selaroda “synaptic portals” c32 cassette

• skyblossoms
  
• l highway
  
• circuits 18
  
• expand/contract 4
  
• midnight winds
  
  
• bassment bit
  
• swarmz
  
• a cycle of cycles

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#218: selaroda “synaptic portals” c32 (75 copies) selaroda is the work of san francisco resident, michael henning. "synaptic portals" gets deep into the cosmic cracks, looking for dark corners in which to find life. subterranean rhythms run head-on into dying city streets before hiding again where it's always night. looping soundscapes dissolve into major chord progressions and sequential wanderings. eventually, though, henning decides to reanimate the rabbit hole, pluck your piano strings, and sink in this synthetic quicksand. wretched beauty. edition of 75. chrome.

inez lightfoot “pollen on the brow” c34 cassette

• rete mirabile
  
• love and comfort / the visitor
  
• cedar branch
  
• enter through a door at the base of the stalk (parts i & ii)
  
  
• crickhollow’s theme
  
• ni-an
  
• dreamwalk

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#216: inez lightfoot “pollen on the brow” c34 (75 copies) straight from the streets of appalachia, inez lightfoot is brewing something magical in her sonic cauldron. hot on the heels of a split tape on stunned and a tape, "pollen on the brow" is an organic spectre filled with heavenly voices swirling around a wooden abyss. field recordings add whimsy while lightfoot's voice, featured more prominently in the mix than past efforts, lights everything it touches. shrouded in a gauzy haze, this is ritualistic music put through a vice and deconstructed into something exquisite. edition of 75. chrome.

bastian void “horicon sketches” c32 cassette

• bloom perspective
  
• ray sentence
  
• using plastic
  
• wax mist
  
• fear of mirrors
  
• primary moss jpeg
  
  
• outside the ecotarium
  
• marbles
  
• they feel the walls
  
• continuing downward
  
• virtua lumina

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#215: bastian void “horicon sketches” c32 (75 copies) joe bastardo returns with bastian void's sophomore missive thrown into the swirling abyss. mirrored shards reach out and pluck chord changes from a diamond's eye. these electric daydreams move along on muted rhythms. soak it all in as you take a journey into the unsettling sonic environments of melting landscapes  this is as much in the sky as it is buried underground. a festive spectrum. edition of 75. chrome.

quicksails “bywater colours” c30 cassette

• keep the bounce
  
• different drawers
  
• following thy krewe
  
• in prytannia
  
  
• stay afloat
  
• porch swing comfort
  
• ascending the river walls

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#213: quicksails “bywater colours” c30 (75 copies) ben baker billington has been having an excellent run this year with his solo wares as quicksails. with releases on stalwarts like deception island, nna, 905, etc, there's no room for error. where a lot of people are happy to let their synthesizers do the talking, billington muffles their voices and increases the impact with layers of chaotic percussion. the combination gets us wondering which road to follow: organic or synthetic? but in this mauling, both provide the aural fruits to get drunk on. technicolor absolutes. edition of 75. chrome.

giant claw “tunnel mind” c36 cassette

• tunnel mind
  
• return to icedome
  
• unlimited birth / wonderland
  
  
• war bride
  
• little science
  
• solar cell

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#212: giant claw “tunnel mind” c36 (75 copies) from the mind of keith rankin (orange milk records, etc) comes a high-flying adventure into electronic caverns and neon-painted worlds.  if terry riley was mega man and stuck in a video game world constructed of synthetic mayhem, well you'd be close.  intricately placed song structures collide and overlap with rapid-fire beats swimming in secret codes.  this is a livewire on a collision course with pop flare.  just run, baby. edition of 75. chrome.

atlantis “house of tomorrow” c33 cassette

• moon me
  
• small favours
  
• ticktock
  
• heatwave
  
• inversions
  
  
• poison minds
  
• gum arabic
  
• stardust
  
• mystery blues
  
• jealous girls

digitalis limited press release...

