low light mixes

https://feed.podbean.com/lowlightmixes/feed.xml

1.5M

Downloads

494

Episodes

Ambient music mixes for a chaotic world

Episodes

Thursday Dec 29, 2022

Best Ambient 2022 part 3

Thursday Dec 29, 2022

I can't decide which of these Best Ambient mixes I like the most. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to listen all 3 all day, every day until the end of the year. Then the journey starts all over again.

As another year comes to a close, it's hard to believe I've been at this for 17 years. Yikes! I'm not sure how long I'll keep creating these mix but I at least have to make it to 20 years, right? If I ever retire from my day job this seems like the perfect retirement activity. Forget golf, I just want to listen to music and create mixes(and go to movies, concerts and funky restaurants.)

Here's to a hopefully less chaotic 2023.

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Seabuckthorn - Of No Such Place (Of No Such Place - Laaps)
03:26 Son of Chi & Arthur Flink - Part Two (The Fifth World Recordings - Astral Industries)
07:45 Tapani Rinne & Juha Mäki-Patola - Distant (Open - Hush Hush)
12:36 Nils Frahm - Do Dream (Music for Animals - Leiter)
19:35 Toàn - Coraline (Phonolite - [Krysalisound)
22:35 Gylden - A drink at the stream (Island Friend - Seil)
27:00 Oren Ambarchi - IV (Ghosted - Drag City)
31:10 Adrian Copeland - No Heat No Light (If This Were My Body - Lost Tribe Sound)
36:45 Roméo Poirier - Le case degli altri (Living Room - Faitiche)
40:00 't Geruis - Quand Le Bois Chante (Bain D'Étoiles - Laaps)
43:20 The Lonely Bell - The Final Light (Kingdoms Of The Deep)
49:40 Music For Sleep - L'ansia che cura (L'ansia che cura)

Wednesday Dec 28, 2022

Best Ambient 2022 part 2

Wednesday Dec 28, 2022

Not much to say other than here is Best Ambient 2022 part 2.

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Snufmumriko - Langt under noll (Radio Mnemosyne - Dronarivm)
06:10 Heavenchord - Field Recordings #19(Field Recordings #4 - Secret Domain)
12:00 Austin Rockman - Muter (Our Own Unknown - Krysalisound)
13:27 Alio Die - Il Lievito Dell'anima (Distillation Of Time - Hic Sunt Leones)
18:25 Taylor Deupree - Rythn (Harbor - Laaps)
21:15 Jason Kolàr - Magic / Random / Exotism (Liquid Rhythm - Dauw)
27:37 Jarguna - Neogene (Neogene - Projekt)
28:33 Alio Die & Dirk Serries - Without The Light Of The Sky, Time Is Lost (The Chapters Of The Eclipse - Projekt)
34:25 State Azure - Nova Sonus (Nova Sonus)
42:40 Deepchord - Drassanes (Functional Designs - Soma)
47:20 Louigi Verona - Journeys on Google Earth III (Journeys on Google Earth)
54:22 CELL - Auxin (Onwards System - Ultimae)
59:50 Calm Whale - Awaken Earth (Handpan Journey)
67:37 Ruven Nunez - Untitled No. 51 (Untitled No. 51 - Longform Editions)
75:06 end

Tuesday Dec 27, 2022

Best Ambient of 2022 part 1

Tuesday Dec 27, 2022

Man, these lists are tough to assemble. So why do I does this? Mostly because I enjoy the exercise of reviewing the tons and tons of music that is released over the year. It's a more active and intentional listening mode that I switch to at this time of year. I love checking out other lists to see what I may have missed. But mostly I'm just a music dork who likes lists. So here it is my favorite ambient music of 2022.

My Top 10 Ambient Albums of 2022

Ecovillage - The Road Not Taken [Laaps]
Snufmumriko - Radio Mnemosyne [Dronarivm]
Man Watching the Stars - The Sextant of a Blind Seafarer
Gylden - Island Friend [Seil]
Nils Frahm - Music For Animals [Leiter]
Glåsbird - Himalaya [Whitelabrecs]
Alio Die & Dirk Serries - The Chapters Of The Eclipse [Projekt]
Tapani Rinne & Juha Maki-Patola - Open [Hush Hush Records]
Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin - Ghosted [Drag City]
Tapes and Topographies - Modalities [Simulacra]

Here's the rest of the list in alphabetical order:

