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Ambient music mixes for a chaotic world
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Sunday Dec 08, 2019
Sunday Dec 08, 2019
It's an impossible task to narrow down the multitude of ambient recordings released every year into a definitive "Best of" list. There's so much music out there that I'll never hear it all and what I do hear is hard to give the proper attention to. So many factors can influence a record making the list - where did a first hear it, what mood was I in, what other music did I listen to around it, did I use it in a mix, etc. Suffice it to say, this list is not definitive and is highly subjective.
I will end up making two mixes from this list - this first one is more straight forward ambient and the next one will have a more modern classical/electro-acoustic tone. I split it into two mixes so that I didn't end up with a 4-hour mix. Ain't nobody got time for that!
So here it is, my personal favs of 2019, in alphabetical order:
BEST AMBIENT MUSIC OF 2019:
1. A Winged Victory for the Sullen - The Undivided Five [ninja tune]
2. Ann Annie - wander into
3. Anne Muller - Heliopause [erased tapes]
4. anthéne - asymmetry [whitelabrecs]
5. Benoît Pioulard & Sean Curtis Patrick - Avocationals [Beacon Sound]
6. Bersarin Quartet - methoden und maschinen [denovali]
7. Chihei Hatakeyama - Forgotten Hill [room 40]
8. Danny Scott Lane - how to empty a cup [shimmering moods]
9. Glåsbird - Grønland [whitelabrecs]
10. Halftribe - Backwater Revisited [dronarivm]
11. Hipnotic Earth - Suspended In Silence [whitelabrecs]
12. Hipnotic Earth - Extended Savasana [desert trax]
13. Ian Hawgood - impermanence [Slowcraft]
14. Innesti - Between Worlds
15. Jazzdefector and Slow Clinic - Green Echo [whitelabrecs]
16. Jens Pauly - Vihne [whitelabrecs]
17. Jogging House - Lure [seil records]
18. Jonsi & Alex - Lost And Found [krunk]
19. Kryshe - Hauch [serein]
20. Loneward - Home
21. Louigi Verona - Nocturnal Creatures
22. Luis Miehlich - Timecuts [whitelabrecs]
23. M. Grig - Mount Carmel [12k]
24. Marty Hicks - Olreilion [white paddy mountain]
25. Moss Covered Technology - Slow Walking [polar seas]
26. Ohio - upward, broken, always [12k]
27. Olga Wojciechowska - Infinite Distances [ASIP]
28. Past Inside The Present - Healing Sounds- A Compilation for Hurricane Recovery [pitp]
29. Plïnkï Plønkï - Pangur Din [piano & coffee records]
30. Porya Hatami, Aaron Martin, Roberto Attanasio - Sallaw [dronarivm]
31. Ripperton – Contrails [ESP institute]
32. Seabuckthorn - Crossing [eilean]
33. Sean Curtis Patrick - The Best Driving Music in the World Ever [pitp]
34. Sjors Mans - Noord [piano and coffee records]
35. Sven Laux and Daniela Orvin - The Writings [dronarivm]
36. The Phonometrician - Mnemosyne [lost tribe sound]
37. Trond Kallevag Hansen - Bedehus & Hawaii [hubro]
38. Various Artists - Place Language [fluid audio]
39. William Ryan Fritch - Deceptive Cadence- Music For Film Volume I & II [lost tribe sound]
40. William Ryan Frisch - Artifishal [lost tribe sound]
And here's the tracklist for the actual mix:
T R A C K L I S T :
00:00 Innesti - Barrockstadt Station (Between Worlds)
04:28 anthéne - lucky (asymmetry)
07:25 Moss Covered Technology - Gen #4 (Slow Walking)
10:50 Ohio - Crepescule (upward, broken, always)
14:10 Benoît Pioulard & Sean Curtis Patrick - Sunek (Avocationals)
17:25 Ripperton – Love Is Not Enough (Contrails)
22:22 Plïnkï Plønkï - Pangur Din (Pangur Din)
27:05 Danny Scott Lane - Four (how to empty a cup)
30:12 Jogging House - Fountains (Lure)
34:18 Jens Pauly - Form (Vihne)
37:55 Jonsi & Alex - hundslappadrifa (Lost and Found)
42:55 Loneward - Savour (Home)
48:42 Louigi Verona - Coming of Dawn (Nocturnal Creatures)
54:02 Halftribe - Bumpy Roads (Backwater Revisited)
56:18 Saltbreaker - Leaf pt 2 (Healing Sounds - A Compilation for Hurricane Recovery)
59:47 Hipnotic Earth - The Gentling (Suspended In Silence)
