Jazz Trax 2024

 

This year, like last year, I listened to more jazz than I have in a long time. It should come as no surprise that a lot of my listening tends towards atmospheric jazz. My favorite jazz record of the year, Nala Sinephro - Endlessness, definitely falls into that ambient jazz category. Or as a Pitchfork reviewer called in - Jazz, Not Jazz.

Here are my favorite jazz albums of 2024:

• Bill Laurance & Michael League - Keeping Company
• Charles Lloyd - The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow
• Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn - Quiet in a World Full of Noise
• Eli Keszler - LIVE 2
• Emile Londonien - Inwards
• Flock - Flock II
• Fuubutsushi - Meridians
• Jasmine Myra - Rising
• Kika Sprangers - (In)finity
• Kinkajous - Nothing Will Disappear
• Nala Sinephro - Endlessness
• Prefuse 73 - New Strategies For Modern Crime Volume 1
• Shay Hazan - Wusul
• SHOLTO - Letting Go of Forever
• Slowly Rolling Camera - Silver Shadow
• The Bad Plus - Complex Emotions
• The Sorcerers - I Too Am a Stranger
• Total Blue - Total Blue

Not every album made into the mix plus I added a couple of tracks not on my album list. I hope you enjoy the jazz vibes. I'd love to know if listeners had any jazz favs from 2024. Leave a comment with some of you favorites.

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   Kika Sprangers - Winter ( (In)finity )
• 02:27   Slowly Rolling Camera - Desert Sun (Silver Shadow)
• 05:55   Nala Sinephro - Continuum 8 (Endlessness)
• 09:28   Jasmine Myra - How Tall the Mountains (Rising)
• 16:43   The Sorcerers - Bebaynetu (I Too Am a Stranger)
• 20:43   SHOLTO - Moki, Pt. II (Letting Go of Forever)
• 23:27   Work Money Death - The Fast Flowing River (People Of The Fast Flowing River)
• 29:00   Kinkajous - Pulses (Nothing Will Disappear)
• 32:10   Total Blue - Heart of the World (Total Blue)
• 39:06   Shay Hazan - Shimo Kitazawa (Wusul)
• 42:20   Prefuse 73 - The End Of Air (New Strategies For Modern Crime Volume 1)
• 46:47   Fuubutsushi - Circulating Air (Meridians)
• 50:04   Emile Londonien - Jundo (Inwards)
• 54:10   Joel Ross - What Am I Waiting For! (Nublues)
• 56:45   Bill Laurance & Michael League - Yours (Keeping Company)
• 59:25   Flock - Edge Of Empty (Flock II)
• 64:55   Nala Sinephro - Continuum 3 (Endlessness)
• 68:50   Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn - Try (Quiet in a World Full of Noise)
• 74:06   end

2024 Favorite Ambient Albums Part 2

 

I like making these favorites mixes because it reminds me of why I liked certain albums in the first place. The perfect example is Abandoned Spaces by OdNu & Ümlaut. It's so good and I'm glad I can share with folks via these mixes.

This mix, Part 2, has a little different vibe than Part 1. More sequencer driven tracks, some percussion here and there, generally a bit more active than the first mix. At least the first half is more active, then we slow down & space out. I hope you enjoy this one as much I do.

You can find the full list of favorite ambient albums of 2024, and links to each album, in the post with Part 1 - https://lowlightmixes.blogspot.com/2024/12/2024-favorite-ambient-albums-part-1.html

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   Martin Stürtzer - The Last Oupost (Lander Modules)
• 06:50   Extraworld - Axial Precession (Perihelion)
• 13:40   Civilistjävel! - VI(feat. Thommy Wahlström) (Br​ö​df​ö​da)
• 17:00   OdNu + Ümlaut - Unforseen Scenes (Abandoned Spaces)
• 23:00   2fel - Stranger Flow (Stranger Flow)
• 27:25   Altus - Origin Extract (Ultraviolet)
• 32:27   The Green Kingdom - New Constellations (Horizons)
• 37:10   Michael A. Muller - Mirror 2 (Mirror Music)
• 41:50   Heavenchord - Atmospheres & Soundscapes 1 (Atmospheres & Soundscapes)
• 49:55   v e n n - Long Farewell Pt. 1(v e n n & Brannan Lane) (XIII)
• 54:06   Ulla & Ultrafog - Jesses Car (It Means A Lot)
• 59:13   end

2024 Favorite Ambient Albums Part 1

 

Another year, another ton of releases to sift through. I could keep adding and subtracting albums for weeks and still not be entirely satisfied with the final list. But here it is - my Favorite Ambient Albums of 2024.

