’s alright.

Quinn: Just okay????

Ayden: The melts, the melts!

Charlie: Have you ever had the Grand Slamwich? (Denny’s discourse continues.)

Charlie: So, you guys have played one gig, it was great by the way, but the mix of covers and a few originals was pretty eclectic. I’m curious what kind of genres you would associate your music with most.

Ayden: I mean, you could just go the broad term punk. But, I mean we– post-punk, dance-punk, ska, hardcore. Not even just punk though, we also do garage-rock, indie-rock, and then also sometimes a little midwest-emo or whatever.

Charlie: It’s something I’ve noticed that, in the scene, when you hear a punk show, you go, and its not necessarily just punk. Theres a confluence of genres–

Ayden: Lots of emo and post-hardcore.

Kyle: Oh, yeah, early Television, Velvet Undergound, Johnny Thunders.

PUNK So y lE N t g r EEN I s SOYLENT GREEN

Ayden: Early punk and gothic too. Bauhaus. Quinn’s into The Smiths.

Quinn: That’s not even...

Kyle: The Cure’s better than The Smiths. Charlie: Ain’t that the truth.

Ayden: Some newer stuff too. Black Country, New Road, The Garden.

Charlie: I know the first-level of background to the Soylent Green band name. From the movie, early 70’s, Soylent Green is People. But–

Kyle: He knows! The first person.

Charlie: Have you guys read the original sci-fi story that the movie was based on? (Chorus of confusion and no’s).

Charlie: See, I’m trying to pull a Nardwuar here! Look what I know about you that you don’t!

Noah: So, is it also called Soylent Green?

Charlie: No, actually! It’s called Make Room! Make Room! and it’s by Harry Harrison. There’s also actually no Cannibalism in the story either. In the story they just eat soy-lentil steaks.

Ayden: The book’s just “people are getting healthy!”

Charlie: So then, the choice of Soylent Green for your name, obviously the movie has a lot of themes about where the world is heading and the danger of it getting worse, what sort of themes or punk philosophy are you guys trying to get out?

(Noah and Ayden begin snuggling up like two lovers.)

Ayden: I feel like I am very politically inclined. Very left. And I think we all kind of run on that a bit and stand on the basis of: No racists, no homphobes, nobody who’s a piece of shit basically!

Charlie: For anyone who has seen them live, lets give the elephant in the room a chance to speak. Let’s talk about Seinfeld. At your show, you played two originals based on Seinfeld, Serenity Now! and Frank Costanza Chant. Can you tell me what inspired these and what they might mean?

Quinn: There’s a backstory behind Serenity Now! actually. I wrote Serenity Now! When I failed my drivers test for the first time. I was so stressed for it that I tried to repeat to myself (imitating Frank Costanza) “serenity now, serenity now,” like he does in the show, to relax. And then, I freaked out andthe moment I got in the car, I failed the test for hitting a curb. I thought it was so ironic that someone saying that would only get angrier and I thought it would make a great punk song. It’s a battle cry and about the irony of demanding serenity through resistance. For Frank Costanza chant, I basically just walked up to the band and told them “I have an idea for a song about Seinfeld and it goes like this.” What did you guys think when I played it?

Kyle: I have only seen a couple episodes of Seinfeld, so I don’t know much about it. Honestly, we also didn’t mean to play two Seinfeld songs in our set... (Laughter from all.)

Kyle: Anyway, Noah wrote Frank Costanza Chant,

which is cool because Minutemen did Paranoid Chant, and those were our only two originals at the time so we stuffed both of them in the show.

Noah: It helped that, when Quinn pitched it to us, Ayden wasn’t there, so there were less people to ask “what the fuck is this song about?” There was really just no voice of reason that day.

Quinn: We won’t just be writing Seinfeld songs.

Charlie: The crowd really went crazy for Frank Costanza chant.

