isolatedmix 101 - 100% De Lichting (mixed by Nathan Kofi)

We go from one of our musical heroes in isolatedmix 100 (Tom Middleton) to an exciting, new discovery with Dutch label collective, De Lichting.

I came across the label on Bandcamp late last year after they had just released the third of their compilation series; 'Één', ‘Twee’ and ‘Drie’. It must’ve been the pastel color thumbnails that drew me in (!) as I had no prior knowledge of the label or the artists involved. But I was quickly moved to purchase all albums on vinyl and stump up the delivery cost all the way from Europe - they were (and are) that good. A blend of more electronic leaning ambient, ambient techno and in some instances full-on techno, the variety yet strong cohesion amongst them all (and in such quantity across 3 compilations) made me realize this was a label with a very strong and clear approach to quality music - and definitely something to get excited about in the future.

When I received the three vinyl compilations, they unfortunately came really bent out of shape from shipping, and I sent an email to the label to sort out a replacement. This happened twice in fact (just a string of bad luck it seemed), but De Lichting dealt with the replacements with grace - quickly and without complaint - and my affinity for them grew even stronger.

More recently I stumbled across this recent AV live-set by De Lichting artist Boris Acket alongside the wonderful visual artist Vincent Rang, who recently provided some outstanding art for the Astral Industries 9128.live takeover. It was one of those special moments that starts to bring numerous musical paths together within our small world, not to mention a lovely way to immerse yourself for an hour. >

The request for an isolatedmix came around primarily due to my newfound admiration for their output, but also because of the desire to get to know the people behind the label a little better. Out of the three compilations, every artist was new to me at the time - and it felt like a goldmine of new music to explore. So to extend that phase of excitement and open up the De Lichting world to even more people, Nathan Kofi (Keyeke) from De Lichting has prepared a special showcase featuring 100% label material both present and upcoming. And of course, I fired a few questions their way to extend the introduction to this new and exciting collective.

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Hi Nathan, can you tell us a bit about the label; how it formed and what inspired it, who it’s made up of?

De Lichting is, in essence, a tight-knit of friends who combined efforts by merging three Amsterdam based imprints into one joint venture, run by seven music heads from the same city. The majority of the crew knew each other when we as individuals embarked on music studies in the same college. And some of us intersected in life via other routes and hopped on the bandwagon a little later.

We, as a 7-headed collective, strongly believe in a DIY mentality, which instigated the urge to self-release music in the first place. The industry and its gate-keeping mechanisms, when artists are searching refuge for their music, are apparent. And we collectively were tired of not receiving any comment or feedback on sent-out material. So we took up things for ourselves, and have been doing so ever since! Stubbornly, freely, passionately but not without struggles.

 The group is made up of: Boris Acket, Eversines, Human Space Machine, Kaap, Nathan Kofi (Keyeke), queniv, and RDS. And several alter-egos; as you might’ve noticed in the tracklist. We are all currently based in Amsterdam, apart from queniv, who resides in Utrecht. Everyone contributes and plays their part in operating the platform. I maintain and keep close contact with our PR relations and make sure the right music and narrative is communicated when a release is on its way.

So there are quite a few people involved in running the label! How do you come to decisions? Does it always go as planned?

It isn’t always easy when it comes down to decision making. All of us have strong unfiltered spirited opinions on label matters such as; pr, pressing, promotion, design, playlist etc. With regards to our solo EP series; although each one of us has a certain amount of jurisdiction, we do allow the person who’s releasing, to have the last say in certain aspects. At times difficult decisions can be as easy as ABC. And other times minor details can fire up a passionate debate for hours. However, In the end, it always pans out to an agreement, in which everybody can find peace and comfort, and thus our collective narrative.

Musical styles on the label so far are very diverse - from ambient through to techno (just what I like!) is this on purpose? Do you have a limit on genre?

