Spekk is a one man label whose intent is to traverse the borders of form and formlessness,
sound and silence. Fellow travellers in these sonic territories include the likes of Touch and 12k.
The delicacy of the music released on Spekk is paralled by the beautiful design of the book-format
card folders in which its CDs are presented. Small Melodies is the label's first compilation which,
alongside more familiar names such as the likes of Oren Ambarchi, Stephan Mathieu and Taylor
Deupree, presents nine less well-known artists. The title appears to be lifted from Mathieu's
concluding piece and suggests an interesting opening out of the concept of melody into a wider,
less easily-defined realm. Ultra Milkmaids ease the listener in gently with crinkly silver leafed spirals
that twist and turn in fragile, brittle movement. So tactile-sounding is this piece that it seems
possible you might reach out and touch it. Gorgeous. Sofar's For A Pulse Or Two mixes grit into
its wooshes and microcosmic digital signals into its flow. Listen too intently and flurries of sound
like warm snow may mist the eyes, reducing vision to a minimum. Best not to listen whilst driving
or handling machinery. The title of Tomoyoshi Date's contribution is endearingly apt: Sunnyside
Suns And Sounds tinkles and flutters like a mechanised stream made from tinplate, bamboo and
autumn leaves. There's a thrumming industriousness to the wishwash patterning that recalls
sunlight on lapping water. Shapes emerge and disappear with wistful abandon. The result is an
essay in loveliness which conveys a carefree embrace of sonic beauty reminiscent of Brian Eno's
work. Taylor Deupree's For Nicholas goes subterranean. Movements flicker in dim cavelight,
sounds of stone upon stone reverberate from distant corners. The term 'Ambient' is far too crude
and diffuse a description to apply to these twelve pieces. Best to set aside labels and listen openly.
Do so and these little continents, worlds, forms are a delight to explore.
Bei Spekk gibt man sich immer sehr viel Mühe bei der Covergestaltung. Der Sampler "Small Melodies" ist da insofern eine Ausnahme, als dass er den ohnehin schon hohen Design-Standard noch mal überbietet: Auf den etwas überformatigen Pappschuber sind diesmal auf den weißen Untergrund silber glänzende Blätter gestanzt. Sehr edel und feinsinnig sieht das aus und ist damit ganz im Sinne der musikalischen Beiträge. "Small Melodies" bietet einen Überblick über die Künstler, die die minimale elektronische Musik in den letzten Jahren geprägt haben. Von 12k-Chef Taylor Deupree über Jürgen Heckel alias Sogar, Dan Abrams Projekt Fenton bis zu Labelbetreiber Nao Sugimoto und seiner japanischen neo-empfindsamen Minimalismus-Avantgarde-Posse. Trotz der verschiedenen musikalischen Ansätze klingt "Small Melodies" wie aus einem runden, warmen Guss und markiert in einer geschlossenen Track-Dramaturgie den Status Quo der Szene. Und der hört sich vielversprechend an, denn man scheint sich zumindest im Spekk- und 12k-Umfeld von den Sinus-Frequenz-Geräusch-Orgien abzuwenden und mehr in eine Richtung Listening zu orientieren. Mir gefällt das, denn so kann experimentelle Musik dort gehört werden, wo sie doch eigentlich am meisten Sinn machen würde: im Alltag. "Small Melodies" jedenfalls funktioniert wie ein freundlicher, aufmerksamer und rücksichtsvoller Begleiter. (hl)
If they are things like small melodies, there should also be big melodies? 'Small' here is the same as 'warm', 'intimate' and 'calm'. Spekk's operator Mondii collected thirteen people from the world of laptops, and asked them to make a track around these notions of small melodies, and he added one himself. It reads like a whose who of laptopmusic, with Taylor Deupree, Sogar, Ultra Milkmaids, Herve Boghossian, Tape, Oren Ambarchi, Fenton, Anderegg and Stephan Mathieu, plus a few I never heard of such as RdL (with Mondii as a member), Mondii himself, Aen, Naph and Tomoyoshi Date. Even when the melodies are small there is some variation to be noted throughout: some use solely field recordings such as Naph and Aen, while others combine their subtle laptop doodling with real instruments, such as the likewise subtle guitar playing of Tape, Ambarchi or Fenton. The 'real' instruments play a bigger role in the second part of this CD. Did Mondii succeed with this CD, and are the 'small' tracks warm and calm? I think so. I played them at a softer volume (alright, I'll admit that), but the overall relaxing atmosphere worked quite well. Warm, calm and intimate. A good mate for lonely and cold winter-nights. (FdW)
The first compilation on the Spekk label is somehwat a success - a minimalist ambient album featuring an array of peaceful harmonic compositions to daydream to or accompany you into a semi-sleep state - at least that's how I enjoyed it.
