low light mixes

Mystical / Train - by Paul Asbury Seaman

 

                              "Then he leaves the platform/For the sleeping car that's warm

                                      You realize, he's only advertising one more shelter

                                      And it comes to you, he never was a stranger"

                                                                         - Leonard Cohen, "The Stranger Song"

 

 

I have been lucky to have a bunch of excellent guest mixes this year. After this one there are 2 more coming soon. But let's talk about this one first. This is another great collection from the mind of Paul Asbury Seaman. It's appropriate that "Mystical" is in the title as his mixes generally are more "mystical" than the ones I crank out. Which is why Paul's mixes are always a breath of fresh air for me.

 

Here's what Paul says about this set:

 

“In ancient times, the meaning of  “astrology” and “astronomy” was almost synonymous. Today we view space as a metaphor for the mystical—and vise versa. Both the physical universe and mystical concepts confront us with the unknown, the mysterious and the infinite, stimulating a desire for exploration and stretching our potential. Many things are more connected than we realize, and discovering such unexpected connections can be both illuminating and delightful. So this mix features koto and sax along with sequencers, trumpet, marimba and emotional guitar leads, getting slower as you go deeper.”

 

Thanks Paul, for another transcendental mix.

 

Cheers!

 

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Kitaro - Wonderland 2 (An Ancient Journey 2001)
• 03:06    Pharoah Sanders - Kazuko(Peace Child) (Journey to the One 1980)
• 08:55    Thom Brennan - Chasing the Rain Part 1 (Chasing the Rain 2021)
• 17:10    Jon Durant & Stephan Thelen - Fractal 5.7 (Crossings 2021)
• 24:16    Jean-Luc Ponty - Mystical Adventures Part V (Mystical Adventures 1982)
• 28:55    David Wright - Transylvanian Lullaby (In Search Of Silence 2011)
• 36:06    Germind - Subway Of The Future (Reincarnation 2012)
• 42:08    VAAST - LBV (Eta Carinae 2018)
• 46:28     Esmerine - Walking Through Mist (La Lechuza 2011)
• 49:55    Jon Durant & Robert Jürjendal - Reflective Sea (Across the Evening 2020)
• 55:48    David Wright - Sanctuary Reprise (In Search Of Silence 2011)
• 57:20    Max Corbacho - Starlight Grace (Nocturnes II 2018)
• 61:31    Alice Coltrane - The Hymn (Translinear Light 2004)
• 64:30    Ryan Herr & Jesse Hendricks - Cusp ( Cusp 2020)
• 74:13    end

 

Sunday Morning Music Vol. 21 - Dreamland

 

 

One of my favorite new indie albums of 2021 is An Overview on Phenomenal Nature by Cassandra Jenkins. It's a mostly fairly quiet, folky album. Except for the last cut which is instrumental with a kind of jazzy/ambient vibe. I knew immediately that I wanted to use it in a Sunday morning mix. Then I realized that it had been more than a year since I'd done a Sunday mix.

So here it is - Sunday Morning Music Vol. 21 - Dreamland. It sounds just like the Cassandra Jenkins I described above - jazzy/ambient with a sunny feel. There are two vocal tunes - one by Sam Gendel and the wonderful Dreamland by Joni Mitchell.

There's not much else to say other than grab the Sunday paper, a cup of coffee and hang out with this mix.

Cheers!

 

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Time Rival - Breakfast with Birdsong (Fell 2020)
• 02:40    Casandra Jenkins - The Ramble (An Overview on Phenomenal Nature 2021)
• 09:05    Sam Gendel - Shells, Tube, and Guitar (Fresh Bread 2021)
• 15:09    Pino Palladino, Blake Mills - Just Wrong (Notes with Attachments 2021)
• 19:30    Turn On The Sunlight - Looking For A Waterfall (Warm Waves 2020)
• 24:50    Joseph Shabason - 15-19 (The Fellowship 2021)
• 31:33    Green-House - Peace Piece (2021)
• 35:31    Sam Gendel - Sometimes I Feel So Good (Fresh Bread 2021)
• 40:00    Joni Mitchell - Dreamland (Don Juan's Reckless Daughter 1977)
• 44:06    SiP - Malabar (Leos Naturals 2020)
• 52:10    Blake Mills - Mirror Box (Mutable Set 2020)
• 57:00    Chocolate Hills - Relax (A Pail of Air 2019)
• 60:19    end

 

Last Night the Moon Came - A Tribute to Jon Hassell

 

 

Last year we lost Harold Budd. And now, just six months later, we lose another icon in Jon Hassell. 