Quinn: Weirdly, the audience did really like them. We played our post-punk songs and they just stood there. But for Seinfeld–

Ayden: Everyone was breathing hard, sweating, red faced after.

Noah: They were moving.

Ayden: I saw people in the back start to collapse.

Charlie: So at that first show, people really seemed to enjoy it. How did you guys feel about it?

Noah Robert Gall: I had an erection the whole time.

Charlie: So, obviously, an orgasmic experience.

Noah: I was also extremely scared. It helped, actually, that we didn’t have time for a soundcheck.

Ayden: It felt so good. So good. But, it was a little disorganized. Something with the tone was not right. But, as soon as we got into it, dude, it was great. I felt like we were in a real band.

Kyle: I was very nervous. We had a whole bunch of problems– my E string broke the day before.

Ayden: I broke my glasses.

Kyle: Quinn broke his too.

Quinn: They sat crooked the whole show.

Charlie: Can we expect some music releases soon?

Ayden: Me and Kyle have, like, twenty demos right now. We’ve been recording and writing a lot.

Kyle: I know we’re all writing a lot.

Ayden: Probably we’ll release on Bandcamp first. All present: WE LOVE BANDCAMP. GO SUPPORT ARTISTS.

Noah: I think we just need to all get together and really work out a couple of them.

Charlie: My final question for you all, Soylent Green. You guys are setting the tone for punk and alternative bands to come. What is the one thing you would like to say to all the readers right now?

Quinn: Everyone go see local acts. I was scared at first to because I didn’t want to get punched in the pit. But, make friends, don’t make enemies. Be respectful. And take up an instrument and just go start a band.

Kyle: I would like to say to everyone out there, enjoy the music you like and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Ayden: Thank you to everyone reading these words on this page, supporting my friend Charlie Shiv here, supporting my band, supporting DEAF.

Noah: Yeah, thank you for reading, supporting, playing music, and go to a local show.

(The other three erupt at the fact that Noah has just stolen all their answers and summarized them.)

Soylent Green are frequent flyers of Capital Hill Community Centre’s all ages punk shows and will be playing there again soon with another setlist of Seinfeldian songs, a great lineup of artists and bands, and the energy of an atomic bomb contained in the body of a teenager. Go see them play.

Charlie Shiv and Soylent Green

N33T - Matsuri Mixtape

March 14, 2023

A diverse collection of electronic, house, club, and future bass, N33T’s new album Matsuri Mixtape is the jack-of-all-trades of Calgary electronic. Webslinging tracks featuring vintage spider-man samples, a track based around the Discord ringtone and notification sound, and city-pop and anime samples are just a few inspired samples on this colourful electronic record. Throw it on shuffle and be surprised by every new song that comes up.

Plumb trinkets - cat law

March 5, 2023

Dreamy and ethereal, Cat Law is the new eight track album from Plumb Trinkets. Leaning into dream pop and lofi electronica, this album soothes the listener with the blips and beeps of a tender supercomputer serenading you with its voice and keyboard playing skills. Featuring an adorable and baffling album cover, Plumb Trinkets explore soft sounds from a futuristic cyber city. Find a loving laptop in your life to share this album with.

kumubu - Midnight snack

january 31, 2023?

Calgary lofi and electronic producer Kumubu released Midnight Snack with previous collaborator Spenny Beats. Smooth house beats and minimalistic lofi production run throughout the three tracks on this record, compelling the listener to groove. Whether by a quirk of Bandcamp or time travel by Kumubu, this album was released on January 31 2023 as stated on Bandcamp. Warping space time to release your album a year in the future? Nothing’s better.

DONT PINCH M E Pincher by Clayton: Electronic Ecstasy in 2023

Electronic music, with is endless possible textures, patches, samples, drum sounds, and computerized rhythms, can be a tough genre to distinguish yourself in. When there are literally infinite possibilities, finding a sonic identity that your music fits comfortably into can be a challenge. Some artists embrace the trendy direction, exploiting current styles to gain traction while others use shocking, unusual, or obtrusive sounds to catch the ear. It can be draining to listen to either of these methods. Enter: Clayton and their February release Pincher. An album that lives comorfortably within its own skin, Pincher is a concise six tracks of electronic bliss that leaves nothing in excess and contains exactly everything that the songs require. It’s like a warm cup of soup for the electronic soul, filling your craving exactly to fulfillment.

