Sunday, September 25, 2022

The Birdsong Project

 

On September 7, NPR dropped an episode of All Songs Considered about an enormous new compilation album called "For The Birds: The Birdsong Project." It's a massive collection of original songs and poems about birds and inspired by birdsong. Artists range from Alice Coltrane, Nick Cave, Laurie Anderson, and The Flaming Lips to Sam Prekop, Devendra Banhart, Yo Yo Ma, and of course Andrew Bird & Jeff Tweedy.

Here's a link to the episode - https://www.npr.org/2022/09/06/1121237661/this-episode-is-for-the-birds

As I listened to the collection for a few days at work, my ambient brain thought of using some of the instrumental tracks in a mix. So for this mix all the tracks come from The Birdsong Project. Most of the cuts have worked bird sounds in with the music.

Unfortunately this collection is not available on Bandcamp. So it's very expensive to buy the full compilation, with the vinyl box set selling for $400 and the mp3 downloads going for $38 per volume. So I would suggest listening to the collection on Spotify which you can find here - https://www.audubon.org/news/the-birdsong-project-box-set

Here's one more link to check out - https://www.thebirdsongproject.com/

Cheers!


[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ a p p l e _ p o d c a s t s ]


T R A C K L I S T :

  • 00:00    Shearwater - Kwitaro Backbone
  • 05:33    Sam Prekop - Stations Parallel
  • 10:12    Aska Matsumiya - Tori No Uta
  • 12:57    Paul Cantelon - Hymn for Four Birds
  • 18:41    Makaya McCraven - For The Birds
  • 21:27    Elliot Bergman - Crow Dialectic
  • 25:27    Andrew Bird - Rare Birds
  • 32:22    Joachim Cooder - Carolina Turtledove
  • 34:55    Carla dal Forno - Morning Maggie
  • 37:04    Devendra Banhart - Ka
  • 40:20    Dexter Story - Wefoch(Birds)
  • 43:40    Stuart Bogie - Far Rockaway
  • 49:11    Woodkid - Altamira Oriole
  • 51:57    Marcelo Zarvos - Nightbird
  • 55:39    Cosmo Sheldrake - Evening Chorus(Live in the Bluebell Woods)
  • 60:27    end


Sunday, September 18, 2022

Mystical Waterwheel by Paul Asbury Seaman

 

Two water themed mixes in a row is a coincidence but one I'm glad has happened. The different styles of the two most recent mixes show that a similar theme can be approached in distinct ways. Paul does a great job of mixing various genres into one coherent mix.

Here's what Paul has to say about Mystical Waterwheel:

“The image I have for this mix is children running along a babbling brook, climbing over rocks to follow the stream downhill through a forest, then discovering a stone millhouse powered by a waterwheel, the slow turning of its paddles (and the muffled thumping of the wooden cogs inside) making a steady contrast to the rushing water, now spent and quietly merging with the larger river.

From figuring prominently in Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai to a perennial subject of autumn calendars, waterwheel mills are a ubiquitous symbol of pastoral tranquility. You’ll find plenty of good vibes—and marimbas—on this one.”

Oh man, that Oregon track really takes me back. Thanks Paul for another excellent musical journey.

Links to the music used in this mix:


Cheers!




