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SOUNDWAVE : 13 : TIJS HAM

SOUNDWAVE : 13

I’m going to keep today’s intro short because I learned that a family member tested positive for COVID-19. Our current understanding of the virus is that there is a 97-99% recovery rate. If you have pre-existing conditions then the chance of recovery lowers, and he has pre-existing conditions. I am optimistic that he’ll recover but our family is obviously rattled and I’m finding it difficult to concentrate on anything. Hence today’s brevity.

Our guest deejay on today’s show is Tijs Ham, who records under the name Tapage.

I was introduced to Tijs’s music when I interview Paul Nielsen, the founder of Tympanik Audio, on solipsistic NATION. I was impressed with Tijs seamless blending of ambient, breakcore and IDM that I broke one of my rules for solipsistic NATION, which is not playing an artist’s music more than once on the show. In fact, I featured Tijs’s music on the show quite times and invited him on solipsistic NATION to perform a live set. And that’s exactly why I invited Tijs to be a guest deejay on SOUNDWAVE.

Tijs will paint a picture of his mix below but before I go, please join us again ext week when our guest deejay will be Gert De Meester of Distant Fires Burning.

Until then, wear a mask and wash your hands and be safe.

 

Tijs Ham
Tijs Ham
Photo credit: Cindy Voitus

A journey commences near the entrance of a cavern, stretching deep into a vast mountain. With each step the sunlight dims and fades until the dark remains. Balancing onuneven surfaces, the path leads further inwards, devoid of shapes and features, lost in time and space. Then, barely visible, a faintlight appears. Distant and flickering, like a candle in a slight summer breeze. As vision is slowly restored, the inevitable becomes clear. Are we back where we started?

  1. The Void* “DI/S/CO”
  2. Tapage “STATES PEDAL(Unreleased)”
  3. Tapage “SC_200330_205052”
  4. Tapage & Espoir “Nighttime Instructorship”
  5. Tapage “Test (Unreleased)”
  6. Tapage “Citizen Dropout”
  7. Tapage “Calcium Sonogram”
  8. Tapage “Two of Three”
  9. Tapage “Amnety”
  10. Tapage “Much Like a Dream”
  11. Tapage & Gareth Davis “STATE I”
  12. Tapage “Shards”
  13. Tapage “SC_141222_115849”
  14. Tapage & Espoir “Flooded Ant”
  15. Admir Korjenic “Tiaga (Tapage Remix)”
  16. Tapage “Granular Recursion(Unreleased)”
  17. The Void* “DI/S/WO”
  18. Hior Chronik “That Mystery Again (Tapage Remix)”
  19. Tapage “Femtosecond Intervals”
  20. The Void* – “DI/S/CO”

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SOUNDWAVE : 12 : JAIME IRLES

SOUNDWAVE : 12

It’s late and its been a long week so I’m going to keep this short.

The only thing I can think off the top of my head that’s COVID-19 related is that supposedly a bunch of teenagers on Tik Tok punked President Trump earlier today by reserving tickets for his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was supposed to pack a stadium full of supporters but instead it was barely half full. Was it teens that did this, though? At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if it was pulled of by Russian or Chinese hackers. In any case, whoever did it, well done. That means half as many people might get infected with the virus. Reading Trump’s rage tweets is going to be something.

Our guest deejay for today’s show is Jaime Irles.

Jaime was one half of Known Rebel, an electronic music duo from Ibiza. I very much wanted them to interview them for my electronic music show, solipsistic NATION but it never happened. I always regretted missing that opportunity so when I launched SOUNDWAVE Jaime was one of the first group of people I contacted to participate on the show.

Jaime was kind enough to send me this mix we’re going to listen to on today’s SOUNDWAVE. It’s spectacular and ranges from Burial to Ryuichi Sakamoto and I know you’re going to love it.

Jamie’s going to tell us all about his mix below but before I go I encourage you to pick up his latest album, Cardonova. I was expecting sometime more in the style of what he was recording when he was in Know Rebel but I was delightfully surprised to hear the new horizons he’s exploring. It’s got more of an 80s synthwave kind of sound. Go get it, its only a few a few dollars. The price of a cup of coffee, as they say. And while you’re at it, if you dig any of the the songs you hear on today’s show, go buy them too. Sure, you could stream it, but then the artists only get the tiniest fraction of a penny. They deserve more than that. Splurge and buy one of their songs. Better yet, buy an entire album.

