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Ambient music mixes for a chaotic world

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2 hours ago

2024 Favorite Ambient Albums Part 1

2 hours ago

Another year, another ton of releases to sift through. I could keep adding and subtracting albums for weeks and still not be entirely satisfied with the final list. But here it is - my Favorite Ambient Albums of 2024.

As I was creating this part 1 mix, I kept questioning my choices. And then, when the mix was done and I listened to it, I was like "Wow, this turned out really well." I really like how the mix evolves with the first half being a bit more electronic and noisy and the second half leaning more orchestral.

Here's the list of my favorite ambient albums of 2024, in alphabetical order:

2fel - stranger flow
Adam Wiltzie - Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal [Kranky]
Akmuo - Dreamwalker [Space of Variants]
Altus - Ultraviolet
Alva Noto - Xerrox, Vol.5 [Noton 2024]
Benoit Pioulard & Offthesky - Sunder [laaps 2024]
Circa Alto - Faint Structures (Whitelabrecs 2024]
Civilistjävel! - Brödföda [Felt 2024]
Dirk Serries - Streams Of Consciousness Compiled [Projekt]
Eli Keszler - LIVE 2 [LuckyMe]
Extraworld - Perihelion [Exosphere]
Hainbach - The One Who Runs Away Is the Ghost Soundtrack [Seil]
Heavenchord - Atmospheres & Soundscapes [Cold Tear]
Humble Bee & Offthesky - Here In, Absence [IIKKI]
Innesti - Contemplate
Jogging House - Live at home
Jonas Munk - Mirror Phase [Azure Vista]
Maps and Diagrams - if all will be lost [Quiet Details]
Maps and Diagrams - Islands [Handstitched]
Martin Stürtzer - Lander Modules [Echo Elberfeld]
mastroKristo - Passage [Lost Tribe Sound]
Max Richter - In A Landscape [Decca]
Michael A. Muller - Mirror Music [Deutsche Grammophon]
OdNu + Ümlaut - Abandoned Spaces [Audiobulb]
Pan American & Kramer - Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road
Polaroid Notes - Quiet Rooms [Whitelabrecs]
Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam, Saroon - Dive 1- Refraction [Bathysphere Records]
Tewksbury - Floes Volumes I-IV (Tridek]
The Green Kingdom - Horizons [The Slow Music Movement]
Ulla & Ultrafog - It Means A Lot [Motion Ward]
v e n n - XIII
William Ryan Fritch - Adhesion [Lost Tribe Sound]

And here are links to each album:

Stranger Flow | 2fel

Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal | Adam Wiltzie

Dreamwalker | Akmuo | Space Of Variants

Ultraviolet | Altus

Alva Noto - Xerrox Vol. 5 | Noton

Sunder | Benoît Pioulard & Offthesky | laaps

Faint Structures | Circa Alto | Whitelabrecs

Brödföda | Civilistjävel!

Streams Of Consciousness Compiled | Dirk Serries | Projekt Records

LIVE 2 | Eli Keszler

Perihelion | Extraworld | Exosphere

The One Who Runs Away Is the Ghost Soundtrack | Hainbach

Atmospheres & Soundscapes | Heavenchord | Cold Tear Records

Here In, Absence | The Humble Bee & Offthesky | IIKKI

Contemplate | Innesti

Live at Home | Jogging House

Mirror Phase | Jonas Munk | Azure Vista

if all will be lost | Maps and Diagrams | quiet details

Islands | Maps & Diagrams | Handstitched

Lander Modules | Martin Stürtzer

Passage | mastroKristo | Lost Tribe Sound

In A Landscape | Max Richter | Decca

Mirror Music | Michael A. Muller | Deutsche Grammophon

Abandoned Spaces | OdNu + Ümlaut | Audiobulb

Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road | Pan American & Kramer

Quiet Rooms | Polaroid Notes | Whitelabrecs

Dive 1: Refraction | Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam, & Saroon | Bathysphere Records

Floes: Volumes I-IV | Tewksbury

Horizons | The Green Kingdom | The Slow Music Movement Label

VIII | v e n n

It Means A Lot | Ulla & Ultrafog | Motion Ward

Adhesion | William Ryan Fritch | Lost Tribe Sound

I hope you enjoy part 1. Part two is coming soon. Followed by a mix of jazz favorites from 2024.

