low light mixes

Whitelabrecs Vinyl Mix

 

Without question one of the best ambient record labels in the world is Whitelabrecs . I've known label owner, Harry Towell, for a long time, going back to his netlabel days with Audio Gourmet. It's been grand to follow along as Harry has grown musically and the label has become a juggernaut. That's why I am beyond excited to present a guest mix from Harry. The bonus is it's an all vinyl mix. 

Here's a little blurb from Harry about his mix:

"My name’s Harry and I make music as Glåsbird. I’m from Lincolnshire in the UK and I also run a record label called Whitelabrecs. The label has been going since 2016 and specialises in limited edition runs of vinyl effect CDrs in classic vinyl sleeve formats, such as the gatefold LP and mini 45. Vinyl is a massive inspiration for this label and this all started in my earlier years in music, when I was a DJ. I’d collect a range of Deep House, Techno and Downtempo records and mix these at gigs, at a time when CD-Js and digital mixing was becoming the norm. I bought my Technics 1210s in 2004 as a second-hand purchase from another DJ. I’ve kept them all this time and they had deteriorated to the point where the tonearms would get stuck and so they had been gathering dust for a few years.

This year I got them repaired and serviced, replacing the cartridges and styli - now they’re in perfect working order! Since my former DJ years my music taste has changed considerably and this has been developed over the course of the last 15+ years, running the Audio Gourmet, Tessellate and Whitelabrecs labels which focus on quieter Ambient music. I’ll be doing more of these vinyl mixes from time to time and also have my first live DJ gig confirmed for September.

I recorded this vinyl mix one lunchtime after selecting and planning the first 10 tracks using the Camelot Harmonic Mixing method, which is a great way to create a natural-feeling melodic flow. It is a pretty reliable workflow but sometimes doesn’t translate – see the transition between tracks 2 and 3 as an example! I was enjoying this mix so much, that from tracks 11 onwards I switched to mixing on the fly, selecting tracks by ear.

 

I’d call this an Ambient mix overall but there’s a nice range of sub-styles in this selection, from drones and electronica, electro-acoustic and modern classical to folk and ethnic sounds."

Thanks, Harry, for creating this excellent set.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 01  Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer – One Of Eight (International Anthem, 2025)
• 02  Wil Bolton – Quill (Stereoscenic, 2025)
• 03  Ambre Ciel – Atlantis (Gondwana, 2025)
• 04  Michael Scott Dawson – Traveling Light (We Are Busy Bodies, 2024)
• 05  Roméo Poirier – Du Rocher (Sferic, 2020)
• 06  Goldmund – Travelling (Western Vinyl, 2015)
• 07  Roméo Poirier- Balayage (Sferic, 2020)
• 08  Shuta Yasukochi – Leaving (Archives, 2018)
• 09  A Broken Consort – The Elder Lie (Tomkins Square, 2007)
• 10  Less Bells – The Fang (Kranky, 2020)
• 11  Jonny Nash & Teguh Permana – Langit (Melody As Truth, 2020)
• 12  Paradise Cinema – A Morning in the Near Future (Gondwana, 2024)
• 13  Wilson Tanner – Daddles (Efficient Space, 2025)
• 14  Vieo Abiungo – Sad Swell (Lost Tribe Sound, 2011)
• 15  F. S Blumm – Luftluch (Morr Music, 2001)
• 16  Padang Food Tigers – Rise Before The Rain (Blackest Rainbow, 2010)
• 17  Danny Paul Grody – Ohr (Students of Decay, 2011)
• 18  Will Samson – Suspended In ft. Benoît Pioulard (Talitres, 2015)

echospace

 

 

I am a big fan of ambient dub music. Especially the more atmospheric stuff from DeepChord, Rod Modell, Variant, cv313, Shorelights and more. I've made ambient dub mixes in the past and they are some of my favorites. 

