Vuzh Music Blog

As has become an annual tradition, here is a big list of notable netlabel releases from the past year. Sixty-nine different releases listed this time!
I should clarify that by saying these are netlabel releases, I don’t necessarily mean they were released on proper netlabels, many of these albums were self released. To me, netlabeling is a community activity, involving releasing music online for free (or pay what you want)…
preferably (though not necessarily) with a CC license…
and EVEN MORE preferably (though not necessarily) with a CC license that allows for remixability and sampling. So I use the word “netlabel” even though the word is admittedly problematic. You could just see this as links to a bunch of free music if you wanted to keep things simple.
–
As usual, my recommendations are NOT ranked. This list is alphabetized by album name. Ranking music is for chumps. This is just a bunch of stuff I heard and liked that came out in 2015 that I thought you might like too. So download some of it and listen!
–
Previous year’s lists:
2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009.
–
Before we get into the recommendations, I’m going to make a quick mention of my own 2015 releases, I hope you will check them out if you haven’t yet:
–
–

C. Reider – Not Subliminal
DOWNLOAD HERE

This came out in the very last days of 2014, so I’m counting it as a 2015 release, and who are you to try and stop me? This is a collection of tape experimentations, very noisy and gritty.

–

C. Reider – Certainty Reducing Signals
DOWNLOAD HERE

This is mostly a collection of remixes for friends and contributions to the Disquiet Junto, but I thought it cohered really well as an album of my abstract composition work.

–

C. Reider – Tape Loops
DOWNLOAD HERE

A collage of my experiments with tape loops, with a lengthy .pdf file describing some of my methods.

–
–
–
–
–
I didn’t feel like making a new mix of these 2015 releases. Earlier this year, to celebrate Netlabel Day, I made 2 mixes that include many of the releases I list here. Give these a listen. while perusing this list, if you want.

Netlabel Mix, 50 from 2015 (part 1) by C. Reider on Mixcloud

Netlabel Mix, 50 from 2015 (part 2) by C. Reider on Mixcloud

–
–
–
–
–
FINALLY…
Now we can move on to:

\/
\/
\/
\/

69 Notable Netlabel releases of 2015
–

---

---

–

smellycaт – 2015
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Tiny, unassuming sound vignettes that I guess I should label vaporwave, according to the tags.

–

---

–

Gregg Skloff – 3087
(self released, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Juice Machine – 3×1=3
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Perennial, reliable electronic noise from this husband and wife duo. There’s a lot of personality that comes through in this music, I think.

–

---

–

Martin Rach – 4 BACH/2 MF
(self released, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

August Stars – A Grey and Troubled Sea
(self released, CC NC Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

I’ve been a huge fan of Sebastien’s music for quite a lot of years, even back when they were recording as Still Crescent. August Stars is a highly underrated ambient project, that much is certain.

–

---

–

Cinchel – Alone In A Room Full of People
(self released, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

One should note the sheer number of Cinchel releases that are on this list, and think, wow, this guy must put out a lot of good stuff… ’cause then you’d be both observant and correct. I’m happy he had a good year and put out a lot of his patented Cinchel-tronic, blissful guitar-drone this year, hope he keeps on in years to come.

–

---

–

Phirnis / Katarrhaktes – Apnoea
(Fwonk*, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Rosalind Hall / Ada Rave – a trail, a texture
(Pan y Rosas Discos, CC BY NC ND No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

METEK and Sean Derrick Cooper Marquardt – The Beauty of Blasphemy
(suRRism-Phonoethics, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Jimmy Kipple Sound – BRINDLE SUNBURST BUFF
(self released, CC BY Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Miquel Parera – by Zero
(Modisti, CC BY SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

I’ve been a big fan of Miquel Parera’s pulsing / grating electronic textures for years, this is a particularly good and varied album.

–

---

–

Rick Reid – Calculated Risk
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

A Colorado musician I met at the last Denver Noise Fest. This guy makes some cool sounds using theremins, bowed saws and some of those instruments that use light detection. Lots of glissandi, as you might imagine.

–

---

–

Cinchel – Childhood (part 1)
(self released, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Paco Rossique – Collages and Dispersions
(Linear Obsessional, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Prepared piano, synth & field recordings. Sort of a suspended, haunted feel to it.

