The Birdsong Project

 

On September 7, NPR dropped an episode of All Songs Considered about an enormous new compilation album called "For The Birds: The Birdsong Project." It's a massive collection of original songs and poems about birds and inspired by birdsong. Artists range from Alice Coltrane, Nick Cave, Laurie Anderson, and The Flaming Lips to Sam Prekop, Devendra Banhart, Yo Yo Ma, and of course Andrew Bird & Jeff Tweedy.

Here's a link to the episode - https://www.npr.org/2022/09/06/1121237661/this-episode-is-for-the-birds

As I listened to the collection for a few days at work, my ambient brain thought of using some of the instrumental tracks in a mix. So for this mix all the tracks come from The Birdsong Project. Most of the cuts have worked bird sounds in with the music.

Unfortunately this collection is not available on Bandcamp. So it's very expensive to buy the full compilation, with the vinyl box set selling for $400 and the mp3 downloads going for $38 per volume. So I would suggest listening to the collection on Spotify which you can find here - https://www.audubon.org/news/the-birdsong-project-box-set

Here's one more link to check out - https://www.thebirdsongproject.com/

Cheers!

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T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Shearwater - Kwitaro Backbone
• 05:33    Sam Prekop - Stations Parallel
• 10:12    Aska Matsumiya - Tori No Uta
• 12:57    Paul Cantelon - Hymn for Four Birds
• 18:41    Makaya McCraven - For The Birds
• 21:27    Elliot Bergman - Crow Dialectic
• 25:27    Andrew Bird - Rare Birds
• 32:22    Joachim Cooder - Carolina Turtledove
• 34:55    Carla dal Forno - Morning Maggie
• 37:04    Devendra Banhart - Ka
• 40:20    Dexter Story - Wefoch(Birds)
• 43:40    Stuart Bogie - Far Rockaway
• 49:11    Woodkid - Altamira Oriole
• 51:57    Marcelo Zarvos - Nightbird
• 55:39    Cosmo Sheldrake - Evening Chorus(Live in the Bluebell Woods)
• 60:27    end

Worlds Within Worlds - Field Recordings 2020

I was digging through some old mixes that had never been uploaded to Mixcloud and I came across a couple of old field recording mixes. The plan was to combine the two into a new mix. Well, as usual, the mix changed and I ended up creating a new field recording mix from scratch. Sort of.

I did use a couple of snippets from the original mixes. The first is from about 4:40 - 6:30, next one comes in around 27:35 - 28:35, and one more from about 29:10 - 33:45.

I'm not going to provide a tracklist because most of the time there are 3 or 4 things playing at once and many times there aren't tracks associated with actual artists, some are just a bunch of sounds I found online. Or in one case, a file I found on my hard drive. I used a track that is called "rain thunder guitar loop." There is no artist associated with the file & I have no idea where it came from.

I'll point out a few specific artist tracks used in the mix(times are approximate):

-  10:44 - 15:00  Ross Alexander - Jinja on the Nile 
-  18:26 - 20:31  Spheruleus - Water Lane
-  21:38 - 25:30  Michel Banabila - Innercity
-  35:07 - 40:00  Wil Bolton - Crossing
-  42:42 - 43:51  Luis Miehlich - 3105
-  44:00 - 44:44  Wave Temples - Arrival at the Bay of Orpheus

There are lots of other artists appearing throughout the mix but those listed above are the most clearly discernible. Quick shout out to my neighborhood frogs which make an appearance from about 47:47 to 50:00. How do I distribute their royalties?

 I hope you enjoy this sound excursion. 


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Cheers!

Folding Water - 4th world excursions

In the distance

A lost, forgotten bell sings

beyond the water

This is a set of music that adhere's to Jon Hassell's idea of a musical aesthetic that is "a unified primitive/futuristic sound combining features of world ethnic styles with advanced electronic techniques."

You'll find some drums, bells, gamelan, vibraphone and other mallet instruments as well as a healthy dose of field recordings. Hopefully the mix will make you feel like you're floating in a small, wooden boat anchored in an Indonesian bay.

Cheers!

