Low Light Mixes: March 2022

Sunday, March 27, 2022

International Piano Day 2022

International Piano day takes place on the 88th day of the year, in honor of the number of keys on a piano keyboard. In 2022 that day is March 29th. So, as in years past, I have put together a mix of piano tracks to celebrate Piano Dat 2022.

This set starts off a bit different from those I've done before. Most are solo piano type mixes but this one starts off with 5 tracks that have more of an electronic vibe. After that we return to my normal nebulous, random note type of piano stuff. Then finishing off with a few more composed tracks.

Piano Day links:

Links to the albums used in this mix in the order in which they appear:

Cheers and Happy Piano Day!

[ 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 Aukai - Distracted By Clouds(Ben Lukas Boysen Remix) (Branches Of Sun2017)
04:38 Mike Lazarev - All That Remains (Places for Peace 2022)
06:57 Arovane & Hior Chronik - The Return (Into My Own 2017)
09:46 Chris Hyson - Nocturne (Human Error 2017)
14:18 Jon Hopkins - A Drifting Up (Insides 2008)
18:25 Andrew Tasselmyer - Missing Pieces of Self (Limits 2022)
23:00 William Basinski & Janek Schaefer - on reflection (“ . . . on reflection " 2022)
29:55 unknown - generative pno
37:27 Nebel lang - Where Are You (Directions For Stopping 2022)
42:23 Spheruleus - Frozen (Frozen Quarters 2010)
44:30 Maps and Diagrams - Gehen (Marhofn 2022)
46:20 Jonathan Yandel - Impromptu No. 1 (Inner Ocean 2017)
53:38 Rob Simonsen - Argenté (Rêveries 2019)
57:40 grotta veterano - slaap (sleeplaboratory3.0 2022)
61:02 end

Sunday, March 20, 2022

rainfall meditation '22

This mix is perfect for spring. Here the rain is the main attraction. It dominates the sound. I purposely mixed the audio from the music fairly low so that it sounds like it's playing in the background somewhere.

I did a similar mix back in August of 2020 - https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/rainfall -meditation/ and this one is the same idea. Enjoy this mix as winter snow turns to spring rain.

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 rain(duh)
00:40 Brian Eno - Hannah (Sisters 2017)
06:30 Austin Rockman - - Kissed By Her Witness (Our Own Unknown 2022)
10:50 Janek Schaefer - Beam Me Up (Glitter In My Tears 2017)
14:00 Calm Whale - Blue Moon Wind Chimes Meditation (2017)
22:22 Konstruct - Driftwood (Soundworks 2022)
26:45 Pepo Galán - Sowing (A Speechless Body 2022)
31:00 Andrew Tasselmyer - Our Own Private Libraries (Limits 2022)
37:15 David Cordero - El bosque animado (VA Home Normal 2020)
42:12 Brian Eno - LUX 4 (LUX 2012)
52:25 Lo-Fang - Himalayan Singing Bowls in The Hoh Rainforest pt. 1 (Near Other Worlds 2020)
60:00 generative piano
64:53 end

Sunday, March 13, 2022

I dreamed I had to take a test...

The spoken word in music is a tricky thing. A lot of people really dislike it. And I totally get that. Most of the time I think it's distracting or annoying or cheesy. But obviously someone like Laurie Anderson is able to pull it off successfully. If I use a track with spoken word in an ambient mix it can ruin the mood so I decided to make an entire mix featuring tracks with spoken word.

What got me going on this mix was discovering an Eno EP from 2011. I was already familiar with his album, Drums Between The Bells, which features the poetry of Rick Holland. But I somehow missed the EP, Panic of Looking. As I listened to it for the first time I wondered if I could construct an entire mix based on spoken word tracks. There are tracks from both of the previously mention Eno albums and of course a few Laurie Anderson cuts. And I think the final result works pretty darn well.

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 Brian Eno - the real (Drums Between The Bells 2011)
06:42 Laurie Anderson - Tightrope (Bright Red 1994)
11:51 Blurry The Explorer - Orange Tree Fallen (Blurry The Explorer 2021)
16:02 Felicia Atkinson With Sylvain Chauveau - Aberdeen (Roman Anglais 2008)
20:02 Balmorhea - Day Dawns In Your Right Eye (The Wind 2021)
23:33 Ryuichi Sakamoto - life, life (Async 2017)
27:40 Laurie Anderson - World Without End (Bright Red 1994)
30:09 Just a Human & David Ignatow - Revive & The World is So Difficult to Give Up...
32:22 Brian Eno - fierce aisles of light (Drums Between The Bells 2011)
34:33 Kate Tempest - Hold Your Own (The Book Of Traps And Lessons 2019)
38:25 Erland Cooper - Noup Head (Hether Blether 2020)
41:57 Cassandra Jenkins - Hard Drive (An Overview on Phenomenal Nature 2021)
46:51 Laurie Anderson - I dreamed I had to take a test... (United States Live 1984)
47:58 Ryuichi Sakamoto - fullmoon (Async 2017)
52:42 Brian Eno - Not A Story (Panic Of Looking 2011)
53:45 Brian Eno - the airman (Drums Between The Bells 2011)
56:52 Laurie Anderson - Lighting Out for the Territories (United States Live 1984)
59:04 end

Sunday, March 06, 2022

The Power of Memory by Altus

The first time I used a track from Altus in a mix was 10 years ago. I've been a fan ever since. Altus is Mike Carss, who also records as Loneward. Between those two musical personas, I've used Mike's music in 10 mixes.

