2023 Year in Review
Our 2023 was filled with sonic textures as we continued to release a wide variety of progressive electronic, textural ambient and synthesizer music. There's endless new content out there, and we truly appreciate the time spent with our artists. We hope you’ll enjoy taking a look back - and maybe even find some releases you may have missed.
MC064
The gentle static of dissipation releases a presence of sound. Apply this notion to Brooklyn's Tyler Gilmore, recording under the name BlankFor.ms. On In Part he dips further into experiments with analog tape, digital replication, and the modular machinery existing somewhere in between. In the hands of BlankFor.ms, tones crackle with subtle manipulation, and melodic cadences convalesce then wither. A piano may appear before it's swept away in lowered notches of filtration. The result is strangely affecting, touching lightly into the tension of life's earnestness.
RIYL: Tape Loops, Sound Design, Heavy Textures, Dense Drones, Broken Melodies
Released January 24th, 2023
MC065
Using a modular synthesizer and tape processing, Per Barfot experimented intensely during the spring of 2020 to create the foundation for Dackefejden, a concept album that aims to capture the sound of a failed peasant revolt in 16th century Sweden. Although the narrative behind the album is rooted in reality, the raw warbles and subtle dynamic modulations create a world that feels like an alternate dimension of the artists creation - his hazy and disrupted vision of the details of what might have happened during that revolt, manifested into sound.
RIYL: Modular Synths, Lo-Fi Ambient, Patient and Subtle Modulations
Digital Only
Released February 7th, 2023
MC066
Formed through the mutual admiration and friendship of Wisconsin-based Wavefiler (Steve Zydek) and Vermont-based Go Outside (Andrew Shaffer), Send / Return was created one track at a time - each previous composition used as inspiration for the track that followed. With this approach, their distinct styles blend to create a cohesive and compelling document.
The album opens with “Dream Sequence Pt. 1”, centered around a minimal synth arp, tastefully delayed for a bubbly, staccato feel. As the track builds, the arps smooth themselves out and gradually swell with emotion, building up to one of the most epic moments on the album. “Near the Thistle” highlights gentle yet driving percussion, tastefully guiding the minimal synth flourishes and tidy modulations throughout. This is electronic music with a vintage feel. “Siren” continues the 70’s synth vibes - minimal in execution and impeccably composed - Tangerine Dream fans take note. “Limited Frontier” closes it all out with a relaxing, lo-fi, post new age vibe - something that would not be out of place in say, an actual Film Board of Canada nature documentary in 1977.
RIYL: Bubbling Percussive Arps, Lo-Fi Ambient, Colorful Melodies, Tape Saturation, Minimal Ambient, Library Music, Berlin School, Vintage Synth Culture
Cassette Edition of 50 (Sold Out)
Released March 3rd, 2023
MC067
Hiroshi Ebina’s Silver Lining is a spiritual follow up to his previously released MC album It Just Is, and is focused on finding the silver lining in life’s challenging situations. With a minimal approach using acoustic and electronic instruments, the album evolves from simple collections of notes into intimate and complex music - Hiroshi makes the kind of ambient music that is equally comfortable in the background or as the focus. The artist’s concept around this work is “a gentle reminder that nothing unreal can harm us, whether it’s about past events or predictions for the future. All difficulties come with a seed of happiness, and the darkest time is always followed by the dawn.”
RIYL: Music for Sleep or Meditation, Electroacoustic Ambient, Gentle Textures
2 cassette editions of 50 (sold out)
Released March 14th, 2023
MC068
On Words is an inspirational genre-fluid album brimming with lively percussion, abstract ambient and unique emotional character, all tied together by vibrant production. It marked a new direction for Alex, stepping outside his comfort zone to explore new territory. It began with simple sets of notes and the process of welding disparate recordings together at different times of the year. Once enough material was created, tracks that shared a common key but differed in most other ways were carved out and connected together, creating new worlds to live in. It was a slow build, stitched together over the course of 2 years.
“Cinder” highlights his live drumming, chopped and skewed into skittering new rhythms, driving wavy synth pads along their lo-fi, progressive electronic journey. The textured, blanket-wrapped feel of “Sesame” calls to attention his masterful feel for ambient music - slightly woozy yet cozy textures envelop the listener into a mildly psychedelic state to either interpret or relax with. “Mood Scan” is a challenging statement filled with lo-fi broken beats, gently gliding synths and bold production choices that demand a focused headphone listen. Closer “Right Where You Need to Be” is unexpected in tone yet somehow fits right in - the warbling synth work and left field production is still there, but peeled back slightly to let its triumphantly catchy pop core shine. Production enthusiasts will surely appreciate the live drum recording on this one - perfectly mid-fi, roomy and artfully played.
