isolatedmix 81 - Rich-Ears: Navigator

A welcome return to our Balearic maestro, Rich-Ears, who keeps the dwindling connection I have with the white isle going strong all these years later. Now I’m on the other side of the world, I like to live vicariously through Rich-Ears' mixes, coming straight from the heart of Ibiza (the right side of the island I should add) as he enjoys summer life spinning his notorious samples and blends of downtempo, chill-out and ambient.

I've been a little slow these past few months on the site, so I must apologize to Rich-Ears for sitting on this one for so long, as he prepared it for the summer months and with ASIP’s ten-year anniversary in mind. Well, as the first day of the Autumnal Equinox, maybe there’s no better way to say goodbye to the summer…

Rich-Ears put a set together a few years back for our five-year milestone and was inspired to offer up his skills again for our celebratory ten-year, crafting this beautifully relaxed and calming set titled ‘Navigator’ as he plucks some classics in the form of The Orb, Eno, Midori Takada and Morricone; think of this as your own navigator through some essential ambient and chill listening by one of the finest selectors.

Download.

Tracklist:

01. Keichi Suzuki - Satellite Serenade (TransAsian Express) [The Orb remix]
02. Spacetime Continuum - Floatilla
03. The Orb - Alles Ist Schoen
04. [Rich_Ears_edit_Navigator_ambient]
05. Reagenz - Farewell (Live at Dommune)
06. Kaoru Inoue - A Day Of Radiance
07. Midori Takada - Through the looking glass
08. [Rich_Ears_edit_ambient_psy]
09. Brian Eno - The Real
10. 36 - Shadow Play (After Dark Reprise)
11. Halftribe - Well connected
12. All Into The Mix (ambient short edit)
13. Pink Floyd - Echoes (live)
14. Enzo Cage - Enoference
15. Murcof x Vanessa Wagner - Avril 14th (Aphex Twin)
16. Crossworlds - Sunwalk
17. DJ Food - Colors Beyond Colors
18. Ennio Morricone- La Voglia Matta: Sole e Sogni

Rich-Ears | Mixcloud | Facebook | Instagram

Murcof x Vanessa Wagner - Statea

Classical reinterpretations are easy to come by, but not many are fulfilled with such meticulous grace and innovation, as Murcof and Vanessa Wagner's, Statea. 

Wagner, a French pianist and Murcof, an electronic musician of microscopic execution, could have each approached the infamous tracks on this album with their own individual styles,  but instead chose to combine. The result is a thoroughly unique and innovative take on the original music, with subtleties of each artist adorning separate tracks, turning decade-long proven piano melodies and patterns into even finer detailed textures for the modern day listener.

John Cage's 1948 piano piece In A Landscape, slowly descends into a chamber of suspended atmospheres and static, as the recognizable keys begin to tinker. Arvo Pärt's opening signature is slowly drubbed into submission by an pounding electronic beat reminiscent of Alva Noto and the most epic of film soundtracks. Aphex Twin's delicate piano piece, Avril 14th gets a rework he may just be happy with (unlike Kanye's rip), with a touching disposition that makes the original somehow even more beautiful. And while Erik Satie's Gnossienne n°3 may not be the most recognizable of pieces from that name, it's the perfect light at the end of a dreary, dream-inducing intro, that sets a scene for the end of the world.

This is an album of intricacies that could have only come from two producers who know the original material so well, only they could have manipulated and shaped it into the successes you'll hear on Statea. If you need an introduction to some of the world's most revered composers, go hunting down the original material. If you need an introduction to two people pushing the boundaries of sound and what a remix can become, look to Murcof and Wagner. Wins all around. 

Available through Infine on Bandcamp, digital + LP.