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Jouhatsu

Jouhatsu (Japanese: 蒸発, “evaporation”) or johatsu refers to the people in Japan who purposely vanish from their established lives without a trace. However this phenomenon can be seen all over the world.

A recent conversation with a friend on social media led me to a documentary on YouTube which focused on the culture which is prevalent in Japan, it followed various peoples stories;

Those who have arranged their own evaporation and those who are searching for missing loved ones, I found these accounts to be incredibly sad yet fascinating, that in this modern age of information that someone could start a completely new life without a trace.

This phenomenon of Jouhatsu resonated with me & various tracks that I composed after viewing the documentary seemed to be of a similar tone/emotion, almost reflecting what It must be like for those forced into such drastic measures to leave a life & loved ones behind, to start again and also not forgetting the turmoil & anguish of those left in the dark regarding the whereabouts of someone they care about.

The seven distinct pieces of “Jouhatsu” appear to tell a story of their own, although I was not particularly aware of this during the creative process. It was sitting down and selecting the various works that I began to realise that a coherent sonic narrative had developed.


Written, produced, recorded & mastered by Michael Gainford at the Igloo Dublin spring 2021

Yonigeya [Night Moving] 07:07
Hopelessly Searching 03:38
No One Calling 21:09
A New Day A New Life 06:40
Fukatu 18:07
Sekentai 08:04
Never Returning 10:28

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Ruhleben

The connection between Dr. Atmo and Mick Chillage goes back to one of the finest ambient labels to ever grace this planet, FAX records. Many will remember the defining collective for their deep, extended excursions into the far-reaches of ambient mysticism – a style that is still revered to this day.

Ruhleben sees a welcome return for Dr. Atmo who, after appearing on some of the very first FAX releases under his own name and different guises throughout its tenure, has been somewhat elusive of late with side-steps into other genres. Now, partnering with another FAX alumni and a foundational figure within today’s ambient music genre, Mick Chillage, the pair have returned to their roots and a defining style of ambient music.
Taking Dr. Atmo’s distinctive hooks, haunting loops, and graceful melodies, Mick Chillage improvised on these foundational elements further with fine-tuned details such as delicate bass additions, rhythmic looping signals, or more organic fixtures like a finely woven Harp and extended Piano loops.

Across its four extended tracks, Ruhleben is an infinite flight into mystical formations that yearn for dramatic soundscapes. A time-lapsed, slow-motion soundtrack, where Mother Nature breathes destructive fire from the depths, breaking the Earth’s surface to form dramatic cathedrals, scarred by super-natural atmospheres and eventually flooded with the life we know today.

Featuring artwork by Tomas Jirku and mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri, Ruhleben will be available on limited Gatefold Transparent with Black Core 2LP, CD, and digital formats.

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Ruhleben

The connection between Dr. Atmo and Mick Chillage goes back to one of the finest ambient labels to ever grace this planet, FAX records. Many will remember the defining collective for their deep, extended excursions into the far-reaches of ambient mysticism – a style that is still revered to this day.

Ruhleben sees a welcome return for Dr. Atmo who, after appearing on some of the very first FAX releases under his own name and different guises throughout its tenure, has been somewhat elusive of late with side-steps into other genres. Now, partnering with another FAX alumni and a foundational figure within today’s ambient music genre, Mick Chillage, the pair have returned to their roots and a defining style of ambient music.
Taking Dr. Atmo’s distinctive hooks, haunting loops, and graceful melodies, Mick Chillage improvised on these foundational elements further with fine-tuned details such as delicate bass additions, rhythmic looping signals, or more organic fixtures like a finely woven Harp and extended Piano loops.

Across its four extended tracks, Ruhleben is an infinite flight into mystical formations that yearn for dramatic soundscapes. A time-lapsed, slow-motion soundtrack, where Mother Nature breathes destructive fire from the depths, breaking the Earth’s surface to form dramatic cathedrals, scarred by super-natural atmospheres and eventually flooded with the life we know today.

Featuring artwork by Tomas Jirku and mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri, Ruhleben will be available on limited Gatefold Transparent with Black Core 2LP, CD, and digital formats.

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Biokinetics

Mille Plateaux present a reissue of Porter RicksBiokinetics, originally released in 1996. Techno isn’t a genre that has birthed many consistent albums, and the dub techno subgenre even less so, but one indisputable classic is Porter Ricks’ debut Biokinetics. Originally issued on the legendary Basic Channel sub-label Chain Reaction in 1996 following a trio of 12″s, Biokinetics was the first of the label’s album releases, and still stands as its crowning achievement. Porter Ricks are Thomas Köner and Andy Mellwig, and between them they re-framed the techno sound, imbuing the spacious ambience pioneered by label bosses Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald with a frosty, isolated experimental bent, and combining it with the sort of haunted minimalism of early Plastikman. What separated Biokinetics from other albums at the time was its unwavering narrative — the exact sound has been interpreted countless times since, but the immersive qualities of this singular record have rarely been touched. Maybe it is down to the silvery underwater concept that ties each track together — the bubbling pads, sub-aquatic basses and muffled kick drums. But as with any great album, it’s hard to exactly put your finger on what makes it a classic. Simply put Biokinetics is one of the most important records in the genre and one of techno’s finest albums. It has been re-released ten years ago by Type Records, and now Mille Plateaux is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Porter Ricks and Biokinetics with this CD edition.
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MS-V-MS

“MS-V-MS” was created back in late December of 2019 & released digitally in 2020. The track has been revisited for the 2021 release with some edits and arrangements & the addition of two new tracks that compliment the main long form piece.

“MS-V-MS” sees Mick exploring a tapestry of spaced out Acidic synth lines, haunting Ambient tones that shift & morph into passages of dark ominous analogue swells & Intricate poly rhythms with a driving industrial presence. Resulting in a flowing marriage of IDM intensity & otherworldly ambience.

The title track started out using just two analogue mono synths The Korg MS20 Mini & the Doepfer MS-404 hence the title. Other synths & various production techniques were used to complete the piece.

Written, produced, recorded & mastered by Michael Gainford
at the Igloo Dublin 2020/2021
1. MS-V-MS 54:00
2. Otkyo 06:00
3. Skylines 9:36
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Fireflies in Gondwanaland

We’re always excited to bring you new discoveries and Boris Lelong’s first release for Carpe Sonum situates the listener deep within his particular soundworld, like a passerby taking a multi-hued walk through a phosphorescent topographic ocean. Lelong no doubt is fascinated by various meteorological and oceanic climes, and this marvelous album is at once a metaphorical fascinator and a literal authenticator of many such desirable dreamscapes. The ten-plus minutes twilight synth ’n’ sequencer motion sensors of the excellently coined “Fireflying” is truly just that, and if you close your eyes, it’s easy to conceptualize Lelong’s interlocking beat matrices suggesting the titular insect navigating all manners of thermal updrafts. On “Glowing Worms”, Lelong’s gracefully carved moog and synth lines are abject things of beauty, as the artist seems to craft a warm panoply of gestures, tics, and articulations out of electronics coated in a lush, verdant shade of green. Lelong has managed to tap into a vein of magic realism few can muster, surely not the first time out—that in itself is laudable, and his subtly shifting tone dances, echoing 70s Japanese ambienteers Hiroshi Yoshimura and Ken Ishii, are simply dazzling, a triumph of sonic engineering.

Composed, performed, and mastered by Boris Lelong
Acoustic instruments : Futujara flute and Danmoi jaw harp.
Atmospheres recorded by Boris Lelong in Ladakh (INDIA), Isandra (MADAGASCAR), and Morija (LESOTHO).