ltd211: atlantis “house of tomorrow” c33 this new guise from maps & diagrams takes an unexpected aquatic turn with a half-hour set of short & sweet synthesizer compositions. it's not all float-y and dream-y, though - the opener sounds like an outtake from blade runner and at various other points i feel like i'm listening to a lost soundtrack for some weirdo spy movie. it all stays together, though, and even hints at a pop song or two. get your rockets on, shoot for the stars and ultimately get drowned. edition of 75. chrome.

sovetskaya gone “kimberley al butnan” c38 cassette

• paradise; london -51.506325,0.167149
  
• kimberley al butnan -28.483219,24.676991
  
• baram sarawak -3.94515,114.401654
  
  
• laerru sassari 40.81447,18.820801
  
• tiris zemmour 24.699625,81.354169

digitalis limited press release...

ltd210: s. gone “kimberley al butnan” c38 danchisko may have shortened the name but the impact is still long for this world. the previous sovetskaya jaunts were dreamy affairs but "kimberley al butnan" is something else. skeletal, irregular rhythms dot the horizon while methodic key plundering follows the trail up the mountain. each point on the map flirts w/ melodicism while staying on the knife's edge. there's a wobbly, uneasy feeling hiding under the surface, but i'm okay with getting seasick as long as we continue down this way. edition of 100. chrome.

flamingo creatures / hering und seine sieben sachen “kein stress” c40 cassette

• senior moments and yesterdays youth
  
  
• the mysterious tale of susi’s resurection

digitalis limited press release...

ltd209: flamingo creatures & hering und seine sieben sachen “kein stress” c40 killer collaboration between the fried minds of flamingo creatures & hering und seine sieben sachen that keeps getting weirder with each subsequent listen. two side-long excursions that float and sink all while chasing their collective tails. what? ghost choirs dream of synths that flicker and fade away. quiet, minimalist wanderings through an electric forest emerge from darkness to find sun-soaked strings and twisted it all into a faux orchestral embrace. edition of 75. chrome.

billy gomberg “give or give in” c60 cassette

• rude divides
  
  
• shown up in your chest like silver

digitalis limited press release...

ltd208: billy gomberg “give or give in” c60 billy gomberg operates out of brooklyn, utilizing whatever tools and instruments he can get his hands on to create sprawling compositions. these two 30 minute treks of synthesizer & field recordings morph in countless and often unexpected ways. irregular drones and muddy rhythms inhabit strange, interplanetary dance zones, pumping along until a spectral wave of tones overrides everything and slows it down to a crawl. gomberg has an innate skill in combining so many fine details into a deliciously cohesive whole. edition of 75. chrome.

cray “show fades” c54 cassette

• sprink
  
• q3q3
  
• depr
  
• nic ly
  
• spykes
  
• like papr
  
  
• reena2
  
• barelsheet60
  
• q1q1
  
• bel air
  
• q2q1
  
• nce clck2

digitalis limited press release...

ltd207: cray “show fades” c54 australia joins the party as ross healy flexes his muscles on some serious machines. buchla & voyager collisions from the cosmic outback cooked to perfection, bleep and blop into your subconscious. bizarro vocals are cut to shreds and thrown down an echo chamber while static cuts through the underwater buzz. healy mines a lot of territory here but with considerable skill. drowned pop elements even bleed through before being crushed with more bloopy, library sound-infused goodness. dripping dreams. edition of 75. chrome.

hobo cubes / j. hanson “the self beyond b/w vac siddha” c40 cassette

• hobo cubes - exploring silence
  
• hobo cubes - running thru a wild dream
  
• hobo cubes - defining astral soul
  
• hobo cubes - starguides
  
  
• j. hanson - maybe in the next life
  
• j. hanson - cracked sphere
  
• j. hanson - vac siddha
  
• j. hanson - ecstasy & rebellion
  
• j. hanson - destroy the weekend

digitalis limited press release...