14 contributions are included from a variety of artists, starting with Ultra Milkmaids' My Electric Laddy Land - featuring slithering chimes that fall into place like an array of melodic snowflakes. The Tomoyoshi Date track Sunnyside Suns & Sounds has a similar resonance - with bells and harp tones intertwining over warmly toned backgrounds.
Ambient composer Taylor Deupree is already well known on the circuit, and he delivers For Nicholas, a micro-textured ode to his son, but probably my favourite track on the compilation is the following Herve Boghossian piece, The Latter. This has a really sumptuous swelling ambience - all created via processed guitar, it's really quite immersing.
Elsewhere, the Aen track Flim, takes some field recordings and blends them with varying paced tones - the first of three tracks by Japanese artists incuding Naph (Village) - again dreamily picturesque, with the soft sounds of chattering nightlife accompanying a hollow tone and interluding microscopic particles.
One of the more accessible tracks is Tape's Star Skid, featuring some silkily plucked guitar set to what sounds like radio transmissions - and later, modulating synth sounds - blissfully relaxing. Other entries arrive via, Sogar, Oren Ambarchi, Fenton, RdL, Anderegg, Stephan Mathieu and label owner, Mondii - who all play with similar minimalist fequencies and atmospheres as expressed throughout the opening half of the compilation.
It takes a little time to grow on you - mainly because it has more abstract tendencies, but if you like to get interactive with your ambient music - sleep/dose/snooze/work - then Small Melodies will be a decent addition to your collection.
L'exercice est, on le sait, devenu incontournable. Il existe sans doute mille et une raisons pour qu'un label, aussi estimable qu'il soit, se mette à réaliser une compilation. Cette structure étant trop jeune et ayant un catalogue pour le moins réduit ce disque ne saurait être sa représentation. Nao Sugimoto aka Mondii (et aussi membre de RdL) a demandé à plusieurs artistes qu'il considère, à juste titre, comme proche de la ligne de Spekk, d'interpréter musicalement et ce de manière personnelle le terme "Small Melodies". Même si l'idée n'est pas d'une originalité folle cette compilation permet d'avoir un léger panorama de ce qui peut se faire de mieux en termes de musique électronique minimale. Bien sur on retrouvera quelques-uns des sociétaires de Spekk comme Taylor Deupree ou Stephan Matthieu (même si ces derniers sont assez volatils en terme de productions discographiques) mais des pointures incontournables comme Hervé Boghossian (Raster Noton, List), Ultra Milkmaids, Oren Ambarchi ou Sogar. Sugimoto met évidemment la main à la pâte avec Mondii et RdL mais il nous permet de découvrir (ou redécouvrir) des artistes plus confidentiels (Fenton, Anderegg, Aen, Tape...).
