Low Light Mixes

Friday, October 11, 2024

A Moon Full Of Stars and Astral Cars by Andy McNeill/Maple Mountain Sunburst

I fell in love with the music of Andy McNeill, who records as Maple Mountain Sunburst, back in 2010 with the release of the album The Maple Mountain Sunburst Triolian Orchestra. Combining a wide variety of instrumentation, electronics, loops and samples the music creates a unique album and listening experience. The album was one of my favorites of 2010.

When I found out that, after a long hiatus, there was new album this year, I was totally hyped. The new recording, Ecstatic, is everything I'd hoped for. Described by Andy as “Instrumental electronic ambient with loops and chopped samples, old keyboards, guitars, and found voices. The vibe is heartwarming, blissed-out, and euphoric; a balm for turbulent times.” You can find the new album here - https://maplemountainsunburst.bandcamp.com/album/ecstatic

I was so excited by the new music that I asked Andy to create a mix. He graciously agreed and created multiple mixes. So awesome! This is the first one and it is excellent. I can't stop listening to it.

Here's what Andy says abut this mix:

"I could say this playlist is about transcendence and something about the physical and spiritual journeys we might take to get there. Or I could just say these are tracks that bring me joy. Some old favourites, some new. I’ve tried to weave my own material through here in a desperate but determined effort to rise to the level of wonder and beauty in these artists’ work."

Here links to all the music used in the mix:

Thanks, Andy, for your hard work on this set.

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 Maple Mountain Sunburst - Waters Of Forgetfulness (Ecstatic 2024)
05:24 Santo & Johnny - Sleepwalk (Presenting Santo & Johnny 1959)
07:43 Lemon Jelly - Ramblin’ Man (edit) (Lost Horizons 2002)
13:45 The Percy Faith Strings - Out Of This World (Bouquet of Love 1962)
17:46 Maple Mountain Sunburst - Murmuration Awe (Ecstatic 2024)
20:34 Juana Molina -¿Quién? (Segundo 2000)
23:04 Nick Zammuto - Tonight We’ll Go For A Ride (We The Animals 2018)
25:14 Sufjan Stevens - Everything That Rises (Javelin 2023)
30:10 Maple Mountain Sunburst - Dream Fuel (Ecstatic 2024)
34:56 Michael Nyman - Drowning By Number 3 (Drowning by Numbers 1988)
38:24 Radiohead - Pyramid Song (Amnesiac 2001)
43:07 Cocteau Twins - Otterley (Treasure 1984)
46:53 Michael Brook - Midday (Hybrid 1985)
52:18 Brian Eno - Spider and I(Before and After Science 1977)
55:55 Bill Frisell - Half a Million (Is That You? 1990)
59:00 end

Thursday, October 03, 2024

Fall Colors

I have a whiteboard on the wall outside my office at work where we compile random lists of things - "Best Pizza Topping", "Favorite Kitchen Utensil", "Best First Track of an Album", etc. Recently the category was "Songs for Fall/Autumn." I posted about the list on Mixcloud here - https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/posts/songs-about-fall-autumn-fall-colors/

So I grabbed a few tracks from the suggestions, some of my own favorites & some instrumentals to come up with this new Fall Colors mix. The set alternates between vocal tunes & instrumentals.

Btw, the cover art pic is one of my own, taken ten years ago in my backyard.

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 Neil Halstead - Seasons (Sleeping On Roads 2002)
05:21 Jonny Nash - October Song (Point of Entry 2023)
09:21 Fleet Foxes - Wading in Waist-High Water(Solstice Version) (A Very Lonely Solstice 2021)
11:25 Trembling Blue Stars - Two Octobers (Her Handwriting 1996)
12:40 Iron & Wine - Autumn Town Leaves (Weed Garden EP 2018)
15:50 Jeff Pearce - The Last Warm Day In October (Rainshadow Sky 2008)
20:03 The Declining Winter - Autumn Hours (The Definition Glance 2021)
25:50 Brian Eno & Harold Budd - Late October (The Pearl 1984)
30:00 Willie Nelson - September Song (Stardust 1978)
34:31 The Modern Jazz Quartet - Autumn in New York (Django 1953)
38:06 Bill Fay - The Geese Are Flying Westward (Who Is The Sender? 2015)
40:48 Early Day Miners - Autumn Wake (Let Us Garlands Bring 2002)
46:00 Neil Young - Harvest Moon (Harvest Moon 1992)
50:50 The Six Parts Seven - Changing The Name Of October (Silence Magnifies Sound 1999)
56:33 Yo La Tengo - Autumn Sweater (I Can Hear The Heart Beating 1997)
61:33 end

