We are proud to welcome the first Northern Hemisphere addition to the Sonorous Circle; introducing Úlfur Hansson and his musical alias, Klive, all the way from Reykjavík, Iceland!

We first fell in brotherly love with Úlfur in Australia on the Jonsi tour in August 2010 and were delighted at the opportunity to get up to date by re-releasing his 2008 album, Sweaty Psalms:

SCR010: Klive - Sweaty Psalms
Electronic music made with experimental and IDM tendencies from complex and intriguing sounds. Detailed like detritus with the character of creatures and electrified oceans. Just the right amount of grime with organic grace. Subtle audio manipulation used to create other worlds with the warmth of home. This is an album that requires patience, for there is little that is rushed and with much layering and depth it remains elusive after repeat listens. Originally self-released in Iceland in 2008, Sweaty Psalms is now available for download or on CD in limited supply from our neck of the woods!

Click here for download link, $7USD or order a CD here.

AN INTERVIEW WITH KLIVE:
In order to make up for our immense geographical divide we asked him a few questions so you could all get to know him a little:

/ You originally released Sweaty Psalms in 2008 at the age of 20. Nice one! What was the process of making this album? What tools do you like to use?
It wasn’t a very focused project to begin with. I started making my own music a long time ago, and eventually came to a point where I recognized certain characteristics connecting some of my songs. Something I felt in these sounds outlined a path I was eager to explore - that something  being a kind of liminality difficult to pin down. Venturing further towards these strong undefined emotions was very exciting. Anyway, SP was mostly made from field recordings I made during trips around town, holidays in the countryside etc - mixed with more sinister synthesis from my max/msp doodles - and finally sequenced with warm live instrumentation in Ableton.
(more…)

Tis that time again! An arbitrary point on the spiralling vortex of time where the cycle is seen to come back around. The New Year is upon us! And with it, of course, comes the inclination to take stock.

With so much having gone on it is no easy feat to summarise the events of the year but to say the least, as predicted twelve months ago, 2010 was indeed a year of gathering momentum for Sonorous Circle. We made many new friends, had countless good times and feel privileged to have been involved with the release of some of our favourite albums of the year.

If the last was anything to go by, the coming calendar is set to be packed with even more releases, shows and general goodness. Fun to be had! Here’s a free compilation to get us rolling. Happy new year to ye all, we hope you enjoy.

SONOROUS CIRCLE COMPILATION NUMBER ONE > http://sonorouscircle.bandcamp.com/

MP3’s:
Seth Frightening - Can We Eat It (Truth) So We Know What To Say.mp3
A Dead Forest Index - Distance.mp3
Paperghost - In the Future We’ll Go to War So We Can Base New Computer Games on New Wars.mp3
The Convoy - Invincible Summer Mvt4.mp3
Glass Vaults - Set Sail.mp3
Minnelli - The Deployee.mp3
i.ryoko - Disturbing the Quiet.mp3
Arkitype - Ultimate.mp3

For the past three years Einstein Music Journal has put together an End Of Year Top 20 list based entirely on the votes of New Zealand musicians. We are happy to see two Sonorous Circle releases make the list for 2010 - Glass Vaults, ‘Glass EP’ at #7 and Seth Frightening, ‘The Prince and His Madness’ at #1 album of the year! Big thanks to EMJ and all the lovely folks who voted!

Check out the full list and crank some free track downloads here > http://www.einsteinmusicjournal.co.nz/2010/12/01/end-of-year-list-2010/

Today we officially welcome the dude-ranger extraordinaire Caleb McKenzie, a.k.a Minnelli, to the Sonorous Circle. I’ve been listening to his musical creations through the wall for a few years now but at last we have his excellent second release, the aptly titled ‘2′, to feast our ears upon in slightly higher definition.

SCR008 - Minnelli, ‘2′
‘2′ moves cinematically from a restrained but powerful synth-laden epic through hints of dark 80’s, glacial pop and intergalactic dreams of psychedelic bliss while fractured rhythms send a downbeat danceability over swirling, shimmering ambience that flows compellingly towards territory DJ Shadow might have roamed had he been enthused by ancient transcendentalism.

This is a highly varied but coherent and well contoured half hour - an intricately layered and innovative sample-based construction well worth a listen and freely downloadable below for your own convenience.

Click here for free download.

This beautiful 2-colour 12″ vinyl has at last arrived on our shores thanks to US label Jukboxr, and you can order it from us right hurrrr!

New Zealand and Australian orders below but the rest of the world best acquire from Jukboxr! Also, if anyone in Wellington would like to save some bucks you can avoid the horrendous cost of posting this thing and pick it up from us in Mt Vic (just send us an email to arrange) or grab a copy at the next Glass Vaults show for a mere $20. And if you still haven’t even heard this lovely EP click Click here for the free download!

12″ Colour Vinyl including delivery to:

NZ/ AUS only $30.00