As I was creating this part 1 mix, I kept questioning my choices. And then, when the mix was done and I listened to it, I was like "Wow, this turned out really well." I really like how the mix evolves with the first half being a bit more electronic and noisy and the second half leaning more orchestral.

Here's the list of my favorite ambient albums of 2024, in alphabetical order:

2fel - stranger flow 
Adam Wiltzie - Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal [Kranky]
Akmuo - Dreamwalker [Space of Variants]
Altus - Ultraviolet
Alva Noto - Xerrox, Vol.5 [Noton]
Benoit Pioulard & Offthesky - Sunder [laaps]
Circa Alto - Faint Structures (Whitelabrecs]
Civilistjävel! - Brödföda [Felt]
Dirk Serries - Streams Of Consciousness Compiled [Projekt]
Eli Keszler - LIVE 2 [LuckyMe]
Extraworld - Perihelion [Exosphere]
Hainbach - The One Who Runs Away Is the Ghost Soundtrack [Seil]
Heavenchord - Atmospheres & Soundscapes [Cold Tear]
Humble Bee & Offthesky - Here In, Absence [IIKKI]
Innesti - Contemplate
Jogging House - Live at home
Jonas Munk - Mirror Phase [Azure Vista]
Maps and Diagrams - if all will be lost [Quiet Details]
Maps and Diagrams - Islands [Handstitched]
Martin Stürtzer - Lander Modules [Echo Elberfeld]
mastroKristo - Passage [Lost Tribe Sound]
Max Richter - In A Landscape [Decca]
Michael A. Muller - Mirror Music [Deutsche Grammophon]
OdNu + Ümlaut - Abandoned Spaces [Audiobulb]
Pan American & Kramer - Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road
Polaroid Notes - Quiet Rooms [Whitelabrecs]
Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam, Saroon - Dive 1- Refraction [Bathysphere Records]
Tewksbury - Floes Volumes I-IV (Tridek]
The Green Kingdom - Horizons [The Slow Music Movement]
Ulla & Ultrafog - It Means A Lot [Motion Ward]
v e n n - XIII
William Ryan Fritch - Adhesion [Lost Tribe Sound]

And here are links to each album:

Stranger Flow | 2fel

Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal | Adam Wiltzie

Dreamwalker | Akmuo | Space Of Variants

Ultraviolet | Altus

Alva Noto - Xerrox Vol. 5 | Noton

Sunder | Benoît Pioulard & Offthesky | laaps

Faint Structures | Circa Alto | Whitelabrecs

Brödföda | Civilistjävel!

Streams Of Consciousness Compiled | Dirk Serries | Projekt Records

LIVE 2 | Eli Keszler

Perihelion | Extraworld | Exosphere

The One Who Runs Away Is the Ghost Soundtrack | Hainbach

Atmospheres & Soundscapes | Heavenchord | Cold Tear Records

Here In, Absence | The Humble Bee & Offthesky | IIKKI

Contemplate | Innesti

Live at Home | Jogging House

Mirror Phase | Jonas Munk | Azure Vista

if all will be lost | Maps and Diagrams | quiet details

Islands | Maps & Diagrams | Handstitched

Lander Modules | Martin Stürtzer

Passage | mastroKristo | Lost Tribe Sound

In A Landscape | Max Richter | Decca

Mirror Music | Michael A. Muller | Deutsche Grammophon

Abandoned Spaces | OdNu + Ümlaut | Audiobulb

Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road | Pan American & Kramer

Quiet Rooms | Polaroid Notes | Whitelabrecs

Dive 1: Refraction | Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam, & Saroon | Bathysphere Records

Floes: Volumes I-IV | Tewksbury

Horizons | The Green Kingdom | The Slow Music Movement Label

VIII | v e n n

It Means A Lot | Ulla & Ultrafog | Motion Ward

Adhesion | William Ryan Fritch | Lost Tribe Sound

I hope you enjoy part 1. Part two is coming soon. Followed by a mix of jazz favorites from 2024.

What are some of your favorite ambient albums from the past year?

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   Pan American / Kramer - Floating Island (Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road)
• 04:22   Maps and Diagrams - Hvar (Islands)
• 07:35   Jogging House - Live at Home pt. 1 (Live at Home)
• 13:15   Innesti - Astral Secrets (Contemplate)
• 16:14   Alva Noto - Xerrox Arc (Xerrox, Vol.5)
• 20:53   Hainbach - End of Work (The One Who Runs Away Is the Ghost Soundtrack)
• 22:45   Akmuo - Dreamwalker (Dreamwalker)
• 26:50   Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam, & Saroon - Euphotic (Dive 1: Refraction)
• 31:36   Benoît Pioulard & Offthesky - Fed On Lilies (Sunder)
• 35:48   Jonas Munk - Dawn Layer (Mirror Phase)
• 40:40   Polaroid Notes - The Night Returns Without A Sound (Quiet Rooms)
• 45:40   The Humble Bee & Offthesky - Space (Here In, Absence)
• 52:00   William Ryan Fritch - Gravitropic (Adhesion)
• 60:10   Adam Wiltzie - Mexican Helium (Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal)
• 62:44   Max Richter - A Time Mirror(Biophony) (In A Landscape)
• 66:36   mastroKristo - Waves(Federico Mosconi Rework) (Passage)
• 73:40   Dirk Serries - the whispering scale (Streams Of Consciousness Compiled)
• 82:45   Tewksbury - Aperture (Floes Volumes I-IV)
• 94:23   end