Friday, September 27, 2024

End of Summer Noise by Black Brunswicker

This mix is another great example of why I enjoy guest mixes so much. This collection of tunes starts off rather noisy, hence the title. It's a style of music that I don't go to very often. But it's very cool to hear in this mix.

Our guest this time is Ethan Helfrich, who records under the name Black Brunswicker. They have a new album out called "Been Around Here Before" and you can find it here:

https://blackbrunswicker.bandcamp.com/album/been-around-here-before

Here's what Ethan says about the mix:

"This is a collection of some music that I've been listening to recently, as well as some old favourites. Having spent 2 months in the US this past summer visiting family and traveling for gigs, I spent a lot of time on the road. It brought me back to music I used to play on my daily commute, when my days were soundtracked by the incessant humming of Chicago's highways (listen to "I Think This Heat is Getting to My Head" off my new album for the reference). While most of this isn’t what people might consider ambient — and I don’t really listen to ambient music much anymore — it’s instrumental guitar music that shares a similar feeling. It transports you to different worlds and headspaces or, at the very least, keeps you company on your morning drive."

Thanks, Ethan, for the trip this mix takes us on.

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 CK L I S T :

00:00 Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Fire at Static Valley (G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! 2021)
05:44 Russian Circles - Ghost on High (Blood Year 2019)
07:55 Wolves In The Throne Room - Dia Artio (Two Hunters 2007)
13:25 Sleep - The Sciences (The Sciences 2018)
16:10 Grouper - I Saw A Ray (A I A: Dream Loss 2011)
20:20 Black Brunswicker - Down at the Creek (Been Around Here Before 2024)
23:25 William Tyler - Highway Anxiety (Modern Country 2016)
32:20 Jack Rose - Miss May's Place (Dr. Ragtime & His Pals 2008)
34:53 John Fahey - America(Re-Recorded Version) (Death Chants, Breakdowns And Military Waltzes 1964)
39:48 Black Brunswicker - The Cave (Been Around Here Before 2024)
43:27 Fripp & Eno - Evening Star (Evening Star 1975)
50:45 Bobby Lee - Walking with Trees(Live) (Cosmic Country Revue Live at PDV 2023)
54:41 end

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Primordial Dreams

This is a collection of tribal ambient tunes. Think frame drums and synth washes. Think Steve Roach & Robert Rich - "Strata." Think Byron Metcalf.

There's really not much else to say, if you like the sounds mentioned above, you'll enjoy this 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 Louigi Verona - Geothermal Rising (Abiogenesis 2024)
06:30 Steve Jansen & Richard Barbieri - Remains Of A Fragile Illusion (Other Worlds In A Small Room 1995)
11:11 Byron Metcalf & Mark Seelig - A Teacher Appears (Kali Raga 2024)
20:52 Glasbird - Lokoteraina (A Sonic Expedition 2024)
23:40 Mystic AM - Thus Spoke Zarathustra / The Djinn (Cardamom & Laudanum 2022)
31:42 Cowboy Sadness - Billings, MT (Selected Jambient Works Vol. 1 2024)
35:45 Byron Metcalf - Nine (The Shaman's Heart II 2011)
44:10 The Rain Dogs - Delta Drift (Variations (i) 2020)
50:45 Craig Leon - The Gates Made Plain (Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 2: The Canon 2019)
56:10 Frore & Shane Morris - Into The Dust (Ochre 2023)
67:30 end

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Sequencer City

I have been on a huge sequencer/Berlin-school bender for the last few months. I think it goes back to Paul's train mix back in May. Through that mix I found the music of Gert Blokzijl - https://gertblokzijl.bandcamp.com/. I gobbled up a number of his albums immediately. Then last month I discovered the music of Martin Stürtzer - https://phelios.bandcamp.com/ He's got a ton of stuff out there and it's all good. I'm not sure how I missed him until now, but I'm glad I found him.