ltd206: hobo cubes / j. hanson “the self beyond/vac siddha” split c40 two favorites matching the upward trajectory of both montreal, qc and portland, or together w/ double-sided tape. hobo cubes brings the relaxation zone and plasters synthetic drips into a bright, glossy sheen. beautifully constructed meditative music that brings you into the zone. j. hanson continues his modular explorations with expert moves. pulsating debris grown from metallic fibers. edition of 75. chrome.

mpala garoo “sur satori” c25 cassette

• fatu hiva feeling
  
• astral news brought by storm
  
  
• raw rainbow glow
  
• toro waca

digitalis limited press release...

ltd205: mpala garoo “sur satori” c25 russia is totally fucking ripe right now, throwing so many darts at the bullseye it's hard to keep up. ivan karib is one of the main culprits using multiple monikers and corralling multiple collaborations alike. for me, his top guise is mpala garoo (though his work with kon tiki gemini is quite good too) and over the course of these 25 minutes you can hear the tropics invade russia and clatter to the floor. ghost guitars ring hollow, looping around endlessly searching for synthetic embrase. kourbakov laces a beat or two here and there but always keeps an eye on wrapping melodies around it all. edition of 75. chrome.

blue angels “isidora” c30 cassette

• crisp
  
• ceiling
  
  
• short era
  
• weekend
  
• wakeupppainted

digitalis limited press release...

ltd204: blue angels “isidora” c30 blue angels is the maryland stronghold of blown-out, drone pop with a subterranean gaze from rob kusterer. "isidora" represents the first available release from the project and is crackling with hooks and spooked-out beats. everytime i get drawn into the opener, "crisp," i feel like i'm stuck outside in the street while some megarave is happening next door. it's simultaneously awesome and agonizing. it skirts that line and keeps reminding you that yeah, you're there but really you're not. edition of 75, pro-dubbed chrome.

buchikamashi “new astral projection” c30 cassette

• shinsekai
  
  
• ukigumo (psychic version)

digitalis limited press release...

ltd203: buchikamashi “new astral projection” c30 space ghost meditations rising from underneath the darkening waves floating out to sea. hailing from japan, buchikamashi (aka mizuhiro) skirts through the shallows unnoticed until emerging, dripping w/ organic, soothing tones on the beach. this is drone music done right, slick as nails and drawn out until it naturally concludes. using a mix of tones and source material, mizuno fires each missive with delicate care and as the float toward the glowing moon there is redemption. edition of 75. chrome.

mike shiflet “meadowbathers” c21 cassette

• meadowbathers (m. shiflet mix)
  
  
• meadowbathers (j. panzer mix)

digitalis limited press release...

ltd201: mike shiflet “meadowbathers” c21 mike shiflet's "llanos" was one of my favorite albums of 2010 and these two extended reworkings / remixes turns that material on its ear. shiflet and his longtime cohort, joe panzner untangle and retangle the thick aural web of album tracks "pink meadow" and "sunbathers" (hence the title). thick swashes of noise are undermined by subterranean melodies that aren't succeeding if they're not falling apart. the two pieces work very well in tandem with shiflet's restrained touch working as the perfect opposition to panznzer's blown-out mini-masterpiece. i usually shy away from remixes but "meadowbathers" finds very worthwhile new ground. get lost. edition of 75, pro-dubbed chrome.

lunar miasma “the gateway” c27 cassette

• the gateway
  
• air pt. 1
  
  
• hills
  
• air pt. ii

digitalis limited press release...

ltd199: lunar miasma “the gateway” c27 greece's panos alexiadis floats through future waves like a glass cipher ready to morph into a cosmic sprite. "the gateway" is just that. first you taste the sequencer-laced candy, rising-and-falling in succession like the perfect lucid dream. melodies bring down the clouds with cathartic rejoinder. alexiades is perfectly content kissing the sun and swimming with the analog sharks, letting the crystal clear sonic seas do all the talking while he holds his breath until infinity. welcome to the magic hour. edition of 75, pro-dubbed chrome.

