Drinking From the Golden Cup

John Bickerton

This album brings an hour of original compositions by Bickerton, and refreshing ones at that. Almost all the tracks bespeak a thoughtful musical intelligence, full of angular beauty. ‘Snowfall,’ for instance, begins almost somberly, but with the introduction of percussion and bass, the mood shifts to peaceful – and shifts again, constantly conjuring up new scenes. Bickerton is quietly in control throughout. Bostonia Magazine

John Bickerton’s songs tell stories. Expansive, edgy, romantic, singing, are all (often simultaneous) descriptions of this music. As a guidepost, I’d say the group is somewhat comparable in temperament to Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet. A very accomplished tight-knit group. All tunes are original and carefully developed tales. Together they form a satisfying whole. Highly recommended.” — Hard Bop Cafe

This album brings an hour of original compositions by Bickerton, and refreshing ones at that. Almost all the tracks bespeak a thoughtful musical intelligence, full of angular beauty. ‘Snowfall,’ for instance, begins almost somberly, but with the introduction of percussion and bass, the mood shifts to peaceful – and shifts again, constantly conjuring up new scenes. Bickerton is quietly in control throughout. Bostonia Magazine
John Bickerton’s songs tell stories. Expansive, edgy, romantic, singing, are all (often simultaneous) descriptions of this music. As a guidepost, I’d say the group is somewhat comparable in temperament to Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet. A very accomplished tight-knit group. All tunes are original and carefully developed tales. Together they form a satisfying whole. Highly recommended.” — Hard Bop Cafe

Drinking From the Golden Cup by John Bickerton

Always Know the Way Home (Original Mix)

Always Know the Way Home by John Bickerton

Always Know the Way Home

Don Juan and Don Quixote Meet Their Fate in Brooklyn (Original Mix)

Don Juan and Don Quixote Meet Their Fate in Brooklyn by John Bickerton

Don Juan and Don Quixote Meet Their Fate in Brooklyn

Drinking From the Golden Cup (Original Mix)

Last Dance of Fading Memories (Original Mix)

Last Dance of Fading Memories by John Bickerton

Last Dance of Fading Memories

Meet Me At the Playground (Original Mix)

Meet Me At the Playground by John Bickerton

Meet Me At the Playground

Midnight Epiphany on Westbound 46 (Original Mix)

Midnight Epiphany on Westbound 46 by John Bickerton

Midnight Epiphany on Westbound 46

Snowfall (Original Mix)

Snowfall

The common wealth (Original Mix)

The common wealth

Ambient Chamber Music

Christian Wittman

Classical and contemporary music have played, and continue to play, an important role in my musical universe: chamber music in particular, for string quartet, woodwind and wind ensembles.

I love the purity of sound and instrumental lines, and in contemporary music, harmonic explorations that sometimes border on dissonance...

The experimental dimension lies in the writing and the choices of instrumental playing, a set of constraints in relation to the infinitely open palette of electronic instruments.

“Ambient Chamber Music” is an extension of this fascination, an attempt to blend textures and sound spaces, and to approach the expressivity of a small mixed electro-acoustic ensemble, crossing both minimalist and contemporary threads.

I tried to imagine a small ensemble of musicians, strings, winds and electronics playing and composing in mutual listening, following open scores, where writing coexists with improvisation.

This is basically how Lightwave has functioned, in its various configurations, around the core of Christoph Harbonnier and myself, not forgetting the important creative contributions of Renaud Pion, Jacques Derégnaucourt and Paul Haslinger, trying to approach the intuitive interactions of a small classical formation and the freedom of a jazz trio or quartet...

“Ambient Chamber Music” is a new stage in one of the parallel paths I intend to follow from now on. A chamber music oscillating between electro-acoustic and mixed music, sculpting ambient sound objects that unfold adventurous listening spaces...  

