New music from Berlin composers Brueder Selke & Midori Hirano, unboxing Wrekmeister Harmonies' Flowers in the Spring, new Gnod & White Hills color LP + Black Duck and Elena Setién on tour!
Thrill Jockey's December 5th newsletter
Brueder Selke & Midori Hirano share beautiful, minimalist new single “Scale A"
Brueder Selke & Midori Hirano by Sylvia Steinhäuser
The acclaimed Berlin composers’ new album Split Scale coming Jan. 24th. Grip the limited-edition clear LP, check out the stunning artwork by Daniel Castrejón
The run up to the holidays can be a particularly hectic time, with all the end-of-year parties, shopping, sales and traveling. This week, acclaimed Berlin composers Brueder Selke & Midori Hirano offer up a meditative moment in the midst of all the busyness, an invitation to take a minute for yourself in the form of beautiful, minimalist new single “Scale A.”
Taken from their forthcoming debut collaborative album Split Scale, “Scale A” invokes the haunting beauty and strange serenity of the colder months. Hirano’s piano arpeggios gentle motion unfolds as if a delicate frost upon Brueder Selke’s landscapes of abstractions of cello and synthesizer. A perfect listen for evenings holed up with a good book and your hot beverage of choice.
Grip the limited-edition clear LP version of Split Scale now, a stunning collection of cinematic moments and ambient atmospheres that’s a huge recommendation for fans of Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hiroshi Yoshimura or Oval.
Unboxing: Wrekmeister Harmonies - Flowers in the Spring
Available on limited-edition pink LP now, and listen the expansive, dark title track now
Wrekmeister Harmonies are sonic shapeshifters with a distinctly dark bent. From expansive “cast of thousands” collaborations featuring everyone from The Body and members of Swans to Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mary Lattimore, the duo never make the same album twice.
Their new album Flowers in the Spring strips the group’s music back to its most pure and potent form, with a suite of expansive, dark ambient epics that combine towering amplifier worship and sublime meditativation. The lengthy pieces are immersive and addictive. An essential album for fans of Sunn O)))’s The Black One, the Eraserhead soundtrack, Lustmord, or The Haxan Cloak.
“This is an album that forces you to question your reality and perhaps embrace strange new paradigms – it's simply that good.” - Metal Injection
“Wrekmeister Harmonies have forged a unique path since their inception ….taking their chamber metal to seldom charted corners of the heavy musical map.” - Echoes and Dust
Get a closer look at the limited-edition pink LP edition now with our unboxing video.
Gnod & White Hills’ Drop Out III is selling fast!
The crystal clear 2xLP is already sold out, and the new opaque orange version is moving quickly, and won't be available in stores
Grab this essential edition in the Drop Out Series and listen to the brand-new version of modern psych classic “Run-A-Round”
We weren't lying when we told you this one was going to shift quickly – the crystal clear 2xLP version of Gnod & White Hills’ Drop Out III sold out in 24 hours, and the new orange color is already flying off the proverbial shelves too.
Not gripped your copy yet? If you’ve been following either artist, or contemporaries like Wooden Shjips and Golden Void, here’s why you need this one in your collection:
Two titans of transatlantic modern psych and space rock, reunited for a brand new instalment in their Drop Out series, which has fast become a cult favourite.
The double LP features a cornucopia of expanded versions of essential songs complete with new arrangements, mixes, and instrumentation.
The set also features a full LP of pieces never before included on vinyl – the true directors cut for the real heads.
AND, on top of all that, the record comes with a full digital album’s worth of bonus material.
Yep, you heard right, that’s the equivalent of three full LPs-worth of music, including tracks you couldn’t get anywhere else before now. An absolutely essential record from two of the best bands in modern psych music – grab your copy now before they’re gone.
Black Duck & Elena Setién announce new tour dates
Sétien’s gorgeous new album Moonlit Reveries is out now, featuring Glenn Kotche (Wilco)
Another transatlantic meeting of minds here - Black Duck (the trio of Doug McCombs, Bill MacKay and Charles Rumback) and Basque multi-instrumentalist Elena Setién have been longtime appreciators of each other’s music, and are now heading out on a joint tour of Spain in January 2024. Two totally unique takes on modern jazz and guitar music, now’s the time to book that holiday for some January sun you’ve been thinking about.