It's nearly impossible to overstate his importance in shaping an entirely new sound, what he would call Fourth World music. His music has influenced scores of musicians and listeners. I've included a lot of Hassell's music in mixes over the years. And, considering he just released a fine album last year, I expected to be featuring his music in mixes for many more years.

This mix is not an overview of his career. It's a collection of tracks that fit together well, starting with a track from the little known Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack, all the way to the final track, Last Night the Moon Came, which sounds like a good finishing cut.

I wish I could say something eloquent or profound about Jon Hassell and his music, but I'm not that type of writer. I let the music speak for itself and, wow, did his music speak to me and many others. I will miss him. 

Thanks for all your great music, Jon.

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Jon Hassell Gregg Arreguin Jamie Muhoberac Peter Freeman - AM (The Million Dollar Hotel 200)
• 05:52    Brian Eno & Jon Hassell - Chemisty (Fourth World 1 Possible Musics 1980)
• 11:06    Jon Hassell - Cool Down Coda (Seeing Through Sound 2020)
• 12:25    Jon Hassell - Empire I (Aka/Darbari/Java - Magic Realism 1982)
• 13:52    Jon Hassell - Sundown Dance (Earthquake Island 1979)
• 18:09    Jon Hassell - Air (Power Spot 1986)
• 23:09    Jon Hassell - Malay (Dream Theory In Malaya 1981)
• 29:36    Jon Hassell - Out of Adedara (City: Works of Fiction 1990)
• 33:55    Jon Hassell - Map of Dusk (Myths 3 1987)
• 35:10    Jon Hassell - Timeless (Seeing Through Sound 2020)
• 42:44    Jon Hassell - Maarifa Street (Maarifa Street: Magic Realism, Vol. 2 2005)
• 49:32    Jon Hassell - These Times (Dream Theory In Malaya 1981)
• 51:23    Jon Hassell - Last Hight the Moon Came (Last Night The Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes In The Street 2009)
• 62:15    end

The Cloud Appreciation Society

 

 

I recently read an article in the New York Times that was published in 2016 about an unlikely collection of admirers. A group that started back in 2004 to sing the praises of...clouds. These devotees are known as "The Cloud Appreciation Society."

Here's a link to the NYT article... https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/magazine/the-amateur-cloud-society-that-sort-of-rattled-the-scientific-community.html

And the society... https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/

The name of the group stuck in my head as a possible theme and title for a mix. So here it is, a cloud themed mix. All the tracks have the word "cloud" in their titles. The music is appropriately drifting and relaxing. All the tunes are relatively new except for a few tracks from 2008, 2014, 2015 and one which reaches back to a Folkways record from 1981.

Look up, admire the clouds drifting by and float away with this mix.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Andrew Chalk - From Mountain Tops the Dusky Clouds (Incidental Music 2020)
• 05:05    Marine Eyes - Cloud Collecting (idyll 2021)
• 09:18    Max Richter – Shimmering Clouds (My Brilliant Friend 2018)
• 10:20    Craig Kupka - Clouds 2 (Clouds: Music for Relaxation 1981)
• 15:20    Gaussian Curve – Broken Clouds (Clouds 2014)
• 20:05    Clariloops – Clouds (Sun//Rain 2021)
• 23:34    Yui Onodera & Vadim Bondarenko - Cloudscape 8 (Cloudscapes 2015)
• 27:00    Shuta Yasukochi – Clouds (Slow sketch vol. 1: Reflections of the ambient community 2019)
• 30:45    Robert Rich - Fall Up, the Clouds Will Catch You (Offering to the Morning Fog 2020)
• 39:30    The Green Kingdom – Cloud Cloak (Ephemera 2018)
• 43:09    Innesti – The Architecture of Clouds (Formless 2019)
• 51:20    halftribe – Cloud Dreaming and Shadows (Cloud Dreaming And Shadows 2020)
• 56:22    Rudy Adrian - Of Clouds and Mountains (Desert Realms 2008)
• 63:29    end

LUMINOUSOUNDS - Orchestral Strings & Strands

 

 

I've been wanting to make an orchestral mix for a long time. Sometimes individual tracks will show up in other mixes but I haven't done one devoted exclusively to modern classical music in a long time.