While listening to all this music I just knew I had to create a mix full of sequencer or Berlin-school tracks. Most of the tunes are new with 5 of them from 2024, a few more from 2019 to 2022. And one golden oldie from 1983 by Edgar Froese. I really enjoyed putting this one together so look for another before the end of the year.

Here are links to all the music used in this mix:

https://gertblokzijl.bandcamp.com/album/upgraded-from-the-past

https://phelios.bandcamp.com/album/dyson-sphere-alpha

https://www.amazon.com/Pinnacles-Edgar-Froese/dp/B000025JRO

https://jfitoussi.bandcamp.com/album/plein-soleil

https://open.spotify.com/album/5RRCLKU2zA5aUV68mFdeXV?si=b9G9HLZFShq3DgesJXyDEw

https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B09GW384VC?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_cjTbSCQAjo8lzOi3OXvrbvGhh

https://thombrennan.bandcamp.com/album/eventide

https://synphaera.bandcamp.com/album/wave-interference

https://tronestamjohan.bandcamp.com/album/somewhere-far-away

https://phelios.bandcamp.com/album/lander-modules

https://the-rosen-corporation.bandcamp.com/album/icy-nights-awakening

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 Gert Blokziji - Upgraded From The Past 1 (Upgraded From The Past 2019)
06:52 Martin Stürtzer - Uncharted Systems (Dyson Sphere Alpha 2021)
14:00 Edgar Froese - Specific Gravity Of Smile (Pinnacles 1983)
22:00 Jonathan Fitoussi - Rayons solaires (Plein Soleil 2020)
27:12 Just a Human - Pulse (2024)
29:37 Pye Corner Audio - Earthwork (Entangled Routes 2021)
33:24 Thom Brennan - Eventide Pt. 3 (Eventide 2022)
38:20 Lars Leonhard - Wavelength Dreams (Wave Interference 2024)
44:22 Johan Tronestam - The Castle Above The Clouds (Somewhere Far Away 2024)
50:00 Martin Stürtzer - The Last Outpost (Lander Modules 2024)
57:42 The Rosen Corporation - Part Two (Icy Night's Awakening 2024)
63:23 end

Wednesday, September 04, 2024

Story Time by Paul Asbury Seaman

Sometimes a mix comes along at just the right time. This new mix from Paul comes as summer has ended and the weather, at least around here, has turned a bit chilly. There's something about this collection of tracks that seems to work well with this change of seasons.

This mix is different from the usual LLM fair and definitely a change in direction for Paul, a temporary change but a welcome one. These are all vocal tunes, each with its own story to tell.

Here's what Paul says about this compilation:

“Just some of my favorite story songs from the past few decades. Some classics and some I hope will be a delightful discovery for you, as they were to me. Interesting that more than half of them turned out to be about death. But we end on a hopeful note, celebrating life, the universe and friendship.”

Perfect for night time listening around a fire with a good whiskey. Thanks Paul!

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 Michael Smith - Panther in Michigan (Love Stories 1992)

04:43 Mary Lee's Corvette - Tangled Up In Blue (Blood On The Tracks 2011)

11:01 The Chieftains - The Magdalene Laundries (Tears Of Stone 1999)

15:50 John McCutcheon - Christmas In The Trenches (Winter Solstice 1984)

21:16 The Longest Johns - Fire & Flame (Cures What Ails Ya 2020)

23:38 Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Powderfinger (Rust Never Sleeps 1979)

29:02 James Keelaghan - Cold Missouri Waters )A Recent Future 1995)

33:53 Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald (Summertime Dream 1976)

40:15 Bruce Springsteen - You're Missing (The Rising 2002)

45:01 Laurie Rose Griffith - Easy Way to Live (Tocoi Light 2005)

