Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Kosmische Musik - A Starter's Guide Vol. 1

 

For some strange reason I have not been listening to as much pure ambient music as I normally do. I've been playing a lot of jazz lately. And I am still devouring a ton of electronic/berlin school music. So it's perfect timing that friend of the show, Erwin Broers, has come up with a pair of awesome mixes in the genre.

I'll let Erwin tell you all about this new mix:

"Here's a follow-up on my Fall 2024 mix "Back To The Roots Of Berlin School". As you recall it featured a collection of electronic music tracks from the 1990s, that were inspired by the patterns, sounds and analog instruments of the 1970s and early 1980s. Back then, nobody talked about "Berlin School Electronic Music". That label would only appear somewhere mid 1990s, probably to honour the place where the genre was born. Fans in the early days would rather use the term "Kosmische Musik" (German for "Cosmic Music"). An explanation for the "cosmic" element is to be found in the use of the step sequencer, which made it easy to create hypnotic rhythm loops with up to 32 notes or steps, set a tempo, and mix them over electronic drones, soundscapes, soloing, washes, white noise and space sounds. The effect was to “float” the listener through endless terrestrial or cosmic space. For those not keen on using illicit substances, it was an interesting and harmless alternative "trip"!

So I thought about creating a mix of some classic pieces from that first era, but soon found out one mix would not be enough to do justice to all the fantastic "Cosmic Music" that was made back then."

This is an amazing trip that couldn't be contained in a normal hour-long mix so we get 2hours of electronic bliss. Thanks 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 I S T :

  • 00:00:00   Harald Grosskopf - So Weit, So Gut (Synthesist, 1980)
  • 00:05:12   Jean-Michel Jarre - Arpegiator (The Concerts In China, 1982)
  • 00:11:45   Michael Garrison - The Search (In The Regions Of Sunreturn, 1979)
  • 00:17:14   Tangerine Dream - Invisible Limits (Stratosfear, 1976)
  • 00:28:33   Bernd Kistenmacher - Ferne Ziele (Kaleidoscope, 1989)
  • 00:46:23   Kraftwerk - Spacelab (The Man-Machine, 1978)
  • 00:52:08   Klaus Schulze - Nowhere/Now Here (Body Love Vol. 2, 1977)
  • 01:12:05   Wolfgang Bock - Cycles (Cycles, 1980)
  • 01:30:36   Rolf Trostel - Dis Moll Adagio (Musique Intemporel, 1988)
  • 01:35:46   Zanov - Lost Message (In Course Of Time, 1983)
  • 01:41:41   Neuronium - The Neutron Age (Chromium Echoes, 1982)
  • 01:59:39   end


Tuesday, June 03, 2025

Dark Woods by Daniel Hawkins

 


I've fallen behind a bit on creating and uploading mixes. But have no fear, it's Daniel Hawkins to the rescue! He's come up with a guest mix at just the right time. You'll remember Daniel form his previous mix, "Metallic Memories" - https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/metallic-memories/ 

For this set he takes us into the modern classical realm. Here's what Daniel has to say about this new mix:

"I was thinking about some of the nice Neo-classical/crossover stuff I like and then got to thinking about the way having a label for a style of music can actually be a limiting factor.  The best creative work in any field so often transcends genres and labels and breaks new ground - Issak Dinsen said “A work of art is a thing of infinite loneliness and the least to be understood through criticism.”  I remember back in the 1970’s playing Keith Jarret’s solo piano albums and my friends asking what kind of music it was.  What do you say?  Back then they stocked it in the jazz section of the record store with the other ECM releases, but I have never thought of that body of work as jazz.  Music continues to evolve - Ambient?  Chillout?  Drone?  Electronic?  Tribal?  Names and more names.  So what do you call this collection of cello music?  Is it classical because it features an instrument that is typically found in an orchestral setting?  Personally I don’t think we need a label.  I know good music when I hear it.  The mix leans to the somber side - something strings do so well - deep and evocative.  Explorations of the dark night of the soul."


Thanks, Daniel, for another excellent mix!


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   Snorri Hallgrímsson - I Am Weary, Don't Let Me Rest (I Am Weary, Don't Let Me Rest 2023)
  • 06:04   Peter Gregson - Softly Falling (Softly Falling - Single 2024)
  • 08:08   Hildur Guðnadóttir - Ascent (Without Sinking 2009)
  • 12:42   Bob Holroyd - Enough (The Cage 2018)
  • 18:01   David Darling - Dawn (Darkwood IV) (Dark Wood 1993)
  • 23:00   Ketil Bjørnstad, Svante Henryson - Visitor (Night Song 2011)
  • 27:55   Ólafur Arnalds - Partisans (The Invisible EP 2021)
  • 31:03   Henrik Meierkord - Kval (Kval 2021)
  • 35:50   Willebrant - Undercurrent (Undercurrent - Single 2023)
  • 38:05   Slow Meadow - Palemote (Palemote - Single 2016)
  • 43:30   Peter Gregson - Ritual (Peter Gregson 2025)
  • 46:57   Gabriel Ólafs - Whale Overture (Polar 2025)
  • 51:33   Snorri Hallgrímsson - Three Week Cloud (Longer shadows, softer stones - EP 2024)