Noodle Therapy / The Dip (Video)

It’s been lovely seeing Noodle Therapy’s Field Notes find a way into people’s listening habits since its release in June. It’s evidently a record people are returning to, calling a favorite of the year (!) and seemingly finding a bit of comfort in its approach.

Previously just a 60-second teaser, we have an extended video into Noodle Therapy’s world today, with the full version of The Dip. Co-written with Dennis White (1/3rd of Quiet Places), it’s one of the album’s more abstract and mysterious tracks, and a nice example of the curiosity and experimentation that runs throughout the album.

The video features footage shot near Noodle Therapy’s (Dan’s) home in Brighton, with Dan taking care of the filming, editing, and direction himself.

Portals Episode 13: Trancemaster 1992-1999

It's been four years since the last Portals feature (what kind of Portal is that?!). As a quick reminder, this series serves as my way to highlight a specific concept or deep dive into an aspect of music I enjoy, no matter the style. We've had Power Ambient, New New Age, Music For Sleeping, a reinterpretation of the KLF's Chill Out, and Classic Trance Loops amongst others.

For this next episode, we're going back into the world of Trance music again. Maybe our latest Trance-infused release with Mikkel Rev was the inspiration to get another Portals going after that 4-year absence...

Throughout the 1990s, the Trancemaster compilation series documented that evolution of the genre in real time. Across sprawling multi-disc releases, it brought together records from the emerging edges of trance, techno and progressive music (even some random nu-wave track I found), tracks that were often difficult to find outside specialist record shops and European clubs at the time, placing them into a shared world.

Before trance became a global industry, it was a sound still figuring out what it wanted to be. For many listeners, Trancemaster was a map of an evolving landscape that despite being called Trance, still shifted through variations of ambient, chill downtempo and techno, through its early themed compilations such as 'The Goa Gap, 'Tribal Chill Out' and 'Aural Brainfood' to name just a few. which soon dissolved into general Trancemaster compilations as the genre continued to find its sound.

Follow the names buried in these compilations and you could disappear into entire labels, scenes, cities and new strains of electronic music. Across the decades, the series captured Trance as it moved from something darker, stranger and more experimental into the soaring melodies and enormous emotional architecture that would eventually fill clubs around the world in the early 00's, with the label behind the compilation "Vision Soundcarriers" eventually calling it a day on the series in 2012 (citing piracy no less).

The result of this series is a catalog of hundreds of tracks, that became a definitive blueprint of the genre. Unknown gems and deep digs feature alongside many of the biggest classic hits you can think of (BBE, Three Drives, Lustral, Gouryella , Tiesto, etc all sit alongside the many unknowns).

For this edition of Portals, I've dug through the entire Trancemaster compilations through the early years of 1992–1999 (numbers 01 to 23 to be exact - the best years, dare I say?). Seven years of records that helped define a genre, and a reminder of just how wide, weird, and beautiful Trance once was. This true excavation led me into many different places, and it was interesting to see how the sound evolved over the years (especially when compared to the compilations post year 2000).

The Chill Out Room vibe was still apparent, and tracks were being spun by José Padilla (I remember the Max 404 track appearing after an ad break in José’s 1993 Essential Mix). Acid house was still a massive influence, with Choice, Josh Wink and many more creating head-buzzing anthems of the time. And the Goa Trance sound was still gloriously shifting BPMs to keep everyone guessing as to what went down in those far-away hedonistic times.

Dolphins, didgeridoos, that distinct bird sound from FSOL (!), chanted mantras and German spoken-word — Trancemaster has all the wonderful excess of a scene discovering just how far it could go, with little sense of the impact it would have. Beneath those unmistakable fingerprints of the era lies an extraordinary run of music: strange, euphoric, hypnotic and, at its best, remarkably timeless. Here are a few gems and personal favorites that capture just how broad Trance could be at the time, from ambient and downtempo, to techno, acid, progressive and the more euphoric sound that would eventually come to define it.

astrangelyisolatedplace · ASIP - Portals Episode 13: Trancemaster 1992-1999

Download MP3, listen on Soundcloud, the ASIP Podcast or the 9128.live iOS and Android app.