You’ll be able to grab a copy of Elena Setién’s breathtaking new album at the shows, featuring renowned drummer/percussionist Glenn Kotche of Wilco, or if you can’t wait that long you can grab the limited-edition translucent blue LP from our store now. Black Duck will also have copies of their resplendent debut album with them on the tour.
Elena Setién and Black Duck tour dates:
Jan. 26 - Vitoria, ES - Centro Cultural Montehermoso
Jan. 27 - Castelló, ES - Teatre del Raval
Jan. 29 - Valladolid, ES - Colegio Mayor Peñafiel
Jan. 30 - Zaragoza, ES - Centro Cívico Delicia
Jan. 31 - El Prat De Llobregat, ES - La Capsa
Feb. 1 - Vic, ES - Jazz Cava
Feb. 2 - Donosti/San Sebastian, ES - Dabadaba
ON TOUR: Elena Setién and Black Duck
LISTEN / ORDER: Moonlit Reveries
Cratediggers: Brueder Selke
The Berlin duo’s debut collaboration with Midori Hirano Split Scale coming Jan. 24th
Listen to sublime first single “Scale F” now
LISTEN / PREORDER: Split Scale
The Berlin duo of brothers Sebastian and Daniel Selke are two of the world’s most in-demand composers and instrumentalists. They’ve provided sounds for sample packs from the likes of Ólafur Arnalds for Spitfire Audio, collaborated with the likes of Peter Broderick and Daniel O’Sullivan, and fostered live happenings with a whole host of artists at their regular Q3Ambientfest.
After first meeting likeminded composer Midori Hirano at the festival, the group’s debut collaborative album Split Scale will be out next January - a suite of sublime, synesthetic soundscapes and cinematic movements. Ahead of that, Brueder Selke take over our Cratediggers playlist this week, compiling tracks from the likes of Jules Reidy, Colleen, claire rousay and loads more.
LISTEN / PREORDER: Split Scale
The brothers give us the rundown on their selections:
Just a few years after we, with thanks to our parents Harald and Gabriele, started playing classical music, each on his respective instrument, already pretty much our whole world revolved around chamber music. Though we each first prepared our individual parts separately, most of our performances were as a duo. At the end of the 80s, when the most diverse cultural influences were finding their way over radio and television into the living room of our East German Plattenbau, we began, through improvisation initially, to develop our own pieces, which we eventually incorporated into our programme.
The positive response from our audience and the encounters with like-minded people were, and remain, the driving force of our work – in the beginning under our pseudonym CEEYS and now under our real names as Brueder Selke.
In 2016 we moved from East Berlin to Potsdam. The architectural diversity of the Brandenburg capital, from Frederick the Great palaces to socialist plattenbau inspired us to create a musical connection. Since then we have been bringing together established and emerging artists from different genres and backgrounds to our Q3Ambientfest here in Potsdam.
So, just as we like sharing the physical stage with others, we also always enjoy putting together our own mixtapes and playlists. And just like we do at our bespoke festivals, we also want to try here to tell a little story beyond the pure listening experience. We mix soft and quiet with bright and intense pieces and invite all open-minded music lovers to discover legendary, sometimes almost forgotten, composers alongside contemporary artists. We hope we can bring you some inspiration, and dedicate this list to the next generation – our daughter/niece Alma Lucia who is about to turn 6.
OUT NOW
Find all our amazing recent releases on our homepage including:
SUMAC - The Healer
SUMAC are starting their next leg of U.S touring this week, kicking off tonight in Atlanta, Georgia. Check the rest of the dates below.
SUMAC tour dates
Dec. 5 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl +
Dec. 6 - Chattanooga, TN - JJ’s Bohemia +
Dec. 7 - Nashville, TN - DRKMTTR +
Dec. 8 - Bentonville, AR - The Momentary +
Dec. 10 - New Orleans, LA - Siberia +
Dec. 11 - Pensacola, FL - Handlebar +
Dec. 12 - Winter Park, FL - Conduit +
Dec. 13 - Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern +
Dec. 14 - Raleigh, NC - Kings +
Dec. 15 - Asheville, NC - Eulogy +
+ w/ Kowloon Walled City, Trigger Object