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T R A C K L I S T : 

• 00:00    Third Coast Percussion - Paddle to the Sea - Sanctuary
• 03:15    Andrew Pekler - Bororo
• 04:33    Jan Schulte - Klang Fangt An
• 06:05    William Selman - Thick Description
• 09:15    Jon Hassell - Empire I
• 10:25    Jon Hassell - Malay
• 13:00    Vieo Abiungo - Barges Bellow Their Foul Air(Sven Kacirek remix)
• 16:20    Abby Lee Tee - Riverside Burrows Pt. 2
• 18:25    Arp - Folding Water
• 22:10    O Yuki Conjugate - Cloud Cover
• 25:10    Andrew Pekler - Humidity Index / Khao Sok (Chopped and Screwed)
• 27:30    William Selman - The Island Before the Internet
• 31:35    Laraaji - Enthusiasm
• 33:45    Abby Lee Tee - Riverside Burrows Pt. 1
• 34:30    David Edren - Baulungan
• 36:25    Third Coast Percussion - Paddle to the Sea - The Lighthouse and Cabin
• 38:00    DR - IV
• 39:10    Michael Emenau - Waterphone
• 44:10    Jon Hassell - Miracle Steps
• 47:45    Andrew Pekler - Mirror Structures(Mirrored)
• 50:00    David Cunningham - Blue River
• 53:05    Nao Otsuka - Clock Chimes
• 56:15    Abby Lee Tee - Riverside Burrows Pt. 2
• 58:52    end

The Ambient Dishwasher

Every mix has it's own unique starting point.  And this mix definitely started in a unique place - my dishwasher.

One day my dishwasher was making some weird noises, it kind of sounded like an alien playing a didgeridoo was trapped inside.  So I recorded a little bit of the sound and then processed it using Paul's Extreme Sound Stretch.  And whaddya know - it actually sounds pretty good. 

Dishwasher Drone - stretched version

Dishwasher original sound

I've used Paul's Extreme Sound Stretch in mixes before and it's a fun little program for non-musicians like me.

I posted the stretched version on the Hypnos Recordings forum just for kicks.  A couple folks asked to hear the original source as well.  Then the next thing you know some of the artists who frequent the forum took that original dishwasher sound & used it as a source to come up with their own original takes.

I was pretty darn excited.  These are artists that in some cases I've been listening to for years.  And they were going to make music from my freakin' dishwasher.  Pretty cool.

Here's the Hypnos forum dishwasher thread... HYPNOS

We ended up with five pieces created from the original dishwasher sounds.  I also asked my son, who produces EDM music as AXX, to also make an ambient dishwasher tune, which he did and I gotta say I love his version.  Throw my stretched version in there and we have 7 dishwasher tunes, enough for a whole mix.  Pretty cool again.

I started the mix with the original sound and let it morph into the different versions.  They all flow together very well.

Here are the links to each individual piece used in the mix in order of appearance...

https://soundcloud.com/low-light-mixes/dishwasher-original

https://soundcloud.com/low-light-mixes/dishwasher-drone

https://soundcloud.com/forrest-fang/daves-dishwasher-zen-cycle-021815

https://soundcloud.com/low-light-mixes/dishwasher-drone-axx-rework

https://soundcloud.com/igneous-flame/chthonic-cycles

https://castleview.bandcamp.com/track/cavewasher

https://soundcloud.com/dataobscurarecords/the-circular-ruins-over-daves-dishwasher

https://serenffordd.bandcamp.com/track/rin-se

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T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Dishwasher original sound
• 00:17    Dave Michuda - Dishwasher Stretch
• 01:00    Forrest Fang - Dave's Dishwasher(Zen Cycle)
• 02:42    AXX - Dishwasher Drone AXX Rework
• 05:15    Igneous Flame - Chthonic Cycles
• 09:25    Castleview - Cavewasher
• 11:20    The Circular Ruins - The Circular Ruins Over Dave's Dishwasher
• 15:00    Dave Michuda - Dishwasher Stretch part 2
• 16:55    Seren Ffordd - Rin-Se
• 20:43    end

The Ambient Dishwasher by Low Light Mixes on Mixcloud

a leaf on the wind - field recordings & ambience 2013

The title pretty much says it all - this mix is a field recording mix.  I think I've done 3 field mixes in the past but haven't done one in a long time.  So I thought it was time for another sonic exploration.

