Nexsound – experimental, ambient, noise, improv record label

Review

Twilight-zone

I/DEX – Seqsextend

This album was released in 2002 by Vitaly Harmash, an electronic artist from Byelorussia. It’s a work that creates soft meditations inserted in several sonorities, which go from ambient more minimalist to an abstract and lounge electronica. The 13 traces, strongly “informatic”, flow away smartly among light droney infrastructures and fluctuating iridescent organs, the semplicity of the melodies approaches to interesting glitch-noise experimentations, bright structural enrichments to satisfy completly the aural contemplation of the listener. Cathartic lo-fi oscillations which chase diligently new stylistic distances, digging in the difficult dimension of the astonishment, in order to catch up a satisfactory and brilliant creative target. Territories and environments out of focus with the contagious splendour of the thematic features, and beguiled by ductile percussive projections. The inexhaustible soothing nature of the glitch-ambient.

Unmute

I/DEX – Seqsextend

Uscito nel 2002, quest’album del bielorusso Vitaly Harmash e formato da morbide meditazioni inserite in sonorita che vanno dall’ambient piu minimale all’electronica piu soft e astratta. I 13 brani dai titoli fortemente “informatici” scivolano via elegantemente tra leggere infrastrutture droney e fluttuanti tastiere iridescenti, la semplicita delle melodie si accosta ad interessanti sperimentazioni glitch-noise, nitidi arricchimenti strutturali capaci di soddisfare completamente la contemplazione aurale dell’ascolatore. Catartiche oscillazioni lo-fi che inseguono diligentemente nuovi percorsi stilistici, scavando nella difficile dimensione dello stupore, per raggiungere poi un soddisfacente e brillante traguardo compositivo. Territori e ambienti sfocati dal nitore contagioso delle linee tematiche, e cullati da duttili proiezioni percussive. L’inesauribile indole lenitiva del glitch-ambient.

Vital

I/DEX – Seqsextend

I/DEX is one Vitaly Harmash operating out of Belarus and here he offers up a collection of different styles of contemporary electronica from clicks n cuts, dub & idm. His goal here is one of creating mood music for your home or work, a little something to brighten your mood. As background music it works really well, as Harmash displays adroitness in arranging hiss, static, beats into pleasant compositions. The opening track is one of my favorites, a walking bass line coupled with static noise textures. The fourth track entitle .DOC is a droning loop that I wish was longer than just three minutes. While listening to this cd I lost my sense of time, to the point that I felt the cd was going on for way too long. Perhaps its because there are no silences between tracks and Harmash succeeds in transporting the listener into a different time. (JS)

Aversionline

I/DEX – Seqsextend

This curious experimental project hails from Belarus and offers up herein over an hour’s worth of chilled out experimental electronics based largely around smoothly flowing bass drones and hums, light glitches and crunchy textures, etc. The label describes the work as “crossing the borders of minimal techno, IDM and microsound”, which may or may not be true, I’m not all that familiar with such genres, but I like this. In a sense it’s quite rhythmic sometimes, even musical, but in a very subtle sense. It’s really quite atmospheric, and I enjoy it a lot. Tracks like “Rand” introduce subtle beats in the distance amongst ethereal synth tones and textures that create a really lush composition. There’s definitely a soundtrack sort of vibe going on in a way, but it’s a weird mix of being both dark and mildly upbeat, so I could imagine the music backing a commercial of some sort more so than scoring a film or anything. Granted “Evox” is a much darker piece, topping six minutes and using some tribal sounding percussion behind eerie synths and faint harmonies. The recording quality is great, everything is nice and clear, and the details of the panning and layering come across nicely. The CD comes in a simple gatefold digipack that’s all done in shades of bright pink and white, with blocky text and abstract imagery. It’s all got kind of a “digital” aesthetic to it, and looks very simple and consistent. It’s a very consistent release as a whole, in all honesty. Visually, sonically, etc. I wouldn’t say there’s a great deal of variation from song to song, and it can become tedious as a result of that (due to the CD’s total running time of more than an hour), but at the same the consistency helps things along. It makes sense and fits the approach of the material. All in all this very cool, and I’m curious to hear more both from this project and the record label.

premonition

I/DEX – Seqsextend

Rien a voir avec “Seqsextend”, l’album de I/Dex (Nexsound), d’ou se degage une atmosphere extremement plaisante et apaisante. La profondeur et la fluidite des compositions tres ambient de ce Bielorusse enveloppent des la premiere ecoute l’auditeur dans un cocon ouate qui le transporte hors du temps. Craquements jazzy, fremissements purement electroniques et elements organiques se melent sereinement pour le plus grand plaisir de nos oreilles. On pense parfois a la fragilite de Sogar. Une veritable bulle d’oxygene a recommander a tous les citadins stresses.

de:bug

I/DEX – Seqsextend

Definitiv eins der schonsten Nexsound Releases diese neue Platte von I/DEX. Sehr ruhige knisternde Stucke mit melodischen Basslines und einer Stimmung die einem wie ein warmer Wind entgegenblast und einem den Tag versusst. Das Info empfiehlt einem in bester Easy Listening Manier daraus Klingeltone zu machen und es Laut uber die Autoanlage zu blasten. Skurril aber gerecht, denn die Platte ist einfach magisch. Von Anfang bis Ende. Eine der schonsten clickenden Welten des Jahres in die man sich am liebsten wie in ein Federbett einwickeln mochte.
bleed *****

Igloo

I/DEX – Seqsextend

After multiple listens I can honestly say that this release is just as thrilling as the first time I plugged it in. Ukrainian label Nexsound continues growing new projects that are far from the mainstream (Muslimgauze, Andreas Berthling, Kim Cascone). Vitaly Harmash is I/Dex, who has been actively recording since 1997. It is a multitextural ambient chill session that bends fluidly and seems somewhat unscripted. If you like early work on labels like 12K, Meme or Digital Narcissus this will be your feast. Provocative atmosphere, induced by hushed harmonies and raspy percussion. This is quiet music meant to be played loud to robustly enhance its subtleties. – TJ Norris