Lost Days, Open Skies and Streaming Tides

A 20 track ambient album (1h 53m 28s) — released June 4th 2012 on Darla

The long awaited Manual double cd Lost Days, Open Skies and Streaming Tides – a collection of rarities, remixes, covers, unreleased pieces and brand new tracks – including a new collaboration with Cocteau Twins mainman Robin Guthrie. Spanning the period from 2002, around Ascend, up to now, this is a collection that covers the entire spectrum of Jonas Munks stylings; from the minimalist drone soundscapes, to the over-the-top 1980s influenced shoegazing electronica à la his masterpiece Azure Vista, from the sweet pop-influenced gems to abstract blissed-out timeless ambient. Munk's trademarks are all over the 19 pieces on this double disc set: the highly adventurous sense of composition that is still so unheard of in electronic music – always taking the listener on a colourful journey instead of relying on repetitions like pretty much every other electronic artist -, the mix of well-programmed beats and electronics against surreal, shimmering, heavily treated guitars, and the sunbathed 1980s romantic melancholia that has become Jonas Munk's signature sound. It is hard to think of a more perfect introduction to Munk's music, and for fans of his work this is simply a must! All in all, Lost Days, Open Skies and Streaming Tides includes almost an hour worth of previously unreleased music. In Jonas' own words: "Instead of compiling every single rarity out there or every unreleased piece in the drawer, I only wanted to include the stuff that I feel is absolutely up to standard with my best work, and I feel this collection is just as important and representative of what I want to do as my most celebrated works such as Azure Vista or Ascend".

Disc 1 represents the grandiose, super-layered, mesmerizing sounds that is familiar to fans of Azure Vista, Isares and Ascend, where firm, occasionally complex, beats melts together with moist and dreamy guitars, heavenly female vocals and headspinning old-school synths. It includes one of Manuals most beloved pieces, "Summer Haze", as well as "Blue Skied' an Clear", the title track from 2002's Slowdive tribute on Morr Music. It also includes previously unreleased remixes of Port Royal, Antenne and Australian pop group Suvome, and a cover of one of Jan Hammer's original Miami Vice themes. On top of that there is a piece Jonas composed as a jingle for a Danish radio show, "Into The Blue", a brand new collaboration with Robin Guthrie and three previously unreleased gems.
Disc 2 represents the more minimal, guitar-drone side of Manual. This aspect of Jonas Munk's work is less celebrated, but the few who appreciates it truly treasure albums like "The North Shore" and "Bajamar" as top-notch ambient works. These pieces, based on treated guitar work, blends classic ambient with minimalist classical music and processing experiments to create very unique sounds that are surreal yet warm and organic, and maintains Jonas' insist on the compositional element. This side of his work has been compared to Manuel Göttsching, Arvo Pärt and Brian Eno, but it hardly does justice to its unique evocative qualities. "The River", a 23 minute ultra-minimalist piece, was composed in 2003 for a Danish release but was withdrawn due to financial reasons. "Dizzy Sun" and "Seleva" has previously been released on Darla's compilation series and is among Munk's finest ambient work. Besides that disc 2 includes four previously unreleased pieces.

Jonas Munk remains an extremely underrated artist, and practically unknown, but this collection is proof of his unique capabilities as a composer and producer, and brilliantly showcases his one-of-a-kind sound, that flirts with shoegazing, new romantic pop, electronica, and ambient, without belonging in either category.

All in all two hours of music wrapped in deluxe eight panel digipack with artwork by Jakob Skøtt. The soundtrack for the summer!

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