low light mixes

Aromas from the East - by Paul Asbury Seaman

 

 

I've had a good run lately, posting a lot of mixes. But due to busy schedules and a bit of laziness, I've run out of fresh mixes ready to upload. Then comes Paul to the rescue!

This mix is a breath of fresh air, going in a different direction than any of my recent mixes. Here's what Paul has to say about this excellent set:

“This mix features oud, sitar and koto, moving from the Near/Middle East, across South Asia to the Far East. This is not a Folkways sampler, but focuses on the rich tapestries created when Eastern and Western musical styles and instruments are blended together, with both traditions being equal participants, rather than one used merely as “exotic” embellishments for the other. Such cross-cultural musical experiments go back to the mid-20th century’s jazz /rock fusion groups (e.g., Oregon); early EM pioneers like Kitaro, Osamu Kitajima, Popul Vuh and David Parsons; and visionary new record labels like ECM. Here, I’ve highlighted more recent work, and while the options are much more plentiful now, the Low Lights leitmotif of gentle atmospheres has guided my selection. Even so, a couple of mid-tempo gems—essential to this kind of survey—have snuck into the mix."

Thanks, Paul, for another great contribution to the Low Light Mixes canon.

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Dhafer Youssef - Shaanti 'Atihi Devo Bhava' Suite (Sounds of Mirrors 2018)
• 04:10    Rahim AlHaj - Letter 1 Eastern Love Sinan (Letters from Iraq: Oud and String Quintet 2017)
• 10:41    Sachal Studios Orchestra - Take Five (Interpretations of Jazz Standards & Bossa Nova 2010)
• 16:20    Prem Joshua - Night Rain (Sky Kisses Earth 2001)
• 22:45    Anoushka Shankar - Prayer in Passing (Rise 2005)
• 28:52    Hans Christian - First Light (Nanda Devi 2015)
• 35:20    Al Gromer Khan - I Got Vilayat Khan's Blessing (Sitar Secrets 2014)
• 39:14    Hiroshima - Kototsu-Han (Pbon 2005)
• 44:04    Luna - Tubular Bells (Luna 2013)
• 48:09    Gates of Morheim - Omagatoki (Omagatoki EP 2020)
• 53:15    Kitaro - Shining Spirit of Water (Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Vol 2 2005)
• 57:33    Rabih Abou Khalil - Bukra (Bukra 1989)
• 65:25    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

 

 

Ambient Trumpet: A Jazz-Colored Solitude — by Paul Asbury Seaman

Photo by Alex on Unsplash

 

Back in January Paul emailed me about an album called "Bardo Tank" by Ron Miles playing trumpet in The Tank in Colorado. That email started me off in search of tunes for what became my "Resonant Spaces" mix. Paul went a different direction and sought out tracks for an ambient trumpet mix.

The result is a great collection of tunes that span different styles and old to new, while still maintaining an ambient atmosphere. Here's what Paul says about this mix:

“No musical instrument, at least in the Western world, conveys anguish and melancholy as effectively as the trumpet. One can trace a direct line from Miles Davis’s tender and gut-wrenching solos to the jazz-colored ambience of ECM Records. The signature sound of this European label is both intimate and austere, as reflected in the lonely landscapes of their album covers. There’s a delicate grandeur in the tunes I’ve gathered here. Or sometimes, just the sound of solitude.

For me, the overall effect was surprisingly similar to the tranquil, meditative state evoked by the bell-tone mix I did last December.”

