The highly anticipated third album from Alien Signal is set to release next month on Enoise Records.
After a hiatus of over three decades, Alien Signal, the enigmatic project of Alex Silvi, makes a triumphant return with Whispers from Distant Suns, a mesmerizing journey into the realms of electronic ambient, Balearic downtempo, and cosmic soundscapes. This long-awaited album has captivated listeners across genres, earning widespread acclaim for its ability to blend nostalgic textures with modern innovation. Fans and critics alike have praised the album, with comments such as:
“Thank you for the auditory experience—it evokes the timeless essence of Vangelis’ classics like Antarctica and Alpha, but reimagined for the contemporary era.”
“A beautiful universe of sound, rich with old-school textures that I absolutely loved. The album immerses you in a deeply cinematic atmosphere, as if you’re floating through the stars.”
Whispers from Distant Suns is a masterful fusion of vintage melodies and futuristic sound design. The album weaves together lush, ethereal harmonies with intricate rhythms—ranging from robotic, mechanical beats to minimal, organic percussion. Each of the eight tracks is a carefully crafted piece of sonic artistry, offering a transcendent listening experience that feels both intimate and expansive.
This album is not just a collection of songs; it is a celebration of Alien Signal’s artistic evolution and maturity. Silvi’s decades of experience shine through in every note, creating a work that feels both timeless and forward-thinking. The result is a deeply immersive experience, one that invites listeners to lose themselves in its hypnotic textures and emotive depth.For fans of ambient, downtempo, and cinematic electronic music, Whispers from Distant Suns is a must-listen.
It’s a record that not only pays homage to the golden era of electronic music but also pushes the boundaries of the genre, offering a fresh and modern perspective. Whether you’re a longtime follower of Alien Signal or a newcomer to Silvi’s work, this album promises to transport you to a world of celestial beauty and introspection—a true auditory voyage through the whispers of distant suns.
For fans of: Vangelis, Brian Eno’s Apollo, Tangerine Dream, Four Tet, Loscil.
Tracklist
A1. Echoes of a billion sun’s A2. Messages from the Andromeda Galaxy A3. Stardust Memories (Among the Stars Dreams and Memories) A4. Trailblazer of the Cosmos (Comet Rider A Leap of Faith into the Unknown) B1. Seeds of Light (hope for growth and new beginnings) B2. Fragile Eden (Threads of Emerald Green) B3. The Cold Embrace of Infinity B4. The Star Charts We Shared (A Maurizio Requiem)
Enoise Records will release Whispers from distant Suns on April 4, 2025
There is little that is not weird about Cortizona, the label that Philippe Cortens inaugurated with reissues of holy grails of strange Belgian music and which has since become positively unpredictable. If you dare to be surprised, this one’s for you.
Being a music journalist has many perks, but also quite a few downsides. Besides the salary and the constant online vitriol, this includes regularly finding great music that no-one pays attention to. Radio journalist Philippe Cortens has turned this upside down with his label Cortizona, providing a platform for previously unheard-of music and records that would otherwise go unnoticed from different eras and corners of this world.
Cortens grew up in Belgium with his hands browsing through his parents’ record collection and an ear tuned to the medium which is still a crucial part of his life. When not recording songs from the top 30 to tape, he listened to Krekelgeluiden, a show that saw his host Bert Bibber read out love letters from his fans and serve as their agony uncle.
Then, things changed. »It was punk, industrial, and EBM music as a youngster in the early 1990s that changed my way of listening and perspective on music,« Cortens says today. »These tapes with the music of Negazione, Disorder, Throbbing Gristle, Butthole Surfers, Mark Stewart, Einstürzende Neubauten, Front 242, and Klinik were mind-blowing and opened up an exciting new world of record digging and going to crazy concerts at a young age.«
He made a career out of it. Having worked as a music editor and selector for stations such as Studio Brussel and Klara, he put together a compilation of live performances by artists such as The xx and Jamie Lidell for the former and was in charge of reissuing a live recording of the Belgian band Evil Superstars performed for the latter. These days, he puts on gigs and works as a curator.
