Featured Artists: March 2010

Here's my list of featured artists for March, 2010. This time around it's two artists and one label worth talking about and hearing.

First up is Robert Rich. I've known Robert for a long time. I've interviewed him a couple of times, hosted a sleep concert of his long ago, and seen him play live once or twice. He's an immensely talented electronic musician, very detailed as a producer, and a really great human being as well. I eagerly await each of his new releases not only because they're so good, but because he's always doing something new. He's covered the gamut from ambient to drone to tribal and even a solo piano album. This time he has a new album, Ylang. It's a more ethnic sounding album, with percussion, flutes and voice added to the electronics. It's wonderful and full of what he calls "glurp", the squelchy sounds of life. And he's touring the US this spring, too. I'll definitely be at the One Thousand Pulses show, and perhaps the Hartford concert as well. Hope to see you there.

http://robertrich.com/

Next up is cellist Adam Hurst. I found his music by accident, really. Every so often I poke around in online CD shops looking for new artists, much like the old days when I would go to record stores and dig through the racks of LP's. I was trolling through CD Baby when I accidentally came across a listing for his music and it caught my eye, so I explored further. He plays cello with a depth and emotion I haven't heard since David Darling. His music is hauntingly beautiful, and there's a gypsy-like quality to his playing. His newest album is Ritual, though there's a new one coming soon. Look at the movies he's posted on his website, too. He plays the part well, with his long coat and hat. Definitely the image of a gypsy cellist.

http://www.adamhurststudio.com/index.html

This month's label profile is Dataobscura. It's a small ambient label out of Canada run by Anthony Paul Kerby, who also records for the label under three names: The Circular Ruins, Lammergeyer, and Nunc Stans, as well as his collaborations with Robert Davies as The Winterhouse and with Entia Non as Description Without Place. Davies and Entia Non also record for the label, as well as a bunch of other talented artists. Every new Dataobscura release is always something I look forward to as quality ambient music. And there's a few freebies there to give you a taste of what to expect, too. Take a listen.

http://www.dataobscura.com/