For this dubby mix I decided to focus on artists from the echospace [detroit] record label. Is echospace a label or an artist? I think it's both. And then there is Deepchord presents Echospace and Echospace [sounds] Presents, which confuses things even more. All I know is, I like the sounds that Echospace & Deepchord produce so I made a mix featuring those sounds.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00 Echospace [sounds] Presents - Forever In The Sky (Sequential Space 2022)
• 05:00 Intrusion - Twilight (The Seduction of Silence 2009)
• 10:00 Deepchord - Untitled 9 (Von Schommer 2002)
• 12:25 Radius - interpolation [restoration two] (Interpolation Tapes + Obsolete Machines 2019)
• 17:40 variant - sequential sleep [granular mix] (sequential sleep [series collection] 2025)
• 25:45 cv313 - Satosphere Sessions [Remnant I] (Satosphere Sessions [Transmission III] 2020)
• 33:33 Model 500 - Starlight (Echospace dub) (Starlight 2008)
• 36:42 Deepchord - Untitled 6 (Liumin Reduced 2010)
• 39:45 Variant - As Time Stood Still (The Setting Sun 2008)
• 49:45 Radius - transverse waves [tape master] (Interpolation Tapes + Obsolete Machines 2019)
• 55:40 Intrusion - Under The Ocean (The Seduction of Silence 2009)
• 59:39 Echospace [sounds] Presents - Our Last Sanctuary (Sequential Space 2022)

Kosmische Musik - A Starter's Guide Vol. 1

 

 

For some strange reason I have not been listening to as much pure ambient music as I normally do. I've been playing a lot of jazz lately. And I am still devouring a ton of electronic/berlin school music. So it's perfect timing that friend of the show, Erwin Broers, has come up with a pair of awesome mixes in the genre.

I'll let Erwin tell you all about this new mix:

"Here's a follow-up on my Fall 2024 mix "Back To The Roots Of Berlin School". As you recall it featured a collection of electronic music tracks from the 1990s, that were inspired by the patterns, sounds and analog instruments of the 1970s and early 1980s. Back then, nobody talked about "Berlin School Electronic Music". That label would only appear somewhere mid 1990s, probably to honour the place where the genre was born. Fans in the early days would rather use the term "Kosmische Musik" (German for "Cosmic Music"). An explanation for the "cosmic" element is to be found in the use of the step sequencer, which made it easy to create hypnotic rhythm loops with up to 32 notes or steps, set a tempo, and mix them over electronic drones, soundscapes, soloing, washes, white noise and space sounds. The effect was to “float” the listener through endless terrestrial or cosmic space. For those not keen on using illicit substances, it was an interesting and harmless alternative "trip"!

So I thought about creating a mix of some classic pieces from that first era, but soon found out one mix would not be enough to do justice to all the fantastic "Cosmic Music" that was made back then."

This is an amazing trip that couldn't be contained in a normal hour-long mix so we get 2hours of electronic bliss. Thanks Erwin!

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00:00   Harald Grosskopf - So Weit, So Gut (Synthesist, 1980)
• 00:05:12   Jean-Michel Jarre - Arpegiator (The Concerts In China, 1982)
• 00:11:45   Michael Garrison - The Search (In The Regions Of Sunreturn, 1979)
• 00:17:14   Tangerine Dream - Invisible Limits (Stratosfear, 1976)
• 00:28:33   Bernd Kistenmacher - Ferne Ziele (Kaleidoscope, 1989)
• 00:46:23   Kraftwerk - Spacelab (The Man-Machine, 1978)
• 00:52:08   Klaus Schulze - Nowhere/Now Here (Body Love Vol. 2, 1977)
• 01:12:05   Wolfgang Bock - Cycles (Cycles, 1980)
• 01:30:36   Rolf Trostel - Dis Moll Adagio (Musique Intemporel, 1988)
• 01:35:46   Zanov - Lost Message (In Course Of Time, 1983)
• 01:41:41   Neuronium - The Neutron Age (Chromium Echoes, 1982)
• 01:59:39   end

Dark Woods by Daniel Hawkins

 

 

I've fallen behind a bit on creating and uploading mixes. But have no fear, it's Daniel Hawkins to the rescue! He's come up with a guest mix at just the right time. You'll remember Daniel form his previous mix, "Metallic Memories" - https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/metallic-memories/ 

For this set he takes us into the modern classical realm. Here's what Daniel has to say about this new mix:

"I was thinking about some of the nice Neo-classical/crossover stuff I like and then got to thinking about the way having a label for a style of music can actually be a limiting factor.  The best creative work in any field so often transcends genres and labels and breaks new ground - Issak Dinsen said “A work of art is a thing of infinite loneliness and the least to be understood through criticism.”  I remember back in the 1970’s playing Keith Jarret’s solo piano albums and my friends asking what kind of music it was.  What do you say?  Back then they stocked it in the jazz section of the record store with the other ECM releases, but I have never thought of that body of work as jazz.  Music continues to evolve - Ambient?  Chillout?  Drone?  Electronic?  Tribal?  Names and more names.  So what do you call this collection of cello music?  Is it classical because it features an instrument that is typically found in an orchestral setting?  Personally I don’t think we need a label.  I know good music when I hear it.  The mix leans to the somber side - something strings do so well - deep and evocative.  Explorations of the dark night of the soul."

Thanks, Daniel, for another excellent mix!

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00   Snorri Hallgrímsson - I Am Weary, Don't Let Me Rest (I Am Weary, Don't Let Me Rest 2023)
• 06:04   Peter Gregson - Softly Falling (Softly Falling - Single 2024)
• 08:08   Hildur Guðnadóttir - Ascent (Without Sinking 2009)
• 12:42   Bob Holroyd - Enough (The Cage 2018)
• 18:01   David Darling - Dawn (Darkwood IV) (Dark Wood 1993)
• 23:00   Ketil Bjørnstad, Svante Henryson - Visitor (Night Song 2011)
• 27:55   Ólafur Arnalds - Partisans (The Invisible EP 2021)
• 31:03   Henrik Meierkord - Kval (Kval 2021)
• 35:50   Willebrant - Undercurrent (Undercurrent - Single 2023)
• 38:05   Slow Meadow - Palemote (Palemote - Single 2016)
• 43:30   Peter Gregson - Ritual (Peter Gregson 2025)
• 46:57   Gabriel Ólafs - Whale Overture (Polar 2025)
• 51:33   Snorri Hallgrímsson - Three Week Cloud (Longer shadows, softer stones - EP 2024)

Handpan Meditations

 

Oh man, this is a good one. Well, all the mixes here are good but for some reason this one resonates with me right now. Two years ago I posted a mix called "Walk Softly Upon This Earth" that featured the handpan as the main instrument - https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/walk-softly-upon-this-earth/

I love that mix and have always wanted to do a follow up. Then in April a new EP dropped that I immediately fell in love with and it prompter me to create this mix. The EP is called "Kalima" from Lab's Cloud in collaboration with Falvio Salvaje. Check it out here - https://labscloudmusic.bandcamp.com/album/kalima

The rest of the mix is collection of some truly excellent handpan music with my favorite, other than the tracks from "Kalima," being "Passage IV" from Laura Inserra. It combines handpan and electric guitar in a beautiful way. 

