I was concerned about shipping from Canada to the UK, but the records were packaged great and arrived without a scratch. Great communication. Some items were second hand, the gradings were perfectly accurate. Very pleased, would recommend!
zakè & ossa
syntheticopia
Regular price
$8.99
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per
160 gram black vinyl record housed in a matte jacket. Black and white center labels with album information. Record placed in black, anti-static inner sleeve with a .75 gauge archival polypropylene lining. Shrinkwrapped. Bandcamp download code included.
Welcome to Astronomer, Inc. (AI) is a non-government agency that is responsible for auditory research of deep space phonic transmissions and sound exploration. AI’s research is a mix of disciplines which encompasses earth-based instrumentation and sound devices, while capturing celestial phonic emissions. AI approved a new mission and the program was titled, ‘syntheticopia’. Classification ID for this voyage was ZD-021. The goal of this mission was to collect and study sound origins of the cosmos. The flight personnel for this mission were zakè and Ossa. Transmission Engineer was Rafael Anton Irisarri. zakè and Ossa documented their earth-based sounds prior to departure. Through AI’s space link transponder, collected sounds from the deepest parts of space were sent back to accompany their previously documented work. The flight personnel never returned to their earthly home. Transmission Engineer Irisarri fine-tuned the sound data at his satellite location, Black Knoll Studios.
We hope you enjoy the sounds of syntheticopia.
Each track on “syntheticopia’ features sound recordings and radio emissions captured by various NASA spacecrafts including: Juno, Van Allen Probes, Cassini, Galileo, and Stardust.
“Soaring to the depths of our universe, gallant spacecrafts roam the cosmos, capturing the sounds of celestial wonders.“
Earth-based instrumentation includes the following devices:
Korg Minilogue XD Polyphonic Analog Synth
Moog DFAM Semi-Modular Eurorack Analog Synth
Moog Mother-32 Semi Modular Analog Synth
Poly D Polyphonic Analog Synth
Tascam DR-44WL Field Recorder
Tascam DR-40X Field Recorder
Written, recorded, and produced by zakè and Ossa
Celestial sound emissions by National Aeronautics
and Space Administration
Mixed at Kaleidoscope Tone Studio (IN/US) by zakè
Mastered at Black Knoll (NY/US) by Rafael Anton Irisarri
Design and layout by zakè
©℗ 2022 Zakè Drone Recordings
This is ZD-021 | MMXXII
zakedronerecordings.com
zakedrone.com
Reviews ▪️▪️▪️
"Space is the place - at least, it's the place uppermost in the mind of midwest US label Past Inside The Present owner zakè and his sonic partner Ossa - location given as the north pole according to his Twitter - as they embark on collaborative 10 tracks. The fact that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA to you and me - has supplied them with celestial sound emissions for the tracks is a bonus. But ultimately, the real headline factor once it's actually on your turntable is the vivid atmospheres and gorgeous textures that the pair are capable of generating. The album's closer, 'Metric Expansion', is a tremulous glory, peaking and slipping away like rays of sunlight. 'Space & Time', meanwhile, is a simple, gliding analogue delight, and 'Drifting' proves you can carve imperceptible beauty from a couple of well crafted chords."
-Juno Records
+++
"Maybe it’s just me and my own overactive imagination, but when I’m deep in it with some heady ambient and new age music I often imagine floating in space. The deep and healing tones of heavily-effected guitar, the warm buzz of analog synths, the wash of digital pads like static rain, and just the overwhelming sense of a quieted mind put me squarely floating in the cosmos. There’s something about the heady calm and meditative high of ambient/new age music that brings to mind constellations, galaxy clusters, and that final frontier.
Ambient/new age musicians/producers zakè and Ossa have taken that idea to a whole new level with the transcendent Syntheticopia. Syntheticopia is an LP built from actual sounds of space, along with an impressive list of earthbound hardware like the Korg Minilogue, Moog Mother-32, Poly D Polyphonic Synth, and more. The sounds of space come straight from NASA field recordings courtesy of spacecrafts like Juno, Van Allen Probes, Cassini, Galileo, and Stardust. The results are nothing short of, well, out of this world.
You don’t “hear” space on Syntheticopia. The NASA field recordings act as a foundation on which zakè and Ossa launch their heady and prolific compositions from. These two composers/producers seem to use the static tones and cryptic swishes of space noise as a base ingredient to these epic cosmic compositions. It’s kind of a dream come true for any ambient musician.
It seems to me that the ultimate goal of any new age/ambient musician is to take the listener from their everyday rut and give them a transformative musical experience. Something that transcends this earthly plane; headphones on and floating in some middle space between here and beyond, purple hues and chrome clouds. Or riding the slipstream in the Milky Way, with only your headphones keeping you from disappearing completely.
