isolatedmix 122 - Mary Yalex

We are very excited to welcome Mary Yalex to the label soon, and her upcoming release set to be announced in August. Mary’s work has appeared on respected labels such as Muzan Editions, map.ache’s ‘Kann’’, Carsten Jost’s ‘Dial’, Sound as Language, and her own label, Yalex Recordings. Her productions have spanned various ambient and experimental styles, and I am very excited to present a new album distilling her years of hard work into her sharpest vision yet.

There’s no better way to get to know an artist than stepping up to the isolatedmix series to illustrate your music style and background, and the mix is a great reflection of what to expect from her new record.

Mary Yalex’s album on ASIP is set to be announced in August, so in the meantime, please enjoy a short interview and perfectly curated mix (including a track from the upcoming album to preview).

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Hi Mary, what has influenced you to produce music today?

As a child, I was attracted to music not played with acoustic instruments.  My mother had a Vermona Piano Strings in the DDR. It was 1989 when my mother bought them and I was 5 years old. I liked to play Rum on the piano and tried to play melodies (and the scratching of the sliders, when you wanted to switch to strings, was really terrible as I remember it).

Music has always played a big role in my childhood. I would look and listen excitedly to my mother's record collection, from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin to Bronski Beat. I think the music you hear as a child is a much greater influence than what you hear today, and my interest in electronic music works was there from the beginning.

Over the years, you acquire techniques and repetition, and processes for how to make music. But today's influence is much more based on what happens around you, as in the world; how you perceive things and the people you are surrounded by, more than the music you hear. A melody always comes out of a mood and feeling.

I’m interested to learn about this production process; how you approach making music conceptually - do you have ideas & concepts or improvise? 

When I make music, I sit down at my synthesizer or electric piano and play a melody first - the main core. It has to feel great, if not then I'll throw it away. I never force myself to make music, for me it is important, there must be a feeling and it must flow. I like to use the same techniques that have been acquired over the years - it is a familiar process of editing.

So what motivates you to sit down and make music? Is it a personal outlet? How easy does it come to you? 

For me, it is a passion to make music, a feeling that has to come out. I get in a bad mood when I can't make music so it also helps me cope with moods, discovering new sounds and possibilities again.

What instruments/gear do you tend to focus on or always work with?

I mainly produce with Elektron Octatrack, Clavia Nord Rack 2 and Elektron Digitone.

You normally accompany your releases with your own paintings - how would you describe this relationship? Were you a visual artist or a musician first?

I used to paint in my childhood when I lived in Austria. I only really started producing electronic music more recently. I want to give the whole thing a picture - something that is more than just a photograph.

How does your home city and local history impact your music?

I have been living in Erfurt now for a year and a half. I'm getting older and I'm also looking for a quiet life. I don't need the hustle and bustle of a big city anymore. Here in Erfurt I also have my studio. During the Corona period, I decided to go back to my home country. It hasn't really changed much for me as I live very withdrawn. For me and my music, the place has never played a big role. Back when I went to Leipzig in 2008, there were more opportunities in my learned profession. 

Your isolatedmix is a mixture of different styles of artists, many of whom are on regular rotation for me. Can you tell us how you approached the mix?

I always look for pieces that match my mood. You start with quieter pieces, which are also a bit atmospheric. I like to combine emotional music with ambient drone pieces, the dreamy pieces at the end. For me, it always has to sound like a trip.

If you could make a mix of any type of music, what would it be and what might be the most surprising track inclusion?

Boy Harsher - Burn it down

You have a new album coming up on ASIP, what can people expect?

To describe it briefly, it is for me, one of my most profound and dynamic albums…

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astrangelyisolatedplace · isolatedmix 122 - Mary Yalex

Listen on Soundcloud or the ASIP Podcast.

Download MP3

Tracklist:

01. James Murray - Careful Now
02. CORBEN - The Zills
03. Ripperton - Ingénuité
04. The House In The Woods - Tone Intervals
05. Chestnut People, Priori, Ludwig A.F: - IV
06. Viul & Benoit Pioulard - Catalune
07. Mary Yalex - Endless Possibilities
08. Lauge, Alvaro Suarez, Fallen Metropolis - -FAM015- May 7 - Live 
09. Room 208 & Zuwe - Time Moved Like It Used To
10. DJ In A Dream - La Silhouette
11. Måla - E Is For Elegance (With Burning Pyre)
12. Martinou - ...in all it's splendor
13. Boliden - Pools
14. Malibu - Atlantic Diva
15. Boy is Fiction - Silversand
16. nthng - Looking Outside