Next week’s guest deejay is Tijs Ham. See you then!

 

Jaime Irles
Jaime Irles

The set I have recorded is a mix of organic soundscapes, melancholic melodies, textures and darkambient sounds with a strong cinematic touch.

Burial has been one of my musical referents for years and wanted tostart the set with one of his latests works. “State Forest” is full of gloomy ambient textures and foggy atmospheres.

Lorn is one of the usual artists on my spotify lists, this specific subject takes me straight to an imaginary cyberpunk movie.

I came across A Winged Victory For The Sullen’s “Retour au Champ-de-Mars” a while ago looking for movie soundtracks. I haven’t had the chance to see the French movie In the Shadow of Iris, but the soundtrack is just as beautiful as it is powerful.

“Encounter Me In The Orchard” is a relatively new track from Polish producer Jacaszek. I love the mix of reverb drenched melodies and sonic textures on thisone.

Lauge and Matt Tondut’s “Above the Clouds” is ambient music at it’s finest, melancholic soundscapes that keep the cinematic vibes of the set.

Nicolas Winding Refn is one of my favorite directors and Too Old To Die young one of the best series I’ve seen lately. Watching the show is like being in an art gallery, watching one beautiful moving painting after another and as an accompaniment to that visual work of art, the music of Cliff Martínez with one of his most outstanding works. “I’m Hunting” is the best fit on set but could have used any of them.

The “Annihilation” end-scene wouldn’t have been this impressive if not for this amazing piece of dark ambient. Not the typical Moderat song but I wish they would do more music on this direction.

Lorn again, not much to comment on, I just love “SILHOUETTE “ and his haunting landscapes of sounds.

With Ryuichi Sakamoto and Oneohtrix Point Never’s Rework you can’t go wrong. Daniel Lopatin is one of my main influences and this trackis a clear example of why. A beautiful piece of art.

“Naval” is the last track of from my Cardonova EP I released in April. The album is an eclectic mixture of downtempo, synthwave, and dark ambient sounds reminiscent of past decades,evoking soundscapes and leading the listener through a journeythrough the depths of oneself. I named the track in honor of Naval Ravikant, an Indian American entrepreneur and investor that really inspires me.

  1. Burial “State Forest”
  2. Lorn “Feed The Dogs For Me”
  3. A Winged Victory For The Sullen “Retour au Champ-de-Mars”
  4. Jacaszek “Encounter Me In The Orchard”
  5. Lauge & Matt Tondut “Above the Clouds”
  6. Cliff Martinez “I’m Hunting”
  7. Moderat “The Mark (Interlude)”
  8. Lorn “SILHOUETTE”
  9. Ryuichi Sakamoto “andata (Oneohtrix Point Never Remix)”
  10. Jaime Irles “Naval”

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SOUNDWAVE : 11 : DRONNY DARKO

SOUNDWAVE : 11

I’m writing this from a hotel room in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m wearing a N95 mask because we’re still in a pandemic, although Arizonans don’t seen to be taking it seriously because maybe 25% of the people I see are wearing masks and observing social distancing. That probably explains why Arizona is seeing a spike in infections. Anyway, I’m wearing a mask and it is clear that I should have brushed my teeth before sitting down to write today’s show notes because I’m basically inhaling the contents of my lungs. Gross.

Let me take care of that. Be right back.

So why am I in Arizona if it is a COVID-19 hotspot you might be asking yourself? I’m here to pick up my kid and his grandmother and bring them back with me to California.

The weekend before California shutdown my wife and I made the decision to take our kids to Arizona to be with their bio dad. They were going to spend spring break with him anyhow and it seemed prudent to leave them with him a few weeks early. I was going to be working from home and it was likely my wife was going to be relocated to help deal with COVID-19. But or boy is done with Arizona and wants to come home and his grandmother will be living with us.

It’s pretty much been me and my dog for the last three months and I’ve fallen into bachelor-like routines (staying up far too late, walking around all day in pajamas, eating breakfast for dinner, etc) so this will take a bit of readjustment for me. For all three of us, really.

So that’s why I’m in Arizona. And from what I’m seeing around here and from what I’ve been hearing from friends scattered about the U.S. it seems we’re going to be living with COVID-19 for quite a while. Which means SOUNDWAVE will continue indefinitely.

