It’s not often that we get ASIP artists to contribute with isolatedmixes, but Ludvig’s journey with his Illuvia alias revives a love for the Drum and Bass genre in all of us electronic music fans, triggering the emotion, highs, and nostalgia that so often comes hand-in-hand with the atmospheric side of DnB.
Ludvig’s upcoming LP as Illuvia (Iridescence Of Clouds) sits at the apex of both ambient and Drum and Bass - somehow quenching the thirst of both sides whilst inciting something new and exciting. After being a part of this journey with Ludvig over the past few years, we got talking about the many inspirations behind the album and I urged him to put together this mix for us all by way of further insight into the album. I will leave the rest of the introduction to Ludvig, as he has taken the time to pen an intro to the mix; the inspiration behind it, and how it connects to his upcoming release.
What I will say, however, is the exact same as the comment I left on the original Illuvia album on Bandcamp back in 2017… “LTJ Bukem, eat your heart out”!
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I’m not too big on genre definitions per se – I prefer to describe music in terms of its emotion and energy, its flavors and colors. But when talking about music it is also helpful if we use these definitions to simplify the description process. If I say atmospheric drum & bass (or ambient jungle if you like), everyone who has an interest in electronic music knows what I’m talking about. Genres are funny though – they seem to gather their own momentum and become these overarching stylistic markers that many artists (myself included) then allow to color or even define their own unique expression, making it fit within these imaginary boundaries defined by the ones that came before – the ones who broke new ground. I’m all for staying true to one’s inner vision, and I’m also particularly fond of the aesthetics of atmospheric drum & bass, which have influenced my work from a young age. There are probably many reasons why.
During my teenage years, I was experiencing perpetual anxiety and slipping deeper and deeper into depressive states of mind. Few things had the power to reach me and lift me out of such states (at the time; being alone in nature, getting lost in music, or complete physical exhaustion basically). I remember one time in particular when I was experiencing deep anxiety, staying in an apartment with friends who lived in the city. We had been drinking and getting high, and this only exacerbated my anxiety. I always carried my portable CD-player and had brought with me a couple of newly purchased Good Looking Records compilations. I went to lie down on the floor somewhere, put my headphones on, and slipped into another world.
Gently I was lifted out of the panic that was gripping my heart and into a world full of wonder. The contrast to my previous state was extreme. The body was relaxing while I was traveling in astral realms defined by emotion and color. The senses merged, the music became visual. Of course, this experience was enabled in part by a chemically induced altered state, but I have later traveled in similar ways without that component, and I would definitely say that the experience is even more profound when you learn to just use the focus of your mind. The music becomes a bridge, letting you cross over from your present, often very limited state (such as believing that you are a person in a body), into greater awareness of the limitless nature of existence. Why do people love these experiences? Because they are natural.
Back to atmospheric drum & bass in particular, and those qualities embodied within it that my heart will always stay warm to (and, by the way, all of this is naturally my subjective interpretation and rather fluid as such).
Primarily, it is the lightness, playfulness and childlike wonder that I gravitate to so deeply. There are drum & bass tracks that are nothing but pure, distilled joy and wonderment (a few by Artemis come to mind). It’s quite rare to find artistic expressions of pure happiness among all the (man-made) troubles of the modern world. When artists “in” this genre are exploring other states in their expression, such as sadness, loneliness, longing, desolation etc., these are approached in a refreshingly non-personal way and instead interpreted more cinematically. It seems to be all about taking on a grander view of life, of existence, and the personal drama is simply not that significant in the cosmic scheme of things (thankfully). Along the same lines, there seems to be a near-total absence of “coolness” or attitude to this particular style of music, which makes me think that the intent is more about sharing a positive experience rather than that of impressing someone. Of course, not always true and definitely not exclusive to this genre (!), but it just seems peculiarly prevalent in my view. Less “look at me!” and more “look at this amazing view!”.
Possible Worlds a track by Moonchild (aka Nu-Moon) expresses some of this in the title, nicely depicted by this YT video:
Look how small we are. Look how grand this whole thing is. But contemplating this doesn’t make you feel small – perhaps only momentarily while you shift out of your familiar world and assume a more expansive outlook. Keep going and you will begin to feel cosmic. You will become an empty space full of wonder (or realize that this is what you were all along).
