ASIP - atmoteka 88 (DnB mix)

An invite to contribute to the brilliant Atmoteka mix series had been extended to me a while back, but I have never put together a solely DnB focused mix so wasn’t going to rush into such an effort. But after becoming inspired by the likes of our Illuvia release, Ludvig’s isolatedmix, Spyros’ Portal’s feature, not to mention a whole host of amazing DnB influenced releases making a resurgence this year and filling my shelves, it seemed like the time had come…

Here’s my accompanying text to the mix.

Thank you to Atmoteka for inviting me to contribute to the series. I haven't put together a 100% focused DnB mix before, so it was a fun undertaking. There are plenty more knowledgeable people than me in the DnB genre (many of you listeners no doubt), so I didn't try to overthink the tracks that went into it too much - whether they were underground, brand new, well-known, classics or not. Instead, I picked tracks that I love through and through for many different reasons, and did my best to work them into a narrative. It became more of a "mixtape" in style with chapters, ups and downs, layering, and a few small loops or edits.

I don’t often say this about my mixes, but it’s one of the most enjoyable I’ve had the pleasure of putting together.

Head over to the Atmoteka Soundcloud to listen and download directly and pay a visit to some of the other amazing mixes in the series from the likes of ASC, Seba and Blu Mar Ten, to name just a few DnB heavy-hitters!

Buymusic club list also found below!

atmoteka · ASIP - atmoteka 88

Tracklist:

1. Unknown - Videobox [Death Is Not The End]
2. Bakground & Sangam - 90’s Living [Lobster Theremin]
3. Special Request - E3LS1 [Self released]
4. Unreleased
5. Antonello Teora - La Cura (Thugwidow remix) [Blizzard Audio Club]
6. Adam F - Aromatherapy [F-Jams]
7. Marc Atmost - The Dnieper River [Energostatic]
8. PFM - The Mystics [Good Looking Records]
9. Aural Imbalance - Europa [Advection Music]
10. CFCF - Closed Space [BGM Solutions]
11. Ethereal 77 - Somnambulism [Basedaddy]
12. PFM - One & Only [Good Looking Records]
13. Wardown - Rapture [Blu Mar Ten]
14. Illuvia - Nirmala II [A Strangely Isolated Place]
15. Sophia Loizou - Order of Elements [Kathexis]
16. Special Request - Quiet Storm [Self released]
17. Commix - Japanese Electronics [Metalheadz]
18. Aphex Twin - Lichen (1136 remix)
19. Aphex Twin - Lichen [Warp]
20. Unknown - Dedications [Death Is Not The End]

Podcast download.

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 - Subtempo Guest Mix 012

Last year we featured one of the first releases from the Subtempo crew; this lovely Alejandro Bento album and its accompanying remixes. Fast-forward a year and Subtempo have some ambitious plans with both the label and their new website/blog, and they’ve invited me to help kick-off the newly refreshed design by contributing to their ongoing guest mix series. There’s also a little Q&A with yours truly should you be interested!

For full background on the mix and to read the interview, head over to Subtempo here.

Big thanks to Rocco and Subtempo for the support, invite and the great feature.

Tracklist

01. Tongues of Light - Healing Side [Pre-Cert]
02. DJ Healer - At Last (Becoming The Storm) [All Possible Worlds]
03. DJ Richard - Dissolving World [Dial]
04. Lori Scacco - Other Flowers [Mysteries Of The Deep]
05. Sonae - Soul Eater [Monika Enterprise]
06. Sophia Loizou - Order Of Elements [Kathexis]
07. Strië - Capsule [Serein]
08. Christoph De Babalon - High Life (Theme) [DHR]
09. Abul Mogard - Quiet Dreams [Ecstatic]
10. Hands - Beelitz Heilstatten Pt6 [Ecstatic]
11. Suzanne Ciani - Quadrophonic Part One [Atmospheric]
12. M Geddes Gangras - Kalapana [Umor Rex]
13. DJ Healer - Hopes And Fears [All Possible Worlds]
14. 747 - Cretaceous (edit) [Aquaregia]
15. Hotel Neon - Roke [Archives]
16. 36 - Soul Boundary [A Strangely Isolated Place - forthcoming]

Silent Season - Campfire Stories 42 (ASIP - Titan Kawaakari)

You are likely well aware of the brilliant Silent Season label by now, but you may not be aware of their brilliant mix series that's focused on inviting guests to tell a story - Campfire Stories - through deep ambient and techno music. Some of my favorite selectors have graced the series so far, and there's plenty to get stuck into. Listen to the series on Soundcloud. 

