isolatedmix 30 - Audioglider

I guess this is why I love running this site. The evolution of friendships, of musical knowledge, and being witness over the past four years or so, to numerous artists flourishing, progressing, developing their sound and finding whatever it is they’re seeking from their musical ventures.

Roberto Sodano is one of those artists. From tuning into his beautiful ‘mixtape’ series spanning ambient, electronica and shoegaze, to seeing his remixes come alive for Joey Fehrenbach; AUDIOGLIDER has now made one of the biggest steps in his career signing with with Nick Brennan’s (Tripswitch’s) label, Section Records. As always with the isolatedmix series, I reserve invitations for those who have made a significant impact on me musically, and funnily enough, I think Roberto’s only just getting started. I hear tonnes of remixes are planned, a new album, and one thing I do know for definite, a sneaky Places Series release is also on the horizon. About time Roberto stepped up to the isolatedmix series I say.

We’re going straight to the heart of the AUDIOGLIDER sound with this one. Roberto’s music is varied, progressive and always emotive, and as he goes on to describe below, this mix captures the essence of his production approach with some of his biggest inspirations. It’s a tracklist which can easily be glanced over to the untrained musical eye, but one that comes to life upon reflection. Manual features twice, as does the more recent Bristolian pioneer Stumbleine,  Ambient, electronica, shoegaze-hints of new and old, as well as an exclusive remix, this one’s got it all.

I’ll be the first to admit – I’m a bit of a music nerd – its a bug I’ve had since I was a kid – not because my parents had an amazing record collection or anything – (Demis Roussos anyone?), but the way music, sounds, sonics, audio whatever you call it, were able to connect with me, was astounding – especially to a shy kid growing up in South Wales. It became a way to escape and connect with another world of unlimited potential. And even while the present immediate availability of any music from any artist has made events like buying an album a thing of the past, I still get excited discovering new artists and music that affect my soul in the same inspirational way.

When I was asked to put together an Isolated Mix for ASIP, I thought, oh bloody hell, you’ve got to have a theme – all the best ones have a theme. I considered doing an ‘influences’ mix, but having been round the block as I have, I didn’t want it to be a trip down memory lane, or too nostalgic – I’m not really one for retrospectives, and there’s still so much new music and so many new artists for people to discover and hopefully put on the map. So i thought, try and capture the spirit of all my musical influences, all the contradictions, all the inconsistencies, and attempt to create something of a journey that reflects all of these – the ex drummer and DJ who makes music on a laptop, the ex vinyl junkie who embraced the fantastic netlabel scene, the ex shoegazer who traded in fx pedals for a 4/4 beat, a strobe, and a sub bass, the technophobe who embraced technology, the 4AD freak who…….the list goes on…….

There are a whole heap of artists on here that have blown me away with the sheer quality of their creative output, Manual, Syntaks, Stockfinster, Motionfield, ST, Dub Tractor – coincidentally all from Scandinavia – I hadn’t really thought about why all of these artists’ music resonates with me but here goes – its how their melodies and compositions manage to create warmth out of glacial sound palettes – something I strive to be able to do in my own compositions – Elsewhere we have Russian artists Slow, SEVEN, and Seaman S, who make beautifully emotional melodic ambient – I was lucky enough to get samples from one of them to create the closing track track to this Isolated Mix as a collaboration, and available exclusively here. Other recent discoveries that are on constant rotation on my headphones – are the majestically lush Horizon Fire, Stumbleine w/Essay, Arms and Sleepers and Marconi Union, and the amazingly enigmatic, chilly, deep and groovy Ghosting Season.

This list could have gone on – but I had to stop somewhere. Hope you enjoy the ride as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Roberto / AUDIOGLIDER

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Tracklist:

1. Slow – Aura
2. Dub Tractor – And You Are Back
3. Stockfinster – Seventeen
4. Syntaks – Twentytwohundred
5. City of Satellites – Skeletons (Manual remix)
6. SEVEN – Summer Whitephone
7. ST – Rest Your Eyes
8. Horizon Fire – Plutonian Shore
9. Manual & Icebreaker International – Beacons
10. Ghosting Season – Time Without Question
11. Motionfield – Indian Summer
12. Stumbleine – Lunar
13. Essáy & Stumbleine – Rhiannon
14. Arms and Sleepers – Kepesh
15. Marconi Union – Broken Colours
16. AUDIOGLIDER v Seaman S – Lost Planet

