Maple Death Vinyl & CDs

Review: Armed with a Yamaha Reface, Korg MS20, 90s Casio and 70s Gem organ, Roland Space Echo, Melos delay and spring reverb, Liverpool producer Ancient Plastix took a deep dive with this stunning ambient album, capturing the whole thing on the wonderfully textured Japanese Sansui machine. A six-track tape he picked up from an old raver-turned-father who was finally ready to part with his gear. "Musically, this album is more patient in its approach to the predecessor," says Plastix. "Recorded towards the end of lockdown in my high street basement below a used record shop, the arrangements reflect the personal era. No responsibility, no reasons to adhere to the previous patterns in my music making. As a result the album is a patient trawl through new discoveries and possibilities presented by improvising with old technology."

Review: Eternally Frozen Maple Death sounds like a dramatic way of describing some scientific process of natural mummification, but it's actually the name of this solo album by Italian drummer and composer Andrea Belfi. A tribute to Belfi's late father, who passed away in 2019, the album is composed of four long-form pieces that reflect on the themes of loss, memory, and time, all felt by Belfi in the moments afterwards. Minimal percussion, synthesizers, and tape loops combine across its breadth to form a meditative and melancholic sound, much like the moments of hollow 'frozen' stasis felt in the weeks and months after such an impactful life event.

Review: Berlin-based Italian drummer and composer Andrea Belfi has long been known as a true sonic explorer. His immersive soundscapes stretch space, time and texture and that's the case again here with new album Eternally Frozen. It was composed for drums, a three-piece brass ensemble and electronics, percussion and synthesizer and makes use of an ancient compositional technique where "an initial melody is imitated at a specified time interval by one or more parts, creating illusionary never-ending musical journeys." It's an endless cascade of timbre and tone that undulates like a distance hilly landscape and leaves you in a state of mindfulness like no other.

Review: Talk about the kind of album title that the world needs more of right now, Adam Badi Donoval brings together a host of musical talent - Adela Mede and Martyna Basta on vocals, Toma Niesner's guitar work, Andreas Dzialocha on bass guitar, field recordings by Ondrej Zajac and John Sampson, and Kepla's input via suona and cello - to offer up a meditative journey into deep, sometimes dark, sometimes lighter than air, and always very personal spaces. Tracks like 'When It All Falls Into Place' are deceptively rousing, '(G)Listen' is a serene slice of folktronica, while 'Time Passes Slowly When You're In A Submarine' celebrates the power of found sound and refrains. Sometimes Life Is Hard & So We Should Help Each Other is a subtle but bold thing of wonder, and once tapped is impossible to emerge unaffected from.

Review: Turin's reputation as an enclave of Italian alternative music and culture is well known. Southern Europe's Motor City has the stunning piazzas and palazzos we want from its country, but also the huge industrial areas, many now in decline or waiting to be redeveloped, that catalyse so much in electronic and industrial music. Meanwhile, a few miles beyond town we find spectacular countryside, national parks, mountain ranges, and inspiration for deep ambient. SabaSaba were born from and into this, and the duo have established themselves as one of the region's foremost purveyors of unusual tunes. Unknown City is a like a blueprint for what a contemporary horror score could be, whether that's the slow release of the John Carpenter-esque 'Night Plotters', haunting chants and shimmers of 'Wrists Free', eerie atmospheres of 'False Speech', or anything in between.

Review: Originally from way out West in Yukon, Konner Whitney has built up a presence on the outer edge of modern country by channeling the sound of Fred Neil, Harry Nilsson and other such heartworn travellers and folding in a subtle streak of punk rock. As well as his two solo albums for Maple Death in the past few years, Whitney has been touring extensively with a band who now form an intrinsic part of the project, and this live album captures them coming back to Montreal following an extensive European tour. It's the best scenario for a live gig - a set of players locked in unison and free to flow, coming home with something to show from their travels. As an introduction or an extended trip into Whitney's sound, this is a stellar LP which proves great, classic songwriting will never tire as an art form.