Back from a recuperative few days away, and time for another update. In the back of my mind I’ve had 10th August as a release date to aim for, but alas there’s some more waiting to do and that won’t be possible. Two weeks ago I was told by the plant that an ETA on the CD’s arrival would be possible within seven days – still yet to hear anything, and so today/tomorrow will be spent chasing those responsible.
More news as soon as I have it, of course…
In Praise of Shadows had a couple of important last-minute double-checks before printing finally started, but all the signs are that it’ll be arriving at TYFTH Towers in the very near future.
In the meantime, the image above shows a little something extra that’ll be included with the album. T-shirts and more ambitious stuff would be great at some stage, but with such a strong logo and artwork a sticker seemed like a nice initial choice. We’re part of the way there, then, but I’ll hold off on deciding a release date until the CDs are actually here…
A small update this time, but as I’ve recently mentioned a couple of things on TYFTH’s Facebook page and twitter a post here is slightly overdue.
The biggest news is that the compilation is with the production plant, and in the works as we speak. The visuals and DDP images for the CD were being checked a few days ago, and the nightmare-inducing payment has also been made. Just a matter of sitting tight until it all arrives.
That means that a release date announcement is extremely close – I’m away for a few days at the end of the month, so whatever happens I’m thinking it might be best to look at an early August release. As much as I’d like to hand out the release for free, getting the sounds and visuals to these levels has inevitably required professional-standard production. It would be nice to recoup some of the costs, then, but as a small thank you to everyone I’ll be running a (very easy to enter) competition with one pre-release copy of the album as a prize.
Also, it might interest some that I’ll be adding occasional sounds and images to TYFTH’s twitter account that either inspired the release or speak to the atmosphere that TYFTH is going for, in amongst occasional bits of news and mix links.
A brief pause in the manic TYFTH self-promotion to mention another great looking release that’s rather more immediately on the way. Evolutionize’s solo album has been in the works for a long while now, but will be releasing tomorrow (15th July) on Smiling Corpse.
I expect Smiling Corpse will be the place to keep an eye on tomorrow, but for now there are plenty of preview clips to check out and a promo mix by Dyzphazia. Evolutionize’s hyper-aggressive, Finnish-influenced sound works in almost any set, and the album looks to have a huge amount of variety. Personal favourites right now are Yolvenvur and Provisional Unit 05, which you can hear in the playlist above.
The final track of the compilation sees another brave soul taking on the remix of a classic, and this time it’s Hyphen with a brand new version of Alek Száhala’s Dryad Machine. The original remains one of my favourite tracks of all time, but Hyphen has wisely steered away from matching it for aggressive psychedelics and instead updated it with a fresher feel, higher bpm, and some lovely touches of his own style.
This preview gives you an idea of how the track builds from the classic break into a climactic mix of melodies – the fusion of styles really works, and this might be one of the most flexible tracks on the compilation, in terms of finding its way into sets across the freeform scene.
There you have it, then – thanks for following the previews as they’ve gone live, and for all the support, feedback and questions so far. Thank the gods that this evening (almost) saw an end to the major delays over the past couple of months, and it’s conceivable that the album will be sent for manufacture tomorrow. Rest assured that there’ll be joyous announcements to that effect, as and when, as well as news on the release date.
And so we head into the final two tracks of the compilation, remixes that take on a couple of all-time classics. First up we have GULD, and his excellent NRG-styled version of Aryx’s Aurora.
This isn’t the first Aurora remix we’ve heard, but it’s definitely my favourite – the slight drop in bpm and well-used, aggressive filtering send things in a slightly different direction. The breakdown is where it all comes together though, as GULD has done a superb job of retaining the emotion of the original while introducing the NRG elements.
Stay tuned tomorrow for one more track…
No preview going online today (there’ll be another tomorrow, mind), as the majority of CD 2 is taken up by my own mixed set. Probably sounds a bit disingenuous, but the decision to include a mix in the compilation was initially for completeness, to support other labels, and to introduce the kind of atmosphere that TYFTH should (and indeed is) all about. It was only later that I started realising what fine self-promotion this could be, too.
With those initial thoughts in mind, I put together a set from a variety of labels and years that hopefully demonstrates that while the spirit of the older tracks is harder to find these days, it’s still there, and TYFTH will be doing its best to keep it alive.
The set has been bubbling away now for more than a year, and is probably one of my smoothest since the Betwixt & Between tribute. Despite the lack of Alek I’m also happy with how representative it is, with plenty of NRG, melancholy sections and a dark, psychedelic final third. I’d like to think that Betwixt would have been a big supporter of the release, and I’ve included two tracks to make sure that his sound is still heard. Enormous thanks to Hardcore Tano*C for their help in making that possible, but thanks too to all the other labels I’ve licensed tracks from – it was a long process, but well worth it in the end.
Something that might catch your eye is Nomic’s remix of Steve Morley’s Sacred City – I liked the transitions I found (and the track itself, obviously) so much that I sought out Steve re. officially giving it his blessing. We very quickly settled on a license, and it’s now a fully authorised remix, released in this set by TYFTH.
You’ll find the tracklist below – do feel free to let me know what you think and whether it’s a good continuation from the unmixed CD 1.
01. Blender – Illogical [Smiling Corpse, 2015]
02. Pain on Creation – Shine [FINRG, 2007]
03. Proteus – Get Fire! [Watchtower, 2012]
04. Proteus – Illuminati [UHOtrax, 2008]
05. Carbon Based & DJ Rx – Biomechanoid [FINRG, 2005]
06. Steve Morley – Sacred City (Nomic remix) [TYFTH, 2016]
07. Nomic – Falling Star 08 [FINRG, 2008]
08. Re-form – Pure Evil [Electronica Exposed 2005]
09. Epyx & Cyrez – The Most Masochist [FINRG, 2009]
10. Betwixt & Between – Phaedra [TYFTH, 2010]
11. Qygen – Birth Within The Cosmic Storm [Electronica Exposed, 2013]
12. Betwixt & Between – Hydra (Long Edit) [Hardcore Tano*C, 2010]
A new Alabaster track is always an event these days, and I’m extremely glad to say that Galaxy is the track to complete the first CD. Alabaster’s production and composition have both made huge strides over the years, and this track has to be up among his very best – the energy and distinctive filtering is there as always, but here the chords and melodies really are next level.
Some have compared the melodies to Qygen, while for me the atmosphere takes things in the Grimsoul-esque direction that I always thought he might manage. The track is distinctively his, though, and it’s a more than worthy way to end CD 1 on a beautiful, uplifting note.
Some will have heard a preview already in my set with Shimotsukei (a sign that I expected the album to have long since released by now), and reactions in chat confirmed what I already thought – this is another top quality addition to the tracklist.
Re-form are next up on CD 1 – Attitude Problem is an absolute journey of a track and another that nails the blend of old and new that the compilation is trying to promote. With all the darkness and filtered, psy-styled elements you’d have expected in years past, this time there are weightier leads, crisper acid, and some nice surprises in the breakdown. A brilliant tune, then, and a dream come true for long-time Re-form fans.
Back to Japanese sounds for the next track – some darker, experimental freeform from Morita Yuuhei. I love the ominous atmosphere of The Ghost as it works through the filters and strings, and there’s a real feel of ‘FINRG meets Kreatrix’ throughout the track. The brutal midsection is obviously inspired by his success in the hardcore scene, but fits right in with the rest of the darkness.