ASIP - Dream The Daydream

I like to think I’ve been productive during the lockdown, but it’s easy to look back and see that time has truly flown by and you didn’t get half the things you want to do, done.

I did however manage to make a couple of mixes. One of them, a guest mix, should see the light of day in the next month or so and then this one, titled Dream The Daydream.

The concept I had in mind for this mix was loose at the beginning. I wanted to create something that was happy, uplifting and melodic, as opposed to anything dark during these already dark times (and it’s very easy for me to go that way) I ended up turning to a lot of 90’s (and new but 90’s influenced) music, a couple of classics and reissues, and found myself dreaming of new worlds - that era of music had the most amazing power to transport you for some reason.

The mix starts off with Ambient, but quickly moves into more dub, uptempo, breaks, beats and full-on Trance... Those of you who know me well, know I love Trance music and surprisingly this is the first time I’ve managed to sneak it into an ASIP mix.

I saw this mix as a route to escapism, a look out of the window, and a journey that just goes up and up.

Also big shout to Jane Fitz as I’m pretty sure on hindsight a couple of these tracks came at her recommendation at some point - an inspiration and a world of knowledge on this type of music.

Download

Or listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

Artwork image by Aldebaran S.

astrangelyisolatedplace · ASIP - Dream The Daydream

Tracklist:

01. Sneaker - Tagtraum [Tursiops]
02. Boris Acket - Unrest [De Lichting]
03. The Orb - Back Side Of The Moon [Big Life]
04. Ron Boots - Far Boundaries [Stroom TV]
05. Heavenly Music Corporation - Lunar Phase [Astral Industries / Silent]
06. Trans-4M - Arrival [Safe Trip]
07. Ex-Terrestrial - Aletheia [1080p]
08. Priori - Dreams of a Digital Sublime [Naff]
09. Trans-4M - Amma [Safe Trip]
10. Saafi Brothers - Internal.Code.Error [Blue Room Released]
11. Elijah - Protoquestion [Contagion Discs]
12. Ex-Terrestrial - Mojave Skyline [Magic Wire]
13. Forehard - Edial [Self]
14. Oprofessionell - Will U [Ute Rec]
15. No Moon - aoe_advancing [Craigie Knowes]
16. Trancemaster - Nordspedition [Transatlantic]
17. James Bernard - UW07 [Unreleased]
18. Jo Bogaert - Ambient Kinsky [Stroom TV]

isolatedmixes 01-99...

As we get ready for isolatedmix 100 dropping very soon, I took some time to do a little math and take a look back at the past 10+ years of isolatedmixes. Check them all out here if you still need to pay them a visit.

Gidge, Kaito, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Orion & J.Shore and Kiyoko prop up the top 5 most listened-to mixes. And on a more interesting note, I inputted all of the track lists from all 99 mixes to find out which artists had been featured the most. #1 might not have been a surprise, but a few others were! You could say that these artists signify the sound of ASIP… from the electronica of BoC and Arovane, to the ambience of Markus Guentner and Leandro Fresco, the dub of Yagya, and the classic sound of Eno and Budd.

Thank you to all the artists who have contributed to the series so far and here’s to another 100!

Bandcamp Day and our donation to the NAACP

I didn’t really have the focus to get this post up prior to it all happening as a heads-up, so it seems a little self-congratulatory to be posting it after the fact. But I wanted people who stumble across ASIP to know that what is happening in the world right now surrounding Black Lives Matter and the social injustice (to put it lightly) is something I feel obligated to help with in whatever small way I can.

I mentioned this on Twitter a few days back, but one of the things I notice with ambient music is, it's so easy to not know the person behind the music due to its (comparatively) low cultural presence in real life. To be honest, I often think it’s what makes the community and genre strong in many ways, as the music will always come first over trend, fashion, looks or background, but when something like this shines a light on an issue, I see it as both an opportunity and a necessity to dig deeper past the music.