RIYL: Left field beats, Abstract Ambient, Processed Live Drumming, Collage-style Production, Progressive Electronic
Released March 23rd, 2023
MC069
Florigenix (aka Nicholas Dallwitz) is interested in crafting artifacts set in the present, shaded by the past, and steeped in the coming days. Wild Light is an album that transmits utopian visions through the lens of innocent optimism, an understanding of music as the breath of the natural world, and the exploration of bygone technologies for evidence of the arcane. The album's 14 songs vibrate with a soothing energy, like ripples flowing upward from a natural, sonic spring. From his home base on the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, Florigenix regularly ventures into the remote bushland for the inspiration and setting of his productions. An organic presence is infused throughout his music as the spirit of nature inhabits the circuitry and transistors responsible for his sound-craft. Field recordings further this presence, captured by the artist during treks into the landscape.
RIYL: Psychedelic Ambient, Post New Age, Abstract Vibes, Complex Synthesis, Vocal Processing, Nature Inspired
Released April 7th, 2023
MC070
Sparkling synths anchored by gentle beds of soft digital noise weave in and out of each other on the lead track “Muted” - it’s a beautiful statement that might initially lead you to believe that the album is headed to be one filled with pretty, uplifting soundscapes - but by the end of the track, a subtle tension seeps to the forefront, setting up the darkness and despair to come. As the album progresses, Aporie slowly builds on this tension, informed by his dire concern for our planet’s climate crisis - moving from feelings of subtle confusion to dread and helplessness. The albums closes with “Out of Time”, a discordant, droning and unsettling affair that predicts a future I think we’d all like to avoid.
RIYL: Skittery Synths, Video Game Music, Elektron Machines, Moody Soundscapes
Includes Bonus Samplepack
Released April 21st, 2023
MC071
Dreamy + textured synths, floaty arps, warbly guitars, chill beats and catchy melodies... it's all here. Instrumental electro-pop from one of our favorite synth educators, Daniel Juergens aka Slow Haste. Opener and title track “Cinnamon” showcases his knack for combining bold left-field production with a beautifully moody pop center. The triumphantly moody and wavy chorus section of “Blue Hour” inspires spaced out contemplation, while “Maria” begins with a dazzling arp dance, eventually settling into a wonderfully warped lo-fi guitar fade. “Ripley” closes things out with a slightly unsettling yet somehow supremely chill vibe. Each of the 9 tracks on Cinnamon has something to latch onto, and I suspect that our many synth and production enthusiast friends will find much to analyze dissect throughout.
RIYL: Skewed Pop Melodies, Elektron Synths, Lo-fi Guitars, Electro-pop
Digital Only
Released May 2, 2023
MCS027 (Singles Series)
"Delicate Feedbacks" tells the story of a 100 year old dam, its removal, and a river's return. The track was inspired by Carolyn spending time in and near the rivers and creeks of Patapsco Valley, MD. She documented her time by creating field recordings while studying the local eels and other aquatic animals. The natural sounds she captured were interpreted through modular synthesizers, creating a textured and ambient abstraction of her experience in the valley.
RIYL: Modular Synthesis, Field Recordings, Bold Textures, Minimal Soundscapes
Released May 16th, 2023
At this point in our release cycle, things got a little wonky catalog-number wise… Some delays, adjustments, life events, etc had piled up, and in some cases committed catalog numbers had to be pushed back. The rest of this list is in order by date released.
MC075
Lid Flippers is a collaboration between our friends from prolific sound explorers PJS (Patrick Dique / Jordan Christoff) and copcarbonfire (Tim Lafontaine).
Their Lid Flippers project deeply explores the psychedelic and textured sides of ambient music to create a complex dreamy world of emotional sound design. Pop on some good headphones to connect with the boldly spacious textured stereo fields that become psychedelic mini-worlds to explore. Ranging from mediative and existential to odd and tense, Map is an adventure waiting for those who are seeking an inspirational and psychedelic SOUND QUEST.
RIYL: Heavily Textured / Psychedelic Ambient, Post New Age, Modular Synthesis, Wild Stereo Fields
Released May 23, 2023
MCRX-002 (Remix EP)
This EP features 3 remixes of tracks from Go Outside + Wavefiler’s brilliant collab album Send / Return. While keeping much of the integrity from the original stems, Our friend Muni injects chill, textured beats and tasteful sound design that enhances the deep emotional character of the original tracks.
