low light mixes

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Ambient music mixes for a chaotic world

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Thursday Dec 19, 2024

2024 Favorite Ambient Albums Part 1

Thursday Dec 19, 2024

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 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

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

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

Thursday Sep 19, 2024

Primordial Dreams

Thursday Sep 19, 2024

This is a collection of tribal ambient tunes. Think frame drums and synth washes. Think Steve Roach & Robert Rich - "Strata." Think Byron Metcalf.

There's really not much else to say, if you like the sounds mentioned above, you'll enjoy this mix.

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Louigi Verona - Geothermal Rising (Abiogenesis 2024)
06:30 Steve Jansen & Richard Barbieri - Remains Of A Fragile Illusion (Other Worlds In A Small Room 1995)
11:11 Byron Metcalf & Mark Seelig - A Teacher Appears (Kali Raga 2024)
20:52 Glasbird - Lokoteraina (A Sonic Expedition 2024)
23:40 Mystic AM - Thus Spoke Zarathustra / The Djinn (Cardamom & Laudanum 2022)
31:42 Cowboy Sadness - Billings, MT (Selected Jambient Works Vol. 1 2024)
35:45 Byron Metcalf - Nine (The Shaman's Heart II 2011)
44:10 The Rain Dogs - Delta Drift (Variations (i) 2020)
50:45 Craig Leon - The Gates Made Plain (Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 2: The Canon 2019)
56:10 Frore & Shane Morris - Into The Dust (Ochre 2023)
67:30 end

Wednesday Aug 28, 2024

Current Ambient Obsessions August 2024

Wednesday Aug 28, 2024

Sometimes I go off on tangents with nostalgia mixes, guest mixes, jazz mixes, etc. and I can lose sight of the fact that this is primarily an ambient mix site. So now it's time for a straightforward ambient mix.

All the tracks in this set are from summer 2024, with a couple not even released yet. So super fresh.

Here are some links to all the music used in this mix:

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Polaroid Notes - Quiet Rooms (Quiet Rooms 2024)
05:55 PJS - Sky Dance (Flora 2024)
14:41 Tapes & Topographies - the clouds and the briars (Plumage 2024)
17:40 Philippe Deschamps - The Silence of Pallas (The Silence of Pallas 2024)
21:12 Metric System 1981 - Down To The Sea (Down To The Sea 2024)
22:20 Toàn & Francis Gri - Rêve quatre (Le tissage des rêves 2024)
28:30 Glasbird - Days of Iron and Steam (Fenscapes 2024)
34:12 Akmuo - Terapija 1 (feat. VS & Emilija) (Sielos Terapija 2024)
36:30 Thorny & Matt Borghi - Outside the Circle I (Fragments of Distance 2024)
41:12 Scattered Light - Beacons (Beacons 2024)
44:50 Mount Shrine - A Slow Plane Part 1 (The Mount Hibiki Tapes 2024)
52:05 ARROWOUNDS - Portasar (Burial Trances of the Tentacled Sect 2024)
56:02 Michael Scott Dawson - Mojave Flowers (feat. Michael Grigoni) (The Tinnitus Chorus 2024)
60:28 end

Wednesday Aug 07, 2024

The Passing Of Time by Old Amica

Wednesday Aug 07, 2024

The guest mix hits just keep coming! This set come to us courtesy of Old Amica, a two-person band originally from Norrbotten, Sweden. Today they are separated by 1864km with one part in Stockholm, the other in Genève.

https://oldamica.bandcamp.com/

I was familiar with their work on the Whitelabrecs label:

https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/taiga
https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/fyr

So I was excited to hear about a new album coming out on August 9th. And then I was even more excited when they agreed to create a mix for LLM.

Here's what Johan & Linus say about this creation:

"This mix is a collection of songs and sounds that have had an influence on our new album “För alltid” (out August 9th via Le Mont Analogue [Dronarivm]). “För alltid” is an album about the passing of time, and we tried to break our sound down to its smallest constituents. Sounds that have always been there as a world of its own, but hid in the background."

Thanks so much for this excellent set! Be sure to check out their new release https://oldamica.bandcamp.com/album/f-r-alltid

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 The Beach Boys - Our Prayer (20/20 1969)
01:06 Jónsi & Alex - Atlas Song (Riceboy Sleeps 2009)
08:27 Julianna Barwick - The Harbinger (Nepenthe 2013)
14:02 Stars of the Lid - Dungtitled(In a major) (And their Refinement of the Decline 2007)
19:07 Oliver Coates - One Without (Aftersun [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] 2023)
23:51 Foreign Fields - Terrible Times (Reprise) (The Beauty of Survival 2020)
25:17 Old Amica - Mot natten (För alltid 2024)
32:12 Brian McBride - Overture(For Other Halfs) (When the Detail Lost its Freedom 2005)
38:41 Matti Bye - Open Sea (Capri Clouds 2024)
42:20 Hildur Guðnadóttir - 12 Hours Before (Chernobyl [Music from the Original TV Series] 2019)
44:30 Angelo Bandalamenti - Dark Space Low (Twin Peaks [Limited Event Series Soundtrack] 2017)
46:15 Ryuichi Sakamoto - fullmoon- immersion 2023 (async immersion 2023 2017)
51:03 Skator - Ljusa Tiden (excerpt) (År 2020)
52:20 Old Amica - Neckar (För alltid 2024)

Wednesday Jul 31, 2024

We Are Vaporized - The Music of Adam Wiltzie

Wednesday Jul 31, 2024

One of my favorite albums this year is Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal by Adam Wiltzie.
https://adamwiltzie.bandcamp.com/album/eleven-fugues-for-sodium-pentothal

Adam has an extensive discography of work - ranging from solo albums & soundtracks to work in the groups Aix Em Klemm, The Dean Texan, and A Winged Victory For The Sullen. But he is most well known for his work as part of Stars of the Lid, one of the best ambient duos/groups of all time.