For example, the comparatively low amount of shows within ambient music; opportunities to meet other musicians/industry peers; and more importantly our media coverage compared to other genres, all contribute to a genre which is largely hidden away in bedrooms, studios, on the internet or at best - in a dark room of 50 people where talking is frowned upon… More often that not, reviews of ambient music focus on the artwork, record and of course, type of synthesizer used more than the artist behind it.

As a result of me being a part of this small world of (largely white) music, I struggle to name many black ambient musicians and need to do better at both digging out the artists behind the music at times, and indeed representation of POC on the ASIP label.

Additionally, last Friday Bandcamp waived their share of revenue once again so I took the opportunity to sell some of my own personal Test Press copies, and along with our label revenue for the day, we managed to raise nearly $2500 which was donated to the NAACP Empowerment Programs.

Thank you to everyone who purchased something from our Bandcamp store that day, and the 20 generous purchasers of the test presses which made that amazing number as high as could be.

Bandcamp will be waiving their revenue share again on ‘Juneteenth’ and while we don’t have any plans as yet for this day, it’s a great day to support labels, artists and ensure money is invested in a worthwhile cause.

Thanks for reading.

Below I’ve compiled a few links to explore ambient music by black creators. I debated doing a specific mix to help with this, but I feel like it’s been largely covered off in much more detail within these links should you wish to dive in and support. I was happy to provide a few suggestions where possible and spend a lot of time educating myself at the same time. I will however say, my favorite find from all these lists was this album by Kenyan artist, KMRU.

Now available: Gastón Arévalo / Terrain (ASIPV024)

I stumbled across Gastón’s music listening to his album on Marsen Jules’ Oktaf label, ‘Rollin Ballads’. Releases after this were few and far between from him, so it was a lovely surprise to hear a demo come through from Gastón.

Within ‘Terrain’, Gastón aimed to depict an adventurous journey, where each track captured a specific moment over an imaginary, daring ascent. An intimate meeting with nature, the album rises from the ground to our highest peaks - with the two extremes captured in the album’s artwork (a collab between Noah M and I, featuring photography from myself and Gastón).

Field recordings from Patagonia enhance the feeling of freedom, one can only find from the great outdoors. Adorned with drifting harmonies; shimmering guitars; dense pads of cloud; gentle rising mists; the sound of shallow rivers and morning bird-calls, it all comes together to create a vivid and intrepid scene told across a variety of full-length tracks and short interludes, acting as breathers and moments to reflect amongst mother-natures finest grandeur.

Terrain is available in color-in-color, Transparent + Gold Gatefold 2LP vinyl and digital formats, mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri.

See the release page for more information and links to buy.

isolatedmix 99 - James Place

Artists with a style hard to pin can often get overlooked in many respects. I struggle to write about music that just needs to be ‘heard’, especially. It takes a certain talent to translate music into words that hasn’t really been referenced or penned before without resorting to poor comparisons at least.

That’s not to say that Phil Tortoroli aka James Place is under the radar by any respect, given his releases on the admired Umor Rex Recordings, but his releases from the past few years include some of my favorite and most surprising discoveries. Phil’s albums are a unique blend of electronic music, and after chatting with him quickly and asking a few questions, I (and you) can read why.

This is where I believe an isolatedmix can help to unearth and discover a specific angle on an artist. Seeing how they approach a mix, the inspiration and styles they pick, and in this instance, isolatedmix 99 really captures the “ghost” of James Place.

~

Are you still in NY? How are you coping with the lockdown?
Yes, still here ~ born and raised in NYC so no way a pandemic will force me out. I’m lucky to have a nice apartment with a wonderful partner and a fat cat and no shortage of food, for now, so i’m coping with a lot of love and a lot of cooking. I’m coping less well with the concept of video chats. I’m more of a traditional phone to the ear kind of conversationalist.

What role has music played in it for you so far? Have you been more productive because of it?
Productivity and creativity fluctuates in this new lockdown / static mode. I experimented with new compositional styles and approaches way more than before now that I finally have the time.