RIYL: : Lo-fi beats, Chill BGM, Study Beats, Synths
Digital Only
Released June 2, 2023
MCRX-003 (Remix EP)
ALEK FIN's 2022 Mystery Circles release Unlearning gets the remix treatment on 6 tracks by an excellent mix of producers from a variety of electronic music backgrounds. Soaring ambient, heavy beats, glitchy vibes and immaculate production from Mountain Range, Galun, Robot Koch, Blankfor.ms, Snakes of Russia, Lookout, Summer Dregs and BROCRISP.
RIYL: IDM, Left-field, Techno, Glitch, Synth Culture, Heavy Drum Machines, Experimental Ambient
Digital Only
Released June 23, 2023
MC073
A stunningly beautiful collection of emotional ambient music. Lush soundscapes, bristling textures, thoughtful modulations and lo-fi guitar loops tastefully anchored by woozy drones inspire meditation & contemplation. The first half was composed on the South Island of New Zealand by Derek Pearson (Silence and the Unwinking Minds), and the second in the UK by Samuel Death (T 1 D 3 S). The two sides are bridged together by the collaborative title track “Antipodes” - Derek’s unique modular synth flow is gently complimented throughout the piece by Sam’s carefully crafted atmospheres, highlighting each artists distinct voice coming together as one. Both experienced significant life changes over the course of recording the album, and have found respite in processing their shifts through music. What started as a creative exercise during an uneasy time has grown into a meaningful friendship (and hopefully many more collaborations to come...)
RIYL: Modular Ambient, Woozy Soundscapes, Tape Loops, Lo-fi Guitar Loops, Contemplative Vibes
Released July 7, 2023
MC072
Using reel-to-reel tape recorders, synthesizers interwoven with electric guitars and field recordings of environmental sounds, Takeyuki Hakozaki aka Pollypraha composes his work with an idea he refers to as “extended minimalism”. Season of Strangers documents this idea in a variety of ways. Leading off with the joyful, celebratory arpeggiations on “Ensemble for Somnambulists” immediately followed by the playful, almost psychedelic mood of “Tinnitus”, one can sense the appreciation for the tools that inspire him and how he masterfully applies them to his thoughtful style of composition. The album quickly takes a detour into darker terrain, floating carefully crafted minimal themes into quiet soundscapes that speak volumes louder than they sound. The mood culminates with the textured highlight “Meditation on Violence”, a track that leaves the listener wondering how to interpret the intent behind the track’s bold title. From here the record becomes more contemplative, highlighted by the existential drone of “Green Mind”, while the minimal yet complex synthetic orchestra of “Density” wraps it all up. Season of Strangers is an album of progressive electronic ambient music that defies neat categorization, rewards repeat listens, and inspires creativity.
RIYL: Lively Arps, Quiet Soundscapes, Minimal Ambient, Gentle Noise, Undecipherable Moods
Released July 25, 2023
MCRX-004
In August, Anders Nilsson aka Per Barfot returned with this EP of 3 reworked tracks from his modulated masterpiece Dackefejden. Seemingly a perfectionist when it comes to working with sound, I tend to picture his work constantly being run through the audio microscope - each modulation choice run through countless iterations until it sits just right. The tools he chooses and the focused approach to them creates a challenging and uniquely refined sound that sets his work apart from other synthesists.
His notes on the project: "During the session, I attempted to reshape some of the songs from Dackefejden in new ways. My goal was to create a more immersive and dreamy atmosphere by slowing the tracks down using tape and reprocessing them through my modular system, including the beautiful filters of the Plumbutter from Ciat-Lonbarde. After recording the session, I made some extra edits, particularly for “Wärend ii”. I am particularly thrilled to release this version of the song because I feel it better captures the essence of what I initially aimed for with the original version."
RIYL: Modular synthesis, Tape Machines, Ciat-Lonbarde Synths, Patient and Subtle Modulations, Challenging Sounds
Digital Only
Released August 4, 2023
MC076
Since ancient times, the sea has been part of human cultural imagination, an inherent space that is constantly reconfigured, leaves no record and, therefore, does not share the properties (natural or human) to which the land is tied. It is in this interstice, where bahía mansa and Yama Yuki come together to explore the ocean from an aural perspective that allows reconciling and reconfiguring the personal visions on the sea that these artists have, from the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean coasts where they inhabit and used to inhabit respectively. Both musicians collected the sound architecture of the oceans, and, after the exchange of material, each one reimagined the aquatic space of the other in an exploration of sounds and textures that converge in this pelagic zone. The album ends by challenging the concept of the fixed that has become fluid today.