fake map “a continued garden” c22 cassette

• 3d thumbnail
  
  
• convenient height

digitalis limited press release...

ltd198: fake map “a continued garden” c22 debut from this post-taiga remains project of alex cobb’s, "a continued garden" is an organic virus festering its way into your skull. cobb has left behind the savory glacial landscapes of his taiga past, instead filling the cracks with expert synthesis and sonic debris. each side-long excursion is visceral to a point. "3d thumbnail" churns along mechanically like a soldier determined to make the kill before evaporating into a digital symphony of bubbling resonance. the awesomely-titled "convenient height" is drenched in euphoria and disconcertingly comforting. you know nothing is really this sweet. edition of 75, pro-dubbed chrome.

logan seguin “drone” c45 cassette

• drone
  
• max cady
  
• dr. loomis
  
• daniel
  
  
• mr. grady
  
• annie
  
• patrick
  
• please ....

digitalis limited press release...

ltd197: logan seguin “drone” c45 logan seguin makes his digitalis return and follows up his exquisite fake soundtrack with another exploration of bare-bone keys, samples & minimalist rhythms. "drone" is not entrenched in drone. instead we find basketcase melodies and handwoven rhythms that sneak a peak under the hood of halloween and cape fear among others. seguin chooses his film samples wisely, manipulating them into a caustic mess. paired with music that creeps along at every angle, the effect is ominous to say the least. expertly macabre. edition of 75, pro-dubbed chrome.

ghostrider “light pulse” c28 cassette

• glittering sunray
  
• reality warping
  
• seven days left
  
  
• past life regression
  
• peak of the light pulse
  
• orbit of ida

digitalis limited press release...

ltd196: ghostrider “light pulse” c28 everyone is going all berlin school these days, but ghostrider's jens pauly just shrugs his shoulders wondering what all the fuss is about. he's all ready to start his own fucken köln school, blasting seraphim blisscapes over the bridges attempting to drain the rhine. "light pulse" resonates with absolute clarity, rolling over the synthetic hills into a different shade of grass. as his compositions loop around and fold in on themselves, they disappear like vapor in the early morning and leave nothing behind but the haze. edition of 75, pro-dubbed chrome.

paco sala “radial sundown” c38 cassette

• entry level
  
• orlando
  
• toue les orages
  
  
• the city loves us, you & i
  
• fetter lane
  
• farfar

digitalis limited press release...

ltd194: paco sala “radial sundown” c38 it's a eurotrash dream and i'm loving it. paco sala is the alter-ego of konntinent's antony harrison and anyone familiar with his past work will be quite surprised by this turn of events. "radial sundown" is an afterhours vapor trail through italo mazes and darkened alleys. swirling electronics are matched by smooth beats and pop-infused hymns. harrison bounces to the underbelly, always keeping something sinister just off-screen. add in delectable vocals by felicia atkinson (in french, no less) and you're in for the best fucking ride. edition of 80, pro-dubbed chrome.

travis bird “two tidal states” c34 cassette

• high, never reached
  
  
• low, evaporated

digitalis limited press release...

lltd191: travis bird “two tidal states” c34 dense reduction's travis bird veers off course and into space with his first solo effort, "two tidal states." bird cracks out his ms2000 to send up this homage to radigue and other forms of synthetic expression. sparse bleeps and blops open the tape, gently guiding you through the rabbit hole. as he rumbles his way through the sub-sonic basement, you're greeted on the other side with the promise of skull-boring oscillations. solid, methodic drones coalesce into a mountain of sonic debris acting like an artificial monument to the cosmos. edition of 75, chrome tapes.

fossils from the sun “pop shoot pop” c30 cassette

• distance liquids
  
• shimmers
  
• king of girlfriends
  
• circle 2
  
  
• pop shoot pop
  
• 0 = -1 + 1
  
• black sonar
  
• eye, eye
  
• swiftest star

digitalis limited press release...

