Diamond Gloss – Golden Mountain Tales


Diamond Gloss

Golden Mountain Tales

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FLTTRY195
Release Date:  April 26, 2024
© Fluttery Records

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Track List

1. Alberta Pt. 1
2. Alberta Pt. 2
3. Golden Mountain Tales
4. Gala
5. And Jupiter

Diamond Gloss, the ambient music project led by Gonçalo Pereira, makes a triumphant return with their fifth studio album, “Golden Mountain Tales.” After a four-years, Pereira delivers a dense, simplistic, and textural album, diverging from the synth and beats-based sound of his predecessor, “FLK.”

In “Golden Mountain Tales,” Pereira takes listeners on a majestic journey through ambient soundscapes, with the piano at the center of the narrative. The album represents a return to Pereira’s roots while introducing a new language and approach to his music.

Reflecting on the album, Pereira shares, “It’s about time, space, and textures.” Like his previous works, “Nomawkish” (2014) and “Primavera” (2016), “Golden Mountain Tales” explores intimate piano melodies intertwined with intense tension from long drones and moments of near cacophony, as heard in tracks like “Alberta Pt.2” and “Gala.”

Recorded during the Covid-19 lockdown, the album captures the strange and uncertain times of its creation. Masterfully recorded in Lisbon, Portugal, Pereira’s hometown, “Golden Mountain Tales” is deeply inspired by Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain” and marked by personal experiences, including the loss of Pereira’s father, whom he dedicates this album.

Described as intense, and textural, “Golden Mountain Tales” stands as Diamond Gloss’s strongest album to date. The album’s closer, “And Jupiter,” encapsulates the mood of the entire work, showcasing Pereira’s mastery of texture, detail, beauty, and simplicity.

Mastered by Taner Torun (February-March 2024), the artist behind Celestial Trails and founder of Fluttery Records, the album release is set to captivate listeners with its intricacy and depth.

“Golden Mountain Tales” invites audiences to immerse themselves fully in its entirety, promising a transformative listening experience.

Also available on:

Diamond Gloss – FLK

LISTEN

Track List

1. Vocal Speed
2. ATTIC
3. Parti
4. Project 2
5. 2929
6. DJ Set Song
7. Project DJ
8. August
9. Say Frankie
10. Much Love

Diamond Gloss

FLK

Diamond Gloss is to release an astonishing ambient music album on Fluttery Records. As the previous album “Primavera” continued exploring dense ambient sound, with drone-a-like strings and sparse pianos, from “Nomawkish”, on his fourth album, named “FLK” ( pronounced folk), Diamond Gloss decides to take a new path, bringing up synths and arpeggiated pianos along electronic beats.

There is a clear change in sound and this new direction is very clear on the first track “Vocal Speed”. A beat that seems to be offbeat but it’s not. Swelling synth lines and some arpeggios on harpsichord and pianos – that’s the main ingredients of “FLK”
More organic, textured, and, still, dense and melodic.

The album rewards listeners to discover the old delicate piano style from the past few records, among the fresh sounds and new piano based songs, such as “2929” and “August”. “FLK” expects to be warm coming back to the artist’s works.

FLTTRY184
Release Date:  November 16, 2020
© Fluttery Records

Also available on:

Diamond Gloss – Primavera

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Track List

1. Royal
2. Movement
3. Primavera
4. Movement II
5. Harp
6. Movement III
7. Breakers

Diamond Gloss - Primavera

Portugal's ambient music genius is here again. Primavera is the third album by Diamond Gloss. The album differs from the previous releases. The sound is more organic, the piano is definitely the main instrument. Primavera is the logical step forward from 2014’s Nomawkish, details and string arrangements were carefully written and recorded. For the first time in a Diamond Gloss album, a second musician appears on this new release. A long time friend of Gonçalo Pereira, the violinist player Maria do Mar, accepted the invitation and helped Pereira on strings arrangements. The photography and artwork design has been made by his long time collaborator, Paulo Romão Brás.

Gonçalo Pereira (born 1984. Lisbon, Portugal) is a multi-instrument player, post-rock, ambient electronica musician and producer. Pereira first started as the frontman of the post-rock band “How Comes The Constellations Shine” before establishing himself as a solo artist under the moniker of Diamond Gloss.

FLTTRY119
Release Date: October 17, 2016
© Fluttery Records

Also available on:

Diamond Gloss – Nomawkish

LISTEN

Track List

1. Santa-Clara
2. Upright Piano
3. Chicago
4. Summer
5. Eda
6. Red
7. Sidd
8. Nomawkish

Diamond Gloss - Nomawkish

Nomawkish is the second studio album from Portuguese ambient / modern classical project, Diamond Gloss. Three years after debuting with “Bears”, Gonçalo Pereira returned to his studio to record new Diamond Gloss’ songs.

Nomawkish was recorded in Lisbon. Like on the first album, piano is the main key also on this recording. Nomawkish has different mood from “Bears”, which was a more joyful and open album than the new one. Nomawkish is more dark and introspective. The recording of this album started with various loops recorded after “Bears” was released. The album was recorded entirely with piano, and then layered with strings, dulcitone, choirs and ambient noises.

