You can tune in to 98.8 FM or listen online here:

http://castlefmscotland.com/listen-live/

Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio…

Here’s a very nice and thorough review of Audeamus, this time from USA-based site Blinded by Sound!

“Keser are an electronic duo from Scotland who formed in 2005. Audeamus is their third recording, following Esoteric Escape (2006) and Robo Ghost (2009). All three have been released by the Scottish label Alex Tronic Records, and they just keep getting better and better. The title Audeamus is Latin for “Let Us Dare,” and is a most appropriate term to describe what the duo have accomplished here. Keser have released one of the finest ambient/electronic albums of the year, with their only real competition being label-mates Neu Gestalt’s earlier Weightless Hours.

I always have to be careful in using the word “ambient” as it comes loaded with a load of preconceptions. The worst one by far is that some people think of the genre as “music to watch paint dry.” Sorry, but when the music is done right, there are a great deal of dynamics involved, and “boring” is definitely not one of them. Actually, I hesitate to call Audeamus ambient at all, but it is a term the band have chosen, so I’ll go with it.

Audeamus opens up with the intriguingly titled “Aqua Aura.” According to the press release, the title is also Latin, and means a “natural crystal coated in gold fumes.” It is certainly an evocative turn of phrase, and the sound of the tune draws the listener in immediately. The drum machine that is used throughout the album sets the perfect tone, as I noticed early on. What Keser excell at are creating atmospheres of guitar and synth-sounds that are hauntingly unforgettable. “Aqua Aura” is the first of these.

“King of the Satellite Town” starts off relatively slowly, but picks up an enormous amount of steam when the guitar kicks in. The synth melody sets things up nicely, and the automated handclaps serve their purpose. But when the distortion-filled guitar rains down, all hell breaks loose. This is the type of moment that I live for as a fan of this type of music, and Keser play it perfectly. The first single from Audeamus was “Moon House,” and it follows “King of the Satellite Town” on the album. The song is another “builder,” starting out relatively stripped, and gaining a great deal of power and focus as it moves along.

As something of a one-two punch, the second single of the album is “Voltiguers,” which comes right after “Moon House.” It certainly makes sense for the tracks to be programmed the way they are, for “Voltigeurs” has a lot in common with “Moon House” in the way it is constructed. It also starts out slowly, and builds to a monstrous crescendo.

“Illusion of Free Will” is another highlight, with the guitar tracing some of the most bittersweet lines I have heard in some time. The main theme sent me a long way in time, to an album I will always cherish, Script of the Bridge by The Chameleons. The sounds Reg Smithies coaxed out of his guitar on that record spoke volumes, and much of “Illusion of Free Will” reminds me of it.

The tenth and final track on Audeamus is a brilliant seven-minute piece titled “Roaming Empire.” Once again, the sound is lush, and the guitar dominates. The way this piece builds and builds is mesmerizing, and will have one humming the melody long after the album has ended. Although the disc has just been released, Audeamus has already taken its place as one of the finest Autumn releases this year in my book. For those curious about the genre of ambient/electronic music, Audeamus is an excellent example of a group getting it right.”

Greg Barbrick

What’s more, support will be from the brilliant Adam Stafford and Esperi, so it’s shaping up to be a fantastic night!

Doors 7pm, finishes 10pm.

Tickets are £5 and are available on the door.

The facebook event page is here:

http://m.facebook.com/events/292841150820876/?src=email_notif

11pm-3am (Free B4 12), £2 after

We will be on stage around midnight.

New Life DJs will then be spinning their eclectic mix of tunes until the early hours.

“This is Keser’s third album, and third albums tend to go one of two ways – either proving the artist is happy to stick to a formula, knowing what their audience expects of them and delivering (or at least trying to) accordingly. Or, they sound stale, flat and tired, too bored to even think of doing anything else. Rare is the third album that really throws a band’s sound and vision into a new light, but Audeamus is one such rare beast.

The band talk of “stripping back their previously favoured orchestral layers”, and while this is true on some tracks, such as opener, ‘Aqua Aura’, on others, such as ‘Switch Into A Life’, the orchestral layers positively swoop and soar, to joyous effect. It has been commented on previously that Keser have a certain cinematic style to them and, if this is something they’ve only hinted at in the past, here it gets a welcome push centre stage.

Aqua Aura lulls the listener in gently, all sultry soundscapes and gently insistent rhythms, with a very danceable undertow, before ‘You Are A Project’ and ‘King Of The Satellite Town’ really start to up the pace, a little like being slowly caught in the slipstream of a slowly-moving jumbo jet, if there ever were such a thing.

This then, is just the ticket for gently exiting summer and blowing away those autumn blues. A fine example of an artist exploring and developing their voice without ever losing sight of what made them special in the first place.”

4/5

Jonathan Muirhead

FIFA 13 is finally released!

To coincide with this monumental event, our Audeamus CD album is officially out today as well.

We mentioned previously that it’s available from record shops such as Avalanche, and online via Alex Tronic Records and the Keser Shop. The availability has now been extended to online shops such as Amazon, Play, Psyshop, CD Universe, etc.

A reminder that the downloads are also available via the usual sites such as iTunes, Amazon, Play, etc.

So yeah…now it’s unanimously global and such – all channels, all networks, live! Party on, Wayne!

On this web-beyond-sight-and-sound, you can:

browse the upcoming live events, take in the news and leave insightful comments, marvel at the videos, stream any of our tracks in the discography/audio page (as is the style of these times), join our mailing list and be part of the Klub, follow our twitter feed or link up to your social site of choice, peruse the nice CDs on the shop page, trawl the archives to unlearn what you once learned, spot Obi-Wan in a photo, contact us for more information on how to find the jade monkey…the list is endless! Hope you enjoy!

Keser

CD Format

The official release date worldwide for the CD album is not until 28th September. However, the album is on sale now from Avalanche Records Shop, Alex Tronic Records, and the Keser Shop. Be the first to own a copy!

We have to say the CD album is looking very slick indeed, courtesy of the highly talented graphic artist myveryownme. The CD album boasts enhanced, in-depth artwork; and is different in appearance to the digital album cover.

You can stream the full album on our Discography/Audio page if you want to try before you buy.

Download Format

The album can also be streamed on the Believe Digital Player below, which links to all popular download sites such as iTunes, Amazon, emusic, etc:

The track can be streamed on the Believe Digital Player below, the player has links to popular download sites such as iTunes, Amazon, emusic, etc.