Thanks Paul, for another superb set.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Arve Henriksen - Patient Zero (Towrds Language 2017)
• 02:02    Paolo Fresu - Se Va La Murga (In Maggiore 2015)
• 06:47    Alaskan Tapes - Leita(Ft. Ryan Svendsen) (Leita/North 2018)
• 10:28    Nils Petter Molvaer - Puri Jati (Buoyancy 2016)
• 14:00    Oystein Sevag - Miles Near (Link 1993)
• 15:35    Jeff Oster - The Lotus Within (Reach 2018)
• 22:27    Ron Miles - Pacem (Bardo Tank 2013)
• 28:49    Miles Davis - The Pan Piper (Sketches of Spain 1960)
• 32:27    Mark Isham - Tibet part II (Tibet 1989)
• 36:14    Arve Henriksen - Migration (Cartography 2008)
• 41:38    Ralph Towner & Paolo Fresu - The Sacred Place(reprise) (Chiaroscuro 2008)
• 43:27    Matthew Halsall - Canopy & Stars (Salute to the Sun 2020)
• 51:04    Ambrose Akinmusire - Roy (On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment 2020)
• 53:26    Jon Hassell - Time And Place (Last Night The Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes In The Street 2009)
• 56:55    Matthew Halsall - Stories from India (Oneness 2019)
• 65:09    Tomasz Stanko Quartet - Tale (Lontano 2006)
• 68:54    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

 

Ambient Vaporwave - A mix by Innesti

 

Photo by Nick Reynolds on Unsplash

 

I am so psyched to have another excellent guest mix. This one comes from long-time friend of the blog, Innesti - innesti.bandcamp.com

I have featured a bunch of Innesti music over the years and have hosted guest mixes from him as well. A couple of days ago I got an email asking if I was interested in another guest mix of  ambient vaporwave tunes. Aww, hell yeah, I'm interested. Although I'm not quite sure what Vaporwave is. No worries, Innesti explains it for us:

Vaporwave is a niche genre of electronic music that combines the visual aesthetic of meme culture with the glitched out and stretched sounds of 1980's mall and infomercial music. It is not the kind of music that you would expect to appeal to listeners who enjoy deep ambient soundscapes. Nonetheless, buried deep within this genre are some amazing beatless and atmospheric pieces. I am drawn to these because they capture the kinds of atmospheres that I enjoy, but emerge organically within a completely different musical tradition. This mix represents a sample of some of my favorite ambient vaporwave tracks.

Sounds great!

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    地球  -  ジャングル PART 2
• 07:10    Subaeris - The City In Rain
• 12:50    Lindsheaven Virtual Plaza - Polynomial Voices
• 19:40    Corp. & t e l e p a t h - 進化  - 猫 シ
• 23:12    Corp. & t e l e p a t h - A New Life Awaits You
• 26:07    暗号零 - 我爱你我的孩子 (Mother)
• 30.59    SONYA™ SleepStation - [program b] - sleep
• 36:30    ∑ V ∑ R Y T H I N G - In this forest all of your problems become beautiful birds
• 42:25    Zadig The Jasp - (海の前で-In Front Of The Sea.)
• 52:12    ll nøthing ll - Cycle
• 60:00    end

 

Bell Tone Meditation by Paul Asbury Seaman

 

 

Great minds think alike. Both Paul and I had the idea of doing a "bell" based mix. I, however, am a procrastinator, and after creating a save folder for bell tunes 3 months ago, I have one track in it. So who knows when that puppy was going to get done.

Paul, on the other hand, sought out tracks and compiled them into a perfect playlist that became this mix - Bell Tone Meditation.

Here's what he has to say about it:

“For thousands of years bells, more than any other instrument, have been used to convey a sense of reverence and mystery, to represent clarity, to facilitate both quiet, solitary meditation and communal celebration. And, given the challenging artistic paradox of using sound to express silence, bells are the musical instrument used most often to express that, too. So it’s curious to me that bells (and their various metal/crystal-bowl cousins) are not used more often in ambient music, a genre defined, perhaps more than anything else, by subtle textures and tonal resonance over melody and rhythm.

Bells also have been the most common instrument to express cold and ice. Another reason this mix makes a  perfect midwinter offering.”

Thanks Paul!

