ambient | Musicosity

ambient

Julianna Barwick

Louisiana-bred, Brooklyn-based recording artist Julianna Barwick crafts ethereal, largely wordless soundscapes, all of which are built around multiple loops and layers of her angelic voice. Barwick, who credits a rural, church choir upbringing for her unique sound, begins most tracks with a single phrase or refrain, then uses a loop station and the occasional piano or percussive instrument to build the song into a swirling mass of lush, ambient folk.

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Röyksopp

Röyksopp is an electronic music duo formed in 1998 in Tromsø, Norway and currently based in Bergen, Norway. The band consists of Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge, both being songwriters, producers and remixers. They usually rely on the use of other vocalists for their songs and occasionally they perform the vocal parts. The Norwegian word "røyksopp" means puffball fungus (literally "smoke mushroom").

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Spoonbill

Spoonbill aka Jim Moynihan grew up in the bush north of Melbourne, Australia, discovering the excitement of playing the drums at the age of 12. He began playing gigs in pubs before legally being allowed to enter. As the years rolled on he moved into the realm of percussion and then shifted his concentration to electronic production, investing in his first sampler in 1998. He has won a range of audio production awards including the first place and peoples choice award, Electrovision, Melbourne Fringe Festival 2004 & 3rd place 2003.

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Bear in Heaven

Bear in Heaven is a Brooklyn-based rock band formed by Jon Philpot. The sound of the band incorporates influences from psychedelic music, electronic music and krautrock Jon Philpot has previously released music as part of the duo Presocratics, in collaboration with guitarist and composer Need Thomas Windham. Presocratics released two albums on the record label Table of the Elements in 2001; both were produced by Philpot.

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Spokes

Spokes are an alt-indie band based in Manchester, UK. Brought together in 2006 by a combination of boyhood friendships, family ties and a relentless love of recording and touring. They quickly made a name for themselves as a loud and passionate band as they travelled the country in cramped vans, steadily perfecting their ecstatic highs and devastating lows. In 2007 they recorded their debut EP People Like People Like You which combined their folk inflected indie with more flowing structures influenced by post-rock and classical music.

Dead Can Dance

Dead Can Dance is a band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1981 by Brendan Perry (baritone) together with Simon Monroe and Paul Erikson later to be joined by Lisa Gerrard (contralto). They disbanded in 1998, and temporarily reunited to do a highly successful world tour in 2005 with a view to recording another studio album together. In order to concentrate on their solo careers and due to ongoing personal differences between Perry and Gerrard, the project was, however, put on hiatus.

The Bakery

The Bakery are an 11 piece band from Sydney, Australia. With a sound that is a mixture of funk, reggae and ska these guys have some balls. They have two charismatic female singers whose vocals are comparable to the great Gwen Stefani but with a little more soul, and a five-piece horn section. Naughty lyrics and a playful nature this band has a loyal following, and their debut album launch sold out The Basement in Sydney. Emily Collins: Vocals
Rosie Henshaw: Vocals
James Maybury: Trumpet
Dave Dziedzic: Trumpet

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Tobias Thomas

As a member of Koln, Germany's Kompakt camp of experimental techno artists, Tobias Thomas takes on remix duties, occasionally produces, and also spins records as a DJ. In addition to his own releases on Kompakt sublabels such as NTA and Kreisel 99 (including productions as a duo with Michael Mayer), Thomas released a 2000 mix CD on Kompakt titled Für Dich. Three years later, he followed it up with Smallville, another mix for Kompakt.

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Zola Jesus

Zola Jesus is the endeavor of a solitary girl named Nika Roza Danilova to simultaneously combat and invoke the approaching apocalypse using the only weapon/offering she has: her voice. After a decade of opera study and a musical awakening involving such varied inspiration as Billboard bubblegum, classical arias, no wave, avant industrial, she was able to thread her influences into a sound uniquely her own.