Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fordlândia

Jóhann Jóhannsson is an Icelandic multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. He is one of the most compelling composers working today. His stately, slow-building and hauntingly melodic music frequently combines electronics with classical orchestrations. Fordlândia, his most recent album, combines a darkly romantic minimalism and baroque counterpoint with kraut-rock, post-rock, glitch electronics and melodies inspired by North European folk music. The album is thematically influenced by the failure of Henry Ford's Brazilian rubber plant Fordlândia. As stated in his official website:

One of the two main threads running through it is this idea of failed utopia, as represented by the "Fordlândia" title - the story of the rubber plantation Henry Ford established in the Amazon in the 1920’s, and his dreams of creating an idealized American town in the middle of the jungle complete with white picket fences, hamburgers and alcohol prohibition. The project – started because of the high price Ford had to pay for the rubber necessary for his cars’ tyres – failed, of course, as the indigenous workers soon rioted against the alien conditions. It reminded me of Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo, this doomed attempt at taming the heart of darkness. The remains of the town are still there today. The image of the Amazon forest slowly and surely reclaiming the ruins of Fordlândia is the one that gave spark to this album.

A classical masterpiece! Get it now!

Artist: Jóhann Jóhannsson
Album: Fordlândia
Year: 2008
Genre: neo-classical, minimalist

Tracks:
1. Fordlândia
2. melodia (i)
3. The Rocket Builder (Lo Pan!)
4. melodia (ii)
5. Fordlândia – Aerial View
6. melodia (iii)
7. Chimaerica
8. melodia (iv)
9. The Great God Pan Is Dead
10. Melodia (Guidelines for a Space Propulsion Device Based on Heim's Quantum Theory)
11. How We Left Fordlândia

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from 4AD.
Check the comments to listen first.

Hauschka - Ferndorf

Hauschka is the alias of German pianist/composer Volker Bertelmann, who currently resides in Düsseldorf. His music combines the sound of piano with modern electronic music and minimalism. Ferndorf is his fourth album, released in 2008. Everyone must give it a try! Excellent!

Artist: Hauschka
Album: Ferndorf
Year: 2008
Genre: electronica, piano, experimental, minimalist, ambient

Tracks:
1. Blue Bicycle
2. Morgenrot
3. Rode Null
4. Freibad
5. Barfuss durch Gras
6. Heimat
7. Nadelwald
8. Schönes Mädchen
9. Eltern
10. Alma
11. Neuschnee
12. Weeks of rain

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from FatCat records
Check the comments to listen first.

Ryan Teague - Coins & Crosses

Ryan Teague is a British composer/producer working in the field of electro-acoustic composition. His music is an exploration of the possibilities between more traditional instrumentation, techniques and arrangements, combined with electronic treatments, sampling and manipulations. This is his second album released in 2006. Beautiful neo-classical music!

Artist: Ryan Teague
Album: Coins & Crosses
Year: 2006
Genre: neo-classical, instrumental, minimal, experimental

Tracks:
1. Introit
2. Coins and crosses
3. Nephesch
4. Tableau I
5. Fantasia for strings
6. Accidia
7. Seven_keys
8. Tableau II
9. Rounds

Coins & Crosses at Type records
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Pascal Comelade - Mètode de Rocanrol

Pascal Comelade, a French-Catalan minimalist, was born in Montpellier, France. After living for several years in Barcelona, he made his first album, Fluences, influenced by electronic music and by the group Heldon. Subsequently, his music has become more acoustic and is characterised by the sounds of toy instruments, used as solo-instruments and as an integral part of the sound of his group, the Bel Canto Orquestra. He has collaborated with many singers and musicians from diverse genres of music including Robert Wyatt, Dani, Faust, Christophe Miossec, Toti Soler, Jac Berrocal and PJ Harvey. I strongly recommend all his albums; if you like the music of Yann Tiersen, you will love it! This is one of his most recent releases! Enjoy!

Artist: Pascal Comelade
Album: Mètode de Rocanrol
Year: 2007
Genre: folk (-ish), minimalist

Tracks:
1. Stranger in Paradigm
2. L'U
3. Elvis Loved Dogs
4. La vedette d'el molino
5. Jopo de Pojo not Dead
6. Mossen xemeneia a l'Heliogàbal
7. The Indian of the Group
8. Il Luna-Park galactico
9. Catalana de jazzz
10. The halucinogenic espontex sinfonia
11. Smog on the Vermut
12. Noia de porcellana
13. Le barman de Satan
14. Com un rossinyol amb mal de queixal

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy