Eight Days in July - The Journey of Apollo 11

Anyone who has followed this mix blog regularly knows that I'm a space dork. I've done countless stargazing mixes, sci-fi mixes, NASA mission mixes, etc. So it should come as no surprise that I would make a mix to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.

This was a lot of fun to put together because, in addition to some excellent music, I listened to a bunch of mission audio from NASA. Thank goodness for youtube.

The mix tracks the journey as it moves from liftoff to orbit to TLI(translunar injection) to landing and walking on the moon and finally returning home. The titles of the tracks in the mix give a clue as to what is happening at that point in the expedition. Such as Max Richter's "The Escape" as Apollo performs the TLI burn to leave earth orbit and head to the moon. Or the Jane Antonia Cornish tune, "Into Silence," which is heard as the crew goes around the backside of the moon and loses radio contact.

There are three cuts from Justin Hurwitz's wonderful soundtrack to film First Man. One oddball track is "Lunar Rhapsody" from the album "Music Out Of The Moon" released in 1947. It's in there because Neil Armstrong had it on cassette and listened to it during the trip. 

In addition to the music, there is a lot of audio from the mission in this mix but I love it because as I said I'm a space dork. I think it works well with the tunes.

If anyone else is even a bit off a space dork, you may like this trove of NASA pics...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/projectapolloarchive/albums/with/72157658601662068

There are a ton of great pics in large format.

I hope everyone enjoys listening to this mix as much as I did making it.  

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    Voces8 - Song for Athene(2019)
• 06:15    Brian Eno - Drift(1983)
• 08:45    Max Richter - The Escape(2017)
• 10:10    Justin Hurwitz - Translunar(2018)
• 10:50    Loneward - Map and Compass(2019)
• 13:08    Echaskech - Star Gazer ISS(2019)
• 16:33    Craig Padilla & Zero Ohms - When the Earth is Far Away(2012)
• 20:40    Johnny Jewel - Slow Motion(2015)
• 23:14    Jane Antonia Cornish - Into Silence(2018)
• 28:17    Public Service Broadcasting - Go!(2015)
• 32:09    Justin Hurwitz - Moon Walk(2018)
• 33:25    Miktek - Magnificent Desolation(2013)
• 37:47    Matt Morton - We Landed On The Moon(2019)
• 38:37    MIS+RESS - Moonglow(2019)
• 41:28    Icebreaker & BJ Cole - An Ending (ascent) I(2012)
• 44:55    Sven Laux and Daniela Orvin - Sudden Farewell(2019)
• 46:48    Les Baxter - Lunar Rhapsody(1947)
• 50:00    Brian Eno - Always Returning(1983)
• 53:27    Justin Hurwitz - Home(2018)
• 55:02    end

Resquiem for Cassini

As I said a few posts back, I am a huge space science dork.  My top 5 favorite NASA probes are:

1. Voyager
2. Cassini
3. Viking
4. Galileo
5. Spirit and Opportunity

Number two on that list disintegrated in the atmosphere of Saturn today.  Cassini was in orbit around Saturn for 7 years and made some of the most fantastic encounters of any planetary mission.  The most amazing discovery concerns a little moon called Enceladus.  Through Cassini, scientists have determined that Enceladus has a global subsurface saltwater ocean that might host hydrothermal vents.  It's probably our best bet for finding life in our solar system.

But Cassini was running out of fuel and rather than risk crashing into a moon and contaminating it, the folks at NASA decided to plunge the spacecraft into Saturn.  Cassini will dive into the planet's atmosphere, sending science data for as long as its small thrusters can keep the spacecraft's antenna pointed at Earth. Soon after, Cassini will burn up and disintegrate like a meteor.

This mix is a Requiem for Cassini.  Rather than an electronic, space music feel I went with all neo-classical and soundtrack cuts. The track titles tell the story.

Thanks to NASA and everyone on the Cassini team.




[ 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    David Sylvian - Preparations for a Journey(Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities 1985)
• 03:05    Cliff Martinez - Have a Good Trip(Wicker Park ost 2004)
• 04:47    Max Richter - Journey 3 & 5(Infra 2010)
• 06:00    Balanescu Quartet - Empty Space Dance(A Serene Dance For You And The One You Hate 2005)
• 09:15    Robert Fripp and Theo Travis - Return to Saturn(Follow 2012)
• 13:27    Cliff Martinez - Finally, you two meet(Wicker Park ost 2004)
• 15:15    Jóhann Jóhannsson and BJ Nilsen - I am Here(i am here 2014)
• 18:35    James Newton Howard - I'm Listening(I am Legend ost 2008)
• 20:03    James Newton Howard - Talk to Me(I am Legend ost 2008)
• 20:41    Broken Harbor - Titan(Gramophone Transmissions 2011)
• 23:55    Echospace - Longing for Life(echospace [detroit] presents echoes in space 2014)
• 24:30    Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie - Bring This Place to Life(Salero ost 2016)
• 26:50    Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - What Must be Done(White Lunar ost 2005)
• 28:40    Clint Mansell - Death is the Road to Awe(The Fountain ost 2006)
• 35:00    Max Richter - Never Fade into Nothingness(Sleep 2015)
• 43:51    Hammock - Things of Beauty Burn(Mysterium 2017)
• 48:00    36 - Sky Fire(Pulse Drive 2015)
• 51:35    M83 - Undimmed by Time, Unbound by Death(Oblivion ost 2013)
• 53:47    end

1969 - trans lunar injection

I've been on kind of a moon binge lately.  It started with watching HBO's excellent series, "From the Earth to the Moon."  Then I read "We Reach the Moon," a book written in 1969 by John Noble Wilford, the NYT science reporter.