Restraint is a valuable commodity in art, but for Calgary based artist Clayton, confident restraint is a natural state. Each of the six tracks on Pincher are written with a perspective of musical self-discipline often not found until much later in an artists career. There are no extremes on this record. Tracks are distinctive from each other, but holistically contribute to the overall sound of the album. Many tracks are so well melded into the album as a whole, that I would consider them intros to following tracks rather than seperate entities. Ending the record with the short and ethereal “Pincher” imparts a cyclical nature into the album, where the opening and ending tracks lead into one another, contributing to that consistent feeling that album masters.

Different influences and styles can be found throughout the album. However, they remain as purely influence. Clayton’s own style shines through, particularly in the synths and unified production. However, that doesn’t prevent carefully chosen and tastefully tweaked drum samples from contributing to the flowing effect between each song. On track “Twenty3,” drum rhythms groove along in a J-rap inspired beat, taking inspiration from masters of samples like Prince Paul and Q-Tip, while the smooth synths fill the background with colour. Catchy and laid-back, “Twenty3” could be rapped over as much as it could be featured on a “lofi beats to study to” mix. Even the synthetic nostalgia of C9 can be cited when considering the soothing atmosphere of the first and last tracks.

Clayton’s Pincher is a rare example of a young artist who exhibits a restrained confidence in their work that shines through every track. An album at peace with itself, Pincher is a must-listen for electronic fans.

mixed bouquette of groove-tripping electronic, Dalton Dodginghorse’s latest addition to his trionic Lucid State album run continues to fuel neon shimmering late-night drives with a thrumming bass and vivid, bright synth pads. Recommended most for fans of classic house looking for a modern synthwave and retrowave take on the disco-beat laden and 90’s drum patch driven house scene, Lucid State: Volume 3 features banger standout tracks like “Dancing on the Moon” and its infectious key ostinato, “###” with its rolling bongos, and the smooth, city-evening tune “Cosmic Flow 2.” The perfect electronic album to let flow through your bass-y car speaker system on a summers night, Dalton Dodginghorse completes a trifecta of electronic albums that could makeup the entirety of your summer 2023 playlist and keep coming back each time the nights start to get longer and the air warms to t-shirt heat.

ORANJE’S NEW SINGLE “QUANZOR”

Get your calculators out and dust off your math skills, Calgary based band ORANJE’S new single will have you scratching your head and scrib bling away at formulas trying to understand how you haven’t heard of them before. The third and most recent release, “Quanzor” is darker

ORANJE NEW SINGLE オレンジ QUANZOR #FC3000

than ORANJE’S previous two singles. More distorted and with a hefty dose of angst, but still with familiar elements of guitar hammerings and melancholic chords that any math rock or previous ORANJE fan will love. An immaculate mix, every element is balanced and

ORANJE NEW SINGLE オレンジ QUANZOR #FF3B00

well-recorded, allowing for careful consideration of each aural elements place and contribution. What fascinates me about this track is the post-grunge inspiration that I hear in it. The breakdowns where the guitar is assailing on powerful, sludgy chords evoke early Foo

ORANJE NEW SINGLE オレンジ QUANZOR #FA4D00

Fighters. Honestly, “Quanzor” makes me wonder why heavier, alternative math rock isn’t more prevalent. The melding of complex chords and elaborate drum work with heavy, miry guitar tones and dark riffs is one that makes me beg for more each time. Each of ORANJE’S releases

ORANJE NEW SINGLE オレンジ QUANZOR #F57000

have been stellar thus far, “Quanzor” included, and its only a matter of time before ORANJE drops a full album of sweet, sweet math rock goodness. ORANJE’S new single “Quanzor” is available for purchase on Bandcamp and on all streaming services.