Today’s guest deejay is Dronny Darko and he’s got a mix of marvelous dark ambient music for us to enjoy.

When I launched SOUNDWAVE I reached out to friends and acquaintances to guest deejay on the show but I also reached out to folks whose music I’ve been enjoying for the last few years. There’s a net label out of Oregon called Cryo Chamber I discovered when I got back into role playing games. (RPGs) Seems music from Cryo Chamber is the default soundtrack for many horror RPGs. And for good reason, the music is atmospheric and often tinged with dread.

Most people unfamiliar with ambient music often mistake it for swaths of pretty sounds and while that’s true, it’s so much more than that. Ambient music has many moods and its the reason I was drawn to it when we were all under the stay-at-home self-quarantine. Pop music seemed inane and didn’t speak the truth of our new reality. But there are no lyrics in ambient music, just moods and sounds, and that I could listen to. Ambient, classical, experimental and instrumental music spoke to me in ways pop music could not. The dark ambient music from Cryo Chamber was the soundtrack to my existential dread, which helped my process everything I was experience in and come to some sort of terms with it.

One of the artists on Cryo Chamber that I particularly enjoy is Dronny Darko. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to his album, Origin. He was the first artists from Cryo Chamber I reached out to when I began SOUNDWAVE because his music had the most impact on me. It’s darkly lush, quietly epic, and strangely beautiful. If you enjoy Dronny’s mix, and I know you will, I highly encourage you to purchase his album.

Speaking of purchasing music, if you dig any of the songs on today’s show, purchase them, too, if you have the means. As we’re all learning, we need art to help get us through the most trying of times. Musicians pour their heart and soul into their music, spending hours, days, weeks and months for something we listen to in minutes. And for most musicians are already working full time job on top of perfecting their craft. And as writer Bruce Sterling often says, “whatever happens to musicians will happen to all of us.” So out of solidarity, spend some cash on their music. They deserve it and need it.

Join us again next week when our guest deejay will be Jaime Irles. See you then!

Dronny Darko
Dronny Darko

  1. Red Fog “Arboria Institute”
  2. Dronny Darko “Noumenon”
  3. Line Spectrum “Unreleased”
  4. Richard Chartier “Sketch For Winter”
  5. protoU “Transparent Clusters”
  6. Cryogenic Weekend “Unreleased”
  7. Red Fog & Dronny Darko “Unreleased”
  8. Sleeping On Lotus Ashes “Failure of the Material”
  9. Ajna & Dronny Darko “Mutated DNA”

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SOUNDWAVE : 10 : PLANET BOELEX

SOUNDWAVE : 10

Well, that was a week.

Protests blazed across the US, sparked by the killing of George Floyd, from the kindling of over 150 years of police brutality, systemic racism and hundreds of years of slavery. I watched police cars run into protesters. I watched police officers beat and shoot peaceful protesters. I watched protesters raze property, sometimes from their own communities. I’ve even watched a man armed with a bow with an arrow notched aiming it at protesters who quickly took him down.

It is nauseating.

It makes me ill that it’s come to this. I want to hope that out of all this anger, suffering and pain that some good will come of it. But I don’t think my country is ready to have an honest conversation about race that might lead to the healing that this nation so desperately needs.

I’m fried. Once again this show is a balm and a welcome distraction, brief as it is.

Our guest deejay on today’s SOUNDWAVE is Planet Boelex.

I met Planet Boelex through Travis Nobles of hiddenplace music. He suggested that I feature one of Planet Boelex’s live sets on solipsistic NATION, the electronic music show I produced. Planet Boelex’s sound music is impressive because aside from being beautiful it was also distinct. His personality is imprinted onto his music. Electronic music often sound anonymous because some musicians use stock sounds and loops. When you hear a song by Planet Boelex you know it.

I hope today’s show gives you some respite.

Next week’s guest deejay is Dronny Darko. I hope were all in a better place by then.

I’ll leave you with two quotes.

“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”

— James Baldwin

“One is responsible to life. It is the small beacon in that terrifying darkness from which we come and to which we return. One must negotiate this passage as nobly as possible, for the sake of those who are coming after us.”

—James Baldwin

  1. Snorri Hallgrimsson “Chasing The Present”
  2. Digitonal “Autumn Round (Planet Boelex remix)”
  3. Mikael Fyrek “Bau”
  4. Data Rebel “Collisions”
  5. Mosaik “Heart Racer ft. Maria Seger”
  6. Krister Linder “Other Skies”

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SOUNDWAVE : 9 : KIRK MARKARIAN

SOUNDWAVE : 9

When I launched SOUNDWAVE I didn’t have a plan for the show beyond being a coping mechanism for COVID-19. The first could of weeks under the safe at home lockdown I was white-knuckling it every day. We’re we going to enter a Great Depression? A lot of the shelves in the supermarket were bare. When I used the keypad to pay for my groceries there was an undercurrent of anxiety. Would touching it might end up killing me? I’m sure you experienced your own version.

It became clear one of the few things that was providing solace was the ambient, classical, experimental and instrumental music I was listening to. I reasoned that if the music was listening to was giving me some relief then other folks might as well. And producing a monthly show would also provide a welcome distraction from my fears.

That was it. That was the plan.

But I quickly decided to update SOUNDWAVE’s schedule to a weekly basis for as long as the safe at home orders were in place. Almost immediately afterwards I began inviting guest deejays to contribute mixes to the show.

I did not anticipate was everyone’s generosity. Nearly everyone I asked to sent me a mix and as I write this I have shows scheduled to September. I’m tempted to release all the shows all at once à la Netflix so you can listen to the mixes à la carte. It feels criminal to have all this wonderful music to myself only to dole it out to you once a week.

When I made the decision to invite guest deejays to share their mixes I reached out to people I knew from my electronic music podcast, solipsistic NATION. One person I contacted was David Newman, founder of Audiobulb Records. I never had the opportunity to have David on the show but I was hoping to have him contribute a mix to SOUNDWAVE. David wasn’t able to participate but he did introduce me to Gert De Meester of Distant Fires Burning and Kirk Markarian of Neuro… No Neuro.

Kirk is our guest deejay today. I knew the show was in good hands when I listened to Kirk’s Electronic Frequencies, an excellent program on Concertzender Radio in Utrecht, that features ambient and experimental composers. More great music for us to enjoy!

Before Kirk talks about his mix I encourage you to purchase one or more of the songs you enjoyed on today’s show. The artists pour their hearts into each track. Your purchase of songs or albums helps them continue working on their craft but also puts food on their tables and a roof over their heads.

See you next Sunday. Our guest deejay is Planet Boelex!

 

Kirk Markarian
Kirk Markarian

This mix begins with a track by NOEL-KIT – “Summertime” – from their album, Tokyo Noise. Sounds pan about the audio field, growing, fading; bursting from underneath NOEL-KIT’s enthusiastic interpretation of the season.

Following this, we move into “Edall” by Autistici from their album Beneath Peaks. Almost like breathing, the track pulls one in and cycles to and fro until the cycle speeds up, and becomes off-kilter, shifting the listener into a gentle, calm, yet shiny future.

From there, out of the soothing wash, we have a longer track by the artist Distant Fires Burning – “Science Stops…” – from their album Build on Me. Starting with a beautiful electric keyboard sound that echos softly into the distance, the track blends into a harmonic freeze that shifts the listener into a hazy field.

From there, a soft segue into Wil Bolton’s long play “Woven Geometry” from their album Viridian Loops begins. Field recordings exist throughout the entire track while beautiful synthetics pulsate fade in and out around the beautiful padding underneath the entire piece.

For the final track, we fade into an uplifting rhythmic piece by mg&mw – “Seagulls” – off their album All Steamed Up. Analog synths, harmonica, bass, and electric percussion all blend into a very catchy tune that places the listener directly into a moment.

  1. NOEL-KIT “Summertime”
  2. Autistici “Edall”
  3. Distant Fires Burning “Science Stops…”
  4. Wil Bolton “Woven Geometry”
  5. mg&mw “Seagulls”

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SOUNDWAVE : 8 : ROBERT RICH

SOUNDWAVE : 8

Here we are in week whatever of the safe at home lockdown in California. I’m in really good spirits because I got to see my wifee for the first time in over two months. She’s in the military and her unit has been tasked to pack boxes for food banks. Being apart from her for so long was taking a toll and seeing her, if only for week, did me a world of good.

She was on bereavement leave for her grandmother’s funeral. It was a sad day but due to the Corona Virus I think everyone took extra solace being with family members. It was a little surreal seeing everyone wearing masks at the ceremony.