And he is, of course, the owner of a label, whose own body of work also includes a few music documentaries. Cortizona was started in 2017 after a serendipitous find: »I discovered the original reel-to-reel version of ›Planètes‹ by Jean Hoyoux,« he says. »The wonderful and mesmerising music on these tapes combined with the amazing history of Hoyoux’ life made me decide that this was the perfect moment to start the label and see where it takes me.«
A surprise always takes two
Following up on the first official reissue of this cult classic of early 1980s Belgian electronic music, Cortens quickly hit the ground running with further reissues of no less seminal material: a live recording of the jazz giants Freddie Hubbard Quintet from 1973 as a special audiophile vinyl pressing, another Hoyoux album and the »Noises« compilation, originally from 1977, were among the first Cortizona catalogue numbers.
An intimate recording of Frederik Croene’s “Cul de sac”, a suite of four post-minimal piano pieces, marked a watershed moment in the label’s history in 2019 as the first release featuring contemporary music. »I was totally flabbergasted when Frederik played the compositions live in his garden shed for me, so I just had to release this piece of bliss on vinyl,« remembers Cortens.
»Most of the time the art that I love is going against the grain and has a very personaI perspective on the world.« Philippe Cortens
Ever since the release of »Cul de sac,« Cortizona has become been what could be called a hybrid label. Here’s a collection of recordings of the avant-jazz vocalist Patty Waters from the 1970s rubbing shoulders with a record on which Andrew McKenzie’s The Hafler Trio presents finished versions of pieces originally created with the late Genesis P-Orridge, there’s the playful improvisational music of composer Pak Yan Lau or the meta-pop of Céline Gillain.
When asked about this cheerfully anarchic and—at the surface, at least—somewhat confusing mix of musical approaches and aesthetics, Cortens shrugs. »I don’t want to think too much about genres or a musical direction in which the label has to go,« he explains. »I love to be suprised by music and art in general. Most of the time the art that I love is going against the grain and has a very personaI perspective on the world.« If he has one piece of advice for his listeners, it’s this: »Dare to be surprised!«
Outstanding from Belgium
Several artists, among them Gillain, but also former Evil Superstars member Tim Vanhamel’s plunderphonics beatmaking project Comité Hypnotisé and conceptual artist Ann Eysermans, keep returning to Cortens’ label. »I try to build a relationship of mutual trust, which hopefully results in fantastic records and gives space to create more stunning music.« This sustainable approach and Cortens’ passion for the idiosyncratic is mirrored in the imaginative and detailed artwork of the vinyl records released through his label. It’s the kind of stuff that will stick out for years to come.
Idiosyncrasy is generally the keyword for a lot of music that has come out of Belgium in the past decades. »The Philips Pavilion at the Expo in 1958 with works by Varèse and Xenakis, Front 242, new beat, the Sherman Filterbank, the Antwerp free music gang of WIM and Fred Van Hove, decap organs, the punk and new wave scene in the 1970s and 80s: Belgium has quite a rich, weird and exciting music history and there is still a lot going on over here, so I guess that also resonates a bit through the spirit of Cortizona,« says Cortens.
He quickly points out that releases by Twinkle³ together with David Sylvian and Kazuko Hohki, Bernard Szajner, and BRAHJA make his label a decidedly international one. So while there is a concert planned for the 2024 edition of the ever-reliant Meakusma festival in Belgium’s city of Eupen, other plans for the future have to do with Japan or African electronica. »But I don’t want to jinx my plans by talking about them too much,« he laughs. A good music journalist, after all, knows perfectly well when to shut up and let the music do the talking.
There’s exciting new from Belgian quintet Black Flower, who are gearing up to release a new album in the new year. Entitled Kinetic, it follows their 2022 Magma, and arrives on January 31st through Sdban Ultra.
There’s still a long wait ahead but the collective are teasing the album now with a brilliant and boisterous lead single called ‘Monkey System’ featuring singer-songwriter Meskerem Mees. The title takes its inspiration from the parable of the monkey whereby the monkey is lured by bait inside a hole, it reaches for it with a clenched fist and can’t get the food out without letting go of it. When danger approches, the monkey chooses to hold on to the food rather than letting go of it and gets trapped.
The track “is a reflection on this state of mind, and by extension, a poignant metaphor for the human condition”, as the press release explains, and it “mirrors a deeper truth: our tendency to cling to desires that ultimately hold us back.”
