1666

350 years after the Great Fire of London occurred (2-5 September 1666), Merankorii's "1666" song is released to public as a free download.

This song was extracted from the album "Synthetic Works", that can be bought on CD (7,5€).

Cover: picture of an Italian gazette, held in the State Papers at The National Archives, in an article about the fire. More info here.

Synthetic Works

Merankorii is back with a new album: Synthetic Works.

An experimental sound study about - you guessed it - synthetic works, this limited edition CD release joins two Portuguese one-man-bands, Merankorii and Hulduefni, in a 15 tracks album of original work.

Merankorii fans, specially attendees from Merankorii's concerts, will be happy to know that this is the release that will show you the studio work around the songs I've been presenting live. To satisfy your appetite, here are two videos, the first from one of Hulduefni's tracks on the album, and the other a video from Merankorii live, playing some of the tracks you'll be able to listen on this album.

This album is available from "Dark Matter Records", the record label releasing it, for 7.50€ (plus shipping costs), and it is a 20 copies limited edition, so act fast before they're all sold out!

Videos from the latest concert

Thanks to +ko+ko+ and Paula for recording this snippets of the show.

Concert tomorrow: Document Freedom Day

It is going to be already tomorrow, the second part of "Document Freedom Day"'s celebration in Portugal this year. After a day of contests and conferences, this Wednesday is all about free music.

I'll be playing starting at 21:00 sharp, and I hope I'll see you there :-)

Show large map

The 20th Blues

Like last year, at the beginning of 2013 a new compilation arrived:

Each month, on the 20th of the month, a bunch of people from all kinds of places start making songs. And then they finish them, that same day! Why would they do that? It doesn't matter! The songs are great! Very often!

This is generally what happens with "the 20th project". You record a song on the 20th of the month and send it in. The songs get brought together and sent back off to the people who created them, and everyone connects via song, hearing what everyone else came up with.

Here's a selection of such tracks from 2012. We hope you enjoy them.

This compilation contains contributions from Ridge Crowthorne (Australia), The Heavy Metal Experience Incident (Australia), Andy McClelland (Canada), Mystified (USA), kokori (Portugal), The Friday Project (USA), Soul Epidemic (Australia), Haru (Australia), +ko+ko+ (Portugal), Merankorii (Portugal), Vlayman (USA) and The Desks (Australia).

The complete (free) album is here, but I'll leave you with the tracks from Merankorii and Kokori (a project that is 50% Merankorii). Oh, and speaking of projects, do you Qink?

Handmade Digitopians Quintet

Earlier this year, I've participated in an "handmade music" workshop, and, as a result, we ended up composing a song and playing it live at Casa da Música.

"Handmade Digitopians Quintet" was an one-time-only formation with:

Carlos Guedes - https://vimeo.com/cguedes
Marcos Marado (Merankorii) - http://www.reverbnation.com/merankorii
Paula Simões - http://paulasimoesblog.wordpress.com/
Victor Gama - http://www.victorgama.org/
... - ...

Here's the live recording of the result, which you can listen or download for free.

Remix Merankorii's "Cry", win an iPad!

Free Music Archive got together with the Prelinger Archives Collection, and created a video remix contest called "Sound for the Moving Image: The Past Re-imagined As The Future." The contest invites artists everywhere to mix video from the incredible Prelinger Archives Collection with audio from the Free Music Archive to create new masterpieces for the commons. The point of this contest is to showcase the creative possibilities of open digital archives like these.

So, long story short, the contest wants you to remix audio from FMA with video from PAC, and, guess what, Merankorii's track "Cry" is on FMA, so... what are you waiting for?

See the Videoremix webpage here!

"Piracy" now available for (free) streaming and download

After doing a live version of this song in last December, the public attention towards it has been growing. Even if this is quite different in the album version and in the live version, I wasn't really very happy on how it went live - for starts I need to do a shorter version of it, if I want to perform it live again. Anyway, by public demand, the (studio version) track is now officially available for (free) streaming and download:

Beltane, live @ Flausina: video now available

The title says quite everything: Merankorii gave a concert in May at Flausina, and a video from one of the tracks performed is now available:

Enjoy!

Exquisite Cadaver - out now!

For now only as a digital release, but it is finally out!

Exquisite Cadaver is a method by which a collection of words, images, or in this case sound is collectively assembled, the result being known as the exquisite corpse. Each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence, either by following a rule or by being allowed to see the end of what the previous person contributed.

In February 2010, Bleeemo Music put out a call to experimental noise and sound artists from around the globe to take part in a collaborative journey. With 18 artists on board, from 14 countries, a 10 month recording roster was set and the rest, as they say, is history.

One of the magical aspects of this release is hearing, or in some cases not hearing, the artists react to each other. Each artist was only allowed to hear the final 30 seconds of the previous artists contribution before creating their track. The many ways in which the artists here have chosen to respond to each other create many depths to what is essentially one piece of ever evolving music.

