If you’ve not had the pleasure of wrapping your ears around Remixed yet then head to the Hidden Shoal Store and preview the album in full.

It’s a total win-win so head to the Hidden Shoal Store and check the specials on the front page. The sale ends on the 1st of Jan 2012 and some CD stock is very limited so do be quick.

“The outcome is stunning… With so many different remixers it is as expected some variations here, but it still feels like a wholesome album, tied nicely together by the underlining of City Of Satellites shoegazing dream-pop material… And in some parts, these mixes has not just made the tunes slightly different, or added another kind of quality, but actually turned the better part of them into something more, and by that; better.” – Luna Kafe

The second review appeared in the just out December edition for Kramies‘ The European,

“Kramies has with the aid of producer Todd Tobias (Circus Devil, Guided by Voices) and guitarist David Paolucci, made The European into a delicate melancholic and poetic swirl of pop-delight.” – Luna Kafe

Hopefully you own both these releases and are sitting there nodding your head in agreement. If not however then head straight to the Hidden Shoal Store where you can stream Remixed and The European in full as well as purchase.

City of Satellites -’Moon In The Sea (Slow Dancing Society Remix)’

City of Satellites Remixed is one of WRSU top 5 RPM adds and Kramies The European is one of the top 5 Radio 200 adds,  Salli Lunn’s A Frame of Reference and Kramies’ The European are in Bagel Radio’s top 5 CMJ adds this week,  The Caseworker’s Letters From The Coast continues its long term camp in the Bagel CMJ top 30 charts, Salli Lunn’s A Frame of Reference gets a top 5 CMJ rotation add at KJHK and City of Satellites and Kramies are both charting in the 3WK CMJ top 30. Nice!

Salli Lunn – ‘Parachutes Forever (Markus Mehr Remix)’

Remixed sees tracks from City Of Satellites’ debut EP The Spook and album Machine Is My Animal receive the remix treatment from Manual, Syntaks, Tim Koch, Slow Dancing Society, Jatun, Tin Manzano and M-13. Tin Manzano’s remix of the title track from Machine Is My Animal is a gorgeously seductive instrumental, where restraint and space are as alluring as the sounds blooming across the stereo field. Syntaks bring their trademark wavering dream-gaze to ‘Victor! Burn City Lights’, resulting in a tantalising, sticky web of melody and beats. M-13’s take on ‘Stranger Than Fiction’ bitcrushes the original to produce an incredibly addictive slice of dreamy electroclash. Slow Dancing Society’s remix of ‘Moon in the Sea’ (from The Spook EP) is as epic and mesmerising as anyone familiar with the SDS catalogue would expect. Tim Koch’s restructuring of ‘BMX’ is masterful, rebuilt from the inside out into stunning avant-pop architecture. Jatun renders ‘Control’ as a fuzzed-out shoegaze surge, before Manual (Jonas Munk) closes the album with his remix of ‘Skeletons’, blurry and sensuous as a half-remembered dream.

“one long trip through a colorful cosmic cloud with a dreamy, mysterious flow and a lush underbelly of celestial sounds… swirling layers of enveloping orchestral harmonies and shooting stars of guitar bursts and cymbal crashes that add brilliant flairs of vaporous and heavenly ambience” – Delusions of Adequacy on Machine Is My Animal

Remixed is available as an exclusive digital release through the Hidden Shoal Store and all good third party online stores. Also be sure to check out the gorgeous music video for Tin Manzano’s remix of ‘Machine Is My Anmimal’ on YouTube or Vimeo. City of Satellites other releases can be streamed and purchased here. Read a full press release here.

City of Satellites -’Moon In The Sea (Slow Dancing Society Remix)’

The track is taken from the forthcoming album Remixed, a digital exclusive released on 27 October. Remixed sees tracks from City Of Satellites’ debut EP The Spook and album Machine Is My Animal receive the remix treatment from Manual, Syntaks, Tim Koch, Slow Dancing Society, Jatun, Tin Manzano and M-13. Download the track for free here and watch the video in full HD at Youtube and Vimeo. Check out a full press release here.

Heresy and Rite producer Jonas Munk (Manual) takes on ‘The Invention of Steel’, rendering the song a brilliant, cascading and hypnotic krautrock jam. Previously unreleased track ‘50 Kisses’ is reworked by TV Baby as a driving, lo-fi chase scene, while ‘White Sight’, also previously unreleased, rounds out the album in fine style, with its main riff simultaneously drunken and laser-guided in intensity.