Classical and contemporary music have played, and continue to play, an important role in my musical universe: chamber music in particular, for string quartet, woodwind and wind ensembles.
I love the purity of sound and instrumental lines, and in contemporary music, harmonic explorations that sometimes border on dissonance...
The experimental dimension lies in the writing and the choices of instrumental playing, a set of constraints in relation to the infinitely open palette of electronic instruments.
“Ambient Chamber Music” is an extension of this fascination, an attempt to blend textures and sound spaces, and to approach the expressivity of a small mixed electro-acoustic ensemble, crossing both minimalist and contemporary threads.
I tried to imagine a small ensemble of musicians, strings, winds and electronics playing and composing in mutual listening, following open scores, where writing coexists with improvisation.
This is basically how Lightwave has functioned, in its various configurations, around the core of Christoph Harbonnier and myself, not forgetting the important creative contributions of Renaud Pion, Jacques Derégnaucourt and Paul Haslinger, trying to approach the intuitive interactions of a small classical formation and the freedom of a jazz trio or quartet...
“Ambient Chamber Music” is a new stage in one of the parallel paths I intend to follow from now on. A chamber music oscillating between electro-acoustic and mixed music, sculpting ambient sound objects that unfold adventurous listening spaces...

Ambient Chamber Music by Christian Wittman

Hybrid Dreamscape (Original Mix)

Hybrid Dreamscape

Intimate Harmonics

Quiet Reflections (Original Mix)

Quiet Reflections

Evanescent Melodies

Minimalist Reverie

Waves and Whispers

Dark Serenade

Nocturne Song

Nocturnes I

The starting point for this album is a photo taken one summer evening from a window in Dunkirk, a memory of a free reverie in front of the spectacle of a blazing twilight, where the last lights of the setting sun were about to vanish between the darkness of the Northern sea and that of the sky.

"Nocturnes I" is the musical story of a night between dusk and dawn, accompanying thoughts, images, memories and sensations.

Minimalist, intimate musical landscapes, where electronic instruments and treatments gently suggest peace and serenity.

Ambient music between wakefulness and sleep, at the threshold of dreams, when everything calms down and silence is woven in with the murmurs of the night. 

"Nocturnes I" accompanies the quiet flight of consciousness into the dreamy heart of night.

-----------------------------------

REVIEWS

•• "One of the standout tracks from this captivating release is the mesmerizing “Evanescent Shades,” an ambient composition that delicately weaves together ethereal tones and atmospheric textures."
https://electronica.org.uk/blog/christian-wittman-takes-us-on-a-serene-journey-with-evanescent-shades/

•• "I really love the sound design of your work. It's so alive, so organic, like I've said before I am left wondering how it's done 😊 It really is a unique atmosphere created in the hands of someone with a keen eye both of the details and the totality." (Beatradar)

•• "Nocturnes is listened to with eyes half-closed, letting its shifting landscapes unfold, so many subtle incidences inviting themselves surreptitiously.
An unfolding of our inner films, Chritian Wittman's ambient is always sonic lacework, nothing predictable, you have to follow the path as it unfolds, and when it's over, you pick up another from his discography.
I draw the parallel with possible sonic haikus.
Enjoy your immersion."
(THIERRY MOREAU)