ltd189: fossils from the sun “pop shoot pop” c30 fossils from the sun is the solo moniker of century plants and burning hills [sic] shredder, ray hare, and with "pop shoot pop" he's got all his bases covered. melodic electric guitar interludes share space with dark synth & vocal weirdness. electronics hum and spurt out dust and debris like a midnight meditation. there's even early library sound vibes and bizarro radio collage creeping into the mix. hare has an impressive ability to cloak himself in whatever shroud he spitting out and drop entirely convincing escapades. it's absolutely bonkers. edition of 65, chrome tapes.

loud & sad “whale fall vol. 1” c41 cassette

• wf #1
  
  
• wf #3

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#168: loud & sad “whale fall vol. 1 c41 loud & sad is the duo of nathan mclaughlin (the person behind those great “echolocation” tapes) and joe houpert. “whale fall vol. 1 is heavy. not sludge/doom heavy, but in the sense that this music bears out a lot of emotion. subdued, minimal guitar drones that want to break to pieces under their own weight languish away while various electronics spit fire. it’s like swimming in black water unable to see anything around you but knowing that danger lurks at every turn. these are the kind of tonal memories i want to keep. edition of 75, chrome tapes.

dense reduction “fictive agriculture” c42 cassette

• theoretical township
  
  
• a prelude to shade

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#153: dense reduction “fictive agriculture” c42 travis bird and evan lindorff-ellery caught my attention straight away on their first trio of releases on the label they run together, notice recordings. “fictive agriculture” finds them spewing new organic sonar trails through hazy concrete forests. this is music that requires repeated listens to fully digest all the layers. things start off minimal and almost-melodic before bursting into a blown-out, churning mess. things go back & forth, covered in tape hiss and full of tonal warmth. it’s like unsuspectingly tuning into lost radio transmissions from the past half-century, sending out maydays from a distant planet. the flipside opens things up a bit with some harmonic sand castles from the start. eventually the tide rolls in and smashes the whole thing into bits, but the cleansing is all well and good because bleak, dissonant electronic triumph emerges from the ashes. it coalesces into a feedback labyrinth, unsafe for those with delicate ears. edition of 75, pro-dubbed.

pine smoke lodge “twelve faces of the smoke mask” c36 cassette

• spiritual ascension
  
• the slaughter
  
• what was left in our hands
  
  
• high altar
  
• the fourth mark

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#128: pine smoke lodge "twelve faces of the smoke mask" c36 the woods up near portland, maine are getting baked in the sun and resulting in piles of reflective, organic sonics. pine smoke lodge have been hitting it hard lately with killers on stunned, blackest rainbow and their own existential cloth label. it's been one hell of a ride. junkyard tribal percussion bombs out the basement so the wailing drones can sleep in comfort. metallic shards ring out while wind instruments scream at the sun. this all leads into emanations as thick as the winter snow pack. this is heavy. really fucking heavy. they turn things back on themselves on the flipside, pitching their voices through reverb-laden caves and drowning everything under the ice. pine smoke lodge are finding their groove right now and the places they're going to take it? who the fuck knows. but latch on for the ride because it's a beautiful place to be. drink it down. edition of 70 copies.

basic microwaving “fur bath b/w heavenly hash” c42 cassette

• fur bath
  
  
• heavenly hash

digitalis limited press release...

ltd124: basic microwaving “fur bath” c42 (70 copies) library sound explorations with minimal interference.

andrew coltrane “conflict” c30 cassette

• conflict (1)
  
  
• conflict (2)

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#109: andrew coltrane "conflict" c30 ac brings his bag of toys back to oklahoma, but this time goes back in time and pulls out a total war bomb from the archives. heavy electronics and thick, bleeding walls of synth skronk are just what you need after a long weekend of drinking with the fam. it feels like there's some serious guitar riffing trying to find its way out of this electronic hell, but half the time there's no fucking telling what's going on here. it's everything all at once. coltrane goes to eleven. i don't even know. sax blasts come in from the deep, sourcing new megacreatures that don't just want your blood, they want your fucken soul. rusted factories breaking down never sounded so damn good. hell, if this isn't cathartic, i don't know what is. edition of 70, pro-dubbed.