Includes one Merankorii track.

Next Saturday (May 12), Merankorii live in Lisbon

Merankorii is going to be celebrating Culture Freedom Day in Lisbon, Portugal, next saturday (May 12) at Flausina.

The concert is free, and you should show up!

More info here.

"Exquisite Cadaver Vol I" release date: 18th May

Album: Exquisite Cadaver Vol I
Label: Bleeemo Music

Artists:
... Melodies - Australia
Luden - Australia
Bleeding Thorax - United States
Andreas Brandal - Norway
Love Power Experiment - United States
Sam Price - Australia
Blank Verse - Sweden
TZIDMZ - Italy
Paddo One - Netherlands
Automating - Australia
Cloudy Horizon - Russian Federation
Paregorik - Czech Republic
Merankorii - Portugal
Jaap Klevering - Finland
Grist - Australia
Mind Paintings - Germany
Harold Nono - Scotland
Gate - Japan

Exquisite Cadaver is a method by which a collection of words, images, or in this case sound is collectively assembled, the result being known as the exquisite corpse. Each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence, either by following a rule or by being allowed to see the end of what the previous person contributed.

In February 2010, Bleeemo Music put out a call to experimental noise and sound artists from around the globe to take part in a collaborative journey. With 18 artists on board, from 14 countries, a 10 month recording roster was set and the rest, as they say, is history.

One of the magical aspects of this release is hearing, or in some cases not hearing, the artists react to each other. Each artist was only allowed to hear the final 30 seconds of the previous artists contribution before creating their track. The many ways in which the artists here have chosen to respond to each other create many depths to what is essentially one piece of ever evolving music.

---

Tune into Ear Of The Behearer with Paul Kidney on 05/18/2012 and join us here to celebrate.

Broadcasting from Melbourne, Australia. 3:00AM Eastern Standard Time.

---

At the same day, this album will see its digital release - more info about it in time.

Essa É Que É Essa...

Every 20th of each month I do a music track (see more about that, and why, here).

This month's 20th for Merankorii has Paula's voice reading the amusing text from Ludwig Krippahl called "Essa É Que É Essa...", a satirical blog post criticizing the editorial of a Portuguese newspaper, about the so-called "piracy".

Merankorii's latest activity

This shouldn't be one blog post but three - as usual I didn't find the time to post this before, so here's a three in one:

In the 19th of December, the latest +ko+ko+ album, "A Path To Nowhere", was released. This is a great album, and Merankorii did its mastering. Click on the CD picture to see more info/buy it, and check the videos from three of its tracks:

The next day, 20th of December, Merankorii did its first concert after the release of Alain. While there are no official recordings of the show, some of the attendants recorded some sound, video or pictures of the event. Here are a video and a sound recording I found, if you know of others please write a comment! are no official recordings of the show, some of the attendants recorded some sound, video or pictures of the event. Here are a video and a sound recording I found (and one of the several pictures you can easily find), if you know of others please write a comment!

One video (unfortunately G+ doesn't let me embed it)

Merankorii Live at Chiado by Nuno Nunes

Finally, some news from the new year: yesterday was the release of 20ths of 2011, a free compilation with tracks from the 11 20th's of 2011.

These tracks don't share a sound or style or theme, but they all came into existence in a similar way. Each track was completely written and recorded on the 20th day of some month in 2011, as part of the 20th project.

This compilation contains contributions from Mystified (USA), The Knits (Australia), +ko+ko+ (Portugal), Andy McClelland (Canada), RainBoat (Australia), The Desks (Australia), Bray's Warehouse (Australia), 44Hertz (Australia), Telafonica (Australia), Merankorii (Portugal), The Friday Project (USA), WRC (USA), kokori (Portugal) and Cup and Bow (Australia).

Embeded, you'll find Merankorii's track "Dramatis Personae", and Kokori's track "Apert", each with a little description of the track (remember: kokori is a musical project made by Merankorii and +ko+ko+). According to Wikipedia, "the term [dramatis personae] can be applied to any situation in which people or characters play a role, or appear to do so-—such as a metaphor, a drama, or a court case. It may also be facetiously applied in a situation where members of a group appear to play predictable roles, often for comic effect." What happens when the keys of a keyboard are the actors, as much as the whole (and each) keyboard itself, and their player? And in such a scenario, whose story would they be playing?

Like in most of Kokori's tracks, this one was made after the euro-making day job. It's title is a reference to Neal Stephenson's Anathem universe, and its context can be grabbed from here.

Merankorii Live in Lisbon - 20th of December

After the sudden cancelation of the concert and release party for Alain, several people have been asking when the re-schedule would be...

Well, as you might know by now, each 20th of each month are, for me, a "music day", and this 20th of December will be no different:

When - 20th December 2011

RELEASE PARTY BY MERANKORII

Schedule: 21:00

Concert/Release Party for the most recent Merankorii album "Alain".
Who: Everyone's invited!