The starting point for this album is a photo taken one summer evening from a window in Dunkirk, a memory of a free reverie in front of the spectacle of a blazing twilight, where the last lights of the setting sun were about to vanish between the darkness of the Northern sea and that of the sky.
"Nocturnes I" is the musical story of a night between dusk and dawn, accompanying thoughts, images, memories and sensations.
Minimalist, intimate musical landscapes, where electronic instruments and treatments gently suggest peace and serenity.
Ambient music between wakefulness and sleep, at the threshold of dreams, when everything calms down and silence is woven in with the murmurs of the night. 
"Nocturnes I" accompanies the quiet flight of consciousness into the dreamy heart of night.
<hr>
REVIEWS
•• "One of the standout tracks from this captivating release is the mesmerizing “Evanescent Shades,” an ambient composition that delicately weaves together ethereal tones and atmospheric textures."
<a href="https://electronica.org.uk/blog/christian-wittman-takes-us-on-a-serene-journey-with-evanescent-shades/">https://electronica.org.uk/blog/christian-wittman-takes-us-on-a-serene-journey-with-evanescent-shades/</a>
•• "I really love the sound design of your work. It's so alive, so organic, like I've said before I am left wondering how it's done 😊 It really is a unique atmosphere created in the hands of someone with a keen eye both of the details and the totality." (Beatradar)
•• "Nocturnes is listened to with eyes half-closed, letting its shifting landscapes unfold, so many subtle incidences inviting themselves surreptitiously.
An unfolding of our inner films, Chritian Wittman's ambient is always sonic lacework, nothing predictable, you have to follow the path as it unfolds, and when it's over, you pick up another from his discography.
I draw the parallel with possible sonic haikus.
Enjoy your immersion."
(THIERRY MOREAU)

Twilight on Fire

Gates of Consciousness

Gates of Consciousness by Christian Wittman

Rivers of Dreams

Ethereal Lullaby

Around Midnight

Evanescent Shades

Flight of a Sleeping Soul

Flight of a Sleeping Soul by Christian Wittman

Pale Dawn

A Slow Awakening

Apeiron

"Apeiron" is a Greek word which, according to the philosopher Anaximander of Miletus (6th century BC), designates the first element from which everything emerged, the primordial entity which generated the cosmos by successive splits.

The meaning of this word is still debated today: "infinite" or "indeterminate"? Literally: "without limit".

“Apeiron” was thus the founding concept of a bold rational cosmology, distinct from traditional myths, to explain the genesis of the universe, the earth, the ocean, the celestial sphere, the stars, physical phenomena and, of course, the emergence of life forms.

This starting point inspired me a form of contemplative and spiritual "space music", which attempts to reflect the mixture of imagination and intellectual speculation at work in this conquest of the universe by human thought.

With this album, I'm moving towards a more contemporary, hybrid sound and style, mixing electronic treatments and textures with processed human voices and classical instruments.

“Apeiron” is an attempt to explore new listening dimensions in the genre of electronic space music.
credits
released February 2, 2024

Electronics, sound design: Christian Wittman

Composed and produced at Nina Studio, Paris, November - December 2023.

Artwork: Christian Wittman 

"Apeiron" is a Greek word which, according to the philosopher Anaximander of Miletus (6th century BC), designates the first element from which everything emerged, the primordial entity which generated the cosmos by successive splits.
The meaning of this word is still debated today: "infinite" or "indeterminate"? Literally: "without limit".
“Apeiron” was thus the founding concept of a bold rational cosmology, distinct from traditional myths, to explain the genesis of the universe, the earth, the ocean, the celestial sphere, the stars, physical phenomena and, of course, the emergence of life forms.
This starting point inspired me a form of contemplative and spiritual "space music", which attempts to reflect the mixture of imagination and intellectual speculation at work in this conquest of the universe by human thought.
With this album, I'm moving towards a more contemporary, hybrid sound and style, mixing electronic treatments and textures with processed human voices and classical instruments.
“Apeiron” is an attempt to explore new listening dimensions in the genre of electronic space music.
credits
released February 2, 2024
Electronics, sound design: Christian Wittman
Composed and produced at Nina Studio, Paris, November - December 2023.
Artwork: Christian Wittman

1. Astral Dream (Original Mix)

1. Astral Dream

2. Apeiron Whispers (Original Mix)

2. Apeiron Whispers

3. Chiaroscuro of Infinity. (Original Mix)

3. Chiaroscuro of Infinity. by Christian Wittman

3. Chiaroscuro of Infinity.

4. Spectral Ambiguity (Original Mix)

4. Spectral Ambiguity by Christian Wittman

4. Spectral Ambiguity

5. Indistinct Echoes (Original Mix)

5. Indistinct Echoes by Christian Wittman

5. Indistinct Echoes

6. Logos and Cosmos (Original Mix)

6. Logos and Cosmos

7. Contours of the Void (Original Mix)

7. Contours of the Void by Christian Wittman

7. Contours of the Void

8. Mystic Harmony (Original Mix)

8. Mystic Harmony

Ambient Mapping II

Ambient music is an encounter with slowness, silence, the depth of listening, immersion in sound, navigation on sounds to dream, think, travel, imagine...

