Akousmata - Preorder

 

"Akousmata" : CD Special Edition

 

 Preorder: link

 

We've entered the age of dematerialization, the age of digital streams and files, occupying a few bytes on our hard disks or a little bandwidth in the network pipes.

Books, like music, have taken this turn.

But against this dominant trend, there are pockets of resistance that are giving pride of place to the material object, thanks to the know-how of artists and craftsmen, be they book publishers or music labels.

Just as a beautiful printed edition, on fine paper, in a fine format, with beautiful typography and binding, offers incomparable added value compared to a text read on the screen of a reading device, so a musical work in the form of a CD in unconventional packaging offers a specific experience and pleasure for the music lover. The limited editions of CDs, LPs or cassettes offered by independent labels are above all beautiful objects, where the materiality of the paper and cardboard, the originality of the packaging and the sophistication of the design bring an additional aesthetic pleasure.

Hand-crafted limited editions, where the music and its material envelope are inseparable, these CDs or vinyls are precious, personalized collectors' items, artisanal and artistic, which stand out from the mass production of cultural content.

They offer an unprecedented global, visual, tactile and affective experience when listening to music.

In a nutshell...

 

COMING SOON ON "DRIFTWORKS": AKOUSMATA

 

Meditative Music for Hectic Times...

 

Can you tell us about the Akousmata concept?

In my “real life”, I'm a classicist working on Greco-Roman antiquity. I've always been fascinated by this form of transmission of knowledge and wisdom, which didn't involve writing, but was transmitted orally, by word of mouth, from master to disciple. It was esoteric knowledge, reserved for the initiated, and accessed after various initiation rituals. The Pythagoreans, the Orphics, but also the philosophical schools of Plato and Aristotle, and later the Neoplatonists, were all familiar with this mode of transmission... But the same initiation practices can be found in Tibetan Buddhism, in the yogi traditions of the Himalayas, and in Taoism too.

I wanted to set this sacred, ritualized universe to music, oscillating between the words of the spiritual masters and the silence of the disciples, creating a harmony that goes beyond language.

 

My track "First Dawn" on this week Hearts of Space program!

 

French ambient and electronic music from the 1970s to now 

 

The story of French electronic music over the last hundred years is one of artistic and technical innovations that changed the course of contemporary music.

The late 19th century stylistic inventions of GABRIEL FAURÉ, MAURICE RAVEL, and CLAUDE DEBUSSY led to the emergence of Impressionism and Minimalism in the 20th century—while the revolutionary innovations of ERIK SATIE laid the foundation for ambient background music and personal music for solo piano.

At the same time, the invention of playable French electronic instruments like the "Ondes Martenot" in 1928, accelerated the arrival of live electronic performance, and the French brilliance in style and design produced exceptionally refined sonic and textural quality in recordings after mid-century.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a look at French ambient and electronic music from the 1970s to now, on a program called "AMBIANCE FRANÇAIS."

 

 

Link 

Coming Soon. AKOUSMATA

Driftworks next release is a more experimental album that explores the art of 'exciting' acoustic spaces with the sounds of prepared piano, electronics and voices. Akousmata by Christian Wittman, invites listeners to lose themselves in architectures and dimensions where voices and harmonies, ritual bells and gongs slowly fade into silence.

 Special Edition Cdr

Limited Edition Cdr

Digital

Pre-orders - 5th April 2025

Release day - 11th April 2025

 

Link

Cités Analogues. Review on Creatika Music Magazine.

 

 

Creatika Music. 

Electronic Neoclassical New AGe World Ambient 

Link

 

The French duo Lightwave, composed of Christoph Harbonnier and Christian Wittman, has left an indelible mark on electronic and ambient music since its formation in 1984. Their album Cités Analogues, originally released in 1988, has been reissued on January 10, 2025 by Bureau B. This album is a masterpiece of kosmische and concrète, combining elements of analog synthesizers and location recordings to create expansive, dreamlike soundscapes.

Lightwave has explored diverse musical styles throughout his career, from his early experiments in Modular Experiments (1987) to collaborations with artists such as Hector Zazou, Michel Redolfi, and Paul Haslinger. Their focus on concrete and ambient music has led them to create works that evoke poetic and sensual worlds. The album Cités Analogues is a sonic journey that invites listeners to immerse themselves in their complex and beautiful compositions.