Low Light Mixes: October 2022

Friday, October 28, 2022

Slightly Spooky

I wasn't planning on making a Halloween themed mix but a couple of days ago I heard a new album called "Xiuxiuejar" by Hekla and I knew I had to use some tracks in a mix. Hekla is an Icelandic musician who use the theremin to create haunting, other-worldly soundscapes. Perfect for a Halloween mix.

Some of the other tracks follow a similar vibe I have used for creepy mixes in the past, sort of a dark jazz feel. Then I mix in some noisy stuff, some ambient & some other oddities. I don't want these mixes to be ultra dark doom ambient but this is more off-kilter than most Low Light Mixes.

After finding the theremin tracks from Hekla I was reminded of a very theremin-like instrument - the Ondes Martenot. It looks like a piano or organ but sounds like a theremin and it's played by sliding a ring attached to wires up and down the keyboard. Check out this video for an idea of how it's played and what it sounds like:

There are two tracks in the mix that use the Ondes Martenot. They are Tindersticks - The Strangler & Christine Ott - Pluie. I believe Christine Ott plays the instrument on the Tindersticks track as well as her own. Radiohead is famous for using the Odnes Martenot in a few songs. Maybe I'll make an entire mix featuring the instrument someday.

Here are the 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 Hekla - Hrakföll (Xiuxiuejar 2022)

03:18 Buen Aurelio Malazar - pre.sagio (pre pro post 2020)

04:49 Theodore Shapiro - After Hours (Severance Soundtrack 2022)

06:45 Eli Keszler - The Tenth Part Of A Featured World (Empire 2019)

09:15 Tindersticks - The Strangler (Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith 2017)

12:20 Andy Cartwright - Seeker (Unstill 2021)

14:00 Pavaka Group - I Am Void (Pavaka Group 2022)

15:43 The Phonometrician - Death is a Woman (Cóiste Bodhar 2022)

18:00 John Butcher - Wind Piece (Resonant Spaces 2006)

18:49 't Geruis - L'Appel (Bain D'Étoiles 2022)

21:35 Christine Ott - Pluie (Time to Die 2021)

26:30 Wanderwelle - Decay (A State of Decrepitude 2020)

30:25 Andrew Pekler - Close to Strangers (Sentimental Favourites 2011)

32:17 Lars Rynning & Suren Seneviratne - Solar Wind (Magnetism 2020)

33:35 Andrew Heath & Simon McCorry - From Darkness (A is for Autumn 2022)

37:02 Hekla - Sólin Gekk (Xiuxiuejar 2022)

42:53 The Phonometrician - I See Youy (Cóiste Bodhar 2022)

47:55 Grails - Bad Bhang Recipe (Black Tar Prophecies Vols 1, 2, 3 2006)

49:50 Darkroom - The Shadowy Side of the Hill ( The Last Sense to Fade 2021)

54:50 William Ryan Fritch - Lay Hands Upon Us (Built Upon a Fearful Void 2021)

57:39 Aaron Martin - Buried in Waves (The End of Medicine 2022)

59:09 Hekla - Tangarhald (Xiuxiuejar 2022)

60:20 end

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Quiet Indie Fall 2022

As we are getting closer to the end of the year I figured it was time for some quiet indie tunes from 2022.

This collection goes from the slow pop of Monica Martin to the ambient vocals of Brian Eno to the simple folk sound of Phosphorescent to a Joni Mitchel cover. My favorite track is "This Is How It Works" by Angel Olsen. It will probably be in my top three songs of the year.

Enjoy these vocal tunes, I'll get back to ambient soon.

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    David Byrne And Yo La Tengo - Who Has Seen The Wind
02:42    Monica Martin - Go Easy, Kid
06:37    The Smile - Open the Floodgates
10:44    Kevin Morby - Stop Before I Cry
15:33    Shearwater - Aqaba
20:30    Angel Olsen - This Is How It Works
26:42    Courtney Marie Andrews - These Are The Good Old Days
29:11    Peter Gabriel - Here It Is
34:10    Brian Eno - There Were Bells
38:34    Flock Of Dimes - Amelia
44:16    Big Thief - Change
49:04    Mamak Khadem - Dead and Alive
54:14    Phosphorescent - Meridian, MS
56:27    end

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Robert Fripp Guitar Moments

A few months ago a friend and I were talking about King Crimson & Robert Fripp. He is not as familiar with Fripp's work as I am so I started a playlist of not just Crimson tracks but also other excellent Fripp guitar work with other artists such as Brian Eno, David Bowie, David Sylvian, Hall & Oates(yes, Hall & Oates!) & others.

This week I decided to finally make a mix of some of the tracks. I wasn't sure if or when I'd post it online. Then this morning I see that today, Oct. 19th, is the global premiere of the King Crimson documentary "In The Court Of The Crimson King: King Crimson at 50". What a perfect coincidence!

I guess that makes the decision for me about when to post the mix. So here it is - a collection of some of my favorite Fripp guitar work. In order to keep the length manageable I had to leave out some great tracks like Bowie - Heroes, King Crimson - Lark's Tongue is Aspic, Talking Heads - I Zimbra, Fripp & Eno Heavenly Music Corp. & several others. I think the tracks I settled on cover a wide range and fit together nicely over the 84 minutes of the mix.

