Japan Relief

Standard Form would like to extend our thoughts and condolences to all of those affected by the terrible disaster caused by the massive earthquake that hit off the coast of Japan on March 11th. In an effort to help, we will donate 100% of sales between now and April 15th, 2011 to the Canadian Red Cross' “Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami” relief fund. We also encourage people to seek out ways to directly donate to the cause.

Out now: Rural Route No.7 by Nick Kuepfer

Nick Kuepfer is a guitar player who weaves nylon string and electric guitar pieces with live sampled tape loops and drones. His sources range from static repetition and subtlety to frantic and abrasive; always with a tendency for experimentation. He was born and raised in Stratford, Ontario and is now living in Montreal, Quebec since 2003. He has performed solo for a short time and occasionally plays with guests Eric Craven (hanged up), Kristina Koropecki (Mark Berube), John Corban (SMCQ) and Nick Scribner (Clues). His current activity was preceded by playing in the bands Lungbutter, Aidswolf, L’embuscade etc and presently plays with Hrsta and No Nature. In November of 2010 he released a full-length solo record as part of the first edition of Montreal record label Constellation Records' Musique Fragile series.

We are pleased to welcome him to the fold with the 7th installment of the Rural Route series. These six tracks were recorded during a week of seclusion in a house deep in the woods of Northern Ontario with portions recorded in a cabin in the Gatineau region of Quebec. The recordings include various sample sources including goats and birds in Switzerland, a choir featuring Kuepfer's parents, and wolves from the Aspden Valley Wildlife Sanctuary near Rousseau, Ontario.




Limited to 150 physical copies (with free download).
Available here.

http://soundcloud.com/kuepfer

Out Soon: Rural Route No.6

It's October, which means it's been close to one year since we started the Rural Route series and we must say that we feel very fortunate to have released such great music from quality artists. It seems serendipitous that on this anniversary the sixth release in the series will be from the highly respected and prolific Machinefabriek, the pseudonym of Rutger Zuydervelt. This Rotterdam artist truly needs no introduction due to the sheer quantity and quality of music he has released within the ambient/experimental field over a relatively short period of time. With releases on labels like Type, 12K and Home Normal, Rural Route No.6 is wonderful addition to his ever-growing canon. Officially available on October 26th, it is comprised of one 17 minute track entitled Halfslaap. The piece began as a one minute soundtrack for a video poem by Jani Sipilä. Sounds reminiscent of a music box provide a long form lullaby for the hazy journey from reality to the dreamworld. It is a score for the strange sensation of heavy limbs as sleep slowly washes over the body.




We must highly stress that this release is limited to only 150 physical copies and is a definite must-have for fans of his work and fans of experimental music in general!

Check out an excerpt here.

...and there has already been a review, check it out here.

www.machinefabriek.nu

UPDATE: We are now accepting preorders here.

New Release!: Rural Route No. 5 by The Gentleman Losers

It is with great pleasure that we announce the next installment in the Rural Route's series. It is by the wonderful Finnish duo of Samu and Ville Kuukka, who perform under the name The Gentleman Losers, and will be released on Sept 14th, 2010. The brothers have collaborated on a multitude of projects over the years, including, but not limited to, music for films and dance, sound design, and remixing. As The Gentleman Losers they have released two highly regarded full-length albums to date for the respected City Centre Offices imprint and its sister label, Büro. The three tracks that comprise Rural Route No.5 are highly atmospheric, ambient instrumentals with delicate guitar melodies that weave themselves in and out over its course. They are a travelogue mapping paths taken in Europe during the past year or so. Snapshots, based on improvisations drawing inspiration from the quieter moments of a nomadic life: a snowstorm in Helsinki, a hot September night in Berlin and a dusk in the Swiss countryside outside of Lucerne. The Kuukkas were finding homes away from home and longing back to one that was never there.

Click here to purchase the physical or digital version.



Limited to 150 physical copies (comes with free download).
Available Sept.14, 2010.
www.gentlemanlosers.com

New reviews!

We are pleased to see that Kyle Bobby Dunn's Rural Route No. 2 has garnered some great reviews! Check them out below.

The Pop Stalinist
AmbientBlog
Audio Gourmet
The Silent Ballet
Skeleton Crew Quarterly
Anti-Gravity Bunny
Pitchfork
Textura
Norman Records
Coke Machine Glow
All Fer teh Lulz

Rural Route No.4 by Alex Durlak

Quickly following the release of Rural Route No.3 by Martin Clarke, comes the fourth installment in the series. A single drone piece entitled Catalyst by artist and musician Alex Durlak who is best known for his contributions to various Toronto bands and his work within the local arts community.

Recorded at the tail end of a bleak winter in a single improvised take, this recording marks the first stirrings from Durlak’s long hibernation from solo work. His guitar playing is sampled and processed in real time using a series of granular synthesis patches to create densely layered and dark sounds not easily associated with their original source.



Available for purchase and download here.

Alex Durlak performs at The Central in Toronto this Sunday, July 18th.

Rural Route No.3 by Martin Clarke

The third installment of the Rural Routes series is officially available today!

These field recordings were made in Shetland in December 2006 and draw their inspiration from the music and recordings of Australian sound artist Alan Lamb. Martin Clarke is a sound artist and filmmaker based in London, UK. His work makes extensive use of real-world, environmental material to create semi-abstract non-representational spaces.

Clarke studied composition with Robert Dow at the University of Edinburgh and completed his PhD with Jonty Harrison at the University of Birmingham in 2008. He is currently based in London and is a member of BECTU, The Diary Agency and an associate member of the Institute of Broadcast Sound.



As always, this release is a 3" CD-R and is limited to 150 copies.

Available for purchase and download here.