Biosphere - Sphere of No-Form

  On 4/7/2010 at 2:23 PM, k h o v said:

i was thinking the other day that Touch had some of the best artist around in ambient/electronic music during the 2000s : Fennesz, Biosphere, Oren Ambarchi, BJ Nilsen & Philip Jeck. no strictly ambient but fantastic artists.

i always want to like Touch but then when I listen to some of it, BJ Nilsen for example, I get bored. All the others you mention are great.

well i can understand that (his music is sometimes dry, abstract, concrete sounds) but The Short Night might be my favorite album from Touch :

don't know if this is the most appropriate place, but, listened to substrata for the first time a couple of nights back. dont know if the appreciation for it is predominantly retrospective, but, as someone who was listening to electronica regularly until 1998, i hadnt heard the record before, and wonder if it's because many of the elements on display in the record (foreign vocal samples, for example) were already passe in the rapidly-evolving area of electronica until around the time of this record's original release. can someone explain the charm? cos i can't see it, personally. perhaps i picked the wrong record to start with, but i found it largely formless and easy to digest. familiar.

give it time. It WILL grow on you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQV8UVto-sg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZUuuYxlLM4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t3xPNFGU8k&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSiVpls6Oj8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK4VrT5xsDI&feature=player_embedded#at=266

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DReZ9-FV50

All this stuff sounds new, or is unreleased. This is why I think he has something coming out after N-Plants, because the material on there sounds nothing like these.

That being said, it all sounds money, especially the Ozora performance.

Can't think of a better album than Substrata for those cold winter days here in Finland.

I took this photo near my home about a year ago. Makes me wish it was January already...

  On 1/21/2010 at 3:31 AM, chenGOD said:

it's a decent track, but it's no Kobresia.

Kobresia is my absolute fav Biosphere track... that track is like a lullabye, ive fallen asleep to it many times.

  On 6/24/2011 at 5:32 AM, 40days said:

Can't think of a better album than Substrata for those cold winter days here in Finland.

 

 

I took this photo near my home about a year ago. Makes me wish it was January already...

nice, that's a sweet pic

Am I the only one who loves When I Leave so much?

Glad to see this thread.

Substrata is....

FUCKING AMAZING

Must have listened to this album thousands of times at this stage. So easy to stick it on loop and flake out!

  On 6/23/2011 at 6:44 AM, Tauhid said:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK4VrT5xsDI&feature=player_embedded#at=266

 

 

So happy to see this being played live. A Biosphere performance would be so magical for me, but the closest he's coming is Seattle.

Not sure if I could pick a favourite Biosphere album - I'm slightly obsessed with them all. Definitely couldn't pick a favourite track as I always listen to each album as a single piece.

Anyone here seen him play live? How is it?

I saw him in 2001 when he did the Touch tour with Fennesz and Hazard. Each had a different visual artist performing with them. Biosphere's was comprised of a row of "overhead projectors" like you would get in school/uni in the days before powerpoint etc. Essentially just a very stron light box. Mounted above each was a transparent tray with water in it. The visuals were created from the trays being tilted remotely so that the water moving about caused shadows to dance about on the wall just behind them. Biosphere was just in front and to the side of that with a table full of gear. Musically it was pretty awesome... comparable to Cirque which was not long out but much more stripped down.. I don't think there were any beats.

picked up the remastered edition tonight, cannae wait!

I dunno if its just me but this album seems to be lacking a certain finesse that his last few albums had. Don't get me wrong its quality stuff but seems to be a step back imho.

I assume you all have the live sets that have been buzzing around the net?

It was also recorded in two weeks. That has to say something.

And no, didn't know there were any available live sets. I've only seen various youtube videos of recent shows.

A bit disappointed too. Cirque, Dropsonde and Shenzhou have a richer, unusual and more interesting sound. I hate to say this because it took me a long while to appreciate his recent albums - specially Shenzhou, now my favorite - and I was rooting for more beat oriented Biosphere but this is not what I was expecting.

Anyone else have a problem with the bass on Cirque? It makes my cheap speakers go crazy.

  On 6/24/2011 at 7:05 PM, th555 said:

Am I the only one who loves When I Leave so much?

Yes, it's my favorite one too!