Synecdoche

Today’s guest deejay is Jacob Newman.

When I launched Soundwave, I had no plans beyond releasing a weekly show dedicated to ambient, classical, experimental, and instrumental music to help cope with the stress and isolation of the stay-at-home self-quarantine during the first few months of the pandemic. If I had a plan, it was that I would wrap up the show once COVID-19 was reasonably under control. Soundwave will have fulfilled its purpose.

Week after week, I’ve shared fantastic mixes from guest deejays who are musicians, deejays, label owners, writers, etc. Each show is different; each show is a gem. But the pandemic isn’t over, and Soundwave hasn’t ended.

One of the unexpected delights of Soundwave over the last two years is the network of people that emerged who have participated in the show. I ask each guest deejay on Soundwave whom they know who would want to share a mix on the show. Soundwave has been around long enough that asking for someone to guest deejay on the show will branch out to three other guests. How far will it go as the year goes by?

I met Jacob Newman when I asked Innesti who should guest deejay on Soundwave. They recommended Jacob. After listening to his music on Bandcamp, I wholeheartedly agreed and extended an invitation to Jacob.

 

The music you’ll hear in Jacob’s mix captures the spirit of his own music. If you enjoy Jacobs mix, then you’ll definitely want to listen to his latest album, Ephemeralis Algorithmica. As I’m writing this, I’m listening to Jacob’s new album and paused to look up and see palm trees swaying in the breeze against a clear blue sky. The sense of peace and happiness of that moment was magic.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Inner Islands.

See you then.

1. Misleading Structures “Momentum Drift”
2. Lab’s Cloud “Reflections”
3. Loscil “Orta”
4. Lo Mismo “Time and Again”
5. Atmøsphäre “Evening Lights”
6. Motionfield “Reality”
7. Martin Jarl “Isolated Incident”
8. Mnemonic45 “Restless Heart”
9. Autumna “Du er mit lys”
10. Blure “Singing of Forests (el canto eterno de los bosques)”
11. Eternall, Blure “Beauty and Resistance”
12. Ishq “Starflower City”
13. strië “Unseen Weight”

Today’s guest deejay is Shad Marsh.

Shad shared a mix on Soundwave a few years back. Today he shares a mix no less remarkable. His mix explores immersion and isolation.

I’m writing this in the evening from my kitchen table. My patio door is open, and there’s a perfect cool breeze. Shad’s mix is playing in the background, and it feels like an ode to spring. I hope my neighbors are enjoying Shad’s mix as music as I do.

 

Shad lives in the mountains of western North Carolina. His radio show 2000 Years of Radio can be heard Sunday mornings on 103.3fm in Asheville, NC, and on the web. You’d be doing yourself a favor if you tuned in.

Shad also shares a poem from William Carlos Williams , which you can find below. How nice is that? I may ask future guest deejays on Soundwave to share poems as well.

Speaking of guest deejays, next week features a mix from Jacob Newman.

See you then.

1. Daniel Bachman “Accokeek Creek”
2. Daniel Bachman “Blues in the Anthropocene”
3. Porest “No Terracotta Relief”
4. Aaron Dilloway & Lucrecia Dalt “Demands of Ordinary Devotion”
5. Kink Gong “Bamboo Chicken”
6. caroline “Skydiving onto the library roof”
7. Lea Bertucci “On Opposite Sides of Sleep”

“Lifeless in appearance, sluggish,

dazed spring approaches —

They enter the new world naked,

cold, uncertain of all

save that they enter. All about them

the cold, familiar wind—

Now the grass, tomorrow

the stiff curl of wild-carrot leaf.

One by one objects are defined —

It quickens: clarity, outline of leaf,

But now the stark dignity of

entrance — Still, the profound change

has come upon them; rooted they

grip down and begin to awaken”

—W.C. Williams

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

Today’s guest deejay is Melissa Pons.

I found Melissa while doing a deep dive in Bandcamp for new music to listen to. I spent the day skipping from musician to musician. I’d play a minute or two of a few of their songs. If it didn’t move or interest me, I’d move on to the next artist. I skipped across a lot of songs, and then I came across Melissa. Her music was compelling. I spent the rest of the day listening to her albums.

So of course I invited Melissa to guest deejay on Soundwave.