“… Salli Lunn persistently avoid any repetition or similar themes – and take every opportunity to push their music into new territories and expand on their own musicianship… on Heresy & Rite, this act of innovation and unpredictability delivers with extreme accuracy.” – No Ripcord

A Frame of Reference is available as an exclusive digital release through the Hidden Shoal Store and all good third party online stores. Album Heresy and Rite is also available worldwide in CD and digital formats and for the first time is now available through Hidden Shoal on vinyl. Be sure to check out the awesome music video for Scott Solter’s remix of ‘Mirror Girl’.

Salli Lunn – ‘The Invention of Steel (Manual Remix)’

And of course our US and international fans should continue to head to our wonderful distributor n5mailorder for Hidden Shoal CD titles.

In 2009, Hidden Shoal continued to release stunning music from around the world, including debut Hidden Shoal albums from Hotels, HC-B, Tarcutta, Sleeping Me, City Of Satellites and Elisa Luu, sophomore albums from Jumpel and Wes Willenbring, a third album from Sankt Otten, and EPs from Stray Ghost and Down Review (a new collaboration between Arc Lab’s Medard Fischer and Near The Parenthesis’ Tim Arndt).

2009 was also notable for the release of our compilation album A Million Square Miles, a project endeavouring to showcase Western Australian talent to the US (the titular million square miles). After more than three years of sharing independent music far and wide, A Million Square Miles represented a key facet of the Hidden Shoal Recordings story. The album brings together a pair of tracks from each of the then eight WA-based artists on the Hidden Shoal roster: Mukaizake, Apricot Rail, Fall Electric, Glassacre, Toby Richardson, My Majestic Star, The Slow Beings and Tangled Star.

2009 also saw Hidden Shoal join forces with The Caribbean and Scott Solter in a single EP. This not only began a special relationship with the wonderful The Caribbean and created an ongoing avenue for them to release some of their more experimental offerings, but it also began the label’s relationship with Scott Solter, which eventually led us to Boxharp (Scott Solter and Wendy Allen).

HSR046:   Jumpel Deuxieme Bureau
HSR047:   Hotels Where Hearts Go Broke
HSR048:   HC-B Soundcheck For A Missing Movie
HSR049:   The Caribbean Scott Solter Re-Populates The Caribbean EP
HSR050:   Sleeping Me Cradlesongs
HSR051:   Tarcutta Tarcutta
HSR052:   Tangled Star That Time EP
HSR053:   Apricot Rail Apricot Rail
HSR054:   Down Review From Here, For Anyone EP
HSR055:   Sankt Otten Morgen Wieder Lustig
HSR056:   Elisa Luu Chromatic Sigh
HSR057:   Various artists A Million Square Miles
HSR058:   Wes Willenbring Close, But Not Too Close
HSR059:   Stray Ghost Each Paradise Is A Lost Paradise EP
HSR060:   Mukaizake Unknown Knowns
HSR061:   City Of Satellites Machine Is My Animal

2008 saw the release of a fresh new raft of superb albums and EPs, including those by new signings The Slow Beings, Fall Electric and City Of Satellites from Australia, Ghost In The Water and Rich Bennett from the USA, and RL/VL from Ireland. HSR stalwarts Tangled Star, Toby Richardson, My Majestic Star, Iretsu, Slow Dancing Society and Sankt Otten all followed up with some of their most critically acclaimed work. And at the end of the year we released compilation album East–West Section, volume four in our free download series.

As acclaim for our artists spread internationally, we were delighted to hear that prominent New York radio host DJ Mojo dubbed the label “this generation’s 4AD”. As huge fans of the classic label, this was a massive and humbling compliment.

HSR031:   Tangled Star Our Man In Eden Hill EP
HSR032:   Toby Richardson Evergreen
HSR033:   Ghost In The Water Tooth
HSR034:   The Slow Beings We Know Why The Earth Moves
HSR035:   Iretsu Name Our Numbers, Numbers EP
HSR036:   Slow Dancing Society Priest Lake Circa ’88
HSR037:   My Majestic Star Too Late, The Day
HSR038:   Rich Bennett Music For Underwater Supermarkets
HSR039:   Sankt Otten Eine Kleine Traurigkeit
HSR040:   RL/VL Chagrin
HSR041:   Fall Electric Measure And Step
HSR042:   City Of Satellites The Spook EP
HSR043:   Sankt Otten Tiefgang EP
HSR044:   Ghost In The Water Cardinal Red EP
HSR045:   Various artists East–West Section

Featuring Antonymes, Boxharp, City of Satellites, Elisa Luu, Hotels, Iretsu, Jumpel, Liam Singer, Markus Mehr, Mukaizake, My Majestic Star, Rich Bennett, Salli Lunn, Slow Dancing Society, Stray Ghost, Toby Richardson, Umpire and Wes Willenbring, Hydrozoa touches all the bases that make the Hidden Shoal roster unique, and massages them into a broad-ranging and utterly engaging whole. The release accompanied by a pdf booklet containing stunning artwork by Hidden Shoal’s Stuart Medley.

