Amek nl_09: New radio show and tapes by NATT and Non Photo Blue
New radio residency, new tapes, videos, concerts and mixes
As you've noticed, we skipped last month's issue of the newsletter. Not for the lack of news on our end, quite the opposite. We've been so pleasantly occupied with new and old projects that the month just passed by without us noticing. So, here are some of the things we did the past few months.
Шумна неделя on Kanal 103
October started with our new monthly residency on the legendary Macedonian radio Kanal 103. The name of our show is Шумна неделя (Shumna nedelya, lit. Noisy Sunday) and is a continuation or rather, extension, of our series of live events by the same name. Шумна неделя airs every first Sunday of the month at 9 pm CET on Kanal 103. Catch up on all previous episodes here.
New Releases
On November 6 we released two new tapes - The Way You Were Made by NATT and Dépaysement by Non Photo Blue.
NATT “The Way You Were Made”
Spanning over eight brooding pieces, NATT's debut for Amek is а dark and melancholic electronic offering that is simultaneously bleak and beautiful. The Polish producer throws us in a sonic world, shaped by gritty field recordings, heavy-weight bass drones, melodies soaked in desperation, and synth debris.
Find The Way You Were Made on tape (ltd. to 80) and digital here.
Non Photo Blue “Dépaysement”
Daniel Donchov's (one-half of Leaver) sophomore solo offering under the moniker Non Photo Blue is full of crystal synth drones that are once again inspired by travels and are a portrayal of his inner dialogs with the unknown. In Dépaysement, Donchov is reviving and reliving a solitary journey he undertook across several US states in the Autumn of 2019 when international travel wasn't yet a distant memory.
Experience Dépaysement on tape (ltd. to 50) and digital here.
Videos
This batch of tapes was also accompanied by videos for the songs “Pray for a Miracle” by NATT and “Neighbourhoods” by Non Photo Blue. Find both of them below. It’s a good time to consider subscribing to our YouTube channel as we’ll be dropping more and more videos there (and less Soundcloud premieres) in the future.
NATT “Pray for a Miracle”
Non Photo Blue “Neighbourhoods”
Concerts
While in November the country is headed towards another tightening of the anti-pandemic measures and the growth of Covid-19 cases has shut down almost all hope for cultural life, October saw the long-awaited return of many of our friends to the concert venue.
LATE, Evitceles, Mytrip, krallar, OOHS!, and Cyberian performed at the four-day Frisson festival held between October 8th and 11th at Studio EW. There was a second Amek Drone Ensemble appearance and we gave a short talk about Amek, DIY ethics, and tape culture on the third day. Keep an eye because an audio documentation of the event might surface in one form or another.
Few weeks later, Mytrip presented "Keeper" in Varna’s finest Radar Festival. Full report from the event find here (in Bulgarian).
Both Mytrip performances were predated with premieres of two videos from his latest LP Keeper. Both of them were created by the visual artist Silvana Ilieva, who is also responsible for the artwork of the record. Watch them below.
Mytrip “Unsealing Colossus”
Mytrip “Upheaval”
Mix
On October 20th, V∆l∆nc∑ Ðr∆kës made a mix for CKUT 90.3FM's Montreal Sessions. The mix is dedicated to our late brother Stolen Yovchev Omori who left us half a year ago.
Listen to the mix here.
Amek in Japan via Tobira Records
After years of unsuccessful attempts to bring our music to Asia we’re now more than proud to share that most recent Amek releases are available in Japan and actually all around the world via Tobira Records. It’s a new mailorder ran by Takahiro Yorifuji who you probably know for his work as Hakobune. Find our stuff here or at the Tobira Records brick and mortar store at 142-9 Hojo, Hojocho, Kasai, Hyogo JAPAN.
We’re more than thankful to our trusted partners all around the world. Find our music at Stellage (RU), Alchembria (PL), Consouling Store (BE), Drone Records (DE), Hyster Tapes (FI), Aliens (SK) & Laterna Records (BG).