From Middle Earth to Outer Space: The Phoenix Foundation - "Hitchcock"

One more lucky find. It was posted on the channel presenting short films, which it is indeed. But at the same time this is a video to a song by a New Zealandish band The Phoenix Foundation. I've never heard of them, but judging from this song, this is a mistake I have to correct as soon as possible. This is a truly brilliant video, combining very original animation with perfectly corresponding music. It was directed (or in this case rather "made") by Reuben Sutherland, a visual artist specialising in mixing up live action and animation. And the music is also original. I guess it could be labeled "post rock", but it wouldn't do justice to this great piece. This is a combination of atmospheric instrumental rock fueled by prominent guitars with electronic sounds straight out of Jean-Michel Jarre's most "cosmic" tunes. The result is something I would call "space rock". OK, enough talkingwriting. I have to book a ticket for a nightflight to Venus.

The Phoenix Foundation - "Hitchcock"

A higher quality version can be found here.

Bownik, Adam Certamen - "Magma"

Fine ambient electronica (8/10) Musical reflection of Mundus subterraneus. Fine ambient electronica. Especially fans of space music, the sound of 80s and such artists as Klaus Schulze or J.M. Jarre should be delighted. The only thing I didn't like is a track no. 2. It's a short piano miniature and while Adam is a skilled player, this piece lacks the power of his space-musical compositions. [mirror @ archive.org] | [Artist's Website] SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ARTISTS If you like this album and you can afford it, consider supporting the artist by making a donation on this page - use the button "Donate" in the upper left corner.

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Pan:core - "Memories (2001 - 2005)"

Piano + electronica + beautiful melodies (9/10) auf diesem album habe ich eine auswahl an tracks zusammengestellt, die ich im laufe der letzten jahre gemacht habe. jeder einzelne von ihnen hat für mich eine persönliche bedeutung. die klangqualität ist eher mittelmäszig und das mixing ist wirklich nicht so gut - und dennoch; ich mag es sehr. vielleicht kann euch das eine oder andere stück berühren. More classical album than other Pan:core's recordings. It mostly comprises of simple but beautiful melodies played on piano / keyboard with electronic background. A very melancholic album. And it includes another stunning electronic cover of a classical tune - this time a piece from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons (17 - spaetsommer). Pan:core's covers are masterpieces. As to the rest of the album, it is very good, but I prefer his more electronic and experimental side, as on No Way To Win. He's a true master of this genre. It becomes clear after listening this album to the end, because the last track is completely different from the rest - it's not a simple piano tune, but hard electronic experimental madness. ;-) I instantly felt sorry that not all 18 tracks were in this style. And a final remark - I like both sides of Pan:core - simple piano pieces and experimental electronic madness, so I don't mind mixing them on one album. But I'm afraid that for some listeners, who like only straightforward music, the ending of this album would be unbearable and could ruin all the fun they had from listening to this record.

Royalty-free music for professional licensing [mirror @ archive.org] [Artist's website]

Pan:core - "No Way To Win"

Brilliant diverse electronica (10/10) this is my first 'more than 8 tracks' album. the tracks are of different type. i think, i dont want to keep a style forever, if you know what i mean. the classical sample in 'cant stop' IS NOT ripped from try^d. track 4 is a little 'hello' to black era - an amazing triphop-combo from italy, which you can find also on jamendo. their track 'in front of the corner' inspired me somehow, as you can see at the name of my album :) enjoy. :) This is a very diverse recording. Each track is completely different from the others. Some are calm and hypnotic, some are noisy and aggressive, almost industrial. They have only two things in common. They all belong to the genre of electronica and they are all great. Each melody is very original and artful. The album is under half an hour but has more bright ideas than whole discographies of some other artists. ;-) You can also download this album for free directly from the artist at his website in .mp3 file format.

[mirror @ archive.org] [Artist's website]

Massia, Thierry de - "Shift"