Not really though. We all deeply enjoy the craft and art of music production in all its glory and ugliness. So there is no limit, per-se, on genre. We uphold freedom of artistic expression as well as experimentation in a myriad of ways. There is no right or wrong. However, we do intend to express a collective narrative holistically that balances between all genres within the experimental electronic dance music spectrum. And I personally feel that to be one of the strong trademarks of our platform. The process of selection starts with hours-long listening sessions, where everybody can freely present their ‘work in progress’ made over a period of time. And from that point, we try to connect the dots from the first track to the last.

What’s the goal of the label and what do you have planned for the future?

Well, first and foremost; the future will bring a lot more new releases! From tape/cassettes, digitals and of course vinyl. In July we are releasing another compilation but this time we release it exclusively digitally, due to the catastrophic backlash of the COVID-19 crisis on the entire industry. So no vinyl, for the first time… Although it pains us not to be able to press on a physical carrier, as well as, not to celebrate the release with friends and family on location. We had to be creative and came up with a cool idea to honour our release rituals. We’ll be live-streaming the new complication and during the stream, a robotic arm will translate the frequencies of the tracks on paper, which can be bought afterwards.

Can you tell us about your mix? Looks like there’s lots of unreleased music in the pipeline?

The mix I prepared for ASIP contains 100% De Lichting material. Each one of us has contributed at least 2 to 4 tracks. The mix from beginning to end is my personal interpretation for an ambient journey through the collective spirit of De Lichting.

The process started with me digging into the endless hallways and corridors of unreleased and released work from the crew. And carefully listening to each of the tracks and simultaneously puzzling all of it into a cohesive narrative. As you might’ve noticed, the focus is mainly beatless. And I tried to be as versatile as I could by combining different vibes, BPMS, genres of tracks together that aren’t normally expected to be paired together. And this the result!

An opening track from Kaap brings us into a deep meditative melancholic mood before we swiftly drift-of into a more light-hearted atmosphere. Halfway through you’ll hear field recorded ambiences, rhythmic syncopes, noise sweeps, synthesizers breathing and coming to life. And near the end the vibe becomes sedative and dream-like, just enough, to calmly awaken you with a conclusive fast-paced anthem called 'missing' by Eversines & RDS. 

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astrangelyisolatedplace · isolatedmix 101 - 100% De Lichting (Mixed by Nathan Kof)

Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

Download

Tracklist:

01. JøBurg - Voices From The Void 002 [unreleased]
02. queniv - Modular Test [De Lichting]
03. Boris Acket - Home Rehearsal 1 [De Lichting]
04. RDS - Untitled [unreleased]
05. Kaap - Solus Ipse [unreleased]
06. Human Space Machine -  Kirkyra 001 [unreleased]
07. Keyeke - Peninsula [unreleased]
08. Boris Acket - Home Rehearsal 2 [De Lichting]
09. Eversines - Bau [unreleased]
10. queniv - Ambient 012 [unreleased]
11. Keyeke - Omío [unreleased]
12. RDS -  Jazz Experiment [unreleased]
13. Jøburg - Epoch [unreleased]
14. Keyeke - Morphosis [De Lichting]
15. Nathan Surreal - Dream [unreleased]
16. Human Space Machine - Persist 2 [unreleased]
17. Eversines - Distant Comfort [unreleased]
18. RDS - Onvoorwaardelijk (Ambient) [De Lichting]
19. Eversines & RDS - Missing (Mix I) [Forthcoming Kalahari Oyster Cult]

De Lichting | Bandcamp | Website | Facebook | Soundcloud | RA

ASIP - Intercepted Transmissions (Optic Echo Presents Guest Mix)

The Portland based, Optic Echo Presents show has been a great supporter of ambient music throughout the years and as the man at the controls, Mike has continually helped showcase unknown, local, and of course, some of the best ambient music you can find on vinyl. One example here.

