[AS09] Desert Sky – Karma EP

Artists & Title: Desert Sky – Karma EP
Label: Assemble Music
Catalogue#: AS-09
Date: 2014
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Country: Lisboa

Tracklist:

Credits:
Out soon!

[AS08] St. Joseph – Simple Things ‘Album’

Artists & Title: St. Joseph – Simple Things ‘Album’
Label: Assemble Music
Catalogue#: AS-08
Date: 2014
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Country: Lisboa

Tracklist:

Credits:
St. Joseph – “SIMPLE THINGS” album (Assemble Music 08)

[PNEM01] V.A. – Thoughts on Sight and Sound Vol I / II

Artists: S.A.M. , Bonjour Bonsoir, IVVVO, Evano, Yoshihiro Hanno, Ñenado, ReBack, Kashawar, Placid Strait, Max Binski, Marc Lohr, The Marx Trukker, Rack, Marc Neyen, Social System, Diogo, Sinoda Invers,  Tom Ellis, Ztrl, Anomali
Title: Thoughts on Sight and Sound Vol I / II
Label: Pluie/Noir
Catalogue#: PNEM01
Date: 2014
Format: Cassette
Country: Lisboa

Tracklist – Thoughts on Sight and Sound Vol I:

Tracklist – Thoughts on Sight and Sound Vol II:

Credits:
[PNEM01B] Various Artists
Thoughts on Sight and Sound Vol. II
Compilation (50copies, cassette only)

Mastered by Pheek
Artwork & Design by Vitrio
Duplicated at Duplication.Ca
Manufactured & Distributed by Pluie/Noir
Mixed and Compiled by Cleymoore

Pluie Noir Experimental Media
Est. Release Date: April 2014

Total creativity is something not many artists in the frame of electronic music or graphical art can claim to possess. Confined by what their gear can accomplish, the demand to keep developing new sonic formulas is often a thankless task. So what happens when the mind actually controls the machines (or digital mediums), rather than the reverse?

The entire compilation was graphicaly translated with visual acuity by Vitrio in forms and shapes of limitless interpretations. Like any flexible, innovative mind, the cassette format provides an opportunity for the music to evolve with the listener, morphing with each listen. Like a new pair of jeans, the listener ‘wears’ this in, eventually absorbing something truly unique and personal, albeit ephemeral.
Includes immediate download of 10-track album in the high-quality format of your choice (MP3, FLAC, and more), plus unlimited mobile access using the free Bandcamp listening app

Thoughts on Sight and Sound Vol I:
The ten artists commissioned by Pluie/Noir to construct Volume 1 of ‘Thoughts on Sight and Sound’, the debut release of the label’s side-project Experimental Media, were faced with a complex but endlessly rewarding assignment: “Let us hear your thoughts”. These thoughts can be whatever you want them to mean, whether it’s in the heavy reverb of S.A.M’s ‘Feed Music’ or the shadowy post-rave-ish beat that emerges in IVVVO’s ‘All My Dreams’, this is sound architecture at its most intimate.
In the same way we as humans comprehend language on an unexplainable contingency of semantics, there is no necessary truth to the compositional components in Thoughts on Sight and Sound. Bonjour Bonsoir’s ‘Mr Braun’ plays with your mind in a long yet morphing loop, a game of tension and release that ends up just as rewarding as it is soul-lifting. Evano’s ‘Maqam’ is built solely on two layers of spectral paradoxes, leaving the listener stuck between the fragile harmonics of a traditional harp and the harsh randomness of analog modular beats. As we hear Yoshihiro Hanno’s ‘Pi​.​.​.​Ani​+​No’, it is at first gibberish. There is no symphonic organization, no tangible rhythm no matter how abstracted. It’s awkward and uncomfortable, but there comes a moment of epiphany… an epiphany where you are suddenly released from a prison of doubt.
Ñenado’s ‘Sarva’ and ReBack’s ‘Horto’ are both mid-orgasmic moments of peacefull bliss. They work together as aching and ethereal, indexical to nature and human experience, but they’re over before you feel they have started. The emotional plunge is cushioned by Kashawar’s insomniac ‘I’m so tired I can’t sleep’, an itchy tapestry of keys and kicks that recalls those endless nights spent wrestling with psychological exhaustion… and losing.
Placid Strait and Max Binski close the experience with two long and challenging compositions. A spectre of a beat (heavily delayed in ‘Snake Eyes’) differentiates them from much of the rest of the tape, but it’s a maze of futuristic zaps, microscopic-synthesizing and crunchy sampling that confuses as much as it captivates.

