Category Archives: Band News

Projekt 200 3-CD Set Features New Song

Lovespirals’ brand new song, “Empty Universe,” from our upcoming CD, Long Way From Home — as well as “Write in Water” from the upcoming remastered reissue of Love Spirals Downwards‘ Ardor — are included on the new boxed set compilation, Projekt 200. A celebration of the 200th release for Projekt, the three era collection includes 32 songs from the label’s 24 year history. This limited edition DVD-sized “DVStar” package with an 8-page booklet and 3-CDs will be available in stores Sept 25th, but you can buy it at projekt.com now.

Projekt 200 3-CD Boxed Set

Yes! As hard as it is to imagine, PROJEKT now has 200 releases. 24 years in the making, I put together this 3-CD compilation covering three distinct parts of the Projekt sound: The Early Years, The Current Era, and Ambient Loop. Packaged in a beautiful DVD-Sized “DVStar” package, this is a limited edition release full of love and passion. I have been thinking, for many years, about how to represent the label, when we turned 200….I went through the Projekt catalog and picked some of my favorite songs which represent all aspects of “the projekt sound.” 

There are also new tracks, recorded just for PROJEKT200.. Tearwave recorded the gorgeous “Comfort in Angel’s Wings.” I recorded a new Black Tape For A Blue Girl song, “I Strike You Down,” with Elysabeth on vocals, and featuring some nice guitar textures from Doug of Tearwave. There’s a brand new track from Lovespirals returning to the dream-pop sound people love in Ryan’s work. There are also unreleased ambient/electronic tracks from Alio Die, Fear Falls Burning and Vidna Obmana. 

PROJEKT200 also includes a brand new mix of Black Tape For A Blue Girl’s “Across A Thousand Blades” plus a Steve Roach track that is not actually on Projekt at all (it’s from one of his Timeroom releases): “In The Eyes Of Noche” which features some of my piano as well as ethereal female vocals. 

I am very excited and proud to present this overview of the label, as we prepare to enter our 25th year!

— Sam Rosenthal, Projekt.com

LSD Reissue Remastering Complete

This week I finished audio mastering for the Ardor and Idylls reissues that are coming out this summer. The CDs will be released as digipacs, whereas the original releases were jewel boxes, so though the reissues will look pretty similar to the originals, they will be different. It sure will be nice to get current contact information into the credits. Funny to think that I had no band website (very few did) when these albums were originally released. I believe I have a band website listed in the Ever credits, but that site is outdated and gone. Anyway, things are coming along nicely and on track. More news soon.

Love Spirals Downwards is Podsafe

PodShow’s Podsafe Music Network is now offering a selection of Love Spirals Downwards songs for free use in music podcasts. We’ve included the album title and release year in the song name to assist with announcements or show notes. Every album was released by Projekt and is available on iTunes, Amazon, and CDBaby. You can also buy most of them from the Lovespirals Webstore. Check out the songs on Love Spirals Downwards’ PMN page and be sure to let us know you played us!

New Look for the Site

At long last, we are totally redesigning the band site! We figured it was high time we took advantage of current blog technology and joined WordPress. This has been the easiest site to build, ever. There still might be a few tweaks here and there, but take a look around and give us some feedback.

Gearwire Artist Feature Interview

“On Pro Tools, GarageBand, And Pitch Correction: Lovespirals’ Ryan Lum And Anji Bee”

by Patrick Ogle of Thanatos

Ryan Lum has been making electronic based music for a decade and a half. First working with Suzanne Perry in shoegazer/ambient/electronica band, Love Spirals Downwards, and now in the successor project, Lovespirals, with new vocalist Anji Bee.

Lum’s music has ranged from the beautiful, meandering, shoegazing of Love Spirals Downwards to the new project’s fusion of downtempo and electronic jazz. Between the two bands Lum has released 9 full length releases and one single. Yet despite this electronica pedigree, Lum and Bee often eschew the electronic cutting edge for what some might consider old-fashioned [musical values]. Lum especially eschews the over-use of plug-ins.