Can you tell us how it all started, and how you got into making music?|
Age old tale, I s’pose – started to write horrible rock music in high school with my close friends, then discovered electronic music through the back alleys of post-rock and Kazaa searches. going to university in the UK planted me firmly in an electronic / club scene that i’ve yet to leave (emotionally)

Your productions often vary in style and approach, blending ambient, techno, house +more - how would you describe your style?
I tend to focus on the atmosphere more than genre / style. I like to think of my music as songs heard in rooms adjacent to the listener; barely-there, or non-distinct, or haunted, yet the core emotion understood through the gentle vibrations shaking through. Anything I write oriented towards movement sounds more like an ambient dj performing while a techno dj plays in the venue next door. the sounds within that shared wall is James Place.

I notice a lot of samples in your music, and often vocals, how would you describe your process making music?
Predominantly sample based. A lot of my vocal samples come from a British singer-songwriter named Sam Sally, who graciously sent me a bunch of vocal takes in the early 10’s. her voice has abstractly guided my composition process for the past decade, and I’m happy to put them to rest and explore new textures for the future.

Umor Rex has been a home for your past 4 albums, what is it you look for in a label for your own music?
Discerning ears that understand my references and predecessors without having to spell them out. A shared listening history.

What's your favorite release on the label outside of your own?
Siavash Amini’s Till Human Voices Wake Us was the first entry to UR I heard, and loved. I wrote to Daniel immediately after my first listen. LXV and Kara-Lis’ collaborative record is another top choice.

You run your own label too, (Styles upon Styles) and are a part of RVNG International. (Funny I just bought the Pauline Anna Strom repress last week). What's your role across these two?
I founded Styles upon Styles in 2011 with my friend, Cam Curran. We’ve been “exec producing” / “a&r’ing” records together since then. I am the label manager at RVNG intl, and have been with the label for seven (!) years now.

What role do you see labels playing in today's age when anybody can release music on Bandcamp?
Labels will be less of a curator and more of a mentor / support network for artists at various points in their careers. That’s how I try to run my imprints – let’s strategize together on how to make your work heard and appreciated by the right people, and let’s talk through what that process is like – practically, emotionally.

The mix is a live vinyl mix - why did you decide to create it this way?
Vinyl is a great way to learn how to mix and I stuck with the format for many years. I love LPs for radio-style mixes or straight house sets, but digital lets me share the amazing new music from around the world available (only!) on Bandcamp. I picked vinyl for this mix because I wanted to lean into the slower, quieter corners of my collection. It was recorded in the winter of 2019 during a very stressful time and I needed to envelop myself in calm sounds.

What else can you tell us about the mix? Any standout tracks for you we should keep an ear out for?
I recorded this mix at the end of 2019. I pulled some of my crucial winter listens – Daniel Lentz, Ian William Craig, Actress, Roly Porter – and cast a glance towards what my home sounds like in December.

And lastly, what do you have on the horizon release-wise?
I am working on the last James Place release concurrently with compositions that, i hope, will finally feel *right* to share under my given name. But who knows. This is the time to write for the sake of it and share only when the message is clear. Otherwise, silence.

~
Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

Download

Tracklist (as good as could be remembered!)

1. Best Available Technology - Flourescent Sap
2. James Place - Vanishing (Dylan Henner Remix)
3. Actress - Grey Over Blue
4. Ihor Tsymbrovsky - Roses for the poet
5. Roly Porter - ?
6. Ian William Craig - Idea for Contradiction 1
7. James Place - Vanishing (Homeward Mix)
8. Donnacha Costello - That Way
9. Jurgen Muller - ?
10. Alex Twomey - Velvet On Foam
11. Daniel Lentz - Missa Umbrarum
12. Jay Glass Dubs - ?
13. Jonine - You're Wanting To Go This Way
14. Best Available Technology - ?
15. Best Available Technology - ?

James Place on Discogs | Twitter | Soundcloud