Links to all the music used in this mix:

• https://labscloudmusic.bandcamp.com/album/kalima
• https://laurainserra.bandcamp.com/album/musical-incense-vol-2
• https://christineott.bandcamp.com/album/tabu-2
• https://flaviosalvaje.bandcamp.com/album/cruise-slowly
• https://futurerust.bandcamp.com/album/the-end-of-the-beginning-future-rust-volume-4
• https://www.jameshood.com/pure-ceremony
• https://laurainserra.bandcamp.com/album/altitude
• https://www.amazon.com/Rhythms-Sleep-Music-Deep-Rest/dp/B00S0CU1ZE

I hope this mix brings you all some peace in these insane times.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00   Lab's Cloud and Flavio Salvaje - I'm your sun (Kalima 2025)
• 05:00   Laura Inserra - Passage IV (Musical Incense - Vol. Two 2009)
• 16:10   Christine Ott - Sorrow / Lover's Dance (Tabu 2016)
• 26:33   Flavio Salvaje & Onanya - Buen Viaje (Cruise Slowly 2023)
• 34:09   Quentin Kayser - Fred(feat. Carola Ortiz) (The End of the Beginning(Future Rust Vol. 4 2023)
• 39:12   Lab's Cloud and Flavio Salvaje - Sandwhistle (Kalima 2025)
• 43:24   James Hood - Huasca(We Are Not Alone) (Pure Ceremony 2017)
• 48:50   Laura Inserra - Sentiment (Altitude 2019)
• 54:35   Christopher Of The Wolves - Floating (Rhythms Of Sleep 2015)
• 69:40   end

A Violet Sky

 

This is straightforward ambient mix. Nothing fancy, just good music. The one unifying trait of this mix, other than all the tracks being awesome, is that everything is from this year.

I started the set with a track from Alio Die. Every so often I need a reminder why I love an artist I've been listening to forever. And stumbling upon this new album definitely brought back why Alio Die is one of my all-time favs.

LINKS TO ALL THER MUSIC USED IN THIS MIX:

• https://aliodie.bandcamp.com/album/the-inner-vaults
• https://davidtagg.bandcamp.com/album/the-wind-kept-land
• https://metronrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gaiaphilia
• https://stateazure.bandcamp.com/album/stillness
• https://archivesdubmusic.bandcamp.com/album/monochrome
• https://innesti.bandcamp.com/album/fragility-and-circumstance
• https://altusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/gossamer-wings-of-illusion
• https://celer.bandcamp.com/album/gems-iv
• https://variantsonics.bandcamp.com/album/sequential-sleep-series-collection

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00   Arborescence & Alio Die;  - Kindling Leaves (The Inner Vaults 2025)
• 08:05   David Tagg - The King of Songs performs the prelude to Cruciform Heart
• (The Wind Kept Land 2025)
• 13:15   Yumiko Morioka & Takashi Kokubo - O-KA-GU-RA (Gaiaphilia 2025)
• 15:35   State Azure - Stillness (Stillness 2025)
• 22:55   SVLBRD - Indigo Light (Monochrome 2025)
• 28:35   Innesti - Crosscurrents Through Nuances (Fragility and Circumstance 2025)
• 34:16   Loneward - Temporal Dunes (Gossamer Wings of Illusion 2025)
• 41:41   Celer - IV.VI (Gems IV 2025)
• 47:55   variant - sequential sleep(unreleased modular-scape)
• (sequential sleep series collection 2025)
• 60:00   end

Berlin School Electronic Music 2025 Spring Update

 

 

More Berlin School goodness from Erwin Broers. There's not much I can say about this mix, other than being totally psyched for it, so I'll let Erwin give you the lowdown.

"This mix is an overview of some of the interesting Berlin School Electronic releases of the current calendar year. There's a wide variety of styles, ranging from minimal and retro to loungy/chilled and bombastic/cinematic. Actually, this selection covers the whole spectrum of electronic music between ambient and synth pop. So maybe the label "Berlin School" is not adequate anymore. But hey what's in a name! In any case, unless you're a hard core ambient fan, you will certainly discover something to your liking. Check the links below and support the artists!" 

Thanks, Erwin, for another great Berlin School set.