Mary Yalex | Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Soundcloud

ASIP - Reflection on 2022

As with all past ‘Reflection’ year-end mixes, I start with a collection of music I have enjoyed over the past year. Through the process of compiling a mix, songs are whittled down and selected from this collection. This means many of my favorite tracks and albums are often omitted in this process, due to the need for them to fit in a mix that comes together as organically as possible. As I say every year, this isn’t a definitive ‘best-of’ list, but a selection of just *some* of my favorite music from the year in one easily listenable format. It’s the most enjoyable way for me to boil down the music I’ve loved from the year using these self-imposed restrictions, for you to then enjoy and hopefully discover more. I encourage you to use the mix to jump off and explore each artist, listen to the album in full and see what else is on the label (and check the Buy Music Club list at the bottom). Of course, releases or aliases that are a part of our own label/s are not considered for this mix (head over here for our label-specific 2022 showcase!), and if you want to see the majority of what I’ve been supporting, head over to my Bandcamp collection.

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Mixes paint a memory, and in many ways better than a photo. That’s half the reason I do these year-end mixes. Listening back to some of the past ten ‘Reflection on’ editions, each one still does the job of invoking specific memories for me. From the time I made the mix or tracks that trigger a time and place, maybe a gig I went to, an album that soundtracked a special moment, or just a record that didn’t leave my turntable. All of these things influence what tracks go into my year-end mix. It makes it challenging to try and capture, but also rewarding when I come out of the other side with something to listen back to that really shaped my year in listening. Despite this feature taking many, many hours, it’s much easier than doing a list, because not only do I dislike ranking music, but I really enjoy putting together mixes (so any excuse really!).

I haven’t written in-depth track notes for the past few Reflection mixes, mostly due to the sheer high number of track inclusions, but I want to go into depth on the inclusions this time around. I miss writing about music here, and it’s been a few years now since I’ve even posted a review. So hit play below, keep scrolling for the track notes, and link to a BuyMusicClub list to support all the featured music.

astrangelyisolatedplace · ASIP - Reflection on 2022

Listen on Soundcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.
Download MP3

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Firstly, let's sweep it under the rug; I’ve broken the biggest rule of the mix and included a track that wasn’t from 2022 (in fact, a couple aren’t strictly, but more on that later). The first track (and album), by maarja nut and ruum was such a lovely discovery for me this year that I missed in 2018, it accidentally slipped into my 2022 playlist due to being on high rotation. Of course, it was the very first track in the mix that set the tone- a hard one to undo when you’ve completed the set. So, because I have no one to answer to but myself, it stays! And I doubt you will regret this decision either if this album is new to you. 

Malibu made an appearance in 2020’s mix, and she’s perhaps a good reason for igniting a stronghold in female vocal led-ambient music recently. But few attempts are as ethereal as Malibu’s latest, going full-on Salt Tank (as a fellow Trance lover nicely put it once).

Ecovillage have made some gorgeous music over the years, and their latest album was a work of collaborations with some impressive producers such as Fennesz and harpist Nailah Hunter. My favorite track of the bunch was Memories of Spring featuring Japanese vibraphone player Masayoshi Fujita (the Erased Tapes stalwart). 

Raum, a collaborative project by Jefre Cantu-Ledesma and Liz Harris (Grouper) released a long-awaited follow-up to their 2013 album, and it didn’t disappoint. Whilst used more as a texture/segue in this mix, I encourage you to explore the full album. And, in a nod to Liz Harris’ involvement in the artwork for one of our releases this year, it felt fitting to include her project in this mix (thanks Liz!).

I’ve admired GiGi FM’s DJ’ing abilities for a few years now (check out her isolatedmix) but only last year did she debut her production chops with Kiwi Synthesis Diary 21k. I didn’t get around to listening to the album until this year (along with her latest, Magnetite EP) and so it didn’t make last year’s mix which was already out in the world. So here’s another little cheat, albeit a very short inclusion.

You can’t say "In Every Dream Home A Heartache” without reading it like the Roxy Music intro, and Romance and Dean Hurley’s similarly named album is just as memorable for me in many ways. Whilst this track is not my favorite from the album, it reminds me of the church bells and distant music playing from across the farm fields in my hometown back in England.

Fallen, aka Lorenzo Bracaloni seems to have released quite a few albums this year, but I was introduced to Moonlight Romance by Noah M (who creates many of our own artworks and was behind the art for this one). It’s like a new-new-age album, full of life and color, and a really pleasant listen from front to back.

One thing I find hard with this annual mix is whether to include tracks that have appeared in some other mixes of mine this year. Ultimately, I want to try and present new listening experiences with each mix, but then again, I am sure it’s very few of you who actually listen to all of them!… . Steve Roach’s What Remains appeared in a previous mix of mine this year, but this track is him at his very best. Refined, patient, bellowing, and glistening - a master of the style.