63:25 Ann Annie - wander into (wander into)
68:52 M. Grig - Capistrano (Mount Carmel)
71:08 Sean Curtis Patrick - Simon & Anna (The Best Driving Music in the World Ever)
73:50 Jazzdefector and Slow Clinic - Green Echo (Green Echo)
81:12 Kryshe - Meditation (Hauch)
84:27 Marty Hicks - Hiolorium (Olreilion)
90:07 Sjors Mans - Oventura (Noord)
95:18 end
Sunday Dec 01, 2019
Sunday Dec 01, 2019
I use a fair amount of film music in my mixes and have done mixes of all soundtrack tunes but I have never made a best of the year mix for film scores. Until now. There were no blow my mind scores, like Arrival or Solaris, this year but there was a lot of excellent music to choose from for this mix.
As an ambient guy, I lean towards more atmospheric film scores. I'm not at all interested in the soundtrack for the new Star Wars film or Avengers Endgame. So in my list of 2019 favs there are the usual suspects - Clint Mansell, Max Richter, Cliff Martinez & Johann Johannsson. Along with great music from folks like Hildur Guðnadóttir, Peter Gregson, Stuart A. Staples, Daniel Hart, and Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie.
One of my favorite film music discoveries of the year is William Ryan Fritch. In addition to the monumental collection of film music, Deceptive Cadence: Music For Film Volume I & II, he released two more film scores in November - Artifishal & Exit 12 which I knew I had to include because they are both excellent. All three recordings are available on Lost Tribe Sound - https://losttribesound.bandcamp.com/
Sometimes I start a mix with high expectations but with this one, I was just trying to cobble together enough tracks to make a mix worth uploading. But I've been listening to this mix for a week and I'm very happy with how it turned out. It flows really well is an engaging listen.
Up next Best Film Scores of the Decade.
Cheers!
T R A C K L I S T :
- 00:00 William Ryan Fritch - Canary in the Coal Mine (Artifishal)
- 01:35 Ben Salisbury And Geoff Barrow - Amy Follows Luce (Luce)
- 03:45 Bryce Dessner - The Homecoming (The Kitchen)
- 05:19 Guðnadóttir, Hoedemaekers, Jóhannsson - Secret Rendevous (Trapped)
- 07:21 Max Richter - A Trip to the Moon (Ad Astra)
- 11:24 Paul Haslinger - The Connection (Halt & Catch Fire vol. 2)
- 13:15 Peter Gregson - Sequence Four (Mari)
- 17:24 Daniel Hart - John Beckers (Over Water)
- 21:00 Richard Thompson - The Cold Blue (The Cold Blue)
- 24:00 Cliff Martinez - I'm Not Going to Hurt You (Too Old to Die Young)
- 25:42 M83 - End Credits (Knife + Heart)
- 27:49 Hildur Guðnadóttir - Vichnaya Pamyat (Chernobyl)
- 31:30 William Ryan Fritch - Vietnam (Exit 12)
- 34:23 Clint Mansell - Timeslip (Out of Blue)
- 38:27 Johann Johannsson - Playing With Ball (White Black Boy)
- 40:16 Stuart A. Staples - Grow Baby, Grow (High Life)
- 40:51 Daniel Hart - A Beacon of Honesty and Hopefulness (Over Water)
- 41:51 Cliff Martinez - Jesus and the Snake (Too Old to Die Young)
- 44:37 Max Richter - Erbarme Dich (Ad Astra)
- 47:35 Paul Leonard-Morgan - Assessments (Amateurs in Space)
- 49:29 Rob Simonsen - On Her Trail (Fast Color)
- 51:03 Paul Haslinger - Venture Capital (Halt & Catch Fire vol. 2)
- 52:27 Stuart A. Staples - Main Title (High Life)
- 53:42 Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie - Bridget's Theme (American Woman)
- 55:00 Daniel Hart - Anna Elizabeth Shaw (Light Of My Life)
- 56:36 Peter Gregson - I Want You To Move Out (Adolescence)
- 58:11 Hildur Guðnadóttir - 12 Hours Before (Chernobyl)
- 60:13 PJ Harvey - Waltz (All About Eve)
- 62:55 Johann Johannsson - Intro (White Black Boy)
- 64:24 William Ryan Fritch - Life Cycle (Artifishal)
- 65:58 end
Sunday Nov 24, 2019
Sunday Nov 24, 2019
I have a bunch of folders of music that I collect for mixes. I have one called "sea '19" for a sea-themed mix. One called "fog bound" for music that sounds like a foggy night. Other folders include PNO, stargazing, foreign lands, retro synths, dusty, 4th world and many more.
