City Flickers, Quivion Mix 18

This dark and incredibly atmospheric mix by Quivion blends a collection of experimental, ambient, techno and electronic genres together.

Featuring tracks from the Blade Runner Soundtrack, Andy Stott, Pole and Teleferick among others. This is a great mix and well worth checking out for anyone who is a fan of dark experimental and ambient genres.

I have listened to it multiple times now and I am yet to get sick of it. It is especially enjoyable at night, in a dark room with headphones. You can check it out for yourself over on MixCloud.

Ruis - Sonmi 451

Image courtesy of Slaapwel Records.

Since 2005, Belgian artist Bernard Zwijzen has adopted the name Sonmi451 when releasing his music under various record labels.

Originating in David Mitchell's Cloud Altas, Sonmi451 is the name belonging to a Slave robot from a distant future.

Bernard manages to beautifully blend minimal, soundscape-laden atmospheric electronics together to create something that I can only describe as totally unique.

You should check out his limited edition album titled Ruis over at Bandcamp, or his free EP, The Quiet EP.

††† (Crosses)

Crosses are an electronic/alternative group from Sacramento, US with Deftones front man Chino Moreno and Far members Shaun Lopez and Scott Chuck.

Since forming in 2010 they have released two EPs, EP† and EP††. Blending electronic and alternative genres, as well as adding Chino's harmonious vocals just frames their music perfectly, creating a sound that I really love.

They are worth checking out for anyone already interested in either band and also for anyone interested in similar genres/sounds from the 80s.

An Ambient Kind of Experience

This is a playlist of some of my favourite tracks from the ambient, drone and soundcape genres. They sounded great together so I decided to share.

The playlist includes tracks from Belgian artist Sonmi451, Marsen Jules and Pie Are Squared. It took me longer than expected to get the tracks fitting perfectly together, but it works and the feedback have been great.

You can check it out here and follow me if you like. I do intend to create more playlists when I get the time.

Little dragon

Image courtesy of Little Dragon - Summertearz (Bowery Ballroom, 2011).

I have spent the past week listening (nearly constantly) to Swedish based electronic/indie pop group Little Dragon and I cannot get enough.

To date they have released three studio albums, Little Dragon 2007, Machine Dreams 2009 and Ritual Union 2011. They have also appeared on Gorillaz 2010 release Plastic Beach. They manage to perfectly combine gorgeous vocals with an electronic style that is truly unique to themselves.

I am not normally a fan of vocals in my music, but Little Dragon have completely captivated me since I started listening to them. Their track Never Never is what initially caught my attention and it's my favourite track of theirs by a mile.

Fluid Radio

I love finding new music and resources, so when I discovered Fluid Radio, I was ecstatic. The richness in content is worth every minute of your time.

I love Fluid Radio because it focuses on a wide range of experimental music that is never really featured in popular media and is in my opinion far superior. Their philosophy is to share the creative process and the experience of inner exploration through musical expression.

It has everything from downloads, interviews, news, photography, reviews and live sessions, they even have an online store, so there is plenty to check out and explore. So check it out.

Jon Hopkins

One of my favourite movie soundtracks (and movie) to date has to be monsters, directed by Gareth Edwards and composed by Jon Hopkins.

I was completely shocked by the movie itself, the trailer and movie title are deceptively misleading and I cannot think why or how this could have happened. I had watched it expecting a typical monster flick, but it was far from it. I later saw that someone had described it as Lost in Translation meets District 9 and I am inclined to agree, although I would say it leans strongly to the Lost In Translation side.

I was amazed by how good it was, the soundtrack repeatedly drops in at key moments in scenes and add that extra bit of emotional depth and atmosphere so much more effectively that many other movies manage.

nowlikephotographs

A weekly radio program broadcasting two hours of the best epic instrumental post-rock, ambient, neo classical and bedroom electronica.

Boasting a hefty two hour weekly program, you are sure to lose yourself in each episode and no doubt find some excellent new music along the way.

If this sounds appealing to you then you might want to check out an earlier post of mine where I talked about Post-rock Papers Scissors, which sadly ended last month, but has over 180 episodes to enjoy.

Clint Mansell

Born Clinton Daryl Mansell, Clint Mansell is an English musician, film score composer and former lead singer/guitarist of Pop Will Eat Itself.