Pretty sure nthng has appeared in the last two Reflection mixes, but what can I say… whether he is releasing pounding atmospheric techno or soaring trance-inducing textures like this one, he somehow manages to draw me in with each of his releases. (I think, secretly, he’s a trance head and there’s a subconscious/ telepathic attraction going on between us).

At this point I got lost in the bellows of the last few tracks, so decided to find a way out of this musical chapter, and IKSRE provided a nice euphoric bridge with her vocals. Released on the ‘Healing Together’ compilation curated by Cynthia Bernard / Marine Eyes, plenty of tracks from this comp could’ve made it onto this mix, so you know what to do after...

There was no doubt I was going to try and include a Norm Chambers track in here somewhere, both due to his unfortunate passing this year and his undeniable contribution to the ambient and experimental community. I seeked out a jolt in the mix at this point, so his music didn’t go unnoticed. As someone I follow recently said, you could make five mixes from his library of music and each one would sound different. Thank you for the music Norm - RIP.

Chicago artists Purelink seems to be at the front of this new 'jungle/beat infused choppy ambience™, that I’ve seen becoming quite popular lately (how old do I sound). And one member of this trio features a bit later under a different alias. There is lots to explore in this world - whether it be following each of the member artists, their labels, or some of their own self-released music on Bandcamp. This track fits my dreamy chill-out world perfectly and was a much-needed segue into a more beat-driven chapter of the mix. 

Spoiler alert, Mikkel Rev will be making an appearance in the ASIP fam in 2023, so until he does, he’s OK to be included in this mix (!) As part of the Ute Collective hailing from Norway, it’s another rabbit hole of amazing young talent should you be into the more trance-infused sound of ambient music (or indeed, full-on trance music - plenty of that there). He makes some superb atmospheric chugging downtempo that ranges from the delicate to the beat-driven.

Whenever a new Biosphere album drops, it’s met with slight trepidation on my end. Not least because his albums take forever to reach the US on vinyl, but, how do you live up to the classics you created that helped define a genre? But that feeling is always short-lived and none so short as 2022’s effort. In what is a direct throwback to some of his earlier electronic styles, Shortwave Memories is one of his best in the past 10 years - at least. The N-Plants vibe in this particular track is the show-stopper. 

ReKaB was a new discovery for me this year, and the Móatún 7 label that homes this release, is a goldmine for electro-leaning music (even featuring a Yagya 10” recently). I think I played this ReKaB album front to back more than five times in the car one day. It’s such an enjoyable listen - not too pretentious, just enough old-school vibe, and energy to keep things present as opposed to wallpaper.  

OK, a couple more records were not strictly new in 2022 but I’ve always debated including reissues in this mix, and finally come around to the idea given the proliferation recently. After all, there was never a Reflection on 1993 was there?!  Spacetime Continuum and the always-on-point Musique Por La Danse label provide the 90’s throwback. (The similar-era Detroit Escalator reissue would have also made it in here, but I had to stop somewhere).

Daniel Avery’s album is a monolith. Throwbacks to Aphex on a SAW tip, mixed in with wall-shuddering bass and cave-mentality breakdowns. Any electronic fan that spent time in a dimly lit rave is going to enjoy his latest, just as much as the IDM/Electronica fan in all of us. I’m not sure if the track in the mix is my fave of the album yet, but the bigger tracks on the album would have sent this mix into a whole new dimension.

Seeing James Devane pop up this year was weird. Back in my blog days (they still exist today but this specific instance was 13 years ago), I uploaded a cover of Aphex Twin’s Rhubarb by James Devane to Soundcloud to host on the blog (remember those days) - it has 26k plays and the majority of us I’m sure really had no idea who he was until this year. With just one prior release on Discogs, I thought he dropped off radar. I guess he kind of did. This album was therefore a surprise to see, and its Gas-like fringed-techno a pleasant reintroduction.

Prior to Covid, I was due to DJ at an Astral Industries gig in London, and Transcendence Orchestra was on the bill for the second night I was there (when I'd get to relax and enjoy the full night!) It didn’t happen, unfortunately, but I always keep an ear out for their output and regret not being able to see them live. Back to the mix though, I didn’t go too hard on the modular synth-heavy tracks this year, but as with all Reflection mixes, I try and cover the variety of music I’ve been listening to. Whilst the full Transcendence Orchestra album ‘Dreams, Waking Thoughts and Incidents’ is a dark trance-inducing affair that might have felt like a rabbit hole at this point in the mix, this track formed a nice segue into the next with a similar sound…

This was the year Abul Mogard no longer hid behind his “old man steel factory worker” story and came out of the shadows on Houndstooth alongside COH (Gone is my idea for an “I AM THEREFORE I AM (ABUL MOGARD)” t-shirt). I’ve always wondered what Abul Mogard’s (real name Guido Zen) music would sound like if you added some fizz and more obvious structure, and this track can still be found bouncing around in my head somewhere. 