Tracklist:

01. Gaia – Primitive (Intro) – Trancemaster 04
02. TM 02 – Intro (Whales In Space) – Trancemaster 02
03. (Outro) – Conditions Of Mental Abstraction – Trancemaster 09
04. Max 404 – Quiddity (Last Visit) – Trancemaster 11
05. Komakino – Frogs In Space (Trance Mix) – Trancemaster 01
06. Sleepwalker – The Pink Zone – Trancemaster 10
07. Bas Molendyk – Just Married – Trancemaster 09
08. Frank De Wulf – Afrika's Rhyme – Trancemaster 01
09. Pentaura – Ulma Gets To Linger (Pentatonik Mix) – Trancemaster 11
10. Ravebusters – Rave Bangin' (Atmos' Mix) – Trancemaster 10
11. The Irresistible Force – Space Is The Place (Intergalactic Ambient Mix) – Trancemaster 01
12. Space Cube – Dolphins – Trancemaster 01
13. Gary D. – E-Mojonal: Make E Move – Trancemaster 02
14. E-Mojonal – Silence Of Water – Trancemaster 03
15. FUSE – UVA – Trancemaster 10
16. Redeye – Acid Etch – Trancemaster 07
17. Traumatic – Tribal Symphony – Trancemaster 08
18. Delegate – Crying Over Faith (98 Remix) – Trancemaster 17
19. Microwave Prince – Eternal Light – Trancemaster 11
20. Loophole – Fakeland – Trancemaster 13
21. Sterac – Asphyx – Trancemaster 11
22. Choice – Acid Eiffel – Trancemaster 04
23. Keyload – Unknown Quantities – Trancemaster 13
24. Yum Yum – 3 Minute Warning (Scope Mix) – Trancemaster 08
25. Me & Jack – Viva House (Secret Cinema Mix) – Trancemaster 12
26. Station Rose – Public Brain Session – Trancemaster 01
27. Perry & Rhodan – The Beat Goes Straight On And On (Intro) – Trancemaster 06

Trancemaster on Discogs
Trancemaster on Bandcamp
Trancemaster.de

Mikkel Rev / Evocation (ASIPV057)

Enter the Magnetic Heliosphere.

Mikkel Rev returns to A Strangely Isolated Place with Evocation, his third full-length album shaped deep within the forests of Norway. 

Since Mikkel’s debut, The Art of Levitation first arrived in 2023, Mikkel has been quietly building his own corner of the ASIP catalogue. Last year's Journey Beyond expanded that vision further, revealing an artist increasingly comfortable balancing the emotional pull of early trance with a more reflective, ambient-leaning approach. While his work elsewhere naturally gravitates towards the dance floor through his own collective, Ute Recordings and other club-focused outlets, his ASIP releases have always evolved differently. Beginning with a larger body of material that’s gradually shaped together, each album seeks to find a narrative without a dancefloor in place; one that moves naturally between momentum and stillness, carrying something of the spirit found in those early-'90s records that drifted effortlessly between peak-time energy and the quiet hours in room two. 

astrangelyisolatedplace · Mikkel Rev / Evocation (ASIPV057) [Previews]

Long-form compositions like "Step Inside" and "MRI" favor gradual development over immediate impact, while "Dream Sand" introduces shimmering rhythms that subtly shift the album's momentum and pace. The piano-led "The Infinite" offers a definitive nod to the enduring emotional pull of classic trance before "Sanitorium" closes the record with one of Mikkel's most restrained and affecting pieces to date.

Evocation continues Mikkel Rev's remarkable run on ASIP, extending a catalog where echoes of trance's formative years find new expression through the communal energy and natural surroundings of the Nordic forest gatherings that have become an integral part of his world.

Ventral Is Golden returns on artwork duties, with Lupo handling the mastering and cut. Released on August 28th as a gatefold double LP on dusty purple smoke and digital. 