Syntheticopia is a headphones album. Tracks like “astronomer, inc”, “syntheticopia”, and “drifting” are best up close and personal. They pull you into their sonic cosmos and carry you along as they slowly encompass your psyche. zakè is no stranger to this world, being an old hand in the world of ambient/new age music. He and Ossa use the sounds of space as just another color palate to paint with, filling richly dark tones with touches of light.
Each track – from “galaxy twilight” to “unchartered region” to “acquisition of signal” -form a constellation of buzzing, heady sounds and moods. They encapsulate the monolithic nature of these songs. There’s a connectivity here; an emotional core that gives a beating heart to the cold, vastness of space. Maybe it’s the awe that humanity holds for the infinite blackness of the cosmos, and the mystery of that final frontier that comes through in these songs. Through all the cosmic field recordings and buzzing analog electronics, the humanity shows through.
Syntheticopia is music wonder for the head and heart. A soundtrack for pondering, dreaming, and looking up at the stars."
-J. Hubner, Complex Distractions
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"If synth-based music was so easy to make, then why don’t we have so much fantastic synth-based music? Just take a synth, create a sound, then press a chord with an arpeggio turned on, record a passage on a loop and tweak some knobs while you are at it. This is a lot of what I see on videos showcasing a modular gig, and frankly, it still sounds just like bleeps and boops. I know exactly why that is, and this I’ll leave out for another time and moment (TLDR; sound design != music). But let’s instead turn towards Zach Frizzell, the founder of Past Inside the Present label, and his collaboration with Kaiton Slusher, together known as zakè & ossa.
The duo releases an 11-track album, which they titled syntheticopia, on a beautifully crafted 160g “purple nebula” vinyl with a very minimalist layout and cover design, as you already see featured on these pages. But beyond this classic presentation and the array of semi-modular analogue synths, such as Moog DFAM & Mother-32, Korg Minilogue XD and Poly D, along with Tascam field recorders and the final mastering touch by Rafael Anton Irisarri, lies something truly stunning to enjoy.
Welcome to Astronomer, Inc. You are about to set off on a journey. And this interstellar voyage shall be accompanied by their soundtrack of highly textured, layered atmospheres, spacial dimensions, and ethereal drift. It’s impossible not to compare some delicate pads which are slightly detuned, lo-fi and wobbly with the output from Boards of Canada (check out “space and time” in particular). Sprinkle in some samples from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the resemblance evolves into a necessity. And this, of course, I mean in a very positive light. The conceptual storyline portrays a mission of studying the sound origins of the cosmos and although it seems that the flight personnel never returned to their earthly home, I’m really hoping they’ll send more transmissions from wherever they are, out there, in the universe. Highly recommended."
-Headphone Commute
Customer Reviews
Overall rating: 4.8 / 5 from 269 reviews.
I got the mystery tape box specifically the "your getting tons of tapes" tier and it didnt disappoint at all packaged securely overdelivered in the best way in terms of content and didnt take long to get here ,it was exciting to finally see what i got, genuinely made my day when it came in the post, a massive 22 tape package and so far every tape ive listened to has been really really good! Quality all the way, and if anyone was on the fence about getting it, well dont be, go for it you wont be disappointed . Major respect to whoever curates the box, excellent choices!! I Usually never leave reviews of things but this was worth doing it for. I will definitely be buying this again no doubt about it and yeah just awesome really, very happy with it :)
It took a long time to arrive ( mainly because i put the wrong address😅) but overall its an amazing track. Thanking Cory from inner Amazing website and will buy more records from here.
Yuji Ohno, You & Explosion Band - Original Soundtrack From Lupin III (Japan Import)
The vinyl itself is very beautiful, and the sound is very punchy and clear! Of course all the tracks slap hard. Really great pressing, really great album!
I discovered the Bless Vol. 1 compilation a few years ago. Some of my favorite lo-fi artists were featured on it, and last year I reached out to the label hoping to get some of their releases. Cory got in touch with me and personally made sure the record arrived safely. It sounds incredible, and the editions are beautifully produced. Now I'm eagerly waiting for Vol. 1 Greetings from Argentina!
Solid pressing, beautiful, artwork and a sturdy case.
Amazing album. No filler. Her catalogue is to be discovered.