Another track not ‘new’ in 2022, but once again, there are no rules when you’re documenting someone so profound. And to lose Low’s Mimi Parker was a shock to everyone this year. I was late to the Low party given how long they have been around, but Mimi’s vocals on this track from one of their most recent albums (Double Negative) are purely angelic. I took liberties with the layering in the mix here, respectfully, so I hope it pays off in the listen as a moment of true reflection.

It’s not often you get treated to some of this early 90’s music for the very first time, but stumbling across Bowery Electric is like finding a long-lost favorite. Originally released in 1996, this is an example of why Kranky is so legendary all those years later, playing host to gems like this.

Nosaj Thing isn’t normally the type of music that stays in my periphery, but my colleagues were sharing the news of this new album, existing on the fringes of hip-hop and electronica, and when Julianna Barwick is involved, I tend to put it at the top of the pile. Whilst the beat closely reminded me of Massive Attack’s Teardrop, there’s no hiding the track’s beauty in totality. Add to this, I took a friend to see Nosaj Thing at The Greek Theater in LA, and we drank way too many Caipirinha’s before stumbling up the hill to the venue and missed Nosaj playing altogether… We did catch Toro Y Moi after though, so it’s a perfect memory captured for 2022. 

I’m glad Synkro returned with music this year, and it’s an amazing little EP on R&S to boot. Maybe even more atmospheric than his previous work, the beats are a little more smudged across this EP, but everything he touches has a considered, unique touch that can be heard strongly throughout his work and within collaborations (such as Kiyoko). 

There's a substantial amount of music to discover from Neglect on Bandcamp, someone I’ve admired from afar for a while now. This track, taken from his latest album is amongst a beautiful bunch of nostalgic electronica that cries quality.

It’s always hard to single out an Astral Industries release. The consistency of releases are faultless, so my shortlist this year with AI releases to include, was, well… not very short. Mystic AM, however, is the first release by Astral label boss Ario, alongside none other than Rod Modell, so it quickly became top of the pile by reason of a special moment in 2022, not least because of the beauty found in its original Iranian field recordings. 

Perhaps one of the most extensive releases of the year comes from the always intriguing Stroom label, and Voice Actor. 109 pieces of music and a surprising quality found throughout. It’s more collage than music when listened to as one, but you’ll find some lovely moments hidden amongst the 8(?) hours. “Will it be available on vinyl” I hear you jest? I’ve seen this popping up in lots of EOY lists already too.

There's talk within my small circles that Music For Animals is Nils Frahm’s best album yet. I’m not sticking by that just yet, as Spaces is probably in my top 10 of all time so far, but it certainly represents a stunning (d)evolution? Not a piano in sight you say? I immediately disbelieved it. But alas. It's like Nils kept getting put into Ambient playlists on Spotify and was like "OK, I'll give you what you really want…”.

I’m not quite sure how I stumbled across Ben Bondy. I think a friend might’ve recommended an album of his (Hadi, was that you?!) but It was enough for me to stalk his many Bandcamp releases and find some lovey instances. This track reminds me of a classic chill-out room track in its swirling laid-back mystery and vocal. 

I wouldn’t have come across the All India Radio track if it wasn’t for the great compilation it was presented on this year by Mystic and Quantum (a label responsible for some lovely releases over the years). New to me, it looks like they have quite the discography I’m yet to dig into, but this was a lovely moment that flowed nicely after the previous. Time to do some digging.

Concave Reflection (see Purelink reference above) is another artist in the fringes of my frequent listens but one I’m fully dipping my toes in right now. The full-length album ’The Best People Are Like Water’ is a really interesting listen - kind of metallic, chopped-up ambiance that the Spheric label are becoming known for (and seems to be all the hype right now).

Whilst the next track was originally from an album released a few years back, you’ve probably learned by now I’m bending the rules a little. However, this version of Hania Rani’s track Leaving, is a live recording released in 2022. After watching her live performance on KEXP, (shout to Alex Ruder!) I was truly mind-blown at her talent. It’s easy to make comparisons to Nils of course, but Hania has that vocal element which adds a whole new dimension.

If I had to be pushed, my favorite non-ambient album this year might have come from Mike Paradinas / µ-Ziq. Magic Pony Ride is just pure fun. And you need that in your listening repertoire nowadays, right? The bank of melodies and creativity this guy has amassed over the years must be unbelievable. To think, only some of it makes itself out into the world as a record. He followed this album up with another similar stunner too  - spoiled!

I've already given Wardown his superlatives for the year in his isolatedmix feature, but in summary, Wardown II followed up his nostalgic DnB/Jungle debut under this alias in style. Will there be a third that can keep the standard this high??