Nomawkish has a lo­fi feeling, almost like an old tape playing back on a walk-man. These lo­fi production was an intentional choice for this album. Compared to Diamond Gloss’ previous work, this album is the logical step forward.

FLTTRY065
Release Date:  April 18, 2014
© Fluttery Records

Also available on:

Diamond Gloss – Bears

LISTEN

Track List

1 - I Am Black And Blue All Over
2 - Canadians
3 - Walnut And Trees Tables
4 - Filter Fat Corner
5 - Argyle Square
6 - Glasses
7 - Step Piece
8 - Fawns

Diamond Gloss - Bears

Bears is the debut album of Gonçalo Pereira, under the alias Diamond Gloss. His sound and melodies incorporate elements of modern classical, electronica, idm, ambient, and post-rock music with live instrumentation.

Pianos, micro-beats, effects-treated guitars, music-boxes, lo-fi strings arrangements and other acoustic instruments such as glockenspiels are the vehicles that shape this carefully produced and layered, non-linear quest. His influences travels among modern composers such as Arvo Pärt and Henryk Górecki, the ambient experiments of Brian Eno or his peers Autechre, Hammock, Sigur Rós, Helios and Múm.

Bears takes us on a journey through landscapes and environments that oscillate between contemplative, tender sometimes mournful symphonic melodies and gleeful, joyful and explosive moments.

REVIEWS

Central Michigan Life - Jay Garry

Diamond Gloss’s debut album “Bears” is a fresh take on the usual dark, droning styles of post-rock and ambient IDM. His solo work features many of the set piece calls of a post-rock/ambient IDM album with its slow, passionate piano work, droning background sweeps and glitchy electronics, making for an album that easily showcases its influence from acts like Helios, Secede, Sigur Rós and Múm.

From that basic starting point however Diamond Gloss adds these very happy and high pitched instruments like music boxes and glockenspiels. The inclusion and use of these instruments take the usually serious emotional tone of post-rock and inverts it into an almost innocent and nostalgic, emotional style.

It’s hard to describe through words alone how this transition is accomplished but this sound is strong and striking when experienced. Songs like “Walnut and Trees Tables” invoke the thought of taking a nap in a kindergarten music room as an autumn evening breeze chills the air outside; it’s peaceful, serene, and calming.

Slave State - Michael Porali

It was a suprise for me to discover a new record label (Fluttery) starting in 2011 with a debut "Bears" by the Goncalo Pereira, the man behind the Portuguese post rock / drone project Diamond Gloss. And what a gateway for me! Bears is a journey into a dream world you are allowed to visit- at least, with musical help - with repetitive chunks of dark drones, unique mixes by Pereira, mediocre noise music with backwards samples which are far beyond being ordinary with the nice Glockenspiels. All in all, "Bears" about everything I need for the next few months. But are you able to sit still with wide open minds for a good hour? I dare to promise to "Bears" will reward you richly!

Caleidoscoop / Jan Willem Broek

Neoclassical, ambient, idm and glitch are also woven into his intimate post-rock patchwork. Namely, aside from the electronic sounds, glitches, and symphonic harmonies, one can also hear several sometimes electronically transformed acoustic instruments or fragments thereof, from mouth-organ to typewriter, guitar, and bowed string instruments. This is further colored by means of desolate piano pieces. The music is very modest and sad, which in all likelihood is related to the fact that he dedicated it to his late wife. The serene and restful music pleasantly enters the subconscious, like a daydream, lovingly covering the nightmare hiding beneath.

The Silent Ballet / Richard Allen

As the album winds down - quietly, like a bedtime story - the listener is left with the feeling that the artist may be well acquainted with the shadows, but prefers to live in the light. The album's last natural sound is that of a person splashing in a puddle, one of the most joyous and least self-conscious of all human acts. This sound provides the impression of bright umbrellas and matching plastic boots, a break in the clouds, a sudden spring after a wearying winter.

EtherREAL / Fabrice Allard

After each element in its right place, the rest seems clear. Melodies are amplified and are growing, some arrangements appear as ethereal scapes, melodic loops and rhythmic elements, a kind of maracas on Canadians or some wonderful dry snaps and cracks on Walnut And Trees Tables. Bit-by-bit, the sound thin down, all the elements are mixed together as an abstract ambient, a dream refined by cracking and bright tinkling (Argyle Square) or a melody of piano (Filter Fat Corner).

FLTTRY011
Release Date:  January 25, 2011
© Fluttery Records

Also available on:

Nomawkish flavoured journey back in time : Diamond Gloss

Gonçalo Pereira (born 1984. Lisbon, Portugal) is a multi-instrument player, post-rock and ambient electronica musician, producer. Pereira first started as a frontman of the post-rock band “How Comes The Constellations Shine” before establishing himself as a solo artist under the moniker of Diamond Gloss. His influences travels among modern composers such as Arvo Pärt and […]

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