Tracklist:
A1. Black Flower – Kinetic A2. Black Flower feat. Meskerem Mees – Monkey System A3. Black Flower – Underwave B1. Black Flower – Synesthetic B2. Black Flower – Violet Drift B3. Black Flower – Conundrums B4. Black Flower – Particles
Sdban Ultra will release Kinetic on January 31, 2025
30 years of Fuse. That’s 1,560 weekends of love, techno, I ❤︎ TECHNO, Motion Room, party flyers, La Demence, renovations, label nights, sound isolations, Jeu de Balle, long shifts, noise complaints, stylus replacements, after-hours, legendary b2bs, compilations, resident DJs, On The Beach, emergency loops, and an unfathomable amount of tickets boisson.
2024 marked the nightclub Fuse’s 30th year of continuous operation on Rue Blaes in Brussels. Belgium is home to cultural visionaries, break-the-mould characters, and prolific producers who helped shape the foundations of the electronic music scene we enjoy today. As a result, Fuse’s story traces the outlines of the house and techno history at large. Through striking visuals, quotes, research, and storytelling, this book connects the dots between the rise of renowned artists and uniquely Belgian characters that crystallised Fuse as a temple of underground dance music.
From Detroit to the Marolles, Ricardo Villalobos to DJ Pierre, Carl Craig to Trish Van Eynde, Daft Punk to Deg, Laurent Garnier to Charlotte de Witte, Warp to Music Man Records, even Depeche Mode to Björk, this book documents not only the iconic performances and moments over the years but also the stories of those who took the risk of running a nightclub and the tens of thousands of dancers who poured their love, sweat, and tears into the labyrinthine walls of Fuse.
An essential for any raver or lover of electronic music history, this book is an archival work dedicated to the music heads who have kept their minds and ears open since 1994.
Keep on Fusin’.
Written by Koen Galle Language: English Softcover 352 pages Yarn-sewn bound in cold glue, Swiss binding, with linen spine strip 206,5 x 281,5 mm
Afterclub will release FUSE: 30YRS Of Making Noise on December 6, 2024
claire rousay has announced a new album, The Bloody Lady, which is set for release on November 8 via VIERNULVIER Records. It features the reimagined score rousay wrote for Viktor Kubal’s 1980 animated film of the same name, which she debuted at Videodroom/Film Fest Gent 2023 in Ghent, Belgium. The record is accompanied by an extensive booklet including film stills and liner notes by Rastislav Steranka and Wouter Vanhaelemeesch.
Based on the folktale of Elisabeth Bathory, The Bloody Lady follows the story of a Slovak noblewoman who murders hundreds of young women in order to stay youthful. “The actions surrounding the heart are pivotal in the film, and, along with its heartbeat, they formed the initial pulse of the score,” rousay shared..
Listen to ‘VIII’ below.
Tracklist
A1. i A2. ii A3. iii A4. iv A5. v B1. vi B2. vii B3. viii B4. ix B5. x B6. xi
VIERNULVIER will release The Bloody Lady on November 8, 2024
Sdban Records presents the first single from its forthcoming archival release ‘Dusko Goykovich – Doo’s Blues: The 1967 Belgian Radio Recordings.’
A signature Goykovich composition, The Wedding March of Alexander the Macedonian is an iconic example of Balkan jazz, the sub style that Dusko pioneered in the 1960s and perfected throughout his career. Those familiar with his oeuvre might recognise the tune from the landmark and much sought- after Swinging Macedonia album, but will be surprised by this newly discovered funky and swinging rendition that stars Goykovich alongside Belgian vibraphonist Fats Sadi.
This first single is taken from the forthcoming compilation ‘Doo’s Blues: The 1967 Belgian Radio Recordings’, a collection of previously unreleased tracks from two recording sessions Goykovich did for BRT (Belgian Radio & TV). It captures the Serbian jazz trumpeter, composer and band leader at the moment he established himself as one of Europe’s most distinctive jazz artists.
Doo’s Blues was compiled by Lander Lenaerts. Lander’s a DJ and writer who plays an important part in documenting the rich jazz history Belgium has to offer.
Doo’s Blues: The 1967 Belgian Radio Recordings is set for release via Sdban on 22 November 2024.