The music for this mix is in a folder called "ambient just plain old ambient." So this mix is just that - a simple collection of ambient tunes. No theme, no temporal significance. Just good ambient music.
Enjoy!
PS - coming soon...end of the year and end of the decade mixes.
T R A C K L I S T :
- 00:00 anthéne - siphon (skyglow 2019)
- 03:30 Moss Covered Technology - Distant Station(Nocturne) (Once Hallowed 2019)
- 06:23 Brian Eno - Darla (Sisters 2017)
- 13:18 Thomas Köner - Tiento de la Luz 6 (Tiento de la Luz 2019)
- 18:20 Kyle Bobby Dunn - Boul. Gouin (From Here to Eternity 2019)
- 22:30 Benoît Pioulard & Sean Curtis Patrick - Nordmeer (Avocationals 2019)
- 26:17 Taylor Deupree - The Lost See (Fallen 2018)
- 31:51 Chihei Hatakeyama - Buddha Statue Without Roof (Forgotten Hill 2019)
- 34:45 Josh Mason - Untitled(For Amy) (Conduit 2013)
- 39:27 Robert DaVIes - Petals Floating (Sylvan Glen 2019)
- 48:33 Alaskan Tapes - And, We Disappear (Views From Sixteen Stories 2019)
- 52:10 Logic Moon - Somnia (I See Planets 2019)
- 56:40 Moss Covered Technology - Gen #2 (Slow Walking 2019)
- 60:15 llm - Gaia (Healing Sounds: A Compilation for Hurricane Recovery 2019)
- 65:55 of the quiet stars - wading in overflowed meadows (Kage Vol 1 Quiet Dreams 2016)
- 68:34 end
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
As regular visitors to this blog have probably figured out, I don't really plan things out here. Sometimes it's a mix a week, sometimes it's a month between mixes. The last Blade Runner mix is the perfect example, I wasn't even thinking about that mix until we hit Nov. 2019 which is the month and year of Blade Runner. So I quickly threw that mix together and boom, there it was. So then other mix ideas get pushed back or forgotten about until some other piece of music catches my ear.
So it's not a big surprise that Paul emailed me the tracklist for this mix back in May. Every time I'd think about starting this set something would distract my social media addled brain and the mix would get pushed back. With the end of the year closing in I finally have laid down all the tracks and Mystical Ambience 2: Tactile Ground is here.
This is what Paul has to say about this mix:
"A listener on Bandcamp described a recent Spotted Peccary label sampler as “Not too sweet, not too dark.” Which is the same balance I try to bring to my selections for Low Light Mixes. This one is another journey concept. I’ve always had a special fondness for artists who can sensitively blend electronic and acoustic instruments to create beautiful juxtapositions of textures, and also offers a metaphor for balancing the ethereal and the concrete. In that spirit, this mix includes some slow- earthy, cross-cultural jazz before ending with cosmic tranquility.”
Thanks Paul!
