Friday, September 22, 2017

A Distant Pulse


Who remembers what a big thing tribal ambient was for awhile back in the 90s?  The first time I heard "Fearless" from the album Strata by Steve Roach & Robert Rich I was hooked.  There were many Roach albums from that time period that drew on the tribal ambient sound - World's Edge, On This Planet, Soma, Australia: Sound of the Earth, Forgotten Gods, Cavern of Sirens, Earth Island, Well of Souls, The Serpent's Lair,   - oh heck there's too many to keep track of!

I loved that sound.  But as so often happens I grew tired of it.  Part of that was just me overdosing on that style and part of it was as the style proliferated we ended up with crappy new age versions of tribal ambient.  So I stayed away for a long time while still revisiting the classic Roach recordings occasionally.  

Earlier this year I discovered the music of Al Gromer Khan, thanks to Paul Asbury Seaman.  I was listening to a few cuts from Lexus and I enjoyed the tribal sound and realized that I hadn't listened that style very much lately.  But those tracks got me going and the next thing you know, I'm collecting tacks for a mix.

The tracks in this mix are a good sampling of new cuts, older cuts from the tribal heyday and a few really old cuts from the early 80s.  The tracks are also a mix instrumentation from drum sounds to gamelan to marimba.  I love how this turned out and hope you do too.

Cheers!




[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ i t u n e s ]




T R A C K L I S T :
  • 00:00    Al Gromer Khan - Air Wave(Lexus 2002)
  • 04:30    Eno & Hassell - Chemistry(Fourth World 1 - possibles musics 1980)
  • 09:35    Steve Roach, Byron Metcalf & Mark Seelig - Six(Mantram 2004)
  • 17:50    Peter Gabriel - Slow Marimbas(Birdy 1985)
  • 20:40    Terje Isungset - Sunrise Horizon(Hibernation 2009)
  • 23:15    DavidParsons - Laplapan(Ngaio Gamelan 1999)
  • 28:15    SVLBRD - Hvit(Svalbard 2017)
  • 33:20    Michael Brook - Distant Village(Hybrid 1985)
  • 36:39    Wuhan Wuchang - Total Art of Percussion(Tropical Drums of Deutschland 2017)
  • 38:25    Uakti & Philip Glass - Paru River(Aguas da Amazonia 1999)
  • 41:52    Jon Iverson - Metalanguage(Alternesia 1999)
  • 47:10    Rapoon - Sanctum(Fallen Gods 2000)
  • 50:10    Eno & Hassell - Delta Rain Dream(Fourth World 1 - possibles musics 1980)
  • 52:50    Byron Metcalf - As Clouds Dance(Inner Rhythm Meditations 2016)
  • 61:25    Jonatan Bengta - Homerun(David Lynch: The Art Life 2016)
  • 62:30    Byron Metcalf - Presence of Longing(Inner Rhythm Meditations 2016)
  • 75:30    Loren Nerell - Tasku(Tasku 2003) mashed up with Evan Chapman playing    Opening by Philip Glass
  • 81:41    end









Friday, September 15, 2017

Resquiem for Cassini



As I said a few posts back, I am a huge space science dork.  My top 5 favorite NASA probes are:

1. Voyager
2. Cassini
3. Viking
4. Galileo
5. Spirit and Opportunity

Number two on that list disintegrated in the atmosphere of Saturn today.  Cassini was in orbit around Saturn for 7 years and made some of the most fantastic encounters of any planetary mission.  The most amazing discovery concerns a little moon called Enceladus.  Through Cassini, scientists have determined that Enceladus has a global subsurface saltwater ocean that might host hydrothermal vents.  It's probably our best bet for finding life in our solar system.

But Cassini was running out of fuel and rather than risk crashing into a moon and contaminating it, the folks at NASA decided to plunge the spacecraft into Saturn.  Cassini will dive into the planet's atmosphere, sending science data for as long as its small thrusters can keep the spacecraft's antenna pointed at Earth. Soon after, Cassini will burn up and disintegrate like a meteor.

This mix is a Requiem for Cassini.  Rather than an electronic, space music feel I went with all neo-classical and soundtrack cuts. The track titles tell the story.

Thanks to NASA and everyone on the Cassini team.




[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ i t u n e s ]



T R A C K L I S T :
  • 00:00    David Sylvian - Preparations for a Journey(Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities 1985)
  • 03:05    Cliff Martinez - Have a Good Trip(Wicker Park ost 2004)
  • 04:47    Max Richter - Journey 3 & 5(Infra 2010)
  • 06:00    Balanescu Quartet - Empty Space Dance(A Serene Dance For You And The One You Hate 2005)
  • 09:15    Robert Fripp and Theo Travis - Return to Saturn(Follow 2012)
  • 13:27    Cliff Martinez - Finally, you two meet(Wicker Park ost 2004)
  • 15:15    Jóhann Jóhannsson and BJ Nilsen - I am Here(i am here 2014)
  • 18:35    James Newton Howard - I'm Listening(I am Legend ost 2008)
  • 20:03    James Newton Howard - Talk to Me(I am Legend ost 2008)
  • 20:41    Broken Harbor - Titan(Gramophone Transmissions 2011)
  • 23:55    Echospace - Longing for Life(echospace [detroit] presents echoes in space 2014)
  • 24:30    Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie - Bring This Place to Life(Salero ost 2016)
  • 26:50    Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - What Must be Done(White Lunar ost 2005)
  • 28:40    Clint Mansell - Death is the Road to Awe(The Fountain ost 2006)
  • 35:00    Max Richter - Never Fade into Nothingness(Sleep 2015)
  • 43:51    Hammock - Things of Beauty Burn(Mysterium 2017)
  • 48:00    36 - Sky Fire(Pulse Drive 2015)
  • 51:35    M83 - Undimmed by Time, Unbound by Death(Oblivion ost 2013)
  • 53:47    end