Best of 2011 According to Slaapwel Artists

Because it's an undeniable fact a year can not end properly until everyone has posted their year end lists, I asked all artists from the slaapwel roster what their favorites are. Some gave me a top 5 sleepy records, others chose records they listened to the most in 2011 - even if they were old records - so by no means is it a very coherent list, but no doubt the records you see here are worth checking out if you're into Slaapwel-ish music.

If you look at those lists, it seems like I should be talking to Nils Frahm, Jefre-Cantu Ledesma & Cory Allen sometime soon :)

Special thanks to Simon, who took time to give a little review as well - check for those at the bottom! 

STEINBRÜCHEL (Top 5 sleepy records with occasional waking up from 2011)
Cory Allen - Pearls
Matty Bye - Elephant & Castle
Machinefabriek - Sol Sketches
In The Country - Sounds and Sights
Nils Frahm - Felt

PETER BRODERICK (Top 5 records for drifting off released in 2011)
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - Conversations With Myself
A Winged Victory For The Sullen - s/t
Machinefabriek - Sol Sketches
Félicia Atkinson - The driver
Nils Frahm - Felt

MACHINEFABRIEK (Top 5 sleep records from 2011)
Cory Allen - Pearls
Nils Frahm - Felt
Michael Gordon / Slagwerk Den Haag - Timber
Köhn - Random Patterns
Jefre Cantu Ledesma - Conversations With Myself

SIMON SCOTT (Top 5 records to sleep to in 2011)
Steinbrüchel - Narrow
Taylor Deupree & Marcus Fischer - In Place Of Such Graceful Shapes
Steve Roden - Proximities
Seaworthy - 1887 & Live In Melbourne
Intrusion - The Seduction of Silence

WOUTER VAN VELDHOVEN (Top 5 records to sleep to in 2011)
Tsukimono - Time Canvas
Hauschka + Hildur Guðnadóttir - Pan Tone
Simon Scott - Bunny
Mark Fry / The A-Lords - I Lived in Trees
Alvin Curran - For Cornelius

THE BOATS (Craig's Top 5 to sleep to in 2011)
William Basinski - A Red Score In Tile
Richard Gins - Sea Change
Tape Loop Orchestra - Maybe I Told A Small Lie
St Kilda - 'EP'
Scott Morrison - Ballad(s) For Quiet Horizons

SONMI451 (Top 5 Discovered records in 2011)
Various Artists - Kanshin (Kanshin.bandcamp.com)
Relmic Statute - A Cognitive Trail Of Abstraction
Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow
Fujita Masayoshi & Jan Jelinek - Bird, Lake, Objects
Scissors & Cellotape - Scissors & Cellotape

GREG HAINES (5 records bought and loved in 2011)
The Books - The Way Out
Pollen Trio - Roll Slow 
King Tubby - Dub Mix Up 
Tom Waits - The Black Rider
Terry Riley - Lisbon Concert

JASPER TX (Favorite records in 2011)
Wolves In The Throne Room - Black Cascade
Pete Swanson - Feelings In America
At The Gates - Slaughter Of The Soul
Entombed - Wolverine Blues
Dark Throne - A Blaze In The Northern Sky

SIMON SCOTT'S Reviews
Narrow by Steinbruchel (Room40) 
I love the form and flow of this album and the way that time stands still as it spatially rocks you gently to sleep. Perfect for falling into a deep slumber as there is little information in between the tranquil notes and lightly fuzzed out tones to join up the mental dots in your falling asleep state. I can listen to Steinbruchel's various releases in any environment, I actually listen to it very loud in the car (just in case), but the space and simplicity within his arrangements on this album allow you to tune out of the music. You submissively allow it to become a backdrop to fall asleep to, a musical blanket that is very organic. Wearing headphones you can sometimes hear your own deep breath enter the mix and through speakers your personal listening environment floats in and out of this music. I think the furthest I have got listening to this at bedtime is track three.

In A Place Of Such Graceful Shapes by Taylor Deupree And Marcus Fischer (12k)
The CD is perfect for going to bed with as the 7" single requires the physical act of turning over the record and my turntable isn't beside my bed unfortunately. Amazing from start to finish and I must admit that I usually fall asleep to this as it is ending. It is a real treat to have met them both and seen them play live together twice in 2011.