What finally got me going with this mix was the new album from Max Richter - Voices 2. It's a beautiful album with lots of tracks that would work for an ambient leaning modern classical set. 

I really like how this one turned out. All but two of the tracks are from 2021. They flow from one to the other really well, making for a nice cohesive mix.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

 

• 00:00    Max Richter - Psychogeography (Voices 2 2021)
• 06:40    Glowworm - A Late Arrival (Midnight Intervals 2020)
• 10:30    Sven Laux - Fragment 3 (Scattered Fragments of Separation 2021)
• 13:48    Christine Ott - Pluie (Time To Die 2021)
• 18:35    That Which Is Not - Twin (The Basic Sharpness Of Emotions 2021)
• 24:56    Simon McCorry - Full Circle (And Where Are You Really From? 2021)
• 28:33    William Ryan Fritch - Resurface (Freeland 2021)
• 30:01    Christian Löffler - Pastoral (Parallels 2021)
• 33:33    A Winged Victory for the Sullen - Every Solstice & Equinox (Invisible Cities 2021)
• 35:42    Jóhann Jóhannsson - Flight From the City(Vikingur Olafsson Rework) (Retrospective II _ Rarities 2021)
• 41:29    Elskavon & John Hayes - Du Nord (Du Nord 2020)
• 45:55    Peter Gregson - Somnia [2021]
• 48:40    Max Richter - Movement Study (Voices 2 2021)
• 53:41    Slow Dancing Society - The Devil Knows How To Row (Galilee's Dream 2021)
• 58:38    Ross Gentry - Nobody Wants To Leave (Prism of Dust 2021)
• 62:00    end

 

Secret Songs of the Harp

 

 

Last year saw a trio of very fine albums of harp music from Andrea Cortez, Mary Lattimore, and Kirsten Agresta Copel. Here are links to all three albums:

 

https://auralcanyonmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-secret-song-of-plants

 

https://marylattimoreharpist.bandcamp.com/album/silver-ladders

 

https://kcopelymusic.bandcamp.com/album/around-the-sun

 

I used "The Secret Song of Plants" quite a bit as a work-from-home soundtrack. Then recently I realized that I'd never made a mix devoted to harp music. So here it is. It's beautiful and relaxing without being spa, new age crapola.

 

Cheers!

 

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Assia Cunego - Section 25-30 (Canto Ostinato 2009)
• 03:42    Alice Coltrane - Vrindavana Sanchara (Transcendence 1977)
• 07:22    Andrea Cortez - Song 3 (The Secret Song of Plants 2020)
• 14:20    Mary Lattimore - Pine Trees (Silver Ladders 2020)
• 17:28    Lavinia Meijer - Gnossienne No. 1 (Voyage 2015)
• 21:45    Kirsten Agresta Copely - Winter's Bone (Around The Sun 2020)
• 26:51    Claire Deak & Tony Dupé - for bernadette (the old capital 2020)
• 29:27    Lavinia Meijer - Glassworks Opening Piece (Glass:Metamorphis The Hours 2012)
• 35:33    Susan Jolles & Bert Lucarelli  - Claire De Lune (Music for Oboe & Harp 2012)
• 40:35    Julia Rovinsky - An Arc of Doves (Dusk 2010)
• 46:52    P.G. Six - #1 For Wire-Strung Harp with Echo (Music From The Sherman Box Series and Other Works 2006)
• 49:49    MItch Greer - Ambient Harp Midnight Reverie (Ambient Harp Midnight Reverie 2020)
• 65:55    end

 

 

Meditation & Solace

The origin of this mix is very simple - I simply wanted a new collection of meditative tunes to sleep to or zone out to while sipping tequila on the deck.