Back to little me. As I was already producing music at the time of the ‘atmospheric out-of-body-experience & bass’ described before, I naturally began to make my own attempts of creating these types of tracks. My musical journey started as a drummer so I was innately in love with intricate fast-paced breaks – and who on earth doesn’t love a massive sub? (Probably some, however difficult that is to fathom...). My own earliest adventures in the genre worthy of release eventually saw the light of day via this compilation released by Omni Music UK:
Chris ‘Eschaton’ Wright has been a big supporter of this side of my work, so I’m happy that this compilation remains in archives of his prolific label. And yes, Ziyal is named after a character in Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (not that you asked, but in case you would ever wonder about it!). She’s a beautiful though sadly short-lived character that bridges two opposing worlds with her childlike, open heart, and so I felt it fitting that she would be commemorated in my atmospheric drum & bass explorations. After creating a double album of epic proportions together with my brother-in-sound Bass’Flo (aka Sinius), the climax of Ziyal consolidated as the album No World But You released by another brother-in-sound and longtime supporter of my work – Kian Asamoah, operating Noisy Meditation:
A few solar cycles later, it was time for renewal. Letting two long time monikers go to rest (Alveol and Ziyal), I had no name for the new music that was coming through full-force, as the later on titled Illuvia (Exaltation) materialized during an all-night session. Somewhat lost in the dark at the time, I wasn’t very happy with it afterward and pretty much left it aside. The new music kept flowing and eventually the entire Illuvia debut album had arrived, along with this name that for me personally carried the meaning “path of illumination” or “path of light” (I have later found other meanings within it).
Years passed, and after a couple of fruitless attempts at getting this debut album pressed to vinyl, I finally decided to release it digitally on my own. At the very final stages of that process, I happened to uncover that initial version of the Illuvia track and decided to throw it on as the finale with the epithet (Exaltation). But this is turning into quite the novel, so let me conclude by taking a breath, and re-center in the present moment.
Why am I writing this? Ah yes, the mix and the new album. So, I wanted to compile a mix consisting mainly of tracks I listened to during those early years of discovering and exploring this style of music through buying CDs in local record shops. First off, there are so many gems that I couldn’t fit into this mix unless it would have been 8 hours long. It was emotionally painful to make some of these decisions – a testament to the love I feel for these pieces of sonic art that have accompanied me through life. The main inspiration behind the mix is the desire to share the experience of stepping back and taking in a grander view of life and existence, as is so emotionally articulated by Ellie Arroway in the intro (a fictional character in one of my all-time favorite movies).
And the ‘Iridescence of Clouds’ album… what is it about?
So many things. So many points connecting there (though I feel like maybe I didn’t quite manage to tie them together). Mainly, I think I’m still chasing those grand visions I had in my youth, and have had ever since… those feelings that are too vast to fit within any known definitions or boundaries, but still can only be expressed through a process of limitation. The decision to explore a certain stylistic direction is one such limitation, and it seems to be one that ignites my inspiration. It feels like there is more depth and new vistas to explore in those atmospheric worlds of big harmonic waves, deep subs and rapidly flowing beats. Sometimes I feel that my tools have gotten blunt over the years – that I’ve lost some quality of clarity that I long to recover. But I don't know that for sure. What I do know is that this album is a small part of something so much greater (endlessly greater if we continue zooming out)... and as with every other aspect of creation, it is important. It is possibly a step towards the unveiling of some even greater vision that couldn’t happen without it. Nothing we create will ever be a destination, something complete in and of itself. It will always and ever only be a step.
“ - Ludvig Cimbrelius.
Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.
Tracklist:
01. Photek - Aura
02. Blu Mar Ten - Cumulus
03. The Architex - Escape
04. Photek - Rings Around Saturn
05. Seba & Lotek - So Long
06. Boymerang - The River (VIP)
07. J Majik - Repertoire
08. 154 - Apricot
09. Teebee & K - Cherokee
10. Flytronix - Vertical Plains
11. Photek - T'Raenon
12. Hidden Agenda - The Sun
13. Tunduska - Blush Response
14. Goldie - Sea of Tears
15. ASC - The Machinery of Night
16. Goldie - Letter of Fate
17. Alaska & Paradox - Etherous
18. Boymerang - Lazarus
19. Lamb - Just Is
The mix also contains parts of these tracks:
Jonny L - Tychonic Cycle
Alaska - Ultramundane
Hidden Agenda - Dispatches #2
Nu-Moon - Sea Town
Override - PAC 3
Nebula - Escapism
Artemis - Inner Worlds
Henrik B - Mirrors
Motive One - Loop Progression
Illuvia | Bandcamp | Soundcloud | ASIP artist page
