Between dropping over 30 releases under the moniker Forest Management over the past five years and running the heady imprint Sequel, Chicago-based ambient composer John Daniel has maintained an impressive level quality for such a prolific artist. Throughout 2017 alone, Daniel has already logged several releases, including The Elevated Quiet for Oakland-based label Constellation Tatsu, Reset for beloved Chicago imprint Lillerne Tapes, and the self-released EP Flashpoint. But despite Daniel’s wild productivity, the work sounds meticulous and fresh. Layers of rumbling sonic gravel rest below a deep sea of hovering tones and textures that gradually shift in and out of focus. And while tunes like foggy drifter “I’m Just Going To Lay Down” and the ever-swelling ”Scene” from The Elevated Quiet both carry their own emotional depth, Daniel’s tunes manage to latch onto the feelings of the listener rather than forcefully pushing along their own narrative.
Tone Madison
Tonight we got a guest mix by ultra-prolific Chicago musician John Daniel (aka Forest Management)! Since FM’s inception in the early 2010s he put out releases on countless labels including Constellation Tatsu, No Rent Records and Whited Sepulchre (with our favorite being 2018 Remain).
This year marks the release of Perfect Hour / Sheridan EP (on Past Inside the Present) and the After Dark LP (out in November on American Dreams Records). Soundcloud offers a little peek into the latter release with Magnolia:
Mix that John compiled for us is going up the Mixcloud charts quite rapidly (currently #28 in Ambient) and features 10 cuts from the likes of Wanda Group and Robert Ashley. Dive in!
Tracklist
robert ashley – “the park” (lovely music)
earn – “stray” (bathetic records)
wanda group – “we do not care” (self-released)
network glass – “tasx” (unreleased)
hanging lichen – “blavatsky iii” (reserve matinee)
dog dog – unreleased
empathic window – “dropout deviation i”
pure land – (upcoming on afterhours ltd)
wanda group – “homocomputer”
quantec – “infinite” (quietus recordings)
Further Reading
Inverted Audio
Ears to Feed
Trumpet Blossom
The 405
Perfect Wave