What are some of your favorite ambient albums from the past year?

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Pan American / Kramer - Floating Island (Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road)
04:22 Maps and Diagrams - Hvar (Islands)
07:35 Jogging House - Live at Home pt. 1 (Live at Home)
13:15 Innesti - Astral Secrets (Contemplate)
16:14 Alva Noto - Xerrox Arc (Xerrox, Vol.5)
20:53 Hainbach - End of Work (The One Who Runs Away Is the Ghost Soundtrack)
22:45 Akmuo - Dreamwalker (Dreamwalker)
26:50 Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam, & Saroon - Euphotic (Dive 1: Refraction)
31:36 Benoît Pioulard & Offthesky - Fed On Lilies (Sunder)
35:48 Jonas Munk - Dawn Layer (Mirror Phase)
40:40 Polaroid Notes - The Night Returns Without A Sound (Quiet Rooms)
45:40 The Humble Bee & Offthesky - Space (Here In, Absence)
52:00 William Ryan Fritch - Gravitropic (Adhesion)
60:10 Adam Wiltzie - Mexican Helium (Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal)
62:44 Max Richter - A Time Mirror(Biophony) (In A Landscape)
66:36 mastroKristo - Waves(Federico Mosconi Rework) (Passage)
73:40 Dirk Serries - the whispering scale (Streams Of Consciousness Compiled)
82:45 Tewksbury - Aperture (Floes Volumes I-IV)
94:23 end

Wednesday Dec 11, 2024

Inner Landscapes by Hollie Kenniff

Wednesday Dec 11, 2024

I have hosted more guest mixes than ever this year, which I love because it exposes me to new artists and new mix concepts. Many of these mixes have come through the fine folks at Nettwerk Music Group. It's appropriate then that this final guest mix of the year comes from one of their artists - Hollie Kenniff. I absolutely love the way this mix ebbs and flows, the tracks blend together perfectly.

Hollie just released her fourth album, For Forever, which is a lush, melodic ambient record that uses electronic and acoustic instrumentation to create an emotional, ethereal listening experience.

Here's what Hollie says about her music:

“My hope is that my music encourages others to explore their inner landscapes and to inspire

reflection. I want my music to be a musical backdrop for meaningful and transformative moments in other people's lives.”

I'm a music mix dork who loves a good segue between songs and this beautiful mix from Hollie has a ton of them, an absolute joy to soak in.

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Hollie Kenniff - Over Ocean Waves (Anita Tatlow Remix)
02:08 Kazuma Okabayashi - Rainfall
04:55 Warmth - Receiver
07:40 Tangent Universes - An Elegant. Disinterested Trance (Field Collage)
10:32 Chihei Hatakayama - Sound of Air
13:54 Black Brunswicker - The World Passing By
16:17 Akira Kosemura - Dear Sunshine
18:10 Alanna Crouch - Repeating Events
21:18 Human Is Alive and Warmth - Spectrum
23:58 Felicia Atkinson - Shall I Return To You
26:46 Antarctic Wastelands - Mysteries
28:46 Hollie Kenniff - Surface
32:10 Jon Hopkins and Olafur Arnalds - Forever Held
34:31 Clariloops - Morning
38:55 Gollden - There Will Be Birds in September
42:36 Kilometre Club - Connect
44:42 Nala Sinephro - Continuum 3
48:33 Markus Guentner - Vanish (Feat. Joachim Spieth)
53:16 Chad Lawson - In Another Place (Helios Rework)
56:16 Ben Lukas Boysen - Alta Ripa

Wednesday Dec 04, 2024

Back To The Roots Of Berlin School by Erwin Broers

Wednesday Dec 04, 2024

At the beginning of September when I posted my "Sequencer City" mix, I said I'd been on a berlin school bender. Well, now three months later I'm still on that sequencer synth kick. At the end of October the analog synth itch was scratched by a stellar guest mix from Erwin Broers called "Capturing The Voice Of A Galaxy." It featured tracks from the Klaus Schulz label, "Innovative Communications.

