Carnedd Aur – Beetles

Categories: Releases

Following the long sold-out ‘Blessing of the Hand​-​Sanitizer’ cassingle, superpolar Taïps is very happy to present the first full-length release by prolific and versatile artist Simon Proffitt, here under his Carnedd Aur moniker. 

Here’s Simon’s take on ‘Beetles’: 

“After a few years of exploring drones / tones / field recordings (as Cahn Ingold Prelog), fictional ritual trance (as The Master Musicians of Dyffryn Moor) and the outer limits of acoustic instrumentation (as Simon Proffitt), the Carnedd Aur project came about as an answer to the question of whether I was capable of writing electronic pop music. 

It turns out that I am not – at least, not yet – but what arose instead was actually far more satisfying. Armed with just a MicroKORG, bought years earlier for a one-off gig in a swimming pool and then not used since, I set about trying to make shorter pieces with a focus on rhythm and melody of the kind that my parents (harsh critics of my other work) might not actually like, but might at least understand as music. 

Carnedd Aur translates into English as Gold Cairn, a sort of Welsh-language take on Cahn Ingold Prelog. 

I’ve long been fascinated by evocative common names for species (mushrooms, moths etc), and especially so in the case of beetles – these names add a layer of mystery and magic to creatures that are well known from a distance but fascinating and alien when viewed close up. It seems to me that there’s a definite link between shuffling drum machine rhythms and busily meandering insects, between shimmering synth pads and shiny, multi-coloured wing-cases.” 

Read more about Beetles here.

CARNEDD AUR DISCOGRAPHY 

Moths (Wormhole World, 2020) 
Hel Bwyd Cennad y Meirw (Exotic Spresm, 2020) 
Music for the Welsh European Funding Office (Exotic Spresm, 2019)  

credits

releases August 6, 2021 

Written, performed and recorded by Simon Proffitt at the Museum of Dust, January-March 2020 with a MicroKORG and Toshiba Satellite L300.

Phirnis – Culinary Delights [Cassingle #15]

Categories: Releases

Oops. A maxi cassingle. Phirnis aka Kai Ginkel’s super dark, noisy and haunty tracks are awesome, but impossible to squeeze into two minutes and thirty seconds. So for once I break the otherwise strict rule. Further info on the BC release page …

Cruel Diagonals – Carapace [Cassingle #14]

Categories: Releases

“‘Carapace’ and ‘Oneiric Amplitude’ (Side B, bonus track) are tracks composed entirely from my voice. Here, I’m exploring themes of the subconscious, namely the dream state and its ability to communicate vital shifts within our healing before our conscious mind becomes aware of them”, says Megan Mitchell.

She composes unsettling, ethereal music under the alias Cruel Diagonals. A jazz and classically trained vocalist, Mitchell performs and creates in numerous capacities. 

Cruel Diagonals is an outlet for destructive sample processing, vocal exploration, and a palette for inter-media contemplations and applications. Influenced by early experimental filmmakers such as Maya Deren and Kenneth Anger, Cruel Diagonals has been described in cinematic terms, evoking moods and montages of an eerie, surrealist timbre. Warped field recordings and layered vocals incite a beckoning to a phantasmagorical, metallic-tinged state of existence. 

Visit  www.crueldiagonals.com for more. 

Cassingle #4 – qualchan. [SPT06]

Categories: Releases

Fourth release of our cassette single series.

qualchan. is a native american multi-disciplinary artist residing deep in the heart of cascadia. they describe their work as a reimagining of americana filtered through the tropes of new age, focusing primarily on living through the anthropocene. they call this wave now age, & are the only member of this school. they have released through Strategic Tape Reserve, Hotham Sound, No Problema Tapes and many others. 

–>  hangontoyrego.bandcamp.com/music

bleed Air (SPT02)

Categories: Releases

bleed Air’s debut full-length is a mix tape blending dark ambient, playful electronica as well as experimental beat and drone.

A journey into warm, analogue noise, echo and soundscapes, sometimes resembling a soundtrack for a yet to be filmed low budget sci-fi movie. When Robot choirs start singing or broken analogue circuits and filters start doing what they want, it can get wacky, but we think it always remains pleasant to listen. Mostly analogue electronic gear, often of the cheaper and not exactly hip kind, and tape effects were used.

It is recommended to listen to each side of the album in one piece.

bleed Air lives in Cologne, runs this label, loves his Omnichord OM-27 and his tape echo too.

Ball Geographie – Live at Budokan (SPT01)

Categories: Releases

Many references and elements come to mind when trying to describe Ball Geographie’s music: From Chamber Pop to Disco. From Lo-fi to High-End. Found sound referencing the likes of Studio Braun. Fully conscious use of presets, but only when they make full sense. Beats. No improvisation, everything is always structured to the maximum. 80ies vibes, folky guitars, timelessness …. It is electronic, and acoustic.

Ball Geographie lives, works and produces his music in Cologne, Germany. He loves his Boss DR-550 and its HiQ sound. Kalimbas, musical toys and Dictaphones too.

-> Read more on the artists page