If anyone is interested the documentary will be shown in a special streaming event this weekend on Oct. 22nd. Here's the link - https://www.nugs.net/live-download-of-king-crimson-in-the-court-of-the-crimson-king.-king-crimson-at-50.-london-gb-10-22-2022-mp3-flac-or-online-music-streaming/621290-WEBCASTVARIANT.html

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 David Sylvian - Upon This Earth (Gone to Earth 1986)

06:12 Fripp & Eno - Evening Star (Evening Star 1975)

13:38 The Roches - Hammond Song (The Roches 1979)

19:00 Brian Eno - St. Elmo’s Fire (Another Green World 1975)

21:41 David Bowie - Teenage Wildlife (Scary Monsters 16980)

28:15 King Crimson - Fracture (Starless and Bible Black 1974)

37:23 David Sylvian & Robert Fripp - God’s Monkey (The First Day 1993)

42:11 Brian Eno - Baby’s On Fire (Here Come the Warm Jets 1974)

47:24 King Crimson - Space Groove II(edit) (ProjeKt Two Space Groove 1998)

55:00 King Crimson - Sailor’s Tale (Islands 1971)

61:20 King Crimson - Starless (Red 1974)

73:30 David Sylvian - Wave(version) (Camphor 2002)

76:15 Fripp & Eno - Meissa (The Equatorial Stars 2004)

84:05 end

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Solace of the Sea

s o l a c e

g a t h e r s t h e s i l e n c e

o f t h e s e a

Anyone who has followed this mix blog for more than a minute knows I like sea themed mixes. I like the ebb & flow, the washes of synth sounds and especially echoing sounds, like a bell or buoy pinging in the distance or underwater echolocation.

So this mix continues that vibe. Lots of new music and lots of echolocation.

Here are links to all the music used in this mix in the order in which it appears:

https://audio.submersion.info/album/parallel-motion

https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/slicing-space-time-into-objects

https://ab-mosscoveredtechnology.bandcamp.com/album/brick-and-air

https://hibernate.bandcamp.com/album/sub-aquatic-spheres

https://gylden.bandcamp.com/album/island-friend

https://archive.org/details/AProduceASmoothSurface/TPC+It+Comes+In+Waves.mp3

https://taylordeupree.bandcamp.com/album/harbor

https://shop.silentseason.com/album/the-waves

https://polarseasrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/as-the-night-comes-softly-down

https://taylordeupree.bandcamp.com/album/the-inland-sea

https://greinke.bandcamp.com/album/noctilucent

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 Submersion - Alignment (Parallel Motion 2020)

02:25 xu - a1. slicing space-time into objects (slicing space-time into objects 2022)

06:25 Moss Covered Technology - Brick & Air VI (Brick and Air 2022)

09:40 Spheruleus - The Ocean Yawns (Sub-Aquatic Spheres 2020)

14:18 Gylden - Bug light (Island Friend 2022)

18:55 A Produce - It comes in waves (A Smooth Surface 2004)

25:45 Taylor Deupree - Harbor (Harbor 2022)

29:20 ASC - Kelp Forest (The Waves 2019)

35:45 landtitles - fragments(of) (as the night comes softly down 2022)

37:20 Taylor Deupree - Too Close To Being Far Away From Everything (The Inland Sea 2022)

45:50 Jeff Greinke - Undercurrent (Noctilucent 2022)

52:15 ASC - Nautical Depths (The Waves 2019)

59:53 end

Sunday, October 02, 2022

Autumn Trumpet by Paul Asbury Seaman

Certain instruments seem suited for particular settings or seasons. I've always thought that piano works well as a winter accompaniment. Twangy guitar goes well with hot weather. And trumpet feels right at home during autumn.

Which brings us to the latest collection from Paul Asbury Seaman - Autumn Trumpet. The mix sets the mood perfectly. Here's what Paul has to say about it:

“No Scandinavian angst this time, just mellow trumpet and, hopefully, some pleasant surprises. Mostly very languid night music, interspersed with a bit of fall color and swirling leaves... The contemplative theme seems to fit with the season—my favorite).”

Thanks for another excellent set, 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 Miles Davis - Nuit Sur Les Champs-Elysees(Take 2) (Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud 1958)
05:22 Patrick O'Hearn - Eldorado (Eldorado 1989)
10:00 Tom Harrell - Dublin (Infinity 2019)
19:32 Herb Alpert - Fandango (Fandango 1982)
23:02 Chuck Mangione - Consuelo's Love Theme (Children Of Sanchez 1978)
30:33 Matthew Halsall - The Temple Within (The Temple Within 2022)
35:32 Enrico Rava - Interiors (New York Days 2009)
42:52 Jeff Oster - From The Dreamtime (True 2007)
47:00 Jeff Greinke - The Milky Way (Scenes from a Train 2013)
53:18 Meg Bowles - Night Sun Journey (From The Dark Earth 1997)
60:42 Patrick O'Hearn - Upon the Wings of Night (Indigo 1991)
68:28 end