Download the sampler here.

Since starting up in Perth, Western Australia in 2006, Hidden Shoal has developed an enviable roster of genre-defying global and local recording artists. With 40+ acts from 10+ different countries ranging from the gorgeous neo-classical/minimal ambient of Antonymes through to the genius space-pop of Hotels and beyond the visionary team at Hidden Shoal continues to play an integral role in promoting exciting new independent music.

The festival is held from the 4th to the 13th of March in beautiful Byron Bay in New South Wales, Australia. Check out the full programme here and view the video here.

City of Satellites – BMX City of Satellites – BMX

If you’ve not yet had the pleasure then soak in the wonderous sounds and vision here.

In more City of Satellites news, a remix album featuring remixes by artists such as Manual, Slow Dancing Society and Tin Man will be out later in the year. Stay tuned for more details soon!

City of Satellites – BMX City of Satellites – BMX

City Of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction City Of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction

City of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction City of Satellites – Stranger Then Fiction

Their single Stranger Than Fiction is available here for free.

City of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction City of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction

City of Satellites – BMX City of Satellites – BMX

City of Satellites – Machine Is My Animal  City of Satellites – Machine Is My Animal

On Machine Is My Animal, City of Satellites deliver on the exceptional promise of their debut EP The Spook – and then some. This pristine album synthesizes ’80s pop aesthetics with ’00s production values to create a truly monumental sound. From the Eastern-influenced synth lines of superb opener ‘BMX’ to the crystalline drift of closer ‘Sky Rider’, Machine Is My Animal carries the listener through a glistening science fiction future, as viewed from a wistful child’s window.

On single ‘Stranger Than Fiction’, swirling synth sounds, Thomas Diakomichalis’ propulsive drumming and Jarrod Manuel’s pure vocal tones glide beautifully. Its aching melodies to the fore, the song taking heartrending turns before dissolving into the ether. ‘Skeletons’ glides and weaves like a hovercar over the course of seven levitating minutes, before the epic title track stomps across a dystopian future like a Transformer with a conscience, its robot heart bleeding as its surveys the devastation it has wrought. This balance between cold synthesized tones and a warm emotional heart creates a delicious balance throughout.

“Australia’s new finest dream-pop duo ascend to orbit… City Of Satellites venture beyond the troposphere on their debut CD Machine Is My Animal. Hazy, ethereal vocals and magisterial synth soundscapes wrap the sensors like rich ice cream upon pressing play… Manuel’s Air-redolent, multitracked vocals are angelic for the lack of a better description… the album radiates glacial atmospherics not heard in this country since the halcyon days of otherworldly Tasmanians The Paradise Motel.” – Rave Magazine

Machine Is My Animal is available now through Hidden Shoal Recordings. The album is distributed in Australia through Hidden Shoal Distribution and in the US and Europe via n5Mailorder. The album is available digitally through the Hidden Shoal Store and all good third-party digital music stores (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, LaLa etc).

Read a full press release here and stream the album in full as well as check all CD and digital availability here.

City of Satellites – BMX  City of Satellites – BMX

Stream the album here and hear why it made a reviewer at the wonderful Rave Magazine say things like,

“…magisterial synth soundscapes wrap the sensors like rich ice cream upon pressing play.”

City of Satellites – Control  City of Satellites – Control

City of Satellites – Victor! Burn City Lights City of Satellites – Victor! Burn City Lights

Crushed and Reminded takes the listener on a multi-dimensional sonic rollercoaster ride, showcasing tracks from recent 2009 HSR releases. Moving from bitcrushed remixes through cinematic instrumental rock to deliciously mellow ambient electronica, Crushed and Reminded shines a new light across the breadth and depth of the Hidden Shoal landscape.

It includes stunning songs from 11 Hidden Shoal artists and bands: The Caribbean, HC-B, Sankt Otten, Hotels, Down Review, Tangled Star, Apricot Rail, Tarcutta, Sleeping Me, Elisa Luu and Jumpel. Dip in, then explore each artist’s album and EP releases to experience their full splendour.