"Ambient Mapping II" weaves different threads: silence, loops, sound spaces, "Fourth World" rhythms, possible melodies.

In this album, I experimented with geometrical compositional forms, superimposed, shifted, random, in different mixes distributing sounds, patterns, rhythms in an evolving space.

--------

REVIEWS

• "This is very good. Subtle piano tones with powerful deep pads sound great" (Chitra Records)

• "Lovely composition. I loved the soft and ethereal melodies. Nice piano touch, so sweet and peaceful. I loved the melancholy mood. We’ll add your beautiful music to our playlist "focus instrumentals" (About "Lines") (Listnerd, Spotify playlist curator)


•  "Cinematic music at it's best. Wonderful soundtrack feel here. A proper production and theme. Adding this on Cinematic Soundscapes and Compositional Ambient" (about "Lines"). Lauge  (musician and playlists curator)

• "Meditative and relaxing..." Maneli (Spotify playlist curator)

• "This is a delightful ambient track and makes a great fit for our Ambient playlist.  Wishing you much success!" Sherry Finzer (Spotify playlist curator)

• "Lovely delicate ambient work, happy to have it in the Slow Ambient list." The Slow Music Movement (Spotify playlist curator)

• "Very cool! Great work on the instrumental! Great work on designing the various sounds. Nice work on the synth sound! It works very well.
Focussing on mixing, you make the instrumental sound very good !"  Palette (Spotify playlist curator)

• "Very beautiful, certainly a great fit for one of our playlists!"   Music Dances When You Sleep, Spotify playlist curator, blogger.

• "Stunning track! Keep the beautiful music!" (About Curves) Salt of the Sound, Spotify / Apple Music playlists curator.  

Ambient music is an encounter with slowness, silence, the depth of listening, immersion in sound, navigation on sounds to dream, think, travel, imagine...
"Ambient Mapping II" weaves different threads: silence, loops, sound spaces, "Fourth World" rhythms, possible melodies.
In this album, I experimented with geometrical compositional forms, superimposed, shifted, random, in different mixes distributing sounds, patterns, rhythms in an evolving space.
<hr>
REVIEWS
• "This is very good. Subtle piano tones with powerful deep pads sound great" (Chitra Records)
• "Lovely composition. I loved the soft and ethereal melodies. Nice piano touch, so sweet and peaceful. I loved the melancholy mood. We’ll add your beautiful music to our playlist "focus instrumentals" (About "Lines") (Listnerd, Spotify playlist curator)
• "Cinematic music at it's best. Wonderful soundtrack feel here. A proper production and theme. Adding this on Cinematic Soundscapes and Compositional Ambient" (about "Lines"). Lauge (musician and playlists curator)
• "Meditative and relaxing..." Maneli (Spotify playlist curator)
• "This is a delightful ambient track and makes a great fit for our Ambient playlist. Wishing you much success!" Sherry Finzer (Spotify playlist curator)
• "Lovely delicate ambient work, happy to have it in the Slow Ambient list." The Slow Music Movement (Spotify playlist curator)
• "Very cool! Great work on the instrumental! Great work on designing the various sounds. Nice work on the synth sound! It works very well.
Focussing on mixing, you make the instrumental sound very good !" Palette (Spotify playlist curator)
• "Very beautiful, certainly a great fit for one of our playlists!" Music Dances When You Sleep, Spotify playlist curator, blogger.
• "Stunning track! Keep the beautiful music!" (About Curves) Salt of the Sound, Spotify / Apple Music playlists curator.

