This post is for the purpose of suggesting works worthy of being numbered among the best ones released in 2012, according to the opinion of artists who have a special connection with this blog.
Once more, in the past year, they distinguished themselves in their fields of activity: composers, musicians, improvisers, phonographers, owners of labels, art performers, highly inspired, extremely motivated to draw, create, build, spread beautiful music.
Once again, in the past year, they gave a substantial contribution of ideas, innovation, research, to the experimental music scene.
Spiritual Archives expresses sincere gratitude to these friends who have kindly sent their faves list...
...one more time.
...one more time.
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(Alphabetically by surname)
Ernesto Diaz-Infante
- Morton Feldman - Crippled Symmetry: At June In Buffalo (Frozen Reeds)
- Morton Feldman: Violin & Piano - Andreas Seidel/Steffen Schleiermacher (MDG Scene)
- Wadada Leo Smith - Ten Freedom Summers (Cuneiform)
- Wadada Leo Smith & Loius Moholo-Moholo - Ancestors (TUM Records)
- Rodriguez - Searching for Sugar Man, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Light In The Attic/Legacy)
- Los Lobos - Kiko Live (Shout Factory!)
- Brian Eno - Lux (Warp Records)
- Barbara Monk Feldman - The Northern Shore (Mode Records)
- Cat Power - Sun (Matador Records)
- David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant (4AD/Todo Mundo)
- Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Here (Community Music)
- Bill Shute & Anthony Guerra - Subtraction (Black Petal)
- Terry Riley - Aleph (Tzadik)
- Brian Jonestown Massacre - Aufheben ('a' Recordings)
- Sigur Rós - Valtari (XL Recordings)
- Santana - Shapeshifter (Starfish Records)
- Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas (Columbia Records)
- Bob Dylan - Tempest (Columbia Records)
- Yoko Ono/Kim Gordon/Thurston Moore - YOKOKIMTHURSTON (Chimera Music)
- The Swans - The Seer (Young God Records)
- Scott Walker - Bish Bosch (4AD)
- David Greilsammer - Baroque Conversations (Sony Classical)
- Patti Smith - Banga (Columbia Records)
- Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light (Fat Possum Records)
Reviews of "Emilio" and "Civilian Life": here
Links:
Ernesto Diaz-Infante
Pax Recordings
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Andy Graydon
- Mika Vaino, "FE3O4 - Magnetite", Touch CD
- Jim Haynes, "Kamchatka", Contour Editions CD
- Bernard Parmegiani, "L'Oeil écoute", Recollection GRM LP
- Lee Gamble, "Dutch Tvashar Plumes", PAN LP
- Michael Pollard, "Translations 01", Spectrum Spools LP
- Pierre Schaeffer, "Le Trièdre fertile", Recollection GRM LP
- Will Montgomery/Robert Curgenven, "Heygate/Looking for Narratives on Small Islands", Winds Measure LP
- Jim O'Rourke - "Old News #7" and "Old News #8", Editions Mego LP
- Various Artists, "Archaic Variations - Localization", Obs CD
- Grouper, "Sleep (fragment)", Fillip Editions one-sided LP
- Mouse on Mars, "Parastrophics", Monkeytown Records LP
- Andrew Pekler, "Sentimental Favorites", Dekorder LP
Links:
Andy Graydon
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France Jobin
Spiritual Archives top ten 2012
This top ten reflects my favourites listen in 2012, not to be confused with release date.
