It’s always easier to form a band when it’s not your first. Painting By Numbers has been a recurring project in the head of its architects long before it actually took shape in autumn 2008.

Antoine Ollivier (Dawnshape) and Gregory Hoepffner (Radius System, Time To Burn, Template) always felt their belonging groups didn’t let them experiment as much as they wanted. Soon joined by bandmate Axel Dallou (Radius System), the trio didn’t ask too many questions and quickly started making noise, in a language they didn’t even speak : improvisation.

Drums, Guitar, Bass, Synth, Samplers, and endless possibilities : Painting By Numbers are devoted to pushing the standards further, fight against their own musical habits, and try to find the right balance between sonic experimentation and pure groove pleasure.

In result of this first year of endless recordings, the parisian trio will is now releasing this “Live Demo”, available for free download

1. Conceal Confine Tentative
2. Matthew Barney’s Imperious Needs
3. Volcano
4. BGM 03
5. Secret Foam Island
6. 85′ Parallel Evidence

Download from Archive.org / Torrent

It’s been a while, but good things come to those who wait. Hailing from opposite ends of Australia, Perth’s Tangled Thoughts of Leaving and Sydney’s sleepmakeswaves are proud to present you with a shiny new split LP. It’s a record from two bands that are very different yet one that finds an equilibrium between the seemingly disparate tendencies of the two groups. Although both bands find common ground in their latent electronic influences, sleepmakeswaves marry these ideas to their characteristic brand of energetic and uplifting instrumental rock while Tangled Thoughts of Leaving pursue a relentlessly improvisatory, innovative path. The results are more foreboding yet no less spectacular, and are all the more reason to watch for their debut full lengths, slated for 2010.

Tracklisting :

1. Sleepmakeswaves – Keep Your Splendid Silent Sun
2. Sleepmakeswaves – We Sing The Body Electric
3. Sleepmakeswaves – This Is How We Remember (Secret Robot)
4. Tangled Thoughts of Leaving – A Vexing Predicament
5. Tangled Thoughts of Leaving – The World Is A Deaf Machine

Download from archive.org / torrent

Fugue presents an arduous journey through a quagmire of genre confusion and deceivingly orchestrated pieces of music. Love, time and a soft spot for over-complication gave birth to their first effort that is full of everything they think makes music great. There’s something for everyone on this splendid 17 and a half minute adventure through a veritable sonic paradise.

Tracklisting :

1. How the Grass and Trees Became Enlightened
2. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters
3. Telemachus
4. What the Tortoise Said to Achilles

Download from archive.org / torrent

Summer 2009

Volume 13 marks the beginning of the fourth year of The Silent Ballet’s compilation series. Three years ago the first volume was sent out to the world via the Internet, and today we’re still dedicated to bringing our readers exciting, innovative compilations filled with the best and brightest artists from around the globe.

We’ve come a long way since Poetry Without Words, but hopefully the series has shown that the website is unrestrained by genre and is willing to travel to any corner of the world to unearth up-and-coming musicians. Volume 13 feels particularly international, featuring artists from four continents and nine countries, yet also demonstrates that there is something that connects all of us nonetheless.

We’re committed to our goal of providing quality music in a respectable format without charge. As one of life’s greatest pleasures, music should be freely available to all and resistent to commodification. A big thanks goes out to all the artists and labels who made this project possible. Relevant links can be found below; any support is greatly appreciated.

Jordan Volz
The Silent Ballet

Barry Rogers
Lost Children Net Label

Tracklisting :

1. Ben Frost – The Carpathians
2. Amman/Josh – Lukka
3. Panoptique Electrical – Some Rooms Become Us
4. flica – In Dreams
5. Port-Royal – HVA (Failed Revolutions)
6. French Teen Idol – I Want George Soros
7. Manual – Marbella (Live from the Troubadour)
8. Aspidistrafly – Moonlight Shadow
9. Fredricson – Eyeme (Album Edit)
10. Orange Crush: – Last Dawn
11. Elemental Gaze – Love Your Love, Love Your Death
12. Amberhaze – 1994

Download from archive.org / torrent

Maths is the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern and form.

Rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.

‘Schematics’ is the debut EP from five piece Helsingfors, including all four ex-From The Sky members, and is an instrumental post-math-rock hybrid, a logical progression from their previous work. Upping the complexity and melodic layering mixed with upbeat, jarring indie-rock, ‘Schematics’ was recorded primarily as a live band and bursts with the live energy this brings.

A physical CD release is also available from here and is being promoted and distributed by the new indie record label from The 405 website, 405 Records.

Tracklisting :

1. Angle of Depression
2. Truncation Error
3. Russian Inversion Notation
4. The Panda Conundrum

Download from archive.org / torrent.

The record was written towards the end of 2008, and recorded over the winter of 2009. It’s something of a summer pop record. Or about as close as we’ll ever get to writing a summer pop record anyway. We hope you like it.