sacred basil “tuvan annex” c30 cassette

• tuvan annex (1)
  
  
• tuvan annex (2)

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#84: sacred basil "tuvan annex" c30 i've long been a fan of collaborations, tape trading style or otherwise. sacred basil is the trio of nicholas barker (tempera), matt lajoie (cursillistas) and jordan spencer (gorman) and their collective talents are lighting up the skies. "tuvan annex" starts of shimmering and peaceful but it's a total ruse. guitar lines get washed into an oscillating oblivion and everything gets bathed in a heavy dose of noise swash. it's like being stuck in a tornado, desperately searching for a way out. the shimmer returns but with full-on density and triumph. each shift feels in the zone. blissed guitars and electronics join together, siamese twins moving in perfect harmony. contemplative, sparsely used notes flicker like a lightbulb about to give up hoping to make one final impression before crossing the great divide. there's something almost heartbreaking about it all. but those aren't the only paths being crossed - not at all. rickety, looping acoustic guitars thrum their way forward with barely-audible background beats and electronic backwash. it's like being lost when nobody wants to admit their mistake. it's unsettling but worthwhile as it finally comes together and everything gets sucked to the bottom in a massive, exquisite whirlpool of sound. love those collaborations. edition of 90.

sam gas can “dog dance” c22 cassette

• dog dance (1)
  
  
• dog dance (2)

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#78: sam gas can “dog dance” c22 sam gas can is one to leave you wondering endlessly and wandering aimlessly. it all starts with a low-key dance party for your favorite haunted asylum. manic voices and near-tribal beats plummet like a meteor through the clouds. you walk into this mental ward with no fucken clue how you got there. luckily there’s clarity on the horizon in the form of uber-melodic synth passages that will guide you like a drunken sailor back to the shore. the morning brings pump organ catharsis that’s bathed in warm white light. hypnotic vocals fill the air while the melodies grind along underneath. it’s blindingly emotive – you can’t help but be drawn in by the familiar comforts of each note that gently takes you home. beautiful stuff from one of the most underappreciated artists in massachussetts. edition of 75, pro-dubbed.

alms “harsh meditative trance” c33 cassette

• i
  
• ii
  
• iii
  
  
• iv
  
• v

digitalis limited press release...

td62: alms “harsh meditative trance” c33 (70 copies) alms is the solo project of nathan young (ajilvsga, indian weapons).  static synthetic drones, zone out galore.

blue sabbath black fiji “wankers” c40 cassette

• jurassic ii
  
• bah nien
  
• du bist du?
  
• schnell und naturelle
  
• god is in the air
  
• questcequecest
  
• wankers
  
  
• creamy beast
  
• ejaculation ejaculation
  
• little red crevette
  
• bursh yr teeth wash yr shoes

digitalis limited press release...

ltd#58: blue sabbath black fiji "wankers" c40 and here the insanity begins. french transplanted duo blue sabbath black fiji have no limits. they don't know when to dial it back, they don't know when to turn it down and because of that, we're all getting fried whether we like it or not. "wankers" has been stewing for a while but finally is getting let out from its cage to wreak havoc on unsuspecting listeners. mindbender baby, let's floor it. squealing feedback with cut-to-bits beats and trashcan percussion go into some futuristic tribal bounce. on the back end you're left wondering how in the fuck did i get here? unexpected guitar hooks skronk into the foreground, jumping the tracks laid down by minimal electronic beats. sometimes this shit even gets pretty, which really throws you for a loop. it's one fucked-up dream sequence that never wants to end. always searching for the loudest path, blue sabbah black fiji are unlike anyone else and thank your lucky stars for that. edition of 80.