- Mika Vainio - Life ( ... It Eats You Up), Editons Mego, 2011
- Richard Chartier - Recurrence, LINE, 2012
- Pinkcourtesyphone - Elegant & Detached, Room40, 2012
- Steinbrüchel - Narrow, Room40, 2011
- Keiichiro Shibuya - Soundtrack For Memories Of Origin Hiroshi Sugimoto, ATAK, 2012
- Tetuzi Akiyama + Toshimaru Nakamura - Semi-Impressionism, Spekk, 2009
- Sylvain Chauveau & Stephan Mathieu - Palimpsest, Schwebung, 2012
- Yann Novak & Robert Crouch - Fata Morgana, Murmur Records, 2012
- Steve Roden - Proximities, LINE, 2011
- Mika Vaino - FE3O4 - Magnetite, Touch, 2012
Links:
France Jobin / i8u
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Dale Lloyd
Top 20 Favorite Releases From 2012 (alphabetical by first letter):
- Brian Eno: Lux (Warp) CD
- Daphne Oram: The Oram Tapes Volume One (Modern Love / Young Americans) CD x 2
- Frédéric Nogray: Buiti Binafin [Déambulation À La Lisière Du Monde (3LEAVES) CDR
- Giovanni Di Domenico, Arve Henriksen & Tatsuhisa Yamamoto: Distare Sonanti (and/OAR / either/OAR) CD
- Ingenting Kollektiva: Fragments Of Night (Invisible Birds) V
- Ingenting Kollektiva: Lost Beyond Telling (Invisible Birds) CD x 2 + DVD
- Isle Of Sodor: Goshen (SicSic) CT
- John Grzinich: Two Films (and/OAR) DVD
- Katsuyoshi Kou & Satoshi Hironaka: State, State, State (Ftarri) CD
- Le Révélateur: Horizon Fears (NNA Tapes) CT
- Laurie Spiegel: The Expanding Universe (Unseen Worlds) CD x 2 re-issue
- Marc Behrens: Unit (and/OAR) CD
- Marc Namblard & Olivier Namblard: Brames, Et Autres Mouvements D’Automne (Ouïe-Dire Production) CD
- Panabrite: The Baroque Atrium (Preservation) CD
- Richard Garet: Silver (Observatoire) CD
- Rolf Julius: Raining - Small Music No. 3 (Western Vinyl) CD
- Shijingren: Liudui (Altelier Hui-Kan) DVD
- Thomas Köner: Novaya Zemlya (Touch) CD
- Thomas Tilly & Jean-Luc Guionnet: Stones, Air, Axioms (Circum Disc) CD
- Violens: True (Slumberland) CD
Profile and discography: here
Catalogues: here
Links:
Dale Lloyd
and/OAR (website) (blog)
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Christopher McFall
- Richard Garet - Areal (23five)
- Black To Comm - Earth (De Stijl)
- Kreng - The Box Set - Works For Abattoir Fermé 2007 2011 (Miasmah)
- Raime - Quarter Turns Over A Living Line (Blackest Ever Black)
- Zelienople - The World Is A House On Fire (Type Records)
- oOoOO - Our Love Is Hurting Us (Tri Angle)
- Aidan Baker - Lost In The Rat Maze (ConSouling Sounds)
- Rale - I Sit By The Window And Watch Walls And Ceiling (Monorail Trespassing)
- Rune Martinsen - Kalaallit Nunaat (Petroglyph Music)
- Sun Glitters - Insane EP
- Swans - The Seer (Young God Records)
Links:
Christopher McFall
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Yann Novak
Releases (no particular order):
- Vladislav Delay - Kuopio - Raster-Noton
- Richard Chartier - Recurrence - LINE
- Stephan Mathieu + Caro Mikalef - Radioland (Panorámica) - LINE
- Silent Servant - Negative Fascination - Hospital Productions
- Kid606 - Lost in the Game - Tigerbeat6
- Emiliano Romanelli - 333 Loops - Self-Released
- Various Artists - Pina Tanzt, Tanzt Sonst Sind Wir Verloren OST - Wenders Music
- Various Artists - Fabric 62: Dj Sneak - Fabric
- William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops - Temporary Residence Limited
Performances (chronological i think):
- William Basinski at Public Fiction, Los Angeles, CA
- Lucky Dragons at Public Fiction, Los Angeles, CA
- Steve Roden + Lawrence English at LACE, Los Angeles, CA
- Aaron Bradford Turner + William Fowler Collins at Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
- Dominick Fernow at LACE, Los Angeles, CA
- András Blazsek at LACE, Los Angeles, CA
- France Jobin at LACE, Los Angeles, CA