 

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00:00   Ian Boddy & Harald Grosskopf - Diodengesang (Doppelgänger)
• 00:07:35  Daniel Coppens - Nocturnal (After The End)
• 00:15:34  State Azure - Vortices (The Light That Remains)
• 00:21:05  Gate Eleven - Fly By Night (First Contact)
• 00:26:55  Dino Pacifici & Brannan Lane - Amazon Mist (Imaginary Horizons)
• 00:31:50  Chuck van Zyl - Denkmal (Transience)
• 00:42:16  Brendan Pollard - Corollary (Strands)
• 00:48:53  Grauglanz - Collaborations (A Grim Moon Rising)
• 00:59:50  Leopards Of White - Through The Front Door To Then (Forest Edge)
• 01:08:47  Paul Ellis - Winter Garden (Warmth From Other Suns)
• 01:17:12  Stefan Erbe - Metamorphosys (Metamorphosys)
• 01:23:02  Colin Rayment - As Light Tiptoes In The Darkness (Penumbra)
• 01:31:04  Rene De Bakker - Cosmic Equilibrium (Cosmic Equilibrium)
• 01:47:58  end

The Open Blue

 

 

Seascape mixes are some of my favorite ambient mixes. The genre seems to perfectly suited to floating and drifting on an endless sea. Two of my favorite ambient tracks of all time are "sea" ambient - 

https://marsenjules.bandcamp.com/track/submarine-poetry

https://infraction.bandcamp.com/track/the-most-beautiful-blue

I absolutely love those two tracks! 

I'm always up for a new seascape mix and that's what we have here - a new collection of tracks mostly from 2023 & 2024, with one from 2020 and one from all the way back in 2008. Put the oars back in the boat, kick your feet up and drift away.

 

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00  Bill Seaman, Tim Diagram, Stephen Spera - The World Was Turning Before (The World Was Turning Before 2023)
• 07:00  Philippe Deschamps - What The Sea Promises - In a Silent Sea (Bahrambient Rework) (What The Sea Promises 2024)
• 09:20  Old Amica - Sommaren 96 (För alltid 2024)
• 14:06  Model 500 - Starlight(Intrusion dub) (Starlight 2008)
• 20:35  Jeff Greinke - Northern Reaches (Oceanic 2024)
• 29:00  Masayoshi Fujita - Ocean Flow (Migratory 2024)
• 31:54  Faux Tapes - Dive. Pt.4 (Dive 2024)
• 33:25  First Snow of The Year - Noir (Norwegian White 2025)
• 38:10  Bill Seaman, Tim Diagram, Stephen Spera - Far Away (The World Was Turning Before 2023)
• 43:00  Sanjib - Aquatic Sphere (Underwater 2020)
• 47:23  Daou - Sanctum (Reverie 2023)
• 51:12  Faux Tapes - Dive. Pt.7 (Dive 2024)
• 54:30  end

Electronic Gems From The Lowlands by Erwin Broers

 

Another electronic gem from Erwin Broers. He has become my go to guy for berlin-school music and I'm totally here for it. I've said many times that I like hosting guest mixes from artists and listeners because I always discover new music. And this set is a perfect example - other than Ron Boots, every artist in this mix is new to me.

 

Here's what Erwin has to say about this mix:

"The theme this time is "Electronic Gems From The Lowlands", the lowlands being Belgium and the Netherlands. Both countries are neighbours of Germany, where Electronic Music took off in the early 1970s. It was therefore inevitable that many local progressive artists became fascinated by synthesizers and inspired by this new genre known as "Kosmische Musik" (cosmic music). Influence of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze is obvious, but there's also a hint at prog rock and a few tracks come close to melodic synth pop similar to Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre."

Thanks for a great set, Erwin!

