Ute #45 Mikkel Rev

Wow, it’s been a while since I have posted a featured mix on here. But this one is truly deserved.

As you probably know by now after ready the introduction to the Marius Bø isolatedmix, I am a big fan of the Ute collective, and one of the key figures of the collective, Mikkel Rev (also known as Omformer) has prepared this rather special mix of unreleased/upcoming material.

What I can tell you, is that some of this won’t remain unreleased for too long ;-)

A superb journey from one of today’s most exciting producers. Varied, melodic and an immense respect for the classic trance ambient sound.

Ute · #45 Mikkel Rev

isolatedmix 111 - Ian Boddy (DiN)

There aren’t many ambient labels that have been going for 20+ years, but you can count Ian Boddy’s DiN as one of the greats. An amazing musician and synthesist himself, Ian has curated one of the finest ambient synthesizer-focused labels around, with many of the genre’s greats gracing the catalog over the years. Scanner, Tetsu Inoue, Robert Rich, Nigel Mullaney, Bluetech, and Markus Reuter featuring with stunning full-lengths, and within the label’s Tone Science compilation series, the curations spreads its arms ever wider - proven with the latest edition Tone Science Module 5, featuring works by Hélène Vogelsinger, Johnny Woods and Lisa Bella Donna.

Ian also makes brilliant label-focused mixes that highlight some of the work on the label, in both mixed and individual track format, so when I proposed an isolatedmix, we went straight into discussing his own personal inspirations as a mix concept. In true OG style, Ian has dug into a selection of early ambient music, that is often presented in extended (long-form) style (as it was much more back in the day) which means these types of tracks rarely see themselves as a part of DJ mixes nowadays. Ian has taken these excerpts and seamlessly blended them into one educational look back into some of the greats of the early ambient style.

A big thanks toWendy Carroll for the isolatedmix art/image.

~

ASIP - You're likely considered a veteran of the scene now, but for those new to you, can you give us a brief introduction?

IB - Well I first got into Electronic Music in the mid-1970s through bands such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Vangelis & Jean Michel Jarre. In 1978 whilst at University studying Biochemistry I was introduced to an open-access sound studio at a place called Spectro where I was confronted by weird & wonderful instruments such as the VCS3 & a host of Revox reel to reel tape recorders. It didn’t take long to get hooked and in 1980 I released my first cassette album & started to play improvised concerts. In 1983 my first vinyl album The Climb was released followed by a performance at the very first UK Electronica festival.

I continued to release albums & perform concerts & hone my craft and then in the 1990s, I got into producing library music as well as sound design work. In 1999 I launched the DiN label & in 2002 after 12 years working for Akai I went full-time professional earning a living from my music. The intervening years have seen me split my time between pursuing my own releases / running the DiN label, composing library music & creating sound libraries/sound design.

Your mix contains a lot of early ambient musicians. Whether it’s Kraut-rock, Berlin-School, or Brian Eno, what's your point of view on the absolute beginnings of the ambient genre and what was your own experience?

It’s a very different experience hearing new music for the first time in your formative years - which is usually in your teens - then coming to a genre of music later in life or when said genre has already been out for quite a while. So the first two Electronic Music tracks I can distinctly remember hearing were The Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares by Tangerine Dream from the album Phaedra & Wahnfried 1883 by Klaus Schulze from the album Timewind. I was probably about 15 or 16 and they simply blew me away. I hadn’t heard anything like this before because, well, there simply wasn’t anything else like this before. Each of these artists only had a handful of albums out so it didn’t take long to discover their back catalogues. There were no reference points. This was an incredibly inspiring time for me to hear this music and I think the many years that they have been out now & the tsunami of other music like this will diminish the effect for someone getting into this music now.

The term Ambient music is much overused and I was also around at the time when Music For Airports came out & again this was incredible to hear at that time. What both these styles have in common - the Berlin School guys and the ambient side that Eno championed was the ability to get lost in the music. To quote Julian Cope when talking about the very early Tangerine Dream album Zeit - “the music becomes the room”.

What made you start DiN in 1999?

