Steve Brand – Altera Orbe

17 agosto, 201922 agosto, 2019

Steve Brand – Trust and Remember [AOREP006]

“Trust and Remember” is a 24 minute ambient soundscape woven from keyboard, voice and processed guitar sounds, created at The Treehouse by Steve Brand in May of 2013, exclusively for the AlterOrbe Woomh Series. Thanks to Ran Kilrian for his interest and support and to all the artists of the AlteraOrbe label.

The track “Trust and Remember” began as a phrase that I’ve heard in my mind over and over again for years. This phrase would come up in times of apparent uncertainty, change and upheaval. I would often ask this soundless voice…trust what? Remember what? Even though I could not rationally understand the words, I felt their power and relevance in my gut. I knew without question that they constituted a powerful answer to everything I am and was experiencing.

My current understanding of this mindful directive is this… For me, trusting in this sense means knowing that even though I may not be able to see what’s ahead, even if it seems unlikely or uncertain that a way or means is going to present itself, there always has been a path in the past, so why shouldn’t there be one waiting and forming for me at this time…and the next time and the next. It also means trusting my own creativity, integrity, sovereignty and native abilities, my own sense of timing and appropriateness. More simply, trusting that I will know what to do when it’s most needed in the most appropriate way.

Trusting that “making it up as I go along” is a legitimate way of being in the world, although we are often taught otherwise. Remembering, the second half of this phrase, has also become a powerful concept for me. Not so much remembering facts or past events, although those can also be powerful tools. Remembering, in this context, is less a mental process and more in the realm of feeling. Remembering how it felt to be innocent, trusting, seated in my own power, my own passion, and what it felt like to bring these into effect I my life, without worry or fear. How did that feel? What was the result? How can I create or access that feeling for myself now? I often “get” these sorts of phrases running through my mind like a leader at the bottom of a news screen. I have learned to trust and remember them…by heart.

All music composed, performed, recorded and mixed by Steve Brand, 2013. Mastered by Steve Brand.

Tools: analogic & digital synthesizers and electric guitar.

Cover art layout by Ran Kirlian, pictures by Steve Brand.
Released June 29, 2013

Thanks to Ran Kirlian at AlteraOrbe for his support and interest.

	Track list
1.	Trust And Remember 24:08
	Total time: 24:08

Available at Bandcamp

1 diciembre, 201321 agosto, 2019

Steve Brand and Chronotope Project new releases

We feel proud of presenting the newest works of two great masterworks from our Relaxed Machinery fellows Steve Brand and Chronotope Project (Jeffrey Ericson Allen):

Steve Brand – Over-Soul

A 61 minute long form piece, divided into three seamless expanses of driftscape, created entirely with keyboards and medicine drum by ambient master Steve Brand.

The original inspiration for this long form piece was my readings from various esoteric sources, and the idea that although we may see ourselves as separate, isolated and alone, in fact we all are individual expressions of one unifying, all-encompasing source, and therefore linked to that source and ultimately to one another.

Available on Steve Brand Bandcamp site

Chronotope Project – Event Horizon

The album bears comparison to the cosmic phenomenon of the event horizon: the boundary surrounding a black hole representing its point of “no return.”

An earthy foundation of sustained drones and rich chordal soundbeds, flowing watery melodies, the scintillating sparkle of fiery sequences.

The music of Chronotope Project (Jeffrey Ericson Allen) bridges time and space with immersive soundscapes that invite the listener to discover intimate connections between consciousness and experience.

Available on Chronotope Project Bandcamp site

19 septiembre, 201321 agosto, 2019

Mindglide, Steve Brand & Zero Ohms

we have the great pleasure to introduce some of the new productions that we have prepared for this summer: Space Between, the newest space-ambient album from spanish composer Joxan Ruiz, and Steve Brand latest album: The Great Hoop. Also we present you a very special work by our friend Steve Brand: Trust and Remember, an exclusive Woomh EP.

Mindglide – RADIANCE

Radiance is an awesome and expansive space ambient work recorded in 2009 by Mindglide that has been now remastered, remixed and extended into a mesmerizing masterwork.

Radiance, the second album by spanish ambient artist Mindglide, was recorded back in 2009 and has been now remastered and remixed into a large double album. As on previous works Radiance provides a deep journey thru the cosmos surrounded by complex synthetic sounds and harmonies with several influences from many diferent styles.

Steve Brand – She Covers the Sky

Re-imagining, re-working, re-mastering of the 2009 release, now with two new tracks.

Originally, SCS was created to honor the divine feminine, which is said by many to be making it’s way back to a place of prominence on Earth—balancing the heavily male energy that has been in place for millennia.

The dominant notes here are fluidity, fecundity, flow, and flexibility—and a lot of sounds from Mother Earth herself.

369 – Zero Ohms

A journey of what seems to be an unending ascension of shifting drones and wind-synth chords which take you to the very edge of space and beyond.

A superb follow-up to Worlds, Afterworlds, “369″ by Zero Ohms features flutes, bass flutes and wind-controlled synthesizers over a unique collection of field recordings.

