Keeping Time in the Golden Hour

 

I'm in the process of making lists of my top 5 instrumental albums for each year from 1970 to the present. Yeah, it's going take a while. So I was digging around in my music hard drive looking for music that would fit those lists and I stumbled upon the track Tulpa Ovi by Robag Wruhme. I immediately loved the feel of tune and knew I needed it in a mix.

The cut has a feeling of motion similar to others I've used in train themed mixes. But it was more gentle, almost wistful. It made me think of traveling during sunset or the golden hour. Hence the title "Keeping Time in the Golden Hour."

From there I collected tracks, new and old, with a similar vibe. In addition to the cut by Robag Wruhme my other favorites in this mix are "St. Catherine and the Calm" by Francis Harris and "Ankeney, Iowa" by Tiki Obmar. I like all the tracks in this mix but those two really get me.

Normally I'd say this would be a perfect mix for traveling during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday but it's 2020 so stay home. Put this mix on and do some virtual traveling. Here's a little video promo I made to put in that frame of mind.

Cheers!

[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ i t u n e s ]

T R A C K L I S T I N G :

• 00:00    Francis Harris - St. Catherine and the Calm (Trivial Occupations 2018)
• 08:25    Robag Wruhme - Tulpa Ovi (Thora Vukk 2011)
• 10:42    Night Sea - Cherry (Still 2020)
• 16:18    Tiki Obmar - Ankeney, Iowa (High School Confidential 2003)
• 28:18    Ghosting Season - Through Your Teeth ( The Very Last Of The Saints 2012)
• 32:43    Saphileaum - Soft Warming (In Distant Terra 2020)
• 37:37    Sven Laux - Grass-Covered Plain (We Were Here 2013)
• 46:08    Halftribe & Spinnet - Mr & Mrs Everywhere (Patterns of Sync 2020)
• 53:14    Robag Wruhme - Prognosen Bomm (Thora Vukk 2011)
• 56:25    vau - Nightfall (ways of stillness 2018)
• 63:43    end

The Stars Appear Like Diamonds

 

As is well documented in this blog, I am a space nerd. Over the years I have posted a ton of mixes related to the cosmos. Whether it's a stargazing mix or a celebration of the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle or a requiem for a dying space probe, ambient/electronic music is the perfect companion for turning your gaze to the heavens.

Over the last couple of months we've been treated to beautiful views of Mars, Jupiter & Saturn. Mars has been visible just after sunset in the eastern skies and has looked terrific with it's red/orange color easily setting it apart from the rest of the celestial objects.

Jupiter and Saturn are headed for a "Great Conjunction." Jupiter is usually one of the brightest night objects, but in recent months it has stood out even more than usual because of the presence of bright Saturn trailing just off to its left (east).

Jupiter & Saturn on Nov. 1, 2020

The two planets will continue to get closer and closer until Dec. 21 when they will be about one-tenth of a degree apart, appearing as a single star in the night sky. This will be their closest approach since 1623.

I thought about collecting a bunch of tunes with Jupiter and Saturn in the titles for a themed mix but instead I decided to go with a general stargazing mix because I had so many excellent new tracks from this year that fit perfectly. So all the cuts in this mix are from 2020 except for one random track by Altus from 2007.

Get outside and watch as the stars appear like diamonds and look for Jupiter and Saturn as they come together over the next month. And be sure to bring some space music with you.

Cheers!

[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ i t u n e s ]

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Alva Noto - Xerrox Neige (Xerrox Vol. 4 2020)
• 04:44    Loneward - Ethereal Glow (Moongate 2020)
• 10:25    In The Branches + Bluetech - Celestial (Portals 2020)
• 15:15    Thom Brennan - Night Lights Part 3 (Night Lights 2020)
• 20:01    Machinefabriek - Waqur (To Yemen With Love 2020)
• 23:12    Tatsuro Murakami - Inevitable Silence (Between 2020)
• 28:46    Echoflex - 50°21'40"N 4°09'44"W veering S (Echoflex II 2020)
• 33:55    Pulse Emitter - Winds (Calming Winds 2019)
• 44:50    Lauge - Floating (Latitudes 2020)
• 49:10    Altus - Dust Lanes (The Grand Expanse 2007)
• 55:41    36 & zakè - Stasis Sounds for Long-Distance Space Travel Reduction 3 (Stasis Sounds for Long-Distance Space Travel 2020)
• 64:22    end