Zakè
Demain Des L'Aube
Barely a week seems to go by without us hearing from zake, the US ambient producer who is hugely prolific and also unwaveringly creative with each new project. For this latest in a long line of many essential albums on his own Past Inside The Present label he links with From Overseas for the sublime sounds of Demain Des L'aube. This is a 160-gram audiophile vinyl version that sinks you deep into his widescreen and sweeping crepuscular synth work. It is delicate and spare but hugely impactful and…
A Pale Shelter
100 copies limited edition "A Pale Shelter is the kind of record that stops you dead in your tracks without actually really doing very much to create a sonic blockade. It ebbs and flows, glides and meanders through constant refrains, slowly pulling you deeper into thickly textured, minimal waves of ambient, chimes twinkling somewhere in a distant background, echoes of melody creating centerpieces to the arrangements. It's a classic example of what makes Past Inside the Present's output so mesmer…
Tape Hymns
*100 copies limited edition* Tape Hymns is a mesmerizing amalgam of sounds carefully crafted by frequent collaborators zakè and City of Dawn. The warm hiss of analog tape as the foundational structure of these arrangements brings forth pastoral mediations with becalmed, atmospheric intent. Tape Hymns mix echoing sonic tones, slow-drifting sounds with immersive low-end frequencies. Rather than linger in the imperfections of media, the duo pursues an attention to fidelity that forces them to get t…
Remembrance
*100 copies limited edition* Remembrance follows a similar formula found on zakè’s previous effort, Geneva (released on Past Inside the Present, 2020). He produced eight short phonic motifs and then invited artists to collaborate, rework, and expand upon the source material resulting in a new, unique creation.The album consists of eight short vignettes by zakè, six collaborative pieces, and eight completely reworked tracks. The track titles and overall theme of these works are based off the gorg…
Pinehaven
*200 copies limited edition* Pioneers of slow-evolving minimal drone, zakè & City of Dawn transform unadorned inputs into beautiful complexity in their latest effort, 'Pinehaven'. The drone duo is known for their carefully crafted textures, avoiding sudden shifts or abrasive sonorities. Their focus, as heard in previous efforts, offer up the steady ebb and flow of sound, cultivating a profound sense of meditative stasis and explorations of high-fidelity sound. Seven expressive ambient soundscape…
Frizzell & Duque: A Sorrow Unrequited
*300 copies limited edition* “It's not just a clever name. Zake and City of Dawn have come up with a record that genuinely sounds like the reflective moods that so often follow great loss, realised on record. Sweeping synth-strings on 'We Once Believed We Owned The Sky' only serving to reiterate the sense of lamentation that seems to pervade every corner of this album. Sometimes looking back on what was but will never be again is the only real way of making ourselves feel better - by connecting …
Frizzell & Duque: Orison
*200 copies limited edition* Orison is the latest aural exploration between zakè & City of Dawn and a predecessor to their previous orchestral effort, 'A Sorrow Unrequited'. Orison is a prayer or plea to a deity. The archaic origins of the term stem from the Latin language simply meaning to ‘speak to God’. Patient and solemn symphonic drifts that foster stillness, boundless thought, introspection, and eternal contemplation.
Drift
100 copies limited edition A formal collaborative effort long past due, PITP personnel zakè and Tyresta finally converge together to bring forth a collection of arrangements titled, 'Drift'. Drift delves into the depths of patient and reflective music which is woven together by a tapestry of delicate textures and subtle melodies. From the very first notes of the opening track, it becomes evident that Drift is a journey meant to be experienced with undivided attention. The strength of Drift lies …
To Those Who Dwelt In A Land Of Deep Darkness
*100 copies limited edition* “‘To Those Who Dwelt in a Land of Deep Darkness’ is centered around a 40-minute piece that loops a gentle, layered melodic phrase ad infinitum, with only subtle alterations along the way. It was created as a kind of healing balm for people who have experienced deep loss, and I think therein lies its emotional power. To me it feels like the sun gently breaking through clouds as you start to move on and learn to live with grief. More active addendums distills the essen…
Live at the Gothic Chapel
On February 18, 2023 in a very intimate setting, zakè, Marc Ertel, James Bernard, and From Overseas performed live at the historic Gothic Chapel, located at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana US. The set was multi-track recorded from the soundboard and is now available for those who were unable to attend the performance in person.