I could've launched into a complete Jungle/DnB hour at this point, but being 2hrs in, I really had to start winding this beast down and get all the end-of-the-night feels going. Bot1500’s latest EP stepped in nicely here - a lovely collection of melodic IDM and the track Chartreuse 8 felt rather emotional.

Royksopp really don’t do things by halves, and whether the entirety of their music is enjoyed or not when it crosses into the Pop realm, they still manage to conjure up some magic moments. I wanted to try and include a track out of the 3(!) albums they released this year but really couldn't find one that fit outside of this weird sample here. It worked on a few levels for me here though, “Press R to continue” …

Rose Riebl…With three compilations curated by Headphone Commute, the quality found amongst the ‘For Ukraine’ comps should go down as monumental and unmissable. I knew I had to get a track in this mix from the many on display, and this one felt like a perfect near-conclusion to the mix. Don’t miss out on supporting a great cause and listening to some of the best artists creating modern classical music right now.

The final track of the mix comes from EXM. While I normally try and end these mixes with a closer that is potentially surprising or off-genre (maybe a glance at other weird music I listen to) this one just somehow felt right. Uplifting and melodic, you can’t help but mirror its gradual progression with your volume-up button.

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The art for this mix might feel a little unflattering at first, but I wanted to capture the mass AI hysteria as part of this year’s memory and mix. So, fittingly, this is what I got back with the creative input of ‘A Strangely Isolated Place’. Why so literal, bot?

Tracklist + Buy Music Club:

01. maarja nuut & ruum - Mahe (Fat Cat Records)
02. Malibu - Iliad (UNO NYC)
03. Ecovillage - Memories of Spring feat. Masayoshi Fujita (LAAPS)
04. Raum - Daughter (Self)
05. GiGi FM - Rosé (Louise) (Self)
06. Romance & Dean Hurley - The Flesh Is Weak (Ecstatic)
07. Fallen - Under A Glass Moon Of Wonder (Aural Canyon)
08. Steve Roach - What Remains (Self)
09. nthng - Some Clouds Are Destined To Break (Transatlantic)
10. IKSRE - You Will Find (PITP)
11. Norm Chambers - Resonant Foam (Self)
12. Purelink - Butterfly Jam (uWu Dust Bath)
13. Mikkel Rev - Ende (Translusid)
14. Biosphere - Night Shift (Biophon Records)
15. ReKaB - The Lightest Touch (Móatún 7)
16. Spacetime Continuum - Drift (Musique Pour La Danse)
17. Daniel Avery - Lone Swordsman (Mute)
18. James Devane - Orange and Tan (Umeboshi)
19. Transcendence Orchestra - The Hills Are Alive (Old Technology)
20. COH meets Abul Mogard - Traverse Within (Houndstooth)
21. Low - Fly (Subpop)
22. Bowery Electric - Postscript (Kranky)
23. Nosaj Thing feat. Julianna Barwick - Blue Hour (Lucky Me)
24. Synkro - Last Breath (R&S Records)
25. Neglect - In The Bondage of Your Identity (Unsilent Desert Press)
26. Mystic AM - This Spoke Zarathustra (Astral Industries)
27. Voice Actor - Hurt With Me (STROOM)
28. Nils Frahm - Right Right Right (Leiter)
29. Ben Bondy - Spring (Self)
30. All India Radio - Ancient Invocations (Mystic & Quantum)
31. Concave Reflection -Daylight Portrait (Theory Therapy)
32. Hania Rani - Leaving (Live from Studio S2) (Gondwana)
33. µ-Ziq - Turquoise Hyperfizz (Planet Mu)
34. Wardown - Stimulus Progression Pattern (Blu Mar Ten)
35. Bot1500 - Chartreuse 8 (Lith Dolina)
36. Royksopp - Press <<R>> (Self)
37. Rose Riebl - Near Dark (Headphone Commute)
38. EXM - Autumn is Coming (Dyadik)

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Buy Music Club list >>

ASIP - En Pausa Festival / Conexión

April 18th witnessed another big takeover on 9128.live with En Pausa festival.

Alex Albrecht, Ario, Chris SSG, Federico Duránd, Gigi FM, Karim, Klara Vedis and Patricia Wolf, plus a live performance by Jo Johnson & Hilary Robinson was the order of the day. Now all of the DJ sets can be heard once again online, including my own.

My mix leaned into the notion of “En Pausa” and “Conexion” with a patient and slowly unraveling mix that focused a lot on ASMR, featuring lots of small vocal samples and textures.

And as always, there were some unreleased ASIP bits along the way.

Hope you enjoy it.

La Casa Encendida Radio · En Pausa - Conexión - ASIP

Download.