Now we have have a follow up mix from Erwin called "Back to the Roots of Berlin School." Oh man, this is some good stuff! Erwin tells me that "there's a whole sub-category of "Berlin School" out there called "Retro Berlin School". In the mid 1990's "Berlin School" was revived by nostalgic electronic artists who benefited from technological innovations to make the iconic analog synths such as the Mellotron, the ARP 2600 and the big Moog Modular more playable. The result was a huge resurgence of mid 1970's style Berlin School EM which was dubbed "retro" to mark the difference with the classics such as Tangerine Dream's Stratosfear, Klaus Schulze's Timewind and Ashra's New Age Of Earth."

I hope my current obsession with this genre continues because I am loving every minute of it. Thanks for another great mix, Erwin.

Cheers!

T R A C K L S I S T :

00:00 Redshift - Redshift(excerpt) (Redshift, 1996)
09:20 Cosmic Hoffmann - Shiva Connection (Shiva Connection, 2000)
15:00 Free System Projekt - And Then There Were Two (Impulse (reissue), 2005)
29:00 Brendan Pollard - Aquarius (Expansion, 2005)
31:17 Ramp - Phasenverzerrung (Nodular, 1998)
42:50 Javi Canovas - North Of Circle (Impasse, 2005)
56:42 Arcane - Dystopian Fictions (Gather Darkness, 1999)
71:02 end

Wednesday Nov 27, 2024

Gifts at Dinner - an Ambient Thanksgiving

Wednesday Nov 27, 2024

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Just hanging out all day with family, eating and drinking. Perfect.

The songs in this mix were all chosen for the titles, which all fit the Thanksgiving theme. Besides the obvious titles with the word "thanks" my favorite track titles are "my dad's famous potatoes", "Give me cornbread when I'm hungry", and "An Awkward Conversation at a Family Gathering."

Play this in the background as you eat way too much food and hopefully not way too much beer.

Cheers & Happy Thanksgiving!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Grouper - Thanksgiving Song
02:42 Ólafur Arnalds - Family Stroll
04:30 Massive Attack - Everybody's Got a Family
05:55 Matt Morton - A Special Thank You
08:00 anderegg - thanksgiving
10:14 lawrence - falling down a dam of mashed potatoes
13:33 Lullatone - An Awkward Dinner Conversation at a Family Gathering(piano version)
14:55 TSU! - Dear Stanley, Thank You
17:29 Richard Thompson - Family(guitar version)
20:13 Bill Frisell - Thankful
25:15 Carlos Niño & Friends - Togetherness feat. Jamael Dean & Devin Daniels
28:42 The Circular Ruins & Off The Sky - Giving to You
30:48 Tiny Isles - With Thanks, Petal
34:53 Cliff Martinez - my dad's famous potatoes
37:06 John Fahey - Give me cornbread when I'm hungry
40:13 Loren Connors - Why We Came
41:45 Peter Gregson - Gifts at Dinner
45:42 Hildur Guðnadóttir - Many Secrets in this Family
48:00 Endless Melancholy - Moments We Spent Together
51:51 Sven Laux - Thank You, Goodbye
54:44 Pat Metheny - Last Train Home
59:18 end

Wednesday Nov 13, 2024

Jazz-ish

Wednesday Nov 13, 2024

I'm not exactly sure how this mix started. I think I was listening to the track, Outlook Remains Untouched, by |||||||||||||||||||| , yes that's the actual name the artist goes by.

|||||||||||||||||||| on bandcamp

I like the jazzy vibe the tune has. It reminds me of similar tracks from the heyday of glitch and idm that also have a jazz feel to them. Sort of Jazz-ish.