Almost like Beethoven... (6/10) New age très mélodique, les différents morceaux sont tour à tour torturés, mélancoliques, doux ou apaisants. Casque sur les oreilles, yeux fermés, la musique invite à la rêverie. I have mixed feelings after listening to this album. Thierry de Massia is definitely a talented composer. In fact he even can be compared to Beethoven. Like his famous predecessor, he's talented but he must be completely deaf. These cheap synthetic sounds imitate real instruments so poorly that ugliness of the sound kills any fun one could have from listening to nice melodies. In my opinion, Mr. de Massia should limit himself to composing only and give his score to a real band or to a person who is properly equipped and knows how to use synthesizers. As for the tunes, some tracks bear classical influences ("Un signe", "Tales of mister frog", "Shift"). They have very simple melodies, as if composed for children, but could be quite nice if not for those synthetic sounds. In their current form they are practically unlistenable. The other half of songs sounds like transferred directly from the '80s ("La chanson de Julie", "RailRoad", "Jet Set"), straight from the recording session of Jean Michel Jarre. So these tracks are extremely unoriginal, but on the other hand, imitation is almost perfect. In fact "RailRoad" could be advertised as unpublished Jarre's tune from the '80s and I think everybody would believe it. And in these electronic tunes the artist does not try to imitate the classical orchestra and therefore ugly synthetic sounds can be tolerated (in fact they even give this "old '80s" feeling that can be treated as done on purpose). So this part of the album is quite nice if one is not bothered with lack of originality. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ARTISTS If you like this album and you can afford it, consider supporting the artist by making a donation on this page - use the button "Donate" in the upper left corner.

Royalty-free music for professional licensing [mirror @ archive.org] [Twitter]

Abogix (J.K.), the - "Welcome in my dreams!"

Just Abogix (8/10) Hier ist es nun...mein 5. Album! Wieder hat es mir sehr viel spass gemacht beim produzieren dieses Albums und hoffe es macht euch genau soviel freude beim zuhören!!! Dieses Album ist diesmal etwas fröhlichergeworden,nicht so dunkel. Es sollte gute laune verbreiten und hört sich auch teilweise lustig an. Es geht weiter Freunde...und es ist kein ende in sicht! Wer meine Musik liebt,der darf sich ruhig auf viele weitere Alben von mir freuen...denn in meiner fantasie...in meiner Welt...gibt's noch viel viel mehr zu entdecken! Das Cover zu diesem Album wurde von "ducadidoom" gemacht! Ich find's toll!...tausend dank!!! (Ach...muss das schön sein von Bergen umzingelt zu sein und gesunde Luft einzuatmen...seuftz!) Schönen gruss an meine Familie....Mom (Mi-Schops)...Dad (Pirat) (Sean Connery)... Jim (J.P.) & Sandra & Lou...Steve (MonChichi) & Cindy The Abogix (J.K.) Just Abogix. Anybody need more recommendations? For those who didn't listen to his other albums yet: electronic sounds arranged with talent. Very atmospheric tunes. However, I must say I prefer his darker compositions. "Tales of mystery and imagination" are the best. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ARTISTS If you like this album and you can afford it, consider supporting the artist by making a donation on this page - use the button "Donate" in the upper left corner.

Royalty-free music for professional licensing [mirror @ archive.org] [Artist's Myspace]

Bownik, Adam Certamen - "Mars Global Inspiration"

Nice ambient electronica (6/10) 'Mars Global Inspiration' is my newst album in a Berlin School-style. The music is enriched with sequencers, background pads, solos and singing vocoder. Nice ambient electronica. Especially fans of space music, the sound of 80s and such artists as Klaus Schulze and J.M. Jarre should be delighted. However, turn off the player before the 4th track starts. It's a terrible song with a singer's voice transformed with a vocoder. The voice is very ugly and on top of that the singer has a terrible English accent. Avoid at all costs. [Artist's website / Myspace]

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Sullivan, Mark David - "Moje ogrody"

Not very good electronica (4/10) The most of the tracks contain very cheap "plastic" ugly samples. Further, the melodies tend to be rather primitive, sometimes even balancing on the verge of disco polo (the most primitive type of the Polish disco music), like in "01 - Tanczac z gwiazdami". Plastic guitar samples present in most of the tracks do not help much and the result is light years from true rock music, despite of use of "guitar" riffs. The genres that fit best here are synthpop and space music, but this is a weak effort, not worth any attention - there's too much really good electronica around, even here on Jamendo. If you really must, check out "05 - Lustra" - this track is a little better than others. The album has been released on Jamendo and is available for downloading in mp3 or ogg format.