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Cousin Silas - Derwent (Submerged 2021)
• 05:36    Andarctica - at rest (buried with the bells 2019)
• 11:40    Robert Rich - Belltone Glass (Alien Zoology - Live Archive Vol 4 2009)
• 15:37    Jack Hertz - Invisible Pyramid (Teoton 2020)
• 19:17    Andrew Lahiff - The Ringing of the Silent Bells (Slow Paths Beyond 2014)
• 25:47    Crown Of Eternity - New Dimensions in Infinite VIbrations (Universal Hum 2018)
• 31:50    The Heart Is Awake - Healing Sound Meditation(Healing Arts reMix) (the Healing Arts reMIXES Vol III 2020)
• 36:00    Steve Roach & Serena Gabriel - Nectar Meditation (Nectar Meditation 2020)
• 45:15    Glenn Sogge - Aether/Or -- A Non-Philosophical Disquisition (Musics for Long Thinkings, volume 4 2016)
• 53:30    jarguna - My Temple (My Temple 2020)
• 1:10:00    end

 

flickering moments passing - a halftribe guest mix

 

 

I've been a fan of halftribe(Ryan Bissett) ever since he approached me about doing a guest mix roughly 6 years ago - whoa, blows my mind that it was that long ago. Whether it's deep & dubby or straight up ambient, halftribe has released some of my favorite albums over the last 5 or 6 years. So I was excited when Ryan agreed to do a guest mix. 

Here's what Ryan said about the mix:

"It's been a little while since I put a mix together as I've been mostly just working on my next album. It's even longer since I did a mix for someone else's show, so this mix really just showcases the types of sound that are floating my boat at the minute."

 

Don't forget to check out halftribe music here... https://halftribe.bandcamp.com/ 

https://archivesdubmusic.bandcamp.com/album/daydreams-in-low-fidelity 

https://archivesdubmusic.bandcamp.com/album/luxia  

https://synphaera.bandcamp.com/album/patterns-of-sync 

https://dewtonerecordings.com/album/shells    

https://silkmusic.bandcamp.com/album/memory-module

And check the halftribe Mixcloud page... https://www.mixcloud.com/Halftribe/

 

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T:

• 00'00 Jens Pauly - Fairge
• 06'03 Tapes & Topographies - Pulse Of Durations
• 10'00 Andrew Heath - Signals And Beacons
• 14'55 Carlo Giustini - A Letizia
• 19'49 Jogging House - Air
• 24'07 Moss Covered Technology - Untitled Quiet Loop #6
• 31'01 Max Ananyev - Images In Time
• 36'02 Halftribe - Flickering Moments Passing
• 41'13 Caught In The Wake Forever - The Houses Here Have Changed Lately
• 47'24 John Hays & Maxy Dutcher - Arch Dance
• 52'22 Innesti - Compelled By Indifference
• 1'00'00 SineRider - Lapis

 

Stillness Within Motion

 

by Sven Geier - sgeier.net

We end the year as we began - with a mix from Paul Asbury Seaman. And a fine way to end the year it is. All of the music in this set is from 2020, making it an appropriate way to say goodbye to this tumultuous year.

Here's what Paul says about the mix:

“Stillness within motion is a concept that comes from Zen Buddhism and the martial arts. It always seemed to me a good way to try to live ordinary life as well. This program is an effort to expressing that concept musically: slow sequencers mixed with Sufi-infused sax, table and harp and electric guitar. Mixing genres a little, while still within ambient sensibilities.”

I'm not sure what 2021 will bring but I'm sure there will be plenty of music to help us get through it. And I'll continue to crank out mixes that will keep us centered while also taking us on inner and outer journeys.

Cheers!

 

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Kirsten Agresta Copely - Surya (Aroud the Sun 2020)
• 05:44    The Rosen Corporation - Stasis (Tales From Earth 2020)
• 09:22    Ariel Kalma - Dancing Goddess (My sax, my love 2020)
• 12:51    Sam Rosenthalk & Jarguna - Evening market of the petal fields pt 3 (Sunwashed Evening Fire 2020)
• 17:03    Vaast - Coma Berenices (Afterlife 2020)
• 19:20    Hibernation ft. Jello Vibes - Jello & Jaice Ambient Jazz'n'Glitch Mix (Jello and Jaice EP 2020)
• 23:44    Fritz Mayr - Winter Silence (Winter 2020)
• 28:25    Christel Veraart - Asterope (Pleiades 2020)
• 33:17    Thom Brennan - Night Lights Part One (Night Lights 2020)
• 41:15    Sequentia Legenda - Beyond from the Beyond (Beyond the Stars 2020)
• 62:07    end

 

Melancholy Soundtracks: A Requiem for 2020

 

 

 

 

A perfect mix for the end of 2020 comes to us from Paul Asbury Seaman. All soundtrack cuts, all with varying degrees of melancholy, all forming an ideal coda for 2020.

