Author: Leonardo Soundweaver

“Fantastic! The ghost of a late ’60s, early ’70s Pink Floyd is all over the album! Absolutely trippy!! ~Timemazine.

After a five year hiatus solo artist Astral Son returns with the neo-psychedelic treasure trove, Mythos. Eight surrealistic sound-paintings, sprinkled with kraut, acid-folk and electronic flavours. Mythos is a free flowing, blooming, ever expanding, multi-layered listening experience. Tapping into the mysterious sounds of the late sixties and early seventies, each song is a world of its own, reaching out for far regions of the mind, dissolving time and space…

Vinyl edition 200 coloured/100 black by Headspin Records.

All vocals and instruments by Astral Son: organs, Moog synthesizer, electric guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, Indian harmonium, drum programming, tabla, tingsha, cymbals, cowbell and other sounds.
Composed, performed and produced by Astral Son.
Mastering by Michiel Cornelisse.

released October 14, 2023

Listen here

Listen here

Analog mono synths, sequencers, organ, electric space guitar, analog drum. Very dreamy and spacey…

These songs were born from spontaneous sequencer sessions. After that layers of sound were carefully added, over time. It was a joyful interaction of organic instrument playing and audio engineering.

“Sadhana is a Sanskrit term used to refer to a daily spiritual practice.”
This is how I approached the album.

For those interested: this album was recorded at 432Hz.

Listen

In 2012 I released Inner Space Dimension and in 2013 Mantra Electronique. They were transitional albums because after that I changed my name in Astral Son for my psychedelic/space rock music and Son of Ohm for vintage EM.
I was searching and these two albums reflect that. Inner Space Dimension has elements of Berlin School but also a prog/psychedelic touch. Mantra Electronique also features Berlin School, but with a progressive chill touch.

In 2022 I was working on my new Astral Son album. I severely needed a break and opened some old projects, just to see if they were still working after so many years and a new PC. Soon I found myself emerged in Inner Space Dimension. Something had bothered me about that release, but I never found the drive to fix it. Now was the time; I was into it.
I completely reworked the songs Traveling Part 1 & 2 and added Lost Dimension, a track that I originally intended for the album, but rejected back then. The artwork is new as well.

Mantra Electronique I remixed. I think it has a better tonal balance now.

Listen: Mantra Electronique / Inner Space Dimension

As I mentioned above, I have been working on Astral Son. This project is going on for a couple of years now. Sometimes it takes a long time before it’s done. And I think it’s done…finally…!!!! If I don’t change my mind, it is almost ready for mastering. I want to release the album in 2023. So, stay tuned.

Another Son of Ohm song on vinyl, Telefunken Baby from Zeitgeist. This is the wonderful ‘Head Rush’ by Fruits de Mer!!

This is the promotional text by Fruits de Mer:

We love 70s German bands round here, in case you hadn’t noticed – so after ‘Head In The Clouds’ and ‘Head Music 2’, we have ‘Head Rush’ – a 3LP+CD collection of tracks that show the continuing influence of bands such as Can, Neu!, Harmonia and Kraftwerk, and the ‘motorik beat’ that was pivotal to some of the most enduring recordings to come out of Germany in the early seventies.

Artists involved are a combination of old friends of the label, artists we met through recent projects like ‘Head Music 2’ and ‘Clouds’, along with some Fruits de Mer innocents, who will no doubt be regretting it in the morning: with contributions from as far afield as Peru, Australia, Italy and Fleetwood, Lancs I think it’s fair to say the motorik beat goes on.

LP1:
1. Giacomo & Carolina – Sunrise, Part 7 (5:05)
2. Silver Vials – Follow The Sun (6:05)
3. Das Blaue Palais – Zeitfeld (Dusseldorf Motorik Mix) (8:11)
4. The Love Explosion – Anarchy! (3:58)
5. David Oakes – The Sahara (2020 Remix) (5:04)
6. Sonic Trip Project – Getaway (11:10)

LP2:
1. Moon Goose – Shiny Man (5:41)
2. Oslo Tapes – Obsession Is The Mother Of All (5:54)
3. Jay Tausig – Ecstatic Engines (8:42)
4. Son Of Ohm – Telefunken Baby (12:52)
5. Alber Jupiter – Martine A La Plage (7:15)

LP3:
1. The Lost Stoned Pandas – Motorik Wah Nine (10:16)
2. Motor!k – Tyrants (10:28)
3. Culto Al Qondor – Ei (12:19)
4. Psychic Lemon – Jam 7 (7:01)

bonus CD:
1. Taras Bulba – Vuh Part 1 (3:56)
2. Vince Cory – 69 Wheeler (7:53)
3. Psychic Lemon – Jam 5 (8:26)
4. Audio Cologne Project – Grobmotorik (6:51)
5. Taras Bulba – Vuh Part 2 (5:15)
6. Icarus Peel – Der Wald (14:14)
7. The Legendary Flower Punk – Watussi Live (30:25)

Three LPs of motorik-tinged or drenched music, together with a bonus CD of tracks that arrived late, didn’t quite fit the overall theme or wouldn’t fit onto vinyl (30 minute tracks are a bit of a challenge) – but we wanted to share with you

Reflections (April 2021) is a Berlin School sequencer album. The basic concept was repeating patterns, like a mantra.