So I grabbed some older tracks from 2001, 2002, 2006, and mixed them with new tunes to come up with this electronic mix that isn't really jazz...more like Jazz-ish.

Links to all the music used in this mix:

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 |||||||||||||||||||| - Outlook Remains Untouched (Outlook Remains Untouched 2021)
05:06 Robag Wruhme - Tulpa Ovi (Thora Vukk 2011)
09:00 Iso68 - Catzen (Mizoknek 2002)
13:40 Triosk - Lost Reprise (The Headlight Serenade 2006)
19:00 Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin - II (Ghosted 2022)
25:36 Prefuse 73 - Clean Up Scene Apprentice (New Strategies For Modern Crime Vol. 1 2024)
28:30 Josiah Steinbrick & Sam Gendel - Mouthfeel 1 (Mouthfeel, Serene 2021)
30:00 Nala Sinephro - Space 5 (Space 1.8 2021)
33:10 Andrew Pekler - you are here (Station To Station 2002)
34:10 Oblong - sketches of staines (Indicator 2006)
37:21 Four Tet - So Blue (Three 2024)
42:02 El Fog - Smoke and Satellites (Reverberate Slowly 2015)
44:35 I’m Not A Gun - Soft Rain in the Spring (We think as instruments 2006)
49:20 Laurence Pike - Prophecy (Prophecy 2020)
53:09 Eli Keszler - Copenhagen Part III (LIVE 2 2024)
60:00 end

Tuesday Nov 05, 2024

Meditative Music To Get You Thru Election Night 2024

Tuesday Nov 05, 2024

Thanks goodness election season is almost over. Election night can be a stressful time so here's a mix of new ambient tunes to help us all get through the night.

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Logic Moon - Lifelines (Lifelines 2024)
03:15 Bruce Brubaker - Music For Airports, 1/2(Bows Version) (Eno Piano 2 2024)
07:00 Feeling Flying - Shimmer (Spirit Level 2024)
13:15 Andrew Lang - Tristan's Ascension (Frailty 2024)
17:15 Martin Stürtzer - Radiance (Dawn of Time 2024)
24:50 Steve Roach - One Day (One Day Forever 2024)
32:07 zakè & anthéne - distant forms (regeneration 2024)
37:16 Michael Scott Dawson - Mojave Flowers(feat. Michael Grigoni) (The Tinnitus Chorus 2024)
41:07 Faux Tapes - Dive Pr 2 (Dive 2024)
45:15 David Cordero - Sonidos olvidados (Melodías Susurradas 2024)
48:54 LAB'S CLOUD - Praia da Cruz(Solo Version) (Arquitectura Natural 2024)
54:18 Glasbird - Days of Iron and Steam (Fenscapes 2024)
60:21 end

Wednesday Oct 30, 2024

Capturing The Voice Of A Galaxy

Wednesday Oct 30, 2024

Another stellar guest mix comes our way courtesy of loyal listener, Erwin Broers. He asked if I was interested in a mix of electronic music from Innovative Communication, the label founded by Klaus Schulze in the late 70s. Yes, please!

Here's what Erwin says about this fantastic mix:

"I was in my teens when I got in touch with Electronic Music by means of well-known artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk and Vangelis. Searching for more similar music in the local library, I came across an LP with on its sleeve just a mysterious picture of a huge radio telescope. The album was Robert Schroeder's "Galaxie Cygnus-A" ! Liner notes on the back of the sleeve explained that the music was commissioned by the Austrian Broadcasting Service (ÖRF) and performed live at the 1982 ARS Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria. The idea behind the project consisted of capturing sound waves coming from the Cygnus-A galaxy with the help of the Effelsberg 100 meter radio telescope, the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world at that time. Schroeder used those sound waves as basis and inspiration, and created a magical soundtrack for stargazing and floating in outer space. Needless to say, I was blown away by this album, and from then on I fanatically sought out other releases on the Innovative Communication label, which - by the way - was founded in 1978 by the late Klaus Schulze, one of the godfathers of Electronic Music.