AUDIOGLIDER on Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter

isolatedmix 29 – Textural Being

It’s safe to say that Textural Being‘s recent productions have reaffirmed and reignited my love for dub-techno. It’s the kind of genre that needs attention, yet once emerged, I often find it more calming to listen to than the deepest ambient music. Repetition and restatement in music is often cited to be critical and dub-techno is at times the epitome of this approach. Some, get bored-stiff of a distant thud, but Sage Taylor’s approach is anything but.

If I had to pick an example, it would be Sage’s latest EP ‘En Ce Moment’ on the always brilliant Energostatic (Marc Atmost’s label) and in particular, ‘Sept’ taken from this album. Shimmering and soft, with subtle tonal bass changes. This is the type of music that sends you drifting. It’s window-watching, perfect for reflection and observation, conjuring pictures of past, what might be, or just appreciating the beauty of what’s sat directly infront of you.

Sage has similar thoughts when listening to some of his favourite music, and for isolatedmix 29, each track has been meticulously selected based on the image it created. A mixture of ambient, dub-techno and electronica, the inspirations are vivid and yearn for deeper introspection. So, the journey’s there for you to take, or the options there for you to create something completely new…

“I chose the tracks in this mix for their ability to conjure up such strong imagery and colour in my head when I listen to them, that if I recall the images later, I can hear other music playing along to them in my mind’s ear. These sounds sometimes (though not always) go on to become tunes of my own, once I’ve spent enough time transforming them from thought to sound wave. It’s not a perfect description of the process, but it’s the easiest way I can think of to describe how the songs I picked for this mix affect me, on a personal level.

Then there’s the emotional level, which had a big part in how I decided what songs to pick as well… The emotional side of music is very important to me, which I hope is evident by the selections I’ve made! This was -not- by any means an easy list to narrow down. There are so many amazing sounds out there by so many different talented musicians everywhere, that fitting a coherent communication into a single hour can be a daunting task… But, it was a challenge I was more than happy to undertake. So, I’m communicating to everyone music that’s very close to me, and what I do; music that’s helped move me along in my evolution as a sound aritst. Hopefully I’ve managed to provide a good picture of that”.

Download.

Tracklist/tracknotes:

Image 01: Vangelis – Dawn
The perfect musical depiction of the outskirts of a large city, early, sleepy, and cold… Dark greys and oranges permeate this atmosphere.

Image 02: Scanner – Vie One
Your transition out of the city. A red drone.

Image 03: Federsen – Octavian
Totally mesmerizing atmosphere, flashings of different images and shimmers of purple.

Image 04: Stars of the Lid – A Meaningful Moment Through A Meaning[Less] Process
A track that’s lighter than air… Huge floating cathedrals, white and cream-coloured, built in the sky.

Image 05: Ten And Tracer – Next Sun
This lovely little piece stays in the sky, evoking further images of clouds and blue.

Image 06: Pub – Summer [Arovane AMX 1]
One of my all time favourite pieces of electronic music… Uwe Zahn, a true paragon, especially when remixing. Luscious green pastures and yellow/orange sparkles here.

Image 07: Chris Clark – Oaklands
The image dissolves, awash in a swirl of hazy grey and blue smoke.

Image 08: Yagya – Snowflake 9
And we find ourselves moving through snowy fields, white and grey abound. The warmth in this track is astonishing for such a cold theme… But I think snow is remarkably beautiful, so I suppose it works out.

Image 09: Quantec – Triptychon Ver. I
The dreamy quality of this track is pretty amazing. Sometimes I notice it’s on halfway through and can’t remember it ever starting… Black and pale blue smears with sporadic flashes of light come to mind.

Image 10: Kiln – Stare
A drone of such shine and character you almost can’t help feeling warm inside when it plays. More orange and yellow here.

Image 11: Strategy – Stops Spinning
Strategy has somehow projected a profound feeling of stillness in this song, despite all the movement it contains… A truly wonderful feat, and it’s alive with all sorts of multi-coloured sparks, fluttering and ricocheting around the crystalline forms of environments and people, frozen in their activities. Beautiful.