T R A C K L I S T :
- 00:00 Remote Vision - The Glittercliff (Into Light 2018)
- 06:17 Hibernation - Wabi Sabi (Second Nature 2012)
- 11:35 Hibernation - The Uncarved Block (Second Nature 2012)
- 16:00 Marion Brown Jazz Cussion - Naima (Echoes of Blue 2006)
- 22:09 Kaya Project - Forgive(ambient mix) (Ambient Mixes 2 2019)
- 27:42 Jan Garbarek - Cloud of Unknowing (In Praise of Dreams 2004)
- 32:49 Massergy - Phenakistoscope (A Novel Sense of Calm 2015)
- 38:15 Chronotope Project - A Prayer for Tenderness (Lotus Rising 2018)
- 43:20 Hollan Holmes - Prayer to the Energy (Prayer to the Energy 2017)
- 48:45 Northumbria - Sacred Ground (Helluland 2015)
- 52:35 Robert Rich - The Abiding Wheel (Tactile Ground 2018)
- 58:55 Meg Bowles - Chalice of Shadows (Evensong: Canticles for the Earth 2018)
- 63:30 Steve Roach - Spiral Triptych 2 (Texture Maps 2002)
Sunday Nov 03, 2019
Sunday Nov 03, 2019
I wasn't planning on doing this mix. But then on Friday, someone on Twitter posted that we have caught up to the time when the film, Blade Runner supposedly takes place. I knew immediately that I had to make a mix.
This collection is pretty straight forward - all the tracks sound like they fit into the Blade Runner soundtrack universe.
Enjoy!
T R A C K L I S T :
00:00 Pye Corner Audio - Prismatic Gateway (2019)
01:22 Jean Michel Jarre - The Watchers (2018)
04:15 Tale Of Us - Alla Sera (2017)
08:32 SaffronKeira - Aesthetic of Surrealism (2019)
14:15 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Fullmoon SURVIVE version (2017)
17:20 36 - Origin Beach (2018)
20:46 Steve Hauschildt - Cloudloss (2019)
24:00 Johnny Jewel - Candlelight Burns (2015)
26:40 Ben Chatwin - Black Castle(Sevendeaths Remix) (2019)
31:01 Vector Lovers - Long Wave (2007)
33:36 Trevor Jackson - Off World (2018)
35:51 Time Rival - Cambrian Explosion (2019)
39:58 Mac Quayle - 1.0_1-hellofriend.wav (2016)
40:40 Lázaro Pereira - Follow The Leader (2017)
44:41 MUUI - Cinematic Structures (2019)
51:03 Abul Mogard - Half Light Of Dawn (2018)
56:30 Fennesz - In My Room (2019)
67:27 end
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
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Cover art by Sven Geier, http://www.sgeier.net/fractals/ |
I have talked many times here about how a single track or artist can inspire a mix. Well, that seems to have happened with this latest mix from Paul.
He emailed me about a month ago about Kubusschnitt, a group creating berlin school style electronic music. That discovery set him on the course of creating a mix of sequencer tunes. And we did our usual thing - Paul sends me the tracklist, I twiddle the knobs and a mix is born. All the music used here is fairly new, ranging from 2010 to 2019.
Here's what Paul has to say about this mix:
“Not for the faint of heart, this one’s full-on sequencers front and center, all the way through. Highway driving motorcycle music. Or vacuuming the house, aerobics music. Yet, part of the magic of this type of electronic music is the amazing way it has a soothing effect, even as it’s so propulsive. In any case, here’s a Perfect Seven from five of the current giants in the genre and two of its historic pillars.”
Thanks, Paul!
Cheers!
T R A C K L I S T :
- 00:00 Kubusschnitt - Enter Through The Nave(2019)
- 16:00 Broekhuis, Keller and Schönwälder - Tea With An Unknown Girl(2013)
- 28:15 ARC - Rise(2010)
- 41:42 Tangerine Dream - Hamlet(2013)
- 49:27 Jeffery Koepper - Belief(2015)
- 57:30 Chuck Van Zyl - All Souls' Day(2010)
- 63:00 Klaus Schulze - Chateaux Faits de Vent(2018)
- 76:03 end
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
I remember the first time I heard the Daniel Lanois tunes From Eno's Apollo album, I didn't really care for them. I didn't like the pedal steel guitar. I absolutely hated country music back then and I associated the sound of pedal steel with country and nothing else.