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00:00   PeRu - Out Of Time (Constellations, 1981)
• 00:09:01   Pillion - Enigmas (Enigmas, 1980)
• 00:22:36   Par Example - Flarepath (Pharos, 1989)
• 00:31:57   Patrick Kosmos - Mindscapes part 1, 2nd movement (Mindscapes, 1987)
• 00:41:00   Johan Timman - Trip Into The Body (Trip Into The Body, 1981)
• 00:46:31   Walter Christian Rothe - Solitude (Solitude, 1982)
• 00:50:34   Ton Scherpenzeel - Heart Of The Universe (Heart Of The Universe, 1984)
• 00:58:02   Frank Van Bogaert - A Picture of You (Closer, 2004)
• 01:01:45   Ron Boots & John Kerr - Oceans Of Emotions (Offshore Islands, 1990)
• 01:15:11   end

Piano Day 2025

 

 

It's World Piano Day! I've made several mixes over the years for Piano Day and each time I wonder if I'll find enough tracks for an interesting mix. And every year it comes together and surprises me with how much I like the finished set.

This mix starts with a tune everyone should be familiar with - Eno's Music For Airports 1/2. This recording is by Bruce Brubaker from his fine EP - Eno Piano 2. To make things interesting I played two tracks from it simultaneously and I think it worked pretty well. 

While collecting tracks for the mix I was happy to find a piano album from Daniel Lanois. It's from 2022 and I had no idea it existed. I'm a big fan of the Necks so I was also excited to use one of their tracks for the first time. At least I think I've never used their music in a mix before. 

LINKS TO ALL THE MUSIC USED IN THIS MIX:

• https://bruce-brubaker.bandcamp.com/album/eno-piano-2
• https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/quiet-rooms
• https://jonhopkins.bandcamp.com/album/ritual
• https://tapelooporchestra.bandcamp.com/album/psalm019-sabbat-de-voix
• https://lawrenceenglish.bandcamp.com/album/even-the-horizon-knows-its-bounds
• https://thehumblebee.bandcamp.com/album/the-trembling-line
• https://h-mo.bandcamp.com/album/bark-up-the-spirit-tree
• https://gallerysix.bandcamp.com/album/distance
• https://latencyrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/latency-alla-villa-medici-ii
• https://thenecksau.bandcamp.com/album/bleed
• https://www.amazon.com/Player-Piano-Daniel-Lanois/dp/B0B7BYVZJK
• https://benlukasboysen.bandcamp.com/album/falling-into-place-original-score
• https://modernarecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-shoe-factory
• https://sine-music.bandcamp.com/album/dreamscapes
• https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Daylight-Piano-Version/dp/B0DKX181VJ

 

I hope you enjoy this latest installment in celebration of the piano.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00   Bruce Brubaker - Music For Airports 1/2 and 1/2 (Bows Version) played simultaneously (Eno Piano 2 2024)
• 06:28   Polaroid Notes - Invitation To A Ghost Seance (Quiet Rooms 2024)
• 10:53   Jon Hopkins - part viii - nothing is lost (Ritual 2024)
• 14:40   Tape Loop Orchestra - Voix Figées (PSALM019: Sabbat De Voix 2025)
• 20:10   Lawrence English - ETHKIBIII (Even The Horizon Knows Its Bounds 2025)
• 25:10   civic hall - II (the trembling line 2024)
• 28:12   H-M O - Full Circle (Bark up the Spirit Tree 2024)
• 33:12   Gallery Six & Lorenz Weber - Dialogue 1 (Distance 2024)
• 36:19   Duval Timothy - Go Without (Latency alla Villa Medici II 2024)
• 41:32   The Necks - Bleed (Bleed 2024)
• 46:25   Daniel Lanois - Sunday Asylum (Player, Piano 2022)
• 49:15   Ben Lukas Boysen - Prologue (Music for Falling Into Place OST 2024)
• 51:36   Oliver Patrice Weder - Into Pieces (The Shoe Factory 2024)
• 54:15   Thomas Lemmer - In The Glow Of Midnight (Dreamscapes 2025)
• 56:27   Max Richter - On the Nature of Daylight(Piano Ver.)(The Blue Notebooks 20 Year Edition 2025)
• 62:23   end