Image 12: Chris Clark – The Sun Too Slow
This bizarre atmosphere, courtesy Chris Clark, staggers along with its own strange beauty, shooting rays of pale light in all directions.

Image 13: Ametsub – Repeatedly
Soft shiny silvers and blues float through this emotionally intense track… Like so many piano keys dissolving in the wind.

Image 14: Boards of Canada – In the Annexe
Short, repetitive, and somehow able to communicate so much… Like much of the music of Boards of Canada, this tiny emotional flicker seems to hint at fluttering, caustic shades of teal, blue, green and turquoise.

Image 15: Taho – The River Of Grace
Like the opening track I chose, this song is one of the most perfect closing pieces I’ve ever heard. Sublime in its simple beauty, I am honestly given vivid images of a flowing river when I listen to this track, all washed out like an oversaturated photograph from decades ago… And so melodic. Perfect.
–

Textural Being Soundcloud | Latest release on Energostatic 

isolatedmix 28 - Crisopa

Santi Lizón is an artist i’ve had the pleasure of witnessing grow these past few years, and I like to think that he has inspired me along the way. I’m not sure how I came across Crisopa at first, but a quick look back at the ASIP archives and it may have been one of the very first mixes I heard from Winterlight back in 2009. Funny, seeing as they are both now signed on the legendary n5MD label. Santi has floated around with several netlabels prior to this years release on n5MD and it was probably his 2010 release ‘Last Membrane’ that ultimately sealed the deal and the chance for a further album with one of the best electronic labels of today.

‘Biodance‘, released last month, is undoubtedly Santi’s best work yet and a culmination of his organic sound; combining glitchy electronics, instrumental shoegaze touches and drifting ambience. I didn’t think you could get better than ‘Dancing Curtains’ on ‘Last Membrane’ – it was like Tycho, Winterlight, and Ulrich Schnauss were jamming on a Summer evening – yep that big (have a listen). But Biodance is an evolution of Santi’s sound, and more electronic noises give it much more variety and depth. ‘Es Todo Mental’ for example, stays very close to ‘Dancing Curtains’ in style, but just absolutely kills it with a thoroughly electronic, oscillating climax.

Take a look at the tracklist for Santi’s isolatedmix and you’ll probably see what I mean. Two of the previously mentioned artists are in there as inspirations, alongside the likes of Jon Hopkins, Ochre and Ametsub – a rich mix of recent electronica pioneers. It’s pretty easy to hear the Crisopa sound in amongst this lot, and if this mix serves any purpose, it’s crowning glory will be to introduce you to the beautiful sound of Santiago Lizón Martínez.

You can purchase ‘Biodance’ from n5MD, and download ‘Last Membrane’ for free here.

“I Pretended to create a trip from quiet introspection to more dynamic feelings without losing the connection with sensitivity, beauty and power. This also pretends to be a little tribute to the artists in here to appreciate their infuence over me and the great moments provided to me.”

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Tracklist:

1. Ametsub – Snowy Lava.
2. Ochre – REM sleep research.
3. Tycho – Adrift.
4. Ulrich Schnauss – Between us and them.
5. Yimino – Firen (read edit).
6. Tobias Lilja – Spineless.
7. Jon Hopkins – Vessel.
8. Vaetxh – Clipper.
9. Stable Mechanism – Curious Eye.
10. Eleven Tigers – Wind.
11. The Flashbulb – Undiscovered colors.

Tracknotes:

1. Snowy Lava — Ametsub. Fits me gorgeously when I go out of the city to a lonely place when human presence begins to vanish.
2. REM sleep research — Ochre. A magic, delicate dream where I come back when I need to.
3. Adrift — Tycho. Blinding sun light, warming and encouraging.
4. Between us and them — Ulrich Schnauss. A train taking off from land and flying. A personal classic.
5. Firen (read edit) — Yimino. A voice inside me tells me: “activate the magic in everything by a simple touch”.
6. Spineless — Tobias Lilja. A powerful ball of energy grows inside my chest and propagates to my extremities.
7. Vessel — Jon Hopkins. Sensitivity and force.
8. Clipper — Vaetxh. Electrocution and time jumps in my brain
9. Curious Eye — Stable Mechanism. Android birds and apocalyptical landscapes. Great spanish artist here.
10. Wind — Eleven Tigers. Seducting darkness
11. Undiscovered colors — The Flashbulb. A departure, a farewell of something inside me.

