Field Notes

  • A black and white photo of Kirin squatted calmly in a grassy park at night. Her arm rests upon a cello that is silhouetted by a bright lamp post light far off in the backdrop.
    Interview

    Kirin McElwain

    To see Kirin McElwain perform live is to watch a structured and intentional artist navigate cello, synths, and voice with perfect precision. A classically trained multi-instrumentalist, Kirin...

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  • Toby McKes looking down towards his modular set, his right hand reaching for one of the many patch cables on display.
    Interview

    ybot

    In Seattle, ybot aka Toby McKes draws inspiration from emerald green water, skipped ferry rides, and high school jazz band recordings. The unassuming member of Basement State and side project SAD BOIX...

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  • Tyler Pursel and Morgan Evans-Weiler sit side by side, a potted plant on a table separating them. Behind them is tons of lush foliage.
    Interview

    Earthroom

    It's a big year for Philadelphia artists at Mystery Circles - three out of four releases in 2024 have landed from the City of Brotherly Love, and this latest installment takes us to the neighborhood...

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  • Manna Pourrezaei is seated behind a modular synth. She holds out her hand which contains a bright glowing orb. Another sits beside her on the other side.
    Interview

    MANNA

    Manna Pourrezaei aka MANNA is comfortable existing outside of expected forms, categories, and definitions. Coming off a year of intense long-form modular live performances at Great Circles’ Passages...

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  • A grid featuring every Mystery Circles album and single cover from 2023
    Documentation

    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...

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  • Carolyn Zaldivar Snow stands out in the desert looking towards the ground, surrounded by thin, bare trees and rocks
    Interview

    Tangent Universes

    Using field recordings, modular synths, a DIY Lyra-8, and guitar drones, Carolyn (Zaldivar) Snow creates immersive compositions from her Mid-Atlantic context exploring collective memory in science and...

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  • A super grainy, old looking photo of Ramon walking along a calm lake.
    Interview

    Dissolve in Sepia

    South Brazil based producer Ramon Fassina aka Dissolve in Sepia blends acoustic and electronic instruments, tape loops, field recordings and modular synthesizers into dreamy and vivid musical...

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  • Marigold Sun stares off into the distance, posed in front of some rock walls, translucent forestation in the distance.
    Interview

    Marigold Sun

    In December 2021 we released “Suspended In Blue”, a fluctuating ethereal soundscape that feels like a cluster of comforting memories hitting you all at once. Taking more of a free form approach,...

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  • Andrew Shaffer smiles for the camera up close surrounded by beautiful forest trees and leaves.
    Interview

    Go Outside

    As ambient music listeners, we’re often placed into an evolving world an artist has built for us. The music of Vermont musician Andrew Shaffer aka Go Outside feels more like being placed into a...

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  • Grayscale photo of Andrea gazing off to the left of the camera, sporting a backwards cap and black shirt. Behind him there is a faint reflection of a woman in window.
    Interview

    Andrea Cortese

    In November of 2021, we released “Antientropic”, a hazy adventure through a forest of texture and rhythm. Recorded to four track cassette, it marked a lateral move in production for Cortese, losing...

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  • Emma appears behind reflective glass, her hand pressed against the pane. She stares off to the side as if deep in thought.
    Interview

    No Translation

    From California to Taiwan to Montreal to Cologne and many places in between and back again, Emma Palm (aka No Translation) weaves voice, field recordings, synthesizers, and atmospherics into sonic...

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  • Felipe poses in his studio. Behind him is a plethora of modular equipment and patch cables.
    Interview

    Felipe Ayres

    Regardless if he knows it, Felipe Ayres is a fearless musical force, pouring his inquiring energy into his various sound creations without restraint. From soundtracks and music to foley and sound...

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  • Wilmer focused with head down, playing his modular synth. Behind him is another synth perched atop a keyboard stand.
    Interview

    Almanacs

    An interview with Wilmer Murillo of Almanacs on music as therapy, taking inspiration from the Honduran landscape, and his Mystery Circles cassette release, Manglares.

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