Chacun ici aura su mener à bien la tâche à laquelle ils étaient assignés. Des petites mélodies, fragiles, incarnation parfaite du minimalisme électronique, du rêve à tous les étages. Ici prédomine une certaine idée de la lenteur et des ambiances cristallines. On se remet à comprendre ce qu'est une musique d'une pureté polaire. En un peu plus d'une heure on se rend compte que ce disque est un véritable manifeste pour une musique qui ne concerne encore aujourd'hui qu'un public averti. Le problème, si jamais cela en est un, est que cette musique ne s'adressera jamais à un autre type d'audience. Si particulière dans son aspect elle appelle à une sensibilité qui ne peut que ravir les fans de musique ambient. Small Melodies cependant loin d'être monolithique et reste un raffinement sonore qui peut très largement servir d'introduction à un genre dont la quête est la recherche du beau et des sonorités parfaites. (Fabien)
A cent lieues des précédentes références parues sur
le label japonais Spekk (albums de Taylor Deupree, William Basinski et Richard
Chartier), plutôt hermétiques et arides, la compilation Small
Melodies réunit différents artistes de la sphère digitale,
chargés d'élaborer leurs compositions autour du concept de création
d'une musique dans laquelle doivent primer chaleur et harmonie. Entre
électronique veloutée et cotonneuse (Ultra Milkmaids, Tape),
feutrée, suave et moelleuse (Oren Ambarchi, Mondii), ouatée,
onctueuse et douillette (Stephan Mathieu et Taylor Deupree, chacun ayant
dédié leur titre à leur progéniture), Small
Melodies présente une collection fort cohérente et
homogène - un brin trop uniforme? - de petites douceurs de toute
beauté. Indispensable pour passer l'hiver au chaud.
Wer an dieser Stelle öfters einmal bei uns vorbeischaut, weiß vielleicht, dass der Rezensent kein großer Freund von Compilations ist. Doch Ausnahmen bestätigen ja bekanntlich die Regel und so ist "Small Melodies" eine der ganz wenigen Compilations, die ganz hervorragend am Stück zu hören sind und die übliche Heterogenität und Bruchstückhaftigkeit von Samplern glücklicherweise nicht aufweisen. Vielmehr überrascht die Platte mit einem sehr schlüssigen und fast schon in sich geschlossenen Konzept, das vom zauberhaften und ungemein ansprechenden Artwork bis zur nicht minder begeisternden Musik reicht. Die konzeptionelle Vorgabe von Labelbetreiber und Initiator Nao Sugimoto an die beteiligten Künstler war lediglich der Titel "Small Melodies" mit einigen Attributen wie warm, sanft oder zart. Und genau das ist auch dabei herausgekommen. Die Tracks befinden sich allesamt im Spannungsfeld von Minimal Electronic, analoger Herangehensweise und Field Recordings. Die beteiligten Künstler kennt man unter folgenden Namen: Ultra Milkmaids, Sogar, Tomoyoshi Date, Taylor Deupree, Herve Boghossian, Aen, Naph, Tape, Oren Ambarchi, Fenton, RdL, Anderegg, Mondii, Stephan Mathieu. Was sehr digital beginnt, hüllt sich später in zunehmend organische, analoge Klänge, die immer wieder durch ihre unaufdringliche Art und Weise begeistern können. Ein subtiles Stück Musik, das zusammen mit dem genialen und ebenfalls minimalistischen Artwork eine ungemein spannende Symbiose eingeht und jedem ans Herz gelegt sei, der sich für abstrakte elektronische Musik zu begeistern weiß. Schönere und passendere Musik kann man sich für diese Jahreszeit nur schwerlich vorstellen. (Matthias)
Hier geht's weiter: diese herausragende Compilation ist ein unspektakulärer Meilenstein zeitgenössischer Musik, die ich euch in diesen kalten Tagen umso wärmer ans Herz legen möchte. Wer bislang wenig Zugang zu digitalem Minimalismus hatte, wird hier nicht durch Sperrigkeit oder Konzept verschreckt, sondern erhält beim Öffnen seiner Ohren aurale Sonnenstrahlen direkt ins Gehirn. Das Tokyoter Label vergaß absichtlich alle mathematischen Musikspielchen und fragte nach Kompositionsschlüsselwörtern wie Wärme, Zärtlichkeit und Beruhigung. Die Ergebnisse: rein digitale Tracks wie auch Prozessierungen analoger Elemente wie Wind oder Luft.