This guest mix for OE Presents was originally broadcast on Mike's show on Xray FM this week, and I had a clear concept in mind for the mix as soon as I was invited. While the OE Presents guest mixes can choose any format, I wanted to adhere to the same rules that Mike does for his own shows - vinyl only…

As we’re all sat at home during the lockdown, wondering what life is like for others in the same situation, (or in some instances imagining life in a far away world…), I pictured a situation where I was scanning through FM radio stations and listening in on various moments - different worlds, weird sounds, some recognizable, some jarring, and some comforting. I thought it would be a nice moment once this mix was broadcast on Xray FM, as if this moment was being bounced back to me from another planet. (OK, I think through concepts way too much sometimes).

This mix was, however, very nearly thrown in the trash. I accidentally recorded it in mono and once I had realized this mistake, I got pretty annoyed as anybody would. But then I gave it some time and listened back, and felt the aesthetic suited the overall concept and theme pretty well - especially as an FM transmission. Our trusty friend todos even polished the mix a little to help bring out the frequencies.

I’'m a big believer in vinyl sets capturing a moment in time. Digital sets you can repeat, perfect and start again (and they have their own benefits), but this one was gone, and despite the mistake, in my eyes it adds a little charm knowing this set as you know it (and like all live vinyl sets) will never be repeated again in 100% the same manner, and I can refer back to the exact memory this was made.

Despite the clear concept, I didn’t know what tracks I was going to play once I started and was digging into my shelves ad-hoc (the best kind of digging). You’ll find early ambient music from pioneers such as Pauline Oliveiros and Steve Reich, alongside some modern ‘classic’ artists such as Aphex Twin and Seefeel. A time-agnostic Intercepted Transmission.

Big thank you to Mike for the invite and opportunity. Check out all of the mixes over on Mixcloud or subscribe to his podcast.

Download

Tracklist:

1. Pauline Oliveiros - I of IV [Odyssey, 1967]
2. Arovane - The Storm [CCO, 2000]
3. Christina Vantzou - Music For a Room with a Vaulted Ceiling [Temporary Residence, 2020]
4. Blinkar från Norr - Other Days [A Strangely Isolated Place, 2020]
5. Pauline Anna Strom - In Flight Suspension [Rvng Intl., 2017]
6. Autechre - Piezo [Warp, 1994]
7. Aardvarck - U Are, When U Not Think [Crowd, 2019]
8. Aphex Twin - On (D-Scape remix) [Warp, 1993]
9. Sophia Loizou - Silver Nemesis [Kathexis, 2016]
10. Skanfrom - Midnight Romance [Thrill Beat Construction, 2001]
11. Aphex Twin - On [Warp, 1993]
12. Blanck Mass - Chernobyl [Rock Action, 2011]
13. Murcof & Vanessa Wagner - Farewell O’World O’Earth [Infiné, 2016]
14. Secede - The King Of Sanda [Lapsus, 2019]
15. Susumu Yokota - Gekkoh [Leaf, 1999] / Steve Reich - Come Out [Odyssey 1967]
16. Seefeel - Through You [Too Pure, 1993]
17. Neozaïre ‎– Graves Creek Tab [Fauxpas Musik, 2016]
18. Low - The Son, The Sun [Sub Pop, 2018]
19. Roberto Musci - Claudia, Wilhem R. And Me [Raw Material, 1984]

ASIPVA01 at Hidden Sounds

Back in March this year, we were set to present our very first London label showcase at Hidden Sounds Record Store. As part of the event, I was preparing a very special release that would’ve been available only at the event as thank you to everyone who made the trip and to celebrate our first ASIP show in London. Those plans were cancelled due to Covid-19.

Since then, many business and independent record stores like Hidden Sounds have struggled to survive, having to pivot to online sales only, with foot-traffic coming to a complete standstill. Luckily, Hidden Sounds have so far survived, despite no government support or subsidization and despite getting kicked out of their original space just recently too, they’ve found a new home just around the corner above Dalston Market, London.

So, what to do with the records that’ve been sat at the shop waiting for that ASIP event? We don’t anticipate the event to happen again anytime soon given we are still in the middle of it all and I can’t even fly back to the UK, so we had an idea to put the records to good use and help Hidden Sounds a little.