50:20 James McMurtry - Crazy Wind (Too Long in the Wasteland 1989)

54:22 David Wilcox - Eye of the Hurricane (How Did You Find Me Here 1989)

57:51 Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Rumor and Sigh 1991)

62:28 Lucinda Williams - Sweet Old World (Sweet Old World (1992)

67:09 Bruce Cockburn - Look How Far (Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu 1999)

72:40 end

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Current Ambient Obsessions August 2024

Sometimes I go off on tangents with nostalgia mixes, guest mixes, jazz mixes, etc. and I can lose sight of the fact that this is primarily an ambient mix site. So now it's time for a straightforward ambient mix.

All the tracks in this set are from summer 2024, with a couple not even released yet. So super fresh.

Here are some links to all the music used in this 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 Polaroid Notes - Quiet Rooms (Quiet Rooms 2024)
05:55 PJS - Sky Dance (Flora 2024)
14:41 Tapes & Topographies - the clouds and the briars (Plumage 2024)
17:40 Philippe Deschamps - The Silence of Pallas (The Silence of Pallas 2024)
21:12 Metric System 1981 - Down To The Sea (Down To The Sea 2024)
22:20 Toàn & Francis Gri - Rêve quatre (Le tissage des rêves 2024)
28:30 Glasbird - Days of Iron and Steam (Fenscapes 2024)
34:12 Akmuo - Terapija 1 (feat. VS & Emilija) (Sielos Terapija 2024)
36:30 Thorny & Matt Borghi - Outside the Circle I (Fragments of Distance 2024)
41:12 Scattered Light - Beacons (Beacons 2024)
44:50 Mount Shrine - A Slow Plane Part 1 (The Mount Hibiki Tapes 2024)
52:05 ARROWOUNDS - Portasar (Burial Trances of the Tentacled Sect 2024)
56:02 Michael Scott Dawson - Mojave Flowers (feat. Michael Grigoni) (The Tinnitus Chorus 2024)
60:28 end

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Communiqué '77 - '86

When I was in college, a million years ago, I worked at the student radio station. There were some cool people there that turned me onto all sorts of new music. I had cassette tapes of several of the albums they introduced me to and I played them for years. I can't remember to put my garbage out on time but I can still picture the handwritten spines of cassette cases for albums like David Sylvian - Gone To Earth and Tangerine Dream - Hyperborea.

A few of my prized cassettes were from more obscure artists such as the 3 that start this mix - Clara Mondshine, Baffo Banfi, and Bernard Szajner. After listening to these albums recently, I decided to make an entire mix of artists from that cassette era. The result is a nostalgic trip back to the late 70s and early 80s for some electronic goodness.

The tracks range from more obscure artists like Lilienthal, Clara Mondshine, Baffo Banfi, and Bernard Szajner to more well known like Phil Mazanera & Richard Pinhas to the very well known Jean Michel Jarre & Al Di Meola. This collection takes me back to a specific time and works well as a cohesive mix. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did.

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 Clara Mondshine - Landing At Full Moon (Luna Africana 1981)
05:19 Baffo Banfi - Astralunato (Ma Dolce Vita 1979)
09:00 Bernard Szajner - The Memory (some deaths take forever 1980)
13:15 Richard Pinhas - Melodic Simple Transition (L'Ethique 1981)
16:45 Al Di Meola African Night (Scenario 1983)
21:00 Craig Leon - Region of Fleeing Civilians (Visiting 1982)
25:20 Phil Manzanera - Criollo (Primitive Guitars 1982)
30:10 Jean Michel Jarre - Magnetic Fields Part IV (Magnetic Fields 1981)
35:40 Michael Shrieve & Klaus Schulze - Communique (Transfer Station Blue 1986)
48:15 Roedelius - Weilchenwurzeln (Wenn der Südwind Weht 1981)
52:55 Michael Brook - Midday (Hybrid 1985)
58:41 Lilienthal - Gebremster Schaum (Lilienthal 1978)
64:50 end

Wednesday, August 07, 2024

The Passing Of Time by Old Amica

The guest mix hits just keep coming! This set come to us courtesy of Old Amica, a two-person band originally from Norrbotten, Sweden. Today they are separated by 1864km with one part in Stockholm, the other in Genève.

https://oldamica.bandcamp.com/

I was familiar with their work on the Whitelabrecs label:

https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/taiga
https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/fyr

So I was excited to hear about a new album coming out on August 9th. And then I was even more excited when they agreed to create a mix for LLM.