Tracklist:

01. Isorinne - Blurred Perceptions of Substance
02. Ulla - Inside Means
03. DJ Healer - Gone
04. DJ Lostboi - Open World
05. Malibu - Tilting on Windmills
06. Pechblende - And I_Am The Arrow
07. Arovane - olopp_eleen
08. Gi Gi - Montjuic feat. Mi Mi
09. nthng - Disappeared but not forgotten
10. Unreleased
11. Quiet Places - Track 4
12. Unreleased
13. Forrest - Inner Coral
14. Unreleased
15. Unreleased
16. Unreleased
17. woob - III [Sample]
18. Malibu - Nana (Julianna Barwick remix) [Sample]
19. Pechblende - Tear Away
20. Secret Pyramid - V
21. William Basinski - Please This Shit Has Got To Stop
22. Abul Mogard - Clouds
23. Blinkar från Norr - Disconnection From Reality
24. The Caretaker - Bewildered In Other Eyes

ASIP - Reflection on 2020

As with all past ‘Reflection’ year-end mixes, I start with a collection of albums I have enjoyed over the year. Through the process of compiling a mix that flows well, songs are whittled down and selected from this collection. This means many of my favorite tracks and albums are often omitted in the process, due to the need for them to fit in a mix that comes together as organically as possible. As I say every year, this isn’t a definitive ‘best-of’ list, but a selection of some of my favorite music from the year in one easily listenable format. It’s the most enjoyable way for me to boil down music I’ve loved from the year using these self-imposed restrictions, for you to then enjoy and discover more. I encourage you to use the mix to jump off and explore each artist, album and label (and check the Buy Music Club list).

~

This year was different. Well, of course, in an obvious mask-over-the-face-lock-down kinda way, but all that aside, the amount of music made and consumed by all accounts was like no other year. No doubt, because everyone is locked-up inside, encouraged by platforms like Bandcamp and the now regular ‘Bandcamp Fridays’. As a result, this years Reflection mix started as a daunting effort and took me to developing a slightly new process to get it over the line.

Listening behaviors were forcibly changed for all of us. In addition to the crazy Bandcamp Friday release rampages, Live streams became the weekend plans and we had a brilliant year over on 9128.live hosting five weekend takeovers, which, by all accounts provided some amazing respite as we all hunkered down inside. We never would’ve guessed in August 2019 when we launched 9128.live, that online streaming events would be such a focus for the entire year ahead. As a result of the takeovers; the DJs; live acts; labels, and a bunch of listeners ID’ing music in the chat, music discovery accelerated even further (for me atleast) during these takeovers. An example track ID list from the last takeover can be found here.

This seems to be the first year I haven’t been able to keep up syncing purchases on my hard-drive (which is primed for mix prep due to my playlist organization OCD). I still listened to it all, but I listened even more through the Bandcamp app, so haven’t felt the need to obsessively download it all throughout the year. That was a problem if I was going to start compiling the mix in my usual way with digital files…

As a result, I decided to create even more self-imposed-restrictions (always needed given the enormity of choice) and began by mixing some vinyl from the past year.

I got about an hours worth of a good mix which I was happy with enough to exist online for eternity - just cherry-picking records from my 2020 collection, recording until I had a mix that sounded a bit shoddy. At that point, I was a little relieved, as a direction and vibe had already been set and would pave the way for the rest of the mix to be built. (It also gave me the opportunity to swap out the first track post recording, which began with some bad static for some reason). So the mix ended up being about an hours worth of vinyl, followed by digital. I know some people really don’t give a crap how a mix was made, but this helped with my overall curation process and ensured it actually got done!

Upon reflection, the mix manages to hit on my 2020 music spectrum and gives a good idea of what I’ve had on rotation. Lots of deep textured ambient (LOG, Slow Reels, KMRU, Patricia Wolf, Chronovalve etc - this part could go on forever), abstract beat driven atmospheres (Evan Caminiti, Daniel Avery, Space Afrika, Tomas Jirku etc) and the more joyous, playful, euphoric side of electronic music (Ian Boddy, Pub, DJ Lostboi, Rone etc). My rave roots rarely disappear it seems and muscle memory still finds a way through via Sophia Loizou and later on in full force with Wardown. Maybe in a desperate desire to return to events listening to DJs and Live acts, I wanted to end the mix on a high-note, and hopefully lift-up the terrible year it’s been for everyone.

This year’s mix; vinyl or not, every track is available on Bandcamp. Score any of them below using the Buy Music Club list and for even more music I’ve been enjoying this this year, see my Bandcamp collection.

Thank you for reading, listening, supporting in 2020, before and beyond. I hope you can escape for a few hours with this mix, as it ending up being a joy to piece together and reflect on the great music from the year, not only included in the mix, but also the many other albums I simply could not fit in but had fun revisiting during the process.

Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

Download

astrangelyisolatedplace · ASIP - Reflection on 2020

Tracklist:

000.00. Yumiko Moriaka - 銀の船 (Métron Records)
004.41. LOG - Log 9 (Experiences Ltd)
008.19. Úlfur (Ft. Cellist Gyda Valtýsdóttir) - Feathered (Touch The Plants)
011.13. Yumi Iwaki - Initial Tidings (Mystery Circles)
015.00. Slow Reels - Miya (Morr Music)
016.45. Rafael Anton Irisarri - Arduous Clarity (Dais)
020.13. Ian Boddy - Omicron (Behind The Sky)
025.00. Jonathan Fitoussi - Oceans (Transversales Disques)
028.00. Evan Caminiti - Plume (Dust Editions)
031.20. LF58 - Iniziazione (Astral Industries)
034.45. Night Sea - This Will Take Time (Silent Season)
039.25. Neel - Alchemy (Ido)
043.20. Sophia Loizou - Vestal Waters (Houndstooth)
047.06. Tomas Jirku - Entropy 8 (Silent Season)
051.05. Daniel Avery - Into The Arms of Stillness (Phantasy Sound)
056.32. Abfahrt Hinwil - Phase4 (Lapsus Records)
059.00. Pub - Fragile Root (Ampoule)
1.03.10. Space Africa - Self (Self)
1.04.45. DJ Lostboi - Ordinary People (Queeste)
1.07.09. Lucy Gooch - We Carry (Looking Glass)
1.10.15. Robert Lippock - With Tomorrow (7K!)
1.12.30. HVL - newenslo (Self)
1.20.00 KMRU - ulmma (Seil)
1.23.10. Patricia Wolf - All Things Change (Beacon Sound)
1.25.17. Perila & Ulla - Every something is an echo of nothing (Silence)
1.27.53. Awakened Souls & Pepo Galán - Center of the Sea (Hush Hush)
1.30.25 Chronovalve - Breathing Space (Home Normal)
1.34.39. Adam Wiltzie - How to Disappear inside a thirty-piece Orchestra (7K!)
1.37.37. Epic 45 - Sidings (Wayside & Woodland)
1.39.24. Ocoeur - Ascent (n5MD)
1.43.47. nthng - With You (Lobster Theremin)
1.50.10. Wardown - Culverhouse (Blu Mar Ten)
1.53.17. Rone - Human (InFiné)
1.58.55. Malibu - Lost At Sea (Kelly Moran remix) (Uno NYC)
2.02.34. Il Quadro di Troisi - Real (Raster)
RIP Harold Budd, Pauline Anna Strom & José Padilla.

ASIP - Reflection on 2019

We’ve given a recap of our label releases this year and now it’s time to reflect on some of the music I’ve enjoyed listening to in 2019.

“What an amazing year for music”. I feel like I could say that every year, but really, every year has great music if you dig deep enough. But this year especially, music seems to have taken on a new lease of life and ramped up a notch in terms of output and velocity - in my world at least. If I had to guess as to why, it might be because Bandcamp is becoming more and more ubiquitous for independent artists and subsequently a daily visit for listeners like me. This ubiquity has meant a) more people getting their music out into the world, b) easier ways for people like me (who want to) to support the music we enjoy and c) new labels capitalizing on a distribution process that until a few years ago, was very hard to stand up.

2019 even played host to the mighty Radiohead embracing the Bandcamp platform with ~18,000 (last time I counted before it was removed) purchasers of their unreleased OK Computer Outtakes album at a minimum of ~$23-a-pop. That’s a crazy sum for purchased music. There’s also Buy Music Club, launched by Avalon Emerson, which (technically launched at the end of 2018 but was fully embraced this year) seems to have been used by many notable DJs using it to link to music played in their sets (you can find this Reflection on 2019 mix in a list below). And lastly, Bandcamp themselves, through their Bandcamp Daily platform, have done an almighty job of stepping up their editorial game spotlighting music on the platform through a constant stream of style/genre specific breakdowns. The clichéd music industry in-depth ‘album review’ seems to have been flipped to keep up with this increased output too, turning into an equivalent wade through micro-genres, bringing people a choice of obscure styled albums in the same vein. It’s hard to find the extended narratives on one album nowadays it seems… All this to say that it’s encouraging to see a model that goes some way to working for independent artists, labels and listeners, getting more out into the world.

Now, to wade through some (some) of it.

