Low Level Listening

From the band’s groundbreaking 1982 self-titled release, “NCR” merges post-punk attitude with rhythmic electronics in a tense, sombre yet serene tone and has been a favourite for a long time.

An atmospheric and melancholy electronic track from the album Kosmos (1978) by Tomita, spurred on by hearing his soundtrack from the film Demon Pond.

World Of Rubber by UK post-punk duo Second Layer was lucky find from many years ago, and its closing track “Black Flowers” a moody fave.

Now for an artist I don’t know much about: Ziggurath and his most recently released album of fantasy-tinges ambiences, True North (2024).

“Wheel Of Earth” is a track from one of several early cassette releases that came out in the early 80s from American sound composer Robert Rich.

The holiday season is here and for various reasons I sort of singled out Mick Karn‘s 1982 album Titles as one to soundtrack the festive period.

A magical, icy instrumental number called “Dark River” from Coil‘s third album, Love’s Secret Domain, that has had some lasting power for me.

With the atmosphere of winter kicking in, a re-listen of the work of American composer and sound artist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe seemed in order.

Michele Musser — also working as Michele Mercure — released a number of albums of experimental and exploratory synthesizer landscapes in the 1980s.

A hidden atmospheric number from the second side of “Yinglish”, the fourth and final collaboration of German musicians Gina X and Zeus Beheld.

A track by Caroline K with a solemn, Gregorian quality about it, including subtle shifts in phrasing and chords that each shift sort of changes the audio “colour”.