ambient Archives - BLAZAR

Sonic utopia? Morten Vammen / Touch Grass E.P.

BLAZAR — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:26:53 +0000

On Touch Grass, Danish electronic music veteran Morten Vammen revisits the lost art of the long-form dance track. Four interconnected versions move between ambient, dub, disco, house, and techno. An alternative to the relentless intensity and instant gratification of contemporary club culture, the EP proposes something different: a sensual, utopian dancefloor with room to breathe.

Establishing a sonic utopian social space “When I’m out DJing, I often need a long track that works as a slow, soft, airy, luxurious intro. Something I can put on while I wander around the room checking the acoustics, but which gradually accelerates to a tempo where I can start mixing in disco, house and techno. The Touch Grass (intro accelerator) mix can do all that – it sets a mood – and take it to the next level.”

The whole production process was completely old-school, jamming with no AI or pre-made loops. The vibe and aesthetic are slightly retro-futuristic, opening up a space somewhere between Detroit, Chicago and Berlin on one side, and The Loft and Mediterranean dub on the other.

I ended up making several dubs, some harder and faster, allowing me to return to the track later in a set. Then I tried listening to all four versions back to back, which reminded me of Manuel Göttsching’s classic E2-E4, only with a bit more low-end. Perfect as a kind of energetic ambient backdrop that can just as easily work loud and danced to.“I’ve grown tired of the relentless ketamine techno currently dominating festivals and basement clubs. To my ears, it lacks sensuality, arrangements and nuance. It reminds me of gabber, only without the humour and anger. It’s music designed for clowning around to drops on Boiler Room. Which is fine, and probably a reaction to all the real-world alarmism and inequality, but just like punk, the form eventually becomes as formulaic and predictable as the blues.“

“I was already tired of playing terror sets back in the early ’90s – but its hot again. Maybe that’s what happens when you’re a young producer with ADHD who’s more preoccupied with Instagram than studio sessions. Or maybe people strive for monotony – maybe its an advantage when you’re completely fucked at 7 a.m.? Speed and noise are great spices, but they’re not my main course.”

Touch Grass attempts to reclaim the dancefloor as a sensual, utopian, organic social space. Not another soundtrack to the pending apocalypse, but a tool to open new utopian spaces.

No grass was used in the recordings.

Touch Grass is out now – LISTEN ON MOST PLATFORMS HERE

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ENJOY MORTEN VAMMENS NEW MUSIC HERE

BLAZAR — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 12:50:17 +0000

ENJOY THE NEW ALBUM HERE

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RATIO 72 – new release – DARKER TIMES IN THE WEST

BLAZAR — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 17:59:00 +0000

The danish underground is a cornucopia of mature talent – a lot of the old and mid-school originators still release music made for the creators own specs, at his/her´s own pace, independent from marked trends and media hype – it´s music born out of love for the process of creation, not for the charts or any defined genres specs – or specific area or era. File under experimental.It´s the sound of electronic veterans enjoying personal strains of sound.

RATIO 72 has all the characteristics of such a self-absorbed artist – an true to the anti-genre – it´s an anonymous release – in the fine tradition of the Residents and Underground Resistance – no ego bullshit here, let the music talk.

RATIO 72 has worked under the alias since 2016, but sounds like a veteran who knows his ambient AFX, classic IDM (forget EDM) and combine that with more retro modern modular workouts and brain dance beats – twisting knobs all night in a dystopian bobble, recording live and spontaneous – organic post-ambient.

It´s the perfect bittersweet soundtrack for a spicy yet chill seance in the north of Sealand. Listen here:

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IKI: ORACLE LP/CD – ny nordisk ambient

BLAZAR — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:44:46 +0000

Nogen gange skabes der ny musik – hvor man undrer sig over hvem lytterne er, og hvad de laver mens de lytter til værket – IKI´s nye vokal-dub album er i den klasse. Et rart sted at dykke dybere.

Ambient genren – den trommeløse genre Eno claimede – der ofte er renset for soul, tekster, funk, hooks – har en kæmpe revival – ikke bare som filmsoundtracks – men også i et felt mellem moderne klassisk, dub og avanceret jazz. Det er den naturlig modreaktion til snart 40 års trommemaskine-tyrani – og en god modgift til tidens it-stress – god ambient kan både bruges i baggrunden som en sonisk parfume til at tinte rum, film og situationer, men også som forgrund og til fordybelse – som klassisk bare uden Loden-frakke-fims. Der har aldrig været solgt så mange looper-pedaler som nu…eller læst så meget Wire.Vocalgruppen IKI – bestående af nordiske Johanna Sulkunen, Anna Mose, Kamilla Kovacs, Jullie Hjetland & Guro Tveitnes - har her på deres tredie udgivelse modigtladet deres egoer opløse i hænderne på x-techno-børnestjernen Mike Sheridan, nu i fløjl og med dyr rødvin – der for længst har lagt den knasende Berlinerstil fra sig og dykket dybt ned i kollaborationer med jazzpianister, game-musik, ja sågar et Cristal Baschet-glasorgel uden midi!. Her tager han instruktørrollen og tager 3 dages vokaloptagelser og sender dem på en dub-rejse gennem sine Eventide og Lexicon effekter – og søde nye soniske fiktioner opstår. Ambient, der hverken er sukret og følt som Jarre eller ondt som Sunn O))) – men med en mere åben emotionel palette, trods en klar nordisk tone. Minimalistiske naturlandskaber, man kan projicere sine egne tanker op på.

Mere blazar ambient her.

Det er lidt pænt, men fungerer bedst, når vokalerne ikke er en dokumentation af en performance, men blot behandles som abstrakt løsrevet råstof, der via digitale trampoliner skaber nye rummelige mørke lydscener uden melodi eller beat. Der er klar inspiration fra Jon Hassels snart 40 år gamle mesterværker, der var en leg med post-global sci-fi-tribal exotica – hvilket er fint med mig. Startnummeret minder mig om et andet mesterværk, Steve Reich´s “Come out” – heller ikke nogen sløj ting. Andre steder minder det om syret Bjørk uden solist eller midt-periode ordløs Laurie Anderson – på en tømmerflåde omgivet af isbjerge og flagermus.

Mere musikgenre-ævl her.

Jeg har lyst til at sample et par bidder og putte i en granular sampler…hvilket svarer til 4 kokkehuer her på blazar. Hurra for det modige samarbejde – det kan kun blive spændende at se hvordan det fungerer live. Rart den slags plader eksisterer – måske det nye soundtrack til Noma?

Læs mere om IKI her.

Lyt her.

Mine egne tidlige techno eventyr her

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