Welcome all to ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ผ๐ง๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ฉ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฉ playlists.
๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐ช๐ฉ๐ – ๐ผ๐จ๐๐๐๐ข๐ช๐จ
Charles meditatesโฆ
Your busy day starts a while before your alarm goes off. Not because you’re eager, but because you’re aware of how much there is to do. You’re aware that if you delay, your plate will spill over. And no one likes a sticky table. In the words of George Harrison, ‘It’s All Too Much’. By the time you sit down for breakfast, several things have already not gone to plan. You tripped over the rug that you said you’d straighten first thing in the morning (but didn’t), when pouring your coffee you missed the cup, and you left the freezer door ajar at some point the previous evening (again). Wet mess, brown mess, and throbbing toe. If only there were a way to rid oneself of the feeling this all leaves us. But it gets to you, right? You can’t just “go with the flow”. It annoys you that in just a matter of minutes you have screwed things up so badly, even before the day has properly begun. But all this trifling drivel soon evaporates once you start to think of what lies ahead. The REAL day. You are alert, staring dead ahead. Part depression, part panic…
I should imagine this scenario (or similar) to be somewhat familiar to many of you. What we need to do is step back. Yes, I know, this is the very last thing you intend to do, what with the mounting list of migraine-inducing junk. But you must. It is vital that you find a way to relax and be calm. Something reassuring that you know will always do the trick. No, donโt reach for the bottle (I saw ya); thatโs not quite what I meant. Of course, this is easier said than done, because that mind of yours has a mind of its own; it just wonโt be told. But you need to be ruthless and insistent. I have tried many things. Walking is nice, but it gives me time to think. Thinking means worry and so I end up obsessing even more, over what needs to be done. Music CAN work, but it is difficult to immerse oneself when the mind is already so full of sodding โimportantโ junk, and so the melodies and sonic marvels become rather like background noise to the forefront of yet more thought. Watching a film feels too much like slacking when I know I should be working. Besides, the guilt stops me from immersing myself. And so, I find myself turning to booksโฆ
Most of you probably assume that I have always been an avid reader, what with my weekly writing and my adoration for language and woyds. But nope! Until recently, I had barely read a thing in the last decade. Mainly because I couldnโt concentrate. My own personal thoughts would encroach after just a few lines of prose, and everything would be inside out. It was always supposed to be that the book took me away from my thoughts and stresses, not the other way around. But during an unwell spate earlier this summer (lasting rather longer than I had hoped), I had found that only reading would make me feel normal and calm. And Iโm delighted to say that I am now officially a bookworm! I have dashed and munched through the likes of Amis the first, Conrad, Murdoch, Banville, Barnes, McEwan, Ishiguro, Spark, Amis the second, and Waugh. But right now, I am reading a book by an author called Elif Shafak. For those of you who DO read, this might stand out as a rather different kettle of cod. And it is! The authors listed before are all either dark and pensive, light and fun, or plot-ridden to the point where I forget to eat. It was time for something different. Something fresh. Something to take me out of my comfort zone, only to realise there were cushions even more comfortable. While the writing of Elif Shafak can get a little nauseating from time to time (everything has to be โlike a vibrant zesty whiff of a honeysuckle on a hazy, lazy afternoon in Spring, where grasshoppers sizzle with zealโ – you get the picture), there is something rather moreish and deeply calming about her writing style. Its ease is the ultimate meditation for me – at least right now.
The same can be said for my music tastes. You all know I love pop, soul, rock, EDM and prog. This is no secret. But you also know I like classical, folk and some softer jazz (not the crazy be-bop that gives me a headache – I get it, you can play more notes than anyone, now CAN it). You see, lately I have been going more for the pensive stuff. The songs that are less like songs, and more like little experiences. Where verses and choruses are not immediately present. Have you heard Agnes Obelโs latest, for example? Masterful, soothing, unique, while subtly electrifying the senses โlike a warm winter soup with added spices from the Orientโ (oh, thanks Elif, look what youโve done to me). Anyway, it is perhaps with no surprise that I specifically went for AshRamusโ latest release. But it is quite a surprise (a shock to me, actually – I had to check my files to make sure) that I have never – believe it or not – reviewed AshRamus. I still wonder if there is an error in my filing system, and that I indeed have, but letโs for now assume that I am infallible (HA!). Please welcome AshRamus, with his latest release, โSong Of The Heavenly Fluteโ (SOTHF from now on).
I would like to focus more on the person behind the music than the music itself, because I kind of believe they are one. AshRamus is a man called Kostas Lukosiunas. Itโs all Greek to me. But it ainโt. Born in Lithuania to a musical father, Kostas now resides in Norway. Now, I know what youโre thinking. How idyllic, as you picture the fjords and mountains. Just because I live in London doesnโt mean I have a view of Big Ben, while I squat in Trafalgar Square. The view from Kostasโ studio window of course isnโtโฆ oh wait, it is. His view is genuinely of the fjords and mountains. It genuinely is idyllic. Fine, but he wonโt be one of those olde worlde peaceful producer hippies like Rick Rubinโฆ Well, actually, he kinda is. Your initial assumption from his artist name might have been that his real name is simply Ashley Ramus, but in fact it stems from the word ashram, meaning calm. His artist name literally means โI am calmโ in Lithuanian. Kostas is pure Zen. He was initially, and he is now. From an early age he played the piano. From the age of 7 he attended a music school. It was all going so well! But at the age of 18 he was conscripted into the Soviet Army. Music was immediately halted with an X as he spent a decade saving lives (note: not ending lives). The following decade he was in the construction business – this is getting very peculiar and slightly sadโฆ Since 2008 he has been a diving instructor (yes, diving, not driving). Finally, in 2022 he had a son at the age of 51 (approx.). And THIS was where his love of music came flooding back. He bought a synthesiser for his son and himself to play around with. The rest is history.
Since the birth of his son, he has released more than 40 pieces. Almost all of which are ambient live performances, played by himself in the spur of the moment. No editing, no corrections, andโฆ NO MIXING!! You might be thinking they must all sound a bit rough and unfinished, though. A bit drifty, with errors and poor sound qualityโฆ Yet this is far from the case. He just simply gets it right at the source. Usually his work is on the side of Brian Eno, probably the most famous ambient maker of music. Yet this time around with SOTHF, AshRamus seems to edge more towards Brianโs brother, Roger. I feel the difference between the Enos, is that Brian is more about sound, texture and feel, while Roger is more the composer. I strongly advise you to listen to Roger Eno, as I feel he has been somewhat publicly eclipsed by his brother, so doesnโt get nearly as much limelight as he perhaps ought. To be fair, Roger didnโt also produce Bowie, U2 or Coldplay. So, while AshRamus usually concentrates more on the ambient feel of a certain atmosphere as he stares beyond the fjords (โthe water glistening in what meagre sunshine Norway sees fit to apportionโ – stop it, Elif), SOTHF is much more refined and composed than his usual output. Which is why it particularly caught my ear. The result is lush, mesmerising, hopeful and sad, but with defined melodies and chord structures. At the length of a pop song, Kostas somehow takes us on a wise, noble journey. And despite the entire piece consisting only of synthesisers, it is astoundingly organic. I am actually not quite sure if it would achieve even half the same intimacy had it been recorded with orchestral instruments. The air is warm yet fresh, and I feel nature. I feel nature as Kostas feels nature. And he portrays it so well. My only “criticism” is that I just WISH it were twice the length. With this kind of music I like to truly immerse myself, and it can take a while for me to be in the zone. The good thing is, we can play it as many times as we wish.
My apologies, this article could have been written better, but I just couldnโt wait to get back to my book – โlike an impatient child three nights before Christmas, as the lights are warm and low, and everything remains, for now, intactโ – bloody Elif Shafak.
Listen to ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐ช๐ฉ๐ on the ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ Spotify playlist HERE!
Listen to ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐ช๐ฉ๐ on the ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ Apple Music playlist HERE!
Listen to ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐ช๐ฉ๐ on YouTube HERE!
Follow ๐ผ๐จ๐๐๐๐ข๐ช๐จ on Instagram HERE!
Follow ๐ผ๐จ๐๐๐๐ข๐ช๐จ on TwiX HERE!
Please share this post and let me know your thoughts in the comments below
Leave a Reply