 Thoughts on Sight and Sound Vol II:
The ten artists commissioned by Pluie/Noir to construct Volume 2 of ‘Thoughts on Sight and Sound’, the second volume of the debut release of the label’s side-project Experimental Media, were faced with a complex but endlessly rewarding assignment: “Let us hear your thoughts”.
From in-house artists under secret alias to new guests, Vol. 2 follows the same path of sonic experimentalism with no strings attached.

[PNR004] The Marx Trukker – Couldn’t See Too Clear For Edges

Artists & Title: The Marx Trukker – Couldn’t See Too Clear For Edges
Label: Pluie/Noir
Catalogue#: PNR004
Date: 2014
Format: 2 x 12″ Vinyl
Country: Lisboa

Tracklist:

Credits:
“Having delivered two outstanding EPs and a landmark triple compilation, Portugal’s Pluie/Noir now returns with its first full-length album.
Assigned with the enviable task is enigmatic German producer The Marx Trukker, who has thus far kept us on our toes with a string of high-quality EPs on a handful of respected independent imprints. With a natural affinity for experimental soundscapes that challenge dancefloors, Pluie/Noir offers the perfect platform for him to really express himself.
As much a palette of textures as it is a dance-focused collection of tracks, Couldn’t See Too Clear For Edges is a kaleidoscopic and utterly transfixing listen all the way through. The very first track, “Alongside ashortside” (A1) is infused with the sort of jazzy, impulsive flavours that are part of the album – and the label’s – DNA.
But the tempos ebb and flow, at times withdrawing all intensity (“The Gin Bay Hoss Ballad” (A2)), before cascading into tightly compressed microhouse rhythms (“A Kind Shaped Mind” (A3)) and other more expansive 4×4 examinations: “Couldn’t see too clear for edges (Second Movement)” (C1); “As Rivers Stand” (C2).
Regardless of the occasionally dramatic shifts, the album never once loses its focus. “Minor Belongings” (C3) is arguably the album’s finest creation in terms of a true artistic indulgence. Dreamy and deeply absorbing, it feeds into the album’s powerful finale, “Blaue Drift” (D1), which is one of the more aggressive works on show here.
As we’ve come to expect, Pluie/Noir again challenges what can be achieved within the parameters of dance music by empowering its carefully selected repertoire of artists. As standard, the album will come as a limited pressing with beautiful sleeve artwork, ensuring this is as collectible as it is listenable.”

Written & Produced by The Marx Trukker
Mastered by Stefan Betke at Scape Mastering, Berlin
Artwork by Jav Arshad
Design by Max Binski
Manufactured by Pallas Group.
Distributed by DD Distribution.
Limited pressings.

[PNR003] Pluie/Noir – Year One Compilation

Artists & Title: Pluie/Noir – Year One Compilation
Label: Pluie/Noir
Catalogue#: PNR003
Date: 2013
Format: 3x 12″ Vinyl
Country: Lisboa

Tracklist:

Credits:
“There is certainly no shortage of independent record labels today, each promising to deliver their own unique brand dance music, but few truly stand out like Portugal’s Pluie/Noir. In a definitive first year it has released two exceptional EPs from Petre Inspirescu and Vlad Caia, endorsed numerous acclaimed Podcasts and served as the platform for various artistic endeavors. To commemorate this achievement, a hefty 12 track compilation spread across three 12”s will be released, showcasing the various sounds that personify the imprint.