Inner Landscapes by Hollie Kenniff

 

I have hosted more guest mixes than ever this year, which I love because it exposes me to new artists and new mix concepts. Many of these mixes have come through the fine folks at Nettwerk Music Group. It's appropriate then that this final guest mix of the year comes from one of their artists - Hollie Kenniff. I absolutely love the way this mix ebbs and flows, the tracks blend together perfectly.

Hollie just released her fourth album, For Forever, which is a lush, melodic ambient record that uses electronic and acoustic instrumentation to create an emotional, ethereal listening experience.

Here's what Hollie says about her mix:

"My intention with this mix is for the listeners to immerse themselves into a soothing soundscape designed to calm your mind and ease your spirit. Each track is meant to flow seamlessly into the next, creating a peaceful atmosphere that helps you unwind, meditate, or simply take a moment to breathe."

I'm a music mix dork who loves a good segue between songs and this beautiful mix from Hollie has a ton of them, an absolute joy to soak in.

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   Hollie Kenniff - Over Ocean Waves (Anita Tatlow Remix)
• 02:08   Kazuma Okabayashi - Rainfall
• 04:55   Warmth - Receiver
• 07:40   Tangent Universes - An Elegant. Disinterested Trance (Field Collage)
• 10:32   Chihei Hatakayama - Sound of Air
• 13:54   Black Brunswicker - The World Passing By
• 16:17   Akira Kosemura - Dear Sunshine
• 18:10   Alanna Crouch - Repeating Events 
• 21:18   Human Is Alive and Warmth - Spectrum
• 23:58   Felicia Atkinson - Shall I Return To You
• 26:46   Antarctic Wastelands - Mysteries
• 28:46   Hollie Kenniff - Surface
• 32:10   Jon Hopkins and Olafur Arnalds - Forever Held
• 34:31   Clariloops - Morning
• 38:55   Gollden - There Will Be Birds in September
• 42:36   Kilometre Club - Connect
• 44:42   Nala Sinephro - Continuum 3
• 48:33   Markus Guentner - Vanish (Feat. Joachim Spieth) 
• 53:16   Chad Lawson - In Another Place (Helios Rework)
• 56:16   Ben Lukas Boysen - Alta Ripa

Back To The Roots Of Berlin School by Erwin Broers

 

At the beginning of September when I posted my "Sequencer City" mix, I said I'd been on a berlin school bender. Well, now three months later I'm still on that sequencer synth kick. At the end of October the analog synth itch was scratched by a stellar guest mix from Erwin Broers called "Capturing The Voice Of A Galaxy." It featured tracks from the Klaus Schulz label, "Innovative Communications.

Now we have have a follow up mix from Erwin called "Back to the Roots of Berlin School." Oh man, this is some good stuff! Erwin tells me that "there's a whole sub-category of "Berlin School" out there called "Retro Berlin School". In the mid 1990's "Berlin School" was revived by nostalgic electronic artists who benefited from technological innovations to make the iconic analog synths such as the Mellotron, the ARP 2600 and the big Moog Modular more playable. The result was a huge resurgence of mid 1970's style Berlin School EM which was dubbed "retro" to mark the difference with the classics such as Tangerine Dream's Stratosfear, Klaus Schulze's Timewind and Ashra's New Age Of Earth."

I hope my current obsession with this genre continues because I am loving every minute of it. Thanks for another great mix, Erwin.

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 S I S T :

• 00:00   Redshift - Redshift(excerpt) (Redshift, 1996)
• 09:20   Cosmic Hoffmann - Shiva Connection (Shiva Connection, 2000)
• 15:00   Free System Projekt - And Then There Were Two (Impulse (reissue), 2005)
• 29:00   Brendan Pollard - Aquarius (Expansion, 2005)
• 31:17   Ramp - Phasenverzerrung (Nodular, 1998) 
• 42:50   Javi Canovas - North Of Circle (Impasse, 2005)
• 56:42   Arcane - Dystopian Fictions (Gather Darkness, 1999)
• 71:02   end