“First I recorded a couple of sequencer sessions on two track. More layers of sound were added later on. Goal was to keep the sequenced energy and make the listening experience more interesting. To make it a journey or sound meditation. As the the album progressed and recordings were done it became more clear how I wanted it to sound. I spent quite some time mixing the whole thing and giving it a cosmic feel. It took half a year for this album to mature. I even put the project on the shelf several times, only to return to it with new insight and inspiration. What a trip!”

Instruments used: Three analog monophonic synths, two sequencers, electric guitar and a sprinkling of organ.

The painting was made like the album; in the same period of time and with long pauses. Where did the image and music come from? They are reflections…

Available as high resolution 24 bit download at Bandcamp. Soon on CDr by Neu Harmony.

Listen here

Wandering Monk (December 2020)

This year I played a lot in the studio without recording anything; without leaving a trace. The Wandering Monk sessions were an exception.

The root of the songs are studio live improvisations.

Instruments used: Synthesizers, sequencers, organ, electric guitar, analog drum machine, cymbals & tingsha.

Drum machine was played manually, no programming.

Available as high resolution 24 bit download at Bandcamp. Soon on CDr by Neu Harmony.

Listen here

Son of Ohm on vinyl! Fruits de Mer Records is releasing this great album, double vinyl and double CD, featuring many artists, including Son of Ohm.
with the song Pixies, from the album Paradigma. Here’s the official statement from Fruits de Mer:

“Over 200 minutes of music inspired by Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, Popol Vuh and the German electronic music scene of the early 70s.One or two names that are familiar to fans of Fruits de Mer Records are joined by many artists that are completely new to the label, to recall one of the most innovative periods in music of the last 50 years, when Germany began to create its own sounds and artists explored new musical territories that took them in a very different direction to their contemporaries to the West; the music was remarkable – it still is – and those influences continue to be heard in so much music that is being created today.kosmische sounds, space rock without the rock, horizontal listening – however you want to describe it, this about as far from a mosh-pit as you can get.This is a combined double LP + double CD set – no music is repeated between the two formats; many of the tracks have been recorded exclusively for ‘Head in the Clouds’, many more are getting their first physical release; the set is only available as a combined package (making it a 5 LP box-set would have been ideal but in these difficult, cash-strapped times, we decided to show a little restraint…for once).more info here http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com/clouds.html and pre-ordering details here http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com/shop.html “

This is a very special project, together with singer Lhamo Dukpa from Bhutan. Traditional Bhuddist mantra meets electronic music!
The Green Tara mantra is one of the most important Bhuddist mantra’s.

As green is the universal color of healing, regeneration, and growth, the Green Tara embodies the healing energy of release from fear and ignorance. Human ignorance comes in many forms—from jealousy to pride—and it’s the healing energy of Green Tara that brings awareness and relief from these negative aspects.

She appears as a female bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism, and as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the “mother of liberation”, and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements.

“Thank you so much Leonardo Soundweaver for the wonderful music arrangements for the Dolma Chant. May Green Tara bless all the sentient beings around the world and leberate them. Inspired by His Holiness Dalai Lama’s advise to chant Om tare tutare ture Soha at this situation. Thank you la.”
(Lhamo Dukpa)

Chanted by Lhamo Dukpa.
Produced & arranged by Leonardo Soundweaver.

You can get a free download of the mantra on bandcamp!

New album!

Impressionistic Organic Electronic Music in a Retrosonic Style. Another echo of the good old Berlin School days.

These were live studio sessions with some overdubs Here & There.

Review by Sylvain Lupari (Synth & Sequences)
“Vintage synth layers, Kraftwerk’s sequences, hypnotic guitar loops, psychedelic moods. This with hallucinogenic herbs… and we are in heaven“

Listen here

– High resolution download – on Bandcamp
High quality CDr at Synth Music Direct

Released now: Deeper Ground.
High Resolution Download available.

High quality CDr at Synth Music Direct

A vintage vocal/electronic album by Son of Ohm.

With Son of Ohm I had produced seven instrumental electronic albums so far. Main instruments being synths, organs and electric guitar. Some albums are more synth & sequencer driven, others electric guitar & looper or a mix of things. Most of the albums were in some kind of cosmic space/electronic psych/experimental mode, pushing boundaries.

Deeper Ground is different altogether, it has vocals. The songs are very structured and were composed on polysynths. First I played the basic chord progressions and recorded them with a click track. I programmed Linn Drum samples for rhythm after that, providing an 80’s atmosphere. I had sequences running and a lot of melodic stuff, space effects, solo’s and basses were played on mono synths.

Vocals are on the first five songs. The last three are instrumental.
No guitars or organs this time.