RIYL: Abstract Melodies / Rhythms, Field Recordings, Experimental Ambient, Lo-fi Orchestral Soundscapes
Released August 11, 2023
MC078
Droning synths, lo-fi guitars, highly warped textures + moody soundscapes... even some RARE vocals on the track "Found", (a bit reminiscent of maybe, say, a super early MBV track from an alternate dimension)... the output of DJ Larson aka Gemini Horror is never easy to neatly categorize - Off-kilter motifs harnessed with gritty lo-fi sound design. Emotional moods that scratch that unexplainable itch. This is the mind of an artist who needs to “get it out”… I get the feeling that DJ will be doing this always, in some form, one way or another - a life-long documentation of his emotional character and spirit that his loved ones and kindred spirits can reflect fondly on.
RIYL: Tape Loops, Noisy Guitars, Abstract Moods, Lo-fi Sound Design, Field Recordings
Released September 26, 2023
MC074
Elin Piel's sound deals in microscopic layers of textural detail, slowly shifting around delicately embellished melodies. “Tunnlar” is a perfect opening statement in this sense - glassy synth phrases pass through prismatic processing while faint flickering interference skips around in the background. “Sequent” is next up - soft and minimal, the main sequence subtly evolves with its quietly distressed production, never straying too far from where it came from. Gently processed sparkling synths slowly weave in and out of the main theme, giving the earthy base an otherworldly feel. The mood becomes a bit more abstract on tracks like “Joseph” and “Lunden” as textured and unpredictable sequences bounce and glide for a headphone treat. A turn is taken on the droning “Farfar”, as synths are whipped through delay for a delightfully woozy effect. Minimal beats and a darker mood propel the ambient dub of “Dimma”, which is then followed by the wonderfully hazy electronic soundscape of “Lilith”. The album closes with “Emma”, a track full of dancing, bubbly arps that by the last minute settle on one of the most straightforward and catchy melodies on Ingrid Linnea - like the cozy feeling of mental clarity after a positive psychedelic experience.
RIYL: Modular Synths, Experimental Ambient, Post New Age, Minimal Themes, Abstract Arps, Gently Noisy Soundscapes
Released October 6, 2023
MC079
Finding breathing room in the maze of an incremental life dominated by work hours is difficult. We ask for rest. We ask for the slow pauses that are the connectional and allegorical things we miss about youth. New memories. New feelings. We clamor for meaning in daily routines punctuated by the sunrises and sunsets we seldom take time to observe. Color of Sunshine turns this feeling into a swelling soundscape capturing the end of Summer and the introspective solitude that arrives with longer nights and a darkening horizon line. Traveling through the Western Louisiana landscape, we are presented with sonic vignettes balancing light and dark. Thunderstorms fade out for morning birds. Static interferences juxtaposed with the familiarity of childhood instruments. Scenes move from the comfort nostalgia of back porch swings into the unknown expanses of electrical grids. Held in memorysound’s first album are the aching questions-- do I still have time? Have I done enough?
RIYL: Field Recordings, Woozy Soundscapes, Nostalgic Vibes, Nature Sounds
Digital Only
Released October 17, 2023
MC077
David Slowing’s A Sinuous Path to Pleasant Valley is a sonic autobiography of life’s unexpected twists told through dense ambient forests, marimba mountains, and droning arpeggios. Expanding on the narrative of his previous Aural Canyon release Music for Abandoned Offices, Sinuous Path reflects on his journey from small town Florida to the big pond of NYC, breaking down, becoming stronger, and ultimately finding a pleasant valley with the family he has created in Austin, TX. “Small Fish, Big Pond” is an excellent audio representation of the personal evolution he experienced moving from small town to big city - the track starts off with a gentle uneasiness, settling into a palpable tension by the 2 minute mark. From here the pressure continues building, sawtooth synths swelling until a sudden yet smooth shift breaks things down into a gentle soundscape of synthetic strings. Although a muted tension remains, it now feels paired with a careful hopefulness as the artist contemplates his new surroundings and where he belongs within it.