 

Funny thing. Earlier this week my friend and I were talking about ambient music. He’s a musician and he has strong opinions about his craft. He thinks ambient is nothing but a lot of loops, for example. I told him “My friend, I know.” Yes, that kind of ambient music exists, but that’s not the kind of music that the guest deejays on this show play. I told him how Melissa’s mix makes me smile. Melissa’s mix took me on a journey, and I’d take delight when I found myself in reverie.

I hope you’ll have the same experience when you listen to Melissa’s mix.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Shad Marsh.

See you then.

1. Fierce Islands “Memory Bag”
2. Jake Muir “like sweet thoughts in a dream”
3. Eartheater “Kiss of The Phoenix”
4. Melissa Pons “Cows in Space / Heart Cluster”
5. Melissa Pons “Essay on Uncertain Layers of Self”
6. Chris Yan “Wechselwirkung (interazione)”
7. Jeremy Hegge “My first dawn outside our new home in the bush”
8. Patricia Wolf “Dawn Chorus One Alternate Mix”
9. TOMOKO HOJO + RAHEL KRAFT “Melted Into Darkness”
10. TOMOKO HOJO + RAHEL KRAFT “The Hours Descend”
11. Paulo Dantas “02022020”
12. Melissa Pons “Binaural Bird Feeder / Incredibly Close”
13. Ian Wellman “Extraction”
14. Ian Wellman “Gusts of Wind”

Today’s guest deejay is Darren McClure.

I met Darren when I asked Soundwave guest deejay Gert De Meester (listen to his mix here), who he thought would share a mix on the show. Gert highly recommended Darren. After listening to a couple of Darren’s albums, I couldn’t agree with Gert more, and I reached out to Darren, who delivered today’s fantastic show.

I’m fond of today’s show because I listened to it while working from home earlier this week. It was a rare rainy San Diego, and while the rain pelted my rood and windows and the wind shook the palm trees, Darren’s mix played in the background, making it a magical day.

 

Before I get out of Dodge, Gert is releasing his new Distant Fires Burning album, Inperspectycon Vol.2 Wednesday, April 6. I’ve been listening to the preview tracks, and Inperspectycon Vol​.​2 is quite the musical journey. I encourage you to give his preview tracks yourself and maybe pre-order his album.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Melissa Pons.

1. Ulla “smile”
2. Yui Onodera “Substrate 3”
3. Taylor Deupree “Live in Yamaguchi (June 25, 2004)”
4. Tim Hecker “Kaito”
5. Pole “Paula”
6. Jan Jelinek “Do Dekor”
7. Microstoria “Zuhause”
8. Christophe Charles “Taegu”
9. Pita “Fvo”
10. TIBSLC “Glime”
11. Tetsu Inoue “Curve”
12. Huerco S. “Promises Of Fertility”
13. Fennesz “Odessa”
14. Simon Scott “Oaks Grow Strong”
15. Janek Schaefer “Tale Of Two Angels”
16. CV & JAB “Hot Tub”
17. Federico Durand “Recuerdos en Super 8 (Memories on Super 8)”
18. Motion “London Thing”
19. Shuttle358 “Sea”
20. Celer “Walking Above Walkways”
21. Johann Johannsson “Mandy Love Theme”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

Today’s guest deejay is Joakim Alfvén.

I met Joakim through Sofia Nystrand, AKA Vargkvint. After showcasing her lovely mix during the summer (you can listen to her mix here) I asked Sofia who she thought would want to share a mix on Soundwave. I’ve found this a great way to be introduced to new music. Sofia went above and beyond and put me in touch with Jakob Lindhagen, Bonander, and Joakim.

We’ll hear from Jakob and Bonander in the next few months, but today we begin with Sofia’s recommendations with Joakim’s mix.

I’ve been steeping in Joakim’s mix the last few months, as I do with all the mixes sent my way. I often listen to the mixes while doing chores and errands such as walking my dog, doing dishes, folding laundry, etc. Joakim’s mix, however, has been my constant companion during the mornings. While I’m drinking my first cup of coffee and sorting through emails, and scheduling my tasks for the day, Joakim’s six plays in the background, the sun on my face. I’m on a riding a train with the landscape passing by my window in my imagination. Sometimes I can almost feel the train gently rocking to and fro.