–

---

–

Gurdonark – Constellation Blackbird
(We Are All Ghosts, CC BY SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

A new album from my friend Gurdonark (a.k.a. Robert Nunnally) is always cause for celebration. His simple melodies and well chosen synth sounds sound very relaxing and alluring to these ears.

–

---

–

Christian Doil – Das Sommergewitter
(Buddhist on Fire, CC BY NC ND No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Arbee – désencombrement
(Bleepsequence, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Naoyuki Sasanami – Disquiet 2014
(self released, CC BY SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

I think I may have listened to this release more often than any of the others on this list. Naoyuki contributes to the Disquiet Junto very frequently (if not for every single week’s project.) I find his contributions always inventive and pleasant.

–

---

–

Lyn Goeringer – dolly (for m.a.)
(Pan y Rosas, license not listed No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Some very nice modular synth drones with frequency beating, and an incredibly lovely piece using street lights as the sound source.

–

---

–

Erich Schall – Dubcutan
(Basic Sounds, CC BY ND No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

You will see a lot of Basic Sounds releases on this list (notice the heart-shaped cover art.) They consistently have put out some incredibly well done dub / minimal techno & drone releases in their time, and I’m very sad to see them close up shop as they did just this month. Even though they use non-derivative licenses, I can still give them the nod as my fave netlabel of the year.

–

---

–

Cloud City Cars – Electronic Musical Instrument
(Lifelike Family, various licenses allowing derivs Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

An album of improvs with Casio keyboards. I can’t recommend this more, it’s really lovely.

–

---

–

The OO-Ray – Empty Orchestra
( Lifelike Family, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Aspect. – examples.
(Basic Sounds, CC BY ND No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Duelling Ants – Fauna
(Mars Melons, no license listed No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

This is sorta collage music that’s not afraid to be both weird and musical and pretty all at the same time.

–

---

–

2047 – For I am Infinity!
(Velvet Bazaar, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Two longform ambient pieces out of which emerge laid back beats. Sort of an updated FSOL sound to it, maybe.

–

---

–

Liquid Sphere – Hammer of Wisdom
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

I feel like this really slipped under the radar of the experimental music netlabel community. Some really dense, thoughtful, noisy constructions here. I might label this quietnoise, as nothing here is outright harsh noise, just engaging abstract sound work.

–

---

–

Splicey and Tracky – Horses, Horses … Horses!
( HAZE, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Skittering and simultaneously loping, riffing and simultaneously free-jazzing group work featuring the brilliant Jess Lemont. This coheres really well, and is very groovy, even when they’re at their most free-improv-y.

–

---

–

CMD – Ice Daggers
(Basic Sounds, CC BY ND No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Chefkirk and Carl Kruger – Interference Studies 2
(Poverty Electronics, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Boocanan – IRON LUNG
( Pizzabox Society, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

I feel like pointing out that “this is vaporwave” doesn’t really illuminate what it sounds like at all, it just identifies them as part of the vaporwave community. There are some chill as fuck beats here and lots of melancholy soundscapes. It’s a very laid back scene in Boocanan-land, I’d venture to say. I just wish the album title didn’t get that horrible Big Pig song from the 80s stuck in my head every time.

–

---

–

Marlo Eggplant – Jutted
( Hairdryer Excommunication, CC BY Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Marlo is a hero, the foremost proponent of women in the noise scene, through her Ladyz in Noiz compilations and events, and just general all-around boosting. I’ve had the privilege to have met her & listened to her perform a few times, and she’s always stood out as someone doing her own thing and doing it like no one else can. I love how many different kinds of music she can get out of her autoharp “Harpy”, a contact mic, a looper and a metal cup.

–

---

–

Emmanuel Toledo & Lauri Hallikainen – Leaves Stories (Ice)
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Emmanuel Toledo & Lauri Hallikainen – Leaves Stories (Usnea)
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

These two albums I have on the list by Emmanuel Toledo and Lauri Hallikainen are part of a trilogy of which the first part came out in 2014. I’ve recommended these albums to a few of my staunch ambient fan friends and they’ve kinda flipped out about how good they were, and yes, they are quite good.