 

Here's what Paul says about the mix:

 

“I’ve been sitting on this playlist for more than three years. Never got around to firming it up for a Low Lights mix. It dawned on me just the other day that the eight movies from which these pieces are drawn are all meditations on death and loss. So now seems like a good time to share it. Also, all of these movies were released around the turn of the Millennium, except “Battle of Algiers” (1963) which has one of the most sorrowful themes ever put to music—by the great Ennio Morricone, who died this year.”

 

Thanks Paul for another excellent mix!

Up next - it's best of the year list time!  Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Clint Mansell - The Last Man (The Fountain 2006)
• 05:42    Ennio Morricone - Sorrow in the Casbah (Battle of Algiers 1963)
• 06:33    Ennio Morricone - Ali's Theme (Battle of Algiers 1963)
• 09:38    Mark Isham - Flames (Crash 2005)
• 17:06    Philip Glass - The Hours (The Hours 2002)
• 24:37    Zbigniew Preisner - Van Den Budenmayer Funeral Music (Trois couleurs - Bleu 1993)
• 26:32    Zbigniew Preisner - Reprise First Appearance (Trois couleurs - Bleu 1993)
• 27:02    Javier Navarrette  - A Tale (Pan's Labyrinth 2006)
• 28:50    Richard Thompson - Parents (Grizzly Man 2005)
• 32:10    Zbigniew Preisner - Julie in Her New Apartment (Trois couleurs - Bleu 1993)
• 33:48    Zbigniew Preisner - Reprise Flute (Trois couleurs - Bleu 1993)
• 35:50    Mark Isham - Negligence (Crash 2005)
• 38:23    Philip Glass - The Poet Acts (The Hours 2002)
• 42:00    Richard Thompson - Main Title Revisited (Grizzly Man 2005)
• 45:42    Javier Navarrette  - Lullaby (Pan's Labyrinth 2006)
• 47:20    Alexandre Desplat - Death Convoy (The Painted Veil 2006)
• 50:00    Alexandre Desplat - Kitty's Theme (The Painted Veil 2006)
• 53:00    Clint Mansell - Xibalba (The Fountain 2006)
• 58:09    end

 

Fragmented Dialogue

image by Thomas Park

This mix was a lot of fun! 

Back in April, Peter van Cooten, of Ambientblog, created the awesome mix, Lockdown. After it posted we talked about doing a collaboration mix. As Peter is in Holland and I am in the States we would send files back and forth to each other adding more tracks with every pass. We had to decide on a theme and a format. In the end the format became the theme.

 

It worked like this:

We each take 5 minute turns and increase the sample count with each turn. So in the first turn we each start with a 5 minute track. Next turn we each use two samples, next turn 3, then 4...until we get to the final turn where each 5 minute turn contains 6 samples each. When all is said and done we end up with 42 samples used in a 60 minute mix.

Peter is the master of layering multiple tracks or samples to create interesting mixes. I generally don't use quite that number of cuts in my mixes so I knew it was going to be a challenge. I worried that it would turn into a situation where it sounded like a good idea at the time until I had to actually do it.

 

I think it turned out great! It was really cool trying to match of the outro of the previous segment to my new tracks but still make my own segments unique. Somehow this crazy format produced a fascinating mix.

After finishing the mix Peter came up with the title "Fragmented Dialogue" which fit perfectly with how this beast was put together.

 

I'm excited to have this mix published in three places at the same time - Low Light Mixes, Ambientblog & Headphone Commute. Both Ambientblog & HC are my favorite places to go for ambient reviews and mixes. Here are their posts about this mix...