A select amount of copies of ASIPVA01 will now be available at the Hidden Sounds store with all proceeds kept by HS to help with their recovery and new location.

We’re doing this to encourage business for the store and as a thank you to the venue that, despite the event not happening, were an amazing partner for our first London event. So, Londoners (or people willing to make the trip) - head to the new location First Floor, 89 Ridley Rd, Dalston, London E8 2NH, grab a copy and pick up a bunch of other gems whilst you’re there. First come first served.

The small remainder of copies I have of this record will, as originally intended, only be sold via physical events and stores going forward (and a couple of regular ASIP shops already have them if you look hard enough) There are no plans yet to sell this record online. I know this might be frustrating news for many, but we see it as a chance to repay people who go out of their way to attend our shows and a small step in keeping the physical record store a key staple in our culture.

As an avid record collector, witnessing stores revert to online only, and many (and potentially many more to come) shutter their doors, it’s a stark reminder that we need to continue to support our local record store.

Check out the Hidden Sounds Instagram for more info.

To that point, if you’re a physical shop wanting to stock copies of this record - please get in touch.

New - ASIP on Currents.fm

A new platform and community called Currents.fm launched recently, (see our related blog post here, after bvdub dropped some lovely mixes on it). Currents.fm allows you to subscribe to a page and receive exclusive content, playlists, tracks etc. In a similar way to a a Patreon which I’m sure many are familiar with, but this one seems more geared towards music and the community aspect. Ghostly, in fact, used to have a similar platform called Drip.fm which I dreamed of being a part of one day with ASIP until it died (unfortunately) but the premise seems to still be alive in Currents.fm…

I’ve been using the platform as a listener for a while now and despite it being in its infancy / Alpha phase, I wanted to give it a go and create a new outlet for ASIP, specifically for people who might like to connect with the label and our artists even deeper.

We will use this space to present:-

• Previews of upcoming releases / archival music from the label

• Curated playlists from the worlds of ASIP & 9128

• Potentially audio/podcast format information

• Exclusive content made for / debuted on Currents.fm

To achieve this, we are using the subscription model for the page which asks for a small donation of your choosing. This money won’t just disappear into our pockets. We have some interesting ideas in mind should enough people subscribe that may include the ability to actually pay for specific content from our artists. For example, if we get $500 worth of subscribers a month, I’d love to be able to pay an artist to create or provide a piece of music, demo, work in progress, interview etc. That’s just one example… I’ll also post updates which don’t require a subscription and are public, like curated Bandcamp lists to encourage music support.

There’s also the option for our artists to have their own pages, and for the subscription fee to be shared amongst them in the future, so lots of possibilities.

This won’t replace anything we currently have or do, but will instead act as another avenue for us to present deeper avenues of our music and artists. With social media becoming more of a crap-shoot each day; closed and more valued communities like this are worth experimenting with in my opinion, so lets see how it goes.

Once you subscribe, you get access to whats on the page and updates are sent via email.

Jump over to our Currents page and check it out - we’ve already got some goodies lined up should you wish to subscribe.

Merrin Karras / Silent Planet (ASIP033)

Following his 2020 LP Northwest Passage, Brendan returns with another set of majestic synthesizer-based music.

Conceived and composed in two days, Silent Planet is Brendan's first attempt at a fully continuous piece of music. Normally, albums under his Merrin Karras guise take many months, if not years, to put together:

"I wanted to challenge myself to create a mini-album in a short amount of time, not to think too much about it, but just to let it flow and see what happened. Everything was created in one project, but it's comprised of six distinct sections. Several motifs and elements are re-used at various points throughout the work. It's also the first time that I've used percussion elements in a Merrin Karras work.”

The mood spans from brooding to almost Balearic at points, with strong elements of Berlin School and Space Music, classic Trance, and Ambient all intertwined.

Silent Planet is available as ‘name your price’ on Bandcamp, with all sales going directly to Brendan.

Artwork by Noah M / Keep Adding.