Sealt is less concerned with the club, instead it is the armchair which is the focal point.
The other week I got some records from Peru. First I’ve ever had arrive from South America. Bit of traditional Peruvian pop you say? Loada aged B12 EPs but there ya go. The latest lot to be delivered are also from a less than common sender locale: Moscow. I’ve been listening to music from Russia for years. including Novel23, EU, Fizzarum, Ambidextrous, Solar X et al. In the early 2000s there was an ever growing stream of IDM artists coming from the East. But then the flow became but a trickle and stopped. Nevertheless, there are many beavering away in the background.
Sealt is not new to Igloo, with releases from perhaps forgotten names like Fizzarum and Ambidextrous being covered. When needle is put to wax the music of the 90s floods back. Well, not just the 90s and 00s but the influence of Electronica and IDM is all pervasive but so are aspects of Indie. Sealt is less concerned with the club, instead it is the armchair which is the focal point.
Why you might ask. Is there still a vinyl market for such a style? It’s a question I asked myself. To keep these ghosting sounds set in wax the idea of limited edition has been taken and ran with it. Collectors editions with only thirty pressed. Wooden and metal sleeves, ornate boxes and all manner of trinkets. Regular copies are nonetheless super limited, eighty hand numbered editions worldwide. Novelty and attention to detail cleverly creates the market.
This exclusivity allows the label to release lesser known names and give them a full LP of space. But, I must admit I can’t listen to modern Electronica without harking back to the past. Nostalgia floods the marbled vinyl of Jan Amit’s Above and Above. At times the album is a little passé. Lyrics loop and echo calling to mind early 90s acts, especially Massive Attack. However, not all is rehashed. Instead there is a balance between depth and reflection.
To Travel Without Any Certain Destination, aka Manos Chrisovergis, delivers a rich range of textured tones in the shape of Traveling For The Pleasure Of It. Across eleven tracks the Greek audio-visual artist paints vivid soundscapes. Crisp snares are meet by autumnal breezes and wintery gusts. The entire atmosphere is warm and inviting. Sonic soulfulness is imparted by dense notes and caressing chords. The LP is amazingly diverse, likes Chrisovergis’ portfolio, as a spread of genres or combined for a superb outing.
The latest addition to the frozen landscape of the Russian Federation comes from the shores of that old, or remaining, rival. American artist Auracene, aka Liz Lang, blends an array of elements to produce haunting sonorous vista of Herzglimmer. Traditional instruments are curled around electronics. Samples and strings, field recordings with abstract organics brought together for an album that explores the four seasons.
I’m a nostalgic old sod. I can’t help it. In fairness, maybe I could help it but I don’t think it’s such a vice. Much of Sealt’s catalog drips with a yearning for the past, a remembering of the those days of electronics. But, there are newer moments and sounds such as Ambidextrous’ movie score inspired creations. Yet, it is bygone days that are at the core. With so many labels and musicians concentrating on the dancefloor it’s wonderful to hear the Electronica experiment, which has been shelved to a huge extent, alive, well and growing.
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