“Two big reasons I don’t go crazy with audio plug ins and all: first, my computer is a bit old and a bit too slow and outdated for going nuts with that stuff.” says Lum “Second, I don’t really need them beyond basic stuff like compressors. I’d rather use a good rackmount reverb than a plug-in. Plus, some plug-ins just sound horrible.”

Lum has used ProTools 24 TDM hardware since 1999 with his Apple Tower and a three year old copy of ProTools 6.

“It’d be nice to get a new TDM system, but you need around $10,000 to make it happen so that’s the main reason why I’ve kept what I have,” says Lum. “But honestly, there’s no real need to upgrade though they try to make you believe you need to. The only real thing I’m missing out on is that the newer systems have way more power and can run tons more plug-ins.”

Continue reading Gearwire Artist Feature Interview

LSD on iTunes Essentials Shoegaze Playlist

Our 1996 track “Madras,” from Ever, was selected as a “Deep Cut” for the iTunes Essentials Shoegaze & Beyond playlist alongside legendary bands Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Jesus and Mary Chain, Lush, and more. Here’s what iTunes has to say about the Deep Cuts selections:

All things must pass, intense musical movements included, but when the first-wave shoegazers finally looked up from their footwear, what they saw was a whole new scene that they themselves had begotten. The proof is in the Deep Cuts…

Pretty cool!

Suzanne Perry on New Falling You CD Human

Love Spirals Downwards’ singer, Suzanne Perry, appears on one song of the latest Falling You album, Human. “An Angel Ameliorate” is very ambient and sad with Suzy’s classic glossolalia style lyrics. To the best of my knowledge, this is her first released work since Melodyguild’s cover of “Sally’s Song” on the Projekt Holiday Single 2. You can check out the track for free from Magnatune here.

UPDATE: this won Best Vocal Album of 2006 from New Age Reporter. Congrats!

The album is now available on Bandcamp!

Atmosphere 69 Artist Profile on Lovespirals

During our last trip to Mexico City, we visited the Lounge King Radio Network studio to do an interview for their newly launched show, Atmosphere 69. A half hour “Music Therapy Artist Feature” on Lovespirals highlighting tracks from our new album, ‘Free and Easy,’ interspersed with interview clips will air on Mix96 FM Canada, as well as streaming internet radio stations Luxuria Music and Lounge Radio. Check it out at www.atmosphere69.com

EDIT: now added to our MixCloud archive!

Back from Mexico City

We just got back from a great weekend in Mexico City. As always, we were treated wonderfully by our lovely fans and the producer of the show, Joseph of Noise Kontrol, our distributor in Mexico. We played many songs from Free and Easy for the first time, debuted two brand new songs that we had just recently written, and did a version of “Avicenna” we put together for this show, but the hit of the night was definitely “Dejame.” We were so surprised to hear the entire crowd singing along! What an unforgettable experience!

Music Tap interview with Ryan & Anji of Lovespirals

March 13, 2006: Music Tap, Matt Rowe

“Honey and Cool Jazz ‘n’ Rock: An interview with Ryan Lum and Anji Bee of Lovespirals”

Matt: Ryan – Anji’s voice is hauntingly memorable; her voice sticks in my mind long after I heard the songs. Are you as hypnotized by her ability to mesh with your vision of how Lovespirals songs should be communicated as we are hearing it?

Ryan: Yeah, it’s surprising how her voice just fits perfectly. I’m very lucky. Her voice has been as important as anything in the evolution of our music together.

Matt: Anji, obviously you are an excellent fit with Lovespirals. The forward progression of the band incorporates you better than many bands undergoing a shift in style. How do you feel your involvement with Lovespirals changes the band? Have you brought your own influences into the structure of the band’s musical vision?

Anji: It would be impossible for me not to bring my own influences into the band, since we are a collaborative team. I think I bring an earthier element to the music. My vocals are very lyrically based, as opposed to Suzanne’s more non-verbal stylings, and my sound is more soulful compared to her purely ethereal sound.

Continue reading Music Tap interview with Ryan & Anji of Lovespirals