“a gripping, adventurous and touching journey across their catalogue of ambient, shoegaze, post-rock and indie-rock releases. The perfect introduction for the artists and bands, or alternatively, the perfect sampler for those who cannot decide which of these fantastic bands to pay attention to at the moment” – Post Rock Community review of Limit of Maps, volume 3 in the free sampler album series.

Crushed and Reminded is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store, along with volumes 1 to 4.

City of Satellites – Victor! Burn City Lights City of Satellites – Victor! Burn City Lights

On Machine Is My Animal, City of Satellites deliver on the exceptional promise of their debut EP The Spook – and then some. This pristine album synthesizes ’80s pop aesthetics with ’00s production values to create a truly monumental sound. From the Eastern-influenced synth lines of superb opener ‘BMX’ to the crystalline drift of closer ‘Sky Rider’, Machine Is My Animal carries the listener through a glistening science fiction future, as viewed from a wistful child’s window.

On single ‘Stranger Than Fiction’, swirling synth sounds, Thomas Diakomichalis’ propulsive drumming and Jarrod Manuel’s pure vocal tones glide beautifully. Its aching melodies to the fore, the song taking heartrending turns before dissolving into the ether. ‘Skeletons’ glides and weaves like a hovercar over the course of seven levitating minutes, before the epic title track stomps across a dystopian future like a Transformer with a conscience, its robot heart bleeding as its surveys the devastation it has wrought. This balance between cold synthesized tones and a warm emotional heart creates a delicious balance throughout.

“equipped with hulking ice tipped chorus’ of synth chime serenades that cast out a colourfully vibrant swirling haze that’s both as demurring as it is intoxicating all the time regaling within a disarming shy eyed aspect brought to the fore by Jarrod’s softly caressing feminine like vocals and arrested by the uplifting backdrops of starry eyed dream weaves – one we suspect for admirers of OMD’s ’Souvenir’” – Losing Today on single ‘Stranger Than Fiction’

“You know when you catch a faint smell of something that totally spins you out and reminds you of something you haven’t though about since you were six, completely changing your day? City Of Satellites have synthesised this feeling into music… traces of shoegaze heroes M83 and My Bloody Valentine, with faint, androgynous vocals drifting in and out of clarity over a dreamy soundscape… an emotionally exhausting and incredibly satisfying little trip” – Drum Media EP of the Week (The Spook)

Machine Is My Animal is now available in all digital formats, including lossless, from the Hidden Shoal Store and all good third-party digital music stores (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, LaLa, Bandcamp etc). Fans will now to have to wait it out a little longer for the official CD release which has now been put back to January 21st, 2010.

Read a full press release here and stream the album in full as well as check all digital availability here.

City of Satellites – BMX  City of Satellites – BMX

Can you feel the love in the air?

HSL comprises the constantly growing catalogue of over 600 tracks from the critically acclaimed Hidden Shoal Recordings music label. This wonderful selection of music covers a broad spectrum of sounds and styles, from filmic ambient instrumentals through to inventive indie rock and beyond. HSL provides a unique one-stop licensing source, handling both the master and sync rights.

If you’d like to be kept up to date with all HSL news, please join our mailing list or keep an eye on the pre-launch HSL website.

“You know when you catch a faint smell of something that totally spins you out and reminds you of something you haven’t though about since you were six, completely changing your day? City Of Satellites have synthesised this feeling into music… traces of shoegaze heroes M83 and My Bloody Valentine, with faint, androgynous vocals drifting in and out of clarity over a dreamy soundscape… an emotionally exhausting and incredibly satisfying little trip” – Drum Media EP of the Week

‘Stranger Than Fiction’ is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store until the official CD release of City Of Satellites’ debut album Machine Is My Animal on November 24th, 2009. The album will also be digitally pre-released on November 3rd.

Read a full press release here.

City Of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction   City Of Satellites – Stranger Than Fiction

“The sound is close to ‘The Moon In The Sea’ [single from The Spook], however we haven’t lost touch with our shoegazer side…”

It’s going to be very special indeed. Stay tuned for more news soon…

City Of Satellites Moon In The Sea City Of Satellites – Moon In The Sea

Of course the wonderful n5Mailorder in the US continues to distribute (wholesale and retail) Hidden Shoal releases to the US, Europe and Asia. And if digital is you thing then head to the Hidden Shoal Store to buy direct or hit any major digital retailer and you’ll find the full catalogue available.

Enjoy!