Buy on Bandcamp

Buy at Space Cadets (UK/EU orders)

Noodle Therapy / Field Notes

Noodle Therapy is the ambient-focused alias of Brighton-based producer Dan Porter, a musician active since the late 1990s whose previous work has appeared on labels including 4bit and Thirteen[rec]. While his history and aliases (Gods of Ruin, Cosmic Acid) span a variety of electronic styles, Field Notes marks a deliberate shift toward slower, more reflective forms, drawing inspiration from the coastal, rural, and woodland environments surrounding England's south coast.

Built from a combination of field recordings, modular synthesis, and hardware-based experimentation, Field Notes explores the relationship between memory and place. Fragments of found sound drift through evolving compositions, where analog circuitry, digital instruments, and Eurorack systems are used less as tools of precision and more as instruments of discovery. 

The album was mixed collaboratively by Dan and Dennis White (Thermal Audio) during the depths of winter, with Dennis adding a subtle layer of additional production throughout and co-writing The Dip. For listeners familiar with Quiet Places on ASIP, Dennis's presence will already be well known; his touch here provides another thread connecting Field Notes to the wider ASIP family.

Voices appear briefly and disappear again, landscapes emerge from abstraction, and melodies surface just long enough to leave an impression before dissolving back into texture. Particular thanks go to poet Grayson Wayne, whose words feature within Sea Glass.

Perhaps what makes Field Notes feel especially meaningful is the path it took to arrive here. For a brief period, Dan lived directly beneath label founder Ryan (ASIP) back in England, and while neither could have known where their respective musical journeys would lead, it's hard not to appreciate the small chain of coincidences that eventually brought this release into the world.

Buy on Bandcamp (Limited time Name Your Price until June 26th)

RSVP to the Bandcamp listening Session

9128.live still streaming, ambient adjacent music, free, 24-7: An update

Our radio station project, 9128.live is still alive and kicking. Crazy to think it’s been 6 years now since we launched. I recently stumbled into someone at a show who was with us for our all-weekend takeovers during the pandemic era, and he said it helped him get through one of the hardest times of his life. It was very humbling to hear, and despite rarely hearing these comments, it’s one of the reasons I still keep this thing alive.

I’m quietly updating music in the background on the station - of course, ASIP music is easy for me to keep updated in rotation, and a few other labels keep on top of things with new releases. without much fanfare.

Here are a few key updates that you might have missed:

New label partners

In the past year or so, we’ve added three amazing catalogs into rotation, including Quiet Details (just this week), Never Late, and Analog Attic. Between these 3 labels alone, we’re hosting some of the most majestic music to hit our ears in recent years. I’m also adding some one-off artist music into rotation, as some listeners get in touch with their own music that fits.

Memberships

We had a membership that enabled paying users to access unreleased and exclusive sets. I let this dwindle for far too long, so I’m sorry to anyone who kept going with it. But I’ve now canceled it fully as I don’t see the time or space to make this worthwhile right now. Thank you to everyone who helped us keep the station going with their contributions.

Listening apps

Not new news, but very importantly, we have both iOS and Android apps that enable you to listen to the stream, and they also host the isolatedmix series as a podcast too. A few other bells and whistles to check out too. Links to the apps here.

Sonos

One of my favorite ways to listen is actually through Sonos (at night) and it’s not too easy to make that happen. But essentially, you need to add the stations custom listen URL into your TuneIn app (once downloaded), then add the TuneIn Service to Sonos, and it should then show in your faves. See here for more ways to listen.

The 9128 label

When we had regular weekend takeovers, artists were preparing sets for their slots, many of which were original, so we decided to release some of these sets and begin the label. Check out the releases here, by Jo Johnson & Hilary Robinson, Gailes, 36 and Ameeva. With no pipeline for original releases, the label is on a bit of a hiatus, but I hope to spin this up again one day and may open up the catalog to live releases in general.

The future

Being transparent, the radio costs thousands of dollars to run and host each year. For now, it’s an investment and a bit of a vanity project because I use it so much myself. So a big thank you to everyone who donates to help with this cost. I hope I get to spend more time on the project in the near future, and bring back proper programming and weekend takeovers again. Until then, I’m doing my best to keep the lights on and keeping 24/7 ambient and electronic music flowing.

Thanks for tuning in.

https://9128.live/