Prologue
Outer Signals was created at the dawn of what I would’ve never imagined to be such an eventful year. With all its usual ups and downs, I think it’s safe to say that 2023 has been nothing short of amazing for a handful of reasons, and I don’t say that lightly. I had a hard time picking myself up after all the lockdowns induced by the pandemic gradually started to get lifted, and me already being an “introvert” to put it lightly didn’t set me up for a great start. It felt like an era had come to an end and I was just standing there talking to myself. Eh, but enough of that. In a world where people past the age of 30 are considered to be old, those two years are as close to ancient history as it gets. It’s all in the past anyway.
What I really want to close the year with is just saying thank you. Thank you to everybody who took some time off to read the ramblings I post on here. It takes a certain degree of innate curiosity to stumble upon some rando’s online newsletter , let alone perceivin it to be interesting enough to be worth a small, most likely momentary fragment of your attention. Believe it or now, that alone does mean a lot to me.
I haven’t made any plans for Outer Signals in 2024, but I’ll try to steer this newsletter in a few different directions. The usual music reviews will stay, but I want to try and branch out into other kinds of writing. Besides that though, I won’t try to enforce any “intellectual” hierarchy, or any forms of scheduling for that matter. Pair those two things together and what you get is the ultimate poison against any form of meaningful excitement. You know, the sensation you feel when you’re waiting for the postman to deliver that new record you got some days prior. That’s going to be my biggest concern with this little space I carved out for myself on Substack: keep the exciting component and weigh down on the sporadic aspect by making slightly more regular posts. Slightly.
I want to end this post with a short list of records that I compiled. It’s not a “best of…” type of list, but rather just my way of summing up the kind of music I’ve been listening to the most throughout 2023. Hopefully they will make for an interesting listen.
Warmth - Home (ARCHIVES, 2017)
I checked my Spotify Wrapped when it came out and the section dedicated to my most-streamed songs was entirely occupied by songs off of this album. It really is THAT good.
Burial - Streetlands (Hyperdub, 2022)
Quite possibly Burial’s best work since the release of EPs like Street Halo (2011) and Rival Dealer (2013). A great blend of sample-based ambient with remarkable futuristic undertones.
Marzidovšek - Ultimativ (Monofonika, 2011)
I already talked about Mario Marzidovsek’s work at length in a piece I wrote some months ago, but Ultimativ deserves some additional praise for being able to blend his weirder, non-musical artistic side with a decidedly more melodious take on DIY experimental music.
No Bandcamp link for this record unfortunately, the label that released it doesn’t seem to be that active anymore. However, you can still stream some tracks off of it on YouTube and get a hold of a copy for relatively cheap on Discogs.
Vril - Anima Mundi (Delsin, 2018)
An interesting mix of lush ambience and traditional dub techno, as well as a prime example of a record which is perfect in its own right while not necessarily reinventing anything.
Yearner & Til Det Bergens Skyggene - EP (Voldsom, 2021)
This brings me back to the very first piece I published on here. I used to be in contact with the owner of Voldsom and from what I remember he said this was supposed to be the first of a series of tapes which were meant to be seen as his way of putting the label to sleep. There’s been radio silence ever since it came out, and I don’t think anything else will follow unfortunately.
Enjoy this for what it is, the unexpected swan song of one of the best underground tape labels ever.
In January, I’m looking to take some time off from everything. Literally everything. I haven’t been on a proper vacation for the past year and a half or so and the work/study schedule I’ve been running on since September has taken its toll on me. The inbox will still be open of course, but please understand me if I don’t reply in a timely manner.
I wish everyone some much needed rest and a good start of the year. From then on and for the months to come, fortune and glory.
Lorenzo / Outer Signals - 31.12.2023
Happy new year, Lorenzo. Great plan for January. I am looking forward to reading you more regularly.