It’s a magical experience. Please share where Joakim’s mix takes you if you’re so inclined.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Munknörr.

See you then.

1. Hoshiko Yamane “Pour donner la vie”
2. Sergio Diaz De Rojas “Pomegranate (Vargkvint Rework)”
3. Jakob Lindhagen & Dag Rosenqvist “Gamla drömmars stad”
4. Daniela Dahl “Genova (Reinterpretation of Original version by Joakim Alfvén)”
5. Mathilda Skonare Karlsson “Cornélis”
6. Night Gestalt & Klangriket “Like A Particle Of Dust”
7. Jon Hopkins, Eleanor Turner and Voces8 “Scene Suspended (Arr. Lawson)”
8. Apparat “Big Romance”
9. Bonander “Backseat”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

Today’s guest deejay is Nick Turner, AKA Tyresta.

We have Kévin Séry to thank for introducing me to Nick. After Kévin’s mix for Soundwave I asked who he thought would share a mix on show he said I should contact Nick. I did what I aways do, which is dip into Bandcamp and Spotify to listen to get a feel for the artist’s music. After an afternoon spend listening to his releases as Tyresta, I understood why Kévin thought Nick should I have guest deejay on the show.

Good call, Kévin.

Nick’s mix has been my soundtrack for the events unfolding in Ukraine. Some of the songs Nick selected in his mix seem prescient and apocalyptic. But Nick’s mix takes unexpected turns and is, thankfully, at times joyful and triumphant. At least that’s what I got out of it.

Nick is a social worker and experimental musician based in Chicago, Illinois.  He releases music as Tyresta, Tyresta and Ruan, Montgomery and Turner (with Jayve Montgomery/Abstract Black), and Color of Time (with Kévin Séry/From Overseas). He also runs the digital-only, experimental music imprint Fallen Moon Recordings, which is a sub-label of Past Inside the Present. 

Nick has some words about his mix below.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Joakim Alfvén.

See you then.

 

The music on this mix has inspired me greatly in recent years and features artists that hold identities that are typically under-valued in ambient, drone, and experimental music.

1. Felicia Atkinson “Everything Evaporate”
2. Kali Malone “Bondage To Formula”
3. Christina Gionnone “Redemption”
4. Tujiko Noriko ”10 Ride”
5. Ulla Straus “Net”
6. Miki Yui “Granit”
7. Lea Bertucci“At Dawn”
8. More Eaze & Claire Rousay “Post-op”
9. Amirtha Kidambi & Matteo Liberatore “Repose”
10. Meroitic “Brought Up By It”
11. Patricia Wolf “Dawn Chorus Two”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

Today’s guest deejay is Damien Duque, AKA City of Dawn.

I met Damien through Kévin Séry, AKA From Overseas, who was our guest deejay back in July. Kévin spun a gorgeous mix. Afterward, I asked Kévin who he thought would want to share a mix on Soundwave, and he highly recommended Damien. After dipping into Damien’s catalog on Bandcamp, I understood why. Damien captures that dreamy, post-rock sound I love that creates ambient drone soundscapes. Wonderful stuff.

Damien’s mix for today’s show is no less extraordinary.

An interesting aspect about Soundwave is that you, dear reader, most likely listen to each show once. And that’s perfectly all right. Podcasts are a disposable medium. You listen to one podcast and then move on to the next. I do the same thing.

But I listen to each mix sent my way for Soundwave many times. They become the soundtrack to my life. Damien’s mix has provided the score to the horror unfolding in Ukraine. I’m sure that’s not how Damien wanted his mix to be distinguished, but there it is.

As I’ve said many times, I launched Soundwave to cope with the stress and isolation of the pandemic. I never anticipated that it would help me deal with a possible third World War.’

Wherever you are in the world listening to today’s show, I hope it finds you well. I hope today’s show provides solace or, at the very least, an hour’s worth of distraction. I naively hope the conflict in Ukraine winds down without too much more suffering and death. And I hope that things do not spin out of control and drag the rest of the world into this geopolitical shitstorm.

You can find Damien on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Damien has some words about his mix below.