Really big fan. It’s a solidly built player and I think the aux-in recording function and ability to pair Bluetooth headphones/speaker is really unique, especially on the same device. I can’t speak to the Bluetooth pairing as I haven’t tested it out. I specifically was looking for an aux-in recording cassette player and this fit the bill perfectly. I tested this function and it sounds really great without completely losing the charm of a mic recording.
best album since funcrusher plus
It was packaged perfectly! Everything that it came in was great, too! HOWEVER, the page for this product does have a preview of all the songs ASSUMED to come with the album. This is not the case. This album comes with everything EXCEPT: September Rain (English Version) With the previews available, I thought it'd be there. I was apparently missinformed. That is the ONE AND ONLY issue I have with my purchase. I wish they gave you the EXACT track list on the webpage. But like I said, that'd the only issue I had. Everything else was great.
Unbelievable record. Sonically exciting and intriguing.
I've been looking for an original copy of this album for a while at a price and quality that I was happy with. I was thrilled to find this on your website and couldn't pass up the opportunity to support you and support my unhealthy collection.
Quality tape and case. Love the music. Perfectly chill mix. Will definitely be back for more.
Excellent, can not recommend highly enough. My new go-to for Japanese import vinyl. Reasonable price, fast ship time. Will definitely be telling all 1 ½ of my friends interested in vinyl about Inner Ocean.
Yuji Ohno, You & Explosion Band - Lupin The 3rd: Hit Collection (Japan Import)
🔥🔥🔥
After receiving a damaged record, I was sent a new one in good condition! Overall great customer service and shipping, thanks to Cory!
Literally too hot, gotta thank my neighbours for not complaining while this these blaze through the walls 🔥
Gas Lab is fast becoming one of my favourite producers
Illa J makes unreal beats , love his catalog of tunes
love discovering new artists !
This album is truly fantastic. I have the cassette as well, it's so dynamic and interesting to listen to on both the turntable and in my case the player with headphones! blips is also just a very talented artist and incredibly kind person, sent me a short to make up for the shipping delay with the vinyl. I can't say enough nice things about inner ocean and the artists on here. Interesting work from very talented people, great deals on buying multiple tapes and records, professional and kind customer service, I've honestly never had a bad transaction from inner ocean and I look forward to my next purchase! Thanks all!
The whole Midnight Glow series is amazing. So chill.
Legit and amazing quality!!! These are my very first two vinyl albums and I just love how these two turned out! Would definitely recommend Inner Ocean Records to those who enjoy collecting vintage Japanese albums.
amazing condition and amazing service! i recommend to everyone
I truly love this genre of music and I'm so glad to have one of my favorite CityPop artists in my collection.
Shipped promptly, arrived quickly, and was in good condition. I played it and it sounded great. Perfect transaction. What more could I ask for??
Most beautiful cassettes on earth as always. Every Inner Ocean release is an instant classic and everything I’ve ever ordered (cassettes, vinyl, merch) always comes quick and very well packaged. Best record label out!
Absolutely PHENOMENAL transaction, adding a piece of Casiopea history to my collection. Shipped fast, packed well, and Always a pleasure to do business with. Not my first Inner Ocean order, and FAR from my last! Again, many thanks to the IO crew!
Sounded amazing!!
Parfait !
I’m so glad to be able to have my favorite casiopea album on vinyl and it play wonderfully. Would say it got here quickly but alas the Canadian post strike happened not too long after I ordered it. But all in all I will definitely be ordering more from here.
Favorite Miki album. The added posted was wonderful surprise. Inner Ocean Records shipping and customer support is top notch. Can’t wait for my next purchase!
This is my first entry into the Lofi Snacks series after bumbling into the Inner Ocean label on Bandcamp and looking up their website. And my, what can I say other than it has been a delight! Really fresh vibey beats that sound great digitally on on my desk cassette player. The art is also fantastic and I love the print on the cassette itself. I've had this album on repeat since it arrived Monday. Look forward to exploring more of the Inner Ocean catalogue.
Absolutely love this album, everything in the record seemed untouched and the vinyl plays well! Very satisfied with the order.
One of the best places to order vinyl
V/A - Urusei Yatsura Music Capsule (Japan Import)
Store owner replied: Thank you so much!
One of the greatest records in my collection! There are few legendary records that scratch the sonic itch this one does. Love the addition of the obi strip. Inner Ocean delivers greatness yet again!
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor (Japan Import)
Store owner replied: What a solid selection! (pun intended) Thanks so much for supporting our store!
Packaged neatly and came in amazing condition.
Tatsuro Yamashita - Big Wave (Japan Import)
Store owner replied: Thanks so much for your continued support!!!
Always good experience getting in Inner Ocean Records. Well packaged, so arrived in mint condition. Excellent catalogue of dope and beautiful music.
Fantastic collection of hard to find tapes that help the work day go by
Simple and useful looper to create endless sounds. Fits my workflow perfectly!