Hearkeneth
Florina Cassattes is delighted to release Hearkeneth: an aural translation of zakè’s poem, sharing the same title."Her angelic halo shines through a shroud of dark clouds, Tragically and harmoniously beautiful, She was the solace of melancholy, Every part of her angelic wholeness, Filled with wonder and all things lovely. Protector of the night, Lighting our paths as we venture in the shadows, Beckon unto me with thine Angel-voice so soft, In an infinite state, a sustained breath, Who hath liste…
Unfurled Works
50 copies limited edition "Space is the place - at least, it's the place uppermost in the mind of midwest US label Past Inside The Present owner zakè and his sonic partner Ossa - location given as the north pole according to his Twitter - as they embark on collaborative 10 tracks. The fact that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA to you and me - has supplied them with celestial sound emissions for the tracks is a bonus. But ultimately, the real headline factor once it's actu…
Orchestre De Poussière
*50 copies limited edition* 'car nous sommes poussière, et à la poussière nous retournerons.' Written, recorded and produced by zakè & City of Dawn. Sequencing and continuity by James Bernard. Originally mixed at Kaleidoscope Tone Studio by zakè, 2021. Remixed, engineered and mastered at Ambient Mountain House by James Bernard, 2022. Layout and design by zakè
Sound Space Variations
“Sound Space Variations" is a delicate and restrained sound bath. A mix of atmospheric, suspenseful drone sounds and meditative aspects. It is an album made for those moments when we just are. zakè has managed to capture the moments that lie between sounds. I am sure you know those unagitated murmurs and atmospheric hisses. The artist connects this in-between-world and our earthly one with calm and sonorous scores, making us think about everything and nothing. The six pieces on the record do not…
Module
"Esteemed ambient auteurs, zakè and ossa's collaborative output continues to soothe and delight in equal measure. After Syntheticopia in August 2022 and the dark long-player 'A Pale Shelter' in 2021 between zakè, ossa, and City of Dawn comes Module, a collaboration that includes seasoned electronic producer Ruben A. Tamayo, under the alias FAX. The power trio brings forth an eight-track excursion into heavy ambient atmospheres with moody soundscapes and a real weight of melancholy. As always, th…
Stay With Me
"Given the amount of collaborations he undertakes, Past Inside The Present boss Zakè is not so much musically sociable as utterly gregarious. He's also one to choose a good theme with which to imbue his musical productions with definable atmospherics. This collaborative effort with T.R. Jordan has water at its heart, with field recordings captured on the coast of Lake Erie - which straddles the US/Canadian border - fed into the mixes, giving them a distinctive psycho-geography. Spread over four …
Pyramiden
"zakè, James Bernard and Markus Guentner build a cascading and overwhelmingly beautiful record that combines the zen of the best ambient/new age music along with the “Big Sky” openness of post-rock bands like Explosions in The Sky and This Will Destroy You. You get songs with chilly names like “Polar Night”, “Seafrost”, and “Arctic Choir” – and there is a sort of vast arctic blue hue to these songs – but it lacks even a hint of desolation. I can imagine listening to something like “Assembly of L…
Orchestral Tape Studies II
Orchestral Tape Studies II is an enthralling amalgam of orchestral textures carefully crafted by zakè. It is a continuation of its predecessor, Orchestral Tape Studies which was released to high acclaim in 2019. Bringing forth pastoral meditations with becalmed, atmospheric intent, Orchestral Tape Studies II is a convincing display of beautiful scores primed for the self-reflective moments that are both contemplative and thought provoking. These delicate repetitions, reticent sound treatments, a…
Syntheticopia
Space is the place - at least, it's the place uppermost in the mind of midwest US label Past Inside The Present owner Zakè and his sonic partner Ossa - location given as the north pole according to his Twitter - as they embark on collaborative 10 tracks. The fact that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA to you and me - has supplied them with celestial sound emissions for the tracks is a bonus. But ultimately, the real headline factor once it's actually on your turntable is t…
Deep Into The Unknown We Shall Endlessly Roam
Zake's fruitful contributions as an artist to his own Past Inside The Present label continues on this new album Deep Into The Unknown We Shall Endlessly Roam. It is an assemblage of arrangements made using archaic tape machines such as a Sony M-570V microcassette voice recorder and obsolete VSC Soundpacer, all on analogue tape. Of course that lends the music a misty, grainy quality that defines much of Zake's ambient. Here his loops and found sounds meld and melt to create vast open spaces that …