The track that got me thinking about doing a new field mix was "El Divisader" by Chris Watson from the excellent "El Tren Fantasma" album.  Really a phenomenal track.

The mix starts with some church bells that I slowed down & messed with, then we get the Chris Watson track and from there the mix uses a variety of artists a field recordings to make an interesting(I hope) journey through various sonic landscapes.

I'm not going publish a formal tracklist because there is just too much stuff going on to keep track of. There are lots of other sounds and recordings mixed through out this collage.  Some are mine, some are just random things I found.  I hope it all flows well together.


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This is a list of the artists, and approximate times, that have tracks appearing for more a few seconds:

03:35  Chris Watson - el divisadero
10:30  Forrest Fang -  home in exile
15:00  Vangelis - Nocturnal Rain
18:00  David Chapman - an east wind through bomb ballistics and lab 2
21:00  Collin Thomas - blackjack afternoon
31:30  Moniek Darge - solstice sample
35:00  Rapoon - Melancholic Songs of the Desert
38:30  Chris Dooks - For Wolfgang Voight
40:00  Field Rotation - watermusic
45:20  Simon Scott - sealevel.6
50:00  Chris Dooks - Sola
53:45  Linda Aubry Bullock - near

There are lots of other sounds and recordings mixed through out this collage.  Some are mine, some are just random things I found.  I hope it all flows well together.

Enjoy.

A leaf on the wind - field recordings 2013 by Lowlight on Mixcloud

in foreign lands

I have always loved the sound of Djivan Gasparyan's music. He plays the duduk, a double reed instrument related to the oboe. It's got a great melancholy, other-worldy feel to it.
I took the "other-wordly" idea to make a mix of music that is vaguely foreign sounding, at least foreign to my American ears. The music is Middle Eastern, Asian, African, Eastern European and Indian.

I go back to a familiar source for some of the sounds, the Shortwave Music blog of Myke Weiskopf. Whether it's the night call to prayer in Bulgaria or Qur’an recitation from BSKSA Saudi Arabia, Myke has great recordings that everyone should take the time to investigate.

The times in the tracklist are rough. Sometimes there are two or three tracks playing at once & not all are listed in the tracklist. I also messed with a few tracks, adding stretched audio as a backing track or adding reverb.

At various times haunting, beautiful, calming or hypnotic, the music in this mix will hopefully stir your imagination.

Download (right click/save as) : 51:14, 74mb
in foreign lands


T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00 Djivan Gasparyan - You have to come back to me
• 02:22 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook - Night Song
• 06:20 Hildegard Westerkamp - Gently Penetrating
• 07:00 Night call to prayer in Draginovo, Bulgaria
• 09:20 Peter Nooten & Michael Brook - Suddenly II
• 10:25 Maya Beiser - I was there
• 15:00 harmonic fx
• 15:50 Gamelan Madu Sari - thinly roundly
• 18:15 Ayub Ogada - Kothbiro
• 22:00 Jon Hassell - Frontiera
• 22:30 Hildegard Westerkamp - Into the labyrinth
• 22:55 Geir Jenssen - Camp 2, world music on the radio
• 23:30 Gamelan Madu Sari - Dreams he is a ball of fire or a hummingbird
• 26:30 Peter Gabriel - Wall of Breath
• 28:15 Galata Mevlevi - Nay Taksim
• 29:40 Hildegard Westerkamp - Soundscape of cities, Delhi
• 30:10 Forrest Fang - Garuda
• 31:15 Jon Hassell - Tramonto
• 33:00 Qur’an recitation from BSKSA Saudi Arabia
• 34:20 Lamp of the Universe - Heru, part 1
• 36:55 U Srinivas & Michael Brook - Think
• 41:30 Anouar Brahem - L'oiseau
• 45:45 Djivan Gasparyan - dle vaman
• 49:30 Peter Gabriel - A sense of home
• 51:14 end