–

---

–

Caroline Park – Less Than Human
( Pan y Rosas, no license listed No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Dalot – Levelling
(Pan y Rosas, CC BY NC ND No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

An engaging drone record, apparently made from playing around with a new instrument, getting to know it (the text doesn’t mention what the instrument is, but it’s some kind of synth.) There are many layers of burbling and pulsing and whooping synth tones to liven up the drone party, plenty to keep the ears busy

–

---

–

Andrew Weathers – Light in the Valley
(self released, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

smellycaт – light shines inside yr room, nowhere else
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

August Stars – Luminescence
(self released, CC BY NC Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Iwa – L’wha
( Basic Sounds, CC BY ND No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

MEGACHURCH – MEGACHURCH
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Christian vaporwave, I mean come on!

–

---

–

The Implicit Order – Mountain Music
(self released, CC BY SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Radere – My Darling / My Divine
( Subterranean Tide, CC BY NC ND No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Cinchel – Not knowing what to say but saying something anyway (existing in a perpetual state of inadequateness)
(self released, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Darksleep – Obviate
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Very dark, energetic and dense vaporwave constructions. Some bits make me think that’s what it’d sound like if Skinny Puppy did VW

–

---

–

Eucci – Oceanfront
(self released, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Bright, lumpy, disorienting beat-music. Everything circles around itself.

–

---

–

GALAXIANオーブ – Our Apartment
(Nemui Bunny, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Christian Williams – Providence
(self released, CC BY Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Thoughtfully amateurish (or maybe non-professional) improvised piano explorations that ignore convention, giving preference to music as it happens. Sorta like if you set a young kid in front of a piano and then you end up quite liking how they play.

–

---

–

Stephen Emmerson – Radio/Tape
(Control Valve, no license listed No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE (no direct link)

–

---

–

Zrzrf – RAINBOW|SIMULANT
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

A piercingly bright bit of repetitive minimalist music using a 2-note synth phrase and slowly dialing in variations until the original is bitcrushed scatternoise.

–

---

–

S Hamann – sequence
(self released, CC BY NC Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

S Hamann – signal
(self released, CC BY NC Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Phirnis / Katarrhaktes – Sleepers
(Fwonk*, CC BY NC SA)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

2047 – S n o w
(No Problema Tapes, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Cinchel / Dustperiod – Sometimes I hear Voices / Trying to Make Impermanent Things Permanent
(self released, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Cinchel teams up with Dustperiod to make noisy drone, much noisier than Cinchel normally does. This is definitely my fave release by Cinchel this year, don’t miss it!

–

---

–

Dave Dorgan – Such is Our Condition
( Subterranean Tide, CC BY NC ND No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Gregg Skloff – Tape Constructions 2005
(self released, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

offthesky + Radere – Temporaryspace
(Basic Sounds, CC BY NC ND No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Cinchel – the timing was right for a walk in the woods
(self released, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Jess Lemont – The Tiny Album
(self released, CC BY NC Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Not so tiny, the frantic clumps of free-weird on this album are actually pretty large. I love peering into the musical brain of this musician, I never know quite what to expect.

–

---

–

Vasectomy Party – The Truth is Illusive
(Control Valve, no license listed No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE (no direct link)

Brilliantly searing harsh noise. There are many beautiful layers to listen intently to, while letting the worries of the day fall away.

–

---

–

Kecap Tuyul – Tunnel Songs
(Eg0cide, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

David Vélez – Unaware
( Linear Obsessional, CC BY NC SA Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Very minimal dronework

–

---

–

Contrails in the Blue Summer Sky – Unknown Source of Pain
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Melancholy plunderphonia

–

---

–

Cinchel – Witnessing
(Pan y Rosas, no license listed No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

A particularly experimental piece from Cinchel here, done for an installation. He recorded people who were at the installation and looped the sounds they made to project back into the gallery space. This album is a reconstruction using the sound sources he recorded that night.

–

---

–

The Soft Pink Truth – Why Pay More?
(self released, CC BY NC Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Half of Matmos plunders YouTube for sound samples, produces a banger of groovy weird-tronica.

–

---

–

Graham Dunning – Wound
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Stereo Voices – イルカ
(self released, CC BY NC Derivs allowed! Remix / sample away! 🙂)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

–

---

–

Bonus Fruit – 銀河TOMAHAWK
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

This is a really heavy album of vaporwave creep-beats, with all the weird-sauce splattered all over it.

–

---

–

Tech Noir – 精神
(self released, copyright No derivs! No sampling / remixing 🙁)
LISTEN / DOWNLOAD HERE

Posted by C. Reider