Manual with Jess Kahr - The North Shore: Bliss Out, Vol. 20 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Hungarian writer and teacher Miklos Radnoti was the son of a textile vendor and was born in Budapest. He followed in his father's footsteps in the textile business until 1930, when he decided to pursue studying philosophy, Hungarian and French language at the University of Szeged. He wrote prolifically in the genres of short stories and poetry until his internment in a Jewish labor camp in the early 1940s. He converted, with his wife, to Roman Catholicism and was subsequently deported to Serbia. He died on the forced march from Bor to Szentkiralyszabadja, where he wrote his last poem in October 1944. Reading these InchLong Short StoriesInch in Hungarian is actor Laszlo Gaffi. He is well known for his roles as King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the film production of Wagner, and as Frederic Chopin in the Hungarian TV film Liszt Ferenc, about the life of Franz Liszt.

Reissue of the long out of print mini LP, originally released on Static Caravan in 2003. The four track mini LP points in different directions simultaneously both towards the ambient works that would soon take up such a prominent place in the Manual discography, as well as towards the epic, 1980s-influenced Azure Vista, released in 2005. The warm and swirling sound of Isares betrays Jonas Munk's admiration for the sound of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although the works of Manual were highly regarded by critics in this period, Jonas Munk remained in obscurity. But the influence of these sounds can still be heard in following acts such as M83 or Tycho as well as in recent styles such as neo-shoegaze and chill-wave.

The long awaited Manual double CD Lost Days, Open Skies and Streaming Tides - a collection of rarities, remixes, covers, unreleased pieces and brand new tracks - including a new collaboration with Cocteau Twins main man Robin Guthrie. Spanning the period from 2002, around Ascend, up to now, this is a collection that covers the entire spectrum of Jonas Munks stylings; from the minimalist drone soundscapes, to the over-the-top 1980s influenced shoegazing electronica à la his masterpiece Azure Vista, from the sweet pop-influenced gems to abstract blissed-out timeless ambient. Munk's trademarks are all over the 19 pieces on this double disc set The highly adventurous sense of composition that is still so unheard of in electronic music - always taking the listener on a colorful journey instead of relying on repetitions like pretty much every other electronic artist - the mix of well-programmed beats and electronics against surreal, shimmering, heavily treated guitars, and the sunbathed 1980s romantic melancholia that has become Jonas Munk's signature sound. It is hard to think of a more perfect introduction to Munk's music, and for fans of his work this is simply a must! All in all, Lost Days, Open Skies and Streaming Tides includes almost an hour worth of previously unreleased music. Disc 1 represents the grandiose, super-layered, mesmerizing sounds that is familiar to fans of Azure Vista, Isares and Ascend, where firm, occasionally complex, beats melts together with moist and dreamy guitars, heavenly female vocals and head spinning old-school synths. Disc 2 represents the more minimal, guitar-drone side of Manual. These pieces, based on treated guitar work, blends classic ambient with minimalist classical music and processing experiments to create very unique sounds that are surreal yet warm and organic, and maintains Jonas' insist on the compositional element.