Though the project tells David’s story, A Sinuous Path to Pleasant Valley is his most collaborative and ambitious endeavor yet. Inviting several friends to help craft the soundscape for his narrative, we are treated with the addition of lap steel, marimba, strings and vocals incorporated around his bubbling arps, sleek synth pads and piano themes. Sinuously sequenced, each of the nine tracks tells various pieces of the story through the lens of expertly composed progressive electronic, ambient and synthesizer music.
RIYL: Progressive Electronic, Berlin School Synths, Marimba, Techno Adjacent, Synthesizer Culture
Wax Mage Vinyl Edition of 25
Released Oct 24th, 2023
MC080
The following is an unedited review by Michael Donaldson for his 8 sided blog. As I thought about writing for this one, I realized how much I appreciated his perspective, especially regarding the title track. Personally, it’s one of my favorites in the Mystery Circles catalog, but also understand the potential challenge of “getting” a track like this - at times it can take some work, but rewards come to patient listeners.
The track that opens SYMBOL’s I Am Humble and Powerful is the title track, and it’s something of an obstacle course. The Rhodes-ish electric piano is pleasant enough, playing freeform lines and chords that eventually resolve on melodic themes. References to Grieg’s “Morning Mood” appear with perhaps an intentionality, but possibly not. These tones are accompanied by jittery, high-speed electronic percussion that wouldn’t be out of place in a video game quest. Together, there’s an odd synergy between the dueling elements, like the mismatched characters of a buddy movie coming to blows but eventually hugging it out. The two seem out of place as a team. And the striking thing is there are over 15 minutes of this curious interplay.
That’s an odd way to open an album, which brought to mind the aforementioned obstacle course. These opening 15 minutes are hardly dissonant or unsavory, but less patient listeners will likely drift away. It could serve as a barrier to the unworthy. Rewards exist for those who hang in there. Because, as a whole, SYMBOL’s album is a bold transmission of sound rendered pristine and sometimes degraded, an imperfect beauty just within reach.
Christopher Royal King is the lead guitarist in ‘cinematic rock ensemble’ This Will Destroy You and the rotating mirror behind SYMBOL. Christopher is also a graphic artist, working with visuals as a designer and someone whose output occasionally haunts galleries. I’m fascinated by and drawn to musicians who work equally in the visual arts; their music often hides layers, like a finished painting obscures its earliest brushstrokes. And visual art is an appropriate launching point for this album. Like the abstract dichotomy of the challenging first track, the songs on I Am Humble and Powerful evoke both clashing hues and colors that beautifully bleed into each other.
Further tracks jettison the drum shenanigans of the opener, but a rhythm remains in the mix via staccato arpeggiations emanating out of the synth machine. The overall atmosphere is broken and gentle. I’d say we’re listening to some weird music box on its last legs, spurting out its final wabi-sabi notes in a manner that’s strained but glorious. “External Reminder Prompt” lays down this vibe with quick analog-ish chunks that pleasantly wheel around the filter. Watery bubble patterns and what could be distorted Vangelis riffs grab hold of “Emotional Texture Reflection” and calmly let go before things get out of hand. But, to my ears, the grand statement has got to be the operatic swell of “A New Nothing” gliding into the tarnished nursery chimes of “W.I.L.D.” Here, we meet the simplicity of riffage, a repeated motif made unrepetitious with various distortions, filters, and reverby accents. No disrespect meant to the provocative album sequence, but this later tune is something I would joyfully ingest for 15+ minutes.
RIYL: Rhodes / Electric Pianos, Rhythmic Ambient, Bubbly Arps, Gently Broken Atmospheres, Hidden Hooks
Released October 31, 2023
MC081
Our last release of 2023 was yet another challenging sonic exploration from our friend Anders Nilsson aka Per Barfot. Nattskevor & Jeremiader continues his penchant for his audio narratives centered around Swedish culture. With the 1944 novel Kungens Rosor by Moa Martinsson as inspiration, he set his mind to capturing the sound of the early 20th century Swedish streets portrayed within.
His detailed approach and commitment to complex synthesis remains. Although the bold, synthetic plucked string feel that informed much of Dackefejden can still be found here, it’s dialed more gently to the background to support his minimal and gently degraded piano themes now at much of the forefront of Nattskevor & Jeremiader.
This is synthesis that should inspire those interested in the art to find their own distinct voice. Put on some headphones and let the modulations guide you.
RIYL: Broken Melodies, Modular Synthesis, Ciat-Lonbarde Synths, Tape Machines, Detailed Modulations, Challenging Sounds
Released December 1, 2023
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