// New Release from Grischa Lichtenberger (German)

AND IV (Inertia) is the new release from Grischa Lichtenberger released on the Raster-Noton label that you are hopefully getting used to hearing about by now. Grischa Lichtenberger's music is a really interesting blend of the acoustic and the digital sound fields, a blending of the two worlds around us. He works as a found sound engineer, recording interesting sounds such as old radiators etc. Using these sounds he then goes into the studio environment and mashes them up to create new and intriguing sounds or effects that he then uses to make music similar sonically to the works of Alva Noto and Ryoji Ikeda.


The best way I could personally describe Grischa's music is as a blend of music that would be created if Alva Noto and Amon Tobin collaborated together.

For more information on the new release head on over to the Raster-Noton website at Link 1 below.

Visit Link 1: https://shop.raster-noton.net/?pid=269

Image taken from the Raster-Noton website.

// 25/09/2012

Since I havent done an update for a while (finding it difficult to find time as well as interesting new things to tell you about) I thought I'd write this to say:

A: I havent forget about this blog, and
B: Thought I'd let you know about some of the music that I have been listening to recently.

01 Murcof_Cosmos
02 Murcof_Remembranza
03 Francisco Lopez_Kollt/Kulu
04 SaffronKeira_A New Life
05 Raun and Listening Mirror (New Release)
06 Cello+Laptop (LIVE and Single Releases)
07 Pjusk_Tele
08 Nigul_Cervol
09 Scanner (Single Releases)
10 Mika Vainio_Vandals EP

First-Stage will hopefully have some brand new posts soon...

// New Release: Asférico LIVE at Eventual Music

A new release from Asférico is now available as a "name-your-price" download from the link below. If you have never been able to hear what Alex Gamez does LIVE or never been bale to get to LIVE event, be sure to download this for a good price.

Visit Link 1: http://vibedeck.com/asferico/live-at-eventual-music

// Asférico LIVE at Klang.Haus 2012

Asférico, Alex Gamez, will be performing at Klang.Haus, Austria on October 13 2012 this year. Alex will be performing a brand new set especially written for the festival based on the idea of an imaginary film soundtrack. The new set named "Sonidos del Subconsciente" (Sounds of the Subconscious) comprises dark and noisy field recordings mixed with analog synth sounds. Make sure to immerse yourself in this Live set in October!

Visit Link 1: http://www.klang-haus.at/sites/wk_herbst12.html

// Coming Soon: Cello+Laptop

Cello+Laptop are currently sorting out their new album, Parallel Paths which is due for release very soon. To listen to a track from the new album head on over to Link 1 where you can also preorder the album.











Visit Link 1: http://envelopecollective.bandcamp.com/album/parallel-paths

// Latest Release: Loscil (Canada)

Scott Morgan, probably better known in the music industry as Loscil has been a round for a few number of years and has released some of the greatest ambient electronica albums heard. He has released such albums as Submers, First Narrows and Stases to great acclaim and these albums have been loved by his fans for the music's ability to make the listener feel a great range of emotions. After his last album, Coast/Range/Arc which showcased his abilities as a pure ambient electronica producer, Morgan has returned to the sound that has made him so popular with his extensive fan base on his new album Sketches from New Brighton, released this week.

I have only had the chance of listening to a handfull of the tracks so far as I have been busy on my own project as well, but what I have heard has left me speechless. The blend between the field recordings and computer generated drones has become almost unnoticeable while his skill over minimal techno rhythms serves up a great way to keep the listener keep coming back for more. This new album, to anyone who listens to ambient electronica and wishes to write some themselves, serves as a great introduction to the production skills that you need and the skills you can learn over time. If you have never heard of Loscil before, then Sketches from New Brighton is a great introduction into what Scott Morgan has to offer you. Really, you should listen from the start with his first ever album and work your way through but if you were to start from anywhere in his back catalogue, SfNB really is a great place to enter the world of Loscil.

Loscil's Sketches from New Brighton can be found on itunes and tracks can also be listened to on Youtube.