Artwork photo credit: Arantxa Lizón

Crisopa on Soundcloud | Facebook | n5MD

isolatedmix 27 – DF Tram & Rich-Ears: Earth Apogee

It’s been an extended period since the last isolatedmix from Loscil, mainly because i’ve been focused on getting the Places Series off to go a good start. But also, as with all isolatedmixes, they don’t come around too often and I make a conscious effort to reserve the series for producers, DJ’s or artists that have a profound influence on me, be it recently or many moons ago.

Rich-Ears, with his many mixes, tribute sets and mind-bending journeys (half of which have featured on ASIP over the years), definitely falls into this category. His curations are reminders of just how expansive ambient, chill and electronica can be. They are packed full of crate-diggers gems and nostalgic samples. There isn’t a set that goes by without new music to my ears, classics re-emerging or favourites re-imagined.

And like all good journeys, it’s better experienced with a good friend. Rich-Ears’ parallel mind from across the ocean, DF Tram, joins him on this one, to rekindle a very special partnership which was evidently brilliant through their last masterpiece, Lunar Fizz.

This mix, titled Earth Apogee, is another dive into a vivid spectrum of ambient, chill, downtempo and samples that co-exist between two die-hard music fans. Their collections are expansive, their taste immaculate and this mix is a testament to their extensive music libraries and skills in curating a all-immersing musical journey.

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Tracklist:
01. David Axelrod – The Warnings Part 1
02. David Axelrod – The human abstract
03. Carlos Niño -Rabbit Island Featuring Jesse Petersen
04. DF Tram & Future BC -Sonic Breakfast
05. Brian Eno & David Byrne – America is waiting (DF Tram edit)
06. Donovan – Barabajagal
07. Air – Modular mix
08. Ursula Rucker – 7 (feat. M.A.D.)
09. Carlos Ciño and Miguel Atwood Ferguson – Fall In Love
10. Mort Garson – Symphony for a Spider Plant
11. Wild Rumpus feat. Cosmo and Gary Lucas – Tikkety boo
12. Animat – Gogo’s dub (DF Tram & Future BC remix)
13. The Doors – Riders of the storm (DF Tram’s Dirty Windows edit)
14. Sense – Praise
15. Linah Rocio / Gigi Masin – Love Letter
16. Gigi Masin / Charles Hayward – Clouds
17. Daphne Oram – Lego Builds It
18. Kid Koala – Emperors Main Course In Cantonese
19. Abel – Skipping Puddles
20. Small Black – Intro
21. Schubotter – No Healing Through Pharma
22. XNTR – Bell Mountain
23. DF Tram & Future BC – Rue De Musique
24. Unknown – Nude Interlude #1 (Kinky Ladies of Bourbon Street)
25. Lush – Stray (Hole In The Sky Mix)
26. Amorphous Androgynous – Another Fairy Tale Ending
27. Barbarix – With Every Waterfall Comes A Rainbow
28. Dave Greening & Owsey – Purgatory (Owsey cover)
29. Scanner – Sounds Of Love
30. Kid Koala – Vacation Island
31. Eprom – If
32. Loop Guru – Katmandu…Crab People…
33. Ajanta – Perception of Time
34. The Normalites – The Sun Rising (Afterlife Remix)
35. Maps & Diagrams – Jupiter Incidental
36. Pharaoh Sanders – Astral Travelling (Boozoo Bajou Remix)
37. Saturn Never Sleeps – DRK
38. ActivePhaze – Soaring (Deep Haki Remix Pt2)
39. Maurizio Miceli – The Hope
40. The Orb – Pluto Calling (Twinkle)
41. The Beatles – A Day In The Life (Terminus/JFK Edit)
42. The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – Yellow Submarine

Rich Ears Soundcloud | Twitter | Facebook
DF Tram Soundcloud | Twitter | Facebook
Artwork photo courtesy of Hikaru Funnell http://capturecollect.co.uk/

isolatedmix 26 - Loscil: Waterborne

I often struggle to put together introductions for isolatedmix contributors. Not only have most of the artists been featured on the site many times before, but you’ll often find that talent easily precedes reputation and words just don’t do them justice in many instances. But, seeing as i’ve wished for Loscil‘s contribution to the isolatedmix series since day one, i’ll give it a go…

An experienced sound director and a regular contributor to the legendary Kranky record label since 2001, Scott Morgan is without a shadow of a doubt, a master of ambient soundscapes. His 2010 album Endless Falls, was top of everyone’s end of year lists and succeeded at not only improving on his previous Kranky work, but doing it in style, with the title track epitomising the modern classical / ambient divide and wrenching the hearts of fans from both sides.