 

https://www.ambientblog.net/blog/2020-07/fragmented-dialogue-mix/

 

https://headphonecommute.com/2020/07/28/fragmented-dialogue-low-light-mixes-ambientblog-mix/

 

I hope you enjoy listening to this mix as much as we enjoyed creating it.

 

Cheers!

 

 

T R A C K L I S T :  -  Ambientblog = Red    Low Light Mixes = Green

 

00:00    Yair Elazar Glotman/Mats Erlandsson - Procession (Emanate 2020)

 

05:10    William Ryan Fritch - Dream Glitch-Fugue State-Broken Barriers (The Letdown 2020)

 

09:45     Apparat - Suicide (Soundtracks: Stay Still, 2020)

11:18     Biosphere - You Want To See It Too (Departed Glories, 2016)

 

15:00    Ashlar - The First Saturday (Saturday Drones 2012)

18:45    echospace - Fallen Tribes Reduced (echospace [detroit] presents echoes in space 2014)

 

19:31    Sonologyst - Planetary Warning (Unexplained Sounds (New Edition), 2020 )

20:26    Michael Begg & Clodagh Simonds - Witness 3 (Witness 3, 2020)

22:36    Alva Noto - Xerrox Apesanteur (Xerrox 4, 2020)

 

24:55    Max Richter - Encounter (Ad Astra 2019)

25:38    Mono-Poly - Maanreflectie(Hainbach remix 2020)

27:21    cinchel - porch swings (A House Once Lived That Never Was 2014)

 

29:30 Carmen Villain - Affection In A Time Of Crisis (Affection In A Time Of Crisis, 2020)

31:18 Stephen O'Malley - Géante 4 - Layer 5 Mix (Géante 4, 2020)

32:30 Abul Mogard, Quiet Dreams (Above All Dreams, 2018)

33:35 Black Glass Ensemble & Friends - Be Mine In Patience: An Embrace in B Minor (Be Mine In Patience: An Embrace in B Minor, 2020)

 

34:55    Halftribe - Fader (Archipelago 2020)

36:20    Radio Bulgaria

37:03    teleferick - i.history favours the winners (sixteen frames 2017)

38:15    Test Card - Monochrome Dreaming Softened The Broadcast (Music For The Towers 2020)

 

39:40 Michel Banabila - Scripts of the Lagoon (Scripts Of The Lagoon - Exploratorium, 2020)

41:04 Kamila Govorcin - Rito De Muerte (Anima, 2020)

41:15 Chris Watson - Gobabeb (Touch Isolation, 2020)

43:04 Gia Margaret - Body (Mia Gargaret, 2020)

43:10 Aleksi Myllykoski with Tapani Rinne - Lost Marbles (Dark Days, 2020)

 

44:48    Masaya Ozaki - subtlety in reverse (Fluid And Dreaming Of Stripes 2015)

46:12    Andrew Pekler - Nocturne 3 (nocturnes, false dawns & breakdowns 2004)

47:05    The Focus Group - Hazy Time (Stop-Motion Happening 2017)

48:00    Les Halles - K (World 2012)

49:24    Sonmi451 - Umi Bear (Eilean 100 2019)

 

49:50 Radiomentale - Gotlander (I-Land (Redux), 2020)

51:54 Ian William Craig - Comma (Red Sun Through Smoke, 2020)

52:50 Sylvain Chauveau - Q (Life Without Machines, 2020)

53:29 Sample, THX 1138 (THX 1138, 1971)

53:34 Elegi - Lys & Lykte (Gap In Time, 2020)

54:26 The Future Eve feat. Robert Wyatt - 04.02 (Kitsune / Brian the Fox - Kitsune Ring Version, 2019)

 

55:00    The Insects - This is Where You Say Goodbye (DEVS soundtrack 2020)

55:30    Seabuckthorn - Unforeseen (Other Other 2020)

56:21    Alva Noto - Xerrox Voyage (Xerrox Vol. 4 2020)

57:10    Laurie Anderson - Life Lived Backwards (Heart of a Dog 2015)

58:21    Laurie Anderson - The Cloud (Heart of a Dog 2015)

59:01    Helios - All You Are (Remembrance 2016)

60:00    end