I’ve continued to find comfort and enjoyment in the mixes guest deejays have shared on SOUNDWAVE. Today’s show is significant to me because our guest deejay is musician and producer, Robert Rich. I’ve been a fan of Robert since first hearing his music on the From Here To Tranquility Volume 2 compilation album way back in 1993. I was excited to interview him for solipsistic NATION and share his performance at Fort Mason and the Morrison Planetarium and I’m equally excited to share Robert’s mix with you today! You can read Robert’s show notes below.

Join us again next week when our guest deejay will be Kirk Markarian, who composes music for video games, film, animation, stock music, and other projects.

See you then!

 

Robert Rich
Robert Rich

One thing that ties all of these together, is that I was involved in each of them. All but the first two are also unavailable to the public. I mixed and mastered Forrest’s Folklore album, and played a bit on it. I have also mastered almost all of his other albums, and I appear on his next one which I will also master soon.

Amoeba is a group I was in you that might know, then there’s the debut of my next album, and a live recordingof a Lou Harrison concert that I made in the dome of the observatory on top of Mt. Hamilton, as a favor to the gamelan group and to Lou. They debuted this composition at the concert, and it was the only time that piece was ever performed. This recording is the only one made. After Lou died I sent a spare copy to his archives in Joshua tree.

The last piece is one that I edited along with six others for the Mexican composer Arturo Salinas. I spent several weeks working with him in 1998, down in Tepoztlan, Mexico.He had a grant to complete the album, but then couldn’t find alabel to release it. It remains unreleased.

  1. Forrest Fang “The Bridge of Chan​-​Chou III. Falling Stones (Kuan Yin)”
  2. Amoeba “Origami”
  3. Robert Rich “Cantus For Hospitality”
  4. Lou Harrison with Gamelan Si Betty “Gending Max Beckman (Unreleased recording from Lick Observatory concert 17 July 1992)”
  5. Arturo Salinas “Munamukami”

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Our Man Bashir

Last century I watched “Our Man Bashir,” a delightful episode of Deep Space Nine that was a send-up of James Bond with a twist. I never got to finish the episode because I had to do my show at WMFO. Decades later I finally got to see it in its entirety.

Another item crossed off my bucket list.

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SOUNDWAVE : 7 : FRANK RIGGIO

SOUNDWAVE : 7

During the first few weeks of lockdown under COVID-19 it became clear that previous entertainments and enjoyments no longer obtained.

Pre-COVID-19 I would be reading five books at once. I’d read a chapter or section from each book before moving on to the next. Post-COVID-19 and I’m lucky if I can muster up the concentration to read for 10 or 15 minutes. I hear this is a common phenomenon.

Likewise, television failed to provide distraction. Aside from the usual hurdle of deciding what to watch came the realization that none of the shows being promoted by Apple, Amazon, Hulu, etc spoke to me and even when they did, such as Contagion, I’d wonder why no one was wearing face masks or not standing at least six feet apart sooner.

Like books, I could barely pay attention to the podcasts I used to like so much. And music, like television, seemed irrelevant to the world I now lived in. Everything seemed inane. Except for music that fell under the categories of ambient, classical, experimental and instrumental. There were no lyrics to be frustrated by and the music I was listening to was the perfect soundtrack to my perosnal experience of the pandemic. Surely there were other people who’d appreciate it and maybe get some solace from the mjsic so I launched this show.

Very quickly decided to ask foks I know to guest deejay on SOUNDWAVE and its worked out very well. Sean Horton, founder fo the Decibel Festival and Nordic Soul, shared a mix that’s an emotional journey. My old friend Steven Howard wove a wonderful mix that incorporated field recordings that reminded me of the world that’s waiting for us. Vince Millett, founder of Broken Drum Records and host of the Secret Archives of the Vatican podcast delivered a mix that leaned towards the Asian and Middle Eastern music. Last week writer James Curcio spun a mix that mediated on mortality, isolation and simulacra.

This week’s show comes courtesy of Frank Riggio. I’m particularly excited about today’s because I’ve asked Frank to come on solipsistic NATION several times to talk about his music but Frank politely declined every single time. Frank is one of those artists who believes his music speaks for him. Fair enough. But if Frank wouldn’t do an interview maybe he’d do a mix for SOUNDWAVE. And lucky for us, he did. Frank selected some fantastic music that I know you’re going to love. I additional to great tunes, Frank also helps push the experimental aspects that I want SOUNDWAVE to explore.