The narrative to the compilation reflects Pluie/Noir’s minimalistic musical template. Each track is a concise exploration of house music’s skeleton, leaving nothing to waste but never feeling in slightest bit sterile. Neither is the compilation monotonous: at times it’s surprising and unpredictable, but in an organized, artistic manner. Three Angel’s ‘Hor-Ma’ (A1) progresses subtly, shaped by soft bumps and clicks. It’s welcoming, cleverly paving the way for the rest the compilation to interact. The now familiar Radiq follows with a typically eccentric addition, ‘Goodbye South Goodbye’ (A2). Characterised by its splintered hybridization microhouse and ambient techno, it’s certainly a head turner. Pluie/Noir founder Cleymoore contributes with ‘Starpauseflash’, a sleek and delicate number that uses looped keys and syncopated percussion to create something thought provoking. ‘New Way’ by Ztrl (B2) follows in this vein, the funky, tripped-out pattering of percussion and dreamy keynotes are spread out across a remarkably stripped-back rhythmic blueprint. Vlad Caia’s ‘Subject 238’ (C1) represents the taste of Romania that has been so inspirational to Pluie/Noir. It’s simple, clean and devastatingly effective. Diogo’s delightfully named ‘Insecuriosity’ (C1) is an impudent tapestry of sounds, rich with idiosyncratic sampling and impulsivity, reminiscent of early Perlon. This evocation is carried over to Dr. Nojoke’s alluring ‘Awrani’ (D1), which again exposes its very delicate compositional layers by draining everything from its low-end. It’s a divine afterhours groove that ripples and shakes in all the right places.

French-born, London-based Seuil changes gear with ‘Prelude’ (D2), which draws from the same diverse sonic palate as those before him on the compilation but works from a noticeably more solid 4/4 foundation. Albert Schwartz’s ‘11aa99’ (E1) introduces the compilation’s first use of vocals- the deep, soulful American lyrics work alchemically with the shuffling house beat. ‘An Apple Pie a Day’ by Andres Marcos (E2) is another percussive session, but the experimental Pluie/Noir touches keep the piece alive. The penultimate ‘White Steps’ by Levat (F1) is gorgeous slice of microhouse, lean and groovy, the vocal slivers adding a little Melchior to the mix, before the compilation closes with S.A.M’s ‘You’re Gonna Be Okay’ (F2), another outing of enigmatic, stripped-back house.

Elegantly presented in gatefold format, this highly collectable release reflects on a successful first year for Pluie/Noir while also signifying a very promising future. A canon of DJ delights on one hand, it’s also wonderfully applicable in the home setting, ensuring its practical longevity and status as a musical treasure for a long time to come.”

Get your copy!

[PNR002] Vlad Caia – Swan Lake

Artists & Title: Vlad Caia – Swan Lake
Label: Pluie/Noir
Catalogue#: PNR002
Date: 27 Dec. 2012
Format: 12″ Vinyl, Limited
Country: Lisboa

Tracklist:
A1. Vlad Caia – Swan Lake
B1. Vlad Caia – Eternal Sunshine

Credits:
Pluie/Noir is finally back with a two-track EP from Vlad Caia.

Swan Lake shows with finesse his staggering skills to craft cinematographic atmospheres in danceable patterns, bending musical styles and constantly reminding us that club music can be so much more. Both sides share the same classical-inspired background while still being quite different in mood and lightness. Striking at 14 minutes each, the progression on these tracks remain sophisticated and visionary, messing with your head and heart in unexpected ways.

‘Swan Lake’ is a delicate yet striking piece, with a precise yet unusual drum-programming and intelligent classical-music sampling. The flip-side ‘Eternal Sunshine’ is a darker toned track, with slight-flashes of acid in it’s core bass-line and ever-lifting tense chords that unexpectedly rumble between the intense atmosphere and lift both your body and soul.

Artwork was handpainted by designer Max Binski, Pluie/Noir’s curator and art director.

Written & Produced by Vlad Caia.
Mastered by Gregor Zemljič at Earresistible Studios, Slovenia.
Artwork & Design by Max Binski, Pluie/Noir

Distributed by Intergroove Germany.
Limited pressings.

Get your copy!

 

[AS-03] St. Joseph – Personal Dancefloor EP

Artists & Title: St. Joseph – Personal Dancefloor EP
Label: Assemble Music
Catalogue#: AS-03
Date: Sept 2012
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Country: Lisboa

Tracklist:
A. Personal Dancefloor
B1. Indigo
B2. Wave / Table / Muscle

Credits:
Web / Soundcloud / Facebook