In the 1980s my cassette & vinyl releases were on a series of small boutique labels and then in the 1990s, I started to release my own work such as The Uncertainty Principle & The Deep on CD on a label I called Something Else Records. However, it was very piecemeal and had to be fitted in & around my family life & work at Akai. There was no real plan or strategy. I’ll openly admit I really got into the Fax label and liked how the sorely missed Peter Namlook had a rotating pool of artists with lots of interesting cross-genre fertilisation of ideas.

So in 1998, I started to formulate my own ideas for a label. I wanted to combine my own Berlin School synth heritage with other styles of electronic music. I’ve never been one to do the same thing over & over again. I also wanted to more actively pursue musical collaborations with a range of artists. I also wanted the label to have an identifiable visual aesthetic and to be released as collectible limited editions. Thus DiN launched in 1999 & to date (May 2001) has 66 physical releases on the main DiN label, 5 volumes of the Tone Science series & 26 digital-only albums - with plenty more to follow.

The label has a rotation of very consistent artists, but what do you look for in any new artist demos that come your way?

Two things really - a certain, almost indefinable “quality” & a musicality which catches my ear. It’s just one of those things - you “just know” when something is good - trust your instincts. I mean I’m not running DiN as some huge multi-national corporation where profit is the only driver of your business. I have other forms of musical earnings from the more commercial worlds of library music & sound design so in a way I can afford to indulge myself with DiN. It’s a reflection of my musical personality.

What's been your proudest moment running the DiN label to date?

I wouldn’t say I have a proudest moment more than I’m very proud of DiN in its entirety. I can’t quite believe it’s been going for over 20 years now and that there have been almost 100 releases in total. I’d like to think that for someone new discovering DiN it would be like “Wow” what is this label and then the joy of working through the catalogue. Sure not every release is going to appeal to everyone but I can remember having that experience with Fax & it was quite a ride.

Your partner’s (Wendy’s) art features heavily on the label and on this mix - are there any creative differences when it comes to choosing art or working together?

Yes, Wendy & I have been together for almost 8 years now. She’s a very talented photographer & artist who is just now later in her life finding the time to spread her creative wings. I’ve always had a certain aesthetic for the DiN artwork which avoided the obvious cliches of space & sci-fi imagery. I like the ambiguity of Wendys work - they’re often familiar things such as rock, tree bark or rust but presented in such a way that they go beneath the surface and show the whole amazing world of detail & texture that many folk often don’t even notice.

Your career has undoubtedly seen many chapters of synthesizer music over the years. What's your point of view on the future for this style? Do you feel like this type of music will become even more accessible with the advent of software and cheaper versions of classic synths?

Well, certainly when I first started out in 1978 it was very expensive to buy these instruments. I think my first synth was a Jen string machine in 1980 and then shortly after a single case of Roland System 100-M modular which I still have. This was pre-MIDI & computer software but it doesn’t really matter. The technological side of electronic music has always been a driving force for how it sounded but musically a composer will always find a way of expressing themselves whatever the tools they have available. Now of course it’s so much easier in so many ways to record & release music in all genres let alone electronic music.

However what hasn’t changed is that you as the composer has to have a musical idea, there has to be some form of a creative spark of what you are trying to achieve musically. The whole renaissance in the use of modular synths is very refreshing. I mean during the 1990s folk were throwing these things away but I never gave up on my use of modular. But the last few years have seen an explosion in the use of these systems. I think this is great as it’s brought a new generation of musicians in who are finding new & evolving ways of expressing their own musical personalities which I for one find fascinating.

Can you tell us about the mix you have prepared for us and the inspiration behind it?

I wanted to showcase my musical heritage - there’s no reason why I should hide away from it, so much of the music is what inspired me when I was a teenager & into my twenties. So there are tracks from Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze (part of Wahnfried 1883 which I mentioned above), Vangelis, Ashra & Popul Vuh. Also connecting to other artists I’ve talked about & which are important to me is part of Discreet Music by Brian Eno which uses tape looping that I used to experiment with whilst at Spectro as well as a piece by Peter Namlook.

I’m also very much into classical music too which for me often has crossover with some styles of Electronic Music especially those pieces that have an impressionistic feel. I couldn’t resist using a piece by Ligeti - probably made famous by its use in the film 2001 crossing over into Rubycon by Tangerine Dream.