Here's what Johan & Linus say about this creation:

"This mix is a collection of songs and sounds that have had an influence on our new album “För alltid” (out August 9th via Le Mont Analogue [Dronarivm]). “För alltid” is an album about the passing of time, and we tried to break our sound down to its smallest constituents. Sounds that have always been there as a world of its own, but hid in the background."

Thanks so much for this excellent set! Be sure to check out their new release https://oldamica.bandcamp.com/album/f-r-alltid

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 The Beach Boys - Our Prayer (20/20 1969)
01:06 Jónsi & Alex - Atlas Song (Riceboy Sleeps 2009)
08:27 Julianna Barwick - The Harbinger (Nepenthe 2013)
14:02 Stars of the Lid - Dungtitled(In a major) (And their Refinement of the Decline 2007)
19:07 Oliver Coates - One Without (Aftersun [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] 2023)
23:51 Foreign Fields - Terrible Times (Reprise) (The Beauty of Survival 2020)
25:17 Old Amica - Mot natten (För alltid 2024)
32:12 Brian McBride - Overture(For Other Halfs) (When the Detail Lost its Freedom 2005)
38:41 Matti Bye - Open Sea (Capri Clouds 2024)
42:20 Hildur Guðnadóttir - 12 Hours Before (Chernobyl [Music from the Original TV Series] 2019)
44:30 Angelo Bandalamenti - Dark Space Low (Twin Peaks [Limited Event Series Soundtrack] 2017)
46:15 Ryuichi Sakamoto - fullmoon- immersion 2023 (async immersion 2023 2017)
51:03 Skator - Ljusa Tiden (excerpt) (År 2020)
52:20 Old Amica - Neckar (För alltid 2024)

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

We Are Vaporized - The Music of Adam Wiltzie

One of my favorite albums this year is Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal by Adam Wiltzie.
https://adamwiltzie.bandcamp.com/album/eleven-fugues-for-sodium-pentothal

Adam has an extensive discography of work - ranging from solo albums & soundtracks to work in the groups Aix Em Klemm, The Dean Texan, and A Winged Victory For The Sullen. But he is most well known for his work as part of Stars of the Lid, one of the best ambient duos/groups of all time.

After listening to his new album I hauled out some of his other work and loved it all over again. So this mix is the result of me binging Adam's music for the last month or two. It's a great combo of ambient & modern classical. https://adamwiltzie.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. Adam Wiltzie - Tissue Of Lies (Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal 2024)
02:42. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - So That the City Can Begin to Exist (Atmos 2014)
06:54. Aix Em Klemm - Sparkwood And Twentyone (Aix Em Klemm 2000)
13:28. Stars Of The Lid - Articulate Silences Part 1 (and Their Refinement of the Decline 2007)
18:40. Adam Wiltzie - the endless battle of the maudlin ballade part 3 (travels in constants, volume 24 2015)
21:06. A Winged Victory for the Sullen - A Minor Fifth Is Made Of Phantoms (The Undivided Five 2019)
24:18. The Dead Texan - The Struggle (The Dead Texan 2004)
29:10. Aix Em Klemm - The Luxury Of Dirt (Aix Em Klemm 2000)
35:00. Stars Of The Lid - Dust Breeding (1.316)+ (Avec Laudanum 1999)
40:40. Adam Wiltzie - We Were Vaporised (Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal 2024)
43:23. The Dead Texan - Taco Me Manque (The Dead Texan 2004)
45:25. Stars Of The Lid - The Lonely People(Are Getting Lonelier) (The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid 2001)
55:18. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - All Farewells Are Sudden (A Winged Victory For The Sullen 2011)
62:20. end