Atom Infant Incubator – Copula (1994)

Country: Italy

Tracklist

1. Segment 1 05:35
2. Segment 2 07:37
3. Segment 3 04:49
4. Segment 4 06:45
5. Segment 5 04:52
6. Segment 6 07:08
7. Segment 7 05:41
8. Segment 8 03:16
9. Segment 9 03:38
10. Segment 10 04:57
11. Segment 11 03:51
12. Segment 12 02:37
13. Segment 13 04:10

Atom Infant Incubator was a joint project between Paolo Beltrame (Die Sonne Satan) and Claudio Dondo (Runes Order).
"Copula" was their first offering and the duo here presents thirteen segments

of dark-narcoleptic ambient frequencies mixed with spacey and wandering tunes.
Released on CD format by Sempiterna Mutatio and on cassette by Misty Circles.

Memory

Lichium – Lichium (1996)

Country: Japan

Tracklist

1. Tamonation 01:38
2. Tamolia 08:56
3. Golfect For Justice 02:40
4. Tamorism 06:39
5. 万引き (Manviki) 05:07
6. オビズイジュンオサダイヒデカジウシザキ (Obi Zui Jun Osa Die Hide Kagi Ushi Zaki) 01:14
7. Tamoleon 06:06
8. 犬 (Inu) 04:08
9. 山登り (Yamanobori) 07:12
10. 河童伝説 (Kappa Densetsu) 05:42
11. Tamolia (デモバージョン) (Demo) 08:56

12. 魔王 (Bonus Track) 04:08

Lichium was a strange black metal/hardcore/punk band from Nagasaki/Tokyo, Japan that was formed in 1992.

Their lyrical content supposedly dealing with satirical comedy, golf (!),

Kazuyoshi Morita (aka Tamori, known for his trademark dark sunglasses) and parodies of the black metal genre/scene.

Their first self titled album was released in 1996 on the Japanese cult punk/hardcore/noise label 殺害塩化ビニール 

and is a mixture of keyboard based black metal with hardcore and punk elements,

featuring vocals from all of the three members of the project.
Their line up on the album consisted of Simura Sword (guitars/vocals), Zuijyu (keyboards/vocals) and Halawata (bass/vocals).
During the period 1996 to 2003 Lichium released several demos,performed live and participated in various compilations.
In 2011 their second and final album "Frozen Tamori" was released.

The memory link features the bonus track, "魔王",

that was taken from the 1997 compilation "殺害カバーオムニバス ~ 大熊小鹿馬場鶴田".

Memory

Kraken – Aquanaut (1999)

Country: Belgium

Tracklist

1. Liquid Enchantress / Lured Underneath 06:53
2. Demagogic Journey 08:21
3. Point Of Submersion / Maelstrom 07:36
4. Profound Aquatic Stasis 12:15
5. Descending Into The Abyss 09:00
6. Cerebral Core Of The Octopus / Hypnotic Preassure 02:58

Debut release for the project Kraken consisting of Ricardo Gomez and Joris Vermost.
The Belgian duo creates a perfect blend of lucid atmospheric ambient tunes with manipulated samples.
The result is a strange abyssal journey through the realm of neptunal underworlds.
Released on the Belgian Nautilus as a limited edition of 500 copies on heavy weight blue vinyl

of which 30 copies come in a large pizza-box that includes a t-shirt and postcards with seafood recipes.

Memory

Harry Bertoia – Unfolding (1993)

Country: Italy / United States

Tracklist

1. #1025 Unfolding 18:35
2. #1025 Sounds Beyond 15:02
3. #1032 Here And Now 21:04
4. #1032 Here And Now Part II 13:06

Arri Bertoia (March 10, 1915 – November 6, 1978) was an Italian-born American artist,

sound art sculptor, and modern furniture designer.
Bertoia was born in the small village of San Lorenzo, Friuli, Italy.
At age 15, given the opportunity to move to Detroit, and live with his older brother, Oreste.
Upon entering North America, his nickname of Arieto (little Arri) was altered to the Americanized Harry.
After learning English and the bus schedule, he enrolled in Cass Technical High School,

where he studied art and design and learned the skill of handmade jewelry making.
In 1936 he attended the Art School of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts, now known as the College for Creative Studies.
The following year in 1937 he received a scholarship to study at the Cranbrook Academy of Art 

where he encountered Walter Gropius, Edmund N. Bacon, Ray and Charles Eames, and Florence Knoll for the first time.
In 1939 after reopening the metal workshop, he began to focus his efforts on jewelry making,

even designing and creating wedding rings for Ray Eames and Edmund Bacon's wife Ruthtaught,

as the war effort made metal a rare and very expensive commodity.
When all the metal was taken up by war efforts, he became the graphics instructor.
Still at Cranbrook, in 1943 he married Brigitta Valentiner, and then moved to California

to work for Charles and Ray at the Molded Plywood Division of the Evans Product Company.
Bertoia also learned welding techniques at Santa Monica College and began experimenting with sound sculptures.
He worked there until 1946, then sold his jewelry and monotypes and worked with the Electronics Naval Lab in La Jolla.

