| September 2005 news
September 30, 2005
POST-ROCK FOR GEEKS
• tube'|024 - We shall say only the leaves - Exploding Whales
«Once a 'conventional' post-rock band, We shall say only the leaves are now more interested in electronic textures. They still have a live drummer and bits of live guitar, bass and tape-loops and Chicago post-rock influences, but they are much more than that now. 'Exploding Whales', their first release (after an mp3 demo on their website), is a collection of songs recorded this year, their second year of existence. You can hear Tortoise in the rich drum textures and some of the melodies, but there is so much more than that. 'Creation' starts with laid-back free drumming that turns into a beat, complete with dubby bass and what sounds like a one-note guitar sample, while 'Tight Circumference' starts with bits of static noise and guitar and soon turns into an almost-tribal beats extravaganza. The most post-rockish of all five tracks, 'Pomme de Terre' features a lazy, gentle guitar and an almost metallic (in the true sense of the word) beat. And then the record ends with what sounds like a tape disintegrating. This is their first real adventure yet, and although it shows a lot a promise for the future, you can enjoy it right now anyway.» - Rodrigo Nogueira
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September 26, 2005
JAPAN MEETS FRANCE
Funny shit: A french guy, using the alias Phoebus - not 'our' Phoebus, which is portuguese - loved so much our last release, by japanese artist AO, that made his own version of its two tracks. Guitar drones meet Electric piano.
Download it here.
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September 20, 2005
REVIEWS UPDATE
Many new reviews added, and here are some quotes from them:
«I think if I can find a way to purchase something by them I will.»;
«Simply amazing. This whole EP is just calm and beautiful. I can't get enough of 'An Exit'. 5 stars.»;
Both from tube'|010.
«I have the pleasure to listen to another Pitch Boys release, and just as expected, it is once again filled with precious electronic gems only forged by musicians that want to push the boundaries of electronica.»;
From tube'|011.
«A very strange trip into various fields of travelling.»;
From tube'|016.
«This is great work. All sorts of different diverse sounds!»;
From tube'|018.
«Great ep with many styles. I love it!»;
«'Red Horses'. A pleasingly weird & crunchy bit of techno from the netlabel Test Tube. This track evolves slowly and noisily into a swirling little wall of yum.»;
Both from tube'|019.
«Nicely done, wonderful vast virtual landscapes, creeping drones and gravity sweeping tones! Excelent all around!! 5+.»;
«La chaleur nous enveloppe au ralenti, poisseuse, dégoulinante, étouffante. Somptueuse vision, purement réaliste selon moi. Magnifique.»;
«Taking this music in conjunction with the summer - artwork gives an astonishing mood.»;
All from tube'020.
«Other variations include scraped percussion and a moire pattern of pizzicato action, but the real keeper, "Rhythm III", sounds, of all things, like ersatz African juju pop music, complete with sour bent notes.»;
«C'est plutôt une agréable surprise que ce Rythm 'n' Drones, même si les "drones" sont finalement assez discrets, ou du moins se rapprochent de ceux qu'un Freeform peut libérer de temps à autres.»;
Both from tube'|021.
«Darren McClure propose une ode électronique, limite new-age, pour le moins ambiante.»;
«Ein magisches click-release auf Test tube ist perfekt zum aufwachen…»;
Both from tube'|022.
«The piece ['Blue'], a 12-plus-minute drone, goes loud and wide quite quickly, as if it is dropping into view suddenly from an overhead cloud. It's a piercing work, like something U2 guitarist the Edge might play late at night when he's alone in his studio.»;
From tube'|023.
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September 17, 2005
ENDLESS GUITAR DRONES
• tube'|023 - AO - Endlessly, Sweetly and Slightly
«Guess what: another Japanese artist on test tube. AO - real name Aogu Yoshida - has previously released on MiMi, another portuguese based netlabel, and has to offer two long, brilliant and immersive space drones for our delight. Although fairly similar aestheticaly, these two pieces have distinct approaches on sound design.
'Blue' starts with a slight fade in, only to burst itself into a long cascade of acute drones, building on each other, saturating themselves in a religious and intense light side high.
'Thyme' seems identically at first, but its more like the follow up to the previous track. Its structure is the same, but to the trained listener, it feels like a second act, shorter, narrower and endlessly more violent.
Both pieces share the same threshold that exists between a beautiful and uplifting melody, and a darker, heavier trance-like drone. Guitar based computer music. Just close your eyes and let go of yourself.»
- Pedro Leitão
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September 14, 2005
NOVAS
Hi everybody,
Soon we will release tube'|023, an EP by AO. And one more before this month ends. Three in September!
Meanwhile, check some new reviews of our latest release.
Also, Phoebus - who opened test tube to the world with 'Peri Sable EP' - has a brand new website!
Check it out: www.phoebus.pt.vu.
And speaking of Phoebus, he will be playing live at this year's EME Festival, to be held at Igreja de Santiago, inside the Palmela's Castle. Palmela is a very small but very nice city near Setúbal, here in Portugal. Carlos Zíngaro, Nuno Rebelo, Freiband, Stephan Mathieu and Vitor Joaquim are some of the artists that will be there. It's next Thursday!
Later.
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September 01, 2005
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
• tube'|022 - Darren McClure - Unmoored
«Darren McClure comes from Japan and brings seven pieces of introspective and spatial ambient, of the dark kind. Opener 'Tap' breeds an intense drone since its childhood into a full blown adult, all in under four minutes. An excellent start. From here, Darren starts fiddling with a very wide pallete of sounds and frequencies: breaking glitches and examining computer entrails on 'Container'; Bleeps, digitized encounters, walls of low-frequency vibrations and melancholy on 'Pines and fall foliage'. Fall, indeed. 'Thaw' will either put you to sleep after 2 minutes, or put you together with your favorite drug for a 5 minute trip. This is the one you'll want inside your iPod, next to the Brian Eno ones, I hope. Next, we come to the title track. 'Unmoored' is the real dark one here. Heavy bass drones wrap around our heads, taking you to a landscape of electrical circuits. It's night, and the leds going on and off are the stars in the sky. The gravel under your feet feels like cinder, as you walk into an 'Afternoon walk'. Again, heavy drones whisper in the distance, like a storm announcing itself at your path. You'll arrive by 'Removing the last pieces'. Closing time for Darren's amalgam of bleeps and ubiquous drone sequences. Bleeps start unfolding, shutting down systems, winding down, going into sleep mode. Fade out.
Oddly enough, Darren's music doesn't fit the genre as we'd expect. His pieces are rather short, never getting to see the six minutes mark. They're concise, compact, everything included. In such a way that we'll come back for more, repeatedly.
One of my personal favorites this year. Thank you, Darren.»
- Pedro Leitão
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