Ein kleines Konzeptalbum für die stillen Tage mit der schlimmen Beleuchtung:
Das Spekk-Label hat Soundarbeiter wie Aen, Naph, Tape, Fenton oder Sogar gebeten,
ihren Beitrag zum Überthema 《Small Melodies》 beizusteuern und sich an die Stichworte
《warm》, 《zärtlich》 oder 《ruhig》 zu halten. Das ergibt dann natürlich keine Ravebrüller,
sondern eben Askese, Kontemplation und stille Einkehr auf 63 Minuten. Der Sampler vereinigt
Laptop-Programmierung, field recordings und eher bandorientierte Songs, bleibt dabei aber
enorm homogen. Der flirrende Listeningsound steht im Vordergrund, wird dabei aber immer
wieder aufgebrochen durch unterschiedliche Interpretationen der Künstler davon, was
《kleine Melodien》 sein sollen. Im exquisiten Silberschuber.
"Small melodies" is one of the nicest compilations that I've heard
recently, gathering fourteen artists mostly active in the minimal
electronica area who were given instructions about sending music
"with keywords like warm, tender and calm". The result is a gentle
album where many possibilities are explored by each composer with
good synchronization between heart and technique, making the whole
listening experience a pleasant exercise in relaxation. Given the
coherence and the warming glow of most of these pieces, I really
wouldn't want to single out names; but there are several moments
deserving a heartfelt applause, case in point being "Film" by Aen -
found sounds, shortwaves and a gorgeous loop, the record's atypical
best. RDL's "Finale" is another loop construction which penetrates
the surface of thought effortlessly, while Herv・Boghossian's "The
latter" could melt the ice of nonchalance with its peculiar small
universe of static counterpoint. Both Stephan Mathieu and Taylor
Deupree dedicated their tiny fragments to sons, while Oren Ambarchi
shows his Enoesque side in "Thirsty boots". More delightful
pureness comes from Sogar and Brendon Anderegg - but I stress that
the true significance of this collection is best caught in its
whole structure, made of intimate emotion and intelligence.
Prima compilation per la giovanissima label Spekk. Quattordici brani, scritti appositamente per l'occasione da altrettanti musicisti. Unico vincolo nella composizione, dato dal label manager Mondii, il rispetto del tema; ovvero ogni brano deve ricreare il concetto di Small Melodies. Tra gli artisti spiccano Taylor Deupree (For Nicholas), Stephan Mathieu (Small Melody), Hervè Bogossian (The Letter) e lo stesso Mondii (Between). Curato in ogni aspetto, notevole il packaging, Small Melodies è senz'altro un ottimo album con sonorità che spaziano dal Glitch (My Electric Ladyland) all'ambient più impalpabile (For Nicholas).
Look at the artwork. Just take a good look at how crisp, how beautiful and how thoughtful it is. Stylized, minimalist and just plain delightful... much like the label it's released on.
Spekk is run out of Tokyo by Nao Sugimoto, otherwise known as Mondii and a member of Rdl, and is an avenue specifically created for him to explore the otherworldly sounds of contemporary digital minimalism.
Let's get one thing straight though, "Small Melodies" is a CD that's considerably more friendly and warm than the previous releases and whilst it doesn't so much mark a departure in style, it certainly has a more accessible feel than the ultra-minimal works from artists such as William Basinski, Richard Chartier, John Hudak, Boca Raton and Taylor Deupree – with the exception, maybe, of Andrey Kiritchenko's superb "True Delusions". It takes a broad look at the micro-genre of melodic, organic Electronic Minimalism and features such a superb track-listing - by artists both known and not so well known - that one feels it's going to be special even before listening to it... and it really is.
The opening track by the Ultra Milkmaids is a suitably grand beginning with its spatial stereo stabs and flexible programming. It leads you along by building on the chord structures to create an almost symphonic, mid-range drone of sound that's beautifully melodic without losing any of its edge. Slivers of rhythm cut through and whispers of ghostly percussion become clear. It's a fantastic intro that hints to the listener of the delights that are coming their way.
