Low Light Mixes: April 2023

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

The Undersea World of Low Light Mixes

I've done a couple mixes featuring library music from the 70s & 80s that have the vibe of a cheesy deep sea exploration documentary. I've always wanted to do a follow up and here it is.

One problem is that I didn't check the tracklist from the last mix and so a handful of tracks from that set made it into this one. When I figured out what had happened, it was too late to change. Well, actually, I was just too lazy to change it. I think about 9 of the 23 tracks in this mix appeared in the last one.

I love the retro vibe of these mixes. Take some old vinyl albums with echoing fender rhodes piano, add some scuba sound fx and a few synths and you've got yourself a 70s soundtrack to the Undersea World of Low Light Mixes.

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 Eric Vann - Algues Marines (Water World 1982)
01:32 Walt Rockman - Submarine Scenery (Underwater Vol 1 1980)
03:45 Stefano Liberati - Tombala la grande corrente (Pericolo negli abissi 1978)
04:38 Walt Rockman - gas-bubbles (Biology 1980)
05:28 Roger Roger & Nino Nardini - Eery Dream (Informatic 2000 1982)
07:21 Joel Vandroogenbroeck & F. Voelxen - Cascades (Contemporary Pastoral and Ethnic Sounds 1979)
10:03 John Hyde - Curlews (Red Kite 1982)
11:11 John Tender - Underwater Fantasy 1 (Fantasyland Vol. 1 1982)
12:50 Walt Rockman - chromosomes (Biology 1980)
14:42 Tamponi - acque profonde (Ittiologia 1973)
16:07 Amedeo Tommasi - Correnti sottomarine (Biologia marina 1973)
19:08 Mikrokristal - Bubbles (Hidden Way Between Some Rains 2013)
23:52 Georg Deuter - Deep Sea(mysterious - lost - sunken ship) (Soundtrack 1973)
26:15 Atmo - subacquatic (Ittiologia 1973)
28:00 Walt Rockman - dark depth 1 (Underwater Vol 1 1980)
29:31 Teddy Lasry - moins 8000 (+ ou - 8000 1977)
33:33 Franco Tamponi - Profondita (Biologia Marina 1973)
35:55 Jim Harbourg - Harbourg Empathy (Sonoton Soundscapes 1985)
38:23 John Hyde - Underwater (Red Kite 1982)
40:00 Stefano Liberati - La caverna di ghiaccio (Pericolo negli abissi 1978)
41:20 Piero Umiliani - musica delle sfere (Omaggio ad Einstein 1973)
43:10 Raymond Scott - Sleepy Time (Soothing Sounds for Baby, Volume 1 1997)
47:15 Eric Vann - Diving (Water World 1982)
50:37 end

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Current Ambient Obsessions

This mix is pretty straightforward - it's a collection of tracks from some of my favorite ambient albums, so far, of 2023. The first three tracks are probably my top three albums of the year so far and I expect them to be on my year-end list in December.

Links to all the music used in this mix:

There's not much else to say, just sit back and enjoy some excellent ambient music.

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 Rod Modell & Taka Noda - Untitled 9 (Glow World 2023)
07:03 Brendan Eder Ensemble - Ending(feat. Ethan Haman) (Therapy 2023)
14:55 ARROWOUNDS - Tree of Disciples (In The Octopus Pond 2023)
21:15 Robert Davies - Lakeside Reminiscence (Lakeside Haven 2023)
27:50 Pan•American - Renzo (In Daylight Dub 2023)
37:30 Harry Towell & Pruski - lacustyna (petrologist's lens 2023)
42:30 Tim Hecker - Monotony II (No Highs 2023)
44:44 Max Richter - Tranquility VII & VIII (SLEEP: Tranquility Base 2023)
49:20 36 - Last Wake Dreamout (Dreamloops Suite 2023)
60:00 end

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

A Decade of Electronic Music - 1970

The Plan - make a mix for every year of the 70s, featuring electronic music from each year. Easy peasy! Well, not exactly. The early years are a bit tough. Electronic music wasn't really a genre yet. There are definitely electronic albums. But enough to fill an hour long mix? Maybe...sort of.