't Geruis - Bain D'Étoiles [Laaps]
't Geruis - Slow Dance on Moss Beds [Lost Tribe Sound]
Adrian Copeland - If This Were My Body [Lost Tribe Sound]
Alio Die - Distillation of Time & Spirals of Light [Hic Sunt Leones]
Austin Rockman - Our Own Unknown [Krysalisound]
Calm Whale - Awaken Earth
CELL - Onwards System [Ultimae]
Deepchord - Functional Designs [Soma]
Glåsbird - Cinéma Noir [Whitelabrecs]
Harry Towell & Guy Gelem - Restful Spaces [Polar Seas]
Heavenchord - Field Recordings #4 [Secret Domain]
Inhmost - Space & Awareness [Tonight’s Dream Records]
Jarguna - Neogene [Projekt]
Jason Kolàr - Liquid Rhythm [Dauw]
Jens Pauly - 1989 [Whitelabrecs]
Johann Johannsson - Drone Mass [DG]
Louigi Verona - Journeys on Google Earth
Michael Scott Dawson - Music For Listening
Moss Covered Technology - Brick & Air [Audiobulb]
Oren Ambarchi - Shebang [Drag City]
Pan-American - The Patience Folder [Kranky]
Polaroid Notes - Cloud Anthems [Whitelabrecs]
Romeo Poirier - Living Room [Faitiche]
Ruven Nunez - Untitled #51 [Longform Editions]
S. van der Toorn - vervlogenheden i-xi [Aural Canyon]
Scattered Light - D.A. #017 A.D. 2022 [Dust Archive]
Seabuckthorn - Of No Such Place [Laaps]
Son of Chi & Arthur Fink - The Fifth World Recordings [Astral Industries]
State Azure - Nova Sonus [2022]
Steve Tibbetts - Hellbound Train [ecm]
Tapani Rinne & Juha Maki-Patola - Open [Hush Hush Records]
Tapes and Topographies - Amplitudes [Whitelabrecs]
Taylor Deupree - Harbor [Laaps]
The Lonely Bell - Kingdoms Of The Deep
Toàn - Phonolite [Krysalisound]
William Basinski & Janek Schaefer - “ . . . on reflection [Temporary Residence]

I've done three separate mixes to celebrate the best ambient music of 2022 and I will post one a day.

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Ecovillage - Silent River(ft. Henrik Meierkord & Ruven Nunez) (The Road Not Taken - Laaps)
03:10 Jens Pauly - Vast (1989 - Whitelabrecs)
08:40 't Geruis - la petite riviere (Slow Dance on Moss Beds - Lost Tribe Sound)
13:00 William Basinski & Janek Schaefer - . . . on reflection(one) (“ . . . on reflection " - Temporary Residence)
19:41 Scattered Light - A.D. 2022 - SP#086 (D.A. #017 - A.D. 2022 - Dust Archive)
23:36 Man Watching the Stars - Sakkyoku • 55 Cancri (The Sextant of a Blind Seafarer)
29:10 Harry Towell & Guy Gelem - Montague's Creek (Restful Spaces - Polar Seas)
36:05 Inhmost - So Far Away (Space & Awareness - Tonight's Dream Records)
40:12 Glåsbird - Vansa (Himalaya - Whitelabrecs)
44:30 Johann Johannsson - To Fold & Remain Dormant (Drone Mass - DG)
47:54 Tapes and Topographies - The First of Many Moons (Modalities - Simulacra)
51:54 S. van der Toorn - vervlogenheid i (vervlogenheden i-xi - Aural Canyon)
55:08 Michael Scott Dawson - Summerfallow (Music For Listening)
57:51 Pan•American - Swimming in a Western Hotel (The Patience Fader - Kranky)
60:30 end

Sunday Nov 13, 2022

NUMINOUSTRINGS

Sunday Nov 13, 2022

Many times a new mix is inspired by a track or album. In this case it was the new album, The Road Not Taken by Ecovillage.

The album is full of long, deep string vibrations that carry you along from track to track, place to place, and memory to memory. This is one of my favorite albums of the year.

So I went looking for, not just string based tunes, but tracks that had a similar slow, reflective pull. Sometimes a mix with track that are too similar can be stale but in this case the mix becomes one long meditation. As the tracks bleed one into another I experience an almost devotional trance, an ethereal sojourn.