I'm honored to be a part of the series and because of the special place Silent Season has in my heart, I spent a long time making this mix as special as possible. It went through around five iterations, and I finally settled on a deep and meditative space-infused ambient mix that aims to be a nice compliment to the release of Markus Guentner's new album on June 11th. 

The mix includes some of my recent favorites by Rafael Anton Irisarri on Umor Rex, Dedekind Cut on Kranky, Terreke's meditative tape loops on Music From Memory, a track from Graintable's debut synth-odyssey album, and a deep cut from Powlos on Faint. Mixed in-between these comes several unreleased tracks and some self-released bits dug out from the ever-dependable rabbit-hole that is Bandcamp. All links to buy and support provided below.

Hope you enjoy the story, and thanks to Jamie at Silent Season for the deep forest hospitality. 

Download.

~ About The Story ~

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn. It is the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object in space, other than Earth, where clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found, including lakes, seas, rivers and rain.

Kawaakari is the glow of a river or stream in darkness or dusk, the gleaming surface of a shadowed river (Japanese 川明かり).

~ Chapters ~

1. Sophia Loizou - Divine Interference (Kathexis) 
2. qebrµs - ฌฎ๒๓๔ญ°°°°° (Self released)
3. Erica Etami - Contemplation (Self released)
4. Merrin Karras - Phaedra (unreleased)
5. Steve Good - Falling Upwards [Self released]
6. James Bernard - (unreleased)
7. Terreke - Ambien [Music From Memory]
8. Grand River - Flies [Spazio Disponibile] 
9. Graintable - 610 [Ransom Note Records]
10. Markus Guentner (with Julia Kent) - Refraction [A Strangely Isolated Place]
11. Dedekind Cut - Hollow Earth [Kranky]
12. Markus Guentner - Redshift [A Strangely Isolated Place]
13. Powlos - Of Theory [Faint Music]
14. Max Wuerden - (unreleased)
15. r beny - Vestigial [Self released]
16. 36 - DNI [unreleased]
17. Acronym - Pointless Endeavour [Field Records]
18. Rafael Anton Irisarri - Mountain Stream [Umor Rex]
19. Isorinne - Views From A Balcony [Northern Electronics]

Image/photo by Aperture Vintage

todos - Kilchurn Session XIV

It's been just over a month since todos treated us to a dub-techno themed mix in Komunizm, but now he returns with his staple Kilchurn Session series, and its 14th edition. 

Back comes the euphoric, constructed build-ups, flawless mixing and programming; the well-placed samples, and considered track choices. Rare edits, and double-mixes featured alongside a variety of artists; from the mighty Sasha, to our very own Arovane and his colab with Porya Hatami and Darren McClure.

Always perfected, and always brilliant, keep 'em coming, todos.

Download

Tracklist
1. KRTS - ‘Sealed’ (Intro)
2. Danny Scrilla - ‘Cryosphere’
3. Darshan Atmosphere - ‘Vishuddha’
4. Frostbite - ‘The Spirit Stirs’
5. Dessin Bizarre - ‘Eidfjord’ / Memotone - She’s a Killer’ Edit / Dessin Bizarre - ‘Pressure’
6. Sasha - ‘Modcon’
7. DSR Lines - ‘Uitval’ / Dessin Bizarre - ‘Daylightmast’
8. Sasha - ‘Scarpa Falls’ / Boards Of Canada - ‘Trails’ (Recordssectionclip Slight Edit)
9. Cliff Martinez - ‘The Moon’s Light’
10. Dalhous -‘Response To Stimuli’
11. Rezo Glonti - ‘Line In’
12. Dessin Bizarre - ‘Air Frais’
13. Matt Dunkley - ‘Cycle 5 (Clint Mansell Remix)
14. Anders Brørby - ‘The Knives in Her Eyes’
15. Sophia Loizou - ‘Order of Elements’ / Carbon Based Lifeforms - ‘Endospore’ (Remastered)
16. Zahn | Hatami | McClure - ‘Vhaundt’
17. Leafar Legov - ‘Years’
18. Solar Bears - ‘Longer Life’ / Nils Quak - Future Mistakes’ / Dessin Bizarre - ‘Flow’
19. Melokind - ‘The Forester’ Extended Edit

This mix also features various field recordings collected by @soundexmachinaSpecial thanks to @KLoukovikas. Please visit http://soundexmachina.com