-Michael St. Cyr

Abstractions

Abstractions is a blank page. Abstractions is ambience on air. Abstractions is Blanketed Music. It lives in vague sounds of atmosphere. Abstractions is moving noise. The sound of colour and grain. White, pink, brown, green, red, blue, orange, grey.

Abstractions illuminates new and old, local and international ambient, lofi, Muzak, electronic, furniture, and all other forms of atmospheric and unobtrusive music.

Manifesting a blank page into oscillating wavelengths.

Airports.

What makes music? Are unintentional sounds music? Is the only thing making art real the purposeful decision to make art?

Liminal sounds; music, noise, or accidental?

H i ro shi Yo shi mura. Music For Nine Post Cards

Sonic Naturalism

Michael St . Cyr

Take a postcard with your handwriting. Fold it with careful hands, allowing the pen ink and the printed text splay across folds and bends. The little square box saying “Place Stamp Here” gazes up from the right wing. Cock your arm back and glide it forward where the wind will take it up and carry it along. Do this nine times and you might be able to understand the calming relinquishment, serenity, and meditation that Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Music For Nine Post Cards offers up to the listener.

Released in 1982 under the Sound Process record label, the album uses minimal instrumentation, including a Fender Rhodes and a keyboard as the primary elements of the record.

Hiroshi Yoshimura, reflecting the gentle swelling tides he imitates on this album, surged in popularity due to YouTube’s mysterious algorithmic ways in 2016. Blessed by the YouTube god’s, Music For Nine

Post Cards became a sleep aid for many. A calming sonic tool that transports you to a brief moment of nature. The philosophy of early ambient was heavily linked to naturalism. Attempts to capture the serenity of being surrounded, even in an urban setting, by the wild and original being of the world. This contrast of purely electronically created sounds and the organic flow of ambient music is the paradoxical crux of the genre as a whole, and Yoshimura plays on this. Particularly reminding the listener of the abstract meanderings of cloud formations, the dapple of shade through a tree, and the sweet fall of rain on grass, Yoshimura’s album (and really, all his work) is a reflection of nature and the contented feeling of breathing it all in, from a citizen of fast-paced and rapidly urbanized Japan.

The recent bloom of ambient music in culture stems from a desire to slow down. Where, now, we can become so easily overwhelmed by the suffocating connectivity of the world, ambient artists like Yoshimura wrap a guiding hand around ours and nudge us to look around and realize the beautiful nature of the world. The reflections of rain on a black asphalt road, cloud cover swirling above us, wind tapping along the windows in rhythm.

metempsychosis monodrone

The synthetic sounds of Calgary based electronic musician MONODRONE take on a conceptual and reincarnate tone on their album Metempsychosis. Released in March of 2021, Metempsychosis is a bit of an outlier amongst the thirteen releases under their moniker. An exercise in sinuous, organic, and unnerving soundscapes, Metempsychosis explores the final moments of life as the subject of the album passes on into death.

Metempsychosis is the speculated transmigration of the soul, essence, or psyche of one being to another after death. Based in Ancient Greek philosophy, Monodrone’s album manifests the experience of metempsychosis as the subject of the album’s previous being dies and their soul is transported to a new form.

Beginning with “final moments of pure cognizance,” Monodrone manifests the last few minutes of capable comprehension into an almost fifteen-minute track. As the subject experiences the last true thoughts with any form, the track moves sinously, swelling and fading into sounds that nearly can be made out to have harmonic structure. The last few lucid moments. Fading slowly, droning out, the listener is led to “complete brain death.” Punctuating the soundscape of this track are distressed and fatigued industrial inhalations, reminiscent of the mechanically assisted breathing of end-of-life patients.Next, “fear of the unknown” bubbles into existence as the album continues, drenching the rumbling whispers of the track in boiling liquid, roiling and murmuring as it expands into warped chimes and metallic bells. Ever so slowly, these chimes fade and are overtaken by silence. “Comfort in the terrifying abyss” is softer than the previous tracks. An aspect that makes the listener all the more unnerved when droplets of sound echo amongst the swirling recollection of faded audio memories.