Here are links to all the music used in this mix in the order in which they appear:

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Ecovillage - Ascend(ft. Henrik Meierkord) (The Road Not Taken 2022)
04:09 Seabuckthorn - So It Remains (Of No Such Place 2022)
07:40 tapes and topographies - the floating world (floating world - reflections on 36 views of newland island 2022)
12:55 Kasper Bjørke Quartet - Formation (Mother 2022)
18:18 Andrew Heath & Simon McCorry - Tree Shadows (A Is For Autumn 2022)
20:36 Anne Mueller - Heliopause (Heliopause 2019)
25:12 't Geruis - Tastbare Stilte, Zilver (Vast 2022)
30:33 Halftribe & Seabuckthorn - Sway (Ambientologist Sustain Series, Vol. 3 2022)
36:20 Adrian Copeland - Stars With No Sky (If This Were My Body 2022)
40:55 Man Watching the Stars - Na Leigheasan • UGC 10214 (The Sextant of a Blind Seafarer 2022)
46:15 Harry Towell & Guy Gelem - Sefad (Restful Spaces 2022)
50:40 glåsbird - restless progress (cinéma noir 2022)
53:40 Henrik Meierkord, Pawel Kobak, Marco Lucchi & Rocco Saviano - Sunshine(Stilla Natt) (Venusia 2022)
57:06 Anne Mueller - Nummer 2 (Heliopause 2019)
63:00 end

Tuesday Nov 08, 2022

Music for Recovery(from the midterm elections)

Tuesday Nov 08, 2022

Well, Christ on a bicycle, this midterm election season was a shit show. So here is a mix of beautiful ambient tracks to help us all heal and recover.

Here are links to all the albums used in this mix in the order in which they appear:

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Uther Moads - Future Waves (Uther Moads 2011)
03:53 Brian Eno - Making Gardens Out Of Silence (FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE 2022)
11:30 Katharina Schmidt - Particles (Particles 2022)
19:00 Taylor Deupree & Arovane - Sill Lili (Skal_Ghost 2022)
22:45 Ruven Nunez - Untitled No. 51 (Untitled No. 51 2022)
30:00 Nils Frahm - Stepping Stone (Music For Animals 2022)
35:30 Son of Chi & Radboud Mens - Side A excerpt (AI-25: The Transition Recordings 2022)
43:15 From Overseas & City of Dawn - Silent Friends (Misty Memories 2022)
47:40 V. Kristoff - Creek II (Nocturne 2022)
54:25 Jason Letkiewicz - Emergent Ray I (Emergent Rays 2022)
58:00 Monogoto - Komorebi(deletion 47) (Partial Deletion of Everything Vol. 2 2022)
61:55 Andrew Heath & Simon McCorry - Rain (A is for Autumn 2022)
65:05 end

Friday Oct 28, 2022

Slightly Spooky

Friday Oct 28, 2022

I wasn't planning on making a Halloween themed mix but a couple of days ago I heard a new album called "Xiuxiuejar" by Hekla and I knew I had to use some tracks in a mix. Hekla is an Icelandic musician who use the theremin to create haunting, other-worldly soundscapes. Perfect for a Halloween mix.

Some of the other tracks follow a similar vibe I have used for creepy mixes in the past, sort of a dark jazz feel. Then I mix in some noisy stuff, some ambient & some other oddities. I don't want these mixes to be ultra dark doom ambient but this is more off-kilter than most Low Light Mixes.

After finding the theremin tracks from Hekla I was reminded of a very theremin-like instrument - the Ondes Martenot. It looks like a piano or organ but sounds like a theremin and it's played by sliding a ring attached to wires up and down the keyboard. Check out this video for an idea of how it's played and what it sounds like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0aflcF0-ys

There are two tracks in the mix that use the Ondes Martenot. They are Tindersticks - The Strangler & Christine Ott - Pluie. I believe Christine Ott plays the instrument on the Tindersticks track as well as her own. Radiohead is famous for using the Odnes Martenot in a few songs. Maybe I'll make an entire mix featuring the instrument someday.