The set closes with one of my favourite composers Arvo Pärt with this incredible piece that comes out of a track by Biosphere - such lovely juxtapositions. I’ve done a lot of these mixes on DiN with the six iNDEX compilations as well as the two DiN mixes and Tone Science albums so I’m always looking to take the listener on a musical journey with highs & lows, points for reflection and emotional intensity.

~

Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

astrangelyisolatedplace · isolatedmix 111 - Ian Boddy (DiN)

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Tracklist*:

01. Vangelis - Creation Du Monde
02. György Ligeti - Atmosphères
03. Tangerine Dream - Rubycon Part One
04. Ashra - Nightdust
05. Klaus Schulze - Wahnfried 1883
06. Brian Eno - Discreet Music
07. Popul Vuh - In Den Gärten Pharaos
08. Pete Namlook - Trip 1
09. Wendy Carlos - Fall
10. Biosphere - Kobresia
11. Arvo Pärt - Cantus In Memory Of Benjamin Britten

*Many of these tracks are extended / long tracks, so you could consider these as excerpts.

~

Ian Boddy | DiN | Web | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

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 - 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.

isolatedmix 110 - Marius Bø (Ute.Rec)

It’s no secret I’m a Trance music fan. We could debate forever, what, when or why Trance was good, but for me, it was one of my many gateways into ambient music growing up. Be it via Pete Namlook, proggy mix CDs, or 90’s pioneers such as B12 and Global Communication, where many began to blur the divide; there’s an unwritten relationship between the two genres which is hard to actually pin down. Maybe one day I will do due diligence and try and trace this connection a bit closer, but until then, I am busy unearthing the brilliant sounds emitting from UTE.REC - a label collective from Norway that manages to bridge the divide between expansive, meandering Ambient Trance, and full-on (what I may consider, proper) Trance music.

For our next isolatedmix, I invited UTE.REC and one of the founders, Marius Bø to prepare a mix that reflected the label and of course, Marius’ own personal identity as it relates to the collective. Evidently, and as many ASIP label followers may soon find out (hint!) the collective is sitting on a treasure-trove of music as their inspiration and productivity hits new highs, and alongside some classic cuts from Global Communication, James Bernard, Pete Namlook and Gas, we’re treated to a wealth of unreleased/upcoming music from UTE related artists…

I sent a few questions Mario’s way to get a bit more detail on the label and inspiration.

Can you tell us a bit about UTE, how it came about and the sub-labels?

We are a group of friends where some of us grew up together, and some of us went to high school together. We started out hosting forest raves in Oslo, which later grew into club nights, and now we also do a small intimate festival. A couple of years ago we started Ute.Rec. We had a lot of music we wanted to release, and we felt it made sense if we did it ourselves on our own platform. Starting up the sub-labels came to our minds later, when we felt that we wanted to release more music that couldn't fit or come through on Ute.Rec. The releases are more short-term, and from in-house artists. We all love the whole spectrum of trance, ranging from goa trance to hard Trance, to ambient trance, so having different imprints where we release all these kinds makes sense to us. Sinensis is an ambient plattform where we release CDs. Every release consists of a one, hour-long ambient track to really get you to trance away. The hour-long tracks are paired with a clubbier B-side, but in the psychedelic and dreamy vibe as well. Translusid on the other hand is a digital platform where we do releases with a lot of collabs and aliases. This is a platform with more room for the artist to experiment and do things they don't always do.

The labels are run by Teo Bachs, Filip Storsveen (Oprofessionell) and myself. In the Ute crew as whole there are also Mikkel Rev, Haider and Carl Fuck and Marilao.

What was your introduction to Trance music?

For my musical development Filter Musikk in Oslo has played a big role. Run by the local legend Roland Lifjell. Digging in the second-hand boxes in the back of his store really introduced me to the 90s trance and techno. Ranging from techno, hard trance, progressive and goa trance. Roland Lifjell was a trance DJ back in the 90s with a huge collection, and he regularly put parts of it out in the store for us trance heads to hunt. Sharing and playing music with the Ute guys is also very inspiring and educating.

Trance definitely seems to be a trendy genre for some people nowadays with many techno DJs diving into the classics. Do you think Trance gets an unfair rap nowadays?