[Artist's Myspace]

Sullivan, Mark David - "Bez przyszlosci"

Generic electronica (6/10) Why generic? Because there's nothing particularly interesting about this recording. The melodies are pleasant, the artist knows how to compose a tune, but they just do not stay in your head - they are too simple and unoriginal. The arrangement is also very simple, with cheap "plastic" ugly samples. Overall, it's not bad, it's just... boring and pointless for me. As for the genre, it's a mix of space music and synthpop, so if you are dedicated fans of such music, you can check this out, it won't hurt. Apart from the quality of samples this is a decent work from the technical side, so it probably can be attractive to some people. [Artist's Myspace]

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The Motyw (Wojciech Wszelaki) - "Electro Method" [EP]

Not bad, but too ordinary... (5/10) Maybe some fans of space music or the sound of 80s will find this mini-album appealing, but for me the tunes are too ordinary. Not much here to keep my attention focused. [Artist's website]

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The Motyw (Wojciech Wszelaki) - "All For You"

Simple, disco-based synthpop - not my cup of tea (4/10) The album contains songs already released - but they are subject to re-mastered and slightly revised arrangements. In addition, contains an additional track - as an instrumental version - which will soon be in as stand-alone single. The album will also include a special booklet in pdf format with all the songs lyrics as a bonus for fans. Primitive synthpop or - more precisely, electropop, as synthpop is usually based on rock music, use some guitars and rock expression, even if it is executed with electronic means. This album is definitely based on disco, dance, pop - the artist is very far from rock stylistics. And that's what I mean by "primitive": using the most simple, obvious and commercial-driven forms of artistic expression. Even in synthpop music there are works, which are highly original and thought provoking (Depeche Mode, for example). But not this time, ladies and gentlemen. Compared with this album, even Erasure or Pet Shop Boys write experimental music. Still, this is not a total flop. Many people love such "easy" music. That's why I described above what I mean by primitive - this isn't in any way primitive when it comes to production or performance. The artist knows how to write pop melodies, he has an acceptable voice with a nice timbre. And the issue of a chosen stylistics is just a matter of taste. If only such recordings populated charts in Poland, I'd be a happy man. Unfortunately, much worse acts gain a huge popularity. I would definitely prefer to hear this guy on radio instead of the highly successful Polish crap-pop band Feel. So, if you like such simple, "easy-listening" disco-based pop, check it out. By the way, the album is very uneven, with some songs balancing on the verge of the "disco polo" genre (the most primitive style of the Polish disco music), e.g. "10 - Dwa serca". The others are much better, like opening "space-musical" instrumental track, energetic no. 5 with a catchy melody or no. 9 played on accordion - yet again a nice melody, almost killed by an ugly disco beat, though.

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Hoffmann, Michael - "Frost"

Nu jazz masterpiece (10/10) In 2002 I produced some Loops & Tracks for my band COMFORT ZONE (NuJazz, Electronica). Producing electronic music was a totally new experience for me. I had to get confidend with the different styles of this kind of music. At this time I learned a lot about modern electronic music and its production process. As a drummer I played already a quantity of different styles over the years, but this was really new... a great challenge! Later this knowledge flew into the production of my first own album "FROST". This album should not represent a special kind of electronica, but rather only reflects my own visibility manner on Musica Electronica. Nu jazz masterpiece, including elements of ambient, experimental electronica, space music. Great sound, real instruments, dark atmosphere. For the details just read the review of Ivan1984, because I agree with each and every word. Apart from Jamendo, the album has been also released by the Legoego netlabel and is available for downloading at archive.org in mp3 format. Strangely, this release is governed by a different CC license: . [Artist's Website]

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Chojron - "Among The Raindrops"

The match has been won (but barely) (6/10) Originally I was going to release this album as full-lenght, with 10-12 songs, but once I've lost all my projects from computer, so I would have to do everything again even for improve anything in those finished pieces. Nowadays I'm working on other music but some day I will start again with this. However, I hope you will enjoy 'Among The Raindrops' in the present form. This is a very uneven space music album. The detailed review of the particular tracks: (why not every album is so perfect I could write "awesome" and move on? ;-P ) 01: The sound of keyboard simulating a wind instrument is terrible (other samples are much better). Still, I "buy" this track, because of a great melody, fine disturbing atmosphere and clever arrangement. If only the artist replaced this unfortunate plastic oboe with a real one. 02: Terrible plastic drums on the foreground and a primitive melody. Yuck. 03: A very repetitive main tune, ugly plastic drums playing very obvious rhythms - definitely not my cup of tea. 04: A nice Jarre-like keyboard playing a disturbing melody, distorted electronic pan flute (this is one of the ways to mask plastic sound of a cheap equipment, people) adding space-music-al atmosphere - not bad at all! 05 - More mainstream electronica with faster and more distinct beats, fine melody and atmosphere, not bad arrangement, acceptable sound - downloaded and kept. To sum up - the artist has still much to learn, but even at this stage of artistic evolution he is often able to produce tracks that can be fun to listen to. Of course, only when someone is into space music (I am), as for fans of more experimental electronica it may be primitive and for fans of techno - boring (not that space music is generally primitive, but that some IDM-ish people may think so).

