Wednesday, April 15, 2015

The Ambient Dishwasher




Every mix has it's own unique starting point.  And this mix definitely started in a unique place - my dishwasher.

One day my dishwasher was making some weird noises, it kind of sounded like an alien playing a didgeridoo was trapped inside.  So I recorded a little bit of the sound and then processed it using Paul's Extreme Sound Stretch.  And whaddya know - it actually sounds pretty good. 





I've used Paul's Extreme Sound Stretch in mixes before and it's a fun little program for non-musicians like me.

I posted the stretched version on the Hypnos Recordings forum just for kicks.  A couple folks asked to hear the original source as well.  Then the next thing you know some of the artists who frequent the forum took that original dishwasher sound & used it as a source to come up with their own original takes.

I was pretty darn excited.  These are artists that in some cases I've been listening to for years.  And they were going to make music from my freakin' dishwasher.  Pretty cool.

Here's the Hypnos forum dishwasher thread... HYPNOS

We ended up with five pieces created from the original dishwasher sounds.  I also asked my son, who produces EDM music as AXX, to also make an ambient dishwasher tune, which he did and I gotta say I love his version.  Throw my stretched version in there and we have 7 dishwasher tunes, enough for a whole mix.  Pretty cool again.

I started the mix with the original sound and let it morph into the different versions.  They all flow together very well.

Here are the links to each individual piece used in the mix in order of appearance...

https://soundcloud.com/low-light-mixes/dishwasher-original

https://soundcloud.com/low-light-mixes/dishwasher-drone




https://serenffordd.bandcamp.com/track/rin-se







T R A C K L I S T :
  • 00:00    Dishwasher original sound
  • 00:17    Dave Michuda - Dishwasher Stretch
  • 01:00    Forrest Fang - Dave's Dishwasher(Zen Cycle)
  • 02:42    AXX - Dishwasher Drone AXX Rework
  • 05:15    Igneous Flame - Chthonic Cycles
  • 09:25    Castleview - Cavewasher
  • 11:20    The Circular Ruins - The Circular Ruins Over Dave's Dishwasher
  • 15:00    Dave Michuda - Dishwasher Stretch part 2
  • 16:55    Seren Ffordd - Rin-Se
  • 20:43    end



Posted by Low Light Mixes at 11:42 AM 4 comments
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Friday, April 10, 2015

Space Rock

 

This mix was inspired by a playlist that i stumbled across on Spotify.  It's called ENtro to Deep Space Rock.  You can find it here...

https://open.spotify.com/user/glennpmcdonald/playlist/7J19mbbwlbsxeWxSeBqTb1

I really enjoyed a lot of the instrumental cuts in the playlist.

I've been a prog rock fan since the 70s but I rarely listen to anything that would be considered current prog rock.  I've sampled a lot of prog recorded in the last 15 years but it's never really done much for me.  Part of that is due to my tastes changing over the years.  I have less interest in long guitar solos and ridiculous lyrics about nymphs in the forest, the end of the world, etc.  I still enjoy all my old favs but the new stuff just comes across as silly much of the time.  I know that old 70s prog is filled with stupid lyrics but those get a pass because I've loved them for 40 years.  

I've often wondered if I would be drawn to Yes or Genesis if I were hearing them for the first time right now.  Probably not.  Maybe I was drawn to the instrumentals in the playlist because lyrics and vocals weren't a problem.  I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed many of the cuts. 

The mix starts with a great tune from A Produce, The Golden Needle, that I've had for years but never listened to closely.  It's got this great Pink Floyd feel to it.  And even though it doesn't rock the way the other tunes do, I thought it would be a good way to start the mix.

The music is then a mixture of old and new instrumentals.  I've put the year each was released in the tracklist.  I'd say of the new prog instrumentals I've discovered that My Brother The Wind is a favorite.  Hopefully this is just a start of even more music to add to my collection.







T R A C K L I S T :
  • 00:00    A Produce - The Golden Needle (1996)
  • 06:42    Causa Sui - The Juice (2013)
  • 10:50    Eternal Tapestry - Ancient Echos (2011)
  • 16:00    Phil Manzanera - Sol Caliente/East of Asteroid (1976)
  • 22:30    Pink Floyd - Obscured by Clouds (1972)
  • 25:05    My Brother the Wind - Into the Cosmic Halo (2014)
  • 31:33    Oresund Space Collective - The Tricophantic Spire (2014)
  • 38:00    Krel - Track Thru Space (2010)
  • 41:05    Causa Sui - Mireille (2013)
  • 47:54    Holger Czukay - Ode to Perfume (1982)
  • 56:45    Peter Banks - Knights (1973)
  • 61:06    My Brother the Wind - Epilogue (2014)
  • 65:05    Transitional Phase - Phase Two (2007)
  • 69:54    Peter Banks - Last Eclipse (1973)
  • 71:59    end


Posted by Low Light Mixes at 4:06 PM 1 comments
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Saturday, April 04, 2015

The Stars My Destination

 

I have been planning on doing a stargazing mix for a long time and then a new EP by 36 came out and I knew I had to get cracking on a new mix.

The new EP is called Sine Dust and it's excellent.  All the tracks have a similar feel to them and that is by design.  36 artist, Dennis Huddleston, says "I wanted to make an EP that had a strictly defined sound and theme, which continued from beginning to end, using a limited array of instruments to tell the story."  And it's a good story.  The synths have a sort of retro feel without being kitschy or obvious.  The touch here is just perfect.  And the tracks work nicely for an astronomical theme.




The 6th track in the mix is from an excellent new compilation from Tessellate Recordings - Earthtones Vol. 3.  Just like the other two comps, this is a great collection of tunes with a nice variety of sounds and textures.





The Fripp tune is one of a bunch freebies that his DGM Live website has available.  I highly recommend spending some time there and looking through all the oddities they have available for download.
https://www.dgmlive.com/

The rest of the tunes I think work rather well as a soundtrack to laying on your back and staring up at the night sky.  Whether it's looking for a meteor streaking through the atmosphere or gazing at a blood moon, this mix should transport you off planet.

Enjoy 






T R A C K L I S T :
  • 00:00    36 - Beyond the Heliosphere
  • 05:57    Monty Adkins - Entangled Symmetries
  • 09:00    Fripp - Time Stands Still
  • 14:30    Lorenzo Montana - Bloom
  • 20:31    Robert Rich - Aetherfolds
  • 23:40    Map 165 - Long Shore Drift
  • 26:47    Alpha Wave Movement - Cryptic Signals
  • 33:06    Spectra Ciera - Second Narrows
  • 35:52    Jon Hopkins - cold out there
  • 39:03    36 - Sun Riders Part II
  • 43:42    Kalgan - Subway Evening
  • 46:44    Lunar Testing Lab - Station East
  • 50:36    Aglaia - Polar Cap Absorption
  • 54:27    Steve Roach - The Delicate Forever
  • 65:35    end

Posted by Low Light Mixes at 11:14 AM 0 comments
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