Meditating Out Loud 8
Cover photo: Adiós Cometa
"Meditating Out Loud" presents some of the best new ambient and downtempo tracks we've handpicked for you. We are coming back with the 8th installment of the series.
Aatom – Computerdread
Aatom (real name Noel Lyons) is a designer by day and musician by night. He grew up in London and now lives in rural Sussex. His "drifting, layered tracks" often contain field recordings from his local area, especially Ashdown Forest, where Noel loves to take walks. "I love very simple music, with repetitive layering that envelops you. Rounds, loops, repetitive electronica, Steve Reich – I find it genuinely engaging, and I seek to create that, mostly for my own listening satisfaction," says the artist. Aatom's music might be simple in form, but it has emotional layers worth unpeeling.
Aatom (real name Noel Lyons) is a designer by day and musician by night. He grew up in London and now lives in rural Sussex. His "drifting, layered tracks" often contain field recordings from his local area, especially Ashdown Forest, where Noel loves to take walks. "I love very simple music, with repetitive layering that envelops you. Rounds, loops, repetitive electronica, Steve Reich – I find it genuinely engaging, and I seek to create that, mostly for my own listening satisfaction," says the artist. Aatom's music might be simple in form, but it has emotional layers worth unpeeling.
Noel Lyons
The track started with the opening note. It's created with a Yamaha CS, which is a reversioned analogue synth. I loved the LFO warble and the muted tone, and being able to modify the resonance by hand. So that is consistent throughout the track. It reminded me of Demon Seed (classic sci fi computer film from 1977 about an AI that impregnates a woman – kind of a weird film I remember watching when I was young). I built the track around trying to recreate the soundtrack to that from memory, using simple sine waves and keeping everything analog. I edit and produce everything in Logic, so I played the synth direct into that via the audio feed, as opposed to midi, to get a bit more noise and grit. I also recorded the sound of my empty studio, just to add some sonic ambience. I'm really happy with how it turned out - I envisage it as a soundtrack to a 70s creepy sci fi. That really appeals to me, that kind of VHS warble – I am a huge Boards of Canada fan, and grew up on VHS and this kind of incidental music, so it resonates with me.
Check out more tracks from Aatom.
Noel Lyons also says: "I've also ventured into extremely slow Doom Metal, as Gjør Styggedom (my first track was effectively one note, 10 mins long – I love that kind of thing), and downtempo electronica as Nüll, both of which are massively unpopular, but I enjoy making a lot." Listen to tracks from both of the side-projects.
Adiós Cometa – Cabeza de Agua
Adiós Cometa is an alternative rock four-piece from San Jose, Costa Rica. They gained popularity playing a melancholic blend of shoegaze, dream pop and post-punk. With their latest single the band goes on to explore the territory of ambient music. "Cabeza de Agua", translated as "Water's Head", is a Costa Rican slang term for a sudden river flood. The overwhelming textural track is a sonic equivalent of that.
Adiós Cometa is an alternative rock four-piece from San Jose, Costa Rica. They gained popularity playing a melancholic blend of shoegaze, dream pop and post-punk. With their latest single the band goes on to explore the territory of ambient music. "Cabeza de Agua", translated as "Water's Head", is a Costa Rican slang term for a sudden river flood. The overwhelming textural track is a sonic equivalent of that.
Emanuel (guitar)
We have played with the idea of doing ambient music for quite some time. We started doing some kind of ambient interludes during our shows and the idea of recording an instrumental ambient piece grew and grew, until one day we went to the studio and started messing around with our effect pedals, recording layers of guitar, bass and synth. And that's how "Cabeza de Agua" was born.
We actually liked the results so much that we're planning to record and release more ambient tracks
We actually liked the results so much that we're planning to record and release more ambient tracks
Anchorsong – New World (Hinako Omori Remix)
Anchorsong's New World already sounded calming and futuristic. However, it started to sound even more so after Hinako Omori, a musician and producer from Yokohama, based in London, had her way with it. "I'm a huge fan of Hinako, and having her magic touch on one of my personal favourite tracks on the album means a lot to me. She transformed it dramatically and beautifully, it does sound like the music from new world," Anchorsong adds.
Anchorsong's New World already sounded calming and futuristic. However, it started to sound even more so after Hinako Omori, a musician and producer from Yokohama, based in London, had her way with it. "I'm a huge fan of Hinako, and having her magic touch on one of my personal favourite tracks on the album means a lot to me. She transformed it dramatically and beautifully, it does sound like the music from new world," Anchorsong adds.
Check out another stellar remix from Hinako Omori.