Eventually, the tunes grew on me and I've come to love the sound of pedal steel guitar. I also came around on country-tinged music as I fell in love with indie-folk which can make great use of traditional instrumentation minus the pickups trucks, girls & booze of crappy country.
This brings me back around to pedal steel in ambient. There's not a ton of it out there but definitely enough for a good mix. There are four main practitioners of ambient twang - Daniel Lanois, Chuck Johnson, Bruce Kaphan and Chas Smith. I think they all have appeared in earlier Low Light Mixes. All four are in this mix as well as Eno/Lanois tunes, some oddball selections, and some YouTube recordings. Many of the tracks here use an actual pedal steel guitar and some use lap steel.
Up next - synth sequencer heaven.
Cheers!
T R A C K L I S T :
- 00:00 Brian Eno - Weightless
- 04:15 Bruce Kaphan - Outpost
- 11:55 Chas Smith - Santa Fe
- 14:00 Chuck Johnson - Balm of Gilead
- 21:05 Daniel Lanois - In Crystal
- 24:22 Will Van Horn - Aphex Twin - Avril 14 on pedal steel
- 26:18 Joe Carolino - Ambient drone with lap steel & guitar
- 32:53 Youth - Lotus Rhubarb(Colliding Sky Whale Dub)
- 34:18 The National Pool - Solace
- 36:15 Ryan Lutton - Ambient Improv XXIII
- 39:03 Brian Eno - Deep Blue Day
- 42:28 Xploding Plastix - Ritalin For Four Pedal Steel Guitars
- 49:05 Chuck Johnson - Eye on the Sparrow
- 55:42 Brian Eno - Last Step from the Surface
- 59:31 end
Friday Sep 20, 2019
Friday Sep 20, 2019
I'm not sure exactly where this mix started. I heard a few tunes that had a wistful, almost melancholy feel to them and began collecting tracks.
The result is this new mix of mostly modern classical music but with a good dose of electronics and atmospherics. Most of the music is new with 10 of the 15 tracks from 2019. I think this mix would also work well as a soundtrack for fall.
Cheers!
T R A C K L I S T :
- 00:00 Glåsbird - Isbjørnøya(Svalbarð 2019)
- 04:44 Halftribe - Maybe(Backwater Revisited 2019)
- 07:40 William Ryan Fritch - Time Curves So Subtly(Deceptive Cadence 2019)
- 10:56 Slow Meadow - You Felt Like Home(Those Who Rush Across the Sea 2018)
- 15:12 Caminauta - Almost Home(Fragments 2018)
- 21:12 Emanuele Errante - Old Summer Afternoons(This World 2019)
- 25:56 36 - Lahaina Noon(Healing Sounds: A Compilation for Hurricane Recovery 2019)
- 28:39 Sven Laux - Being Too Optimistic(The Writings 2019)
- 35:05 Christoph Berg - Coda(Day has Ended 2013)
- 38:45 Dakota Suite - Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You(What Matters Most 2018)
- 42:22 Dan Romer & Saul Simon MacWilliams - Goodbye Lizard Island(Chasing Coral 2017)
- 45:37 James Murray & Mike Lazarev - Living Treasure(2019)
- 48:57 Loneward - Memories Past(Home 2019)
- 56:02 Porya Hatami & Aaron Martin & Roberto Attanasio - Xakelewe(Sallaw 2019)
- 65:33 Mikael Lind - Ending WithThe Beginning(Contingencies 2019)
- 69:54 end
Sunday Sep 08, 2019
Sunday Sep 08, 2019
Two years ago I did a mix called "A Distant Pulse" which featured a lot of tribal ambient sounds. I've been meaning to do a sequel and now it's here with "A Rhythmic Passage."