Line (Original Mix)

Line

Curves (Original Mix)

Curves

Ridge Line (Original Mix)

Ridge Line

Canopy (Original Mix)

Canopy

Delineation (Original Mix)

Delineation

Fourth World (Original Mix)

Fourth World

Squaring the circle (Original Mix)

Squaring the circle

Music for Art Gallery I

"Music for Art Gallery I"  is inspired by the world of contemporary art - sculptures, video installations, performances, painting - and invites you to a journey through some of the great art capitals of today, from New York to Amsterdam, from Berlin to Athens, from Rome to Los Angeles.

These eight compositions are both ambient and experimental, they are at the crossroads of minimalism, a certain acousmatic abstraction and sound design...

I tried to suggest through sound design the sensory, visual, tactile, spatial universe of contemporary art, with its surfaces, its materiality, its geometry, its perspective games, its architectures of lines and shapes.

It is an ambient music that unfolds contemplative atmospheres in a slow travelling of the gaze and the mind on virtual works, that the listener is invited to imagine....

I hope to initiate a collaboration with art galleries and contemporary artists to inscribe my sound research in real places.

-----

REVIEWS

••• "Conceived as a multi-sensory experiential piece best suited for visual accompaniment of a gallery, the French artist Christian Wittman’s “Manhattan” is a lovely slice of experimental ambient work that finds its home in various nexuses of a venn diagram of several musical schools of thought. Of the piece, Wittman states, “I tried to suggest through sound design the sensory, visual, tactile, spatial universe of contemporary art, with its surfaces, its materiality, its geometry, its perspective games, its architectures of lines and shapes.” The resulting composition is one that is easy to get lost in - all the better to take while you stroll the MOMA or Whitney in Manhattan. "

Ryan HALL. Tome of the Weather Machine (tometotheweathermachine.com)

•• Great sounds and cool production. Beautiful arrangements.
I really enjoyed the ethereal and mysterious mood! (LISTNERD, about "Manhattan")

•• "Captivating soundscapes and floating atmosphere.." (Music for Home, about "Manhattan")

 

"Music for Art Gallery I" is inspired by the world of contemporary art - sculptures, video installations, performances, painting - and invites you to a journey through some of the great art capitals of today, from New York to Amsterdam, from Berlin to Athens, from Rome to Los Angeles.
These eight compositions are both ambient and experimental, they are at the crossroads of minimalism, a certain acousmatic abstraction and sound design...
I tried to suggest through sound design the sensory, visual, tactile, spatial universe of contemporary art, with its surfaces, its materiality, its geometry, its perspective games, its architectures of lines and shapes.
It is an ambient music that unfolds contemplative atmospheres in a slow travelling of the gaze and the mind on virtual works, that the listener is invited to imagine....
I hope to initiate a collaboration with art galleries and contemporary artists to inscribe my sound research in real places.
<hr>
REVIEWS
••• "Conceived as a multi-sensory experiential piece best suited for visual accompaniment of a gallery, the French artist Christian Wittman’s “Manhattan” is a lovely slice of experimental ambient work that finds its home in various nexuses of a venn diagram of several musical schools of thought. Of the piece, Wittman states, “I tried to suggest through sound design the sensory, visual, tactile, spatial universe of contemporary art, with its surfaces, its materiality, its geometry, its perspective games, its architectures of lines and shapes.” The resulting composition is one that is easy to get lost in - all the better to take while you stroll the MOMA or Whitney in Manhattan. "
Ryan HALL. Tome of the Weather Machine (tometotheweathermachine.com)
•• Great sounds and cool production. Beautiful arrangements.
I really enjoyed the ethereal and mysterious mood! (LISTNERD, about "Manhattan")
•• "Captivating soundscapes and floating atmosphere.." (Music for Home, about "Manhattan")