Royalty-free music for professional licensing [Artist's Myspace]

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Niko - "Lost Experiments"

Good and diverse techno / electronica (7/10) Lost Experiments is the result of some musical experiments I made between 2005 and 2007 with synths, vst and loops. I decided to call these tracks "lost experiments", because, due to a problem on my old desktop pc, I supposed to have lost these tracks, but some days ago I found again them and I provided to complete some of them. The tracks are an incredible mix of ambient moods and sounds, alternative style and many many experiments... So, you could find some of these songs strange and difficult to listen, but all I wanted to do was to create something original and different from usual songs. I hope you'll enjoy this album... And if you want to, you could also write a bad or negative comment on it. No problem about it... They're just experiments! Good and diverse techno / electronica album, successfully mixing many genres - pure techno, ambient, space music, downtempo. Not as experimental as the artist claims, though. For me the best were space music tracks, especially no. 6 - "Beyond The Clouds" - really great melody here. And the least successful were simple techno pieces no. 04 & 05 - repetitive, with boring tunes and beats. Overall - nice effort, worth listening / downloading.

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Cvijaxo - "Game Of Life"

Four good tracks (6/10) How many days until the day How many nights until the night How many mornings until the morning How many hours until the hour How many minutes until the minute How many seconds until the second (Continues....) (Cvijaxo june 2004) Idea for this mini album comes direct from my collaboration and e-mail communication with Ivan1984 - the man who reviewed us all. Curiosity is that last track  "End of Life" was made first for this purpose and I simply dropped it depressed of the thing (It was named differently).  After decision to make "The short album about living" (life is short), I came back to it ,reworked it, and it is now one of my favorites and it makes good frame with first one. It's almost 60% done of Ivan's voice so I consider him as co-author :-). I know that some of you will see this thing like stylistic prostitution. But hey, what else life is about ;-).  I recommend listening whole thing as one loose conceptual track, else you'll miss little ironies and hidden jokes. Think about it. Life should not be taken too seriously - we'll all die anyway :-). BIG Thanks to Ivan for his kindness, patience and TIME. This album is for my brother who once said that I make boring things without rhytm .-). It was actually he who introduced me to Jamendo. Thanks bro :-) It's also for Simone and Timmy and all other soundcrafters on Jamendo who, through their music and comments, gave me courage to publish things like Suburbia and Hard work of life (Suburbia 2).

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For me it's a very uneven recording. I really liked four tracks, which makes half of the album, but the other four were far worse for me.
01 - very tiring, monotonous, I don't like this kind of vocals in electronica / techno;
02 - great fast techno, so much is happening, the track is full of interesting sounds, tunes and concepts;
03 - another great song, this time ambient with really dark melancholic feeling and disturbing sounds, heavily influenced by space music (J.M. Jarre comes to mind);
04 - totally chaotic techno, all these ingredients just don't mix into tasty meal
05 - ambient, but this time boring, nothing is happening, no beginning, no end, no sense or reason;
06 - heavy ambient spiced up with industrial: it's great - disturbing, inventive;
07 - another fine ambient track - similar to no. 6, again very disturbing, you never know what's around the bend;
08 - distorted vocals, boring ambient in the background - it was really unnecessary.

To sum up - if you like techno / electronica check this out, cause you'll probably find something interesting here.

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Radiosonde - "Journey Into Future Lands, a"

Interesting space music (8/10)

[Artist's website]

Radiosonde is Brian Judkins,born in Nashville,Tennessee in 1972.At age 14 began taking drum lessons. Played drums for several bands around Nashville. In 2003 I gave up playing drums and wanted too try something different in my musical journey.Having been a fan of different types of music for along time,including different styles of electronic music.I decided too try writing my own style of electronic music. Taking influences from other bands/artist that I have listened to through out my life so far,but trying too stay original. I have two music projects at this time. The one you're checking out at the moment (radiosonde) and my other alias,the new slumber. I have also gone by the name "Lyra". Have performed live in the Nashville area under,the new slumber and lyra at Ruby Green Art Gallery,Caffeine CoffeeHouse,and Springwater. Also I have had songs played on Vanderbilt's radio station 91.1 on the show, 91 Mixdown under the name Lyra on October 12th 2003. Have recently been played on the Black Wolfe Radio podcast as Radiosonde on Episode 2 and Episode 3.

Interesting space music, heavily influenced by the sound of 80s and artists such as Klaus Schulze and J.M. Jarre. Mostly calm and atmospheric songs with nice melodies.

The album has been released by the 49manekinow.net netlabel and is available for downloading at archive.org in mp3 format.