Frank will talk about today’s music below. If you want to heat more of Franks’ music you’ll be happy to know that Frank recently released a new album under the name Aqka Torr and the album is called Fascina. It’s different from what you’ll hear on today’s mix and it’s very sexy and it’s mysterious.

Join us again next week when our guest deejay will be ambient musician Robert Rich.

See you then!

 

Frank Riggio
Frank Riggio

This mix was a great opportunity for me to put together some of the songs that I’m currently listening alongside new unreleased Frank Riggio tracks.

You’ll find here smooth transitions and cool mashups, especially the last one, this final 4 tracks mashup around that amazing LORN song with Hecq, Syl Kougaï and Amon Tobin.

I’m fascinated by all of these musicians featured in this mix, they’re consistently in my playlist, for years.

Music has always given me great recomfort in shitty moments in my life, even more in this crazy times. Being isolated that way with my daughter is not really something I expected experiencing in my life.

I truly believe humanity will never be the same after this pandemic, it’s the end of a cycle. I don’t want to sound defeatist but I’m definitely not enthusiastic for what’s coming next.

In a world where everything; every humans, every objects became “prohibited” to touch, the senses and feelings are really broken.

Music isn’t palpable, it’s odorless and invisible, it doesn’t really exist… so hearing, listening music is possibly the greatest thing you can do now, especially for your mental health.

Hope you enjoy this mix, be safe an take care of you and yours.

  1. Frank Riggio “Forthcoming/Unreleased”
  2. Amon Tobin “Heart Of The Sun”
  3. LORN “BROKEN MANTRA”
  4. Frank Riggio “Forthcoming/Unreleased”
  5. Amon Tobin “Red Moon”
  6. Frank Riggio “Forthcoming/Unreleased”
  7. LORN “PERFEKT DARK”
  8. Frank Riggio “Forthcoming/Unreleased”
  9. Flying Lotus “Land Of Honey”
  10. LORN “UNFOLDING”
  11. HECQ “Typhon”
  12. Syl Kougaï “Corvus (Vulcain Mix)”
  13. Amon Tobin “Feed”

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SOUNDWAVE : 6 : JAMES CURCIO

SOUNDWAVE : 6

Today’s guest deejay is James Curcio.

I met James years ago back when I was hosting the small WORLD podcast. I was part of the second wave of podcasting and I was small WORLD as the punk rock Fresh Air. If by punk rock, you mean badly played music on out of tune instruments. Anyway, James Curcio was one of my guests and I believe we we talked about his book, Join My Cult!

During the course of producing small WORLD I noticed that James would pop up again again in various circles. Into culture jamming? James was there. Interested in philosophy. James is your man. Writing? James. Music? James again. Magick? Also James.

When I was putting together a list of guest deejays for SOUNDWAVE I included James because I was curious what kind of mix he’d put together. I suspected it would be a playlist that included Coil, Current 93 and Dead Moon. You know, some sort of musical art project attempting to turn lead into gold. Instead, I got a mix of David Bowie interspersed with industrial and Nordic folk music. Did not see that coming.

Before I let James introduced this week’s show, I want to thank everyone who is listening to the show and the kind words they’ve shared. I just ask that you do it in on iTunes. Leave SOUNDWAVE a quick review and whatever algorithm Apple uses pushes the show up their podcast charts. SOUNDWAVE is a super niche show so I don’t expect that it’d take much.

Come back next week. Out guest deejay will be electronic musician Frank Riggio.

 

James Curcio
James Curcio

This mix was probably inspired by spending 3 years writing and researching MASKS: Bowie & Artists of Artifice (especially the themes that come up in this long-form blog post, Masks All The Way Down). But it’s not a “Bowie mix” as such: mortality, futility, transience, being lost in the simulacra, isolation during coronavirus… and some great beats. Everything in our lives feel so fragile now, but of course the truth is it always was. The outro track is an original remix of Nine Inch Nail’s “Me I’m Not” that I did like 10 years back, and some live studio outtakes from a mushroom party.