Let me start by saying that some folks may disagree with my choices as I tried to fill out the tracklist. There may be some creative finagling in the mixes for the early years. But really, who cares? This is just a fun way to dive deep into the rise of electronic music.

In the early sets you'll hear plenty of krautrock or kosmische music. Bands like Popol Vuh, Amon Duul II, Can, and Ash Ra Temple fit that category and make appearances in the first two mixes. Again, some folks may balk at the inclusion of the artists but without them, the '70 & '71 mixes would not have happened. Even Tangerine Dream in these years is barely "electronic."

I discovered an artist named Doug McKechnie who experimented with one of the few moog synths around at that time. I don't believe he ever released any music back then but there are recordings from many of his live shows. The albums were released in 2020 & 2023, so technically this shouldn't count in a mix of music released in 1970, but as I said, it was hard to fill out the mix. The tracks were recorded from 1968 - 72 so I grabbed one that didn't have a specific date on it and decided that it would count as being from 1970.

The more I listen to this set the more I like it. The unexpected tracks and artists made for a fun journey. I hope you all enjoy it too.

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 Kraftwerk - Ruckzuck (Kraftwerk)
05:10 Oskar Sala - In Leichtem Marsch-Rhythmus (Electronic Virtuosity)
06:45 Suzanne Ciani - Tenth Voice: Sound of a Lighted Window (Voices of Packaged Souls)
07:40 Tangerine Dream - Genesis (Electronic Meditation)
12:20 Popol Vuh - Affenstunde(excerpt 1) (Affenstunde)
16:15 Doug McKechnie - Berkeley Art Museum (San Francisco Moog: 1968-72)
23:42 Popol Vuh - Affenstunde(excerpt 2) (Affenstunde)
30:00 Philip Glass - Music with Changing Parts (Music with Changing Parts)
37:15 Mart Garson - Kevin & Paige (Didn't You Hear?)
42:05 Amon Düül II - Yeti Talks To Yogi(Improvisation) (Yeti)
50:10 King Crimson - The Devils Triangle (In The Wake of Poseidon)
54:40 Tangerine Dream - Cold Smoke (Electronic Meditation)
57:15 Suzanne Ciani - Twelth Voice: Sound of Love Turning (Voices of Packaged Souls)
58:23 Sylvette Allart - Berceuse du faon (Pour Ondes Martenot)
61:39 end

Wednesday, April 05, 2023

Lost in Transmission

I love making shortwave/radio transmission mixes, so it's hard to believe it's been almost 11 years since my last new shortwave creation. Yikes! I know these mixes are labor intensive and I am a terrible procrastinator but I am shocked that it's been that long.

Here are the previous mixes:

This mix is a combo of real shortwave broadcasts, tracks that have broadcasts already embedded, and tracks that have that scratchy, radio feel. I couldn't resist adding a bit of Conet Project recordings here and there. Most of the straight radio broadcasts come from Myke Dodge Weiskopf. I've been using his recordings for years. You can find his stuff here - https://www.myke.me/

Two of my favorite cuts in this mix are by Mount Shrine from the album Shortwave Ruins. https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/album/shortwave-ruins It's a perfect combo of ambience, drone, and radio chatter. Mount Shrine is Cesar Alexandre, who sadly passed away in 2021. His two tracks in this mix fit the vibe perfectly.