There are definitely some not-so-good takes on the term “trance music”. But having people digging and educating themselves in trance is of course good. I understand that people seem to have some bad connotations if they only associate it with the Millenium trance era or superstar DJs dropping trance classics. The millennium era was a period with a huge lack of creativity and the music became super generic. There still are some takes on trance that have these similarities, but there will always be good and bad music of every genre I think... But for me, trance can be a kind of music filled with unique emotions, innovation and creativity instead of formula-based music for the masses.

Your label releases range from ambient to hard-trance across the 3 sublabels - is there a particular criteria you try to stick to?

I wouldn't say that there's a specific criteria when seeking out tracks and releases, more of a feeling and mood. It's not so easy to put our finger on what we are looking for. We all have quite the same taste of music, so we tend to collectively know it when we hear it. When our artists are sending us tracks for releases, it often can be harder choosing which tracks to exclude rather than choosing which ones to include. With that said, we are trying to keep consistency in our releases as well as diversity.

How would you describe the Trance scene today? And specifically in Norway?

The Trance scene in Norway is absolutely growing, but not something big. The club scene, pre-pandemic, was mostly dominated by deep house and tech-house. But the scene is in progress, not just trance, but other cool genres as well, with acts like OT2, Suvatne, Snorre Magnar Solberg and Fakethias. Pre-pandemic, the bookers became more and more open-minded, opening up for a broader and better club scene. Across the Norwegian borders, the Trance scene is absolutely growing, and the Scandinavian scene as a whole is blooming. With Copenhagen and Malmø doing great things, and all over the world there are collectives doing great things in Europe, Asia and Australia.

Where else would you point people to who are looking for similar music as what they might find on UTE?

Malmø and Copenhagen as mentioned. The Copenhagen labels Amniote, VALIS, Bunkerbauer, Kengu and Kulør, and the Malmø labels Morph and Bodycount are all putting out so much great music. We actually have a fundraiser co-release with Mama Snake’s Amniote coming really soon, filled with trance, ambient and techno.

DJ wise there are acts like Lund&Rønde, Lasse Vind, Mama Snake, Ibon, DJ Tool, Ezy, Peachlyfe, Araknyl, Omniself and Courtesy really pushing it and doing great things, all of them involved in the labels above. In Malmø there is a faster and harder take on trance. They are all so skillful and the tracks are super well-produced, with so many great DJs. There is also a very exciting scene in Hague doing more experimental, tribal and psychedelic trance, with artists like Spekki Webu, Woody92 and Jeans. They have a very unique approach that I really love. And finally, the legend Alpha Tracks, who was really one of the first producers sparking trance back to life some years ago. One of the best out there...

And looking back, who is the king/queen of Trance music in your opinion?

Haha, difficult question. It's impossible to pick out only one. But some of the artists from the early days that have influenced me a lot are Ollie Olsen, Robert Leiner, Ramin (RIP) and Pete Namlook. They all had a huge and wide output, releasing under so many different, great aliases. Just an adventure going through their catalogues... Goa trance legends like Orichalcum, The Infinity Project, Technossomy and Blue Planet Corporation are also top-tier legends for me.

And lastly, your isolatedmix, what inspired it?

The original photo (which is beautifully re-worked by Woody92) is from one of our forest parties a couple of years ago. Deep in the woods of Oslo, at the end of a long and intense party, after a beautiful sunrise. I wanted to capture a little bit of that energy into this mix. Optimism and happiness for the summer and the brighter times to come. The mix starts calmly, slowly and mystically, and ends more euphorically. For me it's a perfect listen for these beautiful spring days.

Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

astrangelyisolatedplace · isolatedmix 110 - Marius Bø

Download

Tracklist:

01. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased
02. Suso Saiz - Dulce
03. DJ Ibon - Sorgpad
04. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased
05. Gas - Microscopic
06. Joey Beltram - Across The Hemisphere
07. 2030 - Intermissions
08. Alpha Tracks - L'amore Innocente
09. Ra - Light Receiver
10. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased
11. Global Communication - 5:23
12. James Bernard - Lost In It
13. Eliza Michel - Eli's Exodus
14. Oprofessionell - Unreleased
15. Naone & S.O.N.S - Separate Ways
16. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased
17. Omformer - Unreleased
18. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased
19. Pete Namlook - Subharmonic Interference (Excerpt From Namlook VII)
20. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased

UTE.REC | Discogs | Bandcamp | Soundcloud (Marius) | Soundcloud UTE