Since then, Loscil’s made a beautiful contribution to Glacial Movements – also home to bvdub’s infamous release, ‘The Art of Dying Alone’. ‘Coast/Range/Arc’ reflected Loscil’s awesome ability to communicate the cold, the epic, the warm and the engrossing with some of his most atmospheric work to date. 2012 will hopefully see Scott’s sixth contribution to Kranky.

For his isolatedmix, Scott has once again chosen to reflect upon deep textures and thought-inducing moments with a mix themed around water. As you can imagine with such a dimensional topic, the sounds included and the inspiration is varied. The tales behind each track are told by masters of their trade and the journey is expertly compiled by yet another: Loscil.

Mix introduction by Scott Morgan (Loscil):

“Whether conscious or not, water has long been an influential factor in my work. There is something intangible, powerful, emotional, alluring and frightening about water. With this mix, I thought I would explore if and how water has influenced other artists who I respect and admire. A quick peruse of my music collection lead to the discovery of quite a few pieces that are somehow connected to water. Be it rivers, streams, oceans or rainfall, it seems water is often an inspirational subject for many composers and this doesn’t surprise me.

I remember a conversation I had in university with a friend who was studying oceanography and fluid dynamics. I had recently learned about the use of Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT’s) in audio analysis. My layman understanding of this was that FFT’s allow for efficient analysis and resynthesis of audio data so that computers can better handle the vast amounts of sample data typically needed to represent and process digital audio. Long story short, my friend (who had a much better understanding of the application of FFT’s than I) revealed to me that they use the same process and similar math for analyzing tidal data. What struck me about this was that if you look closely at things like sound waves or tidal patterns, etc., there are universal similarities – that almost everything can be boiled down to vibrations, oscillations, frequencies, etc. Of course, there is much more to our relationship with water than just that. We depend on it for life as does all life on this planet. We also play in it, float on it and sometimes it destroys our homes or we drown in it. Growing up on the west coast, many of my memories both fond and otherwise, somehow involve water, whether it be in the foreground or simply in the background. It seems I’m not alone”. 

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Tracklist & notes by Loscil:

01. Pan*American – Lights On Water (Quiet City)
Impressionistic. We’ve all been there, physically and mentally.

02. Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto – by this river (summvs)
“Here we are stuck by this river, You and I underneath a sky That’s ever falling down, down down, Ever falling down.”

03. Marcus Fischer – Wind And Wake (Monocoastal)
Cascadian consciousness.

04. Carter Burwell – Water Dream (Fur An Imaginary Portrait Of Diane Arbus)
Water scenes.

05. Tom Recchion – Ship At Sea (Chaotica)
Floating and undulating tape loop virtuosity.

06. Ethernet – Seaside (144 Pulsations of Light)
We’re there but not there.

07. Grouper – Down To The Ocean (Cover The Windows And The Walls)
A pleasantly mirky siren song.

08. Chihei Hatakeyama – Starlight Reflecting On The Surface Of The River (Minima Moralia)
Shimmering and evocative.

09. Wes Willenbring – While My Lungs Fill With Water (Somewhere Someone Else)
There is a frightful but liberating feeling in letting go.

10. Clouwbeck – The Water’s Burden (From Which The River Rises)
You can feel the undulating weight of the water’s mass – a gentle but powerful current.

11. Brian Eno & Harold Budd – A Stream With Bright Fish (The Pearl)
It’s a world we can see into but cannot live inside. We are spectators.

12. Gavin Bryars – Titanic Hymn (Autumn) All Strings (The Sinking Of The Titanic)
A slow descent. One of the most haunting impressions of the sinking Titanic.

Loscil | Web