To honour my memory of that exciting period, I chose to start this label retrospective with the first two tracks of this special album - including some of the white noise straight from space ! The mix is rather heterogeneous and gives a good impression of the kind of EM that was published on IC in its heydays, ie. the 80s. From the early 90s the label quickly became more commercial edging towards mellow new age and average electro-acoustic instrumental fusion (aka NAM)."

Thanks, Erwin, for this trip back in time.

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Robert Schroeder - Galaxie Cygnus-A Part 1 & 2 (Galaxie Cygnus-A, 1982)
12:08 Klaus Schulze - Silent Running (excerpt) (Trancefer, 1981)
19:26 Peak - Nightmist (Ebondàzzar, 1982)
25:30 P'Cock - The Prophet (The Prophet, 1980)
31:15 Peter Seiler - Serengeti (Sensitive Touch, 1987)
36:00 Mind Over Matter - Paradise: 1st. Movement: Being One (Air) (The Colours Of Life, 1988)
42:09 G.E.N.E. - Taste Of Dawn (Life Is A Melody, 1988)
47:42 Software - Syn-Code-Z: 1st. Movement: Code-Ocean (Syn-Code, 1987)
53:45 Patrick Kosmos - Airgasm (Cosmic Resonance, 1991)
63:16 end

Thursday Oct 17, 2024

Wind and Wandering

Thursday Oct 17, 2024

This mix is a continuation of a trend I noticed several years ago - the use of sax or other wind instruments in ambient music. I think I've done 3 other mixes that feature wind instruments.

This one came together fairly quickly as there is a lot to choose from. Most of the tracks are 2023 or 2024 with 4 of the 14 a bit older. I really like the flow of this set, one song bleeds right into the next with the beginnings and endings slightly obscured.

This also seems to work well as and autumn themed mix. I picture a cold, dreary autumn day like the one in the cover art. Speaking of the cover art, does anyone get the connection between the title and the cover?

Links to al the music used in this mix:

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Naima - nO0NOu (She Was Like Art 2024)
03:30 Anne Chris Bakker - Qanik (A Sketch in Leaving 2022)
05:10 Circo Alto - For Reeds (Faint Structures 2024)
11:02 Lotte Pen - Wanderer (Pelgrim 2022)
14:23 Jon Gibson - Extensions II (In Good Company 2010)
19:52 Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam, Saroon - Bathypalegic (Dive 1: Refraction 2024)
24:24 Sarah Neufeld & Colin Stetson - And Still They Move (LateNightTales 2016)
27:14 Naima - Ectenic Force (This Must Be The Place 2023)
34:47 CV & JAB - Dwelling (Κλίμα(Klima) 2023)
38:27 Taylor Deupree - Snowsand(For Clarinets, VIbraphone, Cello & Percussion) (Sti.ll 2024)
41:30 Juha Mäki-Patola & Tapani Rinne - Decaying Light (Decaying Light 2024)
45:12 Machinefabriek - IV(after Horovitz) (Recytle 2023)
48:22 Jonathan Coleclough, Theo Travis, Jeph Jerman - Slowed Life (Slowed Life 2024)
52:39 Takashi Kokubo & Andrea Esperti - Travelling Through The Stars To Gaia (Music For A Cosmic Garden 2023)
62:25 end

Friday Oct 11, 2024

A Moon Full Of Stars and Astral Cars by Andy McNeill/Maple Mountain Sunburst

Friday Oct 11, 2024

A%20Moon%20Full%20Retro%20Stars%20dark.png

I fell in love with the music of Andy McNeill, who records as Maple Mountain Sunburst, back in 2010 with the release of the album The Maple Mountain Sunburst Triolian Orchestra. Combining a wide variety of instrumentation, electronics, loops and samples to create a unique album and listening experience. The album was one of my favorites of 2010.