Plus, if you sign up to the Hidden Shoal mailing list this month, you’ll be in for a special surprise in the last week of birthday celebrations. All subscribers will get a free digital album voucher for use in the HSR Store. So if you’re not already on the mailing list then sign up here and we’ll send details out to all subscribers at the end of the month.

“Finding Hidden Shoal Recordings could rightly claim to be in the top 10 best things that ever happened to me, such is the quality and diversity of their roster”– Boring Machine Disturbs Sleep

“they continually showcase new, innovative artists to the masses” —The Silent Ballet

“This generation’s 4AD” – New York radio host and promoter DJ Mojo

The label will host a birthday bash at the Velvet Lounge in Mt Lawley, Perth on the 13th of May. Special guest DJs will be spinning sets curated from the Hidden Shoal catalogue, including previews of some exciting upcoming releases. There will be giveaways, CDs available, and a bevy of local HSR artists to touch! The evening will also feature a special performance by the wonderful pairing of Tristen Parr (Fall Electric, Schvendes) and Stina Thomas (Fall Electric, Stina).

During May the label will be running a number of promotions, including CD giveaways and HSR Store vouchers, as well as in conjunction with a number of other music sites and radio stations. Mailing list subscribers will be in for an extra special range of treats so be sure to sign up and get ready for the goods. All details will be revealed during the month, so stay tuned!

Read a full press release here.

The band is currently working on their debut album, due for release later this year.

City Of Satellites Sleeping Disgrace City Of Satellites – Sleeping Disgrace

Tune in each week to hear come fabulous music including more gems from the HSR catalogue.

City Of Satellites Sleeping Disgrace City Of Satellites – Sleeping Disgrace

Both Slow Dancing Society and City Of Satellites feature on the new Hidden Shoal sampler album East-West Section, available for free download from the HSR Store.

Slow Dancing Society Glimmer And Gleam Slow Dancing Society – Glimmer And Gleam

City Of Satellites The Spook City Of Satellites – The Spook

East-West Section is like a knife with ears – an audible slice through Hidden Shoal’s 2008 releases. But no blood! We’ve stitched these killer tracks into a brand new tapestry… From the delicate ambient murmur of RL/VL to the avant-pop mastery of Iretsu; the lush lounge-jazz of Rich Bennett to the sublime ambient rock of City Of Satellites; the charming electro-pop of Ghost In The Water to the addictive indie-rock of Fall Electric and The Slow Beings; and acclaimed Hidden Shoal mainstays My Majestic Star, Sankt Otten and Slow Dancing Society. This is an irresistible showcase of the breadth and depth of the Hidden Shoal catalogue.

“Hidden Shoal Recordings is on a mission. The Australian label is busy enhancing minds, widening musical consciousness, opening ears, and taking us beyond the sometimes all too comfortably familiar” – Blogcritics

“a gripping, adventurous and touching journey across their catalogue of ambient, shoegaze, post-rock and indie-rock releases. The perfect introduction for the artists and bands, or alternatively, the perfect sampler for those who cannot decide which of these fantastic bands to pay attention to at the moment” – Post Rock Community review of Limit Of Maps, volume 3 in the free sampler album series

East-West Section is now available for free digital download from the HSR Store. Read a full press release here.

We can also announce a very special closing set from experimental electronic acousmatitians Enargeia. The duo will perform “Hidden Shoal Redux”, a Stockhausen inspired Hymnen to the HSR sound using their colleagues own recordings as source material for an exploration in sonic chaos.

The party is also the celebration of the release of the new volume in our free sampler album series, East-West Section, which will be available for free download on the night. To anyone attending, bring along your thumb drive or USB stick to be the first to download the album! East-West Section will then be available through the HSR Store.

This event will be suitably HUGE! Be there or become the rhomboid you always feared you might.

‘Tiefgang (Kurzfassung)‘ is available for free download for a limited time, and the Tiefgang EP, featuring four previously unreleased tracks, is available on CD and mp3 from the HSR Store.

Sankt Otten Tiefgang (Kurzfassung) Sankt Otten – Tiefgang (Kurzfassung)

City Of Satellites Moon In The Sea City Of Satellites – Moon In The Sea

City of Satellites – The Spook
My Majestic Star – Too Late, The Day
RL/VL – Chagrin
Sankt Otten – Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder
Slow Dancing Society – The Sound of Lights When Dim
Slow Dancing Society – The Slow And Steady Winter

Visit the HSR label page on the n5Mailorder site to view the full range of HSR CDs currently available.