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

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Hekla - Hrakföll (Xiuxiuejar 2022)

03:18 Buen Aurelio Malazar - pre.sagio (pre pro post 2020)

04:49 Theodore Shapiro - After Hours (Severance Soundtrack 2022)

06:45 Eli Keszler - The Tenth Part Of A Featured World (Empire 2019)

09:15 Tindersticks - The Strangler (Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith 2017)

12:20 Andy Cartwright - Seeker (Unstill 2021)

14:00 Pavaka Group - I Am Void (Pavaka Group 2022)

15:43 The Phonometrician - Death is a Woman (Cóiste Bodhar 2022)

18:00 John Butcher - Wind Piece (Resonant Spaces 2006)

18:49 't Geruis - L'Appel (Bain D'Étoiles 2022)

21:35 Christine Ott - Pluie (Time to Die 2021)

26:30 Wanderwelle - Decay (A State of Decrepitude 2020)

30:25 Andrew Pekler - Close to Strangers (Sentimental Favourites 2011)

32:17 Lars Rynning & Suren Seneviratne - Solar Wind (Magnetism 2020)

33:35 Andrew Heath & Simon McCorry - From Darkness (A is for Autumn 2022)

37:02 Hekla - Sólin Gekk (Xiuxiuejar 2022)

42:53 The Phonometrician - I See Youy (Cóiste Bodhar 2022)

47:55 Grails - Bad Bhang Recipe (Black Tar Prophecies Vols 1, 2, 3 2006)

49:50 Darkroom - The Shadowy Side of the Hill ( The Last Sense to Fade 2021)

54:50 William Ryan Fritch - Lay Hands Upon Us (Built Upon a Fearful Void 2021)

57:39 Aaron Martin - Buried in Waves (The End of Medicine 2022)

59:09 Hekla - Tangarhald (Xiuxiuejar 2022)

60:20 end

Tuesday Oct 11, 2022

Soalce of the Sea

Tuesday Oct 11, 2022

s o l a c e

g a t h e r s t h e s i l e n c e

o f t h e s e a

Anyone who has followed this mix blog for more than a minute knows I like sea themed mixes. I like the ebb & flow, the washes of synth sounds and especially echoing sounds, like a bell or buoy pinging in the distance or underwater echolocation.

So this mix continues that vibe. Lots of new music and lots of echolocation.

Here are links to all the music used in this mix in the order in which it appears:

https://audio.submersion.info/album/parallel-motion

https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/slicing-space-time-into-objects

https://ab-mosscoveredtechnology.bandcamp.com/album/brick-and-air

https://hibernate.bandcamp.com/album/sub-aquatic-spheres

https://gylden.bandcamp.com/album/island-friend

https://archive.org/details/AProduceASmoothSurface/TPC+It+Comes+In+Waves.mp3

https://taylordeupree.bandcamp.com/album/harbor

https://shop.silentseason.com/album/the-waves

https://polarseasrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/as-the-night-comes-softly-down

https://taylordeupree.bandcamp.com/album/the-inland-sea

https://greinke.bandcamp.com/album/noctilucent

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Submersion - Alignment (Parallel Motion 2020)

02:25 xu - a1. slicing space-time into objects (slicing space-time into objects 2022)

06:25 Moss Covered Technology - Brick & Air VI (Brick and Air 2022)

09:40 Spheruleus - The Ocean Yawns (Sub-Aquatic Spheres 2020)

14:18 Gylden - Bug light (Island Friend 2022)

18:55 A Produce - It comes in waves (A Smooth Surface 2004)

25:45 Taylor Deupree - Harbor (Harbor 2022)

29:20 ASC - Kelp Forest (The Waves 2019)

35:45 landtitles - fragments(of) (as the night comes softly down 2022)

37:20 Taylor Deupree - Too Close To Being Far Away From Everything (The Inland Sea 2022)

45:50 Jeff Greinke - Undercurrent (Noctilucent 2022)

52:15 ASC - Nautical Depths (The Waves 2019)

59:53 end

Sunday Sep 25, 2022

The Birdsong Project

Sunday Sep 25, 2022

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!

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

Sunday Sep 11, 2022

4th World Excursions - Slow Water

Sunday Sep 11, 2022

DALL%C2%B7E%202022-08-16%2012.31.52%20-%20%20laying%20in%20a%20boat%20just%20off%20shore%20of%20an%20Indonesian%20island%20with%20a%20map%20overlay%20low%20opacity.JPEG

I love the strange exotic sounds of artists such as Jon Hassell, Andrew Pekler, and William Selman. Their music can take you on an audio journey to imaginary places halfway around the globe. My first 4th World Excursion mix was 4 years ago and I've only done one follow up, which is weird considering how much I enjoy this style.