In 1950, he was invited to move to Pennsylvania to work with Hans and Florence Knoll.

During this period he designed five wire pieces that became known as the Bertoia Collection for Knoll. 

Among these was the famous diamond chair, a fluid, sculptural form made from a welded lattice work of steel.
In his own words, "If you look at these chairs, they are mainly made of air, like sculpture. Space passes right through them."
The commercial success enjoyed by Bertoia's diamond chair was immediate.

It was only in 2005 that his asymmetrical chaise longue was introduced at the Milan Furniture Fair and sold out immediately.
In the 1960s, he began experimenting with sounding sculptures of tall vertical rods on flat bases.

He renovated the old barn into an atypical concert hall and put in about 100 of his favorite "Sonambient" sculptures.
Their sizes vary from a few inches all the way up to twenty feet tall.

Many metals were used for the rods, the most common being beryllium copper

known for its wide range of color variations and rich tones.

Some rods are capped with cylinders or drops of metal, resembling cattails,

which, by their weight, accentuate the swaying of the tonal rods and creating deep resonant tones.
Bertoia often recorded his sound experiments using overhead microphones and a 1/4" tape recorder.
He played the pieces in a number of concerts and even produced a series of eleven albums, all entitled "Sonambient,"

of the music made by his art, manipulated by his hands along with the elements of nature.
In 2016, these "Sonambient" recordings were re-issued by Important Records 

as a box set with a booklet of the history and previously unseen photos.
Three major documentaries featuring the barn and other pieces were released about Bertoia.
Learning of the dismal diagnosis of cancer in 1976 caused Bertoia to work furiously on organizing his monotypes,

perfecting the tonal barn collection, and putting his life’s work in order.

He had produced probably tens of thousands of pieces of art during his short life.

His work had consumed most of his time, much of his passion, and ultimately all of his energy.

The toxic fumes such as from the beryllium copper he so loved contributed to the lung cancer.

Yet, his death was peaceful, he felt complete, and he accepted dying as simply one more transitional part of life.

Harry Bertoia died at age 63 on November 6th, 1978 in his home,

and was buried beneath a giant gong behind his Sonambient barn.
The compilation "Unfolding" features two of the eleven albums of the "Sonambient" series,

"Unfolding / Sounds Beyond" and "Here And Now / Unknown" that was originally released on vinyl in 1978.

Memory

Angrenost – Evil (MCD 1998)

Country: Portugal

Tracklist

1. Inside The Starlight Tunnel 01:10
2. Cosmic Journey At The Night Skies 06:12
3. Timeless 02:52
4. Twilight Portal 07:30
5. Eternal Silence 02:04

Angrenost was formed in 1995 when Pursan and Ainvar (Storm Legion, Sirius) joined forces.
In 1997 they recorded in one afternoon at Pinguim Studios the demo-EP "Evil",

that was released in 1998 as a MCD by the label Andromeda Creations.
After many issues the band split apart by the end of 1998,

just before recording their debut album, and stayed in a coma for almost twelve years.
In 2010 Pursan reactivated Angrenost without Ainvar but with two new members,

Erdsaf (Bass, Drum programming) and Enobólico (Guitars, Maldição, Murmúrio, Wavelength Satan).
After a deal established with the Italian label Code666 Records,

in 2013 Angrenost released their debut album "Planet Muscaria".

In "Planet Muscaria" their sound differentiated into a more cold industrial/ambient/black metal

and their lyrics explored the psychological depths of human psyche and the miserable side in the human existence.
In 2017 they released on Altare Productions the album "Nox Et Hiems" this time with W.uR (Israthoum, Monte Penumbra)

replacing Enobólico on guitars and their style changing again into a more traditional black metal sound 

with Pursan delivering an excellent performance on vocals similar to that of Aldrahn (Urarv) and Attila Csihar (Mayhem).
2022 saw the return of founder Ainvar (aka A.Ara) on guitars replacing W.uR 

and also the addition of Magnús Skúlason (Misþyrming, ex-Svartidauði) on drums.

Memory

Άρης Ρέτσος – Σοφοκλέους Αντιγόνη (1995)

Country: Greece

Tracklist

1. Σοφοκλέους Αντιγόνη 01:14:08

Aris Retsos was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1957 and studied acting at the Veakis School in Athens.
Between 1981 and 1986 he appeared in the films "Oi Apenanti" and "Mania" directed by Giorgos Panousopoulos,

"Bordelo" directed by Nikos Koundouros, "I Fotografia" directed by Nikos Papatakis,

a film considered to be inside the top ten of the Greek cinema,

and in the tv movie "Xoma Kai Nero" directed by Fotis Vianelis.

He became widely known to the public through the part of the consumptive young man Paspatis,

in the television series "Astrofeggia" (1981), based on a novel by I.M.Panagiotopoulos.
In 1986 though, the promising, upcoming young star Aris Retsos,

made a very unusual choice and decided to retire from the movie and theater business.