I first discovered his music whilst watching The Fountain. I was completely amazed by the music and how it just seemed to intensify every scene, so I immediately bought myself a copy of the soundtrack.

His music is a blend of Instrumental, ambient and modern classical genres. He has scored many films, but my favourites are The Fountain, Moon and Black Swan. He is also famous for the now iconic track from Requiem For a Dream, which has been featured in many other pieces of video since.

Headphone Commute

Headphone Commute is an independent online magazine that focuses specifically on the latest electronic, experimental and instrumental music.

They mainly write about reviews, interviews and record labels, but their main significance to me is the podcast. It is usually a weekly podcast, lasting around an hour or so and I always manage to find something new in them as well as still hearing tracks from some of the biggest names in the genres.

you can find all their articles on the Headphone Commute website and the podcasts are posted onto MixCloud, so definitely check it out.

Field Rotation

German composer Christoph Bero is based in Berlin, where he produces a haunting blend of ambient, downtempo and experimental music.

His latest release - Fatalist: the repetition of History came out on Denovali Records earlier this month. It expands upon his Acoustic Tales project with guest musicians Aaron Martin and Mari Solaris.

I first discovered Field Rotation on the Imaginary Friends compilation, with his beautiful opening track Regenzeit II, which is absolutely astounding. It progesses from an incredibly atmospheric piece into a soothing soundscape with the noise of falling rain, perfect for unwinding.

Splintered Instruments

Edinburgh based composer and sound artist Matthew Collings has just released his debut album, Splintered Instruments, featuring six tracks.

Matthew has an absolutely unique sound that he describes as "on the border of being out of place" but I think it is astounding. His tracks sound like they are constantly building momentum and could spill through into something much larger or chaotic at any moment.

You can listen to three of the tracks on bandcamp and there are the options of buying a digital copy or a very attractive limited edition CD with extra goodies.

XXYYXX

Orlando based musician and digital producer Marcel Everett goes by the name of XXYYXX and it may surprise you to know that he is 17 years old.

Despite his age, Marcel has gained quite a reputation within the indie music culture and he also headlined the San Francisco Noise Pop Festival last month.

I first heard of him when a friend of mine introduced me to the track About You, with the video directed by Jeffery Vash and I loved it. Such a fresh original sound that you can kick back and relax to.

Mr. Wi$e - Narrative Mixing

This truly unique listening experience comes courtesy of US based DJ Mr. Wi$e, who has mixed music and everyday sound together beautifully.

Mr. Wi$e (Brett Wise) used an extensive collection of found sound from a network of creative commons and mixes it together with some well known modern classical tracks. It is possible to close your eyes and imagine that you are actually standing by the side of a street, in a shop, or in a crowded room listening to live music.

1st Movement, Land is intended to be played through a set of headphones, and after listening to it twice myself, I highly recommend it.

Portico Quartet

Four piece contemporary modern Jazz band Portico Quartet are a london based group with a beautifully unique and refreshing approach to Jazz.

Portico Quartet consists of members Jack Wyllie - Soprano and tenor saxophone player, Duncan Bellamy - Drums, Milo Fitzpatrick - Double bass, and Keir Vine - Hang and precussion.

I discovered them in January of 2012 and they became my favourite musical find of that year. I absolutely love their sound, it is so unique and completely refreshing, I cannot think of another artist that has a similar sound to them. You can find out more about them on their website.

Nicolas Jaar

Nicolas Jaar is a 23 year old DJ and producer, originially born in New York. He also has his own label, Clown and Sunset.

He is currently creating some of the most original music in the industry. By taking elements from minimal techno, but maintaining a lower BPM (beats per minute), around 100, as apposed to 120 - 130, by doing so he creates a nicely chilled out sound.

My favourite track has to be Time For Us. It has a great sound that progresses at a steady pace, introducing new beats and rythmns. You can easily get up and dance to it, or lie down and chill out to it.

Olej

Hailing from Naberezhnye Chelny, in Russia, and DJing under the alias Olej, Олег Мищихин produces some truely amazing electronic tracks.

Олег describes his music as "amateur Deep Music". However, I think it is anything but amateur. His tracks have a trademark hypnotic, trance like beat to them that have strong similarities with the minimalist deep-house genre. I highly recommend his Walks EP, and Airport.

You can find him on just about any social networking website, but I suggest visiting soundCloud first. You can hear the majority of his music there, and there are links to the rest of his accounts also.