28 junio, 201321 agosto, 2019

New music by Joxan Ruiz & Steve Brand

Joxan Ruiz – Space Between

The pieces are built upon a blend of deep ambient characteristics, looping, textures and harmonics mixed with subtle and hovering. The tracks follow a zen-like flow, through exotic flutes, bringing the listener’s attention down to a distinct stillness.

Space Between is a heady mixture of sounds, alternating between hues both beautifully light and magnetically dark.
A trip to your mind…

Steve Brand – The Great Hoop

Basic tracks for “The Great Hoop” were first started back in 2010 subsequent and prior to one of my many visits with my wife to the Cahokia Mounds, near East St. Louis. At that time, I felt the need to continue themes that I had explored in my previous release, Cahokia.

Music inspired by Native American cultures, their history and pre-history, the spaces, colors, flora and fauna, and wide variety of landscapes of the American Plains.

Steve Brand – Trust and Remember

Trust and Remember is a 24 minute ambient soundscape woven from keyboard, voice and processed guitar sounds, created at The Treehouse by Steve Brand in May of 2013, exclusively for the AlterOrbe Woomh Series.

22 marzo, 201321 agosto, 2019

Frore, Chris Russell & Steve Brand releases

This month we release 3 excellent albums from our fellows Relaxed Machinery in FLAC format:

SHADOWLANDS – FRORE

We’re very excited that Paul Casper/Frore is releasing with Relaxed Machinery. Sophisticated, moody, haunting and tribal, “Shadowlands,” 5 long tracks are brimming with loping, pulsing rhythms, distant voices, muted flutes, and dense, smoky textures…it’s a wonderful album…and falls right in line with “The Raven” and “Axis Mundi,” his two previous.

BRIDGE TO NOWHERE – STEVE BRAND

Steve Brand has just recently started releasing music under his own name, after more than 20 releases in the experimental realm under the name “Augur.” Now Brand has a number of recordings scheduled for release on Hypnos, and also on the AtmoWorks label, and the first of these is Bridge to Nowhere.

PORTAL – CHRIS RUSSELL

Other worlds, other dimensions and glimpses behind the veil. A strange beautiful music brewed up on this release, this album born out of dark and experimental sessions led to a bold new direction for me. Deep space pics along with some of my light photography were the visual backdrop while this project was created.

9 marzo, 201321 agosto, 2019

Three awesome releases from Relaxed Machinery

This month we promote three excellent releases from our fellows Relaxed Machinery:

OUR TRUE NATURE – STEVE BRAND

“Our True Nature” consists of two 35 minute drifting, atmospheric ambient soundscapes titled, “True Nature” and “Genuine Nature.” Inspired by my mentor, Nadja, and by events in my life that continue to demonstrate to me that our lives are always about the process of unfolding, gradually revealing our true nature.

CHRYSALIS – CHRONOTOPE PROJECT

“Chronotope” refers to the unity of space and time, the intimate connection of the relative and the absolute. My intention is to create music that invites the listener to commune with this unified field of being, to paint soundscapes evoking introspection and connection, to awaken the subtle mind and open the heart.

THE GEOMETRY OF SHADOWS – BROKEN HARBOUR

Just over a year since the landmark “Gramophone Transmissions”, Broken Harbour returns with a new hour-long ambient journey. “The Geometry of Shadows” marks another stylistic-shift from previous releases and is almost entirely synth-based. Initially inspired by the concept of faster-than-light communications over galactic distances, the original material for the album was recorded under the title of “Ansible” in late 2009. After a 14 month break from recording, the material was reworked, re-recorded, and recycled over 9 months in 2012 until no trace of the original material was actually used.

18 enero, 201321 agosto, 2019

Some excellent releases from Relaxed Machinery

This month we promote thre excellent albums from our fellows Relaxed Machinery:

Disturbed Earth & Shane Morris – SUBURBAN CATACOMB

What goes on under suburbia, the day to day, literally, the pipes, storm water drainage, electric cable, communication, internet.

Shane Morris – Synths, Electronic and Acoustic Percussion, Field Recordings and effects.

Disturbed Earth – Production, Construction, Reel to Reel tape delay, Electric and Nylon String Guitars, Pedal Harmonium, Percussion, Field Recordings.

Andrew LahifF – INNER WORLDS RETURNING

Synthetic and mechanical notions overlaid on an organic yet detailed landscape.

Synthetic and mechanical notions overlaid on an organic yet detailed landscape. A journey intimately sharing small wondrous details of the natural world and how, when they are observed by a discerning eye, they can lead to inner discoveries and timeless steps forward. The soundscapes shape the atmosphere to convey both the natural imagery and the eternal wonderment of the universe.

Steve Brand – SUNPRINTS

Five quiet and sometimes intimate atmospheres focused around nature.

Originally released in 2010 and now released here on Bandcamp on my own Pioneer Light Music label, “Sunprints”, is comprised of 5 quiet, and sometimes intimate, atmospheres focused around nature. Sunprints is dedicated to my mentor, Nadja, and accomplished with kora, zither, kalimba, shakers, bells, cymbals, gongs, conch, bone, cane and cedar flutes, didgeridoo, whistles voice, accordion, gutterphone, field recordings and keyboards. The final track, “Sunprints”, was created just for this 2012 re-release.