What finally got the ball rolling for a new mix is a new album from Louigi Verona called "Nocturnal Creatures." Recommended by my ambient collaborator, Paul Asbury Seaman, the album is similar to classic Steve Roach tribal albums. But the drum sound is huge with deep, booming low end to shake your speakers and rattle the windows. Add in some drones and subtle arpeggiated electronics and you've got an excellent album. You can find it here...
https://louigi.bandcamp.com/album/nocturnal-creatures
The rest of the mix is a collection of old(Tibbetts, Craig Leon, Biosphere) and new(Spheruleus, Pike, Keszler, Kilchhofer, Selman) tunes.
Enjoy the rhythms. Cheers!
T R A C K L I S T :
- 00:00 Louigi Verona - Darkening(Nocturnal Creatures 2019)
- 07:38 Biosphere - Ancient Campfire(Shenzhou 2002)
- 09:50 Byron Metcalf - A Perfect Place(Inner Rhythm Meditations 2016)
- 18:18 Dino Sabatini - And It All Ends Here(Omonimo 2016)
- 22:30 Steve Tibbetts - Full Moon Dogs(The Fall Of Us All 1994)
- 27:37 William Selman - The Island Before The Internet - Borne's Snail Mail Shimmer(Interpretations Vol II - Musica Enterrada 2018)
- 36:10 unknown - Cloudless(2007)
- 41:20 Laurence Pike - Holy Spring(Holy Spring 2019)
- 44:25 Eli Keszler - Fifty Four To Madrid(Stadium 2018)
- 47:36 Craig Leon - One Hundred Steps(Early Electronic Works 2014)
- 51:20 Spheruleus - Intercoastal(Light Through Open Blinds 2019)
- 53:55 Benjy Wertheimer & John de Kadt - Underwater(One River 2012)
- 61:01 The Heart Is Awake - Os(Echosphere 2017)
- 64:25 Kilchhofer - Leng(The Book Room 2018)
- 71:23 end
Sunday Aug 25, 2019
Sunday Aug 25, 2019
I've been heckin' busy this summer. First of all, it's summer so beer gardens, baseball games, northwoods vacations, beer gardens, yard work, beer gardens, etc. Plus I've been doing a ton of freelance work. And lastly, my daughter is getting married in a month and I'm editing a video for the reception. I have not been able to get any new mixes going in a while.
So it's Paul Asbury Seaman to the rescue! Thankfully this excellent mix from Paul will fill the void. It's another great collection from my partner in ambient crime. Here's what he has to say about it:
“This is a crossover mix, as the title suggests, and may be the sweetest one I’ve ever done. I’ve kept the emphasis on an atmosphere of tranquility, tailor-made for going-to-sleep music. All of the tracks here are from the fairly-new Heart Dance Records. I discovered this label while looking on Bandcamp for an album recently featured on Hearts of Space. As I dug deeper, and contrary to my stereotypes about “uplifting” (read: new age) music, it became obvious that there was plenty here for space fans to like, or if you’re looking for something calm for meditation. Feel the flow around the stillness. (Cover image for this mix courtesy of Sherry Finzer, from the album LET THERE BE LIGHT.)”
Definitely check out more music from Heart Dance Records here...
https://heartdancerecords.bandcamp.com/
Thanks, Paul!
T R A C K L I S T :
00:00 Sherry Finzer & Darin Mahoney - White Sky In November(Transformation 2013)
04:32 Tom Moore & Sherry Finzer - Star Trails(Sound Currents 2019)
10:05 Paul Horn - Mumtaz Mahal(Inside 1969)
12:20 Ivan Teixeira - Abundance(ALLAYER Project One 2019)
16:37 Monica Williams - Wandering(Journey Of Tears 2018)
22:43 ANAAMALY - A Peaceful Drift(Fileds Of Light 2018)
29:18 Tom Moore & Sherry Finzer - Midnight Mystique(Sound Currents 2019)
34:48 Monica Williams - Love From A Distance(Journey Of Tears 2018)
38:18 Majestica - Aurora Australis(In the Midst of Stars 2016)
48:26 Sherry Finzer - Breathe(Acceptance 2018)
64:47 end