Sogar and Tomoyoshi Date provide the following two tracks and, although on the surface they share a similar sound, that of a light and airy organic / electronic hybrid, the tracks are distinctly different. Sogar's is a more hypnotic, looped style with layers of melodic found-sounds melding into one delightful piece. Micro-textures flow in the background with little captured samples providing punctuation to the flowing chords. Tomoyoshi paints a more overtly melodic picture with a playful, melodic sound that's not a million miles away from some of Plop's (another Nao Sugimoto-related label) output. Lustrous strings and reversed instruments create a swathe of fairytale sound.
Leave it to Taylor Deupree to show why he's easily one of the leading lights of the contemporary digital minimalist scene. His contribution "For Nicholas" is a textbook track that uses incredibly detailed sound design and a cleverly reduced style to convey warmth, depth and emotion through isolationism.
Raster Noton and List's Hervé Boghossian lends himself to organic manipulations and his previous guitar work has been provoking thoughts and enchanting listeners for some time. His track "The Latter" has a more sculptural feel than some of his other material, but it works so well. The closest I can get to describing it is to compare it to the backing noise of a Seefeel record ("Time to Find Me" springs immediately to mind). The swell and flow is incredibly fluid and immerses the listener fully. Guitars are still the source of the sound, but here they take on another dimension.
Following this is a trio of, what I would describe as, pure Japanese Electronica. Aen, Naph and Tape (*note: Tape is from Sweden) all deliver deeply melodic, organically laced tracks that are delicate, fragile, achingly melancholic and feature some wonderful background found-sounds. Regardless of whether they are Japanese artists or not, they've truly found a natural home here and their contributions are immaculate and, again, not too far removed from the Plop label.
Long-standing sound artist Oren Ambarchi is completely at home with his track "Thirsty Boots"; a low-key, drone based piece of work that has a gentle touch and an oriental feel. The bell-like tones are as soothing as kneeling at a Shinto shrine and as deep as Lake Biwa.
Fenton (aka Dan Abrams, aka Shuttle358) shouldn't need much introduction and the track he has produced for this album is very pretty indeed. Guitars are the key element and he has a way of plucking the strings that avoids the clichés of Folk and Country and stays considerably deeper and more hypnotic. Gentle manipulation of the background sounds lends it a slightly eerie feel with a high-pitched whine working its way into the listeners head. Ultimately, the track is friendly and easygoing.. surely not a bad thing?
With some subtle filtering and construction, Rdl give us "Finale" a hypnotic, soothing track that uses gentle layering to build the track into a morphing, swaying soundtrack. A soundtrack to what? Your imagination will easily conjure up images that sit with this wonderful piece of music. Re-occurring motifs and loops provide points of reference for the listener to hold onto as the track changes over time becoming almost hymn-like and spiritual by the end. Delicious.
Apestaartje's Anderegg once more proves that he can manipulate organic sounds and create lush noise scapes with the best of them. This bears some resemblance to Boghossian's track earlier on the CD, but has a slightly lighter air and an insistent high frequency sound that lurks in the background keeping the listener attuned at all times.
Under his Mondii moniker, Nao Sugimoto gives us one of the highlights of the album with the divine "Between" – a shimmering, shining example of how to coax melody out of machines. Forest floors, sunlight through trees, twinkling stars.. all of these things spring readily to mind when engaging with this fascinatingly detailed work. It comes across as effortless, though, and the gentle guitar plucking that makes up the sonic backdrop add a touch of humanity to an otherwise other-worldly piece of work. Haunting.
Finally, Stephan Mathieu sees the CD out with a soft and glistening track that's full of grace, depth and melody, but always seems to hold itself back – never getting over-the-top or too sweet and sickly – leaving the listener wanting more and more.
"Small Melodies" is the kind of album that reaffirms ones faith in music and should easily charm enough people to make this a firm favourite of the year and another supremely confident release from Spekk.
Quite simply superb.