Visit Link 1: http://www.last.fm/music/Loscil
Visit Link 2: http://www.kranky.net/artists/loscil.html
Visit Link 3: http://www.loscil.ca/

// Cello+Laptop Live

Cello+Laptop are well worth looking into. If you havent heard of them, they are musical duo Sara Galan and Edu Comelles and they mix experimental classical Cello with electronics. They have done some great gigs in and around Spain most notably in the citys of Barcelona and Valencia. If you get any time to check out this project I would thoroughly recommend it as well as the solo project by Sara Galan.

Cello+Laptop will be performing Live at the Josep Renau Room of the Facility of Fine Arts of the UPV in Valencia on Friday 14th September at 13:00hrs.

At the below link you will be able to find some free downloads from this project.

Visit Link: http://www.educomelles.com/cellopluslaptop.html

// MainOff Festival 2012 Asférico Update

Asférico has been confirmed for a Live performance on 20th October 2012 with xx +xy visuals in Rome at the MainOff Festival 2012.

Visit Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MainOFF-Festival/155004541254090

// Sleep Orchestra: My latest Music Project.

Hi All!!! I have been working on some of my music for the last few months and I am currently waiting to hear from some of my friends within the industry. I have decided to let you guys know a little about the project but as of yet I do not want to be posting the link to my music. Depending on what I hear,  (changes may have to be made) that will be left for  future official release. This may change at any moment, so I will let you know when I know anything.


Sleep Orchestra (UK)
Sleep Orchestra is UK based sound producer and experimentalist Christopher Pegg. Chris has studied music technology at College and University level for over 5 years and holds a BA(Hons) in Popular Music Production as well as an FdSc and BTEC National Diploma in Music Technology. His interest in experimental and minimalist music started as early as back in 2007 when he first heard music from the likes of Murcof and Biosphere. After a number of years of studies and sample collecting, Chris has produced a number of what he calls "mini-projects" that have ranged from the minimal techno and extreme glitch productions to more laid back music such as this, his latest mini-project, Sleep Orchestra.
Christopher confesses that Sleep Orchestra is actually an evolution of ideas that started at university with his first [MIR] and later from his thesleepinglake mini-projects. For this latest project, Chris has been immersing himself deep into the works of artists such as Murcof, Loscil, Biosphere, Vladislav Delay, Spyweirdos, SaffronKeira, Listening Mirror and The Sight Below etc, taking ideas and merging them with new ones of his own to create his most ambient project to date.
Sleep Orchestra is Chris' latest experimental platform into the ambient world and mixes his interest of micro glitch samples with long evocative drones and effects. As well as inspirational artists, the Sleep Orchestra project is also inspired by the Sci-FI movie "Sunshine", which was directed by Danny Boyle. This experimentation into how the vacuum of space can be described through sound is the starting point for many of the tracks.

// Denovali Swingfest 2012 Lineup Update

Denovali has announced the lineup for the dates on which the artists will be performing at Swingfest 2012.

This will be an awesome festival to go to if you are able to get to it. My highlights for anyone going would be:

Friday: A Dead Forest Index

Saturday: Moritz Von Oswald Trio, The Pirate Ship Quintet

Sunday: Murcof, Hidden Orchestra, SaffronKeira

If you go, be sure to make a special effort to see Murcof and SaffronKeira. Not to be missed.

// Flussi Festival 2012 Poster

// Information on my Music

As some of you may know already I also write music in a wide selection of experimental electronica genres. I have recently written a few "demo" tracks as my alter ego Ȼ, which is based upon error and glitch samples created through the computer software I use. Artists that had a huge influence on this music are Alva Noto and Ryoji Ikeda, two musician/artists that I greatly admire.

I have been lucky in recent years to make connections into this relatively small corner of the musical universe, and I am pleased to say that I have a collection of friends who help me further understand the music.

You can find some the Ȼ music at: http://soundcloud.com/thesoundofcomputers/sets/device-error-ep/

I am currently working on a new project (going on a small hiatus from Ȼ) which is a small step into the ambient universe, mixing long ambient drones with micro glitch samples to create a dark atmospherical ambient project. I will update you guys with any more news about this as it comes clearer, whether/when/where this is downloaded and you are able to get it too. 

Until then, please feel free to take a listen to the music of Ȼ, and join my Facebook page at: http://facebook.com/thesoundofcomputers.