Proximities by Steve Roden (Line)
I love Steve Roden and also Donald Judd (I must visit Marfa one day) so this release is a win-win combination.

1887 & Live In Melbourne by Seaworthy (12K)
Seaworthy's album 1887 and the Live In Melbourne track have helped me drift off whilst imagining that I lay on some sun drenched shoreline in the warm breeze as I fell asleep during this year. The releases aren't from 2011, as it took me a while to track down these out of print CD's, but once found they were always on during 2011

Intrusion- The Seduction of Silence (Echospace)
Deep and sumptuous music that reminds me of echo bay in Jamaica.

Do The Boats Dream Of Electric Fritz Pfleumer?

The Boats are British duo Andrew Hargreaves & Craig Tattersall. They’ve been on our radar for a long, looong time and finally we’re able to announce that they’ve finished an incredible nighttime soundtrack for slaapwel records. Do The Boats Dream Of Electric Fritz Pfleumer? is a 36 minute composition based on tape loops - their trademark sound covered in (star)dust, gentle static and muffled magnetism. Think William Basinski & Wouter Van Veldhoven.

To accompany the thin border between being asleep & lying awake, they translated the function of dreams into sound. According to one theory about dreams, they act as a way for the brain to discard all of its thoughts, making space for another day of ideas and impressions. This led them to use tape loops and a rudimentary tape delay unit to soundtrack and re-create a soft reset of your brain.

The CD comes in a cardboard sleeve, with a stitched photograph and a brief explanation by The Boats themselves. It's yours for the sweet price of 8 euro + shipping. We've printed 300 copies and they are available now at our webstore.

Slaapwel Labelnights

I'm happy to announce three more Slaapwel Nights in two cities.

First up is RENNES, FRANCE with performances by Greg Haines, Simon Scott & Wouter van Veldhoven. This will take place on the 14th of October, 2011. More info at: http://www.electroni-k.org/le-festival/spectacles--concerts/26-nuit-slaapwel.html - with a big thank you to Damien, Cyril & cultures Electroni[k]

In 2012 - February 23rd & 24th to be exact - you can be sure to find a good place to sleep in MECHELEN, BELGIUM for another round of Slaapwel sleep-ins. The 24th is already sold out, but there are still some tickets left for the 23rd. Besides Peter Broderick there are still 2 artists to be announced. More info & tickets over at: http://www.cultuurcentrummechelen.be/podium/2011-2012/slaapwel-records-labelnight - with a big thank you to Brendan, Waldo & CC Mechelen.

Right now Ulrike, Jo & I are simultaneously working on 4 releases for Slaapwel, we hope to put out 2 before the end of the year.

Also, have you heard steinbrüchel's Narrow? It might be my favourite record of 2011 so far. Especially in terms of quiet goodness.

Review

Sometimes a review doesn't have to be much more complicated than this. There are still some copies left over at our store.

Simon Scott

Good evening/morning/afternoon ladies & gentlemen. I'm once again happy to announce a new release on Slaapwel. This time by Simon Scott. He has an excellent LP out on miasmah, a few tracks lying around on various releases and has a very interesting past indeed. Remember slowdive anyone?

What could be possibly better to describe a slaapwel release than the artist himself? Especially if he is as friendly & modest as Simon Scott:

"I fall asleep in the sunshine quite a lot listening to music and this was my initial inspiration for composing 'Silenne'. When I played the guitar loop to Dag Rosenqvist, aka Jasper TX, who was staying at my house in Cambridge he suggested I send it into Slaapwel. I was flattered and pleased he'd heard the narcoleptic qualities within this music which I further developed by adding complimentary sine waves from SuperCollider alongside MaxMSP processed vocals that ebb and flow together in the final mix that Taylor Deupree mastered. It generally takes me 33 minutes to drop off so I cut the loop at this mark hence the length of the track"

Have a lie down in the sun - or moon, these are wintery times - play this record and enjoy some bittersweet dreams, because there is absolute nothing for me to add except that this release is simply of a breathtaking beauty that is not to be missed indeed! There are 500 copies available, they should last (hopefully) a while, but I kindly recommend you to click your way to our online store. 

Good night & Thank you.