When I found out that, after a long hiatus, there was new album this year, I was totally hyped. The new recording, Ecstatic, is everything I'd hoped for. Described by Andy as “Instrumental electronic ambient with loops and chopped samples, old keyboards, guitars, and found voices. The vibe is heartwarming, blissed-out, and euphoric; a balm for turbulent times.” You can find the album here - https://maplemountainsunburst.bandcamp.com/album/ecstatic

I was so excited by the new music that I asked Andy to create a mix. He graciously agreed and created multiple mixes. So awesome! This is the first one and it is excellent. I can't stop listening to it.

Here's what Andy says abut this mix:

"I could say this playlist is about transcendence and something about the physical and spiritual journeys we might take to get there. Or I could just say these are tracks that bring me joy. Some old favourites, some new. I’ve tried to weave my own material through here in a desperate but determined effort to rise to the level of wonder and beauty in these artists’ work."

Here links to all the music used in the mix:

Thanks, Andy, for your hard work on this set.

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Maple Mountain Sunburst - Waters Of Forgetfulness (Ecstatic 2024)
05:24 Santo & Johnny - Sleepwalk (Presenting Santo & Johnny 1959)
07:43 Lemon Jelly - Ramblin’ Man (edit) (Lost Horizons 2002)
13:45 The Percy Faith Strings - Out Of This World (Bouquet of Love 1962)
17:46 Maple Mountain Sunburst - Murmuration Awe (Ecstatic 2024)
20:34 Juana Molina -¿Quién? (Segundo 2000)
23:04 Nick Zammuto - Tonight We’ll Go For A Ride (We The Animals 2018)
25:14 Sufjan Stevens - Everything That Rises (Javelin 2023)
30:10 Maple Mountain Sunburst - Dream Fuel (Ecstatic 2024)
34:56 Michael Nyman - Drowning By Number 3 (Drowning by Numbers 1988)
38:24 Radiohead - Pyramid Song (Amnesiac 2001)
43:07 Cocteau Twins - Otterley (Treasure 1984)
46:53 Michael Brook - Midday (Hybrid 1985)
52:18 Brian Eno - Spider and I(Before and After Science 1977)
55:55 Bill Frisell - Half a Million (Is That You? 1990)
59:00 end

Thursday Oct 03, 2024

Fall Colors

Thursday Oct 03, 2024

I have a whiteboard on the wall outside my office at work where we compile random lists of things - "Best Pizza Topping", "Favorite Kitchen Utensil", "Best First Track of an Album", etc. Recently the category was "Songs for Fall/Autumn." I posted about the list on Mixcloud here - https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/posts/songs-about-fall-autumn-fall-colors/

So I grabbed a few tracks from the suggestions, some of my own favorites & some instrumentals to come up with this new Fall Colors mix. The set alternates between vocal tunes & instrumentals.

Btw, the cover art pic is one of my own, taken ten years ago in my backyard.

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Neil Halstead - Seasons (Sleeping On Roads 2002)
05:21 Jonny Nash - October Song (Point of Entry 2023)
09:21 Fleet Foxes - Wading in Waist-High Water(Solstice Version) (A Very Lonely Solstice 2021)
11:25 Trembling Blue Stars - Two Octobers (Her Handwriting 1996)
12:40 Iron & Wine - Autumn Town Leaves (Weed Garden EP 2018)
15:50 Jeff Pearce - The Last Warm Day In October (Rainshadow Sky 2008)
20:03 The Declining Winter - Autumn Hours (The Definition Glance 2021)
25:50 Brian Eno & Harold Budd - Late October (The Pearl 1984)
30:00 Willie Nelson - September Song (Stardust 1978)
34:31 The Modern Jazz Quartet - Autumn in New York (Django 1953)
38:06 Bill Fay - The Geese Are Flying Westward (Who Is The Sender? 2015)
40:48 Early Day Miners - Autumn Wake (Let Us Garlands Bring 2002)
46:00 Neil Young - Harvest Moon (Harvest Moon 1992)
50:50 The Six Parts Seven - Changing The Name Of October (Silence Magnifies Sound 1999)
56:33 Yo La Tengo - Autumn Sweater (I Can Hear The Heart Beating 1997)
61:33 end