Tag: Smoke & Mirrors

Analog Planet article “Three Percussion Records You Should Own”

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Michael Fremer includes “Smoke & Mirrors” in his Analog Planet article “Three Percussion Records You Should Own” Smoke & Mirrors is another collection of “serious” (yet fun) works for percussion recorded in Zipper Hall, Los Angeles, June 7-10, 2011 and June 3-5, 2012. I think they had to wait a year to finish up after the first recording session in order for the hall reverberation to stop! This was recorded to analog tape using a single AKG C24 tube microphone and features the ensemble playing their own tunes plus one by Maurice Ravel. The sonics here are spectacular, in some ways the best of the three records covered here, and presented at 45rpm because the 33 1/3 test pressing proved too difficult for most tone arms and cartridges to track. At 45rpm you should have no difficulty. These performances were recorded live to tape with no editing by the seven Continue Reading →

Carlos Guzmán raves about Smoke & Mirrors

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Mono & Stereo Senior Contributor Carlos Guzmán raves about Smoke & Mirrors: “…the sound of this production is exquisite. A great ambiance is captured in this tape and the effortless flow of music is graciously submitted with precision and focus. The instrument timbres are accurate and the performance is second to none. “…Game of Clocks [by Argentine composer Diego Schissi] is a valuable tool for audiophiles evaluating Hi End equipment as it’s capable to exhibit the weakness and strength of the gear in question. “…Geographical Fugue is highly adventurous and novel. I was so engaged in the Game of Clocks flow that when the next track opened with a loud “TRINIDAD” I jumped [off] my sofa…! Very ingenious combination of percussion and vocal performance. “The quality achieved by the Yarlung’s team is excellent and their commitment to their label is clearly expressed in their recordings. The use and combination of Continue Reading →

Genesis DSD Quartet, new DSD downloads

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Genesis Advanced Technologies sponsored Yarlung’s new quartet of High Res DSD downloads, including Sir Neville Marriner, Frederic Rosselet, Petteri Iivonen, Smoke & Mirrors percussion ensemble, Gerard Schwarz, The Colburn Orchestra and Nigel Armstrong: Click here to connect directly with NativeDSD.com to download the music We sampled Elliot Midwood’s 45 RPM 180-Gram pressing of Ciaramella Dances, our March release. Thank you Adam, Rotem and Elliot, our executive producer. http://www.yarlungrecords.com/news/ciaramella-dances/ To celebrate the 100th birthday of Billie Holiday last week, we debuted the first 180 Gram vinyl pressing from Sophisticated Lady jazz quartet, with the ensembles improvisation on “Strange Fruit.” Thank you Ann and Bill Harmsen, executive producers! http://www.yarlungrecords.com/news/sophisticated-lady-jazz/ Our most heartfelt thanks to Gary Koh and Genesis Advanced Technologies for sponsoring the Genesis Quartet.  A thousand thanks also to Elliot Midwood and Nita Millstein for hosting our presentation at Acoustic Image.  Nita, you baked the most spectacular coffee cake for us! Continue Reading →

Genesis Quartet by Yarlung Records

Yarlung introduces the Genesis Quartet

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Dear NativeDSD aficionados, Working with friends in the music business is part of why music is so enjoyable. This is certainly the case collaborating with the team at NativeDSD, and it is the case preparing music with Gary Koh, president of Genesis Advanced Technologies, who generously sponsored this new quartet of albums. Lucky audiophiles have heard and have then yearned someday to own the legendary G1 Genesis Loudspeakers. Fortunately, the company also designs more “family friendly” speakers and amplifiers, several of which Gary and I will use today for our first presentation of the DSD Genesis Quartet at Acoustic Image in Los Angeles. This quartet includes some of my favorite music in the Yarlung catalog, the transcendent percussion concerto by Toru Takemitsu, the stylish debut recording by American violinist Nigel Armstrong, Swiss cellist Frederic Rosselet playing Bach and Ligeti, and Petteri Iivonen, from Finland, treating us to his interpretations of Brahms and Ysaye. Continue Reading →

Myles Astor review in PFO of Smoke & Mirrors Percussion Ensemble

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HDtracks | iTunes  | Native DSD Volume 1 | Native DSD Volume 2 | SoundCloud | Yarlung Records Myles Astor, New York, writing for PFO, December 11th, 2013 Reel-to-reel Recording of the Year: Smoke & Mirrors Percussion Ensemble, Yarlung Records. Steve Reich: Nagoya Marimbas; Lou Harrison: Canticle No.3; Maurice Ravel: Sonatine. Producer and engineer: Bob Attiyeh. 15-ips/2-track, CCIR, Yarlung Records. In contrast to past years, there was absolutely no shortage of candidates in this category including The Tape Project’s Lee Morgan Sidewinder, International Phonograph’s Ravi Shankar in Luxembourg, 1980 and Opus 3’s One, Vol. 2 Sampler tape. When push came to shove, however, Yarlung Records newly recorded and released Smoke & Mirrors walked away with this year’s top prize! This single, roughly 31 minute reel, features a potpourri of percussion music from a trio of 20th century composers ranging from the likes of Steve Reich to Lou Harrison to Maurice Ravel. Each track is a musical and sonic spectacular with Continue Reading →

Yarlung News from NativeDSD

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Yarlung Records presents the PS Audio Quartet Your support has kept us busy and happy at Yarlung Records. Your Quad, Double and Single DSD download orders have placed our albums consistently in the top ten across the NativeDSD website. Sometimes number 5, sometimes 6, and often even number 1 or 2! And the superb recordings from other labels on the site have inspired us to keep helping the NativeDSD family grow. Elliot Midwood and Steve Hoffman are two of the titans who enabled Yarlung Records to succeed. Steve, known as one of the finest mastering engineers in the world, kindly took us under his wing to master our first release and he has generously worked with us ever since. Elliot Midwood helps us continue to refine our recording techniques, designs microphone preamplification and monitoring equipment for us, and serves as executive producer for a number of our most successful analog releases as well Continue Reading →