‘Sparks and Beams’ is a beautifully crafted and studied record, full of interweaving guitar and bass lines and intelligent flowing drums, creating a gloriously chiming and melodic post/math-rock EP.

Tracklisting :

1. Kingdom
2. Hey, Computer!
3. No Slack Battalion
4. Plagiarhythm

Download from archive.org / torrent

Fall 2008 – Spring 2009

We’ve experienced a bit of a lag time between compilations 9 and 12, as our tri-monthly series has stalled out over the past half of a year. To remedy this situation, volumes 10 through 12 will be released in close proximity to one another. That’s right, three great compilations for the price of, well, nothing!

No sacrifice in quality has been made to make this possible. We continue to pull from the best and brightest artists we know to offer something fresh and provocative. Listeners will notice a contrast of styles between the three volumes; as always, we attempt to introduce something new in every volume. We believe readers of The Silent Ballet will find plenty to celebrate over the four hours of music.

A big thanks goes out to all the artists and labels who made this project possible. Relevant links can be found below where your support for their music can be demonstrated.

Jordan Volz
The Silent Ballet

Barry Rogers
Lost Children Net Label

Tracklisting :

1. Stephane Horeczko – Fugaces
2. Jasper TX – Sky
3. thisquietarmy – Orchestral Dots Under Static
4. Anduin – Lovers in Transit
5. Light Under Water – Awake
6. Cobra-Matic – Braille
7. Autistici – Curet Must be Protected (Little Murmurs Grow into Big Shouts Mix)
8. CJ Boyd – Pensive Pez
9. Sickoakes – Live Demo

Download from archive.org / torrent

Fall 2008 – Spring 2009

We’ve experienced a bit of a lag time between compilations 9 and 12, as our tri-monthly series has stalled out over the past half of a year. To remedy this situation, volumes 10 through 12 will be released in close proximity to one another. That’s right, three great compilations for the price of, well, zero!

No sacrifice in quality has been made to make this possible. We continue to pull from the best and brightest artists we know to offer something fresh and provocative. Listeners will notice a contrast of styles between the three volumes; as always, we attempt to introduce something new in every volume. We believe readers of The Silent Ballet will find plenty to celebrate over the four hours of music.

A big thanks goes out to all the artists and labels who made this project possible. Relevant links can be found below where your support for their music can be demonstrated.

Jordan Volz
The Silent Ballet

Barry Rogers
Lost Children Net Label

Volume 10 Tracklisting :

1. Saxon Shore – Nothing Changes
2. The Autumn Project – This We Take With Us (Pre-Release Mix)
3. Codes in the Clouds – We Anchor in Hope
4. Gifts from Enola – Aves
5. If These Trees Could Talk – What’s in the Ground Belongs to You
6. Motion Turns it On – Lo Pido Con Piedad
7. Bluebridge Quartet – Untitled
8. Anduin + Jasper TX – A Beam of Light Bends Back Upon Itself
9. Paucity – Kingsley
10. From Monument to Masses – Beyond God and Elvis
11. Absent Sound – Before the Knight is Through

Volume 11 Tracklisting :

1. Rhian Sheehan – Standing in Silence Pt. III
2. Danny Norbury – Entrelacs
3. Sunwrae – Chinook Winds
4. Victory and Good Hunting – Mule Comes Home
5. Lawrence English – Watching it Unfold
6. Alexander Turnquist – We Are Magnets
7. FJORDNE – Vivid Memories
8. Startle the Heavens – Pearl
9. The Soul’s Release – Awake Among the Sleeping
10. Milieu – Amb7 v2
11. ::thinkstandard:: – If You are the One to Take Me Home
12. Library Tapes – Slow-Wave Sleep
13. Rameses III – No Water, No Moon
14. Shoeb Ahmad – Belladonna (Starlight Mix)
15. We All Inherit the Moon – Our Hearts Forever Like the Sun Pt. 1

Download Volume 10 from archive.org / torrent.
Download Volume 11 from archive.org / torrent.

Inspired by the documentary “Venice: Behind the Mask” by Marco Gentile and Ryan Simon, ‘Venice’ is an attempt to articulate the visual images of Carnival into music. On the surface, Carnival can appear purely driven by entertainment and pleasure. Yet, underneath lie themes of death, rebirth, and social and cultural identity. Northvia explores the darker side of Carnival, hoping to reveal something more behind the mask.

Tracklisting :
1. opener
2. mask
3. double
4. canal
5. elegy
6. dragqueens
7. postqueens
8. penultimate
9. closer

Download from archive.org / torrent.

From the mournful grey shadows of the English winter in early 2008, three friends sought to create something new and exciting with sounds alone. There are no words, they are redundant.

Tracklisting :
1. A Letter To His Father
2. World Without Stars
3. One Down

Download from archive.org / torrent.

(Another great debut release from a 3-piece Instrumental Post-Metal band from Peterborough, home of fellow Lost Children, Double Handsome Dragons. Delicate instrumentation progressing to heavy, heavy riffs and back again, ranging the dynamic extremes and well worth many repeated listens.)