Once I decided to go with a meditation mix I immediately thought of a recent purchase of music from an artist known as Calm Whale. You can't go wrong with any of their releases. Just close your eyes and pick one and it will be beautifully calm and meditative. 

Calm Whale on Bandcamp

The rest of the mix is almost all new stuff except for one random track from 1980 sneaking in.

Go sit in your comfy spot of choice and zone out to Meditation & Solace.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Lab Cloud - Serenity 5am (The Structure Of Emotions 2021)
• 06:00    Don Slepian - Sea of Bliss (New Music for Digital Orchestra 1980)
• 13:03    Hipnotic Earth - Sadness Too Deep (HomeWorld 2021)
• 21:41    Calm Whale - Flowing In Harmony - Tibetan Bowls & RAV (Flowing In Harmony - Tibetan Bowls & RAV 2021)
• 29:33    Clariloops - Solace (Sun-Rain 2021)
• 32:32    zakè & City of Dawn - Fragile Dreaming In A Fragile Mind (Frizzell & Duque: A Sorrow Unrequited 2021)
• 39:27    the heart is awake - the Return ii(Healing Arts reMix) (the Healing Arts reMIXES Vol III 2020)
• 45:11    jarguna - My Temple (My Temple 2020)
• 50:15    Calm Whale - Breathing EARTH (Breathing EARTH Meditation 2021)
• 62:17    end

Ambient Folk & Cosmic Roots

 

 

After the craziness of the last mix it's nice to slow down. And what better way to slow down than with a guest mix from James over at The Slow Music Movement. They have a wonderful new album called "Future Folk: Friendly Faces; Different Spaces." 

https://theslowmusicmovement.bandcamp.com/album/future-folk-friendly-faces-different-spaces

After I heard it I asked James to do a guest mix featuring some tracks from that album along with other cuts that fit the vibe. The result is a unique journey through folk-influenced ambient and ambient-influenced folk.

While this mix only has three tracks from the new album they share a similar vibe and outlook. Here's what James has to say about his new compilation:

     "This compilation came about with my increasing interest in folk music after years of focusing on the 25 year old golden age of musical fusion that is still playing out. Having ridden the industry waves and ripples since the MP3 & digital stones were rudely thrown into the music pond, I am constantly fascinated by 20th century holdouts looking back wistfully to the good old, bad old days of smoky venues, hounding newsagents for music magazines, easily damaged vinyl, ancient instruments, terrible sounding tapes, label dependency, photocopied fanzines and stamp licking.
     So I contacted a few of the artists that had lit my folk flame to see what they had to say? Artists that know their roots, but who are keeping their eyes on the road ahead and the world of possibility they now enjoy. Shortly after, from home studios in spare rooms and internet enabled remote collaborations, wildly processed instruments from hazy late night jam sessions, digitally mutated acapellas and 13th century songs covered in an age that the long dead and sadly forgotten writer could never have imagined, started to drift into my inbox.
     Is an evolutionary leap the key to folk’s survival? Time, the whims of the coronavirus gods, the folk community’s response to today’s existential stresses, adaptation to changing media consumption habits, marketing decisions and ultimately, people’s decisions on what style of music suits them best, will decide."

 Here are some important links:

Slow Folk Playlist on Spotify

Future Folk on Streaming Services

Future Folk on Bandcamp

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    El Conejo - Tres Tigres Tristes
• 05:40    Jörgen Kjellgren - Dulcet, 
• 08:32    Adeline Hotel - Reliable Feelings, 
• 11:10    Kerry Devine - Vehicle, 
• 15:43    John Stammers - Waiting Around, 
• 20:00    The Howard Hughes Suite - Smoke from a Future Fire,
• 24:08    Tim Linghaus - You Called it Love, 
• 27:07    Boduf Songs - Unseen Forces and How to Use Them,
• 32:40    Roddy Woomble - Everday Sun, 
• 36:50    Black Brunswicker - Black Grouse Raag, 
• 41:25    M. Grig - Call, (45.50) Lightbath - Insinyur Cahaya, 
• 49:00    Ben McElroy - The Silence Has Spoken, 
• 52:00    Cynefin - Ffarwel I Aberystwyth, 
• 56:00    Burnt Paw - Arthur's Sea, 
• 58:40    Andreas Söderström & Rickard Jäverling - Klockan
• 62:53    end