As with all of my ‘Reflection’ year-end mixes, I start with a long list of albums I have enjoyed over the year. Often hundreds. Through the process of putting a mix together that flows well, the songs are whittled down and selected from each album. This means many of my favorite tracks are often omitted in the process (even favorite tracks from a favorite album). But as I say every year, this isn’t a definitive ‘best-of’ list, but an organic selection of some of my favorite music from the year in a listenable format - it’s the most enjoyable way for me to boil down music I’ve loved from the year using these self-imposed restrictions. Use the mix to jump off and explore more from each artist and album.

This year’s mix ended up being primarily ambient, but with an unexpected ending. The last few yearly Reflection mixes have tended to switch-up gears throughout the mix and cover some of my other musical loves like; electronica, IDM, techno etc. But this time around, I found myself with a (roughly) two-hour ambient-leaning mix before I even came up for air. I debated stopping there (and have provided an MP3 version below to download just the ambient portion should you prefer your music more horizontal), but the full mix went on…

The initial two-hour ambient chapter of the mix is followed by a series of tracks that you could say are a nod to the early years of rave and the chill-out rooms; an alternative ‘retro-feeling suite’. This 90’s sound seems to have made a big impact on 2019 across many genres, from rave-inspired breaks in House and Techno, to Jungle and Balearic back in the game- the 90’s sound seems to be having its moment (or does it every year?!). I wanted to capture a snapshot of it here as I noticed a trend in what I was listening to. On hindsight, the mix ended up like a backwards 90’s album format - with ambient at the front instead of the usual album-ender.

Titled, ‘The Jilted Suite’, this ending chapter is a small dive into some of the non-ambient music I’ve enjoyed this year and is titled so in honor of ‘The Narcotic Suite’ from The Prodigy’s album (RIP Keith Flint - 2019).

So as a final warning, if you’re drifting off at that two-hour mark to the lulls and swells, you have been warned, things switch up after that.

I would normally do a quick written run-down of the music featured at this point, but I feel like I’ve done enough talking already to give an additional 37 track commentary.

All of these albums have been purchased (where possible) through Bandcamp also viewable via my Bandcamp collection page, and I’ve compiled them all into a Buy Music Club list here. Label names below hyperlink to each Bandcamp release (again, where possible - I think all but one release does). Please support and buy this music!

Thanks for listening and for a great year.

Listen on Soundcloud, below or head over to Mixcloud. You might also catch it on 9128.live and you can also get it in Podcasts/iTunes/RSS etc.

Download (Full mix including the Jilted Suite)
Download (Ambient mix only)

Tracklist:

01. Hollie Kenniff - Home Will Follow [n5MD]
02. r beny - Echoes Verse [Dauw]
03. Nils Frahm - Talisman [Erased Tapes]
04. Malibu - One Life [Uno NYC]
05. 36 & Black Swan - Part 2 [Past Inside The Present]
06. Ohio - Rows, Barns, Fields [12K]
07. ASC - Echo Location [Silent Season]
08. Celer - Rains Lit By Neon [Self] READ
09. nthng - Shine [Transatlantic Records]
10. Olan Mill - Metatrons Cube [Dronarivm]
11. Caught In The Wake Forever - NV Drowning [Archives]
12. Simone Giudice - Momento [Delirio]
13. Nathaniel Young - May I Speak Candidly [Mysteries of The Deep]
14. Caterina Barbieri - Fantas [Editions Mego]
15. Violeta Vicci - Violet Light [Painted World] READ
16. Susumu Yokota - Ama and the Mountain [Lo Recordings]
17. Jogging House - Traverse [Dauw]
18. Dots - Tonic Edge [Astral Industries]
19. Coppice Halifax - Slow Earth Ritual [Milieu Music]
20. Sound Awakener - Ammil [Facture]
21. Hotel Neon - Sunfire [Archives]
22. Rafael Anton Irisarri - Decay Waves [Room 40]
23. Hammock - Adnasjur [Facture]
24. Arovane & Mike Lazarev - Us, Inside [Eilean]
25. 扎克 - 000820001 [Past Inside The Present]
26. Bersarin Quartett - Siehst du das auch [Denovali]
[27 - Ambient mix version only]. Aardvarck - U Are, Not What U Think [Crowd]
The Jilted Suite
27. Desolate - Ode To Sines [Fauxpas]
28. RX-101 - Rendezvous Beacon [Suction Records]
29. Priori - 6thematic [NAFF]
30. Phillipe Cam - Manga [Traum Schallplatten]
31. Perishing Thirst - OK - [NAFF]
32. Boreal Massif - Low Forties [Pessimist Productions]
33. Homemade Weapons - Svalsat (Donato Dozzy Remix) [Samurai]
34. ASC - Nimbus [Auxiliary]
35. Nathan Micay - LeafCutAngelicDepths [Lucky Me]
36. CFCF - Closed Space (Single Edit) [BGM Solutions]
37. Coil - Alternative Theme From Gay Man’s Guide To Safer Sex [Mental Groove]