He became involved in deep and systematic research of the rules and techniques of acting in general, 

and with special emphasis given on the Ancient Greek Drama.

At that time, he also started his practice at the martial art of Tai chi.
In 1993, after seven years of retirement, he returns to the theater, with a solo performance entitled "Anoixti Dokimi".

There, in "EMPROS" theater in central Athens, having only one stringed musical instrument accompanying him,

he recites excerpts from the Greek tragedy "Ajax" by Sophocles in ancient Greek and in a way never heard before.
During that performance, it became vividly understood for the first time, that the musical measures, pace and rhythm, define completely not only the way of acting in the Ancient Greek Drama, but also the direction, the choreography etc.
This totally new proposal, after the initial surprise, was very well received by the audience.

The famous Greek composer Manos Xatzidakis, having watched the performance, immediately asked Aris Retsos 

to record "Ajax" and publicize it through the avant-garde record company "Seirios" that he managed those days.
In 1994, Aris Retsos chooses for his debut in theater direction

the highly praised contemporary Greek one act play "To Tavli" (The Backgammon) by Dimitris Kexaidis.
In 1995 he founds the theater company "Polionimo" (the one with the many names) and presents in "Sfendoni" theater 

the performance "Antigonis Xoros" (chorus of Antigone) based on "Antigone" by Sophocles

and exploring the central part of the "Chorus" in Ancient Greek Drama.

At the same period he released the CD "Σοφοκλέους Αντιγόνη" that features a live recording performance

at "Sfendoni" theater and comes inside a box with a cloth bound book of the performance text.
In 1996 he appears in the international poetry festival "Myrisai To Ariston" (Smell The Excellent), 

directed by Maya Liberopoulou, in Herodes Atticus Odeon, with a performance based on "Ajax" by Sophocles.

In 1998 he participates in the international theater festival "The Ancient Drama In The East"

organized by the European Cultural Center of Delphi, with the performance "Antigonis Xoros".
In 1998 he presents the performance "Strofes - Antistrofes" (Verses and Counter-verses) based also on plays by Sophocles.

During this performance, the musical orchestra "Nikos Skalkotas"

played music by Ianis Xenakis under the direction of Miltos Logiadis.
Between 1993 and 2001, Aris Retsos, appeared in many cultural events and festivals all around Greece 

and was invited by the German - Greek theater festival of Koln, where he presented the performance "Strofes - Antistrofes".
Since 2001, Aris Retsos has adopted a completely new approach concerning his research of the acting technique.

He has concentrated on the modern Greek language, and has been examining the possibility of transferring

the musical rhythm and measures from the ancient Greek language to the modern,

a transfer which is not academic and arbitrary, but organic and meaningful, and actually raises the quality

and gives answers to the questions of acting in the Ancient Greek Drama and in general.
Based on the knowledge accumulated by this longtime research,

in 2008, he directs and plays in the solo performance "Aima Kako" (Bad Blood),

based on the first chapter of the poem of Arthur Rimbaud "Season In Hell" in a modern Greek language translation.
On the July 5th 2011, invited by the Greek Festival he directs, the performance "Thronos Atreidon" 

(The Throne Of The Atreus Family) in Herodes Atticus Odeon, based on excerpts of Sophocles and Aeschylus

 relevant to the legend of the Atreus family, in the modern Greek language and with the cooperation of twenty actors.

He is also in charge of the music selection, the scenography, the costumes and the choreography.

In front of a large audience this time, the vast possibilities offered by the musical measures and rhythms 

of the plays for the upgrading and evolving of contemporary art, became crystal clear and understood.

In 2013, he directs and appears in the solo performance "Epea Pteroenta" (Words That Fly),

where he recites for the first time ever and in a completely new way, monologues from Aeschylus and Sophocles,

and not only parts of the Chorus as he used to do up to then.

Memory

The Wrathful And The Sullen – Sad And Grave (1993)

Country: United States

Tracklist

1. The Wrathful And The Sullen 04:22
2. What Sacrifice Have I Failed To Make? 05:45
3. Conjuation Of The Fire God 04:55
4. Sad And Grave 11:05

Obscure dark ambient/ritual project formed in early 90s and featuring David Noir (aka Brian Artwick) 

and An Anonymous Florentine Suicide.
Three cassettes were released from 1992 to 1994 on Brian Artwick's personal labels

Chamber Noise Recordings and Ishnigarrab Recordings.
Brian Artwick is also known for his involvement in bands like Absu, Equimanthorn,

Furnace, Equitant, Akhkharu and Hexenhaus among others.
After a very long period of silence The Wrathful And The Sullen released in 2021 the collaboration album

"Crackle Of Enochian Aire" together with Apollon 23 as part of the Split Channel Releases by Advaita Audio label

that consist of two artists playing simultaneously, one in the left channel and another in the right channel.

Memory