After listening to his new album I hauled out some of his other work and loved it all over again. So this mix is the result of me binging Adam's music for the last month or two. It's a great combo of ambient & modern classical. https://adamwiltzie.com/

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00. Adam Wiltzie - Tissue Of Lies (Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal 2024)
02:42. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - So That the City Can Begin to Exist (Atmos 2014)
06:54. Aix Em Klemm - Sparkwood And Twentyone (Aix Em Klemm 2000)
13:28. Stars Of The Lid - Articulate Silences Part 1 (and Their Refinement of the Decline 2007)
18:40. Adam Wiltzie - the endless battle of the maudlin ballade part 3 (travels in constants, volume 24 2015)
21:06. A Winged Victory for the Sullen - A Minor Fifth Is Made Of Phantoms (The Undivided Five 2019)
24:18. The Dead Texan - The Struggle (The Dean Texan 2004)
29:10. Aix Em Klemm - The Luxury Of Dirt (Aix Em Klemm 2000)
35:00. Stars Of The Lid - Dust Breeding (1.316)+ (Avec Laudanum 1999)
40:40. Adam Wiltzie - We Were Vaporised (Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal 2024)
43:23. The Dead Texan - Taco Me Manque (The Dead Texan 2004)
45:25. Stars Of The Lid - The Lonely People(Are Getting Lonelier) (The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid 2001)
55:18. A Winged Victory For The Sullen - All Farewells Are Sudden (A Winged Victory For The Sullen 2011)
62:20. end

Wednesday Jul 17, 2024

Summer Stargazing '24

Wednesday Jul 17, 2024

After the road trip music of Khruangbin, it's time to get back to some ambient tunes. There's not much to say about this mix other than I was going for a vibe of sitting outside on a warm summer night, gazing at the stars. That's it simple, straightforward ambient music. Most of the tracks are from 2024.

Here are links to all the music used in this mix:

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Innesti - Astral Secrets (Contemplate 2024)

03:33 The Album Leaf - Circulation (Blast (feat. Aaron D4VD) 2024)

07:58 Alva Noto - Hybr:id Noh Human (Hybr:id III 2024)

15:15 Jogging House - Live at Home pt. 1 (Live at Home 2024)

21:07 Kaito - Summer Sketch(Floating Through Space In A Dream - iF edit)

(Collection 2024)

25:30 Hadley Roe - Fragrances (All That's Left 2024)

28:36 Astropilot & Crows Labyrinth - Dreaming Earth (Timeless Sky 2024)

31:15 IDTiL - Abstraction Release (Equilibrium Horizon 2024)

37:45 Brian Eno - Bells Above Instrumental (Drawings In A Notebook 2024)

42:10 State Azure - Ratios (As The Dawn Fades 2023)

51:00 Andrew Heath - The Cloud Machine (The Cloud Machine 2024)

60:00 end

Thursday Jun 27, 2024

Deep Curents

Thursday Jun 27, 2024

This mix was an accident. Well, the mix itself wasn't an accident but the vibe and theme was. I was listening to some new music and heard a new track - A Flock Of Birds Part 1 by Motionfield, and decided to start a new mix with it. Not having any idea where I was headed, I tossed the track on my timeline and went looking for more music. I grabbed one, then two, then three, four, five tracks and before I knew it the mix had a watery vibe.

Some of the tracks have that great dubby, watery synth wash sound I love. We take a little detour in the middle with a more acoustic sound on the Humble Bee & Offthesky track. But we eventually comeback to the deep sounds when we get to the Variant track. All the tracks are from this year except for the cut by Evitceles from 2019.

Links to all the music used in this mix:

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Motionfield - A Flock Of Birds Part 1 (A Flock Of Birds 2024)
05:22 Akmuo Lamiaceae (Dreamwalker 2024)
12:50 unknown - Whispers of the Deep (2024)
14:48 Demetrio Cecchitelli - Each (Jump 2024)
16:25 Evitceles - ArmsAround (Somnambulant Fog 2019)
20:20 Ulla & Ultrafog - pm filter (It Mens A Lot 2024)
23:00 Henrik Lindstrand - Hvid(Remodelled by Alva Noto) (2024)
30:50 Humble Bee & Offthesky - Senses (Here In, Absence 2024)
38:00 Philippe Deschamps - In a Silent Sea(Bahrambient Rework) (What The Sea Promises 2024)
40:20 Warmth - Night Away (The Black Sand 2024)
42:40 Variant - Cosmic Currents[Expansion] (Cosmic Currents 2024)
52:45 Heavenchord - Atmospheres & Soundscapes 1 (Atmospheres & Soundscapes 2024)
61:26 end