Next I moved on to the wonderful film, "For All Mankind."  It's the story of the men who went to the moon, told in their own words.  Beautiful images and of course Eno's remarkable soundtrack, "Apollo : Atmospheres & Soundtracks".

So my head has been stuck on the moon in 1969.  And that is the genesis of this mix, 1969.  All the music used in this mix is either from 1969, related to the moon or both.

I know it may a bit of a cliche to start with Kennedy's moon speech at Rice University but I love that speech & that part still gives me chills.  11 of the tunes are actually from 1969 :

1.        Bowie - Space Oddity
2.       King Crimson - Moonchild
3.       Miles Davis - Sanctuary
4.       Pink Floyd - Sysyphus
5.       Terry Riley - Poppy Noggod
6.       Genesis - In the Beginning
7.       Soft Machine - Spaced
8.       Don Cherry - Man on the Moon
9.       Philip Glass - Music in Contrary Motion
10.       Mort Garson - Walking in Space
11.       Beatles - Across the Universe (covered by Phosphorescent)

It's interesting how many of them had moon or space themes.  I guess that is where everyone's mind was at the time.

 I just had to include a couple of cuts from Eno's "Apollo:Atmospheres & Soundtracks" and from the new Air release, "Le Voyage Dans La Lune."  It's a soundtrack Georges Méliès’ short classic, "A Trip to the Moon."  It was originally released in 1902 & has been restored in color with Air's new soundtrack.

Also included in the mix are three tunes from a netlabel album by Re-Drum called "1969".  All the tracks on the album were made by using sampled music from the year 1969.  These are the cuts that I used & the source material used to make those cuts...

1.  Time :
    King Crimson - Moonchild Including The Dream And The Illusion
     Herbie Hancock - The Prisoner (Alternate Take)
     Sly & The Family Stone - You Can Make It If You Try
     Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby - Hikky-Burr
     Frank Zappa - The Gumbo Variation
     Booker T & The MG's - Michelle
     Zephyr - Hard Chargin' Woman
     Lou Donaldson - Donkey Walk
     John MacLaughlin - Pete The Poet
     Herbie Hancock - The Prisoner
     The Doors - The Soft Parade
 
2. The Last Breath :
    The Moody Blues - Eyes Of A Child, Part 1
     Zephyr - Somebody Listen
     Isaac Hayes - By The Time I Get To Phoenix
     (voice) Internet Anticipation 1969
 
3. Armstrong :
    Lonnie Smith - Eleanor Rigby
     Kool And The Gang - Give It Up
     Pink Floyd - The Narrow Way (Part 3)
     The Rolling Stones - Live With Me
     Voice: First Moon Landing


This was another fun mix to put together, I hope it's a fun listen as well.

[ 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    John Kennedy - "We choose to go to the moon" speech
• 00:00    Apollo 11 l- anding on the moon
• 00:58    Boards of Canada - 1969
• 04:47    David Bowie - Space Oddity (Sébastien Bédé Remix)
• 07:20    David Bowie - Space Oddity continues (demo version)
• 09:50    King Crimson - Moonchild
• 13:25    Miles Davis - Sanctuary
• 18:00    Air - Moon fever
• 21:12    Pink Floyd - Sysyphus part 4
• 23:20    Terry Riley - Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band
• 28:25    Genesis - In The Beginning
• 31:55    Soft Machine - Spaced Seven
• 33:10    Re-Drum - Time
• 36:45    Don Cherry - Man on the Moon
•  39:10    Air - Seven Stars
• 42:50    Re-Drum - The Last Breath
• 46:15    Philip Glass - Music in Contrary Motion
• 48:10    Mort Garson - Walking in Space
• 50:10    Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois - Silver Morning
• 52:26    Phosphorescent - Across the Universe(Beatles cover)
• 57:21    Re-Drum - Armstrong
• 1:00:03    Eno - Always Returning
• 1:03:46    end

1969 - trans lunar injection by Lowlight on Mixcloud

 

Space Station Time Lapse

This post is a bit different.  No mix this time, instead a video that I edited Saturday afternoon.

I saw a post at Wired about a new time lapse video shot on the International Space Station.  I have always loved those fly over vids so I decided to collect some of the best & edit them to some music.

Actually, picking out the music was the hardest part.  There were a number of directions I could have gone...berlin school space music, drifting ambient,  electronica that builds to an emotional crescendo, a vocal tunes perhaps?  I couldn't decide!  I ended up with this piece by Ryan Teague called "Neo".  It works well because it's easy to edit to.  However, the images are so beautiful that I could have picked just about anything and it would be fun to watch.

Hope you like it.