Music for Art Gallery I by Christian Wittman

Manhattan (Original Mix)

Manhattan

Auguststrasse (Original Mix)

Auguststrasse

West Hollywood (Original Mix)

West Hollywood

Marais (Original Mix)

Marais

Flaminio (Original Mix)

Flaminio

Kolonaki (Original Mix)

Kolonaki

Soho (Original Mix)

Soho

Spiegelwartier (Original Mix)

Spiegelwartier

Peripherie

rand

Dr.Nojoke

Jan Gerdes

Press Quote
Drifting, Almost Falling: "Utilising space, silence, electroacoustic frameworks and tones, rand take minimal piano notes and re-purpose them into a sound world that has an eerie and slightly ominous feel."

For fans of: Nils Frahm, Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bing & Ruth, Erased Tapes, Harold Budd ...

video Hoola by Cosimo Miorelli tinyurl.com/hoola-video

Concert Pianist Jan Gerdes and Minimal Techno Producer Dr.Nojoke Join Forces as “rand” to Release Debut Album Peripherie

For four years rand have been working on a fusion of the acoustic and electronic sound worlds and now present their debut album Peripherie, nine tracks on CD, seven on vinyl, recorded live with no overdubs in 2019 at Berlin's Chez-Cherie Studios then mixed and mastered by Andrea Cichecki.
For the recordings, Jan Gerdes had three pianos at his fingertips. The pieces were created partly through improvisational processes during rehearsals, partly based on piano compositions by Jan Gerdes.

In Peripherie, the atmospheres of the tracks are characterized by zones of musical events away from the conventional limelight, in which diffused things happen, musical elements emulsify, clear things dissolve, are covered up or stand abruptly and harshly next to others.
Peripherie focuses on musical edges that blur in a fluid indeterminacy and let sharp lines become a wide ocean; piano and electronics embark on a journey between being free and being lost, between detachment and connection.

rand have released EPs "I" and "II" on Bandcamp, two one-hour music improvisation in the POOLcast series of The POOL Berlin collective and contributed a track to the sampler "I hope this finds you well in these strange times Vol. 4" on the London-based label Nonclassical,
Peripherie represents the next step on the international stage.


Press Quote
Drifting, Almost Falling: "Utilising space, silence, electroacoustic frameworks and tones, rand take minimal piano notes and re-purpose them into a sound world that has an eerie and slightly ominous feel."
For fans of: Nils Frahm, Alva Noto &amp; Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bing &amp; Ruth, Erased Tapes, Harold Budd ...
video Hoola by Cosimo Miorelli tinyurl.com/hoola-video
Concert Pianist Jan Gerdes and Minimal Techno Producer Dr.Nojoke Join Forces as “rand” to Release Debut Album Peripherie
For four years rand have been working on a fusion of the acoustic and electronic sound worlds and now present their debut album Peripherie, nine tracks on CD, seven on vinyl, recorded live with no overdubs in 2019 at Berlin's Chez-Cherie Studios then mixed and mastered by Andrea Cichecki.
For the recordings, Jan Gerdes had three pianos at his fingertips. The pieces were created partly through improvisational processes during rehearsals, partly based on piano compositions by Jan Gerdes.
In Peripherie, the atmospheres of the tracks are characterized by zones of musical events away from the conventional limelight, in which diffused things happen, musical elements emulsify, clear things dissolve, are covered up or stand abruptly and harshly next to others.
Peripherie focuses on musical edges that blur in a fluid indeterminacy and let sharp lines become a wide ocean; piano and electronics embark on a journey between being free and being lost, between detachment and connection.
rand have released EPs "I" and "II" on Bandcamp, two one-hour music improvisation in the POOLcast series of The POOL Berlin collective and contributed a track to the sampler "I hope this finds you well in these strange times Vol. 4" on the London-based label Nonclassical,
Peripherie represents the next step on the international stage.

#contemporary