T R A C K L I S T :
  • 00:00    Erik Wollo & Byron Metcalf - Linked Stars (Earth Luminous 2016)
  • 02:30    dDarkwater - Waterwheel (Waterwheel 2021)
  • 04:35    Bryan Carrigan - Masquerade (Windows 2012)
  • 09:25    David Helpling - Promise (Sleeping on the Edge of the World 1999)
  • 14:15    Calm Whale - Magic Kalimba Meditation (Magic Kalimba Meditation 2021)
  • 23:33    Trentemoller - Miss You (Miss You 2008)
  • 27:18    Oregon - Waterwheel (Out of the Woods 1978)
  • 33:25    Kaya Project - Welcome To The Endless Spinning Wheel (Defiance 2022)
  • 39:26    Daniel Thatcher - Im Alpental (Waterwheel 2021)
  • 45:52    Camel - Rain Dances (Rain Dances 1991)
  • 48:31    Uakti - Japurá River (Aguas da Amazonia 1999)
  • 52:57    SQUID LID - Waterwheel Waltz (Steam Powered Submarine 2009)
  • 55:42    Anantakara - La Force Du Coeur (Forgotten Key 2021)
  • 59:02    So Percussion - Threads: X. Chorale Prelude (Threads 2011)
  • 63:19    Shadowfax - Vajra (Shadowfax 1982)
  • 67:32    Kronos Quartet - Escalay 'Waterwheel' (Pieces Of Africa 1992)
  • 71:24    Nik Tyndall - Timeless (Lagoon 1990)
  • 76:50    Robert Rich - The Abiding Wheel (Tactile Ground 2018)
  • 81:40    Sonos Handbell Ensemble - II. Concerto in A minor(Adagio) (Classical Sonos)
  • 85:28    Erik Friedlander - Waterwheel (Rings 2016)
  • 90:10    Erik Wollo & Byron Metcalf - Distant Future (Earth Luminous 2016)
  • 97:21    end

Sunday, September 11, 2022

4th World Excursions - Slow Water

 

I love the strange exotic sounds of artists such as Jon Hassell, Andrew Pekler, and William Selman. Their music can take you on an audio journey to imaginary places all around the globe. My first 4th World Excursion mix was 4 years ago and I've only done one follow up, which is weird considering how much I enjoy this style. 

Here are the first two in this series:

https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/folding-water-fourth-world-excursions/

https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/strange-beauty-4th-world-excursions-vol-2/

And here is the new follow up - 4th World Excursions - Slow Water.

This new mix follows a similar pattern and feel as the other two - using a combination of field recordings and the sounds of bells, drums, vibraphone, various mallet instruments, the vibe creates a feeling of floating in a small wooden boat in a lagoon somewhere in Indonesia. As the waves lap against the boat you can hear distant drums, crickets, jungle birds, frogs, and odd instruments lulling you to sleep. Of course there are electronic elements to keep things interesting.

Here links to all the albums used in this mix in the order in which they appear:


Cheers!


[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ a p p l e _ p o d c a s t s ]


T R A C K L I S T :

  • 00:00    Jason Kolàr - Bells (Liquid Rhythm 2022)
  • 04:00    Vague Imaginaries - Montagnes Flottantes (L'​î​le D'or 2020)
  • 07:50    Jarguna - Shuar Tales (Animas-k 2021)
  • 10:20    Thunder & FX
  • 11:40    Ethan Braun & Sam Gendel - 1/2 Sculpture (Rio Nilo 66 2021)
  • 14:40    David de la Haye - The Pond Listener (With Ears Underwater 2022)
  • 15:20    David de la Haye - March Towards the Light (With Ears Underwater 2022)
  • 16:05    Inhmost - Waters Edge (Early Horizons 2021)
  • 20:10    Mark Templeton - Channel Shifting (Ocean Front Property 2020)
  • 22:00    Mike Cooper - Towards Great Piles Of Masonry (Oceans Of Milk & Treacle 2022)
  • 23:45    Andrew Pekler & Giuseppe Ielasi - Baden-Baden (Palimpsests 2021)
  • 26:12    Jason Kolàr - Magic Random Exotism (Liquid Rhythm 2022)
  • 29:15    Vague Imaginaries - Mais (L'​î​le D'or 2020)
  • 34:40    William Selman - Realgar Bay (Naming Before Names 2020)
  • 40:18    Maps and Diagrams - One Day (Teygja Part B 2021)
  • 42:35    Pauline Anna Strom - Tropical Rainforest (Angel Tears in Sunlight 2021)
  • 47:25    Hawsepiper - Air Stones (Red Knot Returns 2021)
  • 51:15    Andrew Pekler - Tuanahe (Sounds From Phantom Islands 2019)
  • 55:15    Felipe Otondo – Mombasa (Mombasa 2022)
  • 56:30    Loren Nerell & Mark Seelig - Kayon (Tree of Life 2014)
  • 58:45    Ultramarine - Signals Into Space (The Sun in the East 2020)
  • 65:00    end