Spyra

Artist: Mark Jenkins, Thaneco, Spyra, Fritz Mayr u.a.
P: 2023
LTD 100
This Star Trek-inspired issue of "MODULAR SESSIONS" is one of the strongest to date with European synth musicians Volker Rapp, Arend Westra, Fritz Mayr, Thaneco, Tobias Becker and Wolfram Spyra alongside US composer and music journalist Mark Vail, all compiled and produced by Mark Jenkins. Synthesizers, sequencers, electronic drums and percussion, guitars, sampled voices and even some oboe, in the styles of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, Ashra and Mike Oldfield.

Artist: Mark Jenkins, Spyra & Others
P: 2025
LTD 100
MARK JENKINS has assembled a stellar cast from the USA, France, Germany, Argentina, Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Japan to collaborate on tracks which roughly alternate between experimental and up-tempo electronic pop. Russia's MARIA MATVEEVA worked with world music legends DEEP FOREST to create "Vision", a slice of rhythmic world pop with dramatic voices, while longtime Berlin resident JAYNEY KLIMEK, originally from Australia and well known for her work with TANGERINE DREAM, was produced by DEPECHE MODE regular GARETH JONES on "Heartbeat", a quirky piece of sample sliced vocals, drums and synthesizers. PATRICE DE VINCENTIS from the USA has her innovative soundscapes merged with those of several other artists on the CD, while YUMI IWAKI and EWA BARAN are the only artists whose short pieces are delivered entirely solo. LYLI J features instruments from Arturia the music software/hardware company for which she works on sound programming, while fellow French artist KLAIR ZAKI takes us on a "Magical Rollercoaster" of snappy sequencers, bass, guitar and voices. Centrepiece of the album is the remarkable epic "Ukrainian Suite" by ROKSANA VIKALUK which merges voices, synths and the sequencers of WOLFRAM SPYRA into a powerful electro-acoustic world music odyssey. EDEN GREY from the USA is a well-known modular systems experimentalist and conference organiser while KO PANDO an experienced film effects artist from Argentina equally imaginatively manipulates abstract electronic sound textures. Producer MARK JENKINS ties all the track segments together including the use of sounds from the mighty KORG OASYS synthesizer.

Artist: Mark Jenkins & Others
P: 2023
LTD 100
MODULAR SESSIONS 13: "Artemis" is one of the most powerful collaborations to date in the monthly series of numbered limited run CD's. Six of the most exciting synth music acts from around the world have joined with Mark Jenkins to create an electronic music tribute to NASA's latest moon mission.

We start at dawn in Florida's "Launch Complex 39B", with sounds of nature underlying massive dramatic synth chords from Scotland's TRANSCEIVE (Steven Nelson). Liftoff with the slogan "We Rise Together" is underscored by TamiX (Nan Tang) from China, her Buchla modular system creating a thumping bass pattern and abstract sounds. "Artemis" running for almost 12 minutes is in the powerful sequencer style of Redshift and dedicated to the memory of the late Mark Shreeve. "Orion" builds from an intricate sequencer pattern by Germany's DER SPYRA (Wolfram Spyra) while "Mach 32", the terrifying re-entry velocity for the mission, is based on sequences MYSTIC FREQUENCIES (Ronald Mark Peters) from the USA. The mood becomes more mysterious as fellow American Joe Paradiso uses a massive interconnected modular synthesizer system to image the sounds of the little V.I.P.E.R. rover scouring the moon for signs of water. Meanwhile the mission places in permanent lunar orbit the "Gateway to Mars", pictured in evolving sequences by midibitch (Fredy Engel) from Germany.

Artist: Der Spyra & Roksana
P: 2011
This is a trailer CD-Single with tracks from fourthcoming releases by the new group Moon & Melody. The music is a mix between January in June by Spyra nd the vocals by Roksana in the Lisa Gerrard style.

Artist: Der Spyra & Roksana
P: 2021
The idea for the album came up in autumn 2020 when Roksana Vikaluk and Wolfram Spyra (the duo "Moon & Melody") crossed the threshold of St. Mary's Church - one of the most important architectural monuments in Brandenburg - for the first time. Deeply inspired by the power that this centuries-old architectural monument exudes, and above all by the "breath", the extraordinarily beautiful inner sound of the church, they decided to realize the sound installation "Voices of Ancestors" and record an album in the rooms of the church . The recordings took place live and under completely natural conditions, whereby mainly a bianural recording technique was used, which gives the listener a sound impression of being close to the location of the recording: In the middle of the altar area of ​​the church there was an artificial head, its ears Recorded all of the sound using built-in microphones. The church had a life of its own - the bells, the chirping of birds and other noises in the streets of the city, the footsteps and conversations of the visitors, the creaking of the doors ... - all of this fitted naturally into the resulting musical story. A unique effect of further and closer sound levels was achieved by Roksana Vikaluk's almost uninterrupted movement in the space of the approximately 80 meters long and 45 meters wide church. In the middle of the church stood the Bowchimes, a huge steel instrument played by Wolfram Spyra. A microphone was also installed on the Bowchimes in order to achieve a natural amplification of the sound of the instrument. This effect turned out to be necessary for the final mix of the album. Another microphone was installed next to it for subtle recordings of two sung passages ("O, Sanctissima!" And "Maria Regina Mundi"). During the production of this album the great Bob Rutman, among other things the inventor and master of the Bow Chimes instrument and friend of Roksana and Wolfram, passed away. In his honor, they decided to dedicate this album to the master.

Artist: Pete Namlook & Wolfram Spyra
P: 1998
PK 08/141
LTD: 1000
Starting off with some slow revolving ambient tones that seem to linger in the air. The music starts to turn darker and with a little sense of chaos and fleeting synth squabbles. There seem to be many layers of odd experimental sounding samples. The track seems to be more of a collage of samples rather than a smooth track. By the track title, however, it would seem that maybe that was the intention of the artist. A slight intrusion with the guitar sequence that I did not personally like. It made it sound more of a new age sequence. It is followed by some trancey material and a nice older styled ambient background. Again a switch to some more choppy techno. All ends with a Namlook doodling which does bring the track to a nice close.

Artist: Remy + Spyra
P: 2019
“Planet of the Arps” is a tribute to Halton Arp and his Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, Alan R. Pearlman and his legendary ARP synthesizers, the musical phenomenon arpeggio (whether or not produced by an arpeggiator), and the Planet of the Apes science fiction franchise.

Composed and produced by Remy Stroomer.

Featuring Roksana Vikaluk (Ukraine) and Wolfram Spyra (Germany).

Recorded and mixed by Remy Stroomer between July 2010 and April 2015 at Exhibition of Dreams, IJmuiden.

Contains excerpts from concerts at the Zeiss Planetarium Bochum (Germany), September 15th, 2012 (performed by Remy Stroomer) and “Chill at the Castle - Electric Edition”, Ruïne van Brederode, Santpoort-Zuid (Netherlands), June 27th, 2014 (performed by Remy Stroomer (synthesizers), Wolfram Spyra (synthesizers and live edits) and Roksana Vikaluk (vocals)).

Remixed by Remy Stroomer between January and February 2019 at Exhibition of Dreams, IJmuiden.