  1. IAMX “Stardust (Video Mix)”
  2. David Bowie “No Plan”
  3. Forest Swords “Panic”
  4. David Bowie “Love is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix)”
  5. Eivør “Í tokuni” (lyrics translation)
  6. David Bowie “The Motel/Sunday”
  7. Onuka “Zenit (intercut with sections of Davi Bowie’s ‘Sunday’)” (lyrics translation)
  8. Perturbator “Tactical Precision Disarray”
  9. Igorrr “Downgrade Desert”
  10. SKYND “Tyler Hadley”
  11. David Bowie “Killing A Little Time”
  12. Nine Inch Nails “Me I’m Not (James Curcio Original Remix)”
  13. James Curcio “Mother Hive Brain (Recorded at OrangeFace)”

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SOUNDWAVE : 5 : VINCE MILLETT

SOUNDWAVE : 5

I’m writing the show notes you’re reading from my backyard. Vince Millett’s mix, today’s guest deejay, plays in the background. The sun is out, the sky is blue, birds are chirping and my dog is smelling a flower. It is an idyllic day. Except that it’s week seven of California’s safe at home. COVID-19 has completely disrupted civilization and we’ll feel the aftershocks for years, if not decades, to come. So, yeah except for that, I’m having a fantastic day.

Today’s mix, by the way, is spectacular.

Opening the show to guest deejays has been a great idea because it’s really exposed me to so many musicians I’ve never heard before. I was counting on Vince to turn me on to some great stuff and his mix does not disappoint. It is exactly why he was one of the first people I asked to guest deejay on SOUNDWAVE.

I met Vince eight years ago on Twitter. I was impressed with his netlabel, Broken Drum Records, and his podcast, Secret Archives of the Vatican, and invited him to be a guest deejay for solipsistic NATION, my electronic music podcast. You’ll want to listen to that episode as soon as you’re done with today’s show. Vince’s taste in music leans towards the Asian and Middle Eastern and that is reflected in today’s mix. Each song is a gem. Dhafer Youssef’s “Dawn Prayer,” for example, is gut wrenchingly beautiful

Vince will talk about his musical selections below but before I go, I want to thank everyone who has sent the mixes you will hear in the upcoming months.

In just a few short weeks I’ve received a lot of mixes for SOUNDWAVE from some amazing guest deejays. It’s humbling how everyone were so quick to respond to my requests and their generosity of their time.

Last week’s show featured a gorgeous mix by Steven Howard. Next week’s guest deejay is James Curcio and his mix was inspired by the three years he spent writing and researching for his book, MASKS: Bowie & Artists of Artifice, and is a meditation on mortality, futility, transience, being lost in the simulacra and isolation during the coronavirus.

See you then.

 

Vince Millett
Vince Millett

We open with “Kemancheh” by Moving Ninja. Some years back when I was first discovering dubstep, the folk music of my hometown Croydon, I was surprised to find tracks like this that were far away from the dancefloor and had some middle eastern influences. Genre labels can be so limiting and misleading.

We then move into one of my own, “Outremer” by Thousand Yard Prayer. This is built upon a simple Viola Da Gamba line playing an Arabian musical scale with some medieval frame drums, a Persian ney flute and some subtle Croydon post-dubstep bass wobble adding to the low end.

Tunisian born oud player and vocalist Dhafer Youssef then leads us into the exquisite “Dawn Prayer.” His music gets marketed as jazz but I’m not convinced. It is unique. Listen to that voice!

Next we head towards the world of film soundtracks with “Eastern Path” by Vangelis from the film Alexander. The duduk is one of the most expressive and melancholy instruments on the planet.

We continue to head east with “Battle Remembered” by Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. I’m not a huge fan of western classical music but I love to hear musicians from that world working with highly skilled musicians from other traditions.

Bassist Jonas Hellborg recorded “Suriya” live in Aleppo in 1996. The whole album, Aram of the Two Rivers, is beautiful and is another example of superb musicians from disparate traditions creating something transcendent.

I finish this mix with my favourite piece of medieval music, “Palästinalied,” here played by Kalenda Maya from their album Pilegrimreiser. I have a Spotify playlist with 42 versions of this tune, all sounding different. This is a particularly chilled rendition.

  1. Moving Ninja “Kemancheh”
  2. Thousand Yard Prayer “Outremer”
  3. Dhafer Youssef “Dawn Prayer”
  4. Vangelis “Eastern Path”
  5. Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble “Battle Remembered”
  6. Jonas Hellborg “Suriya”
  7. Kalenda Maya “Palästinalied”

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