I hope you enjoy the washes of static and voices from the ether. Hopefully it won't be 11 years until the next shortwave 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 shortwave noise
00:40 Mount Shrine - Earth Bridge (Shortwave Ruins 2020)
04:50 Rival Consoles - Noise Call and Response
06:35 Mike Benoit - November’s Static Is Chill & Drear, November’s Leaf Is Red & Sear
07:10 Federico Durand - el grillo de nacar(the cricket of nacre) (a traves del espejo 2016)
09:36 9_11_01(Unknown time and frequency)
10:20 Enrico Coniglio & Matteo Uggeri - Jessaias de reduire mes medicaments
12:53 David Sylvian - Camphor
16:03 Helios - All You Are (Remembrance)
17:00 The Focus Group - CineToneOne (Stop-Motion Happening 2017)
17:12 Goncalo F Cardoso - Radio Zanzibar Etude 1
17:50 Tetsu Inoue - Invitable Colour (World Receiver 1996)
21:12 Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4
22:45 Jogging House - Frail
25:55 Ant’lrd - Slow Dream (Deck Amber 2018)
27:15 Radio Belarus – German Service 3-Aug-2010
28:20 Cremation Lily - Immaculacy (In England Now, Underwater 2018)
29:40 Radio Bulgaria 2-13 5800 kHz, 11_12_05 (2054UTC)
30:20 Austin Rockman - Sun Ink (Our Own Unknown 2022)
34:30 Janek Schaefer - Lagoon (glitter in my tears 2017)
36:03 Teleferick - g.klarf (sixteen frames 2017)
36:45 Lee Noyes & Radio Cegeste - broken only by the need for breath (to orient themselves with coastlines 2012)
37:15 Mount Shrine - Across Rooftops (Shortwave Ruins 2020)
42:10 Maps & Diagrams - Mutability (Teygja Part B 2021)
45:42 KJES 5-03 7555 kHz, 8_1_05 (0154UTC)
47:00 Rival Consoles - Outline of a Distant Memory
50:27 The Focus Group - Sir John Pepper (Stop-Motion Happening 2017)
51:22 Swod - Tucholskystr, 34 (Gehen 2004)
51:47 Olli Aarni - Puro (Puu tuulessa 2015)
54:33 half light - Rest (Rest 2022)
59:44 end

Monday, April 03, 2023

Forbidden Colours - A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto

Another musical great has left this world. Ryuichi Sakamoto was a founding member of Yellow Magic Orchestra. He became well known for his neo-classical work, his collaborations, and of course his film scores, from Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence to The Revenant to the Oscar-winning score for The Last Emperor. The solo piano version of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is one of my favorite piano pieces ever written.

In January of this year he released an album of piano tracks, called 12, that is hauntingly simple and beautiful.

In 2017 he recorded a track called "Life, Life", from the album Async, that is one of my favorite pieces of all time. I'd like to finish this post with the spoken word poem that appears in that track...

And this I dreamt, and this I dream

And some time this I will dream again

And all will be repeated, all be re-embodied

You will dream everything I have seen in dream

To one side from ourselves, to one side from the world

Wave follows wave to break on the shore

On each wave is a star, a person, a bird

Dreams, reality, death - on wave after wave

No need for a date; I was, I am, and I will be

Life is a wonder of wonders, and to wonder

I dedicate myself, on my knees, like an orphan

Alone - among mirrors - fenced in by reflections

Cities and seas, iridescent, intensified

A mother in tears takes a child on her lap

Thank you for your music.

[ 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 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence(solo piano version)
04:40 Ryuichi Sakamoto - life, life
08:45 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Mountains
09:37 Ryuichi Sakamoto - 20220123
17:37 Ryuichi Sakamoto - In The Red
22:35 Ryuichi Sakamoto - The Revenant Main Theme Atmospheric
25:10 Ryuichi Sakamoto & Christian Fennez - oto
28:35 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Railroad Man
33:07 Ryuichi Sakamoto - The Sheltering Sky(piano version)
39:20 Ryuichi Sakamoto - The Sheltering Sky(continues as orchestral version)
38:25 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Elephantism 2
42:50 Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto - Trioon I
47:38 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Aqua
51:58 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Rain(I want a Divorce)
53:22 Ryuichi Sakamoto - The End
55:36 end