After listening to the new Loneward album, Pallid Memories, I asked Mike if he could create a guest mix for me. Luckily, he said yes and now we have this wonderful new collection, The Power of Memory. I've been listening to it nearly every day for the last two weeks and I just can't say enough about this mix. It transports the listener through space and time.

Here's what Mike says about this mix:

Our brains are mysterious machines when you regard how memory works. If you listen to new music and it causes you to sit up and take notice, there's a chance that moment in time will encode itself into the soundwaves. With each repeated listen, you can reinforce that, recording fragments of those periods of time. Afterward, no matter how long a time gap, if you listen to that song again, you can enjoy the memories held within. This makes the music yours and deeply personal.

Even more interesting is when you listen to new music and it simply unearths nostalgia within you.

The final track in this mix, written by me (Loneward), is my way of expressing both these phenomena.

As you might have guessed, each song (aside from the final track) has deep meaning to me. I'm happy to be able to share them with you, and I hope the music moves you enough to explore the albums they came from.

When Dave asked me to guest mix for LLM, I thought: yeah, that sounds like a fun project. I've never done anything like this before but knew there was an art to it. Now, I have a whole new level of respect for those who create these mixes. Coming up with a set list is one thing, but getting them to actually work together without unwanted dissonance . . .? Ouch!

My thanks to Dave for the opportunity. I hope you enjoy the journey.

- Mike

You can find Altus & Loneward music here - https://altusmusic.bandcamp.com/

Links to every album used in this set, in the same order in which they appear in the mix:

Also thanks to Mike for collecting this social info for all the artists in the mix:

Facebook:

Srg
@robertrichmusic
@hakobuneongaku
Jess Kahr
@Ex Confusion
@christophersiskmusic
@mattborghi
Awakened Souls
@kwajbasket
Norihito Suda
Ajna & @Massergy
@eternellmusic
@dirk.serries
Wings Of An Angel
@SteveRoachMusic

Twitter:

Srg
@robertrichmusic
@hakobunemusic
Jess Kahr
@exconfusion
@christophersisk
@mattborghi
@souls_awakened
@Kwajbasket
Norihito Suda
Ajna & @massergy
@illuvia
Dirk Serries
@WingsAmbient
@steve_timeroom

Instagram:

Srg
@robertrichmusic
@tobirarecs
Jess Kahr
@exconfusion
@christophersisk
@mattborghimusic
@awakenedsoulsmusic
@kwajbasket
Norihito Suda
@ajna_drone & @massergy_ambient
@ludvigcimbrelius
@dirkserries
Wings Of An Angel
@steveroachofficial

Thanks again, Mike, for creating this gem!

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 Srg - Mantra 28th Oct 2008 (Self Released 2008)
04:51 Robert Rich - Seascape (Trances & Drones on Release Entertainment 2000)
09:19 Hakobune - Whispering In Their Presence (Whispering In Their Presence on Sunshine Ltd 2012)
14:21 Jess Kahr - ICA (The North Shore on Darla Records 2004)
17:29 Ex Confusion - Speak Softly In My Dreams (Embrace on n5MD 2012)
21:00 Christopher Sisk - 03 (Light 1 on Christopher Sisk Music 2012)
24:30 Matt Borghi - Dream Journal (Music for Meditation and Sleep - Short Forms, Vol. 1 on SloBor Media 2020)
27:28 Awakened Souls - How We Heal (How We Heal on Stereoscenic 2020)
30:37 Kwajbasket - Do Not Go to the Medical Deck (Science Fiction Soundtrack / Self Released 2012)
32:37 Norihito Suda - Acceptance (Modestly Calm on Somehow Recordings 2011)
35:19 Ajna & Massergy - White Spinels (Self Titled EP / Self Released 2013)
38:25 Eternell - Gray Havens (Waking Music / Self Released 2013)
41:00 Vidna Obmana - Forever Grown (Passage In Beauty on Decade Collection 1991)
44:10 Wings Of An Angel - Your Clinic Of Asunderous Therapeutic Atrophies Has Won This Year's Nobel Prize (Don't Trust The Sun / Self Released 2015)
48:07 Steve Roach - Dream Body (Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces on Projekt 2003)
52:41 Loneward - A Collection of Lesser Moments (Pallid Memories on Altus Music 2022)
60:34 end