From the silence sprouts recognition. Reverberous and faded piano fills the space with gentle chords and melodies. “Consciousness in an unfamilair place” perks up the listners ears, as after four tracks and almost forty minutes of droning gloom, the simple piano of the track grabs you. The recognition by the listener is in sync with the recognition of new consciousness by the subject of the album. And, with a final, organic track, Metaempsychosis closes with “new beginning.”

Scientists say that the final sense to fade away during death is hearing. Monodrone explore an aural manifestation of what the sounds of death and the palingenesis of the soul could be. Ambient, unnerving, but after-all hopeful, Metempsychosis is a droning concept album that reflects on life, death, and rebirth through sinuous, organic sounds.

“Then the Voices of the Ainur, like unto harps and lutes, and pipes and trumpets, and viols and organs, and like unto countless choirs singing with words, began to fashion the theme of Iluvatar to a great music; and a sound arose of endless interchanging melodies woven in harmony that passed beyond hearing into the depths and into the heights, and the places of the dwelling of Iluvatar were filled to overflowing, and the music and the echo of the music went out into the Void, and it was not void.” Lord of the Rings is a close friend to millions of people around the world. Whether through the movies or books, it is a solid bet you have encountered Lord of the Rings or its influence somewhere. For Calgary, Alberta based Voices of the Ainur, their encounter left them inspired to journey to the furious fire of Mount Doom to forge, in secret, a tape label to best all others. And into this tape label they poured all their synths, drones, and dungeonous sounds! Voices of the Ainur (while the name aches of those heavenly angelic beings) is a label focused on the gloomy sounds of dungeon synth, dark ambient, and synthwave. Featuring releases under artist names like Angel & Ithildin, Aura Merlin, Flute Witch, and many more, Voices of the Ainur is a secret cache of dark synth gold that could rival Smaug’s own hoard.

From the unending quality of the music, to the incredible artwork on each release, to the almost weekly (WEEKLY!) physical tape releases, VOTA is as consistent as the music is exceptional. If you happen to be a fan of LOTR and ambient music, Voices of the Ainur is an unmissable label. With dozens of releases under their umbrella, embark on an unexpected journey of your own and explore the gloomy, angelic, and adventurous sounds of the music under tape label VOICES OF THE AINUR.

All releases under Voices of the Ainur can be purchased on Bandcamp. Stream the Voices of the Ainur podcast for full compilations of music from dark ambient and dungeon synth artists. Follow them on instagram @voicesoftheainur_ds.

Tape signal 2 is Edmonton native James Parrot’s 483 Bandamp release.No small feat to release nearly 500 singles, EP’s, and albums, but Parrot has hardly allowed a moment of self-congratulations, continuing to embrace the fervent need to constantly create. And would you believe that Parrott’s first release was as recent as 2015? In eight years, Parrot has experimented in electronic music with passion worthy of exceptional praise. James’ newest release, TAPE SIGNAL 2 is an electronic escapade into slow drone. The clausterphobic soundscape pushes on the listeners ears with the illusion of pressing your ear up against a small wind tunnel. Somehow, though oppressive and windy, the seven tracks produce a lenitive effect, soothing an itch you didn’t know you had. James Parrot is not only exensively prolific, but also a creative force in electronic music. He explores oddly soothing textures of zephyrous drones that instill themselves past your ears and into your soul.

Michael St. Cyr

Wind on a microphone. Gales of wind captured on Tape.

Is it Noise?

Cicada drones. Electronic tomes of sonic knowledge. Nuanced noise.

Visual grain turned into sound.