2024 Music Enjoyer Pt. 13
Intergalactic Light-Rail // Infinite Startime Loop
The Grand Intergalactic Light-Rail spans a million galaxies and more stops than can be counted in any terrestrial lifespan. Suffice to say—name a feeling, a type of place you want to be, and destinations matching your desires shall appear, seemingly without limit, arrayed upon the glowing surface of your ticket. Here, we find the Infinite Startime Loop, a recursive path which winds forever around the furthest ends of the universe, characterized by a soundtrack simultaneously melancholy and dreamy, casting its spell beyond the blackness between the stars from the comforts of a cryo-sleeper car on the Grand Intergalactic Light-Rail.
Fields of Mist - Biospore Farmers
I’ve been a fan of Fields of Mist for a few years now, but their new album Biospore Farmers on Ilian Tape is on a whole other level — shades of classic Drexciya side project The Other People Place, boosted alien dub frequencies, and lonely satellite synth soul. One of the most pleasant surprises of 2024 for me.
Virgo - Roots of Memories
I’ve already mentioned a few of Virgo’s many, many fine releases from this year back on the Utopian Express Line installment of this newsletter, but here we have their superlative Roots of Memories album on Icelandic label extraordinaire Móatún 7. Majestically appointed synthesizer dreams from a recently reinvigorated Japanese master of the artform.
ReKaB - Concept
ReKaB has had a banner couple of years lately, but Concept 3 and its stunning Convextion Remix might be two of the most impressive things they’ve released to date. Some of the most perfectly formed melodies & arrangements I’ve heard all year. Check out the Cyborg Romance EP or one of their several albums on the Moatun 7 label family if you dig this.
Mihail P - East At Dawn
Mihail P has taken a delightfully chill turn this year and I’m 1000% here for it. This excellent EP on Analog Concept sports a crispy fresh remix from Gilbert, another artist in this luxuriantly spacey style that I really enjoy. Their album It’s Just A Ride on Childhood Intelligence was also featured in a previous installment of this newsletter.
Dan Piu - Astral Flights EP
Dan Piu (who runs the sprawling Childhood Intelligence Label Alliance) has been positively all over the damn place these last few years, and pretty much every bit of it is fantastic. The appropriately named Astral Flights EP is no exception — brilliant synth & drum machine programming with real soul & intellect at the helm.
Aserrin - Propagation Delay EP
Another quasi-local Dallasite, Matt Ballenger aka Aserrín, runs an excellent small record label (Pan-Am Tracks) and splits his time between TX and Colombia. This is the other EP I mentioned back on the Midnight Metroplexus Line. But y’all, this is Very Important Info—this EP has a full-blown electro reimagining of the classic Chrono Trigger OST track, “Memories of Green,” (one of my all-time fav tracks) and it’s so good.
Loidis - One Day
Huerco S. is one of those producers that’s (justifiably) pretty well known amongst the electronically minded these days, but personally it’s his Loidis project I’ve always liked the most. Their debut EP from 2018 blew me away and this long-awaited full-length album just knocks it completely out of the park. If you like hyper-detailed, musically deep minimal dubby techno & house vibes, get on it.
Skee Mask - Resort
Skee Mask seems to get more prolific every year, and as long as they keep the quality control this high I’m ok with that. This ultra-diverse album on the perennially top-shelf Ilian Tape label ranges all over the electronic landscape — dreamy atmospherics, delicately melodic IDM, warped dub bass mechanics, sun-faded sampler nostalgia, peak-time techno steppers and beyond.
Donato Dozzy - Magda
Donato Dozzy continues to amaze everyone with their careful sense of patiently synthesized imaginary sound-spaces, and Magda is another magnificent trip into their mind-realms.
Charles A.D. - Deep Diver
I was torn on whether to feature this album or the other ridiculously good one from Charles A.D. this year (West Pontoon Bridge on 100% Silk) but ultimately you need to hear both. Deep Diver is a bit more on the luscious late nite / dub techno kinda vibe, and West Pontoon Bridge has a warmer, more melodic house feel. Both are Real Good y’all.