 

It’s an honor to be part of the Soundwave series. I love doing mixes like this and share new tunes from artist that I adore, have listened often on repeat and discovered . It’s a great way to go on a unique journey and to immerse yourself in the work of amazing artists that I collaborated with, adore and have inspired . This mix was made on Midnight of August 27, 2021. Preparing for fall season. There are more artists that I adore that didn’t fit with the mix, but for sure I’m going to add more of them in future mixes.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Tyresta.

See you then.

1. Amulets “Observer Effect”
2. Joshua W Bruner “Somehow Sleeping”
3. Steve Roach “Left Perfectly Alone”
4. Christina Giannone “The Portal”
5. dottie “Knell Valley”
6. Polar Moon “We’re not Alone”
7. Hammock “We watched you Disappear”
8. Illuminine “Inferences”
9. Slow Meadow “Fake Magic is Real”
10. Andrea Cortez “Evening Frogs”
11. City Of Dawn “Quiet Years and Broken Shells”
12. Willamette “New York Heat”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

Today’s guest deejay is Justin Broadrick.

Justin is a singer and songwriter best known as a founding member of the band Godflesh, which combined metal and industrial music. Justin is also know for Jesu, which some refer to as his “shoegaze” project. While those are some of Justin’s more well-known projects, he’s been involved with many projects over nearly four decades, including everything from remixes to ambient music.

Every episode of Soundwave features spectacular mixes from our amazing guest deejays. Today’s show is no less unique. But today’s show a special to me because my I have an intimate relationship with his music.

I discover Justin through Godflesh’s Streetcleaner album. I can tell you that the album fused metal and industrial music. I can tell you that while the album is bleak as hell, it is somehow psychedelic and cathartic. But you owe it to yourself to experience it. Loudly.

When I learned that Godflesh would be performing in Boston for their first US tour, I interviewed Justin and his partner, G. C. Green, for WMFO. Unfortunately, their drum machine was fried from the US’s electrical current despite the adaptor they used to protect. Justin has to go out on a Sunday morning and purchase a new drum machine. I never got the chance to interview Justin because he had to program beats into his new drum machine as quickly as possible. Instead, I smoked joints and played video games with their road crew in their tour bus. Justin eventually programmed his drum machine and delivered a pulverizing show. I believe they opened with “Love is A Dog from Hell.” A personal favorite of mine.

My other story is about Justin’s collaboration with Kevin Martin called Techno Animal. I was in a relationship with a woman that was crumbling. One night she didn’t come home and was sleeping with another man. The only thing that got e through that long and painful night was listening to Peter Gabriel’s Passion soundtrack and Techno Animal’s Ghosts album repeatedly.

When I launched Soundwave to cope with the stress and isolation of the early days of the pandemic, Justin was the first person I reached out to be a guest deejay on the show. It was a shot in the dark. I didn’t expect a response, but Justin replied to my invitation the next day and said he’d be play to share a mix.

So here we are today with a mix of some ambient music that Justin considers essential listening.

I encourage you to listen to anything that Justin has been involved in. You might consider beginning with Justin’s latest release, EXPECT NOTHING AND THE KINGDOM WILL BE YOURS, which he records under his ambient project monicker, FINAL.

Justin has some words about his mix below.

 

Faced with the inevitably impossible task of squeezing my favourite, loosely speaking ambient tracks of all time into maximum one hour, i decided to simply include what immediately comes to mind as opposed to labouring over what should or should not appear in this mix, so this is a tiny snapshot of my ambient favourites; there will be some glaring omissions among songs that have stuck with me for decades, but this is my memory in the present…..

Join us next week when out guest deejay will be Inner Islands.

1. Thomas Köner “Llira”
2. Cabaret Voltaire “Double Vision”
3. Controlled Bleeding “Music For Earth And Water, Pt. 3”
4. NON “Cruenta Voluptas”
5. Jon Hassell & Brian Eno “Rising Thermal 14° 16′ N; 32° 28′ E”
6. vidnaObmana “Out From the Garden Reminded”
7. :zoviet*france:* ”Ciels ténébreuses”
8. Squarepusher “Tommib”
9. Isolde “You’re Alone In Red Riding Picture (Part 1)”
10. Celer “Peak Pressure”
11. Aphex Twin “#3”
12. William Basinski “Melancholia II”
13. NON “A Taste Of Blood”
14. Klaus Wiese “Shunyata V”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek