I don't think this is Artemiev but it might be Simon Preston from a Deutsche Grammophon 14 cd box set compilation Johann Sebastian Bach: The Organ Works. The only Bach albums I have are Switched On Bach,Johannes Passion Version IV (1749) and Matthäus-Passion so I'm no baroque expert and find it tricky navigating classical catalogues. Simon Preston is best known to pop culture plebs for playing some Bach on his organ for the Rollerball (1975) soundtrack.
[1975]
The first 22 minutes and 40 seconds here are the original Aduard Artemiev recordings for the soundtrack of Tarkovsky's 1975 masterpiece Zerkalo aka The Mirror.
Supreme synth-y soft-rock with incredible 80s synthetic violin solo and er... some zither!
How many top 10 hits have a zither in them? Probably only this.
Another one from back in the primary school dayz, although I feel like this popped up in a couple of movies in the 90s/00s and was there a techno cover version, maybe...
Never seen this video or maybe just forgotten it but I guess I probably just thought this was the same group who did I'm Not In Love...
Lyrical sentiments similar to Talk Talk's philosophical bent of getting your shit together/self improvement to make sure you have a good meaningful life.
Now for a journey to Lindisfarne and the sounds of nature on the Holy Island as captured by Chris Watson. Featuring the sea, an array of birds and the wind.
Lamenting The Colours Of Melting Ice - Pan·American & Kramer [2025]
Speaking of peak Labradford. This here is main man Mark Nelson and Lamenting The Colours Of Melting Ice is nostalgic ear candy for me as it reminds me of early Labradford.
Over the last couple of years Mark (Pan·American) has collaborated with Kramer for two fantastic LPs of spaced out dreamy and drifting improvisations occasionally dipping into glowing psychedelic ambient Americana. Shadowy shifting shimmering tones... lovely.
In The Time It Takes To Drown - Pan·American & Kramer [2025]
Absolutely gorgeous post-rock ambient-Americana. The "beautiful like the stars at night" guitars and keyboards are couched in marshmallow-y reverb for a supreme secluded nocturnal atmosphere. Depending on your mood this could be lonesome and melancholic or the sound of serenity found in solitude.
Been watching Adam Curtis' HyperNormalisation (2016) again after also watching Academic Agent's critique of the documentary from the right, sensible centre and centre left. We've all known (well a lot of us) for a bloody long time that the partisan division is a joke, left/right is an obsolete gauge, this fake scam is protecting power and people actually want the same things ie. an end to the hyper-capitalism of, dare I say it, neoliberalism.
There's plenty of Curtis' usual suspects on the soundtrack like Morricone, Eno, Nine Inch Nails, Aphex Twin, Burial et al. But there's also a few less famous artists utilised to great effect in this masterclass of sound design too.
Some of you might know Ragsdale as he's the fella behind Sulk Rooms whose albums have featured in some end of year lists here at CardrossManiac2 anyway Warning Mass is a classic ominous minimal track that moves the atmospheric tones around that then swell into calamitous intensity. It was perfect for the show.
Pye Corner Audio - The Black Mill Video Tape [2012]
This awesome tune popped up which I hadn't heard since Ghost Box released Sleep Games fourteen years ago. Some post-Carpenter hauntological synthwave goodness.
Gavin Miller - Fotograf (Part 2) [2013]
Then there was this excellent eerie track that I didn't know.
worriedaboutsatan - Blank Tape [2016]
Blank Tape is dark, minimal, ambient with a hint of ye olde post-rock. This was a duo featuring Gavin Miller with the unmistakeable touch of Thomas Ragsdale. Incredible spectral electronics.
worriedaboutsatan - All Safe All Well [2015]
This bit of atmospheric minimalism reminiscent of peak Labradford. Shifting tones of gloom.
A prime slice of 70s cosmic synth goodness. There is even a little bit of acoustic guitar and flute here and there. Top Belgian/Spanish kosmische krautrock.
