KURLAND
Resting Bell 074 2009

It seems like Astrowind are having the most constant release-frequency on Resting Bell. One release a year, always around September and October. It is the third release on Resting Bell, after "Somewhere The Music Had Been Played" in September 2007 and "Der Leuchtturm" in October 2008. They also released on 12rec and Electrosound/Musica Excentrica. "Kurland" contains 15 pieces and has a total duration of over 60 minutes, a real longplayer. Kurland is the german name for one of the cultural and historical regions of Latvia (in english: Courland). So you have scenic titles like "Kurland", "Nebel", "Sounds Of The Shores" but also pieces about aerospace and deep sea. Compared to the older Astrowind-releases the new work sounds a bit deeper and adult. You still find the synth-drones and the noises and glitches but everything is arranged very focused, very sublime. And again Grisha Kochenov did a really impressive artwork. - Christian Roth

DER LEUCHTTURM
Resting Bell 042 2008

Welcome to the new Astrowind-release. Kriipis Tulo and Mahi Bukimi put together nearly 78 minutes of warm and floating Astrowind-sounds. They released albums on such great netlabels like 12rec, Electrosound and Musica Excentrica, and now they are back on Resting Bell, where they released "Somewhere The Music Had Been Played" one year ago. "Der Leuchtturm" is the german phrase for "lighthouse", and the album is dedicated to the old city Libava, now Liepaja, the baltic seaside and the lighthouses there. Warm and deep synth-drones are floating around like some obscure fog, and in-between little glitches, higher tones, samples from far, far away and melodie-fragments are blinking like an old lighthouse, guiding you through the dark and abyssal carpet, woven by old russian analog synths and desktop fx's. Please have also a look on the fantastic artwork, done by Grisha Kochenov. - Christian Roth

FRESH WIND IN THE VALLEY OF DREAMS
Musica Excentrica 013 2008

After an excursion to Berlin-based Resting Bell Netlabel, Latvian Paleopsychedlic Ambient-duo Astrowind returns with an album for Moscow’s finest Netaudio-collective Musica Excentrica. The full-length release features an artwork by illustrator Grigory Kochenov and comes with eleven songs of huge synthesizer Ambient like it’s 1974. If you dug “The Night The Stars Flew” (@ElectroSound) or Astrowind’s epic “Into Vernadsky” (@12rec.) you’ll probably get along with their new album. I’m a sucker for their wonderful behind-the-times themes of philosophical esoterism and retro science-fiction extravaganca. Musically, I think that “Fresh Wind In The Valley Of Dreams” is the best work up to date. - Sven Swift