- Marcus Fischer at Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
- Robert Crouch at Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
- Glenn Bach at Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
Exhibitions (I need to see more art this year):
- Jeffry Mitchell - Shamrock Edelweiss Seaweed - Ambach & Rice, Los Angeles, CA
- Steve Roden - Shells, Bells, Steps And Silences - LACE, Los Angeles, CA
- Nayland Blake - FREE!LOVE!TOOL!BOX! - YBCA, San Francisco, CA
Latest releases: here
Links:
Yann Novak
Dragon's Eye Recordings
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Yui Onodera
- Oren Ambarchi - Audience Of One (Touch)
- Willits + Sakamoto - Ancient Future (Ghostly International)
- Tim Hecker - Dropped Pianos (Kranky)
- Bun / Fumitake Tamura - Bird (Commmons)
- Various Artists - Rework: Philip Glass Remixed (The Kora Records)
Links:
Yui Onodera
Critical Path
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Terje Paulsen
- D.O.R (Drouin/Olsen/Ruhlmann) - An Occupied House - CD - Caduc
- Various Artists/Framework 250 - 2CD - Framework Radio.net
- Christopher McFall - Epilog (recombinant) - CD - CON-V
- Yann Novak - Paradise & Winchester - CD - Unfathomless
- Chris Whitehead - Ravenscar - CD - Unfathomless
- Thomas Köner - Novaya Zemlya - CD - Touch
- Richard Garet - Silver - CD - Obs
- D'Incise - Prairie - 2CD - Obs
- Chris Whitehead - Gryphea - CD - Obs
- The Tea Rockers Quintet - Ceremony - CD - EnT-T
- ELEH - Retreat, Return, Repose - 3CD - Important Records
- Yann Novak & Robert Crouch - Fata Morgana - CD - Murmur Records
- Steinbrüchel + Cory Allen - Seam - CD - Quiet Design
- Rolf Julius - Raining - CD - Small Music/Western Vinyl
- Kane Ikin - Sublunar - CD - 12k
- All releases on Entr'acte - Cds
- All releases on Impulsive Habitat - Digital
Links:
Terje Paulsen (website) (myspace)
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Pablo Reche
- Thomas Köner - Novaya Zemlya (Touch)
- Michael Trommer - Edgelands (Gruenrekorder)
- Michael Pisaro, Toshiya Tsunoda - Crosshatches (Erstwhile)
- Jay-Dea Lopez - Systemic Collapse (Impulsive Habitat)
- Daniel Menche - Guts (Editions Mego)
- Tarab - Shards Of Splinters - Fragments Of Scratches / Killustiku Killud - Kriimude Killud (Semperflorens)
- Five Elements Music - Rishikesh (Unfathomless)
- Richard Chartier - Recurrence (Line)
- AMT Slavek Kwi - Psyite (Impulsive Habitat)
- P16.D4 - Passagen (Monotype)
Links:
Pablo Reche (blog) (myspace)
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Denis Shapovalov
- Natasha Barret ‘Isostasie’ Cd Empreintes Digitales
- Francis Dhomont ‘Cycle Du Son’ Cd Empreintes Digitales
- Yves Beaupre ‘Humeur De Facteur’ Cd Empreintes Digitales
- Arturo Parra ‘Parr(A)Cousmatique’ Cd Empreintes Digitales
- Richard Garet ‘Areal’ Cd 23five
- Gregory Buttner ‘Walze 1-8’ Cd Firework Edition Records
- Eric Cordier, Seijiro Murayama ‘Nuit’ Cd Herbal
- Jim Haynes ‘Kamchatka’ Cdr Contour Editions
- Marc Behrens ’20 Zonen’ Cd Aufabwegen
- Seth Nehil & Matt Marble ‘Eclipses’ Cd And/Oar
- Francisco Meirino ‘Undetected (Untreated Recordings From On-Site Testimonies Archives)’ Cd Oto
- Roel Meelkop ‘Secret Garden’ Cd Oto
- Stephan Dunkelman ‘Rhizomes’ Cd Empreintes Digitales
- Emmanuel Mieville ‘Four Wanderingsin Tropical Lands’ Cd Baskaru
- Entrelacs ‘Underleaf’ (Michael Northam, Yannick Dauby) Cd Re-Edit Semperflorens
- Murmer ‘Framework 1-4’ 2xcd Herbal
- V/A - 'V-P V-F Is V-N Cs02' Tape Winds Measure
- Toy.Bizarre & Pierre Redon ‘Saisons’ Cd Aufabwegen
- Jason Kahn And Takefumi Naoshima ‘In A Room’ Cd Winds Measure
- Five Elements Music ‘Rishikesh’ Cd Unfathomless
Profile and catalogues: here
Links:
Obs (website) (facebook)
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