#no axis

Accretion is the latest project from electronic artist No Axis. No Axis has been releasing quality electronic projects for nearly a decade now beginning with 2012′s The Lucid Tapes. Over time he’s grown and improved his production and ability to layer and craft sounds. This may be the best album he’s released thus far.

Accretion is ambient electronic album with some industrial sounds in the mix as well. Expect vast soundscapes somewhat interstellar sound  with some ominous droning  in the background. A great example of this is “Eclipse” which starts sort of dark and hollow but comes in with a nice synth rhythm on top a haunting sounding background. This is followed up by the airy/spacey “Nebula” which is driven by sort of buzzing electronic rhythm.  No Axis does a great job of taking you somewhere with his tracks “Ascent” is likely the best example of this a track starts with a breathy atmosphere and nice ambiance and transitions to a bass heavy track with multiple layers  of percussion and electronics making up one of the more interesting moments of the album to that point. Still, I’d say No Axis saves the best for last on this project with “Atum” a brightly textured uptempo that has a nice rhythm that serves as something of celebration of an successful musical exploration.

Thematically the Accretion seems to be hinting space exploration and creating and claiming a new territory(from what I gleam from titles). I think it’s easy to sit back and picture that as you listen to this LP track for track. He does a good job of creating immersive and engaging soundscapes. So if you’re looking to dive into and electronic/ambient album I’d give this a listen.

https://noaxis.bandcamp.com/album/accretion

Rating: 8.5/10

No Axis is an electronic producer who’s been creating quality projects since his first album The Lucid Tapes in 2012. In 2014 he released one of my favorite projects from him in Labyrinth. Somehow through all the projects released in 2015, his follow up album Contrast slipped by me. Lately, I was able to dive into it and give it a listen and I’m really happy I did.

Contrast is an album of beautifully layered soundscapes. Most of these tracks start out very ambient, spacey atmosphere, that Axis slowly layers and build to something lush and ultimately immersive. Consider the droning, helicopter effects over a spacey background to start on “Reverie” this slow gives way to what sounds like digital gears turning under a beautiful atmosphere toward the middle of the track. By the end of the instrumental, he’s added a nice drum pattern and a droning groove, great production, and progression. “Luray” is my favorite on the project, featuring a pulsating beat with sharp synth slicing through the background as a driving melody floods the track, it really has that space exploration vibe to it, that only gets ramped up as nice piano keys are thrown in toward the end. The instrumentals here are just more adventurous and scene-setting than Labyrinth was. “Resort” really shows that it’s a track with light buzzing like synth with piano chords underneath the track gives me vibes of being in the woods, by a pound seeing fireflies.

Contrast is a consistent and cohesive project filled with soundscapes that are just nicely produced and keep you on your toes. It’s definitely an album to be listened to alone with headphones on in your room and just lose yourself in, No Axis hasn’t released another full length of late but I’ll be interested in anything he does next.

https://noaxis.bandcamp.com/album/contrast-2

Rating: 8.5/10

No Axis-Labyrinth: http://patricksmusicblog.tumblr.com/post/102122108127/no-axis-labyrinth-album-review 

Mono- Rays Of Darkness: http://patricksmusicblog.tumblr.com/post/102114700927/mono-rays-of-darkness-album-review 

No Axis is an experimental electronic artist whose been releasing a steady stream of projects since 2012 with his debut The Lucid Tapes. Labyrinth is his third and latest album he released early this year. This album like his other work is a nice mixture of  instruments and electronic music that's pretty easy enjoy.

    What I really like about this project is really the sense of balance in it. Machine starts things off great with this really sprawling and distorted guitar sound with these deep based electronics under it. Head Dance is even better, a track with a great beat that kind of has a slight chiptune feel to it. It also has that distortion and atmosphere coming in at the end to really round out the track. I've always felt No Axis did a great job of balancing electronic and instrumentation well and this holds true on this album.

     No Axis is also pretty great at bringing in that ambient sound  Rainfall is an excellent example. It's a very subtle track but still very clean and layered production. I really like the piano chords used on the track a long with the kind of delicate  bleeping electronic rhythm coming in near the middle to end of the track. Piano's Ghost is another dark and airy track with a great melody that almost feels sinister, its' easy to nod your head to and easy to get lost in. Wings is another beautiful track with a great rhythm and production. I love the fluttering electronics over the excellent melody that really drives the track.

    No Axis on this album created an album both varied and cohesive. As usual there's a lot of dynamic on this record from the distortion of Machine to the bright and beautifully textured tracks like Wings. Labyrinth is an album I could see myself listening to a lot of in the quietude of my room with some headphones on while I unwind. A great album that if you're into ambient electronic that experiments with different sounds and styles I wouldn't hesitate to give this a listen(Or his back catalog for that matter).

Listen here----->http://noaxis.bandcamp.com/album/labyrinth

Rating: 8.5/10

By: Patrick Griffin II

I could say that there is a bit of the attempt at organic realism of the mood of being in the world, like Marconi Union's album concepts; and there is also that sense of pure sonic fantasy, that aethereality? of like pure sound and slow difference? BUT this is sort of taken up by a good beat, so you want to sleepdance to it. So, there!