 

 

memories and tides

It's funny how mixes come together sometimes. I started this one only knowing I wanted it to be pretty straightforward ambient. The easiest thing to do was to start with some new music from the last month or two. As I laid down a few tracks I started to get this feeling of the sea, of drifting on the water, of a quiet harbor. So I went with it.

 

Before long I had an entire mix of new music that hung together with this beautiful ebb & flow. The theme came about organically. The tracks themselves dictated what the mood would be. I've done other sea themed mixes over the years and this one could be the most subtle. I didn't add any field recordings - any wave sounds were already in a track. It's more about feel and vibe than sound fx.

All the cuts are from 2021 except for Bursts of Static by Olga Wojciechowska. I heard that on the BBC the morning after finishing the mix and knew immediately that I had to include it.

This mix might work well as soundtrack for a rainy spring day or for a nap in hammock as you dream of drifting out on the tide.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Jeannine Schulz - Riber (Luminous 2021)
• 04:35    The Green Kingdom - Atmosphere 1 (Solaria 2021)
• 09:21    Moss Covered Technology - Pressure Change (Seafields 2021)
• 15:43    Andrew Heath & Anne Chris Bakker - November (How To Breathe Like A Stone 2021)
• 26:18    Taylor Deupree - murmur (Mur 2021)
• 29:21    Daar - Waves Your Back Describes (Entire 2021)
• 34:25    Andrew Tasselmyer - What We Lost (Yesteryear 2021)
• 37:40    Observatories - Visible Darkness (Flowers Bloom, Butterflies Come 2021)
• 41:26    Jogging House - Between (Too 2021)
• 44:08    Olga Wojciechowska - Bursts of Static (Infinite distances 2019)
• 48:57    Tapes and Topographies - other distant mermaids (A Season of Loss 2021)
• 52:33    Spheruleus - Danse de Chambre (Canvas Homes + Supplémentaires 2021)
• 56:47    Masaya Kato & Valotihkuu - Viviante (Swallow 2021)
• 59:07    halftribe - Fern Moss (Lucent Forms Travelling 2021)
• 62:16    end

 

Guest Mix from Brad Deschamps of Polar Seas Recordings

 

 

This year I've had the good fortune of posting several cool guest mixes and that continues with this excellent collection from Brad Deschamps of Polar Seas Recordings.

https://polarseasrecordings.bandcamp.com/

It's not a mix of all Polar Seas releases, in fact only the opening and closing tracks are from the label. But it is perfect timing for a mix from Brad because Polar Seas is releasing three excellent new albums on Friday March 19th.

https://polarseasrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/luminous

https://polarseasrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-bird

https://polarseasrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/and-where-are-you-really-from

I love getting guest mixes because there is always great music in them that I have never heard. And that's the case with this one. I think I was familiar with 4 of the 9 artists in the set. So thanks to Brad for exposing me to even more good ambient music. But even more important thanks to Brad for running the great ambient record label - Polar Seas Recordings.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00 - 03:38    Jeannine Schulz - Rooms and Surfaces I
• 03:38 - 10:53    Laura Luna Castillo - Eight Pounds of Tuberose
• 10:53 - 15:36    Sea Oleena - On Possession
• 15:36 - 20:50    Sachi Kobayashi - Nostalgia
• 20:50 - 29:38    Patricia Wolf - Position From the Sun
• 29:38 - 35:43    Claire M. Singer - Wrangham
• 35:43 - 40:01    Lisa Lerkenfeldt - Champagne Smoke
• 40:01 - 42:53    Sofie Birch - Kandisae
• 42:53 - 46:00    Clara Engel & Bradley Sean Alexander - Ghost Bird Alive, At Dawn