Tim Doyle’s Micro-Brew (VULP-0040) is an album from an incredibly prolific artist of experimental fractal music out now on Vulpiano Records. He has been active on Last.fm in particular, not only releasing his own music, but in creating a diverse array of radio stations (see also The Radio Room) of everything from New Edge (“New Age that’s not elevator music”) to Chappaqua (“spoken word, avant-garde, post-romantic, noise, drone”).

Download here: http://archive.org/details/TimDoyle-Micro-brew2012

Background on the tracks from Tim Doyle:
The original sequences are utterly determined by the presets in the MusiNum program, and the result was then converted from MIDI to MP3 with a blend of soundfonts and the MP3, originally twelve-tone, was in turn subject to fairly simple editing procedures to create the first piece, “Get a Grip”. As those procedures included continuous deformation of pitch, and the layering of differently countoured results, it was at that point that they became microtonal.

The pieces form a unified whole despite their different emotional affects, but only the unconscious can fully appreciate that unity. The best way to appreciate them is simply to let them be, like a natural phenomenon observed.

“Get a Grip” is simply a reference to the initial disorientation that the microtonal environment evokes, together with the rhythmic deformations that make it difficult to pin any single tone down and anchor it in pitch-and-time space.

“Shellshock” refers in my mind not so much to the WWI experience as to the aftermath of a B-52 bombing raid, which I read sometime leaves any physically unharmed survivors wandering around in a state of disorientation produced by the pure sonic assault, now ended.

“Agoraphobe” is simply a trip from the safety of home to the scary outside world which seems to overwhelm the agoraphobe and come at him without warning from every direction… at last the process is reversed and we again melt into the quiet and safety of home base.

“Fogblind” created an image in my mind of being at the water’s edge in a port town early in the morning when not only is the entire scene blocked by the fog, but the sounds of the busy city itself reach one only in a muted and attenuated form. It is not at all an unpleasant sensation. Anyone who has lived in a harbor town can appreciate it. (Mine are Buffalo, Milwaukee, and San Francisco.)

About Tim Doyle:
Tim Doyle was born Feb. 12, 1949 in St. Cloud, Minnesota, the oldest of nine children, and spent his childhood in a rural setting on a heavily wooded lake.

He has been making music in one form or another since childhood, when he soloed in a performance of his piano concerto âRhapsody #1â at age 9 in a school production, and had a band piece called âRough Draftâ performed a few years later. 

He turned to jazz and blues piano in his teens, but although he studied music theory and composition, he majored in mathematics, his first love, receiving his B.A. in 1968. He was always intrigued by the connections between music and math, and made some early experiments at computer composition in the late sixties. 

His love for jazz deepened when he discovered the Blue Note catalog at age 20, starting with Jimmy Smith, Art Blakeyâs Jazz Messengers, Lee Morgan, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Bill Evans. He still plays keyboard in various styles, but has not recorded his improvised music.

In 1999, he ran across a relatively simple fractal music generative program called Musinum, created by Dr. Lars Kindermann in Germany, who left it available as freeware and then moved on to other projects. Most of the sample music created by Musinum users was brief and (with a few notable exceptions) primitive, but the power inherent in the algorithms employed intrigued Doyle.

Posted by marilyn roxie 20 September 6 Permalink

King Elizabeth’s MIAMI (VULP-0038) is the follow-up to previous Vulpiano Records release Obsessive Desires (2011). King Elizabeth is a true solo artist, performing all the vocals and instrumentation, beginning in 2002 in Staffordshire, England. With influences including Joy Division, The Cure, U2, Stone Roses, The Associates, Comsat Angels, and John Digweed, the sounds of MIAMI hearken back to the heyday of post-punk and synth-pop, but without forgoing a modern edge and individual style. MIAMI opens gradually with a creeping electro-industrial tune, “On These Streets”. Stand-out tracks “Fame”, “The American”, and “Blue Lagoon” incorporate funky guitar elements into a dreamy a synth soundscape. “Miami Sunrise” closes the album nicely with a combination of aspects found across this album that make it so enjoyable - an extended intro, danceability, and insistent vocals.

Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/?7w7fvrf95l3m8a2

King Elizabeth: MySpace | Facebook

—-Tracklisting—-

1. On These Streets

2. The American

3. Blue Lagoon

4. Touch Me Some More

5. City Of Love

6. Fame

7. Miami Sunrise

Posted by marilyn roxie 1 February 5 Permalink

the narrow musketeer’s self-titled release (VULP-0037) is out now! The new incarnation of Le Fils des Trois Mousquetaires (Belgium) includes some Le Fils tracks reworked and mastered, while preserving a lo-fi atmosphere and even making use of background noise to create a faux violin effect (“ripper wave”), as well as new material. As ever, the artist is shrouded in obscurity, greeting the potential listener with a surreal net art-savvy cover. the narrow musketeer is melancholy, melodic, and mysterious, beginning with a a stand-out opener, “ripper wave”, and carried forth with sweet sadness in songs like “easy girl”, “entomology”, and “rockets”. Grunge-esque “porcelain flu” turns the mood around in a surprisingly fun direction, before the mood slowly shifts back to the tender acoustics the narrow musketeer is so adept at, with “the island”. Overall, the narrow musketeer has succeeded in honing a sound and mood of their own, unafraid to add in a few surprises (“porcelain flu” and several curious interlude tracks) in between.

Download here: http://thenarrowmusketeer.bandcamp.com/

Also available to purchase on CD: http://thenarrowmusketeer.bigcartel.com/

the narrow musketeer: Official site | Facebook | Last.fm

Launch Party: January 25th 8:00pm, at Au Zwanzeur: 11 Avenue Jean Volders, 1060 Saint-Gilles, Brussels (Belgium). Click here for flyer.

—-Tracklisting—-

1. ripper wave

2. don’t wake

3. easy girl

4. another zero

5. another one

6. entomology

7. gatekeeper

8. the song that i never wrote

9. porcelain flu

10. rockets

11. the island

12. bicycle

—-Album Concept—-

Somewhere in the 16th century, some people are inclined to believe that William Shakespeare didn’t exist.
In 1929, in Paris, heroicomic novel is being issued.
Meanwhile, in 1942…
The 8th of September 1957, a young man breaks his brother’s guitar.
Later, some discover that William Shakespeare did indeed never exist, but that all his works have been written by an unknown writer, also named William Shakespeare.
January 2012, release of the album « The Narrow Musketeer »
Around 2049, a wormhole, created by mistake after an unlucky collision of particles, leads to a revival of the 90’s pop…

Posted by marilyn roxie 17 January 2 Permalink

Following single release “Homecoming” on Vulpiano Records, King Elizabeth’s full length album Obsessive Desires (VULP-0032) is out now. A solo artist playing all instruments and performing all vocals, King Elizabeth’s adeptness at establishing an atmosphere of vintage post-punk and synth-rock coolness, interpreted through a unique, modern lens. Stand-out tracks like “Obsession”, “Carnival”, “Homecoming”, “Hurricanes”, and “Elusive You” profoundly illustrate the variety of moods found on this LP, from despair to hope and cycling around again, ultimately “an atmospheric journey which is dark, with shimmering flecks of light.”

Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/?rjehfykqqza4q6l

King Elizabeth: MySpace | Facebook | Last.fm

—-Tracklisting—-

1. Obsession

2. A Million Dollars

3. Carnival

4. Homecoming

5. Hurricanes

6. Elusive You

7. Wake Up Slowly

8. Fire

9. Rise and Fall

10.Bend and Break

11.Desire

Posted by marilyn roxie 15 June 3 Permalink

Following the single release of the same title, VULP-0026 is Richey Hackett’s eighth album Flawed Above Bored. Described by Hackett as much more stripped down than his previous release, Flawed finds Hackett rising out of the darkness of Void Songs and into lighter atmosphere even when the subject matter is heavy, with a strong sense of melody (“Breakdown in Communication”) and moving guitar work (“Modern Paranoia”, “Never Gonna Be Famous”). Stand-out tracks here include “Modern Paranoia”, “Flawed Above Bored”, and the churning, mysterious “To Bring Me Around”. Album cover designed by Ben Enser.

Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/?yx1oj3y8ej5ax9i

Richey Hackett: MySpace | Last.fm

—-Tracklisting—-

1. A Thing Like Me

2. Go Ahead

3. Incubator

4. Breakdown in Communication

5. Modern Paranoia

6. Flawed Above Bored

7. Soundtrack Trauma

8. Never Gonna Be Famous

9. To Bring Me Around

10. If I Die On a Sunday

Posted by marilyn roxie 4 April 1 Permalink

The latest album from Belgian artist Le Fils des Trois Mousquetaires (who originally had the honor of first album release on Vulpiano Records), elle dégrafa son anacoluthe et l’oublia sur le lit (VULP-0024), is another collection of delightful melancholy, and 22 (!) acoustic tracks in all. Highlights include “amnesia”, “porcelain flu”, and the closer “flavor”.

Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/?zpufeyf66r55nd4

—-Tracklisting—-

1. the bridge man

2. in the woods

3. ride

4. big hole

5. seagulls

6. smiling face

7. amnesia

8. time and space

9. easy girl

10. gatekeeper

11. rockets

12. another one

13. the doll

14. le ruban

15. who watches the watchmen

16. porcelain flu

17. the hole

18. hide and seek

19. entomology

20. carousel

21. bursting

22. flavor

Posted by marilyn roxie 13 February 5 Permalink

VULP-0023 is British synth pop/rock artist J.G. Hackett’s third album, Trans-Racial-Impression. In an era of exciting electronic experimentation combined with nods to retro synth styles, this album not only fits in but goes more than a little beyond expectation. With catchy beats and rhythm (“State of Flux”, “Too Many Times”) appearing alongside more harrowing numbers (“Johnny Drank His Own Future”) and truly stand-out tracks that deserve repeating, the previously highlighted “Dereliction” and moving closers “Where To Next?” and more organic sounding “Epitaph of the Architect”. The first album release for Vulpiano Records in the new year is one I’m quite proud of.

Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/?7bd6aunu6u133di

J.G. Hackett: Official Site | Last.fm | MySpace

—-Tracklisting—-

1. Can’t Get Away

2. State of Flux

3. Water Addict

4. Johnny Drank His Own Future

5. Too Many Times

6. Lose Yourself

7. Dereliction

8. Where To Next?
9. Epitaph of the Architect 

Posted by marilyn roxie 6 February 2 Permalink

Microscopes is the latest musical endeavor of prolific Rate Your Music artist Chris Hunter and vocalist and lyricist Fred. The cover may yield a clue to the ‘art pop’ genre tag applied to it, evident in splashes throughout VULP-0017, Points of Interest, though it is more of a curious odyssey in lo-fi electro-blues. Wheeling from eerie to romantic, soothing to jarring, Points of Interest is a veritable buffet of rich textures and emotional outpourings, “This is the Night” and “Those Summer Days” being favorite highlights of the lot. One to watch!

Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/?m5nwuwqj3jz

Microscopes: Rate Your Music | Last.fm

—-Tracklisting—-

1. This is the Night

2. Cloak and the Dirtied River

3. The Strangest Things

4. Pictures

5. Don’t Go Farther

6. Poem 65

7. Babe

8. Child’s Play

9. Wolfman

10. Those Summer Days

11. Dreams Don’t Mean Anything

Posted by marilyn roxie 24 July Permalink

VULP-0013 is Natural Snow Buildings’ first release of 2010, the free-for-download double LP The Centauri Agent! On part one, the 41 minute “Our man from Centauri” sets the stage, a cosmic, sprawling opener with themes that continue on into “The accidental remote viewer”, before fizzling out into static. Part two is comprised of nine beautiful and intense tracks (particular stand-outs including “The Psychic Circle/Uchronia”, “The storm of resurrection”, and “Solar flares”). Lovely and intricately woven as ever, while frequently heading off into new and challenging sonic territory, Mehdi and Solange have created yet another very special work of musical art with The Centauri Agent!

Download here (mp3 or FLAC):

http://vulpianorecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-centauri-agent

OR Download here (mp3): http://www.mediafire.com/?ntdmwuu2o5e

—-Tracklisting—-

Part One:
1-Our man from Centauri
2-The accidental remote viewer

Part Two:
1-The Psychic Circle/Uchronia
2-Black holes
3-The storm of resurrection
4-Moscow signal
5-Phantom twin
6-Stuttering probe
7-Solar flares
8-Emergency network farewell broadcast
9-Memories found in a bill from a small animal vet

—-

Cover art is by Marilyn Roxie, designed from Creative Commons images Alpha Centauri and the Batman Nebula (by jah~) and Swirl texture (by ~Essence of a Dream~). Font used is Poilet Taper.

Posted by marilyn roxie 17 March 143 Permalink

Vulpiano Records release VULP-0009, Ava Zandieh - Patterns and Drones. Ava (rackandruin on Tumblr) came across Vulpiano Records through me posting about it (as neonsigh). She introduced me to the project which she recorded for International Album Making Month in October of 2009. Patterns and Drones is the final version of that album, with some of the original songs included, some reworked, and brand new ones added in. Patterns and Drones is primarily piano-based and made ethereal through Ava’s soulful, yet light and airy vocals. Peaceful, yet introspective and somber, this album is one of our loveliest releases yet, and one that bears repeated listening.

Download it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?ljwlzknwjoh

Ava Zandieh: INAMM

Recommended Tracks: “Calendula” and “Any Moment Now”

Posted by marilyn roxie 25 January 2 Permalink

VULP-0008 is the latest Vulpiano Records release, Derek Piotr’s Alias Splinters Routine. In Derek’s own words…: “my ALIAS project is completed. for over a year i’ve toiled,crafting nine tracks,eight of them short and a longer final piece which incorporated my close friends and I uttering my definition for the word ALIAS: “an alias, that which is an alternate title for a person or object. another name that denotes a new purpose for a familiar thing. this new title may be the result of decisions or pressures either internal or external, and typically affects the associations or properties of that person or object at least somewhat dramatically. this new title can be a symbol of change or can simply occur because the old name has been issued to a replacement object.” I (Marilyn Roxie) even appear in the personnel, reading the definition for “alias” on the 9th track! Derek Piotr is easily one of the most uncompromising artists on Vulpiano thus far, blending field recordings and an array of sound collages, making Alias for a challenging, unique listening experience. Also recorded work under Pi.o.tr - see also related project Derseem (with Carahanni).

Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/?bnjtdngyk0n

Derek Piotr: Last.fm | Blog

Recommended Tracks: “Endless New” and “Alias”

Posted by marilyn roxie 25 January 1 Permalink

Vulpiano Records release VULP-0006, Vito Genovese - Dead Ends and Fire Extinguishers! Known primarily for a slew of electronic releases on Rate Your Music, Vito has recently put out what is surely his best album yet, blending harrowing lo-fi electronic elements with chugging white noise like steam, and more modern ambient-electronic pieces like “Rainy Bus Stop Afternoon” and “Warehouse Blues”. Recommended for any fan of ambient/electronic and video game soundtracks - download here!:

http://www.mediafire.com/?m5mmmwyznq3

Vito Genovese: Last.fm

—-Tracklisting—-

1. Overture Free Spirit         
2. Post       
3. Videocassette Recorder       
4. Comfortable Boil       
5. Rainy Bus Stop Afternoon
6. The Castle Arsonist, pt. 2   
7. The Apocalypse Spin       
8. Circus Mouse       
9. Trip Down the Stairs   
10. Yankees in the Pool
11. Carve
12. The Loiacanos, pt. 1
13. The Loiacanos, pt. 2
14. Dark Bedtime Story
15. He Visited Me Again
16. Warehouse Blues   
17. The Autumn Swingset   
18. Oh! Vintage!
19. Lagoon
20. Robbed!

Posted by marilyn roxie 21 January 3 Permalink

The first official album release from Vulpiano Records, Le Fils des Trois Mousquetaires - pendant ce temps-là, en 1942, VULP-0001. You can download it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?jxkiwzcndy5

Described as “Belgian songs falling from a plane”, this fellow does lovely acoustic tunes that would be perfectly fitting for a rainy day, or should you want to imagine yourself in the midst of a somber film scene with gray, dimly-lit streets around you. Le Fils des Trois Mousquetaires was one of my favorite independent artists on Last.fm when I first heard him months ago and I am very pleased to have his beautiful music be part of this label. How he describes his music: “I’d say I make a crossing between 60’s and 90’s pop, like the Kinks mixed with Nirvana, or Robert Wyatt with Lou Barlow, or the Zombies with Elliot Smith, or Nick Drake with Frank Black…”

Particularly recommended: “Invisible” and “Black Beauty”.

Le Fils des Trois Mousquetaires: Last.fm | MySpace

Posted by marilyn roxie 16 January Permalink