Mint Julep - Songs About Snow

I discovered this project through Helios (aka Koen Holtkamp, Helios, and Goldmund). I have been meaning to post an album from Helios here and should do that soon because Koen’s many musical projects all have a place here among the other artists on You Disappear. Mint Julep is a project that he started with his girlfriend and they have a classic calm shoegazing kind of a sound that I am having trouble finding words for at the moment. Those of you familiar with he shoegaze aesthetic know what I mean. Its thick with drifting ambience but with an edge and with smooth echoing vocals laid into the mix. There are a good amount of artists out there putting out this kind of music and this one hits the sweet spot in al the right places, if that makes sense. Sometimes I wonder if my rambling approach to reviewing an albums sound makes any sense to readers. Thats where the music comes in to speak for itself. I will leave you with the recommendation to check out their great music and pick up this album from their site if you like it. It’s a great price for a CD released only by the artist and with handmade artwork to top it off! Here is a song from the album called ‘Stay’.



Artist Page (where you can buy the album) • MySpace Page (where you can hear more)

Tags: Mint Julep, Koen Holtkamp

Koen Holtkamp - Field Rituals

I’m sure ambient music will be no stranger to youdissapear as a lot of the music in the genera fits right in with the music I feature on the site. While some ambient albums are boring and simply drone on and on there are many albums in the genera that hold a lot of feeling within the slow hum of the music. Often it blends into your life and seamlessly lays with whatever it is you’re doing. It summons a unique kind of calm because it often does not contain words to distract your mind leaving it to wander freely as the music washes over you.

This album is a newer release as of the time I’m writing this and was released by the wonderful label Type Records which has a huge amount of music that I would like to feature here on the site as time permits. The album is ambient at its heart and drifts around like an ocean blending a surprising amount of different sources for its overall sound and aesthetic. It takes the classic sound of electronic ambient music and blends it seamlessly with echoing acoustic instruments and, my favorite element of the songs on this album, field recordings that put you in a totally different environment as you listen which I think is wonderful. I used to record and release soundscape recordings on my older site via a podcast and I love it when an artist is able to seamlessly blend field recordings in with music. It gives it a feeling that feels like you are watching a movie without dialogue and the soundtrack sort of drifts in over the sounds of the imaginary space in your mind. Its beautiful really. The finest example of this is can be found on the track ‘Walker’ which happens to also be my favorite from the album.

iTunes Link • Artist Page

Tags: Koen Holtkamp