Here are the first two in this series:

https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/folding-water-fourth-world-excursions/

https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/strange-beauty-4th-world-excursions-vol-2/

And here is the new follow up - 4th World Excursions - Slow Water.

This new mix follows a similar pattern and feel as the other two - using a combination of field recordings and the sounds of bells, drums, vibraphone, various mallet instruments, the vibe creates a feeling of floating in a small wooden boat in a lagoon somewhere in Indonesia. As the waves lap against the boat you can hear distant drums, crickets, jungle birds, frogs, and odd instruments lulling you to sleep. Of course there are electronic elements to keep things interesting.

Here links to all the albums used in this mix in the order in which they appear:

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Jason Kolàr - Bells (Liquid Rhythm 2022)
04:00 Vague Imaginaries - Montagnes Flottantes (L'île D'or 2020)
07:50 Jarguna - Shuar Tales (Animas-k 2021)
10:20 Thunder & FX
11:40 Ethan Braun & Sam Gendel - 1/2 Sculpture (Rio Nilo 66 2021)
14:40 David de la Haye - The Pond Listener (With Ears Underwater 2022)
15:20 David de la Haye - March Towards the Light (With Ears Underwater 2022)
16:05 Inhmost - Waters Edge (Early Horizons 2021)
20:10 Mark Templeton - Channel Shifting (Ocean Front Property 2020)
22:00 Mike Cooper - Towards Great Piles Of Masonry (Oceans Of Milk & Treacle 2022)
23:45 Andrew Pekler & Giuseppe Ielasi - Baden-Baden (Palimpsests 2021)
26:12 Jason Kolàr - Magic Random Exotism (Liquid Rhythm 2022)
29:15 Vague Imaginaries - Mais (L'île D'or 2020)
34:40 William Selman - Realgar Bay (Naming Before Names 2020)
40:18 Maps and Diagrams - One Day (Teygja Part B 2021)
42:35 Pauline Anna Strom - Tropical Rainforest (Angel Tears in Sunlight 2021)
47:25 Hawsepiper - Air Stones (Red Knot Returns 2021)
51:15 Andrew Pekler - Tuanahe (Sounds From Phantom Islands 2019)
55:15 Felipe Otondo – Mombasa (Mombasa 2022)
57:25 Loren Nerell & Mark Seelig - Kayon (Tree of Life 2014)
58:45 Ultramarine - Signals Into Space (The Sun in the East 2020)
65:00 end

Sunday Aug 28, 2022

Walk Softly Upon This Earth - A Handpan Journey

Sunday Aug 28, 2022

The Handpan, or Hang, is a percussion instrument related to the Caribbean steelpan instrument. It is like a convex version of a steel drum with the two halves attached together. The instrument has been used in a lot of new age music and faux new-age eastern mysticism. Like a lot of new age music instrumentation there is a fine line between enjoyable, relaxing ambient and new age schlock. Unfortunately, many time use of the handpan falls into the latter category.

That being said, I do occasionally like the sound of the handpan and I don't care about healing energy and mystical power crapola. I just like the sound. While relaxing outside on my deck I came across Musical Incense vol. 1 by Laura Inserra. It became my go to music for zoning out in a chaise lounge while doom-scrolling Twitter, a habit I really need to break.

I decided to make an all handpan mix. The vibe is slow and relaxing. Sometimes handpan players can show off with their hands racing around the instrument to create intricate patterns. That style has its place but not in this mix. I tried to keep the pace slow and the vibe relaxing.

I can imagine some folks complaining that it all sounds the same. But that's what I like about this mix - it feels like one long handpan track. I can really zone out to it.

Here are links to all the albums used in this mix in the order in which they appear:

Kick back and come along on this relaxing handpan journey.

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 Laura Inserra - Passage I (Musical Incense vol. 1)
05:40 Christopher Of The Wolves - Dream Sequence (Rhythms Of Sleep)
13:52 James Hood - Stereoscopic Mindgasm (Pure Ceremony)
18:10 Calm Whale - Awaken Earth - Handpan Journey
30:45 Laura Inserra - Passage III (Musical Incense vol. 1)
40:15 Christopher Of The Wolves - Surrender (Reiki - Healing Music)
51:12 James Hood - 12 Uses of Time (Pure Ceremony)
59:00 Ravid Goldschmidt - Calm Upon You(hang solo) (Calm Upon You)
63:45 end