13 julio, 201221 agosto, 2019

Bioma, Bloom & Catalyst

This month we bring you BIOMA, the newest and long awaited collaboration from spanish ambient masters Bruno Sanfilippo and Max Corbacho and the lastest releases from our partners from Relaxed Machinery, two great masterworks, Bloom and Catalyst, from the top artists Chris Russell and Steve Brand.

Bruno Sanfilippo & Max Corbacho – BIOMA [ad113]

BIOMA is a delicated work full of field recordings and electronics in a real living, mesmerizing and breathing system on a single long form track of nearly 59 minutes.

This album is not currently available

Chris Russell – Bloom [rM_0027]

Warm and peaceful zones inspired by nature. All carefully sculptured using a combination of field recordings and electronic atmospheres.

Available at Chris Russel’s Bandcamp

Steve Brand – Catalyst [rM_0026]

Four cavernous, ethereal, sentimental and lilting inscapes timing in at just over an hour.

Available at Steve Brand’s Bandcamp

18 mayo, 201221 agosto, 2019

Waterfront and other releases

We are happy to announce three new releases in our catalogue this month: Waterfront, the first collaborative ambient-electronic work by Ran Kirlian and Landru, co-owners of the online ambient label Altera Orbe, and two sublime works from our partners Relaxed machinery in FLAC loseless format, en seier, a deeply personal and atmospheric album by åpne sinn and Spiritual Science, a collaborative double album by Steve Brand and Ishq.

Ran Kirlian & Landru | Waterfront

Waterfront is the consolidation of the first acclaimed collaborative work between the ambient artists Ran Kirlian and Landru, co-owners of the online ambient label Altera Orbe.

Textures and grooves were combined live by the two artists on The_BlueRoom studio, in Castellón during a jam session. The tracks were polished, mixed and mastered later in order to improve the sonic experience of a unique and catarquic moment.

Waterfront is available in limited CDr Digipack format, FLAC loseless format and MP3 at 256kbps format at Ran Kirlian Bandcamp and Landru Bandcamp sites.

Check out 3 complete tracks at Ran Kirlian’ soundcloud.

åpne sinn | en seier

‘en seier’ – from the Norwegian meaning “one victory”, this second album from åpne sinn holds a much more personal and profound place in my heart than it’s predecessor, ‘espiritista’. The choice of the album’s title is two-fold. Firstly, it refers to the release of ‘espiritista’ in January of 2011.

Available at åpne sinn Bandcamp

Steve Brand & Ishq | Spiritual Science

From the 2009 release notes, Brand says, “I’d been an Ishq (Matt Hillier) fan for about 3-4 years. I found his music as part of my complete immersion in Ultimae material (Ishq kept showing up in the ‘If you like this, you’ll like this’ area of iTunes). I bought ‘Orchid’ and was hooked. I love his atmospheres and beats, the delicacy, expansiveness and expressiveness of feeling, and his intuitive and spiritual approach to music. Really feels like home to me.»

Available at Steve Brand Bandcamp

27 abril, 201221 agosto, 2019

New releases from Relaxed Machinery artists

We are really proud to present some of the latest releases from one of our music partners, the artist collective Relaxed Machinery, in FLAC format, containing works from great ambient composers such as Steve Brand, Zero Ohms, Bob Ohrum and Lowell Levene-Sims. We hope you enjoy these releases now on sale in Altera Orbe website.

Steve Brand | Subtle Movements Inside

“Subtle Movements Inside,” was inspired after re-visiting a group of old poems and by recent events in my life. Increasingly, I’m convinced that our lives are changed not so much by outer events, or profound revelations, but if we’re sensitive and attuned to it, by the subtle migration of thought and feeling—subtle movements inside.

Zero Ohms | Worlds, Afterworlds

Worlds, Afterworlds is the debut of Richard Roberts (Zero Ohms) on the Relaxed Machinery label. The five pieces on Worlds, Afterworlds are created with bass flute, wind-synth and field recordings. In an amusing yin-yang progression, the pieces get shorter (and the titles longer) as the album moves forward.

Bob Ohrum | Subliminal Listening

Subliminal Listening was written and recorded in August 2005. This album was created by capturing various field recordings, and then creating music to accompany them… Aside from reverb, these live field recordings have not been altered in any way. This results in a collection of soundscapes that are very organic in nature…

Steve Brand | Cahokia

A three-song journey into one of the deeply mystical places of America’s heartland. From Steve’s blog:

‘Cahokia’ was originally self-released in early 2007 on CDBaby.com, then again in it’s re-worked, re-mastered form in 2009 on another label. This 2011 re-release is on Brand’s own label, Pioneer Light Music (cover photo, Jill brand).

Lowell Levene-Sims | A Thing of Beauty to An Object of Regret

A Thing of Beauty is the first album of Lowell Levene-Sims on Relaxed Machinery label, a personal exploration into the realm of sounds and field recordings.