Free Entrance, subject to the limitations of the room

Where:
WIP
Rua Garrett 60
Chiado / Lisboa

(see the map in widget on the right side of this blog)

More info here.

--- This concert is included in the WIP event: ---

WORK IN PROGRESS / GARRET 60

Cultural events from the 1st until the 24th of December, in the heart of Chiado (Lisbon).

::: What else?

Well, it is possible (but there's nothing for sure yet) that one more Merankorii concert will happen in 2011. Merankorii has also been working on the mixing and mastering of the upcoming +ko+ko+ album, that will be released by Noori Records. More news about that soon. In the meantime, don't forget to check out what's on the store (check section in the blog's right column).

New album released: Alain

Merankorii is glad to announce the release of the latest album, "Alain". This album is a tribute to Jehan Ariste Alain, unfortunately better known for his efforts in the war than at the keyboard. As the label puts it, "Paying homage to Jehan Ariste Alain, Merankorii delivers a solid half hour of lavish, off-kilter classical church organ and pseudo-harpsichord pieces, equally quirky and haunting... and obviously unlike anything A Beard of Snails has released before." This is an edition of 20 white cassettes, and a smaller sub-set of them (9, actually) come with a CD version, for those of you lacking a cassette tape player. Orders can be done via e-mail, the tape costs 6€ and the "tape + CD" version costs 7€ (shipping included worldwide). Here you can get a taste of this album: Merankorii - Intermezzo, one of the tracks from "Alain" Prélude et Fugue A Beard of Snails Summer/Fall 2011 Preview Mix, a podcast feature an excerpt of Merankorii's "Prélude et Fugue", at 41:22

Enjoy!

first... we plant the seed

TVK Netlabel just released "first... you plant the seed.", a freely available to stream or download compilation. Their pitch:

We are very pleased to present our very first compilation featuring new and exclusive tracks from a handpicked selection of artists who have previously released work on the TVK Netlabel. Fine examples of fresh produce ranging from ambient, noise, neoclassical, beats and experimental electronics from all corners of the globe including Australia, Moldova, Ireland, Portugal, Russia, Mexico, Austria and Canada have been contributed to our sonic garden with the intention of planting a seed in your listening mind - which then, with your attention and interest thus cultivated, will germinate and grow into a bountiful harvest to be shared amongst everyone, providing aural sustenance to all who feast on our delicious wares. In accordance with our efforts to build this small plot into a larger community supported ecosystem these seeds are given away free of charge in this sampler pack and we encourage you to spread them far and wide across the land - with your help.

This compilation has an exclusive Merankorii track called "Lamento".

Click on the album cover to stream or download:

You can also use this player:



PS -> Some might recognize "Lamento": it's a track I've played live in the past.

KEEP IT FROZEN 5 Years Remix Anniversary

KEEP IT FROZEN 5 Years Remix Anniversary By Merankorii

Keep It Frozen is a nice independent noise label, that now makes 5 years of existence. To celebrate it, Merankorii did a mixtape, freely available for download, a mix of sounds released on KIF during this five years, as seen through an industrial light.

Free streaming and download, I hope you enjoy it!

(If you feel compelled to help us financially, buy something from KIF or Merankorii's latest album)

New album: Rather Than Bored

After a lot of teasing and letting some information slip, it is now, finally, the moment to announce it: Merankorii has been hardly working for two years to produce what now is "Rather Than Bored", a conceptually closed album that marks a (big) change on what Merankorii is.

I'm really happy with the result, and with the fact that, for the first time, Merankorii will be released on vinyl. The album comes both as a Vinyl LP and a CD, so if you're not really a fan of vinyl (or don't have a record player) you can still enjoy this album.

The details:
Format: LP (Vinyl + CD)
Label: Noori Records, NR021
Edition: Limited to 11 copies
Price: 25€

The first eight orders will also receive extra items hand painted by Merankorii with paintings allusive to the album’s theme, each of them unique.

If you missed it, here’s a small teaser made for this release:



What are you waiting for? Order your copy!

Necktar 2017 volume 3

A mere journey through time,
the great work of anachronistic alchemists,
the apiary of a network of precognitifs,
the magnetic murmur of a quantum flaw,
a vortex of antimatter annihilating all listeners' dogmas,
a dream above the Earth passing through the Unconscious,
a psychotropic meditation resetting the consciousness...

The spectrum of possibilities has been further expanded.

Necktar 2017 is an yearly compilation, an ongoing project until the year 2017, each release with a new set of themes. The set of themes of volume 3 is Macro / Perception / Micro : Evolution. As in volume 2, Merankorii participates in this volume 3 with a track (Barbershop), and this year my side-project kokori is also participating, with the track "Terror Attack". The digital edition of this release is free to stream and download, and is composed by 111 tracks of different yet consistent horse norme bands.

You can know more about this release - and listen to it - here:
Necktar official website
Necktar 2017 volume 3's archive.org